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Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery #3
Witch Slapped
Holly's got a big problem...
And this time, there's no dead body involved.
At least, not yet.
Her boyfriend's parents are coming into town for the Yule Feast and they're staying at the Beechwood Manor -- for an entire week!
With a paranormal meet-the-parents on the horizon, the last thing she needs is to stumble into yet another murder investigation, but when she becomes a key witness, there's no way of avoiding it. Especially not if vampires are involved and her human partner-in-sleuthing is racing right into their path.
Holly has to stop a ring of power-hungry vampires, charm a pair of uptight shifters, and keep herself out of supernatural prison. Piece of cake, right?
Listening Length: 6 hours and 9 minutes
And this time, there's no dead body involved.
At least, not yet.
Her boyfriend's parents are coming into town for the Yule Feast and they're staying at the Beechwood Manor -- for an entire week!
With a paranormal meet-the-parents on the horizon, the last thing she needs is to stumble into yet another murder investigation, but when she becomes a key witness, there's no way of avoiding it. Especially not if vampires are involved and her human partner-in-sleuthing is racing right into their path.
Holly has to stop a ring of power-hungry vampires, charm a pair of uptight shifters, and keep herself out of supernatural prison. Piece of cake, right?
Listening Length: 6 hours and 9 minutes
Audible Audio
First published January 2, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
April 30, 2019
Witch Slapped is book three in the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery series by Danielle Garrett.
Holly and the residents of Beechwood Manor are preparing for Yule Feast and she’s nervous. Adam’s parents are coming for a visit.
Oh I felt bad for Holly. Adam’s parents come to visit and they are less then welcoming to her. It hurt to see them not be so welcoming. Of course the first meet wasn’t great. Poor Holly hasn’t had it easy and she is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She just can’t feel comfortable or secure in her life; because of her past which is always around the corner ready to ruin everything.
Holly excels at potions and is secretly brewing remedies for clients in Beechwood. With her excommunication from the Haven system what she is doing is illegal. Besides potions she has a nose for always finding trouble, solving puzzles, and getting invalid in Nick’s investigations. She’s soon caught up in something more and taking orders from Harvey her SPA officer. We’re treated to twists, turns, and chuckles.
This series and the characters who reside in Beechwood are just delightful. I enjoy the manor that is owned by a ghost, Holly and her boyfriend Adam who’s a shifter, Evangeline another witch, and a Vampire.
Witch Slapped is a delight, fun, and enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to the next. Fans of cozy mysteries, small-towns, and paranormal elements will enjoy the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery series.
Rated: 4 Stars
Holly and the residents of Beechwood Manor are preparing for Yule Feast and she’s nervous. Adam’s parents are coming for a visit.
Oh I felt bad for Holly. Adam’s parents come to visit and they are less then welcoming to her. It hurt to see them not be so welcoming. Of course the first meet wasn’t great. Poor Holly hasn’t had it easy and she is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She just can’t feel comfortable or secure in her life; because of her past which is always around the corner ready to ruin everything.
Holly excels at potions and is secretly brewing remedies for clients in Beechwood. With her excommunication from the Haven system what she is doing is illegal. Besides potions she has a nose for always finding trouble, solving puzzles, and getting invalid in Nick’s investigations. She’s soon caught up in something more and taking orders from Harvey her SPA officer. We’re treated to twists, turns, and chuckles.
This series and the characters who reside in Beechwood are just delightful. I enjoy the manor that is owned by a ghost, Holly and her boyfriend Adam who’s a shifter, Evangeline another witch, and a Vampire.
Witch Slapped is a delight, fun, and enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to the next. Fans of cozy mysteries, small-towns, and paranormal elements will enjoy the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery series.
Rated: 4 Stars
May 2, 2021
This is a paranormal cozy mystery, and this is the 3rd book in the Beachwood Harbor Magic Mystery series. I have read book 1 and 2 before reading this book. I will say that this series is one that needs to be read in order. I have really been enjoying the Beechwood Hardor Magic Mystery series. This one is my favorite so far. The main character in this series is a witch named Holly, and I really love her character. All the characters in this series is so fun and developed. This book is well written. I do not want to give away to much, but Holly is solving a mystery during this book well Adam parents is coming and in town. Lets just say Adam's mom does not like Holly. I cannot while to read book 4. (*)
June 6, 2018
Our girl Holly and the residents of Beechwood Manor are preparing for Yule Feast and poor Holly is nervous. Her boyfriend Adams's parents are coming for an entire week. Yep, it's time to meet the parents! Between making potions, working at the Siren Song coffee house and assisting Nick on a cheating husband case that takes a paranormal turn our girl is stressed but things are about to get worse. Her Haven SPA officer, the one who oversees her probation is staying at Beechwood Manor. If he finds out she is brewing potions, she could end up in a dank, dark cell.
I find this series and the characters who reside in this small seaside town, the supernatural residents living in Beechwood Manor delightful. The manor is owned by a ghost. Holly lives their with Adam a shifter and her current boyfriend, along with Evangeline, a vampire, and former tv star.
Hollys excommunication from the Haven prevents her from practicing magic, However she has been secretly brewing remedies for clients in Beechwood. She makes potions for ailments, stress, depression and more. In fact, she is good at it, but without a potion master's license what she is doing is highly illegal and Harvey her SPA officer seems to be looking for a reason to toss her in a cell and throw away the key.
Holly may excel at potions but she also has a nose for solving puzzles and once again tags along on a case with Nick. Only a simple cheating husband gig turns into something huge involving vampires. Holly's soon caught up in the investigation and taking orders from Harvey. Plenty of twists, turns, kisses, and chuckles ensue and I had a blast listening.
The ending wrapped up the case, but I am eager to find out what happens next for Holly.
Fans of cozy mysteries, small-towns, and paranormal elements will enjoy Witched Slapped and the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery series.
Amanda Ronconi does a stellar job from character voices to pacing. She is such fun to listen to and at just six hours this series is great to take on a trip. Grab your earbuds and enjoy! This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
I find this series and the characters who reside in this small seaside town, the supernatural residents living in Beechwood Manor delightful. The manor is owned by a ghost. Holly lives their with Adam a shifter and her current boyfriend, along with Evangeline, a vampire, and former tv star.
Hollys excommunication from the Haven prevents her from practicing magic, However she has been secretly brewing remedies for clients in Beechwood. She makes potions for ailments, stress, depression and more. In fact, she is good at it, but without a potion master's license what she is doing is highly illegal and Harvey her SPA officer seems to be looking for a reason to toss her in a cell and throw away the key.
Holly may excel at potions but she also has a nose for solving puzzles and once again tags along on a case with Nick. Only a simple cheating husband gig turns into something huge involving vampires. Holly's soon caught up in the investigation and taking orders from Harvey. Plenty of twists, turns, kisses, and chuckles ensue and I had a blast listening.
The ending wrapped up the case, but I am eager to find out what happens next for Holly.
Fans of cozy mysteries, small-towns, and paranormal elements will enjoy Witched Slapped and the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery series.
Amanda Ronconi does a stellar job from character voices to pacing. She is such fun to listen to and at just six hours this series is great to take on a trip. Grab your earbuds and enjoy! This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
May 17, 2018
Witch Slapped takes listeners back to the coastal town of Beechwood Harbor and the adventures of resident witch, Holly Boldt. The holidays are approaching and Holly’s shifter boyfriend Adam shares the news that his parents are coming to town. And if that isn’t stressful enough, Holly’s SPA agent moves into the manor, working on a secret investigation. Unfortunately, Holly’s thriving potions business isn’t entirely legal, and she is worried he’ll discover the truth and send her to prison for good. Toss in a cheating spouse, gruesome murder, and a mafia vampire family, and things are pretty much normal for Holly.
I’m really enjoying the cozy mystery with a paranormal twist stories of the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries series. When we last saw Holly, she was finally opening up to Adam and making a home in Beechwood Harbor. However, apparently Holly didn’t really change in the months following the previous book. Once again, she stumbles into trouble while on an investigation with Nick. And while she shares some of what is going on with the out-of-town Adam, she continues to go behind his back and take matters into her own hands. Additionally, being around Nick causes Holly to question her future and where things are heading with Adam. This frustrated me to no end when listening to Witch Slapped. And honestly, at this point, if it becomes a reoccurring theme in each title, I may have to back away. Either put Holly and Adam together and allow their relationship to bloom, or break them up and have Holly move on with life. OR, just drop the romantic entanglements altogether, and focus solely on the engrossing mysteries.
Outside of the romance, I enjoyed the continuing development of camaraderie and friendship between Holly and several of the supporting characters. Here is one place the overall character development is progressing. Additionally, the mystery itself is exciting. I enjoy listening to Holly pull the pieces together or work them over with Nick. I just wish Nick and best friend Cassie could be in the know (about supernaturals).
Although I enjoyed the storyline in Witch Slapped, the conclusion of the mystery went down very quickly and fell a bit flat for me. Holly made big plans on how to bring down the bad guys, but everything just got shoved out of the way once she arrived on scene. I wasn’t satisfied with the ease with which the bad guys were ultimately brought down. But even more disappointing was the lack of emotion from Adam, who made Holly promise she wouldn’t get involved. Why make such a stink about it earlier in the book if after she lied to him, he doesn’t react?
As always, I do enjoy the story as read by Amanda Ronconi. She brings life to the harried Holly. However, I’m really struggling with Ms. Ronconi’s limited range for male voices, which tend to overlap and blur. I can mostly tell the difference between Nick and Adam, but most other male characters are similar. Likewise, many of the paranormal characters sound similar. Yet, I still love how well she captures Holly’s persona.
In the end, Witch Slapped was entertaining, but I had some issues. The mystery was engrossing, but the ending came too easy. The romantic piece of the book was disappointing. Holly needs to get her act together. I get she's unsure of what she wants out of life, but she's not good to Adam, and I'm not okay with it. Either put her in a relationship or take her out of one and let her get her act together.
Story: B-
Narration: B
Review copy provided by Tantor Audio.
I’m really enjoying the cozy mystery with a paranormal twist stories of the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries series. When we last saw Holly, she was finally opening up to Adam and making a home in Beechwood Harbor. However, apparently Holly didn’t really change in the months following the previous book. Once again, she stumbles into trouble while on an investigation with Nick. And while she shares some of what is going on with the out-of-town Adam, she continues to go behind his back and take matters into her own hands. Additionally, being around Nick causes Holly to question her future and where things are heading with Adam. This frustrated me to no end when listening to Witch Slapped. And honestly, at this point, if it becomes a reoccurring theme in each title, I may have to back away. Either put Holly and Adam together and allow their relationship to bloom, or break them up and have Holly move on with life. OR, just drop the romantic entanglements altogether, and focus solely on the engrossing mysteries.
Outside of the romance, I enjoyed the continuing development of camaraderie and friendship between Holly and several of the supporting characters. Here is one place the overall character development is progressing. Additionally, the mystery itself is exciting. I enjoy listening to Holly pull the pieces together or work them over with Nick. I just wish Nick and best friend Cassie could be in the know (about supernaturals).
Although I enjoyed the storyline in Witch Slapped, the conclusion of the mystery went down very quickly and fell a bit flat for me. Holly made big plans on how to bring down the bad guys, but everything just got shoved out of the way once she arrived on scene. I wasn’t satisfied with the ease with which the bad guys were ultimately brought down. But even more disappointing was the lack of emotion from Adam, who made Holly promise she wouldn’t get involved. Why make such a stink about it earlier in the book if after she lied to him, he doesn’t react?
As always, I do enjoy the story as read by Amanda Ronconi. She brings life to the harried Holly. However, I’m really struggling with Ms. Ronconi’s limited range for male voices, which tend to overlap and blur. I can mostly tell the difference between Nick and Adam, but most other male characters are similar. Likewise, many of the paranormal characters sound similar. Yet, I still love how well she captures Holly’s persona.
In the end, Witch Slapped was entertaining, but I had some issues. The mystery was engrossing, but the ending came too easy. The romantic piece of the book was disappointing. Holly needs to get her act together. I get she's unsure of what she wants out of life, but she's not good to Adam, and I'm not okay with it. Either put her in a relationship or take her out of one and let her get her act together.
Story: B-
Narration: B
Review copy provided by Tantor Audio.
October 9, 2020
Holly Boldt, a witch, and PI Nick Rivers are in the middle of another murder investigation which appears vampires are involved. Holly is also dreading meeting her new boyfriend Adam’s parents. To top things off, her agent Harvey from the SPA has shown up unexpectedly and Holly has to be careful about creating any magic potions in his presence or risk being sent back to Seattle for a harsh punishment.
December 15, 2022
Boy...Holly always seems to find herself in the middle of all the stuff going on in town. This time is no different, but there are the added bonus stress points of Adam's parents being in town and hating Holly. Of course it didn't help that the first time they met her she was being dragged in front of them with hand cuffs on, Holly's SPA agent doing the dirty work. It was all so stupid, what Holly was in trouble for. I was glad that she was able to get Harvey to see how she could help him in what he was looking for and hopefully he can help her in return. I also really liked that Nick found things out, but hated how they had to take that memory away. I feel like if Nick was clued in, he would be better able to help with all the crazy magical stuff that seems to happen. I really hope this trip that Holly is leaving for ends up with the results she is looking for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2019
In this 3rd book, Holly is setting up to meet the boyfriend's parents and her boss is in town. Holly is secretly misbehaving and doing her best to prevent her boss from finding out her secrets. She is also helping Nick with another mystery. This book is full of action, laughter and secrets. Lots of fun!
August 29, 2019
Witch Slapped up the ante on many things in this easy read, engaging paranormal cozy mystery series. Holly and Adam have been dating for several months and its the 'meet the parents' time for Holly. Her SPA rep suddenly shows up and Holly's little off the books potion making side business has her in jeopardy of being carted away in magical handcuffs. Oh, and Nick's latest case turns murderous and he lands in the middle of a dark supernatural doings with vampires that Holly can't let him go it alone. Holly has a full plate for the Yule celebrations.
I've mentioned before that I enjoy these and I do, but there have been moments that have me shaking my head at Holly. This one reminded me why. She doesn't do it on purpose, but her hot-cold thing over the relationship with Adam is starting to grate on me. I get it. Her ex burned her bad, but Adam is not her ex. She put everything else first on him in the last book and is doing the same in this one. I get it. His parents aren't too thrilled to meet her, but if we're calling a spade a spade- she feels the same way and didn't even try to make an effort while having the luxury of blaming them for the bad visit. And, the illegal potion making? I've wondered all along why she kept it up after getting caught back in Seattle and given the one last chance. I get that she wants her dream, but hello, jail time, Holly? And, here's the real troublesome thing that I still see as an issue. Nick. She is just hanging out with him and ignoring the vibe between them. If it weren't for her ignoring the chemistry with Nick, this would be a love triangle. It feels like one and I wish it would just resolve.
Okay, got that off my chest. Sorry about that. Now, on to what I really love about the series.
Like I said, it up the ante. There was some more exciting action in this one when Holly got tangled up in a supernatural policing matter involving the vampires. I enjoyed the excitement and hope there is more as the series progresses. The murder mystery was part of that and that was how Holly got tangled up in things.
Best of all for me was more time at the coffee shop with Cassie, Chief and the rest, more time with Nick my favorite PI, and best of all more time with the gang- Adam, Lacey, Evangeline, Posy, and Holly's cat familiar, Boots at the Beechwood Mansion.
I look forward to the next installment in this fun, addicting series and can definitely recommend it.
COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt Clue- cover with a cat on it 1pt
I've mentioned before that I enjoy these and I do, but there have been moments that have me shaking my head at Holly. This one reminded me why. She doesn't do it on purpose, but her hot-cold thing over the relationship with Adam is starting to grate on me. I get it. Her ex burned her bad, but Adam is not her ex. She put everything else first on him in the last book and is doing the same in this one. I get it. His parents aren't too thrilled to meet her, but if we're calling a spade a spade- she feels the same way and didn't even try to make an effort while having the luxury of blaming them for the bad visit. And, the illegal potion making? I've wondered all along why she kept it up after getting caught back in Seattle and given the one last chance. I get that she wants her dream, but hello, jail time, Holly? And, here's the real troublesome thing that I still see as an issue. Nick. She is just hanging out with him and ignoring the vibe between them. If it weren't for her ignoring the chemistry with Nick, this would be a love triangle. It feels like one and I wish it would just resolve.
Okay, got that off my chest. Sorry about that. Now, on to what I really love about the series.
Like I said, it up the ante. There was some more exciting action in this one when Holly got tangled up in a supernatural policing matter involving the vampires. I enjoyed the excitement and hope there is more as the series progresses. The murder mystery was part of that and that was how Holly got tangled up in things.
Best of all for me was more time at the coffee shop with Cassie, Chief and the rest, more time with Nick my favorite PI, and best of all more time with the gang- Adam, Lacey, Evangeline, Posy, and Holly's cat familiar, Boots at the Beechwood Mansion.
I look forward to the next installment in this fun, addicting series and can definitely recommend it.
COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt Clue- cover with a cat on it 1pt
August 6, 2018
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I’m really continuing to love this series. Holly is such a fun character. She really just wants to do the right thing. She works at a coffee shop and sells a few potions on the side. The problem is that she isn’t licensed to sell potions. She’s also dating the resident werewolf. Though this is a relationship that has been a little difficult. Adam can be a little jealous and Holly hasn’t made it easy for him.
So in this story, Holly’s SPA officer, Harvey, shows up. Holly is really worried about getting caught making her “illegal” potions. Adam’s family comes to visit. Holly doesn’t make a great first impression.
She’s also looking into an issue with vampires. She’s working with Nick the human PI. Nick doesn’t know anything about the supernatural. It would be really bad if he finds out.
If you haven’t tried this series, I highly recommend it. It is very cute. I love all the different characters. There is some romance and a lot of suspense. There is also some case solving as Holly works with Nick in each story. There are also plenty of laughs too.
Narration
Amanda Ronconi continues to nail the narration of this series. She is really good about bringing out the humor in a story. I love all the voices that she chooses for the characters. Male and female voices are great. If you haven’t tried Amanda Ronconi, I highly recommend her.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I’m really continuing to love this series. Holly is such a fun character. She really just wants to do the right thing. She works at a coffee shop and sells a few potions on the side. The problem is that she isn’t licensed to sell potions. She’s also dating the resident werewolf. Though this is a relationship that has been a little difficult. Adam can be a little jealous and Holly hasn’t made it easy for him.
So in this story, Holly’s SPA officer, Harvey, shows up. Holly is really worried about getting caught making her “illegal” potions. Adam’s family comes to visit. Holly doesn’t make a great first impression.
She’s also looking into an issue with vampires. She’s working with Nick the human PI. Nick doesn’t know anything about the supernatural. It would be really bad if he finds out.
If you haven’t tried this series, I highly recommend it. It is very cute. I love all the different characters. There is some romance and a lot of suspense. There is also some case solving as Holly works with Nick in each story. There are also plenty of laughs too.
Narration
Amanda Ronconi continues to nail the narration of this series. She is really good about bringing out the humor in a story. I love all the voices that she chooses for the characters. Male and female voices are great. If you haven’t tried Amanda Ronconi, I highly recommend her.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
December 12, 2019
Note: Witch Slapped is the third book of the series and the last in the audible box set I'm reviewing.
I'll keep this short because I'm actually excited about moving on to the next installment of this series.
The mystery in this one involved the paranormal world; this is a welcoming change from previous books in which the victims and killers were human.
Nick was the lead investigator in these books and Holly was, at best, a jr. detective who hung back and followed his instructions and conceded to his authority.
Things change in a huge way in Witch Slapped because we're dealing almost exclusively with "supernaturals." Nick is clearly outgunned, so it's left to Holly to get to the bottom of the death and craziness before more people wind up dead.
In the middle of all this, Adam's judgy, snobby, tactless parents are in town and making life at the manner a misery. Of course, they love Evie, but they are none too pleased with their son's significant other.
As for Holly,I'll say that she's still feckless, submissive, and naïve in this third installment, but the backbone she lacked in the first two makes an appearance.
She doesn't give ground as easily as she once did, and she seems to have eschewed the Bella Swan approach to confrontation.
The paranormal aspect of these books has and will continue to keep me coming back, and I expect the books to be a lot darker as we get deeper and deeper into Holly's world.
We'll see what we see, but for now, its four stars.
I'll keep this short because I'm actually excited about moving on to the next installment of this series.
The mystery in this one involved the paranormal world; this is a welcoming change from previous books in which the victims and killers were human.
Nick was the lead investigator in these books and Holly was, at best, a jr. detective who hung back and followed his instructions and conceded to his authority.
Things change in a huge way in Witch Slapped because we're dealing almost exclusively with "supernaturals." Nick is clearly outgunned, so it's left to Holly to get to the bottom of the death and craziness before more people wind up dead.
In the middle of all this, Adam's judgy, snobby, tactless parents are in town and making life at the manner a misery. Of course, they love Evie, but they are none too pleased with their son's significant other.
As for Holly,I'll say that she's still feckless, submissive, and naïve in this third installment, but the backbone she lacked in the first two makes an appearance.
She doesn't give ground as easily as she once did, and she seems to have eschewed the Bella Swan approach to confrontation.
The paranormal aspect of these books has and will continue to keep me coming back, and I expect the books to be a lot darker as we get deeper and deeper into Holly's world.
We'll see what we see, but for now, its four stars.
June 13, 2022
Rounded up to 3.7-4
I actually liked this one a little better than the previous book. I took stats away because of the stupid imaginary love troupe the author insists on carrying through in this book. If Holly is in a committed relationship with Adam, as the author likes us to believe, Toby’s point of meeting the parents, then the troupe possible what if - tingly feelings with Nick just ruins the book.
Adam protecting Holly from his parents was great to see, even though I’m not sure she deserves it at this point because she’s still not showing that she really wants to be or is in a relationship with him 👀🙄🙄
It was nice to see another side of Lacey in this book.
The mystery was actually a good one, and Holly working her way through the twists and turns was good to see.
But just stop already with the dumb relationship drama and solve mysteries.
I actually liked this one a little better than the previous book. I took stats away because of the stupid imaginary love troupe the author insists on carrying through in this book. If Holly is in a committed relationship with Adam, as the author likes us to believe, Toby’s point of meeting the parents, then the troupe possible what if - tingly feelings with Nick just ruins the book.
Adam protecting Holly from his parents was great to see, even though I’m not sure she deserves it at this point because she’s still not showing that she really wants to be or is in a relationship with him 👀🙄🙄
It was nice to see another side of Lacey in this book.
The mystery was actually a good one, and Holly working her way through the twists and turns was good to see.
But just stop already with the dumb relationship drama and solve mysteries.
March 20, 2017
It is unfortunate that both in books and real life, it seems like everything happens at once! In this case, Holly has to dread Adam's parent's visit, help deal with something going on in town regarding vampires, and deal with her SPA agent's surprise visit, all while working part time at Siren's Song. Of course nothing can go smoothly. Adam's parents like Evangeline better than Holly. Nick is on a cheating husband case that Holly goes with him once she sees a powerful vampire necklace on his client's neck. Harvey (SPA agent that banished her to Beechwood Harbor) nearly catches Holly making potions when he first arrives, and discovers some in her backpack and arrests her. Just as he is leading the handcuffed Holly to the portal to the Seattle haven, Adam's parents arrive and witness her departure.
Holly is a fast thinker and talker, and manages to strike a deal with Harvey. She will investigate and report vampire activities to him and be allowed to stay. Of course no potion making is allowed. But Harvey is willing to lend his assistance to becoming a licensed potion master if she keeps her word. So leaving Adam and parents to their own devices, she is on the job with Nick and on her own.
While I enjoyed this book, it seemed a little overwhelming at times with the activities Holly had going on. Perhaps it was the vampires that made me not like this book quite as well as the others. Whatever the case, there were some low points in the book that I wish had been handled differently.
This is a series that definitely needs to be read in order. It is nice to have a series that straddles the human and supernatural worlds like this.
Holly is a fast thinker and talker, and manages to strike a deal with Harvey. She will investigate and report vampire activities to him and be allowed to stay. Of course no potion making is allowed. But Harvey is willing to lend his assistance to becoming a licensed potion master if she keeps her word. So leaving Adam and parents to their own devices, she is on the job with Nick and on her own.
While I enjoyed this book, it seemed a little overwhelming at times with the activities Holly had going on. Perhaps it was the vampires that made me not like this book quite as well as the others. Whatever the case, there were some low points in the book that I wish had been handled differently.
This is a series that definitely needs to be read in order. It is nice to have a series that straddles the human and supernatural worlds like this.
February 21, 2025
This was another fun entry in the Beechwood Harbor paranormal mystery series featuring witch Holly and a whole host of supernatural beings. This time Holly's past plays a role, as her SPA agent Harvey moves in and seems determined to catch Holly doing something wrong. And of course she is, she's selling potions which she isn't supposed to do.
As the book opens, Adam's parents are coming to visit, which means Holly will meet them for the first time. However, soon Holly has much more to worry about, with a ghastly murder Nick (her friend the PI) is investigating, and some seriously dangerous things happening in the vampire community.
All of the main action (including the murder) is resolved in the book, but at the end we have Holly going off hopefully to change the conditions set for her by the SPA. I definitely look forward to reading the next in the series.
As the book opens, Adam's parents are coming to visit, which means Holly will meet them for the first time. However, soon Holly has much more to worry about, with a ghastly murder Nick (her friend the PI) is investigating, and some seriously dangerous things happening in the vampire community.
All of the main action (including the murder) is resolved in the book, but at the end we have Holly going off hopefully to change the conditions set for her by the SPA. I definitely look forward to reading the next in the series.
November 21, 2023
Holly Bolt's peaceful life is once again derailed by a dead body with the added stress of her parole officer wanting to drag her off to jail and her boyfriend's parents are going to be in town.
Holly needs to solve this case fast or her whole life will be derailed.
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There isn't anything too stand out about this book? Typical mystery that ultimately doesn't really add anything to the series? Nothing was added to the characterization of the cast, world or anything else.
It's not my favorite book in this series.
Holly needs to solve this case fast or her whole life will be derailed.
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There isn't anything too stand out about this book? Typical mystery that ultimately doesn't really add anything to the series? Nothing was added to the characterization of the cast, world or anything else.
It's not my favorite book in this series.
September 10, 2019
I've been enjoying this series. It's a cute cozy. I wasn't so enamored of Holly in this one as she did find out things but caused some heartache for others and could have made a few better decisions. It's natural to be worried about meeting your boyfirend's parents but her reactions seemed a bit childish. Their reactions also seemed over the top, though. AT the end, Holly is going on a trip and finally seems to be on a interesting career path!
August 19, 2025
Another fun cozy witchy murder mystery. This book is heavier on the story and murder solving than the previous two and a bit lighter on the romance- although when it does come up I find it entertaining and still cute. I will for sure continue listening to this book series. Holly is a fun main character to follow, and I am enjoying the way she processes things going on around her as well as the things she is feeling. Onto book 4 🖤
October 25, 2020
These books are cute and engaging and you might even discover that it would be fun to live in their world.... at least part of the time!
They are perfect for Halloween even though they don't (at least so far) really include Halloween. Just witches, vampires, shifters, gargoyles, and other such fun creatures. Who happen to live quietly among humans. Oh the challenges.
They are perfect for Halloween even though they don't (at least so far) really include Halloween. Just witches, vampires, shifters, gargoyles, and other such fun creatures. Who happen to live quietly among humans. Oh the challenges.
September 11, 2019
3.5 stars. This series got better with each book, and I think it’s one I’ll continue with.
February 2, 2021
I listened to the audiobook, the narrator did a good job.
July 6, 2023
Another fun installment! We get to learn more about vampires. 🤗🧛🏽♀️
Readers invested in the story might find themselves wondering why Holly can’t see what we all can, but it’s gonna be great when she finally realizes it!
Readers invested in the story might find themselves wondering why Holly can’t see what we all can, but it’s gonna be great when she finally realizes it!
January 2, 2026
super cute cozy mystery. love how the characters are developing
May 8, 2021
I enjoyed this book even more than the last. Great series, great characters, and terrific reader!
September 9, 2021
It lacks the humor that is so enjoyable in the previous books in the series
It is the winter holiday season in Beechwood Harbor, a small, oceanside town in Washington State. A year has passed since the events of Book 3 in this paranormal-mystery series. The protagonist of this series, Holly Boldt, is now 29 years old. For almost the entirety of the previous year, she has dated Adam St. James, who lives in the same ghost-managed, paranormal boarding house with Holly. He is a handsome, sweet-natured, happy-go-lucky guy who is approximately Holly’s age, and is also a non-human, paranormal who shifts, at will, into a 200-pound, black dog.
A year ago, Holly was banished from the Seattle Haven, a paranormal city situated next to the real Seattle, which cannot be perceived by humans. In contrast, Adam voluntarily left the Seattle Haven a few years ago. His parents, a werewolf father and shifter-rabbit mother, are extremely upset that their son has abandoned their world, and have pressured him all this time to move back into the Seattle Haven. They are planning to visit their son for the week of the paranormal, mid-winter, pagan holiday called, “Yule Feast,” and Adam assures Holly there will be no issue with his parents meeting her, as his girlfriend. Holly is not at all convinced he is right, and is very worried about their upcoming stay.
In addition to Holly and Adam, there are two other residents of the boarding house, Lacey, a beautiful female vampire, and Evangeline, an equally gorgeous witch. Adam is an IT consultant whose clients are businesses in the human city of Seattle, and most of the time he works remotely. It has never been stated how Lacey supports herself, but she seems to have plenty of money. Evangeline is a former soap star, famous among paranormals for a long-time role on a poppular show on Haven TV. She has used her considerable savings to start a beauty spa in Beechwood Harbor. Holly works part time for a local coffee shop and part time for Evangeline, utilizing her innate magical ability and training as a potions witch to create a magically enhanced line of beauty products for Evangeline’s spa. In addition, though it is against magical law, since she is not officially licensed as a potions master, Holly has a bootleg business selling magical potions to paranormal residents of Beechwood Harbor. She’s made enough money from her various pursuits that, according to what she tells Evangeline in the previous novel, she has over $50,000 in savings.
Unfortunately for Holly, her potions business is put at risk by the sudden, unannounced visit of Harvey Culpepper, a 3-foot-2-inch goblin, who is her assigned agent from the Supernatural Protection Agency (SPA), the powerful enforcement arm of the unelected ruling body of all paranormal creatures, the Haven Council (HC). Holly has wanted to obtain a potions master license for years, but multiple huge barriers have stood in her way: (1) Her ex-boyfriend is a criminal, and for a while she was assumed to be involved in his crime, trying to overthrow the HC. Though Holly was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing and, in the prequel to this series, she was told the record of her arrest when she was wrongly accused was expunged, the taint of his being her boyfriend for five years still hangs over her head. (2) The witches in the Boldt lineage are so powerful, they have automatically been distrusted for generations, even though none of them has ever been arrested for breaking the HC’s laws. Because of that distrust, previous to her banishment, Holly had been unable to find any potions master who would formally apprentice her so she could meet the training requirements of the master license. (3) Obtaining legal representation to present her case to the HC, we learned in the previous book in this series, would cost her over $100,000, money which she does not have.
The response of the HC toward any paranormal who breaks their laws—whether minor infractions such as being unlicensed, or fomenting a treasonous rebellion—is to lock up offenders, indefinitely, in windowless cells. Holly is very aware that selling her potions without a license has put her at great risk of that terrible fate. The entire reason that she was banished, unofficially, by Harvey (events which are presented in the prequel to this series, A Witch of a Day) was that she was selling potions without a license in the Seattle Haven. Harvey told her then that, if he caught her illegally selling potions again, he would formally arrest her. In spite of that threat, Holly has been unable to resist breaking her agreement with Harvey for several reasons: (1) She needs and wants the generous, undocumented payments in gold coins that selling potions brings her. (2) Her entire identity as a potions-talented witch is completely denied if she can’t make potions. (3) She enjoys helping paranormals with her highly effective potions. Thus, even though Harvey is in town, and is a scarily observant individual, the most Holly does to avoid arrest is to move her potion-making process out of the boarding house where Harvey is and into Evangeline’s spa. Her motivation for risking her freedom is that, if she either tells her paranormal customers she has no license, or she tells them she is taking a temporary leave from selling potions, her customers will find someone else to buy potions from, and her business will tank.
Alas for Holly, the very day that Adam’s parents arrive, Harvey discovers that she is running an illegal potions business by rummaging in her messenger bag, which she has left unguarded in the kitchen of the manor they are both living in, and finding the potions bottles she has placed there. Holly doesn’t even try to defend herself by stating the potions are for her own use. Instead, she merely cries and begs Harvey to let her go as he applies magical handcuffs to her wrists, perp marches her past Adam’s appalled parents, and declares he is going to drag her to the Seattle Haven and throw her in prison.
This particular entry in this series lacks the leavening of humor so crucial to the previous books. It also makes much more clear what an awful paranormal society Holly is part of—so much so, the reader has no reason to think, “I wish I could be part of Holly’s world!” The paranormals exist in a fascist society with none of the constitutional rights that humans in the USA enjoy, such as requiring a warrant for search and seizure of personal property, a warrant for arrest, the right to habeas corpus and to trial by a jury of one’s peers, or the right to vote for one’s political leaders in democratic elections. The Gestapo-like SPA assigns every single paranormal citizen, apparently from birth, to a supervising SPA agent, much like a permanent, pre-emptive parole officer. There is no indication that the HC is elected, or if there is any higher authority above the HC that unjust decisions by them can be appealed to. We discover in the prequel to this series that the crime Holly’s ex committed was trying to overthrow the HC and substitute other dictatorial leaders instead, including himself as one of them. It is never explained how someone becomes an SPA agent, and who supervises the SPA agents who are supervising everyone else. In this world, the witches are the top of the social heap, and only they can be on the HC. However, the vampires, who are second in line in terms of magical power, dislike that arrangement so much that, generations ago, they formed their own Vampire Council which, apparently, the HC and its enforcement jack-boots, the SPA, are not powerful enough to squash.
In contrast to every urban fantasy I’ve ever read, the paranormals in this novel seem to have limited life spans which are similar to that of human beings. And vampires, which are typically presented as immortal (unless staked through the heart, beheaded, or exposed to the sun), only live a few hundred years. So far, the author has introduced the following supernatural creatures: witches, vampires, goblins, gargoyles, shifters of many different types, witch familiars, and centaurs. The familiars in this series cannot talk, and they do not have any particular magical powers. Boots, the fat, lazy cat who is Holly’s familiar, other than for a brief few pages of narrative in the climax of Book 1, when he bravely attacks a gargoyle to defend Holly, disappointingly never does anything but eat and sleep and, basically, act like an ordinary house cat. It gets rather tiresome endlessly hearing about his meowing for food, gobbling that food, and curling up to sleep.
The rules for shifters in this paranormal universe are particularly odd. They are not divided into tribes according to their species, and different species of shifters intermarry. For example, Adam’s father, a werewolf, married Adam’s mother, a shifter-rabbit. Children of such shifter unions are capable of shifting into many different animals when very young and then, suddenly (with no reason given by this author as to why), they innately settle on a particular animal, and can only shift to that animal form from then on. Which is how the musical-chairs of early childhood shifting caused Adam to ultimately land on the destiny of being a shifter dog, rather than a werewolf or a rabbit like his parents.
Though this author, in her paranormal romance novels, has been more than willing to include explicit, passionate sex scenes, she continues to present Holly and Adam in their romantic connection as being as boringly sexless as two eunuchs. They finally kiss on the lips for the first time in this book, but the kisses are dry pecks on closed lips, and the only other physical contact between them are a few tepid hugs and a kiss on Holly’s forehead by Adam, much as one might kiss one’s child, not one’s girlfriend.
As in a previous book, the murder mystery of this novel involves Holly because she asks Nick, the local PI, if she can go on a stakeout with him. When the cheating married man Nick is spying on ends up murdered, Holly can’t resist—in spite of Adam begging her not to—poking around in the case. In the process, she stumbles upon a secret, vampire plot. The vampire villains are described as enormously powerful—to the point of being unconquerable—throughout the novel. But when the climax scene finally arrives, the author, conveniently and frustratingly, instantly mops up the entire vampire plot, thereby entirely invalidating the previous claims of their evil invincibility.
Overall, fans of this series who have never read outstanding, magical world-building in excellent adult urban fantasy (such as that of Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs), or the young-adult fantasy series (such as JK Rowling, Cassandra Clare, Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater), have never read extremely well plotted paranormal murder mysteries (such as that of Charlaine Harris and Terri Reid), and have never read excellent paranormal romance (such as that of Ilona Andrews, Jayne Ann Krentz, or even the paranormal romance written by this same author) will not find that this book suffers by comparison and feel let down. As for me, I have read all those authors and cannot help comparing this series, to its detriment, to far more elegantly plotted paranormal stories. Overall, fans of this series who have never read outstanding, magical world-building in excellent adult urban fantasy (such as that of Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs), or young-adult fantasy series (such as that of J.K. Rowling, Cassandra Clare, Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater), have never read extremely well plotted paranormal murder mysteries (such as that of Charlaine Harris and Terri Reid), and have never read excellent paranormal romance (such as that of Ilona Andrews, Jayne Ann Krentz, or even the paranormal romance written by this same author) will not find that this book suffers by comparison and feel let down. As for me, I have read all those authors and cannot help comparing this series, to its detriment, to far more elegantly plotted paranormal stories.
Having said all that, if these books are read in between reading very disappointing contemporary, no-sex romance novels, rather than in between reading excellent paranormal novels, the books in this series might suffer less in comparison.
It is the winter holiday season in Beechwood Harbor, a small, oceanside town in Washington State. A year has passed since the events of Book 3 in this paranormal-mystery series. The protagonist of this series, Holly Boldt, is now 29 years old. For almost the entirety of the previous year, she has dated Adam St. James, who lives in the same ghost-managed, paranormal boarding house with Holly. He is a handsome, sweet-natured, happy-go-lucky guy who is approximately Holly’s age, and is also a non-human, paranormal who shifts, at will, into a 200-pound, black dog.
A year ago, Holly was banished from the Seattle Haven, a paranormal city situated next to the real Seattle, which cannot be perceived by humans. In contrast, Adam voluntarily left the Seattle Haven a few years ago. His parents, a werewolf father and shifter-rabbit mother, are extremely upset that their son has abandoned their world, and have pressured him all this time to move back into the Seattle Haven. They are planning to visit their son for the week of the paranormal, mid-winter, pagan holiday called, “Yule Feast,” and Adam assures Holly there will be no issue with his parents meeting her, as his girlfriend. Holly is not at all convinced he is right, and is very worried about their upcoming stay.
In addition to Holly and Adam, there are two other residents of the boarding house, Lacey, a beautiful female vampire, and Evangeline, an equally gorgeous witch. Adam is an IT consultant whose clients are businesses in the human city of Seattle, and most of the time he works remotely. It has never been stated how Lacey supports herself, but she seems to have plenty of money. Evangeline is a former soap star, famous among paranormals for a long-time role on a poppular show on Haven TV. She has used her considerable savings to start a beauty spa in Beechwood Harbor. Holly works part time for a local coffee shop and part time for Evangeline, utilizing her innate magical ability and training as a potions witch to create a magically enhanced line of beauty products for Evangeline’s spa. In addition, though it is against magical law, since she is not officially licensed as a potions master, Holly has a bootleg business selling magical potions to paranormal residents of Beechwood Harbor. She’s made enough money from her various pursuits that, according to what she tells Evangeline in the previous novel, she has over $50,000 in savings.
Unfortunately for Holly, her potions business is put at risk by the sudden, unannounced visit of Harvey Culpepper, a 3-foot-2-inch goblin, who is her assigned agent from the Supernatural Protection Agency (SPA), the powerful enforcement arm of the unelected ruling body of all paranormal creatures, the Haven Council (HC). Holly has wanted to obtain a potions master license for years, but multiple huge barriers have stood in her way: (1) Her ex-boyfriend is a criminal, and for a while she was assumed to be involved in his crime, trying to overthrow the HC. Though Holly was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing and, in the prequel to this series, she was told the record of her arrest when she was wrongly accused was expunged, the taint of his being her boyfriend for five years still hangs over her head. (2) The witches in the Boldt lineage are so powerful, they have automatically been distrusted for generations, even though none of them has ever been arrested for breaking the HC’s laws. Because of that distrust, previous to her banishment, Holly had been unable to find any potions master who would formally apprentice her so she could meet the training requirements of the master license. (3) Obtaining legal representation to present her case to the HC, we learned in the previous book in this series, would cost her over $100,000, money which she does not have.
The response of the HC toward any paranormal who breaks their laws—whether minor infractions such as being unlicensed, or fomenting a treasonous rebellion—is to lock up offenders, indefinitely, in windowless cells. Holly is very aware that selling her potions without a license has put her at great risk of that terrible fate. The entire reason that she was banished, unofficially, by Harvey (events which are presented in the prequel to this series, A Witch of a Day) was that she was selling potions without a license in the Seattle Haven. Harvey told her then that, if he caught her illegally selling potions again, he would formally arrest her. In spite of that threat, Holly has been unable to resist breaking her agreement with Harvey for several reasons: (1) She needs and wants the generous, undocumented payments in gold coins that selling potions brings her. (2) Her entire identity as a potions-talented witch is completely denied if she can’t make potions. (3) She enjoys helping paranormals with her highly effective potions. Thus, even though Harvey is in town, and is a scarily observant individual, the most Holly does to avoid arrest is to move her potion-making process out of the boarding house where Harvey is and into Evangeline’s spa. Her motivation for risking her freedom is that, if she either tells her paranormal customers she has no license, or she tells them she is taking a temporary leave from selling potions, her customers will find someone else to buy potions from, and her business will tank.
Alas for Holly, the very day that Adam’s parents arrive, Harvey discovers that she is running an illegal potions business by rummaging in her messenger bag, which she has left unguarded in the kitchen of the manor they are both living in, and finding the potions bottles she has placed there. Holly doesn’t even try to defend herself by stating the potions are for her own use. Instead, she merely cries and begs Harvey to let her go as he applies magical handcuffs to her wrists, perp marches her past Adam’s appalled parents, and declares he is going to drag her to the Seattle Haven and throw her in prison.
This particular entry in this series lacks the leavening of humor so crucial to the previous books. It also makes much more clear what an awful paranormal society Holly is part of—so much so, the reader has no reason to think, “I wish I could be part of Holly’s world!” The paranormals exist in a fascist society with none of the constitutional rights that humans in the USA enjoy, such as requiring a warrant for search and seizure of personal property, a warrant for arrest, the right to habeas corpus and to trial by a jury of one’s peers, or the right to vote for one’s political leaders in democratic elections. The Gestapo-like SPA assigns every single paranormal citizen, apparently from birth, to a supervising SPA agent, much like a permanent, pre-emptive parole officer. There is no indication that the HC is elected, or if there is any higher authority above the HC that unjust decisions by them can be appealed to. We discover in the prequel to this series that the crime Holly’s ex committed was trying to overthrow the HC and substitute other dictatorial leaders instead, including himself as one of them. It is never explained how someone becomes an SPA agent, and who supervises the SPA agents who are supervising everyone else. In this world, the witches are the top of the social heap, and only they can be on the HC. However, the vampires, who are second in line in terms of magical power, dislike that arrangement so much that, generations ago, they formed their own Vampire Council which, apparently, the HC and its enforcement jack-boots, the SPA, are not powerful enough to squash.
In contrast to every urban fantasy I’ve ever read, the paranormals in this novel seem to have limited life spans which are similar to that of human beings. And vampires, which are typically presented as immortal (unless staked through the heart, beheaded, or exposed to the sun), only live a few hundred years. So far, the author has introduced the following supernatural creatures: witches, vampires, goblins, gargoyles, shifters of many different types, witch familiars, and centaurs. The familiars in this series cannot talk, and they do not have any particular magical powers. Boots, the fat, lazy cat who is Holly’s familiar, other than for a brief few pages of narrative in the climax of Book 1, when he bravely attacks a gargoyle to defend Holly, disappointingly never does anything but eat and sleep and, basically, act like an ordinary house cat. It gets rather tiresome endlessly hearing about his meowing for food, gobbling that food, and curling up to sleep.
The rules for shifters in this paranormal universe are particularly odd. They are not divided into tribes according to their species, and different species of shifters intermarry. For example, Adam’s father, a werewolf, married Adam’s mother, a shifter-rabbit. Children of such shifter unions are capable of shifting into many different animals when very young and then, suddenly (with no reason given by this author as to why), they innately settle on a particular animal, and can only shift to that animal form from then on. Which is how the musical-chairs of early childhood shifting caused Adam to ultimately land on the destiny of being a shifter dog, rather than a werewolf or a rabbit like his parents.
Though this author, in her paranormal romance novels, has been more than willing to include explicit, passionate sex scenes, she continues to present Holly and Adam in their romantic connection as being as boringly sexless as two eunuchs. They finally kiss on the lips for the first time in this book, but the kisses are dry pecks on closed lips, and the only other physical contact between them are a few tepid hugs and a kiss on Holly’s forehead by Adam, much as one might kiss one’s child, not one’s girlfriend.
As in a previous book, the murder mystery of this novel involves Holly because she asks Nick, the local PI, if she can go on a stakeout with him. When the cheating married man Nick is spying on ends up murdered, Holly can’t resist—in spite of Adam begging her not to—poking around in the case. In the process, she stumbles upon a secret, vampire plot. The vampire villains are described as enormously powerful—to the point of being unconquerable—throughout the novel. But when the climax scene finally arrives, the author, conveniently and frustratingly, instantly mops up the entire vampire plot, thereby entirely invalidating the previous claims of their evil invincibility.
Overall, fans of this series who have never read outstanding, magical world-building in excellent adult urban fantasy (such as that of Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs), or the young-adult fantasy series (such as JK Rowling, Cassandra Clare, Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater), have never read extremely well plotted paranormal murder mysteries (such as that of Charlaine Harris and Terri Reid), and have never read excellent paranormal romance (such as that of Ilona Andrews, Jayne Ann Krentz, or even the paranormal romance written by this same author) will not find that this book suffers by comparison and feel let down. As for me, I have read all those authors and cannot help comparing this series, to its detriment, to far more elegantly plotted paranormal stories. Overall, fans of this series who have never read outstanding, magical world-building in excellent adult urban fantasy (such as that of Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs), or young-adult fantasy series (such as that of J.K. Rowling, Cassandra Clare, Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater), have never read extremely well plotted paranormal murder mysteries (such as that of Charlaine Harris and Terri Reid), and have never read excellent paranormal romance (such as that of Ilona Andrews, Jayne Ann Krentz, or even the paranormal romance written by this same author) will not find that this book suffers by comparison and feel let down. As for me, I have read all those authors and cannot help comparing this series, to its detriment, to far more elegantly plotted paranormal stories.
Having said all that, if these books are read in between reading very disappointing contemporary, no-sex romance novels, rather than in between reading excellent paranormal novels, the books in this series might suffer less in comparison.
September 27, 2024
I debated between three and four stars for this one - 3.5 would have been about right. It was as well written and narrated as the others, but I didn't enjoy the subject as well - Holly was in trouble for illegal activities, rightly so, but I didn't enjoy it as much.
August 23, 2025
rating: ★★★★
audio narrated by Amanda Ronconi
audio narrated by Amanda Ronconi
December 28, 2024
I’m 76% in and just can’t do this anymore, so DNF for now. I am intrigued enough to get through almost 3 books, but the world building is slow going, the female main character is simply not that likable, and there seems to be some sort of love triangle going on that isn’t even that well done. I can’t tell which guy she’s actually in a relationship with vs who she’d prefer to be with. Then, since I’m reading as I listen to the audio and getting frustrated with Holly’s indecision, I skipped ahead in the book and see she exchanges “I love you” with Adam at some point after spending the 76% of the book I’ve read avoiding Adam and his parents, by helping, or should I say running to, Nick. It’s maddening because we are not privy to any actions, conversations or activities that would lead a reader to actually believe Holly even likes Adam. So what we do see is Adam trying to introduce his girlfriend to his parents, and Holly is handcuffed and he still talks her up. Adam defends his choices with his parents of his work, of living away from the hovel, of dating Holly and she runs off to Nick? Oh that’s right, there is a mystery/case that only Holly can handle. It’s so weird or annoying or something. Bottom line is that I’m not getting enough meat, not enough world building and we’re being TOLD Holly and Adam are in a relationship and together nearly a year but all we are shown are hugs and kisses that sound to be almost friendly. The fact that she is written as showing disdain for Adam and his parents and seems relieved when she is away from him is not working for me.
There is some promise here and if it were more engaging it would be a quick series that I believe is complete, so I’m bummed I can just stop 76% into the book because the author has lost me. I may come back and see if it hits differently in the next couple of months. For now I’ll give what I did read a 1.5 stars rounded up to 2 since I rated the other books with 2 as well.
There is some promise here and if it were more engaging it would be a quick series that I believe is complete, so I’m bummed I can just stop 76% into the book because the author has lost me. I may come back and see if it hits differently in the next couple of months. For now I’ll give what I did read a 1.5 stars rounded up to 2 since I rated the other books with 2 as well.
November 3, 2023
I’ve never had such a hard time connecting to a lead character before but Holly is just so lacklustre!
The world they live in seems cool enough unfortunately the first two book are nothing but a juvenile who done it murder mystery, tip toeing around the human world and just kinda boring.
Then Hollys high school like love triangle between her Adam & Nick is infuriating!
For 2 books she just treats Adam like garbage when he’s nothing but wonderful to her, while behind his back she keeps hanging out with Nick and being all flirty and you can see they have feelings for each other.
The 3rd book was the most interesting out of the first 3 as this one was more involved in the magical world.
Overall these books were a waste of my time, maybe I’m just use to really good fantasy books.
These are better suited for a young teen or jr fiction reader. 28 years old and there’s nothing more but a little hand holding & small kisses between Holly & Adam after months of dating 😳
The world they live in seems cool enough unfortunately the first two book are nothing but a juvenile who done it murder mystery, tip toeing around the human world and just kinda boring.
Then Hollys high school like love triangle between her Adam & Nick is infuriating!
For 2 books she just treats Adam like garbage when he’s nothing but wonderful to her, while behind his back she keeps hanging out with Nick and being all flirty and you can see they have feelings for each other.
The 3rd book was the most interesting out of the first 3 as this one was more involved in the magical world.
Overall these books were a waste of my time, maybe I’m just use to really good fantasy books.
These are better suited for a young teen or jr fiction reader. 28 years old and there’s nothing more but a little hand holding & small kisses between Holly & Adam after months of dating 😳
September 28, 2024
I liked this book, but I think I liked the last one a little better. There were turns she took in this that I liked. It was fun watching the friendships deepen. I do wish things had gone differently with Adam's parents, but it wasn't that big of a deal. In about the last 20 minutes of the book, I wasn't sure I really liked where she was going with it, and I REALLY didn't like the fact that it didn't wrap up. Not the worst cliffhanger ever, but I do prefer books in a series to wrap up. An author can wrap up a book and still give hints of things to come. That said, I look forward to the next book in the series.
November 21, 2024
Another fun filled installment which sees further character development, humor and of course another mystery to solve. I just love every book that I've read so far, and although the little town of Beechwood Harbor seems to be the murder capital of the world with all the trouble they have there, I'd still move there in a heartbeat.
Holly is determined to stay out of trouble, especially when she knows that her boyfriends parents are coming to town and are spending the week at the manor for Yule. But becoming a key witness in yet another murder investigation makes that impossible. Not to mention that her human friend and local private investigator Nick Rivers is placing himself in danger against some pretty powerful vampires. To make matters worse, Harvey her SPA agent handler turns up at the manor and looks to be investigating her. Can Holly help solve the case and keep Nick safe, while charming her boyfriends parents or will she end up celebrating the holidays in a supernatural prison for her illegal potion making?
Poor Holly is blindsided by the fact that Adam's parents are coming to town and is understandably scared about meeting them, add in her distinct ability to get into trouble and you just know this will be a recipe for disaster. But it's Holly's protectiveness of Nick that really had me loving her more than usual in this book as she knows that he's up against some scary supernatural creatures that he has no hope of winning against, and so puts herself in danger to keep him safe. The minor cliffhanger at the end did have me anxious for Holly and I can't wait to see if everything turns out alright for my girl..
Adam is his easy going self, except when it comes to Lacey as he literally lives to torment her, that said they are not fighting as much as they had previously. He still isn't a big fan of Nick but he's learning to tolerate him. But when he stands up for Holly against his parents after some snide comments made her uncomfortable, I nearly swooned with joy. Yeah the man's a real sweetheart.
Lacey seems to of mellowed as well, that's not to say she don't still have a snarky comment or two but she is warming up to the rest of the gang, especially Evangeline. After the events of the previous book even Holly has become friends with the newest member of the manor.
Of course if I felt sorry for anyone it was Nick, as it's getting increasingly hard to keep him unaware of the paranormal, even though if anyone would understand it, it would be him. And I think keeping him in the dark will put him in more danger as time goes on especially with the job that he does. But regardless of whether he finds out or not I've definitely warmed up him.
Again another enjoyable read, with a fast paced storyline with mayhem abound, I'm off to book 4 as I'm looking forward to the next one. Totally recommend 😁
Holly is determined to stay out of trouble, especially when she knows that her boyfriends parents are coming to town and are spending the week at the manor for Yule. But becoming a key witness in yet another murder investigation makes that impossible. Not to mention that her human friend and local private investigator Nick Rivers is placing himself in danger against some pretty powerful vampires. To make matters worse, Harvey her SPA agent handler turns up at the manor and looks to be investigating her. Can Holly help solve the case and keep Nick safe, while charming her boyfriends parents or will she end up celebrating the holidays in a supernatural prison for her illegal potion making?
Poor Holly is blindsided by the fact that Adam's parents are coming to town and is understandably scared about meeting them, add in her distinct ability to get into trouble and you just know this will be a recipe for disaster. But it's Holly's protectiveness of Nick that really had me loving her more than usual in this book as she knows that he's up against some scary supernatural creatures that he has no hope of winning against, and so puts herself in danger to keep him safe. The minor cliffhanger at the end did have me anxious for Holly and I can't wait to see if everything turns out alright for my girl..
Adam is his easy going self, except when it comes to Lacey as he literally lives to torment her, that said they are not fighting as much as they had previously. He still isn't a big fan of Nick but he's learning to tolerate him. But when he stands up for Holly against his parents after some snide comments made her uncomfortable, I nearly swooned with joy. Yeah the man's a real sweetheart.
Lacey seems to of mellowed as well, that's not to say she don't still have a snarky comment or two but she is warming up to the rest of the gang, especially Evangeline. After the events of the previous book even Holly has become friends with the newest member of the manor.
Of course if I felt sorry for anyone it was Nick, as it's getting increasingly hard to keep him unaware of the paranormal, even though if anyone would understand it, it would be him. And I think keeping him in the dark will put him in more danger as time goes on especially with the job that he does. But regardless of whether he finds out or not I've definitely warmed up him.
Again another enjoyable read, with a fast paced storyline with mayhem abound, I'm off to book 4 as I'm looking forward to the next one. Totally recommend 😁
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