Pepper Dunn can’t catch a break. As soon as life settles down in the magical town of Magnolia Cove, Alabama, the sorcerer Rufus Mayes appears, hell-bent on stealing Pepper’s powers for himself.
When Rufus casts a spell that links his magic to hers, Pepper is determined to break the connection at all costs. Luckily, she doesn’t have to look too far for help. When an aging wizard agrees to assist her, victory is at hand.
But when the wizard winds up dead, all hope is lost. Will Pepper find a way to break the spell cast against her, or will she stay linked to Rufus forever?
Hey, I’m Amy, I write books for folks who crave laugh-out-loud paranormal mysteries. I help bring humor into readers’ lives. I’ve got a Pharm D in pharmacy, a BA in Creative Writing and a Masters in Life. And when I’m not writing or chasing around two small children (one of which is four going on thirteen), I can be found antique shopping for a great deal, getting my roots touched up (because that’s an every four week job) and figuring out when I can get back to Disney World. If you’re dying to know more about my wacky life, here are three things you don’t know about me. —In college I spent a semester at Marvel Comics working in the X-Men office. —I worked at Carnegie Hall. —I grew up in a barbecue restaurant—literally. My parents owned one. If you want to reach out to me—and I love to hear from readers—you can email me at amyboylesauthor@gmail.com. Happy reading!
Pepper Dunn is back! The action starts in the first page of the first chapter and the next book is set up in the very last chapter of this book (no wonder there are so many books in this series!). My main commentary for this book is this--this book is less about building Pepper's relationships with her family (though her cooky cousins and aunts, and their magical b00bs are still in the book, have no fear) and more about her werewolf boyfriend and his unfailing loyalty. Also quite the runaround with a few of the townsfolk in trying to cast the correct spell to keep evil warlock Rufus out (will it finally work this time? stay tuned to find out!). Overall a decent (and silly) cozy paranormal mystery. Set in Magnolia Cova, AL
This one was a little darker but still funny and entertaining. Pepper is definitely coming into her powers and the series is focusing more on the magical aspect but still has a murder mystery to solve. I'm continuing to really enjoy this series and look forward to the next one.
The Sweet Tea Witches did it again! They're definitely quite the group of witches and I'm growing more attached to each one of them.
The hated Rufus shows up in Magnolia Cove and he casts a spell on Pepper. At first she believes she has to follow what he tells her or she'll lose her powers. Then she wonders if that's really true but is a bit scared to defy him. She finds Sorcerer best known and talented for his sorcery to help her, but (as the blurb says) he ends up dead.
Well, the Sweet Tea Witches aren't stopping there, especially Pepper who is bound and determined to find a way to reverse/end the spell.
I really liked this book because there was quite a bit of action in it, with shapeshifters, werewolves, vampires and even Betty Craple (Pepper's grandma) running for her life. Lots of fun scenes but some intense ones too.
Once again The Sweet Tea Witches absolutely capture our hearts! Book 4 was absolutely the most action so far. Rufus is back and he is ready for war. Magnolia Cove usually has a protective barrier around it blocking Rufus from entry. In book 4 the wards drop, and absolute chaos ensues. Rufus binds himself to Pepper, Axel gets stuck in his werewolf form, and Cordelia is faced with a tough decision. I really loved this specific installment because we really get a great dose of suspense and action. There’s dead bodies dropping all over the place at The First Witch Center, Pepper’s power is tied to Rufus in a deadly way, and Axel really is tested. I don’t ever want to give spoilers but the absolute best part of this book is the very end! Please guys if you are a Sweet Tea Witch lover and fan the very end of this book is really gonna blow your mind! The best most amazing cliff hanger, I really hope readers got their box set version! Time for book five!
Poor Pepper just as she is getting use to her magic and little Hugo Rufuis has returned to make her life miserable. He shows up in her shop and places a spell on her to tie her to him.
Rufus wants her magic but they need to find sorcerer who can break the spell. Before he can he is dead. Was it Rufus or someone else.
Cordelia has an issue with Zach coming back into the picture after she has moved on.
Axel wants to help break the spell but at what cost?
A lot of things happening in this story but there are still some funny issues and the love that comes through is remarkable.
No lie this one was really frustrating because Rufus is just soooooo annoying and frankly there was a very obvious solution no heroine would ever choose to solve their problem but call me a villain—they could have easily just offed Rufus and not had to deal with all this stupid binding spell crap. He didn’t even fear it! Like he was the bad guy and never considered they would just take him out—which is ridiculous in my book! Anyhow the ending on this one leaves a bit cliffhanger, jaw to the floor moment. Excited for the next one!
I’m so glad to jump back where I left off in the gorgeously whimsical southern town of magnolia cove. While following around pepper and her family in just everyday antics while riding cast iron pans is fun enough. But after the last novel giving the pet store owner her own magical dragon familiar, this books only kept the intrigue and tension up with lots of actually quite surprising twists and turns all this to say this is one of the genuinely more PG, warm hearted cozies I really love to vibe into this time of year.
The Sweet Tea Witches series has really started to grow on me, each book reveals a little more of the magical world of Magnolia Cove. The mysteries are fun too, you Pepper Duns character is only getting better. So glad there are many more to go through.
quite an adorable meet cute series unfortunately i cannot find the rest of the series at my library on audio. disappointing, ill have to see how i go with the rest of the series
Book 4 in the Sweet Tea With Mysteries. This review is of the Audiobook.
This one is a bit hard to rate. There were some solid 5* moments and some solid 1-2* moments.
Overall, this one had a fun and less cliche plot. At the start we're introduced to Pepper and Rufus standing the the Familiar store. Rufus casts a spell intertwining their magic and oof it's a race against time to break the connection. There were some additional things like new shops and magical abilities, and cousin Cordelia has her own fun little plotlines. Strip the book to its core and it would have been a solid 5 of fun.
Now for the 1-2* reason... . Most prominently, Pepper and Axel need to full on hook up already (or maybe the author needs some) because the drooling and convenient half naked (and full naked) plotlines for the sake of "better magic"?? Come on! It was just awkward on all fronts. The characters were awkward, the writing was awkward and it felt like it was fulfilling some deep fantasy of the author. The most these characters have done is a little kissing, then all of a sudden they're naked for the sake of magic? No I'm not a prude. It was just too far fetched and felt unnecessary. It added nothing to the plot and actually took away from the fun.
The other issue was the murder. This book would have been absolutely fine without the murderer. Plus the motive was meh at best. It was like the publisher said "this is a mystery, we need a murderer!". Once again, it added nothing to the story.
Still looking forward to the next book in the series. After that, I saw that the audiobook narrator changes. Hoping the series will wrap up nicely because the narrator is what helped draw me into the series and keep me going.
p.s. FINALLY someone else who understands how I feel about tomatoes.
This book was veryyyy focused on Pepper and Axel, and honestly, it was a little unbearable to read. A few things I didn't like about this book- stop mentioning Betty's giant boobs. Like, it's okay, I promise I remember that this old woman has big boobs, please stop mentioning it in every single description. Also, the whole thing that they had to be naked for the spell was so weird???? Like guys come on. It added nothing to the book, and I'm honestly tired of Pepper and Axel's pining.
I liked that the plot was a little different than the other books before it, and that Rufus was actually dealt with. I also liked that Pepper's obsession with jelly beans wasn't mentioned on every single page, Cordelia's whole thing with Zach (her ex bf), and all the new characters and stuff. I feel like I need a map of Magnolia Cove, but I think it would have to change and get bigger every book.
Also, I guessed the murderer. Delilah was less obvious than the other murderers because her being the murderer literally added nothing, I mean nothing, to the plot. If you took out the scene where she was trying to kill her own father because she just "has to kill", the book would still have been perfectly coherent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Probably the best one yet. When her arch enemy corners her, in her shop, and places a spell on her. She knows she's in deep doodoo. If she uses her magic, he will siphon it off and do terrible things to the town and the people in it. If she's doesn't, then the pain from the build up of power will kill her. Can she and her boyfriend find the answer especially as someone is killing the people that could help? Plus how did Rufous actually get into town - the magic was supposed to keep him out? What will happen if the spell on her is broken? Will her boyfriend be a werewolf for ever? A great plot that will have you racing through the book to see how it all ends. But please note that this ends on a cliffhanger when her "dead" uncle rushes through the shop door. Wonderful characters, think Betty and Mattie are my favourites. They certainly don't take any prisoners but shoot straight from the hip.
I still enjoyed the characters in the series but this book in the series dragged for me a little bit. Rufus always seems to be one step ahead of the witches and it wasn't really explained how he managed to get back in the city. Also, having multiple murders of people all related to Rufus' activities to end up having nothing to do with Rufus at all was too random. And the revealed murdered was obvious as the story went on but was just so bizarre. This person was known as a good person from a good family then all of a sudden decides they like to kill so goes on a rampage even going after someone very personal to them (but never stated any dislike for any of the victims) made no sense. Lastly, I really dislike books that end on a cliff hanger to lead you into the next in the series. So entertaining characters but this book had a few issues for me.
This is an entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series. A fun cast of characters and an entertaining storyline. Pepper is a young lady who recently came into her powers as a witch. She also recently inherited a small familiar pet shop in a supernatural town. For the day she inherited the shop but she did not even know she was a witch. Or came from a family of witches. And she comes to the new small town to claim her inheritance she soon find out that she has a grandmother a couple of aunts and some cousins on her mother side that live in the town as well. Redone and follow the adventures of pepper and her family and friends as they saw mysteries and crimes in a little town.
Southern Sorcery is book 4 in the Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries. Remember the guy, Rufus, from book one that was chasing Pepper while Mattie the talking cat guided her to Magnolia Cove, Alabama? Well, he's back and he has attached himself to her magic! Axel is there to help, but he needs an older wizard to lend a hand but (of course) he is murdered. Also, to make things interesting, Rufus has added a complication to the spell which makes it even more difficult to break. Things get tense as Pepper tries to navigate all the parts of her life. We see more of Betty, Cordelia, Sherriff Garrick, and a few new creatures and characters. This had a lot of magic in it and a couple twists and turns that made it interesting. And giants.
I think the plots of these books are pretty fun, but I can't get past the inner and outer dialogue. And it's frustrating to hear Pepper talk about herself being brave and then she crumbles at the sight of, oh I don't know, something like a spider (a non-magical one). Or when she thanks Axel and then he's like, "How come you can't believe that I care about you?", as if you'd never say thank you to someone you're in a relationship with. (And this happens quite a bit too.) I read this far because I thought the stories were fun, but it's just not my favorite writing style. And I'm tired of the words moan, boob, and lady parts.
When the "evil" Rufus shows up in town, he isn't able to take Pepper away, thankfully, but he links his magic with hers, so that if she uses her magic, it feeds him and his power grows, but even worse it still builds in her, and she doesn't get the release from using her magic, and you know what happens to a witch that doesn't use their magic. Kaboom!
This will take not just magic, but some sorcery to figure out, only problem is that the sorcerer that they went to turns up dead, and this time Pepper isn't a suspect, but she still needs to find out what happened and find a way to unlink herself and Rufus.
Pepper has a problem. Her enemy, Rufus, has shown up and linked them together. Any time she uses her magic it will be absorbed by him, making him stronger. If she doesn't use her magic, though, she could possibly die.
Axel can help her but they need to find a rare stone. They need to find a key to a box that it might be in although they don't know where the box is. Then there's the problem of a couple of people being murdered.
They also have to deal with possibility of the entire town and everyone in it being done away with, sort of.
That's a lot of stuff going on and it all goes together well. A very interesting book.
Use your magic and release unspeakable evil into the world, or refuse and die in unbelievable agony. Free a loved one and become trapped in a curse or watch a loved one suffer and die. Marry a longtime sweetheart who takes you for granted or risk embarking on a new relationship. Stay safe in an unfulfilling job or risk the uncertainty of a new one. Deaths which may or may not play into the menace in town, a desperate treasure hunt, man-eating stone lions, and Betty being Betty are just a few more things Pepper and Axel must navigate. This is a fast-paced fun read, and the action never stops!
This book series has a great premise but all we get is a sweet fluff story . The unrealized potential is maddening. The errors are blatant and avoidable. If you don’t use your power you get a surplus that gives you a headache that’s an issue that could kill. Great plot point, until it’s written fixed instead of actually fixed by any action by the character. This one tipped me over the edge of tolerance. If I had to describe the MC I would use the word compulsive. What she needs is imagination to use her magic, even the bad guy is spelling that out to her, yet she’s magically useless. I suggest the author get some to.
Somehow, Rufus Mayes has made it into Magnolia Cove in yet another attempt to steal Pepper Dunn's magic. When wizards and witches who could help her begin to die, the search turns to items that might help.
This mixture of witch & wizard mysteries and cozy animal mystery genres is fantastic. The charming southern setting provides plenty of opportunities to look for objects and clues. By the end, the crime sprees have ceased for now. Overall, it's an outstanding tale.
Rufus is back and has somehow gotten past the barriers to enter Magnolia Cove. He tries to kidnap Pepper but when that fails, he casts a spell to tether her magic to his. If Pepper uses magic Rufus will get stronger. The person most likely to help her is murdered before Pepper can get to him. Pepper is not on her own though. Axel proves he is willing to go to great lengths and even sacrifice himself for her. Like the previous book, this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
I listened to the audiobook. Narrator Hollis McCarthy really brings the action to life.
I keep feeling this is not my first time reading this story to the king I already know what's going to happen. I knew the uncle aS still alive but confused as to how I knew it. Maybe I read it in hard cover years ago, since all my books are in storage it's possible. Any way this story was very exciting and for once I happy that author believes in her characters learning from their mistakes and getting better. I cannot wait for the next book I waited months for this one.
Amy Boyles does it again. She keeps me interested in her books. The writing is so amazing. Rufus tries to kidnap Pepper but it doesn't work so instead he ties her magic to him. If she uses it at all he can use it for his uses instead of what she intended. The problem with this is if she doesn't use it she can die. They are trying to figure out how to undo what he did when the sorcer who can help dies. Was it suicide like the cops suspected or did he have help? I loved reading this book.
Rufus is at it again. He somehow makes it back into Magnolia Cove. He wants his powers and since he can’t have them, he binds his powers to Peppers. Pepper’s aunts take her to see Argus for help. He thinks he can come up with a counter spell that will free Pepper but unfortunately, he is murdered before he can. Axel hears of the trouble and returns to Magnolia Cove to help. It will take all of their sleuthing skills to break this spell. Interesting ending and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next story goes!
It's nice to read a series of books that continue not in months of years but a couple of days. Although as I wouldn't want to be friends with Jessica Fletcher or live in Mid Summer I would avoid Pepper Dunn if anything is going to go wrong it will happen to her but as with any heroine she wins in the end. Axle is a brave man/werewolf. Can't wait to start the next book
Another wonderful book where Amy Boyles shows off her incredible writing skills. I have to wonder if flying on her skillet, and talking to animals counts as magical powers? If using her magic would allow Rufus to steal her powers from her, wouldn't those things count too? Hmm, makes me wonder. Other than that, this was an excellent story. Great cliff hanger at the end that makes me want to get started on the next book right away to get to know Uncle Donovan. Keep writing to us, Amy :)
4th installment in the Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries. In this one Rufus comes back to magnolia cove and tries to take Pepper's magic Axel tries to help her, but in order to break the spell on Pepper he turns into the werewolf....Betty and Pepper's cousins also make themselves known too. Lol, all things will go right, or will they?? Read/listen to it and find out. If you like cozy mysteries these ones are fun and easy reading...