Witch in Progress

Blair Wilkes Mystery #1

by Elle Adams

Penniless graduate Blair Wilkes has always felt one step behind everyone else in her life. Her uncanny ability to cause havoc wherever she treads has landed her in unemployment for the dozenth time when she receives a job offer from a strange town called Fairy Falls in the north of England. Even stranger is the fact that she has no memory of applying for the position.

Blair is certain her sudden change in fortunes is too good to be true… and she's right, in a way. It turns out Fairy Falls isn't just eccentric. It's magical, and so is Blair.

Learning she's a witch with a never-before-seen talent is just the first in a series of surprises that await Blair, but her new life comes with its fair share of pitfalls. From a hot ex-paranormal hunter security guard to a co-worker with an inexplicable grudge against Fairy Falls's newest witch, not to mention the mysterious death of a former client, Blair swiftly finds herself overwhelmed. After her magical skill gives her an unexpected lead on the murderer, she finds herself dragged into the investigation.

Can Blair figure out her magical talents before the paranormal killer notices she's on his tail? Or will her new beginning come to an untimely end?

This fun paranormal mystery from author Elle Adams contains a cast of quirky characters, a small English town brimming with secrets, and the unlikeliest witch ever to stumble into her magical powers.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Audiobook, Witches, Magic

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

Elle Adams lives in the middle of England, where she spends most of her time reading an ever-growing mountain of books, planning her next adventure, or writing. Elle's books are humorous mysteries with a paranormal twist and tons of magical mayhem.

She also writes urban and contemporary fantasy novels as Emma L. Adams.

Reviews

[Harmony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a 2-star rating because I did actually finish it. I didn't enjoy it though but I wanted to because I thought the skeleton of the story had promise. The issue was with the execution and frankly, the characters.

The MC is not likable. She is also incredibly immature and an idiot. She's one of those know-it-all's who is constantly rushing into danger (which is typical for this type of book). She had no reason at all for inserting herself into this mystery. Yet there she was, doing the job of the police and acting as if she (a complete novice in every sense of the word) was better at the job than they were. I wound up not liking this character and didn't care what happened to her.

It wasn't just the MC that was an issue. All the characters in this book are so underdeveloped that they are flat and one dimensional. There is some noise about werewolves and vampires hating each other but no real reason given as to why. It felt like that was ripped off of Twilight or something. Then there were all the obligatory Harry Potter references.

The story itself was silly. I kept thinking that I was reading about a 12 year old girl and her adventures in a magical world.

Blergh.

This book was not for me. I'm actually shocked I finished it.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast fun read introducing the town and MC, it's pretty short so aside from the MC you don't get a lot of character development. You do get a lot of exposition about the world of magic and paranormal creatures in it.

[Melliane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mon avis en français

My English review

I’m always looking for a good cozy mystery and all the more so if it’s a paranormal one. So I was delighted to discover this novel.

Blair thought she was just another young woman, but when she gets a call for a job in Fairy Falls, she doesn’t expect her life to be turned upside down to such an extent. A new life, a new start, is that what they say? Well, that’s exactly it for our heroine who knows nothing about the paranormal and yet finds herself in a city full of it. What’s more, everyone thinks she’s a witch. But she would know if she was, wouldn’t she?

It was a nice little novel, quick to read. If I thought it was a bit long, it was nice to follow our heroine and see how she was going to handle it. A whole new world is opening up to her, a world in which she will have to discover the identity of a murderer! And it’s not going to be easy.

A light novel, but I admit that I don’t know if I’ll read the sequel.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read. I really wanted to enjoy it. In fact, typically I’m a fan of paranormal murder mysteries. Unfortunately, I’ve taught Agatha Christie so that tends to lead me to higher standards. I am quite aware that it takes a lot to get to her level of expertise, which is why I don’t judge so harshly by most of today’s quirky whodunnit mysteries.

In fact, I actually enjoy these quick and easy mysteries. Unfortunately, this novel really missed the mark by quite a bit. We didn’t have a lot of build up, in fact it was practically non existent, aside from her being “hungover from the previous nights table dancing escapades”. Um, why was she dancing on the table?!? As a grown woman living with college kids—whom she condemned for the same behavior?!? We never get the answers.

We actually don’t get any kind of character development. I didn’t realize until this novel that it was possible to write a novel consisting of only flat characters.

We aren’t given enough information about any of the characters to actually give a flying rats arse about them.

Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this novel but unfortunately it just left me blah...

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a new author to me and I really enjoyed the story, it was humorous, mysterious and fun to read. Blair is a good character, she has finally found a place she fits in and will not let anyone kill her buzz.

[Linda J Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needs proofreading

Several conversational errors,(names, actions). Plot points that don't make sense made me feel like chapters were missing. How did the MC make her conclusions? Why did the weres blames her??? Things need to be flushed out more. And the thing that bothered me the most, 7 Millimeters is a very tiny length!!!!! Why would magic boots move you only 7mm?!?! For non metric people 1 inch = 25mm.

[Heather W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, cute and interesting story that is an easy read, I loved it. It's really easy to solve and has a wonderful cast of characters that I look forward to reading more about. It's a lovely book and I would definitely recommend

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

It felt shorter than the actual page numbers but I believe it was just from how easy this was to read and get into. I'm curious enough to venture into the next book.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun read. I have been looking for a good paranormal mystery to read with my class when I came to this one. I was able to read for free on Amazon prime. I will be making my way through more of the series.

[Linda (ellsky) Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Magical New Beginning in Fairy Falls

What a delightful start to a new magical mystery series. I loved discovering Fairy Falls alongside Blair and getting to know the quirky supernatural residents. The little magical touches were charming, from coffee with shots of motivation and luck to levitating shoes. The murder mystery was very well done. I had my suspicions along the way, but some of the revelations genuinely surprised me, and I enjoyed how everything came together. The audiobook narration was enjoyable too, especially the narrator's lovely accent. I'm glad I decided to start this series as I'm already enjoying it just as much as the Library Witch Mysteries.

[Rachel Skidmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an enjoyable mystery told in a pleasant but slightly dizzy way.

[Federica De dominicis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Fun!

Fantastic characters, great story and I'm head over heels for the setting! Elle Adams is an amazing writer and she never disappoint!

[Jacqueline Guillory · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute quick read

A fun little read. Can’t wait to continue the adventures. I started this as a way to pass time between book club books but it ended up being a nice cozy mystery.

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Haunted Bookshelf

I had fun with Witch In Progress, the first story in the Blair Wilkes Mystery series. There is a lot going on, the introduction of several key players in this mystery, a bit of a side story and world building for this new series. I didn’t find it too cluttered, in fact the story lines flowed easily from one subject to the next with lots of connectors to make is smooth and easy. Blair is an orphan, out of work, broke and in desperate need of a job. Strange how one phone call can change a life… completely. As Blair takes a chance on a job application that she doesn’t remember filling out she will soon find herself in perhaps the equivalent of another world. One filled with magic and creatures she’d only heard of in fairy tales… or nightmares.

Along with Blair’s new job and new location some new abilities are showing themselves in the most unusual ways. Since she’s an orphan, and has no knowledge of her parents, Blair’s true nature is rather up in the air. It’s assumed that she’s a witch… but maybe not, or maybe more. Soon Blair will find herself deep in the mystery of how a client was murdered. No one has a clue, but with Blair’s new abilities she just might be on to something… if that knowledge doesn’t get her into a lot of trouble, or worse.

There is a touch of a possible future romance in the wind, lots of suspects, some really helpful new friends, and some disagreeable characters as well. Blair isn’t giving up on finding a murderer… she’s just hoping to survive to turn them in. Witch In Progress is fun, charming, engaging and brings us a very good puzzle to solve. I’ll definitely be picking up the next story in this series. If you’re in the mood for a good Paranormal Cozy Mystery then I’d recommend this book. You’ll easily be caught up in this new series.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

[Maeve Sleibhin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blair is a bit nonplussed when she receives a phone call telling her that she has landed a job out of town to which she does not remember applying, and she is absolutely flabbergasted when it turns out that the job is in a magical town full of paranormal creatures, and that she herself has latent magical powers; but she is truly mesmerised when she learns that one of the clients of her new employer had been murdered shortly before her arrival. And it turns out that her new-found magical talents may make her uniquely suited to solve the crime. But not everybody in Fairy Falls is pleased she is there. This is a fun, short cozy mystery set In a whimsical paranormal universe. It has entertaining, appealing characters, funny interactions and appealing ambiance. However, one of its chief strengths, its bite-sized length, is also its primary weakness, as it keeps several story lines and characters, which promise to be rather interesting or fun, from being satisfactorily developed. This can leave some readers a bit unsatisfied. The short length also keeps some contradictions and loose ends in the mystery unanswered, which can be a bit frustrating. However, there are sequels that might deal with this, and this charming little book is a fun enough read to permit looking over these issues in the quest of a fun afternoon read.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cozy-mystery type book. Blair is unemplyed and gets a job offer to work in a place called Fairy Falls and takes the job. Little does she know that that place has supernatural creatures and the job will be to recruit them for various jobs. She has somewhat of a difficult believing what she is told about there being really shifters, witches, merpeople and so on, naturally.

She finds out she has a talent, though, in that she can 'see' people she talks to on the phone and get an idea of what they are like. She also finds out the guy she replaced just so happened to be poisoned.

Blair turns out to be a supernatural being herself but someone had put a spell on her to hide her true nature from her. She learns a lot about herself, her background and her abilities (which include flying which she really enjoys.)

Cozy mysteries like this one are really fun to read and you don't have to worry about overly gross descriptions or the book being simply a way for humans and supernaturals to have sex. A nice read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was an enjoyable first novel with Blair Wilkes and Gang. She is a young woman that has never fit in anywhere. She can't keep a job or get a job, but gets a job offer that she can't turn down. The job happens to be in the town of Fairy Falls and all of the insanity ensues. Blair finds out more about her history and the world that she should have grown up in. The main story is a murder mystery that Blair is investigating. The only problem I had with the book is that I never really understood why Blair was so invested in finding the killer. She didn't know the victim, she wasn't a suspect, she didn't even know about the town when it happened. Blair and cast were fun characters and I look forward to reading more about them.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

And entertaining urban fantasy cozy mystery series

And entertaining urban fantasy cozy mystery series. Blair is a young woman in her mid-20s who changes jobs like other people change clothes. She tends to move around a lot cannot figure out what she wants to do in life parties a bit too much until one morning she wakes up with a hangover and receives an offer of a new job in a new town. She decides it’s time for a change and heads to find out more about it. When she shows up and find out is a supernatural town full of witches wizards werewolves vampires and a few other supernaturals. She starts her new job and then find out that someone was recently murdered and begins poking around in learning clues. Follow along as she learns more about herself and discovers who the killer maybe. And entertaining group of characters and storyline. Check it out

[Amanda Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took off at a gallop

An interesting start, the author managed to avoid the usual cliché and give it a bit of a twist which was good!

Blair Wilkes was orphaned as a baby, passed round foster homes she was finally adopted by the Wilkes family who made it clear that they would support her to 18 then she was on her own.

She's never settled, bouncing around jobs and homes, unlike all her friends, out of work again she receives a call offering her a job she's sure she never applied for. But times are desperate and needs must!

Blair sets off to find the strangely named Fairy Falls.. and when she arrives it's not what she expected.. paranormal becomes the new normal and Blair starts to understand why she's never really been able to settle down. First though there's a new job to learn, a murder to solve and a whole world to explore.

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Witch & Wizard Mystery is magnificent. Blair Wilkes was hired to work in an employment agency in Fairy Falls, a town exclusively for paranormals. However, she's unaware of being magical. Blair and the hot ex-paranormal hunter turned town security start on a path toward a romantic relationship. During her first day on the job, she learns that a client was murdered a few days earlier; therefore, she decides to investigate.

This tale has three objectives. The first is to introduce us, the readers, to Blair and the town. The second is to share the community and her heritage with Blair. And, finally, to give her something to do: solve a murder. All of these objectives are accomplished impeccably. Overall, this is quite an entertaining story.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Great world building. Romantic. Scary. Tragic. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I seem to be addicted to the Library Witch series, I thought I would try another of Adams' series. This one is about Blair Wilkes, who is brought to Fairy Falls to work in a employee recruitment center. The witches who brought her believe she is a witch but Blair has always lived in the normal world (albeit not very successfully) and has no idea that she has any magical powers. She gets involved in a murder mystery trying to discover the murderer, although it seems rather strange that she would take on this task when she hardly has a clue how to live in this world. I did not find this book as charming as the Library Witch series, although I did like that Blair takes on a cat familiar.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is she or isn't she?

Loved this first book. A phone call out of the blue offers her a job and a place to live. The only trouble is finding the town. Then finding out she's a witch and the being told she's not a witch but a fairy. What exactly is she? To add to her problems she finds out that a recent murder has taken place and the killer is still at large. Unable to help herself she investigates. Who murdered the spell maker and why? Great little plot and had me going in the wrong direction completely. The characters are fun and will soon become favourites with all that read this.

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blair Wilkes is poor, unemployed and down on her luck. She receives an unexpected offer from a town called Fairy Falls. Fairy falls is magical and it turns out Blair is too, unbeknownst to her.

This is the first book in the Blair Wilkes Mystery Series. This book is fun as Blair discovers what it means to finally feel like she fits in.

However, soon after her arrival she discovers a murder has just taken place and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. Once her magic gives her a clue to the murderer, she gets herself involved in the investigation.

I loved the characters in this book including a new best friend, a romantic interest and werewolves.

A must read for paranormal cozy lovers!

[Relina Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witch in Progress (A Blair Wilkes Mystery Book 1) was written by Elle Adams. Blair Wilkes just can't catch a break when it comes to finding a job. Each and every single gig she gets something terrible happens. Now, as she is about to reach her mid-twenties, she is tired of living with younger flat mates. Blair decides to uproot her life and move to Fairy Falls to work in an employment agency. But this job is unlike any of the others she's ever had. In fact a lot of strange things start to happen to her once she reaches the town.
Overall, I liked this novel. It was enjoyable in a coming of age sort of way.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

When Blair manages to get a job she doesn’t remember applying for, in a town she has never heard of, she doesn’t know she’s about to enter the paranormal world.
Suddenly she finds she is a witch, and she has abilities she never even dreamed of, abilities which might be useful in discovering who murdered a client of her new employer…

An enjoyable paranormal cosy mystery, with an intriguing magical town somewhere in the Lake District of England.
The characters are interesting, the mystery is diverting, and there is plenty of magic and magical events.

Recommended for those who enjoy paranormal cosy mysteries.

[Ceejay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This first book in the Blair Wilkes Mystery series is an enjoyable read. Blair is a gal who never fit in, was accident prone, and couldn't seem to hold down a job. And then, one day, she is offered a job in Fairy Falls. It turns out that Fairy Falls is inhabited by witches, and goblins, and vampires, and fairies, and the like. It seems that Blair is gifted with special abilities. A murder occurred in Fairy Falls, and it involves the job that Blair just accepted. If you like your cozies on the supernatural side, you can't go wrong with book. I'm sure I'll try another mystery in this series.

[Carin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Library Witch series (which I guess comes after this one, but I discovered it first) so much and having "met" Blair in a crossover, naturally I wanted to check this series out. It's a somewhat decent start, though I agree the characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but I'm willing to give that a pass given that this is the first book (and hope the others in the series make up for it). Unfortunately it seemed like there were parts missing (references to something that apparently happened in a previous scene that never did) and that made things somewhat confusing.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Witch in Progress” is a light story with a murder thrown in. Blair, an orphan since childhood, finds a new job in Fairy Falls, England. On arrival she discovers that she is a witch and that her new town is solely inhabited by magical folk. There's magic in the air and Blair hasn't a clue!
And the job? It turns out that her predecessor was murdered, of course Blair just has to find out who the guilty party is.
The book is slightly interesting but offers nothing new to the genre.
I read to the end but it never fully grabbed my attention.

[Bluebyyou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fast read.

Good
1) World-building was wonderfully entertaining; loved how magic was actually integrated into every day things
2) Settings were beautifully-done and added a lot of ambience
3) Solid introduction to series arc
4) The plot-driven storyline was intriguing

Mediocre
1) Secondary characters were adequate for the story but needed more fleshing out

Neutral
1) Lead female was entertaining although a little too manic at times for my taste
2) There was little romance

Bad
1) The plot-driven storyline's resolution was seriously muddled