Destiny's a Witch

Wicked Good Mystery #1

by Lucy May

Welcome to Charm Cove, Maine – where the Good are Wicked, and the Wicked are Good… or maybe not.

Nothing is ever as it seems, at least not in Charm Cove, Maine. Moira Wicked—yes, that’s actually her name—moves away in the hopes she can escape her fate, or destiny, or something along those lines. She yearns to lead a normal life.

A few years away teaches her one glaring lesson. It’s incredibly difficult to be normal when your first name means destiny, your last name is Wicked, and you actually do come from a family legendary for its witchy ways.

Trying to keep her powers under wraps in the real world is a tad tricky. A love spell gone sideways sets in motion her return to Charm Cove for a spell. As bad luck would have it, or fate if you’d rather, she’s home for one single day when a body turns up floating in the town fountain. The oh-so-charming Charm Cove is turned upside down. Meanwhile, tourists are crowding its picturesque streets, and magic is being bottled up and sold as health remedies.

Moira finds herself in the thick of the murder investigation, all the while trying to hold her nosy family and destiny at bay. Destiny comes in the form of Liam Good. A Wicked is fated to fall in love with a Good once every century. No pressure or anything.

Take a visit to Charm Cove, where Wicked meets Good and where you just might find there’s almost always more than meets the eye.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Fiction, Ebooks, Fantasy

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2018

About the author

Lucy May loves coffee, dogs, cooking, and writing. She’s a misplaced Southerner living in Maine. She’s grown to love four seasons, but she still pines for sleepy southern summers. She likes to think she might’ve been a witch in another life and still believes in magic. She wiles away her time spinning silly, snarky & sexy paranormal stories.

https://www.facebook.com/lucymayauthor/

Reviews

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charm Cove, Maine the home of magic and witches, and the place Moira Wicked left in an attempt to escape what all believe was her destiny, but now she’s back and finds herself face to face with the man she lost, the man at the centre of what everyone believes is her destiny, on top of that Moira finds herself investigating a murder when a body turns up floating in the town fountain.

Really liked the start of this, there was a nice dash of; humour, charm and, cuteness, but as things went on, maybe after the 48% mark, my interest waned. Characters needed more fleshing out.

Freebie on amazon December 2019.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hello Fellow Readers,

I've been wanting to read a cozy mystery for a while, and I thought I finally found one that suited my needs. This had witches, a charming town, and magic potions everything I wanted but it fell surprisingly short. First of all, Moira, which means fate and destiny, is an okay character. She's smart and driven but I didn't feel attached to her. I actually didn't feel attached to any character in this book, and the reason is because of the romance aspect.
Now don't get me wrong, when I read a book like this I expect there to be romance but I expect it to be secondary to the actual murder mystery plot. However, this book pretty much shoves it in your face from the get go, so much so that I actually didn't want Moira, which means fate and destiny, to get together with Liam. I was hoping she'd meet someone else.The actual murder seemed almost like an afterthought, which bugged me because I that's why I like to read these books.

Also, the whole fate and destiny thing (because that's what Moira means) was told over, and over, and over. I get it, a Good is destined to marry a Wicked every generation but come on anytime she had a conversation with someone it was brought up. Before I even properly got to know Liam I was already sick of him, and he wasn't a bad guy at all.

Overall, I think I may pass on this series which is an oddity for me.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witchy cozy mystery. A cute story that nicely sets up the series. It is more about Moira and her family than the murder. Regardless, I enjoyed the characters, the back stories and the development of the relationships.

[Kellene · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read and start to the series

[Anastasia Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read this was.

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome back to Charm Cove Moira! Oh, and watch out for that dead body!
Moira Wicked, part of the Wicked family of witches (they're not really bad) is contemplating coming back home to Charm Cove, Maine. She's unhappy at her job, but thanks to a little familial interference...her boss is now mooning over her. To make matters worse? He's engaged! Oops! Before Moira can truly take that step to quit her job and move back home for at least a break, a dead body pops up in the middle of town. Yikes! Poor guy seems to have drowned. But Alvin drowning in a horse trough/fountain that he could have easily gotten out of? Something isn't right in this picture. So! Let the investigating begin! Sometimes being freshly back to town has its perks...gossip!
Destiny's a Witch by Lucy May is a fun, entertaining, and riveting cozy mystery novel. Moira has been fighting destiny ever since a slight case of jealousy caused her to have a bit of a nasty incident in college. Every generation in Charm Cove someone in the Good family line and someone in the Wicked family line is destined to get married. Moira and Liam (her ex-boyfriend) seem like the destined pair. They both try to balk destiny, but destiny seems determined to bring them back together. I love how the author works this entire storyline. Liam and Moira work together and even come together in some sticky situations. I love the level of mystery that the author gives the reader in this book. You work along with the characters to try and figure out who in this town of witches and warlocks committed this crime and others that follow.
I feel that the author does a fantastic job filling in gaps and answering questions as the story goes along. This is the first book in this series and the author does a fantastic job with it. We get a story within a story. We get information about the past at appropriate moments and everything is brought to light as it should and when it should be. I love it!
There is honestly nothing that I don't like about this book. Everything is so well thought out and put together beautifully.
If you are a fan of paranormal cozy mystery novels with some humor, romance and magic then this book is a perfect fit for you. I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moira Wicked entered Persnickety Potions & Gifts to talk to her Aunt Lea. She had sold Brian Spencer, her boss, a love potion, and now he wouldn’t leave Moira alone! Aunt Lea was a very powerful witch and could reverse the spell without even having to leave her shop. But she bargained with Moira to come back home to Charm Cove, which she had left two years ago when she simply needed a break. Since then, the family continued to pressure her to return. They had also believed she was fated to be with Liam. In every generation, a member of the Wicked and the Good families, the original town founders long ago, ended up falling in love and getting married. Because they dated through high school and college, they were the most likely couple, at least until he married someone else – part of the reason she chose to move out of town.

As Moira left the shop, she heard Liam Good call her name. Not wanting to see him, she disappeared in a puff of smoke – and ended up in Persnickety Potions’ bathroom! Exiting the store again, hoping he took the hint and left, she saw him leaning against a pole right where her car was parked. There was a scream, and both of them raced to the fountain in the center of town and spotted the dead body floating in the water. The police chief, Daniel, questioned several people. Then he asked if Moira knew Liam was divorced now! Why does everyone keep bringing up that “fate” story?

Moira gave up trying to be “normal” and decided to move back home. Moira loved her carriage house near her parents’ property. Her grandmother had willed it to her. Her mom told her she was happy to have her home, and that she had told Liam Moira needed help moving in! And Moira is drawn to the accident/murder investigation that she feels she needs to follow. Will her feelings for Liam grow stronger now? Will they join together to solve the murder? What fate does the future hold for them?

This was a well written story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Cozy mysteries, when done well, can draw in the reader and keep the action flowing. Add a little romance, and you have the perfect book! This one has some fun and mystery, so don’t miss out!

[Katalin Becsei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable

I am a bit lost with the whole incest-like families, but hey, witches need to keep their powers in a close circle. But anyway, if dad was an original descendant of Wicked, and mum was from an other witch family, how is it that the previous generation's "fate couple " was l Aunt Lea (therefore not a Wicked) and Uncle Jacob?
Logical hick aside, I liked the storytelling and the humor.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay but certainly nothing special. It goes on ad nauseum about Moira meaning fate or destiny, about Moira trying to ignore both, about the feud between the Wicked's and Good's, how both families are always blamed for everything that goes wrong in Charm Cove, and how Moira and Liam are destined to be together. It got old really fast. The murder was basically a secondary plot and the way it wrapped up was a real let down. The culprits weren't even part of the story until they were needed to confess. How the police are going to try them for using magic to kill someone is left to the imagination. When I read the blurb after reading the book, it is like someone who skimmed the book wrote it. For example, it says she has been moved back home one day when a body is found. She was home for a visit and didn't move back home for another week or so. Another example is a Wicked is fated to marry a good every century. In the story, it says every generation. These 2 examples are indicative of the way the story is written. There were also a lot of grammar errors.

[Julia Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun cozy mystery about a 20 something-year-old witch named Moira Wicked. Having finished college and been on her own for a few years, she has just returned to her hometown, Charm Cove, Maine. She has been trying to live in denial of her magic abilities but came to the conclusion it is way too much work to deny who you really are, so moving home where there are a number of witching families made sense.

In Charm Cove, there are two major witching families; the Goods and the Wickeds. The two families have a long history of magic strength, feuding, and every couple of generations a marriage uniting the two that keeps the town hopping. Both families have been pushing Moira to marry Liam Good because it is obviously time and their destiny. Being hard-headed and independent, Moira wants to find her own husband but then how does one explain feeling a little faint whenever Liam is around?

The mystery comes in when shortly after returning home, Moira discovers a dead body in the town fountain. Is it an accident or murder? Moira is determined to weed through all of the suspects to find what really happened.

May has done a great job keeping this light and quirky. The characters are great fun, the magic used is great for a laugh and the story is believable enough to make me want to be a witch in Charm Cove. This is a great beach/pool read and even better ‘I am trapped inside because of COVID-19 and need some smiles!’ read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. Great characters in a wonderful community. Look ing for ward to reading the next book in the series

Amazon synopsis:
Welcome to Charm Cove, Maine – where the Good are Wicked, and the Wicked are Good… or maybe not.

Nothing is ever as it seems, at least not in Charm Cove, Maine. Moira Wicked—yes, that’s actually her name—moves away in the hopes she can escape her fate, or destiny, or something along those lines. She yearns to lead a normal life.

A few years away teaches her one glaring lesson. It’s incredibly difficult to be normal when your first name means destiny, your last name is Wicked, and you actually do come from a family legendary for its witchy ways.

Trying to keep her powers under wraps in the real world is a tad tricky. A love spell gone sideways sets in motion her return to Charm Cove for a spell. As bad luck would have it, or fate if you’d rather, she’s home for one single day when a body turns up floating in the town fountain. The oh-so-charming Charm Cove is turned upside down. Meanwhile, tourists are crowding its picturesque streets, and magic is being bottled up and sold as health remedies.

Moira finds herself in the thick of the murder investigation, all the while trying to hold her nosy family and destiny at bay. Destiny comes in the form of Liam Good. A Wicked is fated to fall in love with a Good once every century. No pressure or anything.

[DianaRaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Lucy May, knows how to write a relaxing, fun, and "charming" story, just what you need to unwind after a stressful day or week.
Charmed Cove is a small town where everybody knows everyone. Now add in an overbearing family that knows best and not afraid to tell you so.
Moira means Fate/Destiny, and is not a name you want to have in a witch family. She's been told forever that she is "destined" to marry Liam Good and their love is "fated", and that's why she moved away to New York. Now that she's home again all she hears is, are you and Liam together again.
When one of the towns people is found drowned in the town square no one knows if it was foul play or an accident, or, if magic was involved.
Shortly after Moira begins asking questions about Alvin, a bolt of lightening destroys a display case right next to her. Now they know magic is involved. Who and Why?
I'm giving only 4 stars as much of this story was background and bringing us-up-to-date, but still a good read. I do expect future installments will have more story and maybe summarize the background in a forward. It's not full of fast, high flying action, but it is a good curl up in your chair, relax and enjoy the story book. Now, on to the next installment of Moira's trials and tribulations.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moira Wicked moved away from Charm Cove trying to lead a normal life away from her destiny, fate, and witchy ways. She somehow finds herself back home and in the thick of a murder investigation. If that wasn’t bad enough her nosy family can’t seem to stay out of her life and keep pushing her towards Liam Good, the man she is fated to fall in love with and complete her destiny.

This is a cozy mystery with a hint of paranormal and a hint of romance. The main character is a young witch that is trying to navigate through life and make her own choices even though fate would have it a different way. She is surrounded by a loving and quirky family that seems to want her to embrace her destiny. All she wants to do is try and solve a mystery that keeps pointing to the Wicked and Good families as the main suspects.

As the fictional town points out, this is a charming and delightful read. The mystery keeps you busy trying to figure out the culprit, the characters are a mixed bag of crazy, funny, and quirky, and the main character is one you can’t help but root for.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book. I like it better than the Lemon Tea series, which is also about a witch. I liked Destiny's a Witch for a few reasons.

1. The characters - they're funny and endearing.

2. The setting - hello, cute little town full of witches and unsuspecting humans, not to mention an honest to God feud? Um, yes please!

3. The whole "forbidden love" but actually we all want you together plot line - it was funny, and I can't wait to see where Moira and Liam's relationship goes!

4. Magic was actually used. This sounds stupid, but in some witchy mysteries, magic is barely present. It was here from page one, and I liked that a lot.

Now, I do have two problems with the book.

1. I had a teensy bit of a difficult time connecting to the characters. I wish Moira and Liam's relationship was more fleshed out, and the same with her other, platonic, relationships. It just brought the book down a star for me. That being said, I will still read book two (hello, I have to see what happens!)

2. The whole murder was meh. They confessed pretty easily. But I did like Moira and Liam working together!

So, this was overall a four star read. Despite having a couple of problems, I did enjoy the book and its premise, and I want to read more in the Wicked Good series.

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off well, then seemed to loose steam

I really enjoyed this until the solution. Okay it was a surprise but done in such a low key way that it really didn't seem to fit the dynamic way the book had started. Regardless if still gave it a 4^ as the rest of it was excellent. Living in a magical community had left her to free and easy with her magic. A lose of control at college left her without her long term boyfriend, with a building burnt down and reluctant to come home. Now she is back (after the fiasco with the love potion, her boss and her aunt). All the family is pleased and all of them want her to nose around in the death of a local man who drowned in the green fountain. The more she learns, the more questions she has. Questions that seem to have struck a cord as the "truth" pendant is attacked. Worse her old boyfriend has also returned after his divorce and everyone's eyes are on them. The characters are good but will gain extra depths with further books.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moira Wicked is a witch from a town in Maine. She works in NYC and after a slight issue from a spell her aunt cast she;s in town visiting her family. Right from the git go, her family is expecting her to come home and take up with her ex Liam. The day she;s visiting there is a death just down the road from her aunt;s shop. It&;s a man who rezoned the town and had everyone up in arms. After she returns to her job, she decides to go back home. Her family coerce her into investigating. Along with the investigating poor Moira is besieged by family members trying to get her and Liam back together. Magic is flying all over and some of it is dangerous. Then in the middle of this her aunt tells her family some very disturbing news.
This is a cute story of a well meaning family who try to make fate work in the right way. You;ll feel for Moira.
Fantastic story and read!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marianna Roberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing and repetitive

The family tree is a pretzel. With the way the author has the dynamics laid out, there’s cousinly incest in the works. The main character is obnoxious, the narrative is full of telling rather than showing, and the main character repeats herself about who characters are or how events happened multiple times. She described the college incident at least three times. Mentioning that Jacob is Liam’s uncle happened about four. The name puns keep getting repeated. And the main character says “Whatever” more than once in every single conversation for the first half of the book. There are also a bunch of spelling errors and missing words. It feels like the author dashed out a first draft with no actual mystery to it and just threw it up online. I’ve read plenty of self-published books, and really enjoyed a lot of them, but this is one author I won’t be purchasing from again.

[Joyce Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight to read. A highly entertaining novel. Great characterizations and there are quite a few of them. The characters are well developed, relatable and realistic. The story is rick in family and friendship. There are characters from previous novels in this series and it was nice to get reacquainted with them all. As is usual in this series, there were a number of shenanigans people got into. The story contained elements of fantasy, action, adventure, mystery, drama, comedy, and some sparks of romance. There was a murder that caused mayhem within the town. Again, Ms. May has an open-ended ending; does that make sense? In other words, there is more to come in this series and I relish the thought.

I voluntarily received a free advance review copy of this novel via Booksprout and I am leaving an honest and unbiased review. I have no affiliation to this author.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in a series, a light, entertaining, fairly quick read. In Charm Cove, Maine, founded by the Wicked and Good families to escape the Salem witch trials, Moira Wicked has come home. After spending time in the "real" world, trying to keep her witch powers secret and failing spectacularly, Moira needs a break. But the last thing she wants to hear about is her destiny - to be the Wicked witch of her generation who will marry a Good warlock. He just happens to be an old boyfriend, but they broke up and he married someone else. Now he's divorced and both families are shoving them at one another again. When a body turns up in the town fountain, she and her family use their powers to help with the investigation and other complications that follow. I enjoyed the book, but I can't afford to buy any more in the series right now. Maybe someday....

[Betty Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. It is a quick read. It is funny and has magic and a good story line. It all takes place in a town called Charm Cove, Maine. There are two families involved in this series of books, the Goods and the Wicked's. These are their actual last names of the two families. Moira Wicked is trying to avoid her fate, or destiny, whichever you want to call it. It is said that every generation there is a fated match between the 2 families. Moira Wicked and Liam Good are fated to be together. Needless to say, they are both kind of skeptical. There also happens to be a murder in Charm Cove and it somehow involves the two families and has to do with their magic. They are witches and Mages. Very interesting plot. They have to solve it. Funny in spots but serious in others. Highly recommend.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Destiny's a Witch

In 2025 my goal is to not only read 50 books but also review them all. Often times I’ve given star ratings but no explanation as to why. This is my first review of 2025.
______________________________________
After several years away Moira Wicked has finally returned to Charm Cove in Maine. With her family being one of the founding families of the town, plus the fact that her family moved up from Salem just before the famous witch trials, there is never a dull moment in Charm Cove.

Moira was just in the process of settling into her hometown again, when a murder, a past love interest and a targeted attack on her family's boutique shop, leaves Moira in the middle of a murder investigation with a side of witch craft.
____________________________________
Review

What I liked:
- this is a closed door romance
- I liked the character of Moira Wicked and felt like she was pretty relatable
- I loved that it was a quick fun read

What I didn’t like:
- the mystery around the murder seemed to wrap up in a pretty positive way (which is weird to say about a murder).

Overall:
I enjoyed the book enough that I am going to read the next book in the series. I want to see what happens with Moira and her love interest. I would recommend this book to whoever enjoys some lighthearted reading with a little bit of mystery and a dash of witchcraft sprinkled in.

[Texas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Destiny's A Witch - I like this book better than Witch You Wouldn't Believe and Witch is When it Gets Crazy. The witches and warlocks are likable and their dialog realistic. I'm happy to see a male is called a warlock instead of witch (PC is so stupid with the sexes). Well written, clean but with sexual attraction makes this story entertaining.

Add mischievous teenage witches, nosy friends and family on top of family pressure to do the Destiny thing, while determining if a death was an accident or a murder, leaves the main characters in all types of states. Never mind if there's a second chance for them or it is Destiny, there's a lot of happenings. Pretty good story without the usual stupid drama found in a lot of this genre. 4*

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant witch cozy

In Charm Cove, the Wickeds and the Goods have been feuding for centuries. But every generation there is one Wicked-Good couple destined to fall in love. Would that be Moira Wicked and Liam Good?

Moira’s a witch. The name Moira means destiny; what will fate have in store for her? She is thinking about moving back to Charm Cove, but there’s a lot of pressure on her.

It was a light-hearted story. Pleasant, entertaining, enjoyable, interesting, nice, cozy. But I like puzzling along whodunit and I couldn’t do that in this case; the information to figure it out just wasn’t there. But I really liked it. It was fun!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book via Booksprout.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Wickeds and the Goods, two witch families, have held sway in Charm Cove for hundreds of years. Two members of the latest generation, Moira and Liam, have attempted living away in "normal" cities but have returned home. Legend has it that one member of the Good family will marry one member of the Wicked family, but these two are bucking tradition. To add to the confusion, a suspicious death occurs as they arrive in their hometown.

I loved the premise but found there was too much filler. The mystery element was a little disappointing as well.

The characters were interesting, likeable, and believable despite their element of magic. And the setting, it's a paradise - a lovely little town nestled on the coast of Maine. I'm quite certain I'll return.

[Judi Easley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun witchy cozy. Their families left Salem before the witch trials and founded an new home. It's a cozy New England harbor town full of crafty shops, great seafood, and witches. The magical and non-magical live side by side in peace here. In some of the magical families they need strong ties to keep the peace. Like one couple in a generation marrying between the two families to maintain the peace. Such as Moira Wicked marrying Liam Goode. It's fated and has been since they were little. They tried running away from it and that didn't work. Now they are both back in Charm Cove and the whole town wants to know. Are they here to fulfil their destiny? With a murder to solve on the day they both hit town, things get a bit distracting. Who kill Alvin? Or was it an accident? Recommended

[Disney14604 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Love it! Love it! Worth way more than 5 stars!!!!!
First in a new series by this author and is now one of my favorites to keep reading.

Who really wants to know that your love has been destined and not know if for yourself. I know that I do not and feel for the Lucy and Liam. Really just to keep things steady a spell so a Good marries a Wicked. Read the story to understand that statement, lol

Really great character development in this book. Feel like I know them and love them already.

Cannot wait for the next one. i may even like this series better than her other one. but I like paranormal mysteries.

This is my honest and freely given review for an ARC.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Destiny's A Witch is a paranormal cozy set along the Maine coastline. Our protagonist (Moira Wicked) returns to her hometown of Charm Cove, first for a visit (and to have a love spell which her Aunt cast be reversed) but eventually for good. The plot point about the move 'home' carries throughout the book as Moira has somewhat mixed feelings about her destiny as a witch AND about her 'fated' love of another townsperson, Liam Good. Along the way, there's a death to be solved, as well. The author does a great job with the character development and the descriptions of the Maine coastline and the fictional town of Charm Cove. I look forward to reading the 2nd book in the series.

[Melissa Basnight · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is set in a witchy town called Charm Cove located in Maine which centered around Moira Wicked and her return home after living somewhere else for a while. There is a slight feud between the Wicked and the Goods and that is why a person from each family has to marry every once in a while to keep the peace. Moira Wicked and Liam Good are the chosen couple to wed to join the families. Moira moved away to escape the pressure. One of the warlocks was murdered and Moira is on the hunt to determine who killed him. The story mainly revolved around Liam and Moira’s relationship. They was some magic, but the solving of the murder was anticlimactic.

[Evelyn Grabas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading the first book in this series and look forward to more of the same. Good story, plot and characters, which makes for pleasant reading. Moira, although she is a witch, is not really much different than other people in that she doesn't want to accept herself for what she is and be content and work with it, which is a problem so very many people face.
I look forward to reading more of this series, but I do hope that the relationship between Moira and Liam can work itself into more than just what appears to be an arranged marriage, which, in and of itself, is rather dull. But I look forward to reading the next book and seeing what the author has in store for them and where life will be taking them.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. The book had a good start and held me captive for most of the book. I love the names of the characters and the name of the little town. What drew me to this book was the cover and the title of course. My name is Destiny after all. It pulled me and I love Moira. The fate love thing does seem to get on her nerves, but she is a Wicked and it comes with the territory. I love her Aunt Lea. She just seems to be filled with all kinds of sass and wisdom. I looking forward to reading some more of these books.