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Spells and Spirits: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery Sampler
"So many times I've been rolling in laughter from the characters antics. There's a perfect balance to the story line that makes turning pages magical. " ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Brilliant, funny and exciting books. " ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"What an amazing group of four books to read." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Four full length novels.900 pages of reading.Start this cozy sampler that will have you laughing out loud at all the Southern humor! SCARED WITCHLESS Dylan Apel is your average dressmaker living a simple life in Alabama. That is until she discovers she has magical powers. The whole witch deal seems really cool until someone murders Dylan’s best client with a poisoned gown meant for her. Now everyone's a suspect and Dylan is barely getting a handle on her new powers when she finds herself surrounded by witches bossing her this way and that, local police nosing about, and wary clients—death by clothing is not good for business. And the solstice is coming … a time when witch powers are at their peak. Can Dylan survive the chaos long enough to figure out her new life?SOUTHERN MAGIC In less than twenty-four hours Pepper Dunn loses her job, her boyfriend, and her home. But when Pepper discovers she’s a witch and has inherited the most important store in the magical town of Magnolia Cove, Alabama, she’s as happy as a pig in mud. Too bad the shop is a familiar pet store and Pepper doesn’t like animals—not even a teensy bit. Determined to sell the shop and get the heck out of town, Pepper’s plans go haywire when a local storeowner winds up dead and Pepper gets accused of murder. Thrust into a magical mystery, Pepper teams up with a mysterious private detective and a cat so traumatized by the murder that she’s not talking—and that cat could hold the key to Pepper’s innocence. Now Pepper must avoid trouble, solve the mystery, and placate her new grandmother, who keeps a strict ten p.m. curfew that’s enforced by the talking end of her shotgun. Sounds like a simple day in the life—as if. Can Pepper solve the mystery or will she become the next victim of the Magnolia Cove murderer? And most importantly, will Pepper learn to love the animals she’s in charge of?SOUL FOOD SPIRITS Blissful Breneaux has spent her career catching troublesome ghosts for a covert government agency. But all that changes the day she is fired. She has one shot to redeem herself— track down the biggest, baddest spirit the agency has ever known and haul him in. When a famous ghost hunter reveals he has information that could save her career, Blissful is all ears. But when he winds up murdered, Blissful becomes a suspect. Thrust into a murder mystery, Blissful teams up with a pair of amateur ghost-hunting grannies who know more about town dynamics than hunting spirits. Then there’s the handsome bed and breakfast owner who’s keeping more secrets than he’s revealing. But Blissful is determined to discover what the murder victim knew. She’ll hunt for clues all over town. Will the hunt save her career or place her in the clutches of the Haunted Hollow murderer?THE WITCH'S HANDBOOK TO HUNTING VAMPIRES Andie Taylor is your average single mom. She's got a beautiful toddler, a great job at the local preschool, a neurotic best friend and one huge secret—she used to hunt vampires. Now retired, Andie would much rather be wiping kid snot off her clothes than stalking the undead.
744 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2019
886 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Amy Boyles
158 books1,530 followersHey, 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!
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!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 13, 2025
Four First-in-series
Amy Boyles specialises in light romance with spooky goings on. This compendium contains four first stories.
Opening with a tale of three sisters, a horrible death in the eldest, Dylan's store, leads to them discovering that they are from a family of witches.
Story two I read previously. Pepper is having a bad day; her boss fires her, her flatmate evicts her, her boyfriend has no time for her and someone tries to abduct her.
The third story is about a ghost hunter who is about to lose her job unless she can find a troublesome spirit. Her experience makes her question her life.
The last was my least favourite. A witch and vampire slayer who has turned her back on that life to concentrate on raising her baby daughter.
They are enjoyable stories if unfulfilled romance and spells and spirits appeal, and this is a great opportunity to check out Boyles' work.
Amy Boyles specialises in light romance with spooky goings on. This compendium contains four first stories.
Opening with a tale of three sisters, a horrible death in the eldest, Dylan's store, leads to them discovering that they are from a family of witches.
Story two I read previously. Pepper is having a bad day; her boss fires her, her flatmate evicts her, her boyfriend has no time for her and someone tries to abduct her.
The third story is about a ghost hunter who is about to lose her job unless she can find a troublesome spirit. Her experience makes her question her life.
The last was my least favourite. A witch and vampire slayer who has turned her back on that life to concentrate on raising her baby daughter.
They are enjoyable stories if unfulfilled romance and spells and spirits appeal, and this is a great opportunity to check out Boyles' work.
September 15, 2019
A fun introduction t four series
This is a great idea to introduce one's writing to readers (and, hopefully, to new fans). All of the series have likable protagonists and good plots. There are a few minor grammatical errors, but not enough to make me stop reading, and I'm picky about grammar. These make good beach reads or for anytime you just want something fun to read that doesn't tax your brain.
This is a great idea to introduce one's writing to readers (and, hopefully, to new fans). All of the series have likable protagonists and good plots. There are a few minor grammatical errors, but not enough to make me stop reading, and I'm picky about grammar. These make good beach reads or for anytime you just want something fun to read that doesn't tax your brain.
May 27, 2021
All the stories are fun and humorous. The characters were familiar while still being new. I mean everyone has a crazy aunt or grandmother, drop dead gorgeous man to salivate over, right? I will be buying all of these series as soon as I can. A magic 8 ball. You’ve got one of those, don’t you?
August 8, 2021
Not Just One Story
Each story is complete, but the lead character's story will continue in another book. I really enjoyed this author's work so I won't have any problem seeking out future books. All of these stories have strong women, good men and quirky characters. Very fun.
Each story is complete, but the lead character's story will continue in another book. I really enjoyed this author's work so I won't have any problem seeking out future books. All of these stories have strong women, good men and quirky characters. Very fun.
March 1, 2025
Four wonderful stories that are about the importance of family, some mystery and humor. The four stories are unrelated, they can each stand separately. 1st - Scared Witchless - tells the tale of 3 sisters and how they find out they are witches. Lots of humor and sisterly drama. 2nd - Southern Magic - Pepper has been alone for a long time and is way down on her luck. In the first couple of pages she ends up unemployed and homeless. She receives a mysterious key and meets a talking cat. She is lead to her mother's family whom she did not even know existed and the story takes off from there. Extremely entertaining. 3rd - Soul Food Spirits - Blissful (yes, that is the heroine's name) has just learned her father is dead and she doesn't inherit his job, some deceitful woman does and this woman fires Blissful from her Ghost Hunting job. Now things get exciting and you won't want to put it down. This one has buckets of humor. 4th - The Witches' Handbook to Hunting Vampires - Andie is a widow with a 2 year old daughter, Gabby. Andie is a preschool teacher who can bring her daughter to work with her. Very convenient until the toddler suddenly develops her witch powers at the age of 2 instead of during the normal teen years. On top of that Andie needs to hunt down some vampires who are trying to take down human civilization. In steps Great Aunt Dot who is also a witch. She takes on the job of nanny since preschools in the human world frown upon 2 year olds having their toys fly through the air. As if Andie is stressed enough, she meets a Fallen Angel. If you aren't ready to pick the book up and read it now, you need to because that is all I'm spilling. The books are great, this is a new author to me and I look forward to reading more of her books.
September 13, 2023
Interesting mix
Dylan drove me crazy, Andie was hard headed but I got it, Pepper was a little frustrating, and Blissful was sneaky yet my favorite. Dylan's dynamic with her sisters was on point but she rubbed me the wrong way. Andie eventually came around to doing the right thing but it took an army to persuade her. With a daughter, it made a lot of sense as to why she wanted a simple life. Being a vampire Hunter, after her husband was killed in the line of duty was asking a lot but when an Angel goes missing and murders start happening, she has no choice but to step up. Pepper thought she wanted her old life, but what was there to love? After learning she had family and a place to live, owning a pet shop that utilized her unique magical gifts, a gift she never knew she had helps her solve a murder and realize that maybe, just maybe she's finally found her home. As for Blissful, helping ghosts move on was her job, but after returning home she finds that she didn't have much of a life outside of it. With the threat of being fired, she comes to find that perhaps she had it all wrong and working with the ghosts may offer her a chance at having friends and a new calling.
All of them get caught up in solving murders, meeting special men, and embracing the family and friendships they have or have taken for granted.
Dylan drove me crazy, Andie was hard headed but I got it, Pepper was a little frustrating, and Blissful was sneaky yet my favorite. Dylan's dynamic with her sisters was on point but she rubbed me the wrong way. Andie eventually came around to doing the right thing but it took an army to persuade her. With a daughter, it made a lot of sense as to why she wanted a simple life. Being a vampire Hunter, after her husband was killed in the line of duty was asking a lot but when an Angel goes missing and murders start happening, she has no choice but to step up. Pepper thought she wanted her old life, but what was there to love? After learning she had family and a place to live, owning a pet shop that utilized her unique magical gifts, a gift she never knew she had helps her solve a murder and realize that maybe, just maybe she's finally found her home. As for Blissful, helping ghosts move on was her job, but after returning home she finds that she didn't have much of a life outside of it. With the threat of being fired, she comes to find that perhaps she had it all wrong and working with the ghosts may offer her a chance at having friends and a new calling.
All of them get caught up in solving murders, meeting special men, and embracing the family and friendships they have or have taken for granted.
February 19, 2022
A mixture of mysteries
I must confess that I did not look closely at the book's cover before beginning to read, so, I did not realize that I was actually about to read four books. Each book was distinctly different with its own heroine and its own type of magic and that in itself was encouragement to finish all four. The four heroines, Dylan, Pepper, Blissful and Andie were delightfully strong characters, Blissful and Andie were my favorites. The romantic interests of the four were a bit distracting at times because I am still not convinced that it was a necessary enhancement for their stories.
If you like the paranormal, go ahead and star reading, you will find something to your liking.
I must confess that I did not look closely at the book's cover before beginning to read, so, I did not realize that I was actually about to read four books. Each book was distinctly different with its own heroine and its own type of magic and that in itself was encouragement to finish all four. The four heroines, Dylan, Pepper, Blissful and Andie were delightfully strong characters, Blissful and Andie were my favorites. The romantic interests of the four were a bit distracting at times because I am still not convinced that it was a necessary enhancement for their stories.
If you like the paranormal, go ahead and star reading, you will find something to your liking.
January 29, 2024
Another fabulous "witchy" story.
I have been reading lots of witchy stories lately and lots of them have a familiar theme.
Amy Boylesnever fails to delight and thi s series of course is great. Her imagination knows " no bounds" and she sets another group of stories that make you want more!
I have been reading lots of witchy stories lately and lots of them have a familiar theme.
Amy Boylesnever fails to delight and thi s series of course is great. Her imagination knows " no bounds" and she sets another group of stories that make you want more!
June 24, 2019
Witching firsts
Cozies full of southern charm and sweet romance are delightful intros to four mystery series. They bewitched me with interesting characters, odd situations, and novel ideas. I look forward to exploring more from Ms. Boyles
Cozies full of southern charm and sweet romance are delightful intros to four mystery series. They bewitched me with interesting characters, odd situations, and novel ideas. I look forward to exploring more from Ms. Boyles
June 24, 2020
Complex story
These paranormal characters are still relatable. Andi is a witch and a vampire hunter, retired hunter for the time being. Since her husband died she has concentrated her efforts on raising her daughter. Once the comet lands near town all bets are off!
These paranormal characters are still relatable. Andi is a witch and a vampire hunter, retired hunter for the time being. Since her husband died she has concentrated her efforts on raising her daughter. Once the comet lands near town all bets are off!
January 13, 2022
not bad.
Lots of good books in this grouping. A couple seem like the author forgot they were included and just threw in a manuscript that wasn’t edited in any way. Standard in these kind of compilations.
Lots of good books in this grouping. A couple seem like the author forgot they were included and just threw in a manuscript that wasn’t edited in any way. Standard in these kind of compilations.
January 16, 2022
Spells and Spirits
I really enjoyed reading this books. Each one was different but each one was enjoyable to read. I'm looking forward to reading more similar stories written by Amy Bottles.
I really enjoyed reading this books. Each one was different but each one was enjoyable to read. I'm looking forward to reading more similar stories written by Amy Bottles.
February 2, 2022
Good read
These books are well written, have humor, mystery, a little romance, witches, werewolves, vampires, etc., and murders. I've already downloaded 3 of the sequels. Highly recommend.
These books are well written, have humor, mystery, a little romance, witches, werewolves, vampires, etc., and murders. I've already downloaded 3 of the sequels. Highly recommend.
August 16, 2022
Fun read
Brilliant, funny and exciting books. Amy entertains the reader through 4 different stories. Once you start you will not want to put it down and once finished you will be wanting more
Brilliant, funny and exciting books. Amy entertains the reader through 4 different stories. Once you start you will not want to put it down and once finished you will be wanting more
August 21, 2023
nice set of stories
Really enjoyed reading this set. I had read a few before, but still enjoyed the rest. Lot’s of mysteries, lots of cooperation, some love interests. Just good fun reading.
Really enjoyed reading this set. I had read a few before, but still enjoyed the rest. Lot’s of mysteries, lots of cooperation, some love interests. Just good fun reading.
August 22, 2024
Paranormal mystery sampler
Each book in this sampler is a good story and I enjoyed getting a sampler of each series and the type of stories that the author writes. Fun and entertaining.
Each book in this sampler is a good story and I enjoyed getting a sampler of each series and the type of stories that the author writes. Fun and entertaining.
April 15, 2019
Witches Galore
Four really great stories that introduce readers to four wonderful series. Highly recommend for everyone who enjoys paranormal cozy mysteries!
Four really great stories that introduce readers to four wonderful series. Highly recommend for everyone who enjoys paranormal cozy mysteries!
May 29, 2019
Learning life goes on
This is a book for all ,it carries lots of love, concern, kindness, hope, and family. Read this book very hard to put down. Enjoyed !!!
This is a book for all ,it carries lots of love, concern, kindness, hope, and family. Read this book very hard to put down. Enjoyed !!!
July 5, 2019
Nice variety of stories for the price. It was a great start to introduce you to the series' characters from each story. Nice paranormal combo!
September 10, 2019
A fun exposure to four series
A fun exposure to 4 different series by this author. She has a wonderful way of writing and I have loved every book I've read that she has written.
A fun exposure to 4 different series by this author. She has a wonderful way of writing and I have loved every book I've read that she has written.
September 22, 2019
Spells and Spirits
This sampler served as a good introduction to this author's work. She gave us the first book in a few of her series. I enjoyed them enough to read more.
This sampler served as a good introduction to this author's work. She gave us the first book in a few of her series. I enjoyed them enough to read more.
March 24, 2020
A nice collection of first books in 4 different series by Amy Boyles. A good introduction to her as an author and some nice books to whet the appetite for more.
August 10, 2021
Lighthearted fun!
A first book in series introduction to the fabulously magical world of Amy Boyles. Witches and vampires and werewolves, oh my!
A first book in series introduction to the fabulously magical world of Amy Boyles. Witches and vampires and werewolves, oh my!
December 24, 2021
it was okay. found the snark in the leading character funny, until it was laid on too thick.
December 30, 2021
Excellent stories!
These four stories will keep your interest and give you wonderful escape time from everyday life. I look forward to reading more of them.
These four stories will keep your interest and give you wonderful escape time from everyday life. I look forward to reading more of them.
January 2, 2022
Mostly fun read.
March 30, 2022
Spells n spirits
Good for younger readers and teens.most of the book was interesting but I need something a bit more mature for my much older age group.
Good for younger readers and teens.most of the book was interesting but I need something a bit more mature for my much older age group.
April 22, 2022
Exciting and whimsical
Just enough sexual tension and I totally enjoyed the chemist with all the characters. Can't wait to see what develops.
Just enough sexual tension and I totally enjoyed the chemist with all the characters. Can't wait to see what develops.
October 4, 2022
Read all 4 books. Quite distinctive stories. Funny with some outrageous characters.
September 30, 2023
Absolutely loved it! The premise is unique and I'm def enthralled.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews