I knew when I woke up with a migraine that things were going to get interesting. As a magical artifact wrangler, it’s not an unusual way to start my day. But I had no idea how bad it was going to get.
Until I found a frog sitting in my teacup.
Even that, I could explain to myself if I had to. After all, I have a creative mind. But when the frog started talking to me, yeah, I was pretty sure I’d taken the wrong kind of pill that morning for my headache.
If only I’d realized then what I know now. The talking frog was just the beginning of my problems. And quite a beginning it was!
USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes mystery and suspense, creating stories that draw you in and keep you eagerly turning pages. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 100+ books.
I'm in "book love" with the Enchanting Inquiries world! It's awonderfully creative "world" with good guys, bad guys, Fairies, disappearing guys, frogs, witches, a sorceress, magic, excitement, adventure, humor, loyalty, friendship, a great mystery and a delightfully cozy feline - Wicked! If I could give the book more than five stars, I would. Once the action starts, you won't be able to put the book down!
Naida is the Keeper of Artifacts at a location that's similar to a library. She's not quite sure if she's got the "library" under control as all the items are magical. On top of being in charge of the library, Naida discovers that the frog she's found and has named Mr. Slimy may just be something or someONE entirely different - the fun begins.
I enjoy books that have an element of paranormal or fantasy in them. My favorite is when an author creates a new "world" where the characters interact. It's a world we can recognize but hopefully we won't run into a screeching giant owl (that's a long story). The characters run the gauntlet - good, evil, magical, kind, humorous and the animals - Wicked, Mr. Slimy and Wally (no spoilers here!) add so much fun to the book & they're important too!
Tea and Croakies is like a wonderland, filled with characters you love, hate and those you're keeping an eye on!
Nadia is a librarian - but her collection consists not just of books, but mostly magical artefacts. She has inherited the task of being the keeper of the artefacts but has had no formal training - so learning as she goes. She learns about an artefact (a tea maker) that is being used to suck the life out of its victims, the most wicked and frightening family of witches in the area have somehow got their hands on this item and plan to use it to take over the magical world. There are goodies and these really evil baddies along with fairies, mysterious frogs, witches, a sorceress, magic, excitement, adventure, lots of laughs and hand over mouth moments, loyalty, friendship, a great mystery and a litter of cute kitties with an added extra ability that your average moggie doesn’t have!
Tea & Croakies doesn't feel like the first novel in a series, but not in a good way. It feels like the reader has been dropped down in an imaginary world without explaining why magic exists, how it works, and who all these people are (and why we're supposed to care). The writing itself is fairly good, but the characters aren't well developed and the main motivation for the bad guys is "because they're evil." It's an okay book, but not one I'd want to read again (or read more of the series).
Tea and Croakies is the first book in the enchanting inquiries series. Meet Nadia a librarian that is a witch with limited powers . Her job is to save or rescue magical artifacts . When she gets very horrible migraines that's how she knows there is trouble brewing with an artifact .
I loved the complex characters and well developed story line in this book . I was so fascinated to learn about the artifacts . The mystery was multilayered and kept me guessing .
I look forward to the next book in this new series .
My opinion of this book kept fluctuating. The characters were appealing and quirky enough, which is really important in books of this type. The MC was pretty stupid; this sort of stupid where being her friend might be the death of you. This might be considered a plot device, I suppose, and necessary to furthering the story. There was some egregious word misuse that was almost sufficient to drive me bonkers. In the end, I'd say it's a middling good example of the genre. I've certainly seen worse; no doubt there are better. I liked it enough to go onto the next book in the series.
This book was just as good if not better than Unbaked Croakies. Naida is still learning to be the Keeper of Artifacts and has increased her knowledge of magic slightly but still needs help from her friends Lea and Sebille to keep the Universe safe. This is a fun, cozy page turner that is highly entertaining.
I really thought I was going to love this. It's exactly my sort of story. It was okay, but I never really connected to any of the characters, or got deeply invested in what they were dealing with, so I sort of floated along listening [I had this as an audio book] but was easily distracted which never happens with a book I love.
I got more than half way through but just wasn't feeling it, so I abandoned this. Just too many books I am dying to ready to spend time forcing myself on a story I'm not into.
Tea & Croakies is an interesting story where we are thrown into a world of fairies and witches that is never fully explained.
Especially in the first half of the book, but throughout the story in general, there is this world that seems to be a normal town, but houses only magical inhabitants. At least, I think that's what's going on, as there are references to humans and nonmagical creatures, but they never appear in the story.
The conflict is also not as well-developed as it could be. It stems from a few things that are never really explained in context, including relationships. and it is tricky to follow. It is also the kind of novel that has a lot of action all at once and then none for a few chapters, which makes it kind of hard to miss the important parts, especially in battle scenes.
Despite this, once I got used to the magical world I was able to appreciate the writing style and the characters. Even though at times it did seem like the author combined so many elements of at least ten YA fantasy novels and never really created anything of her own (but you'd have to be a huge nerd in certain fandoms to fully notice the references), the fantasy element was fun, and the connection to the animals in the story was also important to me.
I also did like the characters, especially as they made discoveries about themselves and their friends. Although some of the relationships were difficult to trace, the ones that were more obvious were well thought out, and they did develop over time.
If anything, I feel like this could have been a little longer, just so that things were explained in a more succinct way from the beginning. I hope that the other books in the series, or at least the prequel, address these concerns more, but I'm not sure if the series is worth continuing unless I receive a free copy of the second book.
The MC here is a KoA - keeper of artifacts but of course being the first book in the series she is fairly new to the job. When she gets a warning that she must keep him safe - him who? Then a frog shows up in her dreams and in her shop.
I really like the characters in this one from the Sorceress and KoA, to her little kitten Mr Wicked. She has witchy friends ( and I don't mean nasty) and her shop assistant is a fae.
This is not your average cozy but then with witches and magical artifacts - how could it be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Oh my goodness, this was way too much ... fun. Light-hearted yet filled with almost nonstop lethal episodes of magical adventures. A great beginning for what promises to be an enthralling, possibly addictive series. I can't help but wonder what will happen next.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery sprinkled with humor, quirky characters, and loads of bumbling adventures.
As an avid reader, I am always looking for unique stories and exploring new genre; therefore a mystery story about a magic bookstore, a librarian, fairies, a cat, and a frog sounded intriguing. Unfortunately I stopped reading at Chapter 15 / 22. Too much detail and moving around. The story made my head spin and not because of magic. Will not be reading the other books in the series.
I really enjoy this series! This is the first in the series, Book #1, but the second book that I've read. I had the pleasure to read the prequel first and it did explain many things. I must say, that I'm a little disappointed with the characters magical skills though. She is a young sorceress and her talents lie in attracting magical artifacts (which she does very well), but her defense skills are totally instinctive and need honing. I am looking to see her work on that more. To say in her defense, she is always wrangling trouble and probably doesn't have much time for practice of defensive tactics, other than keeping herself and her friends alive.... so in that she does very well.... (somewhat like the energizer bunny - she takes lots of lickings, but she keeps on ticking with pangs and bruises). LOL! ! !
Naida is the KoA, Keeper of Artifacts of the magical kind! She is also an attract-er of these said artifacts. Unbeknownst to her as to why, she attracts a frog and then a 'Book of Blank Pages'! She also get an ethereal spirit! She has to find out what artifact(s) are tied to these new additions to her life, where the artifact(s) are and how to use them to put things right! In the midst of all of this, the most powerful family in town, the Quilleran's are trying to take her favorite pet and friend, Mr Wicked, and what! they want the frog too! Although normally she would love to get rid of the frog (she doesn't do slimy amphibians, reptiles or insects), there is something specific about this frog and she cannot give him up!
She relies on her wits, books, her pet; with her friends and contacts to help her maneuver through the dimensional space and places this adventuresome investigation takes her! She has to solve this situation before the next waning moon and time is running out quickly!
This is definitely a cozy paranormal mystery that'll draw you in and tickle you humor! ! !
Sam Cheever's done it again, another action packed magical mystery in Tea and Croakies. Ms. Cheever's vivid descriptions of people, places and the unexplainable has you feeling like you are right alongside our heroes.
This story warms up with a magical disturbance, a migraine and then hits the floor running; fast paced and action packed, the story twists and turns until the last page. Naida is the Keeper of Artifacts, an untrained Keeper. Her job is to keep these dangerous magical objects safe and out of the supernormal community. Being untrained, she kind of figures it out as she goes. Not the best way to operate, but with her witch friends, her sprite assistant and the fae nation, she gets it done. Her biggest problem is the Quilleran family of witches, mostly bad, black witches, but not all. The youngest Quilleran, Maude, actually paid Naida for helping her out, with a kitten, Mr Wicked. For some reason the family keeps trying to get the kitten back and not too politely. Now it appears there is something about a frog they think she has. They are demanding she give them the frog. Why would Naida have a frog? She can't stand their slimy disgusting little bodies and the last one she touched gave her a horrible rash.
This story is filled with a variety of characters. We have a kitten that the Quilleran family wants back, a couple of frogs, sprites, witches and all kinds of magical artifacts. If you're a fan of the Familiar Inc series, you'll even get a little extra when LA and Deg offer a helping hand.
So get ready to follow some hilarious and scary adventures with Nadia and her friends as they try to find out what the Quilleran family is up to and stop them in this Five-star cosy paranormal mystery.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you for the honor of being able to read a beta version.
Very basic: need to rescue magical artifacts, Have tools that may help but new in job. Have nemesis that will be problem. Has 'good"' relationship with other magical beings because she shows respect?
If you like the Librarians or the snarky Charley Davidson, then you will love this new series. Artifacts that go on and on. It will surprise you what is an artifact. It did me. She is so Charley, and others rolled into one. Shirley, really?
I love Mr. Wicked. Can he come purr on my lap, please?
This witch world is so different. I need a prequel or a "world" synopsis on how she became a Keeper and what her capabilities are. That will probably be revealed in future books. Darn Now I have to wait. GRR.
Already used troll flip-flops in our world. Reminds me of stuff like "unicorn swirls" by another authors. Just so many of them. Can someone keep a running tab of them all, lol. Read the story if wondering what I am talking about.
I asked to read this book because her newsletter introduction reminded me of another author that I love to read (but never have done an ARC for that author). I could not wait to read it. Started as soon as I got it. Have to Usher the next two days and will be telling all interested to read it.
Tried too stay awake to finish it. My head kept doing the doggie head bobbing thingy. I did NOT want to put I down . Sleep claimed me unfortunately, (disability) lol.
This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive a Beta copy. (Beta is before the ARC, so has typos, etc., errors , possibly. I read for content and send what I find to author.)
Whew, what a ride! If there is one thing that instantly drew me into this book, it was the rather unusual setting of the MC. Nadia is not a student in magic school, or the chosen one trope waiting the save the world. She is no princess or an assasin. She is simply a sort of magical artifact librarian, born with a small amount of magic that allows all sorts of semi sentinent magical artifacts to be drawn to her company and well... her little bookstore has a back room filled with endless aisles of all sorts of crazy magical knickknacks that live with her be choice. Most objects seem either harmless or straightforward (including a powerful pirate sword with a dead parrot saying bleeped expletives nonstop whenever the sword is in use). Other objects... well, when Nadia accepted to purchase Croakies bookstore a few years ago, she also adopted a naughty velvet chair which will take any chance it can get to pinch a woman's bottom just for the laughs.
Things get even weirder when her magical pet cat Mr. Wicked discovers her bookstore has been invaded... by a cursed frog! After discovering the mind of a male witch named Rustin is trapped inside the frog by his very evil family as a sort of punishment, it is up to Nadia, Mr. Wicked and her magical friends to find a way to reverse the spell before he ends up trapped forever.
Yeah, the plot surely caught my attention quick. Plus, you can't deny a casanova chair and a soft grey kitten with irresistible orange eyes as the heroine's trusty sidekick make a fun team of vigilantes of the magical world.
Rustin's family is like... as if the Malfoys from Harry Potter could get away doing pretty much any sort of maniacal evil sorcery just for the fun of it without any Aurors willing to stop them. Despite being a somewhat peaceful world living hidden from humans, the magical world here seems to be a bit of a dog eats world world and Rustin's family is starting to go a tad little bit too far pushing the limits of the law with nobody willing to step up and face them.
The pacing was a bit slow at first, but it was indeed a really fun ride the whole book and I will definitely be looking at the sequels sometime just to see what happens next.
My first story by this author, about a librarian of sorts, or the keeper of magical artifacts as Naida is called in the book. The library, Croakies, contains items that in the wrong hands could result in some serious casualties. The book opens with Naida having a migraine. And migraines usually signal a new artifact is out there that Naida has to track down. As the keeper, she is not only responsible to storing the artifacts, but also locating those that need safe keeping. What she doesn't know is that the artifact comes with strings - a slimy frog in fact - and the one thing that Naida cannot stand are frogs. However, this frog is special, and her cat, Mr. Wicked, seems to have taken a liking to him which means Naida cannot just get rid of him. When she receives a visit from a member of the meanest witch clan in her area, looking for said frog, she knows she has no choice but to keep him. This also sets off a chain of events that has her, her loyal, but grouchy employee, the Fae Queen and her loyal guards, and a couple of friends to unravel the mystery around the artifact and the frog.
Definitely a lot going on and the books doesn't end "happily ever after", but then again, how else are we to continue the series?
Tea and Croakies by Sam Cheever is the second book in the Enchanting Inquiries series but the first written and published in the series. Naida Griffith is a librarian and Keeper of the Artifacts at Croakies, only recently becoming aware of her magical abilities. When a transformed frog turns up asking for her help, she becomes involved in a battle with the Powerful Quilleran clan of witches. She finds that the witches have been using an artifact to suck out the magic of others and that the frog is actually a transformed Quilleran who needs her help before he is forever changed. When her friend Seville is taken, it is a race to bring down the evil witches before they can cause more harm. I read the first book initially hoping it would help in getting to know the characters but I was lost when I started reading this book. It is very different to other fantasy books I have read and I did not think that the setting and different creatures and their powers were adequately explained. It was an interesting story but Naida seemed lost and stressed most of the time with little idea of what to do and what was happening and I also felt lost along with her.
This is book one in a new series called Enchanting Inquiries by Sam Cheever.
This was pretty cute and not exactly what I expected. I enjoyed the backstory showing why the name of Nadia’s business could never be changed to anything other than Croakies.
Nadia is the master of the artifacts, a magical artifact wrangler. The only problem is that she isn’t quite the master wrangler of her own magical powers. When a magical book filled with empty pages shows up not long before a frog containing the essence of a man, you know that things are not going to go well. Especially when said frog/man is from the bad and most notorious family in the region.
The landscape here is rich and full of so much possibilities. I can’t wait to read more and see what Nadia and Company has to offer.
Great start to a magical mystery series! If you love cozy mysteries with a dose of magic, this book is for you! It is fun, flirty and fantastic!
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
Tea & Croakies, Book 1 of the Enchanting Inquiries Mystery Series by Sam Cheever
NOTE: Not for children because of two or three violent scenes. I really enjoyed reading this paranormal mystery about Naida, a young proprietor of a store that actually warehouses errant magical artifacts which she must document, store, and control. Naida has lower-level magical powers, and calls on others more powerful when needed. Creative author, Sam Cheever, writes believable magical effects and situations that keep the pages turning!! Three Familiars (magical pets of witches) are absolutely essential to the story (Wicked, the kitty; and two big bull frogs; all with special secrets)!! Naida runs into trouble from a family of witches with strong negative powers. Readers won't be able to stop reading until after the exhausting twisted ending! There are several books in this series!! Highly Recommended!!!
I've been told from an early age that magic wrangling is a science.
Nadia is the owner of a quaint tea and book store called Croakies. She is also the current Wrangler of Magic Objects that reside in her ever expanding storeroom. Nadia becomes involved in a battle with the Quilleran witches when a frog shows up in her shop.
Nadia has "rescued" a kitten fro the Quillerans that they desperately want back. She soon discovers that the frog is actually a bespelled Quilleran and needs her help.
I must admit that I put this book down several times before I finished it. It had everything I generally enjoy: tea, books, cats and supernatural beings. I'm not quite sure what it was about it that didn't grab my interest. I did like the storyline and the characters.
My favorite scenes involved Sebille and the fae, including her mother the Queen. The swear words they come up with are amusing.
I'm sure I will read the next book just to see if it was just a rocky debut.
An interesting story, but a bit discombobulating. Reading this immediately after Unbaked Croakies really threw me off. It was a bit like watching a television pilot movie, then when the tv series premieres, the writers go in a different direction with the characters.
The big thing was I found it difficult to get a grip on the timeline between the two books. For example, this book implied Nadia had been a Keeper of Artifacts for a number of years, but the kitten she received during her first week of training in the previous book had not aged. The other thing I noticed were a number of inconsistencies between character back stories, and seemingly important characters in Unbaked Craokies were completely missing in this book.
All that being said, the pacing was good, the author did a great job using I/me correctly (one of my biggest pet peeves), and if you can ignore Unbaked Croakies, the plot arc was tight. A light summer vacation read.
Overview: Naida has hit her stride as the Keeper of Artifacts. Now, she even has an assistant, Sebille, granted that's more so that Sebelle can keep her coffee-laden lifestyle. So what should Naida do when a strange book and a frog she's up in Croakies? And what do the Quillerans want this time?
Dislikes: What can I say, the Quillerans are something else. Power is found in pure strength yes, but true strength comes from protecting others. This family needs a spanking so to speak.
Likes: Sebille and her mother were great. I love the fact that both seemed to work with Naida well.
Lea has some serious moves. So did Leeann and Deg.
Naida has gotten far more comfortable in her role as Keeper.
Conclusion: This was a fun read. It seems like Naida is more of the evidence locker owner and not some magical librarian. Here's hoping that she deals with her 'frogist' attitude. Enjoy this trip to Enchanted.
Fabulous read. A tale full of magic, familiars, sprites, frogs and witches. Enough to please everyone whilst the characters are full blooded and ranging from good to deliciously wicked. Absolutely loved the kittens especially Mr Wicked - a kitten with more magic in one claw then some witches had in their whole body. Take a Keeper of Artifacts (with a small amount of power), add a family of strong black witches, magical kittens and a frog or two and mix well with magic. Can the Keeper return the souls in the frogs to their natural human bodies? Why are the black witches so intent on getting her kitten? Will they be able to overpower her and her good intentions?
Naida is the new KoA (Keeper of the Artifacts) and her day starts out with a migraine and a frog who winds up being something more. Naida and her assistant Sebille, must go after an artifact that's in the hands of the wrong people. The artifact will take the magical essence out of people and transfer their soul into a creature, in this case, a frog. The family of witches who has it is using dark magic and must be stopped. Maida and Sebille are joined by Sebille's family of faeries, and other witches to stop the family before it's too late.
This book was well-written with well-rounded characters you either like or dislike. This story is cute and easy to read. I was pulled into this world from the beginning and was hooked through the end. I'm really looking forward to the next book.
Naida is still in deep water, but it isn't as bad as it was before. She has been running Croakies by herself and it seems to be going well until a frog shows up in her teacup. This is no ordinary frog, and he sets off quite the catastrophe. This time Naida is working with witches, the Fae, sprites and a few other beings against an evil witch family. They have stolen a member of family's essence and put him in a frog's body. It is doubtful that she will be able to get him back into his body before it is too late. They also rescue the littermates to Wicked, who were being used for evil purposes. How is one Keeper of the Artifacts supposed to undo all that has been done? Can she find a way?
Niala is the keeper of magical books and artefacts. One day she suddenly finds a magic book with blank pages in her shop. It pops up at the most unexpected places - and then a frog appears and she really does not like frogs. With that her adventure begins - looking for an artefact that removes the essence of a human, rescuing animals and making herself enemy Number 1 to the strongest - and most wicked - witch family in the area. A good story with lots of funny aspects with a touch of thrill and mystery. An enjoyable blend. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a fun book to read.. Naida owns a magical artifact shop that also has a book store..and she is a witch.! Her powers have just come to her ..like...bam.and she is learning how to use them. Her shop assistant, Sebille, is a crabby sprite. Naida is also known as the keeper of the artifacts. She has a cat as her familiar, named Mr. Wicked. He is a pushy one at that. Then she ends up with as she calls them "disgustingly slimy" frog, Mr.Slimy. There is a magical chair that pinches your but if you sit in it lol. There are a lot of fun characters, human and non human alike in this story. I had a good time reading this story and looking forward to the next book.