A Call to Charms

Forever Charmed Mysteries #1

by Denise Swanson

Chocolate, men, and magic.
Who can turn down that inheritance?

* * *

If life had gone as she planned, Lexie Green would have been teaching English at a prestigious university, not persuading spoiled, rich women to buy overpriced clothes they didn’t need and often looked ridiculous wearing. Can you say electric yellow see-through skirts and Torn jeans with unfinished hems?

Still, although this isn’t the life Lexie would have chosen, all is going well. At least until Lexie is fired and her deranged ex-boyfriend tries to kidnap her.

Deciding that it’s better to accept a mysterious inheritance from a great aunt she’s never heard of rather than end up kept in a cage as her ex’s pet poodle, Lexie packs up and heads to Kansas. So, what if she has to go by a new name and live in a town that she can’t find on a map?

Unfortunately, once she arrives in her new hometown, everyone there seems just a tad off-kilter and Lexie’s cousin insists that the citizens are magical. At least there are a couple of hot guys hanging around for eye candy.

Even though Lexie doesn’t believe the nonsense about her being the Ravenscraft Shield, she does believe her father was murdered—a father she never knew existed, and she investigates his death.

Too bad whoever killed her father now wants Lexie dead as well.

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

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2019

About the author

Denise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.

After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.

Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Call to Charms by Denise Swanson
1st in the Forever Charmed Mysteries. Paranormal cozy mystery.
Lexie inherits a house from a family member she’s never hear of. But it’s the perfect time since her ex has turned homicidal and she lost her job because an unhappy customer demanded it. Turns out the inheritance is more than just a house.

Cutie witch story. She kinda knew but not really that she was a witch with powers. Now that she’s in a town with a bunch of dead celebrities and powers awakening, her potential is way more than she expected.
Charming. Pun intended.

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique paranormal cozy for fans of witches and magic. I was surprised by the villain reveal.

As a traditional cozy mystery reader, this story just wasn’t my cup of tea. I do enjoy reading this author’s Scrumble River and Chef-to-Go series.

[Denise Zendel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mysterious inheritance from a heretofore unknown great aunt gets Lexie Green out of a miserable job selling overpriced designer clothes to women with too much time on their hands, and out of the clutches of her psycho ex-boyfriend. Lexie packs up and moves to Kansas, to a town not on a map where all the inhabitants seem a little … off. Lexie sets off on a mission to learn who murdered her father and why he was killed.

This is the pleasant start to a new series by one of my favorite authors. I’m always reluctant to start a new series from an author I really like because I’m afraid it won’t measure up to the other series, or changes my view of the author. This story did not let me down, however. It does slide a little too close into the romance dressed in mystery clothing category for me (there are two hot guys, one of whom is dictated to be her soulmate), but the characters are likable, the mystery interesting, and the setting fun (Lexi inherits a lovely house and a candy store from her aunt).

I liked the touches of humor in this book. As Lexie is being menaced by her crazy ex, she thinks “I knew I only had a few seconds to make my moved. There was no way I would be anyone’s love slave … well, maybe Jason Momoa’s but only for a long weekend – ten days at the most.” That made me laugh. I also liked the description of her old boss: “Crystal’s glare had been known to wither roses at two hundred paces …” I certainly worked for someone like that once.

This was a light, engaging read that held my interest all the way through, right up to the surprise ending. I am interested in seeing how things work out for Lexie – will she grow into her magical power, will she solve her father’s murder, which guy will she end up with, will she make a success of the candy store, so I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series. I’m still a bigger fan of Swanson’s Scumble River series, but I’m hoping Lexie will be around for a few more books at least.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just didn’t grab me. The main character did so many TSTL things even from the start .. the book also goes into a pretty descriptive situation of domestic violence with the ex boyfriend so that may be a trigger for some. When she makes it to the town where here inheritance lies, there’s magic, murder, and more TSTL moments as well as two potential love interest 🙄 The setting is good, the plot is great, the ex excursion did not grab me.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, now that was a new and intriguing read from Denise Swanson... I am such a huge fan and I couldn't wait to read A Call to Charms, I was absolutely not disappointed it was fantastic.

I love our curvy heroine who has no freaking clue about magic. or her family but she tries to take all the new magic stuff in her stride, I love her attitude for trying to figure things out especially her father's murder.

Lexie is just wonderful I can't wait for more in this series.
I really love the magical town, the quaint shops especially Lexie's chocolate shop with the magical charm twist its a fantastic idea, every true chocolate lover knows it's a cure-all for anything and everything.

Most of all who will win Lexie's heart, Lucas or Cole?????

I can't wait to read more about what a magical shield does oh and Lexie's cousin Elissa I seriously want to know more about her.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh....
I don't think I'll bother reading the next one.
This is a perfect example of a book with unnecessarily terrible communication skills.
And wasn't the "ditzy female lead" trope old in 2019 already? :(

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing first in a new series. The clueless Shield and the town that expects her to be some sort of savior. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and will look for it later today.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Call to Charms, the first book in a new cozy mystery series is, as the title implies, a paranormal cozy mystery. Let me tell you a little about Lexie Green, our heroine. Lexie’s father is dead, her mother is emotionally distant, she had a somewhat nomadic childhood, she holds two degrees but is working in an upscale clothing shop in Chicago where her unusual talent for reading peoples’ emotions has earned her top fashion consultant status, and the recent break from her lawyer boyfriend has not go well, to say the least. Phew! On top of all of this, Lexie Green has received a package from a Kansas lawyer claiming she is the sole inheritor from some great-aunt she has never heard of. She discards the packet believing it to be a scam. Then, all in one day, Lexie loses her only means of income, the mysterious packet reappears, and her deranged ex-boyfriend breaks in and tries to kidnap her! Fearing for her life and feeling she has nowhere else to turn, Lexie thoroughly reads the letters from the lawyer. Lexie discovers her real name is Alexandria Ravenscroft and she has inherited property and a candy store in a place called Echo Springs, Kansas. Before you know it, Lexie Green has packed her essentials, cut ties in Chicago, set out for mysterious Echo Springs, and changed her identity to Alexandria Ravenscroft. That’s all I’m revealing. Read the book! Ha! I believe this series will be another winner from Denise Swanson!

[Shy The WidowMaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge lover of cute cozy mystery reads and this was a fun new start to a series. I always love to listen to these in audio format as the narrators always do an amazing job of bringing the town and people to life.Once again this narrator didn't disappoint me. She did an amazing job and kept me entertained throughout.We start out this series by meeting Lexie who is working as a sales person but you can tell she is destined for so much greater. Due to a series of events Lexie finds herself moving to a new town after finding out she has an inheritance. I think to say this town is a little weird is a bit of an understatement but it was also a really cool town. I loved learning who the characters in the town really were. It such a super cute twist.

As Lexie continues to adjust to her new town and learns more about her family and that her dad was murdered that's when all the fun really begins. I loved how Lexie wasn't freaked out about learning about magic and really embraced who she was. She meets some pretty cool characters in the town and even starts to make a few friends along the way. I have to say that I didn't see the plot twist at the end and didn't suspect the villain to be who it was. Overall this was a great start to the series and I can't wait to listen to the next one in the series.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for this audio review copy of this book.

[✩ Kristen ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Call to Charms (Forever Charmed Mysteries, #1)
by Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

Well, I can see why Denise is a best selling author! I totally want to continue reading this series to find out who the heck Lexie ends up with and also who the big bad is haha.

Lexie has to flee the big city after her not-so-good boyfriend who is also crazy, and not in a good way, goes from waving red flags to waving a big gun in Lexie's face. Giving her the ultimatum of either being a locked-up love slave or being dead, Lexi decides to swing for the fences and hit him over the head with a lamp. Lexi's swing strikes true, and more importantly, strikes his big dumb murderous face. Luckily for Lexi, their brawl is loud enough to raise the suspicions of her nosy neighbors. Shortly after her boyfriend flees the scene of his crimes, the police arrive giving Lexi a small window of time to escape the big city and the boyfriend.

As Lexi's life is falling to shambles, a well timed letter arrives explaining that she is the beneficiary of her aunt's fortune. With no other way out to escape her boyfriend's power and influence, Lexi decides to throw caution to the wind, and follow her destiny. What Lexie doesn't know, however, is that this road is more perilous than the last.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the Scumble River series, but have found in the author's subsequent series, including this one, that there's too much similarity in the main character and the multiple male love interests and too much focus on or mentioning of "curvy" figures. Lexie and some things mentioned are a smidge more "real" in this one, a few vulgar words and the mention of a vibrator that had my eyebrows shooting up given the 100% G rated other series. Nothing that I had a problem with though, just unexpected.

The mystery aspect was pretty light and Lexie is more reactive than active. Hopefully, all the set up here will lead to more action in the next book.

I think long time Swanson readers who enjoy paranormal elements in their books will enjoy this one enough to finish, but I don't think there's enough mystery or paranormal elements to really satisfy strong of either genre.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun little book has been in my to be read pile since September 2019 when it was published.
Lexie Green thinks she knows what her life is like. A series of unfortunate events leads her to a new life in Echo Springs, Kansas.
Alexandria Ravenscroft aka Lexie has a lot to learn about her actual identity once she arrives in Echo Spings. The danger continues even when she thinks her ex-boyfriend is gone. Someone is not happy Lexie has come to town.
I didn’t suspect the actual culprit until around when Lexie did. I thoroughly enjoyed reading a Call to Charms. I’m excited to see what might be next in this charming magical town.

[Erin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook...if it had not been read by one of my absolute favorite narrators, Tiffany Morgan, I probably would have given up on this book. For one, it just wasn’t “cozy” enough for me. The word “sh%@“ was used a bit too much and it was the first cozy I know of to use the word “vibrator”. Didn’t need that. Secondly, I’m not even sure if I would call it a mystery. The murder happened 30 years prior. The lead did not spend any time ‘sleuthing’. One “a-ha” moment led her and two others to realize who the bad guy was.

[Kristin Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Urgh, if I hear another description of how the main character is dressed, or how others judge her because she is not wearing a fashion brand, or how she shops for this or that brand, or how she hates that she leaves her brand clothes and shoes behind... Well, you get my drift... This reads like a 15 years old fashion wet dream, not a murder mystery. Half into the book and we're still talking about how hot a stranger is, how random things happen, and how what she wears is so important. But the mystery, who cares...
Nope, I've had enough, that's not for me.

[Beth Hirschenbein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start

Loved this story very much. Lexie is a wonderful new character and the story is terrific. Hoping this will be a fun set up of characters and we learn more about Elissa , Lucas and Cole as well as her mother. Will she have a familiar? I enjoyed the references to Chicago. Used to live there.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, the beginning was long and definitely contained non-cozy elements, but I was sticking with the audiobook until the main character rubs mud on her face, says she knows black face is wrong, but that she hoped to get a pass for extenuating circumstances. Fuck no. Just no. The author could have come up with a thousand other ways for this character to disguise herself. Just no.

[allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book and characters!

This book was amazing. I love how different it is from all of her other books. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I can't wait to read the next one to see what happens.

[Laurie Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horribly disappointing. It's a world building book with a little plot thrown in. And I do mean little. And there was plenty of room for more. It's the shortest book of hers that was not classified as a novella. Plus the culprit was pretty obvious.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Denise Swanson's books, and this is another great start to a new series! However, Denise, if you can hear me, you need to talk to your proof reader! This book had more typos and extra words than any other book I have ever read. Still great though, and can't wait for the next one!

[Vicky Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually a 3.8 because it's a continuous story.

[Jodie Molzahn-Brunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit different than her other series, but I enjoyed this first of this magical mystery series and look forward to reading the next one.

[Darlena D Doak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

I have read other books by Denise Swanson and loved most of them. This one I am not sure about. It was a good book but I am not sure I like her in the genre.

[Bonnie Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I love this series. It's a fast past read that has you on the edge of your seat. Denise Swanson will take you on a ride with Lexie Green as she fines out who she really is and what happened to her father. I need the second book soon.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book❤ Can't wait to read the next one!!!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Cute, paranormal, witchy, magical. Looking forward to next book in series.

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh

[Susan Franke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the story was slow going the build up to the reveal led to a surprise. I did enjoy the introduction of the characters and the premise behind the series. Waiting to see where the author leads the series

[Heidi Bourbeau · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOPE! I didn't care for this book at all.

[P Bright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.....

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting paranormal cozy mystery. I am hoping to read more in this series.