It’s been two months since the fiery events of Burned to a Crisp, and it’s Christmas in Enumclaw. Hedy is back to hosting visitors in her waystation, while Mel and Darro are decking the halls and telling tales of Krampus in between batches of cannibal Gingerbread Men cookies—just another Christmas at The Gingerbread Hag bakery.
But the holiday spirit isn’t the only thing making its way through Enumclaw. Something definitely from the naughty list is attacking the local farms and the children are possessed with mischief. Hedy’s worries increase when the Concierge sends someone to investigate her house and possibly shut the waystation down for good.
Who’s been naughty, and who’s been nice? Not every gift under the tree is one she’ll want to open, but Hedy better hurry, before all of Enumclaw gets caught In the Teeth of It.
K. A. Miltimore is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest who has followed the advice of her 5th grade teacher, Miss Hammond, and become a writer. She loves mid-century fashion, 80s music and nachos (not necessarily in that order). With her husband and son, she loves exploring quirky local towns, and dreams of dragging them both to Iceland for a tour someday. Her tombstone will likely read "Always Creating". In addition to writing, she enjoys making jewel spiders, looking for great Washington red wines, and re-watching the movies that she has forgotten over the years.
When the weather turns cold and December nears, I’m always searching for wonderful Christmas books to get me in the holiday mood. I especially love books that put an unusual spin on their Christmas tale, and “In the Teeth of It” was a delight! Hedy is back in all her baking, innkeeping glory. To describe the style of this series… picture a Hannah Swenson-style baking cozy (the food descriptions are out of this world) paired with a bit of supernatural innkeeping and magic and mystery. I delighted in reading all the German traditions. Krampus and Pfeffernusse. Christmas pyramids and Christmas markets and the delightful descriptions of Krampus gingerbread cookies. I devoured all the Christmasy bits!
And then of course… there’s something lurking about, attacking local farms and possessing the kids. This spun up to a really fun conclusion, and I can’t wait to read book three!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Second outing in an unusual and original cozy mystery series that I really enjoy. The author takes many of the conventions of the cozy - small town setting, likable amateur detective, even delicious baked goods - and gives it a unique spin by incorporating supernatural creatures and folktales from around the world. Hedy is a wonderful character: quirky, lovable, and always very much true to herself, even when others look down on her or discount her for being strange in their eyes. Like most mystery series, the reader will benefit with a deeper understanding of the setting and characters if they have already read the first book, but this one also works as a fun, standalone adventure. The author smoothly blends myths and legends from across the globe in a seamless and entertaining way, and I always end up learning something about other cultural folk beliefs along the way. What I appreciate most is the message of these books which is that love and acceptance of others are the greatest assets in defeating evil. This series is a fun departure for readers who love a good cozy mystery with plenty of heart and imagination, and the exciting ending of this book sets us up for the next thrilling installment. I can't wait!
Disclaimer: I received compensation to move this book up on my review schedule. This in no way impacts my opinion.
Actual Rating: 3.5
This was just as good as the first installment, Burned to a Crisp, but had different elements that made me hesitate in giving it a higher rating. I liked the new characters that were introduced, but I felt as though some of the other characters from the previous book didn't get as much screen time and/or development as they could have. This ends on a cliffhanger so I can't wait to see where it goes next! I know it will probably "conclude" in the next one, but I do hope that the setting and characters will remain and a new set of problems will arise. I do quite enjoy this world and setting!
February book club. Most of the gang is back in book 2 of the Gingerbread Hag. Hedy is still eccentric. I'm so glad Mel works for her. I'm sad to see she's going off to college soon. But Darro is still around. I learned about new elementals. Fox shapeshifters, a weird kind of vampire, and an Imp were new to me. Very interesting! I hope Hedy falls in love soon. Anyways, these books are fun. Some of the fun stuff I love about these books is history stuff. Like decorating a Xmas tree with spiders, because spiders decorated a tree one year with beautiful webs. SPOILER Alyssa was back. As much as I love series and getting to know the characters, I m usually not a fan when there's always a main bad guy the keeps getting away. I hope the Alyssa problem will be solved soon. Otherwise, it will just get old to me. Still these books are fun
Awesome. Everything you could wish for - terrific characters, shapeshifters, an evil goddess, mayhem,, magic, romance and so much more. Is this the end? Not likely! She has been feeling slightly alone as Christmas approaches. Okay she does have people around but they won't be there Christmas Day. But for now she has a guest coming, an inspection due and the Christmas market to prepare for. Throw in a hired 'gun', children led into causing mayhem and destruction, the foxes under threat and a handsome shop owner. Will they find out what has been causing the children to act out? What does her guest really come for? Will she pass the inspection? Are the foxes safe now? And what about the shop owner, who seems to know the real her.
I wish I had read this book during the Christmas season. I would have decorated my tree with spiders and spiderwebs.
There was some suspense in this, as Hedy is unaware that her current guest at the waystation is keeping watch on her, and an inspection could shut down the waystation and not allow her to host guests anymore.
I really connected with Hedy in this book more than the first in the series for some reason. She is definitely a unique character, and I liked that we got to see how she feels about not quite fitting in with others in the town, like when someone referred to her outfit as a costume. I would love to be friends with Hedy!
I am excited to see what happens in the next book, especially with the mention of a certain character who returned at the very end!
Christmas is coming to Enumclaw, and Hedy is baking up a storm to get ready for the market. But she has trouble when her waystation must undergo an inspection and Lyssa has returned to create more unrest. I enjoyed this second book in the series. It's nice to read a cozy mystery with some paranormal elements. I thought the secondary characters in the first book were a bit stronger and I missed seeing them again though Darro is always a treat. However, we're left with a great setup for the next book in the series, so I can't wait.
While this isn’t the full review as I am on my phone. I just wanted to say that this story had me tearing up. Not just because of what the plot is but also the emotions that ran through the story, especially towards the end.
This story isn’t just about good and evil but how some people are caught in the inbetween. They aren’t wholly good but they aren’t evil.