Bobbles and Broomsticks

Vampire Knitting Club #8

by Nancy Warren

Who invited Death to the wedding?

When an ancient beam falls on one of the guests at Charlie and Alice’s wedding rehearsal, it looks like the work of the death watch beetle, an insect that eats old timbers. But fledgling witch Lucy and the vampire knitting club aren’t so sure. Could there be a murderer casting blame on the wood-chomping insects?

Meanwhile, the old broom that’s always stood in the corner of Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting and yarn shop seems to have a mind of its own, and Lucy’s cat is ready to hop aboard and take the broom for a spin. With or without Lucy.

Between learning a new knitting stitch and keeping her broom and cat earthbound, Lucy hasn’t got time to solve a murder—until it turns out the next victim is someone she loves.

Join Lucy and her eccentric band of amateur sleuths in Oxford as they attempt to unravel a twisted skein of clues and catch a killer without dropping a stitch.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance

218 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2019

About the author

Nancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 novels.

She’s known for writing funny, sexy and suspenseful tales. She’s an avid hiker, animal lover, wine drinker and chocolate fiend. Favorite moments in her career include being featured on the front page of the New York Times, being the answer to a crossword puzzle clue in Canada’s National Post newspaper and being a finalist three times in the Rita awards. She has won the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine.

Get a free short story when you sign up for Nancy's newsletter at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com or join Nancy in her private Facebook group to talk about books, knitting, pets & life.
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Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not entirely sure why I love this series so much.

But 9 books in under a month and I still want more.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 bk 76. A death at a wedding. A traditional British mystery with a few twists. Nancy Warren deftly handles the addition of the Vampire Knitting Club sleuths, a trio of witches, and a jealous woman in this mystery. I have to admit that this title, more than any others in the series, left me without my main suspect. I was totally out in left field and had no idea of who done it, almost until the murderer confessed. Great read!

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Book source ~ Kindle Lending Library

Lucy Swift is an American transplant in Oxford, running the wool shop she inherited from her dead grandma. And by dead I mean vampire. Lucy spends her days running the shop and solving the occasional murder. At night she hangs out with her vampire friends while they knit at tremendous speeds or learning to control the witchcraft she also inherited from her grandma. Hanging out with her vampire friends is much more fun. When her friends Alice and Charlie (Charlie owns the bookstore across the street and Alice is his assistant) get married she’s prepared to enjoy her friends’ lovely day. Until there’s a murder right in the church. What the hecka?!

Now, in between running her shop and taking broom flying lessons, Lucy and her amateur sleuthing vampire friends need to find out who the murderer is before someone else dies. It’s just another uneventful day in Oxford.

I love this series so much. Each book is easy to read and even with the sadness of a murder (or two) it’s a light and often humorous way to pass a few hours. There’s mystery, humor, paranormal elements, great characters, and even some romance sprinkled in. This is book 8 and I’m not even close to being tired of the Oxford shenanigans. Bring on book 9!

[Aly is so frigging bored · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start this review by saying that I love this cover! Nyx flying on the broom in the upper left corner was a brilliant decision!

The story starts close to Alice and Charlie's wedding. They are friends of Lucy's and we've met them several books ago, and we saw how they got together in Purls and Potions. Most of my favorite characters made an appearance, even the not so favorite(Margaret of you I am talking about), and the mystery was a great one(I didn't guess who the murderer was).

Besides the mystery solving, we see Lucy advancing in her witchy education. Those were some of my favorite parts, her and Nyx flying and even surprising Margaret with her inborn skills. There were also some advances on the love-lives of Lucy and her cousin Violet, some unforeseen ones too :D

This was a great installment in the series and I can't wait to see how Lucy gets involved in more mysteries and need to use her problem-solving skills. I also want her to rally fall in love with Rafe, but I can have patience(a bit :D)

[Micky Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy is back in action as everyone gears up to celebrate Alice and Charlie's wedding, but someone definitely doesn't want it to go off without mayhem and a bit of murder! The characters in this series are so delightfully well fleshed out that you feel as if you actually know them rather than enjoy reading about them. I so look forward to each book as I get to visit with old friends while we go on the hunt for a villain! I absolutely can't wait to see what happens in the next book! The first 8 books are on audio so if you enjoy audio, this series needs to be on your must listen list! I can't wait for the next audio book to come out so I'm going to forage ahead in print, but I must say the narrator does a magnificent job of helping to flesh out the personalities of the characters that the author has developed so carefully and artfully!

[Nella ☾ of Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely unrelated to the mystery (which wasn't as captivating as I would've liked): I really wish Nyx could talk. She'd be so sarcastic.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to love Vampire Knitting Club, that is all. Just kidding, I have more to say than that. Like the previous book, this one has a good bit of set up before we get to the actual murder. We get to know an all knew cast of characters that have arrived in town where one of them, sadly, will meet their demise. Aside from the central mysteries in each book Warren does a pretty good job over the series balancing all of the little side elements–Lucy learning how to use her witch powers, Lucy’s love life, the vampires living under her shop, and knitting. Although, one thing I have noticed, is because the books are so short not all the elements are heavy in each book, that focus sort of moves around between books. This time there wasn’t quite as much knitting, romance, or hanging out with the vamps, but we did see Lucy make a huge step forward in her magical abilities. I admit that I missed Rafe a bit, definitely could have used more Rafe. I mean, he’s there, but not nearly enough in my opinion. 😀 This series is fun and light and what cozy mysteries should be. As long as they continue being fun, I’ll keep reading them. 4.5/5 stars.

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good read. Alice and Charlie are finally getting married. There is some reference to Lucy and Rafe's relationship but it doesn't progress much here. This book uses misdirection to keep you from figuring out the killer. Also maybe I'm just not very good at mysteries, but I'm not sure how anyone could have figured out this one before the end. I like that it's not predictable, but it should make it so that the best of us could figure it out. But honestly, for all I know it does lol.

[Kimberly #Audiofile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one actually made me feel like I missed something. Talks of marriage come up and I honestly can’t remember more than a couple of kisses exchanged. Definitely some old school themes in this series I think.

I’m glad Charlie gets his happily ever after in this one as I’ve always liked his secondary character involvement in this series.

3.5 star listen I enjoy this narrator and these cozy mysteries.

[Leonie Tavenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice and entertaining series, but sometimes the way Lucy assumes the dumbest things is rather laughable.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my least favorite of the series to this point. Bobbles and Broomsticks is book 8 of the Vampire Knitting Club series. In this book, Alice and Charlie (we got to know them in book 5 when the love potion Lucy made for Alice went awry) get married. As they were heading back down the aisle after being wed, a beam fell, narrowly missing the bride and instead hitting a killing the father of one of the groom's friends. As it turned out, it wasn't a horrible accident. Someone made that beam fall. I really didn't like the themes of betrayal and jealousy in this book. I thought the scene where we find the "bad guy" was really overdone and contrived and I thought that the reasons were over the top.

One thing that I really had a problem with was that this is book 8 and Lucy has had plenty of time to get to know Rafe over the past 8 books and she should know him to be a good man and have some sort of loyalty to him as a friend, if nothing more. Instead, Lucy was being judgmental about Rafe's house manager, speaking on things she doesn’t even understand, and trying to convince him that Rafe is taking advantage of him because he pledged to serve Rafe for life and continue the tradition with his sons, just as he did with his father and grandfathers have all done. The man tried to explain that working for Rafe has been a wonderful thing for his family and Rafe has taken wonderful care of all of them but she keeps telling him he should leave.

I have been binging this series and haven’t been reviewing them in between each book. Some overall observations from the series so far (I have finished through book 8.5 and am partway through book 9) are that the stories are always cute and good for a short escape. I really enjoy the characters and have a vested interest in them. Something I have noticed, though, is that there isn’t continuity between books and the books really could have benefited from a proofreader. For example, in book 1, Lucy is 27 but in book 6, she has her 26th birthday. In one of the books, Rafe is at least 600 years old, but in the next book, he is only 500 years old. Occasionally there is an incorrect name used but I always know what was meant so it doesn’t confuse me or make it so that I can’t continue. Another thing that is missing, at least to the point I am at now, is any real information about the vampires. We don’t get to know anything about their abilities, only that they are vampires who feed via a blood bank. Even with the inconsistencies, I am hooked on the series and enjoy these easy-going, clean, cozy mysteries. It is a nice palette cleanser from the smutty stuff I typically enjoy.

The narrator is the same throughout the series and she does a great job.

[Marci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucy is coming off as a bit of a snob or know it all, or holier than thou, yet everyone seems so taken with her.

She keeps giving people advise, but never needs it for herself and it has become maddening. She tells Charlie he needs to talk to Alice, then she tells Sophie she must move on from her infatuation with Charlie as she is missing out on life. These are things Lucy must do for herself, but we keep being presented with her avoiding Rafe, being afraid of what it would be like to be in a relationship with him, as well as looking down on her witch self.

Also, she got down on Violet for wanting to rush into things with Alister, and took her own advise regarding Rae??? Uh, haven’t they been kissing since June around her bday and it’s now like November or something?

The author hasn’t corrected Lucy’s age in this book to 28 instead of 26. I did enjoy that we got more back story for Rafe, and that we learned that Lucy’s grandma lost most of her powers when turned into a vampire. And Rafe seemingly professed his love to her and it was like she was a deer caught in the headlights and seemed to ignore it! He’s being so understanding.

While I liked seeing Charlie and Alice get married the mystery was tied up too quickly and out of the blue.

[Wolf_Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to fit so much into one book

This book didn’t have much of the vampire knitting club in it at all, which was a shame as she writes all their characters so well. But I did enjoy the book as usual and look forward to reading more in the series. You also get to delve into Rafe’s past and his feelings for Lucy. The broom flying was also fun to read about and hopefully we can see more if it and the magic in future books. Not much on the knitting, although I guess the previous book had a lot. I guess these books cover the lots of genres - romance, knitting, paranormal and mystery/murder - that it is hard to find space to write about all of them. We will probably see some more about the dark witches soon as well.

[William Saeednia-Rankin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little mystery.

This series has been growing, both in characters and in the quality of it's puzzles. Up until now the "supernatural" elements, such as the main character being a novice witch (though it's all a bit of a surprise to her) and the undead knitting club in her back room, have been pretty much window dressing in most of the books. In this volume we get some real witching going on with full on broomstick lessons. We also have some quite dramatic scenes An actual rooftop showdown! and get to see some beloved characters again Charlie and Alice's wedding...I do hope they get their honeymoon after all!

I think I've fallen in love with this cozy little series.

[Lester Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute series that catches you and won’t let go. Fun set in England and lots of colorful characters. Plenty of mystery to keep you guessing.

[Peggy Blass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder at the Wedding.

A good mystery, but I missed the interaction of Lucy and her vampire knitting club. There was not much interaction with her maybe boyfriend, vampire Rafe. I am looking forward to the next in the series and hope we get back to more action between Lucy and her club.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't know why I paused the audiobook when I had 2 hours left of this. This has got to be my favorite so far. Lucy is still my favorite, feels like a friend. I find myself cheering for her whenever she tries something new in the witch section.
This book in the series gave me a wedding and a murder. I for one, am not a very big fan of weddings, all the weddings I attended were too big, the music too loud. But this wedding was a delight, if you ignore the dead body.
I rarely find myself at a loss for words when it comes to books, but I find it hard to speak about this without ruining it a bit. I like to leave it a mystery for anyone willing to give the Vampire Knitting Club a go. The series is super fun and so fast paced you won't feel them breeze by.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh, Lucy has some nerve talking about others not being able to accept criticism. A murder occurs right after Alice and Charles get married, and of course Lucy sticks her nose in it.
This book explores a little of Rafe’s background
The vampires and knitting are pretty non existent 😒😒
Overall, it was okay.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flying broomstick!

Whoa that has to be so much fun. Hmm, would I like to be a witch. Hahaha
Lucy as always, finds herself in the middle of some type of murder mystery but I have to say she figures things out in a totally different way and with the small things that triggers the solution. This is a fun series with witches and vampires and also the yummy food.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the previous one with the premise of the knitting tv show, but I really think this one was the best. Interesting characters, a wedding, unsure who to suspect…they really get better and better.

[Dorianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this one!
the wedding events were a lot of fun. there were some lines that got me emotional tbh

this one is very witch forward.

[Maribeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was clever! A good read!

[Dreximgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good mystery and I really enjoyed the storyline.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine persuaded me to read this series, and I am glad I listened to her. This is the type of cozy that I normally would turn my nose up at. But, its light, the characters are enjoyable, and it is great to listen to while I am driving around. Have gotten completely hooked in to it.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun with Lucy and friends

It's Always fun reading a Lucy and friends adventure. We get Great characters, interesting mysteries, and Very Unique Solving Techniques!

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy coming back to this series every once in a while because I like all the characters and the setting in Oxford.
This particular book had all the usual elements with Lucy trying to figure out her attraction to the vampire Rafe and being pulled into learning more witchy things. She's also planning and attending the wedding of her friends Alice and Charlie. The wedding ends up producing more drama than anyone could have expected, with a beam of the church falling and taking the life of one of the guests. When it becomes clear that the rotting due to deathwatch beetles isn't responsible,Lucy dons her amateur sleuth role once again.
I just felt that the solution to this one seemed to come out of nowhere right at the end! There was information the reader didn't have and that's always frustrating in this genre! I am enjoying the progression of the series though and will come back for more!

[Heather-Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before we get into anything else - the cover. Is Nyx the cat wearing a bat costume???

***

Hmmm. This one was a bit of a miss for me, but it could have been a favorite.

As the reader, we're completely left out of being able to solve the mystery, even taking into account the one clue we were given. But that's fine, I don't read these for the murder. I did end up appreciating the misdirection. One of the things I actively disliked this time was how Lucy went about investigating, from suspecting Constance to pressuring the parish priest to reveal privileged information.

I absolutely loved the details about the wedding, and would have been delighted if the entire book had focused on that! There were essentially no vampires or knitting in this one. But there was a lot of witchy goodness, Nyx, and Rafe's butler (whom I adore omigosh).

Lucy and Rafe are moving closer to having a full on romance, which is fine I guess. It's not connecting with me emotionally, and the revelations in this one really should've had an impact. But Rafe, when he's not being controlling or earnestly interested in Lucy (and why is that again?)... Rafe is bland. Their conversations lack the authenticity, sparkle and vulnerability that make me root for a couple. Meh.

***

GR Personal Rating System:
★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED
★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED
★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED
★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH
★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE

[Bianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly these are SO short?? also there’s an unfortunate habit of hastily throwing together a motive and backstory in the final moments of the story, which feels cheap. I’ve also been missing the actual VAMPIRES in the last few books— the most we got here was basically a lunch with Rafe and two references TOPS to Gran and Sylvia… bring the knitters backkkk, tell me more about the doctor? or more about Silence and how the hell she spends her time? Anything. Descriptions of Rafe’s Tesla and Range Rover are getting old. these are basically just regular cozies now with sporadic appearances by a tall man with poor circulation.

but you know. bedtime listening, so like. already on the next one

[Paola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm loving that Lucy is finally getting off her lazy duff and practicing witchy stuff. With that said, 8 books in and she's still a novice. That's really unimpressive. I'm disappointed that Alice and Charlie's wedding was not the happy occasion it should've been but pleased that even though it was a crazy situation they were still happy that the ceremony itself happened. I still need more progress and romance between Lucy and Rafe. He pretty much declared his love and nothing happened between them after that. Quite frustrating.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story. Suspense with fast paced action to make this a delightful book. I can’t wait for the next one.