What do you think?
Rate this book
Pixie Point Bay #1
The Witch Who Settled the Account
An amateur sleuth who’s also a witch, a lighthouse that’s alive, and a cat who hears the spirits. Murder has met its match.
As the new owner of the Pixie Point Bay Lighthouse and B&B, Maris Seaver is finally ready to organize her finances. But while she’s at the town’s credit union, the manager mysteriously dies.
Although suspects abound, the murderer has been clever. No one even knows how the man was killed.
As the new owner of the Pixie Point Bay Lighthouse and B&B, Maris Seaver is finally ready to organize her finances. But while she’s at the town’s credit union, the manager mysteriously dies.
Although suspects abound, the murderer has been clever. No one even knows how the man was killed.
151 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2020
382 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Emma Belmont
9 books8 followersEmma Belmont has climbed the tallest pyramid in the western hemisphere and jumped from a perfectly good plane at 14,000 feet. She and her husband live in Southern California where the freeways are way more scary than either of those.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 19, 2020
I read the introductory story to this series and couldn't wait to read this first book in the series. I love the characters and relationships that continued in this book. I especially love the cat Mojo. The mystery was well-written and interesting. Maris is settling down in Pixie Point Bay and expanding her relationships in the town, letting us get to know some of the characters better. There was one thing I didn't like and hope doesn't continue. Maris can't cook but is fortunate to have an excellent chef at her B&B. The author chose to write almost the same bad cooking scene in this book as the the introductory book. The descriptions of each business and each person in the town are also repeated in almost the same way as the first book. I don't mind repetition for continuity but the scenes are not funny or interesting. I found them a bit tedious and found myself skipping paragraphs. Regardless of the repetition, I enjoyed this story very much and intend to continue with the series.
July 5, 2020
Sort of good
It was a good book, quick, fast read. Pleasant place to be. Why does the sheriff trust the main character, Maris so much? We learn that she used to live in town when she was an young child to a teenager. Yet the sheriff trust s Maris to explain all the who, what, where and when. Not sure I'm buying that at all. Psychic or spiritual gifts do not mean that you are a witch.
It was a good book, quick, fast read. Pleasant place to be. Why does the sheriff trust the main character, Maris so much? We learn that she used to live in town when she was an young child to a teenager. Yet the sheriff trust s Maris to explain all the who, what, where and when. Not sure I'm buying that at all. Psychic or spiritual gifts do not mean that you are a witch.
June 9, 2020
Enjoyable
This book had all the parts that make a good book but some of the details were a bit boring. The characters were likeable but somewhat bland. More humor and a bit of spice would make this story excellent.
This book had all the parts that make a good book but some of the details were a bit boring. The characters were likeable but somewhat bland. More humor and a bit of spice would make this story excellent.
September 12, 2020
First in the series. A young woman who runs a B&B and a lighthouse goes to open an account at a credit union and the creepy manager dies right in front of her. When the attending physician is nearly killed in a hit and run by the dead managers car our MC is able to figure out who did it.
March 28, 2021
A quick read, charming setting and characters, if entirely unbelievable. Everyone keeps feeding her clues. She does no sleuthing at all of her own. Even the Sheriff himself keeps telling her things about the case (extremely unprofessional), and she has no police or detective background AT ALL! And then Maris goes and repeats what she’s heard to all her friends..... 😅
anyway it was kind of cute but I’m not feeling the need to continue in this series.
anyway it was kind of cute but I’m not feeling the need to continue in this series.
April 24, 2021
Argh! This is NOT THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES! Yes it says book one but the entire time I was reading it it referred to events that happened BEFORE THIS BOOK. So frustrating! Worse still was when I finished this ebook there was a link to get the prequel for free!!! Why was that not at the beginning of the ebook?!? WTF? And then I click on the link and the prequel IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. ANYWHERE.
Again... WHY? Either roll the prequel into book one, make book 0.5 available and label it correctly or don’t constantly refer to earlier events like the reader (who can’t buy or access The Witch Who Saw the Light) knows what is going on.
Anything I liked about this book was ruined knowing I had been DUPED into thinking it was the first book when it’s not.
So about this book... Maris constantly refers to her weight. She points out her muffin top to one or two others. She hoards candy bars in her car. She can’t cook but insists on “helping” the 70+ year old seasoned chef and her B&B and messes things up. People just randomly tell her important information about the murder, no idea why. The detective calls her to report info on the murder, asks for her help with questioning suspects and looking at crime scene video from a surveillance camera, and other non-standard things like that. No idea why since I couldn’t read the prequel. (!!!) The town seems to have magic folk but it’s not really explained in this book because I should already know about that.
I wouldn’t call Maris a witch either. She occasionally has precognition but certainly isn’t a witch. She doesn’t cast spells, scry to get answers, or other witchy things we all know from other witchy books. Her cat seems more magical than she is since he uses a tarot deck and ouija board to bestow clues to her.
So... again unless you can get a hold of The Witch Who Saw the Light FIRST don’t bother with this as I imagine you will be as frustrated as I was. I wanted to like this book and was happy to see so many books in this series but without being properly introduced this is a total miss for me.
And one last thing to the author... if there is a prequel then this IS NOT BOOK ONE. It’s 1.5 or 2. Either re-release the prequel or do a prologue explaining why everyone trusts Maris and explain about her Aunt and the lighthouse, etc. I wanted to start a series... I choose not to read anything else because you don’t care whether I can start your series at the beginning. What a shame...
Again... WHY? Either roll the prequel into book one, make book 0.5 available and label it correctly or don’t constantly refer to earlier events like the reader (who can’t buy or access The Witch Who Saw the Light) knows what is going on.
Anything I liked about this book was ruined knowing I had been DUPED into thinking it was the first book when it’s not.
So about this book... Maris constantly refers to her weight. She points out her muffin top to one or two others. She hoards candy bars in her car. She can’t cook but insists on “helping” the 70+ year old seasoned chef and her B&B and messes things up. People just randomly tell her important information about the murder, no idea why. The detective calls her to report info on the murder, asks for her help with questioning suspects and looking at crime scene video from a surveillance camera, and other non-standard things like that. No idea why since I couldn’t read the prequel. (!!!) The town seems to have magic folk but it’s not really explained in this book because I should already know about that.
I wouldn’t call Maris a witch either. She occasionally has precognition but certainly isn’t a witch. She doesn’t cast spells, scry to get answers, or other witchy things we all know from other witchy books. Her cat seems more magical than she is since he uses a tarot deck and ouija board to bestow clues to her.
So... again unless you can get a hold of The Witch Who Saw the Light FIRST don’t bother with this as I imagine you will be as frustrated as I was. I wanted to like this book and was happy to see so many books in this series but without being properly introduced this is a total miss for me.
And one last thing to the author... if there is a prequel then this IS NOT BOOK ONE. It’s 1.5 or 2. Either re-release the prequel or do a prologue explaining why everyone trusts Maris and explain about her Aunt and the lighthouse, etc. I wanted to start a series... I choose not to read anything else because you don’t care whether I can start your series at the beginning. What a shame...
October 17, 2021
A suspicious death
Maris Seaver is the new owner of Pixie Point Bay Lighthouse and B&B following the death of her Aunt Glenda. The townsfolk are an interesting mix of magical and non-magical residents and Maris is still learning who-is-which. When her appointment to open a new account puts her in the middle of a murder scene, Maris will need her magic and a lot more to solve the case.
This is a fun, cozy mystery. I like the input that Mojo and the lighthouse inject into the story. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am curious to see if the next books in the series have more depth and development. I look forward to the next book.
Maris Seaver is the new owner of Pixie Point Bay Lighthouse and B&B following the death of her Aunt Glenda. The townsfolk are an interesting mix of magical and non-magical residents and Maris is still learning who-is-which. When her appointment to open a new account puts her in the middle of a murder scene, Maris will need her magic and a lot more to solve the case.
This is a fun, cozy mystery. I like the input that Mojo and the lighthouse inject into the story. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am curious to see if the next books in the series have more depth and development. I look forward to the next book.
September 5, 2020
Oh, what a lovely book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Maris with a little help from her friends and Mojo the cat help the Sheriff solve a puzzling murder. Pixie Point Bay has a few magically inclined people living there and Maris is one of them. Maris inherited a B&B and Lighthouse from her aunt. Lots of strange little things happen. I can't wait to read the next book. I highly recommend this book if you like clean gentle mysteries with a touch of magic and a cat. Well worth five stars.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Maris with a little help from her friends and Mojo the cat help the Sheriff solve a puzzling murder. Pixie Point Bay has a few magically inclined people living there and Maris is one of them. Maris inherited a B&B and Lighthouse from her aunt. Lots of strange little things happen. I can't wait to read the next book. I highly recommend this book if you like clean gentle mysteries with a touch of magic and a cat. Well worth five stars.
July 13, 2020
This was a cute, lighthearted, quick read. The town sounds idealic, definately a place I'd like to visit. The main character, Maris, inherits a B&B with a lighthouse. A few members of the town possess magical powers, as does the lighthouse. Maris uses her witch powers, her cat's magical powers and the magical lighthouse to solve a murder. I'm not sure I'll get to book 2..., but I do love lighthouses!
October 2, 2020
Wow! Another new (to me) series to fall in love with!
Totally enjoyed this book. So glad I decided to
read this series. The story line was entertaining
and it was full of great characters. I loved Mojo,
the harmonica sounding cat. Will be starting
book #2 shortly. This is a phenomenal series!!!
Totally enjoyed this book. So glad I decided to
read this series. The story line was entertaining
and it was full of great characters. I loved Mojo,
the harmonica sounding cat. Will be starting
book #2 shortly. This is a phenomenal series!!!
July 2, 2021
I’m giving this a 3 because it was well written, and flowed smoothly. The only real stretch was the Sheriff calling on the mc to supposedly ’give her special insight’. Insight that didn’t materialize.
That said, it just wasn’t interesting to me, even though all the characters were likable and unobjectionable.
That said, it just wasn’t interesting to me, even though all the characters were likable and unobjectionable.
July 29, 2020
New owner of the B&B after her aunt passes away Maris finds herself involved in a murder investigation. I must say that it is refreshing to see law enforcement actually accept help from an amateur sleuth. Pixie Point Bay has a few hidden secrets.
October 22, 2020
Fun mystery worth reading.
Cute mystery with an adorable magical cat. Quick read. Wonderful characters. I little Love interest. This was an enjoyable quick mystery. It's worth reading.
Cute mystery with an adorable magical cat. Quick read. Wonderful characters. I little Love interest. This was an enjoyable quick mystery. It's worth reading.
November 8, 2020
A beautiful b&b lighthouse
A sweet magical cat named mojo. The gift of precognitive. A town who depends not only on its lighthouse but also the keeper. It’s a creative, enjoyable story.
A sweet magical cat named mojo. The gift of precognitive. A town who depends not only on its lighthouse but also the keeper. It’s a creative, enjoyable story.
May 25, 2020
Enjoyed
This was the first book of yours that I have read and enjoyed and I am looking forward to your next book.
This was the first book of yours that I have read and enjoyed and I am looking forward to your next book.
July 12, 2020
Good
Although at times I found this book a little hard to follow, overall it was a good book. Recommend for those who like just a hint of paranormal.
Although at times I found this book a little hard to follow, overall it was a good book. Recommend for those who like just a hint of paranormal.
September 7, 2020
Was a fun read
September 8, 2020
Refreshingly different
This is a perfect example of a cosy mystery. A murder, yes, but solved in a truly unique way. Way to go Emma Belmont.
This is a perfect example of a cosy mystery. A murder, yes, but solved in a truly unique way. Way to go Emma Belmont.
September 21, 2020
Charming Cozy
This book is a quick read with fun but two-dimensional characters. The plot is pretty well crafted and the magic is nicely understated. The car is adorable.
This book is a quick read with fun but two-dimensional characters. The plot is pretty well crafted and the magic is nicely understated. The car is adorable.
October 2, 2020
A different type of mystery
A town full of fey people, a suspicious death and a hit and run accident set the stage for this entertaining book.
A town full of fey people, a suspicious death and a hit and run accident set the stage for this entertaining book.
May 10, 2022
Amazing fun read
The author has developed an interesting and unique plot to go with a fun group of characters making this hard to put down
The author has developed an interesting and unique plot to go with a fun group of characters making this hard to put down
November 6, 2022
A pleasant and relaxing read.
September 24, 2020
Iffy
This one just didn't grab me. The mystery wasn't bad, but a little too easy. I figured out who the killer was very quickly.
This one just didn't grab me. The mystery wasn't bad, but a little too easy. I figured out who the killer was very quickly.
October 28, 2024
Maris has recently moved to Pixie Point Bay after the death of her aunt. But when a trip to the local credit union results with an encounter with death, our heroine will have to add "solve a murder" to her to-do list alongside her duties as a bed and breakfast owner. Fortunately, she has plenty of help from a local sheriff to a magical cat and sentient lighthouse.
The Witch Who Settled the Account is a mystery under the "witch cozy" subgenre. I feel like the author did an excellent job creating a compelling small-town feel, and it was a lot of fun getting to piece together the murder. The fact that local law enforcement was so willing to let Maris play such a large role in the investigation did seem a bit of a stretch, but I found myself willing to overlook it.
The year 2020 has undoubtedly been a stressful time for many of us, and I've found The Pixie Point Bay books to be a welcome retreat from the craziness of the world.
The Witch Who Settled the Account is a mystery under the "witch cozy" subgenre. I feel like the author did an excellent job creating a compelling small-town feel, and it was a lot of fun getting to piece together the murder. The fact that local law enforcement was so willing to let Maris play such a large role in the investigation did seem a bit of a stretch, but I found myself willing to overlook it.
The year 2020 has undoubtedly been a stressful time for many of us, and I've found The Pixie Point Bay books to be a welcome retreat from the craziness of the world.
August 31, 2020
This could even be a six!
This story was written by a really inspired writer. The characters and location was so well written that it made you feel like you were there. Descriptions were crisp and complete. The story flowed and kept you interested and made you feel like you were there. I hope the rest of this series will do the same.
This story was written by a really inspired writer. The characters and location was so well written that it made you feel like you were there. Descriptions were crisp and complete. The story flowed and kept you interested and made you feel like you were there. I hope the rest of this series will do the same.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews