Sara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)
At the end of the last book we learn of an entity that is supposedly a manifestation of Kinsley's regrets, a daughter from a life she never lived.
Now this 'daughter' is living with them as a sibling to Laney and Hekate. Her name is Seraphina, Sera for short. The girls accept this sister as if she's always been there. Kinsley's parents are curious and are asking many questions of Sera, to get to know her.
It's another date night, Thorn and Kinsley are about to relax with wine and dinner when Jeremy calls. There's a dead body at Summoned Goods and Sundries.
Kinsley recognizes the victim, Ashley Pine. She's more concerned with what's in her hand though. A jar containing Mandrake a major ingredient in love spells. She's cut Ashley off from buying it because of the many repercussions of love magic, it can also be deadly.
The new coroner Penny examines the body and is about to pronounce it a natural death since her heart apparently just stopped beating, when Meri speaks up.
Before their night's over, Thorn and Kinsley go to Ashley's home. They are looking for evidence of the hearts blood. They find letters, some threatening, and they are interrupted by Ashley's apprentice, Mellie Hutton. Mellie tells them Ashley stopped making love potions once she met her husband Reuben Pine. However, there was one person, Evan Yarrow, who was adamant she fixes what she broke in his life. Although she didn't know the nature of what he wanted Ashley to do, he was definitely enough of a threat that Ashley created wards to keep him at bay.
Their next stop is to Reuben, he's overcome, and Kinsley starts to make him tea, but he stops her saying it was her fertility blend and to use the calming one he uses for insomnia. The only person he knows had conflicts with Ashley was her sister Emma. He put those down to sibling rivalry.
An interesting name comes up, Lisa Wynette, she works at the sheriff's office. Seems she thinks she's better for Thorn than Kinsley.
As each of these clues develops, we also see more of Sera and interestingly everyone suddenly has memories of Sara in all family activities from the past. Everyone except Kinsley that is.
There is much intrigue and suspense in this one, and surprises at almost every turn. I couldn't put this book down, and OMG what an ending!
This one was slightly boring, but also, the last book left us with a cliffhanger. This book didn't even continue it. Except in the most minute way possible. Then we ended with yet another cliffhanger about the same thing. I sure hope the next book actually tackles the mystery that is Serafina. If it doesn't, I'll wonder why the author even wrote her into the story.