Witch Cake Murders by Zoe Arden ~ A Cozy Review and Giveaway

Posted: May 4, 2017 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways, reviews
Tags: , , , ,

 

Title: Witch Cake Murders
Author: Zoe Arden
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 330
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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My Review

When Ava Rose was one year old, her mother was killed for being a witch. For her protection, her father leaves the magical town of Sweetland Cove on the island of Heavenly Haven and disappears with Ava into the large city of New York. Twenty years later, Ava is visited by two strange women claiming to be her aunts, and her past is revealed. Angry at her father for hiding what she is, she leaves with her aunts and returns to the island.

At first it’s fun. She’s part owner of a magical bakery and a natural at emotionally spelling the desserts. But when a human eats her cupcake and is later found dead, suspicion points at her. When more humans die, she begins to wonder if she is the killer.

The excitement of finding out who she is becomes dread as all eyes are turned on her.

Right from the beginning something in the back of mind kept poking at me. Then I got it. This book reminded me of the movie Practical Magic, in a way. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, sisters and witches, have two zany aunts. Once I got that out of my head, I settled in to enjoy the funny, madcap, and mysterious story of Ava, the witch.

This is a fast paced read, with many a chuckle, and no clear clue as to who is killing humans or why.  There are  many quirky, interesting characters, and if there were an island like Heavenly Haven, I’d be a permanent resident.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in the series. Don’t let that deter you. Each book stands alone and the author wraps things up nicely. You aren’t left hanging.

4 Stars

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Witches and humans have always existed peacefully in Sweetland Cove… until now.
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Someone is killing humans and drawing unwanted attention to the supernatural residents of Sweetland Cove.
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Ava Rose just turned twenty-one, and with her birthday came a few surprises.
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One: she’s a witch.
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Two: she’s part owner of a magical bakery she never knew existed.
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Three: Someone wants her dead.
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The day Ava arrives in Sweetland Cove, murders begin occurring…
Witches and wizards are quick to blame her, but Ava’s aunts won’t let the town they love turn against her.
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But murders follow Ava everywhere.
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Soon, she finds herself on the receiving end of the killer’s mad spree. With a crazy wizarding sheriff who
wants to lock her up, and an even crazier wizarding detective who wants to lock her whole family up, Ava must solve this case alone.
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But as the days pass and the only clues point to her, Ava starts to wonder if maybe the sheriff is right.
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Maybe she really is the killer.
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The only thing Ava knows for sure is that the witches of Sweetland are not happy with her. Especially those
witches who have something to hide.
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And they all have something to hide.
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Can Ava stop the killer before they strike again… even if that killer is her?
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Witch Cake Murders is available at Amazon.
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Book Excerpt:

“Let
me ask you something,” Brendan said. “You’re a witch. Why do witches
like human men?” He was looking at me so earnestly I felt compelled to
answer him. I just didn’t know what to say.
“Um…”
I stammered. “I don’t know. I grew up around humans, so I guess I’m just
drawn to them.” I looked back through the glass patio door at Damon, who
was dancing with Megan again. Brendan followed my gaze, looking miserable.
“Love
sucks,” he said, then shoved the purple stem he’d been twirling into his
pocket and skulked off. I turned back to the stars and sighed.
An earth-shattering
scream rose into the night, making me jump.
Through
the patio door, I could see a crowd gathering around the perimeter of the room.
A woman was screaming. I hurried inside. The crowd had opened up, leaving two
people in its center.
Felicity
stood there, her mouth hanging open.
Campbell was dancing around her, his hands flying unnaturally
through the air. His head was tilted at an odd angle and his tongue lolled out
the side of his mouth, like a thirsty dog. He was making strange grunting noises
that almost resembled words.
“He’s
drunk!” someone yelled.
Campbell swung his hips around and bumped into Felicity, who
stumbled away from him.
“All
right, all right, break it up,” Felicity’s boyfriend Lincoln said.
Lincoln was the sheriff of Mistmoor Point, and the crowded parted
for him as he came through.  Even if he
hadn’t been a sheriff, I suspected the crowd would still have parted for him.
At six feet tall with bronze hair and blue eyes, he made quite a figure in the
middle of a crowd.
“Okay,
Campbell. Time to go home,” Lincoln said, clamping one hand down on his shoulder.
Campbell yanked Lincoln hard,
sending him flying across the room. Everyone gasped.
Campbell stopped, looked around, then let out a strange gurgling
sound. He fell to the floor. His face was bright blue.
Felicity
hunkered down next to him. She gave him one hard shake then looked up at the
rest of the room, her mouth gaping.
“He’s
dead,” she cried. “
Campbell‘s dead!”
Who
would be next?

 

 
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About The Author
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It was from reading Agatha Christie’s mystery books that inspired Zoe to write cozy mystery novels. Zoe liked the fact that cozy mysteries are able to offer readers a form of escapism that typical detective stories can’t.

Like what Marilyn Stasio, who has been the Crime columnist forThe New York TimesBook Review since the late 1980s, recently wrote: “The abiding appeal of the cozy mystery owes a lot to our collective memory, true or false, of simpler, sweeter times.” It is Zoe’s desire that her writings will evoke that nostalgic memory in all of us; those memories of the good old days.

What sets Zoe apart in her writings is her fusing of Mystery with Paranormal elements, a combination which will bring about fantasies that are intriguing and engaging. Her stories contain unexpected twists and sometimes light-hearted moments that will make one smile at Zoe’s quirkiness, fun and wittiness in her writings.

You can connect with Zoe at Facebook.

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 Zoe Arden is giving away 7 cozy mystery paperbacks by Amanda Lee, Agatha Frost, H.Y. Hanna, Joanne Fluke, Leighann Dobbs, Gine Lamanna, and Lilian Jackson Brown.
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BONUS: All entries will receive a free copy of Cozy Mystery: Cake Spell Disaster by Zoe Arden.
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive a 7-pack paperback
    collection of cozy mysteries by bestselling authors. All entries will
    receive a free copy of Zoe Arden’s CAKE SPELL DISASTER.
  • This giveaway ends midnight May 31.
  • Winner will be contacted via email on June 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

Comments
  1. Mary Preston says:

    I love stories with witches. A great review.

  2. Rita Wray says:

    I liked the review, thank you.

  3. Drangonfly says:

    I should start reading cozy mysteries! They have the best covers and there is always food and cute animals! 🙂

  4. Oo a magical bakery. Sounds good!

  5. Lola says:

    This sounds like a fun series! I’ve seen this cover around I think or maybe the first book as it looks familiar. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this one! I just entered the giveaway 🙂

    • fuonlyknew says:

      I sure had fun with this book and will be reading more of the series. That cover is so flirty!

  6. Cute cover. I’m always interested in how much say the author has in the final cover. How much input do you have?
    sherry @ fundinmental

  7. diannekc says:

    This sounds like my kind of book. I really enjoyed the description of the book and I’m looking forward to reading.

  8. Darlene says:

    This sounds like a fun cozy series! I love quirky characters!

  9. This looks adorable! Love witchy cozies!

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