Posts Tagged ‘Authors Jim and Joyce LaVene’

putting on the witch extra large banner

It has been so sad, losing both Joyce and Jim LaVene. They are two of my most cherished authors and I had many a fun email chats with Joyce. Having read so many of their books in several different series, I can say they are also at the top of my list of cozy mystery authors.

I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review their latest book. And this is the first print copy of theirs that I have owned. It will always be a special book for me. Thank you, Joyce and Jim, for the many cozy hours I spent being charmed by your stories. You’ll be missed.

~~~~~

Putting on the Witch
by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Epic. One word to describe this book.
From the first book in this series I was spell bound.
~Karen’s Reviews

PUTTING ON THE WITCH

.

Putting on the Witch (Retired Witches Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425268278
E-Book – ASIN: B01AHKXHTS
goodreads-badge-add-plusShop Indie Bookstores

My Review

Having read and enjoyed so many books by these two wonderful authors, I never had a doubt whether I’d enjoy this one too. Losing both Joyce and Jim within the last year, the reading community is feeling the loss, as am I. I’m thrilled to be able to share my thoughts about their newest release.

What a fun story. I was particularly happy to have both female and male witches in this one.  And there’s some witches that are getting ready to retire that are still discovering new powers. I think I’d be hard pressed to quit if I still had something new brewing inside me. And that’s where one character finds herself.

The Grand Witches Council is throwing a big gala at a hidden mansion. The Who’s Who of witches are all present and our rag tag group joins the festivities. They’re not liked by the upper crust and that is made apparent when one of the council members is found dead.

Bring on the Spanish Inquisitor. He used to persecute witches. Torture and burning were his trade. Now he’s bound by the witches and used to sniff out their own kind when one goes bad. There’s a delightful twist with him. One I didn’t see coming, and it really made for more fun reading.

There were too many suspects with their own agendas for me to have a smidgeon of a chance of figuring out who the killer was, so I just relaxed and let the authors show me.

Now, what’s a cozy without some critters. Most of the witches in this story have a cat as their familiar. And one of the familiars has a big, naughty secret. Bad kitty.

Some other fun stuff is a witches beauty shop where you go for a complete makeover from head to toe. The glamour only lasts for one night, but think how easy it would be to get ready. And there’s a haunted bracelet that causes some sticky situations.  The scene with it’s eyes kind of creeped me out.

Plenty of mystery abounds, with some fun twists and witchy shenanigans to keep you engaged. This would be a good one for your Halloween reading list.

I have this very bad habit of jumping into a series anywhere. I’ve not read the first two books, but the authors, as is their norm, made it easy and fun for me to join in here. I did stumble a wee bit until I got all of the character’s sorted out. Then it was all fun to the finish.

5 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

With their coven’s spell book still missing, Molly and Elsie—along with their ghostly friend Olivia, her daughter Dorothy, and her boyfriend Brian—are all on edge, especially now that Dorothy’s infamously wicked father is back in the picture. So when they receive an invitation to an exclusive Witches Ball, the ladies jump at the chance to dress up and have some fun.

The castle locale is spectacular and the party is hopping, but the festivities come to a swift end when a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered. With the whole place on lock down, the coven is determined to find the cunning killer, even with an angry council and a real Spanish Inquisitor breathing down their necks…

~~~~~

I just love this picture of Joyce and Jim

About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene wrote award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They had written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. Joyce passed away October 20, 2015 and Jim passed on May 5, 2016. They are missed by family, friends and their many fans.

www.joyceandjimlavene.com

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene

Purchase links:

Amazon – Barnes and Noble 

~~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Other books in the series.

21911686  24611676

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky kitty below!

halloween jack in the box photo: black cat in a box toy cat-ina-box.gif

Fatal Fairies large banner640

Another fun cozy series from Joyce and Jim Lavene.

I love their books and always grab them when I can.

Enjoy my review of this fun cozy.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

~~~

Fatal Fairies
(Renaissance Faire Mystery Book 8)

25575542
Cozy Mystery
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Print Length: 181 pages
ASIN: B00X8DUQ3W

goodreads-badge-add-plus for awaken

My Review

I’m sure you noticed, but just a warning, this is the 8th book in the series and there may be spoilers.

I’ve not read the other books in this series myself. I’m slowly working through all of these authors books and this is one I haven’t started yet. I couldn’t resist reading this one though.

Imagine going to bed happily married to the man of your dreams and living the life you always wanted. Then you wake up with the wrong man in your bed and nobody remembers your life. It’s all topsy turvy wrong.

That’s what happened to Jessie Morton. One stupid wish in the heat of the moment blew up her happy world and landed her in a mess.

All she wanted was to celebrate the first anniversary of her marriage to Chase Manhattan. But he’s the Renaissance Faire Village Bailiff and when a fairy is murdered she doesn’t want him on the case. A wish that he was no longer bailiff so they can sneak away changed everything.

The fun begins when Jessie must get Chase on the murder case so he can solve the murder. Then things will go back to the way they were and she can have her Happily Ever After.

Shouldn’t be too tough. But that’s an understatement.

To set the record straight, the murdered fairy was really a person in costume. I got a big surprise when it was revealed their were real fairies, witches, and even fairy godmothers in the village. How cool is that?

After some initial confusion while I acquainted myself with this world and the characters, I settled in for a fun mystery and some laughs.

I just knew it wouldn’t be as easy as Jessie thought it would be and the fun was watching her scramble to get people to help her, to convince them she wasn’t crazy, and to solve the murder.

You can read this and enjoy it without having read the other books in the series, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to know how it all began. I plan to go back to the beginning and find out.

4 Stars

~~~

Synopsis:

When a fairy named Apple Blossom is found dead in the Good Luck Fountain at Renaissance Faire Village, Jessie Morton makes a wish she lives to regret–that her husband, Chase Manhattan, is no longer the Village Bailiff. She doesn’t want him to look for the fairy’s killer and ruin their plans to go away for their first wedding anniversary.

Trapped in a timeless ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ experience, Jessie is transported to a different Village to face the consequences of her wish where Chase isn’t the Bailiff, and he’s not married to her.

Jessie’s fairy godmother who granted the wish tells her that she must find a way to make Chase fall in love with her again, and they must discover who killed Apple Blossom, if she ever wants to go back to the life she knew.

~~~~

joycejimAbout These Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.

 

Author Links

 

 

Website / Facebook / Amazon / Twitter

 

Purchase Link
Amazon

~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~

Follow the tour for more fun stops!

Tour Participants

July 7- Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview

July 8 – fuonlyknew – Review

July 9 – Books-n-Kisses – Review

July 10 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Guest Post

July 11 – dru’s book musings – Guest Post

July 11 – Community Bookstop – Review

July 12 – deal sharing aunt – Interview

July 13 – A Chick Who Reads – Review

July 14 – Escape With Dollycas – Review

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg