Julie's Review: It Takes a Witch

Author: Heather Blake
Series: Wishcraft #1
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Obsidian
Pages: 320
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Mystery, Paranormal
Rating: 3.75/5
Bottom Line: Great cozy mystery with a bit of witchcraft thrown in
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Library

Summary: Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters-witches with the power to cast spells by making a wish. She's come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation... ~product description

Review: It Takes a Witch is a great book to curl up with when you need something cozy to read. Ms. Blake (who also writes as Heather Webber) never lets me down with her wonderful heroines and Darcy is no different. She recently learned that she has witching powers which is the ability to grant wishes. Of course there are always catches to new powers and Darcy is definitely still learning. Darcy is trying to figure out who murdered a resident of the Enchanted Village,Alexandra Shively, because she doesn't think that it's the person the police arrested.

What ensues is Darcy looking at each of the residents closely. While doing the sleuthing she also gets to know each of the inhabitants powers usually by accident.  Darcy isn't really even sure of all of the rules that go a long with her new found powers. Not to mention the dreamy former state police officer that is helping to investigate the rash of pickpockets in the village, who seems to only have eyes for Darcy.


What I love about they way Ms. Blake writes is that I immediately want to move to the location. While the Enchanted Village might be a tourist destination it is where witches live in safety. Plus it just seems like the kind of town that you can relax in and feel at home in. Plus I just love all the characters she has for this little town. Aunt Ve is a hoot and Harper is a great free-spirit to Darcy's worrywart personality.

Also, I can't wait to see what happens with Nick and Darcy. It should also be fun learning who has what witchy powers and how they all interact.

I already have the next two books (A Witch Before Dying, The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy in the series on my shelf and will definitely be looking to get back to them soon. If you love cozy mysteries and a bit of paranormal, then this series is for you.

Jenn's Review


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Jenn's Review: Undeniably Yours

Author: Heather Webber
Series: Lucy Valentine #5
Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Blue Dandelion Press
Pages: 448
Obtained: purchased
Genre: 
Rating: 4.5
Bottom Line: Another fabulous Lucy novel
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Blurb:  NO GOOD DEED 

While still recuperating from injuries sustained in her previous case, the last thing psychic investigator Lucy Valentine wants is to dive into another job. But when Detective Lieutenant Aiden Holliday comes calling for help in finding a missing woman, saying no is not an option. 

TV journalist Kira Fitzpatrick has vanished without a trace. There’s little for Lucy to go on except picking up Kira’s current investigation where she left off. The fearless reporter had been close to cracking one of the year’s biggest cases: the disappearance of a two-year-old boy. 

GOES UNPUNISHED 

Now Lucy must use her abilities to find both of them. As she follows a twisted trail of lies and deceit, she uncovers a shocking twist to Kira’s exposé that someone is desperate to keep secret. It’s a race against the clock as Lucy struggles to discover who’s telling the truth…and who’s willing to kill to keep her from solving the case.

Review:  Whenever I'm looking for a book that I know I will love I turn to Heather Webber/Heather Blake.  I actually try to save her books, especially the Lucy Valentine series, for when I need a reading lift but Julie's review of the fourth novel, Perfectly Matched, left me craving a visit with LucyD.

Perfectly Matched had a significant twisty cliffhanger at the end and it was marvelous that Undeniably Yours picks up right where things were left off.  The supporting cast is more in the background this time around but they are still supportive and present in the story.  (Most of Lucy's friends and investigative team are out of commission after the last case so Lucy has to go this one with just Aiden.)  The case is intriguing and personal for everyone.  I had an inkling of where things were headed and I was not disappointed to be right, but I certainly wasn't completely right; Heather Webber always has good twists up her sleeve.

The only thing I wish there had been discussed more was her unusual predictive link with Sean.  Has it disappeared completely? Will it resurface?  Last book spent a lot of time dealing with Lucy and her abilities and while she did use them, I felt like I wanted a little more continuation with the exploration of this.  However that was a small shadow over an otherwise sunny novel.

There was no cliffhanger this time, but as always things were tied up just enough to leave you craving more time with Lucy and her family.  I love all of Heather Webber's books, but Lucy Valentine will always be my favorite, so I will patiently await her next adventure.

Jenn's Review: The Goodbye Witch

Author: Heather Blake
Series: Wishcraft Mystery #4
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Signet
Pages: 299
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  cozy mystery, paranormal
Rating: 4.5
Bottom Line: ...
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab it!

Blurb:  As Enchanted Village’s resident Wishcrafter, Darcy Merriweather has the power to make other people’s wishes come true, but what she really wishes is that she had the power to uncloak the invisible man who’s stalking her best friend....
 
Darcy’s closest friend and fellow witch, Starla Sullivan, hoped she’d never see her ex-husband, Kyle, again. Two years ago he tried to kill her, and he has been a fugitive ever since. Now Starla claims to have seen him back in Enchanted Village, but it seems she’s the only one who can see him. To everyone else, her ex is invisible.
 
Darcy only wishes his motives were as transparent as the rest of him. Since the police can’t arrest someone they can’t see, it’s up to Darcy to find the secret behind Kyle’s latest disappearing act—before he does something they can’t see coming….


Review:  Heather Blake is my go to author when I need a book that I know I'm going to love.  The Goodbye Witch definitely fits the bill.  Her characters are so fabulous that it's like spending time with friends you haven't seen in a while.

I don't recall Starla's ex-husband ever being mentioned before, but that made him no less terrifying. Darcy gets pulled into the middle of the investigation again, this time at the request of the Elder which helps keep Glinda from further complicating Darcy's and Nick's relationship by insisting Darcy stay out of investigations.  I don't understand Glinda and her jealousy and rigidity, though I think I came to understand her a little better in this book.  She looks at the world as black and white absolutes and it seems to prevent her from moving forward. 

As for moving forward, Darcy and Nick finally seem to be on the same footing, thanks mostly to being able to work together on the investigation. I loved the progression of Darcy's relationship with Mimi, as well. It was also nice to see Darcy soften a little and step back and reflect a little more. 

As for the mystery, Heather Blake stumped me again, and although the solution wasn't all that complicated, it was excellent. I started to unravel things with Darcy, but I had no idea what really happened until she did.  I also loved all the little surprises at the end; yet another reason why I love Heather Blake's books. 

If you haven't checked out her Wishcraft series, I highly recommend it... If you haven't checked out any of her series, what are you waiting for???

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Jenn's Review: A Potion to Die For

Author: Heather Blake
Series: Magic Potion Mystery #1
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Signet
Pages: 336
Obtained: purchased
Genre: cozy mystery
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Another fantastic magical series from Heather Blake/Heather Webber
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Blurb:  TROUBLE IS BREWING…

As the owner of Little Shop of Potions, a magic potion shop specializing in love potions, Carly Bell Hartwell finds her product more in demand than ever. A local soothsayer has predicted that a couple in town will soon divorce—and now it seems every married person in Hitching Post, Alabama, wants a little extra matrimonial magic to make sure they stay hitched.

But when Carly finds a dead man in her shop, clutching one of her potion bottles, she goes from most popular potion person to public enemy number one. In no time the murder investigation becomes a witch hunt—literally! Now Carly is going to need to brew up some serious sleuthing skills to clear her name and find the real killer—before the whole town becomes convinced her potions really are to die for!

Review:  When I need a book I know I will love, I pick up a novel from Heather Blake.  This is a new series from Ms. Blake who has a talent for making the magical fit into everyday life as if it's quite common.  It's one of the many things I love about her work.

Once again Ms. Blake's written some magnificent characters I can't wait to revisit.  I actually had a little trouble getting into this one through no fault of the novel itself.  It is just that I miss all of her other characters from her all her other series and was wishing I was visiting with them.  However, by the time I put A Potion to Die For down I found myself having fallen in love with a whole new cast of characters...  and was missing them desperately.  I want to get to know all of them better, especially Carly's cousin Delia who has been relegated as the bad witch by Carly and the rest of her family.

Once again, I found myself wanting to visit the town that Heather Blake created.  I loved the shops and the houses --I could picture them all so vividly.  Also, I must admit that I fell for the red herring hook, line, and sinker.  The real culprit took me completely by surprise... and I won't spoil it for you by saying any more than that.

If you haven't read a Heather Blake book (or a novel by her other nom de plume, Heather Webber), I can't recommend her enough.  She's one of my all time favorites.

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Jenn's Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy

 Blurb:  Darcy Merriweather is Enchanted Village’s newest resident Wishcrafter—a witch who can grant wishes for others. But as Darcy prepares a celebration for a magical florist, she discovers that every rose has its thorns…

When magical florist Harriette Harkette decides to throw a lavish eightieth birthday party for herself, she hires Darcy’s Aunt Ve’s personal concierge service, As You Wish, to plan the soiree. But turning eighty isn’t all Harriette is celebrating—the Floracrafter has recently created the midnight black Witching Hour rose, the first all-natural rose of that color.

Darcy works hard on planning an extravagant celebration that will make Harriette feel like the belle of the ball. But when cake delivery boy Michael Healey—a former employee at Harriette’s greenhouse—is found dead, the celebration takes a turn. Now Michael’s ghost has imprinted on Darcy, meaning that they’re bonded until she can untangle the thicket surrounding his murder—and what exactly it has to do with the Witching Hour rose…  

Review:  Oh, how I love the Wishcraft series!  You will hear me say that about Heather Blake's alter ego Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series too.  Last year I also tried one of her Nina Quinn mysteries and loved it as well, so I guess it has become abundantly clear that I will have to shorten this by saying, I love her writing, no matter whom she is writing as.

Heather Blake/Webber books are usually labeled cozy and are the pinnacle of what a cozy mystery should be.  For me, cozy mysteries are often predictable and overly quaint; neither of these are words I would use to describe Heather Blake's books.  Whenever I pick up one of her books I find it hard to put down.  I love her characters, I love her mysteries, and I love that she can write about magic without making it the focal point of the story.  (In fact, I'm betting that even non-fantasy readers will love her work -so much so that I've sent Julie the first book in the series!)

Things are finally starting to return to normal for Darcy when she stumbles across another body.  Although the chief of the village police is her boyfriend, the Crafters to turn to Darcy to find resolution, the Elder has even tasked her with it.  This would cause a normal amount of friction if it weren't for the fact that the woman trying to steal her man is on the force with him just waiting to make her life difficult for interfering with the investigation.  While there were a few things I guessed, I did not solve the mystery and that is always a plus in my book.

I cannot recommend the Wish Crafter series enough... or the Lucy Valentine series... and Heather Blake has a new Magic Potion series coming out in November and I'm sure I'll love it too.  In the mean time, I will have to catch up with Nina Quinn...

Final Take:  5/5


 

Jenn's Review: A Witch Before Dying

Summary:  Darcy Merriweather is Salem, Massachusetts’ newest resident Wishcrafter—a witch who can grant wishes for others. While Darcy isn’t able to grant wishes for herself, she does possess a certain knack for solving problems—including the occasional murder…

When Darcy is hired by Elodie Keaton to clean up her missing mother’s disorderly home, the Wishcrafter is certainly up for the task. After all, the motto of her Aunt Ve’s personal concierge service As You Wish is “No Job Impossible.” But beneath the piles of old newspapers and knickknacks Darcy discovers something much more disturbing—Patrice Keaton’s body.

Darcy’s determined to give Elodie peace of mind by investigating her mother’s disappearance and death. Patrice was last seen over a year ago after a fight with her Charmcrafter boyfriend. Was her murder a crime of passion? Or were Patrice’s troubles caused by the Anicula, a wish-granting amulet? Now Darcy has to not only find a killer, she has to find the Anicula— before the power of ultimate wish fulfillment falls into the wrong hands…

Review:  I adore Heather Blake's/Heather Webber's books.  They're fun without being overly frivolous.  They're engaging and magical, just like her characters.  (In a lot of ways, her writing reminds me of lighter version Sarah Addison Allen, who I also love.)

I have never been to Salem, so I have no idea if The Enchanted Village I've constructed in my head from the Wishcraft series resembles an actual place, but I must say I love the quaint, charming town in the novels.  Not only do I want to visit, I'd move there!  ( I think that makes me a Seeker... in the Crafter world.)  The residents are all interesting as is their interpersonal relationships.

Darcy has gotten pulled into another crime investigation and Heather Blake has done it in a way that seems completely normal, well, for a Crafter anyway.  It makes sense that fellow Crafter's would trust Darcy more than the police.  I like the way she's laid the groundwork for further investigations too, to keep things from getting too "Cabot Cove-y".    

The plot was plenty twisty and full of surprises.  I thought I had found the culprit early on, but I was completely suckered in by a false trail.  I like how there is a little romance in each novel, but it's fits into the plot and doesn't take over the storyline.  I love getting to know all the townsfolk and it was amazing how quickly all the characters came back to me... and it's been almost a year since I read the first novel.

All in all, if you enjoy Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series (read it if you haven't!), I think you will enjoy the Wishcraft series she writes under Heather Blake.  I'm going to delve further into her Nina Quinn mystery series this year too.  She is becoming one of those author's who's books I purchase at publication no questions asked.

Final Take:  4.5/5.0

Jenn's Review: It Takes A Witch

Summary:  Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters-witches with the power to cast spells by making a wish. She's come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation...  ~product description

Review: Having adored Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series, I knew It Takes a Witch under her new pen name Heather Blake would have a lot to live up to. (I'm actually am so enamored with the Lucy Valentine books that I don't want to read book three which, as it stands now, is the last book in the series.)  I am pleased to report that It Takes a Witch held its own.

Whereas the Lucy Valentine books dabble in the paranormal, It Takes a Witch is fully paranormal because it centers around a community of Crafters (AKA witches) living among mortals in a little New England town.  The town capitalizes on their witchy reputation by commercializing it, and making it a magical destination, completely unawares that there are real witches in residence.  However, Enchanted Village has had a recent crime wave that starts with some pick pocketing and ends with a murder which is not only bad for publicity, it's downright un-neighborly.  I love the setting of this book because I live not too far from a quaint mystical community that may or may not be home to real witches and It Takes a Witch provided a wonderful scope for the imagination.

The mystery is good.  I didn't find myself pushing to figure out the whodunit of it all because there were so many small mysteries to enjoy unravelling.   Some of the things I solved before Darcy and some I didn't... and a few little things Heather Blake left unresolved for the next book.  There's also a good dose of her trademark humor and witty dialogue.

My only complaint is that I felt that I didn't get to know the characters quite as well as I would have liked, but there were an abundance of them, which is perhaps why Blake didn't explore them as deeply as she could have.  I loved that so few of the characters are who they seem to be on the surface.  I also liked the fact that Darcy wasn't investigating the town crime wave because she was nosy or curious, but because she got pulled into it in an attempt to protect her family.

This story was a snapshot into Darcy's and Harper's life.   I want to know about Darcy's past. I want to know Nick's story.  I want to know more about Darcy's family heritage as Crafters.  I want to know more about the community of Crafters.  I want to know more about the different Crafters.  I want to know about the Elder.  And I definitely want to know more about the crazy twist at the end.  I want... to read the next book!

The crazy thing is, I wouldn't mind if Heather Blake switched protagonists with each story in the series.  That's not to say that I didn't love Darcy, it's just that there isn't an uninteresting character and they certainly provide a wealth of untapped stories for the continuation of the series.  

If you are looking for a nice light mystery with lots of great characters,  a little magic, and a little romance, you've got to check out It Takes a Witch.  Also check out her other books, published under Heather Webber.  I have quite a few of them in my TBR pile.

Final Take:  3.75/5


Want to sample It Takes a Witch?  Here's an excerpt.