[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Josie notices Sam is back in town, it makes her heart race a little. But finding he’s come back with his not-so-ex wife, Fiona, and a baby, is a crushing discovery. Then Fiona goes missing. And the police suspect foul play. They also suspect Sam. So Josie agrees to help him find the truth.
Josie is hoping her developing magic could help with the case. But her grandmother’s letter to train Josie about curses doesn’t paint an optimistic picture for resolving the troubles she senses at the site of the old mill. But “trouble” is the right word. A body is found – but it isn’t Fiona’s.
Review
I loved book 1 in this Witch Way Librarian series, Bait and Witch. I loved how the books in the library spoke to Josie about the mysteries she faced and how they were central to her magic. But in this second book, the magical system has expanded to include land spirits, curses, and Josie taking over the body of her cat. That took things a few steps too far for me as a reader. I loved the bookish pieces, but the rest of this one didn’t click.
I didn’t enjoy Josie’s pining over Sam. And there really weren’t many fun character moments in this at all – well, except for the elderly woman who loved sweets. She was great. But characters are crucial for my enjoyment of a book.
The mystery is well-plotted and twisty, but I struggled to connect with it since I wasn’t clicking with the characters. Readers who enjoy their paranormal cozies with a broader magical system might have better luck with this one than I did. Fans of the first book, your mileage may vary on this, depending on what you enjoyed with the story.
Rating: ♥♥½*
*♥♥½ = Mostly solid to solid. Not a great fit for me, though.