Tag: water kingdom

BLOG TOUR – Cookie Dough, Snow, and Wands – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's Musings9 Comments

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Greetings! Welcome to another Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Today I’m thrilled to be hosting a stop for Cookie Dough, Snow, and Wands Aglow, the fourth book in the Spells & Caramels series by Erin Johnson! This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and as my quote on the banner says, I’m absolutely enamored with this series!

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About the Book

Cookie Dough, Snow & Wands Aglow: A Cozy Witch Mystery (Spells & Caramels)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Self Published
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1983404115
Digital ASIN: B078MNJZFM
Purchase Links: Amazon

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Synopsis

Murder in a magical, merry town just brimming with secrets.

On the snowy road to the Earth Kingdom for the holidays, Imogen and the bakers are ambushed by Horace, villainous leader of the Badlands Army. They’re forced to detour to an idyllic, rural village, bedecked in lights, garlands and winter cheer…all a little too perfect to believe. At least that’s so for Imogen, who’s seeing burned out buildings and mysterious memorials that no one else seems to notice.

Hank’s royal presence gets them invited to the big bash at the governor’s mansion. The night is filled with dancing, stolen kisses under the mistletoe and fun, until a guest is found dead in the cauldron of punch.

As bodies and mysteries pile up, all the evidence points to the vampire Francis as the culprit. The gang must come together to clear their friend’s name and save themselves from the angry villagers. Even worse, Imogen struggles with having to keep her relationship with Hank hidden, while working with him to find the real killer.

As Imogen unearths more than a few town secrets, she finally solves the riddles of her past and discovers the truth of Horace’s pursuit of her. But will all the secrets be unraveled in time to stop the killer, or will Imogen and her friends suffer a monstrous fate?

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Review – 4.5 out of 5 stars

I love this series so much! This latest installment in the series does not disappoint at all.

We find our characters on a special trip for Bruma, a holiday to celebrate the Winter Solstice. They get detoured to this little town and as usual, a murder occurs and the investigative spirits of the team are needed to help solve the mystery!

These characters are very well-rounded and complex. They’re realistic (aside from the magic part 😉 ), wonderful, and just a joy to read. I enjoy learning more and more about them as we get further into the series. The characters just draw you in and make you believe that you’re friends with them all. And let me tell you, I don’t normally do vampires, but I love Francis, so that’s really saying something!

This particular book found us learning something important truths. I did NOT see the plot twist coming at all. It makes things make a lot of sense, but I still wasn’t expecting it. The way that we find these things out is perfect.

I did figure out the villain before the reveal, though I hadn’t figured out how she had done it exactly, so that part was still a surprise when it was revealed.

All in all this is an excellent 4th installment in the series and I’m looking forward to the 5th book! If you wish to read the series, I highly, HIGHLY recommend you start at the beginning with Seashells, Spells, & Caramels. While each mystery in the series is it’s own separate story, you need the backstory on the personal relationships and other things that are happening throughout the whole series in order to understand why the plot twist was so astounding.

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©Cute Colors

 

About the Author

 

Erin Johnson is a native of Tempe, Arizona, Erin spends her time crafting mysterious, magical, romance-filled stories that’ll hopefully make you laugh. In between, she’s traveling, napping with her dogs, eating with her friends and family, and teaching Pilates (to allow her to eat more).

Website: www.erinjohnsonwrites.com. Facebook: www.facebook.com/EJohnsonWrites. Twitter: @EJohnsonWrites

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Thanks for joining me today! If you wish to visit more spots on the tour, please click on the banner below to be transported to the main tour page where you can find a list of all tour participants!

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BLOG TOUR – Seashells, Spells, & Caramels – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's Musings16 Comments

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4.5 out of 5 stars.

Welcome! Today, I’m featuring a stop on the Great Escape Virtual Book Tour for Seashells, Spells, & Caramels, the first book in the Spells & Caramels series by Erin Johnson! It was an absolutely delightful read! I really enjoyed it!

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Purchase Links: Amazon

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Synopsis

Imogen’s spent her twenties in Seattle, saving every penny and missing every party, to follow her dream of opening her own bakery.

When that dream goes up in flames, she accepts a spot in a mysterious baking contest—one she doesn’t remember entering. She travels to a bustling, medieval village off the coast of France and discovers an enchanting world of magic and mystery, and learns that she, too, possesses powers.

Unable to so much as cast a spell, Imogen struggles to keep up with the other witches and wizards who have come from all over the magical world to the Water Kingdom’s big competition. She juggles relationships with a sweet new friend, a snarky baking fire, and a brooding, handsome baker. As Imogen falls for this bewitching world, she fears she won’t master her magic in time to win the job of Royal Head Baker, and will be forced to return to the shambles of her non magical life.

It only gets worse, when a competitor drops dead in the middle of the big white baking tent, and Imogen’s the prime suspect. Now, she’ll not only have to survive the vampire and psychic judges, but also clear her name by finding the real murderer, before they strike again.

With a killer on the loose, a missing prince, and the Summer Solstice Festival fast approaching, Imogen will have to bake like her life depends on it – because it just might.

Review

This was an absolutely delightful read! It didn’t quite have that magical touch that made it a 5-star read, but it’s a solid 4.5 in my opinion!

Imogen is a wonderful character, full of spunk and makes the best of whatever situation she’s in. She’s well-developed, complex, and full of life. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the other characters further as we get further into the series, especially Maple, Sam, Iggy, and Hank.

The setting was great. I thought the descriptions of Bijou Mer were delightful and magical (which is only fitting). I could imagine everything pretty well but yet could still use my imagination to fill in details.

The mystery was pretty good. I did have an inkling of the culprits, but I wasn’t sure until closer to the end. It ended up that I was right, but it didn’t spoil the rest of the story for me.

All in all, this magical mystery is a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to the sequel coming out later in November!

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About the Author

ErinJohnson

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Erin spends her time crafting mysterious, magical, romance-filled stories that’ll hopefully make you laugh.
In between, she’s traveling, napping with her dogs, eating with her friends and family, and teaching Pilates (to allow her to eat more).

Website: www.erinjohnsonwrites.com.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EJohnsonWrites.
Twitter:@EJohnsonWrites

 

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© Cute Colors Graphics

Thanks for joining me today for this stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Seashells, Spells, & Caramels. If you wish to visit other stops on the tour, please click on the banner below. It will take you to the main tour page where you will find a list of participants!

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