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Cute new cozy series combining murder with witchcraft. The main character, Katie, uproots her old life and moves to Savannah to help her aunt and uncle run their new bakery. In addition to a new job and new home, she also acquires a cute terrier familiar, two potential boyfriends, and the discovery that she is a witch. As she learns about her new budding powers, she tries to resolve a murder that threatens to tear apart her new-found home and family.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Katie Lightfoot leaves behind an assistant baker job in Ohio to come to Savannah to work with her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben as they open up the Honeybee Bakery. (The bakery is named after Lucy's cat.)
While whipping up delectable treats to sell Katie notices Lucy adding mysteries herbs to the recipes. Katie gets quite the surprise when she learns that Aunt Lucy is a witch and these herbal additions are for much more than flavor. The recipes are in fact spells!
After the bakery opens early to cater to the local business group the treasurer tries to stiff them for most of the bill. Ben tells her to fork over the full amount or he will go over her head to the president. After she threatens Ben with running the bakery out of business she storms out.
Within minutes the treasurer is found dead in her car and Uncle Ben is the prime suspect. Lucy and Katie team up with a few of their friends and mix up some spells to prove Ben is innocent and sweep the real killer all the way to jail.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Could there be more perfect witches than those who bake up tasty treats? Plus the book even shares some of their recipes!!
Cates has created an ideal protagonist in Katie Lightfoot and surrounded her with some whimsical characters, including a hunky firefighter and some very special pets. (My hubby was a firefighter way back when, just saying.) She wrapped around them an intriguing mystery in a yummy setting that makes this story a joy to read.
The women in this story are so different from each other and would it not be for the shared trait of witchcraft they probably would not even know each other, let alone become friends. They realize they each have faults and accept each other for who they are.
The men on the other hand don't get along as well. Declan, the firefighter, can barely stand to be in the same room as Steve, the reporter. They have a past the fuels their fury but they both care about Katie.
Lucy and Ben have a strong relationship but both Lucy and Katie have to deal with Katie's mom's denial of the "family specialty".
Bailey Cates blends this all together masterfully giving us a charming cozy to devour. The bewitching book group and bakery foundations have been set in this first installment and has given us a taste of what's in store. I can't wait to see what the author conjures up for us next.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DAinNY1
Posted May 19, 2012
love discovering new series, and in this one Katie Lightfoot learns that she was born to a family of spell-casting witches. That newfound task may be put to use when her uncle becomes the prime suspect in a murder. Knowing that the police will need absolute proof of her uncle’s innocence, Katie and the others begin an investigation into who had a stronger motive. This was a fun book that I enjoyed immensely. The murder mystery stomped me and totally caught me unaware of the killer’s identity. I like the spirit of Katie as she comes to term with her heredity and the supporting characters blend beautifully in the storyline and I can’t wait to read more about their history. This fast-moving whodunit boasts a great plot, a lovable and colorful cast, entertaining dialogue and a warm and a friendly tone. This is a great beginning in this charmingly enchanting debut series that I hope is here to stay.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 19, 2013
If you love reading cozy mysteries, and baking treats, you'll love this!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.HandsHeal2
Posted February 15, 2013
What can be better than a kitchen witch who cooks up sumptuous pastries, solves murders and has a dog for a familiar?
Fast-paced writing with lots of fun characters, a couple of hunky love interests and a young woman coming into her own.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Anonymous
Posted January 19, 2013
Good charcters,fun to read
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DaleneH
Posted September 23, 2012
I chose to read this book was it had been a while since I had read a cozy. I was a little bit leary to read about witches and magic, but it definitely didn’t disappoint. There were spells cast and introduction to the magic, but it was done in a very cute way.
All of the characters were very likeable and interesting. I still wonder if the neighbor will appear in the next installments of the series. I almost wonder if she is a witch as well. I thought Katie made an excellent sleuth. Very strong and smart. The mystery was very well done and I think I had it figured out about halfway through the book, but then decided I was wrong before it was revealed in the end.
Of course, in a cozy there are two interested males in the female sleuth. May favorite after reading this book is Declan. Of course Steve was fairly “charming” himself.
I recommend this to all readers of cozy mysteries whether you enjoy magic or not.
shelleyg
Posted September 16, 2012
Katie moves to Savannah to work at the Honeybee which is owned by her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben. Things are busy as there are just a few days until the Grand opening of The Honeybee.And they want everything to be perfect for that day.
When Mavis Templeton is found dead on the day of The Honeybees opening.with a little witchcraft, will they find out who killed Mavis before it is to late? The only suspect is uncle Ben sice he was descibed as the killer, but is there someone else and will they find out in time. Lucy and the ladies have some work to do if they plan to prove that Uncle Ben is innocent. Using their spells will be the only way of proving it too.
Bailey Cates pulls you in from the very first page and you instantly fall in love with Katie and Lucy and the Ladies of the spell bookclub and also Mungo, Lucy's dog who is also her Familiar.
Pick up this book today for a Brilliant First in a new series read.
kat52548
Posted September 12, 2012
I highly recommend this series starter. A little surprised in the beginning. Just love to live in some of the chapters myself. Love Lucy and the homeless pup. Interesting storyline. This is a must read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I thought this was a great first book for the series. The author got me interested and invested in the characters. I can't wait to see what happens next in their lives.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 14, 2012
This was fun reading i know cozy lovers will want more
Tell her to get busy
This is a wonderful start to a very long series (I hope). Witch lit is hard to find and I have only found a small handful of writers up to the challenge of filling it but I am glad to say that Bailey Cates is up to the task.
I love Katie's reluctance about finding out about her legacy, and I love that Ms. Cates thinks outside of the broom closet in magical terms. If you enjoy Annette Blair, Madelyn Alt, or Juliette Blackwell then I know that you will enjoy the wit, romance and thrill of this author.
Brownies and Broomsticks
A Magical Bakery Mystery
by Bailey Cates
An Obsidian Mystery
Bailey Cates has written a delicious new cozy mystery. Brownies and Broomsticks introduces us to Katie Lightfoot, a most engaging protagonist, who is a very talented, one might even say, magically so, baker. Katie, in order to get over being jilted by her former fiance, has moved lock, stock, and barrel from Akron, Ohio, to Savannah, Georgia, to join her aunt and uncle as they open their new business, Honeybee Bakery. Katie soon discovers that there's more to her aunt and her "Book Club" friends-- in fact, her Aunt Lucy is a practicing Hedgewitch, and the "Book Club" members are actually a functioning Wiccan coven. The darling little Cairn Terrier whom she ends up adopting and naming Mungo the Magnificient, turns out to be her familiar. As Katie begins to come to grips with her own magical abilities, disaster strikes the day of the bakery's opening, with the murder of a nasty customer only a few feet from the bakery, and Katie's Uncle Ben is the prime suspect, as he had been heard having a heated discussion with the woman only minutes before she was found dead. Katie determines to discover the identity of the real culprit in order to clear her uncle's name, and her determination to find justice is the prime theme of the book. Along the way, not only does she acquire Mungo, the Cairn Terrier, but has not one but two eligible young men who are interested in more than friendship with her. The book is quite a page turner, as the plot line is quite engrossing, and there are myriad references to wonderful, mouth-watering bakery items which Katie and her Aunt Lucy produce. References to the city of Savannah also make this an interesting regional mystery, but it's Katie herself, with her determination to find out the truth about herself and find the real criminal that make this book such satisfying reading. Recipes for Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies and Cheddar Sage Scones are included at the end of the book. Aficianados of Culinary Cozies such as Wicked Appetite and Earthly Delights will find this a necessary addition to their library. Highly Reommended.
Skky
Posted June 14, 2012
I enjoyed this book, characters and story line were quite enjoyable, will be waiting for the next one in this series. A fast read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LOVED this book ~ great plot and characters!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I love this genre of writing and I decided to read it based on the fact that the same publisher, publishes Juliette Blackwell books. I was not disappointed at all- the characters are likable yet flawed, leaving tons of room to explore different arcs in their development. Savannah Georgia is a wonderful place to be situated because the constant flow of tourists and history often create wonderful plots on their own. I see this a great start to what I hope will be a very long series!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Stitchgal1
Posted June 3, 2012
This a great book. Plot was well thought out, charter development was well done, and you had to read on to the end. Hard to put this book down. I was caught at the begining and couldn't put it down. Good read but not a heavy read. hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did. I can't wait till the sequel cpmes out.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Laurel_Blue
Posted May 19, 2012
What an exciting first story in a new series! Katie, her aunt, uncle, all of the new friends; the lovely home she is settlinmg into; her new found skills !! This story has something for everyone who reads cozy/magical mystery!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2012
Great fun summer read. Cannot wait for the next book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ladyj28
Posted May 13, 2012
Fun book. I could not put it down. I can't wait until the next one.
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Overview
Katie Lightfoot's tired of loafing around as the assistant manager of an Ohio bakery. So when her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben open a bakery in Savannah's quaint downtown district and ask Katie to join them, she enthusiastically agrees.
While working at the Honeybee Bakery—named after Lucy's ...