Reviews

A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

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lynguy1's review against another edition

4.0

A SPELL FOR TROUBLE by Esme Addison is the first book in the An Enchanted Bay paranormal cozy mystery series. The story takes place in Bellamy Bay, North Carolina and the author does a great job of world-building.
Alexandra Daniels lost her mother when she was young and recently lost her father. She hasn’t been to visit her aunt and cousins in North Carolina since she was a child. Instead, she has focused on her career in risk management in New York. However, she decides to accept an invitation and visit her relatives and help them for a few weeks in their family business, an herbal apothecary.

Alex is a compelling character that is engaging and someone you can root for. Her goals were clear and proactive enough to influence the plot with believable motivations. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. I was immediately drawn into the story and the vivid descriptions of the seaside town gave me a great sense of the place.

There are a lot of themes woven into this story including murder, marital affairs, secrets, rumors, family rivalries, making wrong assumptions, the importance of family, and much more. While I guessed who the murderer was, there were several twists and turns along the way and one very large surprise.

Overall, I enjoyed this well-written novel and recommend the series to those that enjoy this genre. It is the first book that I have read by this author and I am already looking forward to the next one. I liked how magic was weaved into the plot of this cozy mystery without overwhelming it. This was a solid start to a new series that was engaging and entertaining.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Esme Addison for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

dangerous_mouse's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The characters, setting, and concept had potential for a fun cozy mystery series, but the writing was occasionally so terrible it felt painful to continue.

laura1980458's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

danileighta's review against another edition

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4.0

A cute, cozy mystery with some surprising twists. When I hear about magical mysteries, I'm usually game. This one had an interesting premise with Polish water witches as the main characters based on mermaid folklore from Poland. (I knew of the Danish mermaid fairytale, but I wasn't aware of the Polish version.)

Definitely cozy, but some meaty intrigue. We have a lot to learn about Alex's past and the fued between her family and the Wesleys. I'm looking forward to the next in the series, though disappointed that I'll have to wait nearly 8 months! Ah well, it's probably good that she's not cranking them out at Patterson speeds.