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A review by dollycas
Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Dollycas's Thoughts
Mia has her hands full in Five Furry Familiars. Making the tough decision to turn over the day-to-day operation of Mia's Morsels, her cooking school and catering business to her boyfriend Trent's mom Abigail wasn't easy. Taking the job at the lodge as the catering director when the lodge stopped hiring her to cater their events has enabled her to receive a steady paycheck as she strived for ideas to make Mia's Morsels more profitable. Her best friend and roommate, Christina is working with Abigail but with her mother making constant and crazy demands she isn't always able to focus on her job. That gets even worse when her ex comes to town to win her back and ask her to marry him again. Her current boyfriend Levi is not happy. When the guy is murdered at his rental both Christine and Levi are on the suspect list.
While this is all going on someone leaves a box holding three kittens at Mia's front door and Trent gets a little Maltese as his new familiar. Dorian/Mr. Darcy doesn't care for any of them and Mia is unsure about all the pets but then another dead body is found so she needs to concentrate on catching a killer.
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I always have a big smile on my face when I start and when I finish a Kitchen Witch Mystery.
Magic, witches, warlocks, and familiars are an open secret in Magic Springs, Idaho. The old school that houses Mia's Morsels is a very interesting place where wards need to be maintained to keep everyone safe but they are also keeping some ghosts captive that may want to leave. They seem to be congregated in the old library. Ms. Cahoon's descriptive style puts her readers right on the scene whether the characters are communicating with the ghosts, making meals to be delivered daily all over town, attending events at the lodge, or hanging out in Mia's apartment.
All the characters continue to develop as the series continues and become more engaging and fun. Christine and Mia's ex, Isaac's mother, Mrs. Adams, tries to run her children's lives and she thinks she can run Mia's too. There is always a bit of chaos and drama whenever she is around. Grans also brings humor to situations as well. I love that she moves right in with Mia and Christine whenever exciting things start to happen. She also is right at hand to continue to educate Mia about her powers. Even with their exes in town Mia and Trent's relationship along with Christine and Levi's are going strong. Levi has a moment or two of doubt but they don't last long. With her husband out of town, Abigail is thrilled to take on more responsibility at Mia's Morsels but it is hard on Mia to be away so much. We saw a new side in this story of police chief Mark Baldwin, as an expectant father, who is going to receive an interesting piece of news shortly before his child is born. I appreciate the tight bond that has developed with the core characters and I love the addition of more furry familiars.
The mystery was a twisty one. I followed the clues throughout the story along with the characters. My focus was on a particular individual but coming up short on the motive. When the clues all fell into place for Mia she did the right thing in turning her information to Mark. I was just a little disappointed that like in Four Charming Spells the arrest took place outside of the story and things were quickly back to abnormally normal in Magic Springs without an exciting showdown.
Five Furry Familiars is a charming lighthearted paranormal cozy mystery with magical characters and an intriguing mystery. I am excited to see what Ms. Cahoon has planned for Mia and her friends next. Six Stunning Sirens will be released on September 24, 2024.