July 15, 2021
Everyone in the New England town of Evenfall knows there's something odd about the Warren family, but few suspect that they're witches. Brynn Warren and her aunts, Nora and Izzy, plus uncle Gideon, who lives in the attic, are good witches who have used their powers for the welfare of the townspeople for 400 years. The only guest currently staying in the home they run as a B&B is Constance Graves, who's paying for all the rooms and acting in a way that justifies every penny. Everyone knows Constance's reputation for being demanding, but this time she's outdoing herself, driving Nora to start using spells to get some peace. When Constance is found dead, the police decide that her decease was no accident, making the Warrens, especially Nora, prime suspects. Since the devastating death of her husband, Brynn's been forgoing her powers and moping about the house, shrugging off her family's efforts to engage her. Though her powers have grown rusty from disuse, Brynn realizes she must do her best to prove her relatives innocent. The members of the Graves family, for their part, have been at odds ever since their father died, leaving everything to Constance, who ignored his wishes to help her siblings in various ways. Forced out of her comfort zone to investigate, Brynn finds many unhappy secrets that could well have led to Constance's murder. Fans of the paranormal will enjoy the series debut of the Warrens, who go way beyond quirky.
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September 1, 2021
Constance Graves, on the outs with her family--and most of the town, for that matter--is staying at Ivywood Hollow, a B&B run by the Warren family while renovations are underway at her vintage mansion, Graves House, in Evenfall, Connecticut. Nora and Izzy Warren, and their niece Brynn, proprietors of Ivywood Hollow, are the current generation of a long line of witches, each with different skills. Nora knows horticulture, Izzy food, and Brynn communicates with ghosts. One evening, exhausted by their guests' demands, the Warrens hear a crash in Constance's bedroom. Upon checking, they find Constance dead. After Nora is accused, Brynn tries to determine the real killer without using magic, but is startled when her emotions cause unintended supernatural events, some serious, others amusing. She learns more about the Graves family, her own family, and herself in the process. As much as this is a murder mystery, it is also a novel about finding out the truth about relationships and families. First of a new series, this novel will appeal to fans of the magical series from Clea Simon and Amanda Flower.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
October 1, 2021
Wallace's ("Otter Lake") new series features young widow Brynn and her aunts Nora and Izzy who together own the Ivy Hollow Bed and Breakfast in the sleepy town of Evenfall, CT. The town doesn't know that Brynn and her aunts are witches who use their magic to try to help the town prosper. Their current guest, Constance Graves, is wearing her welcome thin and trying the patience of the aunts. Constance has reserved the B&B while her house is undergoing renovations. Unfortunately, Brynn and her aunts find the irritating woman murdered in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The three must team up to investigate when it appears that Aunt Nora is becoming the prime suspect. Brynn has the ability to communicate with ghosts and they need her to seek out Constance's. Sadly, ghosts tend not to remember much about their deaths and Brynn hasn't used her powers since her husband passed away over a year ago. Can they save Aunt Nora from jail and solve the case? VERDICT Wallace's wonderful Connecticut setting and quirky characters make this a fun new cozy mystery series.--Bill Anderson, Scott Cty. P.L., Scottsburg, IN
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