Covens, Cakes, and Big Mistakes

The Witches of Pinecroft Cove, Book Two

By: Nicole St Claire

Narrated by: Stephanie Murphy

Can Tamsyn cook up a spell to solve a famous author's murder before the killer strikes again?

It's Tamsyn's first solo gig as manager of the Pinecroft Inn's kitchen after Aunt Gwen skips out for a once in a lifetime cruise right before the start of the island’s big literary festival. Tamsyn thinks she finally has a handle on the whole magical cooking thing, but her confidence turns to panic when a famous author dies after eating the treats she'd prepared for the festival’s fancy-schmancy afternoon tea.

Whatever caused his demise, the author's ghost isn't talking. The same cannot be said for Lillian, the newly manifested spirit of a feisty flapper who is making herself at home in Tamsyn’s bedroom. Between the lonely ghost and her demanding feline familiar, Tamsyn hasn't had a moment of quiet in weeks. Is it any wonder she might have made a few mistakes when baking her cake? It's not like she expected it to turn deadly!

Even as suspects start to pile up and it turns out there's no end to the islanders who might have wanted the victim dead, all eyes remain on Tamsyn and her lethal lemon cake. Will her absolutely-not-a-boyfriend, the charming Dr. Caldwell, come to her rescue with lab results that clear her name, or will it be up to Tamsyn and her coven to cook up a spell to reveal what really happened at the tea before a killer can strike again?

Don’t miss the second book in the Witches of Pinecroft Cove series of paranormal cozy mysteries!

©2019 Nicole St Claire (P)2019 Nicole St Claire

Loved It!

After reading Spirits, Pies, and Alibis, I couldn't wait for the second book in the Tamsyn series.
The story grabbed me right away- I found myself laughing out loud at times.
The narrator did a fabulous job conveying the emotions of Tamsyn.
l am looking forward to the next adventure of Tamsyn and company!

Magical Evolution and Afterlife Revelations

Tamsyn is managing the Pinecroft Inn solo while Aunt Gwen is away on vacation and it does not take long into the local literary festival for murder and mayhem to ensue. It was a hard push for me at the start of this story as the mounting obligations Tamsyn kept agreeing to despite her clear incompetency and with her family's business on the line went beyond cringeworthy to ludicrous. The story was in fact very engaging, the evolution of Tamsyn and her coven's magic incredibly interesting, the other characters in this story drawing me in, and yet Tamsyn herself is often difficult to root for. I know this type of character is pretty standard within this genre, says things with literally no filter and with little consideration for others and usually no real discernible proof other than it popped into their head, but there are several moments in the story Tamsyn conducts herself in a way that is quite harmful to others and even offensive. Fortunately this did not dominate the story and these moments passed quickly and returned to much more intriguing aspects that are well written and keep me wanting to explore further volumes. There is a slight cliff hanger but nothing that leaves the reader feeling cheated more intrigued. I am really enjoying the evolution of Tamsyn's magic and felt that the narrator did a wonderful job with the voices. I am happy to continue the series but do hope that Tamsyn's character shows more self-awareness and impulse control in the future volumes, there is always that line where a protagonist starts to become unlikeable instead of relatable and hopefully the author is able to keep this character where I want to keep listening. Again some of these things are totally personal preference and may not irk some listeners at all, and overall I think this continues to be a promising paranormal cozy series that I look forward to continuing.

Fun and Quirky

My 85 yrs old mother in law and l listened to this book on a road trip. We found both the story and the narration fun and quirky. It was a clean book that l can recommended to any adult/YA age. looking forward to book 3.

Too Funny

Tamsyn just gets better and better. I greatly enjoyed the first book. However, this one was just over the top entertaining. No exploding pies here, but there are plenty of spells going awry to keep you in stitches.

no kitchen witch here

There were so many possible culprits. I enjoyed following along, but had no idea who the villain was. I enjoyed my experience. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator was good.