Broomstick Blend

A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery, Book 8

By: Kennedy Layne

Narrated by: Annalyse McCoy

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

A baffling whodunit arises while comical antics abound as USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Layne continues her Paramour Bay Mysteries . . .

Lady bugs, bumblebees, and butterflies are enjoying the humid summer days and nights in the quaint Connecticut coastal town of Paramour Bay. Completely exhausted, Raven Marigold is doing everything she can to keep her cool after the town mysteriously loses power. No electricity means no coffee . . . no coffee means that Raven's nerves are more than a bit frayed.

After a bit of investigating, Raven discovers evidence that witchcraft might have been involved in causing the power outage that has puzzled the residents and left them a little bit cranky. Well, their irritability turns into straight up panic when a possible murder victim is discovered smack dab in the middle of the town's cobblestone square.

Bring a flashlight if you want to help Raven and the rest of the gang solve this latest blackout mystery that will have you scrambling until the very last sentence!

©2019 Kennedy Layne (P)2022 Tantor

Another Fun Romp In Paramour Bay

I enjoy my visits with Raven and the characters who make this a fun read. Liam (hunky sheriff) is a keeper, and even Leo (cat familiar retrieved using necromancy - long story) has his moments. This visit was a little offbeat with a few more twists and turns that may or may not even be relevant to the subject murder, but I still enjoyed the relationship building throughout the investigation, and, yes, there is a cliffhanger of possible monumental portent. I hope the wait for the next book is not a long one.

Better Than the Last, Downbeat Ending

I had been pretty bummed after listening to volume 7 and was almost ready to give up on this series but I felt like there was a little improvement with this volume. I will say I think the entire series would be improved by a different narrator. The two women who have narrated these stories are just not my favorite and almost remind me of having Siri or Alexa reading a story to me. I would love more emotion and personality to bring out the eccentricity of these characters and tales but the narrator just makes everything so-so. Some developments that have been building arrive in this story. I have been trying to figure out timelines and it is not easy but finally someone in the story mentioned Raven has been in Paramour Bay for 10 months after arriving in October, so here we are during a heat wave in August. So we have gone through 10 months in these 8 volumes. After not feeling as if there has been much growth with characters and in relationships this story develops both. I will say though the resolution of this mystery is definitely a downbeat. Not the typical satisfaction in a mystery solved and was a very different wrap up then what one typically sees in cozies. Every story starts with a summary of characters and events so far so no matter how long it has been since your last listen you will be oriented pretty quickly. Again I would be so curious to listen to one of these stories with a different narrator and see how much that would change my enjoyment of these stories. For instance Amanda Ronconi has often made me like cozy mysteries that were not that well written but her emotion and distinctive voices brought the story to life. This story I actually am very intrigued by the characters and the world being created but the voice makes things feel less interesting. This was definitely an improvement from the last edition and has once again made me hopeful for the next volume.

Pretty good but…

I’m enjoying the stories in general. The repetitive stuff though is getting tedious. Yeah, we get it. You don’t want to talk to people about magic. Yeah, we get it, You are clumsy. Yeah, your mom is a jerk. The squirrel stuff is beyond obnoxious. And I think that the cat could be a little less obnoxious and vocal.

Finally, the narrator. Oh my. The words “walk” and “talk” both have a silent L. You don’t pronounce it. STOP IT. Please. Please stop.

Love this series

Love this series. So sad that the audiobook versions end here just when I’m getting to the best place where we find out how the Sheriff will react if Raven tells him she’s a witch. Love the whimsical feel of this entire series in the stark contrast to the world around us today. Love the stories and the Cat, most pet owners verbalize what we think our animals would say in situations. So this stuck a chord with me since I’m one of these pet owners. I hope the audiobooks come for the rest of this series, as I really love the audio versions when I’m tired or not feeling well and I can rest and not read per say but imagine the books through my imagination. I will definitely be in line first to buy the rest of the series if they are released in an audio version! Thank you Ms Layne for great stories!