The Rebel’s Runes is book 5 in the Marley the Witch series and I really love the way the Amorette ties magic into the series. Yes, the book is set in a magical retreat, but the victim’s and killers of this series don’t always have a magical background. The victim in this book is someone who was taking part in the retreat and was found dead by the river. The murder weapon? A rock that was found in the coat of Raven, the runes teacher. Of course this would be a problem for Marley if her guest instructors were killing her guests, so of course Marley needs to find out the truth. So how does it go?
Bait and Witch was my first ARC that I received for 2021. If you aren’t familiar with ARC’s they are advanced reader copies that are given in an exchange for an honest review. I was pretty excited to get this copy because it combined two of my favorite things, magic and cozy mysteries. There were a lot of great things about this book but it just didn’t hit the mark for a 5 star read. The main issue that prevented me from giving this 5 stars was that it was a little hard to connect with the main character. But there were some magical things that happened in the book that I honestly loved. Talking books anyone? Well, technically they only spoke in Josie’s head, but still! Being able to just hear the name of the book someone needs and it help them in some way would be such a cool power to have.
Dani is a young woman who has left a promising career behind because it was turning her into someone she hated. Thankfully she received an inheritance that would allow her to pursue a career that she loved. What is it you ask? Well, the title of the book is a major hint. She wanted to be able to focus on her cooking and baking so she started a “chef-to-go” business. Add to that the responsibility of overseeing 3 college girls, a catering gig, and a murder, and you have the perfect recipe for a delightful cozy mystery.
The book of course does not start off with her in a position of overseeing 3 college girls, but chaos ensues and the young women end up needing a place to stay. You see, Dani inherited a house that was being converted into a B &B before her aunt passed away and with no additional income Dani really needed to find a way to pay her bills. So when her friend showed up at her door asking to live with her she couldn’t say no…well, actually she did say no but they changed her mind. Part of the agreement for the women living with her is that they had to each work a set amount of hours for her every week. Everything was working out great until they catered an event where Dani was seen arguing with the victim. Of course that would mean that she was the prime suspect. BUT to make matters worse, the detective working the case has it out for Dani and is willing to do whatever it takes to prove she is guilty.
The only complaint I have about the book is that there was a lot of focus on the preparations of the food. I get why the author did it, but maybe less time could have been spent on that. I was please by the fact that there was a “hot uncle” that didn’t become the focus of the book. Sometimes a romance story line gets forced into a book and that thankfully didn’t happen. When it comes to a cozy I prefer the focus to be on solving the murder. I enjoyed reading how Dani slowly pieced everything together with the help of her friends and a little luck. I will admit that the truth behind what happened was a little darker than I expected but that is what made this cozy stand out for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Yes, there were some parts that were a little cheesy but I enjoyed that. There were parts where the young women were a little whiney, but when it mattered most they were pretty solid. Not to give anything away but there was one interaction with the detective that showed just how smart these young women really were. The book did touch on some very realistic and darker themes so fair warning on that one. Would I read another book by this author? Absolutely!
When I saw this book on NetGalley I put out a prayer to the book gods that I would be able to scoop this one up! I mean it was about a haunted fall festival and of course delicious waffles! Two things that I absolutely love! And the best thing is there was a recipe in the back! So this weekend I will be making myself some pumpkin spice waffles!! But anyway, this is a review about the book, not the recipe in the back, so let’s get started!
This is one of the books that I read a while ago and thought it would be a fun one to share! This was one of the first books that I read from the cozy mystery genre before I knew that was a thing! I remember being so excited to read a murder mystery without having to deal with all of the gory details about the murder! Little did I know at the time that there was an entire genre of books that would give me that happy balance. So let me tell you a little about one of the first cozies that I have read!
The Owl's Book Nest 