Book 47, 2020

[chez_jae]

The Case of the Love Spell by Amorette Anderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I finished reading The Case of the Love Spell, by Amorette Anderson, last night. It's the prequel to the author's "Hillcrest Witch" mystery series. I read the first book in the series already, thinking it was, you know, the first book in the series. Me and my OCD are not happy about reading things out of order.

Penny Banks has lived in the small town of Hillcrest her entire life. She has a failing PI business and a failed relationship with Chris, who works for the police department. The only things good in Penny's life are her cat, Turkey, and her friends from her knitting group. When an elderly woman who lives just out of town dies, her handyman, Gunther, comes to Penny to ask her to investigate. He claims Claudine was murdered. He gives her a few things that belonged to Claudine, including a strand of pearls, a tea pot, and an old book. Shortly after Claudine's death, the mountain pass, which never gets through traffic, suddenly comes alive, bringing two unusual people to town: the handsome Dr Max Shire, and the enigmatic, blue-haired Azure. Both of them express keen interest in the book Gunther gave to Penny, but she's not so keen on giving it up. Instead, she takes the book to her knitting club so they can all study it. The book is a how-to on becoming a witch.

When Penny learns that Claudine was a witch whose job it was to guard the portal of the Hillcrest Pass, she and her friends decide they will take up the mantle, become witches, and guard the pass. This time, however, Penny may have bitten off more than she can chew.

This was a fun, fluffy cozy. Penny is a bit of a walking disaster, but she has a good heart, and she's determined to prove that Claudine was murdered.

Favorite line: Yep, that whiff of annoyance that I caught has now turned into a full-blown stink bomb.

An enjoyable read, if a bit trite. Giving it an average score.