Book 19, 2023

[chez_jae]

When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night I finished reading When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace. This is the second book in the "Evenfall Witches B&B" series of paranormal cozies. The main character is young, widowed witch Brynn Warren.

Having recently recovered her magical ability--being able to see and speak to ghosts--Brynn is feeling better about her life. She is still mourning the loss of her husband, and she'd rather her aunt Izzy not try to set her up with any eligible bachelors, but for the most part, life is good. Things take a turn when the ghost of chocolatier, Mortimer Sweete, comes to Brynn and insists he was murdered. The coroner ruled his death one of natural causes, but Mort is adamant. Brynn promises to investigate on his behalf. When she learns he actually was poisoned, Brynn sees no way she can go to the police. What would she tell them? Instead, she and her aunts, Izzy and Nora, use their magic to uncover the truth about what happened the night Mort died.

The story was lighthearted for the most part, but there was an undercurrent of grief in it. Brynn is still grieving for her husband, and now she's dealing with those who are grieving for Mort, including his wife Angie and his cousin Les. Characterizations were very good, including characters who played only small roles. There were some interesting subplots going on, consisting of Brynn giving young witch-wannabe Nixie a spell to try, along with the odd feeling that Brynn keeps getting throughout the story--something that distracts and compels her.

SPOILERS!

* I hate, loathe, despise, and abhor it when anyone ambushes someone with a romantic prospect. Brynn is a grown woman, still mourning the loss of her husband, but her Aunt Izzy arranged a luncheon with not one but three bachelors whom she thought were suitable. Brynn was angry, and rightfully so.
* The fact that Nixie was eventually able to perform the spell was nice, but confounding. If she's descended from a long line of witch hunters, and only witches can perform magic, how was this possible?
* I guess we can tell that future books will have Brynn's True Love as a romantic interest. While I think it's nice she gets a second chance at love, why make it out as though he was Mr Right all along? What if she'd met him while still married to Adam? And finally, can one cozy mystery series not have the lead character with a love interest? It would be refreshing to read a story wherein the heroine is divorced/widowed/never married and content with her life.


* Brynn neither found the body (she was hanging out with her aunts when Mort appeared to her), nor did she end up in peril at the end, when the killer was revealed. Can I get a 'Hallelujah!'?

Favorite lines:
♦ In fairness, she was more of an autumn person.
I can relate.
♦ "I thought I had this all figured out. And then you had to go and throw a haiku in the works."
I hate when people do that. LOL!
♦ Toad most likely. We had quite a few. They were often attracted to witches.
*eyes toads in basement*
♦ What was it about felines that gave them the urge to trip people up at the most inopportune times?
I can relate.

Very good book, entertaining with good pacing, an interesting plot, and relatable characters. Four stars.