Book 25, 2026

[chez_jae]

No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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Late last night I finished reading my “spare” book: No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan. It’s the second book in the “Cora Crafts” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Cora Chevalier, although a decent portion of the book was in the pov of her friend/business partner, Jane.

Cora is settling into life in Indigo Gap, and she and Jane are hosting their second craft retreat out of Kildare House. Before the retreat officially begins, Jane is thrown into a panic when her daughter’s babysitter disappears. Gracie is a levelheaded law student, which makes it unlikely she just up and pulled a runner. In the meantime, Cora has received an odd text, saying only “I kidnapped her.” Soon Gracie’s boyfriend, Paul, and his friend, Henry, come to Kildare House to see if Cora or Jane has heard from Gracie or knows anything. The police are looking into the missing person angle, but when a body is found in the area, the situation grows more urgent...and sinister. Cora and Jane are desperate for news of Gracie, but they have two dozen crafters on site, and the show must go on.

I didn’t read the first book in the series, but I didn’t feel as though I was missing out. Cora left her job of assisting victims of domestic violence for the calmer world of crafting, while Jane has left an alcoholic ex-husband behind. Characters were portrayed well, and I hope to see some of them in future books. I’d like to say the plot made sense, but some things were confusing and never adequately explained. For instance, why was Cora one of about a dozen people to get that menacing text? Aside from that, the ending of the book was not cozy-mystery-friendly; it was more appropriate for a thriller mystery, and I was left disgruntled by it. One final gripe: The author (and her editor) need to learn the difference between “sat” and “set”. I cringed each time someone “sat” something down. Ugh.

Favorite lines:
♦ “To the record and memory keepers!”
♦ Soon the two of them were lost in the world of Harry Potter.

I enjoyed this story. It was interesting and kept my attention. I was prepared to give it four stars, but the ending has me taking one star off: three stars.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No (but I may need to add ‘crafter’ to this list!)
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? Yes
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, she has a cat
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? No
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes