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Petal to the Metal by Annabel Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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Finished an ebook last night: Petal to the Metal by Annabel Chase. It’s the first installment in the “Bloomin’ Psychic” series of paranormal mysteries. The main character is Amelia “Mia” Thorne.

Mia’s life has imploded. She lost her boyfriend, her home, and her job in one spectacular fail. However, Mia learns she has inherited a house from her great-aunt Hazel, whom she never met. She leaves NYC behind for the relative peace and quiet of a small town in Pennsylvania. Thinking she can sell Hazel’s house, Mia is dismayed to find out the will stipulates she must live in it for at least twelve months. Now she’s stuck with a house, an overgrown garden, and an even more overgrown cat. At least Hazel’s attorney, Dane, is easy on the eyes, as is his detective brother, Derek. Mia also meets some neighbors, Scarlett and Patrick, who quickly become friends and confidants. Just as she’s thinking things aren’t so bad, one of Hazel’s friends is found, bludgeoned to death in the garden. Initially a suspect, Mia starts asking questions to find out who really killed Gladys.

Fun and frivolous! I enjoyed Mia’s wit and how she rolled with the punches. Scarlett and Patrick were perfect foils and added an additional element of mystery and humor. The cat, Ophelia, was a cult of personality unto herself, and it was refreshing that Mia’s romantic sights focused on the attorney rather than the detective. Characters were all portrayed well, and the narrative proceeded smoothly and kept my attention.

Favorite lines:
♦ Based on her size, it seemed likely that Ophelia ate anyone she disliked.
♦ “I’ve found that life is nothing but a series of reactions to surprises.”
♦ “Ophelia brought you a gift. It means she’s warming to you.” // “What will she bring if she really likes me? Herpes and a side of creamed corn?” // “Ew. Creamed corn is the devil’s work.”
♦ “Top Signs You’re a Witch. Is that some kind of Harry Potter handbook?”
♦ “It’s your spidey sense.” // “Or Scooby-sense.” I related more to the hungry Great Dane than the lithe superhero.
♦ “Random bus boy was not on my murder bingo card.”
♦ “What would’ve happened if she drank it?” // “Probably diarrhea. Or death.” // I gasped. “A literal crapshoot.”

And my least favorite line:
♦ ”You notice repeated numbers or patterns.” // “Ooh, yes! I love when the clock on my phone says 11:11.” WTF?

Delightful fun! Five stars!

( Trope Test )

Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I finished reading Curse the Day by Annabel Chase last night. It is the first part of the "Spellbound" series of paranormal cozy mysteries. The main character is attorney Emma Hart.

On her way to visit a client, Emma gets lost in the Poconos and ends up in a town called Spellbound. The town is populated with supernaturals, including witches, vampires, goblins, and harpies. Spellbound has been cursed so that no one can leave. Emma learns that she is a witch, meaning she's now stuck in Spellbound, too. Since the town's public defender, a vampire named Gareth, was recently murdered, the council decides that Emma can live in his house so long as she takes on his work. The case Gareth was working on was to defend a goblin accused of jewelry theft. While Emma delves into Mumford's case, she also feels compelled to look into Gareth's murder. In the meantime, she has to take remedial lessons with other young witches, learn how to wield her magic, and deal with Gareth's sinister cat. Emma's sleuthing puts her at odds with Sheriff Hugo, a centaur, and may also land her in the sights of a killer.

A fun story. While I am tired of ye olde trope of 'character didn't know s/he was a witch/wizard until...' this was at least a bit of a refreshing take on it. The pacing was good, and it was liberally laced with humor. I admired Emma's pluck and her tenacity. Characterizations were good, although I hope to get a better feel for the regulars in future installments.

Favorite lines:
♦ The only signs of life were roadkill, so...no signs of life then.
♦ No one would believe my story. My internet article would end up with a thousand hateful comments about damning my soul to hell, along with a couple of Russian women wanting to date me.
♦ I loved food. I wasn't so great at cooking it, but I definitely loved to eat it.
♦ "I got the impression she wasn't the warmest coal on the fire."
♦ I was afraid of a lot of things, but unfamiliar cookies weren't one of them.

Delightfully cute, and I look forward to reading more in this series. Four stars.