2013, NAL
Series: Book 1 of Magic Potion Mystery
As the owner of Little Shop of Potions, a magic potion shop specializing in love potions, Carly Bell Hartwell finds her product more in demand than ever. A local soothsayer has predicted that a couple in town will soon divorce—and now it seems every married person in Hitching Post, Alabama, wants a little extra matrimonial magic to make sure they stay hitched.
But when Carly finds a dead man in her shop, clutching one of her potion bottles, she goes from most popular potion person to public enemy number one. In no time the murder investigation becomes a witch hunt—literally! Now Carly is going to need to brew up some serious sleuthing skills to clear her name and find the real killer—before the whole town becomes convinced her potions really are to die for!
The Good: Hitching Post, Alabama doesn't sound like a place that would be teeming with magical ability, but quite a few residents possess witchy powers. Almost all of them are quirky, bordering on incurably eccentric. The book features a murder that's twisty and an utter surprise, but the real fun here is the relationships. Carly's long rivalry with her cousin Delia and the super messed up situation with her ex-fiance Dylan both make for compelling reading. The "Will they or won't they?" of both relationships kept me completely involved in the book. Will Carly and Delia be able to work together and perhaps become friends? Will Carly and Dylan get past a little case of left at the alter? It all just worked.
The Bad: Carly is a little much to take. She's stubborn and has only a minimal grasp of understanding what's going on around her and the appropriate way of dealing with those situations. Quite a few of her issues in the book stem from reacting to what's on the surface and never, ever looking beyond what she assumes to be true.
What a cute cozy cover! Will keep an eye out for this
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