Book Review: Charms and Chocolate Chips

Author: Bailey Cates
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Signet
Series: A Magical Bakery Mystery # 3

Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her firefighter boyfriend, Declan McCarthy, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won’t be as easy as whipping up a new recipe—especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murder.

When a fellow volunteer for the conservation group is found dead, Katie’s mystical senses tell her that there’s more to the death than meets the eye. Her suspicions are confirmed when members of her coven are targeted next. Katie will have to embrace her powers quickly...or she may find herself chewed up and spit out by some serious black magic.

Front-loading karma. Doing good deeds I was comfortable with so I wouldn’t be called upon to do something I wasn’t comfortable with.

“Let’s get this party started,” she said, and led the way outside.

The crackle of the fire warmed my mind as much as the flames warmed the surrounding air. I respected all of the elements, but nothing was as comforting as fire, especially on a cold night after seeing cold death.

Charms and Chocolate Chips is the third installment in the Magical Bakery Series, a culinary murder mystery with a magic twist. This series is focused around two of my favorite things to read about in cozy mysteries: magic and food! Cates pays extra attention to detail, so I suggest not reading this book when you are hungry. Readers also get an inside look into the life of Katie Lightfoot, a hedgewitch that is still coming into her new powers. The magical world that Katie and her fellow witch friends live in is not over the top and unbelievable, but light-hearted, enchanting, and very cozy.

I do not find any part of these books to be slow; even in the beginning when Cates is setting up the background, I am enthralled with her attention to detail and description of the recent happenings in Katie’s life. Having Katie be a witch and be part owner to a quaint, little bakery helps tremendously. Cates adds things like Katie’s familiar, Mungo, to help keep readers invested in Katie’s life. I love scenes that take place in Katie’s small home because it is always described in such a homey, magical way. I fly through these books in no time at all.

For some reason this particular murder held my interest and kept me more entertained than the others in the series. Not that the others were not good, but this one just had a little something extra. I also think it helps that this is the third book, and for readers that have been following the series, we are now acquainted and fully involved in Katie’s life. Things start to get a little shaky in this book, especially between her and her boyfriend, Declan.

If you haven’t already and you are looking for something light and cozy to read, give this cozy, cuddly series a try!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Signet in exchange for my honest review***