Finally a little romance, it's sweet and tender and charming, as well as who did the latest murder ( )

The story thus far is about Margaret Mary-Catherine O’Neil, aka Maggie, a slightly quirky resident of Stoney Mill, Indiana. She works alongside Liss, her boss at Enchantments, and has recently learned that she is an empath. Liss and Marcus are helping her to further develop her witchy gifts. They are both witches and proud of it. Still, no matter how much they try to help, it seems that Maggie has a talent for sniffing out trouble in Stoney Mill.

Of course, there is trouble brewing in Stoney Mill once again and it seems that Maggie is ever present and accounted for smack dab in the middle of it. There’s been another murder in the town and the ever vigilant Maggie has enticed Marcus to escort her toward it. One night while at the hospital visiting her sister, Maggie overhears a conversation while trapped in the hospital elevator. Two male voices are talking about doing something to a woman and Maggie believes it is up to her to figure out what the conversation meant. The accidental sleuth stumbles onto a variety of different scenarios and begins to piece together different coincidences she’s been privy to. She is undertaking all of this while battling the throes of a broken foot and a budding relationship between her and Marcus.

I really enjoyed reading about the variety of scenarios that Maggie comes up with to explain the conversation. After the murder she begins to think that the conversation had something to do with it and slowly pieces together the plot behind the plan only to discover the plan was so unexpected she did not even catch a glimpse of what it truly was. In my opinion, Madelyn Alt is a brilliant writer. I can’t seem to put down these bewitching mysteries once I pick one up. ( )

This is a series I like, but don't love, which would probably explain why two books from the Bewitching cozy mystery series have been setting on one of my TBR shelves for quite a while.

Maggie O'Neill is a fun, engaging protagonist living in a small town and trying to figure out her intuitive powers. She has a family who irritates her, but she is still always there for, and a new boyfriend who is pushing all the right buttons.

When she goes to visit her sister, Mel, in the hospital, who is due to give birth, Maggie overhears a seemingly sinister conversation, and finds out about a tragic death. Trying to balance her love life, powers, and familial obligations, Maggie must also solve the mystery before someone else gets hurt.

I think the reason I like but don't love this series is that it takes a long time to get to the mystery, and once the mystery starts, there's so much going on it almost feels like the mystery is a minor storyline. Because I'm going into these books wanting the mystery to be the focus, it can drag a little when that's not the case. The last few chapters, which focus on the mystery predominately, flew by for me, and the solution was really clever (even though I had called a bit of it, I still enjoyed it).

Eventually I will get to the other book from this series I own, but I suspect I will read the series that focus on the mystery first. ( )

Had a lot of it figured out which rarely happens. I do like this series however, there wasn't enough explanation as to why Dan, Steff's beau, was being rather a jerk towards her - and then he proposes....? didn't jive well. ( )

I read this last night over a glass of wine.....and now here's my Whine:

I honestly believe that if you have nothing of interest or substance to write about that you should just wait until you do, deadline or not.

From Page 29 - 110 (really there was more, but this is where I stopped) the main character, Maggie, was in the hospital w/ her new BF & her family waiting for her sister to give birth. The only thing of any interest was on pages 72 & 73, when she is stuck in an elevator and hears mysterious whispering...a total of 8 lines in between incessant neurotic yammering.

Weak insipid main characters do not for a good book make. What a waste of paper & trees. ( )