Magick & Mayhem - Twenty-something Kailyn Wilde has learned to embrace her unpredictable life as a descendant of small-town New Camel's most magickal family. She just didn't expect to inherit her mother and grandmother's centuries-old shop, Abracadabra, so suddenly. The surprises keep coming when Kailyn goes to finalize the estate at the local attorney's office-and stumbles over the body of her best friend Elise's husband . . . As a brash detective casts the blame on Elise, Kailyn summons her deepest powers to find answers and start an investigation of her own. What with running a business, perfecting ancient spells, and keeping up with an uninvited guest of fabled origins, Kailyn has her hands full. But with the help of her uncanny black cat Sashkatu and her muumuu-clad Aunt Tilly, she's closing in on a killer-who will do anything to make sure she never tests her supernatural skills again!
Sissy:
I love me some quirky characters, magical escapades, and good mysteries. Good thing Magick & Mayhem has all of that and more! Kailyn, our main character, is immediately likeable, because she's not some ditzy duh who lands in a mess. She is witty, smart, and capable. Enter Aunt Tilly, psychic baker who has interesting style choices, and you have the perfect air headed foil for grounded Kailyn.
Aunt Tilly is my favorite. I want to be her.
Sissy:
You want to be all the cool characters in every book.Yes, but I'm already half way to being Aunt Tilly.
Are you referring to your support hose? Your forgetfulness? Your questionable fashion choices?
No, yes, and I'm seriously considering adopting the muumuu lifestyle. But what I meant to say (before all the rude interruptions) was that I have the baking thing down, and I'm psychic too. Therefore halfway to Aunt Tilly.
Sissy:
If you're psychic, why don't I have more money? Why aren't you on TV as the Rocky Mountain Medium? And buying me prizes?
I don't use my gift for monetary gain. I only use it to show when my children are lying to me, and to divine the location of any chocolate they may have hidden from me. But we really should get back to reviewing Magick & Mayhem. I get so tired of heroines who are their own worst enemies. I also get tired of cozy mysteries where the romantic interest is a law enforcement officer of some type.
Sissy:
That happens all the time!! So annoying!
Magick & Mayhem was refreshing in that Kailyn only solves problems and does not create them.
Sissy:
Except for that one time...you know...whilst summoning a familiar. And that huge thing happens...
Well there is that. But her love interest is a reporter (yay) and she's so sweet about dealing with Aunt Tilly's ongoing chaos and disasters. There's a lot of humor woven throughout the plot of Magick & Mayhem, but the real meat of the plot is the murder mystery. Who killed Jim? And why? You'll never guess.
Even psychic Bubby didn't guess this time. Other colorful additions to Magick & Mayhem are the amorphous clouds of Kailyn's mother and grandmother, recently deceased, who pop in from time to time to put in their (often irrelevant) two cents. We have no idea how they died, and we don't know why Kailyn and Tilly's powers have become spotty. We can only assume that those things will be answered in future installations of the Abracadabra Mysteries. Book two, That Olde White Magick, is set to come out in November of 2017, so maybe we'll get more answers then. A thoroughly refreshing twist on a cozy, Magick & Mayhem is well worth the read!
I laughed, I cried (not really), I gasped, and I sighed in contentment. Totally cheesy, I know. I can't wait for book two, three, four...as long as Sharon Pape keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them. You should definitely put a little enchantment in your life and give Magick & Mayhem a try!
