Witch Chocolate Fudge (Bewitched by Chocolate #2)
by H.Y. Hanna
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Blurb:
A witch, a kitty and a wickedly delicious mystery…Since arriving in the tiny Cotswolds village of Tillyhenge, Caitlyn is discovering that there are lots of perks to being a witch (although sadly, magic still can’t make your thighs thinner or stop you acting like an idiot every time you meet handsome “lord of the manor”, James Fitzroy).
But when the nasty housekeeper at Huntingdon Manor is murdered and Caitlyn becomes the main suspect, she finds herself surrounded by suspicious villagers. With the help of her sassy American cousin, a mischievous black kitten and a slobbering English mastiff – not to mention the old village witch and her shop of enchanted chocolates – Caitlyn sets out to clear her name.
She soon realises that this is no simple murder. Her sleuthing leads her to an ancient ring with mythical powers – a ring worth killing for. But with a few clever spells and some chocolate magic, Caitlyn just might solve the mystery – and find her real family too!
WARNING: May contain traces of “Hahaha!”
This book follows British English spelling and usage.
Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
Genre: humorous paranormal cozy mysteries, cat cozy mystery series, women amateur sleuth, British cozy mystery
My Review:
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it
The first book in this series was so good! So I was eager to return to this series and it was awesome that book 2 was already available too. Witch Chocolate Fudge is just as good as the first book. It continues the story of Caitlyn her stay in Tillyhenge, her search for the truth about her family, mouthwatering chocolates and her involvement in another murder mystery! I love the blend of paranormal and cozy mystery in this book! And while it means there’s a bit less focus on the mystery, that’s totally fine with me as all the other stuff going on is just as fun to read about.
This one had a nice mystery. In this case it’s an unlikeable character who has been killed and I always like how in those cases there seems to be an abundance of suspects. Even Cailtyn is a suspect. Some new information comes to light and I liked how the paranormal was also intertwined with the mystery. While I wasn’t too surprised when we found out who the murderer was, it was still a fun mystery. What has me most curious is how each book leaves a small plot line open connecting to the mystery and I am curious if and how that will play a part in later books. I can’t wait to see how that all plays out.
Besides the mystery we have Caitlyn finding her place in Tillyhenge, getting to know some people better and she’s trying to figure out who her family is. That storyline about her family is one that’s progressing slowly, but I like each new piece of information we learn. We got an important piece here, I already had guessed this might be the case, but it was fun to see it confirmed. I also have my theories surrounding Caitlyn her mom and it will be interesting to see if they are true or not. It’s nice to have plot lines ie that slowly progressing throughout the series There’s a bit of magic and paranormal as well, which is a fun addition. Caitlyn slowly gets a bit more confident in her magical abilities and sometimes uses them in this book. I like how the magic isn’t overdone, but nicely sprinkled in between the pages.
Another thing I always enjoy about HY Hanna her books are the characters. They are all fun to get to know, they all have their own characteristics and ‘they are fun to read about. We see more of Panoma, James, The Willow Mags and ofcourse the kitten and the English mastiff dog, who make some fun appearances. We meet some new side characters again. And the unlikeable Angela is there as well, I don’t get why she’s so nasty to Caitlyn. I also liked seeing how the chocolate shop slowly gets more well known, while they still battle some prejudice and superstition towards the shop and the Widow Mags.
To summarize: I was eager to return to this series and Witch Chocolate Fudge was a great read! I really enjoyed this one and was a bit sad when I finished. This book continues the story of Caitlyn. Besides the mystery there are other plot lines as well and it’s nice to see everything progress and have a good mystery as well. The mystery didn’t surprise me too much, but it was a good one. I also like how there are some small plot lines connected to the mystery in each book that stay open and I wonder if those will connect later on or play a part, I am so curious about this. Caitlyn learns a new piece of information about her family and we get to see more of the already familiar characters from book one and meet a few new ones. Overall this was another great read and I am already eagerly anticipating the next book in this series!
You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.
The more I read of your review; the more I was convinced that I’d really like this series. The village setting, the people, the magical element, and the murder mystery and her family mystery all sound good to me.
I do love when a book talks about good food. I’d probably be craving chocolate so bad reading this one. 🙂
Sophia Rose recently posted…Review: Real Vampires Know Size Matters by Gerry Bartlett
I think you might enjoy this series. It’s really good so far and I like all the different parts and how each part is so well done and it all blends well together.
Me too, I think it’s fun to read about food, although it does make me crave food usually.
Lola recently posted…Review: Losing Kyler by Siobhan Davis
I do enjoy reading about food – I loved Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet as the cakes depicted were smashing – but now that I’m veggie long passages about sizzling meat doesn’t do it for me, anymore. Neither am I all that keen about reading about chocolate as it gives me migraines… Thank you for a cracking review, Lola:).
sjhigbee recently posted…While the Morning Stars Sing
No descriptions of meat don’t really do it for me either. Although that is the case with most things I don’t personally like or eat. But cakes or sweets are always great to read about.
Love the cover, it’s cute. I do like reading books about food. I liked one a while ago where the heroine was a baker. She made me hungry for cake.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Review: Golden Cannoli- Cannoli Chips
Yes reading about food makes me want to eat food too. This one gave me a craving for chocolate. I agree it’s a great cover 🙂
It’s great when a book you loved has a sequel already out. Glad you enjoyed this one, and despite not being totally surprised by the culprit, it still sounds like a nice mystery.
Let’s Get Beyond Tolerance recently posted…Rainbow Roundup: You’re Welcome…Queens of Geek
It was neat the author released these two books at the same time so I could dive into book 2 soon after reading the first book. It had a good mystery even though it wasn’t too surprising.
I still need to start this series (and finish the other one!) but I’m stuck on urban fantasy at the moment :/ these sound fun though, and I adore the covers (even if they do make me crave chocolate!)
I’m glad that you enjoyed it 🙂
Wattle recently posted…Life Happens #3
I think the next book in her other series should be out soon! I hope you get around to reading these eventually once you get out of Urban Fantasy mood. I recently had a big cozy mystery mood and read a bunch of them and now am switching up genres a bit again.
A blend of paranormal and cozy does sound fun. Glad the mystery was good, even if it wasn’t too surprising.
I kinda like when series have some plot lines that are open throughout numerous or all the books since it makes them feel more connected and like more thought was put into the series when everything weaves together!
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review + Giveaway: The Alabaster Concordat (The Immortal Coil Book 4) by J. Armand
There aren’t many paranormal cozies I tried so far, but this series is great!
Same here, it’s nice to have those plot lines that continue throughout the book as it gives the series a sense of continuity and it makes me curious to see those plot lines develop.
Lola recently posted…Review: Losing Kyler by Siobhan Davis
I love her characters. They are so fun and quirky. I’m working on her tearoom series right now then I plan to move on to this one.
I’ve always enjoyed books with food in them. I like to play around and figure out how to make the food that catches my attention. Like right now, I read a book that featured black bean brownies and I’ve been trying to figure out a recipe for them.
Angela @Simply Angela recently posted…Audiobook Review: Penmort Castle by Kristen Ashley
Oh I am happy to hear you’re reading her tearoom series now, I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in that series. It’s a great series as well.
It can be nice to try and figure out a recipe for the food in books, I also like how some books feature recipes, although I don’t think I’ve tried one yet.
Lola recently posted…Review: Losing Kyler by Siobhan Davis