Filled with fun and colorful characters, including a fake witch, and full of intrigue when a villager is murdered, this mystery keeps it interesting.

Would-be town witch Eleanor Wilde has been happily mixing up her potions, tantalizing elixirs and tonics for the gullible residents of her small English town. In Potions are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry, things get serious when the town most hated woman is poisoned. Naturally the local inspector thinks something in Ellie's potions killed her. Ellie, determined to clear herself, finds herself saddled with two adolescent would-be witches while she tries to investigate. A very cute and funny series.

Potions Are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry is the 2nd book in Eleanor Wilde Mystery series, and a unique book that I really enjoyed. I loved this book as much as her first book, Séances are for Suckers.
Eleanor Wilde moved to England, hired by a rich English man Nicholas Hartford III, to get rid of the ghosts in his family's England estate. Nicholas knows she is a fake, but wanted his mother and sister convinced. Now Ellie has established herself as the town witch making potions. When someone in the village dies from poison, she becomes the main subject. Wow, this book was so good, and I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. There are a lot of twists and turns that kept me reading. There is a wonderful mixture of mystery and humor, for a well-balanced unique story. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

This is a really fun cozy, with a lot of quirky characters and village lore. I loved the addition of the apprenticeship and werewolf hunting. Toss in the murdered and beloved pig, the missing cat and the mysterious book of shadows, and you get a great, entertaining read.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

Potions Are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry is the second book in Eleanor Wilde Mystery series but can be read as a standalone.

Having read the first book in this series I approached this one with both excitement and trepidation. Excitement, because I thought that the first book was one of the best book of this genre that I have ever read and I was worried that I might not like the second installment as much. I needn't have worried. It was just as good.

After the death of her sister, Ellie is free to live her life as she pleases, so she decides to settle in the little English village where her boyfriend Nicholas lives. She sells elixirs and potions and plays the part of a local witch to a perfection.
However, after the village woman dies and Elinor is suspected of having something to do with it, she has no choice but to clear her name and prove her innocence to the local detective . She unwillingly acquires an apprentice who is obsessed with werewolves and situation quickly becomes very serious when local pets begin to disappear.

This series is the perfect blend of mystery, humor and romance.
It is full of quirky, different and lovable characters.
The main protagonist is one of my favorite fictional characters ever. She is so funny, has such a good heart and is really trying so hard not to show what a softy she is.
I love the humor, it is snarky, sarcastic and I love how Ellie pokes fun and demystifies her trade.
Ellie and Nicholas barely shared few innocent kisses and I think that things need to move forward in that department quicker. I think that being so different from each other they make a perfect couple and the chemistry is obvious.

I fell in love with this series after only one book and can't recommend it enough.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were quirky and the setting was delightful. I do have unanswered questions, mainly about Nicholas and his mother. If he's rich why are they living like they do?! I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

Okay- Ellie is really a con artist. But she's a con artist with a big heart who has relocated to the UK and is now selling potions. All is going well with her business and with her love life with Nicholas and then, Sarah Blackthorne is murdered with poison! Sarah was always an unpleasant person but really? Unfortunately, Ellie is a prime suspect so she needs to figure out who's really responsible. Oh, and if there's a werewolf in the area! People's pets, including Beast the cat, are missing. Ellie is on the case with Leonora and Rachel, her young apprentices and fans. Sarah's nephew is back in town too- what's up with him? Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This is a fun series, with a good sense of humor and now the added attraction of a small British village.

I have not read Tamara Berry before, but I really did enjoy this cozy mystery. The main character, Ellie, is living on the Castle Hartford grounds. Her love interest is Nicholas Hartford. She pretends to be a witch and is helping some of the villagers with magic potions. When the most hated person in the village dies, everyone blames Ellie. She needs to clear her names as her only income is from selling her potions. She doesn't realize until the end of the book how many of the villagers really like her. With some help from her dead sister, she decides to get to the bottom of the murder.
I highly recommend this cozy. It is well-written, well-developed characters, and a good story.

This is the 2nd installment in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series. Eleanor has set up shop in a quaint English village and is the town witch (even if she really has no skill and is faking everything). She is willing to cast spells, whip up potions etc.. whatever the customer wants. When a woman Sarah Blackthorne murdered by poison (wolfsbane), Ellie becomes the prime suspect. She is being shadowed the Lenora, the 12 year old daughter of the local schoolmaster and she is interested in the paranormal as is Rachel who is Nicholas’s niece. Her boyfriend Nicholas wants to help her out financially to keep her afloat but that is not really what she wants to do and when her cat Beast disappears along with other animals in the area that really gets her attention. Lenora and Rachel think the culprit is a werewolf and one of Sarah’s nephews who has come to claim his portion of her estate certainly appears to fit the bill. Lots going on in this story and it is nice to see Ellie beginning to establish some roots and start to connect with the people in her new home. This is a good solid cozy with a paranormal theme. Will be interesting to see where this goes in the next installment. Looking forward to it.

This is the second in a series. In this one, Ellie has moved to a small village in Sussex, England and taken up residence in a cottage near the castle where her love interest, Nicholas, lives. Supporting herself as a witch, she’s not very popular in public, but many come to her back door for one of her potions. Lenora, the twelve-year-old daughter of the local schoolmaster and his doctor wife, signs up to shadow Ellie for a school project, though her mother objects to her being with a witch. Ellie gets caught up in the murder of Sarah Blackthorne, a local who’s hated by all and who is poisoned by tea laced with aconite also known as wolfsbane. Things get interesting when Lenora writes a paper on werewolves and her friend Rachel joins in the research to prove they are real. A neighbor’s pet pig is killed and the nephew of the murdered woman exhibits werewolf characteristics which adds to their reasoning. Reports of missing pets, including Ellie’s cat Beast, lead to more rumors of werewolves. And the appearance of a mysterious, handwritten journal piques the interest of Ellie, Lenora and Rachel leading to their determination to decode its meaning.

What I liked: The author keeps the reader glued to the page as she weaves several plot threads into a complex mystery full of twists and intriguing details. The characters are well developed, the dialogue realistic and the pace steady. An unexpected development with Beast is a sweet surprise. Even though this was not the first in the series, there are enough background clues that you don’t have to have read the others to know the characters and what’s going on here. I also loved the twist at the end—I hope that leads to more interesting developments in forthcoming books.

What I didn’t like: Actually, very little. It was a nice cozy mystery with paranormal aspects that added to the fun. Though I will be honest and say that I didn’t understand the deal with Nicholas and his mother and the castle. If he’s a millionaire several times over, why are they living in near poverty from the way it sounds? What does he do? That part was kind of confusing—but it’s a very small part of the overall story.

Recommendation: Get this book, especially if you like a little paranormal in your cozy mysteries. It’s fun, cute, and has a satisfying (and surprising) ending. Will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The actions against animals really put me off. I have a hard time reading about someone hurting animals, people deserve it sometimes but not animals. I also had a hard time connecting with the main character. I am not a saint, but cheating people doesn't make me inclined to like a character.

I cannot continue to read this book. Call me oversensitive but I won't read any book that has any animal abuse in it.

Second book in the series and the characters have developed. However, the ending has me wondering what is going to happen next! I like the setting and the relationships between the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

cozy-mystery, small-town, murder, relationships, law-enforcement, England, situational-humor, verbal-humor

This review is for a visual edition.
This is a great read but hard to find a place to place a review!
Ellie really isn't a witch or a psychic even though she does talk to ghosts. She has made money shamming those things to make the money to pay for her sister's medical care until her death, and now that she has crossed the Atlantic to be near the man she is afraid to love she keeps it up to pay the usual bills. Ordinarily this is quite benign as the villagers like her well enough, but it does cast suspicion when an unpleasant villager dies of poisoning at a well attended meeting. Let the sleuthing begin! She inadvertently acquires two very intelligent teen girls who become fixated on werewolves, finds dead pets, and discovers something decidedly nasty about the dead woman. An intriguing and well plotted mystery with characters who truly are with lots of misdirection and red herrings. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was a fun book. Very different kind of series, but really interesting and really fun read. Very surprising twist at the end. Loved it!

Cozy Mysteries are a subgenre of crime fiction which is a little lighter on things like sex and violence. They usually involve small town crime solvers who may or may not be amateurs. Each cozy series often has a theme that can be anything from coffee to cooking, to magic or even talking pets. The possibilities are endless.

In the past I have reviewed and offered many giveaways for Berkley Prime Crime titles but not many from other publishers. I know that you as my readers have been very interested in cozy mysteries and I want to provide you with a bigger range of cozy books to explore.

Kensington Publishing offers a huge selection of cozies every month and I’ve decided to do a post at the beginning of each month to spotlight their titles for the upcoming month and another to feature the new books from Berkley as well.

Enjoy!

Kensington has ten new titles for November. Their books come out at the end of the month, so these will be available by 11/26/2019. Preorder is available on select titles and Amazon links will be provided. There will also be a link to the goodreads page for each book and a short summary.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44283547-cobblered-to-death?from_search=true

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Courtney Archer Book 1

Out of the frying pan, into the fire . . .

Courtney Archer is known for hosting the show Cooking with the Farmer’s Daughter . . . despite the fact that she’s actually a pediatrician’s daughter. Now she’s signed on for a role on The American Baking Battle. On this reality show, she can start developing a more authentic image for herself—and as a bonus, the usual backstabbing and manufactured drama isn’t part of the Baking Battle script. But genuine drama is heating up behind the scenes . . .

During a film shoot in the scenic Pocono Mountains, Courtney has to juggle career commitments like pots on a six-burner stove. Adding to the stress is Mick, a contestant who finds out about her fake farm-girl story. Determined to succeed at her new gig, she whips up a cherry cobbler in a cast-iron fry pan one evening and leaves it out to cool. But the next morning, it’s Mick’s body that’s cooling—right next to Courtney’s pan, now classified as a murder weapon . . .

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Daisy’s Tea Garden Book 4

In Pennsylvania's Amish country, Daisy Swanson has a tea shop to run, a daughter to marry off--and a murder to solve . . .

Daisy's worried one of her employees at Daisy's Tea Garden may be in a spot of trouble. Lately Karina's been loading up on soup and second-day baked goods at the end of her shift--and while the shop's scrumptious treats may be hard to resist, Daisy suspects there's more going on, especially since Karina has been seen hanging out in a rundown part of Willow Creek.

Planning her own daughter's wedding is enough to keep her busy, but Daisy can't help feeling a protective maternal instinct--and an instinct to investigate. It turns out Karina has been helping a down-on-his luck single dad who's been making ends meet--barely--by selling antiques at a place called Pirated Treasures.

But when an employee at the antiques store is bludgeoned to death with a marble rolling pin, Karina's new friend is suspect number one. Though the motives are muddy and steeped in intrigue, Daisy is more than determined to flush the real killer out.

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Lucy Stone Book 26

With family tensions intensifying in Tinker’s Cove, part-time reporter Lucy Stone could really use some time off the grid. But after she RSVPs to an unconventional celebration on remote Holiday Island, Lucy realizes that disconnecting from reality comes at a deadly price . . .

Lucy doesn’t know what to expect as she arrives on a private Maine island owned by eccentric billionaire Scott Newman, only that the exclusive experience should make for a very intriguing feature story. An avid environmentalist, Scott has stripped the isolated property of modern conveniences in favor of an extreme eco-friendly lifestyle. A trip to Holiday Island is like traveling back to the nineteenth Century, and it turns out other residents aren’t exactly enthusiastic about living without cell service and electricity . . .

Before Lucy can get the full scoop on Scott, she is horrified to find one of his daughters dead at the bottom of a seaside cliff. The young woman’s tragic end gets pinned as an accident, but a sinister plot unfolds when there’s a sudden disappearance . . .

Stuck on a clammy island with murder suspects aplenty, the simple life isn’t so idyllic after all. Now, Lucy must tap into the limited resources around her to outwit a cold-blooded killer—before it’s lights out for her next!

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Lady and Lady’s Maid Book4

Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, are preparing for a wedding, but it may not be the happy occasion everyone hopes for . . .

Since the Great War, some family fortunes have suffered, including those of the Renshaws. Despite being the granddaughter of an earl, Julia Renshaw is under pressure to marry for money—and has settled for Gilbert Townsend, a viscount and a wealthy industrialist. He is decades older than Julia, and it’s clear to her sister Phoebe—and to Eva, who has been like a surrogate mother to the girls—that this is not a love match. Nevertheless, the wedding takes place—and in a hurry.

At the reception aboard the groom’s yacht, there appears to be tension between Gil and several guests: his best man, a fellow veteran of the Boer War; his grouchy spinster sister; and his current heir, a nervous young cousin named Ernest. The bride is also less than pleased when she discovers that her honeymoon will be more crowded than expected—with Gil’s pretty secretary, among others, coming along.

That very night, Julia pounds on her sister’s door, brandishing a bandaged hand and reporting a hot-tempered outburst on her new husband’s part. Julia is feeling doubt and regret about her hasty decision, but returns to the boat. Then the next morning, before the yacht can depart the harbor, Gil’s body is found in the water below—and Phoebe and Eva must discover who pushed him over . . . before the Renshaws’ social standing is irreparably stained by Julia’s arrest for his murder . . .

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Desert Flowers Book 1

Lee Hollis begins a delightful new series in which Poppy Harmon and her friends find that life after retirement can be much busier--and deadlier--than any of them ever anticipated . . .

When Poppy goes from complacent retiree to penniless widow in a matter of weeks, the idea of spending her golden years as the biggest charity case in Palm Springs renders her speechless. With no real skills and nothing left to lose, Poppy uses her obsession with true crime shows to start a career as a private eye . . .

But after opening the Desert Flowers Detective Agency with help from her two best friends, Violet and Iris, Poppy realizes that age brings wisdom, not business--until she convinces her daughter's handsome boyfriend, Matt, to pose as the face of the agency. It's not long before Matt's irresistible act snags a client desperate to retrieve priceless jewelry burglarized from an aging actress at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Or before Poppy stumbles upon the bloodied body of the victim's arch rival . . .

In a flash, Poppy's innocent detective gig is upstaged by a dangerous murder investigation riddled with slimy suspects and unspeakable scandal. As she and her team uncover the truth, Poppy must confront the secrets about her late husband's past and swiftly catch a killer lurking around the retirement community--even if it means turning her world upside down all over again.

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Ferrara Family Mystery Book 3

Seasoned Italian-American Alberta Scaglione can whip up a traditional dish for any occasion. But when an impromptu vacation turns deadly, can she sift out the deadly ingredient?

When her granddaughter lands a reporting gig at the grand opening of the luxurious Icicle Lodge, Alberta and friends tag along for a week of much-needed R&R amid the snowcapped hills of northeastern Pennsylvania. But the idyllic winter getaway becomes a nightmare after the gang discovers blood on the ice—and the dead body of celebrity guest Pamela Gregory, a frosty Olympic gold medal figure skater who won herself more enemies than fans . . .

With a killer on the loose, multiple suspects, and a blizzard on the way, Alberta must now race to crack a bone-chilling case . . . before the outspoken Ferrara ladies get served murder: family style!

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Literary Pub Mystery Book 2

In this intoxicating mystery by USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox, a winter carnival becomes a recipe for disaster when a Shady Creek celebrity gets iced.

The Winter Carnival always brings holiday cheer, Christmas joy—and tourists with cash—to picturesque Shady Creek, Vermont. At the center of the glittering decorations and twinkling lights is booklover and pub owner Sadie Coleman, creating original cocktails, hosting a literary trivia evening, and cheering on her loyal employee Melanie “Mel” Costas as she competes in the ice carving competition.

But holiday cheer can’t compete with former resident and renowned chef Freddy Mancini, who arrives with his nose in the air, showing off his ice-sculpting skills like a modern-day Michelangelo. During the artists’ break in the night-long contest, Mel’s tools disappear . . . and Freddy is found dead with her missing pick in his chest.

Although the police turn their attention to Mel, it seems everyone in town had a grudge against Freddy, including his assistant, his mentor, his former flame, and even his half-brother.

Faster than she can fling a Huckleberry Gin, Sadie finds herself racing to make sure the police don’t arrest the wrong suspect—all while sharing a flirtation with local brewery owner Grayson Blake. Their chemistry leads to a heated rivalry at the hockey rink—and to the hot pursuit of a killer.

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Mystery Bookshop Book 5
Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington’s shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it's a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver's seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . .

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Eleanor Wilde Mystery Book 2

It may have been a ghost that led Eleanor Wilde to set up shop in a quaint English village. But now that she’s established herself as the town witch, Ellie’s contentedly casting spells on anyone desperate enough—or gullible enough—to request her mysterious potions…

Selling mystical elixirs and tantalizing tonics is a pretty good way for a fake medium to earn a living. Or at least it’s Ellie’s main source of income—until a villager turns up dead. The cause? Murder by poisoning. And though Ellie’s concoctions don’t include anything worthy of a skull and crossbones, suddenly she’s the prime suspect. Her only recourse is to find the culprit who did do away with Sarah Blackthorne. No one liked the mean old battle-axe. But did anyone hate her enough to kill her?

It’s enough of a mystery to make Ellie hang up her witch’s hat and take millionaire beau Nicholas Hartford up on his offer to keep her afloat. Except Ellie is not the kind of woman to lean on a man—least of all a man she adores but whose place in her life is uncertain. Besides, Ellie’s taken on two young witches-in-training—apprentices if you will—and both of them are convinced a werewolf is the murderer.

Just as Ellie’s wondering if there really is something otherworldly going on, animals suddenly begin to disappear—including her beloved cat, Beast. Now Ellie’s on the warpath to uncover the wicked truth about the people and the place she’s only just begun to call home…

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I find the lead character irritating and the premise of a poisoned potion has been done before.
This book just fell flat for me.

It was an interesting book. It's a bit different in the characters, professions and location of the usual cozy mysteries. I enjoyed it. I did find that it was slow in spots. I liked the idea that the apprentices were investigating werewolves and the main suspect certainly seemed to fit that category. I was very surprised by who the bad guy was as he didn't really appear much in the rest of the book. I'd like to see the relationship between Eleanor and Nicholas develop a bit faster. #PotionsAreForPushovers #NetGalley

Eleanor Wilde is busy scamming the villagers by selling fake potions when a villager turns up poisoned. She's the suspect and she needs to find the real murderer in order to clear herself. The main thing that turned me off were successions of murders of pets. I'm ok with people being murdered, pets- not so much. And some old idiot eating a pet pig's heart to gain her powers? Just no. So these series are just not for me. I prefer my books with less killed cats and other pets.

Madame Eleanor is trying to build her life in an English village. Ring the town witch makes things interesting for her, but she truly wants to be accepted for herself. When a local woman is murdered, Ellie finds herself doing her best to help solve the murder, which leads her to discover missing animals and what appears to be a werewolf loose in the village.

As Ellie sleuths, her beloved Nicholas does his best to help her, though she is so self reliant it’s hard for her to accept his help. Through the course of her investigation. Ellie comes to find some villagers she wants to know better and build friendships with, but first she needs to find out which one is the murderer and which one is the werewolf...all before her own number is up.

I have read both books in this series and e joy seeing Ellie setting down roots and pushing behind her comfort level to become part of the community. Now to see her open her heart even more to Nicholas as she further establishes herself in the village. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.