This book was a revelation! I started reading it to pass the time and couldn’t put it down. The incredible backstory, the rich characters, the devious plot! I’m so excited to continue this series.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first contemporary "cozy mystery" book I've read and it was a lovely introduction to the genre and a solid start to a new series! Esme Addison plunks the reader down into the charming, gossipy, and insular seaside town of Bellamy Bay, filled with a lively cast of characters. The mystery plot was intriguing, with several twists, and the undercurrent of....something special (no spoilers!)....added a fun element, which will hopefully be explored more in future books.

My only gripe was with the main character's inclination to form very fast friendships and romantic interests; it just seemed a bit odd for someone who described themselves as "risk-averse." Other than that, it was a very pleasant and engaging read!

What a great series. Alex comes back to her moms hometown with her dog Athens a German shepherd. Alex soon finds out the family secret and is so overwhelmed but then starts using her magic. Her aunt and cousins are also witches. When someone is murdered. Alex and minka start there own investigating. I recommend this book .

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review. I love cozy mysteries with a magical twist so I requested this when I saw it. I enjoyed the story overall but it felt choppy in parts. The main character went from barely acknowledging magic to being quite powerful right at the end? It was rather abrupt. I will read the next in series to see if the characters flesh out more.

This was a nice wee read. It gave an interesting spin on the paranormal cozy mystery with these witches descending from mermaids.

Alongside the main mystery, a sub-plot of why Alex hadn’t returned to the bay for many years, added to character development and also made me want to read the next instalment.

For me the sign of a successful story is if I want to read another one. This one ticked that box for me.

I loved this book!!! The first in a new magical cozy mystery series by Esme Addison, the Enchanted Bay series. We follow Aleksandra Daniels as she returns to her childhood home, the seaside town of Bellamy Bay, North Carolina after decades away. Her father took her away from her cousins and aunt after her mother's death and now that he has passed she's returned to reconnect with her mother's family. Right aways she begins to hear rumors about her Aunt Lidia and cousins, that they are magical! She puts it off as gossip, related to them owning an apothecary shop, but soon realizes there is truth to the gossip. It turns out her family is a descendant of a magical mermaid!
When Alex's aunt is arrested for murder it's up to Alex to use the knowledge she has growing up as a police detective's daughter as well as her own newly discovered magic to try and clear her name. The investigation turns up more then just other suspects, she finds old friends, two potential love connections, near death experiences and lots and lots of magic related trouble.
Such a unique take on a magical cozy! I am obsessed with this series and can't wait for the next installment.

Witchy stories have been trending for awhile, but there are only a couple that I find consistently well=written with clever plots. Esme Addison has added another to my list with what I hope becomes a series. The characters and their backstory is unusual, with the oft-used herbalist trope nicely blended with a family history of mermaids with a nice touch of Polish culture.

Addison sets up future stories for the family as Alex learns more about her family, her mother, Bellamy Bay, and her own powers. Similar in tone to Juliet Blackwell's Lily Ivory series, this series promises to be just as fun and captivating.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were enjoyable and there is still so much to learn about them! Witches, mermaids, spells and murder make for a fun cozy to spend the afternoon reading.

I liked but didn't love this story. Aleksandra Daniels returns to her mother's hometown in North Carolina after her father dies. She reunites with the cousins and aunt she hasn't seen since she was little, before her mother died, and finds out her maternal family are all water witches from the Baltic Sea. Her aunt and cousin run an herbal apothecary and gift shop, kind of like Practical Magic. Alex's aunt gets in a fight with a local business man who turns up dead, and she's the main suspect when it turns out he was poisoned with a plant she has at home. As is typical, Alex tries to figure out who really did it and figures out what's going in behind the scenes in the witchy world of the town. There is a little too much real estate intrigue and not enough witchiness for my taste, however.
The family's Polish heritage is expressed in the food and their names and some words, which I liked and was a change of pace from the usual family background you see in books like this. The characters were fine, but I wanted more development of who they were as people, not just as Alex's cousins or aunt. Nobody got much characterization. The witch politics and the two families fueding could have been more interesting if revealed earlier and with more development. I will probably give this series another chance but am not sure I'll be in it for the long haul.

Well written witchy mystery. Great first book that introduces all the characters and has you waiting for the next installment. The family connections are very strong and keep you interested in what happens next. It will be interesting to see Alex’s magic evolve and to see if she solves her mother’s mystery.

I was thrilled to start this new series by a new author to me. The cover and snippet about it intrigued me, so I thought that I'd give it a chance. I'm so happy that I did. I find the characters in this book we're appealing and interesting. I can't wait to see how they develop with the series! It was an enjoyable read with just the right amount of mystery sprinkled with a bit of magic. I look forward to the next book in the series. I love that the characters were proud of their Polish ancestry and was interested in their relationships with one another. I wish they'd included the recipes for some of the food items that Aunt Lidia made. They sounded delicious!!

I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I must say, the title is almost deceiving in the best way. Mermaids, witches, spells, and murder are the perfect concoction to brew up this completely enchanting story. This book is engaging, different, and gives you just enough so you get familiar with the characters without getting overloaded by the details. The mystery, all the twists, really grips you.

Picking up a new series by a new author is enough for me to give it a pass, at least until some reviews validate it. But for some reason, this appealed to me and I was happy that I took a chance on it.

Alexandra Daniels hasn't been back to visit her aunts in Bellamy Bay since her mother drowned there. Now that her father had passed away, she decided it was time to reconnect with family there. The family business is a herbal oasis of perfumes, salves and soaps that are strangely potent. And, Alexandra soon learns her family has some special talents, and so does she. When her aunt Lidia is arrested for the poisoning of one of her customers, Alex is compelled to figure out how to clear her aunt's name.

Characters are interesting with room to develop in further books. All in all, a charming and enjoyable read. I'm already anticipating the next one.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I couldn't warm up to any of the characters and I felt the backstory wasn't told in full and I had questions. I did like the plot and the writing was good.

This was a sweet cosy mystery with a twist.

Alex has just left her high powered job in New York City and returned to her family in Bellamy Bay. Now that her parents have both passed, Alex's family consists of her aunty Lidia and cousins Minka and Kamila and they're so happy to have her return and to work in the family apothecary. But when one of their customers turns up dead after a fight with Aunty Lidia, Alex takes it upon herself to uncover the towns secrets and a few family ones at that.

I love the cosy mystery genre and the addition of an actual apothecary was so cool as thats not something you see everyday. The characters are sweet and it feels like everything could be hiding just a little something so it made for a great whodunnit. The setup, the family history and the supernatural elements of this story put it on the less believeable side of the genre for me but still made for a great, escapist read. I didn't pick the killer which is rare!

I found this, first in a new series, to be interesting with a wonderful plot line, a good mystery, and the characters engaging. I will look forward to reading more from this author. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

The power of family drives this engaging introduction to Bellamy Bay with all it's twists and turns long the way to solving the mystery. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

I really enjoyed this first book of a new cozy series. Aleksandra visits her aunt and cousins in Bellamy Bay for the first time since being a child. Here’s where her mother died and her father refused to have anything more to do with them, so her homecoming is sweet as she’s showered with love and affection from her family. Newly fired, Alex goes to work in their family shop where they make special soaps, teas and remedies for the townspeople who flock to their store, until her aunt is accused of murdering a customer and old enemy. Knowing her aunt couldn’t have done it, despite having a bad temper, Alex sets out to prove her innocence. Along the way she rediscovers a friend she happily played with as a child, Dylan, whom she’s very attracted to, as well as new detective Jack. And she finds out she’s a witch, along with the rest of her family, but her powers are not easily controlled.
A good mystery, a hard to spot the murderer, great characters, and a set up for future books in this series that should be as interesting. . I’m already looking forward to the next.

After losing her Mother as a young girl, Alex Daniels is returning to visit her Maternal Aunt and cousins now that her father is also gone. What she finds is not just family that fills the void, but that she is a water witch.

When her aunt is accused of murdering a customer, Alex refuses to leave Bellamy Bay until she can clear her aunt’s name. Over time she discovers not only her power as a witch, but also the power of family. 

All in all a promising start to a new series. The first cozy series I have seen with a Polish family and I love it!

Alex Daniels hasn’t been back to Bellamy Bay, North Carolina for twenty years, but she has accepted an invitation from her aunt Lidia to visit with her estranged family. Alex also agrees to help with the family business that sells herbal medicines. She’s more than a little surprised that there are old stories about her family – that they are healers descended from mermaids! It seems a silly, but harmless rumor, until her aunt is arrested when a resident is poisoned. As Alex digs to uncover the truth, she discovers Bellamy Bay is a regular Peyton Place, with ugly secrets, rumors and lies simmering just under the surface. And those mermaid stories? They couldn’t possibly be true….could they?