Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Something old, something new, something borrowed…something blacker than the darkest night.

Cosmo Saville adores his new husband, but his little white lies—and some very black magic—are about to bring his fairytale romance to an end. Someone is killing San Francisco's spellcasters—and the only person Cosmo can turn to—the man who so recently swore to love and cherish him—isn't taking his phone calls.

The only magic Police Commissioner John Joseph Galbraith believes in is true love. Discovering he’s married to a witch—a witch with something alarmingly like magical powers—is nearly as bad as discovering the man he loved tricked and deceived him. John shoulders the pain of betrayal and packs his bags. But when he learns Cosmo is in the crosshairs of a mysterious and murderous plot, he knows he must do everything in in his mortal power to protect him.

Till Death do them Part. With their relationship on the rocks, Cosmo and Commissioner Galbraith join forces to uncover the shadowy figure behind the deadly conspiracy…

Can the star-crossed couple bring down a killer before the dark threat extinguishes true love’s flame?

I Buried a Witch is the second book in the smart and sexy Bedknobs and Broomsticks romantic gay mystery trilogy. If you like endearing characters, spell-binding conflict, and spooky, good fun, then you’ll love Josh Lanyon’s tale of a blue knight and his slightly wicked witch.

I just finished I Buried a Witch (Bedknobs and Broomsticks #2) by Josh Lanyon and came away with mixed feelings, far different than when I finished the first story in the  series.  I Buried A Witch is crammed full of more plot elements, a chest's worth or more of clues and nods towards what the series arc is trending towards, as well as the addition of more characters and twist to the romance of the main couple.

Whew.

And it took awhile for me to eventually sort out what worked for me emotionally as a reader, and what worked as someone who loves Lanyon's works as a mystery writer.  I appreciate both perspectives, and understand what she was trying to accomplish.  But in the end, only one part ending up moving me, and that was the ruptured relationship between Cos and John.    John is something of an enigma, as a personality and in his handling of his romance with Cos.  It does tend to make him less connectable as a character.   Luckily, Cosmos makes up for John's lack of charisma.  You feel every inch of Cos' pain here.

Which is, oddly enough good, because a good deal of the story, I feel a Cher moment coming on.  One straight out of Moonstruck, the movie.  One where she smacks her would be suitor to bring him back into reality with a "Snap Out of it" remark.  I wanted more than one of those for Cosmos in scene after scene where he is blithely ignoring giant warning signs or displaying the self awareness of a toddler.  He later explains his lack of criminal knowledge because he doesn't watch crime shows on tv.  Uh, no.  That lack of logic in an intelligent person given the information he has doesn't fly except because the story needs it to.   Sigh.  And I like this character but he swings from idiotic decisions to smart ones and back again.   So frustrating.

John's character is displaying some wavering as far as his personality too  but I am writing that off as Lanyon's plot, an element of which  I think I think is coming based on things that happen here in this story.

Trying to balance the need to implant all the necessary "data" and ideas into a novel for the overall series arc while still working on the story and romance at hand is a difficult job.  The second book is a tricky one, moving the story and characters forward, maintaining momentum and the mystery and yet not really solving anything.  Tough stuff.    I can see the ideas that Lanyon is trying to establish here, percolating away.  Really interesting elements and I can't wait to see the author bring them to fruition.  And to see if I'm right! lol

The romance?  That too will have some might neat twists ahead for John and Cosmo if I read this correctly.  In this story, it was the best and most heart wrenching part of I Buried a Witch (Bedknobs and Broomsticks #2) by Josh Lanyon.  Now I really need to see what happens next in book 3, Bell, Book and Scandal coming out in 2020.

If you love Josh Lanyon and love a romance with a dash of mystery and magic, the  complex Bedknobs and Broomsticks series just might be the thing for you.  But make sure you read them in the order they are written.  They definitely aren't standalone and the intricate storyline and character development makes it absolutely necessary that you do so.  I am definitely recommending them.

Cover art is wonderful and perfect for the story as well as branding the series

A new to me series and author, but wow, this book sucked me in and made me want more. Another series to add to the "to be read list'!

Cosmo and John are back and Cosmo is having to deal with his lies coming to light. I really enjoyed seeing more of these characters, this is a great follow up to book one. I'm already looking forward to reading their next adventure.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

This was a nice followup to the first book. The writing style drew me in right away. Although there were some characters I was not a fan of, my adoration of Cosmo made up for it.

This is becoming one of my favorite series.
I love the humour, the interesting world building, and the well thought cast of characters.
It's an engrossing and entertaining read that kept me hook till the end.
Can't wait to read another book by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the second book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series, which is a MM mystery romance. The characters are interesting and well developed. The pace kept me interested and I had a hard time putting the book down. The book was wonderful, I can’t wait for the next installment.

3.5 stars. I liked it more than the first book in the series, but I still have issues with it.

I really liked that Cosmo realized how unhealthy the relationship between him and John is. They're not equals, they don't know each other, and all they have is a love based on lust they can't explain. They had an actual conversation after Cosmo finally had enough and stood up for himself (which was awesome), and I thought this would finally be the turning point where they re-assess their relationship and spend some time apart to see what they want.

But...

Cosmo's worries were brushed aside a bit too easily for me. John just shows up in his usual alpha fashion and... I don't know, it still feels like he doesn't get it or values Cosmo's feelings. He still demands things and orders Cosmo around in his pushy way without making any concessions himself, and I thought that was a bit of a shame.

All in all, it's an ok series for me, and I'm still hoping the next book will be the one where they finally work things out and end up on equal footing.

It has fun lines and bickering, the mystery was ok (although it's still not solved 100%), and I really like Cosmo and his quirky family and friends.

I Married a Witch is the second in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series of cozy paranormal mysteries. I’d strongly suggest reading them in order because they are very closely related.

In addition to building the events of the previous book, Lanyon adds some new murders of practitioners of Wicca that may or may not be related to the killing in the first novel. Cosmo suspects that they are and can’t resist getting involved, much to John’s displeasure. John is of course wrong to try to keep Cosmo from investigating, because in true cozy mystery fashion, Cosmo figures out the culprit in the Wicca murders while the police are still bumbling around with no clue. However, just as with the first book, several plot threads are left hanging at the end of the story, including the identity of the culprit in another murder attempt targeting Cosmo.

Much of the focus is on John and Cosmo’s romance, though, and that’s where the book really shines in my opinion. The familiar is out of the bag when Cosmo confesses to John that he is a witch. Needless to say, John doesn’t take the news well, especially once he realizes he was under a spell when they got involved, and John walks out on Cosmo. Cosmo’s pain over John’s rejection of him as a witch and his fear that their relationship is over got me completely emotionally invested in the story. I even teared up a time or two, and that’s rare for me.

The entire book is written from Cosmo’s point of view, although the blurb suggests otherwise. John’s the strong, silent type, and it’s hard for both Cosmo and the reader to get inside his head because he doesn’t communicate well. I wish we got more of John’s perspective, because I found myself getting irritated with how cold and cutting John is rather than empathizing with him at all.

While I’m not a huge fan of John at this point, I am hooked on the series. I’m looking forward to the third book, which is coming out next March. Maybe John will redeem himself, and we’ll finally get answers about who’s behind some of the nefarious deeds that have yet to be explained.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

The second book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series picks up right where the first one left off.

After Ciara tries to kill Cosmo because she thought he killed Seamus, Cosmo and new husband John go on honeymoon to Scotland. They come back to San Fransisco to continue settling in and it's not exactly smooth sailing.

Meanwhile, Cosmo is certain that Ciara didn't kill Seamus and had nothing to do with putting Rex in a coma. But no one, not even his husband, will listen to him. What's a Craftsman left to do?

The mystery in this isn't as fleshed out as Lanyon's earlier works. The world building is delightful and not overbearing. The books leaves us with tantalizing questions...

I can't wait for book 3.

Five Stars*****
The second in the new series by Josh Lanyon that revolves around mortals, wiccans and witches. I suggest you read the first book to get a good feel for the characters in this exciting mystery that had me riveted to the pages.
Cosmo an antique dealer has happily rushed into marriage with police commissioner John Galbraith. John is a tough and intimidating man that has fallen head over heels for Cosmo.
I never warmed up to John in the first story and his continual controlling manners did not make me exactly happy with him in this book. Sure, Cosmo may have lied by omission but how do you break it to your mortal husband that you have magical powers? Well needless to say John finds out and this maybe one of the shortest marriages on record. John is livid and leaves Cosmo. My heart ached for the sweet witch as he is such a decent man.
The storyline really becomes involved with betrayals, warped secret societies and a deranged serial killer on the loose.
Jinx is one of my favorite secondary characters. She is John's sister and is interested in learning the craft. Jinx and Cosmo have become good friends and I loved the dynamics of their friendship.
Cosmo has a killer to catch while watching his marriage unravel. I was thrilled to see he finally gets a spine of steel and refuses to be ashamed of who he is.
I loved this second novel even more than the first. I am a die hard fan of Josh simply because her writing, plots and attention to detail are flawless.
This cosmic mystery/romance had it all. A gripping plot, tender and funny moments and some very steamy scenes. I cannot wait for the next installment. If i could magically make it appear, I would.

Say hello to the newest installment of the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series. These books are centered on Cosmo and John. Cosmo comes from a long line of powerful witches but he's chosen to try and live life as a mortal. He hasn't given up magic but tries to use it as little as possible. John is married to Cosmo (there's a story there you'll want to read in the first book) and he is the Police Commissioner.

In this book, I Buried A Witch, another murder has been committed and Cosmo believes it's linked to a previous murder... and also the magical community. The problem is that Cosmo's husband doesn't know he's a witch. And damn if secrets don't have a way to getting out when you really don't want them to.

These books are contemporary, paranormal mysteries. I think the author lists them as romance.... and not to be judgy but I think these have a bit more plot than the usual M/M romance! (I consider that a very good thing.) The interesting thing about this series is that it's got a significant amount in it about discrimination. Okay, so it's discrimination against Cosmo being a witch, but it's very relevant and timely. Cosmo has to hide the fact that he's a witch from people who are very important in his life. It's not something he can change, it's the way he was born. And yet, it's not accepted by everyone.  At one point in the novel, Cosmo even compares being magical to being gay and says it's not something he has the ability to change, it's just a part of who he is. So really, as much as this book is a supernatural mystery... it's about the way we all want to be accepted for who we are!

Cosmo is definitely my favorite character. He's an absolute sweetheart in his own fumbling way. He really cares genuinely about people and that comes across very clearly in Lanyon's writing. Cosmo is on his own path... and is led by his heart. That's a really difficult road to follow, but I love this character for it. On the other hand, John is pragmatic and serious even though he has a slightly romantic side when it comes to his husband. I sense that there is much more going on in John's past than Landon has revealed yet, so I'm looking forward to more of his history in a future novel.

The crunch of the novel comes when Cosmo reveals to John that he's a witch. It's done without finesse and is poorly timed and has an immediate negative effect on their marriage. John is incensed by the fact that Cosmo kept something so important from him. Of course, it doesn't take John long to put two and two together and understand that Cosmo has the potential to influence his decisions. The thing is... in the first book, Landon revealed that magic didn't work on John... but it's unclear why. Does John have a secret history of his own? What's hurt him in the past so much that trust is difficult for him?

I like the structure of the magical world in this series. Although witches have a great deal of power and ability, they are almost aloof when it comes to mortals. To me, that seems an accurate way of depicting witches! Cosmo is different because he's interested in the mundane life of mortals and doesn't want to live the same life as his ancestors. But he sure is different from many of his kind! There is interesting interplay between the magical folk and the mortals. It will be interesting to see which direction Landon goes with it.

For a book of this genre, I Buried a Witch has some heavy-hitting themes. What if you have secrets in your relationship? Are you truly in love with someone if you don't know the core of who they are? Is honesty always the best policy? Is it ever possible to rebuild broken trust?

This is a really good series. My only criticism of this book was that it felt a little rushed to me. I'm definitely on board for whatever remains in this series!

"Mainly by Moonlight," the first book in Josh Lanyon's new Bedknobs and Broomsticks series was more of a whirlwind introduction to the unlikely marriage between stoic police commissioner John and glittery antique store owner / cocktail cupcake creater Cosmo. In between magical spells and a murder, Cosmo blythly ignores the warning signs that perhaps wedding John without full disclosure is not going to turn out well.

As "I Buried a Witch" progresses, it becomes a case of that traditional adage "Marry in haste, repent in leisure" as their marriage goes off the rails, and Cosco realizes he has no one to blame but himself. It's a more mature feel to this book - less frivilous and more hard reality about love NOT conquering all. We get more insight into John as well:

"The ability to negotiate a hard bargain is the ability to walk away from a bad deal. John - it was right there in the fierce lines of his face, in the steely gleam of his eyes - was prepared - always prepared - to walk away. I was not. Could not even contemplate it. Not then. In those four minutes I learned more about him than I'd learned in four weeks ..."

As Cos comes to an epiphany about his relationship, the underlying murder mystery continues and deepens as a possible serial killer called The Witch Killer is introduced, who may be connected to the Reitherman murder from "Mainly by Moonlight." And while the murder cauldron is boiling away, there is plenty of steam between John and Cos, with several scenes illustrating why their unlikely relationship works so well ... at least in bed.

Lanyon keeps our interest in the ongoing murder investigations, while amping up the relationship between Cos and John, giving it more texture and depth. I'm looking forward to the third book in this series and give "I Buried a Witch" 4.5 stars.

Spoilers…

Ever witnessed an accident? Two cars screaming towards one another, all forward momentum and potential lethality. You see it all about to happen and there is nothing you can do to stop it. That’s how I felt about Cosmo and John’s marriage. All the lies Cosmo told, all the spells he tried to cast. Of course John was going to freak when he found out Cosmo’s HUGE secret. Hello, Cosmo, remember in book one when John told you to never lie to him again? Well, lying about being a witch is the biggest and most continuous lie you’ve ever told him!

What Cosmo did was unforgiveable, but their relationship needs an alignment. It has no balance. John holds all the power. His decisions are final. Where is Cosmo’s voice in this? What about his opinions? John dismisses them as if they don’t matter at all. How is that a relationship? It certainly isn’t a healthy one. I liked the way Cosmo slowly comes to realize this as their separation grows. He is not himself in this marriage, and he can’t continue to live a lie.

Which leads to the compromise wherein John will take Cosmo back if he promises to only use magic as a last resort. Um, how could Cosmo agree to that? Magic is who he is. Why should it be a last resort? I guess some would see this as John compromising, but I see it as more controlling. It’s almost as if John is saying, I’ll partially accept you as you are as long as you try to be what I am comfortable with you being. How long can that really work? Under what circumstances can Cosmo’s resorting to magic be deemed acceptable in John’s eyes? Saving a life? Preventing a witch war? It’s hard to say, and the Commissioner is not exactly one to try and find middle ground when it comes to magic. I guess we’ll find out in future books if this “compromise” is going to work.

Despite my concerns, I am really enjoying this series . It’s kind of the standard Lanyon relationship story – younger, more mellow guy falls for the gruff, older cop; hilarity and murder ensue – but it has this big dash of magic and a supernatural element that brings a whole other degree of mystery and potential disaster to the plot.

As always, the book ended before I was ready to let go of the story, but it left me with so many questions.
Why is John so resistant to magic and spells?
Will we ever find out what happened in Somalia?
Is Jinx a witch? Is John one? (Unbeknownst to himself, of course)
Will Cosmo return to practicing full-blown magic? How can he not as heir to the Abracadantes line of witches?
I hope we’ll find out in Bell, Book,and Scandal, the third book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series.

I read this book in one big gulp, on Thanksgiving. I'm giving it five stars because it was entertaining and satisfying, and it didn't end on a cliffhanger (which I was dreading). On the other hand, it really felt like the tale of antiques dealer/witch Cosmo and his husband, John, the SF police commissioner, is oddly complete, even though a third book is apparently in the works.

Issues: The motivation of the killer is never fully explained, in my opinion. In fact, so much is rushed. (The big make-up scene between the estranged couple was certainly rushed. It lacked poignancy and tenderness.) I think the observations that some other readers have made about John ring even more true here: he isn't charming, and he's a pretty harsh character who has trouble evolving.

Even with those caveats, the book is consistently enjoyable, packed with suspense, witty, and lively. In other words, the Josh Lanyon magic is still potent :)

5* OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG SOOOO GOOD. THIS IS JOSH LANYON DOING A GOOD TALE WITH FULL-ON ROMANCE, NOT JUST A GOOD TALE WITH A SIDE OF ROMANCE. DAMN THE WAIT FOR BOOK 3!!!!

I got a copy of this book from NetGalley and was so impatient to load it on my Kindle that I ended up with 14 copies. If only the book was 14 times as long as it was!!! I did not want it to end. It was one of the sweetest, saddest (in a lighthearted way, not big, ugly tears-and-snot way), most romantic-without-feeling-faux original tales I've read. I think seeing big, growly, uncompromising John Galbraith so gone over Cosmo is one of the most swoony things ever, lol!

OK, that's the fangirling over with. Maybe, but no promises! So, this book takes up two weeks after the leads' wedding and they've just arrived home from honeymooning in Scotland. And pretty much from the moment they get back, it's action, action, action. Witches are dying, Cosmo isn't sure who's a friend and who's not a friend, who's an ally or not, who he can trust, even people he's known for years. It's even better than book 1, especially as there are little touches of the so glaringly obvious that I'm wondering why John didn't clock about magic. Maybe it's that aspect of his personality or his bloodline that has him in unconscious denial, but whatever, it led to an implosion followed by an explosion once Cosmo's true self came to light. And that's the first time I felt a pang of pain in my chest and a sting in my eyes, because Cosmo was hurt. Really hurt and scared and not really able to defend himself, because, hey, magic=obfuscation and rules where humans are concerned...

As the blurb makes clear, this tale isn't sweetness and light. John with his mind made up is a stubborn beast and whilst I understood where he was coming from, I was also a bit annoyed at him for packing his bags that quickly. Maybe a lesser guy would've resorted to the bottle, but nope, once his mind was made up, that was it. And, though the blurb of book 3 makes clear that things are back on track with him and Cosmo, there were many times where my heart hurt and where I wanted to smack John for being a silly, stubborn, unrelenting arse, and cuddle Cosmo. And poor little Pyewhacket!!! Thank goodness he's a cat with 9 lives.

I loved everything about this book (I especially loved that JL is a rare author who knows how to use commas correctly, no pun intended; most authors/editors don't seem to know the 'and/or' rule, which really gets my goat. Sorry, mini rant over). And now, I'm impatient that I'll have to wait until 13/03/2020 to read the final part in the series, but yay, Josh Lanyon has it up for pre-order, meaning that date is a dead cert (happy dance!).

I've read several JL books now and I've mostly thought that they're intelligent tales that happen to have gay leads and a side of romance. Here, she breaks that mould and gives me the full-on romance that I wanted for these guys. Maybe it's the fact that they're opposites attracting in more ways than the proverbial that makes them so romantic in my eyes. There's certainly elements of the star-crossed here, and I suspect that magic will save the day, big time, in book 3, and John will see the error of his ways and will go even swoonier over Cosmo. Seriously, the romantic element to this tale DELIGHTED me. I can't quite pinpoint it, but John and Cosmo do it for me. And seeing a bit of grovelling from the big guy might not be amiss. Hint. Hint.

And yes, there are the same little touches of magic here that there are in book 1 that delighted me (Cosmo does the Samantha Nose Twitch barely a few pages into the tale, and Bridget surely must be related to Mary Poppins) as well as the sass and wit I remember. The French in this is pretty much picture perfect, and there's even a romantic night in Paris that I hadn't been expecting, and is where John's resolve began to crack.

There will be lots of little loose ends to tie up in book 3. I'm curious about various side characters who've popped up and who've made a bit of an impact, but not so much of an impact that I am sure about their roles in the grand finale. I'm thinking I'm going to love to see Nola's face with the reveals in book 3. Anyway, I think I should stop here, as I need to go back and re-read slowly, because I'm pretty sure I'll have missed stuff in my haste to devour this. Let's just say that both books 1 and 2 make my Top Ten 5* tales for 2019.

ARC courtesy of JustJoshin Publishing Inc and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.