One of the cutest books I’ve read in ages! Ugh I loved the book it was a great read after a few duds. My only major qualm is the ending. So much fantastic build up, with writing and a plot that didn’t bore me, only to rush the ending into like a single chapter. Booo party foul! Regardless, i loved the diversity, the Talia Brown nod, the bits showing Phoebe dealing with her grief, and everything else.

P.S. - I will 10000% be trying to sort out the recipes in this book. Every single one sounds heavenly and I am going to try the ones at the back! Would definitely read more from Gretchen Rue so thanks to Aria & Aries for letting me read it!

3.5⭐️ rounded to 4⭐️

Phoebe Winchester discovers a dead body at an estate sale, where instantly the suspicion is casted on her. She takes it upon herself to try and clear her name with the help of a handsome private detective and childhood friend, whilst trying to deal with her unresolved feelings for him…

I love how cosy this series is as well as so many of the characters and I’m so glad to be back into the world of Raven Creek again! I did enjoy the plot for the most part and I really loved to see the friendships from the first book further blossom in this one. I also love how it gives recaps of what happened in the previous book so you don’t have to go reread it to figure out what had happened.

Unfortunately, I really didn’t like this book as much as the first in the series. Phoebe who is our MC in this book felt so annoying at times, which is why although I had a fun time with this book and found it hard to put down, she was one of the reasons I rated this book lower. Also, can we please stop with the “she released a breath she didn’t realise she was holding”? I feel like this is so overused that it’s boring to see.

For me, it felt so long winded in uncovering who the murderer was and what their motivation for the killing was, with this only being revealed within the last 10% ish of the book which felt way too long of a wait, especially when there was still so many questions to be answered. There was a minor plot hole when Phoebe said she’d drop off more tea bags for Amy the next day but it actually turns into 3 days later when she gives them to Amy.

I feel like you can’t really call this book a romance as it’s like a tiny sprinkle - I would actually love to see more of the romance present within this series and see how it develops. I’m guessing with the way it’s ended there’s gonna be another book so I hope that will further expand on certain things, for example the small parts of romance we do get. The ending did feel kind of abrupt - I was expecting more chapters and was shocked to see there wasn’t any more but if there is more to this series, I cannot wait to see how it progresses.

⚠️ CWs: alcohol use, murder, gun, mentions cheating, death ⚠️

Thank you NetGalley and Aria for the opportunity to read this book!

3.5 ⭐️

This is a great series to read if you love cosy mysteries with sweet & lovable characters. I really enjoyed the first one, and liked this one too!

It may seemingly be a small thing, but little details like describing the food & tea in such a tantalising manner really goes a long way in creating the warm vibe that this series carries. The romance remains a very slow burn; I’m not sure how long the author plans for this book series to be, but I do wish that the chemistry was ramped up between Phoebe & Rich as their friendship/relationship is bordering on boring now.

The main criticism that I have for this book is that we still haven’t seen much magic being practised by Phoebe. I could forgive the first book because she had only just discovered her powers - and she does speak a lot about her aunt’s magical tea blends - but for a series that centres so much around Phoebe being a witch, we aren’t getting to see that in practice really at all.

Nevertheless, this was a fun book and I fully intend to read this series to completion once further books are released 🥰

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I received the arc of this book. I was a judge fan of the first book and this one did not disappoint me. It is the perfect cosy autumn read, Phoebe, the main character is likeable and relatable, the witchy themes and magic tea blends adding to the cosy theme. I would highly recommend this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it before publishing. Go on buy it, settle down with the horrible weather outside with a blanket and a hot chocolate and get lost in Phoebe witchy world.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for supplying me with this eARC.

This could’ve been such a good cosy read, perfect for Autumn and Winter! The story centres around our FMC Phoebe who is a witch. Her being a witch has little to no impact on the plot, it just gives magical *vibes* and the fact half the book is about tea blend recipes. This magical aspect didn’t have any payoff be hardly added anything to the FMC. Her other witch friend also has little to no impact on the story.

The story? I hear you ask. It’s a murder mystery that Phoebe solves with the help of a *handsome* MMC. The MMC is about as bland as unflavoured ice cream and also has little to no impact on the plot (other than being a go between between FMC and the police). Additionally, the FMC keeps meddling with the murder investigation and outrightly antagonises a police officer, yet moans about how she doesn’t want to be a suspect? It was annoying and downright dumb. Even when she is told multiple times (after a MURDER ATTEMPT) to stay out of it, she continues to get involved.
The FMC should’ve just stuck to her tea blends.

The book is marketed as a cosy/witchy/murder mystery/romance and it doesn’t really deliver on any of them in a satisfying way. This book felt like it was juggling too many themes and should’ve stuck to one or two.
Maybe this wasn’t the book for me. 2.5 stars

Firstly, thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me have an eARC of this book to read, all thoughts and words are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, it is book two but there I did not feel at any point that I needed to read book one first!

It has been beautifully written and descriptive, the food from the bookshop/cafe sounds amazing and I loved the recipes at the end. Great plot and well paced, would recommend and will look in to reading first book.

Another one that I couldn't put down it's mystery it's fantasy it's a tiny bit of romance but it's also cosy I love this so much can't wait for the next one.

A cosy murder mystery with a side of romance and baking, and an adorable side kick, Bob the cat.

Phoebe is renovating an old Victorian Manor which was inherited from her Aunt Eudora, but that wasn't the only thing she inherited.. another thing was that she was a witch.

But what she doesn't expect, is to find a body at an auction (or Bob the cat to find it) and is forced to try and clear her name. The help she gets is from a handsome private detective, Rich.. who just so happens to be a childhood friend, with feelings attached.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Love a small town murder mystery and romance weaved into the mix. But my overall love in this story was of course, Bob. I also loved Phoebe's passion and personality, especially with wanting to open an animal shelter in her shop for people to adopt - and her role in being an amateur detective.

This was a very cosy read and I flew through it! I also didn't realise this was the second book but didn't feel lost at all. The magic/Phoebe being a witch doesn't appear all too often, but I enjoyed the mystery nonetheless!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this copy. This review is voluntary.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 Stars rounded down
Spell Bound follows Pheobe and her beautiful side kick Bob (the cat- my favourite if you couldn't tell) as she investigates a murder mystery.
Did I realise this was the second book in a series? No, I did not.
Did it matter? Kind of no, I still had a great time, however, I probably would have benefited from the first book for some background info.
The witchy magic was not as central to the plot as I expected, but honestly, I found myself not caring because I was busy being anxious about the mystery! I won't say much for the sake of spoilers but for a quick read, the mystery built up well, I started mentally yelling at the main character to stay home as things got a little dangerous for our investigator, but simultaneously dying to see what happened next.
Overall, it was fun and adventurous and a great quick read.

Firstly.... I LOVE BOB.

On a more serious note, I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of this through netgalley, and I'm glad I did.

It's a cutie little witchy rom com with a side of murder and baking. Although I think I would have benefited from reading book one in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone and enjoyed!

I like the small town feel, the idea of everyone loving the cat and her being passionate about rehoming. I loved that the romance didn't over take the story but just sizzled a little in the background. The FMC was cute and relatable.

All in all, a great read and a solid 4 star read.

Spell Bound is a fun, cosy mystery with witchy vibes and a 'will they? won't they?' dynamic. While it was the second book (which I realised while reading), it didn't dampen any of my enjoyment. I pretty much gobbled this book in one sitting, then went to find the first book and devoured it too. I look forward to seeing more of this series, hopefully with more of an exploration of Phoebe's newly discovered witch powers. Best read with a cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book. I picked this up because I like the title and the premise - as I read it, I realised I had already read the authors first book in this world, so that was a nice surprise.
I like reading about the characters, and the town they live in, and their experiences. Our main character enjoys playing amateur detective, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in later books. I enjoy the authors writing - it can be overly descriptive at times - but you do feel immersed in the world of the book.

So in the mood to acquire a good witchy romance for our women’s fiction section. It’s nice to have an option being the Halloween season is over and this one includes a mystery as well. I think readers are really going to enjoy this one especially with a handsome detective in the mix. Can’t wait to share more on this one very soon.