For readers who:
*like serial mysteries
*like magic/mystics/fantasy
*read romantasy
*want to see what a serial mudlrder mystery + romantasy look like together


This was a fun read. It won't be one I remember forever, but most cozy mystery series aren't. I enjoyed the main characters - their chemistry was borderline too cheesy at times, though 😅 - and the typical FBI agent-seeks-killer is passed up with 200 year old mystics and magical objects.

A Trinket for the Taking
by Victoria Laurie
Spellbound
Mystery Fantasy Urban
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2024
Kensington
Ages: 14+

Dovey Van Dalen is a Mystic, transformed by Elric in 1840 after given to him by her own father to settle his gambling debts. Today, she is still tied to him by the spell, and not only does she still love him, she also works for him, and after a very powerful trinket, (a magical item), is stolen from a visiting diplomat, she is put on the case.

When investigating a suspicious death, Dovey runs into FBI agent Grant Barlow.


I requested this because the blurb kind of made it sound like vampires... It's not. This is about magical people who can turn humans magical and age really slowly. BUT... when a person is turned into a mystic they are usually 'owned' by their creators, who can release them. So Dovey is in love with Elric, the man who won her from her father in a card game, then turns her magical, and while they are intimate, he also has other women, including a wife that he hates, (and his wife hates Dovey and has tried to kill her,) but Dovey isn't allowed to have others because Elric is a possessive, violent, powerful Mystic.

Yeah, I did not like this ownership! (But I can see why and where it could go.)

The attraction between Dovey and Grant is typical especially since he is 'absolutely gorgeous', as it seems are all of the Mystics and main characters of this story.

But the story, the world, and the magic were interesting, and I wish there had been a little more backstory of the how, why, when, so to better understand how powerful and old some of these Mystics are. Then there is Dovey's pet hedgehog. Even though he's cute, I have suspicions about the real purpose of this little creature.

This is a good story with an interesting plot, world, characters, and a quick read at just around three hundred pages, but I have no interest in reading the next book in this potential series... Why? Because these people are materialistic.

I don't want to have to read pages about the fancy clothes; color, shape, fabric, brand, fit, etc that are in their closets and how they look wearing the outfit. I get having nice things, but this much filler was over the top and boring. I don't care about the struggles of looking for the perfect outfit in a closet filled with clothes that probably cost more than my house, cars, and what my family makes in a year (or more) put together. (I thought we were supposed to reduce our carbon footprint not encourage it.)

There is some violence and death, but not gory, and there is romance but not descriptive, so this book is suitable for readers fourteen and older. BUT I have suspicions there are going to be scenes in upcoming books that will change the age range.

(And it looks as if, according to GR, there is another book in this series already out, called 'A Spell to Unbind', and takes place at the same time as this one does.)

3 Stars

This was a really fun read, it kept me interested throughout and had pretty good drama. I feel like the magic system was explained just the right amount too.

Dovey Van Dalen is celebrating her 200th birthday when her boss, Elric, tasks her with hunting down a powerful magical trinket that is causing chaos amongst the humans (the unbound). While she must keep her distance from humans, Dovey ends up having to work with the handsome FBI agent, Grant 'Gib' Barlow, who is human and must not learn about the world of the mystics.
I really enjoyed a lot of this novel. The world-building and magic system were great. There weren't huge info dumps, the reader is thrown in to this magical world set within our own very quickly, and the author does an excellent job of providing enough information so that I was never lost or confused. The world and magic system was revealed in a great way. I really liked Dovey and her immortal pet hedgehog, Bits, who absolutely was my favorite character. Dovey's friends are great and I really wanted to love this book.
Unfortunately, I really had a problem with the Elric situation. I won't go into spoilers, but it made me uncomfortable and the author spent a good portion of the first part of the book trying to justify their relationship, and it never sat well with me. As a result, it was also hard to connect with Gib as Dovey spends the entirety of the book proving why they can never be together. So I ended up feeling like I was in this weird limbo where I just wanted her to run off on her own and leave both behind. Also, the ending is incredibly abrupt, both within and without of the case of the missing trinket. I was enjoying the mystery aspect of this, and while there are clues there that sort of help you figure out where it's going, it's like a lightbulb just goes off in her head and everything's pieced together without much of an explanation. While this doesn't say that it is the start of the series, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more books coming.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for a free copy of this eARC in return for an honest review.

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

"A Trinket For the Taking" by Victoria Laurie is a light-hearted, magical cozy mystery series set in modern-day Washington, D.C. If you're a fan of the cozy mystery genre and enjoy a witchy element in stories, this is probably a book for you. It was short, fast-paced, and filled with lots of fun and intriguing character introductions. Our main character, Dovey Van Dalen, is very typical of the cozy genre, though I wish we'd learned more about her. Since it was so short and quick, some topics were glossed over, but I can see them being explained more in future installments, assuming this becomes a series. My only gripe with this book was the info-dumping for the magic system; it was a bit haphazard, and I still didn't fully understand the lore by the end of the book.

I'm not a romantasy reader but I gotta admit this one has all the feels for those who are. There's good world building and a terrific character in Dovey. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Simply A-MAZE-ING!

A TRINKET FOR THE TAKING is the first book in the “Trinket Mystery series” which is a new paranormal mystery series by Victoria Laurie, and I have to confess I am already hanging out for the next one.

The story starts with the MC celebrating her 200th birthday! Dovey Van Dalen lives in a scary, very brutal magical world that coexists unknown alongside “the unbound” (none magical) humans. Dovey was born human but on her 18th birthday in the 1840s, she was handed over to Elric to wipe her father’s gambling debts. Elric took her to his home that night, and took her to his bed, the next day he bound her to him magically, transferring into a mystic. Turns out that Elric was one of the most powerful Mystics in the world. Since then Dovey has been Elric’s “…constant companion, his concubine, his trusted advisor, his spy, and his loyal and faithful servant...”

What she can never be though, is his wife. He is married to Petra, who is a cruel and heartless piece of work. Petra and Elric loathe each other, but their marriage was bound by an unbreakable enchantment which means they can’t kill each other; and have to protect each from being killed by other powerful mystics. The two of them are the leaders of the North American Mystic Court.

Elric assigns Dovey the task of finding a powerful artifact that has been stolen from a representative of the Russian mystic court visiting the USA. It’s believed to be behind the death of the head of the non-magical Ariti family. His death is followed by two more family deaths, and an attempted killing. Whoever is exposed to the stolen trinket is magically forced to kill themselves in a way that they fear the most. When Dovey starts investigating she meets a human FBI agent, the drop dead gorgeous Grant. He is investigating the deaths, and is equally attracted to Dovey as she is to him. This can’t be, as an unbound Grant is not magical and can’t be allowed to find out there is a magical world. Also, Elric doesn’t share, he may not be faithful to Dovey but that doesn’t mean she can stray.

Dovey is on a mission to uncover the truth behind why a non-bound family is being targeted. She must find the killer, retrieve the powerful trinket, and prevent Grant from discovering the magical world. Along the way she starts to question her world and her role in it.

The mystery was really, really clever! I honestly had no idea who the murderer was until the reveal. I was surprised, but in hindsight the clues were there and it all made so much sense. I loved the magic used in the story - no waving of wands, just the clever use of magically enhanced trinkets. I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye out for that silver dollar! The magical world was well imagined, both scary and appealing. And the most appealing magical thing? Her pet hedgehog named Bits - chief wardrobe advisor and all-round cutie.

Well done Victoria Laurie - I love, love, LOVE your new world

"Introducing the captivating Dovey Van Dalen, once the belle of 1840s Copenhagen, now charged with recovering magic property from mortals - whatever it takes. The first in a new magical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie.

Dovey Van Dalen has a gorgeous day planned for her 200th birthday: driving her new Porsche, admiring the cherry blossoms abloom in her adopted city of Washington, D.C., and a little pampering. But her boss has other ideas. A powerful artifact has been stolen, and he fears it's causing chaos in the unmagical world...

The rich and connected Ariti family has suffered a string of suspicious deaths, with no signs of foul play. Yet each member has died in the way they feared most. As the enchanting agent most skilled at blending in with mere mortals, Dovey must find answers and retrieve the dangerous trinket.

There's just one unexpected wrinkle: By the time Dovey arrives at the art gallery where the Ariti patriarch died, FBI agent Grant "Gib" Barlow has taken control of the scene. Dovey needs his cooperation to investigate - but she'll have to hide her abilities, and her true objective, from a man who uncovers deceptions every day. And as they inch nearer a deadly truth, both will face danger even the spellbound would be lucky to survive..."

I mean, Victoria Laurie is a must read, but I want to know how one goes from 1840s Copenhagen to present day Washington, D.C.!

What a unique and wonderful story. Not at all what I’m used to from this author but so good. A secret world within our world with magic and powerful mystics. I don’t know if this is the first book in a series but I certainly hope it is. Getting used to the workings of a new concept is always a little confusing at first but in the end I would love to read more about this complex mysterious race.

Wow this book just gets straight to the point. There is no time to wait before you as the reader get dunked into this slightly complex world.

You have to suspend a good bit of disbelief with some of the dialogue. It teeters on the ledge of believability.

I got the sense of walking through an overstocked antique store. There was a good bit of interesting and intriguing aspects of the text but there was also a lot that I found useless to the narrative.

It's high stakes but the attitude of the protagonist doesn't quite match that. Tonally this book is inconsistent but I kept on reading anyway. There's something about the double-time quick pacing that I found highly engaging. It's like brain candy.

It's not perfect by any means, but with the right kind of reader this can be upcyclef into something fun for a collection. Especially since odd-concept mysteries like this are too few.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie is a first person-POV romantic contemporary fantasy mystery. Mystic and immortal Dovey has been in a long-term, non-monogamous relationship with Elric, the man who gave her magic. She’s tasked with hunting down a powerful magical trinket for Elric and runs into Gib, an FBI agent, who is researching the case as well but is unaware of the magical world.

The romance arc is just as much about Dovey figuring out that Elric cannot completely satisfy her anymore as it is about her coming to terms with her feelings for Gib. Ever since she first met Elric back in Copenhagen, he has been Dovey’s one and only but she has never been his. We learn very early on that Elric is married, though unhappily, to Petra and that he will never marry Dovey. She’s fine with that and seems reasonably content with their current arrangement until Gib. What I really appreciated about this was that it does show how people can be perfectly fine in open relationships but can also change their mind if they find someone else, because Dovey was happy and content. Her relationship with Elric is not demonized, though it didn’t give her everything she truly needed.

The magic system is a bit more vibes-based rather than anything super hard as the fantasy elements are a lighter touch. The unbound are mortals who are both unaware of the immortal world and are not bound to an immortal. There are powerful trinkets, seven in total, that are very dangerous and are basically shuffled between the seven immortal courts or are destroyed. A lot of the magic we see is more about imbuing abilities into objects and then Dovey using them during her investigation, such as a silver dollar that makes it easier for her to get information from others.

What I liked the most was how, despite the murder mystery element, there are moments that do feel quite cozy. I have read several cozy fantasies coming out this year and a big thing they have in common with this book is the strong focus on food and sharing meals. Despite the set-up, I think I could find myself recommending this to someone who is looking for a cozy fantasy as long as I know they also like contemporary fantasy and murder mystery books as I feel it would be perfect for that niche reader who likes all three.

I would recommend this to fans of fantasy mysteries who prefer lighter fantasy elements and readers looking for a romance arc that is as much about falling out of an old love as it is falling into a new one

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series that Laurie has created. I have loved her other series, so I couldn’t wait to jump into this new one. This new series is a combination of mystery and fantasy with a touch of romance. It is set in an imagined world where magic is used every day. Dovey is a skilled mystic whose job is to find missing items for her boss and lover Elric. He sent her to find a missing object that was stolen from a visiting leader. She ends up having to work with a mortal FBI agent, Grant Isaac Barlow (GIB). The chemistry between Dovey and Gib can found throughout the book and has Elric worried. It was a fun ride with plenty of action and I look forward to reading more about Dovey and Gib. Thank you, Netgalley and Kensington Cozies for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dovey Van Dalen will need more than mystic powers to save herself and others from a powerful artifact that has fallen into the hands of a dangerous group determined to use it's power for chaos. Problem is Dovey has to determine who is friend or foe and that's alot of people since Dovey is 200 years old!

The mystery was wonderful and kept me reading and supporting characters were well-written and interesting. The "mystics" are descendents from Merlin's court and are immortal. I enjoyed how the author wrote each supporting character, especially Ursula and Qin. The book has everything I like- a smart and kind heroine, supporting characters who are quirky and could have a book of their own and a mystery that ties up all the loose ends of the story.

I don't usually read paranormal mysteries, but I loved this one and can't wait for Dovey's next adventure!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Victoria Laurie is a favorite, And I love her New series introduces magical bindings And spelled objects, or trinkets. I can’t wait to read more.

This novel by Victoria Laurie is a creative, though sometimes cumbersome, fantasy detective-style story. It centers on Dovey Van Dalen, a 200-year-old mystic with incredible (but not invincible) powers, all of which revolve around her ability to use magical trinkets. When she goes on a quest to find her boss’ stolen trinket and stop a string of unexpected deaths in a mortal family, she meets the attractive (and definitively mortal) FBI agent, Grant “Gib” Barlow. Dovey must find answers and retrieve the dangerous trinket before danger overtakes both her and Gib.

The writing style is not my type and was initially off-putting. However, the story is interesting and pretty easy to follow. Sometimes the methods Dovey used to escape felt a bit contrived. Nevertheless, the overall story is creative and I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I fell right in to this mystery fantasy adventure and it's one you sure don't want to miss.

The world building is fun and unique and the murder mystery adds twists and turns throughout the book. It's overall fast-paced and a true page turner that the reader use all the clues to try to solve the mystery first!

The characters are fun and engaging, especially Dovey and Gib. They are really well-developed characters who bring the fun to a serious investigation.

This is not my normal type of read but I am so glad that I gave it a chance. It was so much fun to read.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC <3

I was asked to review this fab book by NetGalley.

Whoever could say a murder mystery could be fun - well this one was.

This author has a great knack of blending the "magical" and what we would sau as the "real" world.

Dovey celebrates her 200th birthday! when a "deadly" trinket is missing!

This trinket must be returned by Dovey before things go awray.

Fun with twists and turns along the way. Magical whodunnit.

Hope we see more of this author.

As a resident of the DC Metropolitan region I was looking forward to a mystery and a book set in this area. I found the first couple of chapters engaging, but after diving in to more of the investigation I was struck by how incomplete the setting manifested in the story. Many places in areas local to DC our names they are described does not remind me of the DC region.

In the end, this plus the behaviors of the individuals in the story took me out of the story.

Second, I did not find the actions of the main characters to be entirely realistic or reasonable. The main character is one of those women’s whose entire purpose and motivation is in service to a man. That’s not bad if the writing And setting makes sense for that relationship. I don’t feel that the author did a good enough job establishing the why and how of the magic to make that reasonable.

I don’t think this book was for me. I love a cozy mystery, but I doubt I will continue with this series as I found the main character exhausting after the 7/8th chapter. I If someone is looking for a cozy fantastic mystery, there are others I would recommend before this one.

What a great read! Part cozy mystery, part magic race, all fun.

I remember loving the Librarians show - with the characters tracking down mysterious magic items that are wreaking havoc in the real world.

This book feels like a fresh twist on that idea! The trinkets are called 'Pandoras', and their magical effects are legendary. And Dovey is absolutely the greatest. (Did I mention her pet hedgehog??) Can't wait for more!

"If the intuitive ones knew that they could harness a powerful trinket without having to be bound, we'd have a lot more stolen trinkets, Dovey."

I loved it! This author has STYLE! It shows while looking through Dovey's eyes when she's picking out a fashionable outfit, admiring the decor in her friend's house or observing a person of interest and the vehicle they drive or recognizing the brand of watch they're wearing. She wanders about encountering horrific murders but still finds beautiful things. This is a great mystery.