A Spell of Trouble (Silver Hollow, #1) by Leighann Dobbs

A Spell of Trouble (Silver Hollow, #1) Reviews

• 
  Brenda

  Louella Drummond was a nasty person whom no one liked – but when she died on the doorstep of Issy’s pet store, only Issy and her Quinn cousins believed it had anything to do with magic. The local policeman, Owen, was sure it was a heart attack. But when it was discovered Louella had been murdered, all kinds of troubling events started in Issy’s little town of Silver Hollow.
  
  With Issy and her cousin Gray high on the suspect list, the witchy friends needed to find the real killer and quickly. And when the dreaded FBPI turned up – Federal Bureau of Paranormal Investigation – the fears of the cousins heightened. Would they find the witch who was performing dark magic? Or was it too late for Issy and Gray?
  
  A Spell of Trouble by Leighann Dobbs is the first in the Silver Hollow series and even though I’ve read #2 and #3 I wanted to read the first as well. #4 is next on the agenda. A Spell of Trouble is a light, fun and entertaining story; thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
  
• 
  Montzalee Wittmann

  Audible version
  Rtc
• 
  Kara

  "A Spell of Trouble (Silver Hollow #1)" is my first DNF audiobook.
  
  While the narrator was good, the story is boooorrring! At 13%, I just couldn't take anymore. While not lesfic, it sounded like a cute paranormal murder mystery. But...did I mention it was booorrrring?
  
  There are lots of high ratings for this book, and I certainly understand that tastes vary, but the book really felt targeted toward young teens, or perhaps pre-teens. While 12-14yo's would probably enjoy this series...it's definitely not for me. 1.5*, rounded up because the narration was good, and because I didn't hate the book, I just didn't like it.
• 
  Ian

  A Spell of Trouble is a bit like a Banana Split Sundae. Even the worst ones are still pretty good.
  
  
  
• 
  AnnaG

  I do enjoy Leighann Dobbs' cozy murder mysteries, but I prefer the Mystic Notch series where the characters, especially the non-human ones are better drawn.
• 
  Sally906

  the first in a new series that I really enjoyed. Paranormal people live among humans in a small town - and the paranormal would prefer if their presence wasn't known. When a human is killed by a spell that can only come from a dark spell the FPBI come to town to investigate. Yep, FBI for paranormal crimes! Issy and her cousins start to investigate who dunnit as they are the prime suspects. Lots of laughs and lost of spooky bits - and maybe a hint of a future romance for future books in the series
• 
  Trish

  Okay, but not great. The characters and setting have potential, but the book seems somehow unfinished, and the editing isn't brilliant, so there's a lot of repetition. Also, the romance plot seemed forced and unconvincing.
• 
  L. McCoy

  Alright, can someone tell me what a “cozy mystery” is? This is the first time I’ve read one (I think) and don’t get what the name of the sub-genre means at all. Seriously, it is still about a murder after all.
  
  What’s it about?
  It takes place in a town where there are paranormals (witches, werewolves, stuff like that). There’s this one person who dies at the main character’s pet shop. Everyone thinks it’s natural causes but the paranormals notice details that make them realize that it’s actually dark magic.
  
  Pros:
  The story is very interesting. I really like the idea of mixing mystery and urban fantasy.
  This book is very well written.
  This book is also very suspenseful. It’s a mystery that I wasn’t able to figure out much of ahead of time and there’s a pile of surprising twists so I really like that!
  There are quite a few small animals in this book. I love small animals and it’s especially nice to me since I usually read snuggled up to my little pupper!
  Though not necessarily a comedy in general, there are some funny comic relief moments, especially involving the little animals I mentioned.
  There’s some action towards the end that’s pretty bad-ass.
  The ending wraps up the first book nicely in a way that it works as a standalone book but those who enjoyed it will look forward to book 2 more because of it.
  
  Cons:
  I honestly did not care what happens to these characters except for the animals. They just aren’t interesting IMO.
  Despite that bit of action at the end, this book is slower paced than I was hoping for. Maybe it’s because I read such action packed fantasy most of the time but still, it could have been more intense.
  
  Overall:
  I really enjoyed this book and have book 2 in my reading list, it’s lots of fun. Sure, the characters aren’t all that interesting and it’s not as action packed as many fantasy readers will be hoping for but it’s an interesting story with great writing, lots of suspense and adorable animals so I personally think it’s very good and worth reading.
  
  4/5
• 
  Elisa

  Seriously awesome supernatural mystery.
  Such a great first book in what will be an exciting new series.
  A great meld of supernatural and human a great mystery with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, lots of exciting potential for future stories, great great animal characters, wonderful people characters and great description of the town and the characters.
  I throughly enjoyed it
• 
  Crystie

  It was okay. Some phrases bugged me. ("Another thing coming?") It was a little too narrative; everything was explained to me as I read it. The author assumed the reader was too dumb to keep up without the explanations. The "romance" was forced. There was no reason for the characters to like each other. The fact that they had feelings for each other was just another explanation - but the text lacked chemistry. I don't need everything spelled out for me. It pulls me, as the reader, out of the story. I'm glad this one was free and that I didn't waste money.
• 
  Anna's Herding Cats

  I enjoyed another series from Dobbs so thought I'd try this one. And I'm glad I did. Light easy read with fun characters and setting. A Spell of Trouble was a good time.
  
  The Gist: The town busy body has just dropped dead outside the door of Issy's pet store after accusing of having illegal animals at her pet store. Not good when she was struck dead by magic and, well, you're a witch. Yeah.
  
  I enjoyed Issy. She's a pet person and runs a pet store. Can talk to animals and is a bit uncertain about her powers. She's just easy to like and I look forward to getting to know her and her quirky cousins as the series goes. All their familiars, too. Kittens, puppies, a bird and even a venus fly trap. Yep! The familiars in this series were creative. There was a tiny hint of maybe future romance interest with one of the FBI paranormal investigators that comes to town, too. So that should be interesting.
  
  The mystery was pretty fun, too. I enjoyed watching Issy and her cousins piecing things together and hanging out. The brushes with law enforcement (both human and those that track paranormals). I figured some of it out but still had a couple surprises which is always a plus.
  
  All in all, A Spell of Trouble was an entertaining little jaunt into a new world from Dobbs. Fun characters, tons of critters, a tiny hint of future romance (hopefully!) and a nice mystery all added up to a fine time spent.
• 
  JoAn

  I enjoyed the lovely setting of Silver Hollow, New Hampshire which is a home for both normal people and for paranormal people. The Quinn family is close knit and each one has their own magic specialty. The mystery kept me guessing until the end.
• 
  Jeannie and Louis Rigod

  This mystery series has a new follower...me. Who can not like a cozy murder mystery surrounding four loving cousins. The main character we follow in this first in the series is Isolde or Issy Quinn, she owns a pet store named "Enchanted Pets." Right off you realize there is something magical in this town or at least some of the residents. Issy works with familiars such as cats, dogs, salamanders and birds etc. Raine grows plants, and so on. There are other supernaturals residing in the lovely town of Silver Hollow in New Hampshire, such as werewolves, vampires etc.
  
  However, there is also a rogue Dark Magic follower and that causes a death and endless troubles for the Quinn family.
  
  The action scenes were a milder form of a Jackie Chan movie, in as far as fast paced action with stunning results. A mild romance (which I hope continues, ) and you have a complete novel that was satisfying and compelling.
• 
  Meels

  Dang it! Another series to add to the “buy them” list.
  
  Really fun little murder mystery with an assortment of paranormals and a snarky talking cat. Loved the town, loved the characters, the plot was just...okay. Figured most of it out before the big reveal. But, if you’re looking for a light fun read, this will fit the bill.
• 
  Trish R.

  Waited and waited for something to happen. Nothing did!
  
  Let me start by saying even if I had hated this book I would have still liked it, simply because it was NOT written in the first person. Every time a book about magical witches sounds good I look at the sample and sure as shit some author puts herself in the place of a magic witch and starts with the I, I, I, I, I, I, I. The same thing goes for a shifter or vampire or Fae or Fairy or any magical creature that doesn’t exist. YOU are not any of these things so please don’t write a book like you are one. Whew, I feel better since I got that out of my system. I know a lot of you like books written in the first person but I’m not one of you. This is just my opinion, and I ’am entitled to it.
  
  I did skip a lot of pages, too many descriptions to make more pages. I don’t care about someone’s houseful of furniture, or the woods or all the crunching leaves underfoot or anything that goes on and on and really says nothing. I want to get to the meat of the story, who killed Louella and why. This didn’t have to be 353 pages, according to Amazon. One hundred or fewer pages would have made it more enjoyable.
  
  Overall, this was a nothing story. It was about a woman who was killed, then the Quinn cousins snooping around to find the real killer, and you knew who it was the minute they were introduced. So, no suspense, no real mystery, no romance, nothing. I thought there would be romance but Dex kissed Issy once, then he apologized, and at the end she watched him drive out of town. I’d hardly call that a romance. Needless to say, I won’t be reading these two authors again.
  
  There was no swearing in this book. It was a YA/teen book, really, and I don’t care for teen books.
  
  As to the narration: Amy Rubinate was barely OK for me. She reads without emotions, never laughs or whispers when she should and her men’s voices are hardly different than the females. So, I wouldn’t care to listen to her again. This is 2017, it looks like female narrators would learn from reviews how important it is to read with feeling AND deepen your voice when it’s supposed to be a man talking. IMO
  
• 
  Jess the Audiobookworm

  3.75 ★ Audiobook⎮A Spell of Trouble was a cute prelude to Halloween. As a cozy mystery, it checked almost all the right boxes. It took place in a small town, had an interesting group of characters, and a “whodunit” that I just couldn’t crack. Plus, there was the added benefit of it being a paranormal cozy mystery. That’s really what drew me in. It reminded me somewhat of the Halfway Witchy series.
  
  On the surface, A Spell of Trouble seemed a lot more appealing to me than it was once I began. The main character and her cousins are all witches with varying abilities living in a small town. I love witch stories and stories about families. The protagonist, Issy, runs a magical pet shop. I’m crazy about animals. Those three things should have been enough to guarantee at least a four star rating from me, but something fell short.
  
  The key to writing great cozy mystery is the writing itself. If the writing is lacking, the entire story suffers. The writing of A Spell of Trouble was just slightly off the mark and it made the story come off as too “kids-y”. It’s a common complaint with cozy mysteries and the paranormal angle of this one wasn’t enough to save it. The character development and the world-building were one dimensional, which prevented me from being able to completely dive in.
  
  The mystery itself was fairly entertaining and one that I wasn’t able to figure out beforehand. The paranormal element disguised its predictability pretty well. Even though the resolution seemed a little out of left field, I still enjoyed hearing Issy investigate. I liked that she teamed up with her cousins and that the family angle was played up more than a romantic angle. A center stage romance probably would have done me in.
  
  The point in which my enjoyment began to decline was when I realized that the plot was progressing, but the story was not. In other words, it was moving forward, but I wasn’t being pulled in. Despite there being mentions of adult things, the simplistic and repetitive writing style made A Spell of Trouble come off like a middle grade book. Take out the few references to a midnight sex ritual and this actually could have passed as a middle grade book. The premise of the story was so promising, but I was ultimately disappointed by the lack of depth. The whole thing was just too Saturday morning cartoon-ish.
  
  However, if you’re looking for a super “spoopy”story for Halloween, A Spell of Trouble would be perfect. It was an extremely easy listen and would be great for anyone looking for something more cute than scary.
  
  Narration review: I haven’t heard anything from Amy Rubinate in a while. My last listen from her was the final installment in The Selection series, The One. She narrated the three original books in The Selection series, so when I saw that she was also narrating this audiobook, I didn’t hesitate to make the purchase.
  
  My listening experience with A Spell of Trouble is a testament to the symbiotic nature of narrator and story. If I hadn’t already had a positive experience with Amy Rubinate as narrator, I might have come away from this experience with a more negative opinion of her talent. In A Spell of Trouble, I found her characterizations a little too cartoonish and almost patronizing, although certainly distinct. My opinion of the narration may have been partially influenced by my dislike of story itself, because the sample of her narration for The Selection series doesn’t come off that way. It can be really hard to separate opinions of the story and the narration sometimes. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible listening experience. The sound quality wasn’t quite what I thought it should be, which was surprising, but I still recommend this on audiobook. ♣︎
• 
  Kat Lebo

  A Spell of Trouble, Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery
  By Leighann Dobbs and Traci Douglass
  
  I have read other of Leighann Dobbs’ works, mostly the Mystic Notch mysteries. And I’ve enjoyed them. I have no former knowledge of any works by Traci Douglass. So, I’m not sure if what I disliked about this book has to do with the co-authoring (I’m usually not a big fan of co-authored works) or with the fact that this is the first novel in a series and is just struggling to get its backstories in place. In any event, while I found this an easy read, I didn’t find it a great read.
  
  Isolde Quinn (Issy) owns a pet store in the small town of Silver Hollow. She is a witch, as are several others in the area, including her cousins, Raine, Ember and Gray. Other paranormal beings also call Silver Hollow home, such as the sheriff’s deputy, Dee Dee, a werewolf. The town is also home to many just everyday humans as well. Everyone lives and works together without problem – or at least without problems of the magical kind. All that is endangered when Louella Drummond drops dead in front of Issy’s pet store. While the local sheriff first believes the death was of natural causes, the autopsy points to poisoning and sets off a murder investigation. Issy and her cousins know it wasn’t poisoning, but black magic, that killed Louella, and they start an investigation of their own to ferret out the witch who is responsible. The death, and the town’s reputation as a haven for paranormals, attracts the attention of the FBPI (Federal Bureau of Paranormal Investigation). Yes, I shook my head at that name, too.
  
  So, who killed Louella and why? Will “the committee,” a group of paranormals who oversee all things paranormal, intervene? Will the Sheriff, Owen, find the murderer, and will the FBPI agents dispatched to Silver Hollow take any of the town’s paranormals away to the infamous “area 59?”
  
  Okay – here’s what I liked. The continuing (I’m assuming here, as this is the first book) characters are simple but likable. The pacing was good and there was a nice, although relatively predictable, plot. Characters were put in danger, both perceived and actual. The cousins, who seemed to function as an amateur P.I. team, had some clever ideas. The last quarter of the book created real tension and suspense and the denouement was okay. The book is the first in a new series, but it has a stand-alone ending. That alone was worth a star to me.
  
  But there were so many other things I didn’t like, and I did a lot of sighing reading this book.
  
  While there is a little backstory given about the main character, it was sketchy and unsatisfying and there was little to no backstory given for any of the other characters that one might suspect will populate future books in the series.
  
  There was way too much cutesy for my taste. Stanley Judge. Really? This is the name the authors gave to one of the antagonists in the story, an FBPI agent? Really? And Federal Bureau of Paranormal Investigation (FBPI). I have no words. Just a big, big sigh.
  
  Editing/proofing wasn’t stellar – and I expect good editing and proofing from experienced writers like Dobbs. Examples follow:
  
  At 462 on my Kindle: “…and if you guys think you’re going to go around accusing the citizens of Silver Hollow, then you have another thing coming.” Yes, another thinG.
  
  At 501, the opening paragraph of Chapter 6, Issy refers in her thoughts to one of the FBPI agents as “Stan.” At 466 he had introduced himself to her this way “Stanley Judge.” Although his partner refers to him as Stan between then and 501, Issy is never present, and she doesn’t like him from the very beginning. Why would she think of him using what most people would think was a friendly way, by a nickname, which would imply familiarity?
  
  Prior to Louella Drummond’s death, she indicated she had pictures of Gray Quinn, Issy’s cousin, that were incriminating. The supposition is that those photos are on her phone. At 524, however, Issy and Gray are discussing those photos and Issy says “...Let’s not worry about that now. There’s nothing we can do, and Dee Dee is going to text me when she gets the camera so we’ll know for sure.” But it isn’t until 647 that the cousins hear that the photos weren’t on a phone but on a digital camera.
  
  At 652 is a simple misplaced modifier: “Hannah, will you be okay to watch the store for another hour or so alone?” The “alone” really should appear right after the “okay,” but at least after the “store,” not tagged onto the end of the sentence. Picky, I know.
  
  And finally, at 1864: ‘…something that could only come from magic…’ While an infinitive involves a verb form such as “to be” (as in ‘I would like to be swimming.’), this verb form seems similar to me. So again, just my picky self, thinking that ‘…something that only could have come from magic…’ would be a better grammatical choice.
  
  So, I think this series could be a good one if the authors step up the characterizations and amp up the situations and reactions to said situations, skip the cutesy names and make the town seem a bit more populated and portray the lives lived there with a bit more depth. This first book seemed too predictable, too childish, or maybe it was just too hurried. It certainly was an easy and fast read, and I wasn’t tempted to throw it at the wall, so I didn’t hate it. It was an easy and quick read, so if you aren’t as picky as I am about grammar and inconsistencies, you might love it.
  
• 
  Dawn Michelle

  The narrator for this book was horrible AND PLEASE can we NOT have music in the background while the people are talking??? P L E A S E??? Gosh that was horrible. Meh.
• 
  Minxy Melissa

  A Spell of Trouble is the series starter for Silver Hollow and I am so excited to have found this series! I am a fan of cozy mysteries and this one was super cute but also quite interesting. The story is set in the town of Silver Hollow where most of the inhabitants are of the paranormal variety. Isolde Quinn is the main character and she is a witch who runs the local pet store that caters to both the magical and non-magical inhabitants of the town. The paranormals in Silver Hollow liked to fly under the radar and keep to their motto: do no harm. Anything that would harm others was not something a normal paranormal in that town would want to do because that would bring them to the attention of the committee, or worse, to the attention of Federal Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. A division of the FBI who love to get their hands on paranormals and not to give them a pat on the back. With the death of Louella not only does Issy and her cousins come under the scrutiny of the committee but the FBPI also comes into town to start their own investigation.
  
  I loved the familiars in this story, lol, they were very cute and each had their own way about them. The paranormal characters were interesting and I liked the variety of them that were in the town. There was something for every lover of fantasy and the characters were nicely developed. The mystery was interesting and not a simple one. I did have my suspicions early on who the culprit was but I still enjoyed the story. The villain in this story is quite nasty and I always enjoy a good villain. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout this story and that kept my interest piqued. There was also the added bonus of an almost romance element between Issy and one of the FBPI agents, talk about taboo. By the time I reached the end of this story I was ready for more! This is absolutely a series I am going to be continuing in and I highly recommend A Spell of Trouble to fans of cozy mysteries.
  
  Find this review and more at
  The Genre Minx Book Reviews
• 
  Marsha Keeper Bookshelf

  
  Reviewed at Haunted Bookshelf
  
  I had such a good time with A Spell of Trouble. It’s full of interesting characters, a mystery that certainly is different and not easily solved, a hint of romance and some of the most unusual characters I’ve come across in a long time.
  
  Silver Hollow is a paranormal town, well for the most part. There are humans scattered about this lovely location but for the most part it is full of paranormal citizens. Mainly, witches. Issy and her family have been here for a long time and have established various businesses around town. When the town’s meanest person drops over dead right outside Issy’s pet shop – well, let’s just say it’s the start of some very inventive investigations on the part of Issy and her family. The town may host some humans, and the sheriff is one of those non-paranormal folks so in order to avoid a visit from the FBPI and “the committee” they need to do some fast solving of this murder that was done by dark magic most foul.
  
  I love these characters unique familiars. Who knew that a Venus Fly Trap plant could be a familiar?! Love it! The cousins are such a diverse and close knit group. They truly have each other’s back – and I’m definitely looking forward to reading their individual stories later in the series.
  
  There are quite a few red herrings tossed about in this mystery. And the fun part is, all of them could be possibly the murderer. I have to admit that I did not guess who done it before the reveal. Truth? I was having so much fun following the investigation that I wasn’t trying. But the reveal made perfect sense, in the end.
  
  The touch of romance came in the form of a human FBPI agent. Dex wasn’t the hardball player that his partner was. His reasons for being in that division of the FBI are quite different. I would love to see Dex and Issy prove that witch-human pairings can in fact work. But time will tell on that thought.
  
  Overall, I simply had a fun blast of a few hours reading A Spell of Trouble – and I honestly believe that you would too. If you love paranormal activity, and a good mystery then pick this one up.
• 
  Angelina Kerner

  Book Title: A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery #1)
  Book Author: Leighann Dobbs
  Source: Downloaded from Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
  Rating: 5 stars
  
  Oh my stars! Leighann Dobbs has been added to my favorite author list. Her writing is amazing, such imagination and now I am a fan of cozy mysteries. After reading the book, I signed up for her notifications, received a free e-book as a gift (which is awesome because many of you guys know that I am working on giving out a free e-book as well sometime in the future), and viewed her website. The author has a ton of series out and it’s quiet impressive! Okay, now onto the actual review.
  
  Someone gets killed in front of Izzy’s place, which makes her and her cousin across the street to be prime suspects for the local police, paranormal committee, and the FBPI. You guys can guess what the FBPI stands for
  
  So, what makes this one different from other witch paranormal cozy mysteries. The hunk is compared to the Hulk or a Greek God. One of Izzy’s cousins has a plant for a familiar, and there’s a familiar who doesn’t belong to anyone but favors Izzy’s family. I also liked that the familiars were young and ‘in training,’ was a nice touch.
  
  The writing is fun and good for 16 years of age and older. Hardly any cursing, a feel of adventure, mixed with a cozy mystery. I highly recommend.
• 
  Nicki

  The best word I can think of to describe this book is basic. Everything about it is basic: the writing, the characters, the world.
  
  Issy and her cousins are American witches, very self-absorbed and very one-dimensional. Issy is smart, funny, kind, sexy and beautiful. Apparently. That's what we keep being told, but it's not apparent from anything she actually does. She seems pretty stupid to me.
  
  After a murder right outside her shop, she meets an FBPI investigator (that's the Federal Bureau of Paranormal Investigation), with whom she develops a high-school style flirtation. Of course, he's hunky, sexy and gorgeous too. And, luckily, he believes from the off that Issy can't possibly be a murder suspect because she's so smart, funny, kind, sexy and beautiful. No other reasons because he doesn't actually know her or investigate her. And that get-out-of-jail card extends to all her cousins too simply because they are related to smart, funny, kind, sexy and beautiful Issy. *eyeroll*
  
  The story is thin, with no surprises to bring it to life. The villain of the piece is exactly who you expect it to be and when unveiled does the classic villain thing of explaining all their dastardly plans, using terribly unnatural dialogue.
  
  This is apparently the first in a series, but I won't be reading any more of this author's books.
• 
  Amanda Wilcox

  I was excited to start this given the paranormal/witchy touch it has, but I was a little disappointed in the growth of the story and the development of the characters. I'm hoping that the next in the series is better since the base is layed for the town and it's people already. The mystery was well disguised with lots of possibilities up until the actual reveal which was great though!
• 
  Starla B

  I absolutely love this book! I love the idea of the familiars talking and the FBPI. The characters were fun and I could barely put the book down. I was sad when I finished it until I found out I also have the next book in the series. I can't wait to read it and find out what will happen next and if the FBPI come back!
• 
  Maya

  I picked this up because of the cover - and witches, but it turned out to be pretty lackluster. Flat characters, a main character who is not the smartest and a very simplistic mystery story. I'd say it's a children's novel, if there weren't so much swooning over pretty men (and cute girls). For YA it seems rather childish, though.
• 
  Sandy

  A spell of trouble
  
  I really enjoyed this book. There is nothing better than a good easy-to-read magic story . I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Thanks so much .
• 
  Steph Warren

  I’ll combine these two into just the one review, as they are similar in all the essentials (other than different plots, of course!). Before I get started I just want to say how much I love the covers for this series of books – sharp, bright and stylised, I was drawn to them immediately.
  
  A Spell of Trouble and Spell Disaster are books 1 and 2 in the Silver Hollow series of ‘paranormal cozy mysteries’. The best way to explain the sub-genre is what you get if you cross Miss Marple, Mills & Boon (minus the sex), and witches. Each one has a murder-solving plot in the setting of a small, close-knit, old-fashioned community, with the usual red herrings and authorial sleight of pen to avoid the reader guessing whodunnit too far ahead of the amateur sleuth/s. The romance only goes as far as some passionate kissing, mainly because the love is between the main witch character Issy and the FBPI agent sent to investigate and root out paranormal activity in the area; so there’s plenty of ‘No! We musn’t!’ and romantic misunderstandings based on silly assumptions and the inability to communicate properly with the object of your affection.
  
  This series stands out from the usual cosy mysteries due to the addition of the paranormal element. This mainly consists of witches and magic, although there is a werewolf recurring side character, and brief reference to a vampire. The human population lives alongside the paranormal citizens of Silver Hollow in blissful ignorance of their abilities, which adds an interesting complication when it comes to magical murders with a human in charge of the investigation. It also creates a slight discomfort, as to keep the police chief unaware of the paranormal involves numerous episodes of tampering with evidence, contaminating crime scenes and deliberately sending him on false leads. When the cases involved are actually murders of townsfolk, and the police chief is confirmed as a good guy who is keen to catch the killer/s, it seems morally wrong for the Quinn cousins to keep interfering for their own purposes. Even if their intentions are good, where do they draw the line? What gives them the right to decide what is in the best interests of the town? (I may be overthinking this a tad, for a fluffy mystery romance!).
  
  Also morally dubious is Dex’s (the FBPI agent) rationale for continuing to work for an agency that he is aware abducts and tortures people with paranormal talents. He is ‘uncomfortable’ with this, which is a bit of an understated reaction in my opinion! His discomfort increases when it’s an attractive woman in the agency’s targets and he, of course, chooses the right side, but he still continues to work for the agency, making no effort to aid any of the paranormals already in their clutches. Not very knight-in-shining-armour of him.
  
  In addition to Dex and Issy, there are some recurring main-side-characters in th form of Issy’s cousins: Raine, Ember and Gray. I really like that the four Quinns all have different magical talents, but all linked by a thread of caring and creativity, and I really liked all of the different familiars introduced. In the first book I felt that the Quinn’s were quite interchangable; I didn’t really get a sense of individual personalities and mainly identified them by their talent/familiar. This developed more by the second book, although Raine and Ember were still fairly swappable. I did love the use of a plant as Raine's familiar – a great unique idea! I also absolutely adore Brimstone (the talking cat), as the unattached elder familiar with all the wisdom and experience…and sarcasm.
  
  Overall I would definitely read more of these books. They were like comfort-food…not necessarily high in literary nutrition, but easily-read light snacks and full of cosy calories!
• 
  Lucy

  This was an impulse pick-up on Scribd when I saw this was a magical cosy mystery and the audiobook had sound effects and background music. It turned out it was great for filling one of my reading challenges as well. 
  
  In this book, Silver Hollow is a magnet for paranormal beings who are in hiding but take advantage of the fairly relaxed nature of the town. Issy owns a pet shop for both humans and magical beings, where you can pick up a normal cat or a familiar toad. Louella is not a fan of the paranormal goings on (though she's not quite sure that it's magic) and she is seen threatening Issy right before she drops dead of magical causes. Issy, in order to clear her own name and those of her cousins, has to work the case while avoiding the human sheriff and the FBI on the hunt for paranormal activity. 
  
  I really enjoyed the world of this book. Issy and her cousins had varying talents and they used them to solve the mystery about who killed Louella and why. I loved how the town fit together and the different kind of supernatural creatures that were living there, including a werewolf, a vampire and several witches. The magic was incorporated into the story well and I enjoyed the little snippets we got of how the world worked, like with the Committee, Dark Magic and the FBPI. The plot was interesting enough as well, I didn't find myself guessing about who had killed Louella until right at the very end.
  
  However, the plot required the main characters to hold the Idiot Ball on occasion and I found myself rolling my eyes when Issy made some obvious mistakes, seemingly just to move the plot forward. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable audiobook and I'll probably listen to the next one in the series. 
  
  3.5 stars! 
• 
  Judi Easley

  This first book hooked me and I've now read through book 5. The Quinn cousins, Issy, Raine, Ember, and Gray, are witches in a small town with other witches, wizards, werewolves, a vampire, and humans. They try to all get along peacefully and keep the humans from noticing the magic. But it's hard to do when town busybody and witch drags the health department into Issy's pet store and then dies on the threshold at Issy's feet in front of witnesses. The human sheriff, Owen, thinks its poisoning, but the witches know it's magic. And now the FBPI (the paranormal branch of the FBI) have come to town. [Cue the doom music]
  That's just book one's set up. The author introduces us to the four cousins, her main characters and their friends around town as they get involved in one mystery after another. There's a bit of romance here and there between some likely and some unlikely pairs. Very sweet, no sex. There is some repetition as you move through the books that can get to you. Interesting plots and twists with pretty good clues. The witches familiars are charming. Recommended.
• 
  Cozy Caffé Reader

  3*
  
  Only giving this one a 3 because although the story was good, the characters were fun, overall, it was a bit boring. It starts with a bang, with Louella Drummond dropping dead in front of one of the Quinn cousins's shop and the local police thinks it's a heart attack. But then, it is ruled as murder and the FBI gets involved. Not only that but it's the special paranormal department. Because Silver Hollow isn't your regular typical city. It is full of witches and other beings. Except that you don't really hear about them at all but in passing and it is also used as either a surprising fact towards the end or it isn't. I'm a bit confused about that one.
  
  The story sounds pretty fun and the Quinn twins are nice and fun enough but the investigation drags and drags and I found it weird that the police and the FBI's investigations aren't getting more importance in this story. Also, the revelation of the guilty party felt kinda weird because it was only mentioned once and you're supposed to be shocked at the reveal. I wasn't. I feel I either missed something in reading or there's something else.
  
  It kinda feels like the ending was rushed and then the last chapter could have been left out completely. Considering there are other books following this one, this could have been a set up for the first chapter of book 2 or something.
  
  So, it's an okay book and I'm glad I read it. I'll have to think about if I want to read book 2 just because it wasn't as good as I'd hope.