A Hive of Secrets and Spells Blog Tour

  

Welcome to A Hive of Secrets and Spells Blog Tour! We're excited to share with you this brand new release that's sure to add some magic to the Halloween season!

Synopsis for A Hive of Secrets and Spells:

Cupcakes, romance, and lovable canines abound in Heather and Sinead’s next adventure, but it isn’t all fun and games. The girlfriends are investigating a very personal kidnapping, and the threatening notes left behind accuse Sinéad and her punk-rocker twin brother of hiding something.

But after solving their first mystery together last Christmas, this one should be a piece of cake.After all, no one’s been murdered this time, and their witch-sorcerer rivalry is a thing of the past.Except it turns out there is a murderer, and a jewel thief as well, and why on earth does everyone keep talking about bees?

It appears Starford is a lot more exciting than Heather’s home town of Old Wetchhaven, and Sinéad’s insistence that Heather move in with her brings a whiff of trouble to their private paradise. Can Heather adjust to life near the big city? Or will the mounting secrets prove too much and turn their second case into their last?

A Hive of Secrets and Spells is a witch cozy mystery with a sweet lesbian romance and heart-warming magic.

Order now!

Amazon

Enjoy this excerpt:

Heather stared at the wall in front of her, eyes unfocused. She was sure she’d done nothing wrong, but the heavy lead in her stomach turned over rapidly, making her question everything about those blurred few days. Out of the corner of her eye, the rain cloud thundered harder than ever. With the timing of its dramatic antics, it was almost as if it had known what was coming, though Heather wasn’t sure how it could.

Had it predicted this? The spell she designed shouldn’t be able to predict anything. And anyway, why did it still act as though something bad hid around the corner? After Roger Branson’s call, nothing worse could come of today.

Then she looked over and saw Sinéad frozen in horror, staring down at a sheet of paper in her hand. It didn’t look as though she’d heard any of Heather’s conversation, which at least explained why she hadn’t been demanding Heather pass her the phone so she could unleash her outrage.

“What is it?” she asked, reaching out to rest a hand on her girlfriend’s knee.

“It’s a letter,” Sinéad said slowly.

Heather resisted the urge to poke fun at her for stating the obvious. Something was very wrong.

“It says they’ve been taken, I’m being watched, and I need to meet with him so we can work together before it’s too late.” Her voice caught on the words with a faint edge of panic that didn’t suit her.

“Who’s been taken?” Heather asked, fear rising in her chest. Her hands shook where they pressed against Sinéad’s knee, but she wasn’t sure which of the two of them was causing it. “Who do you need to meet with?”

Who could worry Sinéad so much? Sinéad’s close friends were few and far between, and as an orphan, she had no family to worry about.

“My parents.” Sinéad looked up, her eyes wide and startled. “And I need to meet my brother.”

Behind them, the rain cloud shattered in a crack of lightning two foot tall, then disappeared.

About the Author:

Ellen Jane Phillips is an Australian indie author of wlw romance. She loves writing about LGBTQ women who experience complex lives, emotions, needs, and desires. Her books are written for people who crave love stories where friendship is just as important as romance, and who want to experience cosy warmth with a hint of mystery, magic, and emotion.

You can find her writing under two pen names: Ellen Jane, and E.J. Phillips. If you like light, cosy wlw romance suffused with magic and mystery, Ellen Jane is the pen name for you. If you prefer something a little heavier, and you like your wlw romance tinged with magic and tender angst, E.J. Phillips is the one you want. When she isn't writing, you can find her walking the dogs, playing D&D, or bemoaning the number of days since she last ate nachos.

Author Links:

Website     I     Instagram     I     Tumblr     I     Twitter

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

* * *

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

If you’re looking to be transported to a different time, Salt & Storm should be your top pick. It was amazing to be taken to a place that is so far removed from the world as I know it. A world that is on the cusp of modernization but still clings to the superstitions of its ancestors.

Avery is a very interesting girl who has spent her young life preparing to take over her family’s legacy. They’re witches whose magic is highly sought after. It's their magic that keeps Prince Island prosperous. The people of the island know who to turn to create fortune in their lives or to ensure safe passage through the waters surrounding the island. She has watched her beloved grandmother weave all kinds of spells to help them. Then her mother shows up one day to remove her from this environment and threatens the grandmother that should she come for Avery, they will leave the island for good.

The next few years for Avery are like a prison that she’s determined to escape. She wants to return to her grandmother and become the next witch. Her mother is adamantly against it. Matters get worse when Avery has a series of dreams that foreshadow her own death.  She desperately needs guidance and to find a way to change her fate, if that’s even possible.

The world of Prince Island, a whaling town, is quite fascinating.  It’s a mix of old world mystery and a burgeoning hunger for new world money. Gossip and fear of the unknown run rampant. Despite the inevitable change that is slowly making its way toward them, the island people cling tightly to their traditions. 

Salt & Storm is very gripping, getting more so as Avery’s plight becomes more treacherous. Her friendship with Tane brings her the companionship that she’s never had before and he introduces her to a world outside of Prince Island.  Even so, Prince Island is her home. Her fate and the island’s future are so heavily entwined that nothing can tear her away from what she has known and wanted all her life, not even the threat of imminent danger. 

~ Bel

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3) by Deborah Harkness

* * * *

The highly anticipated finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Discovery of Witches

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close.

I always joke with one of my friends that reading these books is a commitment. Case in point, I received Shadow of Night, book two in the series, for Christmas 2012. I desperately wanted it but waited until the timing was right to finally read it. That ended up being around Christmas 2013. There’s just so much detail and history infused into each page that you really need a comfy, quiet spot so that you can happily lose yourself in it. So I was both thrilled and worried about reading 600+ pages in a timely manner to post a review. But the thing is, once you’re in this carefully mapped out world, you’re in it completely.

Diana and Matthew return to the present after their timewalk to the past to discover more about her abilities and the precious Ashmole 782 document that may hold all the answers. However, they’re returning to unhappy circumstances and unwanted changes. Everyone has to adapt and be on the offensive in order to protect Diana’s newfound secret and the family that remains.

I thought the start was a bit slow but I think that could just have been me slowly getting back into the book’s rhythm. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story which is so heavily immersed in history and science, managed to incorporate some current pop culture references - that being Buffy for example - that allowed for hilarious quips and moments between a few characters. It threw me off guard but was very welcome.

The Book of Life gathers momentum and urgency as some new characters are introduced leaving you wondering on which side of things they will stand as they face down tradition and hierarchy. The tension is heightened when Matthew and the family have to finally confront their most despicable and horrifying enemy – an enemy that they’ve known about for many centuries and who has been keeping tabs on them from afar. As a vampire, Matthew’s protective instincts towards his mate and wife Diana are always on high. Now with this new threat, they’re in overdrive. 

Much of the story is about Matthew learning to find control especially when it comes to Diana. She is as self-sufficient and headstrong as ever and understands her husband well. She herself is occupied with her own research which could lead to finding some help for Matthew. But Ashmole 782 is something that all the creatures want to get their hands on. Time’s a ticking and everything is carefully moving into place for the final moment of truth.

The Book of Life is just as thought-provoking and suspenseful as the previous two books in this series. Past and present collide plenty in this too, often complicating things before becoming an advantage. I did feel that this book had more movement than Shadow of Night which I liked.  The best part is that this is about family, a strange mix as it may be, and redefining what exactly that is.

~ Bel

Redemption by Véronique Launier (Hearts of Stone #1)

* * *

Guillaume: For five hundred years I've existed as a gargoyle. Perched atop an old Montreal church, I've watched idly as humanity wanders by. With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no one left to protect, nothing to care about. I never planned to feel again. But then a girl released me from my stone restraints, allowing me to return as a seventeen-year-old human boy. I must find out all I can about this girl's power . . .

Aude: Getting attacked twice in as many days is strange in itself, but even stranger is the intriguing guy I keep running into. There's something so familiar about him, like a primal drum rhythm from my dreams. But spending time together only raises more questions--about my heritage, a native Mohawk prophecy . . . and an unearthly magic threatening our city..

Redemption’s premise about gargoyles and native culture and legend captured my attention. It’s an irresistible mix that Launier paced with a steady mix of mystery and tension.

It’s from Guillaume’s point of view that we first meet Aude as she’s being attacked by complete strangers. Guillaume perched high above the cathedral witnesses this horror but also something stranger. Somehow this girl is able to ward off her attackers and in the process releases him and his brothers from their gargoyle form.  Aude’s power is of great concern to them because if she is who they thinks she is, then she is the key to their survival.

Aude would rather just pretend that it all never happened.  She throws all her focus and energy into her band Lucid Pill. Guillaume is never far behind though as he befriends her and learns more about her. It’s just Aude and her mother; her father is a non-factor. But her ancestry is what intrigues Guillaume and his brothers.  When they learn that she is descended from a powerful line of witches whom Guillaume and his brothers have sworn to protect, Aude’s world gets more complicated.  Everything that was “normal” begins to change. Aude can’t pretend she’s a regular kid anymore.  Now she must learn how to harness her power and most importantly learn who she can trust.

I’ll admit, it took me a while to get into Redemption but that's because I was going through an annoying reading funk. While I liked the idea, I was feeling rather impatient for the story to move forward. So I decided to leave the book for a week and when I picked it up again, I did so with renewed enthusiasm. I began to appreciate how all the pieces were coming together and I felt chills when Aude and Guillaume discovered her heritage.

Launier telling the story from both perspectives helps to understand the confusion and apprehension that both of them feel throughout the book.  Aude is so used to being independent and being strong for her mother. Her single-mindedness about her band si what fuels her sense of purpose. So when Guillaume comes along, she’s hesitant about trusting him and leaning on him for support. Guillaume for his part has a past that’s weighed down by guilt and loss. In light of their discovery about her family, his problem becomes discerning if his attachment to Aude is love or obligation. Regardless, watching these two together is half the thrill in reading Redemption.

I think with its different locale and reference to the Iroquois culture and its Seventh Generation prophecy, Redemption adds a new flavor to the paranormal genre. It’s definitely worth the read. And after Aude and Guillaume have overcome their first hurdle, it's only a matter of time before things escalate. I’m looking forward to what’s next for this  new life Aude has entered in to.

~ Bel

Brownies & Broomsticks by Bailey Caites

**1/2

From Signet:

Katie Lightfoot's tired of loafing around as the assistant manager of an Ohio bakery. So when her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben open a bakery in Savannah's quaint downtown district and ask Katie to join them, she enthusiastically agrees.

While working at the Honeybee Bakery—named after Lucy's cat—Katie notices that her aunt is adding mysterious herbs to her recipes. Turns out these herbal enhancements aren't just tasty—Aunt Lucy is a witch and her recipes are actually spells!

When a curmudgeonly customer is murdered outside the Honeybee Bakery, Uncle Ben becomes the prime suspect. With the help of handsome journalist Steve Dawes, charming firefighter Declan McCarthy, and a few spells, Katie and Aunt Lucy stir up some toil and trouble to clear Ben's name and find the real killer...

The Good:

I love the premise of this book.  Katie gives up a life that is not making her happy after being dumped by her fiance.  She packs up everything, moves to Savannah and makes a new start opening her dream bakery with the Aunt and Uncle she adores.  The characters she encounters in Savannah are a little wacky, but mostly good-hearted. 

The Bad:

The love triangle between Katie, Declan and Steve felt unbelievable and forced.  I also thought that Katie's reaction to finding out her parents had lied to her and hidden her witchy heritage was unnatural.  She was entirely too accepting of the news sprung on her.

The Bottom Line:

I did not love it, I did not hate it.  It was a pleasant enough read for a sweltering Saturday afternoon hiding from the heat. 

~Shel

Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

***

From Smashwords:

Jane Madison has a problem. Or two. Or three. She’s working as a librarian, trapped in absurd period costumes and serving up expensive lattes, all in an effort to keep her employer’s budget in the black. She has a desperate crush on her Imaginary Boyfriend, a professor who regularly uses her library. Her doting grandmother is determined to reunite her with her long-absent mother. And now she’s been told that the library can’t pay her a well-deserved raise – instead, she can live for free in an ancient, dusty cottage on the library grounds.

When Jane settles into her new, allergen-infested home, she discovers a hidden chamber lined with ancient books – a world-class collection on witchcraft. She begins to read a spellbook, never suspecting that she has the power to work actual magic. Her first spell awakens a smart-mouthed feline familiar. Her second makes her irresistible to men, starting with her geeky, shy co-worker. Those magical workings attract the attention of the local coven, specifically the warder David Montrose. Jane resents David’s interference even as she watches her powers spiral out of control. Before long, Jane doesn’t know who she should listen to: her well-meaning grandmother, her down-to-earth best friend, her bitchy familiar, her besotted co-worker, her coming-around Imaginary Boyfriend, or her overbearing astral enforcer.

I have been eyeing Mindy Klasky's books for years.  Witches are just fun and these books have always struck me as books I would enjoy, but we all know how big those TBR piles get.  Given this, I was thrilled to find the Girl's Guide to Witchcraft for just 99 cents for Kindle.  I am sorry I waited so long!  Girl's Guide is a fun, romantic romp through the hazards of newfound witchy powers.

I loved Jane's Imaginary Boyfriend (something I think we can all relate to) and that she had a fish that she named Stupid Fish.  I think I may also need to institute Mojito Therapy with BiblioJunkies Nat & Bel!  I just started Sorcery for the Single Girl and am hoping it is just as fun as Girl's Guide.  Mindy Klasky has self-published Girl's Guide since the rights to the book reverted back to her from her original publisher.  Girl's Guide is available from Kindle and Smashwords.  If you are looking for a fluffy, fun read then Girl's Guide is for you.

~Shel