Category: Mystery

Never Been Witched by Molly Harper

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Mystery, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Never Been Witched (Starfall Point Book 3)Never Been Witched by Molly Harper

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Starfall Point, #3

Release Date: August 12, 2025

Alice Seastairs runs her grandparent’s antiques shop in the small lake town of Starfall Point, Michigan. She is also a witch/ghost wrangler, who along with her sister witches are trying to find the remaining Welling lock so they can ensure the safety of the ghosts at Shaddow House. Alice loves her sister witches, but lately she has been pulling away from them because she is ashamed of herself and scared of them rejecting her when they learn she has unwittingly given information about their coven to her former lover. A chance meeting with Collin Bancroft the new owner of the Duchess hotel, sets a lot of things in motion, and gives her new opportunities in not only her career, but in her love life too.

Collin Bancroft has made some bad choices in his life, but he has put his bad boy ways behind him and has purchased a hotel that was built by his family with plans to restore it to its former glory. He never expected to find romance or ghosts, but he has found both and life will never be the same! Throw in an ex-fiancée who still thinks they are destined to be together, some entitled family members and Collin will have to work hard to find his way to happily ever after.

This was a well-written, nicely paced story with wonderful, relatable characters. I loved Alice and Collin, they have both known immense grief and toxic relationships, but have each handled it differently, Alice by bowing to her nasty grandparents and Collin by becoming a “bad boy”. I loved how Alice finally stood up for herself, but I thought Collin was a little bit too beta and needed to say “No” like he meant it, but I still liked him. This was a new to me author and I jumped into the ending of a series without a clear understanding of the ongoing story in that series – but the author did a great job of filling in the backstory without losing track of the current story, so other than wanting to go back and read the previous books, I had no problem following this story.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Contemporary, Mystery, New To Me Author, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Making Friends Can Be MurderMaking Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 10, 2025

After breaking up with her fiancé, Personal Trainer, Sarah Jones aka 30, relocates from Vermont to her late mother’s hometown of Minneapolis and starts a new life. In Minneapolis, Sarah joins a group of other women all named Sarah Jones, that was formed by a 17-year-old girl (also Sarah Jones) that she tutors in biology. The group named “The Sarah Jones Project” was created when Sarah aka 17, got into some trouble in school and was advised to start a positive social experiment – she decides to create a multigenerational, whimsical club of people all sharing the very common name of Sarah Jones. The group has 6 members, 17 and 30, as well as a grad student/nanny 27 (who also works for a Sarah Jones), two teachers, 39 & 44, a retired lawyer who now runs a Murder She Wrote Blog, 69. They gain a bit of fame when they start an Instagram account and they post images of them “yarn-bombing” one of St. Paul’s most Iconic trees. Life seems to be going well; her “fame” has gained her some new clients, and she has met a new guy – George Nightingale, who is an FBI agent. When 27’s boss dies under questionable circumstances, the Sarahs decide to solve the murder, and 30 is recruited by George to help with the case – but she plans to use him for information to help the Sarahs. As her relationship with George deepens, surprising connections are discovered, but some stunning betrayals soon having her question everything.

George Nightingale never expected to be an FBI special agent, he always thought he would take over his family business – Birdson Camp. But a traumatic incident that occurred when he was a child, changed him forever. His friend Henry went missing and was never found. George was one of the last people to see him and never got over his disappearance, leading him to join the FBI in hopes of solving Henry’s case. But rather than being assigned to the case, he is assigned to the fraud unit and is given the case of Gabriella Johnson, who is believed to be responsible for assuming the same name as her victims and then stealing their trust funds, she is now in Minneapolis and George believes she is one of the “Sarahs” and upon the advice of his superior, he encouraged to cultivate an informant within the group. He chooses 30, she works at his gym, and he cannot deny that he is attracted to her. He tells her as much as he can, and when his fraud suspect becomes a suspect in a murder, he will need 30’s help more than ever. But he is soon torn between his feelings for her and his duty, and his past omissions may cost him everything he has worked for.

I really enjoyed this story, the mysteries were good, and the characters were likable. I loved all the twists and turns and definitely got a “it’s a small world” vibe. While I enjoyed this book, I will be honest, there were a lot of characters and a lot of POVs, and sometimes it was a bit much. I also felt like 30 was a bit hypocritical with George, she planned on using him for information without disclosing anything to him but is angry when she learns he didn’t tell her everything he knew – causing her to become somewhat petty and immature. Overall, it was a good book, and I would happily recommend the title to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and a bit of romance.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *