Review by Booklist Review
Phoebe Winchester inherited the Earl's Study, a small-town bookstore-tea shop in Raven Creek, Washington, along with a mansion, from her Aunt Eudora. As she runs the shop, with its selection of magical teas, she must also come to terms with learning she is a witch, her special gift allowing her to stop time to be able to control the outcome of events. When she attends an auction to buy books for her shop, Phoebe, with help from her cat, Bob, finds the body of the woman running the auction. Phoebe is soon a suspect in Madeline's murder, so she works to clear herself with help from childhood friend PI Rich Lofting. As she does internet research and interviews suspects, it becomes clear she is rattling the killer as she is threatened and then attacked. This charming, magical cozy is framed by details of books, food, and teas and will appeal to cat lovers and fans of Amanda Flower's Magical Bookshop, Esme Addison's Enchanted Bay, and Cleo Coyle's Haunted Bookshop mysteries.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Phoebe Winchester loves her new life in Raven Creek, WA. When her Aunt Eudora died, Phoebe inherited her house; the Earl's Study, a bookstore/tea shop; deeds to half the businesses on Main Street; and her aunt's orange tabby, Bob. Phoebe is eager to add stock to the bookstore, so she sets out to an estate sale and auction in a neighboring town, only to discover that she has a stowaway, Bob. She keeps him in the car while she meets the estate sale coordinator, Madeline Morrow, who seems a little hoity-toity. By the time Phoebe wins the lot of books, Madeline has disappeared and Bob wanders into the room. Phoebe tries to keep him hidden but follows his footprints--bloody footprints--to Madeline's body, which Bob has discovered. Under police suspicion for Madeline's murder, Phoebe must investigate to prove that she isn't a killer. Her nosiness will soon put her in the path of a murderer. VERDICT Fans of paranormal cozies will enjoy the sequel to Steeped to Death, where Phoebe continues to develop her newly discovered powers as a witch able to stop time. Readers of bookstore mysteries will appreciate the setting, staff, and customers.--Lesa Holstine
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sorting out her witchy powers might help a nosy tea shop owner solve a small-town murder. Phoebe Winchester has just about adjusted to her new life in Raven Creek, Washington, where she runs the Earl's Study, the tea-and-book shop she inherited from her dearly departed aunt Eudora. The fact that Eudora also secretly owned the deeds to half the shops on Main Street is helpful, though it was a surprise to Phoebe, who's more a bargain hunter than a money haver (and she plans to follow Eudora's lead in devoting the rental income to improving the town). The properties aren't the only surprise inheritance from Eudora: Phoebe's just learned that she's part of a long line of people with mystical powers, or, as some might say, a witch. Since she's still figuring out the rules governing her powers, she mainly uses them to amp up the potency of her teas. But she's not above stopping time if, for example, her life is in mortal danger. Threats to her well-being arrive more often than she'd like. Even her trip to check out some mass-market paperbacks at an auction leads to a murder, which, in turn, leads to the killer going after Phoebe when it seems she might know too much. And Phoebe does know too much, thanks in large part to the help she gets from both her PI friend and hopeful boyfriend, Rich Lofting, and her ginger tabby, Bob, who's almost as determined to investigate as he is to eat treats. Can Phoebe find the killer before she's caught in the crosshairs, or will Eudora's legacy end with her? Heavy on recipes, cats, and other such details that will delight or detract, depending on the reader. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
