When her grandmother suffers a fall and asks for help managing the family bookstore, single mother Veronica Blackthorne moves her sixteen-year-old daughter to Mystic Hollow, Connecticut. Hoping to save Mystic Hollow Books from a big box rival, Veronica enlists popular author Adam Whitford as the keynote speaker to kick off a literary festival. But when Adam turns up dead, Veronica becomes the prime suspect in his murder. As the local sheriff investigates, Veronica takes matters into her own hands to solve the case and clear her name. Then her gran reveals a secret: the bookstore is magical. Can Veronica use the store's magic to get her out of this predicament?
When I read the blurb, I got excited. I wanted to see how they would use the elements of magic in the investigation and solving of a cozy mystery. But what I found didn't agree with my tastes. There wasn't a lot of action in the plot and there seemed to be more of a mystery in the magic than the actual death of the victim. I loved the characters and the way they related to each other. The bookstore setting was intriguing. It's one of my favorite settings for a cozy mystery. I just felt that the magic took away from the realistic nature of finding the culprit. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.
