I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

These was a nifty mystery involving magic!
I really liked the characters of Temerity and Tilda who try to figure out a school teacher was poisoned.

I really enjoyed this mystery!

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the mystery - it really kept me guessing. The mystery had a number of twists and turns. I will enjoy getting to know the characters and the town.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed meeting Temerity and Tilda and their crazy household of animals. I found the story to be interesting with plenty of twists and turns, but felt like some background was left out as to why Temerity was allowed in the investigation. I'm still curious as to what book 2 will bring.

I had a difficult time getting into this story. It felt choppy and I could not relate to any of the characters.
This doesn't mean it's not going to appeal to other readers, it just didn't appeal to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for approving me to read this book.

The mystery is well planned and fast paced and contains enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

I was looking forward to reading this book based on the blurb but unfortunately I only managed to get through 10% before I gave up. I couldn’t connect with the main character at all and this is probably due to the fact that the part of the book I read was all telling with no showing. It was filled with backstory and over descriptive details of every single thing. It was pages of description just on the inside of the shop where Temerity lived with her sister, their two cats, and her parrot. Everything was told so it was hard to get a feel for the character and nothing really happened. The headhopping and constant explanation and backstory for every little thing was overkill. I read as far as where someone dies in the school and stopped when Temerity was allowed to enter the scene with the inspector. That just wouldn’t happen. She’s an ordinary person and yet she was allowed inside to where the body was. It took 10% for the book to even get to this stage and I wondered on a number of occasions if I was reading a first draft.

From the blurb it sounds like this could be a good story but unfortunately the execution of it doesn’t live up to the blurb. It’s a shame as I was really looking forward to reading a witch mystery.

Temerity Love lives with her sister Tilda, two cats and a Macaw?? In the building where they grew up. Their parents’ shop is now run by Temerity while a Tilda focuses on rare and old books. Both learned much from their parents, including their occult knowledge. Viewed as odd and called witches by townsfolk, they are often called upon when their skills and help are needed, as with the murder of a local school teacher.

Overall, a decent read, especially as the first book in a new series where authors are trying to find their characters and their voices. The author fell down a bit on language though. She’s set the stage in Scotland, and uses their ways of saying things, but then also sprinkles in American references and terms. For example, when Temerity referred to cops and donuts, this is an American view, not Scottish. With the plethora of paranormal, cozies available today, authors need to research as much as possible if they’re going to base their story in a foreign country. No matter how much you think you know about a culture, check your own culture at the writing room door. Let’s see what book two has to offer.

I enjoyed this book. It's written well, it's well paced and the characters are interesting but not over the top. The ending is a bit complicated but it all works out. I would definitely read more. #AspellOfMurder #NetGalley