Chili Cauldron Curse, the novella for the Kitchen Witch series by Lynn Cahoon, establishes the tone for the series to come. Set within a surreptitiously magical town and with relatable characters…both kitchen witches (different from being Wiccan…it’s more about the colors, the food, the process of making a house a home) and “muggles” (made as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Harry Potter labeling of nonmagical individuals) alike, not to mention an undercurrent of true evil, the pages nearly turned themselves as the mysterious murder was expertly crafted to whet the reader's curiosity, keeping them invested in the outcome of the murder investigation.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Ms. Cahoon has in store for Mia et al.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily submitting my honest review.

This was a very short novella -- more like a prequel. I like books involving witches and magical elements. However, I couldn't really get into this book. With the blink of an eye, it was already over. It needs to be fleshed out more I do enjoy books involving grandparents and their grandchildren, I will definitely have to try out the first full length Kitchen Witch book before reserving final judgment.

I enjoy this author's full length cozies but the novellas are too short to offer much mystery. Mia has arrived in Magic Springs to help her grandmother organize the local food bank and Chili fundraiser. When a dead body is found in the food bank she sets out to solve the mystery. The book is too short for much investigation. I read this one before beginning the first book in this series and it does lay the ground work for it. The characters and the setting are good but the mystery was very easy to solve. Read this as a prequel

This book is the second book in a delightful new series.. I love the relationship between Mia and Grans and was surprised when Grans was the main suspect in a murder. I enjoy all the witchy magic and Mia is such an amazing slueths. I highjly recommend this book and this wondergrul new series

Taking a break from her work at a trendy restaurant, Mia Malone (kitchen witch extraordinaire) heads home to Magic Springs in Idaho. There, she joins her grandmother in helping to set up a food bank. But when the local coven leader is murdered, suspicion falls on Mia’s grandmother and threatens to destroy all of their hard work with the food bank. Can Mia solve the mystery, without revealing the existence of magic to outsiders?

Well-written cozy paranormal mysteries are hard to find, and I had high hopes for Chili Cauldron Curse — particularly since the characters explicitly reference the Goddess on several occasions. Their witchcraft is not secular; it is part of a deeply felt religious tradition.

Unfortunately, the mystery just wasn’t there. Yes, there was a murder. And Mia wandered around asking a few questions. But her investigation goes nowhere, and she learns little that is useful. And then — spoiler!! — she stumbles right into the murderer confessing to someone else. And the murdere wasn’t even someone on her suspect list. The resolution was a serious letdown, feeling rushed and incomplete.

I am sorry to say that, despite it’s Pagan-friendly storyline, I can’t recommend Chili Cauldron Curse. The story felt flat and incomplete, and filled with stock characters. Instead, check out The Wiccan Wheel Mystery series by Jennifer David Hesse, The Enchanted Garden series by Bailey Cattrell, and the Lady Bast mysteries by Rosemary Edghill.

Magic Springs, Idaho is the perfect place for Lynn Cahoon’s Kitchen Witch series, and Chili Cauldron Curse is a short novella introducing the series. Mia Malone, the protagonist, takes a week off to travel to Magic Springs to help her grandmother set up the local food bank and get it running again. Unfortunately, Mia finds the body of her Grandmother’s latest new boyfriend, Dorian Alexander; he is a warlock and has been head of the local coven. Mia is roped into investigating since her Gran is the prime suspect. As a side note, Mia’s cat, Mr. Darcy, is acting strange, and it is discovered that Dorian has been transferred by a spell gone wrong into her cat. This is a major problem and so far, nobody has been able to get him out.

Lynn Cahoon is a seasoned cozy author, and her writing is concise and easy to read. She knows how to tell a good story, and this short novella will definitely entice readers to read the subsequent novels in the series. Cahoon also does an excellent job of developing characters, and readers will fall in love with not only Mia, but also her grandmother. The supporting characters are also developed so that they seem real.

As is typical of a good culinary mystery there is a recipe for chili at the end of this novella. It’s easy, and readers can prepare it in just a few minutes before reading this short novella. It’s always fun to discover a new series that’s fun, so this series is recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

The prequel to a New series from Lynn Cahoon…Kitchen Witch Mysteries.

A really great start to a new series. So much so, that I have read (once) and listened (twice) to it!

Well plotted and planned series starter, with a great set of well rounded characters. Also well narrated by Angie Hickman.

When Mia Malone’s grandmother asks her to take a week away from her restaurant job and come to Magic Springs, Idaho, she’s happy to oblige. Like Mia, Grans has witchcraft running through her veins, and life with her is never boring. Plus, the cause is a good one—helping Grans get the local food bank up and running again. But there’s an unappetizing surprise in store. While Mia is knee-deep in boxes of donated produce, she encounters the body of Dorian Alexander.

Dorian was a warlock, leader of the local coven. He was also her Grans’ new beau. There’s no potion that’ll make this trouble disappear. But if Mia wants to keep her Grans—now a prime suspect—from serving a spell in prison, she’ll have to unearth the real killer fast. . . .

Another series to add to my collection of ‘must reads’.

I’ve been reading and loving the Lynn Cahoon books forever. I’m delighted to see a new series starting. Her writing is always fun and informative with great character development. Can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

Chili Cauldron Curse by Lynn Cahoon is a prequel novella to the new paranormal cozy Kitchen Witch Mysteries series. As with most cozy series this first novella does have it’s own mystery to solve so it can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so. Of course the character development in this one will carry over to the rest of the series.

Mia Malone has traveled back to her hometown of Magic Springs, Idaho at the urging of her grandmother Mia fondly calls Grans. Mia’s family is far from normal with Mia inheriting her Grans magical abilities and she now uses that witchcraft to create her tasty culinary treats.

Mia quickly jumps in when she arrives in Magic Springs helping Grans get ready to open a local food bank up. However, Mia can’t help but notice a particular nasty smell coming from the boxes of food. Instead of some spoiled wares though Mia comes across a dead body and when her Grans becomes suspect #1 Mia knows she needs to find the real killer.

I have been a fan of Lynn Cahoon’s Farm-to-Fork Mystery series for a while now and have wanted to read more from her so of course I was excited to see a new series starting. This one is different from what I have read seeing that it has a paranormal twist with the protagonist being a witch so I was really excited to get going. My one complaint with this opener was it only being a novella it goes by really quickly so I felt like I’d barely gotten to know anyone in the series just yet. I’m going to give this opener three and a half stars simply because while I enjoyed it I was left wanting to know more still.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This novella is the start of the new kitchen witch cozy mystery series. We are introduced to Mia who visits her grandmother in Magic Springs, Idaho to help organize the food pantry and the chili cook off to benefit it. Mia discovers the body of her grandmother’s boyfriend and leader of the local coven. She decides to investigate herself when she senses magic was used in the murder to clear her grandmother’s name.

A fun novella and introduction to the world of the Kitchen Witch. Both Mia and her Grans have the magic of witches and this whole world is based in magical doings.

It was an okay novella that introduces everyone to the charactes in the book but not enough to really make me appreicate the town and those in it.

This is paranormal cozy mystery. This is novella to introduce us to the Kitchen Witch series. I really enjoy Cozy mystery that has Witches. This is a short book that just lets us meet the characters, but I do not think it goes really into the mystery. I did not think it would. The book has made me want to pick up the first book in the series when it comes out, so I guess it did the job it was made to do. There is a chili recipe at the end of the book, and I cannot wait to try it. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Books) or author (Lynn Cahoon) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I love Lynn Calhoon books, she never disappoints me when i pick up one of her books, this one did not disappoint! I could not put it down!!! i cannot wait for her next book!! Chili Cauldron Curse was a great book!!!!!

There is a sense of fun and light-hearted mystery in Chilli Cauldron Curse. I love Mia, the protagonist who is a witch whose magical power is cooking and making delicious food. And her eccentric grandmother.
Mr. Darcy, Mia's cat gets possessed by Mia's grandmother's boyfriend.
There is a great plot in the story with the chili cook-off and helping the witchy community with a food drive. And the touch of a potential romance is exciting.
I'm excited to read more as this was a quick prequel to the series.

Thank you Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC to this book. This was an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. The witchcraft is interesting. Mr. Darcy the cat is my favorite character.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Chili Cauldron Curse introduces us to Mia Malone and her grandmother. Mia has come to Magic Springs for a week to help reorganize a local food pantry. Mia and Gran are witches like many other residents of Magic Springs. Like Dorian Alexander, a local warlock and special friend oF Mia’s grandmother. Sadly a weird odor at the food pantry leads to a very dead Dorian Alexander. Gran is the police’s prime suspect. It may take more than a little magic to find the killer but Mia is not going to let her Gran do the time when she didn’t do the crime.

I liked Mia right away but felt bad for all the changes she was going to have to adjust to before the story came to an end. I enjoyed the strong relationship she has with her grandmother and the way she took her boyfriend’s sister under her wing. Mia has a huge heart and it is her natural instinct to help people. I know part of that is because she is a kitchen witch but beyond that, she is a caring person.

The mystery was a little light but I love novellas like this because we can get to know enough about the characters before we dive into the first full-length mystery. It opens up time in the new story to give readers a more complex mystery. We get a peek into what time of sleuth Mia is going to be while still leaving room to explore what it means to be a kitchen witch.

I love the way Ms. Cahoon blends humor into her stories. This time Gran’s magic takes a surprising turn that had me giggling for several pages.

Chili Cauldron Curse was an engaging little story giving us a wonderful taste of what to expect from the Kitchen Witch Mysteries. I finished this book and escaped right into One Poison Pie

Chili Cauldron Curse earns 5/5 Possessed Felines...Entertaining Fun!

Mia Malone is a witch like her Grans, but neither use their magical skill selfishly or out of malice. Grans lives in Magic Springs, a small mountain community, and has asked for Mia’s help in organizing and devising a plan of action for the local food bank. It’s a big job and the reopening is only a few days away, but she has several volunteers of the same ilk coming in to help and her boyfriend’s non-magical sister is also primed, especially since it keeps her away from her parents’ disappointment over her decision not to attend college. So, all is set...well, that’s what Mia thinks. The local coven is in the midst of a power struggle and debate over the future of the coven and its place in the community. Mia is enlisted to provide assistance, but the struggle gets more complicated when the current leader and warlock and Mia’s grandmother’s beau, Dorian Alexander, is found murdered.

This novella was marvelous! Easily enjoyed in one sitting. Lynn Cahoon has created a lovely mountain community of magical and non-magical residents in the aptly named Magic Springs. The characters, led by the delightful Mia Malone, are varied in manner, personality, responses, and reactions, and the conflicts Mia has with her boyfriend not believing in her special abilities and, on the other hand, hiding it from his sister and other “muggles” in town added to my enjoyment. The magic element is not juvenile hocus-pocus, and although there’re stuck spirits, feline familiars, and potions brewing in the tub, it is presented in a way that adds realism and avoids creating caricatures of black-hatted crones with brooms. I sense that if the magic element were removed, one would still have a clever drama, cozy mystery, and enjoyable characters. Quite exciting!

What’s in a kitchen? Well, there’s, of course, a witch, but recipes, too! In this prequel novella, there is a Chili Cook-off, and despite Lynn’s limited experience with chili, she gives readers an easy-to-follow recipe for Woodstove Chili. She suggests serving with fresh cornbread, but no “knead” to make it from scratch. I personally enjoy the ease of “Krusteaz Southern Cornbread & Muffin Mix.” Enjoy!

Chili Cauldron Curse is the introduction to Lynn Cahoon’s new Kitchen Witch Mysteries. This is a quick read allowing us to meet the main character, Mia Malone, a kitchen witch, Grans, Mr. Darcy, her familiar, and a cast of characters we are sure to see appear in the series. Mia came to Magic Springs to help her grandmother with a fundraiser for the local food pantry. What should have been an easy week leading up to the grand opening, suddenly turns into a murder investigation with Grans as the primary suspect. Mia gets a quick education into the town’s dynamics and how Gran’s beau, Dorian Alexander was caught up in a power struggle among the warlocks in Magic Springs. Mia will have to do some quick prep work to track down the killer before Gran is arrested.

I enjoy Lynn’s books and her various series and this one is a great addition. Chili Cauldron Curse, is an easy read, introducing you to the characters, while setting the background for future books. Our protagonist is strong, with a soft side, family is important to her, and with her love of cooking, will change the world one meal at a time. I received an advanced reader copy, provided by Kensington Books through Netgalley. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

A little slow to start but ended with a promise introducing the new series. I don't read many magical cozy mysteries so its always hit or miss for me. Like I said, I did like the end/wrap up and I will continue on to book one.

This book had relationship and family drama in addition to the magic and murder along with a kitty familiar. I am interested to see how the story continues for Mia and her Gran.

I had the audio version as well as a digital copy from NetGalley. The narrator, Angie Hickman, did a great job.