Fun Halloween setting. Vampire lore runs amok in this next installment of the Salem B&B mysterious. When the daughter of a Wiccan friend of Charlene’s falls crazy in love with a much older man she just met who claims to be a vampire trouble is sure to ensue. With a mysterious performance at midnight the so-called vampire disappears but washes ashore dead the next morning. To clear the young witch of any wrong doing Charlene uses her usual prowess to uncover clues with her trusty ghost as back up. Hidden tunnels, jewelry heists and the paranormal make this book a great read from beginning to end.

Great cozy mystery installment in a series. Enjoyed the setting and cast of characters. Would recommend the series.

Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Halloween fan. But I do enjoy a good, light-hearted vampire tale here or there. So, when Mrs. Morris and the Vampire came up, I thought, why not? I’ll give it a shot. As it turns out, I’m really glad I did!

Enter Salem, the site of those famous witch trials. Enter witch-y characters and their friends, Charlene, Celeste, Serenity, Lucas – even the guests at the B&B. Within mere pages, you’ll fall in love with (or hate!) every character who dances across the page. And with good reason.

Immediately upon reading this, you will realize there are more books in the series. I found this promising, because that means I can go find them and enjoy more of the stories surrounding these well-written, fun-loving characters.

The storyline grabbed me immediately – no delays or meandering introductions. Just right there, right then, I knew I wanted to keep reading. Such a great hook in a cozy mystery is rare to run across, so even more big points from me.

The characters and the plot kept me reading, too, supporting that amazing hook. The author, Traci Wilton, knows the craft and executes it well. Even in creating icky characters you love to hate, Wilton has done a marvelous job.

I absolutely adore this book, despite it not really being my sub-genre. The vivid imagery and descriptions of settings cement the story for you and make this Halloween party and beyond come to life.

If you love a good, spooky, cozy vampire tale, you’ll love this cozy mystery from the first page to the last. Personally, I think it would be a great book to read aloud to the family (if the kids are old enough!) all October long as you enjoy the atmosphere and preparations for your own haunted holiday.

This well-crafted tale, Mrs. Morris and the Vampire, is a must now on my October reading shelf.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Mrs. Morris and the Vampire is the fifth book in the Salem B&B mystery series by Traci Wilton. Sometimes as a book series goes on, it becomes boring and repetitive. However, that's not the case for this series. This book was just as enjoyable to read as the previous books. And Charlene seems to be slowly opening up more to the possibility of actually having a romance with Detective Sam Holden. I just wish it would go ahead and happen though. The murder mystery in this book was very clever and there was no shortage of suspects. I truly didn't even think about who the killer ended up being. It was definitely surprising. I'm so looking forward to the next book in the series as this one kind of ended abruptly during a date, so I can't wait to see if Charlene and Sam's relationship progresses any further.

It’s B&B owner Charlene Morris’s second Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts, and one she won’t soon forget when a self-proclaimed vampire is murdered . . .

Charlene’s bed and breakfast is fully booked with guests wanting to experience Salem’s wildest holiday—especially the annual Witch Ball, held at the historic Hawthorne Hotel. At the dance, actual witch and winery owner Brandy Flint has her back up over her daughter Serenity’s new beau—it’s bad enough he’s a decade older, he also claims to be a vampire from Romania.
This book has to be my favorite I love this cute and quirky series, I love this time of year! I think Charlene is the best and I so want her to be happy but no matter what is thrown at her she handles it so well it makes me want to be in her hoes! With a supposedly true Vampire on her hands, you never know where to turn! I am so glad that in the end, she comes out on top. The underground events that occur are awesome and in the twists and turn she takes to find the killer I have to say I was holding my breath>

Great addition to the series. Look forward to reading more books by This author. As a favorite series of mine I hope that it has many more!

I love this series and this author! Romance, mystery and a ghost, what else could you want??!! I read these books in one day.

This is quickly becoming a favorite series of mine. It's Halloween is Salem, there's a B&B with a resident ghost and interesting characters. What more can a cozy reader ask for. The characters are developing nicely and really the whole thought of Salem is enough to keep my interest.

4.5 stars

In this fifth installment in Traci Wilton's Salem B&B Mystery series, it's Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts, and Charlene's bed and breakfast is fully booked with guests wanting to get the full Halloween experience, including attending the annual Witch Ball, held at the historic Hawthorne Hotel. During the ball, Charlene's friend Brandy expresses her disapproval over her daughter's new boyfriend, who claims to be a vampire. Since moving to Salem, Charlene has learned that the world is not as black and white as she once thought and ghosts and witches are real...but vampires? Charlene and the other guests are shocked when at midnight the vampire puts on a big show and vanishes in a poof, leaving behind only a wooden stake with blood on the tip. When he is found dead the next day, Brandy's daughter immediately becomes one of the main suspects. Charlene teams up with her live-in ghost Jack to find the real culprit.

Another wonderful addition to the series. As always, I enjoyed catching up with Charlene and the gang. If you're looking for a paranormal cozy mystery, then you can't go wrong with this series set in Salem, with ghosts, witches, haunted houses, and Salem's rich history. I will definitely be back for another visit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

B&B owner Charlene Morris is in the amazing town of Salem and on the trail of some Halloween tricks and treats. Armed with her wits and pepper spray she will once again be the hostess with most-est in the way of social hour snacks (truly cook inspiring) and Samhain sleuthing. Not the first in the series but definitely not hard to follow as plenty of backstory is added to keep the reader engaged and engrossed. Set in the town of Salem, I wonder if Charlene or Jack watches local reporter, Lee Barrett (from the Witch City cozies). This series has inspired me to add Salem, Mass as a bucket list destination and to add social hour to my Friday schedule.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Mrs. Morris and the Vampire by Traci Wilson. All opinions are my own.

This wasn't my typical read but I'm glad I picked it up around Halloween. It was just spooky enough and the mystery in it was fantastic. I'm not much of a cozy mystery fan, but this is a series I plan on reading the rest of!

other series that is becoming one of my favorite series to read, its perfect to read when you just want a cute cozy to get lost in and enjoy no matter the time or day

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was an impressive little cozy mystery. It reminded me of Heather Graham and her style of paranormal books, but with more of a "cozy" feel and less focus on "romance". This is the 5th book in <b>Salem B&B Mystery Series</b> and works very well as a standalone. It was well written and well plotted. The mystery kept me guessing until the end and honestly surprised me. So kudos to the author for that! I loved the bits of Salem history that the author included. And the characters (most of them) were very likable.

The only slight issue I had was "BRANDY." With not having read any of the previous books in the series. I was unsure what dynamic Brandy and Charlene share. Are they supposed to be good friends? Acquaintances? Because I found Brandy a bit of a witch with a capital "B" towards Charlene a lot of time. 🤷🏻‍♀️Maybe it was just because the story involved her daughter this time, I don't know. She just wasn't a very likable character in this book.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I enjoyed this fun read , Vampires are trying to infiltrate Salem, but something goes wrong, Charlene and Jack are on the case too save their "witch" friends from taking the fall.

Princess Fuzzypants here: We have enjoyed this series which is best described as The Ghost and Mrs. Morris, as opposed to Mrs. Muir. Jack, handsome and charming is dead. Charlene bought his house and turned it into a B & B and also found his murderer. There is some serious chemistry at work here but alas, he is dead. She also had a cop who is attracted to her and vice versa and he is alive but often frustrated by her investigations in nefarious doings. It is an interesting triangle to say the least.

This time it is Halloween and while ghosts and witches are common place in Salem, there is a coven of vampires who want to put down stakes- pun not intended-and are doing all sorts of creepy things including seducing the daughter of one of Salem’s top witches. When the seducer is murdered, the daughter, Serenity, is high on the suspect list. And when a second vampire is also killed, it no longer becomes a question of whether these guys are the real thing or wanna be’s. It seems pretty clear one of them might be out for blood and not the drinking variety.

It’s a good mystery, back on top form, with lots of interesting characters and unexpected twists and turns. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It has just the right touch. Five purrs and two paws up.

Mrs. Morris and the Vampire: A Salem B&B Mystery
By Traci Wilton
Kensington
September 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

Since moving to Salem, Massachusetts and starting her life over running a Bed-and-Breakfast, Charlene Morris has come to accept a lot. The existence of witches (her friend Brandy Flint is a practicing Wiccan), and even haunting ghosts (an admittedly attractive one has taken up residence in her home). Vampires though, are a little too much even for her. Yet that’s what new Salem resident Alaric Mayar claims to be, and budding young wiccan Serenity Flint has fallen under his spell. Charlene was doing her best to watch over the couple during the Hawthorne Hotel’s fall Witch Ball, but she is distracted as one of the judges for their competitive costume competition. Brandy isn’t shy about expressing her disbelief in Alaric’s vampirism nor her disapproval of his attempt to seduce her daughter; and neither is Serenity’s ex-boyfriend Dru Ormand. So when Alaric disappears (not in a bat way) and his body later washes up on the shore, both Brandy and Dru top off the suspect list. Since one of the investigating officers seems to hate Charlene while the other detective is intent on protecting her, Brandy’s pleas for Charlene to look into the matter will not be without a few obstacles.

As much as Detective Sam Holden would prefer that Charlene stay safe on the sidelines, he does reveal that the very human Alaric had another identity back in his hometown of New Orleans. Questioning her own B&B guests leads to the knowledge that there may be reasons behind his belief in his family lineage of vampirism, although it doesn’t explain why or how he intended to create his own coven of vampires. Helping Charlene with surprisingly impressive computer skills is her resident ghost, the late Dr. Jonathan “Jack” Strathmore IV. Handsome, charming, flirtatious, and very dead, Jack is the ultimate unobtainable man. That doesn’t mean that he still doesn’t display jealousy towards Sam, nor that Charlene feels a spark of “something” whenever he’s around. So it’s all the more practical to focus on the case of the man who seemed allergic to both garlic and sunlight, and who stirred up jealousy among rival aspiring vampires.

This 5th in the series continues to be a fun, rather complicated series as it juggles Charlene’s personal life with Salem’s unique community. A widow who very much loved her husband, Charlene is just now beginning to feel ready to move on to the next stage in her life. That one romantic prospect is closed off to the possibility of the paranormal while the other not on this plane of existence makes choosing between them a challenge. The B&B employees Minnie and Avery are as blunt as they are helpful in the kitchen, providing to-the-point hilarious observations. New guests round out the eclectic cast of characters, keeping the pace of the novel lively as events speed towards an unexpected conclusion. While this Salem is full of wiccans and ghosts all year round, mystery readers will especially enjoy these events that occur during Samhain and its Day of the Dead celebrations. Humor, ghosts, and hints of romance make this the perfect read for those looking to dive into the Fall festival season.

This one has everything a cozy mystery could want! Witches of the Wiccan variety, wannabe Vampires, a sexy handsome ghost, an inquisitive Victorian bed and breakfast owner, a sexy handsome detective, and a murder. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mrs. Morris and the Vampire by Traci Wilton is book five in the A Salem B&B mystery. This is a wonderful series.
This easy to read Cozy is full of plot twists and suspects. The characters are relatable. There is a bit of humor and a possible romance. There is a "house" ghost, a family of witches along with some wanna be vampires..
After reading this series, I find myself wanting to visit the B&B and tour the area.
I was given an ARC by Kensington via NetGalley for an honest review.

Highly readable with great characters and solid mysteries, this series has set a standard throughout the all 5 books. Charlene Morris moved to Salem after the death of her husband to open a B&B. The old house has a resident ghost. After her initial dismay and fright, she and the handsome ghost, Jack, combine forces to solve various murders with a supernatural element. In this book, her friend/witch, Brandy, asks for Charlene's assistance in convincing her daughter that the so-called vampire that has her transfixed is up-to-no-good. When he dies, a cornucopia of other vampire wannabes appear on the scene. But who killed Alaric? And why? As always the mystery is intriguing and fairly plotted with enough red herrings to keep everything guessing. The emotional core of the series is Charlene's relationship with Jack along with Sam the homicide detective. Charlene is inquisitive but not reckless showing real concern for her friends and her guests.