A very nice, 'soft' cozy mystery set in and around one of the most amazing (die for-want to visit) libraries in a small American town. There is a bit of everything from murder to love and sorrow, forgiveness and misunderstandings.
I enjoyed the flow of the story and characters.
Wish I had read the stories in the order. Hopefully... one day

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley

Such a great series my favorite yet for sure.

I am in love with the Witch Way Librarian mystery series. Josie Way is a librarian in the not town of Wilfred. I say not town because in the first book the reader is told that Wilfred isn’t a town at least not since the mill burned.
In Gone with the Witch, bones are found in an old outhouse, but are not those of Martin Garlington. Helen Garlington sees a man on a game show that looks like her husband who disappeared many years prior. She asks Josie to help her find Bruno Gates, the man in the game show.
There are multiple cases of hidden identities, lots of misdirection and some elaborate sleuthing by a fictional Sherlock Holmes, appearing from a volume of Arthur Conan Doyle’s work.
Past and present events merge to reveal the truth behind a death in the past and one in the present.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Gone with the Witch. Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review this book.

Human bones are found hidden on land that some of Josie‘s friends have bought. People wonder if this might not be the remains of a husband who is thought to have disappeared years ago. This brings up old heartaches and pains.

Josie is determined to figure out who the bones belong to and how they got there. But I’ll need a little help along the way, so she calls Sherlock Holmes to help her. Surely they can figure out what happened between the two of them. If not, Josie may not like how this chapter of her life ends.

A really fun series that uses the power of books to help along the way. The way that Sherlock was used in the story is different than any others you may have read. If you have not read anything by this author, yet, I suggest you start here And find a new author to read to your must be read list.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of GONE WITH THE WITCH (Book 5 of the Witch Way Librarian Mystery series) by Angela M. Sanders in exchange for an honest review. The cleanup of an overgrown garden reveals an old outbuilding and human remains. Helen Garlington, a fixture at the library, is sure the skeleton must be that of her long-absent husband. When testing reveals no match, Helen consoles herself with a sherry at the local tavern. While there, Helen watches a game show on television and sees someone who looks just like her missing Martin. Josie is able to track down the curious contestant, and he graciously agrees to meet with Helen. The morning after arriving in Wilfred and disillusioning Helen, the Martin-like man is dead. Meanwhile, Josie is having paranormal problems. Can Josie figure out this fiasco before somebody else dies?

I like this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of the series and the series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring libraries, magic, tiny towns, quirky citizens, and the paranormal.

#GonewiththeWitch #NetGalley

#NetgalleyARCs This series hasn’t been a major hit for me but it’s been decently enjoyable. Definitely a great escape read. Will I continue reading the series? I’m not too sure but I recommend it for a fun cozy read.

Gone with the Witch is the fifth book in the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries by Angela M. Sanders, and she just took the series into a fun, new direction that I am so excited to see how it continues to develop.

I read a lot of cozies, and paranormal cozies is my absolute favorite sub-genre. The Witch Way Librarian Mysteries is one series that I always keep an eye out for the next book, and one that I always recommend.

About 50% of the time I find myself enjoying the side characters (Scooby Gang) more than the main character, but in this series I love them all. There are so many varied and well written characters. I’m even enjoying the stretched out romance, because it’s not a main story line.

Besides all the fantastic characters, I love the premise of this series, a witch who recently came into her powers being helped by her deceased Grandmother through letters, and who gains power and wisdom from all the books in the library that talk to her. Oh, how I wish I was her!
And Sanders took it a step further in Gone with the Witch, by introducing a new way that characters can come to life and help out Josie in solving mysteries.
We also are introduced to a powerful nemesis, but are not sure who it could be yet, although I have an idea, and I’m excited to see if I’m correct when I read the next book in the series.

If you did not get it from reading this review, I highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoys cozies, mysteries, or the supernatural.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Mystery
Tropes: Small town, A witchy cat, One Witch/One Normal Man
Spice Level: Med (no sex on page but apparent that the characters are in a relationship)
Readability: This is in the middle of a series but can be read as a standalone.

This book is so fun. I laughed when the first find came to light—not the bones, but the other item...

I felt like the pacing is different than some of the other cozy mysteries I've read. The first body is from a historic crime and seemingly unrelated. Another doesn't pop up until much later.

Now, different isn't bad. I actually enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing different threads arise. There was one moment when Josie reexplains how she came into her powers. That's the only moment when I wished that piece of info had come earlier when I haven't read the rest of the series—it would have served as a good reminder for anyone who hadn't been in the series for a while.

I would definitely read more in this series. The romance is a slow burn, and I enjoyed seeing the couple together as they draw closer. And the use of Sherlock was quite hilarious.

I recommend this book!

Happy (sleuthing) reading!

Gone with the Witch is the 5th book in the Witch Way Librarian series by Angela M. Sanders. The series follows magical librarian Josie Way, who uses her powerful connection to books and the help of her familiar cat Rodney, to help the people of Wilfred, Oregon.
In this book bones are discovered on an old property at the same time an long missing resident is believed to be seen on television. This brings up an old mystery surrounding the missing man, a robbery and a suspicious death.
Then the "missing" man appears in town, but he's not who he says he is. Then he is found dead right where the bones were discovered. Josie does her best to unravel the mystery.

When she turns to her books for help she gets surprised when sherlock homes, literally appears from the pages. He helps her discover the clues and even warns her that something sinister is in the town and it seems to be connected to Josie.
There's some great local color to lighten up the mystery and some romance with Sam to entertain as well.
A great, unique cozy series.

Josie's special magical connection with books gets her significant help as she investigates murder. See my complete review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.

The fifth book in the series, we find Josie the librarian, trying to figure out yet another murder, using her wits and of course her witchcraft. A few months have passed since the last book ended, where we find Josie in a pretty good place in her life. Without giving too much away, Josie and her friends, as well as the sheriff’s department, try to determine the mystery of two murders, one past and one present. Many characters from town make an appearance, some more prominently than others. Overall, I liked the way Josie was able to use her magic, and I thought the mystery had good depth and kept me guessing. It also ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m excited to see where book six takes us..

Since this book is part of a series, I do not recommend reading it out of order unless the reader does not care about the history and relationships the characters have formed. I also wish the author referred back to situations and characters from earlier books, given some of the plots. It would be nice for the reader to get updates about characters were featured prominently in earlier books.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and have written an objective review.

Josie asks Sherlock Holmes for help in identifying bones found in Wifred. Yes, Sherlock Holmes. See, Josie is a witch who runs a library and she gets help from books to solve mysteries. She hasn't told her love interest Sam, a law enforcement officer, and that adds a little tension to their relationship, especially when it appears someone (Moriarity) is after her! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a light paranormal cozy complete with a cat. While it's the latest in a series, it should also be fine as a standalone.

Gone with the Witch is a cute and fun cozy mystery. While this is the 5th book in the series it can be read as a standalone, I haven't read the other books and had no trouble following along.

I really enjoyed all the characters, I loved that our main character is a librarian, and she and her significant other are a super cute couple. His son is adorable, and her kitty cat was super cute and added some comic relief with his antics.
I had a lot of fun trying to solve the mystery which had a lot of twists and turns, and I enjoyed the bits of magic we got.

I will definitely check out the other books in the series in the future.

4.5 rounding up

Delightfully charming cozy series. When bones are discovered in an abandoned outhouse, the small of Wilfred, Oregon, is rife with speculation as to whom they belong, as well as how did they get there. DNA testing proved they did not belong to the long-time missing husband of of Helen, the church organist. Then a random glimpse on a TV game show convinces Helen that the winner was her husband, Martin. Helen begs Josie, librarian and apprentice witch, to help her locate the man. The town is peopled with well drawn and quirky residents, plus Josie's power comes from books speaking to her. As a book lover how could you not be fascinated with that. The mystery itself is full of twists to keep you guessing.

I love this series so much! The charming town of Wilfred, the library, Josie, and the locals are my comfort. This mystery was just as fun and intriguing as the others in the series. I love the progression of the slow burn romance and Josie’s understanding of being a witch. I need this series to continue forever.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery that will keep you speculating from page to page.

I was not aware this was 5th in a series when I requested this book, but I am happy to announce that it did not matter. This can be read as a standalone, but now I want to go back and read from book 1.

The author effortlessly blends the magical and mundane aspects of Josie's life, creating a seamless and mesmerizing experience for the reader. Gone with the Witch has a well-developed and quirky cast of characters with each character adding a layer of depth to the story. The pacing was done well, with twists and turns that keep the mystery alive until the very end. I love the addition of Sherlock Holmes!! Sanders showcases her storytelling with a mix of magic, humor, and suspense. There was a small amount of magic in this novel, and I was not expecting the mystery portion, but I did want a bit more magic in this one.

This is the fifth book in the Witch Way Librarian series and I had read two of them previously so was happy to pick this one up. The earlier books in the series were fun reads and so was this one.

Description:
Small-town Wilfred has turned into a quaintly cozy Oregon destination—but it also keeps turning up corpses! As the bones pile up, librarian and apprentice witch Josie Way will need to use all the sorcery at her disposal to stop a killer . . .

When human bones are discovered beneath an old outhouse covered in blackberry vines, no one knows who they once belonged to. But elderly Helen Garlington wants Sam the sheriff to test the remains, suspecting they may solve the mystery of her long-vanished husband. It’s not a match, and Helen takes it hard, drowning her disappointment in sherry at the tavern—where she sees a contestant on a game show who she swears is her missing spouse, Martin. To ease the woman’s mind, Josie contacts the show to track down the look-alike guest, who kindly agrees to travel to Wilfred—and is then found dead the next morning.

Horrified by this fatal turn of events, Josie asks the spellbound books for help, seeking the aid of Sherlock Holmes. But strange things continue to happen—frightening images flash on the screen of a long-abandoned movie theater and flocks of crows seem to appear wherever she goes. Is Josie about to meet her own Moriarty? It will take all her courage to untangle the twisted vines of this mystery before this chapter in the colorful story of Wilfred claims another life . . .

My Thoughts:
The way books "speak" to Josie is unique and fun. I like this ability and loved the Sherlock Holmes assistant in this book. Josie's romance with Sam is fun too - will she tell him about her abilities? This was an interesting case to unravel and it was fun following it to the end. Recommended for anyone who likes cozy mysteries.

Thanks to Kensington Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication February 20, 2024.

I liked this book, although it took me quite a long time to really get into it. This mystery just didn't suck me in quite like Angela Sander's other books have. Josie Way is, as always, a fun character to follow around on a goose chase with!

In “Gone with the Witch”, the fifth book in Angela Sanders’ Witch Way Librarian Cozy Mystery series, Librarian Witch Josie Way finds herself involved not only in a current day mystery – a dead body that the police don’t think was murdered but Josie does – and a past mystery – a husband missing for decades who may or may not be alive, human bones, a movie theater robbery. This is a lot for Josie to handle so she uses her witch powers – which allows her to communicate with books – to summon the help of none other than Sherlock Holmes. Together they make a great pair but will it be enough to solve both mysteries?

I really enjoyed “Gone with the Witch” – a bit of warning, if you haven’t read the other books in the series I suggest you do so first because the relationship of various characters can get confusing if you don’t. I really love the setting of this book – both the library and the town (and townspeople) as well as the fact that Josie is a witch who can communicate with books – if I was a witch that would be the power I would like to have. Her powers have grown throughout the course of the series and I love the way she brought Sherlock Holmes to “life” in this book – once that happened I wanted to stay up all night to finish the book. The mystery (all the mysteries really) was well done if a bit convoluted – there were plenty of surprises and twists and turns. I do have some issues with the mystery – there were some plot points that weren’t resolved, presumably they will be dealt with in the next book in the series. Also the lack of communication between characters could be frustrating to say the least – Josie’s boyfriend, who just happens to be the Sheriff, has the patience of a saint as she repeatedly neglects to tell him information important to the case (and when is she going to tell him the important information about herself??). Having said that, I really did enjoy this book, and love the series and look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Gone with the Witch is the best book in this series so far. Now that Josie and Sam are together I find that the story is even more enjoyable. The only downside is Josie still feels like she can't tell Sam about her witchy powers. Hopefully she'll be able to do that in a future book. The mysteries in this book were great. I liked that it tied back to a past mystery that had plagued a Wilfred citizen. I was still surprised when it came time to reveal what really happened. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series to see of Josie finally tells Sam about her powers... and to see if her "Moriarity" is finally revealed.