This is an extremely entertaining and funny new paranormal cozy mystery, witty and well plotted.
What happens if you're very down on luck and your brother, a sort of loser, flirt with someone from paranormal world and is turned into a cat ?
This novel happens and I had a lot of fun as the banters between Morgan and Ruiner are great. I liked the world building and the fleshed out and quirky cast of characters.
I like the world building, the sense of a picture perfect town with a dark undertone, and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
As I liked it I preordered the last one in this series.
Have fun, read it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a great introduction to this new witchy world. Everything is so magical and mysterious. Morgan and Ruiner have a typical sibling dynamic. I'd love to continue and learn more about these characters and the side characters. Morgan and Ruiner's journey in this crazy, magically complicated town is just beginning. The story had an entertaining conclusion that I did not see coming. There was also enough left open in the story to lead into the next book. It certainly has things to keep you guessing and wanting to know more.

Goodbye Summer, and hello spooky szn! The perfect book to curl up by the fire this fall. I can’t wait to see more of this series and watch Morgan’s character develop.

The setting, the different characters and magic in the mysterious town got me hooked. I really enjoyed Morgans and Ruiners banter, the funny and the serious ones. Even when they were arguing, they still tried to protect each other.
I recommend this book for people who like fantasy and mystery.

Morgan is down on her luck, going through a divorce and working a crappy job when her brother Rainier, (affectionately known as Ruiner because he ruins everything!) shows up on her doorstep as a cat, begging her to help him (case and point). This is both surprising and completely normal as she has spent most of her life dragging her brother out of all sorts of trouble.

So their adventure begins as they travel to Hollowbeck in search of a witch to reverse her brother's curse. Only when they get there, the witch is dead and now Morgan is a potential suspect in her murder.

Hollowbeck reminds me of Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) but with a magical vibe and just like Gilmore Girls there is a unique cast of characters, who are quirky and loveable.....but also may be murderers.

The sibling dynamic was perfect and the banter between Ruiner and Morgan was so natural. This book literally had me giggling at times at the sibling rivalry and constant bickering. I can only imagine the author has her own annoying sibling who she has drawn inspiration from. Ruiners character was well fleshed out and I could imagine exactly the type of brother he was and the types of shenanigans Morgan was constantly rescuing him from. He was equal parts infuriating and kind of lovable in that way that only siblings can be.

In the next books I would love to see more personal growth from Morgan and Ruiner. There were definitely hints of it in this book, but by the end of the series it would be great to see how they have both matured.

Such a great cozy whodunit mystery with fantasy elements. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

Big Thank-you to Netgalley and Sterling & Stone publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sterling and Stone for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the first book in a new series. I was pretty disgusted with Ruiner for most of the story. I never got the connection with the title. The story was a little out there. But I liked it. This is a cozy mystery that didn't get resolved. That was a little frustrating. Morgan was definitely at a low point in her life The fact that I got frustrated with the characters-tells me that I was invested in the story. This wasn't a can't put down but it was different and interesting. 3 stars

For the most part a fun read. Did not culminate in the "fixing" of the initial problem. I assume so it can be a series. However not enough detail was given on all characters to make me want to continue the series.

What more could I want in a read , well this book met the criteria - a cosy mystery , witches , humour
and snarky banter
The vibe and banter between brother (the Ruiner !) and sister , Morgan , made me smile at times
and want to strangle him at others .
The extremely strange characters in Hollowbeck where they sought help to change him back
to a man were unusual to say the least , but also fun at the same time
But I did find the fact he was turned into a cat and her reaction to him was a little out of place initially ,
I found the storyline a little confusing at times , the connections between characters and places
left me struggling to put events together - that being said it was a fun , unpredictable read

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I knew by the title that I was probably going to like this one. I'm a sucker for a good, punny cozy mystery title, and this one certainly delivered. I enjoyed the brother/sister dynamic between Ruiner and Morgan. Ruiner honestly made a great cat. The town itself gave me a bit of a Once Upon a Time vibe, which was cool. This book was silly, fun and easy to read. Sure it was a little predictable at times and sometimes I was a bit confused trying to figure out how things connected and what exactly was happening. But I kind of feel like that's a part of cozy mysteries in general. I had a lot of fun while reading it, and that's what mattered to me. I think that readers that enjoy this genre will likely enjoy this one.

Witch Slap by Amelia Ash and Kim M. Watt is the first in a new series about Morgan Winters and her brother, who just happens to have been turned into a talking cat. While the two go to Hallowbeck, a village with some very strange people and vibes, in search of the witch who cursed him, they find her dead in her cauldron. And, the book gets crazier and more fun from there on. A very different and good cozy mystery, I would recommend this and it's sequel to anyone looking for a fun read.

4.5/5

I started the book thinking it's going to be similar to what I always read (but love), but it was not.

The whole setting of a magical town you can't find on a map was so weird but oddly refreshing. The town which is not like the cozy towns of other books, and is actually devoid of phones and internet seems like a dream, but then bad people exist everywhere.

I somehow also liked the main characters and their banters, but I think that they do need to have a good character growth after going through everything in the book.

This book is a collaboration of 2 authors, but I have not read any other books by them, however rhe next part of this book is definitely on my radar now.

I received a free copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

This was such a fun read. A light fantasy cozy mystery, a little slice of Halloween in the middle of summer!

There were a few spelling mistakes near the end, but I loved this book.

I utterly enjoyed the witchy atmosphere and the cozy mystery and horror behind this book.
The story never loses its grip, and all the characters are so well outlined, and I never got bored following Morgan and her cat - pardon, brother! - throught their several adventures in Hollowbeck (where I definitely want to go living, anybody can suggest me how to go there?).

I think the author knows well what her public wants to read. Somehow this book reminded me of Sabrina and True Blood book collection (without the spicy parts) and spoke to that part of me that wants to believe in magic and little magic towns. I couldn't ask for more!

Cute paranormal cozy. Really took off for me about a third of the way through. Morgan's life already at a real low...divorce, yucky job and crappy apartment...when her neer-do-well brother nicknamed Ruiner shows up asking for help as he has been turned into a cat. Without explaining who did this to him, he convinced her to take him to an odd little village searching for some magical assistance. Hollowbeck is charming with everyone friendly, yet somewhat strange. But once you're there, can you ever leave again. Rounding up from 3.5⭐s.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Morgan does not think her life can get much worse. She is living in a hovel and working a dead end job after her divorce from her two timing husband. That is until her brother shows up at her window. He has been the bane of her existence to the degree that she has nicknamed him Ruiner. This time his dilemma tops them all. Ruiner is a cat. What is more he wants her to travel with him to an unknown location where he thinks he can undo the spell that changed him.

After a very creepy drive in her ancient Volvo, they arrive in Hollowbeck. While outwardly it looks like a fantasy, there are some very deep and dark things going on in this mystical spot. Morgan realizes she has stumbled into something very weird when the first resident she meets is a dead witch half stuffed in her own caldron. Things are not going to get any less strange as she meets the citizens. Considering she never believed in magic, she takes it all in her stride. Might there be a reason she was led here. She is not going to know until she solves the murder and mystery that surrounds a book owned by the deceased. In the process she is going to face some great danger but in the end she is going to learn a lot about herself and those around her.

It was a fun story where it was impossible to tell the good guys from the bad guys. No wonder Morgan struggled. Looking forward to seeing where this tale will go next. Four purrs and two paws up.

I was giggling throughout the entire book. The banter between ruiner and Morgan is absolutely hilarious. The ending was not at all predictable and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! I would definitely recommend this for those who like cozy paranormals


This was an ARC which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 😊

The cover is beautiful and enticing, the blurb is intriguing. And all the vibes (characters, atmosphere) are whimsical and fun, but for some reason, I couldn't quite get very excited about it all. I think I'll try and return to it some other time.

Witch Slap Introduces us to the Magical town of Hollowbeck. Morgan is ready to start her new life until her brother shows up. He just needs a small favor. Nothing big. Just help him become human again. Oh, I forgot to mention, he's a cat. How does that lead to her becoming the number one suspect in a murder? How does she keep from becoming a frog? Why does the Detective in town only come out after dark? It looks like you need to read Witch Slap to find out. I loved this book. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Authors for letting me read an ARC copy.

I recieved a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I mostly review books for kids, but a rather high percentage of my pleasure reading consists of cozy mysteries with cats on the cover and supernatural mysteries where the narrator discovers she has magic and moves into a magical world, so this one was a natural.

Like most first books in such series, there's a lot of world building which tends to make the story lag a bit. I have to be honest-I rarely reread first books in ANY such series for that reason. But, the world created is compelling and I look forward to the second book, and it's worth picking this one up if you're a fan of the genre.

As is typical of cozy mysteries, while this is an "adult" fiction book, it contains absolutely nothing objectionable and would be a better fit for tween advanced readers than most YA labeled books, and would definitely be a fun read for teens who enjoy mysteries with supernatural elements and cats.

Witch Slap by Amelia Ash and Kim M. Watt is worth all five stars and more - never in a million haunted years have I expected myself to finish all 290 pages in less than an hour. You will too, I am certain.

Morgan Winters and Rainier Winters (aka The Ruiner) are on the adventure of a lifetime - but it isn’t all chamomile tea and good biscuits. Morgan is adjusting to life as a newly divorced woman when her brother shows up as a…. wait for it… T A L K I N G CAT!!!! How stellar? Morgan doesn’t think it’s very stellar. The Ruiner and their “Never Gives Up” sister, Morgan, navigate into the world of magic while they try to play detective with the murder of the only witch who can help them.

The characters in this book are well thought out. You see the development in the brother's role as you go about the stories. Morgan is a relatable individual who has this moment of strength toward about 80% of the book that is in itself worth the read. I loved all the non main characters and their back stories. The world building in this book was also so smooth, I found myself feeling like I was standing in the Cosy Cauldron looking for newly needed items.

The plot was not at all predictable. There were subtle twist and turns with “who was it?” that kept me fully engaged. As mentioned, I devoured this 290 page book in merely 45-50 minutes! I was left immediately needing more!

This would be a great book for someone who adores cozy paranormal and witchy mystery’s.