I did not realize this was the third book in the series when I requested this arc. Totally my fault because it was right when I was starting my arc reading journey. So I am sure that I missed things while reading that I would have comprehended better if I had read the previous two stories. Overall this is a cute cozy read and I will probably start at the beginning of the series and read it all again at some point.

I feel like I missed out because this is a series book. I wish I would have had the chance to read the others first. Overall by itself, I think this book was a cute and cozy story that makes you want to snuggle with a book. I can't wait for more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

There are times when I want to take Morgan and give her a big shake. She is fixer for all the weak men in her life from her brother to her ex. When they get into trouble, she cannot resist the temptation to try and make things better. It makes her a muggins at times but she is also a big hearted person. In the previous books she has been trying to come to terms with the fact that she is now a witch, with a powerful grimoire, in a magical town. But when she receives a plea from her ex to extricate him from some danger in another, more sinister, magical town, caution is thrown to the wind and she and her brother Ruiner, who has been turned into a cat, go to the rescue.

Needless to say, things are not simple. Not by a long shot. This town is the exact reverse of hers and where the town was built on order and good deeds, this new one has very dark corners and many evil things that want to capture her and steal her grimoire. While it has been anything but smooth or easy, she and her team that now includes a ghoul named Essie, manage to survive. But the final betrayals put all of that into question. There is an unexpected puppet master who is determined to harness Morgan and her powerful grimoire and he is willing to use any means. But when things are looking their grimmest, Morgan, once again, discovers her powers and is able to turn the tables.

But there is no doubt as the book ends that there will be many more challenges and dangers before Morgan is in control of her own destiny. Five purrs and two paws up.

this was my intro to this series but that worked fine for me.
what a cute cozy mystery.
i had a few laugh out loud moments and went back and read the first two books!

Enjoyed this one very much, another great supernatural cozy suspense from authors Amelia Ash and Kim M. Watts. Never disappoints, highly recommend!

The third book in the Hollow back mystery series is as fun as the previous two. Full of fun quirky characters. A solid mystery! You will enjoy every minute of this one! Thanks #Netgalley and #Sterling&Stone for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

I have enjoyed each and every one of the books in this series . Full of mystery, laugh out loud moments, wit and an ensemble of quirky characters. Each book has its own mystery while also having a running storyline throughout the series.

In this instalment, Morgan is on a rescue mission to save her ex-husband who has been suspected kidnapped. We are introduced to a host of new characters who reside in the town of Darrowdale, a sinister, topsy turvy version of Hollowbeck.

The third instalment in the Hollowbeck series is just as delightful as the first two.

This is such a fun series, but I must confess that this was my least favorite of the books so far... I didn't care for the darkness of Darrowdale. I get that it's the contrast to Hollowbeck, and the world building is very well done to that end, but I found it to be a heavier feeling book and the quest to figure out the dynamics felt more convoluted. I liked the ending when things went back to more of a normal feel, and there are clearly hints of Things To Come that I'm looking forward to seeing!

Book three; welcome to Darrowdale.

While I did miss the cozy charm of Hollowbeck, Darrowdale brought its own unique allure. The introduction of new characters added depth and excitement to the story, and I found myself enjoying most of them immensely.

This book has it all—comedy and peril, fear and heartwarming moments. The world-building is phenomenal, and I haven't found a single book in this series that deserves less than 5 stars. These characters and their stories linger in my mind long after I've finished reading. October 2025 can't come soon enough; I'm eagerly awaiting the fourth book!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

This was a cute, perfect Halloween cozy mystery!!

• Magical realism
• Witches
• talking cat
• figuring out a mystery

I haven’t read the first two (my mistake, but I will) so I did misunderstand some things I’m sure were in the previous two. I still had a fun time, her brother being a talking cat reminded me of the same sass that Salem has in Sabrina the Teenage Witch

I think my favorite part *potential spoiler* was the books getting mad about leaving the library. 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Morgan, a new not-so capable witch with a powerful grimoire and her brother-turned-cat leave the magical town of Hollowbeck to try to save her ex who is asking for help. What she finds is a mirror image magic town of Hollowbeck that is filled with more dangerous characters and a murder who has plans for Morgan.

I have not read the books previous to this one but it was easy to understand though I'm sure I'm missing somethings. There definitely seemed to be some quirky characters in Hollowbeck I would like to read more about and there seemed to be some in the new town that I wouldn't be surprised would show up in the future. I really liked the ghoul and the Dealer. They seemed intriguing.

The book had plenty of action, some funny scenes and hints at mysteries to still be unraveled. I guessed who the culprit was fairly early on but there were plenty of surprises along the way.

But it was Morgan who kind of annoyed me. She says that she always had to rescue her brother from his disastrous actions and she did the same thing for her ex. Now her ex is able to get messages to her in a magical town that doesn't have reliable internet or phone service. She automatically thinks she is responsible for him being in trouble so she must save him and leave the safety of Hollowbeck. Everyone tells her that something is suspicious of this but she must save him. The hero complex is too much. Plus, she really needs to take ownership of her powers. All her wishy washy stands make her unreliable as a witch at best.

So a mixed bag. But it has potential.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

It's so good to be back in Hollowbeck!
Hey, wait—where are we, actually?

This time, Morgs’ adventures take her away from the cozy and mysterious Hollowbeck. Driven by her habitual altruism, our dear witch decides to answer a rather creepy call for help from her ex-husband and finds herself in another magical town: Darrowdale, a sort of Upside Down version of Hollowbeck, where things quickly get complicated.

Of course, Ruiner is with her, as well as her grimoire.

Morgan experiences a meaningful development in her character. Because, honestly, she couldn't just stay in her cozy, new paranormal home and be content. She needs to grow in self-confidence; she has to become a witch and not just be called one. However, I found that at times, the plot twists, schemes, and “who’s doing what to whom” moments felt a bit overwhelming for my taste.

In this book, there isn’t a single moment to catch a breath—everything happens so fast that I found it hard to savor the characters and the atmosphere.

I also found Morgan's stubbornness in helping her slimy ex-husband and blaming herself for his situation somewhat frustrating. I wanted to shake her and bring her back to her senses! This, however, shows that the authors did a good job portraying Morgan’s “soft spots.”

The ending was touching, and I really enjoyed it. One for all and all for one!

Hollowbeck books are always a great read. I’m usually not a fan of series, but I hope to keep reading about Morgs and her friends for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for the digital ARC!

This is now the second book I’ve read from the Hollowbeck Paranormal Cozy Mystery series and I enjoyed this one even more!

Morgan, our main character, is still getting used to life in Hollowbeck, a magical town where she is the newly appointed town witch and feels like she has no idea what she is doing. Being inside her head can sometimes be exhausting because she constantly thinks so little of her witchy skills. Sometimes I wanna scream a pep talk at her and tell her to get over her imposter syndrome. However, I would be a hypocrite if I said I don’t also experience the imposter syndrome so….

In this story, we are back with Morgan and her brother, Ruiner, (who is still cursed to be a cat) as they try to figure out why Morgan’s ex needs her help and how he was able to call her when Hollowbeck is closed off from the non-magical world.

This mystery was fun to try and puzzle out and I really enjoyed all the side characters Morgan meets in Darrowdale. Especially Effie!! I’m also enjoying the sibling relationship between Morgan and Ruiner as they are working together through these mysteries. Their sassy banter can sometimes annoy me but you can tell as the story goes on how much they care for each other. It feels authentic and a very important part of their character development.

If you’re looking for a fun paranormal mystery series, with lots of heart, and solid characters, I’d definitely give this series a try.

Life's A Witch is the 3rd book in the Hallowbeck series following Morgan as she's building her life in a magical town after divorce and discovering her brother has been turned into a cat. She's also in control of a powerful grimoire, which should imply that she could become a powerful witch herself. Unfortunately, this is all very new and overwhelming and Morgan doesn't quite believe in herself or understand what to do with the book. This installment takes her away from her new home of Hallowbeck to another magical town called Darrowdale, a place that is a like a dark or bad version of her home. It's where those ousted from Hallowbeck live and people can gamble their souls away literally. She ventures there after her ex-husband reaches out for help and is attached to the town. Ruiner also has some experience with it's gambling house, so things aren't likely to go well.

I enjoyed some of the characters in this new town like the gambling house boss, the faye bartender and especially the ghouly, but I wasn't invested in her ex-husband's fate. It made me less invested in the outcome of this plot. I also missed her friends in Hallowbeck, especially after the last book centered around the carnival and not the town either. There are so many interesting characters to delve into and plots surrounding the deals, the book and Ruiner and Morgan's destinies that still need to be discovered. I hope there are more books in this series and we can get back to those topics.

That said I still enjoyed the book and I loved seeing a deeper bond between Morgan and Ruiner develop and Morgan step into her power and build her confidence. I highly recommend this series if you like modern paranormal cozy mysteries.

This is the third entry in the Hallowbeck series, and — like the two before it — is a cozy adventure set in a quirky small town. Only, instead of Hollowbeck, this time it Darrowdale, which is sort of an anti-Hollowbeck. Instead of quirky, this town is supposed to be darker and more dangerous, but because so much of the book takes place either in the library or the gambling den, there isn’t really a sense of Darrowdale as a place as much as an idea of what it ought to be, or wants to be.

The worldbuilding is pleasantly familiar, and the stakes never feel all that high. In fact, even in the midst of a giant zombie fight, I never felt any tension or actual weight behind any oft he threats. I do, however, note how Morgan always seems to have a spark with almost any male she comes across — whether it’s the Dealer, the fae bartender, another charming librarian … and of course Ben and Theodore.

This book is much the same as the two that came before it, and if you enjoy the series, you’ll probably enjoy this book. But don’t expect anything new. Still, I had fun with it and find the series to be a nice little low stress moment when I just want to sit down and relax — though I am hoping for more of a plot to show up now that Morgan has decided to actually claim her position as the owner of the grimoire.

I do wish Goodreads would let me do half stars, since this is more of a 3.5 than a five ... Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was definitely a fun read! I must be honest and have not read any of the other books in the series (yet) however, this was good as a stand alone as well!! In my opinion this would make for a good/fun movie or series!! (If done right, of course!! ) :)

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

I absolutely love this series, it reminds me to much of halloweentown.

I will pick up everything by these authors.

Book 3 in a strange but fun series. Morgan’s brother is turned into a cat, the police is a vampire, she has a rat familiar, and her landlady is a weather witch. Getting a note from her ex-husband, and going to help him leads her into a nearby town with zombies. Must admit not a fan of them, but otherwise like this series and would recommend.

I have become hooked on this series! The rich writing, off beat and sometimes scary twists are amazing. I started with Kim Watt's books first. Fell in love with Toot Hansell. Then I saw Witch Slapped. Wasn't sure at first but adored it. Only reason I gave this book four stars was because of the zombies. Don't like them! I guess not many do though. Highly recommend!

This is the third entry in this series and it’s still going strong! Each and every one of the books has captured me right from the start. Morgan is a well intentioned witch, if only she knew how powerful her intentions are in the craft, and Ruiner is a bratty brother who actually does love his sister, though he may not always express it.

Weaving her tale with Morgan and Ruiner at the center, the authors cast their spell and take you on a journey to solve a mystery and bring them one step closer to getting Ruiner back tobe ing his true self. A fun and engaging series!