Stevie‘s review of A Haunting is Brewing (Haunted Home Renovation Series and Witchcraft Mystery Novella) by Juliet Blackwell
Paranormal cosy mystery published by InterMix 21 Oct 14
One of the problems with discovering prolific new-to-me authors who’ve written two or more similar series is knowing where to start: which series to sample first, and whether it would be better to start at the beginning or with the most recent, and possibly more mature, story in a given series. Fortunately, some authors have come up with a helpful solution in the form of one-off stories where the characters from two series meet up in a plot that could fit well into either of their worlds. Such is the case with A Haunting is Brewing, a seasonal novella featuring two of the author’s heroines showing off their individual talents in order to solve a Halloween mystery.
Mel runs a construction business, specialising in renovations, and also has a talent for seeing and communicating with ghosts, particularly those who’ve died in mysterious or unexpected circumstances. While doing up a local historic-house-cum-museum, ready for a Halloween fundraiser, various strange events lead Mel to believe that a murder may have taken place there in the past. Then, one of her young helpers dies – seemingly murdered for real, and Mel decides to help her friends on the police force find out what really happened by speaking to the victim’s ghost.
When things don’t go quite to plan, Mel is put in touch with Lily, proprietor of a local vintage clothing store who just happens to be a witch. The two women work together, aided by some of Lily’s other friends as well as their respective pets – a pig and a dog – and are able to uncover the truth using their individual talents.
I like the concept of this story, but feel that the plot had rather too many twists to it for the novella format. The two heroines make a great team, but neither appealed to me enough to want to read their solo stories. Still, it is refreshing to see two young women who are competent and successful in their individual fields, and who both have a wide circle of female friends, as well as a few helpers of the male variety.
Grade: C
Summary:
In this all-new novella, New York Times bestselling author Juliet Blackwell’s popular characters from her Witchcraft Mysteries and Haunted Home Renovation Mysteries find themselves joining forces to solve a supernatural dilemma…
When Mel Turner is hired to rehab an old Victorian mansion to act as the eerie setting for a Halloween bash, she’s expecting the normal challenges—old wiring, bad plumbing, maybe a ghostly specter or two. But when a young man is killed after spending the night in the house, and the mannequins in the attic start to come to life, it’s clear that this is serious paranormal activity. Maybe this time, a real witch is needed.
Recommended by a mutual friend, vintage clothes expert Lily Ivory arrives to offer her help with the mannequins. Armed with Lily’s spells and Mel’s know-how, the two women must figure out the cause of all of the ghostly commotion—before Mel’s renovation project turns into even more of a deadly haunt…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
