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Jan 10, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

Book 1 in a Bewitching Mystery series.

Maggie O'Neill is going through a bit of a rut. She hates her job (collections) and she hates her boss (The Toad) and she is tired of her mother ragging on her and comparing her to her perfect little sister. While driving to work one day she sidetracks and takes the long way just to prolong her freedom from her icky job. She parks her VW and heads down to the shoppes on old River Street. As she is strolling along looking in the windows of antiqu More...

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May 23, 2009

Cathy rated it:

This was much more of a mystery that happened to have some magic elements than it was a fantasy book. The truth is, it just wasn't what I was in the mood for, so I can't really say how good or bad it was. It seems like a good book and the beginning of a fun series. I will try it again in the future.

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Dec 18, 2011

Lynda rated it:

I know one of my friends has read this series, so I decided to pick up the 1st book and give it a try. The main character Maggie O'Niell is frustrated with her dead-end job working for a tyrant. She ends up taking the "long way" to work one morning and decides to window shp some of the antique stores on the way. She ends up stumbling into Felicity Dow's Enchantments Antiques and a new job offer comes her way! Her boss discloses that she's a witch right from the start, to see if More...

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Jul 07, 2011

Kari rated it:

Maggie O’Neil’s life is in a downward spiral. No relationship and a crappy job are in the mix. That is until she follows an instinct and falls, literally, inside Enchantments, a quaint little antique store. She continues to be down on her luck. Her little fall cost her her crappy job, but then it all turns around just in the nick of time, or so she thinks. The owner of Enchantments, Felicity, offers Maggie a job, but Maggie isn’t there long before she finds out Felicity is a witch and the cops a More...

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Oct 29, 2010

Chibineko rated it:

Hungry for more chick lit mysteries with a bit of a supernatural edge, I had someone recommend Madelyn Alt to me. I immediately picked up this volume and found myself suprised and dissapointed at the same time.

The Trouble With Witches follows Maggie as she starts off with having a really bad day. First she's locked out of her car Christine, then she get fired for being late. Inbetween the two events, however, she meets the charismatic and intriguing Liss. Liss owns a local store tha More...

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Apr 20, 2010

Phia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Sep 24, 2011

Connie rated it:

THE TROUBLE WITH MAGIC by Madelyn Alt is 261 pages in the paperback form. It is #1 in A Bewitching Mystery Series.

This book is about Maggie and how she comes to work for Enchantments as a retail clerk. The owner is a witch and is very open about her abilities to Maggie. The owner, Felicity, is a suspect in her sisters murder and Maggie sets out to help and clear her employer's name.

Maggie is a very likable character in this book and I loved the predicaments she seemed to More...

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Mar 29, 2011

Mailis rated it:

I think the otherwise gorgeous cover of the book is a bit misleading, and some folks who are in search of light reading with funny sassy witches with humor providing feline support cast, might be a tad disappointed when they find actually quite a serious mystery, where witchcraft really has a secondary role to play and sometimes the overall mood gets to be tiny bit depressing. This book would have done quite well with a darker cover, but at the same time, the artwork is probably one of the reaso More...

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Jul 12, 2010

Carissa Anne rated it:

This was not a good book. I started it a few months ago, borrowing it from my cousin, and finished it yesterday simply because I had nothing else to read. While the storyline had the potential to be great, the author decided to write as if her audience was stupid and couldn't piece things together any better than a preschooler. Every little plot twist was explained to a painful extent, leaving no intrigue. Aside from this, the characters weren't believable at all, from the sudden mood swings (be More...

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Aug 16, 2010

Christine rated it:

I was looking for a fun page-turner to get me through a weekend when I wasn't feeling well. I usually enjoy stories with ghosts and magic, and a few random page reads made this one sound like fun. Wish it had been.

Maggie works for a witch (*gasp!*) who's being investigated for the death of her sister. Maggie immediately knows that her boss isn't the killer (because she has a good heart - not kidding) and sets out to find out who the real killer is, while trying to teach the rest of t More...

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Jul 31, 2010

Jenn rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 14, 2011

melissa rated it:

I love a good cozy mystery, and I have been reading a lot lately. This one is the first in the series. This one is a real mystery, as in there is a list of suspects, and a bunch of clues dropped, and you can read and try and solve it. I dislike those where the bad guy comes out of left field at the end. I got really tired really quickly of hearing about ‘Hoosiers’. For a while it felt like once a page. It was like, I get it, let’s move on… I was under the impression that this book had a witch ty More...

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Sep 17, 2009

Amber rated it:

I picked up this book because it's a mystery (and I seem to be in a bit of a mystery phase), it contained a bit of magic and it took place in Indiana. Sadly, I was very disappointed. Usually I read one book at a time because I get so involved, but I read two entire books while I was working through this one.

Anyway, in this book Maggie falls into a new job (literally) at a charming antique store called Enchantments. It is run by Felicity, a sophisticated English woman who tells Maggi More...

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Jan 23, 2011

Books & rated it:

This was a nice, fun, light mystery read - but it's unfortunate that it took all the way to about the last 60 pages - for something to start HAPPENING with the actual MYSTERY of the story!? I'm not sure if it's because this book is the first in a series and the author wanted to really develop the main character for the rest of the books in the series - but the entire beginning, 3/4 of the novel was about Wicca/Ghosts and how the main character was a "good Catholic" and how she didn't r More...

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Jun 06, 2008

Collette rated it:

This is a fun start to a mystery series with a hint of magic. This is based in a small town where everyone knows everyone and their business and centers around the local "eccentric" shop and it's new shopgirl, who is our heroine. I did get annoyed with her at times (hence the 3 starts) but the other characters make up for her shortcomings. It did make me want to read more of her books.

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Jan 25, 2011

Rosemary rated it:

I started this early in 2010, got about a 5th of the way through, and put it aside. I only picked it up again this month. This is sign--I question whether I should have picked it up again.

Unobjectionable but uninspired writing.

Heroine I just couldn't really ever seem to like.

Problematic presentation of paranormal spirituality.
"Too good to be true" supporting characters.

Villains too obvious to be interesting.

Plot I figure More...

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Sep 22, 2011

Jadaloves rated it:

This was a cute little cozy mystery, and I had a lovely time getting to know Maggie and being introduced to her world. Maggie finds herself a new job at a quaint downtown shop called Enchantments after being unceremoniously fired from her old job. Accepting the new job, Maggie is dumbfounded her first day when she learns that her new employer is the main suspect in the murder of her estranged sister. Unable to understand why, Maggie is convinced of Felicity’s innocence and will do whatever sh More...

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Aug 28, 2010

Alice rated it:

I read this book purely as a fluff read, and that's mostly what it is: a cozy, fluff mystery.

The story centers around Maggie, who is fired from her office job and takes a job working in an antique store owned by Felicity, who is a witch. When the police show up on Maggie's first day to question her boss about the murder of her estranged sister, Maggie fears she may be out of a job again soon.

Due to prejudice against Felicity for being a practicing witch, the town is qui More...

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Oct 19, 2009

Peace Love rated it:

It took me a long time to finish the book. I have to put it down to give way to three books before actually finishing it. I got bored. Maggie O'Neill's character is not interesting enough to make me want to find out what will happen to her involvement with Felicity Dow (her new boss, and owner of Enchantments slash witch). The novel tends to be descriptive.

It was not until Maggie found out that she is a Clairsentients, or a fancy word for Empath that I found myself getting a bit pum More...

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Apr 11, 2010

Lindsay rated it:

I don't really know what drew me to this book. It's a mystery and mysteries make you think, so I think that I just wanted something that would get my mind working. Plus, in the day and age of Harry Potter, magic just doesn't seem so unrealistic anymore. The story is about a girl who gets a job at an antiques shop and the owner is a witch who's sister is murdered, and everyone thinks it's the witch, so the girl tries to clear her name and in the process realizes that she is becoming part of the m More...

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Mar 20, 2009

Monica rated it:

I read this in the Kindle edition on my iPhone. The story was great mind candy, and I really enjoyed the Wiccan subtheme, particularly since the protagonist was raised Catholic and had strong prejudices against "witches" that she had to overcome in the course of this story. I have long had a great sympathy for the Wiccan faith. Other characters in the novel were written well, making this reader want to know them better. I was disappointed that the author left the romance issues unr More...

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Mar 21, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

I enjoyed the story, but found it hard to get into. I think this has to do with the book types I read previous to this one. Will have to be more careful to switching gears in the future. Doesn't seem to go well for me to go from crazy, lust filled, romance/sex to none at all witch mystery.

With all that being said, the story was sweet! Maggie a gal who can't seem to catch a break. From working for a self centered boss, to having a sister who hung the moon and could do no wrong, ad More...

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May 20, 2009

Violet rated it:

I give this book 4 stars only because its the first in a series and one can only think that it will get better and a higher rating does not exist above 5. Frankly, I thought this was one of the most memorable and well written cozy mysteries I have come across in a long time. It was funny, the characters are likable and blend well together, you don't have to read long before something happens or comes up that you want to continue reading to get to the outcome.

The basic storyline f More...

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Aug 25, 2007

Laura rated it:

A light, fun read about Witches. The plot is very simple, but what makes this novel an enjoyable read is how Alt develops the characters. Character development in a novel is always number one with me.

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Dec 17, 2011

Suzanne rated it:

Some parts of the book, I'd rate 3.5 stars, and other parts, I'd go with 2.5 stars. I loved the setting from small town Indiana to the River Street shopping area to the Enchantments store. I really liked Maggie, Marcus, Steff, and Felicity. A decent mystery; however, the final 'clue' was kind of a clunker and I couldn't believe Maggie didn't figure out the killer until it was almost too late. I realize this book is more about Maggie getting in touch with her powers, but it was a little distr More...

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Aug 22, 2011

Chani rated it:

Another big let down. I was excited to start a novel about a woman discovering magic and her own possible talents. Then it just turned into a silly murder chase. Throw in the stupid over-played, two attractive men interests, and I was done. The story was not believable. No way would this little nobody be allowed to run around poking her nose in people's business and on top of that, coming up with the wrong solutions! The facts were spelled out to clearly and just left me annoyed at the main char More...

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Sep 30, 2008

Debdanz rated it:

1st in a new magical mystery series; i was hoping it was another 'sookie stackhouse.' it wasn't- didn't hold m interest enough to read more in the series.

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Oct 19, 2011

Tom rated it:

<spoiler>
I read A Charmed Death first before this one. It is difficult to nail down a reading order for this series. I believe this is the second one. Madelyn Alt However, it was not required to read the second book, Like I thought it was going to be.

I liked the book overall. It did have a few slow points. And some of the psychic or witch stuff was out there, that stuff was over explained considerably. But again, liked it overall.
</spoiler> More...

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Jun 30, 2011

Tracy rated it:

There are some fun elements to this book: witty inner-dialogue, engaging female characters, and an odd blending of the traditional whodunit with mysticism. However, the men are all objectified caricatures, the heroine is a little slow to discover the murderer, and the "magic" is little more than common sense and perception. I think it was the latter that bothered me most: what good is the fantasy of magic if it is a stunted, virtually ineffectual thing? Regardless of that irritatio More...

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Jul 19, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

What I thought would be a cute "supernatural" cozy turned out to be a disappointment. There were a few cute descriptions of the main character's hometown and the fall season in which the book takes place. There was a lot of potential for a good tale, but it fell flat. Too many scenes were spent trying to get across the same point, too little to the actual murder mystery, and too many occurrences of the word "susurrant". There were unclear relationships between characters that More...

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