The Trouble With Magic (A Bewitching Mystery, #1)

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The Trouble With Magic (A Bewitching Mystery #1)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 3,656 ratings · 325 reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Equal parts amateur whodunit, supernatural fantasy, and quirky romance, The Trouble with Magic -- the first installment of Madelyn Alt's Bewitching Mystery saga -- features Maggie O'Neill, a woman at a crossroads of what has thus far been an uneventful life.

Single, almost 30, and recently terminated from a lousy collections job, Maggie's life...more

ebook, 272 pages

Published January 3rd 2006 by Berkley

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Jan 10, 2009 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Wiccan mystery fans

Shelves: 2009, witchy-poo, paranormal_mystery, madelyn_alt

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 antique shoppes an...more 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 antique shoppes and sighing the sky opens up and there is a downpour. Feeling like a drowned rat she quickly ducks into a doorway with an awning to try and stay dry. She leans back against the door of the shop to avoid as much rain as possible and suddenly the door gives and she finds herself sitting on her butt on a wood floor in a dark shop. And that is how she meets Felicity Dow - the owner of Enchantments: Antiques and Fine Gifts.

Needless to say this is a turning point for our heroine Maggie. Felicity - a practicing Wiccan - offers Maggie a job and after being fired for coming into work late - Maggie accepts. She's not sure what to think of Felicity's proclamation of being a witch - but she likes her and decides to trust her instincts.

On her first day working at the shop Felicity is called away by her sister and Maggie is on her own in the shop. Hours pass and Maggie begins to worry. When officer Tom Fielding shows up (and it sounds like he is the hotness - even if he is ice cold) with the keys and a warning about Felicity being questioned in the murder of her sister - Maggie must decide if her new friend and boss could be guilty of such a crime - and what can she do about it?

I thought this was pretty good for a Book 1 in a series. It did get a little preachy at times though. The Wiccans are good and the non-wiccans are closed minded sort of thing. Also I thought the denial Maggie was in for most of the book was kind of stupid. For example - She describes the meeting of her good friend Step as "our eyes met and I saw fireworks - in my head, at least." and then she crashed her bike into a tree and they had been friends ever since. She has an imaginary friend growing up who is an older British woman who told her lots of stories. And yet she is freaked out by a Wiccan and the idea of anything paranormal? Either she is in denial or she is so NOT introspective about herself. When Felicity asks her is she believs in ghosts she says she doesn't know. Really? You are almost 30 and you don't know if you believe in ghosts or not? Hu. OK. I'll play along.

I am hoping that most of what irritated me in this book was just the crap that is your standard mystery set up. It irritates me to be conscious of the set up - but still - I read the book in one day so it couldn't have bothered me too much. Oh - and I knew who did it about half way through the book. Here is hoping the next one can by-pass the setting up the characters stuff and be a little more focused on plot development.

(I know it doesn't sound like it but I did enjoy the book! :)
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May 23, 2009 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, paranormal, series-reminder, magic-users, read-in-2009

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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Apr 09, 2013 Katrina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 really beli...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually started reading this book this past Monday. I started the series, unknowingly, with book 2 and doubled back to read book one. I just couldn't put it down. I am genuinely in love with the series. Madelyn Alt is a great storyteller and it's nice to finally have a story about the character that I can really connect with. I will admit that a lot of the books I have read regarding the supernatural have been teenager-aimed but not this series. The main character is a 30 or almost 30 year ol...more

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May 21, 2013 Drebbles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

Maggie O'Neill is unhappy with her job and when she practically falls into an offer to work at an antique store called Enchantments she eagerly agrees. She quickly becomes friends with storeowner Felicity Dow and is intrigued when she finds out that Felicity calls herself a witch. Maggie is just starting to learn the ropes at Enchantments when Felicity's estranged sister Isabella is murdered and the police consider Felicity to be their number one suspect. Maggie doesn't believe Felicity is the k...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Kat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, mysterious, magickal

Basic Plot: Maggie is looking for a new path in life and finds it in a new job with an intriguing new boss, who happens to be a practicing witch. Then the new boss is suspected of murdering her own sister and Maggie finds herself trying to clear her new friend of these charges.

The first phrase that comes to my mind when thinking of describing this book is "harmless fluff." Since I am a pagan, that is actually a fairly important descriptor for me when reading a book that has magickal ties. It's e...more Basic Plot: Maggie is looking for a new path in life and finds it in a new job with an intriguing new boss, who happens to be a practicing witch. Then the new boss is suspected of murdering her own sister and Maggie finds herself trying to clear her new friend of these charges.

The first phrase that comes to my mind when thinking of describing this book is "harmless fluff." Since I am a pagan, that is actually a fairly important descriptor for me when reading a book that has magickal ties. It's even more important when the book is set in small-town Indiana, which also accurately describes this reader. So now you know how the book's blurb grabbed me.

The pacing was ok and the writing was decent. It was fairly obviously the first book in a series, with character introductions and teases about plots to come, particularly romantical ones. The author was respectful of modern wiccans, and pretty darned accurate about the small-town Midwest mentality about them. There is a nearly-urban-fantasy vibe to the book that makes the magick much more real than I was actually expecting from the book. This was neither good nor bad, but certainly unexpected. It wasn't exactly the TV series "Charmed," but the magick done had definite results.

Oddly, the magick was the part of the book most believable. There were some events in the book that had my suspension of disbelief's panties in a twist. (The cop is going to take the main character to a crime scene? Really? Sure, we can tell he wants to get in her pants, but still. Really???) The lead's butting into the investigation HEAVILY despite NO real right to do so really hurt my brain. I also found myself checking the copyright date on the book a few times due to some seriously out-of-date moments. The book was published in 2006, yet the 20-something main character has a landline phone but does not have a cell phone *blink* and watches Magnum PI reruns *blink blink* she TAPES ON A VCR *blink blink blink*. I call shenanigans. Seriously. I'm seriously going to see how old this author is, because she needs a clue-by-four up the side of her head. This is just not realistic behavior. These problems are what dragged my rating down to 3 stars.

Overall, not bad with potential for good in the overall series and a quick read, but there were some serious problems. If the problems persist, I will not continue the series past book 2. (less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Doris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cozies, mystery

This is the second time I have read this book, and it was more interesting the second time around. I suspect that had to do with the fact that I knew there was very little real magic involved, regardless of the hype on the cover or the promise of the title.

It is a fun, easy-read mystery, set in a small northern Indiana town. The main character is stuck in a dead end job with a nasty boss, and jumps at the chance for a change, even as she hesitates to take a job offer from a self-proclaimed witc...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Alisha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, fantasy

After having a hellish week, I decided that I needed to read a somewhat fluffy easygoing book to make myself feel better as I didn’t have the energy to read anything too serious. The Trouble with Magic seemed to fit the bill. It was entertaining to read, had some fun characters and it started out with an intriguing premise. However, The Trouble with Magic seemed to hover between the space of okay and good.

The Trouble With Magic started out with great promise. It seemed like it had the markings o...more After having a hellish week, I decided that I needed to read a somewhat fluffy easygoing book to make myself feel better as I didn’t have the energy to read anything too serious. The Trouble with Magic seemed to fit the bill. It was entertaining to read, had some fun characters and it started out with an intriguing premise. However, The Trouble with Magic seemed to hover between the space of okay and good.

The Trouble With Magic started out with great promise. It seemed like it had the markings of being a great, funny, fantasy-mystery. However, when I was about 30 percent in, I realized that the story was sort of meandering along. It wasn’t captivating me or enchanting me the way the beginning was. I then realized what the problem was. While the beginning alluded to the magic that was going to come later on (after all you can’t have a story about witches and not include magic), I realized that the magic is never fully expanded on or really explored. We get a few of the characters talking about it, but when it comes to the characters actually performing it magic, the book falls short. We get maybe a tiny bit of magic within the whole book. It was definitely not enough to keep me intrigued throughout the whole book.

Like I mentioned, The Trouble with Magic did have some pretty good characters. I found Maggie to endearing and pretty funny and I loved her relationship with Steff. I’m not a big romance fan, so while I didn’t root for one guy or another in this book, I did find them to be well-written and intriguing. However, when it comes to the character of Felicity, I felt like the author fell short of creating a great character. She just wasn’t as developed as Maggie. I understand that Maggie is the heroine of this series, but considering the fact that Felicity is pretty much the reason behind why everything takes place, I felt like her character should have been expanded more. We don’t really know anything about her other than the fact that she’s accused of murdering her sister. She’s the biggest supporting character and she should have been a little more fleshed out.

Overall, I found The Trouble with Magic to be an okay series. It definitely had its shortcomings, but it was a relatively enjoyable, easygoing read. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and hopefully, the next installment will have more magic and enchantment included in it.
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Aug 06, 2012 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first I was very annoyed with the neuroses and timidity of the main character, Maggie. But she improved as the story progressed.

Maggie O'Neill lives in a small Indiana town. A god-fearing, busy-body-heavy, small town. So when she loses her job [which she hated anyway!] and on the very same day gets an offer for a new job at the gift and antique store run by Felicity Dow, she thinks its a miracle.

Maggie's a little non-plussed when Felicity tells her that she's a witch, but since Maggie's a big...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Lynda Tatad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 the Catholic rais...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Kari Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 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 are on Felicity’s heels as a prime murder suspect in her sister’s death.

It doesn’t take Maggie long to stand up for her new boss, witch or not, and get down to business finding the real killer and get Felicity out of the limelight.

Plus, she got a taste of all this magic stuff, and is now intrigued and is hungry for a little more.

Let me start this with Madelyn Alt is such a creative writer. She has a vocabulary like a dictionary. I’m not going to lie, I had to look up a few words, but then added them to my mental dictionary to use in the future because I love being able to substitute. Thank good for the English language. There were several times where I could close my eyes and see myself, either at the murder scene or in the middle of one of the magical rituals.

I fell in love with Maggie in this book and Enchantments. I think a lot of women out there, knowing they would be able to survive financially, love to work in an antique store, or something along the likes. Mine would be a book store, surprise, surprise. But I could still do antiques or crafts. I find myself, the more I read about women in these other jobs, like makeup artist for the dead or bounty hunter, trying to imagine myself in those positions. Can’t really say I’d thrive in most of them, but it’s always fun jumping into a different life. That’s why most of us read right? Even if it is fiction, it puts us into a life we don’t have and gives a chance to see another side.

I saw one of the books in this series while making a trip to the library, bought it for my Nook and made it one of my beach reads. I loved it and flew through it and can’t wait to see what happens next with Maggie and I have a whole lot of catching up to do to get current with the series.

I give The Trouble with Magic 4 bookmarks, solely for the fact that I hope this series continues to grow on me and I fall in love with it even more as I go and can give future books the 5 bookmarks. I tend to dive into series’ and hand out 5 bookmarks on the first one, get 5 or 6 in and realize I am loving it more now than when I started and really only should’ve given 3 or 4 from the get-go. I will however come back to this post and up the ante if I get that far and my feelings don’t change I have a lot of hope for this series and hope it lives up to my expectations
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Oct 29, 2010 Chibineko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 that sells anyt...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First of all, I really hate when authors spend an entire book ramming their location down your throat. Okay. We get it. You're from Indiana. I don't need you to say "Hoosier" this and "Hoosier" that every other sentence. I don't need a lesson on how someone is a typical Hoosier because they're wearing flannel. I also don't care that something is off of CR 500. The only people are who going to appreciate that are other people from Indiana; the rest of us are irritated. Stick to the story and stop...more

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Jul 07, 2012 C. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: up-to-2012

This is the first witch novel I've ever read and it instantly carried me away! It doesn't go at all like you expect, it's a completely original take, and that's the best possible story; a change and a surprise.

Most reviews have huge synopsises that spoil chunks of action! Please stick to what it is/how it is, never how it GOES!

A normal person with rueful family dynamics, is concerned with paycheques and keeping a car running. She doesn't believe in metaphysics and the author was brilliant to let...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Mar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, ghost, magic, written-reviews, witches

Maggie O'Neill just lost her job and finds one the same day. Working for Felicity Dow at Enchantments she is brought into the world of witches and ghost. Her boss Felicity is being accused of murdering her sister and it might all be because she's a witch. Now Maggie is on the path of discovering her gift and trying to prove that Felicity is not guilty.

First off I didn't like the fact that the title didn't really go with the story being told. The magical aspect of the story is minimal or nonexis...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Connie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 get into and out of. Ma...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Mailis Viiand rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: excellent-mystery-serious, witches

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 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, paranormal

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 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-magic-witches-ghosts-romanc, what-not-to-do

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 the town not...more

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Jul 31, 2010 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jan 04, 2013 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, it took me a while to get into this book. I don't know if that is because of lack of interest or just the lack of time that exists in my life right now. More than likely it is the former because I have managed to reread a few books in between finishing this. Nonetheless, once I really sat down in a quiet corner and started reading it really became a breeze. The main character is the enjoyable, quirky type of protagonist that I enjoy. She has the right amount of sarcasm and humor for me. Ho...more Well, it took me a while to get into this book. I don't know if that is because of lack of interest or just the lack of time that exists in my life right now. More than likely it is the former because I have managed to reread a few books in between finishing this. Nonetheless, once I really sat down in a quiet corner and started reading it really became a breeze. The main character is the enjoyable, quirky type of protagonist that I enjoy. She has the right amount of sarcasm and humor for me. However, I'm getting a little tired of authors creating characters that constantly beat themselves up about their looks. The lead characters always portray themselves to be dowdy with a beautiful best friend as a sidekick. Really? It feels like all of the mystery writers have gotten together and said, 'Let's make all of our leads be the ugly ducklings'. So a lot of the pages about Maggie being nowhere near as pretty as her best friend or not being as popular and "successful" as her sister got a wee bit tiring. This lack of self esteem makes even more of the book irritating because she has this really attractive guy pining for her and makes excuse after excuse as to why he is interested in her.

Getting past all of the wallflower characteristics, another major playing in the story is the town. We learn a lot about this small town that is sort of similar what is occurring in most states; urbanites are flocking further away from the big cities and even the suburban outskirts in favor of even small towns. Ultimately, with the flock of new citizens comes a new air within the town which includes a change in the way things were. It seems at least once in every chapter, the town was mentioned in one way or another. The descriptions were nice, but lacked consistency. Alt would go into this beautiful soliloquy about the trees and the changing of the leaves only to abruptly stop with no real transition to the next topic.

Finally, if I have to hear about 'things like this just don't happen around here' again, I am going to rip the next book by its binding. Hearing so much about Maggie's grandmother and the terrible catholic guilt she seems to always carry gets a bit old after awhile.

Gosh, after writing all of this, you would think I did not like the book. Yet, I did once I got to about page 150 (you know the first book in a series always has a lot of set up information they have to put into place). I actually enjoyed it enough to purchase the next book in hopes of learning more about Maggie and her new talents. So we shall see if book two can boost the chances of me purchasing book three.(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When thirty-year-old Maggie O’Neill is fired from her dull office job, opportunity quickly comes knocking in the form of Felicity Dow, owner of an upscale antique shop called Enchantments. Maggie is immediately drawn to the calm and warm Felicity, who seems only too willing to take her under her wing. Maggie has barely started working in the store, though, when Felicity’s estranged sister, Isabella, calls Felicity for help. Isabella’s been hearing voices and seems upset. Felicity rushes out the...more

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Jan 14, 2011 melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Maggie she is a w...more

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Jun 06, 2008 Collette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, mystery, alt

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 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 figured out about a quarter of the way through. In a good mystery you should final...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Jadaloves rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 she h...more 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 she has to to prove to herself and others that she is right.

Maggie is charming and kind and pretty darn funny at times. From a child she’s had the ability to know and feel what others are feeling and thinking. Thinking that these instances are just flukes or coincidence, Maggie never explores the possibility that she may have extrasensory abilities until meeting Felicity. I love that even though Maggie finds all the hoodoo difficult to believe and approaches it all with caution, she is open to the possibility and doesn’t scoff or dismiss the beliefs of those around her. She proves to be a very loyal friend, and a pretty decent sleuth.

The secondary characters in this book were pretty awesome too. Felicity was the picture of calm and assurance while Stefanie, her best friend, was supportive and joined her in her indulgence of sweets and Magnum P.I.. I adored Marcus, a good friend of Felicity’s. He was the hot bad boy with a very caring and sensitive side. I immediately liked Marcus from the start and am looking forward to getting to know more about him. There was also Deputy Tom Fielding. While he was alright, I didn’t particularly take to him like I did Marcus. While he was nice enough, I just didn’t care for him or feel the chemistry. But it was her granpa who enchanted me most. He was a hilarious pistol in his motorized wheelchair, and I couldn’t help chuckling at his antics.

The pacing of the book was nice, with clues discovered at just the right times. Although this wasn’t the most complicated or intricate plot I’ve ever read, it was still well-developed and totally captivating. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the characters. I will most definitely be reading the rest of this series.

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Aug 28, 2010 Alice Janell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

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 quick to call her guilty. Bu...more

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Oct 19, 2009 Peace Love and Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 pumped up. The...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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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Mystery

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Fantasy > Paranormal

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Mystery > Cozy Mystery

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Paranormal > Witches

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Fantasy

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Fantasy > Magic

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Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

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Mystery > Paranormal Mystery

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About Madelyn Alt

From the Authors Website

Madelyn Alt is the national bestselling author of the witchy and hip Bewitching Mystery Series, published by Berkley Prime Crime. The Bewitching series features small town single girl and fledgling empath Maggie O'Neill, her witchy boss, and an unlikely circle of ghosthunting friends, the N.I.G.H.T.S., as they investigate an increasing level of paranormal disturbance--not...more

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Books by Madelyn Alt

Hex Marks the Spot (A Bewitching Mystery, #3)

A Charmed Death (A Bewitching Mystery, #2)

No Rest for the Wiccan (A Bewitching Mystery, #4)

Where There's a Witch (A Bewitching Mystery, #5)

A Witch in Time (A Bewitching Mystery, #6)

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The Trouble With Magic (A Bewitching Mystery #1)

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