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Charms and Chocolate Chips
(Magical Bakery Mystery #3)
by
Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her firefighter boyfriend, Declan McCarthy, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won't be as easy as whipping up a new recipe-especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murd
...more
Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Published
November 5th 2013
by NAL
(first published October 1st 2013)
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Showing 1-30

Now I want a scone, with some extra herbs in it for prosperity....
Katie seems to keep running across dead bodies, part of this is because she is a catalyst, and part of this is because she is a light witch....Katie is also a fun witchy character;With a feisty eclectic coven.... The coven is definitely part of the strength of this series, this group of witches are all so different, but are able to work so well together.... another major strength is the bakery, I love the atmosphere of this baker ...more
Katie seems to keep running across dead bodies, part of this is because she is a catalyst, and part of this is because she is a light witch....Katie is also a fun witchy character;With a feisty eclectic coven.... The coven is definitely part of the strength of this series, this group of witches are all so different, but are able to work so well together.... another major strength is the bakery, I love the atmosphere of this baker ...more

2.5 stars
This book seemed to be going in more of an Urban Fantasy direction than I was comfortable with. I bought into this series knowing that it was shelved as a Cozy Mystery. It's not that I don't like Urban Fantasy, but I've had too much of it lately and am just kinda tired of it. The talk about ley lines and some kinda telekinesis?? with a flash of light was too much of a stretch for how this series is set up.
Don't even get me started on the weird tree communicating with the MC thing.
And th ...more
This book seemed to be going in more of an Urban Fantasy direction than I was comfortable with. I bought into this series knowing that it was shelved as a Cozy Mystery. It's not that I don't like Urban Fantasy, but I've had too much of it lately and am just kinda tired of it. The talk about ley lines and some kinda telekinesis?? with a flash of light was too much of a stretch for how this series is set up.
Don't even get me started on the weird tree communicating with the MC thing.
And th ...more

Katie Lightfoot (yes, I kind of hate her name too) thankfully wasn't too dampered by the previous diagnosis of what a unique witch she was at the end of the second book. While she's settling in with her powers in general, she makes sure to still keep her nose in crimes that keep popping up in her small town. This time it involves a weird tree, conservation morals, and another mini showdown between the female and male witches/warlocks/shamans/whatever.
Unfortunately the love triangle is still draw ...more
Unfortunately the love triangle is still draw ...more

Katie our heroine and baker deluxe has once again stumbled on a dead body. This time it is somebody she knows an worked with. She soft of pretends like she might stay out of it but that goes against her nature and she dives in. This is not the only upset in her life, her mother shows up unexpectedly and there are some issues that need faced. There is a swamp, snakes, powerful trees, lawyers, ex's, powerful spells and some deviously yummy baked goodies.
Negatives: This one had a slow start for me ...more
Negatives: This one had a slow start for me ...more

I like the darker tone that the series started in the previous book, this one isn't as dark but still not as light and fluffy as the first.
(view spoiler)
I'm interested to see what plans the author has for the series, starting book 4 now.
(view spoiler)
I'm interested to see what plans the author has for the series, starting book 4 now.

The story was great, but my issue was with the love triangle. Yes, even though Katie made her choice, there was still a darn love triangle. I wouldn't have mind if not for the fact I despise Steve. I don't see why Cates keeps shoving him in our faces. He had more scenes than Declan, her actual boyfriend. He really makes it difficult to read on, despite my love for the series. Ugh, so frustrating. I'm still going to continue on, but I pray there won't be anymore sexual tension between Katie and h
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This third book of the series was very similar to the first two and while I still got through it, it almost feels like the series is stagnating a bit. The overall story was enjoyable and the book itself was well written but now I know why I don’t read many cozy mystery series: I get bored after a while.
It was, however, nice to learn a little bit more about the main character’s magical abilities. We’ve know from the start that Katie’s not just a normal hereditary witch. She’s a catalyst and she a ...more
It was, however, nice to learn a little bit more about the main character’s magical abilities. We’ve know from the start that Katie’s not just a normal hereditary witch. She’s a catalyst and she a ...more

Nov 26, 2013
M.K. Theodoratus
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
cozy mystery and fantasy readers
Recommended to M.K. by:
previous book in series
Shelves:
mystery
Five Cheers for light-hearted mysteries.
Cates whips up a fluffy confection that lands squarely in the cozy section but includes strong romance and fantasy/paranormal flavors. But what about the writing craft aspects of the novel?
Three-dimensional characters are her forte. Even her tertiary ones are individuals.
The plots twist enough to be interesting, and her villains have understandable motivations.
McCrae/Bailey puts together a nice paranormal mystery, based on nice people you wouldn't mind ...more
Cates whips up a fluffy confection that lands squarely in the cozy section but includes strong romance and fantasy/paranormal flavors. But what about the writing craft aspects of the novel?
Three-dimensional characters are her forte. Even her tertiary ones are individuals.
The plots twist enough to be interesting, and her villains have understandable motivations.
McCrae/Bailey puts together a nice paranormal mystery, based on nice people you wouldn't mind ...more

I don't remember a damn thing about what I read. I remember pastries off the top of my head. Oh, okay, I'm starting to remember now...
I think this bored me more than anything. I didn't find myself wanting to run home to it like I did the first two. I still like all the characters, but the story just wasn't that interesting to me. The killer was the same possessed crazy I've seen before.
The Love Geometry I thought might be there wasn't there. Good! I don't think I could take that kind of math. I ...more
I think this bored me more than anything. I didn't find myself wanting to run home to it like I did the first two. I still like all the characters, but the story just wasn't that interesting to me. The killer was the same possessed crazy I've seen before.
The Love Geometry I thought might be there wasn't there. Good! I don't think I could take that kind of math. I ...more

So this is the third book in the Magical Bakery series and I like the story plot so far but I am beginning to hate the main character. She is a special little snowflake being the only one with all these unique and super rare powers who is supposed to set everything around her back in balance and stuff. With each book she gets a new power or a new importance of her oh so special gift. But she doesn't know anything about this power/gift or how it will effect her life and she wonders and worries ab
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Charms and Chocolate Chips is the third book in Bailey Cates' Magical Bakery Mystery series. This is a culinary cozy with a magical twist. Cates not only teases the readers taste buds but she also takes them on an adventure into the life of hedgewitch, Katie Lightfoot. The paranormal elements in this book are light and centered around the ancient tales of "green" witches who used the earth elements to help their family and neighbors in times past. Cates does a fantastic job of creating a magical
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Review From April 2014
☊ Charms And Chocolate Chips, by Bailey Cates
★★★ and 1/2 (rounding up to 4)
Synopsis: A HALF-BAKED HEX. Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her boyfriend, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won’t be as easy as whipping up a new recipe—especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murder.
When a fellow volunteer fo ...more
☊ Charms And Chocolate Chips, by Bailey Cates
★★★ and 1/2 (rounding up to 4)
Synopsis: A HALF-BAKED HEX. Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her boyfriend, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won’t be as easy as whipping up a new recipe—especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murder.
When a fellow volunteer fo ...more

Book 3 in the Magical Bakery series. Katie Lightfoot is busy developing new recipes at the Honeybee Bakery and volunteering her time to the Georgia Wild Conservation Group. The mystery begins when a fellow worker is found murdered at the conservation group's headquarters. Tucked into her hands is an origami of a unique maroon bat. The very same bat that the group is trying to protect. It has been spotted in a nearby swamp that is also the interest of a local developmental group. More origami bat
...more

Family Reunites Katie is continuing to learn about her magic and she has started volunteering at the Georgia Wild group. Her aunt Lucy says it is so that she can build up enough good. She finds another dead body and is drawn into the search for the killer and trying to create a relationship with her mother and Declan.
Lucy and Katie's mother reunite and start to get along again and she learns what happened that caused her mother to not show her how to control her magic, she also helps her when ...more
Lucy and Katie's mother reunite and start to get along again and she learns what happened that caused her mother to not show her how to control her magic, she also helps her when ...more

Another cute installment to the Magical Bakery Mystery series.
More than anything, I’m loving the Savannah bakery setting. The whodunit aspect is nicely done with the killer actually pretty low on my suspect list.
I am looking forward to the next book but it looks like reviews for it are filled with spoilers so don’t read them if you don’t want to know!
Spoilers for Charms and Chocolate Chips
(view spoiler) ...more
More than anything, I’m loving the Savannah bakery setting. The whodunit aspect is nicely done with the killer actually pretty low on my suspect list.
I am looking forward to the next book but it looks like reviews for it are filled with spoilers so don’t read them if you don’t want to know!
Spoilers for Charms and Chocolate Chips
(view spoiler) ...more

Katie Lightfoot has been working at the bakery she owns with her aunt (a fellow witch) and her uncle as well as volunteering at a local conservation group. She shows up to volunteer one night and finds the leader of the conservation group dead. She knows this witchy this way comes and delves into getting to the bottom of it. When she and members of her coven become the targets she knows shes on the right track. I like these books for the most part. I want to like them more but there is something
...more

This was a great read. The storyline and the mystery were great. I thought it was intriguing. I hope the story continues to get better. I am not thrilled about the love triangle in the book, but I hope that Katie chooses Declan over Steve still. Katie is still the character I want to be best friend. I can have delicious sweet and goodies to eat. The coven also seems to be a great connection of family and friends. It is really intriguing to see them work together. The ending was sweet. I wanted m
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I enjoyed this, and it's fun finding out more about Katie's powers, but I have such a hard time with the whole "Bad things keep happening so let me go to isolated places alone and not keep my phone on me just in case" thing that books liked this tend to be full of. She's got all these friends and family who don't try to stop her?? Other than that, though, really fun, light reading and I'll definitely continue the series.

3.5 Stars. I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much as the first two, but I think it’s because I missed all the girls being together so much. They did get together more towards the end but I missed that friendship a bit. Cookie drove me a little nuts in this but some of the events at the end redeemed her behavior.

This book was read now because my library reserve came into being. I have always found this author's writing style to be easy to read. In this book there was a little more supernatural or spiritual magic referred to. I was not sure if I believe that magic can mutate nature. There was some relationship tension in this book so I was not sure that the "love" triangle was going to survive or not. In the future it will be interesting to see how this triangle works it's self out. The story did enterta
...more

I did not enjoy this one as the previous books, I missed more of the special magic here, more baking, more time speding with the spellbook ladies. The crime was good but I got lost couple of times. It just missed the magical atmosphere it can have. Hopefully I will enjoy the next one more because I like this serie and its characters a lot :)

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

It's been four months since the events of Samhain when Katie Lightfoot learned her true destiny. She's keeping busy with the bakery, book club, volunteering with Georgia Wildlife Refuge and "going steady" with the right man. The GWR is trying to save a local swamp where there may have been sightings of an extinct species of bat. Katie is shocked when one of the GWR employees is murdered. Autumn was found with an origami maroon bat in her hand and Katie senses something wrong with it. She's deter
...more

CHARMS AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS is a delightful continuation of the Magical Bakery Mystery series. This time around, Katie is faced with murky, woo woo filled swamps, endangered bats, and the mysterious murder of a local environmentalist.
First, I'll get my complaint out of the way. In the first two books, Katie was being wooed by firefighter Declan and Druid/reporter Steve. She's finally made her choice, and she picked the wrong guy! That's strictly my opinion, of course. ;-) I'm still holding onto a ...more
First, I'll get my complaint out of the way. In the first two books, Katie was being wooed by firefighter Declan and Druid/reporter Steve. She's finally made her choice, and she picked the wrong guy! That's strictly my opinion, of course. ;-) I'm still holding onto a ...more

If you follow my blogs, the reviews, or my youtube channel, I have a slight addiction to Cozy Mysteries. Okay, maybe not SLIGHT...a HUGE addiction to Cozies. But more specifically, I have a weakness for cooking and magical mysteries. They just tickle my fancy. My waist and my imagination expand while reading these types of books.
Bailey Cates' Magical Bakery Mystery does this to me everytime. I crave what ever it is that Katie and Lucy are making in the Honeybee Bakery and I want to know more ab ...more
Bailey Cates' Magical Bakery Mystery does this to me everytime. I crave what ever it is that Katie and Lucy are making in the Honeybee Bakery and I want to know more ab ...more

Just couldn't get into it properly so skim read the second half. Liked the idea, liked the characters but sometimes these books that try to blend reality and fantasy work really well and cleverly and sometime they just made me go huh! Sorry - ok cozy for those into mysteries and fantasy but won't be looking for more.
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Madison Mega-Mara...: #44 - Charms and Chocolate Chips | 1 | 4 | Mar 18, 2014 08:32AM |
A.K.A. Cricket McRae
Other books in the series
Magical Bakery Mystery
(8 books)
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