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Wendy Lightower Mystery #1
Murder Most Witchy
The Lightower family has been hunting down paranormal phenomena in the small town of North Harbor for generations. Unlike the rest of her family, Wendy Lightower has never dreamed of chasing evil witches or unearthing magical secrets. Her greatest ambition in life is to be a full-time librarian and leave her witchy roots far behind her. But when a murder is committed in her very own library, Wendy cannot ignore that there is no natural explanation for the killing. If the killer is to be caught, she must call on family and friends alike to solve the magical murder. When she chose books over boogeymen and libraries over lycans, Wendy thought she would finally be able to live a 'normal' life. Now, her library is no longer the sanctuary she imagined it to be, and there may just be a killer hiding in the stacks. Murder Most Witchy is the first in a new series of paranormal mysteries by Emily Rylands. Intriguing and humorous, it will keep you guessing until the very end.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2014
28 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 3, 2015
I'm sure someone will find this cute and fun. I just didn't.
The writing style of Murder Most Witchy is very stilted and awkward, which made it very hard for me to connect to the story. For instance , the heroine's first spell is described as: "she read the instructions and put ingredients in the cauldron." Um, okay; ingredients like WHAT? Mixed it how? Was there heat involved? What did it look or smell like? - The lack of description is a problem for me.
Next: If you like a world where a heroine refers to her loving cat as her "obese pet," a heroine who" shrieks" at people and is rendered infuriated by someone saying they're too busy to help her, and where every GOOD character is thin or slim and every BAD character is fat or chubby (as well as bad tempered and eating chocolate all the time), this may be the book for you.
Another quick way to tell if you'll like this story is this: if you watched Bewitched and thought Samantha Stevens was noble for doing all the housework herself and not using magic, you'll fit right in here. The h has turned her back on her magical abilities and that is so...unforgivable to me, you want to live a dull, normal life, WHY? If you have a gift you could be using to help others and you don't, I don't find that appealing, I find that cowardly.
So. We're meant to root for a prissy librarian heroine (but a slim one, thanks very much) with little imagination or courage, given to fits of the vapors and stamping her foot (more than once) to get her way. If that sounds fun and adorable to you, off you go, have a good time with my blessings.
Could not finish. Would not recommend. Not even for free.
The writing style of Murder Most Witchy is very stilted and awkward, which made it very hard for me to connect to the story. For instance , the heroine's first spell is described as: "she read the instructions and put ingredients in the cauldron." Um, okay; ingredients like WHAT? Mixed it how? Was there heat involved? What did it look or smell like? - The lack of description is a problem for me.
Next: If you like a world where a heroine refers to her loving cat as her "obese pet," a heroine who" shrieks" at people and is rendered infuriated by someone saying they're too busy to help her, and where every GOOD character is thin or slim and every BAD character is fat or chubby (as well as bad tempered and eating chocolate all the time), this may be the book for you.
Another quick way to tell if you'll like this story is this: if you watched Bewitched and thought Samantha Stevens was noble for doing all the housework herself and not using magic, you'll fit right in here. The h has turned her back on her magical abilities and that is so...unforgivable to me, you want to live a dull, normal life, WHY? If you have a gift you could be using to help others and you don't, I don't find that appealing, I find that cowardly.
So. We're meant to root for a prissy librarian heroine (but a slim one, thanks very much) with little imagination or courage, given to fits of the vapors and stamping her foot (more than once) to get her way. If that sounds fun and adorable to you, off you go, have a good time with my blessings.
Could not finish. Would not recommend. Not even for free.
May 3, 2015
This was cute but a little on the slow side. While I never quite achieved boredom, it never grabbed me either. The murderer was obvious from the beginning, though thankfully not as obvious as the red herrings might have been. Unfortunately, even they were so obvious as to be too obvious and therefore easily dismissible.
The characters were fun but not deeply developed and a little on the cliché side. The outline of a love-triangle felt unsupported and annoying (especially since I couldn't figure out why she even considered one of the men). There was no significant world-building. So, while it was entertaining it all felt very much like fluff.
The writing itself was straightforward, though the occasional abrupt shift in POV was jarring. There did seem to be a need for some further editing. I caught a lot of small mistakes, little things like the 'witch trails' instead of witch trials. Perfectly readable, but also distracting.
All in all, not a bad book but not great either. Kind of a witchy, cozy mystery. I'd read the second if I found it free, but I'm not rushing out to buy it.
The characters were fun but not deeply developed and a little on the cliché side. The outline of a love-triangle felt unsupported and annoying (especially since I couldn't figure out why she even considered one of the men). There was no significant world-building. So, while it was entertaining it all felt very much like fluff.
The writing itself was straightforward, though the occasional abrupt shift in POV was jarring. There did seem to be a need for some further editing. I caught a lot of small mistakes, little things like the 'witch trails' instead of witch trials. Perfectly readable, but also distracting.
All in all, not a bad book but not great either. Kind of a witchy, cozy mystery. I'd read the second if I found it free, but I'm not rushing out to buy it.
June 12, 2017
There were times when this moved really slow. It had some grammatical errors, and could use better pacing. However, I did really enjoy the story line. I'm interested to read book two, and see where it takes Wendy, and the rest of the characters.
February 3, 2016
Finally. A paranormal cozy where the main characters actually have a legit reason for working with the police!
August 12, 2024
The Lightower family has been hunting down paranormal phenomena in the small town of North Harbor for generations. Unlike the rest of her family, Wendy Lightower has never dreamed of chasing evil witches or unearthing magical secrets. Her greatest ambition in life is to be a full-time librarian and leave her witchy roots far behind her. But when a murder is committed in her very own library, Wendy cannot ignore that there is no natural explanation for the killing. If the killer is to be caught, she must call on family and friends alike to solve the magical murder.
When she chose books over boogeymen and libraries over lycans, Wendy thought she would finally be able to live a 'normal' life. Now, her library is no longer the sanctuary she imagined it to be, and there may just be a killer hiding in the stacks.
Murder Most Witchy is the first in a new series of paranormal mysteries by Emily Rylands. Intriguing and humorous, it will keep you guessing until the very end.
**
May 13, 2017
2.5 stars. Three for the writing, two for the execution. This story could have been a lot better with the help of both a copy and a content editor. Typos, missing words, and continuity errors really detract from the story. Otherwise this is your basic cozy mystery with witchcraft thrown in. Wendy Lightower is a librarian who has turned her back on her family history of witchcraft. But of course she must return to it when people keep turning up dead by magical means in her own library. Characters are fairly one-dimensional, but I liked them. Not sure I'd seek out the next book in this series, but it it were the only thing around to read, I wouldn't mind it.
May 26, 2019
I thought the book was an easy, light read. I liked the characters and found the writing enjoyable. I plan to read the next book in the series as well.
August 13, 2025
Some witch detecting
Easy to read even though there were 3 murders.
Nice introduction to Wendy Lighttower the investigating witch looking into the supernatural.
Easy to read even though there were 3 murders.
Nice introduction to Wendy Lighttower the investigating witch looking into the supernatural.
January 5, 2016
This book is slow moving. You get a full 1/4 into the book before the title character even reveals she is a witch and before that are dragged though tedious and unbelievable background info about characters. As for Wendy she is a cute petite blond young woman who dresses conservatively. And her colleague Magda is a tall stunning Supermodelesque young woman who dresses to the nines and makes every man fall at her feet. Did I mention that they are librarians? In a small NE Historical society? In the first pages Wendy drops a book from a high shelf ... then it turns out she is also the conservationist and the head librarian? The head of the museum is an angry man named Derek and for some unknown reason Wendy kowtows to him. Because a woman who has a Masters in Library Science, and is a trained rare book conservator is still.... unable to stand up to a man who ISN'T HER BOSS. Who is belittling her employees. Who talks down to her. I am seriously weary of weak women as heroines. Ladies it is the 21st century you don't put up with verbal or emotional abuse from a guy at work, you don't trust me.
Apparently the author had her own issues. In some scenes Wendy lives in a cottage and in another an apartment. In an fairly early scene Wendy refuses to give elimination prints to an investigating officer without her lawyer. Then later she muses that she doesn't know anything about police investigations.
What annoyed me the most is the scene during the party where she sees a man sneaking off to a closed area and follows then overhears him making unwanted sexual demands upon someone and instead of turning on the lights and possibly preventing a rape she stand there and listens for a bit before makes some noise.
Slow, plodding, uninspiring and easy to guess the killer.
Apparently the author had her own issues. In some scenes Wendy lives in a cottage and in another an apartment. In an fairly early scene Wendy refuses to give elimination prints to an investigating officer without her lawyer. Then later she muses that she doesn't know anything about police investigations.
What annoyed me the most is the scene during the party where she sees a man sneaking off to a closed area and follows then overhears him making unwanted sexual demands upon someone and instead of turning on the lights and possibly preventing a rape she stand there and listens for a bit before makes some noise.
Slow, plodding, uninspiring and easy to guess the killer.
November 25, 2014
I'm a fan of both cozy mysteries and paranormals, so this book was right up my alley.
I very much enjoyed reading about Ms. Rylands’ cast of characters, which include a female witch (Wendy) who loves working as a librarian over her family roots of investigating paranormal activities; a pushy uncle who owns a paranormal investigating business; and a gorgeous male witch.
Unfortunately, murders occur in Wendy’s precious library sanctuary, which drags her reluctantly into the family business. The good news is that Wendy is not alone in trying to figure out the ‘who dun-it’ aspect of her investigations. Handsome witch, Ian, is right next to her helping where he can, her uncle is working behind the scenes, and her best friend, Magda (a non-witch), puts her two-cents in as well. The plot twists and turns to keep you guessing and interested. This is a family-friendly read, appropriate for adults and older teens. I will definitely put Ms. Rylands books on my TBR list.
I very much enjoyed reading about Ms. Rylands’ cast of characters, which include a female witch (Wendy) who loves working as a librarian over her family roots of investigating paranormal activities; a pushy uncle who owns a paranormal investigating business; and a gorgeous male witch.
Unfortunately, murders occur in Wendy’s precious library sanctuary, which drags her reluctantly into the family business. The good news is that Wendy is not alone in trying to figure out the ‘who dun-it’ aspect of her investigations. Handsome witch, Ian, is right next to her helping where he can, her uncle is working behind the scenes, and her best friend, Magda (a non-witch), puts her two-cents in as well. The plot twists and turns to keep you guessing and interested. This is a family-friendly read, appropriate for adults and older teens. I will definitely put Ms. Rylands books on my TBR list.
April 28, 2014
Wendy Lightower is the town's local librarian and witch. She has never come to terms with her mother's death and blames her Uncle. She has denied her magical powers until death comes to her library. Three men killed, all connected to an exhibit being shown in the museum connected to the library. Magic is involved and the local police need help finding the killer. Wendy joins forces with her Uncle's associate, Ian. A hot sexy man with magic of his own. Ian is willing to teach Wendy the private investigation world, as they become attracted to each other. Yet, the local deputy mayor also is attracted to Wendy. When Wendy comes face to face with the killer, her magical power saves her from death, all the pieces of the puzzle come together as to why the three men were killed.
It's a light hearted mystery, with fun characters.
It's a light hearted mystery, with fun characters.
December 2, 2014
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
November 11, 2014
As a whole, I really enjoyed this book and the concept behind it. I'm very intrigued and look forward to reading more from this author! I was also SUPER relieved that there weren't any magical overnight relationships like I feel like most books in this genre have. It was a little unbelieavnle in the manner of how blaise Magda was about finding out about witchcraft which bothered me. I felt several parts should have been elaborated on and that things were just soothed over with an 'okay, you're a witch. whatever.' Just wish the author would have spent a little more time on the details, but that's a personal preference and I will be reading book 2 for sure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2016
4/5 stars!
This was a super cute, quick read. There were a few places where I found myself getting a little bored, but it was never enough to where I would put the book down. I found the mystery killer to be a little obvious, although, I still really enjoyed reading as Wendy went through everything to find out who the killer was. I thought the characters had great development. I really love the chemistry between Ian and Wendy and I secretly hopes something sparks between the two of them in the second book. As someone else mentioned, the book was slow in places but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a quick witchy mystery.
This was a super cute, quick read. There were a few places where I found myself getting a little bored, but it was never enough to where I would put the book down. I found the mystery killer to be a little obvious, although, I still really enjoyed reading as Wendy went through everything to find out who the killer was. I thought the characters had great development. I really love the chemistry between Ian and Wendy and I secretly hopes something sparks between the two of them in the second book. As someone else mentioned, the book was slow in places but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a quick witchy mystery.
February 6, 2015
Great first in a series.
I put off reading this one for a while, I was Leary of the self-published vibe I got from it. I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by the story and writing style. It's a fun, supernatural cozy that is good for spending a rainy afternoon reading. The characters are just fun and mysterious enough to keep you guessing. And let's be honest what girl wouldn't want to be in a love triangle like that. Although I'm team Ian at this point. All in all enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the rest in the series.
I put off reading this one for a while, I was Leary of the self-published vibe I got from it. I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by the story and writing style. It's a fun, supernatural cozy that is good for spending a rainy afternoon reading. The characters are just fun and mysterious enough to keep you guessing. And let's be honest what girl wouldn't want to be in a love triangle like that. Although I'm team Ian at this point. All in all enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the rest in the series.
June 19, 2014
Although mystery is not my first choice of genre, I tried this book on a free promo and found it pleasantly engaging. The characters are well-defined and the story has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Because this is book one of a series, it did not have a completely satisfying end to it, instead leaving the relationship issues to be continued in the next book. For that reason, it felt a tiny bit unfinished to me, but was still enjoyable enough.
September 20, 2014
I found this while surfing through the Kindle Unlimited offerings for cozy mysteries. When I saw that the heroine was a librarian I was really interested to see how the author portrayed the profession. I'd say librarians were fairly well represented and the magic, historical, and witchy investigations business was interesting. This is lightly paranormal chick lit with a bit of romance added. Light & fun to read; I think I'll read the sequel.
January 17, 2015
I loved it.
Reluctant witch works in a library, but when a murder happens, her uncle, a witch himself, tricks her into taking up the investigations, together with his young, good looking partner.
Funny, witty, and at times serious as well, I enjoyed every word in this book. From the start to the (surprising?) finale, the only regret I have is that it came to an end.
Good thing it looks like this is a series, I just have to get the next one.
Reluctant witch works in a library, but when a murder happens, her uncle, a witch himself, tricks her into taking up the investigations, together with his young, good looking partner.
Funny, witty, and at times serious as well, I enjoyed every word in this book. From the start to the (surprising?) finale, the only regret I have is that it came to an end.
Good thing it looks like this is a series, I just have to get the next one.
December 26, 2014
Murder Most Witchy (Wendy Lighttower Mystery)
Fast paced book,but very predictable. That doesn't make it less fun to read. Just it was not a lot of deduction involved. The first book was setting you up for the series. It was odd how Wendy interacted with the two men she was interested in, too much push and pull. Plot development needs some work.
Fast paced book,but very predictable. That doesn't make it less fun to read. Just it was not a lot of deduction involved. The first book was setting you up for the series. It was odd how Wendy interacted with the two men she was interested in, too much push and pull. Plot development needs some work.
October 6, 2014
I loved this short witchy book! The reason it gets 4 starts instead of 5 is because of poor editing. The e-book version is riddled with spelling errors and sentence mistakes. However, the story grabbed me through the imperfections so you know it's a good one ;) I will be reading the second book shortly!
December 3, 2015
Delightful mystery. Wendy was the head librarian, but she was also a reluctant witch. Family attempts to pull her into the family paranormal detective business fell on deaf ears. That is, until there was a murder in the museum section of the library. Wendy finds herself drug into the investigation whether she wanted to or not. Easy read that leaves you set up for the next book in the series.
September 13, 2016
Actually I am surprised....
I really liked this one! It is w fun read right from the start. Light and easy to read. Sometimes the over the top romance can old. This has a light hint at it but keeps the story true to itself. Really a nice change of pace. Just bought the next one and look forward to it
I really liked this one! It is w fun read right from the start. Light and easy to read. Sometimes the over the top romance can old. This has a light hint at it but keeps the story true to itself. Really a nice change of pace. Just bought the next one and look forward to it
June 4, 2014
Very enjoyable
I really enjoyed this book. It flowed well, there was no confusion with names or locations changing mid-sized and I didn't come across any editing issues, although I listened to it instead of reading each page. I look forward to the next book in August : )
I really enjoyed this book. It flowed well, there was no confusion with names or locations changing mid-sized and I didn't come across any editing issues, although I listened to it instead of reading each page. I look forward to the next book in August : )
June 24, 2014
Enjoyed every part
Enjoyed every part
I couldn't put the book down. charming characters interesting mystery liked the magic mixed with romance. Will read the next one when out
Enjoyed every part
I couldn't put the book down. charming characters interesting mystery liked the magic mixed with romance. Will read the next one when out
July 5, 2014
Looking forward to the next edition in the series!
I'm not very good at reviews, but I really enjoyed this book!
Still think there's much more than meets the eye to Archer. Can't wait to see what happens next.
I'm not very good at reviews, but I really enjoyed this book!
Still think there's much more than meets the eye to Archer. Can't wait to see what happens next.
September 16, 2014
Wendy is great
Really enjoyed this book. It's very well written with good characters and an engaging plot line. Have already downloaded the next in the series and am looking forward to Wendy's next adventure.
Really enjoyed this book. It's very well written with good characters and an engaging plot line. Have already downloaded the next in the series and am looking forward to Wendy's next adventure.
December 11, 2014
Murder Most Witchy
This was a nice clean mystery with exciting characters. I hope the next book has more action. I love the main character, a librarian. It was a refreshing new occupation of character for me.
This was a nice clean mystery with exciting characters. I hope the next book has more action. I love the main character, a librarian. It was a refreshing new occupation of character for me.
June 19, 2015
Five stars
This is a fun witchy murder mystery book with some light romance. It's the introduction to a world you want to be a part of. Even if I found myself yelling that I knew who the killer was long before Wendy, it was still a joy to read.
This is a fun witchy murder mystery book with some light romance. It's the introduction to a world you want to be a part of. Even if I found myself yelling that I knew who the killer was long before Wendy, it was still a joy to read.
January 18, 2016
The main character feels boring and one dimensional. I was more interested in the peripheral characters, such as the uncle and Magda. I figured out who the killer was fairly quickly (it was rather obvious) and the story could have had more depth.
October 31, 2015
Fully enjoyed
Great storyline, with characters that appeal to adults. Romance and paranormal thrillers. Enjoyed the characters and their development. Unlike so many youth oriented books, this is adult without filler sex scenes. I'm definitely reading the next book in this series.
Great storyline, with characters that appeal to adults. Romance and paranormal thrillers. Enjoyed the characters and their development. Unlike so many youth oriented books, this is adult without filler sex scenes. I'm definitely reading the next book in this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews