Spies and Spells

Spies and Spells #1

by Tonya Kappes

While Maggie waits for her Witchy Hour, she works at the family diner with her mom, aunt Meme and Lilith, her sister - all witches. Soon Maggie gets entangled with a mysterious handsome stranger, Mick Jasper, and his secret U.S. organization, SKUL. Has she found her calling?

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery, Fantasy, Magic, Cozy, Fiction

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2016

About the author

Beloved cozy mystery author Tonya Kappes is bringing her charming world to the screen!

The Hallmark Channel is thrilled to announce a television series in development based on Tonya’s wildly popular 40-book series, A Camper & Criminals Mystery.

A celebrated Amazon All-Star and USA Today bestselling author, Tonya has written over 180 southern cozy mysteries filled with heart, humor, and unforgettable small-town characters. Her novels, known for their southern charm and rich emotional storytelling, have been praised by readers and critics alike, earning her a coveted spot as a Woman's World Book Club Pick six times.

Writing full-time from her camper, Tonya crafts worlds where mystery, friendship, and a little mischief collide — and now, her stories will come to life for cozy mystery lovers everywhere.

Visit Tonya:
Facebook at Author Tonya Kappes,
https://www.facebook.com/authortonyak...

Webpage
tonyakappes.com

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Twitter
https://twitter.com/tonyakappes11

Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/tonyakappes/

For weekly updates and contests, sign up for Tonya's newsletter Kappes Krew Weekly via her website or Facebook.For years,

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Park, a modern day witch, is recruited by Interpol to be a spy and break an international drug smuggling ring.

Kappes offers us a fast-paced, thoroughly engaging story with a likable heroine and fun secondary characters. Her portrayal of Southern life is spot on.

An entertaining romp.

[Teresa Kander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series from Tonya Kappes. Maggie works in the family's diner as she waits for her Witchy Hour, when she will learn her calling as a witch. She finds herself involved with a handsome stranger and his secret organization known as SKUL. Maggie and her familiar, who just happens to be a car (a very SNARKY car), soon find themselves in the middle of SKUL's latest case.

The characters in this series are very engaging and fun. I love the relationship between Maggie and her car, and between Maggie and Mick, the handsome stranger. His suspicions of Maggie and her family will no doubt continue to lead to some "interesting" conversations.

Tonya works her own brand of magic in writing this story, as I am sure she will continue to do with the remainder of the series. Can hardly wait for more adventures from Maggie!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witches, unusual familiar, spells make for a
well written murder mystery story.
We will venture to Historic Old Louisville,
Kentucky.
We find Maggie Parks is a witch working for
her Great Auntie Meme In her diner called
The Brew.
Maggie is waiting for her Witchy Hour in which
she will find her life journey.
Maggie has an unusual familiar, 1965 red AC
Cobra named Vinnie. Her mother has a cat named
Riule as her familiar. Lilith (Maggie’s sister) familiar
is a macaw names Gilbert while Auntie’s is an owl
named Ms Kitty.
A magic dare given to Maggie by Lilith goes wrong.
It gets a Maggie into a life threatening situation for
herself and her family. Maggie finds herself involved
and working undercover for SKUL ( the Secret
Keepers of the Universal Laws).
What a thought provoking array of well written, vivid,
colorful characters involved in an intriguing plotted
cozy paranormal filled with witches, spies and good
olde Southern humor.

[Kelly]

Spies and Spells is the first book in a new series. Maggie works at her family's diner with her mom, aunt and sister, who are all witches. Maggie is waiting for her witchy hour- which is when she will learn her calling. None of the neighbors know that the family is witches and they have to be careful not to let anyone else know who they are. Maggie ends up getting involved with a stranger and a secret organization. The stranger figures out that there is something odd about Maggie and her family.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one in the series to learn about Maggie's continuing adventures.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Kappes has written this cozy mystery with humor, magic spells and a cast of characters that are likable. I enjoyed getting to know this small family of witches as Maggie becomes involved in a drug smuggling ring, Mystic Couture cosmetics, and a secret U.S. organization known as SKUL. An enjoyable and easy afternoon read.

[Katreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPIES AND SPELLS by Tonya Kappes
The First Spies and Spells Mystery

Maggie Park lives in Historic Old Louisville, Kentucky along with her sister, Lilith, her mom, and aunt. And their familiars. You see, the Park women are witches and Maggie and Lilith are helping at the family restaurant while waiting for their Witchy Hour; the time when their true path will be shown. In the meantime, the sisters still goad each other into magical dares. One such dare leads Maggie to witness, and interfere with, a package drop. This misadventure brings one determined man, high end make up, and the start of Maggie's Witchy Hour.

Welcome to the witchy world of Tonya Kappes. In SPIES AND SPELLS she creates a new world around Belgravia Court where witches live side by side with mortals, the mortals generally clueless about their different neighbors. Kappes also creates a new construct for her witches. Faced with a "Witchy Hour" witches don't decide on a career on their own. Instead fate announces what their path will be. The witches here have familiars, but Maggie has one of a quite different sort. Instead of a cat, macaw, or owl, who help her mom, sister, and aunt respectively, Maggie's familiar is a car; a car named Vinnie. A car names Vinnie who can get jealous.

SPIES AND SPELLS brings together mystery, romance, and humor...lots of humor... and paves the way for future stories set in this new world. As someone who studies the occult and various nature paths I was unable to take the book too seriously, yet I did not take offense. SPIES AND SPELLS is silly lighthearted froth, but it's a lot of fun. If you're looking for an escape into a magical world with a hint of romance you should find this book a pleasurable read-I did!

The publisher sent me a digital ARC in the hopes I would review it.

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent...more review to come...The first book in a new series...Spies and Spells
Recieved book for honest review.

Mischief, Trouble, and Excitement...
Maggie Park is a 27 year old girl who works at her family's business know as The Brew.
Her Aunt Meme, her mother, and her sister Lilith all are witches..Maggie is waiting for that life altering moment. All she does is get up, go to work, come up, and go to bed..she wants a purpose..
The excitement begins when her sister sets a dare for her. The spell her sister tells her to do backfires. Maggie steals a package away from the man she was going to cast a spell on. She finds interesting things from her familiar, all witches have them..hers just happens to be her car...it sort of talks like Kit from Knight Rider. He watches out for her, and tell her she needs to stay away from him. When she is ready to return the package to the rightful person things don't go as planned.

She may have just had a life altering moment, and she knows it. When her family calls her on it she lies. The spell she cast didn't work to erase Micks's memory, because the next time she see's him he calls her out on something. He remembered she was so busted, and was in deeper trouble then before.

So what will happen? Can Maggie correct her mistake without getting her family involved? Do they already know? And what will Mick do? He already tells her he has hasn't forgotten her.

Maggie is about to go undercover with Mick Jasper at Mystic Conture. A cosmetic company. Oh she loves there stuff..Mick's boss thinks she's perfect.

Highly Recommend this book.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie Park isn't your ordinary girl, no she is a witch in a family of witches who is trying to fit into both worlds. Her sister Lillith and she is always getting into mischief but when a dare goes wrong things get scary, exciting and unsettling for Maggie as she is thrown into an investigation with SKUL.

This is a fun book to read with it's southern charm, mischievous characters, magic and one good mystery. What more could you want? I found myself laughing at some of the antics Vinnie, Maggie s familiar car, does. Mrs Hubbard the eccentric, nosey, lonely, busybody next door neighbor reminded me so much of a neighbor we had next door as I was growing up. Add these up with a list of suspects and a good puzzle to figure out and it equels a book you can't put down.

This is a must read book for lovers of cozy, magical, charming mysteries. Tonya Kappes has another hit series and book on her hands.

I received an ebook copy of this book from the author for my honest opinion and review.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonya Kappes works her magic once again in this new series. Maggie is a witch who has been working in the family dinner while she waits for her Witching Hour - when she finds out her life's journey. Her family - mom, Auntie Meme and sister - are witches living in Louisville, KY. Her snarky familiar is a car (not a typo, it is a car, not a cat) that is like Kit on Knight Rider. Maggie gets entangled with a secret organization and finds her purpose.

The characters are fun and the story is great. I look forward to more in this new series to see how these characters develop and how Maggie proceeds on her life's journey. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozies with witches, spies and/or talking cars!

[Tami Schafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok a New book in a new series from Tonya ! LOVED it I can't wait for more .Maggie Park is a 27 year old girl who works at her family's business know as The Brew.
Her Aunt Meme, her mother, and her sister Lilith all are witches..Maggie is waiting for that life altering moment. Her world is about to collide with the other world known as the none witchy world , She is going undercover selling make up which she know nothing about lol but she has a nose for finding clues , a crazy familiar in the form of a Jealous CAR ! With Micks help the mystery gets solved and Mick is left scratching his head trying to figure out if he is losing his mind lol or if something is really dif about Maggie ! I truly can not wait to see what happens next in this wonderful new series ~

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lighthearted, humor-filled mystery about witches. Maggie lives with her mom, sister and aunt, and they run a family diner, The Brew. They fly low under the radar, and so far, no one's figured out they're witches. Maggie's the only one without a pet familiar--her familiar is her car, Vinnie, and he's super protective of Maggie. When she gets mixed up in a drug smuggling sting and someone is murdered, Maggie finds herself undercover with a handsome guy, Mick Jasper. They clash all the time, but meeting him makes Maggie's Witchy Hour occur. Settle down for an afternoon of light, fun reading with Spies and Spells!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonya Kappes does it again. Wonderful new series. Quite a page turner and didn't put it down till I finished it. Great characters. Can't wait for the next book.

[Sue Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun new series

This series from Tonya Kappes is going to be so much fun. There is a magical car, a handsome secret agent and a young, beautiful witch. What more could you ask for. Well, you'll get much more and a few laughs thrown in. Can't wait to read the second book in the series.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast paced story. I found Maggie to be a fun heroine but I truly enjoyed her car. Her car, Vinnie, is her familiar and quite entertaining. Poor Mick! I don't think he ever wants to get into her car again! Overall, an enjoyable story.

[Cricket · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are very well developed, the scenes are very well described and the story line is fun with unexpected twists.
For the first book in a new series this one really kept a good pace and the character descriptions were so well incorporated in the story that it does not take anything away from the story when a minor character is described.
The protagonist Maggie lives with her mom, older sister and her aunt they are all witches who have done their best to blend in with mortals. Maggie and her sister work at their aunt's diner while they wait for their life's journey to hit them.
Maggie and her sister often dare each other to do silly things, but after Maggie casts a spell and it goes a bit wrong she unwittingly becomes involved in a situation that causes her entire family to be in danger.
Mick is a mystery man that seems to be immune to Maggie's spells, much to her frustration. Mick seems to be turning up everywhere Maggie is, first the Diner then the local bar and then the park and each time he is around Maggie feels strange.
I do not want to give away spoilers so I will just say I will be buying multiple copies of this one as gifts to family and friends.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Tonya Kappes novels. This new series kicks off with a bang that had me on the edge of my seat and laughing out loud. The characters were mysterious and very likable. Since we met everyone in this book, I can't wait to really get to know them in the next one. There is plenty of room for some intriguing troubles. I'm very fascinated by the relationship between Maggie and Mick. There is something there. I'm not quite sure what, but I'm dying to find out. Vinnie is outstanding! He's one of my favorite parts of the story. I'd love to have a car like him. Leave it to Tonya Kappes to find the perfect blend of magic, spies, mystery, and fun. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Yaritza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another out of this world book series that Tonya magically wrote for us to enjoy. I fell in love with the characters. Tonya worked very hard to bring a book that has mystery, laughs, hot men and sprinkled some more magic. Maggie's character is very lovable, fun and determine. Not scared of what might happen since she can use her magic powers when she is in a bind. I loved Mick he sounds sexy and strong. I just love how confused his character is with the unknown magic he has encountered. I loved that her familiar is this cool red car named Vinnie who is pretty despicable to Mick. I had so much fun reading this spell bound book. You need to pick this first book in the series, can't wait to see what Tonya will come up with next.

[Eccentric Editions · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it and am excited for more books in the series. Lol! love Maggie! She is quirky and sassy. I love Tonya Kappes writing. This is the second book that I read by her and am exited to read more books.
She kept me hooked through out the story. This is my second time reading the book and I enjoyed even more when I first read the book back in January.
Lol, Mick he is cute and very determined to find out how Maggie just do all the things do. Excited to see how their relationship grow. Would they fall in love? (Which I hope so, they are cute together)
Enjoyable read, definitely check it! Got an ecopy in exchange of an honest review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spies and Spells is the first book in a new series written by Tonya Kappes.
Maggie works in her family dinner The Brew while she waits for her Witching Hour, yes Maggie is a witch and so is her mom, aunt and sister.
Maggie's familiar is a car who can get shall we say snarky, maybe jealous.
Her world is about to change as she goes undercover selling make up. She knows nothing about make up but does have a knack for finding clues.
A great story with wonderful characters. Can't wait for the next book.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I LOVED this book. I can't wait for the next one in the series. I literally couldn't put it down. Just when I think I have a favorite series by Tonya Kappes, she comes up with a new one and I fall in love and have a NEW favorite!

Fun, funny, exhilarating to read, this is a book you definitely need to experience yourself!"

As much as I love June Heal, I think I have a new favorite series, Tonya Kappes!! Thank you for writing books filled with great storylines, fun characters, laughter/love/mystery.

[Donna Harms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie and her family are witches, who live in a mortal neighborhood In Louisville KY. Maggie and her sister, Lilith are waiting for the "witchy hour" to happen, which occurs when they are on their life journey. In the meantime they work at the family diner "The Brew". Mick Jasper walks into the diner one day and Maggie's magic goes awry and leads her into a dangerous situation and her introduction to SKUL, a secret government agency. Has she found her life's journey? Will she, her family and Mick survive? Well you will need to read it to find out!

[Misty vassar stockton · Rating 5 out of 5]

maggie is a witch and hasn't had her witching hour she has a 1965 red AC Cobra with a mind of his own vinnie is her from familiar mick jasper is a special agent for skull he was deep undercover before Maggie messed it up for him after a bad dare from her sister. Maggie becomes involved in the case Mick and Maggie become partners to find out who is behind the drug ring there are there is lots of action murder and Vinnie doesn't like Mick I love it love this book I think the car and a witch is a cool combo I just wish that the car was a chick

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonya Kappes has brewed up more witchy fun and mystery. I loved this first book in a new series for Kappes. As always the characters are well developed and the story line kept me turning the pages. I love her familiar, the car cracks me up! Looking forward to mores books in this series. I received an arc from the author for a fair and honest review. The views and thoughts are all my own.

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this new series from Tonya Kappes! It has a great flow to it and the main character, Maggie, is just fun! She is very likeable. And new man in her life( Mick) has hero written all over him..and he is a great counter part to Maggie. Wonderful mystery and just a touch of intrigue to go along with it. And THAT'S the story I'm sticking with!

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the storyline to be scattered and disjointed and the characters unlikeable. It didn't keep my interest and I didn't even finish it. I have enjoyed the Charming series by Tonya Kappes, but not the beginning to this series.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fun to read, as Tonya Kappes' books tend to be, especially when our pre-witch is getting frustrated and wants to become whatever her future will be when Witchy Hour comes. In the meantime, she has her "familiar" which of course is a black cat...NOT! Maggie must be the first witch-to-be with a non-animal familiar named Vinnie and he not only gets her where she's going but makes sure she is safe, because Vinnie is a car. And not wanting to give spoilers, I won't say more about this familiar other than to say with him along, this book really picks up speed and laughter, my laughter. I loved the book, completely entertaining. Not quite your usual cozy witch, impatient, often bored waiting for her own particular magic to kick in. When it does, she will be very surprised at what her future is meant to be.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this one up since I liked (Magical Cure Mystery, #1). Maybe I got an older version, as some parts didn't seem edited...or well-edited, anyway.
Maggie is a witch, as is her sister, her mom, and her aunt. They live in the real world, though, so their witchiness is a secret...a tough secret to keep, too. The neighbor suspects something is up when the mom keeps winning the gardening prize for the neighborhood. Maggie's familiar is a talking car with a 'tude...haven't seen an inanimate object be a familiar before, so that was new. Maggie and her sister are working in their aunt's diner while they wait for their "witchy hour," which is some kind of calling that all witches get. Somehow, Maggie gets involved in a spy plot and uses her witchy ways to help Mick, the SKUL agent, track down the drug smugglers among some makeup saleswomen.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its always fun to read one of Tonya Kappes books. This one is no exception. Picture the opening scene...we have a house full of witches. Great Aunt Meme (she owns The Brew, a local restaurant. familiar is an owl), Fae (mother, familiar is a cat), Lilith (sister, works at the the Brew. familiar is a macaw), Maggie (sister, works at the Brew, familiar is her car).
Maggie and Mick (law enforcement) become involved with each other, a murder and a smuggling ring.
What happens when you mix a cop, a witch, a classic car named Vinnie? Well you'll just have to read the book to find out. 😁
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Park is a witch who is waiting for her Whitchy Hour to happen. This is where a which learns what she is supposed to do in the world with her life.
On a dare from her sister Lilith, she messes up and turns the wrong person into a cat, and tries unsuccessfully tries to erase the memory of Mick as to what happened. The only problem with Mick is her spells have no effect on him what so ever, and he works for SKUL (Secret Keepers of the Universal Laws.) Mick is working a case of drug smuggling, and Maggie's Witchy Hour happens throwing her life in turmoil while trying to learn to bring the two worlds of her life and the life of a SKUL agent together without letting him know about her being a witch.

Tonya Kappes wrote a fun and unusual story that is fast paced, has well developed characters and a good story line.

[Kelly Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this edited better than previous books by this author, although there were a couple of early verb tense issues that I stumbled over, and therefore was able to enjoy the story more.
I found the book overall to be fast paced and entertaining with a different premise. I will definitely give the next one a try. Although, does it bode well when in the description of it on the amazon page reads "Betting Off Dead (coming fall 2016) Spies and Spells Book 2 And their off!"? Their? Really? No that does not bode well.
This author sells a lot of books. She really should invest in a capable proof reader/editor - for everything she puts out.