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Curses Are for Cads

(Eleanor Wilde Mystery #3)

Tamara Berry (Goodreads Author)

4.41 · Rating details · 59 ratings · 42 reviews

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Hardcover, 288 pages

Published October 27th 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

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Aug 20, 2020 Tina rated it liked it

Shelves: cozy-mystery, netgalley-2020, read-in-2020, arc-copy, series, my-kindle-books

This is a cozy mystery. I found this books pacing to be off a little for me. The beginning is fast pace, and I like it a lot. The middle the pacing slow down a lot, and I found it not keeping my attention. The ending picked up the pacing again, and I liked the ending. Overall I found the book just ok. I wish the characters where more developed and the pacing was better, but I did not hate the book. I am lucky to receive an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corporation) ...more

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Oct 11, 2020 Juli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-review-copies-2020

I have to admit that I accidentally requested this review book. It's book #3 in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series. I am usually a book-series-must-be-read-in-order sort of person....so it was a departure for me to jump into a cozy series at book 3. While it did take me awhile to figure out the characters and their history....I did get sucked into the story and the humor pretty easily. And now I can backtrack and start at book 1!

The basics: Eleanor is a fake medium. She visits clients homes, and ...more

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Nov 10, 2020 Nursebookie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cozy-mysteries

Curses Are for Cads
By: Tamara Berry

Evil Spirits
Exorcism
Curses

This is such a fun and funny book I enjoyed reading over an afternoon - cozies just lifts my spirits when I am stressed or feeling down. Something about the characters, the plot and the situations our characters are put up against are sometimes a true riot and laugh out loud moments. I loved this story and even though this was book three in the series, I easily backtracked and figured things out very quickly.

This Eleanor Wilde Mystery ...more

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Oct 25, 2020 Bridget rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-arc, series, mystery, peach-vanilla, cosy-reads

Curses Are for Cads is the 3rd book in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series.

Eleanor Wilde is an American bogus psychic who has set herself up as the local town witch under the guise of Eleanor's Cleansing Service in a quaint English village in Sussex. When her beau, Nicholas Hartford III's university pal, Sid Stewart, asks for her services as a medium, Ellie is only too delighted to help. She travels to the family's remote castle in Scotland to uncover the Stewart's cursed gold, fully aware that Curses Are for Cads is the 3rd book in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series.

Eleanor Wilde is an American bogus psychic who has set herself up as the local town witch under the guise of Eleanor's Cleansing Service in a quaint English village in Sussex. When her beau, Nicholas Hartford III's university pal, Sid Stewart, asks for her services as a medium, Ellie is only too delighted to help. She travels to the family's remote castle in Scotland to uncover the Stewart's cursed gold, fully aware that she will need to fake it, but isn't troubled until she discovers that fellow medium, Birdie White, will also be assisting the Stewart family... and Birdie is an expert in her area.

Curses Are for Cads was my 1st in this series. Although it was book three, I had no difficulties keeping up with characters and events and it worked for me as an individual story. Protagonist Eleanor was a great character who I liked immensely from the first few pages. She was fiery and had a knack for dramatising her witchy persona, instilling collywobbles or relief within her audience. Along with Birdie's desire for attention, an electricity power loss that cut the castle off from the mainland, and the family's hidden secrets, Eleanor really had a job on her hands!

The setting was haunting and gothic and having two mediums competing for the family's attention while trying to upstage one another was a perfect fit for this spooky and mysterious story. There was no shortage of comedy or engaging chapters so I was thoroughly invested in finding out what would happen next. The great cast of characters, including two troublesome twins, helped to zhoosh up this mystic cozy. Tamara Berry really impressed me with her fluid writing; the details of the plot were very well-executed, and the story was amusing and easy to follow. I was kept guessing until the very end and really enjoyed this witchy adventure. I am looking forward to reading book 4, as well as the others from the series. If you adore a great cozy mystery, don't miss out on Curses Are for Cads!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion. ...more

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Dec 31, 2020 The Cozy Review rated it really liked it

In the latest addition to the “An Eleanor Wilde Mystery” series, Curses Are for Cads; fake psychic Eleanor is being put to the test. Eleanor was supposed to be spending a holiday with Nicholas on a beach; instead, she is on her way to a castle in Scotland, alone. She is on a mission to find a hidden treasure but unexpectedly is joined by another psychic on the train ride. When her new companion predicts a death on the train, Eleanor is skeptical until she sees a vision of the death, and shortly In the latest addition to the “An Eleanor Wilde Mystery” series, Curses Are for Cads; fake psychic Eleanor is being put to the test. Eleanor was supposed to be spending a holiday with Nicholas on a beach; instead, she is on her way to a castle in Scotland, alone. She is on a mission to find a hidden treasure but unexpectedly is joined by another psychic on the train ride. When her new companion predicts a death on the train, Eleanor is skeptical until she sees a vision of the death, and shortly after, a man dies. She knows that she is a fake, but maybe her new friend isn’t.

Eleanor is an evolving character who still has some growing to do, which is a wonderful thing. Other returning characters are in this book but do not play as prominent a role as they usually would. Which is something I didn’t care for. I enjoy the interaction between Eleanor and Nicholas’s family, and not having this somehow made the story less exciting. However, it appears as though the author is taking Eleanor from a fake psychic to a real one, and this is something I had hoped for from the beginning of the series. After all, she can talk to her dead sister; the step from fake to actual isn’t a giant leap.

For most of the book, readers aren’t sure that a murder occurred, and neither is Eleanor, but she investigates as if it were and concludes that her instincts are correct. Being a psychic has its good and bad points, and she realizes quickly that she may not be able to fake her way through this one; she needs real help from her dead sister but isn’t getting it. She needs answers, and soon before someone else, including her, becomes the next victim. The actual victim is mentioned throughout the story, but readers may not get a good sense of who he was. However, the motive is evident and as old as time.

Throughout Curses Are for Cads, there are clues and suspects that readers should pick up on from the start, but the evidence may not be as straightforward as it could be. Overall the story is interesting and keeps the reader’s interest, although it does slow down a bit here and there. I like the way Eleanor’s psychic abilities are changing and how she is growing. The ending was inspiring and could be a big surprise for some readers.
...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Gail C. rated it it was amazing

While this is a light fiction book, it was entertaining and just fun enough for me to give it 5 stars.
Madame Eleanor is a fraud, just ask her. Sure, she agrees to come to your home and exorcise whatever evil spirit is plaguing you; for a fee of course. The money is well spent, she leaves her clients relieved of their worries, the houses free of evil spirits, everyone more at ease. Only Madame Eleanor and her now boyfriend, Nicholas know that these results are the effect of some well timed electr While this is a light fiction book, it was entertaining and just fun enough for me to give it 5 stars.
Madame Eleanor is a fraud, just ask her. Sure, she agrees to come to your home and exorcise whatever evil spirit is plaguing you; for a fee of course. The money is well spent, she leaves her clients relieved of their worries, the houses free of evil spirits, everyone more at ease. Only Madame Eleanor and her now boyfriend, Nicholas know that these results are the effect of some well timed electronic sounds, perhaps a well nailed board where there was once a loose step, that sort of thing.
How then, do you ask, does she justify charging people a fee for performing these mostly worldly tasks in what she sells as an “otherworldly” manner? She would say it’s because by carefully listening and understanding, prowling the premises to find the source of noise, other strictly mundane tasks, she gathers an understanding of her clients and the best way to alleviate their current sense of stress and fear.
What about her dead sister’s voice? You ask. She doesn’t have an explanation for that. She just knows that sometimes Winnie now speaks to her, when she least expects it, and sometimes offers good information. Of course, sometimes she offers caution, which Madame Eleanor, Ellie to her friends, ignores. How did this come about? For that you need to read the first book in the series.
In this, the third book in this delightfully quirky series, Madame Eleanor is offered the chance to find a hoard of cursed gold somewhere in an isolated castle, located in the oceans of the Hebrides. For this opportunity she gladly forgives her boyfriend for canceling their snorkeling trip to Malta. Of course, that’s before he is called to the Minister of Education and sends her on ahead via a train instead of his luxurious private plane. This is just the beginning of numerous unpleasant surprises in store for Madame Eleanor.
Once at the castle, she begins to suspect that the original owner died, not of a heart attack but was murdered. Between that and having another “medium” attach herself to Ellie on the train and accompany her on to the castle are just the start of her stumbling blocks. In a tale that includes missing luggage, two charming, rascal twin boys, a brother and sister who wholeheartedly believe in the existence of the gold and it’s “curse”, Ellie has almost more than she can handle. Good thing she really is as good as she thinks when it comes to ferreting out the truth, understanding others, and, just perhaps, in having a little help from “beyond” although she would be quick to question that.
The book itself is well written, quick paces, and wonderfully light entertainment. The story builds to a well-executed crescendo, which will have the readers staying up late, if not for the entire book, at least for the last few chapters. If you enjoy mysteries with a dash of humor and, maybe, a bit of the paranormal, then this is the series for you. While this mystery stands alone, this series is definitely one that is best enjoyed by starting at the beginning and reading the books in order. It gives you a chance to develop a greater understanding of Ellie’s relationships with some recurring characters.
I would like to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this novel. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

...more

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Oct 11, 2020 Kaitlyn rated it it was amazing

Wow, Wow, Wow! "Curses Are for Cads" by Tamara Berry is a light and humorous mystery novel and the third novel in the Eleanor Wilde mystery series. While it can be read as a standalone, this is definitely a series worth reading from the beginning just to enjoy the numerous shenanigans Eleanor manages to get herself into.

Eleanor is immediately likable from the first few pages. She's sassy, fiery, and has a flair for dramatizing her witchy abilities to either instill fear or comfort within her ta ...more

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Oct 20, 2020 Toni rated it really liked it

4.5 stars

This was a unique mystery where the main character wasn't the traditional good girl. Eleanor Wilde is a charlatan who surprisingly does have psychic powers.. She goes to an island at the request of her boyfriend to uncover cursed gold.

This story was a fun read. Especially loved the character of Birdie, the uncooth psychic who ingratiates herself into the roose.

Loving this series so much. Love how mixed Eleanor's feeling are and how truly complex the mystery was. Almost felt like a histo ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 Sue Em rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

This is #3 in the Eleanor Wilde series, the first of which I absolutely loved for it tone. Eleanor Wilde is a medium, and a supposedly a self-aware fake one who actually has some actual talent. In this one she ends up going to an island where the owner has just passed away (is it murder?), supposedly has hidden gold somewhere. She is called upon to search for the gold and deal with Gloria ma's curse. Another medium, extremely outlandish, meets up with her on her way to the island. Eleanor has he ...more

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Oct 23, 2020 Jan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder, psychics, fraud, cosy-mystery

The case of the dueling psychics? An allegedly real psychic (Birdie White), an admittedly scam psychic (Eleanor Wilde), a probable murder (or two) in a spooky Scottish castle, and a supposedly cursed family with a long history of swindling and pirates. And Gloriana's Curse. It starts out slow to set up for the mischief to come, but then it speeds up rapidly like the Energizer Bunny. The mystery is well plotted and has enough twists and red herrings to keep one guessing, the tone is both atmosphe ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 Kristin rated it really liked it

Reading about a fake medium is always fun, but this is taken to a new level with the addition of another medium, also possibly a fake. Getting trapped in an island castle with no power and deadly curse is no match for our heroine, though. Reading how Madame Eleanor get out of these situations is always amazing to me. Always a good read.

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Oct 27, 2020 Rima Aiello rated it it was amazing

Everything about this series, and this book in particular is so unique and enjoyable. Our favorite not to real psychic is back and in trouble again. All of the beloved characters are back and better than ever. Family heirlooms, and a real psychic add to this story making the mystery even more robust. Definitely a different and amazing read.

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Oct 28, 2020 Susan rated it it was amazing

Madame Eleanor (Ellie Wilde) is a fake. And a delightful one, at that. Here she is in her third mystery and is preparing to go on a snorkeling vacation with her very wealthy boyfriend, Nicholas. Ellie is a fake psychic and many call her a witch, a real one. That's fine with her as her talent as a 'psychic' pays the bills and makes her customers happy. I see her as sort of a therapist - people want the spirits banished, she snoops around, figures out what is amiss and fixes it. Stress relieved an ...more

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Oct 07, 2020 Sandra rated it really liked it

Tamara Berry's Curses Are for Cads is the third book in her Eleanor Wilde Mystery series. I have fallen in love with this series from book one and simply can't get enough of Eleanor's shenanigans.

Ellie is the self proclaimed fake medium, who is really a masterful observer of people and can read them very well. When her boyfriend asks her to go to the remote island to help out his school friend, she doesn't hesitate, even though it means cancelling their trip to Malta. Talking to ghosts and looki ...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Ann rated it really liked it

This was a fun read. Ellie is a medium sort of who is joined by another sort of medium to help lay a curse on a remote Scottish island. As Sussex’s resident witch and pseudo psychic, Eleanor has grown accustomed to somewhat strange requests for supernatural aid. So when Nicholas‘s university pal, Sid Stewart, writes from the family’s remote castle in Scotland, begging for Ellie’s services as a medium, Ellie is only delighted to help.

Apparently, the recently deceased patriarch of Sid’s family, G ...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Danielle Bush rated it really liked it

Curses are For Cads is a great parnormal mystery.. While I didn't realize when I requested it that it was part of a series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed reading this and would definitely like to read the first two in the series..
Eleanor is a fake medium, but the whole villiage she lives in believes that she is a real witch. In fact the children tend to flock to her and follow her around waiting for her to do something witchy.. She uses her fake powers for good tho ...more

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Sep 07, 2020 Mary rated it it was amazing

This is the 3rd installment in the Eleanor Wilde mystery series. Ellie is an American who has moved to Sussex England and is a fake psychic who is ready to go on a vacation but postpones it to go to a Scottish Castle in the Outer Hebrides. Ellie is falling for Nicholas and it is his friend (Sid Stewart) from University that needs help to find a treasure somewhere in the castle and is hoping that a psychic can reach the recently departed patriarch Glenn. Madame Eleanor as she is known is not so c ...more

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Oct 26, 2020 Cozy Cat Reviews rated it it was amazing

This is such a fun read ! As book #3 in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series this had a great sleuth and fun charcters. The story was very well crafted and kept me guessing throughout the story. I love the castle and the story of the cursed gold the protagnist is searching for in this next in series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. I highly recommend this next in series.

Eleanor is a fake medium. I like her bravery and ability to continue her facade . She visits cli ...more

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Nov 12, 2020 Darla Taylor rated it it was amazing

Shelves: island, relationships, friendships, paranormal, mystery, murder, cozy, cats, scotland, medium

Eleanor Wilde is settling into Sussex as the resident witch. She's also beginning a relationship with Nicholas Hartford III and looking forward to a trip with him. However things change when Nick's university friend, Sid Stewart asks for Eleanor's help. Eleanor is used to strange requests so is only happy to help. The Stewart home is a castle on a remote island in Scotland . Sid and her brother are looking for a missing cache of heirlooms that hasn't been seen in years and their father died befo ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Book rated it really liked it

Shelves: cozy-mystery

Nick Hartford asks Eleanor Wilde to help a friend find the heirlooms her dead father hid. On her way to Airgead Island, Birdie White joins Eleanor on the train, explaining that Glenn Stewart, the dead man, wants her to come too.

This third Eleanor Wilde Mystery is an entertaining paranormal adventure as two mediums compete to find the heirlooms, a chest full of gold coins burdened by a curse from Gloriana.

Gathered at the castle, the two mediums, along with a few family members and servants, with ...more

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Sep 06, 2020 Cindy rated it it was amazing

In Curses are for Cads, Eleanor travels to a secluded island to try and find a hidden treasure that is missing after the owner of the island dies mysteriously. On her way she comes across another "psychic" heading to the island for the same purpose. Can she be trusted? After another mysterious death and more curious happenings it is clear that there's more than an ancient curse causing problems on the island. The book started giving me a And then there were none, Agatha Christie like feel and I ...more

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Oct 26, 2020 Lora added it

What I hate about Curses Is For Cads is we meet a new group of interesting characters that we probably won't hear from again with the exception of one. Eleanor goes to the Outer Hebrides to help a friend of Nicholas' to find the family's lost cursed gold. The family hopes Eleanor can contact the deceased family patriarch to learn the location of the gold. Along the way to the coast, Eleanor is joined by a follow medium who is also heading to the same island. Much to the surprise of the family wh ...more

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Sep 13, 2020 Samantha rated it really liked it

This is such a fun series! I love the Eleanor Wilde books. In this book, she is sent to 'commune' with the recently deceased patriarch of an isolated, and supposedly cursed, family. A long history of swindling and pirates includes Gloriana's Curse -- a treasure of gold coins stolen from the Spanish by Queen Elizabeth I's command, finding it's way to the family's small island in the Hebrides. Eleanor is joined by another 'psychic', possibly the real deal, who has better theatrical skills than she ...more

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Oct 23, 2020 Penny rated it it was amazing

I’ve read the other books in this series before, so I was excited to see another one. Eleanor is such a great mix of a skeptic of the paranormal even though she can hear the voice of her dead sister. In this latest, she’s on her own with another psychic who Eleanor knows is faking it, but she can’t quite figure out how. They’re helping Eleanor’s boyfriend’s high school friend find gold her dead father hid, but the gold is attached to a curse. I had so much fun reading this, and I absolutely love ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Liz V. rated it liked it

At the request of a friend, Eleanor travels to a remote island to help the heirs locate the family treasure hidden by their late father. Eleanor has a knack for solving mysteries even though she readily admits to herself that her Madame Eleanor persona is a fake. On this trip, however, a more experienced fake tags along, leaving Eleanor wrong footed much of the time. The remote location, storms, power failures and more make the gathering uncomfortable and, as the fear that murder has been done s ...more

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Nov 06, 2020 Julianna Keyes rated it really liked it

Smart and fun, as always. I was really happy to see Madame Eleanor's sleuthing superpowers put to good use once again, and enjoyed the return to a creepy castle. It just so happened that my own power went out while reading, which made the experience that much more satisfying. I love the direction this series is going with Eleanor's faux-powers becoming a little more real with each installment. Tamara Berry is one of my favourites, and I look forward to everything she puts out. ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Carol rated it it was amazing

What happens when 2 mediums who may or not be real head to Scotland together to get rid of a curse? Nothing good is the answer. This book was so much fun to read. I'm enjoying this series more and more with every new book. The characters are likable and quirky, and the setting is fantastic. The story moves at a fast pace and can be read as a standalone. I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series. ...more

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Sep 15, 2020 Kristen rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, kindle

A humorous, fun book. Third in the series but you don’t have to read the others to get into the book. I loved the characters and their quirky personalities. The book read very easily and had a unique plot. I enjoyed the setting and felt it was atmospheric. This was a book that I believe I could recommend to various types of people as it was well- written and funny.

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Aug 15, 2020 Sonya Berger rated it it was amazing

Mediums, murder and humor are in this enjoyable mystery. Eleanor has to deal with Birdie the other medium who tends to be loud and crazy. She enlists the help twin boys, Jaime and Ferguson to solve this murder or murders

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Oct 15, 2020 Doreen rated it really liked it

Shelves: mcn

10/15/2020 Have just realized that this series has a lot of "what if Blossom Culp was a grown-up in the 21st century?" energy and that made me love it even more! Full review tk at CriminalElement.com. ...more

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About Tamara Berry

Tamara Berry

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Tamara Berry is a part-time author and part-time freelance copywriter/editor. She has a B.A. degree in English Literature from Eastern Washington University. In addition to books, she has mad love for all things TV, movies, and pop culture.

She also writes romances under the pennames Lucy Gilmore and Tamara Morgan.