Freaks and Felons

Hocus Pocus #2

by Constance Barker

A Killer Love Potion

There's a new shop in town and their love potion is killer...literally. Victims are piling up and the suspects ask Celestial for help. Can she help them clear their name before more bodies are discovered? Is one of the victims hiding a shady past? Could a minister in town want to rid the city of paranormal beings? Or are the new inhabitants of a gift shop actually wolves in sheep's clothing?

Genres: Paranormal

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2020

About the author

Constance Barker lives in the Midwest with her husband and two Akitas where she can look out from her screened porch onto a wooded area brimming with activity. Since she was a young girl she read mysteries, often given to her by her grandmother. She loved figuring out who the culprit was and sometimes she was right and other times startled at who the author picked as the assailant. Now she enjoys writing mysteries herself. When she isn't writing stories, she can be found in her favorite vacation spot, Las Vegas or shopping for bargains.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When three husbands are killed and the only common denominator is a potion purchased at her friend Georgia’s shop, witch and amateur sleuth Celestial snoops around and tries to solve the mystery. Very enjoyable read. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celestial Meadow is the coven leader High Priestess witch and the owner of a candle, spice and herb shop selling teas, soaps, and lotions to the townspeople and the tourists. Athena, her purple dragonfly familiar, flew in the window and landed on her shoulder to tell her Virginia Michaels had murdered her abusive husband. The odd thing is that Virginia doesn’t remember killing him. She had drunk a potion to make her husband love her, and the next she knew she awakened all bloodied! Celestial’s good friend Dakota, who hadn’t yet mastered apparating into a room, appeared while Celestial quickly moved items from the counter and Athena jumped out of the way. He wasn’t good at spells either. They talked about the murder, then the following day, there were two more and neither woman remembered the murder! Once again, the husbands had been abusive and cheaters, the wives meek and cowering.

Just then, Detective Nikoli Brewer, a wolf shifter, came into the shop. He said they took the wives to the hospital, and each had been dosed with a drug called Scopolamine, also known as Devil’s Breath, which is used to make people commit violent crimes. He finished his coffee and left. Then Virginia’s parents came in and asked Celestial if she would help Virginia by looking into the murder.

Celestial went to the victim’s house to search since the police had released the crime scene. She looked around the kitchen and found an almost empty vial under the refrigerator. She was about to touch the liquid, since she could identify potion ingredients, when Athena flew over and told her to stop! The poison had been in the vial. She called Nikoli instead and he went to her shop to meet her. The lab found the vial contained Scopolamine!

Georgia Daniels, owner of the The Witch's Corner and Celestial’s friend who had sold the potion to the women, asked Celestial to clear her name too. She was beginning to get scared and rightfully so! When a mob gathered in front of Georgia’s shop, Pastor Martin, against all magic and wanting all supernatural shops closed, started to accuse her. Nurse Frances Kane had admitted that she was glad the murdered men were dead because they had all bullied her brother who committed suicide because of them. And Janice across the street would love for Georgia to go out of business. Were any of them involved in these murders? Or was someone she hadn’t encountered yet doing this for their own reasons?

[sherri jones-teachout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three murders, one killer. Three men have been brutally murdered by their wives in just a few days. And each woman claims they don’t remembered doing it. Toxicology shows they were given a dangerous drug. Now Celestial has to help her friend and policeman Nicolai, find who did this. Evidence points to a lotion the three women bought from Celestial’s friend Georgia. Now Georgia’s is being harassed by the local Pastor. A Pastor who has denounced magic and threatened to shut down all of the supernatural shops in the town. Is he behind the killings, or the local nurse who all of a sudden keeps showing up at Celestial’s shop claiming she has drugs to help stress, or Janice the shop owner across the street who brags about how well her business is doing and it would do better when Georgia’s shop is closed down? Or is it another suspect that no one would suspect? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Celestial is back and in the thick of a truly bizarre triple murder. And from all appearances, she is a target as well!
This exciting book, the second in the new Hocus Pocus series, is a continued delightful foray into a setting where the paranormal and mundane exist side by side with only the sheerest separation between them. When the pastor of a church is able to recognize Celestial as a witch after a few brief meetings, it is obvious others have some inkling as well. This opens a whole new level of creative writing as to who and how that magic information is shared.
The characters are becoming stronger, and Celestial in particular is less bumbling. Even Dakota's missed apparation landings seem to be less haphazard and just a little clumsy.
This was a most enjoyable book, and I am already looking forward to the next installment!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bizarre and impassioned pastor seems to have the weight of his heavy personal history, and some twisted misconceptions on his mind. Unsurprisingly, more details come to light that show his faults and failures

Celestial and the town are plagued by someone tampering with love potions in a lethal way. Nikolai is unlikely to suspect Celestial and the other witches unduly, though the shifter does investigate as a matter of course. The town does seem pretty vocal about the happenings, if not all the related issues

Is it a magical being, or a human with pharmacological training, with greed and ill intent on their minds? Greed alone?

Celestial and her friends are in for a dangerous time as the truth and strength of their connections are challenged and tested.

Fun and fascinating KU read!

[Aimee Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celestial is told that a woman murdered her husband, but she doesn't remember it. She is asked by the family to look into the case. While Celestial is looking in to the matter, two more woman happen. Celestial will work with the detective to find the truth behind the attacks. Celestial will have a number of suspects, some acting more suspicious than others
Celestial will be getting to the truth than than she knows. When she is putting the pieces together, people close to her are in danger. That is when all the pieces will come together.

This was a really enjoyable read, the characters and the adventures will hook you from the first chapter. I recommend this series

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sassy Beta Reading & Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is book 2 of a new series that I have really enjoyed so far. This is a paranormal cozy mystery with a completed mystery ending. Each book can be read as a stand alone, however the overall story is progressive but you do not need to read the previous book to understand what is going on. With that being said, I would still recommend reading the previous book.

Written as a 3rd person, multi pov. Good story line, entertaining characters, engaging dialogue, and easy to visualize description to detail.

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Would I read more from this author? Yes

Sassy Beta Reading and Review

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you do when the love of your life turns abusive? Well, one option is to buy a love potion from the local witch to make him love you again. Or perhaps buy a love potion that will turn you into a killer and get rid of him instead? Which was what happened. To 3 abused wives. Who could not remember bashing, hacking, stabbing their beloved to death. Now that was interesting. And worrying because it could become a habit that can catching on.

Good read, with well developed characters and a strong storyline, with some red herrings thrown in. And I like the developing relationship between the shifter sheriff and Celestial - best of friends who really care for each other but could turn out to be more?

[Penny Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheating and abusive husbands are being murdered by their wives. None of the wives remember committing the crime, but they do remember drinking a potion intended to make their husbands love them, and then blacking out. Celestial is asked to help find out who was responsible after learning they had been drugged. Constance Barker delivers another great book. I really like this series, but then I like most of her series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series

Entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series. A great cast of characters in an entertaining story line. Small tourist town full of humans and supernatural’s. A small coven of witches with a witch named celestial as the head. She has a little herbal shop and always seems to find a mystery to solve. Follow long as her and her friends so mysteries murders and other trouble. Very entertaining check it out

[tburbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line was good, the character work was great, and the book had a smooth flow to it. This was a great addition to the series. I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end and found myself laughing several times, just like the previous book in this series. I am eagerly waiting for the next one.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy Paranormal Mystery
This mystery is one of a series and it can be read alone. The mystery portion is very good as is the paranormal portion. There are quite a few characters whose interactions are pretty frivolous to the story, perhaps they will mean something in a future episode.
I received this ARC book for free from Booksprouts and this is my honest review.

[Heather Bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 from A Hocus Pocus Cozy Witch Mystery series. I found the plot and characters interesting. Both are well written and keep you pulled into the story. A really great book that I would recommend reading especially if you love cozy mysteries.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constance Barker has another great hit in this book! I’m in love with this series. Celestial handles herself beautifully, even in the face of prejudice, never lowering herself to respond in same. I totally recommend this book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Laird-Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. The characters and story were good. A love potion that makes women kill their abusive husbands., with a little extra ingredient. I would recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line is well written and does a good job pulling you in. The characters are strong, interesting and entertaining. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this is one you don't want to miss out on.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the series and I liked it. The characters evolved in the first book and the storyline is great. Three abused women murder their husbands but don't remember doing it. The last thing they remember is drinking a love potion from a local store. Didn't expect the ending.

[JANE VAN HORN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book by Constance Barker. I love the characters and the storyline. I can't wait for the next book.

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mystery is a bit scarier since the murderers are also the victims. The mystery is entertaining and engaging. I loved reading it!

[Vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice cozy

This is my second time around reading the series. I enjoy the mix of the supernatural in the mundane. I like the characters and the plot. It is very entertaining

[Carolyn A Lee]

It read fast and was a very good book. I will continue to read her.

[Brenda Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

Magic, murders, and lots of suspects. Also a hunky shifter detective who just might really like our witchy main character.

[stephanie huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining

[Kathryn A Schauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

review

Such a good read. I couldn’t put it down!! I want to read more like this! I highly recommend reading this book.