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Ruby True #1

Werebear Scare

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To solve a case so strange, this witch could use a stronger cup of tea. Fifth Wind witch Ruby True has spent seventeen years wrangling stubborn spirits in the magical town of Eastwind. Now in her mid-forties, she's starting to feel like she's seen it all. But that's about to change. When a simple case of a missing werebear takes an unexpected turn, Eastwind's angel sheriff enlists Ruby's psychic gifts to help find the culprit. But a string of suspicious attacks and rumblings of an old sinister legend lead Ruby True and Sheriff Bloom into uncharted territory. Will they find the one responsible for the carnage before it finds them?

198 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2021

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About the author

Nova Nelson

74 books276 followers
Nova Nelson grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie novels. She loves the mind candy of cozy mysteries and has been weaving paranormal tales since she first learned handwriting. Those two loves meet in her Eastwind Witches series, and it's about time, if she does say so herself.

When she's not busy writing, she enjoys long walks with her strong-willed dogs and eating breakfast for dinner.

Be sure to follow her on Goodreads!

Join the Cozy Coven for Eastwind updates, contests, and more! Go to: www.cozycoven.com

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5 stars
367 (59%)
4 stars
182 (29%)
3 stars
60 (9%)
2 stars
10 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
Profile Image for bookswithanna.
485 reviews39 followers
February 26, 2024
3,5 ⭐️
Wie die Autorin es am Ende selbst nennt: Brain Candy 😍
Super cute mit sehr liebenswerten Figuren und viel paranormalen Sachen. Mochte die Kombination sehr
Profile Image for Neena Christianson Martin.
1,185 reviews11 followers
December 21, 2019
Urban legends.

Something is attacking the werebears in the forest, and they all claim it is Taurus , a minotaur that's supposedly just a legend. After several sightings, the sheriff with the help of Ruby, a witch, set out to solve this mystery.
Profile Image for Karen.
190 reviews6 followers
July 3, 2019
An angel and a witch walk into a crime scene ...

Providing a peek into the past of two of Eastwind's most interesting characters (Ruby True and Sheriff Bloom), this first in a new series regales readers with a mystery that keeps us guessing until the very end. I thought I had it figured out several times and was surprised at the story's resolution. The younger Ruby is revealed to be a real firecracker as she and the sheriff work interview witnesses, make observations, and ultimately finger the culprit.

Droll at times, this was a really fun read. Looking forward to more of the same!
Profile Image for Ymm3.
12 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2025
Presumptions, presumptions, presumptions make for a dull detective.

I want to preface my review by saying that I figured it out assuredly by Chapter 15. I think that the characters rely too much on their supernatural gifts then actual deduction which makes them okay detectives but not good ones. If only they applied the wonderful logic of means, motive and opportunity that they would have gotten the right deduction faster. They had presumed too much and that along with their over reliance on their supernatural gifts trumped over deductive reasoning which makes them not good detectives but I don't know if a sheriff and a freelancer need to be good detectives in this setting.

I must admit around chapter 18 I was starting to get annoyed at the characters but knowing I was near the end I forced myself to finish the book without spoiling the end to myself even though I wanted to know how right I was about the culprit. Thankfully they got an idea of who the real culprit was so they are okay detectives but really if they applied deductive reasoning they would have gotten it 5 chapters ago. Them realizing who the real culprit was and testing their theory before the big reveal really saved the story for me.

Overall I'd give this book a 3.4 / 5. I hope the next book will be better.
Profile Image for Merry Chapman.
2,761 reviews33 followers
November 22, 2020
WE get to see and understand more about Ruby and Gabby. Angel Gabby Bloom, sheriff has Ruby who is a fifth witch to help investigate crimes and bring the criminals to justice. In this story there is a missing werebear that is taken lightly as a missing "person's" case until some things happen making this a very dangerous case. Who is attacking the werebears? The werebears believe it is the Taurus which was passed down as a werebear legend. Could this legend be real? This book takes place about 30 years prior to Nora's appearance in EastWind. This books takes you on such a ride that just when you think you figured it out...you didn't! I love the Witches of Eastwind series and now this spin-off of True and Bloom is great. We get to see a lot of the familiar characters like Clifford, Ruby's familiar, Ted and Kayleigh. This was a fun story to try and figure out! You keep turning pages until the surprise ending. I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own
83 reviews
February 24, 2021
Swamy is missing, feared dead by The Taurus.
Virgil & Cedric have been attacked.

Taurus the Minotaur is the accused. He was fabled to be a monster legend that was the sworn enemy of the werebears that kept Cubs I line with the pack. There are several suspects & Opal seems to be at the center of it all.
Swamy is Opal boyfriend, but not her only one.
Cedric lives in 1 side of the house & Virgil on the other. The night Swamy goes missing Cedric claims to be home alone & when he came home he said Virgil must not have seen him.
Sheriff Angle Bloom & her friend the towns only fifth wind witch Ruby True are called upon to solve the mystery.This requires a trip up Fluke mountain to the silent reach, werebear territory, to do some sleuthing.Bloom & Ruby set a trap & caught the perp in Opal’s house.
The culprit lands in the trap. He claimed Jealousy because he saw other men kissing Opal.
Profile Image for Ed.
169 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2025
Are you looking for a cozy mystery? How about one that involved a werebear, a witch, a hellhound, an angel, and a mythical minotaur? The mystery in this book is about what you'd expect from a cozy mystery: a few missteps, some false leads, and a twist that isn't as surprising as some would think. What sets this apart for me is the mystical nature of the characters. Nova finds a way to create voices for each different type of mythical creature that inhabits the book in a way to not only set them apart as different creatures, but also allows the characters to be individuals at the same time.
Profile Image for Amanda Jane.
1,337 reviews11 followers
April 9, 2022
Setting up the background..

.. seems to distract from the actual story.. some of it seems overly complex and unnecessarily dry and a bit boring.. like too many fill in asides to camera in a sitcom.. Nova Nelson seems to have struggled a bit to explain her concept world that aside it was an enjoyable mystery. Just not sure we needed the background dumps..

I decided to switch to the Eastwind series and come back to this series after as I wasn't sure enough. Really did enjoy those and so I'm returning to give Ruby True another chance.
Profile Image for Rhonda Jones.
2,796 reviews17 followers
April 14, 2021
Already Read and Review rd this Book

I hate when an author changes a book cover and fails to tell potential readers this is a reissue of an already published book. In this case, I think I read and reviewed the reissued book and this book version was the first one I bought. I will not repeat the review again other than to post the rating here.
82 reviews
July 30, 2022
Fantastic book


I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the very first page to the ending. The characters were entertaining, the story line moved along seamlessly and the mystery was superb. I have never laughed so hard at the witty repertoire between the characters. The author transports you to another world. Excellent book...
Profile Image for Anne.
607 reviews
August 1, 2022
Witches, angels and werebears

Taurus, a mythical minotaur, has come to life. Is he for real or a hoax? He's real enough to be attacking people. The leader of the werebear slooth (spelled wrong throughout the entire book) joins forces with a psychic witch and the angel sheriff to find out exactly what is going on. Fun characters. Easy reading.
52 reviews
November 21, 2020
This is the first book in the spin-off series from the Eastwind series.

Ruby and Gabby team up to investigate the disappearance of a werebear.

Nova Nelson really knows how to pull you into her books with great characters and wonderful storylines.

Buy it and you won't be disappointed
29 reviews
January 28, 2021
Enjoyable read

As always the Eastwind stories are incredible. Ruby and Bloom are an awesome team. Zax sounds yummy. All the characters in the Eastwind series are rememberable. Grab the fist one and keep reading you will be glad you did.
177 reviews5 followers
April 22, 2021
These stories are about Nora's mentor Ruby, from thirty years earlier when Ruby worked with Sheriff Bloom.

I was very pleased to spend time in an earlier Eastwind getting to know a younger Ruby and enjoying her investigative assistance to Sheriff Bloom. I plan to read every one the author has written or writes in the future.
1,514 reviews3 followers
January 9, 2022
Good read

Book 1 of the Ruby True mysteries is milder than the Nora series. But Ruby True came before Nora and, so far, there is less danger, a little flirting, less quirky characters, but still interesting. Highly recommend.
4,529 reviews24 followers
February 15, 2023
Good book

I enjoyed reading this book, it is well written and filled with action and adventure. I can't wait to read more from this author. I received this book as a Free copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.
Profile Image for angela gunstone.
1,858 reviews8 followers
March 7, 2023
Werebear scare

Couldn't put it down loved the characters and the storyline and can't wait to read more in this series so it's a well deserved five stars and I would recommend it to everyone
Profile Image for April Cothern.
214 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2023
Pretty good

Interesting. I was on the fence about reading this as I'd read a short story of hers I was unimpressed with, however I thought this was quite good. I look forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Angie Titus.
Author 3 books19 followers
June 11, 2023
3.5

This one was weird, even for me, but fun. I enjoyed the mystery and the character interactions. The MC's obsession with her age was a little bit annoying. I will be continuing with the series.
1,280 reviews5 followers
June 16, 2023
Great Paranormal Read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I really enjoyed the main character—a witch—having a hellhound as her familiar. All kinds of paranormal beings inhabit this world, from werebears to angels.
89 reviews
September 25, 2025
Well..

This book was great, had a great story and likeable characters. However, the grammatical errors were very distracting and there were many. I don't know if I will continue the series because of it. We will see.
1,102 reviews2 followers
August 12, 2020
Fantasy

Read the Nora Ashcroft series first, even though this book is a prequel it helps to another characters. An interesting story
Profile Image for Flo Tinsman.
425 reviews5 followers
April 29, 2021
Interesting

Slightly hard to get into and follow along, but story becomes clear after a bit. Well worth pushing through and quite an enjoyable book.
Profile Image for Kim Gualtieri.
638 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2021
Great book

I love these books.The Author keeps me missing sleep so I can keep reading more and more. I can't wait.
Profile Image for Karen.
117 reviews2 followers
May 28, 2022
Fun light story, but there's some bad editing (Kindle). Every time a sentence should start with "an", it starts with "and". Also a note for the author: Disburse = pay money. Disperse = spread about.
3,499 reviews14 followers
June 2, 2022
Loved it! This series is every bit as good as Nora's series. I'm glad I read that series first; it m as kes this one more meaningful.
Profile Image for Linda.
2,174 reviews
June 26, 2022
This was different and enjoyable. I will continue the series.
Profile Image for Crazypetlady.
512 reviews
August 17, 2022
I really enjoyed this author. I will absolutely be buying this author again.
Profile Image for Laurel .
1,428 reviews5 followers
February 13, 2023
Cute mystery with good characters and interesting plot. Book flowed well with several twists and turns resulting in a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews