Charms and Chocolate Chips
Bailey Cates

Genre:
Mystery
Rating:

A HALF-BAKED HEX

Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her firefighter boyfriend, Declan McCarthy, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won’t be as easy as whipping up a new recipe—especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murder.

When a fellow volunteer for the conservation group is found dead, Katie’s mystical senses tell her that there’s more to the death than meets the eye. Her suspicions are confirmed when members of her coven are targeted next. Katie will have to embrace her powers quickly...or she may find herself chewed up and spit out by some serious black magic.

Review

For fans of:  Ellery Adams, Heather Blake

Between her shifts at the Honeybee Bakery, her volunteer work at Georgia Wild, and her efforts to prepare for her coven’s upcoming Imbolc celebration, baker and hedgewitch Katie Lightfoot is running herself ragged; she’s barely had time to see her new boyfriend Declan, let alone get in a good night’s sleep. But when Georgia Wild founder Autumn Boles is found dead in her office and fellow volunteer Wren is nearly run down in the street, it seems clear Katie’s going to have to make time in her busy schedule to catch a killer, lest she become the next addition to Georgia Wild’s endangered species list…

OK, it’s official: I’m hooked on Bailey Cates’ Magical Bakery Mysteries. Charms and Chocolate Chips is the third addition to the series, and I’m happy to report that it’s every bit as good (if not better!) than its predecessors. Cates is doing some really fantastic world building with these books; I love the unique spin she puts both on magic in general, and on Katie and her coven’s approach to the Craft in particular. At the end of the previous book, Bewitched, Bothered & Biscotti, Katie learns that she’s a lightwitch – a catalyst of sorts, someone with great power and therefore great responsibility. But she doesn’t yet know the source or the limits of that power, nor does she fully understand her role in the magical universe. That uncertainty, coupled with both a fear of and a desire for learning more about her newly discovered abilities, adds an extra layer of tension, drama, and mystery – not only to Charms and Chocolate Chips, but to the series as a whole, as well.

This book also features some really wonderful character work.  Charms and Chocolate Chips marks the introduction of Katie’s mother to the series, and she makes a surprisingly wonderful addition to the cast – especially considering the negative way she’s been portrayed in previous installments. The triangle Cates has created between Katie; her non-magical boyfriend Declan; and her Declan-hating, magic-practicing, wants-to-be-more-than-a-friend friend Steve gets even pointier in Charms and Chocolate Chips, leaving you uncertain which suitor to root for. And I absolutely adore the relationship Katie shares with her familiar Mungo; Cates writes about the dog with not only humor, but affection, and the moments he and Katie share add warmth to Cates’ tale in some truly unexpected places.

Looking to add to magic to your season whilst avoiding all the holiday-themed schmaltz? Look no further than Bailey Cates’ Charms and Chocolate Chips.

Reviewed by Kat