Couture and Curses (A Touch of Magic Mysteries, #2)

by Danielle Garrett

Amanda Ronconi (Narrator)

When sparks and curses fly, more than just high-profile weddings are thrown into danger.

Every wedding-planning witch worth her wand knows that the dress must be an Aurelia custom creation. The magical fashion designer to the who's who of the Seattle Haven is in high demand with a waiting list that would make most wedding planner's eyes water.

Luckily for her clients, witch wedding-planner extraordinaire Anastasia Winters has inside access to the famed fashion designer and a knack for making deals. However, on an after-hours errand to pick up a dress, Anastasia finds herself walking into a battleground. When the dust settles, Aurelia is locked in the grips of a powerful - and seemingly unbreakable - curse, and Anastasia is the only one who witnessed the vicious magical attack.

When she starts having visions and nightmares, she knows she has to act soon or risk losing her friend and haven fashion icon, forever.

• ASIN: B0813WQRJ6
• Publish Date: 26 November 2019 (first published 22 March 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Imprint: Tantor Audio
• Edition: Unabridged
• Format: Audiobook
• Duration: 4 hours and 10 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

How fun! This book starts off at a wedding expo event, with Kaleb (SPA Agent from Newly Wed and Slightly Dead) in tow. I really liked this way of kicking things off – we immediately know they are indeed still dating and that he wants to spend time with her badly enough that he’s willing to accompany her to the expo (for work). And if you’ve ever been to one of these things, they can be crazy WITHOUT magic to add to it. Anyway, this book is about the mystery of why wedding dress designer Arelia is attacked at her shop. There’s a “shadow” figure that Anastasia keeps seeing that no one else does, likely because she was there when Arelia was attacked and this time it’s putting her in danger. So her being part of this investigation makes a lot more sense. The work stress is ever present – with her rival Kate a never ending problem along with her boss who continues to levy unrealistic expectations and criticism. I’m continuing to enjoy watching Harmony grow and mature, taking classes and working on her potion skills. Oh and we meet Meryl here! I had no idea she appeared somewhere before Beechwood Harbor. That was fun :)

[Melanie]

This is the second story in the Touch of Magic Mysteries. This series follows magical wedding planner, Anastasia Winters. After listening to the second book in the series, I can say that I don’t enjoy this series as much as the other books I’ve read from Danielle Garrett. I think it comes from my dislike of weddings. While this series is more about the mysteries, there is still a lot about the wedding stuff (as per usual for cozy mysteries). I’ve never liked weddings. I was never a girl dreaming of a wedding as a child and when I did get married, it was at the courthouse in jeans.

In this story, someone attacks the notable wedding dress designer, which puts her in a coma-like state. Anastasia not only wants to help her friend, but also needs to help her clients who need dresses from the designer.

Even though I wasn’t a fan of the wedding parts of the story, I did enjoy the mystery and the characters are a lot of fun. It was the other things that made me still able to enjoy the story. I also like seeing things inside the Haven where no one has to hide their nature, unlike all the other stories, which take place in our world, that doesn’t know about magic, vampires and shifters.

I still have one more book in this series, which I will listen to for sure. I’m not sure if I will request any more in this series (at least not right now). Not because I don’t like the series, I’m just limited on the number of books I can listen to right now and there are a lot that I want to get caught up on. I will also continue with the other series by Garrett. I do feel that my issues are more of a me issue than the story.

Narration
Amanda Ronconi continues to knock it out of the park with the narration. It doesn’t seem to matter what you throw at her, she’s able to handle it I can’t say enough about her narration. Just try her if you haven’t yet.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Couture and Curses is the second audiobook in Danielle Garrett’s A Touch of Magic mysteries series feature wedding planning Anastasia Winters. The stories take place in Seattle Haven and I am loving this new paranormal mystery series set in the world Garrett has created.

This story picks up after the events of book one, and Anastasia and local detective Caleb are still dating. They’ve settled into a routine involving movie nights and takeout. When Anastasia is almost hurt and the top wedding designer in all of Haven ends up in a coma, Caleb and the force investigate but so does Anastasia!

This was fast-paced with a creepy paranormal edge that I enjoyed. I loved the characters and how her career factors in to these cases. Who knew weddings were so dangerous!

Amanda Ronconi has become the voice of these characters and is perfectly paired with Garrett’s series.

A fun mystery with twists, jewels, sisterly squabbles and high fashion. Heck, there might even be some smooching. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer