Prose and Cons (Magical Bookshop Mystery, #2)

by Amanda Flower

Magic, books, and cats collide in a village near Niagara Falls in the latest Magical Bookshop Mystery from the author of Crime and Poetry.
 
In Cascade Springs, New York, Violet Waverly and her grandma, Daisy, are the proprietors of Charming Books, where the power of the written word is positively enchanting...
 
October in Cascade Springs means tourists are pouring in for the annual Food and Wine Festival, and Daisy hopes to draw those crowds to the store. She asks Violet and the local writing group, the Red Inkers, to give a reading of the works of Edgar Allan Poe in the shop’s back garden to entertain the revelers. Everyone eagerly agrees.
 
Yet their enthusiasm is soon extinguished when Violet discovers one of the writers dead during the event. After the shop magically tells Violet she’ll need to rely on Poe’s works to solve the murder, she enlists the help of her trusty tuxedo cat, Emerson, and the shop’s crow, Faulkner. But they must act fast before someone else’s heart beats nevermore...

• ISBN10: 0451477456
• ISBN13: 9780451477453
• Publish Date: 6 December 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451477453

Reviews

[mrs_mander_reads]

This series is just so fun. I love the setting and Violet makes a great amateur sleuth. Hoping for her to make a romantic decision in #3.

[MurderByDeath]

I wavered between 3.5 and 4 stars for this one, but ultimately, I enjoyed reading it, so 4 stars it is.   Amanda Flower is a pseudonym for an author that wrote an Amish series under another name, Isabella Alan, which I started off really liking and ended up being totally fed up with after 4 books. The best part of the series was the protagonists attraction to an Amish man who was, of course, impossible to have.  Beyond that, the plotting and characters just ended up being irritating.   But so far, there's none of that nonsense here; I like the characters, especially the front-running love interest, the sheriff, David Rainwater.  I like the story setup too, with the tree growing through the middle of the bookshop, the crow, the cat and the mystical properties of the nearby spring that brings the bookshop to life.  I love that the bookshop throws books at people.  Seriously, that might be my favourite part of the whole series.   What I do NOT like is the similarity in spinelessness between Violet in this series, and whoever the protagonist was in the Amish series.  I don't admire waffling women (or men), and Violet more than just waffles - or should I say she does less than waffles? - she just doesn't do anything in terms of steering her own life.  The author has setup a love triangle of sorts (why? because we hate them!) and Violet doesn't even want one of the men - a childhood sweetheart - but rather than just tell him to bugger off, she neither does nor says anything. If she doesn't grow a spine, it'll ruin this series.   The mystery plotting was... ok.  I didn't see the murderer at all, but I'm not sure you could say this was written to be a fair play mystery either.  The first in the series touched on Native American mythology, and I love that the author made the sheriff, one of the romantic interests, a Seneca.  I'd have liked a bit more of that in this book.   In general - it has potential.  Make that MC someone worth admiring instead of a noodly, passive aggressive character that lets men push her around, and the author will be onto a solid cozy series that could be a lot of fun.

[Mystereity Reviews]

See this and all of my reviews at Mystereity Reviews

I love this cute cozy series set in a small town near Niagara Falls. Being a WNY ex-pat, the setting is so familiar; a quaint town with its little shops, a wine festival, and of course, small town secrets.

In Prose and Cons, Violet and her grandmother are preparing for a Poe-try reading at Charming Books, complete with period costumes, to be held by the shop's writers group, The Red Inkers, during the wine festival in Cascade Springs. When Anastasia, one of the Red Inkers, is found dead in the shop, Violet uncovers the secret Anastasia was hiding and starts investigating, with the help of the magic tree at Charming Books.

This was a great read, every bit as good as the first. I love the world the author has created, with a colorful bunch of lovable characters and a magical bookshop, where the books choose you. I'd love to visit!

The well-crafted plot had a truly puzzling mystery and an exciting surprise ending that had me on the edge of my seat! I loved the novel manner of death, it's not one I see in mysteries very often, and made the plot that much more complex. Along with the mystery, Violet also meets a stranger who changes her life, and I look forward to seeing how that plays out in later books.

Overall, Prose and Cons and the Magical Bookshop series will cast its spell over any cozy mystery fan and is a welcome way to spend a few hours wrapped in its enchanting world.

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I received this book for free from Berkley Prime Crime in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

There's still a love triangle going on in this book. The mayor (Nathan), and the police chief (David) are still both interested in Violet. And while Violet doesn't seem to be interested in Nathan, she wasn't encouraging David either. I'm hoping for David, but we'll have to see!

There were more magical happenings in the store, and with the tree. But not a whole lot more than the first book. The bookshop is still talking to Violet via poetry, this time using Edgar Allan Poe. And while she's able to figure out a few of the clues, both she and I were completely surprised by who the killer was.

There were a number of side mysteries as well as the main one, and not all the side mysteries had anything to do with the main mystery. I liked the rivalry between Emerson and Faulkner, and how Emerson gets Violet into situations she had otherwise talked herself out of by breaking and entering.

I didn't like the character who died much, so I'm not sad to see them go. I loved the secret room and how Emerson found it for Violet. There were also a number of cute or funny moments between Violet, David and his family. There are a lot of funny moments in the book in general.

If you're looking for a magical cozy with a unique twist, you should try this series.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon