I didn’t realize when I picked up this book that it was actually a spin-off from a previous series. It wasn’t until after a few chapters that I realized the characters were too well established for this to be considered a new series. I’m a stickler for reading books in order so I’m usually really careful but I guess I was fooled by the “First in a new series” stamp on the cover of the book. But quite honestly, I don’t think it’s necessary to read the previous books to enjoy this one. The author describes the characters well enough to fill in the blanks, although it does feel like your missing background information from time to time.

It’s quite audacious to set the “first book” in a series in the wonderful city of Las Vegas. Especially when the two main characters are engaged and have no set date to get married. Thierry is a century old vampire that has just taken a job with The Ring, a secret organization policing the vampire population. His job as a consultant isn’t quite clear but it does involve a lot of travelling and investigating vampire related issues. His fiancé Sarah Dearly, the narrator of the book, is definitely ready to spend the rest of her life with Thierry and she proves it by packing a last minute bag to follow him to Las Vegas. She’s ready to do anything for him, even leaving her established life behind in Toronto.

Thierry’s job in Las Vegas is to investigate a 96 year old vampire child who is entering and winning child pageant shows for a living. Because she’s gaining popularity, Thierry’s job is to convince her to stop the pageant shows in order to keep her vampire status from the human population a secret. The job sounds simple enough except when a vampire serial killer starts murdering one human a day, and Thierry is set up to take the fall for the murder of a fellow vampire after threatening him publicly just the night before. Sarah decides to investigate the separate murders secretly and on her own. Even if by investigating the murders means risking her life, she can’t let her fiancé take the fall for something she knows he didn’t do.

Trouble follows Sarah around. Sarah mentions it multiple times herself and it’s actually quite true. As she investigates, so many things go wrong, like the death of one of her suspects, losing her engagement ring and getting told off by a security guard for letting her “vampire child” run off and cause trouble. Las Vegas is known for it’s eccentric people, and Sarah definitely meets her fair share of them. From a preaching vampire Jesus, to a bar full of vampire hunters and a few crazy characters, Sarah’s investigation is non-stop. Personally, I think Sarah proves herself in this book as a great parter for Thierry. She’s determine to make their relationship work and she goes to extremes to fight for their engagement. She also proves to Thierry and herself that despite all the dangers this life may have, she’s able to pull through on her own, even though the odds are set against her.

I've been to Vegas multiple times and although it's not my favourite city, it is a great place to visit and have fun, no matter what you're looking for. [spoiler]So an engaged couple travels to Las Vegas on business. Sure, Las Vegas is known for gambling, shows, nightlife, etc. But obviously it’s also know for weddings (I've actually been to two!). What better place for Sarah and Thierry to tie the knot? I was waiting for this the whole book. I knew it was coming and I don’t know what was more predictable: the fact that they got married, or that the ceremony was performed by an Elvis impersonator.[/spoiler]

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The writing reminds me a lot of Molly Harper, the author of the “Nice Girls” series. The book is filled with hilarious moments and how-did-she-end-up-in-this-jam moments. Honestly, if I were to continue reading this series, I would probably go back to the original series first before continuing with this spin off. I want to go back and read the events that lead to Sarah’s turning and I want to learn how Sarah and Thierry met and fell in love. The good news is that I have lots of books to keep me entertained for a while.

Another sweet and magical treat from Bailey Cates! Since I've started reading this series a while back, I've really come to enjoy the characters and the small town feel of Savannah, Georgia. Personally, I don't know much about the practice of magic and Wicca, but I always feel like what the characters practice might actually be authentic.

Katie Lightfoot hasn't been practicing as a witch for very long but as a catalyst/lightwitch, her magical powers are curiously strong. Trouble seems to find her at every corner, but always for a good reason. With her intuitive mind and the help of her fellow coven members, she helps solve murder mysteries. This time, the murdered victim is particularly close to Katie and she feels it's her duty to help solve the mystery, especially since the victim's niece and protogée appears to be magically cursed into a coma. The niece's life might depend Katie fishing out the truth, but Katie's own life is at risk when she is targeted for asking too many questions. Since she suspects voodoo is part of the answer, she has been sleuthing around, asking questions about voodoo and black magic. Obviously someone isn't thrilled that Katie is poking her nose in the voodoo community. However, the near-death experience doesn't stop Katie for long.

In this book, Declan, Katie's boyfriend, seems to have embraced Katie's magical side and is more open to that aspect of her life. He almost doesn't have a choice because he has recently discovered that he, himself can channel his great-uncle from the after life. Katie's other "suitor", Steve, seems to have finally acknowledged Katie's rejection by getting engaged, which is a whole other story. Suffice to say, nothing is ever boring when it comes to Katie's love life.

I keep coming back to this series mainly because it's an easy and light read, but let's be honest, I'm also interested in the food. Although I've never tried any of the recipes at the end of the books, they have me salivating throughout the story. Since I love coconut, and macaroons are some of my favorite deserts, I've decided to try one of the recipes at the end of this book. I'll make sure to come back and let you know in the comments how they turned out.

MAGIC AND MACAROONS is the fifth book of the Magical Bakery Mystery series, and as the series goes on, we learn more about Katie and what her purpose as a lightwitch might actually be. The series is nothing too complicated but I do recommend reading the books in order. I would recommend this book and series to any fan of cozy mysteries. The magical elements makes it that much more original and adds a little flair to some of the eccentric characters. Personally, this book is the best of series so far. The last few chapters are particularly gripping and I hope the author is already working on the next book.

Truthfully, I was a little disappointed when I read Charms and Chocolate Chips, book 3 of this series. However, this fourth book has redeemed the series and I find myself looking forward to the release of the next book. My main concern with the previous book was that Katie Lightfoot was newly aware of being a lightwitch, but had no clue what it meant. She speculated about it, wondered about it, but didn't try to find out what it meant. Now, in this book, at least she's trying to find out what it means and has learnt to accept that she's different from other witches. Her investigation into lightwitches doesn't go very far unfortunately because the one that revealed her ability, Detective Taite, seems to have disappeared. We might not know more about what it means to be a lightwitch, but at least Katie is trying to find out more.

The murder mystery of the story was ordinary but still fun to follow.  It was definitely a mystery since I never suspected who the murderer was until the very end. The motive was kind of hard to understand but all in all, I think it came to a nice close. I especially liked the fact that the victim was part of the crew that was filming a movie in downtown Savannah, Georgia. Obviously Katie gets involved in yet another murder investigation since her bakery was hired to cater the movie set. She seems to be attracted to murder mysteries, and always finds a way into the investigation.

What I found interesting in this book is the fact that we don't actually see lots of magic being performed. The author decided to introduce us to a new character instead and Ursula Banford just so happens to be a psychic, someone able to communicate with the dead. The coven decides to hold a séance to find out more about who the murderer was, and while the séance doesn't reveal much about the killer, it does reveal something unexpected about one of the participants of the séance.

This next paragraph contains a slight spoiler so you might want to avoid it (however it won't spoil too much). One thing I was not expecting was Declan having some magical powers. From the start of the series, he hasn't been very understanding about his girlfriend Katie's magic and her dedication to learn more about it, but in time, he has learnt to accept it. It came to a total shock when we were made aware that one of his ancestors had some magical power and was rumored to have been a leprechaun. This magic or spiritual power has more or less manifested in Declan in this book. He is not happy with his new (latent) ability, that's for sure. However, it does bring a new and interesting twist to the series.

I'm glad the ending wasn't rushed. In the previous books, I found that once the mystery was solved, the booked ended a few pages later. This time around, we were able to see how everything fell into place. It also answered a lot of questions. SOME ENCHANTED ÉCLAIR might just be my favorite of the series. I really hope we see more of Bailey Cates's Magical Bakery series because to me, while not being exiting or riveting, her books are a nice change of pace and always get me out of a reading rut.

This third book of the series was very similar to the first two and while I still got through it, it almost feels like the series is stagnating a bit. The overall story was enjoyable and the book itself was well written but now I know why I don't read many cozy mystery series: I get bored after a while.

It was, however, nice to learn a little bit more about the main character's magical abilities. We've know from the start that Katie's not just a normal hereditary witch. She's a catalyst and she amplifies anything magical surrounding her. Whether she's attracted to murder scenes or whether she actually causes them is still up in the air, but one thing's for sure, she's good at helping solve the murders. In the previous book, we also learnt that she a lightwitch and we still don't really know what that entails. Hopefully we'll learn what a lightwitch is soon and maybe the next book will expand on it a little bit more.

As for Katie herself, she's starting to get on my nerves. She's known for months now that's she's a lightwitch and if I was in her position, I would definitely make the effort to find out what exactly that means. I wouldn't leave it to chance or to the next murder mystery to reveal more about my powers. Her let it be attitude is definitely the opposite of mine and although I like her as a character, I wouldn't be able to stand her as a friend. The game she's playing with the two guys in her life, Declan and Steve, is mean. She's leading both of them on, and at the moment she's with Declan but she's being friendly with Steve too. Declan's a little jealous of this, I think, and Katie has to continuously reassure him that she's just friends with Steve. I think she's trying to reassure herself at the same times and whether or not she believes what she says is still unclear.

The actual murder story was well thought out. The woman who was murdered was the leader of a conservation group called Georgia Wild that's trying to save a swamp from being turned into a corporate golf course. Since Katie has a strong affinity to plants, it's only natural for her to volunteer for the group. There are many suspects in the case and all of them could have done it, but the writer lets the story brew for a long time. We only learn right at the end who the real murderer is and it's someone I really didn't suspect.

My favourite character is still Mongo, Katie's familiar dog but I am a little worried about him eating human food. He's quite a glutton but at least Katie is starting to limit what he eats. I know some people hate when writer humanize the animals in their story, but I'm all for it, especially when it comes to dogs. I'm such a dog lover that I don't mind at all. Anyways, Mongo is such adorable that I don't think many people who read cozy mysteries care all that much. He's an adorable and loyal little guy.

Since I've committed to this series, I will definitely continue reading it but be aware, it's not one of my favourites. It's a good change from what I usually read so it's a good diversion. I'm just hoping the next book will reveal more about Katie's abilities and I truly hope she'll finally decided which guy she wants to be romantically involved with.

A few days ago, I was in the mood for something completely different from my usual reads. I wanted to read a cozy mystery so when I came across this book, which is in fact a cozy mystery with the added flair of supernatural elements, I jumped at the chance to try something new. Set in the quaint town of Savannah, Georgia, we follow Katie Lightfoot as she prepares to open a new bakery, along with her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben. But things go awry when a recent customer is murdered near the new bakery, and Uncle Ben is the main suspect because of the minor altercation he had with the deceased a few minutes before she was found dead.

Solving a murder was the last thing Katie thought she would do when she moved to Savannah. Since the police force seem to be concentrating their efforts on accusing Ben for the murder, Katie feels obligated to find the real murderer to exonerate her uncle. Her aunt's "book club" join in the search and to Katie's surprise, they start using spells and their witchy abilities to help. Little did she know her aunt was a practicing witch and Katie came from a long line of witches. Katie's mom had decided to raise her daughter without teaching her the craft, or even mentioning her possible legacy. Katie is surprised at first that she a born witch, then, after contemplating events from her past, and recognizing her ability to grow and care for plants, she realizes that she's always had a mystical connection to the world. I love the way she embraces her legacy. She did deny it at first, was skeptical, then progressively accepted her talents by learning a little more each day.

Having recently broken up with her fiancé, moving to Savannah is also a way for Katie to start off fresh. Dating and men were certainly not in the plans, especially with the bakery opening eminently, but because of her magnetism, Katie attracts the attention of two men, Steve Dawes, a local reporter, and Declan McCarthy, a firefighter. The tension between the two men makes you realize there is definitely a story behind that, but definitely makes the story interesting. For many reasons, I find Steve Dawes a little creepy. Showing up around Katie at unsuspecting time, almost like a stalker, is a little creepy, and calling Katie-girl all the time was kind of annoying. It was sweet at first but then it got overused. Declan seems like the more reasonable choice, especially since he's always there to help her whenever she needs the help. We can't forget to mention the other new male in Katie's life, Mungo the magnificent, a little terrier that wriggled his way into her life. She later learns from her aunt that Mungo is probably her witch's familiar and their attraction is probably because of their magical connection.

BROWNIES AND BROOMSTICKS is a quick read and a fun novel. The characters were pleasant and well developed for the length of the novel, but I definitely want to find out more about them in the rest of the series. With this first book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series, the author has given us a taste of her magical world. This isn't your hardcore magic novel. The characters have a more practical and natural approach to their craft so you can't expect it to be full of magic and action. In fact, there's probably more mention of food than magic, which is totally fine by me! The two recipes included in the book sound amazing and I might just try baking scones for the first time. Bakery/Food/Restaurant mystery series seem to be quite popular with some readers but I haven't read many, so I have very little to compare to. The supernatural aspects adds a little flair which is probably the main reason I would continue reading the series. Bailey Cates has pleasantly introduced me to a new type of cozy mystery and I can't wait to read this book's sequel.