Audio Book Review: “Night Shift Witch” & “Magnolia Bay Mystery: Tainted Taffy”

About Night Shift Witch

A witch with a side hustle

Star needs another paying gig while she finishes her witch training. Why not at a funeral home? It fits her goth image, and the funeral director is sort of hot…even if he does wear a suit and tie.

Less than a day on the job as makeup artist to the dead, and Star discovers one of their accidental death clients didn’t die accidentally.

Before she knows it, she’s neck-deep in paranormal intrigue and her completely human, way-too-nice-for-his-own-good boss is right there with her.

Purchase Links:

Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Night-Shift-Witch-Mysteries-Book/dp/B096T5W2LG/r

Chirp: Night Shift Witch by Cate Lawley – Audiobook (No Subscription)

My Review of Night Shift Witch

I purchased an audiobook copy of Night Shift Witch, by Cate Lawly and narrated by April Doty from a Chirp Friday Freebie deal. I am offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

April Dorey is the perfect narrator to capture Miss Lawly’s laid-back writing style. I must say, she did an excellent job. The tone of the story is set by that same writing style, so all the pieces fall into place perfectly.

What a fun story!

I chose this book because of the cool, purpley cover, and was pleasantly surprised with a light-hearted magical murder mystery, that tickled my fancy and made me smile all the way through.

Star, a goth witch in training, lands a job at a funeral home in the real world to support her while she finishes her studies in the magical realm. Throw in a hot funeral director for a boss, a mysterious death which turns out to be magical murder, and an old boyfriend who is a wizard enforcer to help her solve the case. The list of suspects grows as our trio delves into the mysterious demise of their non-human victim, who should never have showed up in a human funeral home, and it turns out, wasn’t such a stand up guy.

A fun, cute, and light-hearted tale of magic and murder, with a touch of romance. I give Night Shift Witch five quills.

About Magnolia Bay Mystery: The Tainted Taffy

On the charming, historic isle of Magnolia Bay, Autumn Ray runs her bed-and-breakfast and enjoys a different pace of life. But whether she likes it or not, Autumn will have to step into the role of sleuth to defend not only her name, but her home.

Summer brings more than just tourists to Magnolia Bay; it ushers in a chilling mystery when poison taints the sugar-sand shores. Autumn Ray must trade her tranquil routine for detective work when she’s thrust into unraveling the murder of a beloved local confectioner. Will her sleuthing skills prove sweet enough to catch a killer? Or will she face the bitter aftermath of a community torn apart by suspicion?

Purchase Links:

Chirp: The Tainted Taffy (A Magnolia Bay Mystery—Book 1) by Fiona Grace – Audiobook (No Subscription)

My Review of Magnolia Bay Mystery: The Tainted Taffy

I purchased an audiobook copy of Magnolia Bay Mystery: The Tainted Taffy, by Fiona Grace and narrated by the synthesized voice of Olivia, from a Chirp Friday Freebie deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

This is the first audiobook I’ve listened to featuring AI narration. I have to say that the quality of the narration was excellent, and had I not known it was a synthesized voice, I would not have guessed that it wasn’t a human narrator. With the AI debate blazing on both sides, I’m not sure if that is good or bad, but I feel obligated to state my honest opinion about it.

Autumn Ray is an Inn owner on Magnolia Bay, a quaint little island, reminiscent of days of old as a matter of choice. There are no automobiles, and the shops are filled with old fashioned goodness. When Autumn finds the local sweet shop owner dead, after eating a poisoned sandwich, small town tongues fly and the tourists, who are the islander’s main source of income every summer, begin to clear out. Autumn is determined to help the understaffed and unprepared island police chief to solve the crime, and together with her dog, Max, she is hot on the trail, making this a classic cozy mystery.

I had a hard time buying in to the old-fashioned island community that has been held back in time, and just like Miss Marple, Autumn sticks her nose in places she would never get away with in real life. Also, I’m not sure where the tainted taffy comes in, since the murder weapon was a poisoned sandwich. But, Autumn is determined to find the murderer and save Magnolia Bay’s tourist season, despite being warned to stay clear of police business. But cancellations are coming in, and people are leaving, not wanting to vacation where a killer may be lurking. With a list of folks with possible motives, Autumn pieces together the puzzle, but can she solve the mystery before the guests all clear out and bankrupt the island businesses?

A well-crafted cozy that will keep you smiling. I give Magnolia Bay Mystery: The Tainted Taffy four quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.