Darcy Merriweather is Stressed Out. Not about her wedding coming up in a couple of weeks. No, she's a bundle of nerves over her younger sister's birthday and what it means for the Elder's renewal ceremony. Her family's nemesis, Dorothy, has become increasingly, dangerously unstable in recent months, and Darcy fears for their safety, especially after the Divinitea Cottage is torched, and it initially appears as though Dorothy set the fire after murdering one of the owners. Darcy teams up with her fiancé Nick Sawyer, the police chief, and Dorothy's daughter Glinda, a private investigator, to solve the crime.

This is a cozy mystery series that REALLY must be read in order. Secrets are revealed in each book in the series that would totally be spoilers for the earlier books. In this particular volume, however, Darcy's Big Secret was ridiculously easy to guess, so her angst and fears then seemed overblown.

Surprisingly, I also figured out who the killer was quite a while before Darcy did. I didn't have a clue what the motive might be, but I deduced who and how. I can't remember the last time I correctly guessed the murderer's identity well in advance of the sleuth's reveal. I have to say, I really prefer to be more in the dark!

Given the ending of the book and the divulging of a smaller secret in the final chapter, perhaps this might be the end of the series? I would hate to leave these lovely characters behind, yet this wasn't my favorite installment, so perhaps Ms. Blake is ready to focus on her Magic Potion series instead?

For readers' advisors: story and setting doorways are primary. The strongest language used is a few instances of "hell" and "damn." There is no sexual content, just some quick kisses. The only onscreen violence is Dorothy attacking other witches with (dark) magic/fire. It's a fun, easy read for anyone who's already read books #1-8, but don't expect much in the way of character development.

Besides the fact that the author repeats the main Mc's stomach feels bad/is churning/is queasy on every other page because we can guess after the second time that

Spoiler

she's pregnant

it was a good book. It feels a bit rushed at the end and the bad guy is only half baked and in need of some clarification as to her personality and behaviors, especially at the end of the book. A nice finish to the series.

A fitting end to what has been a solid series. I’ve mostly listened to these as audiobooks because I enjoy the narrator. My favorite element of the series has been the interplay between Darci and several of the secondary characters. This conclusion did not disappoint

Review to come

Oh, my heart.

I was both eager to read and dreading this book because it's the last in the series. I really wanted to see what happens and to get back to the Enchanted Village with Darcy, Harper, Nick, Starla, and the rest of the group, but at the same time I didn't want it to end.

This final book has Darcy investigating the murder of the co-owner of a tea room while also getting ready for her wedding. It was as engaging as ever, with the focus being on Darcy, Dorothy, and Darcy's mom, the Elder. There was still plenty of fun, laughs, and tears to be had, however. I had to smile when Darcy commented (groaned, really) about cutting back on caffeine. I could totally feel her pain. I was surprised that I figured out who did it early on. Normally I have an idea and then Heather throws a huge twist at me that makes me go "WTF? How did I miss that?"

I loved how Heather tied up everything into a neat bow. I was all over the place emotionally because I felt such a connection to these characters. I'm sad that we won't see any more adventures from this group, but it's definitely worth a re-read or four. :)

Read by Coleen Marlo
A Wishcraft Mystery #9
Amateur Sleuth Mystery
Cute. Charming- pun intended.

I LOVED IT! Another great installment of this series! While it wrapped up nicely, I certainly hope this isn't the last we'll see of Darcy!

I love this series. I primarily have paranormal and mystery books on Mt Git'r'Read and the WWBL and this is a combo of the two. Some series get stale the farther in the books go in number. This is book 9 and I honestly think it could go on for quite some time, fresh and fun, but it has the feel of end of series to me. If so, it's ending on a high note as all series should.
Darcy has a lot on her plate in this book. She's always busy since she runs a wish business and she is an investigator and she's a witch. I wish I could be as energetic and forward moving as she, I get exhausted reading everything she does. It's in her to be and do as much as she can, with a big heart.
Plus she has to keep everything secret. Mortals visit the magical village, not realizing that witches live and work there among them. She even has secrets from her friends and family.
There was quite a bit of mystery going on. A death, a fire, all kinds of mayhem. A week that should have been nothing but the last minute business of getting married to her love, but had her all over the place trying to figure out who among the many suspects is the whodunit.
There is one person in the book that I wish there had been more interaction with. This is a truly evil person, but seems to be a bit backburnered due to the other things going on. A bit of relief as this character has caused me to almost flip pages until the scenes they are in are done. *shudder* Truly evil character.
Some cozy/amateur sleuth books can make for eye-rolling. Add in magical abilities and it could stretch the credibility quota more than I care to read. Heather Blake can make it all seem possible, even real. Life is lived and the mystery must be solved for the sake of family and friends and village life. And one can believe in magical abilities for the space of time of reading this wonderful book and series.
I can highly definitely recommend this book, this series, and this author.

So sad to see this series end but loved this last installment. I figured out the killer about 3/4 of the way through but wasn’t sure about why. Loved how the book ended....looking forward to this authors new endeavors...