From Bittersweet romance to… a British local. Witchy women and a surprise for a woman who figured her adopted family wanted nothing to do with her. Witch is When it All Began by Adele Abbott is the first in the series A Witch P.I.

This mystery series is actually way more extensive than I realized when I came across this as a free download. I do believe there are 13 at current count of these. The estimated read time for it (typical whatever) was a little over 4 hours so I think it is classified as a novel. It is cute, humorous, not much on the romance really… yet… but the main character – Jill Gooder is an interesting individual surrounded by people who are worth reading more about.

Jill has taken over her father’s P.I. office after his death and employs (I use that term loosely as with a downturn in their clients post change over Mrs. V works for free knitting like crazy and fighting with the office cat – a one- eyed specimen named Winky) a single receptionist. She is determined to continue the family legacy and solve any mystery thrown her way. Apparently including that of her own past.

Jill is adopted and very happy with her sister. It is not until her birth mother sends out a message requesting her presence at her death bed that things get… well… witchy.

A legacy she has yet to fully learn about, a family to acquaint herself with as well as mundane murders and problems to solve. The mystery in this story was interesting with a bit of a surprise solution. The main character has a healthy sense of humour and a stubborn streak a mile long. There is only a dash of a potential romance and a good strong mystery going on that is intriguing. The magic and the mundane characters are all quite interesting. So if you like magic, mystery all wrapped in a very British package this could be a series for you! 

6 years old… where has the time gone? My wee bionic baby is now 6 years old!! (for more on the journey that was her heart surgery go HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE) Since she is now a self proclaimed BIG GIRL she was in charge of planning out her wish list for things to do.

First of all, Wednesday before she joined us for shopping at Sam’s Club so she could pick out her very own birthday outfit. She settled on an adorable dress that cost me less than 6.00! Score! Then on Friday we went all the way to Target so she could pick out her own cake, candles, and icing for Daddy to write on the cake with… Pokemon, pink and white and pink.

Sign by Trinity

Her requests were pretty simple… but first she had to FaceTime with Nana and Baba and open her present from them and THEN talk to Grandma on the phone.

Next was the all important task of going to Toys’r’us to get the one thing Echo has been asking for for almost a whole year – her very own 18 inch doll. With 12 options it was a VERY serious decision!

After that was accomplished it was off to McDonald’s. Specifically one with a PLAY AREA. Ken and I had forgotten how loud those places are! She was so pleased. (we made sure to pack socks)

THEN it was off to the pool… which turned out to be closed for filtration issues… so we brainstormed with our homeschool buddies who were joining us and headed over to our favourite beach for presents, playing and general fun stuff.

Our  evening was topped off with a visit from our friend Anthony, Chinese for dinner… CAKE of course…

And a most awesome costume gift!

Batman Girl with BATTLE SWORD

Playing VIDEO GAMES

I think we did good. She snuck into our closet at bedtime with her sword and her doll under the very blanket she was given post surgery. Happy Birthday little darling!

Ok so right off the bat… random Amazon freebie… story line interesting, characters endearing, romance (naturally)… slight smut warning. Ok – maybe not slight. More like, it catches you towards the end of the story. They are loving and sweet but… DESCRIPTIVE. I do believe you can skim and skip. BUT if this makes you uncomfortable or turns you off a story. I am warning you now. Sexual activities will ensue!

And with that… onto the rest of the review!

Bittersweet is a contemporary romance novel by Noelle Adams. There are a few underlying themes… grief, healing, finding a new love. Main character Zoe starts the story many years before her current situation where she is friends with Adam, a somewhat awkward but highly intelligent man. She is then introduced (by him) to his cousin Josh and falls in love. Fast forward years to the present where she has married and been widowed after Josh falls ill. Leaving her with a young son (Logan) and a rather distanced relationship with Adam.

Much of this story is dealing with Zoe’s grief process and her letting go of things… Josh’s possessions that do not harbor close emotional ties, their home that really is not suitable for her new situation. Learning to move on and to still be strong enough to be a mother and deal with Josh’s legacy.

Bittersweet is a gentle romantic and emotional ride. I wouldn’t say the feelings that progress are a surprise, rather a comfortable story with some ups and downs but a lot of love, some laughter and a few tears.

I personally enjoyed this book (well I did skip and skim the hot and heavy bits). BUT if sexual content makes you uncomfortable this may not be the book for you. On the other side it did feel like an honest telling of the story of a woman who has to figure out how to move on after being devastated by her spouse’s death (granted she DOES have a bit more… money and such than most). The characters are sweet and broken, the romance a nice pace and the ending quite satisfying. Definitely worth it if you enjoy these sorts of books.