With a first name like Halloween how can you grow up to be anything but an amazing witch? Well Halloween LaVeau managed it. A witch, yes, the best, not so much. Living in Enchantment Pointe (don’t you just love the name?) in a lovely old mansion she inherited from her aunt there is an attic to conquer and a bed and breakfast to run. A seriously seasonally appropriate book for my Halloween spirit. Forever Charmed is the first in the Halloween LaVeau series by Rose Pressey. Pressey has multiple supernatural series out for the read. I have read several of hers and fallen in love instantly. This book is no exception.

Halloween comes from a long line of strong witches… until she came along that is. Her best friend is a non magical named Annabelle who is well aware of Halloween’s heritage. I love the names of the characters in this story… Halloween, Annabelle, Nicolas Marcos, Liam Rankin, Isabeau…

With one man appearing in gorgeous perfecting during a a stormy night and another hunk at the light of day what’s a girl to do? Well trying out random spells from a book that only gives an English translation when it wants to of course.

One of my favourite lines is in regards to the vampire (nope not telling who)… when asked when he was turned:

It was around the Civil War. I just got caught up with the wrong crowd. We don’t need to discuss me right now.

With two excessively attractive men lurking around and ghosts and spells and witches and all, what more can you ask for but a mystery connected to a spell book? A coven that doesn’t appreciate 

Hallie’s efforts (perhaps because every time she does a spell it fails and someone else in the area has a spell mess up to?), a mother who is determined to support her daughter while reminding her of a rather major past error. There is comedy, romance, adventure, mystery and even the hint of murder. What more can you ask for with a suitably supernatural novel the night before Halloween??

This Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery by Rose Pressey is the first in a new series. Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel focuses on Raelynn Pendleton. A recent divorcee she is attempting to fit in in a small town full of seemingly small minds for the most part. Being divorced is definitely not seen with favour. Raelynn lives in a boarding house with one small room and works at the local equivalent of a grocery store. When she unexpectedly inherits a Victorian home with the death of a regular customer and somewhat friend. With a little TLC and some trash to treasure make overs (instructions included in the story!) she is well on her way to a home and a business… a hotel!

How else can a girl with little to no experience make a living and still manage to support such a large and potentially beautiful home? (be it ever so dated… for now). With a murder in the backyard, a cranky neighbour, a town against her and a hot sheriff in her sights, Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel has Raelynn hopping! There is romance, a cozy mystery and instructions on how you too can create treasures out of trash. Definitely a fun first in a series.

But here’s the minor criticisms… I do have to admit I would have loved a bit more storyline with the sheriff. I was confused about how at one point she met him WITH her ex but at another he says he lost her TO her ex BUT there is enough going on to keep my interest. Definitely not a town I would personally want to visit or live in when you figure in how instantly the town turned against anyone new… or remotely new for that matter.

The main character is off in fantasy world every time the sheriff walks in the room (which was not frequently enough for my liking within the storyline and relationship progression). The flavour of the author is there but this is definitely not my favourite first in a series of hers. So if you can’t quite get into this one do try her other books! Her author site is right HERE. Good luck!

Exchange Abraham Lincoln (Me and My Ghoulfriends) with the amazing Mae West and you have the beginnings of the second in the Larue Donavan series – Ghouls Night Out. Larue runs a bookstore by day and is a psychic medium ghost hunter at night. With the ability to speak to the dead she always has a few hangers on. This time the indomitable Mae West and her potential boyfriend’s grandfather are a part of the grouping. 

Still reeling from the previous story’s black magic, spells and handsome man Larue is thrown back into everything with an offer the position of Coven leader, the cousin of her previous tormentor in town and a spooky black figure to contend with. The new man in town seems to have cast some sort of spell over her bestfriend and her boyfriend has grown cold over night. Add in a ghostly touch from a dead admirer who loves to flirt and a town full of secrets and witches and regular everyday busy bodies and Larue has her hands full.

This light hearted paranormal mystery with a touch of romance is a fun read. A great sequel to the first, Ghouls Night Out by Rose Pressey is a wonderful addition to a cozy ghost loving collector! 

Ghouls Night Out