When Delaney Fox made up her mind to attend a session at The Tilted Plume Writers’ Retreat in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, she had no idea how winding and treacherous the road was going to be. Eerily, none of the other students showed up. And perhaps Delaney should have stayed home, too. After all, she was five months pregnant.Mavis Beasom, a renowned romance writer, enjoyed the life of a hermit … of a hermit at her glorious but isolated retreat. She was a towering and formidable woman nearing sixty, and she was certainly not one to mince words. She made no attempt to hide her black cape with the pointed hood.
Delaney wasn’t interested in writing romance novels. She wanted to become a terrific author of thrillers. She had even brought along her unpublished novel in hopes of getting some advice.
Mavis soon made it clear that she had another agenda besides teaching her student to write. She had lured Delaney to The Tilted Plume to be the thirteenth member of her own coven for an imminent celebration of the spring equinox.
To insure Delaney’s participation, Mavis locked the heavy front cattle gate to her wilderness property. She also refused access to her landline, which was the only means of communication with the outside world.
Once Upon An Equinox is the prequel novella of a trilogy in the Mystic California Cozies series. Each book can be read as a stand alone, however, the stories will be enjoyed more if read in sequence. The mystery in each story is solved by the final page. There is no unsettling cliffhanger at the end of each book, but one little thread is left unraveled and is woven into the next tale. Books Two and Three are currently being edited and will be published in the autumn of 2019.
Enjoy!
more
Delaney is all set to head to a writer’s retreat with who she thinks will be a fabulous writing coach, but when she arrives and her mentor begins acting strangely, Delaney second-guesses her decision. This may not be the writing retreat she hoped for!
I found this book to be an okay read. The prose is light and easy to get through for the most part and the characters are fairly likable, though I often groaned at some of the silly decisions Delaney made!
The story seemed like a mash-up of several genres as the story rolled along. It begins quite innocuous then the paranormal enters the plot. This aspect, however, quickly gets wrapped up and we’re on to a crime-type story.
At times I found the dialogue to be a bit wooden. I also had a difficult time determining the year the story was set in. I assumed it was modern times but they talked about long-distance call charges which suggested another era.
I thought the book ending left a little to be desired. Given that the story continued after the paranormal elements were left behind, I assumed the crime story that grew from it would be wrapped up, but it was not. The story continues after the paranormal events with the manhunt but ends before the manhunt is finished!
I thought the story had great potential, it was unique and interesting. A few things made it awkward, but it was an enjoyable read overall.
Once Upon An Equinox: A Dark Paranormal Cozy Mystery Novella by Dovie Ruth
5-Stars
Once Upon An Equinox by Dovie Ruth was a cozy and mysterious read. It featured a young pregnant woman, Delaney Fox, as the main character. Delaney is excited to attend a writing retreat as a last personal trip before giving birth to her son. The excitement dims as she makes her way to the location of the retreat, and even more so when the famous author starts acting strangely. Things don’t add up and she fears for her life when she tries to leave but she is locked in.
This book was interesting and creative. I loved how involved the main character was in solving the mystery that presented itself after her failed escape. This book was a quick and easy read. I highly recommend it. Delaney was a fun character!
Once Upon An Equinox: A Dark Paranormal Cozy Mystery Novella by Dovie Ruth.
When Delaney Fox made up her mind to attend a session at The Tilted Plume Writers’ Retreat in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, she had no idea how winding and treacherous the road was going to be. Eerily, none of the other students showed up. And perhaps Delaney should have stayed home, too. After all, she was five months pregnant.
A very good read. Good story. 4*.
“The Tilted Plume is a poor excuse for a writers’ retreat. Mavis might be a famous author, but she has no idea how to teach writing.”
Ruth has an interesting premise for a mystery. A secluded writers’ retreat with a reclusive writer. Delaney has been looking forward to this opportunity to hone her writing skills for weeks. On arrival she finds its not quite what she expected. Mavis Beasom doesn’t seem as interested in teaching the workshop as she should be; something just isn’t right!
But maybe it will all look brighter in the morning, when the other writers arrive.
Unfortunately, that’s when it all gets worse.
A good, quick read with some enticing twists and turns.
I couldn’t put the book down. Delaney, pregnant with her first child, stuck in a cabin for a writing retreat with what seems to be a strange, evil witch…literally…an evil witch. She’s afraid for her unborn son and herself. I was sucked into it too, hinged on each word, so afraid for Delaney. I didn’t trust anyone, even the people that it turns out could be trusted! I was really invested in the story!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Deception begins this tale while Delaney only wants points on how to write her novel. She gets so much more than she bargained for. This book is an awesome witchy cozy that has more books to come! Yay! Bring them!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.