There’s No Fury Like A Witch ScornedCascade Lorne is a brand-new witch at fifty. Unlike most witches in the town of Crystal Springs, her crazy-powerful abilities are dangerous – and everyone in town knows it. So when the town womanizer washes up dead in a bone-dry room, Cas is included on the list of most likely supernatural suspects. If a killer on the loose isn’t enough to deal with, Cascade’s … isn’t enough to deal with, Cascade’s power is threatening to go supernova, the hot guy she’s dating is being super-secretive, her cat-guardian is disappearing on all-night benders, and tempers are flaring bright between shifter and witch citizens.
Crystal Springs is on the verge of erupting. Will Cas survive the rising white-hot flames or be set ablaze by a relentless killer on a mission?
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At 50, what female raised among humans would expect that the cutsey habit of calling hot flashes “power surges” could really turn out to be a literal thing? Poor Cas.
Dealing with her own gigantic powers, as well as some extreme turmoil in witch / shifter relations, leaves her very hot, vulnerable, and targeted by special interests groups.
Charming Graham seems to be too stereotypical, even if he is distracted by trying to help his friends, he clearly has not made Cas a priority. He seems bigoted, pre-occupied, and not really worth her time as a beau. Honestly what is wrong with good looking males of any species not spending time on a date focused on that date? If he is too busy focusing on “important “ things and people maybe he should be spending time with them, and Cas could spend time with folks actually interested in making time for her.
Being caught at the short end of the broom seems to be leaving Cas as a big target with unreliable skills to protect herself- and limited skills to protect other from her.
A continuing bumpy road to whatever is next for Cas!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout. I bought it on Kindle. I bought or borrowed most recent books from these authors on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Looking back at 50 myself, this is a great inspiration for us older folks. Sure, I know witchcraft magic is not real but this story shares how life changes but does not necessarily end after age 50. This is a great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cas finds her powers overwhelming and she hasn’t learned to control them yet. The Council is too busy with election activities to assign her a mentor. Between hot politics, hot powers, and hot flashes, finding answers to troubling new developments, Cas may even find her life in danger. A Witch Too Hot was very enjoyable and I recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As a woman of a certain age, I love that the heroine of this book is a fifty-something, with all that that entails and so much more! Cas has recently discovered that she has magical powers, but she has no idea how to use or control them. Some of her friends in their mixed-magic community are helping a little when they can, but her magic doesn’t act or react as anyone expects. The council hasn’t been able to give her a mentor because of an important election that they are in the midst of. When one of Cas’ neighbors is found dead, she becomes a suspect. She also has a romantic interest and wants to run for siren (that election I talked about). To say that Cas has a full plate is an understatement. Her talking cat, Echo, is meant to be her guardian, but he spends a lot of time away.
As you can tell, this is a busy book! In fact, I think it is a little too busy. The murder doesn’t happen until the 30% mark, which doesn’t give a lot of time to develop the intricate subplots necessary for a good cozy. A lot of time is spent on the political aspect of the story, which is an intriguing look at the politics of race and disenfranchisement. The book is actually well written and engaging, as I was drawn right into Cas’ world and all the things that were upsetting her figurative applecart; I just thought that too much was going on that didn’t have to deal directly with the mystery or Cas herself.
Cascade Lorne was dripping wet and felt like she would self-combust soon! The A/C repair man had told her not to lower the temperature below 66 degrees, but she couldn’t stop sweating. At 50, she has discovered she is a powerful witch. Does she now have to suffer through hormone-induced hot flashes too? As she starts to go outside, her door chimes and she makes her way back to the front door. Her shifter neighbor, Graham Noble, stepped inside and immediately asked about the heat! She was relieved he felt it too! But he thought it had something to do with her powers and she was the one over-heating the house.
A loud crash and grumbling at the back door made Cas laugh as her cat, Echo, came through the new cat door. He agreed with Graham about her extreme temperature, adding that her metabolism may be in overdrive trying to control her magic and not knowing how, in which case she could internally combust! Her succubus neighbor, Mr. Percy, had offered to feed off of her, draining her excess energy until someone can teach her how to control it. But she shuddered at the idea. When she finally agreed in desperation, it seemed to work for her, although she would like have to repeat this periodically at some point. Ewww.
When Cas checked a website to find out about one of the siren candidates she read of in the news, Desi Dewman, the man himself arrived at her door because she clicked on the computer screen. He took her to Mudtown to meet Primo as a possible mentor, but Cas ruined the man’s mud pit and they had to leave.
Graham got tied up at work, so he was meeting Cas at the Fall Fling. She asked Echo to go with her to the old ski lodge where the party would be held. When Graham showed up, a woman was with him, supposedly just the sister of his old friend Ray Feldspar, but Cas was still a bit jealous. They danced until they heard a crash and saw Ray and Sheriff Lloyd in a fight. Graham took Ray and his sister outside while Cas looked for a ladies’ room, finally going up to the second floor to find one. Then she decided to explore the upstairs since it was deserted. As she headed back to the staircase, she stepped in a puddle of water on the floor with no obvious source of a leak until she spotted water running from a closed door. She tried to push it open and found Desi Dewman’s dead body in the dry musty storeroom!
Cas sat with Graham, waiting for Sheriff Lloyd and a few other officers to finish their examination of Desi Dewman. She wondered if the sobbing Auburn Moss, Desi’s lead real estate agent, might be the woman Desi had told her he was meeting? The Sheriff came downstairs and told them Desi had drowned in a dry room; obviously, the work of a water witch. Then he pointedly asked if that was Cas’ element – and strongly suggested she may have committed the murder being upstairs alone with Desi! How can she defend herself? Can she find the real murderer and remove the suspicion the Sheriff dumped on her? Or will she now become the next target of the vicious killer?
This was a fun book with crazy characters that didn’t always act as the reader would expect. It was nice getting to know some of them; and some of them not so nice! But the reader will enjoy the humor interspersed in the story line; and there is definitely enough action going on to keep the reader intrigued. Grab your copy and find out who murdered Desi and why!
At the young old age of 50, Cascade discovers she is a witch – now she must learn to control her powers. Throw in a dead body, a mystery, some romance, politics, and race relations and you have an awesome book! THis was the first book in the series that I read and I did not feel lost as there was plenty of information given throughout the story. I will, however, go read the first one in the series as I want to know what exactly happened.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the second book in the Crystal Springs Cozy Witch Mystery series and I enjoyed it so much I went back and read the first one. Imagine learning you have a super power when you’re 50 but not how to control it or keep the energy build up from killing you and everyone around you. Then, imagine you’re a suspect in a murder because you can’t control that power. It’s an interesting premise that also includes magic and mortals in the same town. Throw in politics and race relations and you have an explosive situation that main character Cas never imagined when she was wishing she was a witch so many years ago. I look forward to the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story continues. A woman suddenly in possession, but not fully in control of, great supernatural powers, Cascade finds herself entangled in local politics, and her love affair has taken a cloudy aspect. Echo, the talking cat is just as ornery and independent as ever. And Cascade must solve a murder mystery to clear her name and learn to control her new-found powers.
If you’re new to the series, there is enough recap in this volume to give you the background – But I’d highly recommend starting at the beginning of the series, just because it’s such a delight to read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed reading A Witch Too Hot. Cascade comes off as a very real woman with real woman thoughts about herself and the man in her life. Mix that with the supernatural components and a murder mystery that needs to be solved, and you have a great story that keeps the reader engaged. I found myself laughing out loud during many moments as Cascade tries to discover and tame the witch in her and comes into her own as a part of the supernatural/paranormal community. I also enjoyed the magical action scenes and the other characters that Cas has to deal with in her day-to-day. I truly like that in this book, Paula Lester broaches the subject of diversity in a way that takes out the politics and other things that cloud our view. She has us looking at beings, human and otherwise, as all having a stake in life and all deserving to be treated fairly and not as a less than anything or anyone else.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.