A bewitched prison. A brother with a deadly request. Can a magical baker launch a jailbreak and still keep her prince in the process? Imogen’s magical bakery is thriving and she loves the company of the Water Kingdom’s dashing prince. But she’s not so enamored with the time she’s forced to spend with his awful Royal Family. She also can’t help but worry that the increased media scrutiny could … scrutiny could reveal her secret contact with the Royal Family’s sworn enemy: her own brother.
When her sibling shows up and demands Imogen spring his cronies out of jail, she flat out refuses. But when he threatens to hurt the ones she loves the most, she balances her allegiance to the prince with her plan for a covert prison break. Can Imogen keep up family appearances and avoid betraying the kingdom or will her pie-in-the-sky scheme become a recipe for disaster?
Airships, Crypts & Chocolate Chips is the sixth standalone book in a clever paranormal cozy mystery series. If you like crafty witches, charming romances, and fabulous French settings, then you’ll love Erin Johnson’s enchanting adventure.
Buy Airships, Crypts & Chocolate Chips to scramble from the slammer today!
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The Spells & Caramels Cozy With Mystery series written by Erin Johnson just keeps getting better and better with the launch of the 6th book, Airships, Crypts & Chocolate Chips: A Cozy Witch Mystery, published today. I had to get the book as soon as it was available and tore through it in a few hours. What an amazing series with fantastic characters, surprises and major possibilities for the future. You know a series is on the brink of becoming something quite big when you feel that investment brewing deep inside and can’t sit still while reading a book!
In this one, Imogen learns the truth about what happened all those years ago with the Monsters invading her world, turning her into a swallow and leading to her adoption into the non-magic world. And it’s a doozy of a reveal tying in parts of Hank’s past, the royal family and the supposedly inescapable prison we’ve heard about before. From brilliant imagery to shocking partnerships, this story has it all. Johnson has delivered the best in the series with Airships, Crypts & Chocolate Chips. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book now that I’m all caught up… and if you’ve not experienced them before, you must start from the beginning. It will be very rewarding to see the growth in both the characters and the fantastic world Johnson has built with all these magic kingdoms.
This review is for the audio book.
Wow just wow. I have enjoyed all the books in this series but you could say this one’s takes the biscuit and by far is my favourite one (well until the next one comes out.) I just love the characters and especially the plot for this story line. This time you find out what plans Horace the leader of the bad lands has been planning and in a very dramatic way. I don’t normally listen to the free extract (or chapters) at the end of the book telling you about the next book but this ending had me hooked and I just had to continue. I can’t wait for the next book to be released so I can find out more as I will definitely be getting the next one.
Imogen and the royal bakers have travelled to the sky kingdom to show of there baking skills. The problem is Horace wants there talents put to a different use. One that involves breaking his lover and best friend out of very well guarded prison, one that once someone has entered they disappear. No one has seen inside the prison and no one has ever escaped. So what makes Horace think some royal bakers can or more importantly why would they break out two criminals that have already tried to kill them. Simple if they don’t he will kill everybody they have ever cared about and despite Horace being Imogen’s brother the leader of the bad lands as all ready proved he is willing to do just that to get what he wants.
I really like the narrator, she does such an excellent job with all the voices and even a few sound sound effects.
Book six in the Spells and Caramels series finds Imogen happy with her bakery duties, friends, and especially her relationship with Prince Hank. Then her brother, Horace, shows up and demands that she break into kingdom’s prison and break out two of his accomplices. If she refuses, Horace promises consequences to her friends that she can’t risk. Of course, her friends won’t allow her to go into this alone. It’s scary and dangerous, and it might bring about the end of her relationship with Hank.
This is an interesting and original book. The action is perfectly paced, and the relationships just keep improving. The writing is excellent.
The narration is near perfect. Ms. Somerville gives it her all and brings the characters to life, delivering the necessary emotions all along the way.
I highly recommend both the book and the series. It won’t leave you wanting.
I received a free code for this book from the author. While I appreciate her generosity, it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and any opinions expressed herein are my own.
This is the sixth book in the Spells and Caramels series. This is not a standalone book and ends on a cliffhanger. In order to truly appreciate all of the characters and their relationships, you should really start with the first book in this very entertaining series.
A lot happens in this book – family relations are raised and somewhat resolved, visits to prisons and Imogene becoming more in tune with her magical abilities. Plus, my favorite flame Iggy has some very humorous sarcastic asides [laughed out loud at the stress comment!] Very entertaining.
The narrator, Hannah Somerville, has been the same for the entire series. As always, she does a great job – even singing and doing sound effects. Really enjoyable narration to this light, fun series.
Nothing’s been normal for Imogen since moving to Bijou Mer and finding out she is a witch. And as much as she wants a relationship with her brother, he is a criminal. And he has a request. Well… more like a demand. Break into the most secure, notorious prison the Kingdoms has and get his girlfriend and his best friend out. Or he will kill everyone Imogen cares about, and everyone they care about too, since they’re going to help her pull this off. Everyone is understandably terrified and Imogen now has to lie to the man that she loves. And just when you think that everything’s going to be okay, BOOM! Plot twist! And wow, what an emotional ending. Fantastic. My favorite book so far!
When Horace force Imogen and her friends to help him in a dangerous mission to break into the most secure jail in all the kingdoms they don’t know if they are going to survive it? A Hidden and dark secret will be revealed and everything Imogen, Hank and their friends take for granted will change forever. The audiobook is really really great.
The adventures of Imogen (and friends) continues in this installment and what a ride! The book is filled with action, deception, danger, and even some love.
I love visiting the different kingdoms and can’t imagine what it would be like in each one. In this book, they visit the Air Kingdom and it is much like the name suggests, they are up in the air on clouds etc. If you have vertigo you don’t want to visit here often.
Imogen and Hank are officially a couple but the path to true love is never easy. Imogen has her secrets and wants to tell Hank about Horace and what happened in the Fire Kingdom (book #5) but also has a loyalty to a brother she has only come to know. I can’t imagine having to choose family over love. Of course, Hank’s father doesn’t make it very easy. He is tough and we find out how tough at the end of the book…but that is all I’m going to say there because it would spoil too much.
In book 5 we find out how Imogen and Horace became swallows and it wasn’t too big of a leap to realize how it affected Hank. I’m surprised no one put it together sooner.
We get to know some of Hank’s family members a bit better in this story and I really like his mom, the Queen, and his sister Emmaline. They are down to earth and relatable.
The story does end with a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I fell in love with both the world and the characters while reading book one and each new installment just reinforces that love with this one not being an exception. Imogen finds herself being manipulated by Horace before and during the planned tripped to the Air Kingdom. Of course all of her friends are involved (Iggy is still hilarious) and things with Hank are still experiencing bumps in the road. All of this builds into a finale that was rather explosive and full of secret tidbits. It was just great and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. If you enjoy magical cozy mysteries that will truly transport you to a new world then you really have to read this book/series. I absolutely loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
I am hooked on this series. Six books in and the author keeps things fresh and interesting. Imogene, Hank, Maple, and Sam, along with all the others, are well developed characters. They aren’t flawless characters but that’s what helps give them, and the story, so much charm. The continued world building provides more information about the magic practiced by various characters, describes scenes very well, and helps the reader develop deeper connections with the characters. I really enjoyed continuing to get to know everyone in book 6.
Airships, Crypts, and Chocolate Chips has really interesting storylines that kept me engaged – from Hank’s mentor, Imogen’s attendance at royal functions as Hank’s girlfriend, and the re-emergence of Horace. I will be honest though, I spent the first few chapters after Horace popped back up lamenting his appearance. Deep down I knew he’d be back but I was getting pretty tired of his double crossing and preying on Imogen’s emotions and sense of wanting to know her brother. Horace plays an integral part in book 6 and I’m glad I didn’t let him sway whether or not I read/finished the book.
The development of the mystery was two-fold in this book and both were steady and unfolded smoothly. One storyline concerns Hank and the other storyline concerns Horace’s plan to spring horrible people out of the highly protected prison system. I enjoyed how the author took different themes and, even though they seemed vastly different, was able to weave them through the book and join them in a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to the book.
Imogen’s character is fun and caring with a bit of emotional baggage making her a very realistic, likable, and interesting character. She has embraced the magic she was born into and she’s continually trying to harness and use the magic. I’m intrigued by her past, and we learn more about in this installment of the series. Imogene and Maple are wonderful and I love their friendship. I love the dynamics between Imogene and Hank. Iggy the flame is the best! He’s mouthy but Iggy and Imogen have a great relationship. After the events of book 6 it will be quite interesting to see where the author takes everyone in the next book. I can’t wait!
I love this series.
In the course of researching more information about their magic powers, Hank and Imogen discover a skeleton – Hank’s former mentor that he thought had just abandoned him long ago. As they investigate, Imogen’s brother Horace shows up with a terrible plan that he wants implemented at the Air Kingdom’s maximum security prison – and he will kill everyone dear to the bakers if they don’t assist him.
After all the anti-climatic relationship drama in the last book, I wasn’t sure how this newest release would stack up – but I’m happy to say the author pulled it off, although in a different way. This one seemed to be more focused on mystery in addition to drama with Imogen’s brother Horace. Is he good or bad? The jury is still out on that one! I like how the author has taken us to different kingdoms as the backdrop to the books – this time the Air Kingdom – and shared her imagination with lush descriptions of what that would look like! Just a wonderful, magical entertaining read.
Note: I did receive an ARC of this book from the author, but my review is absolutely voluntary.
This is such a fun and cute series, and it has really surprised me with its depth in the past two books… Imogen the Baker is a delight. She is spunky and curious and genuine and would do anything for the family she’s made for herself – and possibly even for the only biological family she’s discovered she has. In this latest installment, she finds herself organizing a prison break-in and break-out at the “request” of Horace, the brother she never knew she had. The hijinks are, as always, thick on the ground – or in the air, as the case may be. This time the team finds themselves in the Air Kingdom, and it proves to be as creative and marvelous a setting as the Water and Fire Kingdoms before it. Imogen’s plan to sneak into the ultra-secretive Carclaustra Prison is silly and brilliant in equal measure, like all the best heist plans, and its execution goes along with the requisite number of unexpected hitches, glitches, and witches that readers have come to expect from this delectable series.
I know you’re probably wondering at my “depth” comment in the opening line, given that my review so far has been pretty fluffy and focused on words like “hijinks” and “fun”. The series is those things, and they make the reading enjoyable and easy-going. But the books also explore issues like family (those we are born to and those we make for ourselves), politics and government, power struggles, relationship secrets and difficulties and family dynamics – and they do so in ways that never cease to impress me with their ability to address complex emotional and political situations in ways that are thorough and meaningful yet never mess with the pacing or readability of an otherwise cozy romantic paranormal series. That’s no small accomplishment, and Erin Johnson deserves much credit for it.
This series was originally supposed to have five books. Well, this is book six, and from the ending there’s clearly more to come. Marvelous, I say, and bring it on!
My review copy was generously provided by the author. I’ve been a part of her review team since the first book, and can’t tell you how fun a trip it’s been! The latest book releases on Kindle/in ebook format on June 23. The paperback is available now!
AMAZING! This books answers so so so so many questions I’ve been waiting for! I love how each character discovers themselves, and their own way a little more in each installment. The tight nit bakers are inspiring and hilarious. This book really brings to light why it’s so important not to learn everything about every character in book one. Erin has created a wonderful magical world and I can’t wait to see how Imogen and the gang try and tackle their next adventure.