From bestselling author Patricia Rice, another romantic mystery from the peculiar town of Hillvale, CA. . .A chef who brews magic challenges a mayor with secretsAfter a childhood of being tossed from foster homes for claiming she can detect liars by their scent, Fiona Malcolm McDonald does her best to conceal her secret these days. But when she sniffs a wrongdoer and drives him off with jalapeño … sniffs a wrongdoer and drives him off with jalapeño cheesecake, she loses still another cooking job and is homeless again. She places her last hope on her mentor in Hillvale, a town as weird as she is.
Mayor Monty Kennedy has a secret too. He owns most of Hillvale but hasn’t the cash to repair the only empty cabin. Still, even in his desperation, he refuses to repeat his father’s sins by throwing people out of their jobs and houses just so he can have his own space.
Before either of them can find a solid roof for their heads, Fiona’s mentor dies—and it isn’t accidental. Determined to discover who wanted a good woman dead, Fiona camps out in Monty’s cabin, setting her on a collision course with the mayor—and a killer. With the secret help of the town’s spiritualists, Monty and Fiona must cooperate to solve a puzzle with only a dog, a ghost, and a seemingly useless key as clues to stop a murderous gang who stink of corruption.
If they survive, perhaps a hot chef and a cool mayor might learn to share a roof.
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Fiona (Fee) Malcolm McDonald rides into Hillvale late one night on her bicycle with an adorable little dog in the basket. She may be homeless, but not helpless, as she has a special ability with smells and odors, and loves to feed people appropriately. She snags the attention of Monty Kennedy, mayor of Hillvale, and could easily be swept away by his protectiveness and the acceptance of the town’s inhabitants. There is a murder and a mystery and more than a bit of mayhem in this story and I enjoyed reading it and learning more about the talents of the people of the town.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
This is a fun series. I enjoyed revisiting with the unique inhabitants of Hillvale, who have stayed in character as the series progresses.
As other reviewers have gone into the plot, I’ll summarize my thoughts: quality writing, interesting characters and good entertainment.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Azure Secrets (Crystal Magic Book 5)
This is a charming romance story with a paranormal twist. Characters from previous books in this series make an appearance, but the majority of the focus is on Fiona and Monty and their journey to living Happy Ever After. This can be read as a stand alone book, but with the number of characters that reside in and around Hillvale, I believe you get more out of these books if you read them in order. Overall a nice read. 4 stars.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.