A magical sleigh ride. A mysterious detour. Will her holiday be marked by garlands or gravestones? Imogen feels like she’s buried under an avalanche of secrets. Caught up in puzzling out her mysterious origins and her confusing emotions for Prince Hank, she hopes a magical holiday retreat with friends will take her mind off her troubles. But when a roadway ambush steers their sleigh off course, … sleigh off course, she must stay the night in a quaint little village veiled in secrets of its own…
Partying alongside her bakery friends and handsome prince at the mayor’s ball, Imogen finally pushes aside her uncertain visions to soak in the holiday spirit. But the merriment comes to an abrupt halt after a dead body floats to the surface of a cauldron of punch.
When the angry townsfolk point their pitchforks at her friend, Imogen must shovel through layers of mysteries to find the real killer before innocent blood runs cold.
Cookie Dough, Snow & Wands Aglow is the fourth book in the Spells & Caramels paranormal cozy mystery series. If you like enchanted friendships, a sprinkling of romance, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love Erin Johnson’s snow-dusted whodunit.
Buy Cookie Dough, Snow & Wands Aglow to solve a fun-filled, festive mystery today!
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I’ve become such a fan of the Spells & Caramels cozy mystery series by Erin Johnson and just finished reading the fourth book, Cookie Dough, Snow & Wands Aglow. If you’ve never read the series, it’s important to start from the beginning, but they are light-and-easy, so you should be able to devour each in about three hours. In this edition, Imogen learns important secrets about her family and where she really comes from, but that’s only part of the story. She and the rest of the royal baking team, and her crush, Hank (yes, he’s the prince about to marry someone else!), are trudging through the snowy weather to help promote the many talents in their kingdom, but when Horace, leader of the Badlands Army, stops them, everything begins to go foul! In the little town they find themselves visiting for a few days, everything is turned upside down when someone is murdered in a very specific way — and it can only lead to 1 possible killer who has that ability!
There are a lot of cozy mysteries in the market these days, and it’s important to find a few that add in more than just the mystery. Johnson weaves romance, magic, and baking into this wonderful creation, providing a variety of avenues for readers to explore and happily latch themselves to. Between shifters, vampires, and swallows, you’ve got an immense amount of interesting magical dilemmas and cultural topics that help carry the story. It’s Johnson’s ability to dazzle readers with all the details to truly build the setting and backdrop, and that’s where we find ourselves thirsting for more and more hints and glimpses into this magical world. Throw in a bit of saucy humor, sarcastic worldly creatures, and the potential for a very big disaster to happen when the good versus evil war truly heats up… and you’ve got a winner!
I can’t wait to start reading the fifth book when it comes out in April! Kudos to Erin Johnson for a fantastic imagination and incredibly strong cast of characters in the world of the Earth Kingdom.
This review is for the audio book.
I really enjoyed this book and think it is another great story to add to a brilliant and humours series. I think the characters are so much fun and there is always a chuckle to be found somewhere as well as a very good mystery, that everybody helps to solve.
The Royal baker team are on the way to London when they have to take an unexpected diversion to a small charming town but things are not what they seem. Imogen starts to find burnt down building that know body else can see and things have a strange habit of glowing. Stuck in the town they have no choice but to stay and attend the Mayor ball with there quaint traditions. When a man dies in one of the party games the town folk start to look at the new visitor in tow. Then another man is killed and a building is set and fire and the villages start to form a mob carrying pitch forks. Can Imogen prove they are not to blame? Will they discover why things are glowing and why Horace (the leader of the Bad Lands) diverted them to the town in the first place?
I really like the narrator as she make each character fun.
It’s time for the Bijou Meritians to celebrate their Christmas Holiday – Bruma. Things go wrong almost immediately as they run into monster vine in their path and Horace. The leader of the Badlands Army… and the man who tried to kidnap Imogen a few months before. Diverted from their trek to London into a small hamlet of Wee Ferngroveshire. A town with many secrets. Secrets that may link back to Imogen’s past. While there are a couple of murders to solve, Imogen finds out things about vampires, secret societies and Monster’s Rise. This book seemed like a turning point in the series. Where the focus was not as much on Imogen solving the murders, but more that she was investigating them while really digging into her own past. I loved how it was all wrapped together – like a present! It was, so far, the best book in the series. The secrets revealed in this installment were not what I suspected and I loved the twists they provided. So happy I was referred to this series by a friend!
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
This is the fourth book in the Spells & Caramels series. It is a standalone book with no cliffhanger ending. However, if you are considering starting the series with this book, I would urge you to start with the first book (Seashells, Spells and Caramels). Starting at the beginning will allow you to learn all about Imogen’s progression and her history (and the other characters as well). Plus, it’s just such a fun and unique cozy series that you shouldn’t miss out. As a side note, if you are determined to start here, there are references to events which occurred in the other books and the author kindly provides quick summaries to catch you up.
I have become a big fan of this series. I have enjoyed seeing Imogen grow from an unsure and lonely woman to a more confident and loved woman – with a few issues still rearing their ugly heads. These books, for me, have become more about the friendships and interactions between the characters. I really enjoy spending time with them on each of their adventures. Plus, there’s lots of good humor – worthy of a chuckle or two.
eally enjoy the blend of paranormal elements and cozy . The winter holiday they celebrate was fun. The mystery was a good one but, most of all, there are some great revelations in this book. I can’t wait to see how those events impact the rest of the series.
The narrator, Hannah Somerville, is the same for all the books. She has a bright, friendly voice which is perfect for this series. She does provide different voices for all the characters.
This was a sugar and snow filled continuation to the Spells & Caramels series! Imogen and her friends are on their way to the Earth Kingdom for Bruma, a celebration of the winter solstice, but they’re forced to take a detour to a perfect snowy town when Horace shows up. Things don’t seem perfect or right to Imogen, but she’s the only one who sees memorials, burned out buildings, and other strange things in the town. People are being murdered after they arrive and once again, they must solve the murders to save an innocent friend. I love the friendship and bond that Imogen, Hank, and their friends have and Erin always makes me feel like I’m on the adventures with them. Things are getting tricky for her and Hank romantically since he’s still engaged to someone else and there’s little to no baking in this book. Imogen continues to uncover secrets of her biological family’s past and there’s a plot twist within the middle of this series which actually clears up some past events in the previous books.
Hannah does another fantastic job with this narration! Her voice is nice and easy to listen to and I love the accents and different voices that she uses for each character. She knows how to keep you hanging on the edge of your seat and enhances the mystery and suspense with her performance.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
While traveling to the Earth kingdom for winter holidays. Imogen and her friends are forced to make a detour to a too perfect rural village. Can they solve the mysterious murders without been in danger themselves? Imogen will finally discover the truth from her past, but will this truth really help her? The audiobook is awesome
These books just keep getting better and better! For this installment Imogen and her crew are traveling to London for the holidays when they are attacked by the evil Horace. He blocks their path sending them to a village hidden out of the way that is just full of surprises, intrigue, and murder. While solving some murders Imogen learns things about herself that she never could have dreamed of. This is an awesome blend of magic and mystery that had incredible world building thanks to some excellent writing. If you enjoy being transported to a fantasy and for a while you really have to try this series. I loved every minute of it so I give it 5/5 stars.
This has to be my favorite book so far in the series. Maybe because I have a soft spot for Imogen, or maybe because my most perplexing questions finally have answers that lead to better questions! But I’m sure it’s in the magical way Erin has with words because this story comes together perfectly within the Spells & Caramels series. I am an avid cozy mystery reader and something that Erin does that usually drives me crazy about other series is that trouble doesn’t “follow” Imogen and her crew in the same “you’re a walking bad omen” kind of way. They just happen to have an eye for putting together the pieces in other peoples issues, as their own story progresses. The mysteries they stumble into always relate to the larger overarching story as well. I can’t wait for book 5! I have so many questions that need answers!