A magical French island. A dead contestant. An aspiring baker must clear her name before she gets burned. Imogen Banks has dreamed her entire life of opening her own bakery in Seattle. But when she accidentally sets fire to her apartment and loses all her possessions, her dreams get toasted. Still coping with her loss, she receives a cryptic invitation she can’t possibly refuse: entry into a … refuse: entry into a mysterious baking competition on a beautiful French island.
When Imogen realizes the island village is magical and the bake-off’s participants are witches and wizards, she’s not sure her fledgling powers will be enough to win the coveted contest. In the midst of trying to cast her very first spell, a competitor drops dead and Imogen finds the psychic judges’ mystical fingers all pointing at her. Can Imogen unlock her own magic and stop the killer from coming back for seconds or will she jump straight from the frying pan and into the fire?
Seashells, Spells & Caramels is the first book in a charming paranormal cozy mystery series. If you like funny heroines, mysterious magical communities, and quirky conspiracies, then you’ll love Erin Johnson’s perfectly witchy recipe.
Buy Seashells, Spells & Caramels to sink your teeth into a fresh magical mystery today!
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Imogen Banks has been wanting to open her own bakery. She gets a cryptic invitation to enter into the Royal Bakery contest, which she does. She loses all of her possessions and her dream goes down in flames as her apartment goes up in flames. Yes, she accidentally started the fire. She gets a cryptic invitation
Imogen makes it to France and the over to the Mur and she realizes things are a bit different. The village is magical and everyone around are witches and wizards. She learns he is a witch as well since she is adopted she never knew. Can she stay in the bake off and find out why everyone is drying around here?
I loved reading this book. Iggy has to be my favorite character. I love Imogen, of course Maple her BFF and we have Hank as well. Once I started reading I could not put the book down and the pages were not flying by fast enough. The author has done an excellent job with the plot so much, the reader will feel like they are in the book with you. Imogen slowly learns from her mistakes and everyone around here is lovely.
I will be continuing this series it is that good.
If you’re looking for light and humorous with a romantic flair, look no further. Seashells, Spells & Caramels delivers on all three. You’ll feel like you’re basking in front of a blazing fire on a cold night with your warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and your favorite bedtime story. I grinned and chuckled and oohed and aahed as Imogen dashed in and out of trouble with dreamy Hank and supportive Maple and a whole cast of lovable characters. And if you love food or baking, picture the Great British Baking Show and they’ve just yelled, On your marks, get set, Bake! The book is full of delicious food, exciting adventures, and lots of magic (the title does include the word Spells), and I was sorry when it ended. My only complaint is where are the seashells and caramels?
A fantastic plot! With lots of magical elements including witches, royalty, shifters, and a new twist magical baking! From an ordinary life, to an accidental fire, that destroys everything she owns, to a magical baking contest, in a magical kingdom,, everything she thought was true isn’t; is she a witch? There is a lot of drama, mystery, murder, danger, and a contest to see who is the best baker! New friends are made, killers are exposed, and the one she loves is to marry enough, other than that all is well. Loved it!
4 out of 5 stars to Seashells, Spells & Caramels, the first in a cozy mystery series set to be published on October 29th, 2017 and written by Erin Johnson.
Why This Book
My reading interests are fairly diverse; I often need a balance an intense thriller with a lighthearted cozy mystery, or a direct and clear biography with a lyrical historical fiction book. My head has its limits. When the author reached out to me offering an opportunity to read her novel, I said ‘yes’ for two reasons: (1) I am low on cozy mysteries readily available from my TBR and (2) she’s a new author, like me. The premise, a cross between a Harry Potter wizarding world and Hannah Swensen’s wonderful dessert world, intrigued me. It was time for something new and the story said ‘pick me tonight,’ so I did. And I’m quite glad, so let me get right into the review…
Plot, Characters & Setting
Imogen’s life is a bit of a mess, mostly because her boss is sarcastic and awful. When she steps up to help cater the woman’s wedding rehearsal dinner, Imogen finally gets a bit of kudos but also realizes something weird is happening around her when she bakes. Her luck improves for just one night when a guest at the dinner convinces Imogen to enter a secret baking contest which will hopefully earn her a chance to get the money to open her own bakery. She submits her entry, falls asleep at the kitchen counter and wakes up to a disaster happening all around her. The only good thing after she loses everything of importance to her is she’s been selected to participate in the final round of the contest. After she finally locates the place in a remote island off the European shores, she learns there really is a world of magic; now she needs to find out where she belongs in it. One by one, she competes against other bakers, learning all about her new world, until another participant in the contest is murdered. There’s foul afoot in her new magic world and she’s desperate to avoid getting caught up in the problem, as she just wants to win the prize or find a way to get home and open her own bakery. But she begins to develop friendships and care about the future of the world she’s come to know.
Approach & Style
I read the 286 page book on my iPad through Kindle Reader. There are 28 chapters, each one around 10 pages. It’s told in first-person point of view with the perspective always on Imogen, the main character. It’s the first in a series with at least three already written and coming available soon. I read it over three nights in about four hours in total. The writing style is simple and clean, offering good imagery and world-building.
Key Thoughts
I really enjoyed the concept of the story; it has been done before on some levels, but it’s also handled in a different manner in this book. Imogen accepts she’s a witch, doesn’t try to complain or research so she learns everything at once. A lot is still a mystery at the end of the book, e.g. who were her parents, what magic does she possess, how do people not know witches exist, where is the line between good and evil, etc. When you combing a passion for cooking desserts and a contest, it’s a win for me. I kept picturing “The Great British Baking Show” meets “The Witches” while reading the story.
For a debut, it’s strong; there are several open questions, good characters, lots of opportunity for growth without repetition and subtle humor. I felt transported to a different world for a few hours, which is always a positive reaction to a book like this one. On the flip side, I am curious to see how the author addresses many of the open items. It can’t go on for too long or we’ll worry that we have to suspend our disbelief and just accept we don’t know the rules to this magical world. But for now, I’m excited and look forward to more action.
Author & Other Similar Books
There are a bunch of cozy mysteries in the market either about witches or cooks and bakers. It’s hard to choose one, but it falls right within that niche. What’s special about this first book, and we’ll see where the others go, is the main character discovering who she is while also trying to re-build her new life. Imogen isn’t trying to be a detective or solve the case; she’s merely living her life and thinking about everything happening around her. The mystery is two-fold here: who is she in the magic world and what is happening to her fellow contestants. It reads like a fun story about someone re-inventing herself rather than someone with a penchant for trying to find killers.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I’ve only given 5-star ratings to less than 5% of my reads, which are currently over 500 books. A 4-star rating in my world means ‘it’s pretty darn good,’ and this one certainly qualifies in that category. There’s some room for improvement and growth, but it’s a very engaging and style. I recommend it to cozy mystery fans and those who enjoy reading light / creative stories about witches and magic. I am looking forward to book #2 in this series but I might pace myself so I don’t read them all in one sitting… then I’d have to the author to conjure one up quickly… but as the magic in her books tell us, you can’t conjure something from nothing. To know what that means, you’ll just have to read the book!
About Me
I will be reading more of this author ….this was my first.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the idea of using magic for baking. This is a great first book in a series and I look forward to continuing on with the story and characters.
This was my first Erin Johnson book. I enjoyed the paranormal twist on the cozy mystery. I enjoyed spending time with Imogen in her baking adventures. She works a job she doesn’t enjoy, lives in a tiny apartment and has no social life trying to save enough money to open her own bakery. Just when she can see her dream coming true disaster strikes. This sends her off on adventures in a world she had no idea existed. She makes friends with Maple and the other bakers in a contest.
This book was a fun easy read. I will be checking out the rest of the series.
Absolutely wonderful cozy mystery!!! This is some of the best world building I have read in quite some time. The details are incredible and I really felt like I was there (to be honest I was wishing I was there it sounds so fun). The events of the story really hook the reader until I found myself unable to put the book down until I reached the very last page. This just might be one of my new favorite series and it is a must read for fans of fantasy cozy mysteries that are set in a world of magic. I loved it so much it gets 5/5 stars.
Really Really good book. What an enjoyable experience. Starting with Imogen, who did not know she was a magical being, learning how to use her new magic. Then her adventures continue in the magical land, which sounds absolutely fantastic. The story was presented perfectly. Such enjoyable and real characters placed in a purely majestic setting resulted in a wonderful story. The stories twists and turns were so entertaining and kept me guessing until the end. Hope to read the next installment to see how Imogen and her friends continue to grow.
Seashells, Spells and Caramels by Erin Johnson is the first book in the Spells and Caramels series. Imogen has almost enough money saved to open the bakery she has been dreaming of for years. Catering her difficult boss’s rehearsal dinner will give her the last bit of funds needed. At the party she is given a flyer for a baking contest to become the next Royal Head Baker. After a fire destroys her apartment and wipes out her savings, Imogen is delighted to find out that she has been accepted into the contest. She takes the last of her money and flies to France that night. Imogen discovers that magic is real and that she is a witch. With no clue how to work her magic, Imogen struggles with the various contest challenges. It is especially difficult since her flame, Iggy is unwilling to cooperate (they do not have electricity). After a particularly difficult challenge, one of her fellow competitors drops dead from poisoning and Imogen is the prime suspect. Imogen will need to find the guilty party while keeping herself in the competition. Is there a chance of Imogen winning the competition? Who is behind the murder?
Seashells, Spells and Caramels is a fast-paced novel that I found thoroughly entertaining. It is nicely written, has great characters, magic, mayhem, mischief, humor, and murder. I started reading this book late one evening and did not go to sleep until I finished it. Iggy, the flame, was a unique character. He had such personality and the author really brought him to life for me. Erin Johnson has a great writing style that make for a fun, enjoyable read. I laughed out loud many times (there was giggling and chuckling too) while reading this paranormal mystery. Imogen’s clumsiness reminds me of my own (I am lucky I have not set fire to my kitchen. There have been some singed paper towels, food and dishtowels.). The mystery was intriguing, but it can be solved before the reveal (but it did not hinder my enjoyment). I appreciated the misdirection employed in the story. I was delighted with the unique world the author created. My rating for Seashells, Spells and Caramels is 5 out of 5 stars. I am eager to read the next magical installment in the Spells and Caramels series which is Black Arts, Tarts and Gypsy Carts.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.
Here, Imogene has been saving for many years to open her own bakery. She receives an invitation to enter a baking competition in France. She creates an entry with the hopes of being selected. Finally when she thinks she has saved enough but in the blink of an eye, her dreams are destroyed by a fire. Then she receives the news that she has been accepted into the competition. She quickly makes the decision to use the last of her money to travel to France and compete. The twist – this is not a normal competition but a magical one nad Imogene has no magic or does she?
This is a brand new author for me. What a completely enjoyable cozy. I enjoyed Imogene’s character and her quirky sense of humor. And, if you have ever watched a TV baking competition, the judges for Imogene’s competition will certainly remind you of those shows – especially the banter between the judges. The use of magic and magical things – such as the oven Iggy – who [it] became one of my favorite characters. Overall, just lightheated fun!
I listen to this book – the narrator was a perfect compliment to this book. Her enthusiasm in the narration is infectious.
I really enjoyed this book! It has fantastic characters and is very charming. The narrator did an amazing job, she went at a faster pace than I am used to but I felt that it helped portray the character better plus she has an amazing singing voice that I look forward to hearing more of! This first book really has me intrigued to find out more, so I am excited and anxious to start the next book in this great series!
Imogen has been saving all her lives fe to achieve her dream goal: open her own bakery. When she enters an strange bakery contest she won’t know where she is getting herself into. A world with wizards and witches, as herself but she has to master her baking and spells in order to win the contest and solve a murder, with the help of her new friends. The audiobook is great.