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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This review is for the audio book.
This is the first book by this author that I have listened to but it won’t be the last as I really enjoyed it. The main character didn’t really investergate the murder but stumbled on the killer and the murder didn’t really happen until near the end of the book but that was because the author was setting the scene as to why she was there in the first place, which was fun and amusing. I liked the characters, especially the cranky fire that she has to try and work with.
Imogen doesn’t know she is a witch or that magic even exists but when her home burns down and her job is in the balance she has to make a change and by entering a cooking competition she makes a decision that will change her life for ever. The competition is to become a royal baker on a island that few have heard of and where the closest town’s people warn her to stay away from. Imogen decides to enter anyway and is soon face to face with mermaid, fire that can talk, shape shifters and the most scariest of all a murder, that wants to win the competition at any cost.
I liked the narrator as she has an easy style of talking which make the characters come alive and fun. I really recommend this book and look forward to starting the next.
Erin Johnson is a completely new to me author. I was hooked from the first page! Imogene Banks is a sweet quirky character that you hope will succeed as soon as you meet her. Imogene has always dreamed of opening her own bakery. After helping her boss out by baking for the rehearsal dinner, she finally has enough money for her bakery. While there, she learns about a mysterious baking competition that she decides to enter. Imogene spends hours baking to get the right confection to submit to the competition. Wrapped in a wax paper cover she plans to take it to the post office in the morning. Imogene is so tired she falls asleep and awakes to the smoke alarm going off.
Feeling lower than low, from losing everything in her apartment, she is completely taken aback when a courier hands her a special invitation to participate in the bakery competition to be the new royal baker. Confused as she is, she decides to head on out and participate in this magical competition.
I read late into the night and finished the book the next day. I was captivated by the magical island Imogene went to for the competition, the people involved in the competition and the imagination Imogene uses to complete her baking. Along with a little help for her co-competitors, Imogene makes it through the rounds – then one competitor is killed! Imogene and her new best friend, Maple are determined to find the killer.
I happily gave this book five stars for the magic that was brought into the story, the fun friendships that were established as well as the story itself. Charming, cozy and full of surprises! Looking forward to book two and more of Imogene’s capers!
Absolutely magical! Unputdownable!!!
I’m addicted. Totally and 100% under Ms Johnson’s spell! The best book that I’ve read in a while and believe me, I have read some grrreat books! I am so impressed! So well written, so magical!
Imogen is so lovely. And it was so wonderful to witness her fulfilling her dreams. Such a joy to read about. I don’t even know how to put it in words how amazingly, incredibly good this is. I want to scream it from the rooftops! Imogen doesn’t know she has magic, and what a wonderful thing to see her find out.
It’s ‘wiggle in my seat’-good. It’s ‘I wish I could give it a 1,000 stars instead of just 5’-good. A magical adventure, a baking contest, and later on in the book also a murder mystery, all in a lighthearted, fun writing style; what more could I possibly want? Wow wow three thousand times wow!
Seashells, Spells & Caramels is a great escape from reality! Love magic? Love the Great British Bake Off? Start this series pronto!
The way Erin sets up the magical world is genius, and the idea of the different kingdoms is also super fun! I don’t do much baking myself, but this book inspired me to break out the dusty bread maker I got for Christmas 2015 and try my hand.
If you love paranormal cozies but haven’t tried this series, you gotta get on it!
Fun, fast paced enjoyable
I loved this! It was like a season of the Great British Baker mixed with paranormal characters of all kinds. With a murder mystery thrown in, I will defenitly be getting more of these to read.
I really enjoyed this first book in a new series. It is whimsical and intriguing at the same time. Plus it didn’t hurt that it was a easy and fast read. I didn’t want to put it down at night!
I can’t imagine going through life being adopted but not feeling really connected to anyone. That is the position Imogen is in…and then she meets some interesting people that convince her to enter a baking contest. Doesn’t matter that she has never heard of the country, she creates a delectable dessert and manages to win a spot. Of course it is one issue after another before she actually reaches where she needs to be for the contest. I don’t want to spoil anything so am not sharing too many details there. In a way it is like Imogen’s life is a mess but this could be a fresh start.
Imogen is definitely going through a discovery place in her life and ending up at the Water Kingdom is just a small part of it. There are mythical creatures and people that add character, so if you like paranormal you will probably enjoy this book. Imogen learns a lot about herself but not too much…I am hoping that perhaps her parents are from this Kingdom/world and she will find out more in upcoming books.
What a delightfully fun read this was! I was contacted by the author, Erin Johnson, and asked if I wanted to review her book that was “filled with magic and murder mystery, but with a fun twist of being set in an enchanted town, and featuring romance, baking and lots of humor.” I had a vacation coming up, and it sounded like a perfect beach read, so I happily agreed. Boy am I glad I did – the book delivered exactly as promised!
Poor Imogen just wants to bake. She’s stuck in a job she doesn’t particularly like (medical billing, eek), the latest in a line of similar jobs that she’s held over the years while she scrimped and saved every penny in the hope of opening her own bakery. Just as it is finally in reach – after a truly spectacular save she pulls off for her rather persnickety boss – tragedy strikes (in an unbelievable – yet ironically funny even in its tragedy – fashion, which is only funny because you just *know* something magical will come from it) and it looks like Imogen is literally back to square one (if not, in fact, further than that). But of course, this is a sweet magical story, so the steps backward actually propel her forward into a most lovely adventure that has everything you could want in a beach read: fair maidens, a magical quest for redemption, secret identities, a handsome prince, and some truly dastardly villains. And, of course, baking – lots of delectable baking.
The world-building here is really creative. The characters are cute and cover a variety of supernatural/romance tropes – but with some unique twists that keep them fresh and entertaining. The bad guys aren’t hard to peg, but that doesn’t affect the enjoyment of their reveal – or the foiling of their plans. This was a very fun book, and I am definitely putting the sequel (Black Arts, Tarts, and Gypsy Carts) on my TBR list for my next vacation – physical OR mental!
My review copy was graciously provided by the author.
First in the Spells and Carmels Series. The chapters are short and it’s a very fun quick read.
Imogene dreams of being a baker and having her on bakery one day soon. A chance meeting at a reception and an in unfortunate event sends her on to a baking contest. An island of magic, witches, mermaids shifters, as well as others, is where she ends up. She soon finds out she possesses magic. The Baking Contest is for Royal Baker.
What follows is a great cozy mystery with some great characters. I feel in love with Iggy..He is very sarcastic to Imogene. I found myself laughing out load. Iggy thinks someone killed the last head Baker and needs Imogene’s help. She agrees when one of the contestants ends up being murdered.
If you like fun cozy mysteries, you should give this series a try. What better time to read it, than Halloween.
I won this from a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanks Goodreads for the kindle version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
as yummy as the title!
original approach to a world of magic. characters have depth of character. suspense and mystery drizzled with romance…nothing graphic, thank you. a great read. gotta love iggy
I believe this is Erin’s first series, but I found her through her second series featuring Jolene. I loved it so much I had to go back to beginning and she didn’t disappoint. This book just drew me in immediately and I read it in one sitting! It was so cute, well it became cute after poor Imogen survived a fire even though her dreams of leaving her boring job and opening a bakery just went up in smoke. Imogen had just helped her boss out with dessert for her rehearsal dinner and may have met the person who ultimately would change her life. No matter how bad things get, Imogen doesn’t give up and takes some major risks. Does it work out? I don’t want to give it away, but I will be getting my hands on book two immediately.
I believe this is Erin’s first series, but I found her through her second series featuring Jolene. I loved it so much I had to go back to beginning and she didn’t disappoint. This book just drew me in immediately and I read it in one sitting! It was so cute, well it became cute after poor Imogen survived a fire even though her dreams of leaving her boring job and opening a bakery just went up in smoke. Imogen had just helped her boss out with dessert for her rehearsal dinner and may have met the person who ultimately would change her life. No matter how bad things get, Imogen doesn’t give up and takes some major risks. Does it work out? I don’t want to give it away, but I will be getting my hands on book two immediately.
Fun and funny, original witchy and fantasy mystery. Absolutely delightful!
I loved the storyline, filled with quirks from real life and then strange opportunities for the main character (Imogen) to decide on. All such as real-life situations hand us.
Imogen’s entering a baking contest, finding friends where before there were none, and voila! A recipe for murder, mystery, and excellent paced tension in a new world!
Baking is the natural glue that brings all this together and then some. Overall a delightful read from start to finish!
So glad there is more to read of Imogen and friends, I couldn’t think that this was the only story!!
Good for young Teens and older.
Love this series and all of Erin Johnson’s books!
SEASHELLS, SPELLS & CARAMELS by Erin Johnson is the first book in the Spells & Caramels paranormal cozy mystery series. The main character is Imogen Banks who works as a medical billing administrator to save money to open her own bakery in Seattle, Washington. She ends up baking deserts for her boss’ rehearsal dinner and gets an invitation to a cooking contest in France. When a fire wipes out her apartment and all of her possessions, she decides to enter the contest. However, nothing is as it seems. The island village is magical and the contestants are all witches or wizards. How is Imogen able to become a contestant? When a contestant drops dead, Imogen decides she must find the killer.
This was an entertaining story. It reminded me of a reality baking show with magic and murder. The characters are interesting and Imogen is definitely someone that I was rotting for. I would have liked a little more background on her early life, but it worked with the information provided. There was a good mix of secondary characters and a good number of plot twists. The setting was described, but more information would be beneficial to future books in the series. The prose was well-written and engaging.
Overall, the voice is fresh and interesting. It delivered on the promise of its premise and was extremely entertaining. There are several things left unresolved which sets the stage for book two. However, there was enough of a conclusion that I didn’t resent the unresolved issues. This was a “new to me” author and I look forward to reading more of the series.
Received a free copy for a review. A great witchy cozy mystery. I enjoyed every moment of it. Looking forward to reading more in the series.
Meet Imogen Banks. Full time 9-5er. Part time aspiring baker. She thought she was just a normal girl, living a normal life, working toward her dream of owning her own bakery one day. Making her (dragon lady) boss’s rehearsal dinner desserts will finally let her achieve what she’s been working towards for 7 years. It goes off without a hitch, though she meets a couple of strange people. One of which gives her a flier to join a mysterious baking competition in France. Thinking, what’s the harm, Imogen decides to bake something for the contest. She wraps it up and decides to send it off in the morning, but her plans go awry as she wakes to a fire raging in her apartment. And it’s all her fault! Just when she sees her dream go down the drain, she receives word she’s been accepted into the baking competition. Let the shenanigans begin! This quirky, funny, adorable book brings you into a world of magic, mermaids, witches and vampires. And Imogen. Who just found out magic is actually real. And she’s a witch! Who then becomes a suspect for a murder… Will she be able to clear her name, win the contest and be able to bake like she dreams? Read it and find out!
Seashells, Spells & Caramels is an interesting read with a lot of different levels to enjoy.
I thought the main character, Imogen, was likable, funny, and real. I enjoyed her kindness and sassy personality. Even though she’s written as 29-years-old, she has a youthful innocence. I felt that the story would appeal to a younger audience, and also had intrigue and a little romance to go along with the magical vibe.
I enjoyed the supporting characters end liked what they added to the story. I’m looking forward to seeing their personalities develop throughout the series. Maple is a sweet character, and I didn’t feel like we got to know her enough. Here’s to learning more about the quirky supporting cast!
I feel like this story was a little bit like Master Chef meets Survivor with a heaping helping of magic ladled on top, which made for a unique premise. I’m interested to see where the author takes the storyline in upcoming installments.
Overall, this is a charming story and well worth reading.
5 Star review of Seashells, Spells & Caramels (Spells & Caramels #1) by Erin Johnson
Audio Review:
Erin Johnson is a new author to me and I have no idea why that is. I loved this book from start to finish. It’s a cozy mystery and one that I found thoroughly entertaining. In fact I listened to this one in almost one go as I kept saying, just one more chapter.
This was a a book filled with secrets, miss communication and clues to satisfy my detective spirit. The intrigue and suspense kept me on the edge of my seat as I listened to this story.
There are many twists, turns and surprises in Seashells, Spells & Caramels as Imogen Banks fights to clear her name and follow the clues and I have to say that I was taken by surprise on a couple of occasions. I cannot wait for more in this series.
The narrator Hannah Somerville was also new to me but I thoroughly enjoyed the voices she used and she brought the story to life for me and enhanced my enjoyment of the story.
Audiobook review: Seashells, Spells, and Caramels is the first in the series. A dream goal, a fire, and a bakery contest along with interesting support characters make make this story interesting and entertaining as a mystery unfolds. The narrator did a good job! I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.