A supernatural force on the loose in San Francisco and a family reunion keeps witch and vintage storeowner Lily Ivory on her toes as she prepares to walk down the aisle...
When Lily Ivory stumbles on the uniform of a former prisoner from Alcatraz and SFPD inspector Carlos Romero’s cousin is kidnapped, Lily suspects something dangerous has been unleashed on the ghost-ridden island of Alcatraz. She'll have to sleuth out the culprit—when she’s not busy entertaining her visiting relatives and resolving romantic conflicts as her wedding date approaches. Could recent omens be pointing to the magical threat in her adopted city? If so, she'll have to line up her allies to change the fate of the Bay Area. Because no matter what, Lily's determined to celebrate her marriage with her friends by her side—even if it means battling a demonic foe before she can make it to the altar.
Bewitched and Betrothed continues Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mystery series that follows Lily Ivory’s journey. Lily has come a long way since she arrived in San Francisco so many books ago, but the mysteries and magic keep on coming! This series has been a delightful read and is one I highly recommend for those wanting a little magic to their cozy mysteries.
Lily and Sailor are in wedding planning mode, or more ceremonial handfasting mode. It’s a more spiritual ceremony and one that is more special for her and Sailor than going through a regular wedding. But naturally, Lily’s plans are halted when something strange happens. When her friend, Maya brings in some old clothes for Lily to sift through for sales, Lily uncovers an old shirt, but what’s particular about this shirt is that it looks like one a prisoner would wear…from a very long time ago, as in Alcatraz!
Yes, Lily has found a shirt that a possible escapee from Alcatraz would have likely been wearing. Of course the question is, did the prisoner survive or was this recovered later on? Blackwell being a nearby resident clearly did her research for these little tidbits and it shows very well. It is decided that Lily will donate the shirt that gives off bad vibes to the Alcatraz park that is the island. Having called the local rangers, one of which is Carlos’ cousin, she readily hands over the shirt with a few cautionary warnings.
But even more shocking is that as the rangers leave, Elena, Carlos’s ranger cousin, is kidnapped along with the shirt. An investigation starts and Lily is eager to help in any way she can, feeling like she should’ve done more about the shirt instead of just handing it over.
Meanwhile other things are happening under the radar in the city. Lily still suspects that Renee the Cupcake Lady is up to something shady that threatens the safety of San Francisco. Lily is also trying to help her gobgoyle familiar, Oscar, help locate his mother who could be hiding anywhere in the world as a gargoyle statue. Through all the chaos Lily remains ever positive and vigilant. She’s a tough person to bring down despite her gentle nature. She’s a force to be reckoned with.
There was still of course a nice sprinkling of romance! After just finishing a set of hardcore romance books, it was nice just to have some casual kisses and more mystery dynamics involved with the plot! I enjoy romance, but I like it as a side element. This one was truly a breath of fresh air after my latest reads.
Mystery wise, I felt like things were good. I didn’t really foresee the whodunnit all that well, but I feel like in the long run, we were meant to be floundering a little for suspects and motives. The answers that we got were logical and sound, perhaps if I remembered more from the previous books, the shock factor would’ve held more effect, but alas my poor memory just had me agreeing with what was presented! Lol.
All in all, Bewitched and Betrothed was a fun and magically delightful read! I always enjoy diving into what I call cozy paranormal reads, ones that are light on the paranormal dynamics but are still clearly apart of the story. This is a fun mystery series too and I always love traveling the streets of San Francisco with Lily and her friends. It’s probably because of these books that the city is on my Bucket List! I highly recommend this to just about any cozy mystery reader as well!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars
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