Typically, I haven’t read the first installments of this series (something I intend to fix ASAP), so I was a bit adrift in the opening chapter. That didn’t keep me from being sucked in to the story immediately. The story centers around Molly, Elsie and Olivia, three witches who were hoping to retire and pass on their coven and spell book to a new generation of witches. Of course things don’t always work out as planned. Having made their lives in the non magic community through marriage, the witches had lost their edge on magic. Along the way to this book, they had had also had their spell book stolen and Olivia had been killed, leaving her a ghostly apparition, that is just as frowned upon in the witch community as is non magic users knowing about real magic. The books picks up with Dorothy, Olivia’s daughter, meeting her powerful witch father for the first time. He seems intent only on knowing the daughter her mother had never told him about, however we soon find out that having magical powers doesn’t make it any easier to know when things aren’t always what they seem and this very powerful, renegade witch could be at the heart of all that is wrong. This story takes the reader on a journey exploring the darkest parts of witch history where we see that powerful magic is not immune to fluctuating alliances, political infighting and maneuvering for more power and anyone can get caught in webs of deceit.

The strength of this book as with all the books by these authors, lies in the depth of each character. There are no small parts from the lowliest of servants to the most rich and powerful. The main characters, those of the Wilmington Coven, are delightful. The three retired witches squabble like they must have been doing since they were teens. Each is a strong ego with a colorful story. Olivia’s ghostly handicap doesn’t stop her from getting her own way, to her own detriment at times, death hasn’t mellowed her at all. Molly finds herself the focal point of a murder investigation that could have a profound impact on the magic community and Elsie is realizing that she can finally have all that she wants, even if it isn’t exactly what she thought that would be. Even without reading the previous books, it obvious that each of the women has gone on her own journey and have grown as women and witches. Younger witches Dorothy and Brian seem a bit minor at first, but both manage to make their mark on the story and leave the reader with hope for their future. The true color is reserved for Brian’s rich powerful family and the witch council they serve. The Ewings and The Carringtons got nothing on this back biting conniving group.

This is not typical paranormal or not typical cozy and definitely not typical paranormal cozy. I found it to be loads of fun with plenty of suspense, hilarious humor, and clever plot twists. You won’t know until the last page where all the details settle, but you will be sorry to not be spending more time with these witches when you get there.



5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

Molly and her friends get mixed up in the witch’s politics and it’s a killer situation. Brian’s birthday gets taken over by his family. There are also romance, the Bone Man, a Witch Finder, the usual murders. Cute. But they will never be good detectives until they can stay focused on the case. ( )

Where do witches go when they retire? Wilmington, NC of course!

Putting on the Witch is the 3rd book in the Retired Witches Mystery series. Unfortunately, it will also be the last, as co-authors Joyce and Jim Levene both passed away recently. Their wonderful, funny, quirky stories will be sorely missed!!

This book is a magical, fun, adventure! For me, this was a perfect Fall read. I curled up on the couch with my chihuahuas and a cup of tea, and read this book in one sitting. It definitely ignited my Halloween spirit!

The basics: Witches Elsie and Molly with their ghost pal Olivia and apprentices, Dorothy and Brian are looking for their coven's missing spell book. Receiving an invitation to the Witches Ball, they are excited to attend the grand event. The festivities are cut a bit short though when a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered. This leaves the coven scrambling to find its missing book and solve a murder.

Joyce and Jim Levene wrote books together for 20 years. They wrote many cozy mystery series including the Christmas Tree Valley, Pumpkin Patch and Sharyn Howard Mystery series. They also wrote under the pseudonyms J.J. Cook and Ellie Grant. Their imagination, humor and creativity will truly be missed.

Thank you so much Joyce & Jim for the hours of enjoyment that cozy readers have gotten from your books. RIP.
( )

Molly, Elsie, Dorothy, Brian, and Olivia are back at it in Putting on the Witch. Dorothy's evil father, Drago, shows up and claims he just wants to spend time with his little girl, much to Olivia's protests. Brian's birthday is coming up and his parents are holding a fancy ball at the castle and the coven is invited.

But when they get there, they discover that a prominent member of the Council has been murdered. With the help of a terrifying 1500's witchhunter and Molly's own sleuthing skills, they must figure out Drago's motives for reappearing in Dorothy's life while trying to solve the murder before time is up.

Another fun read, Putting on the Witch has a lot more going on and a lot more fun. The pacing seems to be better in this one, as compared to the first, but there are still some areas that are rough - for instance, they start out doing CSI type investigations to find the fingerprints of the murderer, but end up dropping that to solve the murder a completely different way, which sort of made me wonder what the point was other than a gag that took up 1/3 of the book. Then there's the reactions.

One of my big peeves in books is when there's a big hint and the characters just never follow up on it. For instance, a character will be knocked out because she discovered something in a book, but the other characters conveniently forget to, you know, read the book to find out what it was. It feels a little forced. Any normal person would be sprinting to read that damn book and figure out what the character had learned that was so dangerous.

But overall, it was a fun read, with a lot of big changes at the end. I can't wait for the next one! ( )

It's Brian's birthday, and the coven is invited to a Witches Ball. It's the opportunity of a lifetime to get glammed up and visit a magnificent, magical castle in an undisclosed location. It's also a great time to put their worries aside. With the troubling arrival of Dorothy's notoriously wicked father, the search for their missing spell book has gone cold.

The festivities are just beginning when Molly, Elsie, and Dorothy arrive. Unbeknownst to them Dorothy's ghostly mother, Olivia, has tagged along as well. It's all fun until a member of the Grand Council of Witches turns up dead. The obvious suspects are the members of our favorite coven. As they set out to clear their name, the castle is locked down for twenty-four hours and a real Spanish Inquisitor is released to conduct an investigation. With time running out, the coven must quickly solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt or the wrong person is blamed. It seems the clock is ticking all too quickly.

The Bottom Line: The third installment in the Retired Witches Mysteries is a house party style cozy that will keep you guessing with lots of twists and turns. Fans of paranormal cozies will enjoy this quick weekend read. Highly recommended for young adults too.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )