In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
In the Company of Witches, the first book in Auralee Wallace’s new Evenfall Witches series, is the Practical Magic of Cozy Mysteries. A delightful series starter!!
After the tragic loss of her husband, Brynn Warren moves into the B&B owned by her Aunts, Nora and Izzy, ostensibly to help them run the place.
Warren women have been a staple of the small town of Evenfall for over four hundred years. Although there are whisperings of them being witches, the townsfolk don’t actually have any proof of that.
When a local woman, staying at the B&B while her home undergoes some renovations, is found dead, the Warren women are thrown for a loop.
Not only is it upsetting that Constance Graves died inside their home, but it seems Nora is now the authorities number one suspect. That’s right, they suspect foul play. Constance was murdered.
Further, you know those suspicions the townsfolk have about the Warrens? Yeah, they’re true.
Brynn is a witch of the dead, meaning she can commune with ghosts. In order to clear her Aunt’s name, she may need to contact Constance’s ghost and find out what really happened to her.
Unfortunately, since her husband passed, Brynn has had a really hard time using her powers. Thus, a bit of old fashioned investigation will have to be incorporated into her mission to help Nora.
Brynn discovers a whole host of family secrets and drama as she dives into Constance’s past in order to figure out who would have had the motive to kill her.
Y’all, this was a great start to an all new Cozy series. I really enjoyed getting to know Brynn, Nora, Izzy, Gideon and all the other citizens of Evenfall.
I find with Cozies, the longer the series goes on, the more attached you get to the characters and place. I have no doubt this series will be the same.
The next book, When the Crow’s Away, is expected to be published in April 2022. I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
If you love Cozy Mysteries, or Witchy stories, you absolutely should check this one out. Pure fun from beginning to end.
