Bell, Book, & Candlemas

Keli Milanni is a full-time attorney, lives in Edindale Illinois and has a secret, she’s a Witch. Candlemas is a few weeks away, even though she celebrates with all her heart, she keeps this part of her life hidden from her friends, coworkers, and her boyfriend. It takes thieves causing trouble in town for her favorite shop, Moonstone Treasures, and its owner, for her to open up and let the secret out. Things go farther than threatening notes and harassing phone calls, murder becomes the end game.

Keli wants to help her friend, but she is deeply worried about what will happen to her life and career if her secret gets out. At this special time of year, when life begins to bloom again death should not be a part of it, what is she supposed to do? Will she throw caution to the wind to help catch a killer before he strikes again, or will she fade into the shadows and do nothing allowing her innocent friend to go to jail for a crime she hasn’t committed, or perhaps for merely being a Witch?

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Series: A Wiccan Wheel Mystery – Book #2
Author: Jennifer David Hesse
Genre: Witch/Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Books

Rating:

Fear of being found out motivates Keli to come to terms with her beliefs. She can no longer continue to hide who she is and what she believes. The only way for Keli to help her friend is to admit who she is, a spiritual witch and not allow the fears of others to ruin her faith. This makes the story hard to believe. Although Keli is a likable character, her hesitation to help her friend is a sticking point.

Keli’s best friend Farrah is interesting, she is loyal, honest and keeps Keli on her toes. There is more to Farrah than a pretty face. Wes, Keli’s boyfriend, takes the news that she practices Wicca/Spiritual Witchcraft with a smile and a few questions. He is smart, funny, and wants Keli to be happy. The entire cast of characters is entertaining, well written with personalities not soon forgotten.

As a reader, I would like to have learned more about Keli’s mysterious Aunt Josie in this volume, and a lot more background on Mila and her husband, as well as Keli’s boyfriend, Wes. The ending of the book is a bit drawn out and might have been better if it hadn’t carried on long after the killer is revealed, but it is not disappointing. This book is a little slow but has great detail, is well-written, and the characters are warm and inviting. The location is somewhere you would want to explore and spend time. Readers will enjoy this book if they like writers such as Carol J. Perry or Sue Ann Jaffarian, and like witches, magic and spiritualism, and a character who believes in herself.