Pick Your Potion

Powerful witch Claudia Crestwood and her friends protect vampires, werewolves, witches, and other paranormal beings in Hartford, Connecticut. Like Salem, there were witch trials in Hartford long ago. Witches and paranormals were hunted and executed. With the help of people like Claudia and her family, paranormal and humans live in peace most of the time. When a human customer dies after an incident at the coffee shop, Claudia digs into the case to protect her business and her friends. Threats were made to the customer before she died and the police are looking at Claudia and her employees as possible suspects. To make matters worse, they are hiding a wounded hunter from the police, protecting him from humans who would not understand who or what he is. A powerful wizard shows up just when Claudia needs help to find out if the customer died of natural causes, or had a helping hand from someone close to her.

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Series: A Witch’s Brew Cozy Mystery – Book #1
Author: C. C. Dragon
Genre: Witch/Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Independently Published

Rating:

This story is not your usual paranormal book. There is all manner of creatures each with their own set of issues, and needs. A coffee shop is the perfect setting for Claudia and her family to help conceal their family of Vampires, Witches, and other beings that populate their world. Hunters are a necessity of life as not all Vampires and Werewolves want to live with humans in harmony. Some like to kill, and hunters are the only ones that stand between humans and paranormals.

Claudia was raised by her aunt and uncle and they are only real family she has, but when Ryan, a hunter who has killed humans in the pursuit of a Werewolf is injured, her life takes a bit of an unexpected twist. The hunter is egotistical and untrustworthy, and he is placing her family in danger. She wants to get him out of the coffee house basement, and their lives but can’t risk the police finding out he is there.

Bran is an excellent addition to the cast of characters, he comes from a very powerful and old family, and he seems interested in Claudia for more than her coffee. He comes to her rescue on several occasions and begins to thaw her heart.  Mandy and Esme are intelligent and a big part of everything that goes on in the coffee shop and adds interest to the story.

CC Dragon is a good writer with unique ideas and characters. Although the main character is a bit hard to like, she comes off as bossy, unhappy, and a know it all, whether, by design or accident, it makes the reader a little less likely to enjoy getting to know her.  Overall the story is consistent but slightly drawn out. Claudia is purported to be an incredibly powerful witch, yet magic is only used intermittently. There is little violence or sexual content in this story, and the romance is not heavy. The second installment may fair better than the first, and hopefully, the writer will develop the characters in more depth.  Recommended for those who enjoy their vampires bloodless, and their witches practical.