By
Abigail Thornton

Third time’s a charm…
until someone commits murder.

With her sister back at the castle and the tea shop thriving, Wynona feels like her life is finally on track. The fact that a certain werewolf is hanging around an awful lot, only makes it all sweeter.

Until her best friend, Primrose, while pretending to be a vampire, becomes a suspect in a murder investigation.

Wynona’s life is once again turned on its head as she navigates the world of Hex Haven’s most passionate fangirls. The deeper she digs, the more confusing the evidence becomes, and the harder she must work to clear her friend’s name.

With her own magic completely out of control, a burgeoning relationship distracting her, and a police chief with an eternal grudge against her family…Wynona isn’t quite sure how’s she’s going to pull this off. But for Primrose’s sake, she has to try.

With her sister back home where she belongs, Wynona’s life seems to be on the right track. With Rascal an almost constant presence it’s even better. That is until there’s a murder and Wynona has to help. She has no choice since her best friend is charged with it.

This is a favorite scene.

Rascal licked his fingers, grinning when Wynona laughed.

“How many of those have you eaten now?” she teased, sipping her tea.

Rascal looked away in thought. “I lost count,” he finally admitted, then winked. “Good thing I have a shifter’s metabolism.”

Wynona shook her head, but her smile remained. “Good thing,” she murmured.

Rascal wiped his fingers on a napkin, then leaned forward on his elbows. “So…when are we going to go on another date?”

Wynona gave him an arch look. “I suppose when you ask.”

He grinned. “It’s going to be that easy?”

She shrugged, playing casual, but feeling her heart beat rapidly. When Rascal snickered, she knew he could hear her pulse, giving away the fact that she was anything but uninterested.

“Wy…” he drawled. “Do you want me to ask you out again?”

“Right this moment?” she said, knowing her cheeks were flaming. “Not so much.”

He laughed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t embarrass you like that, but sometimes it’s good to know what you’re thinking.”

“I think you often know what I’m thinking more than I know what you’re thinking.” She dropped his glowing gaze and drew a random pattern on the table top. She heard a chair shift and soon Rascal was setting down his seat right next to her.

He reached out and lifted up her chin with his knuckle. “I realize not having your magic makes you feel like you’re always at a disadvantage,” he said softly, letting his thumb rub back and forth on her jawline. “But as you learn how to use what you have and eventually leave me in the dust, never doubt my feelings,” he whispered huskily. “And never be afraid to ask… I won’t hide anything from you.”

Wynona’s eyes widened. “You won’t?”

He slowly shook his head, shifting subtly closer. “For you…I’m an open book,” he whispered right before his lips brushed hers.

Wynona sucked in a shuddering breath from the touch, but eagerly leaned in, wanting more. This relationship was so new that she still hadn’t gotten used to the feeling of bliss that swept through her every time Rascal touched her.

His hand slid from her jaw to the back of her head and he tilted his head, changing their angle to something more intense just as his phone went off.

Wynona gasped and jerked backward, her breathing labored.

Rascal’s hand fell, but his eyes never left hers. “You okay?” he asked, slightly breathless himself.

Wynona nodded. “Sorry. I was startled.” She wasn’t usually so easily scared, but these emotions were fresh and she could feel her magic trying to react to her intense feelings. When she blinked, she could still see purple sparkles in her peripheral vision.

Rascal chuckled and cupped her cheek. “I guess that means we’ll just have to do this more often… You know,” he said in a low tone, “so you’re not so scared.”

“Oh, yes please,” she breathed out just before he kissed her again.

The buzzing of his phone once again pulled them apart, only this time it was Rascal who pulled back. He muttered something under his breath and reached across the table for his device. “Let me just shut this off,” he grumbled.

Wynona had to grin at his pouty tone. Knowing he was so eager to kiss her had her adrenaline pumping. After a second, she realized he wasn’t looking away from his phone. “Rascal?”

He looked up with a grimace. “We need to go down to The Siren’s Call.”

“We?” Wynona blinked and shook her head. “What for?”

“There’s been a murder.”

Wynona groaned and threw her head back. “Not another one. I really don’t want to be involved, Rascal. I’ve told you that. Those other cases were exceptions.”

“You’re going to want to be here for this,” he said, standing up and grabbing his stuff. “Vi?” he gave Violet a gentle shake, waking her from her nap. “You’re gonna want to come too.”

Violet blinked sleepily and rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists.

“Rascal,” Wynona said forcefully, standing up so she wasn’t at such a disadvantage. “What’s going on?”

He scooped Violet up and tucked her into his pocket. “Like I said, there’s been a murder.”

Wynona opened her mouth to argue, but Rascal kept going.

“And they’re holding Prim as the main suspect.”

“WHAT!” Wynona screeched. She threw her hands over her mouth when Rascal winced. “Sorry,” she said in a muffled tone. “But how in the world do they think Prim is involved in the murder? She wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

Rascal gave her a look and Wynona held up a hand.

“Okay, maybe a fly, but you know she wouldn’t kill anyone.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “They must have a reason for holding onto her,” he said. “But I agree, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding.” His eyes were sad and resigned when he looked at her. “Which is why I knew you’d want to come along. Between the two of us, we should be able to convince the chief Prim is innocent.”

“Hang on a second.” Wynona marched to the kitchen. Her feelings of elation had disappeared and a simmer of anger was already starting to build. How dare anyone think Prim could kill someone! Chief Ligurio was a smart man and usually a fair one. He should know better!

She pushed open the kitchen door. “Lusgu?” She waited a moment while he appeared from the dark corner. “I need to leave. I’m sorry about the mess, but can you take care of the food at least?” She didn’t normally leave him with so much and she definitely didn’t usually speak to him in such a forceful tone, but right now she couldn’t get her mind off of Prim being held by the police. Her little fairy friend had to be terrified.

Lusgu narrowed his yellow eyes and then nodded. He didn’t speak a word, but Wynona knew he would do exactly how she asked.

“Thank you,” she made sure to say before turning and walking out of the kitchen, only to run straight into a wall of purple ribbons.

Rascal was waiting across the room as Wynona stopped and her jaw dropped. His arms were folded across her chest and she reached out to try and touch them. “I think your magic is tied to your emotions,” he said.

Wynona sighed and forced herself to relax a little, the ribbons slowly fading. “It’s because I don’t know how to control it,” she responded. “I need to take time to figure out what kind of magic I have and become the master. Until then, it’ll probably always be like this.”

“As fun as it is to see a physical reaction to our kisses,” Rascal drawled, “I think if you want to keep others from knowing you have magic, you’re going to need to figure it out.”

Her cheeks were hot again, but she nodded. He had a point. “I know,” she whispered. “But first I need your boss to stop accusing the people in my life of murder.”

He held out his hand and together they walked to the door. “Maybe we need to work on getting the people in your life into different hobbies.”
Thornton, Abigail Lynn. A Sip of Murder: a light-hearted paranormal cozy mystery (Le Doux Mysteries Book 3) Kindle Locations (551-606). Angel Music. Kindle Edition.

As Wynona and Rascal investigate, the things they find don’t exonerate Prim, although everything seems to be circumstantial, nothing clears her.

Lots of tense situations in this one, and we learn more about Wynona’s new powers. We also discover a lot about Prim and her plants. Have I mentioned Lusgu is hiding something?

I love these books and I am already reading the next one.

5 Contented Purrs for Abigail

Ever since I was in elementary school I have wanted to be an author. Career day was a bit rough, since there is no official uniform for this job. Pajamas and a laptop maybe? Although my clothes change from day to day, my job as a wife and mother doesn’t. My days are filled with my 5 children and enjoying time with my husband, while my evenings are filled with creative time. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.