By
Abigail Thornton

Why does every answer
just bring more questions?

Wynona is finally starting to get a handle on her newfound magic. With Violet’s help and Rascal’s tutelage she’s beginning to find parts of herself she never knew existed. But the big question still remains…who cursed her in the first place?

Wynona’s search for answers is interrupted when she’s informed that another tea shop has been opened and it’s eerily similar to hers, right down to the house made custom teas. When she decides to confront the owner, however, Wynona finds herself in a very familiar place.

The middle of a crime scene.

The tea shop owner has been murdered and with Wynona’s business’s reputation on the line, she must set aside her own wants in order to solve the case. But with every step she takes, Wynona’s magic grows stronger and her questions and fears begin to mount.

Can she solve the murder while keeping her magic a secret and therefore preserving her freedom? Or will her lack of control catch the attention of all of Hex Haven?

Everything is going well for Wynona, she’s even finding the time to learn to control her magic with Prim, Violet and of course Rascal. Wynona’s tea shop has become so popular, someone decided to capitalize on it. The new shop is a carbon copy of hers. Wynona was just going to ignore it trusting that no one could copy her talent of selecting the right teas for her customers.

Owned by Alavara Theramin an elf who was once a customer of hers, the shop is assumed by the press and apparently some of her customers to be a second location in which she is a partner. As more people confuse the two, it becomes apparent that Wynona has to do something. Alavara’s shop was ruining Wynona’s reputation.

Wynona and Prim, visit Alavara at her shop and the elf becomes belligerent. Wynona has no doubt she’ll have to take legal action to get the shop closed down.

Then Alavara is murdered and things get out of control. The press converges on Wynona wanting answers to questions that don’t relate to her at all. She does however discover a new ability, one where she can see the ghost reporters even when they aren’t corporeal.

This is a favorite scene.

Her heart was still pounding from the horrible encounter with the ghost reporters and then seeing Rascal in wolf form coming to her rescue. Plus, she was fatigued from using her magic and could desperately use a cup of matcha as a pick me up.

Wynona waved to her current patron and hurried to the kitchen to build a tray. Lusgu had kept the pot hot, much to Wynona’s delight, and it took her no time at all to have everything ready.

But by the time Wynona got Mrs. Winrok set up, three more people had arrived and it took her nearly an hour to get back to Rascal.

“I’m so sorry,” she panted, coming into her office. “There was a string of patrons and I needed to get them taken care of.”

Rascal sat at her desk, leaning over a book he’d been reading. Now that she was inside the office, he leaned back, folding his impressive arms over his chest. “Let’s get down to business then, shall we?”

Wynona held back a wince. She didn’t like working with official Deputy Chief Strongclaw. She knew, technically speaking, that her magic outranked him, but she didn’t feel like a powerful person and when Rascal got upset, he became much more like the predator he was.

She wasn’t worried about him hurting her. Rascal in wolf form or human form would never do such a thing. But when he was on the hunt, sometimes he lost his soft side and it scared Wynona slightly.

Rascal groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to frighten you.” He stood and offered her the chair. “Sit down,” he said in a softer tone.

Wynona gave him a small, awkward smile and obeyed. When his hands landed on her neck and shoulders, massaging slightly, she let out her own groan and dropped her chin down to her chest to give him better access.

“What did the ghost reporters want?” Rascal asked, his voice much more pleasant than before.

Wynona deflated a little more. “They wanted to know about my partner,” she said, using quotation marks with her fingers. “Somehow, no one seems to believe me when I say I’m not connected with that tea house.”

A low rumble came out of his throat. “And? I know you wouldn’t call the station just for that.”

“And when they kept overriding me and refusing to leave, I thought maybe frightening them with the law was the best way to go.”

“Is that all?”

Wynona stiffened and she knew Rascal felt it because he stopped massaging.

“Wy?” he pressed.

Just tell him already, Violet whined from her cozy spot in his pocket.

“And I almost lost it with my magic,” Wynona said in a small voice. She looked up and over her shoulder. “Plus, I discovered a new ability.”

He dropped to his knees beside her. “I’m guessing that’s why your eyes were purple?”

Wynona nodded and rubbed her forehead. This headache was going to knock her out if she wasn’t careful. How much stress could one person handle in a day before they simply broke? “Apparently, I can see ghosts when they’re invisible.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What?”

Wynona made a face. “It’s kind of hard to explain. But my vision went purple, and then I could see the outlines or the blobs, is maybe a better word, of the ghost reporters, even when they were in their invisible form.”

“Huh.” Rascal studied her. “Daemon said you were stronger than anyone he’d ever met. I’m thinking he might be right.”

Wynona flushed and dropped his intense gaze. She drew a random pattern on the desktop. “I didn’t ask for all this power,” she said softly. “I just want to go about my life.”

“I know,” Rascal said in a soothing tone. He rubbed her back. “But maybe this is a good thing,” he pressed. “Think of all the cases you can help me solve.”

She glared sideways at him and he grinned.

“Between my sense of smell and hearing and your powers, we’d make the perfect power couple.”

Wynona rolled her eyes. “I’m not getting involved in this one, Rascal,” she said, though her tone was flirtier than it should have been. She couldn’t seem to help it. Being around Rascal was like getting a jolt of caffeine and a warm soothing blanket all at the same time.

He chuckled, the sound reverberating through her chest. “Alright. I won’t press.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “For now.” After standing, Rascal put his hands on his hips. “Sounds like you might need a watchguard for the next few days.”

Wynona’s eyes widened. “What?”

He scratched his chin. “They were bending the law this morning and every reporter knew it. If they think they can get away with it again, they’ll keep hounding you until they get what they want.”

“I don’t have what they want,” Wynona said, jumping to her feet. “I had nothing to do with the murder, and I had nothing to do with Alavara. I’d only met her a couple of times.”

“I know,” he assured her. “But others don’t.” His jaw ticked. “I’ll send over an officer to make sure things stay quiet the next couple of days. If everyone leaves you alone, then we’ll stop rotations.”

Wynona plopped back down. “Is that really necessary?”

Rascal nodded. “Yes. Besides just the reporters, there’s another reason it’s a good idea.”

She looked up. “Why’s that?”

Rascal’s eyes fell to the floor. “Have you considered that the murder might have been directed at you?”
Thornton, Abigail Lynn. Sweet Tea and Murder: a witchy cozy mystery (Le Doux Mysteries Book 4) Kindle Locations (811-851). Angel Music. Kindle Edition.

Forced to stay somewhere other than her home, she finds herself staying with Prim. There seems to be a dead end where clues are concerned so against her better judgement Wynona once again offers her assistance with the case.

There are many twists and turns in this one, I truly had no idea who could possibly have committed this murder. We also get some more interesting facts about Wynona and her powers. Although there are still so many secrets running around.

I am very much enjoying this series and I am reading the next one now.

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.