Book Recommendation ➱ Crystals and Corpses (Magical Misfit Murders Book 1) MM Urban Fantasy Cozy Mystery by Jacki James

Crystals and Corpses by Jacki James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

📖Book Info

Magic, murder, and a whole lot of coffee—welcome to Ravenstone!

Declan Hawthorne is just your average caffeine-addicted guy—until a visit to his grandfather reveals: magic is real, witches exist, and apparently, Declan’s one of them.

Now he’s getting to know Ravenstone, a supernatural small town where the coffee is strong, the monsters are quirky, and someone just murdered a vampire at the first annual Magic Festival.

His ally? Gideon Blackwood—a gorgeous wolf shifter who can’t shift but still manages to growl in all the right ways. He knows he can’t be Alpha, but that doesn’t stop him from protecting everyone else… including one reckless new witch who doesn’t know when to quit.

Between magical cookies and cakes, a bunch of meddling misfit monsters, and a lot of spilled coffee, Declan and Gideon have their hands full. But if they want to catch a killer—and maybe fall a little in love—they’ll have to trust their instincts and maybe their magic.

Because in Ravenstone, coffee solves most problems. The rest? Magic and a hot wolf usually do the trick.

Tags: MM paranormal mystery romance, cozy mystery vibes with a bit of heat, an alpha without a wolf, a guy who’s just discovered he’s a witch, some magical cakes and cookies, supernatural small town creatures, low angst, lots and lots of coffee, a misfit monster support group with a heartbroken mermaid, a murder-board-creating shadow imp, a matronly spider lady, a grumpy demon, an extroverted sprite, a shy bigfoot, and Declan’s hippie grandfather.

💭Our Thoughts

A fun and lighthearted small-town cozy mystery romance that is not to be missed!

Also, the first book in the series

The characters were well written with vastly different personalities and quirks, all set in a wonderfully crafted universe. 

They weren’t professional private eyes; they were just everyday Joes and Janes (mermaids and bigfeet and the like) trying to figure out who was killing folks in their community.

They bumbled their way through each clue and subsequent guess, resulting in some very humorous situations

They tried to mask their interrogations as everyday conversations. 

Overly caffeinated Declan seemed to have that down naturally

Personal biases definitely jaded some of their guesses, but they were not going to overlook anyone.

While all this was going down, our town's unofficial “Alpha”, Gideon, found a growing attraction to the town's newest resident and possible witch, Declan

But he was going to fight those feelings... 

Famous last thoughts

“because damn it, I was in charge of my life, and everything was going to be amazing from now on-”

The power of positive thinking!

Declan had packed up his life, what he didnt leave with his cheating ex, that is, and was now trudging up the town lane to surprise his grandfather with a visit.

Let’s be real, what better place to take a breather and reevaluate his life than with his quirky grandfather?

“Did they not see the enormous spider knitting beside them?”

Declan had no idea that magic was real, and he himself might be a practitioner.

However ignorant of the truth he was, life was about to present him a very in-your-face introduction to the world of the supernatural.

I have to say he handled each new surprise so well. I am not sure if I would have been as calm as him.

“You don’t need to stop mauling one another.”

It was fun to watch these two testing the draw between them.

The little pecks and side glances.

It felt natural the way their relationship developed.

Definitely was second to the mystery, but was still front and center. If that makes sense

I do want to toss out a little thought here - when you read the part about Gideon’s childhood, does anything come to mind? 

I don't want to spoil a possible future storyline, but I think I know why he can’t shift.

Author Website: https://www.goodreads.com/jackijames

My Reviews on:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Joyffree

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/1839574094

#BookRecommendation #CrystalsandCorpses #MagicalMisfitMurders #MMUrbanFantasy #Paranormal #SmallTown #CozyMystery #KindleUnlimited #JackiJames