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Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 5th, 2021

336 Pages

Synopsis: When a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt’s name in this magical and charming new cozy mystery.

For four hundred years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive. There’s never been a problem they couldn’t handle. But then Constance Graves–a local known for being argumentative and demanding–dies while staying at the bed and breakfast Brynn Warren maintains with her aunts. At first, it seems like an accident…but it soon becomes clear that there’s something more sinister at work, and Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect.

There’s nothing Brynn wants more than to prove Nora’s innocence, and it hurts her to know that even two years ago that might have been easier. Brynn, after all, is a witch of the dead–a witch who can commune with ghosts. Ghosts never remember much about their deaths, but Constance might remember something about her life that would help crack the case. But Brynn hasn’t used her powers since her husband died, and isn’t even sure she still can. Brynn will just have to hope that her aunts’ magic and her own investigative skills will lead her to answers–and maybe back to the gift she once thought herself ready to give up forever. (Goodreads)

Once upon a time I used to be addicted to cozy mysteries, and juggled too many series to count on my tbr and then for some reason I drifted away from them. When the publisher contacted me and offered me an advance copy of In the Company of Witches however, the cover and premise proved to be too tempting to resist.

Although I found the mystery a tad predictable there were a couple of things regarding the whodunnit that did catch me by surprise. The characters are marvelously written and have all the quirkiness and idiosyncrasies that I love to see in this genre. The relationship between Brynn and her aunts and uncle was particularly enjoyable, and the way the family tried to help Brynn deal with the tragic loss of her husband was heartwarming even if their efforts didn’t always go smoothly. The New England small town setting is charming and I was so enchanted with Faustus the cat and Dog, the crow, that I wanted more of them. The ending satisfyingly brought closure to not only the mystery of the murder of Constance, but also to Brynn’s grieving for late husband.

All in all, this was a lovely beginning to The Evenfall Witches B&B series, and I’ll definitely be sticking with it. Coming out the first week of October makes this perfect timing for Halloween, and I highly recommend this to cozy mystery fans who are looking for a quick, entertaining tale filled with likable characters.