*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Dusty Hotte must be cursed.
First she lost her job then her house caught fire. On the same day. There are worse things than starting over at fifty, right? But when someone threatens her granddaughter’s life, enough is enough.
Seeking protection, they move to Dusty’s enchanted family farm – filled with elderly witches whose magic has gone a bit wonky, a horde of familiars, and a couple ghosts – in the safe town of Blackwood Grove, Wisconsin, where nothing can harm them.
Or so she thought.
Minutes after they arrive, a man is found dead in the family diner, and her cousin is wrongfully accused of murder. Things like this don’t happen here. Ever.
So did Dusty bring the curse with her, or is something more sinister at play?
To find out, she must clear her cousin’s name and uncover the real killer, even if it means performing magic, something she swore she’d never do again.
This is a brand new series from the author who brought us the Whispering Pines and Hearth & Cauldron cosy mystery series, both featuring Wicca with hints of the magical. The Caretaker stakes its separate ground immediately by openly claiming magic, with a witch main character who has prophetic visions and dreams and can perform grey magic spells too.
And although this is new characters and an all-new community based at Blackwood Grove, regular readers will be happy to note that a certain familiar green witch gets a mention in the story!
We join Dusty and her granddaughter Cricket in crisis, as they have lost Cricket’s parents, Dusty’s house and job and most of their belongings and have been threatened with worse by an anonymous source, leaving Dusty with no choice but to return to the magical community (and her family) that she fled as a teenager. Tough for her, but great for us readers – I loved finding out about all of the different powers, the magic sentient house, the various witches with their cute familiars and endearingly ‘wonky’ magic.
There is also a murder mystery to be solved, which it technically is by the end of this story, but which definitely opens up bigger questions and points to far darker mysteries and secrets relating to Dusty’s family, her past, her magic and the wider community.
I was willingly, utterly immersed into this new world and am only disappointed that there isn’t another whole series complete ready for me to binge read… I guess we’ll all have to wait together for the next instalment!
This is ideal if you’re looking for a wholesome, entertaining magical mystery that gives cosy witch vibes and that small-town, family warmth that have become this author’s trademark.
Dad took the folded piece of paper from me. His mouth dropped open as he read the message.
Her mother was first. Then her father.
It would be a shame if she lost her entire family.
Then who will take care of her?“You’re right. Sounds like a threat but not just against Cricket.” His now worried gaze fixed on me. “Sounds like you’re in danger too.”
– Shawn McGuire, The Caretaker
Purchase Link: The Caretaker
Find more from Shawn McGuire at her website here, or follow her on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Check out my reviews of Hearth & Cauldron (#1), Hearth & Hedge (#2), Hearth Baked (#3) and Hearth Fire (#4), here.
You can find my reviews of the Whispering Pines series, by the same author, here: Family Secrets (#1); Kept Secrets (#2); Original Secrets (#3); Hidden Secrets (#4); Rival Secrets (#5); Veiled Secrets (#6); Silent Secrets (#7); Merciful Secrets (#8); Justified Secrets (#9); Protected Secrets (#10); Burning Secrets (#11); Blind Secrets (#12), Wayward Secrets (#13).
Bookshine And Readbows 