Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti

Magical Bakery Mystery Series, Book 2

By: Bailey Cates

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

As a new witch - not to mention owner of Savannah's most enchanting bakery - Katie Lightfoot is still getting used to casting spells, brewing potions, and mastering her magical powers. But that doesn't mean she can't find time to enjoy a picnic with firefighter Declan McCarthy...until she stumbles upon a corpse.

The dead man's tattoo reveals he was a member of a secret society - and it turns out he's missing an object that was very important to the group. When Katie learns the killer was after more than the man's life, she and her Aunt Lucy leave the baked goods on the rack to cool and set off in hot pursuit of a killer.

©2012 Penguin Group (USA), Inc. (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This paranormal cozy takes on a decidedly thriller overtone midstream. This is just what it needs to break out of the witchcraft tutorial mode that threatens to stall Cates's second title in her promising series. Partner this with Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mystery series." ( Library Journal)

Great Series

I tend to get bored with this type of series and skip ahead chapters. I find I don't want to do that with these books because I don't want to miss anything!
Book 1 was a little slow building the basis for the future books, but so far this has been my favorite.

Huge improvement from 1st in series!

I was hoping the series would improve and it did! The author did a fine job with an engaging story and continuing character development that was very satisfying. There's still great potential with the multiple arcs of the story. I look forward to more. Good narration, too!

Delightful

Where does Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

My daughter and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to Bailey Cates's Bewitched series. My only regret is that there aren't five more books! I appreciated the fact the my ears weren't assaulted with the "Bad Language" that seems to be in so many of today's audio books.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plots in each book were interesting and there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested in each book.

Have you listened to any of Amy Rubinate’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator's voice was pleasant to listen to and the her inflections added to the story but were not over to the top to the point of being distracting.

Any additional comments?

I would certainly recommend the entire series as entertaining and fun to listen to.

it gets better and better.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first. I thought the reader had slow down just enough to be enjoying for me to listen. I hope book 3 will be as interesting.

Highly fun and addictive

The story is so good. keeps my attention to the very end. good narrator too.

Fun story

I missed the upbeat energy of Johanna Parker, the reader of Brownies and Broomsticks, but Amy Rubinate did a fine job, with consistent voices for the individual characters. The only issue I really have with her reading quality is the fairly frequent tone that seems either like a "snarky" quality or a "come hither" tone, depending on the situation, and this is not always an appropriate type tone, which got a bit annoying at times. Got past that, and the book is a fun read/listen. Am about to dive into book 3.

What She Didnt know

Wow , great story! Love the characters as they continue to grow. Funny ( triangle of three?)) Didn't know until the reveal..who done it. Great reader! Can't wait to read the next one!

Much better narrator

First narrator was exhausting- too fast. This was much better. Fun stories. Rooting for Declan!

More character development in book 2

1st…love the title; 2nd…the narrator’s pace is much better compared to book 1; 3rd…more character development; 4th…introduces male counterpart to the “book club”; 5th…Will Katie make a choice between her 2 suitors?
I would love a dog like Mungo!
More twists and intrigue as Katie and crew try to solve 2 connected deaths and strike a win against male chauvinism.

Another narrator Please!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

what happened to Johanna Parker?!"
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Johanna Parker was the first narrator of the series, then the series had to switch to Bailey Cates, who cannot narrate. Ms. Cates has such a monotone voice, when listening to my audiobook while doing home chores: washing dishes, I practically fall into my dish soap. Please bring Ms. Parker back ASAP!

What did you like best about this story?

Seeing Ms. Cates can only read w/ once voice, all the characters sound alike, but if I could discern, I think I could choose Lucy...she's so kick-back and positive.

How could the performance have been better?

The performance could have been better if Ms. Cates took acting courses to perfect her reading ability, which takes acting skills. Most good professional readers have been actores.