Books and Bribes

A Book Store Cozy Mystery, Book 1

By: Lucinda Race

Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

Enjoy this clean, paranormal cozy mystery by award winning and bestselling author, Lucinda Race.

Welcome to Pembroke Cove, where witches and murders are multiplying...

In a small town like Pembroke Cove, Maine, everyone has something to hide. But when bookstore owner Lily Michaels takes a tumble and hits her head, and her cat Milo starts talking to her, she discovers she has something to hide, too. She’s a witch, and Milo is her familiar. And she’s not the only one in town. Lily has been hiding something else, too. Even though she’s always kept Gage Erikson in the friend zone, her feelings for the man Milo calls Detective Cutie go a lot deeper than she’s willing to admit.

Gage has a secret too. He’s always had a crush on Lily. But if he gives into his feelings, it might mess up the wonderful friendship they have. With his cowboy boots and cherry red pickup truck and knack for just letting folks talk, people might underestimate just how good a detective Gage actually is. But is he good enough to discover all of Lily’s secrets?

Somebody in Pembroke knows a lot about the secrets people are keeping, and isn’t above a little blackmail. While Lily struggles with learning how to be a witch, she works with Gage to uncover the truth, and a new kind of magic develops between them. Will they continue to be just friends, or will they finally admit to the secret love they’ve been hiding?

Books and Bribes is the first novel in A Book Store Cozy Mystery Series, although each book can be listened to as standalone. A sweet and clean cozy mystery with a guarantee the culprit is caught. Happy listening!

©2023 Lucinda Race (P)2024 Lucinda Race

Intriguing mystery

This was a very intriguing and entertaining mystery. The characters were very engaging and drew me into their fantasy world and I was hooked. I enjoyed finding out about Lilly's secrets along with her. Gage was her perfect foil. I kept guessing incorrectly, which was part of the fun.Milo was a great addition to the storyline. I am looking forward to more adventures with this engaging group. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest opinion. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters and story to life.

Great!

This was a fun and who did it story. Lily was a witch learning the ropes on how to be a good witch. She and her cat could talk to each other.
Meghan Kelly was the narrator and she is wonderful. I love that she can voice every character and I know exactly who is speaking. Male, female, old people or children, she can do them all.

Entertaining mystery

The narrative is engaging and easy to follow. It encourages you to choose which character is the murderer. Who is the murderer when everyone is a suspect? There's also a little romance, but sadly, the two main characters are too protective of their relationship to notice each other's sentiments and are simply too blind to let it develop into anything more.

The narrator performed an amazing job. With her help, each character has a unique voice and personality.

entertaining

A cute small town cozy mystery.
A hint of romance, a murder, a talking cat, Lilly, a new witch, is trying to find out about her powers.
Lilly loves puzzles, and wants to help the detective, Gage Erikson, to solve a murder that happened in the library.
Fun, antics, a clean story for all ages. The story is nice change from stories that are a darker genre.
Meghan Kelly told this story with humor and emotion,
The voices and personalities of each character was very good. I enjoyed listening to this delightful story.

Delightfully Different!

When bump on the head opens a whole new world to Lily Michaels, she has some things to come to terms with … like she’s a witch with talking cat familiar … and THAT’s just … the … beginning! Clever, humorous, entertaining and engrossing, “Books and Bribes” not only held my interest, but it had me playing amateur detective right along with Lily! The plot was easy to follow, flowing smoothly and descriptively from scene to scene, totally immersing me IN the story as I got to know the imaginative and delightfully defined cast of characters! I loved how this story played out, I loved how I was kept guessing, and I really loved the unpredictably of the final outcome, and nooooo I … am … not … telling! Another thing I loved was the growing relationship between Lily and Gage, or as her familiar calls him … “Detective Cutie” … and that’s the only spoiler you’re gettin’! This delightfully different story was ingeniously, entertainingly, and convincingly brought to life by dynamically ASTONISHING voice acting. Every character, EVERY single character UNIQUELY voiced to perfection! Clear, concise, perfectly paced perfection, truly bringing the authors vision vibrantly ALIVE! Books and Bribes easily earns FIVE fantastic stars across all categories!

Books and Bribes

What a fun easy to listen to new mystery series. The story flowed very nice. I loved the talking cats, and steamy romance brewing. The narration was spot on and I loved the unique characters! Can’t wait for more!

Great Start to this New Cozy Mystery Series!

I was so excited to see a new series from Lucinda Race because I loved her other books that I have listened to.  This Cozy Mystery was fun, had great characters and had a great mystery behind the Librarian’s murder for you to solve.   Lily hits her head and then hears her cat Milo talking to her.  Turns out she’s a witch and Milo is her familiar, and she is not the only one in her family that’s a witch.  She is told to start studying the book on witchcraft so that she can learn how to cast spells, and she has been ignoring the book while she is trying to solve the murder.  Her best friend, Gage, who is a detective, is trying to keep her safe, but she is being pushy about helping him on the case.  They are best friends but neither realize that they both want more than friendship.  Gage and Lily are so cute together! I loved all the characters in this book and how the case of the murder was solved.  I am looking forward to the next book and the next steps in Lily and Gage’s "friendship".  Meghan Kelly’s narration was fantastic as always and really brought the book to life with all the different voices and emotions of the characters.

Practical-ly amazing!

What a great introduction to Lily & Milo and all the witchy goodness. I can’t wait to get started with book 2!

Narration was great—the voices really helped me follow who was talking. I’m not traditionally an audio consumer, but Meagan Kelly has changed my mind.

Great start to a fun cozy mystery series!

Books and Bribes by Lucinda Race has everything I love in a cozy mystery - books, cats, and an amateur sleuth who just found out she’s a witch - did I mention sweets and coffee too? Lily Michaels fell in her bookshop and hit her head. When she woke up she realized she could hear her cat Milo talking. He told her she was a witch and he was her familiar. As Lily starts studying her witch book to learn her craft, she is easing into her heritage. Meanwhile, the librarian is murdered and it opens a hornet’s nest of secrets, lies and blackmail. Lily is determined to sleuth and help her best friend Detective Gage Erikson solve the crime. I enjoyed this new-to-me book and series. The characters are relatable and their relationships and interactions are realistic. I hope to see Lily’s skills develop as well as her relationship with Gage. The narration by Meghan Kelly is absolutely fantastic! She creates totally unique voices, accents, and inflections for all the characters that are appropriate to them. She brought the characters and story to life and it’s like watching a movie in your head! Ms. Kelly performance is perfect and reflects her professional talents and skills. I received a free audiobook code for my honest review.