Potions Are For Pushovers

October 7, 2019
Berry’s sparkling sequel to 2018’s Séances Are for Suckers finds Eleanor Wilde settled in a cottage in an unnamed village in Sussex, England. The cottage is on the property of the new man in her life, Nicholas Hartford III, who hired her to investigate a ghost at his ancestral estate in the first book. Ellie doesn’t really believe in potions and hexes, and she isn’t really a witch, but that doesn’t stop her from telling people she is and earning her keep by selling spells and potions. When shrewish Sarah Blackthorne is poisoned during a meeting in the church basement and the town’s favorite pig is found dead with its heart cut out, the locals suspect Ellie and her witchcraft, until the arrival of an out-of-towner who may be a werewolf. Meanwhile, pets start to disappear, including Ellie’s cat. Ellie and Nicholas’s blossoming relationship provides counterpoint to the spooky goings-on. Along with quirky characters and a twisty plot, Berry supplies a good foundation for more stories to follow. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary.