A Hive of Secrets and Spells by Ellen Jane
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Subgenre: Lesbian Cozy Mystery Romance
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Synopsis for A Hive of Secrets and Spells:
Cupcakes, romance,
and lovable canines abound in Heather and Sinead’s next adventure, but it isn’t
all fun and games. The girlfriends are investigating a very personal
kidnapping, and the threatening notes left behind accuse Sinéad and her
punk-rocker twin brother of hiding something.
But after solving their first mystery together
last Christmas, this one should be a piece of cake.After all, no one’s been
murdered this time, and their witch-sorcerer rivalry is a thing of the
past.Except it turns out there is a
murderer, and a jewel thief as well, and why on earth does everyone keep
talking about bees?
It appears Starford is a lot more exciting than
Heather’s home town of Old Wetchhaven, and Sinéad’s insistence that Heather
move in with her brings a whiff of trouble to their private paradise. Can
Heather adjust to life near the big city? Or will the mounting secrets prove
too much and turn their second case into their last?
A Hive of Secrets and Spells is a witch cozy mystery with a sweet
lesbian romance and heart-warming magic.
Excerpt:
Ever since she discovered cooking, Heather had
baked her emotions away. Salves, elixirs, and potions were more natural to her
when it came to magic, but she loved to bake and she had worked on
strengthening her baking magic for years—during the last year,
particularly—until it was almost as strong as her potions.
The
magical community still debated why particular magical talents called to some
and not others. Could a witch or sorcerer choose which talent their magic
showed itself through? Or were they drawn to a talent because it held their magic? Either way, whether Heather had chosen
cooking or it had chosen her, it had always been the thing she turned to when
stress and emotion overwhelmed her.
For a
moment, she considered trying to use the block of beech again, but the thought
of spending all night trying futilely to recover her parents’ voices made her
stomach twist. She didn’t want to think about any of that—not the lost
voicemail she was trying so hard to ignore, not the fact she couldn’t make her
magic work the beech the way it needed to, not the case. Heather needed a break
from all of it.
She
cleared the bench and began to set out ingredients, not paying particular
attention to what she selected, just picking based on what felt good. The night
air, surprisingly warm for November, filtered through the open sliver of
window. She moved barefoot across the tiles, mixing flour and cocoa and this and
that until a biscuit dough began to emerge.
Humming to herself, she lined the biscuits onto
a tray and slid them into the oven. The precise spell she had baked into them
remained a mystery, but whatever it turned out to be, it had already suffused
the kitchen with a gentle, inviting thrum of energy.
She
turned around and nearly jumped a foot in the air when she saw Sinéad leaning
in the doorway, lips curved into a gentle smile.
“Can’t
sleep?” Sinéad asked.
Heather
grinned and shook her head.
“Funny
that.” Sinéad pushed away from the doorframe and came to sit at the breakfast
counter. “Neither can I.”
Heather
noticed then that Sinéad’s hands were covered in small spots of paint. That
explained why she hadn’t disturbed Sinéad getting out of the bed; Sinéad hadn’t
even been in it.
“Does
painting help?” Heather asked.
Sinéad
nodded. “It always has.”
“Come up
with any answers, then?”
“Absolutely
none.” Sinéad gave her a wry smile. “Find anything useful hiding in the sugar
tin?”
“Rudely
empty of everything but sugar.”
“Rats.”
They
smiled at each other, eyes soft in the dim light of the lamp. Heather held up
the bag of icing sugar.
“Want to
help decorate?”
Author Bio:
Ellen Jane Phillips is an Australian indie author of wlw romance.
She loves writing about LGBTQ women who experience complex lives, emotions,
needs, and desires. Her books are written for people who crave love stories
where friendship is just as important as romance, and who want to experience
cosy warmth with a hint of mystery, magic, and emotion.
You can find her writing under two pen names: Ellen Jane, and
E.J. Phillips. If you like light, cosy wlw romance suffused with magic and
mystery, Ellen Jane is the pen name for you. If you prefer something a little
heavier, and you like your wlw romance tinged with magic and tender angst, E.J.
Phillips is the one you want. When she isn't writing, you can find her walking
the dogs, playing D&D, or bemoaning the number of days since she last ate
nachos.
Author links:
Giveaway:
Win one of 2 packages with e-copies of Magic, Murder
& Mistletoe, A Hive of Secrets and Spells & A Match Made at Christmas by
Ellen Jane.
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