When Mia Malone’s grandmother asks her to take a week away from her restaurant job and come to Magic Springs, Idaho, she’s happy to oblige. Like Mia, Grans has witchcraft running through her veins, and life with her is never boring. Plus, the cause is a good one—helping Grans get the local food bank up and running again.

But there’s an unappetizing surprise in store. While Mia is knee-deep in boxes of donated produce, she encounters the body of Dorian Alexander.

Dorian was a warlock, leader of the local coven. He was also her Grans’ new beau. There’s no potion that’ll make this trouble disappear. But if Mia wants to keep her Grans—now a prime suspect—from serving a spell in prison, she’ll have to unearth the real killer fast.

Titles in the Kitchen Witch Mysteries series include – Chili Cauldron Curse (introduction #0.5) – One Poison Pie –

Title:  Chili Cauldron Curse
Series:  Kitchen Witch Mysteries #0.5 (introduction to series)
Author:  Lynn Cahoon
Genre:  Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Published:  August 25, 2020
Publisher:  Kensington Books
My Rating:  4 stars

‘Chili Cauldron Curse‘ is the introductory novella in the new series, ‘Kitchen Witch Mysteries‘.  It’s a quick read that drew me in and kept me entertained throughout.  I prefer this type of beginning to a new series where I get to meet the townsfolk, get a start on keeping everyone sorted out (there are a lot of names flying about), and just get an overall feel for the next full-length story in the series to come.

Mia is a natural-born witch who doesn’t use her powers all that much, at most you might call her a kitchen witch when she practices at all.  Her mother has set aside her powers and lives a fully-non-magic life.  But Mia’s grandmother fully embraces her craft and is at the center of much of this story.

Mia has returned to Magic Springs, Idaho to help her gran get the food bank sorted out before the beginning of the school year where it will be much needed and appreciated by local families.  Her boyfriend’s sister will also arrive in town to help since she is on the outs with her family right now.  But the boyfriend is acting distant recently so that’s a puzzle to sort out as well.  When Mia discovers a dead body in amongst the spoiled produce it’s not long before Mia’s gran and Mia are prime suspects – it’s up to Mia and members of the local coven to figure out what truly happened to Dorian and track down the real killer before innocent women are charged.

I had fun with this introduction novella.  Magic, mystery, laughs, and spells abound.  In all, ‘Chili Cauldron Curse‘ was an enjoyable story, one that set the series up well enough that I can now dive into the first book release due in early 2021.  If you love a good Cozy Mystery of the Paranormal kind, then get started on this series from the very beginning.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available in audio, and for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle