Must Love Magic is the name of my Facebook readers group. Since I write paranormal cozy mystery, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy, it was the perfect way to sum up the different genres that I write.
Why? I’ve always been fascinated by magic, whether I was wondering how a microwave or fax machine worked or wishing I had magical powers like some of my favorite television shows. As my girls grew up, I always emphasized how magic surrounded them.
Being able to open the van door with a raise of my hand (or a key fob behind my back) or the way I could see behind me with my back turned (if I could see their reflection on the television screen) helped to make them believers. Because seeing behind the curtain or debunking was never my desire, I love to look for magic in all things.
But I also love to give my characters magical abilities ranging from mundane to magnificent in my books. Granted, having the power to heal would be a spectacular ability for many. Still, if I had to choose one magical ability specific to my needs, it would be to be able to teleport or orb. I’m totally crushing on Leo and Paige’s ability in Charmed.
I could be a better traveler. I hate to pack—and do a terrible job, and flying requires lots of preparation so my eardrums don’t cause me agony.
But since I’ve yet to discover any magical abilities other than those in my mind, I write about them. And since I spend so much time home alone tapping away on the computer, I also spend a lot of time talking to my dog, Scruff. So it makes sense that I’d add some talking animals to my cozy mystery stories. Who hasn’t wondered what their pets would say if given a chance?
Both of my cozies feature talking cats that help figure out the mystery or just cause extra chaos. My Witch Shifter cozies feature a witch who can shift into a cat. Because why not? Cats can intimidate everyone else with one look, naps are expected, your favorite toy is a box, stellar night vision (THIS!), and if you get tired of someone—bite them!
Not that my shifting heroine gets to enjoy too many of these good reasons to be a cat since she’s too busy trying to just get used to being a cat, plus there’s a mystery to solve.
My paranormal romance and urban fantasy stories (my urban fantasy stories are written as Maureen Bonatch) don’t have talking animals—yet—but all of my books have magic. And sometimes ghosts or other paranormal creatures, usually some humor, maybe a little romance, and always a fun story to take you away from the everyday.
But today, we’re all about cozies! I’m sharing a few books from two of my paranormal cozy mystery series: three from my Charmed Cozy Cocktail series and two from my Witch Shifter Cozy Mystery series. I hope that you enjoy and have a magical day!
Maureen
Sign up for newsletter: https://www.maureenbonatch.com/free-book/
Follow on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-L-Bonatch/e/B0951C41XM
Follow on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-l-bonatch
Title Curses, Cats & Corpses
Author M.L. Bonatch
Genre: paranormal cozy mystery
Book Blurb
Her magic might not be up to par, but she's no killer. The question is, who is?
Marissa Hale dreams of making her mark as a charmed cocktail mixologist. But her mediocre magic skills have her putting her aspirations on ice and moving in at Gran's retirement community. And just as she's acclimating to the resident nosey witches, she's horrified when a trip to the work freezer offers up a corpsesicle.
Her resentful vampire coworker insists Marissa is a prime suspect since her hair has a new dark shade, implying a recent magical mishap. Admitting she’s been secretly practicing her cocktails and a misfire caused the color—and the ability to talk to a cat—would only stir up more trouble.
Will Marissa’s best shot at finding the culprit be enough to keep her from getting served a murder charge?
Curses, Cats & Corpses is the bewitching first book in the Charmed Cocktail Cozy mystery series.
Excerpt
I pressed my hand against my galloping heart. Now would’ve been a good time for me to be free of my pesky emotions.
The nice thing about having Burton as the closest thing to a best friend that Florida offered was that I didn’t have to worry about hurting his non-existent feelings. He didn’t give a bat’s eye what anyone else thought. He was just Burton. Sure, it made him come across a little creepy to some, but his utter indifference was his best feature and something I aspired to have for myself. So far, I was failing in my quest.
I looked at my creepy coworker, unsure of how to break our silent standoff. For once, Burton knew exactly what to say. He cocked his head to the side, appearing more curious than concerned. “What happened to him?”
“How am I supposed to know?” We both peered into the freezer.
“Wait. I think I know him.” I leaned forward far enough that my toes almost left the ground and tried to envision the corpse without the frosty coating. The thick chest curls peeking from the collar of his shirt and the seventies-style handlebar mustache confirmed it. “He lives in Gran’s retirement community. His name is Henry.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B09H3L4C71
Author Biography
M.L. Bonatch believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and caffeine and wine are essential for survival. When she’s not doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, she’s a mom to twin daughters, exploring the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby and dancing as much as possible. You’ll find her paranormal cozy mysteries under M.L. Bonatch, and her paranormal romance and urban fantasy under Maureen Bonatch.
Social Media Links
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/M-L-Bonatch/e/B0951C41XM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBonatch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbonatch.author/
Title Hexes, Highballs & Hockey
Author: M.L. Bonatch
Genre paranormal cozy mystery
Book Blurb
Her spellcasting is as weak as a peewee wrist-shot. Can she undo her mistake before her buddy takes the fall?
Marissa Hale is a walking mess. Tired of being nothing more than a mediocre witch, the aspiring mixologist is desperate to shake up her image. But outing herself for illicit magic is a no-go, even if her simple stain-removing spell sends her friend away in chains.
Anxious to clear her pal’s name without implicating herself, Marissa fears her double-duty misfire may have also skyrocketed a hockey player to instant fame. But as she and her chatty cat dig deeper, she’s stunned to discover the superstar athlete is keeping a shocking celestial secret…
Will Marissa free the wrongfully accused and fess up before she’s next in the penalty box?
Hexes, Highballs & Hockey is the top-shelf second book in the Charmed Cocktail Cozy mystery series.
Excerpt
I tried to blot the mess before Grace noticed. My efforts at wiping only made the stain worse. The large Banshee image sewn on the front of the jersey morphed from raging to repulsive.
After ensuring her attention was fixed on player number sixty-nine hustling down the ice, I focused on the mess. Surely a teeny, tiny spell won’t show up on the radar?
Heck, the wrath of the magic-hating SHL would surely have been less than Grace’s if she discovered the stain. The smeared, clotting cheese was rapidly giving the jersey the appearance of a napkin.
I glanced at Grace. The roar of the crowd made it unnecessary to mutter the enchanted words under my breath, but I did anyway. My furtive glances assured me that Grace didn’t notice the mess or the magic.
Grace jostled Joe’s beloved hat as she tested the boundaries of her seating area with flailing arms when the announcer identified the players.
“Hey, watch the hat.”
I grabbed the hat to steady it and contain my compressed curls as I finished the spell. A small shimmery cloud circled the congealing cheese. As the cloud dissipated, so did the cheese. I smiled as the Banshee returned to looking nasty instead of nauseous.
“That should do the trick.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B096PQ79T9
Title: Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe
Author: M.L. Bonatch
Genre paranormal cozy mystery
Book Blurb
She doesn’t see dead people, but her dog does. Can the spirits help her solve the mystery and save Christmas?
Marissa Hale is excited to visit her friend Grace’s new Inn. But the twinkly lights attached to the inheritance are frightful, and finding a dead body in the poinsettias resembling one of Santa’s fabled elves is not delightful. The death of Grace’s aunt was already suspicious, is someone trying to scare Grace into selling the Kringle Inn?
Grace’s bloodline is the magic mainline for keeping the yuletide spirit alive, and losing the Inn could mean the end of Christmas. The clues to both deaths may reside with the spirits of the Inn, but Marissa’s dog is the only one who can see them.
Does Marissa stand a ghost of a chance of solving this mystery to save Christmas?
Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe is the high-spirited third book in the Charmed Cocktail Cozy mystery series.
Excerpt
“Jasper, stay out of those poinsettias! They're poisonous,” I yelled, as if the feline was hard of hearing. Grace was accustomed to my banter with the cat, despite only hearing a bunch of meowing when Jasper spoke to me. She'd accepted it when I told her Jasper and I could communicate after a spell backfired—at least that was what I thought had happened.
Jasper turned to respond. “For goddess' sake, woman, it's not like I'm going to eat a plant. I wouldn't stoop to that level. Besides, there's something over here. It smells bad and might be dead.”
“What?” Had I heard him correctly over Mulder's barking? “Mulder, that's enough.”
I shook my head when the dog regarded me with big pleading eyes.
“Jasper, did you say dead? You mean a flower, right?” I paused at the edge of the poinsettias and peered over the leaves. “There's practically a forest of these plants.”
My foot smacked against something hard and unyielding. As I hopped on one foot to cradle the injured toe of the other, I lost my balance and fell face-forward with a yelp into the flowery forest.
Mulder backed away, whining now that I'd heeded his alert to investigate.
“Marissa, are you alright?” Grace rushed across the tile.
“I think so,” I muttered to the floor. My pool of hair occluded my view. I pushed the pink strands away—which clashed with the red flowers—and turned my head. “But I don't think he is."
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B096PSSPT9
Title: A Cagey CATastrophe
Author: M.L. Bonatch
Genre paranormal cozy mystery
Book Blurb
A confused new witch and a familiar with more attitude than aptitude!
I'd barely accepted I was half magic-blood when my sister-from-another-mister showed up in a tacky van and dumped me in the Witchness Protection Program.
Now I'm stuck in a house with an arrogant warlock and an ancient gossip-loving witch in a neighborhood with more secrets than stray cats. Soon after arriving, I woke up as a cat and discovered the chatter in my head since moving here has been the local cat population talking. Is this what's made me so interesting to all the wrong people? I'm a witch who can shift? Maybe I need witchness protection after all.
When someone with dark magic starts luring wayward teens away from the area, it leaves me questioning how good this protection program really is. But before I can learn how to stop blowing things up with my magic or turning into Abby the tabby, another teen witch goes missing. This time, I fear that she was taken to get to me, so it’s up to me and my fat tomcat familiar to save her. If I can't, the darkness won't stop at me. It will come for us all.
A Cagey CATastrophe is the first book in the Witch Shifter Cozy Mystery series.
Excerpt
I paused in front of a house. “This has to be it.” Rubber bones and squeaky toys littering the porch gave it away as most likely being the home of Betty Lou and her little dog too. The neighborhood was filled with cats; Betty Lou’s mutt was the only dog I’d seen.
I stood in front of the gate, automatically reaching for my necklace to garner my courage. I tensed, fingers pausing at the base of my neck where the necklace should’ve been. My heart sank at the loss.
Mom had said the necklace was to give me strength, courage, and protection. Something I could use a lot of now that I’d decided to venture to Betty Lou’s. I sighed, determined to get this visit over with now that I’d come this far. If I turned back now, I might not have the courage to seek out Betty Lou again.
What was I doing? This was a terrible, impulsive idea. It reminded me of something Carman would do. I was more like my sister than I’d realized.
It had seemed like a good idea, but now that I was here, my courage faltered. Who knew what lurked inside this house besides Betty Lou and her dog? This was about more than my dilemma. I might not be much help with teaching spells and potions, but I could help find out what happened to Heather. Maybe she hadn’t left on her own? Why hadn’t anyone questioned Betty Lou about Heather’s disappearance?
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Amazon:
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-cagey-catastrophe-a-witch-shifter-cozy-mystery-book-1-by-m-l-bonatch
Goodreads:
Title: A Creepy CATalsyt
Author: M.L. Bonatch
Genre paranormal cozy mystery
Book Blurb
Being a witch who can shift has its perks—seeing ghosts isn’t one of them.
Hell-o, it would've been nice if someone had warned me that my ability to shift into a cat enabled me to see ghosts. I spent a good ten minutes explaining my new pet-sitting business to a spirit. I thought something was off about her, but I wasn’t expecting that!
If only I could understand what she was trying to tell me because it turns out she was murdered. She’s followed me home until I can figure it out. And now I must care for her familiar until the inconsolable cat is assigned a new witch. Moving the ghost and her keening cat out of my house can’t happen soon enough.
When old grudges are revealed, the list of suspects grows. And it includes a young witch at the Home for Wayward Witches, who’s flaunting too much attitude and power. It can’t be her, can it? With a killer on the loose, everyone’s got a finger or paw to point. Since I have both, I’m caught in the middle of this murder mystery. Let’s hope I can solve it before an innocent witch gets accused, or worse, someone else dies.
Excerpt
“The ghost probably said nothing since it was surprised someone could see it,” Olaf shrieked, unwilling to let the subject drop. “Cats have avoided letting ghosts know we can see them for centuries. The first thing you do is advertise this ability.”
“I’m not a cat.”
“Obviously.” Olaf jumped off my lap and immediately began bathing himself with his tongue.
“Wait a minute. You said she died three days ago? Did anyone get her cat?” I recalled the howling coming from inside the house. I thought it was a cat making that sound. Could it have been some other ghost I’d yet to encounter—or a ghostly cat?
“No one could find the cat.” Scott swept the glass into a dustpan. “There’s a cat door that leads to the basement. We assumed the cat was hiding down there or had gone somewhere to die. Some familiars are so attached to their witches that they die shortly after their witch passes.”
Olaf’s eyes widened. “Well, forget that! I like you and all, but I’m not going kamikaze on myself if you bite the big one. You live a dangerous life as it is. Look at how you just walked up to that creepy house while ignoring all of my warnings and started chatting it up with a ghost.”
I thought of the cat. If it was alive, it was all alone in the house. There was no way I could leave it there, even if it meant facing down a ghost.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)