IT TAKES A WITCH by Heather Blake

Publisher:     NAL

Published:    January 3, 2012

ISBN:      978-0451235527

Genre:     Cozy Mystery

Format:   Print

Obtained via:  Publisher 

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

THREE HEARTS

Shortly after the death of their father, Darcy and Harper Merriweather move to the quaint little town of the Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts.  Yes, that Salem.  Within days of arriving they find that their sweet Aunt Ve, a woman they only knew at a distance growing up is a witch.  Not only is Ve a witch, but so are Darcy and Harper and Darcy has a most unique talent—if someone makes a wish with a pure heart she must grant that wish.  Of course there are rules as to when, how and who she can grant the wishes.  The thing about the Enchanted Village is that some residents are witches and some are not and the witches cannot give up their true talents or they will lose them.  So they live side-by-side in a secretly magical world.  That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some folks who would like very much to have some magical abilities. 

Or claim to.

And what happens when one magical person doesn’t quite agree or get along with another?  And what happens with a witch finds herself draw more and more to a mortal—a mortal who may not be all he seems to be…or is more than a simple private security guard?  But before they can investigate their attractions a wannabe witch is killed and Darcy’s Aunt Ve’s beau is first in line as the suspect.  Can magic find the killer?

I liked the idea of the Enchanted Village where Heather Blake’s IT TAKES A WITCH takes place.  It reminded me of a fun combination of Mystic Seaport village and Disneyland with quirky characters, fun shops and entertaining events.  There was also a smidge of Wonderland in the myriad animal characters.  I have to admit Archie the bird was my favorite although Pepe the mouse was pretty darn cute too. Blake also seemed to give a lot of solid thought to describing the historical lore around the village and different types of witches inhabiting the town. 

IT TAKES A WITCH had all the elements that make a cozy mystery an easy and fun read—one of the things I like about cozies is that the reader can often feel part of solving the mystery.  I never really warmed up to Darcy—her sister, Harper, was more my kind of character.  And I felt that the attraction between Darcy and Nick was forced.  It just didn’t seem natural to me.  Maybe it was all the secrets she had to keep about her real self and that she herself was learning how to be a witch that got in the way.  I’ll have to read on in the series to see how she progresses and if I feel more about her as a character. 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.