By Jinty James

Cute cozy mystery.

Maddie makes the best cappuccino in town. And she can see 24-hours into the future of the person ordering the coffee. Together with her best friend Suzanne, and her cat Trixie, they run a mobile coffee stand.

When one of her regular customers, Joan, looks distressed, Maddie peers into her future and finds her dead. Not knowing how to warn her, Maddie tells Joan to be careful and take care of herself.

When Joan does turn up dead, and with a murder investigation underway, Maddie and Suzanne take it upon themselves to solve the case. With a little magic in their side, what could go wrong?

This book was a fast read – about 160 pages. It was exactly what I expected from a cozy mystery. Fluffed with friendship and cute cats. The murder, while violent, is not graphic or gory. And if you pay attention to the clues, it will lead you right to your killer.

The author developed Maddie as smart and a good critical thinker. Her interrogations of Joan’s friends and family seem to flow naturally without raising too much suspicion because she empathizes with them.

And Suzanne as the comedic relief was just what this serious topic needed to lighten the book.

As a coffee addict, I loved this book. Maddie and Suzanne’s coffee truck is a great background for their investigation. They have a great relationship with their customers and a rivalry with their old boss at the coffee shop.

The rivalry with the competing coffee house is mentioned a few times, and the owner does make an appearance. But ultimately the interaction didn’t really push the storyline. It’s possible this set a foundation for her later books in the series.

There wasn’t actually a lot of magic or spells cast in this book. With the title “Spells and Spiced Lattes,” I expected Maddie to at least attempt to use her magic more than a few times. I figure the author imagined a few parts were more magical than was actually conveyed on paper.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author to see how Maddie grows into her powers.

I recommend this book to:

• Cozy mystery fans
• Agatha Christie fans
• Fans of Amanda M Lee and Lilly Harper Heart
• Readers who want to dip their toe into fantasy without too many supernatural instances.

You can find Spells and Spiced Latte on Amazon Kindle and paperback here: