"Mrs. Morris and the Vampire" By Traci Wilton" Review/Giveaway

Review by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and links to purchase it.

Since moving to Salem, Massachusetts, and starting her life over running a Bed-and-Breakfast, Charlene Morris has come to accept a lot: the existence of witches (her friend Brandy Flint is a practicing Wiccan), and even haunting ghosts (an admittedly attractive one has taken up residence in her home). Vampires, though, are a little too much even for her. Yet that’s what new Salem resident Alaric Mayar claims to be, and budding young Wiccan Serenity Flint has fallen under his spell. Charlene was doing her best to watch over the couple during the Hawthorne Hotel’s fall Witch Ball, but she is distracted as one of the judges for their competitive costume competition. Brandy isn’t shy about expressing her disbelief in Alaric’s vampirism nor her disapproval of his attempt to seduce her daughter, and neither is Serenity’s ex-boyfriend Dru Ormand. So when Alaric disappears (not in a bat way) and his body later washes up on the shore, both Brandy and Dru top off the suspect list. Since one of the investigating officers seems to hate Charlene while the other detective is intent on protecting her, Brandy’s pleas for Charlene to look into the matter will not be without a few obstacles.


➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

Image Source Kensington
As much as Detective Sam Holden would prefer that Charlene stay safe on the sidelines, he does reveal that the very human Alaric had another identity back in his hometown of New Orleans. Questioning her own B&B guests leads to the knowledge that there may be reasons behind his belief in his family lineage of vampirism, although it doesn’t explain why or how he intended to create his own coven of vampires. Helping Charlene, with surprisingly impressive computer skills, is her resident ghost, the late Dr. Jonathan “Jack” Strathmore IV. Handsome, charming, flirtatious, and very dead, Jack is the ultimate unobtainable man. That doesn’t mean that he still doesn’t display jealousy towards Sam, nor that Charlene feels a spark of “something” whenever he’s around. So, it’s all the more practical to focus on the case of the man who seemed allergic to both garlic and sunlight, and who stirred up jealousy among rival aspiring vampires.

This fifth in the series continues to be a fun, rather complicated series as it juggles Charlene’s personal life with Salem’s unique community. A widow who very much loved her husband, Charlene is just now beginning to feel ready to move on to the next stage in her life. That one romantic prospect is closed off to the possibility of the paranormal while the other not on this plane of existence makes choosing between them a challenge. The B&B employees Minnie and Avery are as blunt as they are helpful in the kitchen, providing to-the-point hilarious observations. New guests round out the eclectic cast of characters, keeping the pace of the novel lively as events speed towards an unexpected conclusion. While this Salem is full of Wiccans and ghosts all year round, mystery readers will especially enjoy these events that occur during Samhain and its Day of the Dead celebrations. Humor, ghosts, and hints of romance make this the perfect read for those looking to dive into the Fall festival season.  

To enter to win a copy of Mrs. Morris and the Vampire, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "vampire,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 9, 2021. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. BE AWARE THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS THERE MAY BE A DELAY IN SHIPPING THE WINNING BOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

You can use these links to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).
 Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Comments

  1. This sounds like such a fun book. Thanks for the article and giveaway. Perfect for Halloween. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  2. The cover is enchanting. I can only imagine the magnatizing plot with it. Thanks so much for
    the opportunity to enter. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like a great Halloween read. Thanks for the chance.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great review, Cynthia! Good luck everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This book sounds SO good and a perfect read for this Halloween! Loved the review! oh_bother88@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. This book sounds like a wonderful cozy for fun October reading!

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment