Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries by Carmen Radtke! Today we are featuring a review of the first book in this cozy mystery series that is perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, magical mayhem, and heroines who believe it’s never too late for a new chapter—or a little witchcraft! Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, and more! There is also a Rafflecopter Giveaway for a free ebook copy of the book via Bookfunnel. ENTER HERE! ⬅️

Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Setting – Oregon

Independently Published (May 23, 2025)

Digital Print length ‏ : ‎ 248 pages

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F4S6S3DP

About the Book:

Midlife can be murder – or magic…

Almost fifty and freshly divorced, Bex Merriweather is going through The Change – battling hot flashes and night sweats. Little does she realize that when an elderly relative dies and leaves her a lending library in sleepy Willowmere, complete with cat, her whole life is going to change…

Turns out Aunt Violet left behind more than books and home-made herbal teas, like full-blown witch powers, and a small town where murder is very much on the menu. Even Cosmo the cat is no ordinary feline, but a sassy talking familiar. And when rumors about her aunt’s death begin to circulate, Bex has no choice but to embrace her witchy inheritance, and her inner detective.

Now the novice witch, armed only with her circle of lifelong friends and a snarky, judgmental cat mentor, must uncover the truth, before her newly acquired magical life goes up in smoke.

My Review:

For all the friends who grew up watching “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” be sure you grab this new delightful mystery featuring a talking cat and midlife aged witch new to her powers. This was a lot of fun! 

Bex is a great character to root for, and Cosmo is hilarious as her snarky (but helpful and determined) familiar. Add in an absolutely lovely lending library and a murder next door to solve and you have the makings of a wonderful read. I read half of this in one sitting and quickly gobbled up the rest the next day. 

All the cozy details and side characters brought the story to life, and I wished I could pop into the Blue Moon Pub to chat with all the locals. A strong mystery carries readers through and I found myself trying to guess the ending along with Bex. 

Looking forward to book two! 

About the Author:

Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.

She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter.

When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.

The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Genie and Adriana Darling ghost mysteries and the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s.

Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family. Although she possesses no witchy powers, she’s known to be easily held spellbound by animals.

Author Links:

Website – Facebook – Twitter/X  – GoodReads
 BookBub – Instagram    – BlueSky     – Threads 

Purchase Link: AMAZON

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

• June 11 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
• June 11 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
• June 12 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
• June 12 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
• June 13 – StoreyBook Reviews -CHARACTER GUEST POST
• June 14 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
• June 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
• June 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
• June 16 – Frugal Freelancer – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• June 16 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
• June 17 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
• June 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• June 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• June 18 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• June 19 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
• June 20 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
• June 20 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

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