LEND A HELPING PAW by Corrine Winters & Ruby Diamond

Title:  LEND A HELPING PAW
Series:  Mountain Home Magic #1
Author:  Corrine Winters & Ruby Diamond
Publisher:  Corrine Winters
Publish Date:   08.06.2021
Category /Genre:  Paranormal, Cozy Mystery
Recommended for:  14+
Grammar/editing:  received as an unedited ARC / errors excused
Received from:  Corrine Winters
Goodreads link: Lend a Helping Paw
Date completed: 08.18.2021
 
Description from the publisher:
Angelica Parker is one busy witch. Between playing fiddle with her band, Blue Mountain Baby, running her organic grocery store, Greenleaf, and healing a mess of maladies for friends and neighbors, her life in misty Mountain Home, North Carolina hums along. With the help of her opinionated familiar, a Russian Blue kitten named Vladimir, and best buddy Willa Kent, Angelica hustles to keep customers and music lovers happy.

And it works!

Until her bandmate, mandolin marvel Maisie Prine, ends up dead. Townsfolk insist that musical ghouls from the mountain’s shadowy dells did the deed. Local teens confess creepy encounters that back up the claims.

Angelica teams up with sexy police sergeant Cary Stewart to suss out the truth behind the tall tales. Together, they uncover a chorus of suspects including a corrupt co-worker, a selfish stepmom, a sticky-fingered student and a frustrated fiancé.

Then, just as the case crescendos to an arrest, the key witness changes her tune.

It’s enough to make you smash a guitar.

Instead, intrepid Angelica picks up the melody. She follows it over hill and dale until she finally finds the wrongdoer, then reveals them in front of the whole town at a high-spirited hootenanny hoedown.

But mysteries remain.  Who’s luring young folks to the mountain’s shadowy glens?  And why do they come home changed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LEND A HELPING PAW is the first book in the Mountain Home Magic series.  This will be a continuing story with individual cozy mysteries.  I would recommend reading all books as they are released.
 
The first chapter is a name and information dump.  My brain isn’t wired to accept all of those names at once.  Instead, I absorb who is whom as the story develops.  To say I felt lost would be an understatement. 
 
Once I got a handle of who was whom, the story is as fun and folksy as the series title suggests it will be.  These witches live in the mountains, and some are even in a bluegrass band in addition to their coven.
 
Angelica is bright and outgoing.  Her friends each have wonderfully unique personalities which helped with getting to know them.  I’m looking forward to future books when I will get to know them even more.  One common quality they seem to share is their die-hard loyalty to one another.  Probably a result of the small town living they have shared.
 
The mystery was well thought-out and perfectly delivered.  It kept me on my toes and that’s what I want in a paranormal cozy.
 
I’m looking forward to more from this Mountain Home Magical Mystery Series.
 
Note:  While I received this book as a gifted ARC via Booksprout, my opinions are my own and are given freely.
 
Mountain Home Magic & Mystery Series:
1.      Lend a Helping Paw
 
Also from Ruby Diamond:
Magical Kitten Murder Mystery Series (with Corrine Winters):
1.      An Apawling Murder
2.      Shrouded in Mewstery (releases 11.19.2021)
3.      An Unfurtunate Death (releases 11.29.2021)
 
Also from Corine Winters:
Familiar Curses Series:
1.      Witch’s Treat
2.      Broom Mates
3.      Witch Please 
4.      Occulture Shock  
5.      Clawful Intent
6.      A Purrfect Murder
7.      Murder Most Meow
8.      Bait & Witch
French Quarter Witch Mystery Series:
1.      A Dash of Sorcery
2.      A Dab of Sorcery
3.      A Dollop of Sorcery
4.      A Speck of Sorcery
Hex and the City Series:
1.      Witching and Moaning
2.      Life’s a Witch
3.      Bottom Witch
4.      Boss Witch
5.      Payback’s a Witch (releases 12.01.2021)
Itty Bitty Kitty Magic Mystery Series:
1.      Spelling Danger
Kitten Magic Cozy Mysteries:
1.      Hexy Beast
2.      She’s All Cat
3.      Hexy Time
Kitten Witch Cozy Mystery Series:
1.      Dramatic Paws
2.      Momentary Paws
3.      Temporary Paws
4.      Probable Paws
5.      Sudden Paws
6.      Tricky Paws
7.      Lethal Paws
8.      Perilous Paws 
9.      Hidden Paws
10.  Dangerous Paws
11.  Wild Paws
12.  Tart Paws
13.  Mysterious Paws
14.  Fleeting Paws
15.  Menacing Paws
16.  Suspenseful Paws
Midlife Magic and Mystery Series:
1.      You’ve Got to Be Kitten
2.      Who Am I Kitten
3.      Who Do You Think You’re Kitten 
4.      Stop Kitten Around
5.      Pawsitively Purrfect
Nautical Seascape Mystery Series:
1.      Seashore Magic
2.      Seafaring Magic 
3.      Seaside Magic
Tabby Kitten Mystery Series:
1.      Familiar Magic
2.      Creature Magic
3.      Adventure Magic
4.      Spooky Magic
5.      Ghoulish Magic
6.      Shadow Magic
Thistle Charm Academy Series:
1.      Witch & Prowl
2.      Bewitch & Bark
3.      Charm & Growl
4.      Spell & Snarl
5.      Hex & Roar
6.      Curse & Tail
7.      Bless & Bay
8.      Incant & Rumble
9.      Spite & Bite
10.  Twist & Tear
 

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