Will love open his heart to magic?
Paranormal investigator Wade Preston is so sure that anything supernatural is fake, he even hosts a TV series that debunks so-called haunted places. But when the show is in danger of being canceled, he must wow his producers by exposing the most convincing occult phenomenon he can find -- Tales bookstore in Cat's Paw Cove.
Bookworm Astor Carmichael knows magic is real, because she has the power to step into the world of any novel, and her mischievous cat often joins her. Ever since her mom abandoned the family, Astor's frequent jaunts into fiction are a lot more interesting than caring for her siblings and father.
When Wade sets his sights on the supposedly-haunted bookstore, he gets way more than he ever could have imagined. He'd never counted on the possibility that ghosts might actually be real -- or that he'd fall for Astor -- the beautiful woman who manages the bookstore.
Fun book. In magical Cat's Paw Cove, you never know if you're talking to a witch, a fairy, or, in this case, a bookworm. Astor's magical talent is the ability to step into the world of any book. As the oldest of her siblings, Astor has had the responsibility of caring for her family ever since her mother left them. It's no wonder that escaping into the worlds of Little Women or The Great Gatsby is more interesting. It's the perfect magical talent for the manager of a haunted bookstore.
Wade is the host of a television show called Haunted Hoaxes, where he exposes fake supernatural events. He believes that there is no such thing as paranormal activity. When his show is about to be canceled, Wade plans to win renewal by exposing Tales bookstore as a fraud. Things don't go quite the way he expected.
I loved following Wade's conversion. The book opened with a prologue from Wade's childhood detailing a traumatic event that goes a long way toward explaining his obsession. When he arrived in Cat's Paw Cove, he simply observed the bookstore and noticed Astor right away. When they met, there was no doubt about the sparks that flew between them. Neither planned to act on them because Wade is only there for a short time, and Astor can't imagine getting involved with someone like Wade. However, they can't resist spending time with each other, and because of that, Wade is around as ghostly activity in the bookstore begins to escalate. It was funny to see him try so hard to explain away the things that happened. There was also a terrific scene involving Astor's cat, Pickles, and a compost bin that also chipped away at his disbelief.
The real kicker came when Pickles disappeared into a
damaged journal, and Astor followed, vanishing right before Wade's eyes. The
intensity was fantastic as Astor dealt with obstacles to her return, including
an unexpected quarantine. On the other side, Wade and her family were desperate
to find a way to get her back home. Help came from an unexpected source that made
it possible for Astor to get back and answered questions about Wade's past. The
ending was terrific.
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