Candy Cane Conspiracy by Cate Lawley Narrator: April Doty
Series: Furry Fairy Holiday Hijinks #1
Published by the author on December 10, 2021
Source: Purchased
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery
Length: 4 hrs 39 mins
Pages: 272
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
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A witch's destiny denied.
Fate made Trixie a hunter of devilish demons, except demons aren't devilish, and Trixie's not hunting them. She gave that future the boot. But by denying her supposed destiny, she inherits a problem. Furred, feathered, and scaled, the creatures have invaded her life. She's being pranked by furry fairies, stalked by mini-devils, and harassed by the messy scourge of dragons roosting in her yard.
Trixie's had enough. She's moving to Boise and hoping to leave the magical critters behind. But what happens when moving isn't enough? And worse, when her creature problems intersect with a murder investigation?
Join Trixie as she begins her new job as a barista at Magic Beans coffee shop and becomes a reluctant solver of magical creature problems and a consultant for the International Criminal Witch police.
Candy Cane Conspiracy is fun and cute. I did read “Tea with a Demon” first, which is a short story telling about the book Trixie and her grandmother are updating, All Things Magical and Bumpy Things in the Night. It’s also the first time Trixie meets Sylvester, a very handsome, very gentlemanly, very knowledgeable demon who plays a major role in the Candy Cane Conspiracy.
Trixie has moved to Idaho to escape her magical creature problem, but of course, it’s not that easy. The local furry fairies who look a lot like squirrels have been bothering her. And then one day close to Christmas, she comes out of her house one morning on her way to work to discover that her bushes and trees are filled with candy canes, thanks to the fairies. Turns out there’s been a murder in town. A local witch is dead, stabbed with a candy cane just like the ones in her yard. Sylvester, newly arrived to the city, is in charge of the investigation and Trixie offers to help.
The magic was explained just enough to make sense, but not enough to overwhelm the rather quick read. Trixie is a little annoying at times – the fairies would agree – but overall I liked her and the budding romance with Sylvester was sweet. The mystery was pretty good too. The clues were laid out well and it was twisty enough to keep my attention.
Candy Cane Conspiracy has a lot of magic, a bit of flirting, and a murder – an entertaining seasonal read.
About Cate Lawley
Cate Lawley writes humorous, action-filled mysteries that frequently contain a paranormal twist. And when she’s writing as Kate Baray, she writes page-turning urban fantasy with relatable characters.
When she’s not tapping away at her keyboard or in deep contemplation of her next fanciful writing project, she’s sweeping up hairy dust bunnies and watching British mysteries.
Cate is from Austin, Texas (where many of her stories take place) but has recently migrated north to Boise, Idaho, where soup season (her favorite time of year) lasts more than two weeks.
She’s worked as an attorney, a dog trainer, and in various other positions, but writer is the hands-down winner. She’s thankful readers keep reading, so she can keep writing!
A magical creature problem…ha! This one does sound very cute and a lot of fun. 😀
It was definitely fun. The fairies were cute in their own way.