Scout Randall is more than a witch on a motorcycle. She’s more than the magic she wields. She’s also a woman with a secret past that she can’t remember … a sarcastic wonder who acts before she thinks.

The one thing Scout knows with absolute certainty is that she’s got a purpose in life … and that purpose is fighting evil. That’s why she joined the Spell’s Angels, a biker group with offices all across the world. It’s because of the group that she finds herself in northern Lower Michigan, in a place called Hawthorne Hollow, where magic is out in the open and Scout finds her powers are constantly on display.

She was transferred to the town because they needed help, although no one will tell her what happened to the woman who held the position before her, and she’s constantly distracted by the local denizens, including Gunner Stratton, a shifter with a history he would rather keep to himself.

Scout is determined to do her job … even if it means taking on the congregation of a local church with murky origins. It seems the dead are rising in Hawthorne Hollow and it’s up to Scout to figure out why.

She’s going to have to learn to trust her new co-workers – and a few random outsiders in the colorful town – on the fly because they’re all going to have to come together to take down an enemy that is strong enough to wipe Hawthorne Hollow off the map.

Titles in the Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery series include – Bad to the Crone – No Crones About It – No Crone Unturned – Cut to the Crone – Romancing the Crone –

Title:  Bad to the Crone
Series:  Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery #1
Author:  Amanda M. Lee
Paranormal Genre:  Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Publication Date:  March 5, 2020
My Rating:  4.5

I had such fun with Bad to the Crone.  Yes, I know, I’m coming to the series late but that simply means I can easily binge-read one after another to get caught up.  And do I ever want to get caught up!

This introduction to the Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery series grabbed my attention and never let go.  We have a puzzle to sort out, a lot of new faces that Scout (and we) have to remember and interact with, a possible attraction with another Spell’s Angel operative, and lots and lots of mysteries to solve.  While Scout’s backstory is sad, it also allows even more discovery for her as the series continues and I’m looking forward to that.  Scout’s magic is not the norm for any witch, she’s like super witch powers maxed out to the 100th degree.  There are things that even Scout didn’t know she could do – and that will be an ongoing puzzle for our heroine to figure out as well.

While I liked Gunner with Scout, I’m still trying to figure this shifter out.  His personality is… unique.  I adored young Raisin and she will play a major part in Bad to the Crone, and I hope in future stories as well.  She’s a smart kid who has had a rough life, I want to see how she grows.  There are many new faces to become familiar with and I’m looking forward to each getting their own stories played out as well as the series moves on.

There are also some very dangerous, creepy folks around town.  That is where our focus is in this first story.  On a church that isn’t really a church as we know it, and a leader who is simply too creepy for words.  When some truly weird things start happening around town, Scout dives right into the mystery – mostly professing that she can handle this on her own.  She is an independent witch who will have to learn that there is also power in numbers as well.  I liked Scout, I loved the banter and snark between them whenever Gunner enters a scene, and I believe I’ll enjoy this entire crew as I get to know them better.

In all, I had fun here.  Some questions were answered, other questions arise from those answers, and I believe that’s going to be the fun part as we discover Scout’s powers, where she came from, why she had to be protected, and what is in store for her in this town that fits her like a motorcycle glove.  If you love an interesting, grab your attention with a good story type of Paranormal Cozy Mystery then consider picking up Bad to the Crone to begin the Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery series… like right now.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Available for the Kindle