Petal to the Metal by Annabel Chase

Posted February 4, 2021 by Marsha in Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Women's Fiction, Series / 0 Comments

Forty-two-year-old Mia Thorne is not living her best life. After a disastrous career-and-relationship-ending event, she escapes New York City and moves to a sleepy river town in Pennsylvania, courtesy of a dead aunt she never knew. Aunt Hazel was the reclusive family nut, a self-proclaimed psychic. Of course, Mia’s dad always told her that she, too, had the gift, but after his death, her mother made sure to squelch the notion. No square pegs allowed!

Aunt Hazel’s old cottage is only slightly better than the decrepit gardens surrounding it. Mia doesn’t know the first thing about gardening and expects this will be one more failure on her seemingly endless list. Even Aunt Hazel’s ancient cat seems to have pegged her as a loser.

When Mia stumbles over a body in the overgrown garden, the newcomer catches the eye of the police chief and his hotshot detective, Derek Fairfax, and she becomes the number one suspect in the case. Much to her shock and awe, she also catches the eye of Derek’s brother, Dane, a lawyer with a head for what’s legal and a bod for what isn’t—but getting arrested for murder would certainly put a damper on her dating life.

Will Mia tap into her long-buried psychic skills in order to save herself or will she end up digging her own grave?

Titles in The Bloomin’ Psychic series include – Petal to the Metal – Life’s a Birch (May 2021)

Title:  Petal to the Metal
Series:  The Bloomin’ Psychic #1
Author:  Annabel Chase
Paranormal Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Women’s Fiction
Publication Date:  January 28, 2021
My Rating:  4 stars

Petal to the Metal begins The Bloomin’ Psychic series with a story that kind of defies putting itself in a genre – it’s a bit Paranormal Romance, but then it’s also a bit of a Paranormal Cozy Mystery, and then it definitely has tones of Paranormal Women’s Fiction… so don’t let all of that stop you from discovering a really fun, engaging, entertaining story no matter what the “official” genre it falls under.

Mia’s life pretty much got upended in 24 hours.  She’s been fired, her boyfriend decided they weren’t working anymore and dumped her while putting her stuff in storage and changing the locks.  Not a good day by any means, at all.  Add to the drama a phone call from mommy dearest just caps off the day with… well, wait, maybe an answer to one of her problems.  Seems she has or had an Aunt Hazel who recently died and left Mia her cottage in a small Pennsylvania town.  Okay, check off ‘has a roof over her head’ at least.  But is this going to be life-changing or just a quick look and see before selling the property and coming back home?  Not so fast, Mia.  It seems that Mia must live in the cottage for a year before it officially becomes hers to do with as she wishes.

In addition to all of this chaos going on, Mia has also discovered that she has a psychic legacy attached to her.  Now that’s going to come in handy since during the tidying up the garden part of fixing up the cottage, Mia has stumbled upon a dead body.  Somehow she’s become the main suspect in this murder.  Can her newly found psychic abilities find the real killer before she ends up behind bars?

I had fun with Petal to the Metal as a beginning story to a new world.  There is definitely world-building here.  I didn’t find it overpowering, mainly because I crave that kind of introduction to a new series.  We’ll meet a romantic possibility, some townfolks who are destined to become friends, and some nasties as well.  And snark.  I love, adore, and need snark in a PWF or even in a PCM – those two genres just cry out for snark, and it’s here in delightful doses.

While there isn’t a lot of paranormal activity, there is the introduction to people and events that will matter in the ongoing series.  So, while I did figure out what was going on I still completely enjoyed my time discovering this new world by an author that I’ve read often.  Now I’m left needing to know more about that romance possibility, and when will Mia’s abilities begin to show up and how, and there’s a BFF in the making here.  Yeah.  I’ll be back for the next title that is coming in May of 2021.

If you love your Paranormal Women’s Fiction with a touch of Cozy Mystery or the possibility of Romance – then you’ll want to get started on this series, right now.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Available for the Kindle

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