Clyde Fortune is a former Ann Arbor, Michigan police officer, who has moved back to Crystal Haven, MI, a town where being psychic or Wiccan is not unusual. It is Halloween night and the Fall Festival is in full swing including a Wiccan ceremony welcoming of their New Year. clyde and her Aunt Vi are in attendence, although they are not Wiccan. Diana, Vlyde’s best friend, is leading the ceremony. Unfortunately, one robed celebrant falls down gasping for breath. Epicenter and CPR are administered, but Rafe, like an uncle to Diana, is dead. Was it an accident? What caused such a violent allergic reaction in Rafe? Once things settle down, Clyde goes home and is welcomed by her nephew Seth, who has run away from his home in New York City. And, to top it off, Diana’s brother is arrested and charged with the murder. Clyde is determined to figure out ehat’s Going on. Not a bad read. It isn’t overtly magical like Urban Fantasy, but just a regular town of people who tend to get premonitions, and Wiccans. Clyde is a relatively strong woman, who carefully balances her over-the-top Aunt Vi’s pushing of the psychic abilities with her need to forge a new life in Crystal Haven. It was a nice quick read, and I look forward to reading more, as I am familiar with this part of Michigan. ( )

I was interested in this series since I learned that Crystal Haven is a real town near Grand Rapids, Michigan and only about an hour and a half from where I live. I'm not a fan of "cozy" mysteries but I do like books with supernatural themes and what better than a few murders in a witch's coven? Besides, Clyde has two wonderful dogs...Baxter and Tuffy which are a regular part of the series and communicate regularly with Clyde's tarot card reading Aunt Vi. If you are looking for a non- gory mystery with interesting and humorous characters...then this just might be for you. ( )

Be Careful What You Witch For is the second book in the A Family Fortune Mystery series.

Clyde is settling back in with her psychic family in Crystal Harbor, MI and getting the house she has inherited in order.

The fall festival in in progress and a lot of the local residents have booths set up and are selling various items related to witchcraft. One of the highlights is a bonfire and a witch's cauldron where the ritual to divine the future will take place. As Diana, Clyde's best friend, is leading the ceremony, Rafe Godwin, goes into an allergic reaction and is having trouble breathing. Diana immediately turns to him and uses his EpiPen to counteract his going into shock, but to no avail. The autopsy shows that Rafe had eaten some bread, that Diana had prepared, that had some type of peanut product in it. But soon Diana's brother becomes a prime suspect as he had recently been in a heated argument with Rafe. Clyde, with the help of her mother, Aunt Vi and her not so handy, handyman father, put their heads together to find the killer.

Adding to this, Clyde's teenage nephew, Seth. has run away from home and has shown up on Clyde's doorstep. Seth certainly isn't behavior problem, but Clyde would like to now why he come to Crystal Harbor.

In the romance department, things are going fine with her and Mac. And Clyde is getting closer to having someone help develop her special powers.

This is a fun series and am looking forward to the next book. ( )

The death of Rafe Godwin is a true puzzler, and that fact alone had me enjoying Be Careful What You Witch For from first page to last. But other things about this book helped increase my enjoyment factor.

First and foremost is the cast of characters. With a tarot card reader for a mother and a pet psychic for an aunt, Clyde has a lot to deal with-- especially since both women constantly pester her about developing her own gifts. How her father, whose only eccentricity seems to be a fondness for listening to his police scanner, has managed to live in harmony with his wife and sister-in-law for so many years is mystifying. He must have taken selective hearing to unseen heights. Mama Rose and Aunt Vi can be laugh-out-loud funny, and Stephanie Plum's Grandma Mazur would probably consider them her BFFs. Picturing these two mature ladies tailing suspects in their bright orange smart car is an image that is forever burned into my memory. And when Clyde isn't dealing with her flighty family, there's her romance with Mac to cozy up to.

I think what surprises me the most about this Family Fortune series is how much the paranormal is mentioned yet how little it actually plays a part in the books. Crystal Haven is a New Age town and derives a great deal of its income from Wicca, tarot, psychics, and more, but these things have little to do with how the crimes are solved. Clyde has supposedly suffered from prophetic dreams that she's learned to ignore, but these dreams-- once again-- have little to do with the story. The closest we actually get to the paranormal is with Clyde's nephew Seth, a teenager who can hear what animals (especially dogs) are thinking, but his experiences occur offstage and are merely talked about. I can see those who don't care for paranormal cozies actually reading and enjoying Eastman's Family Fortune books.

As for me, I'm looking forward to Clyde's next sleuthing adventure... and possibly another glimpse of Rose and Vi in that smart car. ( )

http://www.girllostinabook.com/2014/10/blog-tour-post-review-giveaway-be.html ( )