Tarnished and Torn: Witchcraft Mysteries, Book 5

Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell is about a Gem Fair coming to town and a heatwave that doesn’t work out quite right with them being next to the ocean.Can Lily figure out what’s wrong before it’s too late?Lily IvoryLily Ivory learns from the last book that her dad is coming to town, but he hasn’t really come looking for her. She learns a lot about her Mexican heritage from another Mexican family hosting a quinceanera for one of their daughters. Lily has to take this knowledge and hopefully remember it when it comes to the right moment.I love getting to know Lily a lot. She knows what she can and can’t do in terms of her spell work while also knowing she has to finish her training. Lily is trying hard to further her witch training, and unknowingly this book helps her out a lot. She is protective of her friends and who she considers family.The MysteryLily Ivory accidentally stumbles upon a dead body of a Gem Fair seller pressed to death. In Lily’s mind, she has to find out why the seller was targeted and what the murderer was after. She has to deal with all of that and find out some stuff about her dad and other things that have happened. Lily is up to her knees in another magical mystery that might be a magical case with one part of it.Five StarsTarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell is about Lily having to deal with hot weather, a possible visit from her father, and now a murder investigation that may or may not be connected to magic except for how the victim died. Ms. Blackwell did a fantastic job on this whole thing as I didn’t guess who the killer actually was. I guessed the other part right but not the killer. Lily and her friends are always a nice treat to sit down and read their stories while getting caught up in finding a killer. Every time I step into one of these books, I feel like I’m right there in San Francisco with them, and it feels so lovely.I am giving Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell five stars and a huge recommendation to read this series for anyone that loves an excellent cozy paranormal mystery. I can’t help but recommend this series enough to anyone that hasn’t read them yet.Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell.Until the next time,Karen the BaronessIf you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

You don’t want to put this book down. I can not wait to see what happens next between the witch and her sailor.

Lily Ivory is a witch and owner of a vintage store called Aunt Cora’s Closet. In her time in San Francisco she’s gotten into plenty of trouble. However trouble is heading her way like never before. This time in the form of her father and what could likely be a fire demon!! It all starts innocently enough when she goes to a fair and meets a German lady selling antique jewellery. She’s interested in what she has to offer and suspects that she might also be a witch. Her suspicions are confirmed when the lady turns up dead, pressed between wood with cinder blocks on top. The “pressing” is a old form of torture against witches, which Lily has only heard of. Due to the nature of her death, Detective Carlos calls on Lily to help out and this starts one adventure that Lily nor her friends will forget in a hurry.I fell in love with this series when I first read Secondhand Spirits. I love Lily as she not just tries to solve mysteries, but also learns what it is like to live in San Francisco and have friends nearby. She was shunned from her own mother and her hometown for being a witch. However her life in San Francisco is pretty great… well except for the murders and the fact that her one-time lover, Sailor, has disappeared.What I love the most about Tarnished and Torn and this series as a whole, is it is never dull and boring. There is always a lot happening but Juliet Blackwell doesn’t leave readers lost and unable to connect the dots. It is more than just a cozy mystery, with the paranormal elements and more-than-meets-the-eye characters. In Tarnished and Torn we finally meet Lily’s father, who abandoned her as a baby. We discover more about their relationship (or lack there of) and perhaps more about how Aidan feels about Lily. Fans of this series will definitely enjoy some of the sub-plots that have continued on from the previous books.For me, Xe Sands is the voice of this series. Her portrayal of the characters is beyond amazing. I particularly love the depth she gives to Lily’s familiar, Oscar. Oscar is part gargoyle, part goblin and appears a pot-bellied pig. His suggestion on how to solve the case was to hire Miss Marple, and is aghast to find out that she doesn’t exist and is made up! This scene alone had my laughing until I cried!! After having experienced the previous books as audiobooks I know I will definitely be continuing on with the series in audiobook format only. I wouldn’t hesitate recommend this series to mystery fans and also paranormal fans. It’s not one to be missed!

Another good read from Juliet Blackwell. I have enjoyed all of this series where she has developed some very good characters. The Haunted House series is also very good. I am awaiting the latest book in that series "Home for the Haunting" to be available in Kindle, only available in paperback so far.

I love these books, not least because I get to read about San Francisco where I would love to visit. In this book Lily encounters Demons in pursuit of a magical opal, and encounters her errant father after many years. Fans of the series will no doubt be pleased a certain moody gentleman is back, too.

Just brill an can't wait for the next installment. I loved all the characters and hated all the baddies cheered when they were expunged.

Like the mixture of local information plus an interesting story line - I have enjoyed reading this series very much

Juliet Blackwell gives you another fabulous book in this series such a great read i would recommend for an escape