Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Kensington (2016), 352 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: A Summer Solstice festival turns fraught when a stolen artifact lures a Wiccan lawyer into a cauldron of trouble in this witchy mystery series debut. Illinois attorney Keli Milanni has a truly unique side practice�??as a Wiccan. But as Midsummer Eve approaches, she's not quite feeling the magic. With trouble brewing at work, she needs her inner Goddess more than ever. The family of a recently deceased client is blaming Keli for the loss of a Shakespearean heirloom worth millions. And clearing her name by finding the real culprit won't be easy. With both a Renaissance Faire and a literary convention in town, Edindale is rife with suspicious characters. Keli weaves a tangled web when her investigation brings her up-close and personal with her suspects�??including sexy Wes Callahan, her client's grandson. The tattooed bartender could be the man she's been looking for in more ways than one. Now Keli will need a touch of the divine to bring her world, and her heart, back to a state of harmony… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Kris_Anderson
Midsummer Night’s Mischief by Jennifer David Hesse is the first book in the Wiccan Wheel Mystery series. Keli Milanni is an attorney with Olsen, Sykes, and Rafferty in Erindale, Illinois, but she feels that something is missing. Keli wants to find love (someone to share her life with). As a
Midsummer Night’s Mischief was disappointing to me especially the first chapter. Keli was more obsessed with her love life than anything else. Keli acted more like a sixteen-year-old (especially around Wes) than a grown up woman who is an attorney (I would not retain this woman as my attorney). I did not like how Wicca was portrayed in this story. It did not seem the right type for a cozy mystery and it was a little confusing for me with the Goddess worship (Keli is keeping this part of her life secret from her co-workers). The writing is satisfactory, but the pace is a little slow. The book started to feel like it would never end. Most likely because I was able to identify the killer right away (the prologue gives a big clue). The romance (more like lust fest) took precedence over the mystery in the book (especially in the first half of the novel). We get more of the investigation in the latter part of the story. I was looking forward to reading this novel when I read the blurb about the Wiccan elements and a Shakespeare First Folio. They sounded like a great combination (the book needs a little tweaking). I give Midsummer Night’s Mischief 3 out of 5 stars. It is okay, but I was just not a fan (the characters need work). It is only the first book in the series, so I will give the second novel Bell, Book, and Candlemas a chance.
I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest evaluation. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
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Wiccan, Keli decides to cast a spell. To be more accurate, she casts a love spell and waits to see what happens. Hunky Wes Callahan might be the answer to her call. They meet one night at her local watering hole, but he gets a phone call that takes him away quickly (without getting her number and Keli does not get his). At work Keli is working on a will for a new client who found a valuable item in her attic. Eleanor Mostriak found an original Shakespeare First Folio in a trunk in her attic. It had belonged to her husband, but Eleanor thought it had been destroyed. The book is quite valuable as there are less than 200 copies in existence and the majority of those copies are in museums or private collections. The first thing Eleanor did was create a will (that would not be the first thing on my to-do list). Keli did advise her to get an appraisal, put the folio in a safety deposit box at the bank, and contact her insurance provider. However, Keli did not follow up with Eleanor on any of these items (but the will is done). Then Keli gets a call from Darlene Callahan (see a connection here), Eleanor’s daughter. Eleanor passed away the night before. Then the folio disappears from Eleanor’s home (she carried it around in her messenger bag and was showing it off). Darlene is holding Keli and her law firm responsible (around $2 million dollars). Keli convinces her bosses not to fire her (suspension instead). Keli will use her vacation time and attempt to find the folio (and save her job). If she cannot find it, then she will have to face the music. This will also give Keli a chance to reconnect with Wes Callahan (Darlene’s son) to see if he is the one for her. Can Keli find the folio before it vanishes? Is Wes the answer to Keli’s love spell? You will just have to read Midsummer Night’s Mischief to find out!Midsummer Night’s Mischief was disappointing to me especially the first chapter. Keli was more obsessed with her love life than anything else. Keli acted more like a sixteen-year-old (especially around Wes) than a grown up woman who is an attorney (I would not retain this woman as my attorney). I did not like how Wicca was portrayed in this story. It did not seem the right type for a cozy mystery and it was a little confusing for me with the Goddess worship (Keli is keeping this part of her life secret from her co-workers). The writing is satisfactory, but the pace is a little slow. The book started to feel like it would never end. Most likely because I was able to identify the killer right away (the prologue gives a big clue). The romance (more like lust fest) took precedence over the mystery in the book (especially in the first half of the novel). We get more of the investigation in the latter part of the story. I was looking forward to reading this novel when I read the blurb about the Wiccan elements and a Shakespeare First Folio. They sounded like a great combination (the book needs a little tweaking). I give Midsummer Night’s Mischief 3 out of 5 stars. It is okay, but I was just not a fan (the characters need work). It is only the first book in the series, so I will give the second novel Bell, Book, and Candlemas a chance.
I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest evaluation. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
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LibraryThing member joannefm2
I gave up on this book after the first chapter. Sorry, but she's an attorney who's also a Wiccan who's also a vegan. Somehow I don't think the attorney thing would fit in with the way she describes the air around her. The Goddess thing (instead of God) really started to get to me. I won't be
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reading any more in this series and I'm actually sorry I spent any money on this book. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
352 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
1496704924 / 9781496704924
Local notes
A cozy mystery about Wiccan attorney Kelli Milanni, solving murders in a small town with a lively Neopagan community. Engaging trash fiction. The protagonist is too broom-closeted for my taste, but she is trying to succeed as a lawyer in a small town. There are a number of other books in the series, all named after Wiccan Sabbats, but the full eight holidays have not yet been completed. Still missing: Ostara, and Lammas. (AMK)