User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Witchin' USA: A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery 1In A Nutshell: Hadley inherits a lighthouse from a grandmother she did not know existed. She jets off to a small island and discovers she is a witch. More obvious sexual references than Lee's usual work but all the same characters. It's like the Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery series on an island.
Amanda Lee’s latest series is set on Moonstone Bay Island in the sun, off the coast of Florida. But the characters are the
'same old same old' with that slightly misogynistic sense of humour and snark, which is usually girls ‘bitching’ at each other.
So, Galen, a police officer with magical powers, replaces Landon as the law enforcement agent and hero to Bay Winchester the witch protagonist who always needs saving. And Hadley is the protagonist who always needs to be saved by a man hero. Like Bay, she is a 20 something immature person who is also a witch. Unlike Bay, Hadley does not have blonde hair which will be frequently referenced as a thing of beauty or a sign of stupidity. Thank god for small mercies.
Hadley takes up stupid aka ditzy from the same level Bay Winchester has sunk too. And of course, there is
harmless lightweight violence. Gaylen the beau, two days after making Hadley's acquaintance, orders her into the truck. When Hadley hesitates to ‘get in the truck’ he tries to ‘push Hadley in the truck’ then tells her to get in
'giving her another shove’. And of course, the girls in the books bitch and have a catfight literally. In this story, however, they don’t say ‘eat dirt’
Unlike the Witches of the West, this series lacks the drawing power of Aunt Tillie.
If you love Amanda Lee this is for you, but if you want a more original read I don’t think there is sufficient character development to hold onto. However, if you want lightweight witchy fun and you haven't read them already I would recommend the Stacy Justice Mystery Series . Or the wonderful the Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic Series
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Book Rating
Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one
or reread ?: Unlikely
My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1*Finished the book but
didn't like it Bored!
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.
Rating: really liked it
Well, I won't get those hours or money I've wasted back...
Amanda M. Lee has a knack for writing bitchy pushover female characters. They're borderline annoying and one dimensional characters. Every book I've read from her is the same female character in a different setting. Then there's the always oversexed male lead who wouldn't understand the word no when he received a lethal injection.
Then there's this always bubbly character and the broody on...
In this particular story we have actually a pretty interesting setting and at first Hadley seems very interesting. But when the story reaches the point where the male lead basically roofied her it just goes downhill (BTW every character seems to be fine with drugging someone here).
It's just one mental breakdown and screaming match after another then. Also killing the "villain" here is perfectly normal in front of the police who actually wanted to kill him too without repercussions.
So, can I recommend this book? Hell no, but if I had to recommend something from this author then it'd be her Wicked Witches of the Midwest series. More likable characters although still as described as above.
Rating: really liked it
PredictableSeems like all of Amanda M. Lee's heros and heroines are the same. It gets monotonous. Every hero is in law enforcement of some kind. Every heroine is beautiful and doesn't know it. She always says she doesn't need help, yet everyone acts like a protector.
The guilty party was obvious. Wasn't really a mystery.
The title also seems out of place.
I do enjoy the author's humor, but I am bored of reading the same characters over and over again.
Rating: really liked it
A great start to a new series! Review to come!
Rating: really liked it
This story begins when Hadley finds out she had a grandmother that recently died, and she left her her house. Now, Hadley goes to a new place and starts to learn some secrets from her past that she never knew of. Hadley must figure out what she wants to do next with a little help from some new friends as well.
I thought this book was really good, and a great start to this series. I liked the relationship between the hero and heroine. However, I didn't like the side female character at all, and I had a hard time with how similar the hero was to other hero's written by this same author. Other than that I'm excited and looking forward to more.
Rating: really liked it
Mysteries and the pastI cannot begin to say I am already hooked on these characters. Moonstone Bay is an interesting place to start over but when you wake up on your second day of you stay and find not only dead body but an incredible hottie asking questions what else could go wrong. Just about everything.
Amanda Lee’s new series is the start of good things to come with its fun and sarcastic cast of characters. I cannot wait to read the next installment of this series.
Rating: really liked it
This for me was a great start to this series. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I have to say yes it is similar to Amanda Lee's other series (or at least the 3 series I have read so far, I got over 3 more to go! ) but I really enjoyed it. I love the discovery of the characters and I can't wait to read more! Great book and a great start to a new series.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this book; fun, witty and interesting
Rating: really liked it
Great!I loved her snarking personality and the romance. The mystery was a bit lacking though. Really loved the island atmosphere too. Will post the full review on my blog soon.
Rating: really liked it
Enjoyed this light-hearted read. Good paranormal cozy mystery. Pretty formulaic but totally enjoyable. I actually liked all the characters in this book and am looking forward to book 2 (and beyond).
Rating: really liked it
Ugh. Cute premise, amusing world, likable side characters. JHFC, the heroine is a maroon and a shallow one at that.
Cute enough otherwise, that I'm willing to try another and hope the heroine improves. (Future Me: Spoiler! Heroine continues with a fatal case of suckage. Yeah, stop giving authors the benefit of a doubt.)
Rating: really liked it
SpectacularI don't know how Amanda M. Lee does it but she can skin a good yarn and play with mutt emotions my family think I'm losing it alternatively wooing tears from my eyes then giggling like a loon!!! I love reading her books and highly recommend this series! It certainly starts with some shockers and keeps them coming right to the last chapter!!
Rating: really liked it
I’ve really been in a paranormal/UF mood with a witchy specification, and Hadley’s journey in
Witchin’ USA was the perfect fit.
Summary:
Hadley Hunter has always led a normal life. She grew up with a normal single father, in a normal Detroit suburb, went to a normal college, and ended up with a normal job. When the will arrives, normal goes out the window. Suddenly, Hadley has a dead grandmother she never knew existed, and an inheritance that will turn her whole world upside down and challenge everything she’s ever believed. Hadley heads for Moonstone Bay and the amazing lighthouse home that has been passed down throughout the generations of her family. But things are definitely not normal in Hadley’s new island home. From the naked woman swimming in the ocean, the hot, secretive sheriff, and secret meetings where she is the topic of conversation, Hadley’s about to land in what some might call a fantasyland. If that’s not overwhelming enough, a body washes ashore in her backyard on her first day in town. It seems a killer is on the loose in her new home, and she may just be the next check on his list. Hadley will have to open her mind to a lot of the impossible, accept help from her new friends, and hold on to her hope for the future in order to make it through the new adventure.
I was hoping this would be a series that had a lot of magical elements in it, and I wasn’t disappointed. I was surprised that Hadley was such a novice. It made this first-in-series all the more entertaining. Hadley was hilarious. She pretty much had her world turned upside down, and even with a few mild mental breakdowns, she kept on going. I admired that she was determined to make her new life work if only to learn all she could about her mother’s family. I liked her snark and sass, and following along with her while learning all the elements of her new life was fun. She was overwhelmed at times, but her reactions and demeanor were laugh out loud funny. There wasn’t a lot to speak of in the way of romance here, but there is a potential love interest. I liked Galen okay. We don’t get his POV or very much about his life other than him being sheriff, so I feel like there may be more to him. I did like how firm and confident he was. He had an alpha air about him, and I really liked this. I’ll be interested to see if the smattering of flirty behavior becomes more. Overall, I had a great time reading this book. There were times I even laughed out loud at certain scenes or dialogue. The mystery was good for the first half or so, but fell kind of flat towards the end. I did guess who the “bad guy” was early on, but that didn’t detract from what I was reading. I was still happy to see Hadley find her way to the same conclusion. My issue came with how it just ended. I didn’t feel that the motive was explained in enough detail to understand why it was essential to the culprit. That said, it was still a fun read and I got a kick out of getting to know some of the Moonstone Bay residents. Booker is especially mysterious and I’m anxious to learn more about him. A promising start to the series. I hope it keeps the humor and sarcasm throughout. ♡
Rating: really liked it
Reviewed at Haunted Bookshelf
Witchin’ USA is my first Amanda M. Lee book, yes, I know there are others out there but I wanted to start with a shorter series… and it seems I managed that as the second book isn’t available yet. So. Where do I begin?
Well, I can say that I liked the story, even though our heroine, Hadley could be very annoying, very often. I got that she’s just been handed a piece of her life that she never knew existed. Inheriting a lighthouse on an island far out from the Florida coast isn’t the usual way that we meet our grandmothers… or at least learn of them. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the island has some special qualities, or that all of the residents and tourists aren’t quite completely human. Moonstone Bay is a magical island, home to witches, shifters and so much more. And Hadley has been set down in the middle of it all totally confused… and in danger.
It didn’t really take long to figure out who the bad guy was… the why took up until the reveal to get straight. In the meantime there is a lot going on in Hadley’s life. Attacks, new experiences with the magical residents, some strange encounters on the beach, some talking ghosts… and one handsome sheriff to tangle with in so many delicious ways.
I really liked that the author states clearly in the author’s notes at the end of this book that not everyone is going to like her books or her sense of humor. For me it was 75% liked this book and 25% didn’t like Hadley. And probably the reasons that I’m not a Hadley fan is the constant sarcasm, the snark and the inability to actually listen to good advise from anyone, especially Galen. I just could not like the main character… yet, in an unexplainable way Hadley does grow on you, so I’m giving her the benefit of wait and see. I adored Galen, even liked the secondary characters and hope to learn more about them at some point. So, I liked the story, will continue the series when the next book comes out … and we’ll see on the other series. Would I recommend Witchin’ USA? Yes, but I do think you need to have a distinctive personality to enjoy the sarcasm and snark… and some days I do and some I don’t.
I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Rating: really liked it
I'm honestly not sure what to make of this one.
I love the humor, the snark and the sarcasm. It's full of fun, quirky, oddball characters that are literally "full of character".
The story itself is also quite intriguing. (even though the whodunit was a no-brainer) I like that for once we see the mc actually struggle to come to terms with their new reality, which frankly seems a lot more plausible than a momentary freak-out and after that they act like it's no biggie.
The romance is just as quirky as the rest of the story. There's no wooing or dancing around each other or anything, it's like he simply decided that she's his and that's that. Only he forgot to let
her know. Still, they are somehow funny and cute together.
Now for the annoying and frustrating bits:
There's a lot of cryptic and enigmatic stuff (which I
loathe , fiercely so).
You know, all the hinting at stuff, but never clarifying. "We'll talk about it later", "That's a discussion for another time",
Or "We have much to talk about" but never actually get around to it.
And to really rub it in these very same people that refuse to explain and tell her stuff then laugh at/make fun of her ignorance even though they are the ones refusing to tell her.
It also bugged me how pretty much everyone from May, to Lilac to Galen has a tendency to simply disregard anything Hadley is saying, repeatedly simply make decisions for her without so much as asking, like she's a child. a lot of patronizing, teasing, making fun of her, but very little in the way of actually giving answers, providing vital information. What's worse is, she lets them get away with it. As much as I like Hadley I wish she had a bit more of a backbone/ would assert herself a bit more.
I just hope this gets better once she get's a bit more settled in her new home.
So yeah a lot of fun, with a bunch of laugh out loud moments, but also quite annoying at times and there are a lot of things, questions left unanswered. Let's hope these her setups for future stories and we finally start getting some answers in the coming book.
