Expected publication: November 10, 2026 | ARC by NetGalley
📱📖 Read on Kindle | 📃 298 pages | ⏱ Duration: 5 hours
Genre: Cozy paranormal mystery | 🏷️ Publisher name: Berkley
Book Blurb:
Hedgewitch Katie Lightfoot runs a busy Savannah bakery where the treats come with a little spellwork. While jogging through a marshland preserve, she finds her friend Steve Dawes, a reporter and druid, standing over a dead body. The way the man died points to a magical ritual. The victim turns out to be a true crime podcaster who covered Savannah’s paranormal cases, and Steve knew him. Katie and Steve have clashed before, but she’s backing him up. With the ladies of the spellbook club beside her, Katie follows the trail of crumbs to a killer.
Let’s talk … murder!!!
Returning to Savannah and the Honeybee Bakery feels like wandering back into your favorite kitchen, where everything is right where you left it and something delicious is already in the oven.
This time, Katie Lightfoot is out for a run in the marshland preserve, trying to clear her head, when she stumbles onto her friend Steve Dawes, a reporter and druid, standing over a dead body. The way the victim died points to a magical ritual, and the dead man is a podcaster who made his name poking around Savannah’s paranormal secrets. It’s a deliciously ironic setup.
What I enjoyed most was the magical community itself. When a podcaster threatens to drag their secrets into the light, they don’t scatter or squabble. They close ranks and protect one another and their hidden world. That loyalty gives the mystery real heart, and it’s the kind of found-family warmth this series does so well.
As always, the cozy elements are the main draw, and the book goes down as easily as a fresh pastry. It does drag in places, and the middle could have used a quicker stir. My one real complaint is that Connel arrives later than I wanted. He’s such a fun presence that I spent much of the book waiting for him to walk in and liven things up, and when he finally did, I wished I’d had more of him.
Even with the uneven pacing, this is a charming, comforting visit with old friends. It’s best for fans of cozy paranormal mysteries who like their murder with a side of community and magic.
Would I recommend it?
Rituals and Rolling Pins by Bailey Cates is a warm return to Savannah for anyone who loves a cozy paranormal mystery built around a loyal magical community. The middle sags a little, and I wanted Connel on the page much sooner. Still, the found-family heart carried me through. If you’ve been following Katie since the first book, add this one to your TBR and mark November 10, 2026 on your calendar.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cozy Reads to Stir Into Your Stack
Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates
If you want to see how the whole Honeybee Bakery story began, go back to Katie’s first book in the series.
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
A San Francisco vintage clothing shop owner with magical gifts and a murder to solve, for readers who like their witchy cozies with a strong sense of place.
A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake
A small town full of magical residents and a mystery that rewards fans of tight-knit supernatural communities.
Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard
A cozy paranormal series opener with a psychic librarian and a small-town murder, if you enjoy the supernatural side of Katie’s world.
Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay
No magic here, but if the bakery and the baked goods are what pull you into Katie’s world, this is a great cupcake-shop mystery to start with.
Your Turn at the Cooling Rack
Have you been with Katie and the Honeybee Bakery since the very first book, or is this series new to you? Tell me in the comments which witchy or magical cozy you’d hand a friend first.
Book Links:
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Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
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