BLOG TOUR: Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Deadly Sweet, the first book in The Spellwork Syndicate series, by Lola Dodge! Check out all the tour festivities below... AND, don't forget to take a look at what I thought about this exciting read! And... Follow the tour, HERE!

Genre:

Young Adult/New Adult

Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Urban Fantasy

Mystery/Thriller

Series:

Spellwork Syndicate, #1

Publish Date:

January 16, 2018

Publisher:

Ink Monster, LLC

Synopsis:

For fans of Hex Hall, The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars!

Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter.

Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she’s not supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl.

The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as “accidents” turn into full-out attacks on Anise’s life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it’s hard to fight back when she has no idea who’s the enemy. Or why she became their target.

If Anise can’t find and stop whoever wants her dead, she’ll be more toasted than a crème brûlée.

Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death?

      

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

Alrighty!!! Lola Dodge's books are nothing new to me. So, I was excited to get the chance to read and review this new book, especially when it revolves around magic/witchcraft and food! Well, it is more like sweets... pastries, cakes, etc. 😋 Anyways, I loved this story! Yes! I just ate it all up from beginning to end! Deadly Sweet was entertaining, fun, action-filled, and had the mystery that kept making think of "who did it"?

Without the magic and baking, I think Anise is very relatable to any young adult trying to follow their dreams. Anyways, that's where we find this main character, Anise. She's dreaming of so much more, but can she... She hopes she does when she finds and contacts a long-lost relative that owns a magic bakery.

I have to say that Lola's character development is so rich with complexities and dimensions that each character stands out individually on their own. The dialogue among the characters adds to the flow of the story, and adds to the mystery. The interactions among characters were effortless and worked well to create that chemistry among varying characters. There's enough character development of each character to give readers a whole picture of them, but yet, still keep a bit of a mystery on who they are. I found that this first book is a good introduction to the characters.

Lola's unique and creative world building allows the imagination to visualize the small town of Taos and the creative works of witchcraft that can be found throughout the story. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the varying magic making it distinct and specific to the varying magical abilities that each character has. Essentially, it was beautiful to visualize, even if some abilities are a bit creepy. 😆 As the story ended, Deadly Sweet did not end with a cliffhanger, but it did leave it open for more adventures in baking and magic for Anise and everyone else in the small magical town of Taos.

All in all, Deadly Sweet gave off some Practical Magic and Cupcake Wars kind of vibes. I enjoyed the combination of it all! It is an entertaining read that blended magic, fantasy, mystery...and baking. Lola Dodge has put together a well balanced story combining the  young adult fantasy and thriller genres together. I look forward, excitedly (mind you), for the next installment, Sugar Spells, in The Spellwork Syndicate series!

My rating:

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**About the Author**

Lola Dodge is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University—and hasn't stopped moving since. When she's not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can't melt her, writing or binging on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram.

Stay connected with Lola Dodge

      

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***The Giveaway***

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