No Rest for the Wiccan

Because I read book 5, Where There's a Witch, before book 4 No Rest For the Wiccan, I know that quite a bit of what happens in this book sets up subplots for the next, including the romantic problems. Maggie O'Neill's younger sister, Melanie 'Have Gossip - Will Spill' Craven, is the one to set a major subplot in book 5 rolling. Melanie is not like her sister. The only thing about Mel that I found at all likeable was her fierce and protective love toward her little daughters, Jenna and Courtney. Mel is six months pregnant and on enforced bed rest. Her mother's spoiled princess, Mel has been running Mrs. Patty O'Neill ragged. Patty ropes Maggie into caring for the kids after work until Greg Craven comes home. Greg is a very busy lawyer show more and he's been working longer hours lately. (If Mel treats her husband the way she treats her mother and sister, I don't blame him.)

It seems a good bet that one or both of Maggie's nieces is a sensitive, too. I wonder if all three got it from Patty's mother, the late Grandma Cora.

Mel does something really foolish that makes her home less secure. One of Mel's friends is part of the book's mystery and Libby brings Maggie into it even more than a date with Deputy Tom Fielding already had. It wasn't difficult to figure out the killer, but I don't read this series for the murders.

The obnoxious Reverend Baxter Martin of the First Church of Evangelical Light makes an unwelcome appearance. (With all the enjoyable pop culture references sprinkled throughout the book, I wish Maggie were not too young to compare Martin with the first Reverend Trask of the original Dark Shadows soap opera. Alas, it doesn't seem likely that Maggie will ever deal with him as Barnabas Collins did with Trask or even as Judith Collins dealt with his descendant, the Reverend Gregory Trask. If Baxter becomes the murder victim in a later book, I will be neither surprised nor sorry.)

I enjoyed the interaction between Maggie and her kith and kin more than the actual mystery, which is fine by me.

Fellow cat lovers, you will probably delight in the adorable stray black kitten introduced in this book. Also, the information about Scotland and white cats in chapter 9 was interesting. show less

Delightful read, charming characters that grow with each book and an interesting mystery with subplots while romantic tension abounds. I find Ms. Alt's writing to be a wonderful diversion without the deep and depressing heaviness of suspense novels.

You will get ensnared by the main character and her dilemma of two men vying for her affections without seeming full of herself. She is a well written main character (flaws and all) that you can relate to - anybody who has ever struggled with a controlling/meddling mother will definitely understand her. You will find yourself giving her advise, as you read, about how to deal with her family - a sure sign you are caught in the web of the Bewitching Mysteries !

For the fans of the series, this show more won't disappoint - but no solid resolution about the Tom versus Marcus issue, just some hints to keep you wanting the next installment. And, as always, a wonderful balanced presentation of the supernatural and psychic gifts as well as Wiccan beliefs. A sheer delight from beginning to end. show less

I really enjoy this series. It transports me to a mindset that fills the cozy mystery need. The characters are enjoyable, not annoying and they continue to evolve. Will continue tonread the whole series. Not too many series i can say that about.

No Rest for the Wiccan was an uneven fourth O'Neil's world. The mystery was good but the killer was a little obvious from early on. While the "who" was apparent, the "why" and the "how" left mystery lovers with something to drive them towards the end of the book.

The love triangle between Maggie, Marcus and Tom in the Bewitching Mystery series is getting very annoying. In every book the same thing happens over and over again. Maggie denies her obvious passionate attraction to Marcus while desperately trying to convince herself that feeling safe and comfortable with Tom is enough to stay with him. And by stay with him, I mean casually date him without any real agreement not to date others. Maggie continually denies herself Marcus for no show more other reason that fear of the unknown and while that may have created thrilling sexual tension in the first few books, I think that same tension is starting to feel forced.

Maggie's time spent with her sister Mel did more to showcase Maggie's weakness and inability to say no to people rather than her love and willingness to accept familial obligations. Mel walks, or rather lounges on bedrest, all over Maggie even when she does her best to help. When Maggie goes above and beyond to make sure her sister and her family is safe, Mel thinks nothing of the possible effect on Maggie's life when she gossips with her friends about it. And Maggie just accepts it as how her sister is. Throughout the series we've watched Maggie strive to become her own, stronger person and the scenes with Mel had her reverting back to her former self. It was not Maggie's best moments.

The scenes in the store were where the best of the book happen. Maggie continues to show herself loyal to her employer Liss. She even manages to face down a priest without cracking under the pressure. Maggie and the series have a lot of good points, but this book wasn't the best of the bunch. The groundwork for possible character growth and change has been laid and I look forward to reading more of the series to see if things get better. show less

Madelyn Alt's witchy mystery series is well worth the read. Her latest "No Rest for the Wiccan" catches readers up on the heroine Maggie's life and loves. Between being 'outed' by her sister after taking care of a slight 'entity' problem for her, being lambasted by both her mother and the local fire-and-brimstone preacher, getting tangled up in the latest murder in her small town, adopting a new kitten, and juggling the two men in her life...well Maggie's really hoping that surely things will have to slow down some.

I like Maggie and I'm personally rooting for luscious Marcus (big, bold, long-haired biker wiccan) to win the competition for Maggie's attention. So far there's no sex, but really well plotted mysteries are why I read Alt's show more books!! show less

This time, Maggie is still working her job and building her spiritual skills. She is also helping out her snobby sister, Melanie, who is bed bound for the remainder of her pregnancy. Maggie really does not resent the task, she gets to spend time with her precious neices.. But the disquiet in the small town is increasing and this time Maggie's sister's house is invaded by spirits. Add to this an accidental death that might not be so accidental? Just another day in Maggie's life.

This series is a lot of fun. I am glad I came back to it. Maggie and her wiccan friends are fun and friendly. Maggie has a great sense of humor. In typical chick lit fashion, her love life, such as it is, is in an uproar with two possible hunks. This series is show more light and fun.The paranormal parts are not over the top. Read in series. show less

What started out as another cute read from Madelyn Alt quickly became boring rote conflicts and a highly undeveloped "mystery." Maggie O'Neill faces the same issues she's faced through all four novels - an overbearing mother, no backbone in her family, small town prejudices, a jerk of a half-boyfriend and a potentially hot boyfriend to be. Of course, like all of the previous novels, there is absolutely no resolution for any of these issues. Well, that's not entirely true - Maggie gets into a tiff with her mother over her job. And that's about it.

The mystery itself is more than just a subplot - it's relatively nonexistent, and is used only to gather Marcus, Tom, and Maggie in the same place. Oh, with a dangerous scene thrown in for good show more measure.

I'll continue the series for at least one more book - largely because I keep hoping Maggie will dump the bigot for the witch - but if the next book doesn't deliver some resolution on some level then I think I'll be done. show less