A seaside town, a family herbal apothecary and a line of healers said to descend from a mermaid. The Enchanted Bay Mysteries by Esme Addison mix murder with water magic in Bellamy Bay, North Carolina. The series has three books so far, from 2020 to 2025.
Below: the story, the books in order, the reviews and similar cozies to try next.
What Is the Enchanted Bay Mystery Series About?
Aleksandra Daniels, Alex to her family, is a former risk management consultant from New York. After her mother died, her father kept her away from her aunt and cousins, and he never said why. More than twenty years later, on a whim, she visits her aunt in the seaside town of Bellamy Bay.
There she finds the family business: an herbal apothecary known for its remarkably potent brews, salves and folk remedies. Each remedy seems to work almost mysteriously well. The town gossips that the family are magical healers descended from mermaids. The gossip is true. Alex’s relatives, the Sobieski family, carry the gift of the Mermaid of Warsaw from Polish legend. They are water witches. Alex learns that she has the gift too.
Each book pairs a murder case with Alex’s growing magic. The warm cast includes Aunt Lidia, cousins Minka and Kamila, and Athena, Alex’s German Shepherd.
Who Is Esme Addison, the Author of the Series?
Esme Addison is an Amazon and BN.com bestselling mystery author and an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the state’s coastal towns gave her the setting. Her husband is a first-generation Polish immigrant, which explains the Polish roots of the magic. In 2024 she started a second series, the Secret Society Mysteries, with An Intrigue of Witches. More on our Esme Addison author page.
Enchanted Bay Mystery Books in Order: A Spell for Trouble, A Hex for Danger and More
- A Spell for Trouble (2020): Alex visits her estranged aunt. Then a local is poisoned, and her aunt is arrested for murder. To clear her name, Alex digs into family secrets she never knew about.
- A Hex for Danger (2021): Alex helps her friend Celeste plan the annual Mermaid Festival, and a death brings trouble to the family again. Alex now works in the family shop, but her magic is still hard to control.
- A Brew for Chaos (2025): fall in Bellamy Bay means pumpkins and craft beer. A woman is attacked on the beach, a local newspaper editor is found dead, and an old cold case surfaces.
Crooked Lane Books published the first two books. The third came out on September 2, 2025, from Severn House.
How Many Books Are in the Enchanted Bay Mystery Series? Is There a New Book in 2026?
There are three books so far. A fourth book has not been announced as of September 2026, so there is no new Enchanted Bay title in 2026. The four-year gap between books 2 and 3 shows that the series moves at its own pace.
Are There Reviews for the Enchanted Bay Mysteries?
Yes. Book 1 holds 3.83 out of 5 on Goodreads from more than 3,300 ratings. It also earned an Agatha nomination for Best First Novel. Readers praise the setting, the family and the fresh take on witch lore. The magic comes from a real culture instead of the usual broomsticks and black cats. Our review of the first book covers it in detail.
Cozy Mystery Series Like Enchanted Bay
If you enjoy mermaids and magic in a coastal North Carolina town, these witchy cozies come next:
- Ellery Adams: our pick is the Secret, Book & Scone Society series, with a bookshop and a touch of the uncanny.
- Bree Baker’s Seaside Café Mysteries, set in another small North Carolina beach town.
- Heather Blake’s Wishcraft Mysteries, with a family of witches in Salem.
- Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries (see our Secondhand Spirits review).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read the books in order?
Each mystery is solved by the end of its book, but Alex’s magic and her family story grow from book to book. Start with book 1.
Is it a witch cozy mystery?
Yes. It is a paranormal cozy about a family of witches, with healing magic, herbal remedies and a mermaid legend at its heart.
Does Esme Addison write other series?
Yes. The Secret Society Mysteries began in 2024 with An Intrigue of Witches, about a historian in Washington, DC, who discovers her own witch powers. It reads more like a thriller than a cozy.