A body lies on the steps of a homeopathic cure shop, and the owner’s fingerprints turn up at a string of local robberies. That is how A Charming Wish, book 3 of the Magical Cures Mystery series by Tonya Kappes, puts its heroine in trouble. The shop is A Charming Cure. Its owner is June Heal, a psychic whose remedies really work.
The series runs to 14 novels and 4 novellas, published between 2012 and 2024 under the author’s own imprint.
What Is the Magical Cures Mystery Series About?
From the outside, the little town of Whispering Falls looks like any quiet village in the Kentucky woods. It is really a community of Spiritualists. Every shop owner has a gift, and every shop sells a little of it. There is even a Spiritualist university, Hidden Hall.
June comes from a family of psychics. In the first book, A Charming Crime (2012), her remedy business is still a flea-market stall in her hometown of Locust Grove. From book 2 on she runs A Charming Cure, a magical cure shop in Whispering Falls. Each book brings a new death, and June puts her sleuthing skills to work with potions, intuition and a lot of nerve.
This is a paranormal cozy mystery with a light touch of magic: no gore, plenty of jokes and a town where everyone knows everyone. Life in Whispering Falls moves on from book to book, so the order matters more than the single mysteries do.
June, Mr. Prince Charming and Sheriff Oscar Park
Mr. Prince Charming is June’s white cat, which the author calls a “fairy god cat.” He adds protection charms to her bracelet. Madame Torres, a snarky crystal ball, is her other familiar. With the help of her familiars, June often knows more than the police.
Oscar is her childhood friend, and her relationship with Oscar Park runs through the whole series. The two marry in the novella A Charming Death (8.5). Other residents of Whispering Falls come and go. Ophelia Biblio, a witch, opens the Ever After Book Shop in book 4. In book 5 Arabella Paxton opens a flower shop and sets her sights on Oscar.
Our Review: A Charming Wish and a Genie Nobody Asked For
This review is based on book 3, A Charming Wish (March 2013). June has just been named Village President when the body appears on her steps. Soon she is off the village council, and her powers are under suspicion. To make things worse, a rather obnoxious genie has moved in.
The genie is the best joke in the book, and Mr. Prince Charming steals the scenes the genie doesn’t. The romance works because Oscar is no grumpy lawman who resents the amateur sleuth. He and June work as partners, and he is ready to give up his own powers to protect her.
Our one complaint: the plot is busy. Murder, robberies, village politics, magical rules and a large cast all compete for space. The solution is still fair, and the humor keeps the pages turning. Start with book 1 anyway, because book 3 builds on the first two.
Magical Cures Mystery Series in Order
The novellas carry half numbers. Read in this numbered order, which is not always the publication order. The list follows the author’s series page.
Book 1 to Book 7: From A Charming Crime to A Charming Fatality
- 1. A Charming Crime (2012)
- 2. A Charming Cure (2012)
- 2.5. A Charming Potion, novella (2012)
- 3. A Charming Wish (2013)
- 4. A Charming Spell (2013)
- 5. A Charming Magic (2013)
- 6. A Charming Secret (2014)
- 6.5. A Charming Christmas, novella (2014)
- 7. A Charming Fatality (2015)
Book 8 to Book 10: A Wedding and a Honeymoon
- 8. A Charming Ghost (2015)
- 8.5. A Charming Death, novella (2015): the wedding
- 9. A Charming Hex (2016): the honeymoon
- 10. A Charming Voodoo (2016)
Book 11 to Book 14: Hidden Hall and a New Generation
- 11. A Charming Corpse (2018): June is offered a teaching job at Hidden Hall
- 12. A Charming Misfortune (2019)
- 12.5. A Charming Blend, novella (2019): a crossover with the Killer Coffee Mysteries
- 13. A Charming Deception (2020)
- 14. A Charming Hexocist (2024): June also protects her magical daughter
How Many Books Are in the Series?
Eighteen: 14 novels and 4 novellas. Amazon counts only the novels and calls it a 14-book series. The newest is A Charming Hexocist (August 2024). The author’s list of upcoming releases runs to February 2027 and shows no new title in this series yet.
Who Is Tonya Kappes, and How Many Books Has She Written?
Kappes is a USA Today bestselling author who, by her own count, has written more than 180 Southern cozy mysteries. She studied elementary education at the University of Kentucky and now writes full-time from a camper. Her other series include the Kenni Lowry Mysteries, the Killer Coffee Mysteries, Camper and Criminals and the Southern Magical Bakery Mysteries. The last is the closest to June’s world.
Similar Series: More Witchy Cozy Mysteries With Magic
The closest match on our shelf is the Enchanted Bay Mysteries by Esme Addison. The heroine works in her family’s herbal apothecary, so the remedies-and-magic angle is the same. Start with our A Spell for Trouble review or the Enchanted Bay series page. Three more:
- Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries: a witch runs a vintage clothing shop in San Francisco (our Secondhand Spirits review).
- Madelyn Alt’s Bewitching Mysteries: an empath in small-town Indiana (our The Trouble with Magic review).
- Bailey Cates’s Magical Bakery Mysteries: a witch who bakes in Savannah, starting with Brownies and Broomsticks (2012).
More mystery series with magic are on our witch cozy mysteries page.
Quick Facts
| Author | Tonya Kappes |
|---|---|
| Books | 14 novels and 4 novellas (2012–2024) |
| Newest | A Charming Hexocist, book 14 (August 2024) |
| Publisher | The author’s own imprint |
| Setting | Whispering Falls, a hidden magical village in Kentucky |
| Sleuth | June Heal, psychic and owner of A Charming Cure |
| Animals | Mr. Prince Charming, a white “fairy god cat” |
| Audiobooks | Narrated by Karen Savage |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read the novellas?
No. The exception is A Charming Death (8.5), the wedding of June and Oscar, because book 9 starts on their honeymoon.
Is there a book 15?
Not yet. Book 14 came out in 2024, and no new title has been announced.
Is it a witch cozy mystery?
Close to one. June is a psychic healer rather than a witch. But the village is full of Spiritualists, and the first witch neighbor, Ophelia Biblio, arrives in book 4.