Today is a day of destiny. I can feel it as I throw my duffel bag into the back seat of my car. I’m traveling light, having discarded the baggage of my previous existence. You see, I had believed that I had found the love of my life, but it turned out that he truly didn’t care about me. So I’m leaving this town, and I have a destination, Whittaker, California, a few hours up north, where I have apparently inherited a tea shop from an aunt I didn’t even know. Was she aware that I managed a café? Was she somehow informed that I have always loved tea? Did she understand that I’ve been looking for a place to call my home for my whole life?

I told no one where I was going. My ex didn’t deserve to know. And I could hear my mother’s voice in my head, “Ella, you can’t spend your life in a café. What is so special about tea? Look at other young women your age. They’ve now graduated from college. They’re pursuing successful careers. You need to follow that path, Ella. And I told you to never look up your aunt. I told you to forget that you ever saw the name of that town.”

But when I heard about that tea shop, my fingers tingled. I believed that I could be a young woman with bright eyes who smiled again. So, here I go, singing to the radio at the top of my lungs, feeling like a rebel outlaw, a misfit warrior on a quest, ready to land in a place where I could perhaps belong.

Tea and Trickery: A Witches of Whittaker Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2024
Format: Digital
Purchase Link

A haunted house. A talking cat familiar. A ghostly ally.

Ella Kelly thought she’d found true love. But when she discovered his cheating ways, Ella was more than ready to leave her old life behind . . . if only she knew what to do next! Her wish came true with a surprising inheritance: a charming tea shop in an intriguing California town.

But managing a tea shop can brew up all sorts of troubles. There’s a murder to solve, a haunted house calling her name, and a cat familiar who’s not sure he’s up to the task. And maybe her mother could have told her she was a witch?

Will Ella and her shy sidekick be able to crack this case and bring peace to her town?

Tea and Trickery is the first book in the paranormal cozy series, The Witches of Whittaker Mysteries. If you love magical cats, tantalizing teas, and supernatural shops, you’ll adore this enchanting tale.

About the author
Wendy Ledger lives in the California Gold Country. She loves audiobooks, all types of music, and BBC mystery series. If you would like to read a prequel story to Boardwalk Betrayal, please sign up for Wendy’s newsletter at wendyledgerauthor.com.