No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan is the second book in the “Cora Crafts” mystery series. Publisher: Kensington, April 28, 2017

Settling into her new life and career in small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, Cora Chevalier is preparing to host a “wildcrafting” retreat at her Victorian home. But a specter hangs over the venture when beloved local nanny Gracie Wyke goes missing. Amidst leading their guests in nature hikes, rock painting and making clay charms, Cora and her business partner, Jane, team up with Gracie’s boyfriend, Paul, to launch their own investigation into her disappearance when the local police prove unhelpful.

Cora and her crafters take Paul in, believing he is in danger and not the suspect police have made him out to be. However as they uncover new clues and a body turns up at a local abandoned amusement park, Cora and Jane begin to question their decision. With more questions than answers arising, is Cora crafty enough to untangle a knot that could put an innocent in jail—and permanently destroy her reputation?

Once again, Mollie has written a wonderful story where the narrative immediately placed me in the middle of all the action. The tone and writing style was very comfortable making it an entertaining read. This evenly paced drama was well written and I enjoyed how the multi-plot mystery was presented with each character playing a pivotal role in how this was going to end. The author knows how to tease a reader with positioning some of the cast as likely suspects and throwing in clues to keep me intrigued in all that was happening. I also like how the author used the retreat guests as additional sleuths in the book…that was fun. This was a delightfully charming read and I look forward to the next adventures with Cora, Jane and their friends.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher.