Okay, let's do this one more time. A quirky city woman has questions and so she moves to a small town where baking has all the answers. Along the way, there's a soft man who's not like other city men because he is polite and super hot. Yeah, that about covers it.

"A Slice of Magic" not so subtly introduces the concept that there will be magic involved. Whether it's the essence of the unexplainable or an actual hard magic system is to be determined. Susanna thinks her Aunt Erma can help fill in the gaps between what went down in the family. What Susanna doesn't know is only the tip of the proverbial powdered sugar mound. The town's people are eccentric but is it the work of magic or meth? It's up to Susanna to get to the bottom of her aunt's sudden departure and figure out if the secret ingredient really is...love. Hm.

This is a quick read so it doesn't take long for Susanna to pack up and get going. Then, whatever you imagine a small town is like takes over. There isn't much physical world building but I don't mind since it seems to not be the focus of the plot. Instead, the cast of characters including the Morning Pie Crew and angry gym lady really does well to fill in the space. I grew to love them because they are genuinely nice and little nosey. While Susanna is childish and all of her interactions are awkward to read, it's mainly played up for comical effect. Some of the jokes fell flat but the plot doesn't linger. I guess the way Susanna and Henry flirt sometimes did make me want to barf (who rolls around in an ice rink for fun)? I'm just thankful that Henry isn't a douche creep. Holly's a riot and there's minimal mommy issues.

If anything, the plot follows a conventional structure with a misunderstanding to drive Henry and Susanna apart. There's also a cryptic message that Susanna ignores until it's used in the third act to save everyone. But hey, I had fun with this. I hope the series goes into depth with the world building and we get more hijinks from characters interacting.

Cover Review:
I like the redesigned cover. It has a better use of white space and the color palette is generally more pleasant to look at. The illustration is 100x better as it less resembles vector art. The typography is also an improvement and offers a sense of whimsy rather than a generic serif (was that Times New Roman)? I also think the gingham border is a nice touch.

A light easy to read book, but maybe not quite for me. Enjoyable to pick up but rather superficial and not really believable

A Slice of Magic by A. G. Mayes is the perfect mix of sweet and unique storytelling. I unexpectedly adored this book!
Susanna and her aunt Erma used to be very close. Erma shared her love of baking with her niece. One day, aunt Erma left and moved to the small town of Hocus Hills. It’s 20 years later, when Susanna hears from her aunt again. She’s left a frantic voicemail asking Susanna to come help out at her bakery. Susanna heads to Hocus Hills looking for answers but ends up with more questions.
This book was a breeze to read and I finished it in a weekend, it gave off Hallmark movie vibes and who doesn’t need that in their life?
I received a review copy of this ebook from Harper Impulse, Killer Reads
and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

An enjoyable but quirky ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read.
I really enjoyed this story, it’s been a while since I have read anything paranormal and this was a real treat. If you are not into paranormal fiction don’t be put off, it is only one part of the much bigger picture. A Slice of Magic has a bit of mystery, crime, romance, and comedy to boot, it would be so easy to get overwhelmed by the multi-genres, but A.G. Mayes has combined them into a well-rounded story.
I found it a little tricky to get started but as I read, I could feel myself being drawn into the Morning Pie Crew, a group of friends from all walks of life who chat, gossip and eat pie before noon, my kind of people.
My thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperImpluse for allowing to read this wonderful book.

I actually really enjoyed this story. Think cosy mystery with magic, pie and quirky characters. You cannot go wrong when there is pie involved!!

I liked Susanna. She was funny., and definitely my sort of person. She was clumsy, erratic, and not very good with the cooking side of things. Her instant connections with all the residents of Hocus Hills was a nice touch, it made her feel more likeable and that she was more connected to the town.

I liked the storyline. I found it hilarious in places, like the zebra hat/balaclava situation, and the sneeze into flour is something I could definitely see myself doing. The other characters from the town, like Mr Barnes, Flora, Holly, and all of the others were fantastic additions to the story.

I loved the idea of the pies being that something bit more than a regular pie. It made it a more gentle story, and then the addition of Aunt Erma added to that eventually. I loved the writing style of this book. It had a nice flow to it, and the story just went with it.

I cannot wait to go back to Hocus Hills, it’s definitely going to be on watch list for the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a very light and feel-good read. No book has ever made me crave so much for pies, ice cream, and cookies until I read this one. Just the kind of book you would want to read in a cold, cozy night.

I liked the concept of the story. It has an air of mystery surrounding the disappearance of the MC's aunt and the strangeness of the town, Hocus Hills. However, as much as I really want to love this book, I was quite disappointed by it. Maybe because I was expecting this book will be so magical but I found the magic only subtly present in the story. I also found it difficult to relate with the characters and the plot was too dragging for me. The start was just too slow that I tend to put this book down a lot and to speed-read some parts hoping something interesting will happen. There were a lot of unnecessary scenes in the story which I think could have been shortened and could have been used to discuss more about the town, the backstory of major characters and how they ended up in that town, and the magical abilities of the characters which was almost not explained in the book. Thankfully, the plot picked up at the last quarter of the book.

The book would have been much better if there's better world-building and character development. I know this is just the first book of the series and I hope the next book/s will be much better.

A slice of magic is a cutesy book, quick and quirky to read. Nice storyline but readers hold your opinions until the end. You'd think you're reading a mystery but many chapters later you realize it's not.

Aunt Erma sends four city dweller niece to come and tend to her Pie shop in Hocus hill a little town filled with mysterious dubious characters. But when Susie arrives she soon finds out things are not quite right, Erma has gone missing with no forwarding message but no one minds Susanna must learn to bake pies like her aunt makes and sell to keep up the profits in the shop. But she's no baker, her skills are all but lost, she has to look after aunt's dog, and keep the morning pie crew happy, .She enters the bake fair and loses all credibility, she gets a break in, someone's stolen aunt Erma's secret spices, she becomes a cat crawler, there's no end to what she'll do to uncover the truths of this town and all it's secrets.

It will have you in stitches, it's a fun read after a hard stressful day at work I must stay I looked forward to my reading this ebook, guarantee you will to, so give it a go.

Thank you Netgalley for offering me this little escape.

J'avais beaucoup d'attentes en recevant mon exemplaire numérique de ce livre, et je n'ai pas été déçue : j'ai eu tout ce que j'espérais avoir, et bien plus encore. L'histoire est assez directe : la protagoniste reçoit un appel à l'aide, elle l'accepte, mais en arrivant chez sa tante, cette dernière a disparu en lui laissant sa boutique de pâtisseries.

Tous les ingrédients (oui oui, j'ai fait cette blague) sont là pour un bon mystère, et les personnages suspicieux ne manquent pas. L'entraîneuse de gym déterminée à faire en sorte que les pâtisseries soient allégées en sucres et en graisses est-elle juste déterminée à faire mincir ses clients, ou est-elle secrètement bien plus sournoise ? Le beau jeune homme est-il le prince charmant parfait qu'il semble être, ou cache-t-il un secret bien plus dangereux ? Où est donc passée tante Erma, et quelle est la meilleure recette pour réussir une tarte au chocolat ?

Les scènes de cuisine parsemées dans ce livre sont très agréables à lire, et m'ont beaucoup rappelé l'esthétique toute particulière de la série Pushing Daisies, avec Lee Pace dans le rôle principal - suivre les tentatives périlleuses de Suzanne dans la création de tartes toutes plus difficiles les unes des autres est très amusant, et donne une sensation de légèreté que j'apprécie beaucoup.

J'ai également aimé l'introduction de la magie dans ce livre, qui (sans spoilers) est faite de manière relativement douce et discrète, et qui permet la construction d'un univers assez original. Un seul bémol serait la conclusion de ce premier tome, qui m'a parue un peu hâtive, mais je suis assez confiante et je pense que les tomes suivants permettront à l'auteure de mieux approfondir les parties de l'histoire laissées en suspens.

En conclusion, je recommanderais volontiers ce roman léger et agréable à lire à mes ami·e·s qui ont aimé Pushing Daisies et / ou sont friand·e·s d'histoires de cuisine et de mystère !

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for my unbiased opinion of the book. Susanna Daniels wondering why after twenty years her aunt finally wants her to come and visit right away at that! When she gets there, her aunt is long gone or so she thinks. When she realized that she had to run the shop herself with no or little help crazy things start to happen. Like leaving the kitchen in the shop a disaster and coming downstairs in the morning finding is clean as can be! Being in Hocus Hills has its own set of challenges as well as some of the other business owners. I am not going to give it away what happens, you must read this charming story for yourself!!! I loved every minute of the story from beginning to end and couldn't put it down! I've already recommended this book to all my friends and they love it too! Don't miss out!

A woman receives a note from her mysterious Aunt Erma to come visit her at once. When she arrives, she finds herself in a small town, with a cast of characters ( who are mostly nice and all know her aunt), her Aunt Erma's dog, and a pie shop to run. She has never run a pie shop before and gets thrown right in after the first day. The first morning there are a few pies already made for her to sell... but once she sells out it is up to her to figure out what to do next. A little magical, a little small town, a little self discovery.. this one was okay to me. I found it a bit hard to get into, but I think the writing style just didn't quite hook me as much as I had expected it to based on the summary of the text. I can see it working for lots of folks though!

I received a ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was exactly what I needed after reading/listening to some heavier books. The book has a great storyline/plot, the characters are just kooky enough to be endearing, and there is magic! What more can you want from a book? I think my biggest disappointment with this book was that we don’t get to understand more of the magic but since there looks to be another book following this one I won’t be too upset about that :)

'A Slice of Magic' made a welcome change from the usual genres that i prefer to read. An easy going book and one that was rather enjoyable. Ideal for those who enjoy a lighthearted cosy mystery.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery (non-murder)! The beginning was a little slow, but once you got into the “yummy pie” of the book, it was a great read. It was entertaining to read about the crazy small time life, interactions between Susanna and her family, and trying to figure out what was going on with the shenanigans in the town.



(Will post reviews to Amazon and Goodreads once the book is released.)

Oh, how I wanted to love this book! The premise of getting called to help an aunt in her pie shop sounded so fun, and I was definitely in the mood for a light-hearted mystery...but, wow, just not much actual storyline to this book. Loved the initial descriptions of making pies, but the characters had zero depth and the actual part about magic feels glossed over when it is supposed to be the whole point of the book.

I will say that I loved the author's humor and voice, and despite not enjoying this book I will definitely try more books by A.G. Mayes to see if they connect better with me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

I have a thing for magic baking books, so I really wanted to like this book. I think it was going for some sort of cozy mystery with a dash of magical realism, but it never quite hit the mark.

It’s told from the first-person POV of Susanna, handyman. She has fond memories of baking with her Aunt Erma as a child before something happened between her mom and aunt, and her aunt cut contact with the family. Years later, she receives a phone call out of the blue from the aunt, asking her to come watch her shop, so Susanna, naturally, drops everything. When she arrives in the town of Hocus Hills, however, her aunt is nowhere to be found. So, she decides to settle in and manage the shop while she’s gone, helped along by her aunt’s wacky friends. As the days drag on and Susanna struggles to keep the shop open, her aunt’s continued disappearance seems more and more strange, not to mention, something’s off with the town. Can Susanna figure out what happened while keeping the pie shop running?

Let’s start out by addressing my main issue with the book. Since Susanna goes most of the book without knowing that magic exists, there’s very little magic in the book, so since I went into this expecting lots of magical baking, I was very disappointed. On top of that, though she spent lots of happy hours baking with her aunt as a child, she has absolutely no idea how to bake. She doesn’t know the difference between evaporated milk and regular milk, or how to make a pie crust, or even what ingredients you’d need to make a pie crust. I’m going to assume that if you’re picking up a book about magical baking, you’re at least somewhat good at it (or have binge watched enough Great British Bake-off to pretend you are), so Susanna’s kitchen ineptness was especially exasperating. Where’s all the delicious magical pies I was promised?

The plot was alright, if very predictable. I guessed from the second chapter what had happened to Aunt Erma and why, and there weren’t any real red herrings to distract me from that. While I don’t necessarily expect cozy mysteries to be unpredictable, it’s usually offset by a cast of wacky characters or a very likable heroine. Some of the side characters were OK – I liked the Morning Pie Crew, though I thought they still lacked depth – but Gina, the owner of a local gym who gets ridiculously frustrated that Susanna won’t offer a low-calorie pie (what even?), was about as flimsy as the toilet paper Susanna TPs her rival’s cookie shop with (yes, honestly, that’s her form of revenge). The big reveal comes not from one of her new friends, but from a letter (seriously!) she finds when she finally starts snooping around her aunt’s apartment after she’s been missing… for a few weeks. And then, the plot just quickly wraps itself up, and bam, end of the book.

‘Have you heard anything from your aunt?’ Flora asked.
‘No. I’m starting to get more than a little worried.’
‘I wouldn’t worry,’ she said. ‘Sometimes a woman just has some things to take care of.’ Her voice was perfectly calm, but her brow furrowed in the middle a little when she talked.


My other main issue with the book was that Susanna acts in utterly inexplicable ways. Her aunt is missing, none of her good friends know where she’s gone – or even seem worried about it – and yet no one bothers to contact the police (magical or otherwise). It does turn out that there are people in town investigating something related, but rather than be worried that the nice missing baker might be a victim, they assume she’s the main suspect, and that Susanna must be her accomplice. Susanna, for her part, is completely oblivious to the weirdness going on around her, chalking it up to small town weirdness. Instead of worrying about her missing aunt, she instead has time to go pull teen vandal pranks on the businesses of two people who were mean to her, which was a particularly bizarre plot point for me. I just didn’t understand where Susanna was coming from, and it made it hard to enjoy the book.

Overall, I can’t really recommend this book. It’s certainly cozy, but with a so-so mystery and lackluster characters, it wasn’t a good fit for me.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Susanna has not spoken to Aunt Erma in twenty-one years. Yet, she doesn't hesitate when Aunt Erma leaves a message requesting Susanna's help. Susanna leaves the city to relocate to the small town of Hocus Hills. Despite having minimal baking skills, she does her best to run Aunt Erma's pie shop. I liked this story-it's a mix of cozy mystery/romance. Susanna is a related character and I'm looking forward to reading the next story in this series.

thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this one in exchange for an honest review! :)

this is a fun book. it's cosy, if that makes sense. i grew up in a small town, so i often don't understand the supposed allure they'll have in fiction, but A.G. Mayes manages to make me believe that Hocus Hills is charming in its own way. the magical element carries the book, and i've always adored the idea that food can be a kind of magic, especially when prepared by the right person at the right time.

the side characters are somewhat simplistic, but they're a delight (especially holly, who brings some much needed lgbt rep!), and the conversations of the morning pie crew in particular are lovely to read. the romance is sweet, and the 'ask elodie' columns throughout the book are both insightful and comical. this book isn't necessarily deep, although it does touch on some heavy topics near the end (loss, conflict, and family) but it's a quick, enjoyable read all the same.

i will say for anyone considering picking it up to be wary that there is a lot of talk about calories and weight loss (not by our pie-baking heroine or any of her friends thankfully), and that's something that left an unpleasant taste on my tongue. it didn't feel like it was necessary, especially when gina didn't play nearly as big of a role as the other antagonist, and it's something that could be irritating or downright triggering for anyone who's looking to enjoy what seems like a fun, positive story about food.

in the end, i'd give this one 3.5 stars. not perfect, but it's absolutely worth a shot if it the description interests you!

Sometimes it's nice to take time away from all the heavy stuff, and just read something nice and light. I like to call it "brain candy", because it gives my mind a little treat to devour while I wind down from dealing with serious book emotions. That's how I stumbled upon A Slice Of Magic! I wanted to get lost in something sweet (no pun intended) and fun. The prospect of a magical pie shop sounded like just what I needed, and I was right.

Now, this isn't the most complex plot I've ever read, true. However that's not what I went into this book for in the first place. Mayes easily nails the feel of a small town in this book. A place where everyone knows everything about everyone else, and it's pretty easy to get a reputation. A place where being a new arrival means being the center of attention, whether you want to be or not. I loved the town of Hocus Hills. I settled in easily, fell in love with the residents (especially Henry *swoon*), and was enamored with the vibes that this book gave off. Susanna may have had a rough start, but you couldn't pick a sweeter place to get your footing.

What hampered this story, I think, was how quickly it needed to move in order for everything to wrap up. While it made for an easy read, it also never allowed any time for any real plot points to be hashed out. Susanna starts to pick up on the fact that Hocus Hills might be much more than it seems and then, suddenly, everything is all wrapped up and the book is over. I wanted more time to learn about the magic around the town. I wanted more magical pies, and more sweet romance. I just wanted more. This book felt like the frame of a story, rather than the complete story. A lot of what I wanted to know the entire time I was reading was revealed at the end, in an info dump. I was a little sad about that.

Still, as I said above, I started this book to get lost in something fun. A Slice of Magic definitely provided me that. If only it had been a little more fleshed out, and I'd had more time with my newly found town of lovely people, I would have loved this book endlessly. As it stands, I'll happily reward this a three star rating. It was sweet, a little silly, and an easy read. Now I want pie, and I can't wait to see what happens in this town next.

This book was a lot of fun to read. You can’t help but fall in love with all of the quirky characters and you find yourself pulling for Susanna to make a great pie. Speaking of pies, you will be craving them throughout the whole story. I also enjoyed the feeling of something just isn’t right with everyone in town and reading as the story unfolds for Susanna. There was a good ending but it also left plenty of doors open for the next book. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

I felt that this book had a bit of an identity crisis. Sadly I just could not get into this read.
Not for me. Lacked depth
Thank you to both NetGalley and HarperImpulse for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review