Blog Tour & Giveaway: Deadly Sweet (Spellwork Syndicate #1) by Lola Dodge

Deadly Sweet
Lola Dodge
(Spellwork Syndicate #1)
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: January 16th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

For fans of Hex Hall, The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars!

Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks inblissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter.

Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she’snot supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl.
The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as “accidents” turn into full-out attacks on Anise’s life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it’s hard to fight back when she has no idea who’s the enemy. Or why she became their target.
If Anise can’t find and stop whoever wants her dead, she’ll be more toasted than a crème brûlée.

Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death?

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My Review:

5 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Supernatural, Teen, Urban Fantasy, Witches--

I cracked the lid and gaped at the hodgepodge. There was one bottle of water— brown water—along with bunches of herbs, a tube of crackers, jars and jars of pills, a block of chocolate , plastic bags, wet wipes, gauze, earplugs, and a glass of tiny red toads and grass with holes cut in the lid.

I must’ve interrupted Lonnie’s scavenger hunt. Otherwise, why?

Anise wants nothing more than to go to culinary school to bake delicious treats infused with her brand of kitchen witchery- but all she has gotten is rejections. Fearing that she will be forever forced into hiding her witchiness and working in a grocery store bakery, Anise sends a last chance email to an estranged family member who owns one of the most successful magical bakeries. When she hears nothing back, she accepts a rare offer to hang out with coworkers, her night ends up in epic disaster- but Anise also received an invitation she has waited her whole life for.

​Anise and I had a really rocky start for me predominantly due to her lack of confidence. She was a quiet, shy creature, most likely due to her upbringing and most recent rejections, but I just wanted to shout at her to stand tall and be herself. I was as proud as a momma-bear when she learned her own powers and talents as the book progressed, figuring that she would be herself and others could accept her as is or go away. There, my friend, is some woman power!

To be perfectly honest, Wynn, aka Sleeping Beauty, was my favorite character! No he is not the narrator or particularly a main character, but an incredibly important side character who stole my cold heart. He was mysterious, prickly, judgy, suspicious and ever so protective- such a strong, self assured person, pretty much the opposite of Anise really.

​I highly recommend reading this book with some sort of sugar concoction because I can 100% guarantee that you will​ crave cake, pie, candy...any and all baked goods, really! Lola was able to describe the treats so amazingly that not only could I see how drool worthy they are, but I could practically taste them and feel the sensations they were enchanted with. Seriously, I need some cake, STAT! If Anise was a real person with a real bakery, I would be her best client...and probably weigh 500 pounds.

Just read a snippet of the description and tell me you don's desire this:

There were piles of baklava dripping honey and happiness. Massive meringues puffed up with prosperity spells...

When I managed to suck in little blobs of air they tasted like toffee, mocha, caramel, and fresh strawberry. Every sweet looked like a piece of art, decorated with black gum paste flowers or precision-placed sprinkles.

This is actually my first book by Lola even though I have been eyeballing the Shadow Ravens for a long time and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to jump into her writing with such a fun, yummy adventure! Deadly Sweet is just the start to this world and I am excited for more.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

Author Bio:

Lola Dodge is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University–and hasn’t stopped moving since. When she’s not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can’t melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram.

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