A pinch of magic. A dead body. And three dangerously protective men who refuse to let me face the town alone.
I’m Lila Hartwell, and my magic has always been simple, quiet, and kitchen-sized. I can’t curse a man’s crops, but I can bake a comfort bun that eases grief, or a courage scone that warms the soul. For fourteen months, I’ve kept to myself, feeding the coastal town of Saltwick from my grandmother Opal’s decommissioned lighthouse bakery. I feed them, they eat, and we all pretend they aren’t whispering about the “witch” behind my back.
Then Garrett Vance—a ruthless developer who tried to pave over my home—turns up dead on my café floor.
Worse? There’s a half-eaten cinnamon roll cooling beside his slack hand. And laced inside it is foxglove, a green-bitter poison I’ve never grown and would never use.
Suddenly, the whispers turn into shouted threats, someone paints “WITCH” on my alley wall, and I’m the prime suspect in a murder investigation. But I won’t let my grandmother’s legacy go down in flames. To clear my name, I’m going to have to do what I do best: keep my doors open and bake the truth out of this town.
But I won’t be doing it alone.
When the danger escalates, three men step up to shield me from the storm, crowding into my tiny apartment and my carefully guarded heart:
Finn: My childhood best friend and the town’s fire chief, whose laughing charm hides a fierce, unyielding protection.
Jasper: The quiet, steadfast boatbuilder who has loved me in silence for fifteen years and builds a fortress around my soul.
Silas: The cold, sharp-eyed city detective assigned to my case, who realizes I’m being framed and risks his career to keep me breathing.
Three men. One impossible choice. But in a town full of deadly secrets, maybe a witch doesn’t have to choose at all.
If I don’t find the real killer soon, the town will light their torches. But whoever is framing me forgot one very important rule: if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the witch’s kitchen.
Batter, Bodies, and Boyfriends is a cozy paranormal reverse harem mystery full of small-town secrets, magical pastries, and a why-choose romance where the heroine gets to keep all her guys. No cheating, no choosing, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
Tropes & Themes:
Reverse Harem / Why Choose Romance
Cozy Witch Mystery
Friends to Lovers (Childhood Friends)
Forced Proximity (One Small Lighthouse!)
Small Town Murder Mystery
Magical Baking / Kitchen Witch
Protective Alpha Males (Fire Chief, Detective, Boatbuilder)
