Title: A Drizzle of Magic (The Pobyd Perfections Bakery 1)
Publisher: Sun’s Golden Ray
Author: S. Usher Evans
Pages: 296pp

The Queen has been overthrown, and the rightful King restored to the throne. Magical beings — from fae to dryads to talking mice — are coming out of hiding to reclaim their old lives; at least those who survived the Queen’s purges. …. Lillie Dean is a pobyd. Her natural-born magic makes her not only a fantastic baker, but also someone who can infuse her culinary creations with magical intent. Having a down day? She can whip up a chocolate chip cookie that will make you feel on top of the world. … Unfortunately, someone in Silverkeep wants Lillie gone, and is willing to blackmail her to make that happen. Determined to save her bakery, and protect other magical beings who have also been threatened, Lillie sets out to unmask the blackmailer. Fortunately, she has just the right recipes, and more than a few unexpected allies, to aid in her quest ….

I discovered S. Usher Evans in a cozy fantasy FaceBook group, and happily backed her first kickstarter for The Weary Dragon Inn series. I quite enjoyed following along as Bev the Innkeeper tackled one strange, magical problem after another, leading ultimately to the overthrow of the awful Queen. So when Evans announced a new kickstarter for a spin-off series featuring Lillie, I happily backed that campaign, too.*

A Drizzle of Magic is a fun, fast, and entertaining cozy mystery. It also made me hungry. Lillie’s passion is baking and, every time she was faced with a problem, she would turn to her kitchen to solve it. Chocolate chip cookies. Raspberry thumbprint cookies. Lemon cake. Rosemary bread. **drool** Anyway, I really like Lillie. I admire her strength and her ability to admit her own flaws. She made a big mistake in her past that endangered a lot of people. She is still haunted by that decision, and is determined to make up for it by protecting the people of Silverkeep — especially the poorer and more vulnerable.

And Silverkeep, unfortunately, is full of poor and vulnerable people. When the Queen’s agents swept through the town six years ago, most of the magical population was imprisoned. It was only the few who escaped to underground sanctuaries who survived the purge. And now they have returned, hoping to reclaim their lost property and stolen lives. Except most of those businesses and homes have been taken over and now belong to the wealthiest landowner in Silverkeep and … well … let’s just say that he has his own agenda. And that doesn’t even address the socio-economic divide between the well-to-do uptowners and the fisherfolk who live and work down by the docks.

A Drizzle of Magic may be cozy, but it deals with some serious subjects.

I quite enjoyed Lillie’s first outing as an amateur sleuth, and I look forward to reading more of her adventures. Recommended to fans of Evans’ other series, as well as Leah Cutter’s Water Witch Mysteries series, Home Run Enchanted by Brigid Collins, Her Majesty’s Unicorn by Layla Lawlor, the Manhattan Magic series by Scott Walker, and Undercover Gorgon by RL Naquin.

*No it is not necessary to read The Weary Dragon Inn series to follow along in Pobyd Perfections Bakery. Evans does an excellent job of providing readers with the relevant details, so feel free to dive right in.