The Mudpuddle Manual of Natural Magic

A murder, a mystery, and a not-so-overactive imagination...

Eccentric heiress Maida Westbrook treasures her peaceful, "ordinary" life in California-morning strolls along the beach, warm evenings by the fire, and losing herself in her beloved library of myths and legends. Despite knowing the difference between fact and fiction, Maida can't shake the haunting feeling that there's more to her story than she's been led to believe. Strange and inexplicable occurrences have always surrounded her, dismissed as nothing more than an overactive imagination.

When a distant relative mysteriously vanishes, a body is discovered, and Maida's lifelong dream of owning a charming bookshop suddenly comes true she realizes her imagination might not have been so far-fetched after all.

There's just one hitch: the sentient bookshop has gone into hiding. It's up to Maida to coax it back. To claim her inheritance, she must step out of her safe, predictable, world and embrace a reality where magic is real and woven into the very fabric of everyday life. That handsome neighbor? He might be a shapeshifter. And the barista who runs the local cafe? She's likely brewing more than coffee.

As Maida unravels the secrets of her past, she's forced to rethink everything she once held true. Saving the bookshop-and protecting her newfound magical family-will require more courage than she ever thought possible, including risking her heart.