Candy Crone. The Hawthorne University Witch Series, #6.5

Candy Crone is a Short Story standalone, Book 6.5, in the Hawthorne University Witch Series. While I'm enjoying a spicy caramel apple surprise at our local ice cream parlor, an old lady in rags rambles nonsense about candy canes to children waiting for Santa. That distracts me from prepping my young friend Cat for her college interview at Hawthorne University. Christmas turns into creepy Halloween when all the local children, including Cat, disappear in the woods.
Bryce and I search our forest but become spellbound. All this voracious casting heralds the arrival of a new witch in town. The Candy Crone. As the Hawthorne Witch, I hold great power, but with my unborn baby kicking, the witch exploits my sins and vices through gluttony. Am I nothing more than my appetites and power as the Hawthorne Witch? Or can I accomplish something greater? If I can't sort my stuff out, Cat, my unborn baby, Chandra, and all these innocent kids living in Hawthorne are toast. Cadence Hawthorne returns in this Christmas novella taking place after Shadow Cast, book 6, in The Hawthorne University Witch Series.
Candy Crone is a complete self-contained novella not ending in cliffhangers. Some spoilers cannot be avoided, but the story is a STANDALONE book that can be enjoyed without reading the preceding novels. Content Warning: Candy Crone contains profanity, sex scenes, adult situations and, of course, witchcraft.