Great Hexpectations. The Kilmaraig Witch Mysteries, #2

A poisoned professor, a secret society, and a seagull with expensive taste. Dr Cass Winters has finally accepted her role as the Sea Witch of Kilmaraig. She has her grandmother's grimoire, a simmering connection with the town's fiercely overprotective lighthouse keeper, and a marine biology degree she is desperately trying to apply to elemental magic. She just wants a quiet autumn. But when the Samhain festival brings a flood of mundane tourists, it also brings a delegation from the Scottish Magical Historical Society-a hidden network of arrogant academics who are far too interested in Kilmaraig's recent surge in power.
When their lead historian drops dead by the festival bonfire, Cass is immediately blamed. The Society thinks her "untrained" magic caused a fatal backlash. Cass knows better. It wasn't a spell that killed the professor-it was a rare marine toxin slipped into his spiced cider. Now, to clear her name and protect her town from being taken over by magical bureaucrats, Cass must navigate a web of bitter academic rivalries, stolen research, and a killer who knows entirely too much about local biology.
With the wider magical community watching her every move, Cass has her science, her newly awakened sea-magic, and a feral seagull who just stole the murder victim's enchanted pen. She's going to need all three. Great Hexpectations is the second book in the Kilmaraig Witch Mysteries - a paranormal cozy mystery series steeped in salt, secrets, and Scottish coastal magic. Perfect for readers who love a reluctant witch proving her worth, small-village whodunnits, slow-burn romance with a stoic guardian, and animal sidekicks with serious attitude.
If you like your mysteries cozy, your magic grounded in science, and your seagulls feral, grab a mug of hot cider and continue the series today.