A Charming Touch of Tarot (The Gin & Tarot Club #2)

Author: Melissa Holtz Title: A Charming Touch of Tarot Publisher: Berkley Date Published: 05/13/2025

Read Dates: 04/16/2025- 04/17/2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

A Charming Touch of Tarot is a dual POV paranormal mystery book. It focuses primarily on Alyssa, a 40-year-old widow with the ability to talk to ghosts, and her group of friends (Nina, Lanie, and Corinne) who are discovering abilities of their own. There are a few chapters from the POV of Nick, Alyssa’s detective neighbor (and boyfriend if they can ever find time for a proper date!) Alyssa and her friends get tangled up in a series of adventures, paranormal and otherwise, involving blackmail, secrets, and murder! I think that a lot of people will enjoy this book, it just missed the mark for me. This is largely due to the fact that it’s the second in an interconnected series, picking up where book one left off and ending with things unresolved as a setup for the next book. I highly recommend reading book one (An Enchanting Case of Spirits) first, something I didn’t know to do (I didn’t realize it was a sequel when I requested it). I’ll have to revisit this one at a later date!

Alyssa, Nina, Lanie, and Corinne's friendship is being put to the test. With Nina's marriage falling apart, Lanie acting distant, Alyssa's new romance, and no one quite trusting Corinne, this may be more than their bond can take. But when Nina appears at Alyssa's door, and confesses not just a decades-old secret, but a newfound magical power, the friends know that the only way to face this is together.

Someone has been blackmailing Nina for years, but lately the threats to reveal her secret have changed to threats on her life, and on the lives of those she loves. With Alyssa contacting ghosts for insight and Nina getting used to her telepathy skills, they dash from city to city to track down the threat. There's someone out there that will go to any lengths to keep their control over Nina, and it will take all four friends to get out of this without ruining, or losing, their lives. But with the strength of their friendship—and a little help from the beyond—these women are out to prove they're not to be messed with.