Carousels and Characters (Magical Mystery Book Club # 9) by Elizabeth Pantley

This book club is whooshed right into the pages of a cozy mystery. The quirky group of brave members must solve the mystery and reach The End to get out of the book.

In each book of the series, they travel to a different world and meet paranormal characters. It could be shifters, fairies, genies, ghosts, or anything else! It’s so much fun, you’ll wish for a book club like this!

In this book journey, they travel to an enchanted amusement theme park. It’s a magical, wonderful place, but something is disturbing the park. Robberies are occurring from every ride. It began with little things, like props or costumes, but now the stakes are rising.

The book club has entered this story so that they can find out who is behind the thefts and stop the problem. Hopefully, they can do it before chaos strikes the entire theme park and closes it down, leaving hundreds of workers jobless and thousands of park visitors disappointed.

"You can’t get enough of this series! It will blow you away!"
… Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

“I read 150+ cozy mysteries every year - this is by far the most unique storyline I've read.”
… Goodreads

“One of my go-to series. The quality and enjoyment are guaranteed.”
… All and Any Books

“I adore this series, and it just keeps getting better with each book!”
… Fiction Vixen

“The most original and unique cozy mystery series that I have ever read. Fantastic!”
… BookBub

“I guarantee you will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it !!!!”
… Goodreads  (Summary via Goodreads)

Readers cannot help but fall in love with the Magical Mystery Book Club Mystery series by Elizabeth Pantley.  This is a very creative series and as you get further into the books, the creativity will be off the charts .... but you will approve !!!

Quick summary  .... Main character Paige inherits the SnapDragon Inn and in the basement there is a magical library.  Paige organizes a group of electic people to be a part of the book club.  Every few months they gather with food and drinks and venture down to the basement where they each pick a book that they vote on.  Once they have picked a book someone begins reading the first page out loud.  Once they get a few paragraphs into the story, the room fills with fog and when it clears, they are in the book !!  The Inn travels with them which makes it a nice comfort.  In order to leave the book, they have to solve the case and write The End on the board and they will be whisked back home.  Two things regarding the book journey are that regardless of how long they are "stuck" in the book, time stands still and when they return, no time has been lost.  And the other things, which is probably the best thing, is that they can eat whatever they want and they won't gain weight and if you are familiar with this group, they LOVE to eat !!!

Okay now onto Carousels and Characters .... This is the ninth book in the series and if you have been reading them, you already know you are in for a treat.  Except in this book the group is not there to solve a murder.  They are there to solve a robbery or robberies.

The group is entering the book Mystery in Wonderland Universe which is a huge amusement theme park.  There are all kinds of rides and fair themed food as well as exhibits where animals are the focus.  When they get there, they have to check into their hotel and at first they believe the individuals behind the check-in desk are people dressed as chickens .....  but they soon learn that that is incorrect.

When they get inside the theme park, they realize that all the "characters" are actually animals.  They are given special lanyards that label them as inspectors so that they can investigate the robberies.  With their lanyards whenever they are on a ride or exhibit, it will shut down so that they can speak with the animals to see about the robberies.

There is so much more that I could say, as it is, I am trying not to give too much away.  One thing that I will say is that Pantley went overboard and out of the box with this story.  There were a few times I questioned if she was drinking while writing this one .... and if she was, more power to her because it's a HIT !!  It is definitely unique and very creative !!!!

Schooled in Murder (Campus Sleuth Mysteries Book # 1) by Victoria Gilbert

A mystery writer must solve a real murder case before an innocent girl is condemned-in this series debut from acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert.

Jennifer ‘Jenn’ Dalton is an author and educator at Clarion University in Virginia. She loves her job, but some of her petty coworkers look down on her for writing genre fiction. As members of the English department, they wish to encourage students to pursue higher literary aspirations. When a humiliating confrontation between an uppity professor and one of Jenn’s students, Mia, escalates, no one thinks much of it. Until his dead body is found along with evidence incriminating Mia.

Jenn knows Mia couldn’t have killed him, but Mia’s suspicious disappearance might as well be a proclamation of guilt. With the sleuthing skills Jenn has acquired writing murder mysteries, she’s determined to solve the case and clear Mia’s name.

Along with the help of her fellow sleuthers, Christine Kubiak, a cafeteria manager, Zachary Flynn, the charming but annoying campus psychologist, and Brianna Rowley, a librarian, Jenn must catch the real killer before there’s another murder on the books.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Schooled in Murder is the first book in the Campus Sleuth Mystery series written by Victoria Gilbert and you are going to LOVE it !!!  

In Schooled in Murder the main character Jenn Dalton is a mystery author herself as well as having a full time job running the writing center at Clarion University.  She is very busy in her normal every day dealings but when she comes across a dead body in the library and one of the students that she is helping is the main suspect, she finds the time to look into the death.

Professor Douglas Barth wasn't liked by everyone but to murder him seems a bit much.  So Jenn along with the help of a few friends on campus decide to do their own investigating.  However, even though Jenn is a published author of mystery books, it is nothing like the real thing.  And psychologist Zachary Flynn is right there to tell her that regularly.

Readers will love this debut book and will be looking forward to future books.  You cannot help but love the back and forth between Jenn and Zach and want to see where Gilbert is going to take that storyline.  And the college campus setting is a refreshingly fun setting as well.

I highly recommend grabbing your copy immediately and digging in.  You will thoroughly enjoy it.

Murder at First Light (Modern Midwives Book # 4) by Christine Knapp

Lighthouses, nannies, and murder…

Life has calmed down for modern nurse midwife Maeve O'Reilly Kensington, following her daughter's eventful arrival into the world. Her family has settled into a welcome routine, and Maeve is about to break new ground as the first faculty midwife at Rosemont College in the quaint New England town of Langford.

Unfortunately, her tranquility is short-lived. During an early morning row on the bay, Maeve witnesses a jogger stumble out of Langford's iconic lighthouse, First Light, and collapse. He is later pronounced dead, and Maeve wonders if it was a natural death or foul play. First Light had rescued many in the past but certainly didn't save this hapless soul.

When Maeve and her indomitable sister, Meg, assist a young Irish nanny caught in the aftermath of the death, they land headfirst in the world of Langford's posh "Yummy Mummies." Will the fearless M&M's crack the case? Will Maeve adapt to the college world? Life in Langford carries on…with its usual mix of midwifery and murder!  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder at First Light is the fourth book in the Modern Midwives Mystery series written by Christine Knapp.  Even though I have only read the first book, Murder at the Wedding and now this fourth book, I can tell you that as soon as I started reading Murder at First Light I was totally involved in it,  I was reaquainted with the characters and ready to see what happened .... and boy, oh boy !!!

In Murder at First Light main character Maeve, who is always busy, is again taking on a lot but she is going to excel in it, like she does with everything she does.  Maeve is a midwife working at Creighton Memorial and has just agreed to a dual appointment with Rosemont College.  She will teach the nursing students as well as provide gynecological care to the faculty and students as well as continue her duties at the hospital.  She will be split between the two places and she is excited to be doing it.

Unfortunately on one of her morning rowing trips, she nears First Light Lighthouse and sees people frantically waving.  She pulls up and jumps out to see if she can assist.  She sees a man on the ground and people working on him.  Emergency units were called and Maeve's brother Patrick arrives.  Patrick is the Deputy Chief of Police and Maeve and their sister, Meg, have helped Patrick in the past with some cases. But seeing as they do not know what caused the man to collapse, maybe it won't be something bad.

Maeve soon learns that the man did not make it and his brother is an RN at the hospital.  It doesn't take long for Maeve and Meg (the M&M's) to begin their investigation especially when they learn that one of the suspects is the deceased man's nanny.  And this nanny is from the same organization that Maeve's nanny is from.

Maeve and Meg are going to go into a very prominant and powerful area that they are not use to at all.  But they know that they have to do it to ensure that the correct person or persons pays for the murder !!

Readers will love this book !  The storyline and the characters are awesome and some you will want to be friends with .... while others you will enjoy hating !!!   

Murder in an Irish Village (Irish Village Mystery Book # 1) by Carlene O'Connor

“If Janet Evanovich and Maeve Binchy wrote a book together, [this] would be the result . . . Siobhán O’Sullivan is a character to savor.”—Laurien Berenson, author of Game of Dog Bones

 In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago. 

It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest. With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans and their business in danger of being shunned—murder tends to spoil the appetite—it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood. 

“Kicks off a new series in splendid fashion! If you love cozy mysteries and traveling, then give Murder in an Irish Village a try. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into Ireland as you turn the pages.”—Fresh Fiction   

“A smart whodunnit in an idyllic locale. I dare you not to be charmed by sleuth Siobhán and her siblings, the O’Sullivan Six.”—Barbara Ross, author of A Maine Clambake Mystery Series 

“A delightful, funny, fast-paced romp of a book.”—Isis Crawford, author of A Mystery with Recipes Series  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder in an Irish Village is the first book in the Irish Village Mystery series written by Carlene O'Connor and she sets the stage beautifully for this story and future stories that readers are going to want to read.

In Murder in an Irish Village Siobhan and her five siblings are still trying to deal with life after losing their parents in a car accident a year ago. Siobhan and her brother James are the oldest and have to look after and raise their younger brothers and sisters as well as run the family business, Naomi's Bistro. To add anything more to their plates would not be good so when Niall, the brother of the man responsible for the accident comes back to town saying the accident wasn't his brothers fault, Siobhan doesn't know what to think. Unfortunately she doesn't get to think on that for too long because the next day, she finds Niall sitting in the bistro with a pair of scissors in his chest.

It isn't long before Garda Flannery takes James in for questioning when it is learned that he and Niall got into a huge fight at the bar and unfortunately James, who was six months sober, was passed out behind the bar looking like he was in a bad fight.

Siobhan knows that she has to prove her brother's innocence and the only way to do that is to find the real killer. Even though Garda Flannery is on the case, she knows that she cannot sit and wait for results.....

Once readers start reading this story you feel like you are right there sitting in the bistro with a cuppa tea and a plate of brown bread and you are hanging with your friends. Even with a murder investigation going on, you will still want to be right there. You will love the shops, the people and even the drama. You cannot help but love the O'Sullivan Six and wish you were the seventh so that you belonged. And their commitment to each other is something else !!

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's ( A Mrs. Claus Mystery Book # 5) by Liz Ireland

Santaland is scrambling to keep its secrets hidden from a trio of unexpected holiday guests, but before the New Year’s Eve ball drops, one of the strangers drops dead, and the countdown is on for April Claus to catch a killer . . .

April Claus is looking forward to relaxing with her hubby, Nick (aka THE Santa Claus), in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But just after Santa departs for his deliveries, an elf pulls into Santaland with three people he found lost in the frozen wilderness. The survivors of a scientific expedition are injured, but their presence endangers the future of Santaland. So, while the strangers recuperate at the infirmary, April convinces Christmastown to pull off its grandest, most impossible, most magical feat yet . . . pretend to be normal!

Posing as a touristy, albeit Christmas-centric, arctic town, the elves cover their ears, snowmen take a vow of silence, and the reindeer keep their hooves on the ground. But as New Year’s Eve draws closer, hiding their true selves becomes harder to do, especially when one of the uninvited guests dies under highly suspicious circumstances. With a murderer in their midst, April sets out to find the uncorked culprit before any auld acquaintances should be forgot . . . or worse.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's released in September but I made myself wait until right before Christmas to start reading it because, well, it's about Santa and Santaland.

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before NewYear's is the fifth book in the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland and even though a murder occurs, Ireland makes readers rethink if Santa is real or not.  Here, let me explain .....

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare before New's Years starts with (Nick) Santa Claus heading out in the sleigh to deliver presents to kids all over the world.  This leaves his wife, April (Mrs. Claus), back in Santaland worrying about him returning safely.  Nick and April are the current Mr and Mrs. Santa Claus.  They reside in Castle Kringle with Nick's mother, his brother's widowed wife, Tiffany, and nephew Christopher, who will be the next Santa when he is older.

While all of Santaland is being festive an elf rides into town on his sleigh with three injured humans !! One of the male humans has a rindeer antler in his back.  The other two are unconscious.  April has them taken to Doc Honeytree immediately.  The humans, Sam, Eric, and Elaine are in no condition to travel and have to stay in the hospital in Santaland !!!

April has an emergency meeting called and they decide in order to keep the secret they have to make Santaland look like a normal place.  It is decided to pretend they are a town in Canada.  This means that the snowmen cannot talk or move around like normal, the reindeer cannot talk as well, and the elves need to be "normal" meaning they have to hide their ears and wear "normal" footwear.

Unfortunately when Eric is found dead in his hospital room April has more important things to deal with .... who killed him.  This is going to be hard seeing as noone from Santaland knew him and had reason to kill him .... so she tries to focus on Sam and Elaine.

Readers cannot help but fall in love with this book as well as the entire series.  Ireland really paints the picture for readers with her descriptions.  And as you read and get lost in the story, you feel like Santa is real !!  And who doesn't like to have that feeling whatever time of year you read these books ?  So I highly encourage you to grab a glass of eggnog or cup of hot cocoa and a sugary snack and spend some time in Santaland ..... you'll love it !!!!

Simply Dead (Will Rees Mysteries Book # 7) by Eleanor Kuhns

A midwife disappears after attending the birth of a child in another community, leading to an investigation that uncovers innumerable lies and secrets.

1790s, Maine. In the depths of winter Hortense, a midwife, disappears after attending a birth in the woodlands. During the search Will Rees finds her struggling through the snow and woods without shoes or a coat.

After two young men begin stalking the community in search of her – including targeting Rees’s own family – she is questioned further and claims she was kidnapped . . . but Rees and his wife Lydia are suspicious. It is agreed Hortense’s presence is endangering everyone’s safety and she needs to leave. As the arrangements are made she is hidden in Zion, the local Shaker community, only while there a Shaker Sister is murdered. Witnesses describe a man fitting Josiah Wooten’s description, a ferocious man living in the woods with two young sons.

What is the truth behind Hortense’s disappearance, and who is responsible for the death of the Shaker Sister?  (Summary via Amazon)

Simply Dead is the seventh book in the Will Rees Mystery series written by Eleanor Kuhns.  It doesn't matter if you have read every book in the series, a few, one or none, as soon as you start reading Simply Dead you will feel like you are in the middle of winter in the 1790's.

In Simply Dead Will Rees and his family are trying to get through the cold weather but it isn't going to be easy for them.  Early one morning the Constable and his sister Bernadette, show up at Rees house looking for his help. Bernadette's daughter, Hortense, is missing.  Bernadette and Hortense are midwives and Hortense was assisting a family deliver their baby but that was a few weeks ago and Hortense hasn't returned home.  They are worried with it being winter and it is not like her to not return home.  

When they find her buggy abandoned a search party is organized.  Rees finds her stumbling in the woods without shoes or her cloak.  When she is questioned as to what happened, Rees can tell that she is not being completely honest but Lydia, his wife, silences him so that Hortense can rest.

They soon figure Hortense is not safe as two strange men show up and try to abduct Rees one daughter and then they learn that a woman in the Shaker community nearby has been murdered and she was wearing Hortense's cloak.

Rees wants to find out what happened so that his family will be safe but there are a lot of obstacles that he will have to get over ... unfortunately getting the truth out of people and their help will be trying.

Readers cannot help but love this series and reading about the simplicity of the times back then will be enjoyable and frustrating at the same time.  I highly recommend digging into this series and allowing Kuhns to navigate for you.

Death at an Irish Wedding (Irish Castle Mystery Book # 2) by Ellie Brannigan

Bridal wear designer-turned-entrepreneur Rayne McGrath remains in the Irish countryside ready for some wedding mayhem in this charming and colorful cozy, perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Sheila Connolly.

Rayne McGrath’s efforts to save the rundown family castle she inherited were an epic failure after she accidentally set fire to the tower and tanked the budget. Is the castle haunted, or is she just unlucky? Meanwhile, her cousin, Ciara Smith, is anxiously booking their joint calendar with special events in the hopes of bringing the property around before they lose everything.

When a bridalwear client from LA asks Rayne for help as her guest list spirals out of control, Rayne nabs the answer to her prayers. McGrath Castle is the perfect destination for the exclusive and intimate wedding party of heiress Tori Montgomery and her fiancé, heartthrob actor Jake Anderson. But this white veil occasion turns into a nightmare when Tori’s best friend’s assistant, Tiffany Quick, is found dead.

It’s feared Tiffany jumped from the tower, but that theory is quickly put in doubt as secrets within the wedding party come to light. And as the villagers protest this new wedding venue venture, Rayne begins to wonder if she will succeed in her endeavor or lose it all.  (Summary via Goodreads)

As we learned in the first book in the Irish Castle Mystery series written by Ellie Brannigan, Murder at an Irish Castle, Rayne and her cousin Ciara have their hands full trying to save the castle they inherited as well as the village it resides in.  According to Rayne's late uncle (Ciara's real father) they have a year to bring the castle and the village back to a positive financial standing.  Unfortunately things aren't going the way they intended.

Now in the second book in the series, Murder at a Irish Wedding, they have scheduled their first wedding at the castle with a small group staying at the castle for a weekend full of activities with the nuptials happening at the small church in the village.  The group includes the groom, a very famous and handsome actor, Jake, his brother Josh, Jake's assistant Ethan, the bride Tori, her best friend Amy, Amy's assistant Tiffany and Tori's parents, Dylan and Joan.  

They are getting married ahead of schedule to ensure that the press doesn't crash the party and they can keep it quiet.  

Unfortunately one night Rayne's dog Blarney howled and alerted them that something was wrong.  When Rayne and Ciara check it out they find Tiffany laying on the ground dead.  It is first thought that she jumped from the top of the tower due to suffering depression but Rayne isn't so sure and when the local gardai shows up, they rule it a suspicious death....

Nobody knows what to do but the bride is determined to marry Jake as planned.  So they go about wedding business as best they can but Rayne and Ciara still need to find out the truth to save the castle.  This is the first wedding of many and the money is greatly needed.

Even though the gardai is on the case, Rayne still takes it upon herself to look into the people staying at the castle.  She needs to make sure she is doing everything she can for the castle and the village.

Readers cannot help but fall in love with this story as well as the first book in the series. There is a lot going on that will keep readers turning the pages.  And Brannigan opens up your imagination so that you will feel like you are right there.  I highly encourage you to dig in !!!