Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am so happy to share this book with you today as part of the book’s
Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour!
About the Book
Magickal Mystery Lore (An Abracadabra Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – New York
Lyrical Underground (April 16, 2019)
Pages: 317 (including a sneak peek into book 5)
ASIN: B07FS2GCW3
This spells trouble . . .
The New Camel Day Fair is a fun-filled event for residents of this upstate New York town. Kailyn Wilde, a modern-day witch of ancient lineage, leaves her potion shop, Abracadabra—and her feline familiar, Sashkatu—to attend with her fortune-telling Aunt Tilly. Joining them is legendary wizard Merlin, who’s discovering new pleasures of time-traveling to the modern world, including curly fries and kettle corn—but the appeal of the Tilt-a-Wheel is beyond his mystical imagination.
The real wild ride begins later, when neighboring sweet shop owner Lolly rushes into Abracadabra with news about a dead body. The victim has one of Lolly’s fudge knives stuck in her back, but in spite of the sticky evidence, Lolly is only one of several suspects with ample motive and opportunity. Meanwhile, Merlin’s research into old family scrolls and electromagnetic ley lines is causing some unusual mix-ups. As the two investigations collide, Kailyn will have to do everything in her power to prevent disaster…
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Kailyn, Tilly, Merlin, and Sashkatu are back and it’s time for the New Camel Day Fair. Kailyn and Tilly hope Merlin will be on his best behavior now that they are giving him a little more freedom. He is still pushing for a town name change but the Tilt-a-Wheel and all the tasty treats at the fair are keeping him occupied except for all my one little magical slip.
Kailyn agreed to open Abracadabra for just a couple of hours so customers in town for the fair could do a little shopping. Buy she barely arrives back to the shop when Lolly, owner of the nearby sweet shop, drags her out to show her the dead body. The dead body in the backyard of Lolly’s shop with one of Lolly’s fudge knives stabbed into it’s back. Kailyn will do her best to help Lolly but she also has to help Tilly keep track of Merlin. Through his research, he has found information about electromagnetic ley lines and he thinks that may be what is messing with Kailyn and Tilly’s powers. Soon both problems connect and attract deadly attention.
I absolutely love Merlin! His experiences at the fair were funny and heartwarming. Do you remember your first ride on the Tilt-a-Wheel? or the first time you had carnival food? Or the waiting in lines for samples? The way Merlin handled a stressful situation just cracked me up and was so unexpected. I know Kailyn and Tilly should own gold medals for taking care of him but he has become special to me, plus there could be no Abracadabra Mysteries without him. He sometimes steals the story 🙂
All the characters Ms. Pape has created for this series are terrific. I love that Kailyn’s deceased mother and grandmother “pop in” often and not always at the perfect time. They are there to encourage and remind her to hone all her powers so they are available when she needs them. And she is going to need them. I enjoy the relationship between Tilly and Kailyn. I also am so happy that Travis knows her secret and has met all of her family. In fact, he thinks it is time she meets his parents. I can’t forget the furry characters, Sashkatu, and a dog that Merlin introduces to the family, along with several others visit within these pages. They are all cleverly written.
The mystery was hard to solve and had some darker moments. The pace was quick but I had to slow down in some places to totally grasp how the pieces were fitting together. As everything fell into place it was quite exciting and had elements that would fit an investigative television show, without the magic, of course.
This was a very entertaining book. I love the way the author inserts the humor in the right amounts and in all the proper places never taking away from the feast of the mystery. Without that the story would be overly intense. Sharon Pape knows how to walk the like between cozy and thriller so well. A real mystery to sink our teeth into with characters that make us smile and sometimes laugh out loud. They are characters I am always excited to read and see what the author has in store for them.
This book can stand on its own, but reading them in order is a great way to spend a weekend.
About the Author
Sharon Pape describes her writing career as having two stages. Back in the dark ages, before computers were in every household, she had three paranormal books published. The first one was condensed by Redbook Magazine, the first paperback original they had ever condensed. Around the same time, Redbook published her first short story.
Then life brought her an unexpected challenge that went by the name of breast cancer. When her treatment was over, she became a volunteer for the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery Program and went on to be the program’s coordinator for Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. Several years later, with the help of her surgical oncologist and two other survivors, she started her own not-for-profit organization to provide information and peer support to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.
Once the organization was running smoothly and didn’t require as much of her time, she returned to her first love – writing. During this second stage of her career, she’s been writing cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist and a splash of humor.
Author Links – Website – Facebook – Pinterest – Twitter – GoodReads
Praise for Magickal Mystery Lore (An Abracadabra Mystery)
by Sharon Pape
It’s a fun read that kept me emotionally engaged and open to the vast possibilities of the universe.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the first page.
~MJB Reviewers
Purchase Links – Amazon – B & N
Also by Sharon Pape
a Rafflecopter giveaway
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops. April 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
April 16 – Books Direct – SPOTLIGHT
April 17 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
April 18 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW
April 19 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
April 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
April 20 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
April 21 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
April 22 – Nadaness In Motion – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 23 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
April 23 – Sneaky the library cat’s blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 24 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
April 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 25 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
April 26 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
April 27 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 28 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Paranormal cozy mysteries are always fun! This sounds like a great new series.
The synopsis sounds very interesting. I really enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for the chance!
I have the first book of this series on my Nook and I highly enjoyed Portrait of a Crime Mystery series. Such a cool premise.
Thanks to Lori for hosting and to Sharon for the giveaway!
Ooh, Paranormal Cozy Mystery are my preferred genre! I would really like to read this series! Thank you for the giveaway!