Name: Magickal Mystery Lore
Rating: 4.50 (2 reviews)

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Magickal Mystery Lore is a new cozy mystery by Sharon Pape and the 4th Abracadabra mystery. Released 16th April 2019 by Kensington on their Lyrical Underground imprint, it's 246 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a completely escapist cozy mystery with some over the top paranormal plot devices. The returning main characters - the trio of magic shop owner and telekinetic powerhouse Kailyn, her slightly dithery-but-sweet Aunt Tilly, and Merlin (yes, that Merlin) are back solving another murder and taking on a shadow corporation in their spare time.

I will say that for the paranormal cozy mystery subgenre, this one is well written. It's silly and somewhat humorous. It is well plotted and the dialogue is well written. Despite being the 4th book in the series, it does work as a standalone, and all the necessary backstory is written in.

I enjoyed the book a lot, but must admit that my suspension of disbelief suffered more than a few dings every time Kailyn's mother and grandmother showed up (as clouds whose color changes reminded me of some sort of afterlife mood rings). Readers in search of pure escapist fantasy could find a nice read here. The physics involved (or counfounded) over the paranormal parts of the plot (Kailyn is a telekinetic who can teleport), will require some mental gymnastics to get around.

The language and plot are fairly clean (a few 'hells' and 'damns' but nothing worse), and there's only implied consensual (off scene) sex, nothing that would scandalize anyone's auntie.

Three and a half stars, rounded up because the author is quite adept and it's a fun read (and I love Merlin).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lolly and Danielle didn't kill anyone, right?

Magickal Mystery Lore by Sharon Pape is an exciting book. I was mesmerized even, without having read the first three books which isn't an issue as the main character Kailyn tells you enough information throughout the book that it isn't relevant to enjoying this book. We follow Kailyn through solving a mystery, dealing with romance issues, and trying to get her aunt Tilly from harming Merlin.

Kailyn

Kailyn is our main character and the person that we follow throughout the story. She, like every single member of her family, is a witch and has to keep that a secret except for the around the people that she really trusts. Like her boyfriend and best friend. Kailyn is a twenty-something-year-old. She is trying to run her business while doing a lot like keeping up with Merlin, yup the one from King Arthur that she accidentally summoned to our time, away from trouble. That isn't an easy task to do at all.

What I like about Kailyn is that she is different from the other amateur sleuths that I have read, and that is one close to my own age. Her shop is really cool, and I especially like her magic. The one thing that I didn't like about her is that she apparently pulled the same thing that Travis did to her about going out for a simple meal between friends with Paul Curtis.

Travis

Travis is a reporter for the news stations and an anchorman for the evening news as well. He is Kailyn's boyfriend, and they have been solving crimes together which is fantastic. Travis knows about Kailyn, Aunt Tilly, and Merlin being magical and doesn't seem to care. They go through some rough patches throughout the book, but they get through it at the end and are a bit better after the whole ordeal. I think it's sweet with how worried he is for Kailyn, even if he does know about her magic because that is what you do for a loved one.

What I like about him is that he doesn't try to stop her from doing something that he thinks is dangerous; instead, he tries to be there with her while she is doing it. He is a very supportive boyfriend even if he does something stupid and doesn't think that she would hear about it later. That leads us to the one thing that I dislike about him is that he didn't tell her about meeting up with an old girlfriend for lunch one day.

The Crime

The victim is named Ava Duncan and was found behind Lolly's chocolate candy shop. From there Kailyn and Travis uncover a lot of secrets that a lot of people have been hiding. Especially Lolly and her daughter Danielle and about what they know about Ava. Ava was found stabbed in the back behind Lolly's store. Lolly didn't kill her since she is a nice sweet little old lady. Or is she?

Kailyn and Travis uncovered a lot about Ava's work relationships, her personal relationships, and the way she is with her family. Everyone said that she was a nice girl but if so then why was she stabbed in the back? The reason for that is as shocking as the whodunit. I won't spoil it for you other curious readers know that nothing is as it seems in New Camel, New York.

Five Stars

Magickal Mystery Lore by Sharon Pape is a gripping tale that sucks you in from the very beginning and doesn't spit you out until the very end. I love a good mystery that makes you think and want to take notes on the crime and all the suspects so that you can work it through with the characters. If I could have put the book down, I may have had my crime board. These engaging stories like this make me love cozy mysteries and try to figure it out before the main character does. I had a feeling about this one, but I just wasn't sure until the very end after it made sense.

I am giving this book a five-star rating and recommending to all paranormal cozy mystery lovers out there. Who knows maybe you will find any of the three other books reviewed on my site in the future.

Other Book in the Series:

Tour Schedule

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

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Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Magickal Mystery Lore (Abracadabra Mystery, #4)

by Sharon Pape