Reviewed by annieb123 on
Bell, Book and Scandal is the third book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks paranormal fantasy/mystery by Josh Lanyon. Released 30th March 2021, it's 222 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
For fans of this paranormal mystery series, this is a re-visit with returning characters, lots more drama, some murder, more family drama, some minor cop-stuff, and an extra helping of drama. Although I've read the previous books in the series, I find myself wondering just how Cosmo and John actually wound up staying together long enough to get married. They're *such* a weird combo. It's not even a case of opposites attracting; they're just really badly matched. Both of their families are horrific and toxic, and I find myself wincing and rolling my eyes when their friends wind up making bad situations even worse.
For fans of the author who haven't yet read this series, there's a lot of backstory to unpack and though the author does a decent job of providing the necessary background without info-dumping or spoon-feeding the reader, there are numerous plot developments which will seriously spoil the earlier books. For readers who are planning on reading the earlier books, I strongly recommend reading them in order.
For readers unfamiliar with the author, this is a M/M romance mystery and it does include some explicit scenes. Definitely not safe for work-time reading. The author does do a very good job of warmly sympathetic LGBTQIA+ depictions (including pronouns where indicated). The denouement and resolution felt a bit rushed/tacked on to me, personally, but all in all I found it satisfying with one minor bit of unresolved continuity.
Four stars. I would recommend this one to fans of paranormal mystery, drama laden M/M romance, and light reads.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 May, 2021: Finished reading
- 3 May, 2021: Reviewed