ARC Review: Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney

Dungeons and Danger
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Series: The Ravensea Castle (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 26, 2026)

Description: The second in Elizabeth Penney's Ravensea Castle cozy mystery series, set in a haunted castle-turned-B&B in Yorkshire, UK.

As Halloween approaches, Ravensea Castle is bustling with excitement as Nora Asquith welcomes the fall season guests to her family's newly converted bed and breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. A certain Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and the historian believes she buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He is hopeful he can find the hoard now. Nora can't help but wonder if the enigmatic castle ghost she's always referred to as the woman in red could be this very Viking?

Meanwhile, a team of four ghost hunters is coming to stay at Ravensea for the filming of Britain's Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage. They try to see who can make the most paranormal contacts and end up getting more than they bargained for.

When the historian is murdered during a Viking festival on castle grounds and his notes go missing, Nora can't help but wonder if the treasure was why he was killed . . . and could it be connected to the visiting ghost hunters? Additional "accidents" befalling the hunters raise the stakes as Nora races to find the killer―and the treasure―before another death occurs.

My Thoughts: Nora Asquith and her family are trying to turn the castle the family has owned for 1000 years into a bed & breakfast. In this episode, they are hosting four twenty-somethings who are trying to film the castle ghosts for an episode of Britain's Got Ghosts and her father has signed a contract with a college professor who is convinced that he can find the Viking horde left by the Red Maiden who is another of the castle's ghosts. 

Unfortunately, the two groups of guests know each other and don't at all like each other. Brady, who is the young filmmaker, has accused the professor of stealing his research into the Red Maiden. Despite being warned of their safety, Nora keeps finding all of them wandering in parts of the castle that could be dangerous from the dungeons to the battlements. It seems that all of them are treasure hunters searching for the Red Maiden's horde. 

Nora and her family would also like to find the horde because keeping up a 1000-year-old castle isn't cheap. Nora would like to restore more rooms so they can have more guests. So, they are willing to put up with some unauthorized exploration. But when one of the young crew appears to have been poisoned with local mushrooms, Nora wants them out. Then the professor is found dead in his room during the first annual Viking Fest hosted by Nora's brother. Now it's murder and Nora's police inspector boyfriend has to turn over the investigation to "By the book" Hook who isn't eager for Nora's help and is suspicious of all - guests and family. 

This was a fun cozy. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Storm Warning by James Byrne

Storm Warning
Author: James Byrne
Series: Dez Limerick (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 26, 2026)

Description: Dez Limerick has his considerable skills pushed to the limit when, to rescue a friend, he has to get to—and get into—a state of the art facility on full lockdown, with considerable forces determined to stop him.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick—'Dez' to all who know him—is a man with a shadowy past, certain hard-to-replicate skills, and a reputation as a good man to have when the going gets tough. Dez is doing his best to enjoy his retirement, wandering the country, doing what interests him, and occasionally helping friends when they find themselves needing any of his particular skills—mundane or extraordinary. For Dez was trained as a 'gatekeeper' - someone who can open any door, keep it open, and control who does and does not go through.

It's those skills that are now in demand when the State Department comes calling looking for his help. A multinational scientific research facility on the coast of Newfoundland has gone dark, the facility on full lockdown, and no one can get in or out. No one knows what is going on, but it can't be good. And a close friend of Dez is presumed locked inside the facility along with everyone else.

Even getting to the facility is an insurmountable challenge. The weather has flights grounded, some shadowy group is doing everything they can to impede the rescue team's progress, and hidden enemies are embedded in the rescue team. But anyone who thinks this is more than one man can face has never met Dez Limerick.

My Thoughts: Dez Limerick is recruited to find a way into a multinational scientific research facility on the coast of Newfoundland. Dez is a gatekeeper. He can open any door and keep it open. He is eager to take part in the mission because a former lover is one of the people trapped in the facility.

There are many problems not least that the facility is in the path of two major storms. Just getting there will be an accomplishment. However, the bigger problem is that people who want in are willing to do anything or kill anyone to get there first. 

Two aircraft set out, but only the one Dez is on finds its way to the facility. There they find that the small town appears abandoned though there is evidence of deaths. Getting into the facility is difficult, but Dez manages it only to find out that the townspeople have taken refuge in the quarters the miners usually used, a group of Russians have taken over two lower levels of the mine, and the research facilty down on level six is in lockdown from the inside. 

Luckily, one of the people in Dez's group is a negotiator from the US Department of State who begins to try to find a way to get to the research facility. Less lucky, the group also includes a mole in the control of the company that wanted to get there first and there is a young woman who is holding all sorts of secrets including her membership in a mysterious international organization. 

This was a fast-paced thriller starring a larger-than-life hero. I enjoyed all the twists and turns of the plot which was filled with characters with hidden agendas. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 18, 2026)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

Last week was a nice quiet one. We had a brief taste of summer when the temperatures got to 81 on Friday. It was nice to open the windows and air out the house. We are back to reality today with a windy 40 degrees. Nearby wildfires are making the skies hazy. 

I spent most of the week indoors but did manage one trip out to the grocery store. I bought some ingredients for the two new recipes we'll be cooking this week on my brother's days off. Pork loins were on sale. I bought a big one and sliced it into chops for our freezer but left a nice sized roast to make on Monday. We are also planning to make a Shrimp and Peanut Sauce dish which sounded interesting when I saw the recipe online. 

I have my annual mammogram on Monday morning, and our cleaning people are coming sometime on Thursday. Otherwise, my week should be quiet. 

I went a little overboard this week and had my largest book haul of the year. I got five new audiobooks, four new Kindle books, and four new review copies. Three of the four Kindle books are from the same series and cost less than $5 for all three. I put the first of the series on my calendar but not the other two yet. All of the audiobooks are on the calendar, and one is even read and reviewed already. A second is the next audiobook on my stack. 

Read Last Week

• Dark in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Death of an Irish Mummy by Catie Murphy (Audiobook, Mine since April 8) -- Third book in the Dublin Driver Mystery series. My review will be posted on June 16.
• Beach Thriller by Jamie Day (Review, June 9) -- Contemporary Thriller told from multiple points of view. My review will be posted on June 2.

• Leverage in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• A Botanist's Guide to Tradition and Treachery by Kate Khavari (Review, June 9) -- Fifth in the Saffron Everleigh historical mystery series. My review will be posted on June 3.
• Blood on the Sand by Kacey Ezell (Kindle, Mine since April 10) -- Second book in the Magelight epic fantasy series. My review will be posted on June 4.

• Connections in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Miss Amelia's List by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook, Mine since May 12) -- Seventeenth in the Elemental Masters series. My review will be posted on June 12.

Currently

• The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis (Review, June 16)
• Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd (Review, June 16)

Next Week

• Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson (Review, June 16)
• Restless Bones by Gillian French (Review, June 16)
• A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton (Audiobook, Mine since May 16)

• Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan (Review, June 23)
• A Bitter Cut by Anna Lee Huber (Review, June 23)
• An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly (Audiobook, Mine since April 8)

Reviews Posted

• An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong (Review copy)
• Owlsight by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon (Chirp Audiobook)
• Bark of Night by David Rosenfelt (Kindle, Mine)

• Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon (Chirp Audiobook)
• The King's Ransom by Janet Evanovich (Kindle, Mine)
• The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer (Kindle, Mine)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon (Review, July 14)
• The Matchmaker's Cottage by Kat Sloane (Review, August 11)

• Cursed City by Kate Golden (Review, September 29)
• Murder of a Merry Gentleman by Celeste Connally (Review, November 10)

Bought:

• Shards of Glass by Michelle Sagara (Audiobook Add-on, $7.99)
• The Ruling Class by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook, $5.60)
• Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, $5.60)

• A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton (Audiobook, Audible Credit)
• Miss Amelia's List by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook Add-on, $6.69)

• Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander by Christian Hurst (Kindle, $.99)
• Lily Starling and the Storm Riders by Christian Hurst (Kindle, $.99)

• Lily Starling and the Death Machine by Christian Hurst (Kindle, $2.99)
• Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan (Kindle, $1.99)

What was your week like?

Book Review: The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

The House Saphir
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication: Feiwel & Friends (November 4, 2025)

Description: The "Queen of Fairytale Retellings" is back! #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer weaves the tale of Bluebeard as it's never been told before. This is a thrilling romantasy and murder mystery, perfect for fans Meyer's Cinder and Heartless.

Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest challenge: learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

My Thoughts: THE HOUSE SAPHIR is a reimagining of the Bluebeard fairy tale. It is set in a lush fantasy world complete with monsters and ghosts.

Mallory Fontaine is a con woman having lost her magic when doing a spell to help out her older sister. She and her sister Anais are trying to survive with fake spells, bogus card readings, and ghost tours. Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir who became known as Monsieur Le Bleu when he murdered three of his wives and was bested by the fourth a hundred years earlier.

Mallory gives tours of his townhouse in Morant. She has all the stories and the assistance of Saphir's ghostly first wife Triphine who is a bit of a hypochondriac. But her tour goes wrong one night when two of her clients turn out to be investigators investigating rumors of fraud. Luckily, the third client turns out to be the great-great grandson of Monsieur Le Bleu and wants to hire Mallory to remove his ghost from their country estate. 

Mallory quickly agrees in order to get away from the investigators despite her total lack of magic. She and her sister travel to the estate now fallen on very hard times. Mallory has to fake attempts to get rid of a very real and evil spirit. Along the way, she's falling in love with young Armand who isn't interested in his family's historic wine business but prefers working with medical herbs and other plants. 

When a young housemaid is murdered in the same manner as Le Bleu's wives, Mallory and Anais have to really find a way to defeat Le Bleu. They aren't quite alone. They are assisted by a pair of adventurers on a quest of their own. 

The worldbuilding in this story was intriguing. The characters well drawn and the setting elaborate. I enjoyed this retelling. 

I bought this one March 8, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey

Owlknight
Author: Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: The Owl Mage Trilogy (Book 3)
Publication: Tantor Audio (October 31, 2017)
Length: 14 hours and 27 minutes

Description: From fantasy legends Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon comes the third and final volume in a powerful saga charged with war and magic, life, and love....

Two years after his parents' disappearance, Darian has sought refuge and training from the mysterious Hawkbrothers. Now he has opened his heart to a beautiful young healer. Finally Darian has found peace and acceptance in his life. That is, until he learns that his parents are still alive - and trapped behind enemy borders....

My Thoughts: The finale of the Owl Mage Trilogy has Darian achieving mastery and also being made a knight of Valdemar. After a whole bunch of ceremonies, he finally has some time to think and to look for some sort of closure for the loss of his parents. 

It is discovered that his parents were caught in a change circle. Some bones are found and Darian's teacher uses a spell to connect the bones to the body which tells Darian that his father, whose foot was found, is alive. However, no one knows how to track change circles. Finally, a clue comes in with some of the northern tribes as they come to join the Ghost Cat tribe and take advantage of the advanced medical knowledge in Valdemar. One of the new arrivals has a vest with embroidered symbols on it that are duplicated of his mother's work. 

An expedition is formed which includes Darian, Keisha, and Keisha's sister who is a new herald of Valdemar and her companion. Others from the vale and Ghost Cat settlement also go along. The book is a story of their adventures with hostile tribes, magical creatures, and travels through areas unknown to Valdemar or the Hawkbrothers. 

This was an excellent conclusion to the trilogy. I enjoyed the descriptions of the journey and all the things the company learned on their travels. I also liked that Keisha and Darian managed to work out their differences as they planned their future together. 

I bought this one at Chirp Audiobooks March 15, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The King's Ransom by Janet Evanovich

The King's Ransom
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: The Recovery Agent (Book 2)
Publication: Atria (November 11, 2025)

Description: “Thriller master” (Mystery and Suspense Magazine) Janet Evanovich takes you on a global hunt to track down missing masterpieces in this action-packed and steamy follow up to the instant New York Times bestseller The Recovery Agent.

Gabriela Rose, recovery agent extraordinaire, can find just about anything. Too bad she can’t seem to lose her gorgeous-but-infuriating ex-husband Rafer Jones. And now he needs her help. His cousin, Harley, is in trouble…big trouble.

As the president of a too-big-to-fail bank, he invested an astronomical amount of money in insuring some of the world’s most priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. It seemed like a low-risk, high-reward business move, so he jumped in with both feet. But recently, these insured pieces started going missing and worse, there’s no paper trail of Harley being directed to make these risky investments. Unless the artwork can be recovered soon, it looks like Harley is going to be heading to jail as the fall guy for an ingenious crime.

Gabriela knows what she must do: travel around the world with Rafer to find the missing works of art, keep Harley out of jail, and save both his skin and his bank. Along the way, she’ll encounter corruption, threats, murder, mysterious dark forces behind a global conspiracy to destroy the world’s wealth, and a nefarious villain who will stop at nothing to bring the world to the brink of ruin.

My Thoughts: This is the second book starring Gabriela Rose, recovery agent. She can find anything which comes in handy when her ex-husband Rafer comes to her with his cousin Harley who is in big trouble. His bank has insured a bunch of artwork that has now been stolen leaving the bank on the edge of failing and Harley holding the bag. 

Gabriela with Rafer and Harley following her around begins a journey all over the world to find the missing items - including the Rosetta Stone - to get Harley out of trouble. She's not the only one on the trail of the missing art. The mysterious Ahmed is searching for a missing Egyptian golden coffin that was part of the heist. And the group that arranged the thefts is also after Gabriela and gang. They travel from London to Egypt to Italy and all along the way Gabriela has useful friends. 

This was a fun caper story. I liked the relationship between Gabriela and her ex. There was a lot of amusing banter. 

I bought this one March 17, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Bark of Night by David Rosefelt

Bark of Night
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 19)
Publication: Minotaur (July 16, 2019)

Description The next novel in David Rosenfelt’s witty, heartfelt mystery series featuring lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara.

When defense lawyer Andy Carpenter’s veterinarian asks to speak to him privately at the checkup of his golden retriever, Tara, the last thing Andy expects is Truman. Tiny, healthy, French bulldog Truman was dropped off days ago with instructions to be euthanized by a man everyone thought was his owner. But now the owner is nowhere to be found.

Andy is furious. Who would want to euthanize a perfectly healthy dog with no explanation? He is willing to whisk Truman away to the Tara Foundation, the dog-rescue organization which is Andy’s true passion. They will find a home for Truman. But that’s not all the vet tells Andy. Thanks to Truman’s chip, it’s discovered that the man wasn’t Truman’s owner at all . . . Truman's real owner has been murdered.

It’s now up to Andy – with help from his loyal sidekick Tara, Truman and the rest of the gang – to solve this case. In the latest in the popular Andy Carpenter mystery series, David Rosenfelt’s charmingly clever wit and love of dogs are back and better than ever.

My Thoughts: Andy Carpenter's next case comes to him via his veterinarian. The vet has had a man drop off a dog to be euthanized. Investigation shows that the dog wasn't his but rather belonged to a man who was recently murdered. Andy wants to find the man who dropped off the dog and finds himself involved in the murder investigation. 

Things get more complicated when the man who dropped off the dog is also murdered along with his wife. Then there are the suspicious deaths of homeless men from all over the country. Since the first murder victim was a documentary film maker, Andy and his team investigate to find out if his death was related to his career.

Andy's client appears to have been set up for the crime because he happened to be the victim's last interviewee regarding his current film project. Also, items from the scene including the murder weapon were found buried at his house. 

As usual for the Andy Carpenter mysteries, the story is told from multiple viewpoints. My favorite is always Andy's viewpoint since I enjoy his sarcastic voice and quick wit. 

I bought this one June 1, 2021. You can buy your copy here.