Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Review: Old Bones and Ice Cream Cones by Elizabeth Pantley

 


About the Book


Genre
Cozy Mystery, Paranormal

Format
E-ARC

Publisher
Better Beginnings, Inc.

Release Date
May 20, 2022


Synopsis from Goodreads:

A boyfriend who’s missing. Or was. . . Or is. . . A boat full of old bones. A community ice cream social. A friend in trouble, a spiteful witch, and an angry villain. The mysteries and fun abound in Destiny Falls. Hayden, Latifa, and their family and friends are up for the excitement and adventure.

Old Bones and Ice Cream Cones follows the series format of combining two stories that blend into one. A murder mystery and the island mystery.

The Island Mystery: Hayden’s boyfriend Han is missing. But she swears she saw him zoom by in his car. She’d thought it was a surprise, and that he was home early from his secret service case. She was wrong. The surprise is that his signal isn’t pinging, and no one knows where he is. There appears to be black magic behind his disappearance. Can they learn who’s responsible and bring Han safely home?

The Murder Mystery: A pile of old bones is found in an ancient fishing boat. They could be tied to the disappearance of two young women years ago, back when many of the Destiny Falls people where in high school. Many of the citizens had bad history with the students. Do the bones belong to them, and what happened? Were they murdered? And could the murderer be living among them?

Hayden and Latifa’s many adventures in Destiny Falls will keep you guessing with each book in this fun and intriguing series.


My Review


Life is full of surprises and mysteries in Hayden Caldwell’s new home in Destiny Falls.  First, her handsome boyfriend, Han, disappears and she is sure it has something to do with black magic.  Then, some old bones are found on a fishing boat.  It appears it might have something to do with two young women who disappeared when they were in high school many years ago.

Hayden does double duty as she researches her boyfriend’s disappearance as well as the boat full of old bones, but that's the life of a journalist.  Hayden’s friends and family join in on the search, but things are starting to feel hopeless for Hayden.  When she starts uncovering some of the town’s dark secrets, she fears where this will all lead her.  Not to mention that she's scared to death for the safety of Han.

This is book #6 in the Destiny Falls series.  I don’t know how the author does it, but each book gets better and better.  This series is such a delight to read.  It keeps you at the edge-of-your seat for the entire book.  I recommend reading this series from the beginning.  Although the case of the old bones is solved in this book, there is a continuing thread throughout the series.  To truly appreciate this series, I think you have to start with book #1.

It’s so much fun to take this journey with Hayden from her start in Seattle to the magical land of Destiny Falls.  I always manage to race through these books.  I practically devour them.  They are filled with charm, mystery, romance and magic.  I can't get enough of it.

Hayden has her own personal sidekick in her kitty Latifa.  Latifa can be so snarky and adds so much humor to the story.  She is, also, a great little investigator in her own right.  Latifa is my favorite character, but that's because I'm a cat lover.  I think even non-cat lovers will get a kick out of her antics.

I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series.  I hope there will be another one as I really need to visit with Hayden, Latifa and their family.  They’ve become old friends.

On a side note:  The entire series has beautiful covers.  Really sharp and adorable.

A wonderful, heartwarming series that I can’t get enough of.




For reading challenges:

The Purrfect Reading Challenge 2022
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2022
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2022


FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.



2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great read. Such fun.

    Have a fabulous day and rest of the week. Scritches to the kitties. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need to start reading this series.

    ReplyDelete

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