Review: Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley

 

About the Book

Genre
Paranormal, Cozy Mystery
Format
E-ARC
Publisher
Better Beginnings, Inc.
Release Date
July 15, 2022

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Paige and her adventurous Aunt Glo inherit a country inn from eccentric GeeGee. They pack up and hit the road, arriving at the charming place they both loved since childhood. Finally! They can get into the secret room in the basement that GeeGee kept locked! They discover it’s a wonderful library filled to the brim with mystery books. But more than the room was a secret – it’s a magical place that houses enchanted books. Paige and Glo find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a murder mystery, along with a motley group of book club friends. The club will need to work together to solve the case in order to get out of the book and back to their home.

My Review

Paige Turner is celebrating her divorce.  Here wacky Aunt Glo is more than willing to join in the party.  She even reminds Paige that she can go back to her maiden name Paige Erickson and avoid the jokes about her married name.  When Paige’s grandmother, GeeGee, passes away, she and Glo inherit her country inn.  Paige and Glo always loved the place and it’s perfect to start a new life.

Paige and Glo are especially excited to check out the secret room in the inn’s basement.  A place GeeGee never let them enter.  They are delighted to find a library filled with mystery books and even a Siamese cat!  The real shocker is when the cat starts talking to them.  Even more shocking is when the cat explains a requirement of owning the library is to host a book club.  They set out to recruit more members for the book club and that’s where the fun really begins.

The idea is to choose a book to discuss, but it’s more than just a discussion.  It’s an adventure.  The book club is transported right into the middle of the murder mystery.  In order to return home, they must solve the mystery. 

What an unusual twist to the cozy mystery theme.  Talk about transporting the reader into the book.  That’s exactly what happens to this group. I went right along with them for the ride and loved every minute of it!

Elizabeth Pantley has outdone herself with this first book in her new series.  I adore her Destiny Falls cozy mystery series, but I this one even tops that.  I loved everything about this from page one to the very last page.

The author gives us an offbeat group of characters that truly have you laughing. Of course my favorite is the talking cat, Frank.  He kept me entertained throughout this magical tale.  I don’t know how the author manages to come up with such original material for her stories, but what a joy this was to read.  The ending - all I can say is wow!  I didn’t see that coming.

I can’t even come up with words to describe such a fun, imaginative journey this book to me on.  To say that I’m looking forward to the next book is an understatement.  I want to jump right in NOW! 

Yes, this is on my list of Best of 2022!

For reading challenges:

The Purrfect Reading Challenge 2022
What An Animal Reading Challenge 2022
Craving for Cozies 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.