Blurb:
There is
a hidden treasure in the grand old mansion on Piccadilly Street, in a place
called London, but not the real London of English fame. There’s also a lot of
mystery and a murder that’s been unsolved for decades. But it’s the treasure
that captures Mary’s interest. Mary lives in this house along with her family,
her Brownie friends and a ghost. When the ghost reveals her secret about the
hidden treasure, there’s no stopping Mary, her Brownie friends, or her enemies
from searching for this treasure. Why the intrigue? Apparently there’s a little
bit of magic connected to this treasure. And so the adventure begins. Who will
find the treasure first?
Excerpt:
Once the house settled down for
the night, Mrs. Murray, the resident ghost, was out on her nocturnal prowl.
Satisfied that the house was safe and secure for the night, after all the
musical vibrations that shook the rafters earlier, she took her place at the
end of Mary’s bed and waited patiently for the girl to stir from her sleep and
take note of her presence.
“What?” Mary groaned, pulling her
eyes open as she emerged from a deep sleep. “What now?”
“We need to talk.” The wispy
figure of what was once a very distinguished looking lady, sat down at the end
of Mary’s bed and looked the girl firmly in the eye.
“Now?” Mary groaned. “It’s the
middle of the night. What time is it?”
“What difference does it make?
Sit up and let’s talk.” The ghost was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.
And, it would appear, feigning sleep would not send her away either. So, Mary
pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes again, hoping to
eradicate the sleep that threatened to make them close.
“Where are the others? Where’s
Brunny?” she asked.
“Asleep in their little space.
And it’s not a natural sleep either. They’re all in the deepest of sleeps, all
except Elizabeth, who slipped out of the house a few hours ago, just after the
lights went out and your family snuggled in for the night.” Mrs. Murray slid a
little closer to Mary. “She’s still not right, that Elizabeth. She’s good and
well shackled by that witch.”
My Review:
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
Going
in, I did not realize this was Book 2 in a series, but it works as a standalone,
though I would recommend reading the series in order so as to fully enjoy it.
This
was a cute, middle grade fantasy (and mystery). I loved the world this is set
in, as it's detailed and fun to get lost in, full of magical creatures from dragons to witches and everything
in between. In addition, the
characters were fantastic, especially Mary. I also greatly enjoyed seeing the friendship
between Rosie and Mary and how valuable it was to the story.
The book was fast-paced, with Mary going through a lot to solve the mystery and
find the ring. The only downside to this was because there was a lot happening back-to-back, it came off a tad rushed at times, but overall, I greatly enjoyed this
story, and recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging fantasy or middle
grade story.
Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.
Author Bio and Links:
An avid gardener, artist,
musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of
stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian
mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to
create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s
office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or
enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her
head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her
own making. As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took
to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling
a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of
several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Mrs.
Murray’s Hidden Treasure (Telltale Publishing 2019), Queen Mary’s Daughter
(Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in
the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named
Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and
received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and
several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes
about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with
memories. For more information on the author, check out her website.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI liked the review, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me and my book, "Mrs. Murray's Hidden Treasure" on your blog and for the lovely review.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a cute book. I would read it with my niece.
ReplyDeleteFlyergal82 (at /yahoo -dot? Com!
I hope you and your niece enjoy it.
DeleteAlways fun to hear about another new great book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow long after you complete a book do you start thinking about your next book?
ReplyDeleteThat's a difficult question. Actually, I'm continually thinking of potential plot scenarios, even when I'm working on another book. The Piccadilly Street Series evolved as I was working on book 1, "Mrs. Murray's Ghost", each new idea developing into it's own plot line. My grandmother (Granny in the book) always said I had a vivid imagination and I guess when I'm in the writing mode, that imagination works overtime.
Delete:-)
DeleteCongratulations on this nice review! This sounds like an awesome read.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday! Do you have any specific reading or writing plans for the weekend?
ReplyDeleteNever anything specific, just reading and writing (and working in the garden if the weather's good). For me, a day without reading and writing is like a day without sunshine.
Delete