Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Mrs Murray's Hidden Treasure Review Tour

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


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.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*


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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.

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12 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting me and my book, "Mrs. Murray's Hidden Treasure" on your blog and for the lovely review.

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  2. This sounds like a cute book. I would read it with my niece.
    Flyergal82 (at /yahoo -dot? Com!

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  3. Always fun to hear about another new great book. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. How long after you complete a book do you start thinking about your next book?

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    1. That'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.

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  5. Congratulations on this nice review! This sounds like an awesome read.

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  6. Happy Friday! Do you have any specific reading or writing plans for the weekend?

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    1. Never 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.

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