Dungeons and Danger: The Ravensea Castle Series by Elizabeth Penney

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

Dungeons and Danger
The Ravensea Castle Book #2
Elizabeth Penney
St. Martin's Publishing

Book two of the Ravensea Castle series starts on All Hallows Eve, during the day with a Viking Fest event located near the Ravensea Castle. The Castle is located in picturesque Yorkshire UK, near the historic and cozy town of Monkwell and has been in the Asquinth family since 1138. If you haven't read the series starter, Bodies and Battlements, don't worry, Dungeons and Danger is a cozy stand-alone that gives plenty of background. Nora Asquith, our reluctant sleuth, has an herbal apothecary business, and innkeeper. In order to save the castle financially, she came up with the idea to turn it into a Bed and Breakfast. Her father, Arthur, is the official host and family historian. He has a unique way with words and loves to educate guests about the history of the area, the family, and the ghosts. That's right, Ravensea plays host to no less than four, and Ravensea most likely has more ghosts per square foot than any other building on the island.

Which brings us to the main plot point of the story.  The castle is playing host to Professor Noman Tweedy who is interested in the Red Maiden, a Viking shield maiden named Rusla, or rather he is interested in finding her hoard which could be worth millions. He is willing to split the profits 50/50 with the family, supposedly that is the going rate.  As for the other guests starting at the castle, there is a ghost hunting film crew from the show Britain's Got Ghosts that has asked to document Ravensea's ghostly occupants for a possible episode with both visual and audio equipment. Nora would love to get some good publicity for the business. As luck would have it, the two groups know each other, and there is no love lost, but there are claims of stolen research.  

As with any cozy, things go awry, and there is a body plus several suspects. Thankfully, there is also an easy-going detective inspector, Finlay Cole, who just happens to be Nora's boyfriend, and he happens to be very supportive of her thoughts when it comes to the investigation. That is not to say that he wants her running off and confronting suspects on her own. Which is why we have Tamsyn, her sister, who is a popular actress, and a decent Watson to Nora's Holmes. 

One of the things that I really enjoy about this book, and the series overall is how close the family is. Nora, Tamsyn, Will, their dad, housekeeper/cook Janet Fagen and her handyman husband Guy are an "all for one and one for all" sort of group. In a world where people can be cantankerous and negative, this cozy group supports one another. I also enjoy the detailed descriptions and well thought out the mystery, including the various paranormal presences. I am definitely looking forward to book number three.

Keep reading is you would like to see what I thought about the series starter, Bodies and Battlements.

Bodies and Battlements
The Ravensea Castle Book #1
Elizabeth Penney
St. Martin's Publishing

This series starter was so enjoyable. It takes place in picturesque Yorkshire UK at the Ravensea Castle near the historic and cozy town of Monkwell. So, when you read, imagine everyone speaking with a bit of a Yorkshire accent. I am not sure which aspect I found more enjoyable, the furry friends, the ghost of Sir Percival, the tantalizing food, the respectful romance, or the use of demonstrative words such as harpy or quisby and even ronyon. The story involves a family with a historic home, or rather a castle and to help keep the castle from going into disrepair, the main character, Nora Asquith, gets the idea to turn it into a bed and breakfast, absolutely brilliant idea. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board with the idea, newcomer Hilda Dibble is quite vocal about her opposition to the enterprise. At least she is until Nora finds her body in the herb garden. We know that Nora isn't the killer, but does the handsome detective inspector who has just transferred to the local constabulary and is also a paying guest at the castle until his rental space is available, going to believe her? 

Who could have wanted Hilda dead? Was it related to the castle or something else entirely. The sisters once at opposition regarding the monetization of the castle, join forces to get to the bottom of this mystery. A mystery with several twists and turns not to mention a boat ride, smugglers. This book has proven to be the start of another great cozy mystery series set in the UK. The main characters are down to earth and quite relatable. I am also happy to report that Nora and her sister Tamsyn, are not the sort who take unsafe chances or investigate on their own. All of the castle characters are quite levelheaded even resident ghost Sir Percival, who is essentially a floating head. That's right, this cozy has paranormal aspects, but it is all good and all in the family, at least most of them are past family.

This was a great series starter that had me hooked from the beginning, with a strong but relatable sleuth who cares about family, justice, and fur babies of all sizes. The clues are well placed, the banter between the sisters is entertaining, and I was unable to set the book down except to grab a snack so I could continue reading. This is going to be another great series by Elizabeth Penney and I can't wait to read the next one.