Elentarri first brought these novellas to my attention and they sounded like fun.
Every Trick in the Bookby Liz Hedgecock
Rating: ★★★
Series: Magical Bookshop Novellas #1
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Pages: 200
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-published
Turning over a new leaf doesn’t always go according to plan...
When Jemma James takes a job at Burns Books, the second-worst secondhand bookshop in London, she finds her ambition to turn it around thwarted at every step. Raphael, the owner, is more interested in his newspaper than sales. Folio the bookshop cat has it in for Jemma, and the shop itself appears to have a mind of its own. Or is it more than that?
Gradually Jemma starts to make a difference ... and then the anonymous letters start arriving. Who is behind them, and why?
As the threats escalate, and the shop becomes increasingly turbulent, Jemma and Raphael must work together to find the culprit. And what else will Jemma find in her investigations?
Every Trick In The Book is the first in the Magical Bookshop humorous mystery series, set in modern London.
The first book in the series, I was a little stumped, at first, as to what the actual plot of the story was going to be, as a lot of it was setup: Jemma losing her job, stumbling across Burns’ Books (perversely fabulous name), and finding a job at the quirky and odd bookshop. I immediately liked Raphael, loved Folio (the cat) and found Jemma irritating, as I think she was meant to be. The plot of the story doesn’t come until a bit past the halfway mark, and felt a bit rushed, but I enjoyed getting there, and I enjoyed watching Raphael squash Jemma’s constant attempts at being a corporate drone. The ending left off with a cool discovery that’s not properly described to the reader, so I was grateful to have the second one already queue’d up.
Brought to Bookby Liz Hedgecock
Rating: ★★★
Series: Magical Bookshop Novellas #2
Publication Date: September 15, 2020
Pages: 160
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-published
Not all new brooms sweep clean…
Business is booming at Burns Books — so much so that Jemma and Raphael hire a new assistant. And that’s when things start to go wrong.
Luke’s helpful, he’s knowledgeable, and the customers like him. So why is the shop up to its old tricks, and a few new ones? And what's the matter with Folio?
Jemma and Carl take it upon themselves to investigate, and end up finding out a lot more than they bargained for. Will working at the bookshop ever be the same again?
Brought To Book is the second in the Magical Bookshop humorous mystery series, set in modern London
The plot of this one kicks off a lot sooner, although magical or not, the bookstore’s turnaround felt completely unrealistic. Still, I wasn’t reading the story for the realism, which is fortunate, because while the first book could have been arguably magical realism, this novella is firmly in fantasy territory, with the introduction of new characters and magical world-building with a loose structure and rules, both of which are tested, which leaves Jemma stumped, Folio diminished, and Raphael in an angry panic. I thought the climax cleverly done and overall the story was fun.
There’s a few more books in the series, and I’ve got them on the list for future reads when I want to dip into something fun, frothy, and frivolous.