Jousting and Justice
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 5
by Elizabeth Pantley
Genre: Magical Cozy Mystery
An
invitation to a medieval festival. A ferry ride to a mysterious
island. A scheming, inept witch. An office break-in, an unidentified
body, and a string of suspects. Can Hayden, her brave, sassy cat,
Latifa, and the people of Destiny Falls solve the mystery and enjoy
the festival?
Jousting
and Justice follows the series format of combining two stories that
blend into one. A murder mystery and the island mystery.
The
Island Mystery: Hayden
and all her friends get an invitation to a medieval festival - but
it's on "the forbidden island." It's too enticing to pass
up. Of course, strange things will happen once they get there! . . .
You'll also learn the truth about the witch's sister!
The
Murder Mystery: A
dead body shows up in the most shocking place. First, they need to
figure out who this dead guy is. Then, who killed him and why. There
are so many twists and turns on the way to the answers! But we know
that Hayden, Latifa, and their family and friends will figure it out
and justice will be served.
Hayden’s many adventures in
Destiny Falls will keep you guessing with each book in this
intriguing series.
Reviews
for Jousting and Justice:
“Just
when I think the series cannot get any better, it does. It
was absolutely
magical! I
could not put this book down!” ~ Goodreads
“If there were
more than five stars I would definitely give more! In this case
it’s at
least 10 stars worth double the wonderful! Destiny
Falls is a location you cannot miss visiting, experiencing, enjoying,
and pondering!” ~ Goodreads
“An ongoing series which I
eagerly await each new release. Full of wonderful
characters, mystery, humor, and a mischievous cat. It’s
an adventurous mystery series written with cleaver imagination.” ~
Goodreads
“Solidly at the top of my list for paranormal
mysteries! Just
when I think the series cannot get any better, it does.”
~
Goodreads
Witches, Spiders, and Schemes
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 4
A magic mirror to an enchanted world. A mysterious ghost. A hilarious, perpetually annoyed witch. A brave, sassy cat. Two unexplained deaths and a mysterious community filled with secrets. Can Hayden and the people of Destiny Falls solve the mystery and return the community to its peaceful, enchanted existence?
Hayden’s adventures in Destiny Falls continue in book four of the Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series. Starting with a strange old woman at a cave and her father’s mysterious ferry journey, there are secrets to be unwound.
The enchantments in Destiny Falls are showing cracks, and Hayden suspects that it’s tied directly to her family, which has a history that’s more complex than she realized. When two bodies are found floating in the bay it’s clear that the mysteries surrounding Gladstone and the ferry are more dangerous than people realize.
Luckily, Hayden and her sassy sidekick, Latifa have developed a group of family and friends in this enchanted place who are all ready and willing to help solve the mystery, and release Destiny Falls to resume its normal, amazing, enchanted existence.
Hayden’s many adventures in Destiny Falls will keep you guessing with each book in this intriguing series.
The Ghost Camper's Tall Tales
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 3
A mysterious old man keeps popping up to tell Hayden a series of tall tales. Who is he? And is he actually glowing? Are his stories fiction, or is he telling her the history of her family, the enchanted islands, and the witch? And why did a dead body show up . . . of someone who is already dead? Can Hayden and her quirky sidekick, Latifa unscramble this mystery before someone else shows up dead?
Hayden’s adventures in the magical world of Destiny Falls continue in this gripping story that answers your questions about the mysterious world she entered through a mirror in book one, Falling into Magic. We learn more about her missing mother, whose story begins in book two, The Disappearance of Emily.
Just as the town is magical, the home is enchanted, too. It changes over the day, the years, and the decades to suit the people who live in it. Rumor had it that the home was originally built as a castle in the 1800s, but it looked like it was built yesterday.
I ran my hand along the glistening black granite countertops as I made my way to the corner where the makings for tea were kept. To the left of the pantry, my eye caught on a new door that I had never seen before. To be precise, it was a door that never existed before.
Doors that suddenly appeared like this tended to hide surprise rooms. Case in point, the door that appeared in my bedroom recently which led to a yoga and meditation room that included a private deck overlooking the bay. It was a room I used almost daily since I’d discovered it. The home had apparently understood my stress and provided a calming room for me to retreat to. As I said, the home takes care of its occupants, of which I am now one.
The other thing that I’d learned about this house, is that a door’s appearance is an invitation. If there is a secret, the door simply would not appear to you.
This door had no doorknob, as it was a free-swinging door, so I gave it a gentle push and stepped through. There was a sudden blast of deafening noise. I stumbled backwards into the kitchen, falling through the swinging door, and landing with a plop on the floor. I was met with the gentle quiet of the sleeping house. My brain took a moment, but I realized that the sound I had heard was music, albeit extremely loud music.
I stood up and tentatively stepped in through the door. My senses were bombarded by the blaring music once again. I stepped backward into the kitchen. Total quiet. Forward through the door: loud music. I kept my body still this time and just listened. It was a song I recognized. Eminem and Rihanna singing about not being afraid of the monsters under the bed.
My eyes darted around the room. My mouth dropped open. I was standing in a large, immaculate restaurant-style kitchen. It had gleaming stainless steel appliances and a large stove and grill station. A massive prep island dominated the middle of the room, a rack of pots hanging above it. Pans, bowls, and serving platters of all sizes and types were neatly lined on shelves.
The walls that were bare of shelves were painted with bright, colorful messages: "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." – Harriet Van Horne. “One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf. “I never met a meal I didn’t like.” – Miss Piggy.
I heard a man’s voice singing along with Eminem in perfect harmony. It was coming from an adjoining room that appeared to be a large pantry.
The Disappearance of Emily
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 2
Falling Into Magic
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 1
When Hayden was a child, she lost her cat. Adults told her the cat ran away, but she knew the truth. The mirror had taken her.
She
knew because the mirror had given her a glimpse of an alternate world
and had nearly pulled her in, so she was certain the cat had suffered
that fate.
Twenty
years later Hayden discovers the secret of the mirror when she is
thrust into it. She learns of a world she never knew existed, and a
family she never knew she had.
But
danger brought her here, and it followed her. Now, Hayden is on a
mission to remove the threat, so that she can begin her magical,
meaningful new life in this enchanted world.
"A
magical, delightful tale that held my attention with a quirky cast of
characters, engaging dialogue, a pleasantly appealing universe, and
an intriguing plotline that I could not put down. I can’t wait to
see where we go with Hayden’s next adventure." — Dru Ann,
MWA Raven Award winner, www.drusbookmusing.com
“What
a captivating read! . . . I couldn't put it down. A great story, full
of interesting people and places to get to know, with surprises
around every corner.” — Linda C. Goodreads reviewer
“The
world-building and magic system is fascinating. Destiny Falls is a
wondrous place that seems to cater to citizens’ wants and needs. I
love that it is almost a character in its own right, and I was
intrigued by the constantly changing world. Vivid imagery paints a
clear picture of Destiny falls and its inhabitants. Falling into
Magic is a dynamic introduction to the Destiny Falls Mystery &
Magic series.” — Julie Petitbon www.onebookmore.com/
“Finally!
An author who manages to pin the Disney/Hallmark magic down on
paper.” - Mareli & Elza, https://elzareads.blogspot.com/
“This
is no run-of-the-mill paranormal book! Unique ideas. You will be glad
this is a series!” – Susan G., Amazon reviewer
Prologue
It all began when I was six and lost my cat.
Fluffball was a Himalayan rescue, the softest ball of fur I’d ever seen. I found her at the shelter and fell in love with her amazing blue eyes. I begged Nana and Gran to let me take her home. I promised I’d take good care of her, so they finally gave in and the cat joined our family.
I’d only had her a few weeks, but I loved Fluffball. Then one day, she was gone. Snap. Just like that.
They said, “Hayden, she snuck out a door and ran away.” But I knew what happened. It was the mirror.
1
Twenty Years Ago
Nana and Gran always told me I could figure anything out. They said I had a sharp mind and an abundance of curiosity. I knew I could make the drawbridge work on the castle I was building. Just a few more hinge pieces and maybe a rubber band and a paper clip. I found the pieces and worked to connect them.
I stepped back to look at my creation and caught a glimpse of it in the mirror above my dresser. I stepped closer. It was my castle I was seeing. But it wasn’t. The reflected version was glowing and floating on carpet that looked more like a cloud.
I turned around, squinted my eyes, and spied my castle. My non-glowing, non-floating castle, sitting on the beige carpet. I giggled. Nana was always saying I let my imagination run away with me. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my back to the mirror.
I added a few more pieces and was pleased to see my drawbridge could go up and down. Success!
“Look at that, Fluffball! I made a real drawbridge!” My new pet rubbed against my legs and meowed. It was fun to have a friend. Growing up with no brothers or sisters sometimes made me lonely. A cat wasn’t exactly someone to build with, but it was someone to talk to, and I liked that.
I placed my favorite piece on top—a flag I had painted. It was my castle’s crest: a shield with a waterfall and an old-fashioned goblet like the one on our bookcase.
Standing up, I took a slow trip around my creation. As I moved around the back, I saw the mirror-version castle. It was still glowing, still floating—and now, it had a small flag with my crest on top. But the flag was waving in the breeze from the open window overlooking the sea. The sea? I lived in the city and could see only the other homes in our neighborhood from my bedroom window.
As I moved closer to the mirror, I saw a child’s arm wave over the structure, and then, suddenly, a boy came into view. His eyes popped open and his mouth made a wide, soundless “O.” He was about my age, maybe a little older. He stepped closer to the mirror, tilting his head to the side, and reached out toward me. I sucked in a breath and spun around to look behind me. There sat my castle, my bedroom, my bed. The same as always. I very slowly turned back to the mirror and gasped. The boy had his face pressed up against the other side, looking directly at me!
He smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. He pointed at his castle and then pointed at mine and gave me a wild, dancing two-handed thumbs-up. I laughed at him. He laughed, too. I could see the happy crinkles by the corners of his eyes, but there was no sound. My real bedroom seemed to fade, and the mirror room was becoming clearer.
“Hayden, time to go to the park. Come on downstairs!” Nana’s voice startled me, and I jumped back. My own room snapped back into focus. The boy looked confused. Then he smiled brightly and motioned for me to come over to his side of the mirror to play.
I stepped forward and reached toward the reflection. My hand should have been touching the surface of the mirror, but there was no surface to touch. Nana called me again to come downstairs. My bedroom seemed wavy now, in the same way that things looked when I swam underwater in the pool. Yet the castle in the mirror was crisp and colorful.
Fluffball meowed and jumped up onto the dresser. At that exact moment, a bright flash came out of the mirror. I grabbed Fluffball, jumped backwards and landed on the floor with a thump. Then I ran downstairs and went to the park with Nana.
Two weeks later, when I came home from school, Fluffball was gone. We waited for days, hoping she’d return. We put up posters in the neighborhood. But after a while, we had to admit that my cat was gone for good. Nana and Gran tried to tell me that Fluffball must have snuck out when the front door was open. But I knew the truth. The mirror had taken her.
After that day, I didn’t trust mirrors. They even had to take the mirror out of my bedroom. Even as I grew up, I remained uneasy around them. As a teen, I learned to put on my makeup and do my hair in the reflection of the shower door or in my small compact mirror. Sometimes, when I walked by a mirror, I would swear I saw a man in there, looking at me. I came to understand that it could be any mirror, but not every mirror. It was unpredictable. Over time, I convinced myself it was a good image that I saw–like a guardian angel. He even became a welcome sight.
If anyone questioned me, I explained away my unease by saying I was superstitious, breaking a mirror means seven years of bad luck and all that, because the truth is harder to believe.
Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and thirteen other books for parents. She is also the author of The Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic book series. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and is the mother of four and Nana to one.
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Thanks for the great blurb and excerpt. The book sounds intriguing.
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