Trip the Light Phantasmic (The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Book One)

MYSTERY: Gwyneth Camm has always preferred “serious” books to her great-aunt’s love of romance novels. But when she inherits her great-aunt’s house in Salem, Massachusetts, she discovers there might be more to her great-aunt’s books when she falls asleep reading one of the gothic mystery novels the woman left behind. Transported into the story as the main character, Gwyneth quickly determines the only way home is to solve the mystery, but magic doesn’t come with a rulebook, and playing someone else’s role can have complications of it’s own.

An intriguing mix of gothic mystery and “Alice in Wonderland” like characteristics! Gwyneth is lured to a book by a ghostly presence and finds herself trapped in the story. While the majority of “Trip the Light Phantasmic” is about Gwyneth solving the mystery she is stuck in, there are hints of magic and mystery about the house she inherited at the beginning and end of the story. Additionally, there are some hints at a greater secret, perhaps tied to Gwyneth being transported into the book at the very end to be discovered in a later story. A side thread of romance teases the reader as Gwyneth finds herself attracted to one of the characters, but like real life readers, her book boyfriend is left behind when the story ends. Fortunately, this series has just begun, and promises more mystery, and possibly more romance for readers to enjoy!

Sarah E Bradley