Curses and Crosswords

Spooky Games Club #4

by Amy McNulty

Free of her curse, Luna Lane’s resident witch, Dahlia Poplar, sets foot outside of her paranormal small town for the first time in her life. Accompanying her new professor boyfriend on a tour of literature sites across the country, she expands her horizons while trying harder than ever to keep her powers under wraps—and prevent her magic broomstick from revealing their supernatural natures.

Just as they’re about to head home, their car breaks down and they decide to take the train back to Luna Lane to join friends and family in time for the holidays. This two-day, one-night journey includes a crossword puzzle event to entertain the passengers. As two founding members of the latest iteration of Spooky Games Club, Dahlia and her boyfriend are excited to take part—until they realize there’s something sinister going on.

Before the train ride ends, a crossword champion is acting strange, and Dahlia suspects a curse is at play. Belongings go missing, a mysterious villain threatens murder, and the train is unable to stop or slow down. Dahlia realizes she isn’t the only paranormal presence on board—and if she wants to make it home again, she’ll have to unscramble the clues across and down to solve the puzzle before it’s too late.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

392 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2021

About the author

Amy McNulty is an editor and author of books that run the gamut from YA speculative fiction to contemporary romance. A lifelong fiction fanatic, she fangirls over books, anime, manga, comics, movies, games, and TV shows from her home state of Wisconsin. When not editing her clients’ novels, she’s busy fulfilling her dream by crafting fantastical worlds of her own.

Reviews

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a super fun read. The action and the magic never stops. Curses and Crosswords by Amy McNulty is the fourth book in her Spooky Games Club Mystery series. Witch Dahlia Poplar and her professor boyfriend Cable Woodward are returning to Luna Lane after a research trip when their car gets totaled in a multi-car accident. This means boarding a train to get home. Dahlia ends up finding enemies and a new friend by the end of the train trip. I loved all the magic and action. Can't wait for the next installment in the series, Vampires and Video Games.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dahila and Cable leave Luna Lane for a research trip that becomes so much more. How much can happen in one night? This becomes the question as strange things happen one right after another. And with Dahila trying to fit into the normal world for the first time, how much magic is too much magic. With many new characters and many new twists and turns Curses and Crosswords is a fast paced romp into the magical world.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Finish! Curses and Crosswords by Amy McNulty. Book 4 of the Spooky Games Club Mystery. ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was provided by the author has an ARC. However, the review is all mine.

Another great adventure with the residents of Luna Lane. This time on the road. I was fully engrossed in the story in this volume of the series. Things just keep getting better as the Luna Lane residents deal with the magical world politics. This time Dahlia is on the move which makes things even more interesting. Some parts of the story had be laughing, others had me scared, and others had my worried but no where along the trip was a bored or asking for more.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written mix of paranormal and mystery with a fresh viewpoint.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book that combines magic and a mystery to solve into a book that is fun to read.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking place outside Luna Lane for the first time in the series, this book does NOT disappoint! Facing new challenges and another mystery (or two!) to solve, Dahlia and Cable are also dealing with their budding relationship. What new bits of information will be revealed about Dahlia? You'll have a great time finding out!

[Julie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This is book four in the series and although the author had shaken things up with the lifting of the curse, it doesn't mean the excitement had stopped. I actually think this is my favourite so far. Being trapped on a run away train and not knowing who to trust, kept me hooked and up well last my bed time. With Dahlia free to travel, it meant most of the residents from Luna Lane only had small roles to play in the story and Broomie once again stole the show as my favourite character. Who doesn't love a broom stick that thinks it's a cat? Although that's not to say the other train passengers and characters weren't just as entertaining. Dahlia is a great main character and an unusual witch, especially as she is growing into her own. The spell casting, with the words spelt backwards is fun to decipher. I did worry I would get bamboozled with crosswords to puzzle over but luckily the author left that for the characters to worry about and the reader just has to scratch there heads over what is going on and who is responsible. Off to start the next book.
After a car pileup on the bridge, Dahlia a witch who has left her safe and quiet village for the first time ever, is hesitant to travel home by car quite so soon. Her boyfriend Cabel suggest a train ride, especially when they discover they are running a crossword competition to keep the passenger entertained for the over night journey. However strange things happening has Dahlia asking if it was such a good idea? Things go missing from cabins, staff are running around panicking and a curious family seem too interested in Dahlia. Could other paranormals be on the train too? And if so is Dahlia the target? Or someone else?

[Amanda Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this... there were things I really loved about this book and things that really made this book a struggle. The theme as always was perfection I am the target audience for a gamer witch who solves mysteries. But this one was in my opinion the weakest of the series so far. It felt as though it was a first book of a series instead of a fourth. Reading this series I have fallen in love with Luna Lane and it's incredible and odd cast of characters and for this book we were taken away from them and the town but never really shown what happened on her adventures out of everything she knows. Dahlia the lead character felt disjointed and lost. I also didn't like how she came across as unclever and a little dim. I'm used to her picking up on strange behavior or things that are odd happening. In this one it just felt like she was throwing darts and accusing people with no real reason why. Now that was what I didn't like but I loved the action of this book. I loved that new villain and the new characters we hopefully get to keep. The ending was so good it brought this book up 2 whole points in my opinion. Her familiar is always just the cutesy thing I need and I loved how accepted she is by her new partner. I also like the development of Dahlia's backstory and her current journey forward. I would still recommend this series I would just warn that for me most of this book was a lull in the series. But overall and do to the ending I give this book a 6.5 out of 10 and 4 stars. To be honest I'm still looking forward to the next two books.

[Izzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very cute. Not quite my personal cup of tea, but it definitely was a silly octobery-feeling read. I probably would have liked it more if I read the previous ones and understood the world/referenced plot a little better (I picked it up thinking it would be more like a Nancy Drew/Agatha Christie situation where it doesn't really matter if you've read the previous books). The reason I rated less than 3 stars (I feel compelled to note I actually rated it a 2.5 in my reading journal) is honestly just because I didn't care enough about the plot or characters for the end to feel satisfying.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to Luna Lane!

In book 4 of the Spooky Games Club Cozy Mystery we get to travel by train!

Dahlia and Cable went on a trip and after an unfortunate accident leaving them without a car they must travel by overnight train back to Luna Lane. And of course this ride is not uneventful. Lots of mystery to solve and fun things going on in this book. I have really enjoyed this series and I'm now not so patiently waiting for the release of book 5 in June, 2022!

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t want to wait!

I don’t want to have to wait until June for the next book in this series comes out! This is such a great series and the stories just keep getting better every time!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful story. Dahlia finally free to go as she pleases. I was thoroughly caught up in the antics that happened. Don’t miss out.

[Nanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Train ride from H3ll. Pretty good read however I did get a bit lost at one point when one of the explanations was being made. I figured it out eventually. I am enjoying this series.

[Tiffany Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM THE AUTHOR IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW.**

Finally free of her curse, Luna Lane's resident witch, Dahlia Poplar, is able to leave her paranormal small town for the first time in her life. She tags along with her professor boyfriend, Cable, as he travels across the country doing research for his writing and classes. Dahlia finds herself trying to expand her horizons, while, also trying to keep her powers and her magic broomstick a secret from everyone around them. Just as they're on their way home, their car breaks down and they have to take the train back to Luna Lane so they can join their families and friends for the holidays. Dahlia's first ever train trip just happens to be include a crossword puzzle contest to entertain the passengers. As two of the founding members newest branch of the Spooky Games Club, Dahlia and Cable are both excited to take part. But, they quickly discover that something sinister is going on and Dahlia begins to suspect that a curse could be at play. She realizes that she is not the only paranormal presence on the train and that if she wants to make it home safely, she will have to decipher the clues and solve the puzzle before it's too late.

As much I as I absolutely adore Luna Lane's eccentric residents, it was a lot of fun getting to see Dahlia finally be able to expand the world beyond her tiny town's borders. Of course, she meets a lot of interesting characters and I look forward to seeing their presence in future books, especially if they get to interact with the beloved citizens of Luna Lane. I think that would be an absolute blast! As always, Amy's characters are interesting and well written. This was an absolutely fun read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm absolutely looking forward to the next installment in the series.