Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney

Item: Dungeons and Danger
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted May 30, 2026 by BaronessMom in Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dungeons and Danger

by Elizabeth Penney

Series: Ravensea Castle #2
Series Rating:

Published by Minotaur Books on May 26, 2026
Setting: England
Genres: Cozy Paranormal Animal Mystery
Pages: 285
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Publisher
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Bodies and Battlements

As Halloween approaches, Ravensea Castle is bustling with excitement as Nora Asquith welcomes the fall season guests to her family's newly converted bed and breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. A certain Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and the historian believes she buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He is hopeful he can find the hoard now. Nora can't help but wonder if the enigmatic castle ghost she's always referred to as the woman in red could be this very Viking?

Meanwhile, a team of four ghost hunters is coming to stay at Ravensea for the filming of Britain's Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage. They try to see who can make the most paranormal contacts and end up getting more than they bargained for.

When the historian is murdered during a Viking festival on castle grounds and his notes go missing, Nora can't help but wonder if the treasure was why he was killed . . . and could it be connected to the visiting ghost hunters? Additional "accidents" befalling the hunters raise the stakes as Nora races to find the killer—and the treasure—before another death occurs.

Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney is fantastic. The Ravensea family is really stepping up.

Will the family figure out what is going on before someone else is hurt?

The Asquith Family

Nora is our main character and sleuth; she runs the bed-and-breakfast side and also sells her apothecary products around town. But she relies on her family to help with it all. She couldn’t do everything without their help. Let me introduce you.

There is Arthur Asquith, who is scholarly, constantly digging through the years of documents and books, sussing out their family’s history.
Will Asquith, Nora’s brother and a local brew and mead master. He is helping to get the family name out in the world. But he is also an outstanding event organizer.
Tamsyn Asquith, Nora’s sister, is an actress. She isn’t always there, but whenever she isn’t filming, you can usually find her at the castle. Tamsyn’s fame helps with the castle’s business.
Then we have Janet and Guy Fagan, who have been taking care of the family for years. Honestly, Nora couldn’t run the business without their help.

Nora is one of my favorite characters. She tries to keep a positive outlook, which isn’t hard when people constantly try to take advantage of the family. But she is open and honest, which I love. She does run right into trouble, so her downfall is a lack of patience. Nora is so adorable with the detective inspector boyfriend and their dogs. I love that she has pets and a garden, and that she found a way to save her home. Money may be tight, but I can see that their future will only get better, especially since they are working as a team.

The Mystery

Of course, we have a mystery, or we wouldn’t have a sleuth. The current guests are a group filming a ghost-hunting episode. The family is extremely happy about the free publicity and national exposure for the Ravensea Castle Inn. Right before the ghost-hunting crew shows up, they receive a visit from a professor who claims there is a Viking treasure buried on the land. He will tell them all about it if they sign an agreement for a fifty-fifty split. Since the family didn’t know about the treasure, they are excited, and, of course, Arthur agrees to the terms but gives the professor only 30 days to find it. In the meantime, we learn that the ghost hunters and the professor already know each other. That relationship is not a good one. Then things start to happen: one guest is poisoned, one dies, one breaks an ankle, one disappears, and so on. This is where our sleuths, Nora and Tasmyn, jump in to figure things out.

The outcome is a bit unexpected, but looking back, I can see some of the clues. However, I didn’t connect all of the dots until the reveal. Well, played, Ms. Penney.

Five Stars

My rating for Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney is five stars. I adore this series. I know there are only two installments, but I am hoping that it keeps going like my other favorites. The setting is magnificent, and the characters are fabulously written with enough flaws to make them believable. And let’s not forget there are ghosts! Yes, I recommend this book to all cozy mystery readers.

The Ravensea Castle Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney.

Until the next time,

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About Elizabeth Penney

Elizabeth Penney is an author, entrepreneur, and local food advocate living in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In addition to writing full-time, she operates a small farm. Elements that often appear in her novels include vintage summer cottages, past/present mysteries, and the arts. She is represented by the fabulous Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic.

Elizabeth’s writing credits include over twenty mysteries, short stories, and hundreds of business articles. A former consultant and nonprofit executive, she holds a BS and an MBA. She’s also written screenplays with her musician husband.

She loves walking in the woods, kayaking on quiet ponds, trying new recipes, and feeding family and friends.

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