Bell, Book, and Scandal by Josh Landon

Must a witch break one set of vows to keep another?

I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t crazy about the sex details, but overlooked them as I liked the rest of the story.
Well-plotted. Great characters. I liked the witch concept.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced copy for review.

I'm always ready for more of Cosmo's misadventures! Poor boy can't seem to catch a break! A great addition to the series.

First: The low steam says it all. As anyone who knows my reading habits would know, I like high steam. Emotional, intense steam.

Second: I got this author mixed up with another author! Jordan L. Hawk! HOW did I get it mixed up??? The cover art style I guess. But anyway I KNEW I've read Lanyon's works before and I have. I think I rated all the books in All's Fair series 4 stars.

So I'm kinda surprised I don't really care for this series, tho to be fair, I didn't read books 1-2. Why??

Exhibit A above: low steam. But more than that, the following:

1) The connection between the MCs felt weak. I did NOT feel the love. I thought John was an ass. And obviously he used to be a manwhore as well. VERY not appealing to me.

2) I thought Cosmo was STUPID. Not good when the POV is his.

So I really didn't connect with either MC!

The only thing that kept me reading along was the plot, the mystery of witchery politics, etc.

But I wouldn't read any more of this series after this particular book.

Sorry.

The further I got in this series, the more it grew on me (even more so with this third installment), so imagine my groans and frantic eye-rolling when, after finishing this book, I realized it was the last one. Trilogy – third book – duh, ParisDude! Luckily, Josh announces at the end that she might be publishing three follow-ups (I virtually hugged her for that all across the Atlantic Ocean and American continent), so I didn’t feel completely like an orphan.

This time, the plot starts with Cosmo getting an anonymous letter containing seemingly compromising photos of his intrepid sister-in-law. Faint traces of magic can also be detected on the envelope, which strikes Cosmo as… weird. For once, having learned from past errors, he immediately informs his beloved husband, no-nonsense rugged and handsome Police Commissioner John Galbraith. He also tries to find out via his illustrious mother who could be behind this blackmail letter; he finds the whole incident really troubling, namely because a vast extortion scheme seems to be hitting San Francisco’s high and mighty at the moment. Then things get even weirder—it wouldn’t be Cosmo (and it wouldn’t be Josh Lanyon “pulling the strings” if I dare say so) if the storyline developed in a different direction. Cosmo of course undertakes some nosing around (even though he promised John he wouldn’t), and of course, that course of action backfires as it always does, leading to the accidental death of a suspect (with loads of witnesses, to complicate things even further). And then, Cosmo’s mother is summoned to Paris to answer for her son’s behavior before the leading witches, and Cosmo is at a loss: what should he do now? Well, he does what I thought he’d do right from the start: the perfectly wrong thing. Which leads him into the greatest danger so far…

I should be mighty cross with Josh Lanyon (if she weren’t such a sweet woman) because she deprived me of my much-needed beauty sleep. Once more, I should add. I opened this latest (and for-now last) installment of the ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ trilogy late one evening, took it up the following evening… and then was so caught in the tangles of the plot and the suspense coming in with a vengeance in the middle of the story that I simply couldn’t put it down. Therefore I went to sleep much too late and had to go to work the next morning in a zombie-like state. But it was really worth it because I loved the story. The characters come through as well fleshed-out and relatable, the story progressed with a relentless pace (hence my binge-reading), I was rewarded with the usual witty dialogs I always cherish in Josh’s books, and the lose bits and pieces were taken up and brought to a satisfying finale with a bang.

Maybe I could say that the final culprit came as a somewhat “deus ex machina”-ish surprise to me, but I confess that I read the first two books quite a while ago, so that might be my fault. Anyway, as much as I normally dislike this writing ploy, I didn’t mind for a second in this book. Probably because the pieces fell finally into place, and I got an overall view of the situation and all the characters involved. The worldbuilding (when one gets magic in a trilogy, I think one can use that word) was excellent throughout the series, and I noted with satisfaction that all the characters were treated to a nice and natural development, even stubborn, antimagic John, who realizes how much he loves his husband and that therefore he needs to accept him necessarily with all his positive as well as negative sides. I find the couple really endearing in this last book, and the ending… I wanted to hug them with joy.

Unconditional recommendation for lovers of well-written suspense with a magical twist. A must for Josh Lanyon fans, it goes without saying.

Cosmo and John are happily enjoying married life, and are glad that their days of mistrust and odd goings-on are behind them.

That rosy honeymoon phase doesn’t last too long.

An unexpected spate of high-profile blackmails has Cosmo back to playing amateur magical cop, and John back to being suspicious.

The adventure/mystery in this series is Grade A entertainment. The plot is fun, captivating, and entirely unpredictable. I enjoyed every new twist and turn!

The worldbuilding was also markedly more detailed in this installment. Consider it a consequence of growing up on a certain series involving a bespeckled boy wizard, but I’m a sucker for magical societies hidden within our modern world.

And the Craft definitely fits the bill!

Where the book hit a bit of a sour note for me - John. In book 2, I <i>really</i> didn’t like John’s treatment of Cosmo. But it had seemed like the two had moved past that dynamic.

Not so apparently - when things get a bit too dicey for John’s liking, he resorts back to his old habits. And I just don’t think that’s fair to poor Cosmo.

The two <i>are</i> very sweet when everything is going smoothly, but I’d like to see them keep that same energy when times are tough!

That being said, I’m still fully on-board with the pairing. Cosmo and John just have a chemistry - physical and emotional - that can’t be denied.

If John would just grovel a bit and learn to live with Cosmo’s witchy ways, all will be forgiven.

In any case, bring on the next one and let’s see where this story goes!

This third book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series works like a charm, going deeply into the relationship between Cosmo and his husband, John, and moving the two men to a different place. What I love about the series, and especially in this book, is Cosmo's authentic Frenchness. He speaks dryly and with wit. Brevity is the soul of wit, as they say, and if John is "grim," Cosmo also has his version of grimness.

In fact, I began to wonder if he trusts anyone — but then, at the end, we see Cosmo back amid his friend group in a highly unexpected, cryptic scene that has not been foreshadowed at all. This leap of faith is also a sign that the author trusts her readership to follow along, to "get it." What we also receive earlier in this novel is an intense, beautiful sex scene followed by an equally intense nightmare on Cosmo's side that pulls the two men apart briefly. What *are* John's secrets? We will find out in the subsequent books. But what I discovered about myself while reading Bell, Book and Scandal is that while I love the closeness between the characters, I also love the distance. In that way it's an ideal book for me, set in the place I've lived for more than thirty years.

Loved it, and was grateful to receive a copy from Netgalley for my honest review.

This entry in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series finally has me feeling the love. (From John, that is.)

The mystery seemed rather perfunctory to me, but maybe that’s because I wasn’t that interested in the who and why of the blackmail plot. The author does tie up the threads that have been left dangling throughout the series in a neat bow, though.

What I really liked was the way the romance between John and Cosmo deepens in this volume. John has been a bit of an enigma to me because he plays his emotions very close to his vest. John has said that he loves Cosmo, but I haven’t really seen that in him. I think the same has been true for Cosmo; he doesn’t quite have a handle on what John is feeling, which is why he’s just not sure he won’t drive John away by using magic or getting caught investigating. In this story, however, John opens up more, convincing Cosmo that he really loves him and is as invested in their marriage as Cosmo is. So, unlike the previous books in the series, I was able to feel the romance from both sides this time around.

Although this was only supposed to be a trilogy, apparently more volumes are on the way. I’m looking forward to more from Cosmo and John!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a nail biter of a page turner. A great read. I loved the book. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait for another book. This was from a new to me and great author. I really enjoyed the book. I Will definitely recommend this book.

I received an ARC of this book but my opinions are my own.

It's always a joy for me to read this author, but I've been on the fence with this series. It's well-written and I love the main character, but the relationship with his husband is complex and doesn't always seem healthy. On the other hand, it's also realistic in a lot of ways that makes for uncomfortable romance. So at the end of the day, while I deviate several times in the middle of the book, I always end up rooting for them. And I think I'm starting to see a healthier and happier relationship emerge.

Plus it's hard not to love Cosmo and not to love stories with magic. Especially witchcraft that's part bewitched and part the magicians. Really well done!

Such a fun addition to the series! Bell, Book, and Scandal is so much fun to read with a complex witch society, conspiracy, blackmail, and the layered problems of a newly married couple. Josh Lanyon creates a world that is brilliantly woven with magic, society, and balances the structures of two worlds. John is entirely human and a police commissioner so he's firmly in the idea of normal as being no magic and being able to solve problems. Cosmo is a witch so he's aware that anything is possible and has this stretch of belief despite being part of this strict secret society. The witches are tight-lipped about their world and it creates some drama for the various characters such as Cosmo's friend who is dating an ordinary person. Lanyon excels at the complexities of this world with a society within a society that has its own rules, structure, status, and culture. The richness of the writing lends the story beyond the mystery and into an otherworld that makes you want to learn more.

The mystery revolves around scandal and blackmail with a touch of witchcraft thrown into the mix. This furthers the friction between the newlyweds as John insists Cosmo doesn't intervene in police business and Cosmo sees magical involvement everywhere. This doesn't take away from the romantic moments between the two or the growing pains in their relationship. Lanyon uses everything to further the story and to grow the characters together. They have friction and arguments which end with one teleporting out but that doesn't mean they don't have a strong foundation of love. It's easy to fall for them as a couple and it's how well-written their relationship is that makes you so invested in seeing them work out. A highly recommended read!

urban-fantasy, m-m-mystery, relationships, relationship-issues, magic, law-enforcement, relatives, rivalry, erotica, LGBTQIA*****

Even though I haven't read the earlier books in series, the worldbuilding and characters are so good that I rarely skipped a beat. The personal relationship is the easiest to grasp, the witchcraft community was a little more involved, but I think that's because of other urban fantasies in my head. Good story except that now I WANT to see what I missed in earlier books!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from JustJoshin Publishing, Inc. via NetGalley. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this book! Despite not having read the first two books in the series, I was still able to follow the story. I definitely want to go back and read the previous ones now. I liked seeing the main characters figure out how to make their marriage work. If you like mm and want to read a mystery with some Magic, this is worth the read.

The world building is excellent, and the mystery element was interesting. There is a nice mixture of Magic and modern technology. It was also not gory or scary. It had just the right amount of suspense for me. I would have liked more romantic elements, but I think I’ll get that in the first two books when I go back and read them now.

I was glad to see it will not actually be the final book in the series, despite the description calling it a trilogy. The secondary characters deserve more time on the page.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

John and Cosmo are such an unlikely couple. So much so that I sometimes wonder while reading this series why Cosmo puts himself through what he does to stay with John. The heart is a fickle thing though and even though I spent some time being frustrated with the police commissioner and in fear for Cosmo’s heart, I have to admit that the man not only surprised me in Bell, Book and Scandal, he even impressed me a little bit.

Cosmo finds himself in a no win situation in Bell, Book and Scandal. He doesn’t purposely try to break his promise to John, but trouble seems to follow him – even when he’s trying his hardest to avoid it. He may be at the center of a case John’s trying to solve without even knowing it. He soon finds out that it may involve more than some of the city’s prominent figures. His family may be in danger as well. Whether John wants to admit it or not, Cosmo may be the only one who can get to the bottom of the mystery.

Hex in the City is the next book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series.

Bell, Book and Scandal is the third book in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks paranormal fantasy/mystery by Josh Lanyon. Released 30th March 2021, it's 222 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

For fans of this paranormal mystery series, this is a re-visit with returning characters, lots more drama, some murder, more family drama, some minor cop-stuff, and an extra helping of drama. Although I've read the previous books in the series, I find myself wondering just how Cosmo and John actually wound up staying together long enough to get married. They're *such* a weird combo. It's not even a case of opposites attracting; they're just really badly matched. Both of their families are horrific and toxic, and I find myself wincing and rolling my eyes when their friends wind up making bad situations even worse.

For fans of the author who haven't yet read this series, there's a lot of backstory to unpack and though the author does a decent job of providing the necessary background without info-dumping or spoon-feeding the reader, there are numerous plot developments which will seriously spoil the earlier books. For readers who are planning on reading the earlier books, I strongly recommend reading them in order.

For readers unfamiliar with the author, this is a M/M romance mystery and it does include some explicit scenes. Definitely not safe for work-time reading. The author does do a very good job of warmly sympathetic LGBTQIA+ depictions (including pronouns where indicated). The denouement and resolution felt a bit rushed/tacked on to me, personally, but all in all I found it satisfying with one minor bit of unresolved continuity.

Four stars. I would recommend this one to fans of paranormal mystery, drama laden M/M romance, and light reads.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Exact Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

NOTE: I read this book as a standalone. I have not read the previous books in this series.

The story started at a somewhat slow pace in the beginning but picks up a few chapters in. I enjoyed reading this book. Once you get a few chapters in, the story becomes easy and fun to read. The author has done a great job at keeping the reader interested in knowing what Cosmo would do next. Josh (author) has also done a good job in ensuring that you can read this book without reading book 1 and book 2 and not miss any aspects of the story.

However, the reason why I did not rate this book as 5 stars was that the mystery was somewhat confusing at times.

To sum it up,

1) You can read this book as a standalone
2) There may be moments where the mystery starts to be a little confusing
3) It's still a fun and enjoyable book to read

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review

As always, (at least for me) Josh's stories are entertaining and the mystery is good.
The story of Cosmo and John continues, and in turn a new threat is approaching: blackmail, death, politics, new enemies and marital problems are topics that we will see in the book.

I really like how the relationship between Cosmo and John is explored, not everything is perfect, and I think that is very realistic, especially regarding the magic of Cosmo, and John's ancestors, which I sincerely hoped would be explored beyond his apparent immunity to magic.

We will learn more about the other characters from past books, and even more about the political world of magic.

The wait was worth it.

Thanks netgally for the copy.

Come to bed, my wicked witch, and I'll show you how much I love you.
We are back with Cosmo and John Galbraith and this time, shit gets real. Well, as real as it can get in a mm mystery with paranormal elements.

I liked this one. I did love that it answers all the questions I had in book 2.

However, the mystery was kind of all over the place and hard to follow. There were times I wondered if I had opened a different book. Because as from book one, we wanted to know who ran over Rex and why. But then suddenly there's an extortion racket that is targeting the elites of the Craft universe that would make Charles Augustus Milverton chortle at the amateurish blackmail display.

I do appreciate how meticulously the mystery is written. However, there was a conspiracy of coincidences that tied things a little too neatly. It got frustrating because I barely had a chance to try and unravel things for myself using Cosmo's clues before someone hands Cosmo the answers we've been looking for.

I also love that you can tell Lanyon was really enjoying herself with this one, I just wish it was more tangible and jumped off page to embrace me. There was also too much going on that got resolved too quickly. This book needed to be longer. So while the mystery was at best tepid, the best thing about this book-- aside from Lanyon's impeccable writing-- is Cosmo fucking Saville.

My god did I love this neurotic little witch and the relationship he had with his beloved police commissioner John Galbraith, his mother, his kinda sort sister-in-law Andi, his sister-in-law Jinx, his apprentice Ambrose etc. Cosmo is snarky, sarcastic, pragmatic and with a nose for amateur sleuthing his spouse would have loved to wring out of him. He's also delightfully self-aware.
It's so annoying when people who disagree with you are right.
He was a mean girl and I was here for it.
"Speaking of your mother, I saw Phelon on Tuesday. He was having dinner at Gary Danko's." Phelon Penn is one of Maman's Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. I'm sorry. Did I say that aloud? Phelon Penn is my mother's former companion. Like the other Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, he was the perfect lapdog and cost a fortune in grooming supplies.
I absolutely loved how he would fluster John's former lovers, much to John's amusement and embarrassment. When a server learns that John got married,
"Husband?" he repeated. "Gosh. I didn't see that coming."
"Oh, are you psychic?" I inquired.
John cleared his throat.
"Hm?" Lance spared me another distracted look--he was having trouble tearing his gaze from John.
I opened my mouth, but John spoke over me in that fake-hearty voice, "But come he did!"
I smiled at him. "Many times," I said. "Many, many times." John turned the color of his beloved Pinot Noir.
I could read about Cosmo and John forever. They've really come a long way and I love how affectionate John was with Cos. I'm a sucker for mushy men.
...I guess you just have truly terrible taste in men, ma belle."
I wrinkled my nose at the feminine noun. "You do know belle is for women."
"I guess. It means beautiful, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I think it's the right word.
There's a lot of human interest drama to be mined here like John's Practitioner best friend who decided not to marry a human because of her history. There was also a lot of goings-on with the royalty of the Craft and those political machinations would have been a delight to get into. I did love the French-ness of the whole thing and the ambience that Lanyon always delivers.

I don't know whether this is because I've been really loving thicc books lately that I'm asking for more but I do know I want a full course meal accompanied by a buffet of this world. There will be a secondary trilogy with a lot of hints being dropped at a further story and you can bet your children I will be devouring it. I just hope Lanyon makes it really long.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I like Josh Lanyon’s writing style and always find her books easy to read. I like Cosmo as a character and the world-building around his magical gifts. I also enjoy the times John and Cosmo are together and try to remember that Adrien English and Jake had to go through quite a lot of heartache before they got their happy-ever-after. To be honest, I’m still struggling to get my head around the fact that John and Cosmo were planning a wedding within days of meeting. That everything happened so swiftly and conveniently in such a short space of time I’m still finding hard to accept. Even now, these guys are still getting to know each other. But they’ve been struck by the love bug and seem determined to stay together despite their clashes over magic and other differences of opinion.

As for the mystery itself, I’ll have to re-read this again because I’m not entirely sure I grasped it all. There’s a host of characters that I still need to sort out in my mind.

The climax of the story was exciting and the last chapter explained much of what had been going on.

So overall, I enjoyed reading this story and I will follow the additional stories to see where they lead Cosmo and John.

There is something intriguingly indefinable about the relationship between the staid pragmatic police commissioner John Galbraith and the sauve French speaking (witch) Craft royalty, Cosmo Saville.

Meeting up again with Cosmo and John Galbraith is like reconnecting with old friends .... if one were the pragmatic San Francisco police commissioner and the other was involved in unearthing his sister-in-law's blackmailer, saving his Maman from charges of treason from the high council of Societe du Sortilege and (big breath ...) running from a levitating blind GramMa shedding unfocused magic like a telephone transformer about to blow. Whew ...

Again, there is plenty to admire about this series - the universe Lanyon has created with the uneasy coexistence between mortals and member of the Craft, the underlying murder mystery, and the incredible collection of characters, events, and intertwining relationships that make absolute sense when reading the book .... and are about impossible to summarize in a coherent manner.

At the core of the story is the unlikely love story - and sizzling sexual dynamic - between John and Cosmo and finally, after all the struggles through the series, they are on the same page:

"Hell, yes, it's my job," John said impatiently. "It's my job to protect you. To love, cherish, and protect you. That's what I signed on for."

"But it's my job, too, " I said. "To love, cherish, and protect you. And I hate that I keep doing things that put you in the position of having to go against what you think is right just to keep my secrets safe. You don't even like secrets."

"You think he doesn't have secrets?" Phelon said with sudden poisonous softness.

Ah, right there. That's why I love this series. After three books, Lanyon continues to dole out tempting tidbits about John's nightmares, about Cosmo's terrifying past-life regressions (?), the struggle between elements in the Craft world and so much more ... and it all fits together into this wonderfully created universe. 4.5 stars.

I quite enjoyed this book. I haven't read the two previous volumes in the series, but Lanyon dropped enough information that I was able to keep track of what was going on. In this book, recent newlyweds John (SFPD commissioner) and Cosmo (witch who has promised, perhaps unwisely, not to practice magic) deal with mysteries and intrigue both magical and mundane.

I was initially put off by the many ways in which Cosmo seemed to be acting in bad faith and I will say his marriage isn't one I would model my own on. But I got caught up in the puzzles and adventures and had a good time. The writing is witty and I kept wanting to know what was behind it all. A solid 3-star read.

PS Serious props for naming the cat Pyewacket! I love the old film Bell, Book, and Candle, in which that's the name of the witch's cat familiar.