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| Image copied from Goodreads |
For this month, I'm going to start off my reviews with a fun and light-hearted paranormal holiday romance with Erin Sterling's The Wedding Witch. After the whirlwind of news and politics for this election season, I figured it was time to focus on something less serious in the realm of fiction. Also, The Wedding Witch starts off just before the winter holiday season, so November is a perfect time to review it as we are headed into that time of year. This book is the final one in Sterling's Graves Glen trilogy, but it could also definitely be read as a stand alone as it doesn't take place in Graves Glen as the first two books did.
This adventure centers on the middle Penhallow brother, Bowen. I have long looked forward to reading Bowen Penhallow's story and it was worth the wait. All throughout the series Bowen has been the reclusive brother always off in the Welsh mountains alone, doing some sort of mysterious occult research. However, we finally find out why in this book. Bowen, it seems, blames himself for a terrible accident that harmed a friend and he has been searching for a way to fix it ever since. Part of his search has involved procuring magical items or artifacts to see if any of them might hold the key to saving his friend, Colin. That is where Tamsyn Bligh enters the picture. She has been helping Bowen for sometime now in his search for magical items. But one such item ends up bringing the two of them together for the first time face-to-face. It is after this encounter that the sparks begin to fly, for even though Tamsyn knew full well who Bowen was and that he was a witch, Bowen had no idea that Tamsyn was a beautiful, clever and fully human woman. Not only that, but she's a procurer who ran amok and caused some pretty serious mayhem back in Graves Glen for one of Bowen's brothers.
When the two end up at the same wedding at a grand Welsh estate though, chasing after the same magical object, things get even more complicated. Somehow they end up getting thrown back in time to Yuletide of 1958 and must solve the mystery of why they've been sent there in order to get back to their own timelines. I loved the fact that in this one we finally truly get to know and understand Bowen. I also enjoyed the fact that Tamsyn gets a redemption arc in this story. The intrigue of why they are suddenly thrust into 1958 was another fun element to the story. It seems the magical brooch they were both chasing after is somehow related to why Tywyll House is haunted in their own time. Even more surprising, one of the couples at this past Yuletide celebration happens to be Bowen's grandparents. So, not only do they have to come up with a quick explanation as to why they are there and a good cover story on who they are, they also have to be careful not to change anything in a way that could put Bowen's future existence in peril.
It is a fun holiday romp with some really nice twists and turns in addition to the romance between Tamsyn and Bowen. Reading this book was a little bittersweet for me as this was the last one in this series. But it provided a good resolution for the trilogy. If you like romantic mysteries with fantasy elements woven into the story, I recommend this book and the others in the series. I was very pleased to get to read an early ebook ARC of this novel thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager. But if you would like to pick up a copy to read The Wedding Witch is currently available now anywhere books are sold and if you click on the title name it will take you to bookshop.org where you can order a copy online. Plus, all purchases made on bookshop.org can help you support local independent bookstores.
Stay tuned in a couple of weeks for my next book review of a gothic suspense that will be coming out in early December entitled, The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen. Check out the book cover and blurb below to find out more!
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| Image copied from Goodreads |
Harriet Hunt is completely alone. Her father disappeared months ago, leaving her to wander the halls of Sunnyside house, dwelling on a past she'd rather keep buried. She doesn't often venture beyond her front gate, instead relishing the feel of dirt under her fingernails and of soft moss beneath her feet. Consequently, she's been deemed a little too peculiar for popular Victorian society. This solitary life suits her fine, though – because, outside, magic awaits.
Harriet's garden is special. It's a wild place full of twisting ivy, vibrant plums, and a quiet power that buzzes like bees. Caring for this place, and keeping it from running rampant through the streets of her London suburb, is Harriet's purpose.
But a woman alone in the world is vulnerable. Soon, a sinister plot involving her father's disappearance begins to take shape, with Harriet herself at its center. Everything she holds dear – from the thorny roses she tends to her very freedom itself – is at stake. To save herself, Harriet will have to unearth her past, discover the secrets of her garden, and finally embrace the wild magic inside of her.
Book blurb provided courtesy of NetGalley.
