The Northern Witch's Book Blog

A Plethora of Phantoms What makes Freddie shiver? Is it the spooky happenings in his family’s stately home? Or is it Marcus, the handsome antique dealer who Freddie thinks he can’t have? Freddie Lanyon has it all: a loving family, a privileged background, and a stately home filled with antiques. What his family don’t know is that Freddie is desperately unhappy. Troubled by spirits that only he can see, Freddie Lanyon, the heir to Lanyon Park, is also in denial about his sexuality. It takes a meeting with handsome and psychic antique dealer, Marcus Spender, to convince Freddie that he might need to change.  When Freddie’s latest purchase of an antique dressing case triggers fresh poltergeist activity, he is awakened each night by an anguished spirit seeking help. Contacting the previous owner of the dressing case leads Freddie and Marcus on a journey to Cornwall, but what starts out as a straightforward quest soon turns into a challenge to their growing relationship. Will Freddie’s ...

A Plethora of Phantoms by Penny Hampson 3.5 out of 5 Synopsis What makes Freddie shiver? Is it the spooky happenings in his family’s stately home? Or is it Marcus, the handsome antique dealer who Freddie thinks he can’t have? Freddie Lanyon has it all: a loving family, a privileged background, and a stately home filled with antiques. What his family don’t know is that Freddie is desperately unhappy. Troubled by spirits that only he can see, Freddie Lanyon, the heir to Lanyon Park, is also in denial about his sexuality. It takes a meeting with handsome and psychic antique dealer, Marcus Spender, to convince Freddie that he might need to change. When Freddie’s latest purchase of an antique dressing case triggers fresh poltergeist activity, he is awakened each night by an anguished spirit seeking help. Contacting the previous owner of the dressing case leads Freddie and Marcus on a journey to Cornwall, but what starts out as a straightforward quest soon turns into a challenge to their gro...

Cackle by Rachel Harrison 3 out of 5 Synopsis All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation. Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods f...

The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn 2.5 out of 5 Synopsis It is 1665 and the women of Eyam keep many secrets. Isabel Frith, the village midwife, walks a dangerous line with her herbs and remedies. There are men in the village who speak of witchcraft, and Isabel has a past to hide. So she tells nobody her fears about Wulfric, the pious, reclusive apothecary. Mae, Wulfric's youngest daughter, dreads her father's rage if he discovers what she keeps from him. Like her feelings for Rafe, Isabel's ward, or the fact that she studies from Wulfric's books at night. But others have secrets too. Secrets darker than any of them could have imagined. When Mae makes a horrifying discovery, Isabel is the only person she can turn to. But helping Mae will place them both in unimaginable peril. And meanwhile another danger is on its way from London. One that threatens to engulf them all . . . Based on the real history of an English village during the Great Plague, The Hemlock Cure is an utter...

Cinderella and the Scarred Viscount by Sarah Mallory 2.5 out of 5 Synopsis An imperfect proposal…But a perfect match? Major James Rossington, Viscount Austerfield, survived Waterloo, but can he survive the season as London’s most eligible bachelor? Convinced his battle scars make him unlovable, and to escape society’s matchmakers, Ross proposes a wedding in name only to shy, sensible Carenza Bettridge. Liberated from her cruel stepmother and bullying half sisters, she blossoms into a confident, altogether desirable woman. He promised Carenza a convenient marriage but inconveniently finds himself wanting more… Review Ross is being pressured to marry by the women in his family, but has no desire to. Carenza is a spinster, with an insecure future. A marriage of convenience seems to be the answer. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Carenza is quite content with her life and has no plans to marry. She lives at her father's country estate, looking after the house, a...

Black Drop by Leonora Nattrass 2 out of 5 Synopsis This is the confession of Laurence Jago. Clerk. Gentleman. Reluctant spy. July 1794, and the streets of London are filled with rumours of revolution. Political radical Thomas Hardy is to go on trial for treason, the war against the French is not going in Britain's favour, and negotiations with the independent American colonies are on a knife edge. Laurence Jago - clerk to the Foreign Office - is ever more reliant on the Black Drop to ease his nightmares. A highly sensitive letter has been leaked to the press, which may lead to the destruction of the British Army, and Laurence is a suspect. Then he discovers the body of a fellow clerk, supposedly a suicide. Blame for the leak is shifted to the dead man, but even as the body is taken to the anatomists, Laurence is certain both of his friend's innocence, and that he was murdered. But after years of hiding his own secrets from his powerful employers, and at a time when even the sli...

One Book Away by Debbie Ioanna 4 out of 5 Synopsis She's just a girl, standing in front of a bookcase, looking for her happily every after... Charlotte's love of romantic literature and 'happily ever after' is a far cry from reality. Putting her own ambitions to one side and settling with her university sweetheart, it has not been a decade of bliss. Changes need to be made, and quick. At a book signing for her favourite author, she meets the handsome and chivalrous Ross. He immediately charms her and wants to see her again. Could this be the romantic, happy ending she was looking for? Debbie brings us her latest romantic comedy where dating and new romances warm our hearts... and give us a little bit of dating fear.  Review After their grand plans never came to fruition, Charlotte and her boyfriend have been coasting for years. Charlotte knows she needs to make a clean break, and follow her dreams again. This story follows Charlotte, as she ditches her long-term boyfrie...