#Review: Will of the Witch by Sharon Booth @Sharon_Booth1 #newrelease #romcom #witchlit #TheWitchesOfCastleClair #WilloftheWitch

Apologies for absence – I’ve found it totally impossible to write reviews during the heatwave, but I’ve certainly read plenty of wonderful books. Time I did some catching up, eh? And it’s far too long since I reviewed a book from Sharon Booth – so I’m delighted today to share my review of Will of the Witch, the long awaited and much anticipated fourth book in her wonderful series about The Witches of Castle Clair. Independently published on 26th July, it’s now available both for kindle (and free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. The e-copy I read was my own, pre-ordered (as I always do!) and purchased via Amazon.

Now, I will admit that I haven’t read every book that Sharon’s written, but I can happily say that I’ve never read one I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. Other than this fantastic series, I loved both Resisting Mr Rochester and Saving Mr Scrooge in her Moorland Heroes series – and her Home for Christmas novellas too, Baxter’s Christmas Wish  The Other Side of Christmas and Christmas with Cary (all links are to my reviews). I still haven’t managed to visit Kearton Bay, Skimmerdale or Bramblewick – but I did read and really enjoy the first in her How the Other Half Lives series, At Home, earlier this year (sorry, no review – I was reading for pleasure during my January break!) and look forward to returning to the stories of Sally and Rafferty as soon I possibly can (and I know there will be more books featuring them to come…).

But is this a series you’ve already discovered, I wonder? You won’t often find me recommending books that feature witches and magic, but it’s one I’ve entirely loved. You might like to take a look at my reviews of the first three books in the series – Belle, Book and Candle, My Favourite Witch and To Catch a Witch (all links are to my reviews):. they’ve all recently been “refreshed” with the most gorgeous new covers, and are now available as a kindle box set (and free via Kindle Unlimited). And if you’re already thinking “oh no, definitely not for me”, I’d really urge you to give them a try – before I got hooked, I thought exactly the same! In fact, I was SO looking forward to this one that I did some extra-fast reading of my early August “promises” so I could read it as soon as it landed… the review’s taken me a little longer than I planned only because of struggling with the heat, certainly not due to an absence of enthusiasm! Let’s take a closer look…

There’s no such thing as coincidence…

 

The St Clair sisters, Keely, Harley, and Romy are mysteriously invited to an island off the Cornish coast as guests of Meri Kittow – an old lady they’ve never met.

 

Upon arrival they discover they’re not the only ones to have been summoned, when they meet the Castle Clair family members they never knew existed. Zephyr Ambrose, leader of the High Council of Witches, has also been invited, and he couldn’t be more dismayed to find himself on a boat with a whole bunch of St Clairs.

 

It soon becomes clear that although they know nothing about their hostess, she knows a surprising amount about them. Their alarm grows when they discover they’re unable to leave the island. Then three new guests arrive, deepening the mystery.

 

Lowen Ericson is just an ordinary solicitor based in the Cornish tourist town of Gerrenporth. He doesn’t believe in witches or magic, and as far as he’s concerned he’s simply visiting the island to deliver some legal papers.

 

But within hours of his arrival, he and Keely make some discoveries that challenge everything he thought he knew, opening his eyes to a world he’s never dreamed of. Lowen must set aside his old beliefs because Keely needs his help. And she’s not the only one.

 

The mystery is growing, the clock is ticking, and with the supply of chocolate chip muffins fast running out it’s every witch for herself. The St Clairs need to figure out what’s going on before they all turn feral.

 

Just who is Meri Kittow? And what does she want from the St Clairs?

One of the many things I loved about the first three books in this lovely series was the Castle Clair location – based on Knaresborough, a place that I love and that’s very familiar – and I will admit I was initially a little bit disappointed not to be visiting again. But I was also a tad nervous that the story wasn’t going to be led by the same familiar characters – although I was entirely delighted that all my favourites were certainly going to play their part in the story. And my goodness, what a story this is – I’m in awe at the author’s incredible imagination, her skill in telling a story that’s quirky and very funny but also has moments of real drama, touched my heart, and kept me believing in magic.

Keely St Clair has promised her mother that she won’t use her magic – living in Lincoln, she’s an entertainer at children’s parties, and it does come in distinctly useful at times. Her twin sister Harley is a witch too – and although she lives in Northumberland, it means she can sometimes suddenly appear in Keely’s kitchen and berate her for her directionless life. Older sister Romy’s the odd one out – entirely conventional, completely without magic – but all three sisters receive a handwritten invitation from the mysterious Meri Kittow to travel to Cornwall for “a small gathering of like-minded friends…  your first step to finally discovering your destiny”. And, although their mother has forbidden the trip, it proves quite irresistible – and that’s how they find themselves on the quayside in Gerrenporth, joined by the wider St Clair family they never knew existed (and the quite wonderful Zephyr Ambrose – and if they don’t know at first that he’s the leader of the High Council of Witches, he’ll certainly tell them so…), travelling to an island that shimmers on the horizon, to meet their mysterious hostess. And when they arrive on the island, they find they’re all trapped – deprived of their magic, part of an unfolding story they’re unable to escape from, and one with developments they could never have expected.

I’m not going to even attempt to tell the story – I’d hate to spoil it for anyone, and much of the joy of it is in following its myriad of unexpected twists and turns. The humour is quite wonderful and ever-present – the relationships between all the characters (every one of them perfectly drawn, with all their quirks and foibles) are beautifully done, with plenty of sparky exchanges and lots of bad behaviour – but there are also plenty of moments of exceptional poignancy and sadness (I particularly loved Meri and her part in the story, bravely facing the inevitability of her future), equally well handled. Should you be concerned about not knowing the back story of the St Clair family and their relationship with the world of magic, that’s cleverly done too – Keely and her sisters also know less about it than the Castle Clair family, and Sirius fills the time by giving wonderfully detailed lessons about their history. There are so many surprises, and quite a few moments of high drama – I found it a surprisingly gripping read. There’s one particularly lovely developing romance – Lowen is a distinctly un-magical solicitor who finds himself on the island, just doing his job, to find himself knotted up in the story and growing closer to Keely as they navigate this strange new world – and another that seems unlikely to leave the starting blocks.

The author’s imagination is just stunning – although everyone is temporarily deprived of their magic, there’s certainly plenty of it in the story, unexpectedly drawing on Arthurian legend in a way I found entirely convincing and particularly clever and original. As Samhain approaches… and no, I really mustn’t, but I will say that I found what happened was entirely unexpected and simply wonderful (it certainly brought a tear to my eye…). And I just loved the familiars – the island’s two disdainful cats who attach themselves to their chosen partners, communicating (often rather rudely…) through the power of thought.

I really adored this lovely book – the author’s writing just gets better and better, and I was totally blown away by both the originality of the story and the imagination and obvious depth of research behind it. I notice that the author advises that The Witches of Castle Clair “should be read in order for your best reading experience” – yes, that might be true, but don’t let it put you off trying this one as a standalone, I really think it’d work just fine. A lovely, lovely read – and I can’t wait for the next in the series. Highly recommended by me.

About the author

Sharon Booth writes about the lighter side of life, love, magic, and mystery. Her characters may be flawed, but whether they’re casting a spell, solving a mystery, or dealing with the ups and downs of family life or romance, they do it with kindness and humour.

Sharon is a member of the Society of Authors and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and an Authorpreneur member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. She has been a KDP All-Star Author on several occasions.

She likes reading, researching her family tree, and watching Doctor Who, and Cary Grant movies. She loves horses and hares and enjoys nothing more than strolling around harbours and old buildings. Take her to a castle, an abbey, or a stately home and she’ll be happy for hours. She admits to being shamefully prone to crushes on fictional heroes.

Her stories of love, community, family, and friendship are set in pretty villages and quirky market towns, by the sea or in the countryside, and a happy ending is guaranteed.

If you love heroes and heroines who do the best they can no matter what sort of challenges they face, beautiful locations, and warm, feelgood stories, you’ll love Sharon’s books.

Find out more about Sharon on her website, or sign up for her newsletter and get all the latest news, book updates, the chance to win a prize every month, and your copy of an exclusive novella. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.