This is my first book by this author and what a starting point! River Witch is mystical, incredible, and completely engrossing from beginning to end. I love anything with witchy vibes and I’m beyond happy that I found this book.
Hester likes to talk to the river, Sabrina, and the river whispers back to her. As an 8-year-old, that doesn’t seem unnatural because kids have active imaginations. She meets Aaron, a gentleman who also talks to the river, and tells her the names and purposes of the plants around them. Hester’s mom does not approve of her daughter behaving like a witch and continues to try and mold her to a what a good wife should be. Hester refuses to accept this and looks to the river for guidance even as she grows older.
I am already looking up other books by Cheryl Burman because River Witch was marvelous and enchanting. I highly recommend picking this up and getting lost in the vivid imagery and intricately woven details that create this extraordinary story!
Young Hester spends her days tending to the animals on her family’s farm and helping with chores that need to be done. The river, Sabrina, is her happy place, and she sneaks off to visit her whenever she can. Hester loves to listen to the river speak to her as Sabrina tells her to be wise, be strong and finds delight in watching the river nymphs dance. It was on one of these trips to visit Sabrina when she was a little girl that Hester met a young man named Aaron. He too could speak to the river and knew about the healing powers of herbs and flowers.
As Hester became older, she becomes more intrigued by this young man and wants to learn about herbal remedies so that she may help heal others as her grandmother had. She convinces Aaron to train her in secret because she knows that her mother would not approve of Hester learning something that she refers to as witchcraft. Hester knows that healing others with herbal remedies is what she wants to do with her life, but it seems that nobody wants that for her. Aaron has his own issues that he is trying to work through, so he feels that stopping the lessons is in Hester’s best interests. Hester begs and pleads with him, and he reluctantly agrees to continue helping her learn.
Hester’s mother has other plans for her and decides that she must get married and have children because that will settle her down. With the townsfolk gossiping about Hester and talk of her being a witch, her mom feels that she must get married immediately and arranges a marriage for Hester to an older, local fisherman. Knowing that this marriage will not be good for her, Hester flees to the only place she feels safe. She turns to Aaron for help, but he also feels that her getting married and leading a normal life is the best thing for her.
This book is loosely based on the true story of a woman in the early 20th Century who was trained in healing and accused of being a witch. The story contained many layers and was very well written with wonderful characters throughout. Hester was a remarkable young lady who was resilient, headstrong, determined and knew what she wanted. She would stop at nothing to get it, regardless of how much hardship she had to face to get it. Aaron had issues that he needed to resolve which made his character a bit hard to understand at times. It seemed he wanted to be Hester’s teacher but perhaps longed for more. Hester’s mom was another character that was a bit perplexing. She loved Hester and wanted the best for her but tried to force Hester into an arranged marriage to a man Hester loathed. However, when you think about the period this book was written in, it makes a bit more sense that reputation was important to the common class of the early 1900’s. That helps the reader understand that Hester’s mom really did feel that was the best choice for her daughter. A fantastic and haunting read!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tara Johnson Barneshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTara Johnson Barnes2022-10-07 16:12:412022-10-08 22:14:24River Witch by Cheryl Burman – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
Hester is a farmers daughter who lives with her parents and three brothers on a farm near the town off Shiphaven, she helps out with the chores on the farm and the sewing her mother completes to earn a little extra income, they are a happy family, but they do think that Hester has her head in the clouds, what they don’t know is that Hester can hear the river speaking to her and can see the nymphs as they ride in the waves, calling for her to join them. Aaron is a gentleman who lives on his own in a little cottage in the woods, near the river, it is further away from Shiphaven than the farm and has seen better days, but he is too tired and his spirit is too lacklustre to move anywhere else at this point thanks to events in his past which still haunt his memories.
One day, Hester is walking by the river and listening to her words when she meets Aaron, he explains that the river is a goddess and her name is Sabrina, he also tells her that not everyone can hear her and that they are special, not ordinary and that they are wise, he then walks Hester back to her farm. A few years later and Hester is quickly growing into a young woman, but the siren call of Sabrina and the nymphs one day drive her to where the river meets the sea, but Aaron stops her from joining them and gives her a gift to keep her strong and give her courage, he also tells her about the flowers and plants they see as they walk together, this sparks an interest in Hester that soon grown within her.
The next time Hester and Aaron meet, she insists that he tells her more about being a wise person and herbal lore and she won’t take no for an answer, especially as it is now a driving force in her to become a wise woman and not just settle for being an ordinary woman with a husband and children. However, when Hester tells her mother about what she would like to do, her mother scorns her decision and dismisses it as old wives tales and witchcraft, saying that no good will come of it, then when Aaron says he would be better off as ordinary, she is devastated and feels betrayed.
Will Hester be able to convince Aaron to help her fulfil this need to use the lore of the forest and fields to heal those who need it, or will he let the past overshadow the bright future this young woman has and will the river help or hinder his decision when she constantly tells Hester to “Be wise and be strong”? This is a fantasy tale of one young woman and her struggles to see her dreams become reality amid a turbulent and twisting path which will keep you reading until you know whether she succeeds or fails.
History, as we know it, is kept in balance by time travelers. Time travelers that battle beings from another realm. Being part of a series, I know I’m missing part of the story, but I was able to easily pick up on what’s going on. I’m even thinking I have to go back and read the previous books. I highly recommend this book.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Terri Jo McAllisterhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTerri Jo McAllister2022-10-07 15:20:432022-10-08 22:09:05Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Terri Jo McAllister
A beautiful tale of the struggles of the women who don’t fit the mold and refuse to conform. This is the tale of Hester, and her connection to nature as she grows up. Her refusal to become what is expected of her by society, her family, and everyone in her life. Burman manages to convey the despair, struggle, hope, and triumph that Hester and most likely so many women have gone through throughout the ages in their struggle to become more than the sum of what is expected of them. She manages to do this with grace in a setting that is burgeoning with beauty. There are so many characters throughout that, while secondary add to the story and make it so much more robust without being a distraction. In short this book is a masterpiece and should be in collections everywhere.
Hester dreams of following in the footsteps of her great grandmother and becoming a respected herbal healer. Unfortunately, her mother has other ideas of marriage and babies to settle her wild heart. With encouragement of strength and wisdom from the River, Hester’s journey has just begun.
This started slow for me and by the end I was mesmerised. The writing was beautiful. Hester’s strength and wild heart is gripping and I really enjoyed the magical elements and friendship in the story.
This book was different from anything I have read before. The story pulled me into an adventure of magic, heartache, character growth and so much more. This is the first book I have read by this author and I’m glad I gave it a chance. I found myself rooting for Hester as she goes through so much in her life. The further I got in the story the more I got pulled into it. While I’m reading I keep hoping love will win out and Hester can have everything she wants out of life. If you want to know how this turns out, this is a must read. I recommend this book.
Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Maryn Belling
“Not all monsters (are) bad, some (are) handsome creatures that listen to your troubles and serve beer”
Welcome to a timeline where things are warped. American readers will slide a side-eye at the revised canonical realities between the text and their history classes – careful where you read this; the trolls might be watching.
Otherwise, bouncing back and forth between London 1593 and contemporary Philadelphia is as seamless as going to the Renaissance Festival. Mr. Marlowe’s attachments to modernity create a decreasing stickiness to his own time – which is good since he’s got that pesky May 30th 1593 thing looming before him.
The underpinnings of the story and its origin legend separate this text from its “competitors” in both the time travel and supernatural (fae) genres. It’s a fun read with endearingly relatable characters. Definitely an author I’ll add to my “yup” stack.
Historical Geek Note: this is NOT a distraction from the book; but in addition to the intentional canonical departures, there’s a significant historical issue with a time-travel book with British settings prior to 1751 and modern-day US settings. Poetic license being as it is, however, we can probably assume that our 16th century literary protagonist and our modern day damsel found a work-around for the wonkiness of the Julian calendar prior to 1752
Nightfall in Deptford, Crescent Moon Chronicles, L.E. Towne, Review, Itsy Bitsy Book Bits, Fantasy, Historical
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Marynhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngMaryn2022-10-06 17:15:342022-10-08 21:58:09Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Maryn Belling
River Witch by Cheryl Burman is a beautifully written story of a girl named Hester Williams, who at a very young age, is drawn into the waters by the song of the river and the playful river nymphs. It is there that she meets Aaron, a quiet young man skilled in herbal lore, who stops her from wading into the river to play with the nymphs. The story continues to follow Hester as she matures into a young woman that aspires to be a wisewoman, curing others of ailments with the healing properties of herbs and flowers with the knowledge Aaron has bestowed her. After she goes against the wishes and attempts of her mother to tame her by refusing to marry local fisherman Jem Stokes, Hester finds herself with limited places to turn to and a trail of tribulations ahead and left in her wake.
This was an absolutely magnificent read that I struggled to put down. I was captivated by the author’s beautiful and articulate writing, which fabricated this captivating tale. The characters were unique and fascinating, and they all came together perfectly to weave this story into something truly remarkable in my opinion. Everything was so well descripted that it was so easy to feel like I was in the story with them, witnessing everything unfold. I was honestly sad the story ended because I loved the main characters so much! While I might be crossing my fingers for another book in the future featuring all of them again, the closing of the story was perfect. I truly did not expect to love this book as much as I did. It has the perfect mix of a little bit of everything. If you ask me, it deserves all the stars!
Reading this book, it is very obvious that the author knows what they are doing with words. The imagery and detail in this book are wonderful. I found myself falling straight into Hester’s life and wanting to know more and more about Aaron and how their interactions unfold. It is not hard to picture this story in my mind at all. I love the ideas in this book, and can relate to Hester’s quest to find herself and do what she wants rather than what everyone else thinks she should do. This book has a great storyline, characters, and talented author. I will definitely be looking into more of their work. I very much recommend this book.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Christine J. Spulakhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngChristine J. Spulak2022-10-06 08:37:492022-10-06 08:45:25River Witch by Cheryl Burman – Review by Chrissy Spulak
Bycatch is an incredible and original story of Rex and his Vietnam experience. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s a book that I struggled to put down and the imagery is fantastic in this book. I feel as if I learned a lot more about how life was during these times. Not only was the story original but they’re are a number of suspenseful moments that lead to a captivating story. I’m looking forward to reading many more historical type books from this author.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Ashley McMillonhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAshley McMillon2022-10-06 03:13:302022-10-06 08:40:19Bycatch by Alexander Blevens – Review by Ashley McMillon
This story is based on a true story of a woman who is skilled in healing and is accused of witchcraft in the early twentieth century as a result of her skillset. The way that Cheryl Burman turned a tale from where she lives into a beautiful story is simply amazing. It is my first read by this author and definitely not my last as she has a way with words and crafting a remarkable story that begged to be read.
This story follows the main character Hester from the time she was a young girl to her adult years with the trials and events that she went through. As a daughter to a farmer she longs for more than the life she lives. It is in this young age she hears the river and its nymphs calling to her. A man named Aaron prevents her from entering the river and becomes her teacher in the healing arts. This is frowned upon. This is witchcraft…but this is her calling. Hester’s desire to forge her own path in life against the ideals of society has you rooting for her every step of the way. You simply cannot put down the book. Will Hester succeed in making her own destiny? Will the river that called her be a helper or a hindrance?
This book had me hooked from the beginning. Taking you through several decades worth of pain for two families. From the Forests of Vietnam to the shores of Biloxi, Mississippi. Unsure how to review without almost rewriting the book here. Suspenseful is the best way to describe it. I did not want to put it down.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Shana Shippshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngShana Shipps2022-10-05 19:14:402022-10-06 08:49:39Bycatch by Alexander Blevens – Review by Shana Shipps
A companion tothe internationally bestselling novel, The Brass Compass, Operation Blackbird takes the reader on a spy adventure from South America to Europe during a time when the yoke of Communism is tightening the reins on an unwilling people.
—————
October, 1952. The war is over, but for CIA officer Miriam Becker, memories of the horrors she witnessed remain jagged in her mind. While vacationing in Argentina, recovering from a mission that nearly killed her, she’s seeing more ghosts from the past than the sights.
When a longtime family friend and fellow operative, Jake Devlin, tracks her down, Miriam is forced to push everything to the back of her mind for the next mission: help a highly prized and heavily guarded rocket scientist defect from Russian-controlled East Berlin—right out from under the KGB’s nose.
Well aware that one wrong move could spark World War III, Miriam, Jake, and the team plan their strategy to the last detail. But when a betrayal brings everything crashing down, Jake’s quick thinking creates the diversion to get Miriam out alive—but leaves him trapped behind the Iron Curtain.
Unsure of whom she can trust, Miriam must complete the mission by relying on contacts outside of the agency, even though her heart longs to return to East Berlin to rescue the man who is the last link to her to her troubled past … before the KGB gets to him first.
Fantasy and paranormal story from a new to me author? Yes, I took the chance to read this book even though I hadn’t read the previous books in the series. The author wrote the story in such a way to at least make me feel I needed to keep reading it and I was sucked in!
It didn’t take me long to find magic, paranormal beings, adventure, and so much more. It’s always refreshing to find a book that catches your interest similar to when you were younger and found a book that changed your favorite genre. I wish I had read the earlier books so I knew more of the characters we encountered in this book. I’m looking forward to some day getting that chance to read these books in order.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Betsy Melanohttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngBetsy Melano2022-10-04 21:22:592022-10-05 07:50:19Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Betsy Melano
Emma is hired by a fellow co-worker to examine the circumstances around his father’s death. Along the way she is attacked like two other women, but she survived the attack. Now it is time to really solve who is after the family fortune and who is haunting the house. Of course, along the way we are privy to the relationship Emma has with her family and how together they all form a solid unit and help to solve the case of Haunted Christmas. Again, such a great strong lead character in Emma and her love interest is just the sweetest love ever. I love the historical aspect that comes into play and the traditional recipes that are made and given recipes for. Who could ask for more than to sit down with a great book, a cup of coffee, and the thought of yummy recipes to try to make upon finishing the book!? A winner in my eyes!!! I am one of this author’s biggest fans! Such a wholesome read and very well-developed plot and finish.
In the Notebook Mysteries series A Haunted Christmas is a feel-good, cozy, Christmas Carol ‘esque mystery novel that has a bit of a sinister edge. Ethan has been tasked with cleaning up, decorating, and holding the annual Christmas party at his old childhood home after the death of his father. Servants are running away claiming the mansion is haunted because of weird noises and apparitions that they have seen and in the beginning of the book we are greeted with a scene pulled straight from a Christmas Carol. What really happened to Ethan’s father? That’s the question that Ethan has tasked to Emma and her Scooby-Doo gang type family to answer for him.
Things are certainly not what they seem in this series, and the fourth book isn’t any different. I really like reading books that are exciting from the first page, and author Kimberly Mullins seems to have that down to an art. Emma and Jeremy are in a train wreck, a strange woman is dancing with Emma’s Papa, and Emma is adding more and more to her resume. I love reading about the family dynamics. The writing is very true to the times. I am not very big on romance books, but the Notebook Mysteries series is perfectly balanced for me. There is more mystery than there is lovey dovey, and those are my kind of books! I am going to be sending the whole set to my fifteen-year-old granddaughter.
Haunted Christmas is the latest book in the Notebook Mysteries Series. Our young sleuth Emma is busily preparing for the upcoming holidays. Still working part-time in the family’s bakery gives her the opportunity to work on some holiday baking while still having the time to solve the odd mystery here and there. When Emma is approached by a friend who wants her to investigate a haunted house Emma is skeptical. She does not believe in ghosts, but her friend is unable to believe it could be anything else after hearing rattling chains and seeing things that are not there. Add to that a mysterious death ruled as a suicide and Emma starts following a trail of clues that unravels further mysteries to be solved.
Once again, the author has done an amazing job of creating an historical mystery full of twists and turns. Young Emma is as tenacious and determined as ever to get to the bottom of another mystery while danger lurks around every corner. The author does an amazing job of describing each scene in such detail that you can feel the cold in the air, feel the ice under your feet, and feel the sense of danger lingering in the air. The Christmas backdrop to the story and the baking made me excited to start prepping for the upcoming holidays. I could almost smell the delicious scents of fresh baked goods coming from Emma’s family bakery. Huge thank you to the author for including recipes at the end of the book for some of those delicious baked goods I could smell throughout the book.
Although this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the entire Notebook Mysteries Series. A great addition for anyone looking for a cozy historical mystery with a holiday backdrop.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tara Johnson Barneshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTara Johnson Barnes2022-10-04 11:10:412022-10-05 07:41:46Notebook Mysteries ~ Haunted Christmas by Kimberly Mullins – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
Hester’s story begins when she is a young girl. She is the daughter of a farmer and granddaughter to healer. When she hears the river and its nymphs talking to her, inviting her to come play, a man named Aaron stops her from going into the river. He too, can hear the river and her nymphs. Hester’s father often compares her to his grandmother with such fondness of tone, that she pursues Aaron and asks him to teach her how to use flowers and herbs to help heal people and animals. Unbeknownst to her family, she learns and excels in her pursuit of knowledge over many years. After a tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to move to town, away from the river and its callings. Hester feels her soul withering because she is so far from the river and Aaron. Her mother and brothers set a scheme to marry her off to a fisherman to avoid any gossip surrounding Hester and her strange behaviours. All Hallow’s Eve changes everything for Hester, though. She determines to take control of her life. When she has to deal with the consequence of her actions, however, she finds that Aaron has left town, her wedding is looming, and she feels lost. She hears the river telling her to “Be strong. Do what you have to do.”So she does. She leaves the relative safety of her home and sets out on her own path. The challenges that she faces alone and overcomes is heartening and heartbreaking all at the same time. Can she make it alone? Will the river help her? Protect her? Or will it abandon her like she feels Aaron and her family has?
This is my first time reading this author. I truly enjoyed the story. I was drawn into the story almost instantly. The struggles of the time period were well written, as were the family dynamics and strife. I couldn’t help but love Hester and root for her. Once she knew what she wanted, she went for it and unapologetically pursued it. I was glad that everything came back around for her in the end and she felt the support of her community after feeling abandoned for so long. The fact that it is loosely based on a true story, only makes it that much sweeter of a read.
Emma’s business is going brilliantly at the moment and with her relationship with Jonathan also going well, she feels at peace with life, so when a friend asks her to investigate the death of his father she instantly takes up the investigation to help find out what really happened.
So as Emma arrives at the manor this are not quite what they seem, the whole place is like Charles Dickins “Christmas Carol” and when strange things happen she may think the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future have arrived to help solve the mystery, but she discovers more mundane reasons within the family. Can Emma and her team solve the mystery and help her friend, you will have to find out.
I love this series it is well written and the characters are just adorable to read with there interactions and chemistry with each other. As this is one of the short books in this series you could read as a stand alone as the characters do offer some back story to them but it may be advisable to read the full series up to now to get a better overall insight into the characters but with that said the wonderful worlds the author creates in each story is just breath taking,
I loved the interaction between Emma and her team and you can see how they work seamlessly to try and solve the mysteries which have been put in front of them. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series and see what next adventures Jonathan and Emma are plunged into.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Angela Shirleyhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAngela Shirley2022-10-04 05:54:042022-10-05 07:31:33Notebook Mysteries ~ Haunted Christmas by Kimberly Mullins – Review by Angela Shirley
1912 New York is a city divided: Greenwich Village where rejected tradition is regularly flouted, and Manhattan where it is strictly upheld. Lottie Flannigan successfully balances both sides. While embracing a bohemian lifestyle, she maintains a legal career clerking for conservative Justice Goff in Midtown. Committed and dedicated, Lotte begins work on a high-profile criminal case involving local Police Officer Charles Becker.
Suddenly her professional and personal lives collide as she finds herself caught in a blackmail scheme that seeks to disclose her most intimate choices if she doesn’t do as they say. Is this related to the Becker Trail? Who stands to gain the most from this verdict: the justice? the prosecutor? the local police officers or lurking gangsters? Maybe even her missing lover–could she be a part of the blackmail scheme?
In a fascinating look into a scandalous turn of the century trial and ever-changing Greenwich Village social norms, the book puts Lottie in the middle of Police LieutenantCharles Becker’s Conspiracy trial.
I rarely have favorites of anything, and I might have to declare Kimberly Mullins as one of my favorite authors! Here we have another fast-paced adventure with Emma and her special team. She’s added another job description to her ever growing resume, and is becoming quite the sleuth. In book one, Emma would write her observations down in her little black notebooks, and then solve mysteries no one had even asked her to solve. In books two and three, she is becoming more and more involved with a detective agency, and in this Christmas Novella she is asked by a colleague to investigate his father’s death at his haunted house.
Emma is an independent, strong-willed woman that has many talents. This would be a great book, and series for that matter, for young and old alike. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the lovely recipes!
Tam Paradiso is madly in love with Christopher Marlowe. Unfortunately, he has been sentenced to death. Tam would literally move time to be with and save Christopher. Seeing as how she’s in present time and he’s back in 1953, that’s just what she’ll do.
I would definitely recommend reading these in a better order than I did and to start with the first. I think you will get a much better appreciation for the characters and the story. That being said, I did fully enjoy this story. I thought it was interesting and kept the pages turning. I loved the combination of historical fiction and fantasy. The author weaved the two together so well. The combination of characters worked really well too. Each had their part to play and I liked how they all interacted with each other. I certainly fond this to be a well written and exciting book. I can’t wait to go back and add more to the series.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Kerry Bakerhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngKerry Baker2022-10-03 15:49:362022-10-05 07:16:00Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Kerry Baker
From the very beginning, Hester is a captivating character. Her willful spirit is admirable and she maintains those traits even when she goes through the hard times alone and her situation seems bleak. The relationship between her and her mentor Aaron grows into something more as he teaches her how to make healing ointments and tinctures through herbal lore like her great grandmother before her once did. Hester’s mother sees this as silly folklore and suspicious witchcraft and tries to steer Hester towards a more “appropriate” craft. When Hester makes choices that have some ruinous consequences regarding the opinion of society, she’s left to face those consequences alone but not as alone as you might think. There is a mystery throughout this book that leaves you with something to think about once it is finished. I still have questions; and yet, this book goes right into the top 5 of the best witchy vibe books with feminist themes such as self reliance and empowerment that I have ever read.
Nightfall in Deptford is the fourth book in the Crescent Moon Chronicles by L.E. Towne. Here I go again, diving into a series backwards. I was so caught up by the blurb and interesting cover, that I didn’t realise this was the fourth book in the series. Smh…. I soooo wish I had read the other books in this series before plunging into this one, as I suspect that knowing what happened previously would have elevated my reading experience of this book and taken it to a whole other level. Don’t get me wrong, this was a great read, and therein lies the problem…. I am seriously missing out by not having read the other books- but that is something I plan to remedy asap. I am more than intrigued by what might have happened in the previous three books, and will definitely be going back and reading them, as well as anything else Ms. Towne has produced. This is a fantastic historical urban fantasy with time travel, fae, magic, adventure, action, destiny, shifters, paranormal elements, the supernatural, dramatic developments, passion, life and death choices, high stakes, destiny, family, and a clever melding of fact and fiction. The story is skillfully woven, with wonderful world building, developing lots of threads and layers which all contribute to the depth and rich texture of the storyline that the author has cleverly crafted. I can see that the previous three books would have enriched my reading experience of this book as this continues a time travel story that began in book one. Although I was able to ‘catch up’ somewhat in this story, I still feel like I need to know what happened previously as I am sure all the books help to paint a much bigger picture.…. Circumstances have meant that Christopher Marlowe, famous 16th century playwright, and Tam Paradiso, a present-day homicide detective team up in a race against time, with challenges past and present, hard choices, threats, danger, and high stakes- all choreographed into quite a captivating story. I am looking forward to reading the previous book, as well as any future additions- can’t wait to see where things might lead. Happy Reading!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Angela Hayeshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAngela Hayes2022-10-02 23:05:572022-10-05 07:24:16Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Angela Hayes
<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61485066-nightfall-in-deptford” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles #4)” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658061097l/61485066._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61485066-nightfall-in-deptford”>Nightfall in Deptford</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7906608.L_E_Towne”>L.E. Towne</a><br/> My rating: <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5023170076″>4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /> This was a decent book that kept me entertained. I will most likely go back and read the first three books of this series as I would like to get more background on the characters and their relationships. With that being said I did enjoy this book. Christopher Marlowe is about to meet his demise due to criminals and spies in the 1500s. The love of his life lives in present day Philadelphia and works as a detective. How is that possible you ask? Well, Tam is a time traveler who fixes snags in time. She is tasked with going back in time and fixing things that alter the future. She and her ex lover must go back and fix the timeline that coincides with Christopher’s demise as it has been altered. Will they be able to find who is behind the conspiracy? Will Tam be able to leave her beloved behind to die so things will happen as they should? Or will she risk destroying the future as she knows it by saving his life? <br/><br/> <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/106111308-charlisa-wahtomy-alba”>View all my reviews</a>
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Charlisa Wahtomy-Albahttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngCharlisa Wahtomy-Alba2022-10-02 22:58:082022-10-05 07:24:10Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Charlisa Wahtomy-Alba
I enjoyed this book. It was a historical fantasy by a new to me author. I picked this one up because it sounded interesting and I was looking for something different from my normal reads. It was well written, and I didn’t want to put it down. The uniqueness of the storyline and characters made this story stand out and I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future! Happy Reading!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Anastasia Dodsonhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAnastasia Dodson2022-10-02 22:49:102022-10-05 07:23:57Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Anastasia Dodson
Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne. I really enjoyed this book. Its a time travel, historical, mystery. Its about playwright Christopher Marlowe who is about to be at the end of the line due to criminals and spies. Christopher lives in the 1500’s England and Tam the love of his life lives in the present day in Philadelphia as a Homicide Detective. When Christopher survives the plan of his murder it changes the whole course of his life. Tam and her ex travel back in time to help Christopher and fix the timeline of his life so that he will survive. They will have to fight shifters, criminal and many other shady characters to save him. Along with the fact that if they do save him they will change the course of the future. Do they dare save him and change the course of everyone’s future or do they go ahead and let him meet his demise? This is such a unique read full of mystery, suspense, paranormal and time travel. You have to stay on your toes with this one to keep up but if you do its very enjoyable!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tausha Treadwayhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTausha Treadway2022-10-02 19:08:242022-10-05 07:10:13Nightfall in Deptford (Crescent Moon Chronicles Book 4) by L.E. Towne – Review by Tausha Treadway
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