Category: Women’s Fiction

A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin

On By TracyIn Gothic Historical, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714), Paranormal / Fantasy, Standalone Title, Women's FictionLeave a comment

A Time of WitchesA Time of Witches by Madeline Martin

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone Title

Release Date: September 1, 2026

After losing her mother, Lilith Legare feels unmoored, but the strange signs around her—her dreams, her birthmark, and her growing connection to the natural world—make her search for answers feel urgent and deeply personal. I loved watching her move from confusion into strength as she uncovered the truth about her ancestry and began to understand the power that had always been part of her. Her chapters had a mystery-adventure energy that kept the story moving, and I found myself rooting for her as she claimed her voice and stepped into her own identity.

Sybil’s timeline was the most heartbreaking and powerful part of the book for me. As an educated, independent (widowed) woman in 1645 Suffolk, she becomes a target simply because her knowledge, status, and resilience threaten the men around her. The horrors of the witch trials are written with such intensity that her chapters are difficult to read at times, but they are also impossible to look away from. Sybil’s strength, fear, love for her sister, and determination to protect those around her made her feel incredibly real, and her story carried so much emotional weight.

Overall, I thought this dual-timeline story was a beautifully written and deeply affecting historical fiction novel. Madeline Martin’s writing is strong, atmospheric, and full of feeling, balancing the magic and mystery with the very real brutality of the witch trials. I was also impressed by the secondary characters, who added warmth, tension, loyalty, and complexity to both timelines. Lilith’s storyline pulled me in as a journey of grief, discovery, and self-trust and Sybil’s story eviscerated me; the pain, loss and ultimate redemption gave me a reading experience I have never had and holding me in thrall until the very last page. This book stirred up so many emotions for me—anger, sadness, hope, and admiration—and even when the subject matter was painful, I felt completely invested in the women at the heart of the story. Highly recommended.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

I Haunt It That Way by Isabelle Popp

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews, Women's FictionLeave a comment

I Haunt It That WayI Haunt It That Way by Isabelle Popp

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: August 25, 2026

For years Thora Williamson has worked for best-selling author Bryony Brooks as her personal assistant and in the end as her nurse/companion. To her surprise, Bryony left her an outrageous inheritance, and in doing so, gave Thora the means to follow her own dreams, whatever they may be. Thora starts by divorcing her husband Cody Briscoe and setting out to visit her cousin Mackenzie “Mack” who is living in the Adirondacks with her wife Jade and struggling to open a B&B. She plans on surprising Mack with the money she needs to renovate the property, she also plans on buying Juniper, the family’s summer retreat, since her Uncle George passed on three years ago and the property is to be auctioned off by the town to cover the back taxes. She is looking forward to some time spent reflecting on the past and deciding how to incorporate those memories into a children’s book she wants to write. She is just settling in when she gets her first visitor, Lee Halliday, her ex-husband’s best friend and the bane of her existence.

Thora harbors a lot of anger against Lee, she blames him for her uncle’s death, because Lee partly renovated Juniper, enabling George to stay alone in the home year-round. Sadly, George was a recluse and passed away alone but wasn’t found for quite some time. Thora lays that directly on Lee, so she is furious when he shows up without warning. But Lee had no idea that George passed away and is genuinely heartbroken. Thora wants to kick him out but knows that George cared for Lee and knows he needs closure, so she agrees to let him stay for a few days. She is even more annoyed that she finds him attractive and doesn’t want to like him. But when things start happening in the house, she secretly admits to herself that she is glad he is there.

This book was not what I was expecting, I thought it was going to be a paranormal rom-com with a enemies-to-lovers trope, but there was nothing even remotely “rom-com” about this book. Thora is one of the angriest heroines I have ever read, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find a way to justify her anger – I understood some of it, but I couldn’t understand why she held onto it so tightly and kept regurgitating it. The book is filled with snarky banter, spicy love scenes, a heroine filled with rage at life in general, a heart of gold hero, some interesting secondary characters, a spooky house filled with memories and some paranormal activity, and ending with a horrifying twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. Overall, once I accepted that it wasn’t a rom-com and just enjoyed it as a sort-of-fantasy read with spicy love scenes and a heaping helping of feminine rage – I actually liked it. If you are looking for an emotional read with a bit of supernatural and some spice – you should give this book a try.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *