The Witches of BlackBrook (Volume 1)

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel! If there were spelling errors, I hardly noticed them, as I was too caught up in the story itself. It is not common for me to miss errors in grammar/punctuation...but this was too good!

All and all this book was pretty good. The overall premise was interesting. The reason I gave it 3 stars was because it was somewhat predictable and I feel that certain plot points and scenes could have been expanded upon and given the book more depth.

I purchased this book at an author/reader event. The cover caught my eye as I was perusing the various tables, and I had to circle back to find out more from the author. The story is a bit different from what I normally read, but the description reminded me of Charmed or The Craft, so I thought I’d enjoy the story. The setting is interesting to me, as it’s someplace I visited many years ago.

This book sets the stage for an interesting series. I liked it, though it didn’t quite live up to its potential. The dialogue seems unrealistic at times (a bit too upbeat, given the circumstances, and stilted), and there is not as much character depth and growth as I would have liked. Initially, I was a bit confused by the different names/different centuries. However, that got easier to follow as the story went on. The “quick trips” back to the 17th century mixed throughout are a nice addition. It helps demonstrate how past choices impact the future. There are some twists and turns along the way. Overall, this is a quick, enjoyable read.

Three sisters, true witches born in Massachusetts at the height of the witch hunt, only want to help others with the powers they possess. When fear condemns the eldest to death, she casts a spell so they will always find their way back to each other. Jump forward centuries to the present time and Trin has found one of her younger sisters time and time again. With each new life she is still searching for the youngest of the three. Is something blocking the sisters from reuniting? Trin won’t give up; she is determined to reunite her family and regain their full powers no matter how long it takes.

This is an interesting book. It time hops frequently, but the author wrote that well enough that the reader does not get lost in the changes. The characters are well developed and the story kept me interested. The relationships are fascinating to me. I felt myself more interested in the sisters from the past. I liked the way they interacted.

The future timeline is harder to follow. It jumps around and is very mingled and I feel as though the story is rushed. I want more information. The dialogue is excellent but it is all dialogue. The author didn’t fill it with things to help me know the characters’ expressions and I just want more life and description. The romance aspect is nice, but again there isn’t enough. It is hard to invest in a story without the extras. It feels like I am just skimming along the top. The only aspects that were well described is the witchcraft, which you expect because it is about witches, but that is the least interesting aspect for me.

All of those things aside, it is a very interesting story and it picks up at the end. I did enjoy reading this book and I want to thank the author for giving me a copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

The Witches of BlackBrook tells the story of Trin and her sister Kit, and alternates between current times, all the way back to the days of the Salem Witch Trials and between. Trin and Kit were separated from their youngest sister in the 1690s, whenever Trin (then Karina) is being burned at the stake for being a witch. The three are indeed witches. In order to save herself and her sisters, Trin uses her powers to release their souls from their bodies.

Throughout several centuries, Trin and Kit always manage to find each other, but never their youngest sister (then Kenna). New people move to their current hometown of BlackBrook…and could the new school teacher possibly be the little sister they have spent hundreds of years trying to find?

First, I have to admit that I loved the cover of the book. It drew me to the synopsis, which I also loved. I find myself not only drawn to books/stories/movies about this period in time (including the TV show Salem, I admit it), but also stories of a paranormal nature. Books and stories about witches – not the evil, green, warted ones you see and read about – but those of the Wiccan variety – are so interesting to me to read. I love hearing of the potions they make, the healing salves, etc. Needless to say, I really wanted to read this book.

The story is enjoyable, and I found it hard to put down – I actually finished in one evening. You get a bit of the paranormal, some romance, and a mystery as well. You get some time travel in a sense; but most of the stories from the past will be from the 1690s. Be prepared for the interaction between the characters; at times, it seemed very formal. Personally, I figured this goes back to the history of the story – we are talking about the heroine who was born in the 1600s, after all. It didn’t affect my liking of the story.

There wasn’t anything really that I didn’t like about the story. I enjoyed the pace of it, I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed reading about potions and spells and demons and all the paranormal goodies!

Through space and time, sisters entwined. Lost then found, souls remain bound.

One the healer, one the teacher, and one the deceiver.

When face with being burned alive during the witch trails Karina does a spell to save herself and her sisters from suffering a painful death. The spell sent her and her sisters through time but it also split them up forcing them to once again find each other in each life time that they will live.

Karina has no problem finding one of her sisters through the life times but she has never found the other and because of that their powers are weakened.

Karina now calling herself Trin in present day New York continues her search for her little sister Kara but when it comes to finding her things aren't easy. Things start to become strange when new comers to the town of BlackBrook named Caris and Jason come into Trin's life bring with them flash backs of past lives. Trin Believes that Caris could be the long lost sister she has looked for for centuries but things aren't as they seem to be as random attacks from an unknown force begin to happen against Trin and her found sister Kit and her new friends Caris and Jason attempting to rip them all apart. Maybe the sisters weren't meant to ever be a family again, and maybe the spell done to save them was more a curse than helpful. Trin must now fight for the ones she loves or lose them forever. Love..Lies...Magic....

Thoughts: I was given this book for an honest review and honestly I flew through it with hardly any problems. I liked the plot of the story and the characters were likeable for the most part. I enjoyed reading about the witch craft and spell work that was done in the story. My only issue with it was the fact that there really could have been a bit more explaining when came to the main spell that shot them through time. I would have liked to have known if they are born in each lifetime and have to grow up and then find each other or if they are just shot through time and just magically appear. Details are key and for the most part the book did well, I just would have like to know more about their lives.

Starting in the very first few pages while getting to know the characters Trin and Kit I was instantly reminded of the television show Charmed. Because of this I instantly began picturing Trin as one of the sisters from the show.

After not long I realized the comparison didn’t fit as well as I’d thought at first but the picture had been set in my mind. Since I absolutely adore the show I really enjoyed this mental imagery. I was able to get a ‘visual’ sense of some of the magic which made my reading experience even better!

The story seems very character driven to me and a lot of the twists of the story were very predictable. A few times this got a bit tiring and I wanted to just get on with it already. I did enjoy finding out we got to the various different parts of the story. Plus there was one surprise that I didn’t see coming which I was happy about.

I enjoyed the magical side of the story and would have loved to have had more of that. I wanted further explanation of the powers that each of the sisters had. I could have done without the over the top romance which felt almost syrupy sweet to me. It’s not that I didn’t like it at all but there were times it went over into the extreme and pushed me away from the story a little.

Overall it was a great read which held my attention through the suspense. I knew where it would most likely end up but enjoyed finding out how it did so. For me, this was a book completely focused on the journey rather than a race to find out the conclusion. Fans of romance and magic or interesting spin offs to historical events like the Salem Witch Trials should give this a try.

This eGalley was provided free from the author through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion and I was compensated in no other manner.

I read this book for Kyle’s Fiction Addiction and gave it five stars. This book is a wonderful story rich in history and romance set in the small town of BlackBrook, New York. The author’s creative way of weaving the past and future of three sisters, Kara Kenna and Trina, had me spell bound. It seems the author did her homework for this story. Her story was filled with snippets that enriched the plot as well as show cased her extensive knowledge of Wiccan Rituals, Massachusetts and upstate New York. This epic tale with its twisting plot flows between the past and future seamlessly. The characters are so well rounded and real you can’t help but fall in love with them and want to see who they really are and how their lives will unfold. The literal sparks between the main character Trina and Office Hardy makes their stories magical from the moment they meet.
This book is a great read. It is creative and had me guessing to the end. I found myself routing for these characters as they battled their inner and outer demons. I love that the characters were empowered strong woman. I also liked that the heroine and hero are not a sappy couple making goo-goo eyes at each other throughout the whole book, but they do a lot of flirting and deeper emotions are at play between the leading man and the leading lady in this very romantic love story. Don’t get me wrong there is plenty of action and mystery in this book as well. I have rarely felt so strongly about a romance novel and labeled it as a must read book, but this one is more than a beach book. It is a love story that spans the ages; a mystery of deceptions and lies; a battle between the forces of good and evil and a well written work. It is a book that entranced me from page one, drew me in by page two and made me sad when I came to the end because I wanted to keep reading about Trina and her sisters and of course the sexy Officer Hardy.

The whole topic of the Salem witch trials is something that has always interested me. I’m no scholar when it comes to what happened, but I always find myself watching documentaries or checking out books that touch on the subject so it’s no surprise that this one caught my eye. The blurb coupled with the cover had me requesting it, as well as getting the opportunity to experience an author that I’d never read before. So when it was finally sent to me I was excited to dive into the world, but I now find myself in a bit of a conundrum. I really enjoyed the story, but have a somewhat tepid reaction to the characters that populate it.

I know it seems strange, but I just couldn’t really connect with any of them. Much of it came down to the fact that I thought many of their interactions with each other were a bit too formal, stilted and even a little choppy. When you are meeting someone for the first time it’s one thing, but when the characters are supposed to have known each other for a while I expect there to be a more relaxed, warm feel to their interactions, even when irritated, but I never really felt that with them. I’ll admit that this could definitely fall into the “It’s not you, it’s me” category, but there was just something missing for me.

But while they characters themselves didn’t really leave a mark, I really liked the story. The flashbacks to the 1600’s and the events that led up to the sisters’ souls being jettisoned out of their bodies in order to save them was done well. The attention to detail and explanation of the spells and various herbs and items used, in both the flashbacks and main part of the story, was something that I enjoyed and added depth to the story. The various twists and turns in the story as you try to figure out who the antagonist were well done and was something that held my attention as I tried to figure out just who it was since it appeared as if everyone was suspect. And though this book is being touted as paranormal romance, it felt more urban fantasy to me with a romantic element to the story.

The Bottom Line: While I wish that I had connected more with the characters, I still enjoyed the story.

~ Received an advanced copy from Xpresso Book Tours ~

Overall, The Witches of Blackbrook is a cute read, but considering the material, I really wanted it to be darker. Don’t get me wrong. It’s perfect as a teen read. Sex is hinted at, fading to black. Not one single swear. But there’s also murder, and a witch being burned at the stake. Considering the mature themes, it was a strange contrast to have the book feel so light. It’s categorized as being New Adult, but I really didn’t feel like there was anything overtly sexual or too violent for a teenager.

When it comes to books with witchcraft, I’m always excited to see how the magic is portrayed. Sometimes the magic is merely thoughts brought to reality, maybe there’s sparks or lightning, or sometimes the author will just try to describe the intangible. In this case, there are actual spoken spells. I found that I actually enjoyed the rhyming spells. They were well thought out and didn’t come across as cheesy or forced. It fit in well with the characters, well rounding out the plot.

Speaking of plot, I had it figured out pretty quickly. No big surprises, though I still enjoyed the journey. I especially liked the flashbacks to their past lives, and I wished there had been more of those scenes. That was a whole half of the story that could have been explored further. Prequel perhaps? ?

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of The Witches of BlackBrook to review and really chose it because of its awesome cover I want that dress so bad! I am glad that I choose to review it, I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would.

Likes:

I loved the whole span of time in the books. The sisters were crushed to be separated and have to find each other through series of lives. They grew up in Salem during the heat of the witch trials. Even though they tried to help people, they still are seen as harmful.

Magic is always fun in books. It is fun to imagine what it would be like if you had powers.

I really liked the location on the book, that upper northeast corner of the country is somewhere I have not been able to visit much and I would love to travel there more.

I loved the family relationships in the book. No matter what the era, the sisters desperately search for each other. I love that. Good, strong family values in books always make me smile.

There was a little bit of romance in the book, and it was good. It wasn’t too much but it was timeless. I thought it fell well within the rest of the story.

I am excited to see where the rest of the series goes! I enjoyed the writing, it was a fast, easy read.

Gripes:

Nothing major.

I was pleasantly surprised and captivated with the story of The Witches of Blackbrook. The story of 3 wiccan sisters who are reborn through the ages trying to find each other is amazing and the flashbacks to their original time helps you to develop their characters more in your mind. The story starts off with 2 sisters already reunited and in search of the last sister. But new characters start to rock that foundation and the story shifts leaving you with more questions. Is the newest character the 3rd sister? Or is she the one causing the trouble coming? The story leads you on twists and turns trying to sort out the truth of who is telling the truth of who they are? The eldest sister is caught between her loyalty to the sister she has always been reunited with and with the two newcomers who stir in her memories of her original life. Who are these people and are they the key to finding her other sister? The mystery behind this and the events that unfold make the story fast paced and intriguing. I love the characters and how they carry the story to its surprising completion. This is definitely a story worth reading.

I was very impressed with this book. The storyline writing and character construction was great. I was engaged from the very first chapter all the way through to the end of the book. I was saddened when it was over. You know you've read a really good book when you get a little depressed once you read the last line because it forces you to leave the world created by the author. Where the love interest can fall flat in some books, it does no such thing here. While I am not versed in Wiccan history, I was still able to follow the storyline without getting lost.

I am also excited that Ms. Thawer has quite a few other titles available for me to read. I am very much looking forward to exploring her other work. I think I will begin with Raven's Breath: The Women of Purgatory (Book 1).

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this ebook for purposes of review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

This book was very different for me. After requesting a review copy from Xpresso Book Tours, I kind of thought to myself “What have you gotten yourself into?”. Not in a necessarily bad way, because that is one heck of a synopsis. But it was the fear of trying something new.

Tish Thawer’s WITCHES OF BLACKBROOK was intriguing from the beginning. I’m a huge fan of the paranormal novels (obviously, since I’m writing in that genre), but something about her teasers scared me a bit. So once I cracked open that first page, I was relieved to find that it wasn’t going to be so horribly dark that I couldn’t stand it. Let’s face it, some of the witchy books can get a little…too much sometimes.

There was a great balance in this book with lighthearted humor, suspense, mystery, romance, and friendship. I found myself constantly questioning what would happen next, which is always a great sign. Although I had guessed what would happen (because of the synopsis), I loved finding the twists and turns as they came along.

The characters were very strong. I enjoyed Trin despite her sometimes bland personality. She was strong, loyal, and loving. For her to encounter what she did and still come out of it as herself is pretty revealing of her character. Seeing the different flashbacks and understanding the characters was essential, and I think that Tish did a really great job of revealing just enough each time.

I wouldn’t call this book too much of a ‘steamy romance’. There are romance elements, but it primarily focuses on the suspense and story-line. Not necessarily a bad thing, since I LOVE a good story-line. But I just think it’s essential some of my readers know it because I read a lot of steamy romance lol.

Overall, WITCHES OF BLACKBROOK was a very interesting read, and I would recommend it to my readers who enjoy a great paranormal story-line with lots of revealing plot twists.

*I received a free ebook copy of this from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Witches of BlackBrook is a book about three sisters escaping a time of the witch trials and being transported to the future, in a way. In each life they live, they are meant to find each other, to be together again. However, for some reason, Trin (the eldest sister who cast the spell that allowed them to escape) can only find one sister in each life. She becomes slightly obsessed with finding her last sister, and so when she meets the Hardy's and sparks erupt, she gets her hopes up. But that's just the beginning. There's still a lot of secrets, deceit, evil, and bad intentions hanging around in the air. And with all these weird occurrences happening, who knows what's really happening? Unless of course, someone isn't who they say they are...

I like this book. It's all about reuniting as a family and fighting off the evil trying to keep said family separated. It had mystery, romance, paranormal occurrences (obviously). It was a fight to find out what was happening and why and how to stop it once the sister's figured it out. It was enjoyable to read.

The characters were good. I like Trin and how she's fiercely protective. I love how she cares so much for her family that she'll do everything in her power to be with them again. It's only natural that she'd get a little obsessed and desperate enough to think every witch she encounters could be her long lost sister. But that's what makes her easier to connect with, because we all get lost in our desires at times. I like how she never gave up even though people around her died, while other lie to her and use her. She's strong and a likable character.

Kit is a jealous little thing. I couldn't understand why she was always so jealous. I mean, I had my ideas, my predictions, but it didn't really make sense. Especially the parts we read in her POV. Those don't make sense anymore, especially not after the ending. It's almost like she's two different people. I don't know. It doesn't really work for me. At least she was nice and cares about Trin, though. For that, she is still a character I like. It made the story more enjoyable.

While I like this book however, at times the dialogue didn't feel natural. It felt rather... choppy. As well as the fact that things at times were rushed. The ending was the most rushed, because at first. the sister's have no clue what their next move will be and then BAM! Trin has sex and she knows all the answers? She knows exactly how the night will play out and what she needs to do? I don't know. It just doesn't work for me. I get that they're witches, but it happened all so suddenly and then it was over. The book itself is fairly fast paced, yes, but even so, some things just went by a little too fast with little or no explanation.

Overall, I like this book. I do. But it was a bit rushed, some things didn't fall into place at the end, and it didn't always flow well. I still recommend this to lovers of paranormal, witchy reads though!

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Angela Bendyk's review Jun 20, 15 · edit
5 of 5 stars
bookshelves: to-read
Read from June 19 to 20, 2015

Received an advanced copy from Xpresso Book Tours.

Absolutely loved this book!!!! Being able to follow the story of 3 sisters finding their way back to each other through magic was amazing. The incredible detail Tish gives to not only her characters but to every nuance in this book astounds me.
A truly remarkable book of loss, love, and magic. One of my favorite reads of this year.

Three sisters have been finding each other through time.Thinking that she was only looking for 1 sister Trin is excited to have found the other.Oddly Kit,sister 2,is not happy.As it turns out everyone has been affected by a curse from long ago Salem witch trials.
I liked this one.Sometimes juvenile,sometimes just too wordy,Narrated nicely by Michelle Marie,it's a good read.
I was gifted this book for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading The Witches of Black Brook. The writer's voice made the story very easy to slip into. I must mention how impressed I am with the level of research that went into learning the craft and how to write spells. It all seemed very believable. The characters are likable and I enjoyed the dual time lines. I was already a fan of Tish's vampire series and I look forward to reading more from her. ~ Kriston Johnson

I really enjoyed reading The Witches of Black Brook. The writer's voice made the story very easy to slip into. I must mention how impressed I am with the level of research that went into learning the craft and how to write spells. It all seemed very believable. The characters are likable and I enjoyed the dual time lines. I was already a fan of Tish's vampire series and I look forward to reading more from her. ~ Kriston Johnson