"The Midnight Witch" by Paula Brackston

SUMMARY :

Midnight is the most bewitching hour of them all…

From Paula Brackston, the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch’s Daughter and The Winter Witch, comes a magical tale that is as dark as it is enchanting.  Set in high society Edwardian England, The Midnight Witch is the story of a young witch who faces the choice between love and loyalty to her coven…

Lady Lilith Montgomery is the daughter of the sixth Duke of Radnor. She is one of the most beautiful young women in London and engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. She is also a witch.

When her father dies, her hapless brother Freddie takes on his title. But it is Lilith, instructed in the art of necromancy, who inherits their father’s role as Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven. And it is Lilith who must face the threat of the Sentinels, a powerful group of sorcerers intent on reclaiming the Elixir from the coven’s guardianship for their own dark purposes. Lilith knows the Lazarus creed: secrecy and silence. To abandon either would put both the coven and all she holds dear in grave danger. She has spent her life honoring it, right down to her engagement to her childhood friend and fellow witch, Viscount Louis Harcourt.

 

Until the day she meets Bram, a talented artist who is neither a witch nor a member of her class. With him, she must not be secret and silent. Despite her loyalty to the coven and duty to her family, Lilith cannot keep her life as a witch hidden from the man she loves.

To tell him will risk everything.

 

 

PRAISE FOR PAULA BRACKSTON'S WRITING:

 

Publishers Weekly

01/06/2014
Bestseller Brackston follows The Witch’s Daughter and The Winter Witch with another sturdy historical paranormal. In 1913 London, on the eve of WWI, Lady Lilith Montgomery takes the title of Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven after her father’s death. Lilith and her fiancé, fellow witch Louis Harcourt, must defend the secret of the elixir of life from rival sorcerers, but both are distracted when impoverished artist Bram Cardale wins Lilith’s heart. War and the schemes of her enemies leave Lilith isolated, but loosening social conventions allow her to find love with Bram and success in her pursuits. Brackston lightly layers in unusual historical locales, like war-torn Uganda, but otherwise provides the expected charms of Edwardian balls, decadent slumming in opium dens, and repentant work in wartime soup kitchens. Her characters also fit convention (unsure prodigy, flighty socialite, spurned yet noble suitor) but their sincerity and humor make them worth following to the end. (Mar.)

 

“A sensitive, beautifully written account… If the Brontë sisters had penned magical realism, this would have been the result.” –The Guardian (London)

“There’s a whiff of Harry Potter in the witchy conflict—a battle between undeveloped young magical talent and old malevolence—at the heart of this sprightly tale of spells and romance, the second novel from British writer Brackston (The Witch’s Daughter, 2011)…. Love of landscape and lyrical writing lend charm, but it’s Brackston’s full-blooded storytelling that will hook the reader.” --Kirkus

“Brackston delivers an intimate paranormal romance that grounds its fantasy in the reality of a 19th century Welsh farm.” –Publishers Weekly

“Brackston's imaginative story is fascinating, polished and intriguing.” –CurledUp.com

“Paula Brackston’s Winter Witch is a whimsical and mystical tale that’s part romance part mystery part fantasy and all extraordinary. Her beautiful narrative moves flawlessly throughout the story… This unique novel will appeal to fans of a multitude of genres from historical to fantasy and will engage fans of all ages as well.” -- www.thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/

 

 

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

 

Published by:  St. Martin's Press

Pages:  352

Author:  Paula Brackston

Genre:  Fiction

Website:  http://www.paulabrackston.com

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

 

 

 

PAULA BRACKSTON is the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch’s Daughter and The Winter Witch. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Lancaster University in the UK.  She lives in Wales with her family.

 

 

The book trailer:

 

 

 

 

For an excerpt click here:  http://issuu.com/stmartinspress/docs/the_midnight_witch_excerpt

 

 

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

 

To put it short and sweetly:  I loved this book.  It's been a while since I've read such a bewitching witch novel.  Paula Brackston is a captivating author with a gift for storytelling that is sure to keep even the most skeptical of readers wide-eyed!

Not only is the book a great story, but the details of a coven and witches were so realistic. Beautifully cast, the finest outlines of persons, clothing and places make this novel come alive.  I was spellbound.  I could see the vivid colors, the ghostliness of the coven's inter sanctum, and the fearsomeness of some of the characters.  Ms Brackston leaves no stone unturned to give us a gorgeous picture of her characters and their settings.  I also appreciated so much the secondary story of the artists, their sensibilities and passions. 

The love story of Lilith and Bram is wound elegantly throughout, and it's difficult not to fall in love with both of these main characters.  Bram, as an artist, appealed to me because of this additional dimension and his compassion.

This is a novel with much to offer.  Not the run-of-the-mill story...  It's a study in the sacred bonds of family and lovers, vows and secrets.

Not to be missed!!  I highly recommend it on many levels:  Excellence in writing, great characterization, descriptive detailing, background and ambience, love story, bewitching tale and more.

5 stars                          Deborah/TheBookishDame