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The Wiccan Sisterhood #1
Wiccan Shadows
Something evil is waiting for her to make a choice. When the high priestess of the Laurel Tree Coven suddenly disappears, Alex Grisham and her Wiccan sisters race against time to find her, even as a sinister power tries to thwart them. If they fail to solve the mystery before the festival day of Samhain, the world is doomed. Alex’s emotional search leads to her live-in boyfriend, Glenn, and Dan, a sexy animal control officer with too many dark secrets. She’s torn between loving them both, but now she knows that one of them is the source of the unspeakable evil and plans to unleash it on mankind. But which man is it?
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2011
1 person is currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Lori J. Schiele
3 books24 followersBorn and raised just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I'm a eclectic Wiccan with a deep and devoted love for animals, especially cats and wolves.
Worked as a veterinary nurse in a 24-hour veterinary ICU for over 15 years. Also volunteer time at a wildlife rehab, and doing TNR (trap-neuter-release) with feral cats.
I currently live in Philadelphia with my boyfriend, nine "special needs" cats and a tankful of misc fish.
Have been reading since age 3 1/2 and wrote my first story when I was 8 years old. Although I have had several short stories and magazine articles published, "Wiccan Shadows: Book One of the Wiccan Sisterhood" is my first published novel.
Worked as a veterinary nurse in a 24-hour veterinary ICU for over 15 years. Also volunteer time at a wildlife rehab, and doing TNR (trap-neuter-release) with feral cats.
I currently live in Philadelphia with my boyfriend, nine "special needs" cats and a tankful of misc fish.
Have been reading since age 3 1/2 and wrote my first story when I was 8 years old. Although I have had several short stories and magazine articles published, "Wiccan Shadows: Book One of the Wiccan Sisterhood" is my first published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 19, 2016
Wiccan Shadows by Lori J. Schiele is like being in a sea of mysticism, dynamic yet extraordinary quagmire of three witches who at first seem to live ordinary but, intuitive lives that you began to think "how can you not know this fantastic, phantasmal world existed." An intriguing, adventurous fast paced read, realistic interactions within relationships. Lori's organization of the words was so aesthetically inclined that I felt every scene oozing through my pores like I was every character. I like the idea of the love triangle and the conflict between the characters and themselves. This was an intense and captivating masterpiece and I only hope to read more from this sensational author.
June 12, 2011
From the very beginning of the book Wiccan Shadow's by Lori J. Schiele I was hooked. This is a paranormal fantasy that crosses over into the suspense thriller genre as well. From the very first page of the story I was pulled into the world of the women of Laurel Tree Coven. The novel follows the three coven sisters who frantically search for their missing circle sister. Convinced something terrible has happened to Celia, the three; Alex, Robyn and Jen struggle to find her.
The Characters in the book are very different, each unique in their own way. These women were multi-faceted and had depth. The author did a great job of bringing them to life. The background stories were subtly woven in through out the story. The supporting characters in this story were animal familiars. Their presence played a very vital role within the story, often times being the emotional anchors for our heroines. I found myself becoming attached to the animals and enjoyed the interactions with their human counterparts.
I was very impressed with the authors attention to detail when it came to the magical working of the book. The rituals, invocations and spirit journeys were true to life and believable. She also did a superb job in the creation of atmosphere , her descriptions invoked many different emotions throughout the book; fear, horror, suspense and passion to name a few.
The plot moved at a very fast pace and kept me in suspense, and in the classic form of a "Who done it?". I often times found myself talking back to the book with a loud AHA! then in the next chapter having my jaw drop as I realize I could be wrong! The author did such a good job of keeping me guessing right up until the very end. The novel is very well written, and the only thing that I found a bit confusing was the dream sequences. I could not tell the difference between the dream and reality within the story. The dreams play a very important role in the story and I found myself having to go back and reread when I realized it was a dream. This could be an easy fix, but just changing the font for the dreams to help distinguish between the two.
One thing I wanted to mention is this book scared the crap out of me. The author's writing drew me into the character of Alex, to the point that I felt like I was Alex. I was feeling everything she experienced; the fear and trepidation of walking on eggshells, while trying not to be discovered as she searched for answers. There were a few times my heart was ready to jump out of my chest with the "Fear" of being caught. This is a fantastic read and I highly recommend this book to readers who love a good paranormal thriller that keeps you guessing to the very end. I look forward to reading more from this author. I give this book a worthy 4.5 stars!
4.5 Stars!
Reviewed for DarkissReads. www.darkissreads.com
The Characters in the book are very different, each unique in their own way. These women were multi-faceted and had depth. The author did a great job of bringing them to life. The background stories were subtly woven in through out the story. The supporting characters in this story were animal familiars. Their presence played a very vital role within the story, often times being the emotional anchors for our heroines. I found myself becoming attached to the animals and enjoyed the interactions with their human counterparts.
I was very impressed with the authors attention to detail when it came to the magical working of the book. The rituals, invocations and spirit journeys were true to life and believable. She also did a superb job in the creation of atmosphere , her descriptions invoked many different emotions throughout the book; fear, horror, suspense and passion to name a few.
The plot moved at a very fast pace and kept me in suspense, and in the classic form of a "Who done it?". I often times found myself talking back to the book with a loud AHA! then in the next chapter having my jaw drop as I realize I could be wrong! The author did such a good job of keeping me guessing right up until the very end. The novel is very well written, and the only thing that I found a bit confusing was the dream sequences. I could not tell the difference between the dream and reality within the story. The dreams play a very important role in the story and I found myself having to go back and reread when I realized it was a dream. This could be an easy fix, but just changing the font for the dreams to help distinguish between the two.
One thing I wanted to mention is this book scared the crap out of me. The author's writing drew me into the character of Alex, to the point that I felt like I was Alex. I was feeling everything she experienced; the fear and trepidation of walking on eggshells, while trying not to be discovered as she searched for answers. There were a few times my heart was ready to jump out of my chest with the "Fear" of being caught. This is a fantastic read and I highly recommend this book to readers who love a good paranormal thriller that keeps you guessing to the very end. I look forward to reading more from this author. I give this book a worthy 4.5 stars!
4.5 Stars!
Reviewed for DarkissReads. www.darkissreads.com
April 26, 2015
When one her of coven sisters disappears, practicing witch Alex Grisham will face a decision that could unleash pure evil upon the world in this thrilling paranormal romance.
Danger and excitement draws the reader in and keeps them shivering in anticipation from the beginning when Alex discovers that there is an evil hunting witches - an evil that her and her coven sisters are unprepared for and the suspense and tension builds throughout the story as the danger intensifies and Alex becomes the target. The well written scenes and details capture the imagination in this steady to fast paced and smooth flowing plot full of suspense, excitement and romance.
Speaking of romance, Alex is torn between her live in partner, Glen and a sexy animal control officer, Dan which leads to quite a bit of emotional turmoil that readers can easily relate to and since both have secrets adds quite a bit of the mysterious to the story as well. But not everything is as it seems and one of these men wants her death which spices things up with lots of suspense and excitement. The strong compelling characters grab the readers attention and refuse to let go while the well orchestrated events ensures that the reader has to know every last detail and along with some unexpected twists keep the readers guessing.
There were was a couple of instances when the story seemed a little on the slow side but for the most part I was completely bewitched by the world with some interesting and different elements that the author has created. I am looking forward to reading the second book Wiccan Moonlight and discovering what the characters face next.
Danger and excitement draws the reader in and keeps them shivering in anticipation from the beginning when Alex discovers that there is an evil hunting witches - an evil that her and her coven sisters are unprepared for and the suspense and tension builds throughout the story as the danger intensifies and Alex becomes the target. The well written scenes and details capture the imagination in this steady to fast paced and smooth flowing plot full of suspense, excitement and romance.
Speaking of romance, Alex is torn between her live in partner, Glen and a sexy animal control officer, Dan which leads to quite a bit of emotional turmoil that readers can easily relate to and since both have secrets adds quite a bit of the mysterious to the story as well. But not everything is as it seems and one of these men wants her death which spices things up with lots of suspense and excitement. The strong compelling characters grab the readers attention and refuse to let go while the well orchestrated events ensures that the reader has to know every last detail and along with some unexpected twists keep the readers guessing.
There were was a couple of instances when the story seemed a little on the slow side but for the most part I was completely bewitched by the world with some interesting and different elements that the author has created. I am looking forward to reading the second book Wiccan Moonlight and discovering what the characters face next.
January 4, 2015
I was hooked from the first paragraph.
This book has it all, witches, murder mystery, romance, werewolves, evil versus witchcraft, sexy, hot man. I love it! The writing is beautiful with words that just trip off the page. And the visuals within the scenes have been excellently crafted. Yes, I could smell the male cat, cigarette smoke and old milk—Yuk. Definitely a recommend to all. Now, when is book two available? I need to read it now!
This book has it all, witches, murder mystery, romance, werewolves, evil versus witchcraft, sexy, hot man. I love it! The writing is beautiful with words that just trip off the page. And the visuals within the scenes have been excellently crafted. Yes, I could smell the male cat, cigarette smoke and old milk—Yuk. Definitely a recommend to all. Now, when is book two available? I need to read it now!
April 3, 2013
Intriguing read full of adventure, love, werewolf's & witches. Great pace that keeps you engaged and craving more. A perfect balance between the paranormal fantasy world and the thin veil of the real world. Highly recommended to lose yourself and daydream of magical places and mysterious beings....very well done. Highly recommended read! Can't wait to read the next in the series :)
May 23, 2012
A really enjoyable book that I read way too quickly because I just had to find out what happens next. This was the first urban fantasy book I have read since Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series and while this book was not as 'complex', it definately had enough magic, suspense and murder-mystery to keep me hooked. The characters (especially the familiars) were enjoyable to read about and the story was well-written.
While I have been studying spiritual topics for a while now, I am not very familar with Wicca. However, as a result of reading this book, a definite interest has been piqued in me, so I am definately wanting to find out more about it.
I only found one downside to this book, which was that I was able to figure out quite early on who-dunnit (there is one massive give-away towards the end of the first half of the book if one reads carefully). It didn't detract from the story or the suspense, but I sort of wished that the identity of culprit would have remained a mystery for longer. Nevertheless, I am definately looking forward to the next book in the series!
While I have been studying spiritual topics for a while now, I am not very familar with Wicca. However, as a result of reading this book, a definite interest has been piqued in me, so I am definately wanting to find out more about it.
I only found one downside to this book, which was that I was able to figure out quite early on who-dunnit (there is one massive give-away towards the end of the first half of the book if one reads carefully). It didn't detract from the story or the suspense, but I sort of wished that the identity of culprit would have remained a mystery for longer. Nevertheless, I am definately looking forward to the next book in the series!
January 24, 2015
September 2011: What do I think? I should say that I LOVE it since I'm the author and it's my first published novel! Anyone who enjoys witchcraft, Wiccans, and shape-shifters involved in mystery, horror and romance should definitely check it out!
December 2013: I haven't read this book since it was officially published 2 years ago and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed re-reading it. Even if I hadn't been the author, I am certain I would still have thoroughly enjoyed it and now I have to wait for my editor to finish up with the sequel, "Wiccan Moonlight" which will hopefully be released in a few months. In the meantime, I am working on the third book of the series, "Wiccan Nightmares".
1/20/15 - re-reading my first two books while writing the third in the series to make sure there is proper continuity. Am enjoying reading them immensely and actually find myself thinking "did I really write this? Wow!"
December 2013: I haven't read this book since it was officially published 2 years ago and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed re-reading it. Even if I hadn't been the author, I am certain I would still have thoroughly enjoyed it and now I have to wait for my editor to finish up with the sequel, "Wiccan Moonlight" which will hopefully be released in a few months. In the meantime, I am working on the third book of the series, "Wiccan Nightmares".
1/20/15 - re-reading my first two books while writing the third in the series to make sure there is proper continuity. Am enjoying reading them immensely and actually find myself thinking "did I really write this? Wow!"
September 29, 2012
i really loved it it was such an elegant master piece i loved every second of it i just love it i can t wait until book 2 and 3 i think every one should read this i love this series so far its my favorite one ever!
July 31, 2011
Fun, fast read. I think I am liking books about witches. Wish I had some of their powers.
October 6, 2014
I loved, loved, loved this book. It had so many things that I love about books. There was mystery, romance and just an all around fantastic read. I can't wait to find out what happens next.
Read
July 26, 2019I meant to read this book a couple of weeks ago and other things conspired to keep me away. Then I finally had a quiet evening and decided to read. I read through the night because I literally could not put it down. Excellent Wiccan story.
March 20, 2013
I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
This is a fantastic paranormal romance! I loved it!
Alex Grisham is a fantastic character. She is a loving, warm and kind soul. She also happens to be a powerful witch. I loved this character as she coped with the disappearance of the coven's high priestess, and the danger that follows. She has a vulnerability about her, but she also has an inner strength that comes to the fore.
This book is part thriller and paranormal romance, and is an exciting rollercoaster of a ride! I was gripped from the first page! The sudden mood shifts of Glenn's gave me whiplash! His coldness was confusing at first, but as the story unfolded, it became clear.
The sexual tension between Alex and Dan is intense! Even though they weren't touching in scenes, the heat of their attraction sizzled on the page! There is one very hot scene that is explicit, but not erotic.
I also liked meeting the rest of the coven. Jen is a vet and Robyn is an angst ridden teen. These characters play an important role in this book, and I am looking forward to reading more in The Wiccan Sisterhood series.
Lori J. Schiele has written a fast paced novel that is extremely entertaining! I think that the author has done a lot of homework on the wiccan practices and spells, but I think some poetic licence may have been used too, and they come across as believable. I highly recommend this book if you love a great paranormal thriller/romance full of danger, witches and werewolves. - Lynn Worton
This is a fantastic paranormal romance! I loved it!
Alex Grisham is a fantastic character. She is a loving, warm and kind soul. She also happens to be a powerful witch. I loved this character as she coped with the disappearance of the coven's high priestess, and the danger that follows. She has a vulnerability about her, but she also has an inner strength that comes to the fore.
This book is part thriller and paranormal romance, and is an exciting rollercoaster of a ride! I was gripped from the first page! The sudden mood shifts of Glenn's gave me whiplash! His coldness was confusing at first, but as the story unfolded, it became clear.
The sexual tension between Alex and Dan is intense! Even though they weren't touching in scenes, the heat of their attraction sizzled on the page! There is one very hot scene that is explicit, but not erotic.
I also liked meeting the rest of the coven. Jen is a vet and Robyn is an angst ridden teen. These characters play an important role in this book, and I am looking forward to reading more in The Wiccan Sisterhood series.
Lori J. Schiele has written a fast paced novel that is extremely entertaining! I think that the author has done a lot of homework on the wiccan practices and spells, but I think some poetic licence may have been used too, and they come across as believable. I highly recommend this book if you love a great paranormal thriller/romance full of danger, witches and werewolves. - Lynn Worton
December 4, 2014
A fast-paced, unpredictable reading adventure:
I read on average one to two books a week. My preferred genre is literary fiction, but I am also happy to read books that belong to other genres, which is the case with Wiccan Shadows (The Wiccan Sisterhood Book 1). This book turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It’s about paranormal events, about witches, a murder mystery, romance and a page turner. The characters are well portrayed. Especially one of them, Alex, she will remain in my memory for quite a while. The story is fast-paced, and yet it doesn’t skip important details and background information. Of course, it’s all fantasy, but it’s credible fantasy as far as that particular genre is concerned. Most of all, this is an enormously entertaining book that managed to draw me in, almost to an extent where one could say that I became a part of the story. I highly recommend this book, not only to lovers of this genre, but to everybody who enjoys unpredictable reading adventures.
I read on average one to two books a week. My preferred genre is literary fiction, but I am also happy to read books that belong to other genres, which is the case with Wiccan Shadows (The Wiccan Sisterhood Book 1). This book turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It’s about paranormal events, about witches, a murder mystery, romance and a page turner. The characters are well portrayed. Especially one of them, Alex, she will remain in my memory for quite a while. The story is fast-paced, and yet it doesn’t skip important details and background information. Of course, it’s all fantasy, but it’s credible fantasy as far as that particular genre is concerned. Most of all, this is an enormously entertaining book that managed to draw me in, almost to an extent where one could say that I became a part of the story. I highly recommend this book, not only to lovers of this genre, but to everybody who enjoys unpredictable reading adventures.
the-graveyard
November 11, 2014I did not give this book is star rating as I was unable to finish it.
I didn't get very far into the book before giving up. I know there are many flavors of Wicca, but there were some touches to the way the author was presenting it in this world that just hit me as a bit cliched and - for lack of a better term - gawkier that I prefer. Unfortunately, this lead to some giggles where you really don't want any, like in the middle of an otherwise nice and tense "impending death" scene. This is much more a matter of personal preference than any real flaw in the writing, and had I read further, I may have found it to be less annoying as the story went on, but I didn't really find anything else that gave me a strong enough desire to continue. YMMV.
I didn't get very far into the book before giving up. I know there are many flavors of Wicca, but there were some touches to the way the author was presenting it in this world that just hit me as a bit cliched and - for lack of a better term - gawkier that I prefer. Unfortunately, this lead to some giggles where you really don't want any, like in the middle of an otherwise nice and tense "impending death" scene. This is much more a matter of personal preference than any real flaw in the writing, and had I read further, I may have found it to be less annoying as the story went on, but I didn't really find anything else that gave me a strong enough desire to continue. YMMV.
June 23, 2016
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It has taken me a long time well over a year.... to finish this. When I first received it I just could not get into it but I finally pulled it forward on my Kindle and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed the story. We have a witch who loses a sister and embarks on a journey to find out the truth. The story was well done but I mean it was easy to tell who the culprit was which in someways good have been a could thing. I just wanted more mystery.... Otherwise, it was a good read.
November 12, 2014
This is my first experience reading this author and I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it! A great story - understandable, linear and engaging - and characters that have depth, feeling and emotion that even the densest individual can relate to. I loved the story from start to finish!
April 27, 2020
The review was accidentally written under the Kindle edition of the book so please look for it there. Many thanks. It's the first book of a trilogy that I am working on and has been getting 5 star reviews, so I guess people are pleased with it. I hope you are too.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews