As Witch Would Have It

Wicked Witches of Pendle Island #1

by Mara Webb

Chelsea Moon has had better days. Weeks. Months. Years.

When real life gets too hard Chelsea decides to fly back to Pendle Island, a place she has not been since she was born. She’s looking forward to a vacation, but when she arrives, she’s quickly thrown into mayhem. Her Great Aunt Griselda has died, and Chelsea is needed at the funeral.

She’s barely halfway through a stack of breakfast pancakes when her cousin Lizzy drops another bombshell. Chelsea is a witch, and her Great Aunt didn’t just die. She was murdered.

Things go from bad to worse when Chelsea and her cousin start to follow the breadcrumbs. Her Great Aunt had been an infamous miser and hated by just about everyone on Pendle Island. Witches don’t get much more wicked than Griselda.

After an ancient legal loophole leaves Chelsea as the sole heir of Griselda’s estate, she suddenly finds herself in charge of a haunted house on a hill, home to a mad pirate ghost, a talking cat, and a burly lumberjack with a curious secret.

If that wasn’t enough, she’s got a dreamy sheriff to contend with, and a silver-tongued lawyer who is as charming as he is cunning. It’s a lot to process, especially when Chelsea learns about a family curse dangling over her head. The last thing she wants is to end up like her man-eater mother, but it seems she can’t help attracting attention…

With a curse to run from, a murder to solve, and a needy cat to please, Chelsea finds her plate fills up very quickly. There’s also the small matter of avoiding death and learning magic, but that’s easy enough. Right?

As Witch Would Have It is the first book in the Wicked Witches of Pendle Island mystery series. It’s fast, funny, and may contain a sassy animal or two.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Witches, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal Mystery, Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2020

About the author

Mara Webb graduated from a child with a vivid imagination and a love of all things magic, to a professional writer. Mara writes cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist, and delights in concocting new and unusual ways to murder characters in her books.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chelsea Moon arrives on Pendle island, a place she hasn’t been in 30 years. Once she lands there, her cousin Lizzy informs Chelsea that her Great Aunt Griselda has passed away and that she is needed at the funeral. Chelsea is shocked to learn she is a witch, descended from a long line of witches. She and Lizzy discover Griselda was murdered and soon they are investigating. Great read with interesting characters. Looking forward to the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mooncat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but also not a very exciting one. This book lacked depth. In characters and in the world building, both falling flat with too much things told and much of it a bit too convenient. The most interesting one was the familiar cat but he too didn’t feel very consistent. Plus a very obvious case solution.
I’m going to give the second book a chance, but only because I got the omnibus with the whole series, I wouldn’t if I had to get it separately - or pay for it.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and entertaining supernatural cozy mystery

A unique and entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series. A quirky cast of characters and an entertaining story line. A young woman approximately 30 years old returns home to a small island where she was born. Her mother and her left when she was a baby. She goes back to visit family and lo and behold learns that she is actually a witch. Follow along as she figures out her family history and begins to learn about being a witch. She find out shortly after arriving at her great aunt has passed away. Her great aunt or three eccentric and mean old witch. She made it where no one in the family could inherit her house and property. By chance there was a loophole and when she left the island her mother actually changed her last name. Allowing her to inherit her great aunts house just by happenstance. Follow along and find out what happened to the great aunt and see all the quirky characters. Including a talking cat a pirate ghost any other wizard trapped in the body of a fat raccoon. Entertaining funny and enjoyable. Check it out

[Aimee Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chelsea decides to go see her cousin and where she lived as a young child. She doesn't have a job and things are not working out like she hoped. Chelsea makes Pendle Island. Her cousin informs her that their Great Aunt Griselda has passed and they have to go to her funeral. Chelsea finds out that she is the heir to all her great aunt's possessions. She meets the lawyer that is handling the case, she can't help but be attracted to him.
Chelsea finds out that her family are witches and so is she. They find out that Griselda was murdered. They have to present evidence to the sheriff, so he will look into the matter. Chelsea also finds herself attracted to him as well.
Chelsea has to find out what her magic type is, who murdered aunt, if she staying on the island.

This is really cute, fun book to read, nice distraction from everyday life. I am looking forward to the next book to see what is going on with Chelsea and if she going to pick one of the guys.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’ve fallen in love with this new series! Chelsea and Lizzie are so much fun! Artemus is a sarcastic familiar and I love how he messes with Adam. The way that the witchcraft is described is so original too. I liked the different types that determine how the energy for the magic is built up. Very, very original!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jana Gundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guaranteed to laugh

This is the first book for me by this author but it won’t be the last! Chelsea visits her family on a remote island that just so happens to be full of magic and she discovers she’s a witch herself! The town is quirky and her cousin is a hoot, not to mention the talking cat and the wizard trapped in an obese raccoons body that dresses up! This is a guaranteed laugh!

[Heather Bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this paranormal mystery. I loved the storyline and characters. Chelsea Is a great main character. I found the story interesting and I was pulled in from the beginning. A really great mystery that I recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lois Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I only wish it was longer—there were a couple of scenes that I wish we got to hear about in detail (I’m being vague as not to spoil anything), but still a very good read!

I’ll be downloading the next book straight away!

Bottom line: if you enjoy paranormal cozy mysteries, then read this book!!

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, is entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable, a great storyline. The chemistry between the characters is wonderful. I can't wait for more from this author. I received this book as a FREE ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

[Blake · Rating 1 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

As I just accidentally re-read the 1st of another of her series (I somehow forgot to post the review, that I vaguely recall writing because I was annoyed at getting a boxset and wasting time on the first two books....)

Anyways I was having one of my moments of second guessing myself with being a 'one and done' if I 1 star an author on a first try with their books.... so seeing I had this one in my collection I read the blurb and it sounded familiar (and not just because its so similar to the other series. -- That actually doesn't bother me, unless its too egregious. I think it can be fun to try various versions of the same plot beats as long as only a few are shared between stories. Just changing names / location and a little bit more is annoying though.)
Pain is being a right pain, so I keep drifting from the point, sorry.
So I decided to save time and read the 3 star reviews to see if this jogged my memory and yep, I did give this book a try as well! (I'm now wondering if I didn't add more reviews than just two... over the years other books have also felt very familiar on reading, but no reviews...)
I recall this book and I wish it was a good recall.

Standout memory reactions to plot bits from other reviews...
1. The MC ignoring the obvious over what her gardener is! ---- I don't care if she is new to the world, the clues were so obvious that he's a werewolf

2. I'm not a fan of love triangles (or a love quadruple) ---- I don't mind 'why chose' but if I wanted love triangles (or worse) I'd watch soap operas.

3. You can write the men, as each being attractive in their own ways, but they have to be attractive! ---- I even opened the book again and used keyword search and double checked descriptions and yeah no. I'll just pick one of the three. As someone else said Yosemite Sam is not attractive. If the description had instead been 'red hair that barely touched his collar and a goatee', along with his green eyes and chiseled jaw he'd sound attractive and not more like Yosemite Sam.

4. Just those snippets, I forgot how bad the writing / dialogue was in this book!

---------

You know what else I recall, and its funny that this is the book I tried again to see if I was being to harsh with my '1 and done' policy for new to me authors, that this was the book that made me decide that I was right to just go with that first impression!






First time read the author's work?: No

Will you be reading more?: No

Would you recommend?: No


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and think it makes a great start for a new series. Mainly because I liked the idea of the different witches and how they get there powers, it made for a different listen. I especially liked the way the murder victim was mean to somebody and it brought them good luck, a novel idea and a lot of fun but that's not the only type of witch involved in this humours mystery. The main characters power, which isn't revealed until near the end of the story, sounds like it could get her into a lot of trouble but be fun for the reader or listener. The mystery was interesting but I did know who the killer was, so it could have done with a few twists but still enjoyable. The characters were fun if a little quirky and I think it will be a series I would visit again.
Down on her luck Chelsea decides to return to her home town to visit a cousin she has never met. Apon arrival she finds out she is just in time to attend her great aunt's funeral. She is shocked to learn that she is the sole heir to the dead womans property but that is nothing compared to talking to her cat and having him respond. Chelsea comes from a long line of witches and with a simple name change, she to will come into her powers. When Chelsea and her cousin receive a very unusual message from there Aunt before she died, it leads to the body being exhumed and a murder investigation is launched. Who would want to kill there great Aunt? It turns out to be a very long list and not very many people had anything nice to say about her. Chelsea will have to quickly learn about magic of she plans to stick around and solve her great aunt's murder but will doing so put herself in danger?
I liked the narrator but I think the editing might need to be looked at. A few times in the first couple of chapters words or sentences were repeated but not sure if they were mistakes or part of the story. Otherwise I enjoyed her retelling of the mystery.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Witch Would Have It, by Mara Webb, is the first book in the "Wicked Witches of Pendle Island" series, starring novice witch Chelsea Moon.

With her life imploding around her, Chelsea decides to return to Pendle Island. She was born there, but her mother moved them off island when Chelsea was a baby, and it's the first time she's been back. She arrives just in time for her crazy cousin Lizzy to pick her up at the tiny airport and whisk Cheslea to the funeral for their great-aunt Griselda. Chelsea learns that Griselda was a witch in every sense of the word, and that she's a witch also. As if that's not enough to absorb, Griselda's attorney informs Chelsea that, due to a legal loophole in Griselda's will, she has inherited Griselda's estate. Along with the house and property, Chelsea has also inherited a Familiar, a talking black cat named Artemis, and a handsome handyman. When Artemis tells Chelsea and Lizzy that Griselda was murdered, they present evidence to the police and begin doing their own sleuthing. The problem is, with Griselda's personality, the list of suspects is quite long. It's going to take a lot of work and a little bit of magic to solve Griselda's murder.

This was a cute story. Chelsea is likable, and Lizzy is fantastic. It was fun to learn that different witches glean their magical power from different sources. It not only helped Chelsea understand her mother better, but it also provided some surprising insight into Griselda's character. Two minor complaints:
- The plot was a tad choppy, hopping from one situation to another with not enough smooth transition.
- THREE potential romantic interests?! That was a bit much to wrap my head around. My money is on Deacon, simply because he's the sheriff, and the Rule of Cozy Mysteries states that the love interest must be someone involved in law enforcement. Guh.

This was fun and funny enough to allow me to overlook the minor aggravations. Giving it a solid four, and I will certainly look to read more in this series.

[Sue-Dee Numb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comfortable book, it does not push any boundary within this genre, where a woman finds out in her early adulthood that she is a Witch and the Paranormal world is real and not just in the pages of books,
Here Chelsea Moon comes to the Island of Pendle to visit her cousin, though born on the Island Chelsea's mum moved from the Island when Chelsea was a baby to marry again, and again and again (x 14)
With everything going wrong in her life. she has lost her job and does not really want to have to go back to living with her man eating mother and her new husband Chelsea has come to Pendle to meet with her cousin Lizzie with whom she has been Pen Pals with since they were young, but this will be the first time they have met in the flesh, And what a day of firsts it's about to be!

Chelsea is met with a lot of revelations, a legacy (left through a loophole) and a murder!

The actual mystery is not bad, there are some good red herrings to keep our heroine investigating and interacting with the sheriff, who is very good looking and dashing (naturally!), And a fairly decent conclusion.

This book is not earth shattering, but it is comfortable, it is a nice quick easy read, it is a book you can pick up and finish in an evening and does not require your full attention in order to follow and enjoy it.

We are left with lot's of questions for the sequel, who if either will Chelsea pick as her main man, the slick good looking lawyer, or the dashing fit sheriff? Will her Mother decide to visit after all for husband number 15 (or is it 16 who is counting really) and just what is the handyman's secret? Oh and what mischief will her cousin get up to next?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Spinneretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

Chelsea Moon decided to visit family on Pendleton Island when her chronic inability to find a job finally got to her. Surprisingly her arrival coincided with her aunt’s funeral... and Chelsea is the sole heir to her aunt’s property.
She also discovers that her entire family, including herself, are witches, and the magical note left behind by her aunt suggests that her death wasn’t natural.
With the aid of her cousin Lizzie and her deceased aunt’s familiar Artemis, Chelsea is determined to find out who the killer is.

The book was an entertaining read, if a little rough around the editorial edges. The witchy premise is rather uniquely presented, and the cast of supporting characters is suitably quirky and mysterious.
It’s a standalone mystery, complete in and of itself, although it is the first book in a series.
There was little to no romance, although there are two or three potential interests, the heroine has good reasons for avoiding romance, which obviously will have to be overcome in a future book.
As cozy paranormal mysteries go, it had everything required... ghosts, witches, and I suspect some kind of shifter, although this was more implied than actually shown for sure.
Anyone who enjoys a paranormal cozy, will probably enjoy this one.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chelsea arrives at the Pendle airport such as it is. Lizzie is her Goth cousin. Chelsea's great aunt has died and Chelsea is there for her funeral.

Her great aunt, apparently, seems to have been an extremely nasty person without any friends and always stirring up trouble. Needless to say there aren't many people at the funeral.

Living ones, that is.

Apparently there's a whole bunch of ghosts that attend. Lizzie can see them, Chelsea kind of sees them too which isn't supposed to happen.

Things get weirder for Chelsea when Lizzie is able to snap her fingers, change her outfit and reveal that she's actually a witch. It gets odder when it appears that Chelsea is going to be the one to inherit her great aunt's house and some money.

How to make things worse for her? Well, step into the house and be attacked by a ghost.

More complications? How about a talking cat familiar and the information that her aunt was actually murdered?

So, all she has to do is adapt to the idea that she, too, is a witch, fix up a somewhat run down house, keep the groundskeeper, avoid some possible legal problems and one more thing.

Try to stay alive.

I really liked this first book in the series so I bought the entire collection.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our heroine goes home for a quick break, but is quickly inundated with many, many mysterious and unexpected events. Not the least of which is learning she is a witch. So much for taking a break.

This is book one in the new series, so no issues there.

This is new and delightful cozy witch mystery series. The story is well written and full of a wry sense of humor that really appealed to me. Both the characters and setting are well developed and fit together in unexpected ways. The plot includes several twists and turns and I really enjoyed watching our poor heroine navigate through all these unexpected events. Overall, I found this story to be highly enjoyable and look forward to reading more in the series.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A name change makes all the difference

A great start to a new series. The characters are still growing but they are becoming clearer with each page. The plot is a mixture of murder and a witch that doesn't know she's a witch and all because her mother changed her name by deed poll.
Arriving at the small island has her meeting her eccentric cousin, gaining an inheritance, attending a funeral and finding out she's a witch. Then comes the part that really shakes her. The person she inherited from was murdered! Can she, the handsome lawyer, the hunky police officer, the cat familiar and her cousin work out who was the culprit and why?
Nice pace, light and easy to read. A delight.

[Penny Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chelsea Moon takes the last money she has and returns to Pendle Island, her birthplace, to visit her cousin Lizzy. Upon arriving Lizzy informs her that they have to go to a funeral for a mean Aunt that has died, and that Chelsea is a witch and comes from a long line of witches. Much to Chelsea's surprise Aunt Giselda left her a house that looks horrible and contains many surprises. After deciding to stay, Chelsea with the help of her new family set out to find out just what happened to Aunt Giselda. A very fun story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, but needs editing

I really liked this story. It was short, cute, with weird characters and a mystery that really wasn’t one (knew who did the deed almost immediately), but it was still good. Chelsea is a witch who doesn’t know she’s one until she visits her cousin—and then she inherits her aunt’s run-down estate, but problems crop up almost immediately. I see interesting times coming for Chelsea. So why 3 stars? There were so many editorial issues that it became distracting for me (there is a difference between hangar/hanger and wandering/wondering, and more). It really is a cute story, just definitely needs better editing.

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, witch & wizard mystery. Chelsea Moon left Pendle Island with her mom while she was a baby. As an adult, she's returning for a short vacation. Once there, Chelsea inherits a house from her Great Aunt Griselda, who's been murdered. Oh, and she's a witch.

There are plenty of colorful characters on this island. As expected, the case gets solved, but more questions remain than have been asked or answered. I look forward to learning more about Chelsea and Pendle Island.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Great world building. Tragic. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one reads quickly but has some distracting editing and repetitive phrase issues. There is not a lot of development either in the characters or the surroundings. It almost reads as a YA. There is a familiar, but he is stuck on the property and not a lot of time is spent with him. Heavy clues as to "what" the gardener is, but they are brushed over twice. The mystery is pretty basic, and the sleuthing is almost a secondary feature. There is more time spent about the lawyer and the sheriff's appeal than most things. There is potential so I will try Book 2

[Shweta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A usual story line of a young woman learning she is a witch and the paranormal world she only knew through story books exists in real life. Though the book has a simple and not a very new plot, the characters and their eccentricities make up for it.

All in all a decent read. I'm sure the next one in the series will have a more interesting plot.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cathy P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curious

Its a good start to series. The book started slow, then seemed to rush the ending, but I am curious as to how the series continues. No way I could give this a five, but its a cute read. Wondering who ends up bring the love interest. There was only one zing, however, there are three men that kept filtering through the story in one capacity or another.

[Paul Hefka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The story and characters were intriguing and engaging. This might just be the most unique and original witch cozy I have read in awhile. I look forward to reading more about these characters and their further adventures. This book is definitely worth reading.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome home Chelsea. Unable to hold job Chelsea returns home to Pendle which she left as a baby. She has to come to grips with the fact that she is a witch, her real last name is Sponkes and her great aunt has died and left her everything including a mystery as to how she died and why. Great fast read. Held my interest from the first page to the last.

[Megan Coyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this series! I read the first 4 books and then I had to give up. The premise is so cute and had so much promise, but the character development and the story lines just fell flat. The writing is a bit juvenile and just didn't keep me interested.
Also, the grammar and spelling is HORRIBLE!!!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bewitched

And it is official, Mara Webb has bewitched me with her witchy detective Chelsea and her snarky sidekick Lizzie. Anxiously waiting on number 3 in the series and hoping for a lot more , say 15 or so. They are that good, Ms Webb!

[Diane Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book

This book is funny and a good mystery. The characters are lovable especially Chelsea Moon/Spooks. The cat is a hoot and so is her cousin. You should definitely read this one.

[Robin Resch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a what?

Found a new author. Life sure can throw you for a loop. It's how you deal with it that makes it interesting. Only thing that I am left wondering about is what happened to Chris?

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what I call a typical cozy lite. It has all the makings to be a great read. However, all the shaming and blaming in this book got me down. There were some good characters in this read, but really were a depressing group.