Midlife Curses: Witching Hour, Book 1

Witching Hour #1

by Christine Zane Thomas

Gran says she’s a witch. The cat says she’s a witch. Wait, did the cat just…?

Constance Campbell has made a few questionable decisions in the run up to her fortieth birthday. So in a way, moving two thousand miles away from everything she’s ever known makes perfect sense.

She moves in with her estranged—and very strange—grandmother. What better place to hide from her humiliations than a town too small to warrant a mention on a map?

Creel Creek, Virginia s the last place either of her ex-husbands would ever think to look for her. But it’s like nothing she ever expected.

Then again, neither is she.

Constance learns that she comes from a long line of powerful witches. And on the day she hits the big 4-0, she’ll come into powers.

Constance has more magic in her pinky fingernail than she ever knew existed in the world. And it turns out she’s not the only paranormal person in town. Under the sleepy surface, the small town is teeming with supernatural beings.

When Constance finds the grocery store manager and the town’s resident vampire dead, things go from surreal to scary. The local sheriff is convinced that a killer is lurking in the shadows, hunting anyone with supernatural abilities…including witches like her.

He’s not wrong.

Can Constance learn enough magic to save herself and Creel Creek from this unknown foe?

Midlife Curses is the first in an all-new paranormal mystery series. If you like cozy mysteries and paranormal women’s fiction, you’ll love this book.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Magic, Fiction

Audible Audio

First published March 20, 2020

About the author

Christine Zane Thomas is the pen name of a husband and wife team whose love of mystery and sleuths spurred the creation of their own mysterious writer alter-ego.

While not writing, they can be found in northwest Florida with their two children and schnauzer, Tinker Bell.

Their love of food takes them all around the South. Sometimes they sprinkle in the occasional trip to Disney World. Food and Wine is their favorite season.

Reviews

[Katyana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not my thing at all. The heroine was just an utter spineless doormat, who occassionally stuck a toe into TSTL.

Let me give you the note I made at the 12% point:

Let me tell you, I'm close to shitcanning this. A woman with an MBA who has worked in Silicone Valley for years, and had a successful tech start up. She finds her husband cheating on her with a coworker ... having sex literally in the office. Allows him to get away with blaming her for his affair - she's been too busy, with the start-up HE wanted her to do with him, really you dickhead? - in front of everyone in the office. Let's HR tell her she's the problem and fire her without complaint (or, frankly, fucking lawsuit given this dickhead was having sex in the office and then in front of everyone, told her how it was her fault for being too tired to give him attention when they get home at night). Gives him literally everything in the divorce. Moves in with her gran and takes a job as a cashier in a grocery store, where she meekly let's the owner treat her like garbage. There is literally nothing I like about this book, or this woman, so far. It's got another 10% to change my mind.

It never got better from there ... it continues on like this. She allows everyone to treat her like shit, and never stands up for herself in any way. I don't know why I finished, honestly.

I liked the setup of the story, but I just can't even with her, so this is where I get off the train.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midlife Curses (Witching Hour, #1)
by Christine Zane Thomas
This is a short book and a different kind of a witch book. A fun mystery with other creatures living with humans in a unique town. Great characters!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and original!

This book is a delightful and original story that surprised me with a lead character named Constance who is a very relatable and likeable forty year old woman (a refreshing change from all the high school or college age heroines found in so many stories). After ending her marriage when she catches her husband cheating on her, she heads off for a fresh start in life and winds up at her grandmother’s place in Creel Creek, Virginia. Little did Constance know just how much of a new start she would be getting in this town. She learns that she is a witch and will be coming into her powers on her birthday, she learns that other paranormal beings exist, her new boss is murdered, the town sheriff may or may not be interested in her, and she finds that her “familiar” is not a cat but a racoon. I found the story to be completely enjoyable with a good mystery at its core and some really unique and charming characters. I am definitely looking forward to the next in this series.

I was provided with an advance copy of this book and I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.

[Denise Keef · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story held promise but I felt it was disjointed in parts. It needs to have a good editing due to the number of distracting typos, missing words and words that shouldn't be there.

[Biggs_bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hocus pocus

I love a good cozy romance. I love it even better when the characters have life experience. At 39 Constance finds her self staring over after discovering her husband is cheating and is let go from a job they both worked at. After confronting her husband and freezing the entire office she needs to get away and make sure she’s not crazy. She starts to head to her fathers house in California when she is drawn to a small town she’s only been once or twice. Landing on her grandma’s doorstep, she decides to stay and gets a job at the local grocery store. Things start going sideways. Learning she’s a witch and her boss being murdered are only the beginning. This small town and it’s secrets are about to take her for a crazy ride. It’s a fun read with giggles and surprises that are sure to keep you entertained!

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book for me. Sometimes cozy mysteries are too silly for my taste, but this one seemed to hit the right combination of mystery and the cozy elements. I think my favorite character was Trish. She's got just enough snark in her to make her enjoyable. I will be looking for other books in this series.

[Kat, lover of bears... · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I picked it up since it is a new book to the new #PWF genre. The chapter titles were fun and clever. The concept of witches not coming into their powers until their 40th birthday is unique and interesting. The author has a great sense of humor with the choice of "familiar" given to Constance. The concept of where familiars come from is also unique and interesting. I am a word lover and with a bit of synesthesia regarding words, I had a hard time with two of her descriptors; ".. always jabbering away about something" and "She liked to slurp Earl Gray..." Other than that personal issue, I enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to the next in the series.

[Sussu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick read that I listened to on audio after work while going for a walk and doing house work. Fun, fast, entertaining, but nothing special and definitely with some faults. I liked that the main character comes into her powers on her 40th birthday and that most of the other characters are adults as well (safe to say I'm in the target demoraphic for the book). I didn't much like how catty the main character is in her thought toward other people, and the villain choice was also prdictable and unsavory from the start.

I'm sure I'll keep going with the series, at least as long as my book streaming service has the audios available for the series.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. It has a fun paranormal twist. We meet witches, werewolves, vampires and a surprise paranormal person. I like that this book's main character is a 40 year old. I have to agree with Constance and Dave need to shave his mustache, the description alone makes me want to shave it for him, hahaha. I love all the Harry Potter references and more in this book. If you love cozy mysteries you will love this new witch finding out she is one and also finding her way while helping the hotty sheriff solve murder.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I like the general idea of late-in-life-witches, the book over-all felt a lot more like YA than adult fiction. It had insta-love, hinted at a love-triangle to come, a bunch of easily avoided drama, mean-girls, and an edgy best friend. I found myself considering to just jump to the last chapter a bunch of times, but pushed through because I was stuck in bed all day anyway.

I won't be continuing on with the series.

[Lucinda Race · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book with the feisty characters, Brad the trash panda, (chuckle) and all the other paranormal characters. I did feel bad for the vampire who after so many centuries passed away, without being able to fight the warlock, but if he makes a return appearance he's going to meet a much stronger witch in Constance. The only downside I didn't have book 2 on my kindle but rest assured that problem has been rectified.

[Danna Wiseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly fine and generally enjoyable. Easy read for spooky season!

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

In witch I fell in love with Midlife Curses

The title of this review is a nod to the chapter titles in this book. And what an awesome book! The style feels effortlessly easy to read and it pulled me in right away. The humorous tone immediately captivated me. Well written. Constance has got spunk! She’s a bit sarcastic and I do love a bit of sarcasm. And I loved being a part of the start of her magical journey. But my favorite character must be Gran. I don’t know, there was something about her that just drew me to her, her independence, her power, her spunk. Or maybe my favorite character was Stevie (Gran’s familiar)! He’s cool. And the way he went after… but no, I won’t tell you; you’ll just have to read for yourself.

I love how real things felt, like the small town of Crell Creek, it felt real, not polished and unrealistic.

Reading this, time fell away, witch is always the sign of a great book! (See what I did there? LOL)

This is clearly just the beginning and how exciting!

Quotes:
“My skull found a cabinet to bump against. “Ow!””
And this one is from a podcast, do not read any further if you don’t like spoilers, it’s slightly spoiler-ish:
“Athena: You saw that, right?
Ivana: Saw what?
Athena: It moved.
Ivana: No, I was just saying—Oh, gosh. It did move!
Athena: Oh, my—
Rustling sounds.
Footsteps.
Panting.
Engine starting.
Engine sounds.
More panting.”

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are scads of books where a woman moves to a town (husband left/some other else happened) and inherits/works at a store that was in the family, then finds out that she is really a witch and has to deal with that.

In this case there are similarities but it's the differenes that are important. First, Constance is almost 40 years old, quite a bit older than the women who usually appear in these stories. She is getting a divorce (her husband cheated on her) and within a very short time is informed she's a witch. She has a cat that's a familiar and who she can talk to and understand what it says.

There is the usual male-the-woman-gets-attracted to in the story. The story, though, includes humans, werewolves, vampires, a mummy/ancient Egyptian god and a guy that hunts supernatural beings, a witch that keeps animals in cages (there's more to that than appears), the usual murder, a huge moon and a familiar that is a raccoon.

Instead of a Witch's Council that is corrupt there's a group called The Faction that apparently will play a part in later books in the series.

I really liked this story since it had some significant differences from similar books, the main female character was not a young thing who inherits a ton of money, the familiars are interesting and the murder and other things are also well done.

I enjoyed the book and am getting more in the series.

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think there was a single character that I liked. I could see what the author intended, but it definitely didn't come across on page, and reading a story with an unlikable cast is just a painful experience.

To add to it, the magic system was childish and lacking consequences, and the familiars served no purpose. Honestly, the entire story was a hodge-podge of things that seemed to only be included because the author wanted them to be, instead of them actually being relevant or needed.

All in all, this book was just not good.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I read the same book everyone else did? It was too cutesy, no in-depth understanding or development of magical powers, too predictable and basic. I gave it 2 stars because it is a fast read. So much more could have been done with the characters and their multi-faceted personalities. I know it is a beginning series book, but its simplicity and lack of development/depth was sophomoric. As a new witch, her familiar is a raccoon named Brad? Really? Enter this series at your own risk but don’t be afraid, there is nothing behind the curtain.

[M.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, light read by Christine Zane Thomas. There seems to be a genre of paranormal witch novels where women come into their powers at forty or menopause. Sounds about right to me. I especially loved all she used WITCH in each title and it worked.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 bk 233. Another of the Paranormal Women's Fiction Murder Mysteries. I liked the plot line, the writing was not as well-honed as some of the other author's in the series, but I did enjoy meeting a new author and seeing how she fit her characters and setting into the guidelines for the series. Using a blog to help with details also helped. An enjoyable quick read, and yes, I did go ahead and order the 2nd in the series. She did leave a few things hanging.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book popped up on my feed and I have to admit that I was not feeling the "midlife", "women's fiction", think it was either going to be some whiney or preachy women's lit.

I am SO glad I was wrong on all levels.

This book was so much fun! It had enough mystery to keep me hooked, but not in a depressing or scared for life way. It had a dash of a possible love story, that (I hope) is still be continued in the series. And the geek references to all the paranornal things made this book fun and somehow light hearted. Like if your best friend was telling you a story over drinks on the couch in your pajamas.

If you are a nerdy lady in or around your 40s, looking for a fun read weekend/beach read. Try it.

[Samaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

So in the very beginning of the book I couldn't believe what she allowed her ex-husband to get away with, but took it with a grain of salt as I feel it was just to get the MC where she needed to be for the story to continue. Beyond the it was delightful! The is full of crazy characters that add to the fun. I already have the next book in my TBR.

[Brandy Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. The story good and the characters are good. I think this puts a new spin on getting older. I was surprise at how this book turned out. I liked it very much and plan on reading the next one soon.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making different decisions and moving away to live with Constance’s really strange grandmother is different. A totally delightful story.

[BJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, I bought it knowing it was Women's Fiction. The h is lazy, weak and didn't sound like a person turning 40. Her history is told in fits and starts during the story, not of it was attractive. The H is an extreme beta, hairy and not attractive either, so a good match. No romance, the story was OK - the evil person was obvious. Just OK.

[Bobbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing to this book at all. Very disappointed.

[Malinda McKinnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little mystery, made me laugh in several spots but the characters while fun don't seem to have a ton of chemistry, hopefully that changes in the next

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

This book appeared in my recommendation list. I am so glad it did!
I love the premise of the story and the characters are well written. I enjoyed reading this book from the first sentence to the last.

[Brita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lagom att lyssna på när man åker till och från jobbet.
Lite kul med en hjältinna som inte är mellan 20-30, fast ibland verkar författaren glömma bort det...

[Ashleigh Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

What initially hooked me was the premise: you find out you’re a witch when you turn 40. Then, the main character moves to a town where other supernatural creatures live and she has to help solve a murder. There are also funny/cute familiars. I thought it was a cozy, easy fall read. I’d say it was more a 3.5 stars. The chapters didn’t seem to flow together at times, but I loved the story. I’ll finish the series at some point!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute and cozy little mystery. I liked the paranormal characters. Overall it was a fun and short little read.

[Patricia Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

If you like stories involving witches, werewolves, vampires and psychics, this is the book for you. Turning 40 turned I to an adventure of witch discovery and sleuthing to clear her name, great story