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Midlife in Mosswood #1
New Witch on the Block
She wanted to run away from her past, not catch up with it.
Rosie just wants to live a quiet, happy life and raise her daughter as far away from her toxic ex-husband as she can get. But when they move into a decrepit cottage in Mosswood, Georgia, a gang of meddling do-gooders want to run her out of town. The vicious laundromat machines keep eating her spare change. Her sexy Irish neighbor insists that he’s a Witch King and that it’s her royal destiny to be his Queen.
And to top it all off, strange things keep happening around Rosie when she least expects it...
She could deal with it all, but her ex won’t rest until he tracks her down. When her ability to protect her daughter is threatened, Rosie shows them all that nobody messes with the new witch on the block.
Rosie just wants to live a quiet, happy life and raise her daughter as far away from her toxic ex-husband as she can get. But when they move into a decrepit cottage in Mosswood, Georgia, a gang of meddling do-gooders want to run her out of town. The vicious laundromat machines keep eating her spare change. Her sexy Irish neighbor insists that he’s a Witch King and that it’s her royal destiny to be his Queen.
And to top it all off, strange things keep happening around Rosie when she least expects it...
She could deal with it all, but her ex won’t rest until he tracks her down. When her ability to protect her daughter is threatened, Rosie shows them all that nobody messes with the new witch on the block.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2023
2364 people are currently reading
4777 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 513 reviews
April 23, 2022
A confusing mess with no foundation and no logic. Even worse, no end. Not even a cliffhanger, it simply stopped.
No logic, you run from an abusive husband in a cab and then what? How did you get to this town or if you get by cab there how did you erase your traces? If by cab you’re pretty near. So near that you meet people you know, there by chance (?)
How did the hubby find you?
No foundation as there’s no world building at all. And all the magic is pretty lame.
Not much characterisation, they are mostly sketches, MCs included. Declan’s was mostly irritating.
But it’s 0.99c so you won’t loose much money nor time (as it’s short). Give it a try.
No logic, you run from an abusive husband in a cab and then what? How did you get to this town or if you get by cab there how did you erase your traces? If by cab you’re pretty near. So near that you meet people you know, there by chance (?)
How did the hubby find you?
No foundation as there’s no world building at all. And all the magic is pretty lame.
Not much characterisation, they are mostly sketches, MCs included. Declan’s was mostly irritating.
But it’s 0.99c so you won’t loose much money nor time (as it’s short). Give it a try.
February 20, 2022
I was flummoxed by this read. It had all the hallmarks of being a supernatural cozy - small town, single mum discovers she's a witch - but then the author added in a curve ball, the single mum is on the run from an abusive husband. Still, I had hopes it could work but unfortunately the author failed on every level to combine the harsh reality and the cozy elements in a feasible or interesting manner. The world building and the story lurched, wallowed, and plodded forward in fits and starts. Rosie, our heroine, made no sense. She's been in an abusive relationship for 2 decades, gets enough money to run, but the place she chooses to stop is obviously not all that far away since old friends turn up and her husband seems to find her after about 2 days. She explains why she stayed for 20 years with him, but continuously has flashes of hot temper and standing up for herself that don't gel with her backstory. And her being a witch? - it's never really discussed she just accepts it, starts using her powers (never having accessed them before now???? why not????) and she tells us from the beginning she's nothing special to look at but she has creepy men hitting on her instantly.
The story - what there is of it, and there really isn't very much of it - is weak bordering on the boring.
The story needed to pick a lane - be cosy and fantastical or be anchored in reality and be grittier - at the 80% mark we are hit by a plethora of bad language and images by the evil husband that just make that 'cosy' banner even harder to co-exist with.
Just bizarre, few editing errors and a delivery style that I just couldn't get behind.
The story - what there is of it, and there really isn't very much of it - is weak bordering on the boring.
The story needed to pick a lane - be cosy and fantastical or be anchored in reality and be grittier - at the 80% mark we are hit by a plethora of bad language and images by the evil husband that just make that 'cosy' banner even harder to co-exist with.
Just bizarre, few editing errors and a delivery style that I just couldn't get behind.
June 7, 2025
New Witch on the Block by Louisa West
Midlife in Mosswood series #1. Paranormal witch mystery.
Rosemary Bell escapes her abusive husband to move to the small town of Mosswood, Georgia. Her life changes unbelievably from finding out she’s a witch and apparently promised to the Witch King, to unwelcoming towns people and a money eating washing machine. All she wanted was safety for her daughter but her husband has found them and using a motorcycle gang to make threats. What’s a new witch to do?
Meeting new characters and new world building is so much fun trying to figure out where it’s going and who is going to be important.
Much of the magic is based on faith or spiritual values.
Lots of unanswered questions including the King, the daughter’s acceptance of the new environment and all the new witchy powers that may be upcoming.
3.5
Midlife in Mosswood series #1. Paranormal witch mystery.
Rosemary Bell escapes her abusive husband to move to the small town of Mosswood, Georgia. Her life changes unbelievably from finding out she’s a witch and apparently promised to the Witch King, to unwelcoming towns people and a money eating washing machine. All she wanted was safety for her daughter but her husband has found them and using a motorcycle gang to make threats. What’s a new witch to do?
Meeting new characters and new world building is so much fun trying to figure out where it’s going and who is going to be important.
Much of the magic is based on faith or spiritual values.
Lots of unanswered questions including the King, the daughter’s acceptance of the new environment and all the new witchy powers that may be upcoming.
3.5
September 4, 2020
Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf
I am absolutely loving the new genre of Paranormal Women’s Fiction (PWF), thanks to the “Fab 13” who introduced us all to women of a certain age who come into their powers through unusual circumstances with all the reality of life and the fun of fiction. Any time I discover another author who is writing in this genre I am thrilled. So when I found ‘New Witch on the Block‘ through a FB group I hopped right over to Amazon and downloaded it. And I’m very glad that I did for I’ve discovered an intriguing, funny new series to devour and a new author to follow. A win-win in my opinion.
Rosie is an amazing woman, she’s been knocked down by life but she makes a stand for herself and her daughter when she leaves the scumbag far behind to begin a new life in a very small town. I loved watching her grow, become comfortable in her powers, and take an even bigger stand against the evil that comes for her family. She might be new to this magic stuff, but she’s not giving up, she’s not backing down, and she’s never, ever going back.
To go into much more, aside from what you can find in the Cover Description, would be skirting too close to spoilers (which I try not to do)… so. ‘New Witch on the Block‘ begins the ‘Midlife in Mosswood‘ series with a funny, empowering, delightful tale of a woman coming into her own and learning that she’s so much more than she (or anyone else) ever expected. Add in a hot neighbor who believes they are destined for each other, a small town full of snotty, entitled ‘people’, plus a little girl who will steal your heart and you have the beginning of a series that will delight you throughout. I will say that I did a definite snort-giggle at Rosie’s ultimate solution to one problem… then I laughed out loud at the thought of it. You’ll see. The next title in the series is due out on September 30, 2020 – so not long to wait for the next visit to Mosswood.
I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
I am absolutely loving the new genre of Paranormal Women’s Fiction (PWF), thanks to the “Fab 13” who introduced us all to women of a certain age who come into their powers through unusual circumstances with all the reality of life and the fun of fiction. Any time I discover another author who is writing in this genre I am thrilled. So when I found ‘New Witch on the Block‘ through a FB group I hopped right over to Amazon and downloaded it. And I’m very glad that I did for I’ve discovered an intriguing, funny new series to devour and a new author to follow. A win-win in my opinion.
Rosie is an amazing woman, she’s been knocked down by life but she makes a stand for herself and her daughter when she leaves the scumbag far behind to begin a new life in a very small town. I loved watching her grow, become comfortable in her powers, and take an even bigger stand against the evil that comes for her family. She might be new to this magic stuff, but she’s not giving up, she’s not backing down, and she’s never, ever going back.
To go into much more, aside from what you can find in the Cover Description, would be skirting too close to spoilers (which I try not to do)… so. ‘New Witch on the Block‘ begins the ‘Midlife in Mosswood‘ series with a funny, empowering, delightful tale of a woman coming into her own and learning that she’s so much more than she (or anyone else) ever expected. Add in a hot neighbor who believes they are destined for each other, a small town full of snotty, entitled ‘people’, plus a little girl who will steal your heart and you have the beginning of a series that will delight you throughout. I will say that I did a definite snort-giggle at Rosie’s ultimate solution to one problem… then I laughed out loud at the thought of it. You’ll see. The next title in the series is due out on September 30, 2020 – so not long to wait for the next visit to Mosswood.
I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
July 3, 2020
A lighthearted read
This was an easy read and entertaining. The characters lacked a little depth so connection was difficult but on the whole it was light hearted, had a sweet romance, and was well-written.
This was an easy read and entertaining. The characters lacked a little depth so connection was difficult but on the whole it was light hearted, had a sweet romance, and was well-written.
November 20, 2020
Rosemary Bell is fleeing an abusive biker husband. She and her daughter, Maggie, end up in a small cottage out in the woods in a small town. She is relieved to get away.
However, she runs into more trouble as the do gooders in town have decided to run her out of town based on made up lies. Her ex is still trying to track her down.
And she starts to realize she has a lot of power as a witch.
Doesn't hurt to have a good looking Irish guy next door to help.
Whew! Its a lot to keep track of! But Rosemary starts to realize she does have her own power.
And things get even more interesting!
However, she runs into more trouble as the do gooders in town have decided to run her out of town based on made up lies. Her ex is still trying to track her down.
And she starts to realize she has a lot of power as a witch.
Doesn't hurt to have a good looking Irish guy next door to help.
Whew! Its a lot to keep track of! But Rosemary starts to realize she does have her own power.
And things get even more interesting!
August 3, 2023
Termina en cliffhanger o algo parecido.
No es un problema porque están todos los libros disponibles y se puede empezar a leer inmediatamente pero sé que hay lectoras que no soportan esta triquiñuela 😁
Esta novela corta empieza muy bien. Me estaban gustando los personajes, la premisa y el toque paranormal que tenía. Pero conforme avanza se va desinflando. Al final, una lectura más. No tan mala como para abandonarla pero no creo que vuelva a leerla en un futuro.
Una lástima porque prometía: el siguiente libro está ambientado en Halloween y el siguiente en Navidad.
También hay algo que no me cuadra demasiado. Se supone que la protagonista pertenece es de "mediana edad" o eso pone en el título de la saga Midlife, pero podría haber sido la historia de una veinteañera.
Tengo una edición en digital pero me encantan las cubiertas. Sé que solo es una puerta pero no sé qué tiene que me encanta 😂😂 (una que es rara).
Es probable que siga leyendo esta saga. No porque me muera de curiosidad si no por lo que prometía esta saga cuando empecé a leerla. Quiero darle otra oportunidad. Y, bueno, por las cubiertas jajaja.
No es un problema porque están todos los libros disponibles y se puede empezar a leer inmediatamente pero sé que hay lectoras que no soportan esta triquiñuela 😁
Esta novela corta empieza muy bien. Me estaban gustando los personajes, la premisa y el toque paranormal que tenía. Pero conforme avanza se va desinflando. Al final, una lectura más. No tan mala como para abandonarla pero no creo que vuelva a leerla en un futuro.
Una lástima porque prometía: el siguiente libro está ambientado en Halloween y el siguiente en Navidad.
También hay algo que no me cuadra demasiado. Se supone que la protagonista pertenece es de "mediana edad" o eso pone en el título de la saga Midlife, pero podría haber sido la historia de una veinteañera.
Tengo una edición en digital pero me encantan las cubiertas. Sé que solo es una puerta pero no sé qué tiene que me encanta 😂😂 (una que es rara).
Es probable que siga leyendo esta saga. No porque me muera de curiosidad si no por lo que prometía esta saga cuando empecé a leerla. Quiero darle otra oportunidad. Y, bueno, por las cubiertas jajaja.
October 11, 2023
DNF'd at 45%
This was a mess.
There was not enough world building.
The "plot" had way too many holes.
The audiobook was super cringe.
It was super short too, and I still couldn't bring myself to finish it.
This was a mess.
There was not enough world building.
The "plot" had way too many holes.
The audiobook was super cringe.
It was super short too, and I still couldn't bring myself to finish it.
Read
September 18, 2021Dnf 27% but only bc Hoopla is skipping at 3.5x speed and I refuse to listen to a cozy at a slower speed
July 21, 2020
So, I feel like I should start this review by saying, I edited this book. So of course I'm not going to find much to complain about, because I got the chance to tell Louisa all about it while she was still in the drafting process! And whatever flaws it has now are in my editorial blind spot, which makes me useless to you, dear readers!
So here's a unique perspective. I'm going to talk about some things I asked Louisa to work on when I got the first draft. She's gonna kill me, but I bet you have fun hearing about it anyway. ;)
One of the first things I had Louisa do was bring back some things that had happened 'off screen' in the original draft, and have those happen on screen instead. Sometimes as authors we want to create a 'gasp' kind of reaction by having characters discover that things have happened after the fact. But sometimes we need to bury that instinct and make sure that the most exciting things that are happening in the narrative are happening where our readers can see them.
When Louisa brought this midpoint scene onto the pages, it really brought the middle of the book to life. Rosie makes a shocking discovery and has to make a decision about how she is going to handle it. This scene informs how she sees the world and herself for the remainder of the book, and to me is really a shining moment in the book.
Another thing I asked Lou to work on was really bringing to life the location of Mosswood, Georgia. She had such amazing characters already, and it's definitely a strong point of her writing. But what I wanted her to do was take her time describing the physical place, so that we could really feel like we were there and picture it in our minds. The result of that conversation was a much more tangible sense of setting in the novel.
One scene in particular where the main characters walk through town, when Mosswood is first described, just brings so many sensations to me, maybe because I've actually been in many small towns in Georgia just like this one. I can feel the summer heat pounding off the asphalt. I can see the townsfolk staring but still politely waving, because that's what you do. I can hear the accents of the church ladies welcoming her to town. She has really captured this and I was so thrilled with how that aspect came out after all her hard work.
Probably the last thing I had Louisa work on was the two main characters. I originally had a very difficult time connecting to Declan. I couldn't understand why Rosie would be attracted to him at all, actually. Finally, in a random discussion about a movie, I suddenly realized what was missing from their relationship. When I told Louisa, a light bulb went on, and by the second draft the character had become one that I really enjoy.
Okay, I've got a crush, shut up.
Rosie I liked from the start, but Louisa was having trouble handling her history of domestic violence. Naturally, that's a serious subject and one that she didn't want to treat lightly. At the same time, the book is very comedic, almost a paranormal romantic comedy. So she wanted to both treat that subject with respect, but not let it become so heavy that the reader can't laugh at the situation, too. And also, we didn't want to act like survivors of DV can't laugh. They can, they recover, and their lives can be funny!
I really think we did very well in this. Rosie has some moments where she thinks about how she got into the situation she was in, which we also thought was important, because people tend to have a hard time understanding how that works. It's a slow process, and we wanted Rosie to have gone through that. She also has moments where she freezes in fear or wants to take an easier way out. But for the most part, even when she stumbles, even when she isn't quite sure what she wants to do about the situation, Rosie is always on the upward swing in this book. It's hopeful, it's funny, and still doesn't ignore that Rosie's past has a deep impact on her.
After those big structural things, we really just had little things to look after. Louisa is an Australian author, but has been friends with Americans for a long time and has family living in New York City. She has pretty much picked up on the differences in language, but there were still a few things here and there that needed to be translated over to US English. We also wanted the pace of the prose to be a little quicker, because it's a shorter novel and we wanted to keep it that way, even after adding almost 8k in words in editing. So we had to be very economical with the word choice and make sure every line and scene were pulling their weight.
In the end, I am so very proud of this book. I loved reading it myself. I loved working on it. And I am thrilled with how it came out.
I can't wait for more people to take a chance on Louisa as a new author, so they can discover how wonderful this book is, too.
So here's a unique perspective. I'm going to talk about some things I asked Louisa to work on when I got the first draft. She's gonna kill me, but I bet you have fun hearing about it anyway. ;)
One of the first things I had Louisa do was bring back some things that had happened 'off screen' in the original draft, and have those happen on screen instead. Sometimes as authors we want to create a 'gasp' kind of reaction by having characters discover that things have happened after the fact. But sometimes we need to bury that instinct and make sure that the most exciting things that are happening in the narrative are happening where our readers can see them.
When Louisa brought this midpoint scene onto the pages, it really brought the middle of the book to life. Rosie makes a shocking discovery and has to make a decision about how she is going to handle it. This scene informs how she sees the world and herself for the remainder of the book, and to me is really a shining moment in the book.
Another thing I asked Lou to work on was really bringing to life the location of Mosswood, Georgia. She had such amazing characters already, and it's definitely a strong point of her writing. But what I wanted her to do was take her time describing the physical place, so that we could really feel like we were there and picture it in our minds. The result of that conversation was a much more tangible sense of setting in the novel.
One scene in particular where the main characters walk through town, when Mosswood is first described, just brings so many sensations to me, maybe because I've actually been in many small towns in Georgia just like this one. I can feel the summer heat pounding off the asphalt. I can see the townsfolk staring but still politely waving, because that's what you do. I can hear the accents of the church ladies welcoming her to town. She has really captured this and I was so thrilled with how that aspect came out after all her hard work.
Probably the last thing I had Louisa work on was the two main characters. I originally had a very difficult time connecting to Declan. I couldn't understand why Rosie would be attracted to him at all, actually. Finally, in a random discussion about a movie, I suddenly realized what was missing from their relationship. When I told Louisa, a light bulb went on, and by the second draft the character had become one that I really enjoy.
Okay, I've got a crush, shut up.
Rosie I liked from the start, but Louisa was having trouble handling her history of domestic violence. Naturally, that's a serious subject and one that she didn't want to treat lightly. At the same time, the book is very comedic, almost a paranormal romantic comedy. So she wanted to both treat that subject with respect, but not let it become so heavy that the reader can't laugh at the situation, too. And also, we didn't want to act like survivors of DV can't laugh. They can, they recover, and their lives can be funny!
I really think we did very well in this. Rosie has some moments where she thinks about how she got into the situation she was in, which we also thought was important, because people tend to have a hard time understanding how that works. It's a slow process, and we wanted Rosie to have gone through that. She also has moments where she freezes in fear or wants to take an easier way out. But for the most part, even when she stumbles, even when she isn't quite sure what she wants to do about the situation, Rosie is always on the upward swing in this book. It's hopeful, it's funny, and still doesn't ignore that Rosie's past has a deep impact on her.
After those big structural things, we really just had little things to look after. Louisa is an Australian author, but has been friends with Americans for a long time and has family living in New York City. She has pretty much picked up on the differences in language, but there were still a few things here and there that needed to be translated over to US English. We also wanted the pace of the prose to be a little quicker, because it's a shorter novel and we wanted to keep it that way, even after adding almost 8k in words in editing. So we had to be very economical with the word choice and make sure every line and scene were pulling their weight.
In the end, I am so very proud of this book. I loved reading it myself. I loved working on it. And I am thrilled with how it came out.
I can't wait for more people to take a chance on Louisa as a new author, so they can discover how wonderful this book is, too.
July 5, 2020
What an enjoyable treat!
I had so much fun reading this book. New author for me , and one I'll most definitely read more of in future. WARNING: possible triggers for some, but it's not a deep, dark book. At the core is a woman determined to change the direction of her life. After years of just existing, and taking far more than she should...she takes her beloved daughter and runs. Far from a fairytale story, but my goodness was it fun. Interesting and unique characters, definitely a surprise or two for our main gal. The magic of new beginnings, New faith in one's self, mothers love that can do just about anything, and a woman truly coming into her own run through this book with sprinkles of magic throughout. I look forward to learning more of Declan's backstory and to see what evolves next. I have an inkling about the young daughter too which I'm curious to see if it comes true. Magic, real or imagined is all around us in the world,.. And this tale showcases both. Enjoy!!!
I had so much fun reading this book. New author for me , and one I'll most definitely read more of in future. WARNING: possible triggers for some, but it's not a deep, dark book. At the core is a woman determined to change the direction of her life. After years of just existing, and taking far more than she should...she takes her beloved daughter and runs. Far from a fairytale story, but my goodness was it fun. Interesting and unique characters, definitely a surprise or two for our main gal. The magic of new beginnings, New faith in one's self, mothers love that can do just about anything, and a woman truly coming into her own run through this book with sprinkles of magic throughout. I look forward to learning more of Declan's backstory and to see what evolves next. I have an inkling about the young daughter too which I'm curious to see if it comes true. Magic, real or imagined is all around us in the world,.. And this tale showcases both. Enjoy!!!
July 18, 2020
3 1/2 stars.Rosemary Bell has taken her daughter and run away to a small town to escape her violent husband. While setting up her new house she encounters her strange but handsome Irish neighbour, who declares that she is the Queen of the Witches. Rosemary scoffs initially, but soon discovers that she has mystical powers which can help her rebuild her new life. This is a fun and entertaining read. It's not brilliant, or taxing, but is a great, light-hearted escape option during this time of COVID-19 lockdowns. Enjoy.
November 2, 2020
I loved the setting of this book. I wasn't sure though how much I'd really like this book.
So glad I read it. She was trying to get away from an abusive husband and went to this little
hole in the wall town. Interesting how she learned about and learned her powers.
So glad I read it. She was trying to get away from an abusive husband and went to this little
hole in the wall town. Interesting how she learned about and learned her powers.
July 8, 2021
RATING: 3.5 STARS!
I've been reading a lot of books in the Paranormal Women's Fiction and I find them very enjoyable.
This was a great start to this series. I look forward to reading more.
I've been reading a lot of books in the Paranormal Women's Fiction and I find them very enjoyable.
This was a great start to this series. I look forward to reading more.
September 10, 2020
New AuThor for me so new read.
We meet Rosie and her daughter Maggie. Rosie is on the run from her ex who is a motorcycle gang member name of Randy. She's been under his abuse for 20 years and now it stops. Also Rosie is a witch, but she doesn't know that. She meets her next door neighbor who is a male witch not warlock name of DeClan Forrest. He helps her find her inner self which is supposed to be a Queen Witch.
We meet Rosie and her daughter Maggie. Rosie is on the run from her ex who is a motorcycle gang member name of Randy. She's been under his abuse for 20 years and now it stops. Also Rosie is a witch, but she doesn't know that. She meets her next door neighbor who is a male witch not warlock name of DeClan Forrest. He helps her find her inner self which is supposed to be a Queen Witch.
November 24, 2020
Very cute
Enjoyed the story. Basically, a feel good story about growing and learning. Not very fond at the hillbilly attempts at speech - uneducated. Loved the story and the characters.
Enjoyed the story. Basically, a feel good story about growing and learning. Not very fond at the hillbilly attempts at speech - uneducated. Loved the story and the characters.
February 17, 2021
3.5 a good start to this series.
March 21, 2021
Being an Author in the same genre I'll say This is a cute beginning to the series! The book is funny and full of character and it leaves tons of room for where it might go in book two - worth a look!
July 15, 2020
About a woman and her daughter who escapes a bad marriage and ends up in a small town called Mosswood, only to realize there are more complications. I completely immersed in the small town setting and got real vibes like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Good Witch etc.
Loved the busy body neighbors, and just found myself really feeling for the main character. But she really comes into her own in the end, and it’s awesome. Can’t wait to see how she grows in the next book.
My only complaint was that it was over too fast.
Loved the busy body neighbors, and just found myself really feeling for the main character. But she really comes into her own in the end, and it’s awesome. Can’t wait to see how she grows in the next book.
My only complaint was that it was over too fast.
July 15, 2020
Such a cute book with all the small town vibes. I don't think there's anyone quite like Louisa who makes those unique character stay with you after you've finished the book.
Can't wait for book 2.
Can't wait for book 2.
July 14, 2020
A great book can’t wait for the next one, a very creative writer would make a great TV mini series that l would buy for sure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 26, 2023Dnf @23%
July 5, 2020
A good first step into this genre. This short novel was funny with a good amount of romance. I liked that the heroine wasn't too young and that she had a daughter. Looking forward to reading the next one!
September 28, 2020
The relationship between mother and young daughter is fabulous, and especially important near the end of the story. The love between them is more powerful than any magic. And magic, which Rosie discovers once they move to their new home, is alive and well, not only all around them, but it’s a part of Rosie too.
As the story evolves, so does Rosie’s ability to learn more about her gifts. She’d say they were new, but the neighbour who insists she’s destined to be his queen is certain the magic’s been with her for a long time. Had that been true, she’d have turned her ex-husband into a toad years ago rather than live in terror of what he’d do next.
A new town comes with new problems, and nosy, unfriendly locals. It also gives her a growing sense of independence and a place to feel safe, which Rosie and her daughter will be as long as her ex doesn’t find her. A pity that’s just the beginning of her problems.
Loved this book, which is the first in a new series. Ms West’s world building is wonderful. I want to live in Mosswood.
As the story evolves, so does Rosie’s ability to learn more about her gifts. She’d say they were new, but the neighbour who insists she’s destined to be his queen is certain the magic’s been with her for a long time. Had that been true, she’d have turned her ex-husband into a toad years ago rather than live in terror of what he’d do next.
A new town comes with new problems, and nosy, unfriendly locals. It also gives her a growing sense of independence and a place to feel safe, which Rosie and her daughter will be as long as her ex doesn’t find her. A pity that’s just the beginning of her problems.
Loved this book, which is the first in a new series. Ms West’s world building is wonderful. I want to live in Mosswood.
April 13, 2021
New Witch in Town
Fun quirky story of a middle aged witch coming in to her powers with the help of a hunky Irish witch who says they are fated to be together. Be still my heart! Loved the concept and execution of this story and look forward to reading more from this author.
Small Town feels along with all the quirks and disgruntled neighbours, but I have to say Declan stole the show! Loved the twist on the ex husband.
Cute storyline, great break from heavier reads!
Fun quirky story of a middle aged witch coming in to her powers with the help of a hunky Irish witch who says they are fated to be together. Be still my heart! Loved the concept and execution of this story and look forward to reading more from this author.
Small Town feels along with all the quirks and disgruntled neighbours, but I have to say Declan stole the show! Loved the twist on the ex husband.
Cute storyline, great break from heavier reads!
September 28, 2023
It's super cute and quick read.
May 2, 2024
This was my first Witchy Book read, and probably my last. I don’t even know where to start with this, but I suppose starting at the end will do, as it’s about as bassackwards as the rest of this novel. So… the ending… where was it? The book just… ended. Literally. There’s no cliffhanger. There’s nothing. Just awful!
The premise was ok. The main character is on the run from her biker gang hubby and she and her daughter want to start a new life. Then she finds out she’s a witch. Silly, but workable plot.
But there’s so much wrong with this. Working backwards, the end scene with Randy and the gang was nonsensical. Can Rosie now bring almost dead people back to life? Since when did she get that power? And she turns her ex into a turtle, because 1) that makes sense and 2) she somehow just learned how to control her powers? It was just dumb.
The whole plot with the women who hated her for supposedly making a pass at Terry went nowhere, other than to show people didn’t like her and then to have a random incident with people egging her and Maggie. What was the point, other than to show that she might have some weird power when he got shocked? Oh… and Terry’s wife showing up at the end— why? It’s like that whole subplot was picked out of the air.
My favorite stupid detail was when Randy and his friends trashed the cottage and left a message in graffiti basically saying “your husband did this.” What moron would do that and lead cops right to him (if this town had any cops)? Plot hole- how did Randy did her anyway? If her friends didn’t say anything, how would he know? And that one scene with the friends was also random. They are supposedly afraid to leave their husbands but they can travel two hours away to go to a store and happen to run into her there? No. Then again, it’d be pretty easy to track her by calling a cab company and seeing where they dropped her off, or tracking her phone. Also, she scraped together a few bucks for one month of a mortgage, but never worried about where else she would get money? Who would rent a cottage no matter how bad of share it was in to someone without a job? How far is this laundromat, and was it haunted or not? The, there was the random warning by the store owner about Rosie being eventually accepted, but it’ll be worse for her when that happens. That was the first and last time that was mentioned and thus made no sense. This plot wasn’t thought out at all!
Randy and his friends torch the Irish dude’s place and like a week later Rosie realizes that hey, maybe she can put it together again. Yet somehow, she just makes the grass green around the house. What?! And how can she put back her cottage and all damaged things, but not know how to control anything else (the novel never mentions her learning)— other than when she randomly saves a life.
The whole “you’re the most powerful witch in the world and you’re detained to marry your king” was ridiculous, because it wasn’t at all supported. Why was she going to be so powerful anyway? That wasn’t explained. Who killed her parents and why? And when Declan starts telling the fairy tale over pizza, it didn’t even make sense then, because the fairy queen ran away with her true love while the guy she was detained to be with (the King) waited for her to marry him and unite their powers. What? So Randy is her true love and Declan is the other guy? Huh?
We go from Irish accents to English, elevated vocab to cursing all over, and random sexual tension between Rosie and Declan that went literally nowhere, although it did lend itself to some “self love” and sex dreams. Love that the spell to the moon absolutely had to be done naked. Three times. With only a few ingredients. Plus, Rosie mocked his looks and almost broke his nose before realizing how hot he was. By the way, there’s all these descriptions of how huge Declan is, how massive his biceps are, how he towers over Rosie… but I think the author forgot that she said that he was about six feet at the start of the novel. I wouldn’t call that excessively big.
I could go on and on, but this was terrible. It wasn’t even funny and nothing was developed, and that’s the worst ending I think I’ve ever seen.
The end.
The premise was ok. The main character is on the run from her biker gang hubby and she and her daughter want to start a new life. Then she finds out she’s a witch. Silly, but workable plot.
But there’s so much wrong with this. Working backwards, the end scene with Randy and the gang was nonsensical. Can Rosie now bring almost dead people back to life? Since when did she get that power? And she turns her ex into a turtle, because 1) that makes sense and 2) she somehow just learned how to control her powers? It was just dumb.
The whole plot with the women who hated her for supposedly making a pass at Terry went nowhere, other than to show people didn’t like her and then to have a random incident with people egging her and Maggie. What was the point, other than to show that she might have some weird power when he got shocked? Oh… and Terry’s wife showing up at the end— why? It’s like that whole subplot was picked out of the air.
My favorite stupid detail was when Randy and his friends trashed the cottage and left a message in graffiti basically saying “your husband did this.” What moron would do that and lead cops right to him (if this town had any cops)? Plot hole- how did Randy did her anyway? If her friends didn’t say anything, how would he know? And that one scene with the friends was also random. They are supposedly afraid to leave their husbands but they can travel two hours away to go to a store and happen to run into her there? No. Then again, it’d be pretty easy to track her by calling a cab company and seeing where they dropped her off, or tracking her phone. Also, she scraped together a few bucks for one month of a mortgage, but never worried about where else she would get money? Who would rent a cottage no matter how bad of share it was in to someone without a job? How far is this laundromat, and was it haunted or not? The, there was the random warning by the store owner about Rosie being eventually accepted, but it’ll be worse for her when that happens. That was the first and last time that was mentioned and thus made no sense. This plot wasn’t thought out at all!
Randy and his friends torch the Irish dude’s place and like a week later Rosie realizes that hey, maybe she can put it together again. Yet somehow, she just makes the grass green around the house. What?! And how can she put back her cottage and all damaged things, but not know how to control anything else (the novel never mentions her learning)— other than when she randomly saves a life.
The whole “you’re the most powerful witch in the world and you’re detained to marry your king” was ridiculous, because it wasn’t at all supported. Why was she going to be so powerful anyway? That wasn’t explained. Who killed her parents and why? And when Declan starts telling the fairy tale over pizza, it didn’t even make sense then, because the fairy queen ran away with her true love while the guy she was detained to be with (the King) waited for her to marry him and unite their powers. What? So Randy is her true love and Declan is the other guy? Huh?
We go from Irish accents to English, elevated vocab to cursing all over, and random sexual tension between Rosie and Declan that went literally nowhere, although it did lend itself to some “self love” and sex dreams. Love that the spell to the moon absolutely had to be done naked. Three times. With only a few ingredients. Plus, Rosie mocked his looks and almost broke his nose before realizing how hot he was. By the way, there’s all these descriptions of how huge Declan is, how massive his biceps are, how he towers over Rosie… but I think the author forgot that she said that he was about six feet at the start of the novel. I wouldn’t call that excessively big.
I could go on and on, but this was terrible. It wasn’t even funny and nothing was developed, and that’s the worst ending I think I’ve ever seen.
The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2022
This was... fine.
Rosie is on the run with her young daughter from an abusive husband. She ends up in Mosswood, possibly Georgia (I think -- I seem to recall something about being 2 hours outside of Atlanta). It doesn't take long after she gets there for a lot to happen.
She's approached by the town Mean Girls, in this case the wife of a prominent preacher and her clique, who backhandedly compliment their way into her bad books. One of the women, the only nice one, offers to send her husband to help around the house. This goes about as well as you think it will, with the husband hitting on Rosie and the one almost-friend seeing it at the wrong moment.
Oh, and did I mention that Rosie is a witch but has gone her whole life without knowing about it, because that's about to come into play (if you didn't catch it from the title). Because she's approached by the romantic interest character, who just happens to live in this same town, who says she's his promised bride and she's the witchiest witch ever to witch.
I enjoyed the book. I can tell the author really thought about how some of the plot lines were going to play out over the course of the series because not everything is wrapped up in this book. I like it when authors think about things ahead of time rather than throwing things in at the last minute and having to do minor retcons to make it fit.
That doesn't mean it wasn't a bit... I dunno what the word is here... abrupt? I feel like if you have magical powers, you probably know about it by the time you're in your late 30s. And the older I get, the less patience I have for "fated mates" tropes. They just seem cheap, like the authors who use it didn't want to build too much time on the romance, so they built that in so the reader would believe it. And actually, I'm not certain that's what's going on here. The author dropped some clues it may not be so simple, so I'm intrigued.
This was an audio read and I'm going to go with 2 stars for the audio reader. Some of her delivery, especially at the start of the book almost sounded like she was asking a question at the end of every sentence. And even once that calmed down, also... dear god, where did she learn Irish accents? I mean, I'm no expert. My own Irish accent sounds pretty, erm, muddled. But that's why I don't narrate audiobooks. This was like... Lucky Charms leprechaun bad. Wait no. This was like, David Boreanaz doing an Irish accent on Buffy bad.
https://youtu.be/exdrj2LnINk
(Go about 59 seconds in if you want to really hear the atrocity. It's like Dick Van Dyke doing cockney, but without the confidence.)
Basically, if you hire an audio reader for a book with an accent, please make certain the audio reader can do the accent.
3 stars for the whole thing and that's my final offer. I'm not sure if I'll read the second one, but I'm definitely intrigued to see if the author is going to throw some twists in.
Rosie is on the run with her young daughter from an abusive husband. She ends up in Mosswood, possibly Georgia (I think -- I seem to recall something about being 2 hours outside of Atlanta). It doesn't take long after she gets there for a lot to happen.
She's approached by the town Mean Girls, in this case the wife of a prominent preacher and her clique, who backhandedly compliment their way into her bad books. One of the women, the only nice one, offers to send her husband to help around the house. This goes about as well as you think it will, with the husband hitting on Rosie and the one almost-friend seeing it at the wrong moment.
Oh, and did I mention that Rosie is a witch but has gone her whole life without knowing about it, because that's about to come into play (if you didn't catch it from the title). Because she's approached by the romantic interest character, who just happens to live in this same town, who says she's his promised bride and she's the witchiest witch ever to witch.
I enjoyed the book. I can tell the author really thought about how some of the plot lines were going to play out over the course of the series because not everything is wrapped up in this book. I like it when authors think about things ahead of time rather than throwing things in at the last minute and having to do minor retcons to make it fit.
That doesn't mean it wasn't a bit... I dunno what the word is here... abrupt? I feel like if you have magical powers, you probably know about it by the time you're in your late 30s. And the older I get, the less patience I have for "fated mates" tropes. They just seem cheap, like the authors who use it didn't want to build too much time on the romance, so they built that in so the reader would believe it. And actually, I'm not certain that's what's going on here. The author dropped some clues it may not be so simple, so I'm intrigued.
This was an audio read and I'm going to go with 2 stars for the audio reader. Some of her delivery, especially at the start of the book almost sounded like she was asking a question at the end of every sentence. And even once that calmed down, also... dear god, where did she learn Irish accents? I mean, I'm no expert. My own Irish accent sounds pretty, erm, muddled. But that's why I don't narrate audiobooks. This was like... Lucky Charms leprechaun bad. Wait no. This was like, David Boreanaz doing an Irish accent on Buffy bad.
https://youtu.be/exdrj2LnINk
(Go about 59 seconds in if you want to really hear the atrocity. It's like Dick Van Dyke doing cockney, but without the confidence.)
Basically, if you hire an audio reader for a book with an accent, please make certain the audio reader can do the accent.
3 stars for the whole thing and that's my final offer. I'm not sure if I'll read the second one, but I'm definitely intrigued to see if the author is going to throw some twists in.
May 8, 2023
I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't do it for me. I thought I would be able to finish it because it's really short, but I couldn't push thorough the story like I had hoped.
The first part of the book was really good, and I had high hopes, but I got lost at about the halfway mark. It just didn't go in a route that I liked, and I felt like it had so much more potential.
Given that this is probably an indie book written by a small author, I didn't want to be too harsh. As a small author myself, I know how important reviews are. I still have to be honest, though. The author did do a good job captivating me in the beginning and getting me invested in the story. I just couldn't get through the second half.
Seeing as this book is part of the series, I likely will not read the second one. However, I can't complain given that I was able to get this for free. I walked away with a decent story in the first have, and will just have to imagine the ending I hoped it would have.
The first part of the book was really good, and I had high hopes, but I got lost at about the halfway mark. It just didn't go in a route that I liked, and I felt like it had so much more potential.
Given that this is probably an indie book written by a small author, I didn't want to be too harsh. As a small author myself, I know how important reviews are. I still have to be honest, though. The author did do a good job captivating me in the beginning and getting me invested in the story. I just couldn't get through the second half.
Seeing as this book is part of the series, I likely will not read the second one. However, I can't complain given that I was able to get this for free. I walked away with a decent story in the first have, and will just have to imagine the ending I hoped it would have.
September 8, 2024
New Witch on the Block by Louisa West is a quick, cozy read centered on Rosie, a woman fleeing her abusive husband with her young daughter. They settle in a small town where everyone seems to know everyone's business, and life takes an unexpected turn when Rosie discovers she's a powerful witch.
The book was fine. It was kind of wild that Rosie lives a normal-ish life to then find out she’s supposedly one of the most powerful witches when Declan, her neighbor, shows up claiming she’s a Witch Queen and he’s her Witch King… things seemed to progress quickly and could have used some more backstory. I also thought that the banter between characters was also just ok.
Overall, the book most likely isn’t for everyone. If you want a quick, cozy witch book then you might like it. It was just ok - nothing too exciting but nothing bad either.
The book was fine. It was kind of wild that Rosie lives a normal-ish life to then find out she’s supposedly one of the most powerful witches when Declan, her neighbor, shows up claiming she’s a Witch Queen and he’s her Witch King… things seemed to progress quickly and could have used some more backstory. I also thought that the banter between characters was also just ok.
Overall, the book most likely isn’t for everyone. If you want a quick, cozy witch book then you might like it. It was just ok - nothing too exciting but nothing bad either.
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