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Witching After Forty #18
A Fallen Midlife
When Ava Walker’s small seaside town of Shipton Harbor is rocked by the shocking murder of the mayor—a powerful Nephilim—she’s pulled into a tangled web of magic and dangerous secrets. As a necromancer with a knack for solving supernatural mysteries, Ava teams up with her husband Drew, the hunters, and their close-knit group of magical allies to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, Olivia is grappling with her own revelations. Olivia’s newfound brother, Alexander has arrived, searching for answers about his past. Together, they uncover long-buried family secrets. The question is whether Alexander can get past these secrets long enough to bond with Olivia and Luci.
Ava’s investigation reveals a stolen artifact with ties to ancient mythology. As Ava follows a trail of magical clues, she discovers Henry’s life was far more complex than anyone realized, and that his death may be connected to a much larger, darker plan.
With time running out and shadowy figures working to unleash chaos, Ava must rely on her magic, her wits, and her closest friends to stop a catastrophe. But in a world where betrayal lurks in every corner and ancient evils stir, the cost of failure may be more than she can bear.
Meanwhile, Olivia is grappling with her own revelations. Olivia’s newfound brother, Alexander has arrived, searching for answers about his past. Together, they uncover long-buried family secrets. The question is whether Alexander can get past these secrets long enough to bond with Olivia and Luci.
Ava’s investigation reveals a stolen artifact with ties to ancient mythology. As Ava follows a trail of magical clues, she discovers Henry’s life was far more complex than anyone realized, and that his death may be connected to a much larger, darker plan.
With time running out and shadowy figures working to unleash chaos, Ava must rely on her magic, her wits, and her closest friends to stop a catastrophe. But in a world where betrayal lurks in every corner and ancient evils stir, the cost of failure may be more than she can bear.
Kindle Edition
Published December 28, 2024
207 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Lia Davis
287 books1,569 followersIn 2008, Lia Davis ventured into the world of writing and publishing and never looked back. She has published more than twenty books, including the bestselling A Tiger’s Claim, book one in her fan favorite Ashwood Falls series. Her novels feature compassionate yet strong alpha heroes who know how to please their women and her leading ladies are each strong in their own way. No matter what obstacle she throws at them, they come out better in the end.
While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.
Lia’s favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it’s her home and she loves it! Sign up for her newsletter, become a member of her fan club, and follow her on Twitter @NovelsByLia.
While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.
Lia’s favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it’s her home and she loves it! Sign up for her newsletter, become a member of her fan club, and follow her on Twitter @NovelsByLia.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 4, 2025
I loved how this book managed to pull so many of the author’s different series together. But I suppose, when faced with the possibility of every evil ever known being unleashed on Earth, Ava could use all the help she could get. And while dealing with all that drama, they also had to contend with the devil’s newly revealed son and his missing mother. Shipton Harbor is never without its excitement and this book was no exception. That was so much fun, and I already can’t wait to discover what will happen next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.
January 11, 2025
This is book twenty-three of the Witching After Forty series and sees Olivia visited by a family member she never knew about. Ava Walker has a new murder to solve, and this one is the murder of Shipton Harbor’s very own Mayor Henry Brown, who was also a very old and powerful Nephilim. A man called Alexander has come to Olivia’s home and told her he is her brother. They have the same father, but different mothers. He is part Fae and had lived in Faery all of his life, but was kidnapped by King Novus and his mother Catherine, has been missing for years. He doesn’t believe his mother is dead, as he has been told by other Fae that he would feel it if she died. He wants answers about his past and hoped to meet his father, Luci as well. Novus had been draining his angelic powers out for him since he kidnapped him, leaving him to be raised by a servant couple. He had worked his way up to being the head of the royal guard and it was only when King Mitah took over, that some of the truths from his past were revealed, in a diary written by Novus. All he knows is that his mother was left on earth some three hundred years ago, but he has had no luck trying to scry for her. Drew, Ava’s husband and the town’s sheriff, called her to the mayor’s office, where the mayor had been found in his chair, skewered through by a celestial sword! How someone had managed to get the drop on the powerful Nephilim was quite the shock. He was also a phoenix and the sword that took hi out froze his heart, one of the only ways to kill a phoenix like him. A group of Nephilim try to interrupt the investigation, telling Drew that Henry had been playing a dangerous game, that must have finally caught up with him!
Alexander found out that Luci was his father early on in his quest to find other family and is a bit resentful that Luci didn’t care enough about him to check on him. The fact his mother, Catherine, never told Luci is hard for him to believe and he feels he was abandoned in a world that treated him as an outsider, a half-breed. He also believes that his sister, Olivia, had the luxury of growing up with Luci and knowing him all of her life, when in fact, she has only known him for a little over a year. Luci has made it plain he wants to be in Alexander’s life and considers him family, but it might take a bit of adjustment on Alexander’s part, learning his dad is the devil! Meanwhile, Ava has left their troll baby, Shelby, with Drew and gone back to Henry’s office to check for traces of magic. She finds a hidden drawer of items, the strangest one being an old key that she knows instinctively is important. She takes it home and sees Drew’s brother Ian, holding her granddaughter Imogene, and give shim the task of looking it up and trying to identify it. He is still a hunter under their mother, Pearl’s, leadership. The key is supposed to be locked up tight at Hunter HQ in North Carolina, and so they portal over to meet with Pearl and ask about it. This brings about an almost immediate danger to them and the whole world, as the identity of the key and the ancient artifact it unlocks is explained! The key is one of two that unlock a box that could destroy everything and they ned to get their key as far away from the other as possible, immediately!
None of them have ever seen Pearl so panicked and they will need to call in as many favours as they can from the oldest of the old, of every supernatural being they know, to learn what they can of this ancient artifact and the danger it holds. A surprise visitor is Izora, the original vampire, who seems to have issues with Lucifer and has a different opinion about the box and what is inside it! Luci certainly isn’t happy to find Pearl has the box and other key in her Hunter’s HQ vault, where anyone powerful enough could easily break in! They soon discover more dangerous artifacts have disappeared and an inside job is now thought to be responsible. Pearl is devastated, but soon come sup with an ID, but an even more powerful being is behind the plot to gain hold of the box and break out the contents. Luci is right there in the middle of it and Ava will have to contend with a few odd constructs, only her necromancer powers can stop. An ancient evil is attempting to rise once more and the veil between the worlds has been weakened enough for them to gain influence in this world, so danger is never far away. Alexander will find out what happened with his mother with the help of Luci, Phira, Olivia and even the current king of the fae, whilst Ava gets a surprising invite to the reading of the mayor’s will, attendance at which is mandatory! More intrigue and adventures still to come for this group of friends and family, as Ava and Olivia continue their magical journey ad gain more experience in this world. Nothing is ever ordinary or boring when it comes to this lot and I love reading what happens to them all, each and every time, with little mentions of other related people from previous stories making an appearance.
I received an ARC copy of this book and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Alexander found out that Luci was his father early on in his quest to find other family and is a bit resentful that Luci didn’t care enough about him to check on him. The fact his mother, Catherine, never told Luci is hard for him to believe and he feels he was abandoned in a world that treated him as an outsider, a half-breed. He also believes that his sister, Olivia, had the luxury of growing up with Luci and knowing him all of her life, when in fact, she has only known him for a little over a year. Luci has made it plain he wants to be in Alexander’s life and considers him family, but it might take a bit of adjustment on Alexander’s part, learning his dad is the devil! Meanwhile, Ava has left their troll baby, Shelby, with Drew and gone back to Henry’s office to check for traces of magic. She finds a hidden drawer of items, the strangest one being an old key that she knows instinctively is important. She takes it home and sees Drew’s brother Ian, holding her granddaughter Imogene, and give shim the task of looking it up and trying to identify it. He is still a hunter under their mother, Pearl’s, leadership. The key is supposed to be locked up tight at Hunter HQ in North Carolina, and so they portal over to meet with Pearl and ask about it. This brings about an almost immediate danger to them and the whole world, as the identity of the key and the ancient artifact it unlocks is explained! The key is one of two that unlock a box that could destroy everything and they ned to get their key as far away from the other as possible, immediately!
None of them have ever seen Pearl so panicked and they will need to call in as many favours as they can from the oldest of the old, of every supernatural being they know, to learn what they can of this ancient artifact and the danger it holds. A surprise visitor is Izora, the original vampire, who seems to have issues with Lucifer and has a different opinion about the box and what is inside it! Luci certainly isn’t happy to find Pearl has the box and other key in her Hunter’s HQ vault, where anyone powerful enough could easily break in! They soon discover more dangerous artifacts have disappeared and an inside job is now thought to be responsible. Pearl is devastated, but soon come sup with an ID, but an even more powerful being is behind the plot to gain hold of the box and break out the contents. Luci is right there in the middle of it and Ava will have to contend with a few odd constructs, only her necromancer powers can stop. An ancient evil is attempting to rise once more and the veil between the worlds has been weakened enough for them to gain influence in this world, so danger is never far away. Alexander will find out what happened with his mother with the help of Luci, Phira, Olivia and even the current king of the fae, whilst Ava gets a surprising invite to the reading of the mayor’s will, attendance at which is mandatory! More intrigue and adventures still to come for this group of friends and family, as Ava and Olivia continue their magical journey ad gain more experience in this world. Nothing is ever ordinary or boring when it comes to this lot and I love reading what happens to them all, each and every time, with little mentions of other related people from previous stories making an appearance.
I received an ARC copy of this book and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
January 4, 2025
Olivia is home when there's a knock at the door. She goes to answer. There is a stranger standing there. He introduces himself as her brother. She calls Ava. They call Luci. Luci walks around the young man and discovers he is his son. Alexander has come to Olivia's in the human world for help. He reveals he's the son of Lucifer. It galls him to ask for help but he's been trying to find his mother who has been missing since he was a small child. Now he has the help of Olivia, Luci and all their friends.
To add to the confusion the mayor, who is a Phoenix and hard to kill, has been murdered. So Ava is pulled into the investigation by her husband Drew. Their investigation takes them into more secrets that their world holds. After Ava finds a key she and her friends and family learn about Pandora's Box. Shortly this pulls in Drew's family, the Hunters.
The story weaves in and out among the two missions. But the group of family and friends and associates pull together and head to a conclusion that will hopefully be satisfactory.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
To add to the confusion the mayor, who is a Phoenix and hard to kill, has been murdered. So Ava is pulled into the investigation by her husband Drew. Their investigation takes them into more secrets that their world holds. After Ava finds a key she and her friends and family learn about Pandora's Box. Shortly this pulls in Drew's family, the Hunters.
The story weaves in and out among the two missions. But the group of family and friends and associates pull together and head to a conclusion that will hopefully be satisfactory.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 1, 2025
Eva, Olivia and their extended families are faced with new twists and challenges, as unexpected murder mysteries and curses make themselves known.
it's always interesting to see how Eva interacts with her college aged new dad son, and plenty of hunters and a wide variety of talents and creatures.
love really doesn't have limits in her world, at least not for Eva and many of those closest to her.
some perhaps well intentioned folks might be getting a bit overzealous, and crossing into bad actors territory. It raises interesting questions about culpability and relative redemption.
teamwork of a wide variety appears to be the best path to overcoming less desirable results.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the little folks develop as they age, and what ripple effects that might have for the already grown folks.
it is always surprising what variety of entities and talents cross the threshold for Eva and Olivia - can't wait to see who or what pops by next!
it's always interesting to see how Eva interacts with her college aged new dad son, and plenty of hunters and a wide variety of talents and creatures.
love really doesn't have limits in her world, at least not for Eva and many of those closest to her.
some perhaps well intentioned folks might be getting a bit overzealous, and crossing into bad actors territory. It raises interesting questions about culpability and relative redemption.
teamwork of a wide variety appears to be the best path to overcoming less desirable results.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the little folks develop as they age, and what ripple effects that might have for the already grown folks.
it is always surprising what variety of entities and talents cross the threshold for Eva and Olivia - can't wait to see who or what pops by next!
January 2, 2025
Continues the story of Ava Walker and her extended family
This book continues the amazing adventures of Ava, Olivia and their extended families. It would be best to have read the series up to here first. There is an incredible amount of backstory. Now, Olivia finds she has a half-brother, another previously unknown son of Luci. He is looking for his Fae mother and will get help from his new-found families. He is welcomed to the family. Meanwhile, Ava has a murder to solve: the mayor, a Nephilim, was murdered with an angelic sword and his phoenix rebirth was prevented by freezing his heart. Who did this and why? The supernatural community—witches, vampires, faeries, gods and even a cat—will help Ava find out. And what is the history between Izora (Vampire number one, crossover from Fanged After Forty series) and Lucifer? There are several threads still needing to be woven together, perhaps in the next book.
This book continues the amazing adventures of Ava, Olivia and their extended families. It would be best to have read the series up to here first. There is an incredible amount of backstory. Now, Olivia finds she has a half-brother, another previously unknown son of Luci. He is looking for his Fae mother and will get help from his new-found families. He is welcomed to the family. Meanwhile, Ava has a murder to solve: the mayor, a Nephilim, was murdered with an angelic sword and his phoenix rebirth was prevented by freezing his heart. Who did this and why? The supernatural community—witches, vampires, faeries, gods and even a cat—will help Ava find out. And what is the history between Izora (Vampire number one, crossover from Fanged After Forty series) and Lucifer? There are several threads still needing to be woven together, perhaps in the next book.
February 24, 2025
Absolutely ADORE this series!
This is such a great series, and I love that it features multiple POVs. We have a couple different plots in this one – first the Nephilim mayor is found murdered (which was a total shock to me since we had just met him in one of the previous books and they are really hard to kill) and then Olivia’s brother that she never knew she had shows up. Alex is looking for information on his mother, so Olivia and Luci are on the hunt to figure out what happened.
Ava is trying to discover why the mayor was murdered and it all points to a relic that he was keeping which was one of the two keys keeping the famous Pandora locked away.
Loved this! Keep ‘em coming!
This is such a great series, and I love that it features multiple POVs. We have a couple different plots in this one – first the Nephilim mayor is found murdered (which was a total shock to me since we had just met him in one of the previous books and they are really hard to kill) and then Olivia’s brother that she never knew she had shows up. Alex is looking for information on his mother, so Olivia and Luci are on the hunt to figure out what happened.
Ava is trying to discover why the mayor was murdered and it all points to a relic that he was keeping which was one of the two keys keeping the famous Pandora locked away.
Loved this! Keep ‘em coming!
January 1, 2025
Too much?
I wish I could give it 5 stars but there was just so much crammed into this in such a short story that I can't. I really wish it had been two stories explored more in depth, especially since the next book isn't out until December 2025. The cat on the cover is not even remotely explained, they spent more time on other "wildlife." No spoiler. It just felt chaotic and rushed. And now we sadly wait.
I wish I could give it 5 stars but there was just so much crammed into this in such a short story that I can't. I really wish it had been two stories explored more in depth, especially since the next book isn't out until December 2025. The cat on the cover is not even remotely explained, they spent more time on other "wildlife." No spoiler. It just felt chaotic and rushed. And now we sadly wait.
January 9, 2025
Ava and the gang are back in book twenty-two of the Witching After Forty series. A lot is going on in this book and as always the quirky characters take us on a magical journey filled with mystery, intrigue, suspense, humor, and unexpected twists that make this a page turner. A Fallen Midlife is a magical read and it is a great addition to the series and after that ending I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
July 7, 2025
Who and what is Alexander? What happens at the Mayor's office? Oh boy, things have gone sideways right at the start of the book. Who is Izora, and what do we learn about her? Who are Felix and Catherine? What do we learn about Novus and his past with Alexander, and who was Catherine to him? Man alive, there were some tremendous surprises in this 22nd book of the series! Now to wait for book 23! I hope you enjoy the read.
August 16, 2025
Fallen has 2 mysteries. we find out Luci has a son named Alex. he is in Shipton Harbor to find his mother, she was cursed by King Novus, and had Alex taken from her over 300 years ago, thats one mystery, the other one is The Mayor, who is Nephilim, is killed. this is supposed to be next to impossible, so now Ava and Drew and the others have to find out who did it and why. this book was so good I cant wait for the next one
January 12, 2025
A Fallen Midlife Book 22 in the Witching After Forty series by accomplished author duo of Lia Davis and L.A. Boruff. Witching After Forty series is a humorous, interesting stories and has wonderful characters. I highly recommend you read this entire series and it just keeps getting better!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 28, 2025
More shenanigans with Ava and her friends. A murder, Pandora's box and an unexpected relative. This short story moves at a pace. As usual it's light on plot and doesn't always make sense, but is still an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours and works well as a palette cleanser between heavier books.
December 30, 2024
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. It is an intriguing story that you can't put down. I liked the solving of a murder mixed with dangerous artifacts. The lost family reunited was heartwarming.
January 3, 2025
Fun read....
I always enjoy coming back to these books In this series. There's always something going on with someone. Just trying to keep up with what's going on with which character is so much fun. And now it looks like we have a new character to join the fun.
I always enjoy coming back to these books In this series. There's always something going on with someone. Just trying to keep up with what's going on with which character is so much fun. And now it looks like we have a new character to join the fun.
January 5, 2025
This family just keeps growing larger all the time! I love it! I also love how diverse it is. I love that some are born into it, adopted, discovered, and some just get invited. I have concerns regarding events that will happen in the next book, but I hope I am wrong. I love this series so much!
April 20, 2025
A Fallen Midlife: A Life After Magic cozy mystery ( Witching after 40 book 22
Los of characters with new ones added and a murder to solve. Many back historic stories come out and new ones are possible.
Los of characters with new ones added and a murder to solve. Many back historic stories come out and new ones are possible.
June 13, 2025
book 22
This is a good series I enjoy the interaction of all the characters, and the storylines are good. I like this one it had a couple of things going on several I guess and it made the book go by very quickly.
This is a good series I enjoy the interaction of all the characters, and the storylines are good. I like this one it had a couple of things going on several I guess and it made the book go by very quickly.
November 23, 2025
As I near the final pages of this captivating journey, anticipation and a hint of melancholy wash over me. Just one more book remains, and I'm both eager to discover its secrets and reluctant to bid farewell to this immersive world.
January 29, 2025
Loved it!
It was great to visit with Ava and the gang. She had quite the adventure this time. I wish I had !y own portal room. It would make traveling a lot easier.
It was great to visit with Ava and the gang. She had quite the adventure this time. I wish I had !y own portal room. It would make traveling a lot easier.
February 28, 2025
Murder
The mayor is murdered, Lucifer has an unknown son. Dark magic is at play. No cliffhanger and happy for now.
The mayor is murdered, Lucifer has an unknown son. Dark magic is at play. No cliffhanger and happy for now.
January 2, 2025
A book in this series never disappoints.
May 23, 2025
Well worth the wait however I dislike Olivia's attitude towards Alexander. Her always trying to be useful & be at the center of all the action is so annoying. I wish her character would just die already.
More portals have been put in, in Ava's portal room beside the original 4. 1 to Hunter HQ.
More portals have been put in, in Ava's portal room beside the original 4. 1 to Hunter HQ.
January 13, 2025
Fun and entertaining, A favorite series
January 5, 2025
This family just keeps growing larger all the time! I love it! I also love how diverse it is. I love that some are born into it, adopted, discovered, and some just get invited. I have concerns regarding events that will happen in the next book, but I hope I am wrong. I love this series so much!
January 1, 2025
Ava and her friends are back again and so is the mystery, drama, intrigue and surprises that keep this series entertaining. Between a death to solve and surprise family popping in, things are hopping and entertaining for all. Kept me smiling and laughing as always as I try to guess who the bad guy is and what chaos will occur to help it all along.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews