A Time of Witches

by Madeline Martin

Two women, bound by blood and betrayal, must break silence across centuries—or be silenced forever, in the dazzling new novel by New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin.

Lilith Legare’s life is unraveling. Since her mother’s death, strange things have been happening - plants turn toward her touch, animals linger in her path, and the birthmark on her arm has started tingling. Worse still is her recurring nightmare of being burned alive at the stake.

Her search for answers brings her from Savannah to England, to the decaying Brackenmere Manor where the past blurs with the present. There, Lilith discovers a legacy she never asked for and along with it, the threat of peril. History must be rewritten, or she too will die.

In 1645 Suffolk, Sybil Brantham stands accused as a witch. An educated, wealthy widow, she is branded a threat by men who fear her independence. As arrests begin and suspicion abounds, Sybil must protect her younger sister, even as betrayal takes root within her household.

Across centuries, Lilith and Sybil are bound by blood and by danger. To save themselves, and each other, they must confront the silence that has stolen women’s power for generations—and dare to claim their voices before it’s too late.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Witches, Historical, Fiction, Adult

Paperback

Expected publication September 1, 2026

About the author

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, and international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty-five different languages.

She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), two incredibly spoiled cats and a man so wonderful he's been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she's not writing, researching or 'moming', you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while laughing over cat videos. She also loves research and travel, attributing her fascination with history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany.

Check out her website for book club visits, reader guides for her historical fiction, upcoming events, book news and more: https://madelinemartin.com

Reviews

[Madeline Martin]

Update March 28, 2026:

A Time of Witches is officially now available to request on NetGalley!! https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

OMG this is so exciting!! (and thank you!)

xoxo,
Madeline

Update March 20, 2026:
I recently completed my page proofs for A Time of Witches, which officially means it will be going off to the printer!! This is such an exciting part of the book (and also terrifying) when it means I am DONE with the writing and editing and cannot change another thing in it (that last part is the terrifying part LOL).

While I was between edits on this book, I did a giveaway for the names of two of the animals in this book that I detail in my author's note, so definitely to make sure to check that out when the book comes out. The name of the horse was such a fun story that helped a grandmother bond with her equestrian granddaughter <3

I had a wonderful cover reveal for this book with People magazine and so appreciate how many of you shared my cover and reached out to let me know how much you love it <3 If you'd like to see the article, here it is: https://people.com/madeline-martin-a-...

I have a call with my marketing team in two weeks to start putting together a game plan for the launch, which will include my book tour. Believe it or not, I already have a couple stops planned, including Bury St. Edmunds, England! I'll be part of their literary festival this year with a special launch with Moyse's Hall Museum. I am absolutely over the moon about this!

The last thing I really need to write is the information for the reader's guide. The amazing team at Harper Collins assembles everything in to a pretty file, but I'm the one who provides the details. It's easier said than done!

It really is so exciting to see everything fall into place with this story and I cannot thank you enough for your eagerness and support and love!

xoxo,
Madeline

Update on Sept 12, 2025:

A Time of Witches has officially been turned into my publisher! I did it right before leaving for my book tour for The Secret Book Society - and turning in a book right before book tour is always the BEST feeling ever LOL

After my personal read through and freelance edits, the book ended up being over 80K words, so there was definitely a lot added to it. There was a lot of shifting timelines to get everything exactly as I wanted it to, but I love how it ended up. I expect I'll likely get the edits back in October sometime.

I already heard back from my agent after she read through A Time of Witches and she LOVED it - another friend who reads all my books has said it's my best book I've written. Getting feedback like that so early on after finishing writing it gives me the biggest sigh of relief LOL It's always such an anxious thing when a new book is done and people read it for the first time!

In the meantime, I've updated the blurb with a bit more information on what the book is about and I've started to mention A Time of Witches while I'm on my book tour. I'm so grateful for all the excitement already starting over this book and hope everyone loves it as much as I do!

xoxo,
Madeline

Update on June 5, 2025:

I just wrote THE END on A Time of Witches!!! My goal was to start May 5th and finish this first draft on June 5th (today1) at 70K words and I finished at 68.9K words. Pretty close to my original estimate :) Some days were great, like at the Highlights writing retreat in PA where I had a cabin in the woods and glorious silence that helped me accomplish 5K words a day. And some days were not great, like when I was traveling and limping along in my word count, or exhausted and just needed a whole day off (meaning zero words).

The months leading up to this point have been filled with intense research, so getting to finally write the story and have it all composed is just beyond thrilling! :)

What's next?

First of all, I wrote the timelines separate to ensure I kept the contemporary voice of Lilith and the 17th century voice of Sybil intact without deviation or crossover. Tomorrow, I will be splicing all those chapters together so the stories weave together. Easier said than done! But it shouldn't take more than a day.

Next, I'll do a full read through/self edit. This will take approximately two weeks to do, then I'll send it to a freelance editor to ensure all the pieces are working. Then I'll have a month for more clean up before turning it in on the due date of August 1st.

Stay tuned for more details as they come! And feel free to ask questions in the comments :)

Thank you for being on this journey with me as I write A Time of Witches.

xoxo,
Madeline

Update on May 13, 2025:

After months of deep research, travel to England and Savannah, plus ridiculous amounts of character development and plotting, I’m officially diving into the writing phase of my 2026 release, A Time of Witches.

My goal is 70,000 words in 32 days. (About 2200 words a day — give or take, depending on whether it’s a chaotic or coffee-fueled kind of day.) Writing quickly like this is how I work best as the just flows out of me and keeps everything cohesive. In my head, it's kind of like when you read a book you can't stop thinking about and can't wait to get back to. But at the same time, it's like the story has been building and building and just suddenly has to explode out.

It can be a bit of a stressful process as I still have to maintain travel, events, emails, life, etc while I'm 'fast drafting' but it's what seems to work best for me. Then, of course, come the edits to ensure it's all smoothed out before turning into my editor.

I'm going to be sharing the process of writing it in my stories on Instagram if you want to join along. I'm about 23K into it as I started it on the 5th and plan to end on June 5th. So feel free to follow along! https://www.instagram.com/madelinemma...

And thank you again for joining me on my journey to write this book <3

xoxo,
Madeline



Update on February 1, 2025:

Even though A Time of Witches isn't coming out until 2026, I'm already hard at work! I've been doing research for the last three months and will be leaving for England in less than two weeks to explore the area where the historical part of this book will take place. I have several private tours lined up and a list of questions I'm dying to learn answers to!

One of my favorite things about traveling on location is how it makes all that research fall into place. Suddenly street names have relevance, distances can be accurately measured, and seeing pieces in museums helps to bring that world to life for me. There are also so many books to purchase on location that I either can't find or don't even know exists. On the latter note, I always bring a collapsible second bag in my main bag for research trips, which I end up stuffing full of books (and padding with dirty laundry so those books don't get too beat up and dented).

I'm so excited for the incredible things I'm going to learn!

Stay tuned for more - and thanks for going on this journey with me.

xoxo,
Madeline

[layan ليان]

someone got the arc 🤭
i cannot wait to read this!

[GroveLifeLit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeline Martin has written a mesmerizing story of two women bound together across centuries by a magic more powerful than either woman can comprehend. One woman has embraced her powers while the other was forced to repress the powers given to her from the earth. When Lilith discovers her connection to a special magic, she will also discover that her life holds a far greater purpose, one that could decide the fate of many generations.

Lilith has always felt that she is different but her mother’s control prohibited her from exploring the powers she holds. Sybil has finally began to embrace the powers she holds and uses her gift to help those in the community. However, for Sybil, using her gift is a dangerous venture, for she lives during the time of witch hunts. This period in England was a dangerous time for women who were deemed different or possessed independence. In Sybil’s case, she was wealthy and independent, after losing her husband. She had also helped so many in the community through her herbal remedies.

Lilith feels compelled to travel to England and learn more about her family history. She also knows that her very existence hangs in the balance of what she discovers once she reaches Brackenmere Manor. Embracing her true identity will bring her peace but also great danger. Will Lilith be able to discover as much as she needs to in order to save herself and Sybil?

A Time of Witches is such an incredibly well written story. It is so easy to see the amount of time and research put into this book. Martin perfectly develops her characters and builds a story line that draws you in and holds your attention throughout the story. Reveals are carefully placed in a way that pulls you in even more and creates a deeper connection to the characters and what they are experiencing. A Time of Witches is an absolute must read for 2026!

Thank you so much to HTP Hive, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of A Time of Witches.

[Ummuhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yazardan ilk defa bir kitap okudum. Kalemi biraz zorladı, doğruya doğru. Kurgunun teknik detaylarla süslenmesi de etkili bunda, Türkçe çıktığı zaman ki umarım çıkar, tekrar okumak isterim.
Kurgusu yazar notunu okuduktan sonra ayrı bir kazanıyor. Lilith ve Sybil ile yola çıkıp aslında orta çağ da katledilen kadınlara değinen, altı dolu bir hikaye vardı. Klasik bir tarihi kurgudan ziyade tarihte yaşanmış olaylardan yola çıkan yazar, gerçek kişilere de değinmeyi unutmamıştı.
Başlarda adapte olma noktasında zorlandım, doğruya doğru. Bir aşk hikayesi, romantik bir kitap değil bu. Ana karakteri kadınlar olan iki ayrı zamanda yaşanan bir sesini duyurma hikayesi.
Sybil ile 1645 yılında yaşamış bir kadının hayatına konuk oluyoruz. O zamanlarda zengin, yaşlı, güzel, dul, hastalıklı olması fark etmiyor. Tek derdi var olması olan kadınların yaşadığı zulümlere tanık olduk. Yazarın erkeklerin dünyasında yaşamaya çalışan akıllı kadınları anlatma biçimiydi bir nevi o yıllar.
Lilith ile de Savannah dan başlayıp İngiltere'ye uzanan bir kendini bulma hikayesine dahil olduk. Aslında aradan geçen yıllara rağmen bugün de biz kadınların sesimizi duyurmaya çalıştığımızı göstermek istemiş yazar. Büyücük ve bitkilerle harmanlanmış, fantastik yönlerin arasına azıcık bir kurgu serpiştirmiş.
Bu hikayeden bir aşk romanı beklemeyin.

Okuduğum kurguyu sevdim, zorlanmış olsam da altında yatan anlam beni sarmaladı. Ancak kurgu yönünde geçmiş kısımları okurken bir tık sıkıldığımı itiraf etmem gerek. Son dakika geçişleri, karakterler ve zamanlar arası atlamalar yorucu geldi. Bir de bazı sahneler -özellikle 1645 yılında geçen- olmasa da olurmuş hissi uyandırdı. Son kapanışta bile yazar heyecan katmak istemişti ama bana zorlama bir ilerleyiş gibi geldi.
Yine de iyi ki okudum. Böyle kurgular okumayı da seviyorum, bana iyi geliyorlar.

[Marialyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows two women with a connection that was over two hundred years old.
Lilith Legare is our present day woman who after her mother's death, finds herself with strange powers, including the fact that plants and animals seem to be attracted to her., and the birthmark on her arm seems to react in unusual ways.However, she has a recurring nightmare of being burned at the stake.

In the past, we meet Sybil Brantham, a woman who unjustly has been accused of witchcraft and is due to be burned at the stake.

The story explores the connection between these two ladies as the times of of the seventeenth century and England's treatment of women who were oftentimes accused of being witches by men who were covetous of them.

However, there is a connection to the earth that both of these ladies possess and another deeper allegiance that binds them through the centuries.

I enjoyed the premise but the set up to the story was often confusing as the chapters alternated between the ladies and for me, I did lost track sometimes of events.

If you do enjoy "witches's" stories than I am sure you would like this telling as Ms Martin did her due diligence in researching and traveling to the place of many witch burnings, hangings, and drownings. Men were in total control and many of them were corrupt and held a hatred for a successful woman.

It surprises me still that people enjoyed watching the spectacle of death and were so easily led to believe anything. I think that is still the case today sadly.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received ARC from Edelweiss and publisher Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy five stars for me. The writing is absolutely beautiful and pulled me in right away. It has that kind of quiet, immersive quality where you can feel the atmosphere in every scene.

The dual timelines really worked here. Both storylines felt equally compelling, and I found myself fully invested in each perspective rather than rushing through one to get back to the other. The way the past and present connect adds so much emotional depth, and it kept the tension building in a really satisfying way.

I also loved the historical elements woven throughout. It added richness and authenticity to the story and made everything feel grounded and real.

The strongest part for me, though, was the focus on women’s experiences. The themes around power, voice, and resilience were handled with care and intention. You truly feel the weight of what these characters are up against. The conflict feels real, and at times it is genuinely unsettling in the best way because you are so emotionally connected.

This is very much a character-driven story, and that is where it shines. It is emotional, layered, and thoughtfully told. If you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of magic, strong female-centered themes, and writing that lingers with you, this one really delivers.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin

I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy this book as it’s quite different from Madeline Martin’s previous historical fiction and the subject matter can be taken to levels I personally don’t enjoy. However, the writing was well done and characters developed well through the story. The plot was interesting and made me need to know what would happen. It was an obvious work to expose what sufferings women, in particular, we through during the times of the witch trials. I didn’t love that the author chose to make some of the women witches. I completely understand her doing it and it was tastefully done, but for it took away from what women went through back then, completely innocent. The dual but connected timeline was interesting and well done, her descriptions were lovely, and I enjoyed reading it overall. It was a solid 3-3 1/2 star book for me.

I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins, these are my own thoughts and opinions on it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Time of Witches is a exceptionally well written story with a dual timeline that completely drew me into the story from the very first page. Once I started reading this book I had a hard time putting it down, it was just that good. I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. I love reading everything this author writes.
Lilith discovers her true self after her mothers death and after experiencing the same dream continuously she seeks out answers. After discovering a box containing ancestry she ends up going to England looking for more answers.
She has to use magic to save her ancestor from being burned at the stake or she too will cease to exist.
Will she discover the truth and find her path in time ?
I received an Advanced e-copy through Net Galley and am Voluntarily leaving a review.

[Natalie Groom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Time of Witches is an atmospheric, quietly powerful read that pulled me in from the very first page.

Madeline Martin weaves history and magic together with a delicate, almost spellbound touch, creating a story that feels both intimate and expansive.

I loved the resilience of the heroine and the slow unraveling of secrets layered beneath fear and suspicion. The pacing is thoughtful, letting the tension simmer rather than rush.

It’s the kind of book that lingers in your thoughts, like smoke curling from a candle just blown out. Haunting, emotional, and beautifully told.

Thank you @netgalley @harlequinbooks and @harpercollinsca for the early digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can't wait to get my hands on the final copy on release day September 1st, 2026.

[Rebecca Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating tale of the witch hunting in England. I’ve visited Salem and read about the witch trials but had never thought about the cruelty occurring in England. Lilith leaves her home in Savannah after reading about a family legacy. This is a book about women. Women’s friendships feature predominantly. How many men fear women with knowledge and power was evident throughout the book. I loved how the women supported each other. It is a powerful and moving book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't really know whay to expect when I requested this book. It did not sound like the standard fantasy that I would go for, but the historical element piqued my interest. It did not disappoint! The extenaive research that was dome for this book shone through, it gave rhe characters more than depth, it gave them a story rooted in history.

I absolurely recommend you get your hands on a copy!