A Season of Bone and Blood: The Magical Midlife Series

by Madalyn Rae

A woman starting over. A witchy bookstore. Mountain folklore and cryptids.

Divorcing my high school sweetheart after twenty years wasn’t exactly the fairy tale ending I had in mind. When Steve Thornfield came home one day and announced he wanted a “lifestyle change,” my picture-perfect life shattered, and so did I.

Desperate for a fresh start, I packed everything I owned into my SUV and headed for the mountains of North Carolina. My escape plan? Buying an abandoned bookstore in a town so small it barely shows up on a map. It sounded charming on paper until I saw it in person.

But with the help of a quick-witted new friend, a ruggedly handsome handyman, and a bookstore full of secrets and strange visitors, I’m learning there’s far more to this town, and to me, than I ever imagined.

Magic is real. The mountains are watching. And apparently…so is something else.

Genres: Magic

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2025

About the author

Madalyn Rae is the pen name for someone who can’t show the people in her life that she writes about werewolves, vampires, penises (I still don’t know the correct plural for that word) and heaven forbid—sex.

In her everyday life, she is a teacher of tiny humans and an avid music lover. She is the mother of two adult children and one adult husband. (That wasn’t a typo)
She lives in the best climate in America and enjoys the Gulf Coast whenever she’s not too lazy to fight with the tourists for a seat on the sand.

Madalyn’s stories stem from her overactive imagination and dreams. She writes what her characters tell her to write, and she hopes you enjoy reading them as much as she enjoys writing them!

Reviews

[Stephanie Reicen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss.Rea does it again! The story was fast pace but still very enjoyable with just the right amount of clarification. Imagine starting over in your fourties’ to discover that you have the ultimate witch powers. A perfect story of finding yourself, found family and fated mates. This author has it all and more!

[Heather Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had me wanting more. It had magical elements. From beginning to end I couldn’t put it down! Amazingly written by an incredible author!

[Angela Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything!! The only thing missing was the cold weather and a cozy fire. The book was comfy like being around old friends. The setting and Madalyn’s descriptions made me feel like I was there in the dusty bookshop. It was wonderful world building without a lot extra you don’t need. The characters are so inviting, I love everyone at first. So real with the cursing and real life crisis. Then so other worldly with the witches and ruins. Just the whisper of spice made it perfect! My first arc read is magnificent!

[Ashlene Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives Hallmark meets spooky season! Its cosy setting and great characters kept my interest from the start and it was so nice to have the main character in their early 40s for a change! Madalyns supernatural elements always deliver, I was like a child at Christmas whenever a new character was introduced! Its mystical, magical and definitely one to add to your TBR this autumn season🖤🧡

[Alisha Kuliak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madalyn Rae has done it again! Once I started reading I couldn't put this book down. You don't read a lot of books where you find out you're a witch later in life, it's always when you turn 18. That was nice to read. I loved it. Madalyn Rae never disappoints with a great story that keeps you reading until 2am.

[Jennifer Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 4.5 ⭐️. I really enjoyed the story. I like the fact that the FMC is older, she’s 42 and starting over after her divorce. She buys an old bookstore in a small town in the mountains. It has witches, lycanthropes, magic and mountain lore. It’s an easy ready, I read it in about a day and a half, which is quick for me.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this new series! It's starting off with so much content and some amazing new characters to learn and love! I'm excited to read about an FMC who is powerful, vulnerable, and not in her 20s. Madalyn has done it again, gripping from beginning to end!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Season of Bone and Blood: The Magical Midlife Series
I really liked this book.
Ms.Rae captures the paranormal and mystical as the main character starts an new adventure Romance comes suddenly, with that comes empowerment as her new life journey begins.
To me this book inter winds the spiritual as well.
I don't want to give this whole story away.. So, order this book and enjoy!

[Renee Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the main character, Charlotte, is in her 40's, starting over, and probably in over her head. It was instantly relatable, and made me root even harder for Charlotte to find her way on her new, unexpected path. And bonus! A mid-life love interest!

The quaint little bookstore in Davenport that somehow 'found' Charlotte in the midst of her life crisis holds more secrets than books. Fortunately, it also seems to have come with a few new friends like Bonnie and Duncan. With each layer of dust and neglect that is removed, a new mystery is revealed, including a hidden room and a personal connection to the bookstore itself. Will the answers Charlotte seeks bring her peace, or will they lead her into a world of danger and death?

[Sabrina Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I jumped right in to read this with next to no idea what I was getting into aside from “woman in her 40s moving on and starting over”. And boy did she. It felt cozy, while also building some mystery. A nice spooky season read, for sure!
I am a sucker for a book with lore building- where the MCs are learning the lore surrounding them in their world as you read along. It makes it that much more immersive and doesn’t leave me feeling like I’ve missed part of the conversation. And this book did just that. I can honestly say I will be eagerly awaiting the next one and continuing the story.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy midlife stories. Charlie has no idea magic exists. I liked the maturity with which she dealt with the mystery and new information being thrown her way. The story has a wonderfully spooky witchy vibe perfect for fall. Anyone who likes witchy mystery small town romance will enjoy this one!

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte our over 40’s fmc find herself starting over so buys herself a bookstore up in the mountains. A town that’s got a secret or two, magic, witches, romance and some incredible characters. It draws you in with fantastic world building that’s so descriptive you can easily visualise the town and the bookstore and a storyline that’s cozy and magical and I loved it!

[Kalynn Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! As someone who grew up in the Appalachian mountains of NC, it was so fun to read a story about all the lore I heard growing up. It was fast-paced, but I was captivated the whole book!

[Barbara Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the way I would think The Morrigan would try to take things but interesting take on the witchy aspects. Wish there was more of the Appalachia lore in it.