Raven in Midwinter

Raven of the Woods #3

by Mary Calmes

Sometimes the most frightening thing is not the wind howling through the trees…but what’s lurking there.

Xander Corey is certain that what his husband, Lorne MacBain, the chief of police in their little town of Osprey, is seeing outside their kitchen window is nothing to worry about. It’s concerning that whenever Xander looks, there’s nothing there, but really, it could be anything. Why borrow trouble and assume the worst? Besides, it’s midwinter, after all, and everything is sleeping.

Or should be.

And while during the deep, dark days and even darker nights, things can get spooky, that’s not to say that logical minds won’t prevail, even when tested at the most vulnerable time. Remaining steadfast in the face of danger is what guardians do… and staying alive would certainly help as well.

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Time Travel, Witches

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2025

About the author

Mary Calmes believes in romance, happily ever afters, and the faith it takes for her characters to get there. She bleeds coffee, thinks chocolate should be its own food group, and currently lives in Kentucky with a six-pound furry ninja that protects her from baby birds, spiders and the neighbor’s dogs. To stay up to date on her ponderings and pandemonium (as well as the adventures of the ninja) follow her on Twitter @MaryCalmes, connect with her on Facebook, and subscribe to her Mary’s Mob newsletter.

Reviews

[Achim]

Still have my difficulties to warm up to this series. Somehow I'm still curious about Mary's unique take on witchcraft (as long as it doesn't look too esoteric) but I'm easily irritated when the 3rd book in a series still has the need for detailed explanations and definitions and that even before the story starts to evolve into time travel with the usual issues about changing the past. Then there's also that I'm still not sure if I like Xander. There's – of course- a lot of Jory in which I usually enjoy but this time something doesn't add up and I still don't know what.

[Grace]

Sadly, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two. It was shorter than them both, about half the length, and while the plot concept was interesting, it sort of takes them out of the setting and wiccan-type magic that I loved so much in the first two. I still liked it, but the town, characters, and witchy cottage-core vibes are what I'm really here for and it didn't quite deliver. Smuttier than the last book though, so that was a win.

[Terri]

I've enjoyed all three of these, but this one's like an action-adventure magic whirlwind. So, yeah.

[Lori]

3.75 stars

[Rissa]

4.5 but I rounded up because Argos for the win, lol.

This book felt more personal and had a more horrible villain than the last two probably because of Giles who was truly evil and that's what was really scary because he was family 😔.

I love that we get to meet all these different gods and goddesses and I truly love that Lorne and Xander talk and explain since it helps me understand! ❤️

I really love that we got to meet a descendant of Amanda in a roundabout way!

Great addition to the series!!

[Nicole]

Hauntingly Beautiful

This series has never disappointed, I have been invested from the very beginning. This is not a stand alone. If you don't read the first two you'll be missing some absolutely beautiful beginnings

[maya]

this series should have ended with book 1 this couple has no chemistry they are so painfully bland

[Sao Reads (semi hiatus)]

🔹Story- 3⭐, Characters- 5⭐, Sex- 1.8⭐, Epilogue- 5⭐

📙3 stars | 30th Sep 2026. Ohh this is short. But i didn’t like it as much. Didn’t understand the time-slip thingy, hated the separation caused by the villains, and every book ends with a literal deus ex machina. But things moved fast & the villains were stupid, so small mercies. Mainly tho, the couple is hella cute as always. Honestly i'm reading this just for them.

It’s winter and there’s a man in their house who can turn back time and use illusions, and a wolf at the door. The villain wants Corvus aka our boys’ land and uses a time slip to get it. Xan & Lorne get separated and work their way to e/o and end the villain’s magic.


What i liked:

⬥Narrated by Greg Tremblay/Boudreaux. i love the way he say “Corvus” in Lorne’s voice.

⬥So Lorne is like a placement holder for us, in learning Xan’s magic. We learn stuff through him learning it, which i find to be so cool. He even reads journals of Xan’s ancestors. Also, look at what he says here 🥺:

“I love your magic and hate all the rest.”
I put a hand on his cheek. “I love you.”
“I know,” he muttered, covering my hand briefly.

And now, he's become the teacher!! 😃

⬥They keep being so lovey dovey and adorable. 🥺 Lots of teasing and calling e/o “dear” and “love” as petnames. Pure domestic bliss.

⬥This puts more focus on the cottage’s capabilities. A sentient house that can dispel dark magic, rearrange stuff & now even fight a bad guy. Even under an evil spell, she (Lorne calls her motherly) tries to help our couple by conjuring things for them. It’s the love for Lorne that makes the cottage fight back!! Fascinating concept!

⬥Cas is the perfect assistant to Xan! i loved her enthusiasm in book 1, it continues here too.

⬥There’s only 1 sex scene at 69% (nice) set in the alt time + handjob foreplay. Again, no prep, which is… weird. But hey! Oil as lube. Gotta compensate somehow. It was… meh. Could’ve been much better.



Stuff that happens in the alternate timeline:

♦️This also separates our couple for a little while and Xan tries to get back to Lorne. So that part was angsty. Thankfully Lorne remembers him and they reunite pretty quickly.

♦️Xan is technically “sold” to a woman to work a her servant by the men who “rescue” him.

♦️The villain can do time magic and it’s very convoluted. It makes the entire house revert to how it looked a century ago, almost like a time turner. Xan calls it a time slip, sending them all into an alternate timeline. 1 night for Xan is like a month for Lorne, while a year passes for people in that timeline.

♦️OP info: Not really? This part is weird, so i’ll try my best. •The villain keeps Lorne in his mansion, but nothing happens b/w them. He has a woman “companion” whose job is to seduce Lorne, so Lorne is forced to be undressed by her (at least once?) & eat poisoned food she prepares, all only mentioned. But Lorne doesn’t budge, and the cottage itself helps keep him away from her/doesn’t let her into his room.
•Then there’s the fox goddess who tried to “take” Lorne, but bcuz he’s branded & mated to Xan, she leaves but not before telling Xan she would’ve taken him.


What i disliked:
♦️This probably has the most talking and telling there is. It’s cute, don’t get me wrong, but too much info dumping imo.

♦️The deux ex machina climax, obviously.


📙Tropes & tags: •Established couple, •witch x sheriff, •husbands, •separation (external by villain), •hair grabbing, •gentle → rough fuck, •no prep sex, •time travel, •mid/high angst, •winter, •1st person single pov, •deus ex-machina, •HFN→HEA.

CW: MC almost killed thrice, esp MC attacked using small needle like spikes, side villain decapitated, body horror, LI & pet supposedly killed on page (but don’t worry, they come back).

[Rhonda Thomas]

So good, but the ending…

This is probably just me, but as usual, Mary Calmes’ stories are a rollercoaster of emotions and I felt like I needed a little more closure on this one. A little more time to come down from the high emotions of “we’re gonna die god blessed thrice over witch” to the calmer cozy vibes of Xander as “friendly neighborhood green witch”. All in all, great story, just not as much of a soft cozy ending as normal.

[Jessica Frances]

4.5*
I love this world and being able to return to these characters. It's like a warm, cozy blanket for my mind. I hope we keep getting stories and seeing the love this couple has for each other grow and build. Definitely recommend.

[R. Andrade]

last book of the year. I loved it.

[Teresa]

This was a good addition to the series! Fast paced read with action and peril. Greg did a great job narrating as always.

[Jill]

4.5 stars

[Yvonne]

The first in this series is still my favourite; however, I’ll happily reread this one. The mid-winter setting is day dream fodder when I’m sweltering following summer solstice. I loved Amanda’s new tradition to fight deep winter sadness.

[Carmen]

I really like Lorne and Xan

So glad to revisit a couple and setting I really love. Sadly as it's slightly shorter we see Amanda less, but she does appear, do not fear.

Interesting story this time regarding something I thought about more than once: what happens to the others in the the family who aren't Corvus's protectors? Well, this story give some information about this XD

Happy reading!

[ReviewerLarissa]

Didn’t like this one. The plot was contradictory and outlandish.

[Ники 2025]

"Woods of the Raven" was good. "Demon and the Raven" was "meh". This is a catastrophe. Between the hand-wringing and thinking "I love you" in the most inappropriate moments and stopping to have sex in the middle of a crisis, this novella is frustrating, nonsensical, and really badly written. It reads like a hallucination of a very drunken person. There is no logic to be found in the actions of both the protagonists and the antagonists, the background of the dieties is non-existent, and the resolution of the plot is thanks to conveniently placed maguffins. The plot armor is everywhere. Xander is completely and utterly helpless and overmatched throughout the entire story (not to mention horny and wishy-washy) and somehow wins at the end, thanks to divine intervention, cos he's a nice person we were told. Lorne is somehow infected with Xander's ADHD (sorry, but not every character has to have ADHD, and their thought process should differ). This is something I usually am capaple to close my eyes to, but this time it was especially annoying. Lorne is desperate one second, jovial the next, determined a second after, then smug, back to desperate later, then outraged... while nothing is happening to induce those emotional responses. The plot is very contradictory and illogical.
From time to time miss Calmes has the habit of producing something sub-par, but since I like her books, I tend to overlook it, and read the books nonetheless. This is not even a leisure or even a guilty pleasure read. This time I read the novella in order to see how bad it's gonna get.

[Dawn]

Such a Fun Series and I Love Xander and Lorne.

Another thrilling adventure with Xander and Lorne and their beloved land Corvus. In this book they are happily married and still crazy about each other. Life is good, it’s midwinter and with so much snow everyone is hibernating including the land but in Xander’s world nothing stays quiet for long, as Guardian of Corvus he is always vigilant.

When Lorne keeps seeing something outside but whenever Xander looks there is nothing there it triggers a series of events that put both men in danger and in another time zone, battling a powerful hedge-rider, an enchantress and magical wolves the size of horses! Can Xander wake the land from its winter rest to save them.

So much magic and action but the love Xander and Lorne have for one another shines through. No matter how dangerous the situation they always stand together and the land sees Lorne as a guardian with Xander. It amuses Xander that their cottage and his familiar Argos the “cat” love Lorne more than him.

Love this series and I really hope we get another adventure. As always Mary Calmes writes beautifully and so descriptively.

[U]

Much better than #2. Perhaps the shorter novella format suits the author more. The writing was denser and gripping than in book 2. The reading flow was MUCH better, the plot more coherent.
The villain certainly was downright evil, bc not only was Giles distant family but he was so inherently human. His motivation of greed and hatred is what we are seeing in a lot of ppl today. Giles was blessed with extraordinary skills but these were not enough, never enough.
Xander on the other hand was shown -again - both the limits as well as the benefits of being a green witch. He knows that alone he would have never been capable of fighting off Giles. Especially in that heart-wrenching scene with Argos. Xander is the guardian of the land Corvus, of its fauna and flora as a true green witch should be (and shiwn with protecting the foxes) but Lorne is the guardian of the Cottage, the living semi-sentient manifestation of Corvus.
All in all an entertaining read. Much better than book 2.

[Zoe]

An enjoyable addition from Xan and Lorn

I enjoyed this shorter addition to what was a good two book series and hopefully we'll hear more from them in the future. I would especially love one from both viewpoints and I would be fascinated to get to see insights from Lorn.
This was Mary's usual fast witted style but I have to say I still do not like Xan's 'so called'' best friend Amanda. She is simply not likeable, her short rudeness is not loveable simply because Xan says it is. She turns up near the end of this and acts like she owns everyone, even her own child has to tell her to stop being nasty! I get that she is supposed to be this feisty lady who loves equally fierce but this is not conveyed, she simply comes across as arrogant and rude.
Other than that, I did enjoy this and would recommend to those having read the previous two books on these characters.

[Chloe (ChloeReadsQueer)]

2/5
I had really loved the first two books in this series, so this novella ended up being a big disappointment for me. It took me forever to finish, mainly because the beginning was so heavy on exposition that it immediately pulled me out of the story. It felt like info dump after info dump without much flow.

The pacing was uneven throughout, and by the end, I honestly did not see the point of this installment. It did not add anything meaningful to the series, which made it feel unnecessary.

Greg Tremblay did a solid job with the narration, but even that could not fully save the experience for me. Overall, this one unfortunately lowered my enjoyment of the series as a whole.

[Beth]

We get a lot of history on the Corey family in this book. We learn about Corvus and the relationship between the land and Xander and Lorne. A threat comes and it threatens the very foundation of Corvus. A key part of the book is the season. Winter is a time for rest so the land is resting and that impacts Xander’s magic, the veil thins, and it’s the perfect time for an adversary to attack.

There’s a lot of relationship stuff, family stuff, and messages about power and greed. But the suspense story was also compelling and had me holding my breath in parts. I’d have liked a bit more vengeance in the end and more suffering for the villain but I’m cold blooded that way!

[Lisa1269]

What a fantastic note to wrap up my 2025 reading on. This is definitely not where you want to step into this series, you need to start at the beginning, but these are a great choice for my pnr loving friends and this was a great addition to the series. I love the unwavering strength & devotion underlying the way these 2 characters love each other. Their connection is beautiful and I will never get enough of it.

[Charmaine]

It was so nice to get another book with Xan and Lorne. Learning more about Xan's family and Corvus was interesting. I hope there is another Raven of the Woods book.
The love that Xan and Lorne have for one another is so well written and brings a smile to my face when I read any of the Raven books.
I am so glad that Mary Calmes imagination came up with these MCs and their friends and family. All of them make the series one of my favorites.

[OneDayI'll]

I do really enjoy this series. We learn about new beings and realms as the poor sheriff does. No info dumps, no bombardment or browbeating dialogue to fit it all in. And the characters are so interesting. Even the bad guys lol. The resolutions are a little simplistic sometimes but it kind of fits the gently flowing theme, too. And I absolutely love that the cottage loves him more than the caretaker lmao.

[Jane (PS)]

This story cannot be read as a standalone; the series needs to be read in order

The lives of MC Xander Corey, guardian of the Corvus land, and MC Lorne MacBain is never dull. Xander is a witch looking after the land, and rift to other worlds, Lorne is Chief of Police in Osprey. Trouble comes to their land and 'almost sentient' cottage in the form of a long-lost relative...

Narrated by Greg Tremblay - excellent

[Wendy]

Loving that the cottage and grounds are continuing to change for Lorne. The grounds are hibernating so when Lorne is seeing something odd in the yard the grounds are slow to wake. Seems Xander and Lorne will need to deal with a power witch from the past that more and more power at the expense of the land and those around them. I keep getting lost in these stories and looking forward to reading the next one!

[Deborah]

I was so excited when I discovered this book was coming out. I’d really enjoyed the previous two so I looking forward to this one.

I struggled a little from the get go really. Seemed like a huge info dump before the story even got started. I didn’t love the story either if I’m being honest.

Still I’m looking forward to the next one.

[Heather]

I love this series and the third book was just as delightful.
In midwinter, a powerful descendent of Xander Corey's comes to take over Corvis for himself, sending Xander into a slip in the past.
This was a quick read yet still so well done. A reminder that even in a time of rest, there is still power in love and devotion.

[Cindy Deporter]

Raven of the Woods

I love revisiting Xander and Lorne and all their friends family. Xander and Lorne are faces with one of Xanders nutty relatives that moves time and through realms. He wants Corvus’s power and is determined to destroy it.