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Witchlight #1
Bump
BE CAREFUL WHO YOU WITCH FOR
Ever had that feeling--when you're completely alone--that you're being watched? I envy you. I see the watcher in an empty room, and I firmly believe ignorance would be bliss.
Nilla Hayes has a problem. It isn't the pretty werewolf she shouldn't be attracted to. It isn't that her best friend is trying to set her up, either. There are things going bump in the night and they all start with a wicked witch. Things would be a lot easier if Nilla could just turn a blind eye, but not all witches are bad. Now it's war--and no one is safe when witches duel with magic.
Ever had that feeling--when you're completely alone--that you're being watched? I envy you. I see the watcher in an empty room, and I firmly believe ignorance would be bliss.
Nilla Hayes has a problem. It isn't the pretty werewolf she shouldn't be attracted to. It isn't that her best friend is trying to set her up, either. There are things going bump in the night and they all start with a wicked witch. Things would be a lot easier if Nilla could just turn a blind eye, but not all witches are bad. Now it's war--and no one is safe when witches duel with magic.
- GenresParanormalMystery
337 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2017
12 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Munn
8 books79 followersJaime Munn lives in a house with too many windows on the outskirts of Manchester, the city of immortal bees. He writes contemporary and urban fantasy stories. His novels blend the real world with his fascination for all things supernatural. By day he is a therapist. By night he is not a vampire.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 30, 2018
"Bump" was much better than I expected and for a Kindle Unlimited it was stellar.
Nilla Hayes is a closeted witch living in a small town as a lamp shop owner of "Which Light". On the outside, it appears she's a simple boutique owner but in secret she also provides witchcraft services to clients that are living, dead, or otherwise. One such request comes in asking for the protection of a baby which Nilla can't turn down. Unfortunately, doing so puts her in the crosshairs of a sinister witch, leading to a string of events that takes Nilla further and further down the rabbit hole of something wicked this way comes.
As genres go this is all fantasy with paranormal creatures of every type in abundance: witches, werewolves, incubus', demons, ghosts, and the like. There are definitely dark and serious elements in the read but the overall tone is light because of the characters and lines of dry humor present. We do have a mystery of sorts and a bit of romance action on the side.
The world that the author spins is original and intriguing. It unfolds in a way where we learn bit by bit. Nilla chooses to live her life in the human world vs the paranormal realm so the setting is based in our everyday reality with paranormal things going "bump" in the night...or day, as it may be.
Nilla is a great narrator and the point of view of the story. She's an unusual witch because she's strong but doesn't overuse her witchcraft or flaunt it. She has scruples and is very careful and cautious about all things paranormal since they come with as many cons as pros. She's also a good friend and has a likable personality.
And don't get me started on her cat. I'm not even a cat person but I loved the role that her cat plays in the story. Many of the humorous moments are derived from him.
For those who notice or care, this is a male author writing about a lesbian lead that develops an f/f relationship. And, in the highest, most complimentary way, you can't tell. The writing, respect, and genuine affection for the characters is what comes through. Any romantic elements are handled really well and the sex scenes are fade to black.
Nilla isn't the only strong female, as there are many in the book. And much of the cast is also lesbian or gay though heterosexuality is represented, too. Nilla is a black woman and a few other characters are of non-white ethnicity. The story is just a really diverse mix, in general, that is well executed.
The book had some minor editorial issues here and there but the read felt unique and refreshing. I really enjoyed this and will definitely continue with the series. Recommend.
Nilla Hayes is a closeted witch living in a small town as a lamp shop owner of "Which Light". On the outside, it appears she's a simple boutique owner but in secret she also provides witchcraft services to clients that are living, dead, or otherwise. One such request comes in asking for the protection of a baby which Nilla can't turn down. Unfortunately, doing so puts her in the crosshairs of a sinister witch, leading to a string of events that takes Nilla further and further down the rabbit hole of something wicked this way comes.
As genres go this is all fantasy with paranormal creatures of every type in abundance: witches, werewolves, incubus', demons, ghosts, and the like. There are definitely dark and serious elements in the read but the overall tone is light because of the characters and lines of dry humor present. We do have a mystery of sorts and a bit of romance action on the side.
The world that the author spins is original and intriguing. It unfolds in a way where we learn bit by bit. Nilla chooses to live her life in the human world vs the paranormal realm so the setting is based in our everyday reality with paranormal things going "bump" in the night...or day, as it may be.
Nilla is a great narrator and the point of view of the story. She's an unusual witch because she's strong but doesn't overuse her witchcraft or flaunt it. She has scruples and is very careful and cautious about all things paranormal since they come with as many cons as pros. She's also a good friend and has a likable personality.
And don't get me started on her cat. I'm not even a cat person but I loved the role that her cat plays in the story. Many of the humorous moments are derived from him.
For those who notice or care, this is a male author writing about a lesbian lead that develops an f/f relationship. And, in the highest, most complimentary way, you can't tell. The writing, respect, and genuine affection for the characters is what comes through. Any romantic elements are handled really well and the sex scenes are fade to black.
Nilla isn't the only strong female, as there are many in the book. And much of the cast is also lesbian or gay though heterosexuality is represented, too. Nilla is a black woman and a few other characters are of non-white ethnicity. The story is just a really diverse mix, in general, that is well executed.
The book had some minor editorial issues here and there but the read felt unique and refreshing. I really enjoyed this and will definitely continue with the series. Recommend.
April 18, 2018
Bump is a very enjoyable romp into the supernatural world.
Nilla Hayes lives in the small town of Whisper Falls. She makes her living selling lamps at her shop called Which Light and practicing magic for supernatural clients in Witch Light. Nilla's life revolves around her shop, her best friend Livia Darrow and witchcraft. A spirit has just entered her life and watches her carefully from one corner of her store. Nilla doesn't enjoy being haunted and invites the ghost down to her basement spell room. Eventually, the ghost identifies herself as a mother who died in child birth and she wants a blessing for her infant daughter. Nilla agrees as long as the ghost leaves when their magical work is done. Unfortunately for Nilla, this one act of magical kindness will irrevocably alter her quiet life.
Bump takes the reader on a fantastic journey into the veiled world which exists apart from the mundane world of humans. All manner of otherworldly creatures live on the cusp of the veiled world. Witches, familiars, warlocks, werewolves, incubi, ghosts and demons are some of the supernatural characters that go bump both day and night in this novel. Nilla Hayes and a cast of supernatural folk face down a powerful warlock willing to go to any lengths in her pursuit of the blessed newborn. Grace St. John is the girl's aunt. The plot follows their magical battles over her fate. Nilla had no idea what she walked into when she took that ghost downstairs to her witchcraft workshop, but she isn't going to back down to the terrifying darkness waiting for her and her friends. Bump is one electrifying ride on the wild side. Luckily, it is the first book in a series.
Nilla Hayes lives in the small town of Whisper Falls. She makes her living selling lamps at her shop called Which Light and practicing magic for supernatural clients in Witch Light. Nilla's life revolves around her shop, her best friend Livia Darrow and witchcraft. A spirit has just entered her life and watches her carefully from one corner of her store. Nilla doesn't enjoy being haunted and invites the ghost down to her basement spell room. Eventually, the ghost identifies herself as a mother who died in child birth and she wants a blessing for her infant daughter. Nilla agrees as long as the ghost leaves when their magical work is done. Unfortunately for Nilla, this one act of magical kindness will irrevocably alter her quiet life.
Bump takes the reader on a fantastic journey into the veiled world which exists apart from the mundane world of humans. All manner of otherworldly creatures live on the cusp of the veiled world. Witches, familiars, warlocks, werewolves, incubi, ghosts and demons are some of the supernatural characters that go bump both day and night in this novel. Nilla Hayes and a cast of supernatural folk face down a powerful warlock willing to go to any lengths in her pursuit of the blessed newborn. Grace St. John is the girl's aunt. The plot follows their magical battles over her fate. Nilla had no idea what she walked into when she took that ghost downstairs to her witchcraft workshop, but she isn't going to back down to the terrifying darkness waiting for her and her friends. Bump is one electrifying ride on the wild side. Luckily, it is the first book in a series.
August 10, 2023
Connections between family, friends, Light and Darkness. Who rocks the night? Whose hand rocks the cradle? Things that go BUMP! In the night!
Nilla seems to be a Witch who grew up without family, but knew her power since she was young.
Her BFF Livia works at Erica's Art Gallery Tangles, down the street from Nilla's Lamp/ Spell Parlor. They are linked in friendship and a deep love of specialty coffees.
Sofia is a bitten Werewolf. An artist who displays at Erica's Gallery, she is part of the ghost alpha Hadrian's queer were pack.
As the beings of darkness and light work their ways through Each other's lives, Nilla discovers the strength of pack and heart connections. She finds both Love and Pain at the heart of most of the beings she encounters.
sometimes gaining freedom means loss of powers or love for a chance at light and life
Nilla and friends are in for a bumpy ride in this fast paced story!
Nilla seems to be a Witch who grew up without family, but knew her power since she was young.
Her BFF Livia works at Erica's Art Gallery Tangles, down the street from Nilla's Lamp/ Spell Parlor. They are linked in friendship and a deep love of specialty coffees.
Sofia is a bitten Werewolf. An artist who displays at Erica's Gallery, she is part of the ghost alpha Hadrian's queer were pack.
As the beings of darkness and light work their ways through Each other's lives, Nilla discovers the strength of pack and heart connections. She finds both Love and Pain at the heart of most of the beings she encounters.
sometimes gaining freedom means loss of powers or love for a chance at light and life
Nilla and friends are in for a bumpy ride in this fast paced story!
April 4, 2025
Missing the mark by a small margin
We have a main character here who is a pacifist, has considerable power but doesn't use it unless she's pressured or coerced...even though she advertises her witchy business. She has a best friend who's open minded but she's not honest with her despite there being no rules against it, seemingly she keeps her friend in the dark for the same reasons she doesn't have other friends, because she avoids getting close to people. We don't learn any details about her backstory. She gets a romance but there isn't much romance to it, it's not really part of the story nor does it do much for character development. They just sort of meet and hook up, but there's no story to it or chemistry shown. No sex scenes, so it's not even there for smut reasons.
The most interesting characters are her familiar and the mysterious fae queen pulling her strings, and the latter only pops up to move the plot along.
Now the plot, it's a very good, very solid plot. Excellent even. It kept me interested despite my boredom with the main character's irritating scruples and lack of emotional or physical intimacy with anyone, even platonically.
Now the pacifism thing could have been used as a character arc or a underlying theme or question, like, at what point does pacifism become enabling, or something like that but that doesn't actually happen.
There were some really dark themes I thought could have lent some real depth or emotion to the story, but that wasn't leaned on much. I mean, her bestie is horrifically assaulted in the worst way, and she basically feeds her snacks, gives her a magic nap, calls the boyfriend for back up, then bestie is fine and we don't bring it up ever again.
The plot was, again, really freaking good, but the execution fell just a tad short. There was no hint of the twist or explanation of things for the reader to follow and figure out. It just gets explained in the final scene then it's basically over.
All that said, the familiar basically carried show, and all the stuff that happens in the plot sequence was interesting/engaging, the world building and magic really cool, the breaking down of tropes refreshing, and the humor was really well executed.
With a little developmental editing this could be a really awesome book.
As it is, it's pretty good. I'll read the next and hope a character who isn't FC gets explored a bit, and maybe the relationships between characters too.
I'll follow the author too, because I think that while this was good, the author will probably carry on to do better. I enjoyed a lot about this book, I think I'll enjoy whatver else they come up with too.
We have a main character here who is a pacifist, has considerable power but doesn't use it unless she's pressured or coerced...even though she advertises her witchy business. She has a best friend who's open minded but she's not honest with her despite there being no rules against it, seemingly she keeps her friend in the dark for the same reasons she doesn't have other friends, because she avoids getting close to people. We don't learn any details about her backstory. She gets a romance but there isn't much romance to it, it's not really part of the story nor does it do much for character development. They just sort of meet and hook up, but there's no story to it or chemistry shown. No sex scenes, so it's not even there for smut reasons.
The most interesting characters are her familiar and the mysterious fae queen pulling her strings, and the latter only pops up to move the plot along.
Now the plot, it's a very good, very solid plot. Excellent even. It kept me interested despite my boredom with the main character's irritating scruples and lack of emotional or physical intimacy with anyone, even platonically.
Now the pacifism thing could have been used as a character arc or a underlying theme or question, like, at what point does pacifism become enabling, or something like that but that doesn't actually happen.
There were some really dark themes I thought could have lent some real depth or emotion to the story, but that wasn't leaned on much. I mean, her bestie is horrifically assaulted in the worst way, and she basically feeds her snacks, gives her a magic nap, calls the boyfriend for back up, then bestie is fine and we don't bring it up ever again.
The plot was, again, really freaking good, but the execution fell just a tad short. There was no hint of the twist or explanation of things for the reader to follow and figure out. It just gets explained in the final scene then it's basically over.
All that said, the familiar basically carried show, and all the stuff that happens in the plot sequence was interesting/engaging, the world building and magic really cool, the breaking down of tropes refreshing, and the humor was really well executed.
With a little developmental editing this could be a really awesome book.
As it is, it's pretty good. I'll read the next and hope a character who isn't FC gets explored a bit, and maybe the relationships between characters too.
I'll follow the author too, because I think that while this was good, the author will probably carry on to do better. I enjoyed a lot about this book, I think I'll enjoy whatver else they come up with too.
October 21, 2022
Bump by Jaime Munn is a paranormal fantasy novel following Nilla as her seemingly ordinary witch life is upturned in to a much darker journey than she expected, with even more powerful witches than she had ever known.
The story of Bump is great, with a traditional call to action surrounded by strong magic and fantastical transformations. This brings the werewolves, ghosts, and monsters Nilla encounters to life, and makes the events blend seemlessly together into a great plot. The last few chapters were really well constructed and I loved the final confrontation with lots of tension and thrilling moments. Beyond that, there is some romance and drama which really made the pacing work well.
F.C. was a great sidekick - loyal, ferocious, strong, and served well alongside Nilla. Grace and Sofia worked in diversifying the cast and I liked this uniqueness they all brought, despite the tension and rivalries between them. I think the author has manages to really portray the LGBTQ issues well and think it was brave for them to write this book.
The story of Bump is great, with a traditional call to action surrounded by strong magic and fantastical transformations. This brings the werewolves, ghosts, and monsters Nilla encounters to life, and makes the events blend seemlessly together into a great plot. The last few chapters were really well constructed and I loved the final confrontation with lots of tension and thrilling moments. Beyond that, there is some romance and drama which really made the pacing work well.
F.C. was a great sidekick - loyal, ferocious, strong, and served well alongside Nilla. Grace and Sofia worked in diversifying the cast and I liked this uniqueness they all brought, despite the tension and rivalries between them. I think the author has manages to really portray the LGBTQ issues well and think it was brave for them to write this book.
April 12, 2024
I enjoyed this queer urban fantasy written from the first-person perspective of a small-town witch. Her inner monologues were at times amusing so I occasionally got a chuckle. I didn't hate the perspective, but I think maybe I like first-person least of all.
There was a lot of action, but I didn't feel the suspense as much as I thought I should have, as the stakes seemed pretty high. There wasn't much chemistry between love interests. The story got a bit dark involving an incubus, as you might imagine. I really enjoyed Nilla's familiar. It looked like a cat, and I loved its attitude.
The diverse queer cast was a nice addition, as well as the supernatural elements and system of magic.
The writing style wasn't terrible, and the story had the overall feel of a cozy mystery. It was interesting enough to keep me reading. It wrapped up nicely with plenty of material to carry on the series. I would read more about his world. I gave it 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from StoryOrigin. This is my honest review.
There was a lot of action, but I didn't feel the suspense as much as I thought I should have, as the stakes seemed pretty high. There wasn't much chemistry between love interests. The story got a bit dark involving an incubus, as you might imagine. I really enjoyed Nilla's familiar. It looked like a cat, and I loved its attitude.
The diverse queer cast was a nice addition, as well as the supernatural elements and system of magic.
The writing style wasn't terrible, and the story had the overall feel of a cozy mystery. It was interesting enough to keep me reading. It wrapped up nicely with plenty of material to carry on the series. I would read more about his world. I gave it 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from StoryOrigin. This is my honest review.
January 15, 2022
Loved this story. Great characters and plenty of action & magic. The characters were well developed, Each had their own roles in the story with interesting personalities. A fight for new friends as well as old. A story for fans of witches, werewolves and ghosts.
December 10, 2017
Wow
This was an excellent book, besides a couple minor spelling issues, the storyline was engaging, interesting and really kept me guessing. I throughly enjoyed it!
This was an excellent book, besides a couple minor spelling issues, the storyline was engaging, interesting and really kept me guessing. I throughly enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews