The Coven

The Crystal Coast Series #1

by Chrissy Lessey

She who holds the amulet, holds the power…..

Photographer Stevie Lewis is a newly single mom focused on raising her five-year-old autistic son Charlie, and running the business she shares with her best friend. She lives in beautiful Beaufort, North Carolina, within walking distance of her parents. Her mother is the president of the Beaufort Historical Society, and her father enjoys watching Carolina Panthers football.

Although Stevie’s life has its challenges, it is altogether average.

That is until rich, ruthless Vanessa Moore, the bad seed sown by the infamous pirate Blackbeard generations ago, returns to Beaufort determined to retrieve a magical amulet and exact revenge for her mother’s imprisonment.

It turns out Stevie’s life isn’t so average at all. She learns that the Historical Society is really a coven of witches. Her mother is their queen; and Vanessa is bent on destroying them all.

When Vanessa endangers the life of young Charlie, Stevie’s dormant supernatural powers rush to the surface to save her son. With help from the clandestine coven led by her own mother, Stevie works to master her magical talent. What lengths will Stevie go to protect her only son?

Bonus section added! The prequel novella, "The Secret Keepers" has been added at the end of this novel as added historical narrative of battles with the infamous pirate Blackbeard in the 1700's and a Coven of witches played out as drama between good and evil. Find out how this twist of history impacts the witches of The Coven today.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Magic, Witches, Science Fiction Fantasy

290 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Chrissy Lessey is an American author and screenwriter. She’s best known for her internationally bestselling Crystal Coast Series—a contemporary fantasy trilogy consisting of The Coven, The Hunted, and The Beacon. Her fourth novel, The Secret Keepers, serves as a historical prequel to the series.

Chrissy is a PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Winner and has placed in a number of other prestigious competitions including the Nicholl Fellowship, the ScreenCraft Comedy Competition, and the Inroads Fellowship. She's a multi-optioned screenwriter with projects in development for both film and television.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After her recent divorce Stevie Lewis is only concerned with seeing that her young son is taken care of after his diagnosis of autism. Stevie has no clue that those surrounding her are actually witches and that she is a descendant herself until she picks up a strange necklace in her mother's home triggering visions of the past.

Vanessa, a ruthless dark witch has come back to town seeking revenge upon Stevie's closest friends and family. The coven that Stevie has not known her family was even a part of bound Vanessa's mother's powers and tried to do the same to her and now Vanessa has come back to free her mother. When Stevie's son's life is threatened her powers emerge and she finds herself more powerful than the rest of the coven.

The Coven is the first book in the new Crystal Coast series by Chrissy Lessey. The story is an adult fantasy read starting 300 years in the past with a coven of witches that were threatened then and now in the present their descendants are at battle with one another.

One thing I found nice about this one was including a young mother struggling to understand her autistic child. Witches and magic aside just including this little bit in the read made it feel very current and very real as autism is on the rise and very tough for many parents dealing with trying to understand just what makes their child tick and how to communicate and bond with them.

Now as far as the fantasy aspect and the witches, magic and long line of family secrets the story was also a nice read. With Stevie not knowing at all the world in which she had been born since she hadn't developed her powers it was as if while she was learning I was also learning that world with her. Definitely would continue reading this series just to see where the author takes the characters next.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review being withheld until June 19, 2017 per author request.
Stevie is a newly single mother, a protective bear around her Autistic son, Charlie and vibrant shop owner. Small town life has its good and bad points, and although a special group within the town, Stevie has little use for the Beaufort Historic Society, which her mother is the leader…until the day evil comes to town and her young Charlie becomes the target for danger.

A runaway, driverless car is about to hit Charlie and in a feat of “magic,” not only does Stevie save her son, but she wished the car to stop and it did. From that moment on Stevie will enter a world of witches, witch wars and even find romance with an old friend who has come back to town, a friend with secrets of his own. An ancient secret is about to be exposed and Stevie, still reeling from the shock of being something ”other,” is about to find that Fate is at work once again, determined to turn her world upside down.

Seriously, how could Stevie not know who or what her mother and her quirky friends were? Is she dreaming? Ill? One thing for certain, her raw talent may be powerful, but Stevie has no idea how to hone her witchy skills. It will take practice, patience and time for Stevie to meet her full potential, but time is in short supply and the ultimate showdown is coming…then again, have you ever crossed a mother who would do anything to protect her child or a woman who needs to protect her heart?

THE COVEN by Chrissy Lessey is NOT a dark and brooding tale of blood and war. It is actually a sweet and light romance about a mother struggling to balance caring for her son and caring for her heart. That extra paranormal experience is the frosting on this delightful reading cake.

I received an ARC edition from Chrissy Lessey in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Series: The Crystal Coast - Book 1
Publisher: Tenacious Books Publishing (June 27, 2017)
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Print Length: 480 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fun start to a series! I thought this book was great and loved the characters it was definitely something different to enjoy on a relaxing day! I recommend checking this one out.😀🧚‍♀️❤📚

[Tasha Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

If life wasn’t already tough enough for Stevie Lewis, a single mum raising her son who is diagnosed as having autism , while working and avoiding her mothers Beaufort Historic Society meeting. she is catapulted into a world of magic when her beloved son Charlie is targeted and her undiscovered magical powers save him, powers that she didn’t know she had.

The Beaufort Historic Society is not what Stevie thought it was, this quirky group are actually witches and Stevie needs to get caught up and in control of her extensive powers because a powerful dark witch is out to cause trouble, and romance is in the air and carries it’s own mystery.


This is an action packed yet sweet. Dangerous yet loving, magical adventure. There are some great and interesting characters which add to the story. The pace didn’t feel steady to me, or feel the intensity that one would expect from the situations. I didn’t love it but I did like it and I would recommend reading it.

I was given an arc of this book by the Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Paul]

DNF at 30%

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book. unfortunately it wasnt for me abd i just couldn't soldier on until the end.

[Barb (Boxermommyreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super cute start to a new series which overall, I find hard to classify. It has elements of fantasy as well as paranormal romance, but isn't extremely heavy on either. Stevie is doing her best to co-parent her autistic son Charlie following her divorce. She is also doing her best to keep her best friend Lexi from hooking her up with every eligible bachelor in the quaint coastal town. Her parents help with Charlie as much as they can, but their tactics include inviting her ex-husband Sam around as much as possible. One day some of Blackbeard's sunken treasure is discovered which leads dark witch Vanessa to return to Beaufort with hopes of destroying the coven which put her mother in a mental institution. However, she didn't count on her actions awakening Stevie's witchy powers which only strengthen the coven's abilities.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a really quick read. It had enough paranormal and fantasy elements to pique my interest, but was also light and a great "summer read" for those of us who don't read what I call straight-up romance. There was enough action and intrigue in the book to keep the pacing comfortable and although it's a start of a series, there is enough of a resolution at the end that the reader is not left with a cliffhanger hangover.

I would compare this book to some of Nora Robert's paranormal romance books and if you like them, The Coven should be an automatic read. I received this book from the author and Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

[Zoé-Lee O'Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the oldest books on my NG shelf and I have finally read it. I bought the audiobook and I blitzed it in a day! I can easily see this as a TV show, it gave me the H20 vibes which my daughter loves! A secret kept from Stevie, and once discovered it changes her life.

This book moves at a very fast pace. You do care for the characters, but in so few pages, there is a lot to fit in. Luckily, there are another two books in the series for us to catch up and discover more about Stevie and her "coven," plus we have a simmering romance that has started.

There is definitely more to come, and despite what happens, I don't think it will be the last we see of Vanessa either. There is a darkness coming, brewing. The fact that Susan was oblivious did make me chuckle. It is going to rain!

I am going to be buying the next two in the series as I am invested in what happens next. And boy do I love little Charlie - so much to come!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't exactly what I was thinking it would be. Maybe it was the cover or maybe it was the description. Anyways, I would classify it as a paranormal mystery. It has a tiny bit of romance but it definitely is not the main focus of the book. The main focus of the book is a line of witches that are descendants of three witches that originally landed in what is now Beaufort, North Carolina. It is told from multiple POVs but mostly from Stevie's. There are mentions of pirates, ship wrecks, treasure and lots of magic. Stevie's young son is also autistic and the story focuses on that some too. It was interesting and I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what Stevie and her coven are up to.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The coven by chrissy lessey.
The future queen awakens…

Newly single mother Stevie Lewis divides her time between raising Charlie, running a store with her best friend, and avoiding the meetings of her mother’s Beaufort Historic Society. Although her life has its challenges, it’s altogether average. Just the way she likes it.

When Vanessa, a ruthless dark witch, launches an attack against young Charlie, Stevie’s simple life derails, and her long-dormant powers awaken. A 300-year-old secret is exposed, revealing her destiny to one day rule the clandestine community of witches who hide in plain sight.

Now she must master her own magical powers before it’s too late. Because Vanessa’s on the warpath,
Absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Loved Stevie. She was my favourite character. Love anything to do with magic. 5*. Netgalley and xpresso book tours.

[Zhye · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC received from NetGalley*

So, let me start off by saying I don't read a lot of what's known as "women's fiction" even though most of the authors I read happen to be female, but that being said this reminded me quite a bit of Practical Magic which I loved. It also reminded me of, oddly enough, Boys on the Side because of all the support newly divorced Stevie has from friends and family in raising her young autistic son. I am by no means an expert, but this book also seems to paint a pretty fair portrait of a mother coming to terms with autism and trying EVERYTHING to make her child's life just that little bit better.

Most of the book seems to center around how everyone knows everyone in small towns and Stevie's day to day struggle in dealing with the reality of autism and her divorce. We're also introduced to Susan, a bested crazy witch, and her daughter Vanessa who will do anything to get her mother's approval, even try to run down a young boy with a car. Finally, in the last third of the book Vanessa and Stevie's confrontation can no longer be put off. Can Stevie who's new to her magic and fighting to protect her son put Vanessa in her place once and for all?

Read entire review here @ Read, Watch, & Listen

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 actually. I really enjoyed this book. Love, magic and danger, but with a realism that I appreciate. Modern take on a family of witches and I look forward to reading more from Mrs. Lessey.

[Jenny Whetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was okay. Even though just "okay" I want to read the next in the series!

[Jessica Calla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in one sitting! Fans of Nora Roberts’ light paranormal stories (Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy, Three Sisters Island Trilogy) will love THE COVEN, the first book in Chrissy Lessey’s Crystal Coast Series, published by Tenacious Books.

When Blackbeard’s sunken flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, is uncovered off the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, Stevie Lewis’ world is suddenly turned upside down. Her usual day-to-day life of raising her special needs son and dealing with her eccentric parents, her ex-husband, and her extroverted best friend becomes unpredictable, as people from her past appear in town with strange intentions. Stevie must protect Blackbeard’s treasure from the hands of those who wish to use its magic for evil. And when her son’s life is put at risk, Stevie unleashes a gift within herself that she must learn to embrace and control to save him, and those she loves.

We all have something special to offer the world. But some of us have a little added something. THE COVEN opens the reader’s mind to the magic all around us. Ms. Lessey’s beautiful account of the lengths a mother will go to for her child is splattered with a family’s age-old quest for revenge, a touch of romance, and a loving account of a small town community’s bond and commitment to each other.

I highly recommend this story and can’t wait to read THE HUNTED, Book Two of the series.

[Erin Rhew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lessey has created a magical world filled with a vibrant cast of characters. One reviewer called it Practical Magic meets Steel Magnolias, and I think that's a perfect description.

The South, with all its quirk and charm, comes to life in this story. And with it, a whole host of characters who are complex and unique in their own ways. The reader's eyes are opened to the world of witches and witchcraft in a small coastal town, which doesn't realize what's going on right under its citizen's noses.

And a threat--a dark witch like no one has ever seen before--rises to challenge the peace-loving coven, and a decision must be made...one that could alter the fate of each character, the coven, and their quaint town.

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fun start to a series! I thought this book was great and loved the characters it was definitely something different to enjoy on a relaxing day! I recommend checking this one out.😀🧚‍♀️❤📚

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Coven is one of those books where I spent a good deal of time debating whether I was to give a three star or a four star rating. It is one of those books where I would give a three-point-five star rating were half stars possible. Alas, as half stars are not possible, I opted to round down. Part of me wanted to round up, I admit, but in the end I decided to round down.

The Coven is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good urban fantasy involving witches. A community with secrets, a family with a magical past, and a revenge mission – it seems to have it all. Whilst it did have a lot of good points, and I did enjoy it, the book didn’t quite pack the punch I had been hoping it would.

Personally, I feel as though the action wasn’t quite what it could have been. Quite a bit of the book went along at a rather relaxed and steady pace. This is perfectly fine, but it is not what I had been anticipating. I was very much in the mood for a high action read, and with the action being limited until the end of the story I felt as though the book didn’t quite deliver what I had wanted. I know many people will be fine with such a thing – and I did enjoy the story despite this – but because I’d been expecting something a little bit more I opted to round my rating down rather than up this time.

Although I would have liked a little bit more action, the story was interesting. I feel as though this book did a lot of work setting us up for the future books in the series, and now the ball has been set in motion the future books will be a lot more action paced. This book helped us to understand the history, to understand the characters, and gave us a general idea of how the magical world works. Now we have all of these things in mind, now things have started to come together, the future book are likely to give us all kinds of events. It is also due to my belief that the future books will be much stronger now we understand everything that had me rounding down.

Overall, this was an interesting read. It wasn’t quite what I had been anticipating, but I did enjoy it.

[LadyVVolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine waking up one day and finding out you're a witch.

I really liked this book. The story was well written, and easy to get into. The characters had depth, and the story kept a great pace throughout, however, it took a little while to build up to the action. The different abilities were unique and interesting, and complimented the story.

I really got into this book and will definitely be reading the next 2 books in the series.

#TheUnratedBookshelf

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Coven
Author: Chrissy Lessey

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 18
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 18 readers:
18 would read another book by this author.
17 thought the cover was good or excellent.
18 felt it was easy to follow.
18 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
16 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
18 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘The autistic boy was what charmed me the most with this book. It’s not just another fantasy; it’s a story about a boy and his mother. Loved it!’ Female reader, aged 50
‘What a wonderfully exciting novel. Well-written, and packed full of wonderful descriptions of character and setting. The magical element, although important, felt secondary to the relationship between the boy and his mother. Wrapped in a superb cover, this is top-notch.’ Male reader, aged 35
‘I am going to read the next. Excellent!’ Male reader, aged 18
‘This author knows to create memorable characters and then develop them throughout the story. There is the odd tiny grammatical error, but nothing too bad. Superb!’ Female reader, aged 55
‘This story twists and turns in the best possible way. Hidden magic is always the best magic, don’t you think? I will be reading all of the books in the series.’ Male reader, aged 18

To Sum It Up:
‘The secret world of a witch who will stop at nothing to save her son. Splendidly written. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Lloyd Andrew Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Coven: Book One by Chrissy Lessey. The characters were interesting and it’s obvious that a lot of care was taken to correctly convey the area where the story takes place. There were times that Stevie’s learning about her new “gifts” felt like Witch Training 101 but Ms. Lessey’s real point was so much deeper than that. The real story is about a mother’s love for her autistic son. During the story, Stevie’s instincts are to use her newfound gifts to protect her son. She understands that hurting another in an attempt to achieve this goal would make her no better than those presenting the evil and Stevie’s final decision towards the evil, springs from her love for those around her. This theme carries the reader to a well-written rollercoaster ending, which had me on the edge of my seat. I will be reading, The Secret Keepers, which is the next book in this series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and easy read with well written and interesting characters. I gave it only 3 starts because it feels so similar to other books I've read, though it was a good book in itself. I'll definitely follow up with the rest of her series.

[Judith Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review up on my blog:
Where to start with this book? Well let’s kick off with the things I did like. You all know I love a book with more than one woman in it. In this case there are multiple women, which is always a good thing. There was also a nice relationship between Stevie and her mother which is a dynamic that actually I don’t read a lot of (so often mothers are awful people or they are dead).

I also enjoyed the ‘witches in a modern setting’ aspect of this. I think it may have been stretching it a bit when it suggested that loads of people in the town could be witches and people just didn’t know…that felt a little forced and I think that there would surely have been a bit more awareness had their been magic going on.

But those were about the only things I liked about this book if I’m perfectly honest.

A lot of Stevie’s character is built around the fact that she is a single mother of an autistic child. Not a bad character in itself, however I just felt like this was handled in such an ableist way. Throughout the book, Stevie’s focus is on how she can ‘fix’or ‘cure’ her son with a better diet (and by the end of the book maybe with magic). I’m no expert on these things but I have a feeling that those people who actually are autistic might not be so pleased to be portrayed as something to be fixed. I appreciate that may be a real feeling that mother’s of autistic children struggle with but at the same time at no point in the book was this called out. That really put me off Stevie’s character and given that she is the focal point of the plot it sort of ruined the story for me.

Also, let’s talk about Vanessa, who we are set up to believe is evil (at the start, before she has actually done anything evil) because she…wears a tight dress and is a bit promiscuous? Now, have we not learnt yet that wearing a tight dress is not a symbol of morality? One can be evil and also flirt with people but the two are not mutually exclusive. Another thing that just put me off this book entirely. It was a bit like we were pitting the evil, sexy Vanessa against the angelic, divorcee, single mother and we were of course supposed to loathe Vanessa in her tight dress! No thankyou.

So yes, this book didn’t really hit the spot for me for a number of reasons. It felt a bit like one of those books you pick up in a holiday cottage and then leave behind afterwards.

That being said, I am sure there are people who will really enjoy this book. I don’t think I move in the same circles as them. Nor do I think we would get along (I’m just too darned opinionated for some people). If you want a really easy slightly witchy book then this might work for you? But if you do read it see if you can spot the problems I’ve picked out?

My rating: 2/5 stars…not my thing. Just not for me.

By the way, as I said I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Cathy Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prologue sets up the basis of the story. In 1718 a small colony of witches lived peacefully on a small island, until the queen, Lucia, had a vision of discovery and the persecution to come. ‘She who holds the amulet, holds the power.’ She chooses the three strongest of the young women, with the necessary gifts to ensure their survival. When Lucia’s vision of the pirate attack became actual fact, the fates of Hannah, Catherine and Charlotte were sealed. They find themselves aboard Blackbeard’s ship and at his mercy.

Fast forward to present day and we meet Stevie Lewis, a descendant of Charlotte, living in Beaufort, a small, quaint town in North Carolina. Stevie is a newly divorced mother of five year old Charlie. When Charlie was diagnosed with autism, Sam and Charlie’s marriage couldn’t stand the strain of their differing opinions of what was best for Charlie.

When the wreck of Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, is discovered in the bay, with the promise of treasure lost for centuries, the past comes crashing into the present. Unaware of her magical heritage, it takes a near disaster to awaken Stevie’s powers and give her access to the secrets of the Coven, run by her own mother who is the president of the Beaufort Historical Society, the front for the coven. Stevie’s life takes on a whole new direction.

After his mother was killed, a teenage Dylan Kent, and his father, left North Carolina for London. Now he’s back. Old rivalries and scores need to be settled. Not all witches are white. Vanessa Moore is also back and determined to claim the amulet.

An engaging, easy to read story, well written and peopled with realistic and diverse characters with personalities to match, incorporating history and beautiful descriptions of the area. I loved reading about the local history. The relationship between Stevie and Charlie is delightful, and it highlights the highs and lows of living with autism. The subject is dealt with sensitively and brought to light a lot of things I wasn’t previously aware of, particularly how the mind of a child with autism can work and subsequently how they cope with every day life.

An impressive debut with a great storyline, and the first of a trilogy. I’m intrigued to see how the story plays out.

I chose to read and review The Coven based on an advance reader copy supplied by the author/publisher.

[Hobart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
This book takes place in a small North Carolina town where descendants of some colonial witches still live and practice their craft. For obvious reasons, they are a secret group, but highly self-regulated. Typically, the abilities travel along family lines and crop up in childhood/adolescence, at which point, the witch/warlock is initiated into the Coven and introduced to their history and practice.

Stevie is a newly-divorced mom of a young Autistic boy, still struggling to adjust to life without her husband and trying to make an emotional connection with her son, who she's trying everything to help. She's about to learn about her unique heritage, in a way that no one would want to.

There's a dark witch who has just returned to town to settle some scores. Her actions will kick off many changes to the coven, as well as the populace of the town. Her return and the advent of Stevie's ability will prove a pivotal moment in the history of this group.

There's a rich -- and frequently delightful -- cast of supporting characters here. Lessey writes them well and with care. I enjoyed them all, frequently grinning at the way a couple of them behave.

I can't testify to the accuracy of the depiction of autism -- but it felt real, it felt like the fruit of good research (or first-hand knowledge), sympathetic without pandering; realistic, yet open to the possibilities of a Fantasy novel. Stevie's relationship with Charlie, her son, was easily the best part of this book.

The stakes were high, but it there was never a feeling of actual peril, of risk, of there being a chance that things could go really bad. Still, there was plenty of heart and enough likeable characters to keep the reader engaged. A quick read that kept the plot moving at a decent pace. The Coven is the Urban Fantasy equivalent of a cozy -- low risk, decent reward. I'm willing to bet Lessey grows and develops as a writer over the trilogy, and is probably worth keeping an eye on.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for honest opinion, which I appreciate.

[Lidia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:

There may be some spoilers, sorry...:)
It is a book with some good ideas that should probably be worked on a little bit - and then it could be a great story. But first things first...
The main idea of a coven hiding in plain sight is great; the idea of the main character being a single mother of an autistic child - even better; the idea of a powerful evil witch with revenge as the sole purpose of her life - greater still... But all that feels a bit flat for one reason: there's no real tension, no real danger anywhere in the plot at all. Ok, there is talk of the great menace, there's talk about how evil and powerful and dangerous Vanessa is, there's talk about.... you get it, right? But in the end, when we finally get to this supposedly epic confrontation - it feels just like another Sunday walk down a park lane for Stevie and her friends... No problems, no obstacles, it's all so smooth you kind of feel cheated...
But, with all that said, there are some things I really liked about the book. I think Charlie is a great character, definitely most complex of them all. I also liked the nice flow of dialogues in the book and those few scenes which evoked some stronger emotions (at least for a bit:)).
Narration by Ms Kirby is pretty good; she doesn't do much of voice differentiation but we still have no problem identifying the speakers. She also reads the narative parts quite nicely, adding enough emotions to her reading to sound natural and believable.
So on the whole, I'd give the book a 3.5 star rating - it's basically quite interesting, can give you some pleasure but be prepared for a few flaws...:)

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Amy Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

This is going to be a really hard review to write, so if it’s equally hard to read, I apologize.

The blurb was intriguing and to me, really promised to be a great read. It seemed exciting, intriguing, and interesting. I was excited to read it.

Sadly, as I came up to read this, I was extremely disappointed. It didn’t grab my attention, felt slow to start, and was kind of boring. I didn’t feel there was much action or exciting moments. I felt as if there was a lack of details to push the excitement to the reader.

Now, the reason that this review is really hard to write is simply because I don’t know if this book was really as “bad” as I made it sound above. It might have been a great book but it’s quite possible that my mind was just not into the book or into the mood to read. I think this story might be one that I pick up again in the future and very well might fall in love with it. If that’s the case I will amend my review. I feel that this is important to bring up because I’ve perused the other reviews and they are pretty great reviews for the book, so I’m feeling like my unhappiness towards this story was just me and my mood.

So, in short, would I recommend this story? No, but I do urge you to seek out many other reviews before you decide not to read it simply because of my review.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

[Megan | A Page to Turn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure what to think walking into this book - it's considered magical realism, but it's also leaning on the side of fantasy. The Coven kept me on the edge of my seat while I passed page and page of secrets, revenge, and other events that grabbed at my attention. I was captured and couldn't stop reading. I devoured this thing in less than two days. This is my first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more of this series.

With beautiful setting descriptions, Lessey built a world around her characters that I just wanted to go see for myself. I personally love coastal Carolina, so imagining these descriptions with what I know of the locale myself, it was magical. Took my back to my Nick Sparks reading days. Ha!

Taking place in small town North Carolina, The Coven follows several people and their lives revolving around the rich history there. The main focus though was Stevie. She is newly-divorced from her husband, and struggling with all the changes, as well as connecting with her autistic son. She stumbles upon some history in her family that brings about some witchy things. The plot gets deep pretty fast, and was easy enough to keep up with.

I think my favorite part of this book was the bond built between Stevie and her mother - and Stevie and her son. The relationships make this book what it is, and wanting to know more about those relationships is really what kept me reading more than anything else.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinions.

[FNM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally reviewed @https://nzfnmblog.wordpress.com/

Okay not gonna lie I adored this book. The prologue starts of in the past with a sacrifice and three young witches captured by the notorious pirate Blackbeard, before fast forwarding to modern times where there decedents find themselves in all sorts of trouble. The start of the book is a bit choppy as it moves through introducing all of the main characters, it took me a bit to catch up as each had their own chapter but once I had grasped who was who everything seemed to flow seamlessly.

Stevie had to be my favourite character by far and the one whose character development I am eagerly awaiting to see in the next books in the series. (Sidenote, don’t you just hate finding a book you love and knowing you will have to wait for the next in the series. I am not a patient person haha.) What I did like was that although she is a direct descendant of the original ‘Queen’ and is effectively a queen in training she has no idea of her own powers or that exist in the first place, it was great making that discovery with her and I felt it also gave a better understanding of the history and what everyone is really about as everything was explained to her.

The highlight though had to be her relationship with her son Charlie. This something I think the author managed to pull of exceptionally well as what the synopsis does not mention is that Charlie is autistic, and unlike other books I have read I felt she was able to write his character in away that was authentic to the situation. It is her love and devotion for him that ‘awakens’ her powers, and it affects a lot of the decisions she has to make later on in the book.

There is a lot more I could say about how much I loved this book but for now I think I’m going to leave it so this doesn’t end up a rambling mess!

[Cathlene Kilpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the exceptional technical skill used in composing this novel. The character development was thorough without giving too many personal details. The perspective it lent on raising a child with Autism was both informative, and realistic. If you have a child on the spectrum this may be a nice novel. If you do not then I still recommend it, you may gain some new knowledge on struggles and possible triggers for children who register. Either way I had an empathetic connection to the main character and the trials she faced.

I also liked the pace of the novel. Any time I was beginning to get restless something new would happen to draw me back in. Not once did I have to suffer through useless chapters and boring descriptions. I found myself becoming attached to the characters and their well being. That is a sign to me that they had all the elements necessary to become three dimensional.

On the note of descriptions, I liked how things were well described, but not overdone. I could easily picture where they were, what people looked like, and events that unfolded.

I rate this 5 out of 5!

[Rennie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.5 stars***

As a fan of Charmed, I'm a sucker for stories about hereditary witches! This one worked on many levels but also fell a bit flat for me on others. As there are many reviews, I'll just leave a bare bones break down here:

1. Stevie's character does just float along until a big choice at the end. TBH, I supported her choice but I expected a bit more fallout from the Coven.
2. I'm not sure how I feel about the treatment of autism in this book, but I suspect many could have strong reactions. Just an FYI in case it's a trigger for the next reader.
3. I adored the history and magic, but we don't get to see much until the end. However, it makes great sense to setup the next books.
4. Dylan and Lexi were 2 of my fave characters but the entire coven was interesting for me. They pack a punch which may be why Stevie doesn't quite measure up (yet).
5. I didn't feel like Vanessa's character was fully explored. We got her POV only a few times and it left me wanting more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am happy to discover a new author! I will be reading more by Chrissy Lessey and will purchase the next book in this series too.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. I have to say that at the beginning the jumps between characters are a bit harsh until they come together and you figure out just how they each fit into the story. Then things get interesting fast. The story burns bright and is over way too soon. You're thinking this is getting good, then it's over. Guess that there will be more in this series, and they can go a lot of ways. I'd like to see what the next step in this world could be...

We spend most of the story with Stevie after the character jumps are done, and I related to her a lot. It was easy to find some characteristic in her, that I myself have too. Her son is someone we learn a lot about, I'm certain that he will be a big part of whatever happens in the next instalment (if we get one).

The small island town this story takes place on is well depicted. I'd love to visit and see the different scenes that we hear about in the book. Especially the ocean view...

Can get behind reading more, since I'm currently on the fence between 'not enough' and 'need to read more'...