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A Witch Myth Cozy Mystery #5
Witches of The Wood
Samantha Hale has never met her mother. But when she has a vision on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she decides to track down her long-lost family in the sleepy town of Mount Hazel to discover if she’s going insane. To Sam’s shock, she discovers the legacy she inherited—a legacy of magic—is more exciting and dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
409 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 11, 2019
526 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Skylar Finn
58 books69 followersSkylar Finn grew up in a refinery town just outside of Houston, Texas. She has lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, and most recently Florida. She writes on the road on planes, trains, and buses. When she's not writing, she is out looking for the next adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 25, 2019
I actually really enjoyed this and got sucked in. I loved the story and how the past comes back to hunt the future. I felt Sam was a little too accepting and put herself in more danger then she needed to be. There is ignoring advice but she seemed to not listen to anyone and just did what she wanted every single step of the way and it seemed like she didn't really care what consequences her actions caused.
April 22, 2019
It was great
The book was very entertaining and well written, sometimes the re telling g of the story was a bit meh. But it was very interesting and the story it’s fun, funny and it kept me going without getting bored
The book was very entertaining and well written, sometimes the re telling g of the story was a bit meh. But it was very interesting and the story it’s fun, funny and it kept me going without getting bored
March 14, 2019
What’s next for Sam?
Not what I expected you know a sweet witch mystery well it is a mystery but this is a bit of dark to it too. It was so good. Sam a witch (she does not know she a witch) who finds out she is not ordinary but special. Then there is her family, a spooky mansion full of magic and a love interest so much going on. You really need to take a chance on this one! I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
Not what I expected you know a sweet witch mystery well it is a mystery but this is a bit of dark to it too. It was so good. Sam a witch (she does not know she a witch) who finds out she is not ordinary but special. Then there is her family, a spooky mansion full of magic and a love interest so much going on. You really need to take a chance on this one! I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
March 15, 2019
Dark
I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is a darker cozy mystery. There is evil afoot in Mount Hazel. PR Samantha Hale is working with a client making a comeback. Just before she does, she experiences something strange at her apartment. Meeting her mom for the first time in years, is an eye opening experience. There is a lot going on in the little town of Mt. Hazel!
I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is a darker cozy mystery. There is evil afoot in Mount Hazel. PR Samantha Hale is working with a client making a comeback. Just before she does, she experiences something strange at her apartment. Meeting her mom for the first time in years, is an eye opening experience. There is a lot going on in the little town of Mt. Hazel!
March 26, 2019
Witchy women
This is one book I'd really like to see develop into a series and a lot of stories! Samantha Black and her family have the abilities to draw one into their world and induce a need to know more about them. This particular story illustrates what happens to those who become worse than those who persecuted them . Can't wait to read more!
This is one book I'd really like to see develop into a series and a lot of stories! Samantha Black and her family have the abilities to draw one into their world and induce a need to know more about them. This particular story illustrates what happens to those who become worse than those who persecuted them . Can't wait to read more!
March 15, 2019
Samantha Hale worked for Coco Z, a very intense PR lady! To keep out of her sight while she took aspirin – a sign of weakness, to be sure – she hid under her desk while Coco hustled through the room calling her name. Sam sat back in her chair and confused Coco as to how she had missed seeing her. Coco then asked if she made the call yet – which she hadn’t told her to do since she hadn’t found her that first time through the office. She wanted Sam to call Les Rodney at Empire Records because he may have signed a client they might be interested in.
Sam gets an opportunity to manage her new client, a wild, self-centered pop star staging a comeback. But Sam also finds out something she hadn’t known about herself – she is part of a family of witches and has her own witch skills! When her cousin Tamsin tells Sam that her client, Margo Metal, is using black magic, Sam realizes she has lots to learn about the magical world she is now part of! How will Sam manage with her new witch skills? How will she deal with Margo and her familiar? And will she be able to help find what happened to the missing local girl, Martha Hope, and get justice?
There are so many things going on in this book, and it’s exciting to see the possibilities for a series. The story line is good, well-paced, and the characters are developed well. Sam seems so innocent, not having been raised with her witch talents, so she really doesn’t know what to expect. Grab your copy and see how she manages with all these new challenges!
Sam gets an opportunity to manage her new client, a wild, self-centered pop star staging a comeback. But Sam also finds out something she hadn’t known about herself – she is part of a family of witches and has her own witch skills! When her cousin Tamsin tells Sam that her client, Margo Metal, is using black magic, Sam realizes she has lots to learn about the magical world she is now part of! How will Sam manage with her new witch skills? How will she deal with Margo and her familiar? And will she be able to help find what happened to the missing local girl, Martha Hope, and get justice?
There are so many things going on in this book, and it’s exciting to see the possibilities for a series. The story line is good, well-paced, and the characters are developed well. Sam seems so innocent, not having been raised with her witch talents, so she really doesn’t know what to expect. Grab your copy and see how she manages with all these new challenges!
July 18, 2019
This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:
It's a very good starter to a new series, with an engaging plot, fascinating take on magic and characters that will stay in your mind....
It starts fairly simple - Sam grasps at an opportunity to visit her home town and finally meet her estranged mother while working as a PR for a pop star who wants to make a big comeback... What Samantha doesn't expect is to find out magic is real, she herself is a witch - more powerful than anyone could have imagined - and to have to solve a murder case in which magic plays an essential part... All that while tackling her new infatuation with Peter, an investigative reporter for a local newspaper, and her growing attachment to the family she has just met...
The plot is multilayered, with two or three subplots that intermingle with the main plotline and form an important background for it. It's also fast, with a lot of things happening at once, with events unfolding at a racing speed and sudden turns and twists that completely change your perspective on things:)
The main characters have distinct, complex personalities, and secrets they hide from others. They are memorable, relatable and definitely interesting.
Narration by Ms Gonzales is very good; she does different voices really well (I liked Margo's voice a lot:)) and makes the story come to life to such an extent that you would never want to stop listening, even late at night (like me:)).
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
It's a very good starter to a new series, with an engaging plot, fascinating take on magic and characters that will stay in your mind....
It starts fairly simple - Sam grasps at an opportunity to visit her home town and finally meet her estranged mother while working as a PR for a pop star who wants to make a big comeback... What Samantha doesn't expect is to find out magic is real, she herself is a witch - more powerful than anyone could have imagined - and to have to solve a murder case in which magic plays an essential part... All that while tackling her new infatuation with Peter, an investigative reporter for a local newspaper, and her growing attachment to the family she has just met...
The plot is multilayered, with two or three subplots that intermingle with the main plotline and form an important background for it. It's also fast, with a lot of things happening at once, with events unfolding at a racing speed and sudden turns and twists that completely change your perspective on things:)
The main characters have distinct, complex personalities, and secrets they hide from others. They are memorable, relatable and definitely interesting.
Narration by Ms Gonzales is very good; she does different voices really well (I liked Margo's voice a lot:)) and makes the story come to life to such an extent that you would never want to stop listening, even late at night (like me:)).
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
March 16, 2019
some of us realize that we have to re-discover and re-invent ourselves every so often.
that there is no single happy ending, and careers and money and interest in what you do only holds for a certain amount of time.
if there is no white knight, is there really a guy with a bike who wants you to help take care of the payments, as one favorite author from my twenties said?
Samantha Hale finds herself to some reflecting around the time of her 30th birthday, and takes a bit of a bad turn back to an ex.
The ex is, however, someone who has the profile and means financially to help Sam with her PR gig. SO maybe not the best decision, but probably not her worst choice.
What she discovers taking an opportunity to help re-invent a pop star is her own chance to re-visit her home town.
She thinks of contacting a mother she was torn from when she was very young, but what she meets when she reaches her home town is MAGIC - a whole coven of it, with an aunt, and mom and a grandmother.
The shifts in her perspective force her to look at herself and her skills in very different ways and profoundly change her relationships with the people around her.
An awesome, edge of your seat adventure - with steamy stuff, dark magic, and dark and light choices on dealing with love and family. Powerful stuff!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout.
I read the story on Kindle Unlimited, and am voluntarily leaving a review.
that there is no single happy ending, and careers and money and interest in what you do only holds for a certain amount of time.
if there is no white knight, is there really a guy with a bike who wants you to help take care of the payments, as one favorite author from my twenties said?
Samantha Hale finds herself to some reflecting around the time of her 30th birthday, and takes a bit of a bad turn back to an ex.
The ex is, however, someone who has the profile and means financially to help Sam with her PR gig. SO maybe not the best decision, but probably not her worst choice.
What she discovers taking an opportunity to help re-invent a pop star is her own chance to re-visit her home town.
She thinks of contacting a mother she was torn from when she was very young, but what she meets when she reaches her home town is MAGIC - a whole coven of it, with an aunt, and mom and a grandmother.
The shifts in her perspective force her to look at herself and her skills in very different ways and profoundly change her relationships with the people around her.
An awesome, edge of your seat adventure - with steamy stuff, dark magic, and dark and light choices on dealing with love and family. Powerful stuff!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout.
I read the story on Kindle Unlimited, and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 13, 2019
This book is called THE WITCHES OF MOUNT HAZEL
Loved this story and the length!
I think this is the first time I read this author and I'm asking myself why. I so enjoyed this story of good witches vs bad witches. The bad witches actually were dead spirits that needed bodies to live again. The good one are descendants of the original witch that stopped them the first time they tried it. Samantha Hale did not know she was descended from witches. She grew up with just her father who divorced her mother when she was young. Also her magic is natural and she doesn't need a base to work her power from as she finds out when she meets her mother for the first time and learns she is a powerful natural born witch. She goes to work a job in Mount Hazel, PA. The meets her mother Isadora, her grandmother Aurora, her aunt Minerva and her cousin and Minerva's daughter Tamsin. They get their power from the earth and the main source is the Apothecary store they own. She is shocked by that fact she is a witch and doesn't want to believe it. Then she meets the dark witch spirit Gwyneth and more ghosts whom she's able to see and communicate with. This has a happy and sudden ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved this story and the length!
I think this is the first time I read this author and I'm asking myself why. I so enjoyed this story of good witches vs bad witches. The bad witches actually were dead spirits that needed bodies to live again. The good one are descendants of the original witch that stopped them the first time they tried it. Samantha Hale did not know she was descended from witches. She grew up with just her father who divorced her mother when she was young. Also her magic is natural and she doesn't need a base to work her power from as she finds out when she meets her mother for the first time and learns she is a powerful natural born witch. She goes to work a job in Mount Hazel, PA. The meets her mother Isadora, her grandmother Aurora, her aunt Minerva and her cousin and Minerva's daughter Tamsin. They get their power from the earth and the main source is the Apothecary store they own. She is shocked by that fact she is a witch and doesn't want to believe it. Then she meets the dark witch spirit Gwyneth and more ghosts whom she's able to see and communicate with. This has a happy and sudden ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 14, 2019
Samantha Hale was a child of divorce having been raised by her father. She is a PR rep and has the opportunity to manage a new client in her birthplace (Mount Hazel). Samantha jumps at the chance to show her stuff and wouldn’t mind if she just happens to bump into the mother she hardly knows.
Upon arrival in Mount Hazel, she discovers that her new client is a bit extreme and not going to be easy to handle. When she happens to run into her long-lost family on her first day in town, she is stunned to learn they are from a powerful coven of witches, and that she herself has inherited a few of her own magical gifts. Soon Samantha discovers that Margo Metal is not what she seems and might be using black magic to make her comeback to the music industry.
There is a lot going on with the first book of what promises to be a new series. It was a bit lengthy and some of the information repeated itself, but all in all, I found the book delightful. There were just enough touches of paranormal, mystery, and suspense to keep my interest going.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Upon arrival in Mount Hazel, she discovers that her new client is a bit extreme and not going to be easy to handle. When she happens to run into her long-lost family on her first day in town, she is stunned to learn they are from a powerful coven of witches, and that she herself has inherited a few of her own magical gifts. Soon Samantha discovers that Margo Metal is not what she seems and might be using black magic to make her comeback to the music industry.
There is a lot going on with the first book of what promises to be a new series. It was a bit lengthy and some of the information repeated itself, but all in all, I found the book delightful. There were just enough touches of paranormal, mystery, and suspense to keep my interest going.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 25, 2019
Sam has taken on the job of managing pop singer, Margo Metal. She opted for the job simply because it's in her home town, Mount Hazel, Pennsylvania. She wants to see if her mother is still there and find out if she's going crazy. Her father took her away from her mother and Mount Hazel when she was six telling her that the family was crazy. She does find her mother as well as her cousin, aunt, and grandmother. But things wind up being stranger than Sam could have expected. Her family tells her they're witches and her magic is a rare exceptionally strong version. She sees the ghost of a local murdered girl and finds out that the house where she's staying with Margo has a dark history. There's black magic being practiced that must be stopped.
This book was a very enjoyable read. It was fast moving with attention to the details that keep you hooked. I loved it and look forward to seeing more from this author.
This book was a very enjoyable read. It was fast moving with attention to the details that keep you hooked. I loved it and look forward to seeing more from this author.
October 30, 2019
Samantha worked at a PR firm, an assistant to Coco, the tyrant and the terminator (because she felt she wasn’t human.) Was her purpose just to be a single professional?
One drunken night, she thoughts she was an image within a moving flame. Was she crazy like her mother? She had to find out.
Smart, witty, and the character is so sensible and down-to-earth. She just wanted simple answers, but working with a new client—a gothic paleo chick who was high-maintenace as they came—and traversing through a small New England, where her mother lived and worked, wouldn’t make it easy.
Sam soon learned that she was a witch and might be hunted by The Ordinary Ones. Then she sees the girl from her vision in the news. Was she supposed to rescue her?
Sometimes the story read like a journal, which slows it down somewhat. Basically, she’s learning the odds and ends of her witchy ancestry and trying to deal with it. An okay read.
One drunken night, she thoughts she was an image within a moving flame. Was she crazy like her mother? She had to find out.
Smart, witty, and the character is so sensible and down-to-earth. She just wanted simple answers, but working with a new client—a gothic paleo chick who was high-maintenace as they came—and traversing through a small New England, where her mother lived and worked, wouldn’t make it easy.
Sam soon learned that she was a witch and might be hunted by The Ordinary Ones. Then she sees the girl from her vision in the news. Was she supposed to rescue her?
Sometimes the story read like a journal, which slows it down somewhat. Basically, she’s learning the odds and ends of her witchy ancestry and trying to deal with it. An okay read.
July 11, 2019
Good storyline
This book could have been really good, but it constantly repeated itself as if each part was a new book. The storyline was interesting but whenever it repeated itself I got frustrated with it.
Sam is a witch that didn’t know she was a witch but knew something was different about herself, her job sends her back to her hometown where she meets her mum for the first time in over 2 decades, she also meets her grandmother and aunt and cousin. Whilst working as a PR assistant for a pop star, she is staying in a creepy mansion and her hometown is searching for a child which she saw in her fire before arriving. I’m hoping that this author has learnt to write the next book minus the repetition!
This book could have been really good, but it constantly repeated itself as if each part was a new book. The storyline was interesting but whenever it repeated itself I got frustrated with it.
Sam is a witch that didn’t know she was a witch but knew something was different about herself, her job sends her back to her hometown where she meets her mum for the first time in over 2 decades, she also meets her grandmother and aunt and cousin. Whilst working as a PR assistant for a pop star, she is staying in a creepy mansion and her hometown is searching for a child which she saw in her fire before arriving. I’m hoping that this author has learnt to write the next book minus the repetition!
October 13, 2019
This was a fun Halloween mystery with a great setting and a steeply angsty main character. The characters were quite dramatic, which made them interesting, but a bit over the top. The story, while supposedly a mystery, was revealed pretty much halfway, just not all the details of it. I did like the premise of a woman who never knew she was a witch, but that she was inherently more powerful than all the witches that have practiced their whole lives seemed trite. (It is an overdone trope to have one person who has all the powers come in and wow everyone else...I still read those books though, but I do love fresh plotting.) Overall, I liked it enough to read the next one.
January 3, 2020
The plot of this book is clever and interesting. I like this writer very much and hope to read more of her books soon. I won't speak of the story line because I don't wish to ruin it for anyone else. The only suggestion I have to her is to have someone proof read her books for grammar errors. There are a few incomplete sentences and verb tenses that don't 'compute' which drives some readers mad, but not to any great extent. I'm sure there are a lot of us out here who would gladly offer to proof read for her.
March 31, 2019
Great supernatural story
It a great story, the words flow nicely and keeps you pulled in. There are a few typos but not so many that's it's unreadable or distracting. The thing I didn't like was several chapters started out recapping everything....kind of like series do, but instead of recapping in the beginning of the book, this one does it in new chapters. Honestly, after 2 or 3 times of that I wanted to put the book down. I'm glad I didn't since it really was a good book.
It a great story, the words flow nicely and keeps you pulled in. There are a few typos but not so many that's it's unreadable or distracting. The thing I didn't like was several chapters started out recapping everything....kind of like series do, but instead of recapping in the beginning of the book, this one does it in new chapters. Honestly, after 2 or 3 times of that I wanted to put the book down. I'm glad I didn't since it really was a good book.
November 2, 2020
Good
Was it enjoyable? Yes. Was it a good mystery? Yes. Was it the best witch cozy I’ve ever read? No. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Because they can’t all be THE BEST. It was still good, solid, enjoyable. A bit darker than what I’m used to, so maybe that’s the reason why this for me is a four-star book and not five, but that’s still very respectable. There were some bits a tad repetitive, but overall an entertaining read.
Was it enjoyable? Yes. Was it a good mystery? Yes. Was it the best witch cozy I’ve ever read? No. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Because they can’t all be THE BEST. It was still good, solid, enjoyable. A bit darker than what I’m used to, so maybe that’s the reason why this for me is a four-star book and not five, but that’s still very respectable. There were some bits a tad repetitive, but overall an entertaining read.
March 14, 2019
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’m from Philly and I laughed at the Real Pennsylvania and the Other Pennsylvania. It may seem like a good line for a book, but folks really think this way. Can’t wait for book 2.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 29, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this book
A really good book, I really enjoyed reading about Sam and her discovery of witchcraft and meeting her estranged family, her adventures with trying to find out what happened to the missing girl and everything that happened in the old Inn in the woods,
A really good book, I really enjoyed reading about Sam and her discovery of witchcraft and meeting her estranged family, her adventures with trying to find out what happened to the missing girl and everything that happened in the old Inn in the woods,
April 19, 2019
Who's on first ?
Are we the good or the not so good or the bad? I don't know but maybe if I rewrite the first chapter a few times it will make more since. Nope, that didn't do it either. I wish I had not wasted my time. This writer can't decide which team to play for. "Number one Golden Rule love and trust go hand in hand like a marriage."
Are we the good or the not so good or the bad? I don't know but maybe if I rewrite the first chapter a few times it will make more since. Nope, that didn't do it either. I wish I had not wasted my time. This writer can't decide which team to play for. "Number one Golden Rule love and trust go hand in hand like a marriage."
August 14, 2019
The story was enjoyable. However, there were several chapters which began with a great deal of summary of what had just been read as if the text had originally been published as a series of novellas in sequence and the rehashing of the previous novella was necessary. If that distracting content could be cleaned up, the book could easily attain a higher rating.
September 28, 2025
Very farfetched!
This may be a an extreme form of cozy witch mystery, but it is very much worth reading! It was unbelievable, to me, that a person unaware of being a strong witch would be so nonchalant when she found out! Characters and locations were interesting. Storyline was fun. It is a bit much for me so I will go back to reading cutesy paranormal cozy mysteries!
This may be a an extreme form of cozy witch mystery, but it is very much worth reading! It was unbelievable, to me, that a person unaware of being a strong witch would be so nonchalant when she found out! Characters and locations were interesting. Storyline was fun. It is a bit much for me so I will go back to reading cutesy paranormal cozy mysteries!
November 23, 2025
Like the others in the series, this book reads like a mash-up of 3 novellas, however, the transitions in this one were a little better. I enjoyed that this followed a different group of people, expanding the world that the series is set in. There were some grammatical errors that I found distracting, and the storyline is quite dark. Overall, it was okay.
March 14, 2019
What a great book! I’m hoping it’s a start to a new series, because I will definitely be reading it! I couldn’t put the book down...even when my husband took me out to dinner!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 19, 2019
Witches of Mount Hazel by Skylar Finn is a wonderful story that I have read. I loved reading this story about mystery and wanting more. I highly recommedn this to everyone who loves reading mysteries.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2019
A can't put down book
A story of discovery amid mystery and witchcraft.. You will find yourself not wanting to stop reading. The characters are well-rounded. Will love find out heroine read it and find out for yourself.
A story of discovery amid mystery and witchcraft.. You will find yourself not wanting to stop reading. The characters are well-rounded. Will love find out heroine read it and find out for yourself.
March 29, 2019
Intriguing
A grown woman finds her mom and her true self! Fate brought her home to save the world.
I truly enjoyed this book. It was magic, mayhem, murder, and love all rolled into one.
A grown woman finds her mom and her true self! Fate brought her home to save the world.
I truly enjoyed this book. It was magic, mayhem, murder, and love all rolled into one.
April 22, 2019
Enjoyed the book
Really enjoyed reading the book. The author repeated the parts of the storyline a few times that we're unnecessary but, no big deal. I would recommend this book for someone who just wants to kick back and read a good story.
Really enjoyed reading the book. The author repeated the parts of the storyline a few times that we're unnecessary but, no big deal. I would recommend this book for someone who just wants to kick back and read a good story.
April 25, 2019
Hidden power
Liked the explanation of the witches powers.
Dark magic should never be allowed in the hands of inexperienced mortals.
PR, like politics, is full of lies and half truths.
Interesting, engrossing story that keeps you turning pages.
Liked the explanation of the witches powers.
Dark magic should never be allowed in the hands of inexperienced mortals.
PR, like politics, is full of lies and half truths.
Interesting, engrossing story that keeps you turning pages.
May 9, 2019
Fun Read
Late night read interesting enough to keep me reading until I finished the book aT 1:30 pm. Enjoyed the characters. Plot was redundant and a bit used but I still enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading this Skyler Finn again
Late night read interesting enough to keep me reading until I finished the book aT 1:30 pm. Enjoyed the characters. Plot was redundant and a bit used but I still enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading this Skyler Finn again
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews