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Summoning the Winds: The Lanthorne Ordinary Witches
Witches have been hunted, tried, and executed for centuries. The Colonies are not immune to the fear of sorcery. In the Spring of 1660, the small Connecticut village of Milthorpe abruptly finds itself in the throes of a witch scare. Yarrow Pickering, the village herbal woman and proprietor of the Lanthorne Ordinary struggles to prove an accused woman is innocent but becomes ensnared in the witch hunt. Yarrow can't be sure if her relationship with the Magistrate’s son will harm or help her against her most strident opponents. The trials are beginning...but this time, what will happen when one of the accused truly is a witch?
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2019
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Raleigh
8 books24 followersA good chunk of my time growing up in southern Indiana was spent reading books; all kinds of books, but especially mysteries and the scariest stories I could find at the time. I read every book in the library about witches, goblins, elves, magic, changelings, dragons, anything fantastic and otherworldly. I also have always been an avid lover of history. I was an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, taking part in events, costuming, feasting, and medieval dancing. I also spent many years as a weekend gamer, getting together with friends to create characters, work through adventures, and enjoy our collective imagination.
Another interest is genealogy. I started pestering busy adults with questions about my family history when I was twelve years old. Over the years, I have dug through family papers and photos, scrolled through and squinted at faded and tattered microfilm, traveled to distant places in search of crumbling documents, and spent countless hours in cemeteries searching for stones.
I write about what I enjoy and combine them in a way I hope is entertaining to other who share similar interests.
Another interest is genealogy. I started pestering busy adults with questions about my family history when I was twelve years old. Over the years, I have dug through family papers and photos, scrolled through and squinted at faded and tattered microfilm, traveled to distant places in search of crumbling documents, and spent countless hours in cemeteries searching for stones.
I write about what I enjoy and combine them in a way I hope is entertaining to other who share similar interests.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 16, 2021
For eighteen year-old Yarrow Pickering, running the Lanthorne Ordinary eatery and meeting rooms and taking care of her younger sister, Tansy involves a schedule of non-stop chores. As proprietor of the Ordinary, her days are filled with cooking, cleaning and helping to keep her neighboring villager's fed at her establishment and provided with healing herbs and remedies to ease their pains and illnesses. Since her parent's tragic death, it has been up to her to eek out a living to provide for Tansy and herself. It's a harsh life at times, but Yarrow is determined to carry on.
When a young girl in the village becomes ill, Yarrow goes to the home to drop off remedies that may ease her pains. When she learns a pot of jam secretly consumed is causing the distress, she feels certain the girl will recover. The father however is not convinced, exploding in a tirade of wild accusations as to the cause of his daughter's illness, including a charge of witchcraft against a widow who will not sell him land. As the rumors fly, the respected elder is brought into the Ordinary for questioning. Yarrow has seen this vile spread of lies and hysteria before in the village they left to come to this new land. Will this evil re-emerge?
Anger and revenge bring out the worst of people as the accused is charged. Dark secrets emerge, pitting the villagers against one another as Yarrow and her friend, Jude strive to get to the truth. Will they succeed before the village is torn apart? Author Raleigh weaves an inspiring tale of a young woman's courage to risk everything in a quest for truth and decency amongst her neighbors. A bittersweet read, highly recommended!
When a young girl in the village becomes ill, Yarrow goes to the home to drop off remedies that may ease her pains. When she learns a pot of jam secretly consumed is causing the distress, she feels certain the girl will recover. The father however is not convinced, exploding in a tirade of wild accusations as to the cause of his daughter's illness, including a charge of witchcraft against a widow who will not sell him land. As the rumors fly, the respected elder is brought into the Ordinary for questioning. Yarrow has seen this vile spread of lies and hysteria before in the village they left to come to this new land. Will this evil re-emerge?
Anger and revenge bring out the worst of people as the accused is charged. Dark secrets emerge, pitting the villagers against one another as Yarrow and her friend, Jude strive to get to the truth. Will they succeed before the village is torn apart? Author Raleigh weaves an inspiring tale of a young woman's courage to risk everything in a quest for truth and decency amongst her neighbors. A bittersweet read, highly recommended!
September 24, 2019
I think this is the first book I've ever read about witches (Hamlet doesn't count). And I LOVED it. The research, the pacing, the writing, the twists and turns--all of it was masterful and fascinating. The author takes the notion of witch trials and turns it on its head with this tale of a real witch in colonial Connecticut.
Yarrow, the main character and a young adult orphan, is spunky and smart, and she uses her quick wit to advantage when danger threatens her and her sister. The story delves into the murky world of spells and hexes, and the author describes sorcery in a way that makes it both believable and understandable. You can feel the storms conjured by the witch, and you can see her when...well, you'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself.
Yarrow, the main character and a young adult orphan, is spunky and smart, and she uses her quick wit to advantage when danger threatens her and her sister. The story delves into the murky world of spells and hexes, and the author describes sorcery in a way that makes it both believable and understandable. You can feel the storms conjured by the witch, and you can see her when...well, you'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself.
June 5, 2019
Summoning The Winds: The Langhorne Ordinary Witches by Cynthia Raleigh is a historical/women’s fiction novel about village life, sisterhood, female roles in a traditional society, what a witch is and isn’t and struggle against the status quo as an individual with a mind of their own.
Included inside the pages: Deception, trickery, religious zeal, property disputes, superstition, African spiritualism, power struggles, murder, abuse of governmental power, loyalty and a healthy dose of karma for a thoroughly unlikeable character who allowed vanity and envy for another to consume.
The opening chapter etches out a bucolic village on a sea cove with a wilderness beyond, full of unseen dangers. The plot picks up speed once the ridiculous accusations start flying around. Funny how I would choose the woods over the village, as the humans are more bloodthirsty than anything that might be lurking.
Puritan-times Connecticut (16-17th Century era) comes to life when we meet two dissenting neighbors, one a wealthy widow and the other an influential man (Thomas Crofts) that others listen to, one who clearly desires what she has when he starts a rumor when he doesn’t get his way.
“Thomas became more wild-eyed every moment, his head jerking rapidly as though following something around the room, whispered to Maire, ‘The Witch, whoever she is, senses we know about her.’ The comment only served to further terrify his wife.”
Yarrow Pickering the main character and local herbalist/healer is called to assist when Thomas Croft’s daughter is stricken by “The Witch.”
Yarrow and her sister Tansy run The Lanthorne Ordinary (village restaurant) and are young ladies on their own, as their parents are both deceased. Yarrow is sensible, a feminist before there was a name for it, straightforward, and feisty. She also has a few secrets that delighted me when revealed. “The luxury of exerting her personality, of simply being herself without consequences, hadn’t been an option. It wasn’t an option for most women.” Hmm, seems things haven’t changed much.
The lively spark between Yarrow and Judicious was just enough to be realistic and added romantic tension. I hope their mutual attraction will be explored in depth in the next book in the series.
When a discovery is made as to the logical reason why a girl is taken ill, the focus changes quickly from the Widow to Yarrow and so on.
Don’t even get me started about Mahala. A peevish, immature woman who feels that everyone is below her and takes out her frustration from an ill-fated marriage on anyone close enough to catch the venom.
The phrase “One thing leads to another” came to mind often and made me wonder how any woman with a backbone managed to get past petty jealousies that in this village and apparently those times could cost you your life. Guess I am NOT stopping there in my time machine.
Clearly during this era people were bored, overly sensitive to anything that didn’t fall into a tidy box and highly superstitious, which is captured very well in the pages.
The dialogue, word use, etc. are spot on, but written with a lighter hand than most likely this group would have used. I was quite thankful for the modernization. It can be tough to comb through Olde English. The word “doxy,” is still cracking me up.
Obviously, the minute a woman opposed a man or incited the wrath of a more influential woman, she was in peril––as fear and lies can easily be twisted into a frenzy. The scene where the widow’s body is being inspected by the preacher’s wife for witch marks and tortured by a divining tool was just crazy.
I loved how the character names directly influenced their roles in the story. “Tansy” “Yarrow” “Judicious” “Goody.”
A few of the lines that got my motor running:
“After your refusal of Thomas Crofts’ reasonable offer to buy property from you, did you attempt to retaliate by calling demons to torment his daughter?”
“Yarrow barked out a derisive laugh. “Compromise the results? What are you on about? You think I’ll vanish a wart or a mole while helping her with her petticoats? What foolishness!”
“The wind rose, pulling last winter’s dead leaves from the hedgerow and sweeping them against the diamond-paned window as though trying to gain entry. One of the exterior shutters freed itself from its latch and slammed closed.”
If you are looking for a historical and authentic rendering of village life in the American Colonies, you will totally get into this novel.
Included inside the pages: Deception, trickery, religious zeal, property disputes, superstition, African spiritualism, power struggles, murder, abuse of governmental power, loyalty and a healthy dose of karma for a thoroughly unlikeable character who allowed vanity and envy for another to consume.
The opening chapter etches out a bucolic village on a sea cove with a wilderness beyond, full of unseen dangers. The plot picks up speed once the ridiculous accusations start flying around. Funny how I would choose the woods over the village, as the humans are more bloodthirsty than anything that might be lurking.
Puritan-times Connecticut (16-17th Century era) comes to life when we meet two dissenting neighbors, one a wealthy widow and the other an influential man (Thomas Crofts) that others listen to, one who clearly desires what she has when he starts a rumor when he doesn’t get his way.
“Thomas became more wild-eyed every moment, his head jerking rapidly as though following something around the room, whispered to Maire, ‘The Witch, whoever she is, senses we know about her.’ The comment only served to further terrify his wife.”
Yarrow Pickering the main character and local herbalist/healer is called to assist when Thomas Croft’s daughter is stricken by “The Witch.”
Yarrow and her sister Tansy run The Lanthorne Ordinary (village restaurant) and are young ladies on their own, as their parents are both deceased. Yarrow is sensible, a feminist before there was a name for it, straightforward, and feisty. She also has a few secrets that delighted me when revealed. “The luxury of exerting her personality, of simply being herself without consequences, hadn’t been an option. It wasn’t an option for most women.” Hmm, seems things haven’t changed much.
The lively spark between Yarrow and Judicious was just enough to be realistic and added romantic tension. I hope their mutual attraction will be explored in depth in the next book in the series.
When a discovery is made as to the logical reason why a girl is taken ill, the focus changes quickly from the Widow to Yarrow and so on.
Don’t even get me started about Mahala. A peevish, immature woman who feels that everyone is below her and takes out her frustration from an ill-fated marriage on anyone close enough to catch the venom.
The phrase “One thing leads to another” came to mind often and made me wonder how any woman with a backbone managed to get past petty jealousies that in this village and apparently those times could cost you your life. Guess I am NOT stopping there in my time machine.
Clearly during this era people were bored, overly sensitive to anything that didn’t fall into a tidy box and highly superstitious, which is captured very well in the pages.
The dialogue, word use, etc. are spot on, but written with a lighter hand than most likely this group would have used. I was quite thankful for the modernization. It can be tough to comb through Olde English. The word “doxy,” is still cracking me up.
Obviously, the minute a woman opposed a man or incited the wrath of a more influential woman, she was in peril––as fear and lies can easily be twisted into a frenzy. The scene where the widow’s body is being inspected by the preacher’s wife for witch marks and tortured by a divining tool was just crazy.
I loved how the character names directly influenced their roles in the story. “Tansy” “Yarrow” “Judicious” “Goody.”
A few of the lines that got my motor running:
“After your refusal of Thomas Crofts’ reasonable offer to buy property from you, did you attempt to retaliate by calling demons to torment his daughter?”
“Yarrow barked out a derisive laugh. “Compromise the results? What are you on about? You think I’ll vanish a wart or a mole while helping her with her petticoats? What foolishness!”
“The wind rose, pulling last winter’s dead leaves from the hedgerow and sweeping them against the diamond-paned window as though trying to gain entry. One of the exterior shutters freed itself from its latch and slammed closed.”
If you are looking for a historical and authentic rendering of village life in the American Colonies, you will totally get into this novel.
July 27, 2019
Unique and fascinating. Yarrow is a terrific heroine, and I appreciated the depth of detail throughout the book.
January 1, 2020
An actual witch, capable of all the things most feared at the various witch trials, could never be captured or contained, but this bit of logic didn't stop the paranoia, nor the brutality of the self righteous and opportunist individuals leading them.
In Summoning the Winds, an actual witch of good conscience is torn between stopping the madness and maintaining her own secret, an escalating effort complicated by maturing respect and affection for the magistrate's son, and the need to protect her younger, similarly talented sister.
The modern view of the historic witchcraft panic and ensuing trials is of a great tragedy made all the worse because innocent people were executed in the pursuit of a great evil which never existed, but another possibility exists.
Summoning the Winds explains the reason all the persecuted were innocent, and details what would have happened if the inept men investigating had blindly stumbled upon one strong woman who wasn't.
It's masterfully written by a strong, talented woman who knows the difference between fact and fable, and will leave you wanting seconds at the Lanthorne.
In Summoning the Winds, an actual witch of good conscience is torn between stopping the madness and maintaining her own secret, an escalating effort complicated by maturing respect and affection for the magistrate's son, and the need to protect her younger, similarly talented sister.
The modern view of the historic witchcraft panic and ensuing trials is of a great tragedy made all the worse because innocent people were executed in the pursuit of a great evil which never existed, but another possibility exists.
Summoning the Winds explains the reason all the persecuted were innocent, and details what would have happened if the inept men investigating had blindly stumbled upon one strong woman who wasn't.
It's masterfully written by a strong, talented woman who knows the difference between fact and fable, and will leave you wanting seconds at the Lanthorne.
September 27, 2019
Loved this book start to finish. Loved the characters and the setting. Great use of period terminology and customs. Would love to read another installment to continue the journey! I’ve read all of the authors prior works and they always keep me wanting another!
October 25, 2025
Cynthia Raleigh's Summoning the Winds: The Lanthorne Ordinary Witches is a captivating tale that weaves together historical witch trial hysteria with genuine magic hiding in plain sight.
Yarrow Pickering is everything I want in a protagonist, a skilled herbalist, proprietor of the Lanthorne Ordinary (tavern), and secret witch living among the very townspeople conducting preposterous witch trials. Along with her sister Tansy, Yarrow has built a life in Milthorpe Village, but their deep roots in the community won't protect them from the paranoia sweeping through town. As Yarrow tries to heal and protect falsely accused women, she must hide her own abilities, even as someone plots her demise.
Raleigh poses a fascinating question through Yarrow herself: "…a true witch, unless somehow debilitated or otherwise neutralized, won't be executed… they won't be discovered at all… Would a true witch allow herself to be broken, torn, seared, and killed if she had any power to stop it?"
This question leads to brilliant twists I won't spoil, but trust me, the very households prosecuting these women harbor sinister secrets of their own. Yarrow must rely on her gifts and her familiars (including Smidgens, a protective crow) to fight the evil threatening her.
What resonates most is the bond between the Pickering sisters, two women who lost their parents young and carved out their place in the world through courage, business acumen, and magic. Their connection feels authentic and powerful.
The romance between Yarrow and Judicious (Jude) crackles with tension. When he witnesses her doing something impossible, the stakes become achingly personal: will he accept her true nature or join the persecutors?
Raleigh maintains momentum throughout, escalating both action and danger as the plot unfolds. Watching Yarrow wield her magic and call upon her woodland protectors kept me completely engrossed. The spellwork feels genuinely magical, and Yarrow never surrenders without a fight.
I'm already eager for book two to see where Yarrow and Jude's relationship leads and what becomes of Milthorpe Village. Summoning the Winds isn't just perfect for spooky season, it's an enchanting read any time of year. Highly recommended!
Yarrow Pickering is everything I want in a protagonist, a skilled herbalist, proprietor of the Lanthorne Ordinary (tavern), and secret witch living among the very townspeople conducting preposterous witch trials. Along with her sister Tansy, Yarrow has built a life in Milthorpe Village, but their deep roots in the community won't protect them from the paranoia sweeping through town. As Yarrow tries to heal and protect falsely accused women, she must hide her own abilities, even as someone plots her demise.
Raleigh poses a fascinating question through Yarrow herself: "…a true witch, unless somehow debilitated or otherwise neutralized, won't be executed… they won't be discovered at all… Would a true witch allow herself to be broken, torn, seared, and killed if she had any power to stop it?"
This question leads to brilliant twists I won't spoil, but trust me, the very households prosecuting these women harbor sinister secrets of their own. Yarrow must rely on her gifts and her familiars (including Smidgens, a protective crow) to fight the evil threatening her.
What resonates most is the bond between the Pickering sisters, two women who lost their parents young and carved out their place in the world through courage, business acumen, and magic. Their connection feels authentic and powerful.
The romance between Yarrow and Judicious (Jude) crackles with tension. When he witnesses her doing something impossible, the stakes become achingly personal: will he accept her true nature or join the persecutors?
Raleigh maintains momentum throughout, escalating both action and danger as the plot unfolds. Watching Yarrow wield her magic and call upon her woodland protectors kept me completely engrossed. The spellwork feels genuinely magical, and Yarrow never surrenders without a fight.
I'm already eager for book two to see where Yarrow and Jude's relationship leads and what becomes of Milthorpe Village. Summoning the Winds isn't just perfect for spooky season, it's an enchanting read any time of year. Highly recommended!
June 21, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has an intriguing plot, set in Connecticut in 1660, in a village that is consumed rapidly by the fear and trauma of witchcraft accusations. The big twist is that there are some real witches. I wondered as I started the book whether this unusual approach would work. Happily, it succeeds very well for a number of reasons.
The plot bounces forward from a benign domestic scene but with an undercurrent of greed to the maelstrom of full-blown panic. There are some great characters; some beset by fear, others concerned to keep the growing anxiety within civilised bounds, those keen to fan the flames for personal gain, and those with supernatural powers have personalities and morality as varied as the rest. Some gentle romance is also thrown into the pot.
The action is tense and unpredictable. I found myself drawn into the drama of the likely fates of a woman falsely accused as a witch and that of a real one – and the battles between accusers and accused. The supernatural element isn’t solely imported from Puritan England but also drawn from the Indigenous people, and this adds to the feel of another sphere of reality that intersects with the everyday world. Raleigh employs some entrancing descriptions of the landscape and natural environment, especially those where witches interact with their surroundings. These add to the sense of the environment as an active character in the story.
Raleigh has deftly composed a well-written, compelling, action-packed historical drama that leaves the reader pondering the devastation caused when the differences between good and evil are defined by fear, greed and the worst of human nature.
The plot bounces forward from a benign domestic scene but with an undercurrent of greed to the maelstrom of full-blown panic. There are some great characters; some beset by fear, others concerned to keep the growing anxiety within civilised bounds, those keen to fan the flames for personal gain, and those with supernatural powers have personalities and morality as varied as the rest. Some gentle romance is also thrown into the pot.
The action is tense and unpredictable. I found myself drawn into the drama of the likely fates of a woman falsely accused as a witch and that of a real one – and the battles between accusers and accused. The supernatural element isn’t solely imported from Puritan England but also drawn from the Indigenous people, and this adds to the feel of another sphere of reality that intersects with the everyday world. Raleigh employs some entrancing descriptions of the landscape and natural environment, especially those where witches interact with their surroundings. These add to the sense of the environment as an active character in the story.
Raleigh has deftly composed a well-written, compelling, action-packed historical drama that leaves the reader pondering the devastation caused when the differences between good and evil are defined by fear, greed and the worst of human nature.
April 9, 2024
This is fantastic stuff. I like how she interweaves witchcraft and detective work and does it without spinning off into a bad sci-fi novel. Your blood boils when she is met with the injustices of the so-called religious people. William Zinsser was right. If you can capture the reader’s attention, agree or disagree, you’ve done your job. Cynthia Raleigh has not only done the job, she’s got a great career ahead of her. Great read if you love detective novels and just flat out a great read overall.
November 18, 2019
I love historical fiction and I love stories with a touch of magic, and “Summing the Winds” is a wonderful blend of both. Cynthia Raliegh made me see and experience living in a small village in the 1600s, with all its rules of morality, small mindedness, and superstitions. The suspense kept building and I never knew which way (or witch way!) the plot would turn. Highly recommended!
February 26, 2020
I couldn't put this book down, I was captivated immediately and I had to know what Yarrow was going to do.
November 2, 2019
This is a fantastic story and it's worth your time and imagination.
Dread and harmony, fear and hope, ignorance and dignity are all woven thick into the air between the pages of this book like some long ago witches spell.
In a small costal village in America in the year 1660 a woman is accused of being a witch. I won't spoil the book for you friend so no worries there. However, I will tell you that the politics of it bloom before your eyes like a mayapple seed preternaturally growing and spinning branches in all directions.
How does one deal with people who are ready to execute someone because they pointed at them in a throwaway gesture of anger and disgust? What does a young woman do when a male in their community strikes them down with their fist and rallies the call to do much more harm? How does an elderly woman convince a mob of the uneducated that their body is natural part of life? The threats are so ordinary and real in this world that turning pages will make one anxious with worry for the protagonists because anyone in this world is capable of being a harbinger of death through a mind of paranoia.
So it is that a young woman by the name of Yarrow must navigate the horror of ignorance with nothing more than cunning, wisdom, bravery, and the "craft" that her mother and a friend of the family taught her.
This was a page turner of a book and I can't recommend it enough for anyone who loves a good tale.
Dread and harmony, fear and hope, ignorance and dignity are all woven thick into the air between the pages of this book like some long ago witches spell.
In a small costal village in America in the year 1660 a woman is accused of being a witch. I won't spoil the book for you friend so no worries there. However, I will tell you that the politics of it bloom before your eyes like a mayapple seed preternaturally growing and spinning branches in all directions.
How does one deal with people who are ready to execute someone because they pointed at them in a throwaway gesture of anger and disgust? What does a young woman do when a male in their community strikes them down with their fist and rallies the call to do much more harm? How does an elderly woman convince a mob of the uneducated that their body is natural part of life? The threats are so ordinary and real in this world that turning pages will make one anxious with worry for the protagonists because anyone in this world is capable of being a harbinger of death through a mind of paranoia.
So it is that a young woman by the name of Yarrow must navigate the horror of ignorance with nothing more than cunning, wisdom, bravery, and the "craft" that her mother and a friend of the family taught her.
This was a page turner of a book and I can't recommend it enough for anyone who loves a good tale.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews