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Midlife Witchery #8

Magical Complications

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Stone demons, giant spider monsters, and a pissed-off goddess have nothing on being pregnant at forty.

I'm a Fae, not a witch, and yet every witchy problem in Cottelhill Wilds still finds me. My best friends and I are just magnets for trouble.

Troublesome vampires, rogue demons, evil Fae royalty, and Tainted witches are just a few of the curiosities we've attracted. And our injuries? Just a few concussions, stab wounds and brushes with poison. It has taken quite an adjustment, but we're finally settling into our roles as the local team of superheroines, and I love it. Belonging to the Backside of Forty gives my life purpose and a meaning I was missing before.

Now we're hot on the trail of the Dark One when a kidnapper whisks us from Violet's bookstore and leaves us in an isolated cave system. It's not ideal, but I'd rather face the monstrous creatures hunting me now than face the love of my life and tell him my little secret.

I may be nearly six months pregnant with a dragonette, but our enemies had better gird themselves because this mama bear is more confident and dangerous than she's ever been, and I won't stop until everyone knows why it's a bad idea to mess with an expectant woman and her baby.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2022

503 people are currently reading
105 people want to read

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Robin Urstadt.
8 reviews3 followers
August 1, 2023
whine whine whine

Omg what a chore to fight my way thru this book. I was looking forwards to Argies return and Aislinn’s story but REALLY?!?
By the end of this book I hate Aislinn. Self-centered, self-pitying, whiny internal dialogue is NOT how you show off a strong woman.
The entire book was ‘he is going to hate me’ or ‘I’m only part of the BoF because Fiona and Violet took pity on me’.
And the ‘mystery’ was non-existent, learning about a missing grimoire to get distracted by side scenes and a sudden teleportation just to throw our main characters into deadly draw out battle and then back to the hunt to BAM! Solved.
Very disappointing.
I’m continuing with the series only to see the baby born. If things aren’t dramatically improved after the next book I’m done.
9 reviews
September 26, 2024
Disappointing

Aislinn is such a disappointing shallow character, and seriously no romance to speak of. I hope the next book is not about her or I might just have to stop the series.
11 reviews
March 7, 2022
I have really enjoyed this series up to now. But this book did not live up to my expectations. The editing was horrible. And pregnancy hormones or not, I just got sick of Aislinn repeatedly moaning and groaning about wanting to do what was best for her little nugget and getting angry when her friends try to convince her to do the right thing, when all this time she has been jeopardizing her health; sick all the time, unable to eat, not gaining weight. Does she not think that will ultimately impact the baby? All because she does not want the father to think he is obligated to be with her. A simple sentence--"You are the father, and I want you to be in her life, but you don't have to feel like you need to do anything else"--will do.
Profile Image for Mayra Ramos.
22 reviews
May 18, 2023
Could have been better with less self pity from the character

I am aware this series is from the perspective of women in their mid life, their insecurities and journey. But the constants self conscious and insecurity self monologues were a bit too much on the nose. The character allowed her pride and low self worth to put her and her baby in danger, and that did not sit well with me. Too much wallowing.
Profile Image for Sam Tak .
39 reviews
April 22, 2022
The series prior to this has been great so not sure what happened here. It felt flat and disjointed. Hoping the next book goes beck to the previous great level
3,001 reviews45 followers
April 28, 2022
This is book eight of the Midlife Witchery series and the main character is Aislinn (Ais), a Fae who is part of a small group named Backside of Forty (BoF), with her friends Fiona and Violet who are both witches. Fiona inherited a huge amount of magic and shared it with Ais and Violet, forming their own small coven. Ais is pregnant with a dragon shifter baby and her friends are extremely worried about her and the baby’s health as she is losing so much weight and is really weak. They want her to go back to her home realm of Eidothea, but she has been avoiding it, as she will have to see her baby’s father, who knows nothing of her pregnancy. She met Argies, through Fiona’s mate Bas (Sebastian), as they were best friends and Fiona had helped them take down the evil Fae King. Argies is the brother of the new Fae King Teague and is his general, in charge of his army and more. After he and Ais hooked up, he stayed in Eidothea, while she returned to Earth with her friends and their mates. The three women worked to open a Hellmouth in a previous book and need to stay and maintain it. The time goes very differently in the fae realms and although it has only been months since she saw Argies, it has been years for him and he has never tried to see her or get in touch.
She had thought their relationship would be different from her marriage but after her ex, she refuses to rely on a man, unless he is madly in love with her like Bas is with Fiona, and Thanos is with Violet. She knows that he would probably step up and do the right thing once he knows about the baby, but she doesn’t want that sort of relationship. She needs the help of dragon shifters, to know what might be wrong with her pregnancy and how to safely have the dragon baby, but dragons don’t talk to outsiders! Unless she can get Argies to introduce her to them, she will have problems and may well lose her life as well as her baby’s! Most dragon pregnancies are lost before they get to full term. Even Fiona’s healer can’t do enough to help her. But the supernatural problems in Cottelhill Wilds don’t stop just because she’s pregnant! A woman called Arabella is sent to the BoF ladies to get help to recover her family grimoire. She is from one of the founding families of the city and has some very dangerous spells in their family grimoire, which some bad people would be very keen to have! Another customer arrives at Fiona’s door, needing help to rid their home of a ghost before his wife leaves him and takes the kids with her!
The trio have dealt with lots of dangerous situations, but their main problem is the Dark One and they don’t know when she might attack next. They start to interview possible suspects for the stolen grimoire at Violet’s store, only for all three of them to suddenly be magically whisked off to a dangerous cave system. Each is in separate parts of the caves and Ais has no idea if this is the Dark One who is responsible, but to her the magic seems a bit off. They face stone demons and creepy giant spiders mostly in the dark, as they search for each other and a way out! It seems a bored goddess might have seen what the Dark One was doing ad decided to get stuck into the middle of it, for a bit of amusement! Not a good idea to get on the wrong side of a powerful goddess! Lots of magic and mystery as the trio face the dangers together and Aislinn attempts to delay going home and seeing the baby father, by any excuse possible. Argies doesn’t take the news well to start with, but will step up obviously in the end as he wants to be part of his child’s life, but it takes a lot of time for him to think about it all first. Not a lot of help to a heavily pregnant and hormonal fae woman! When the news is given to his family, they take over everything and start making some decisions about her and the baby and where she should live. Exactly what she feared and will need to wait for the next book to see what happens and where she and the baby end up! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for Denise.
3,740 reviews
February 18, 2022
This book is focused on Aislinn and her pregnancy. She is carrying a dragon baby and things are not going well. It is apparently difficult for even a female dragon to carry a fetus to term, much less a non-dragon woman. There is very little information available in the human realm on dragon pregnancies. Aislinn needs to return to Eidothea to get firsthand help and information. The only problem is (OK there are many problems with this scenario!) she has never told the baby...er dragon...daddy that he is about to be a father. She and Argies had a short, hot affair but he had gone back to Eidothea and never returned to visit her. When she found out she was pregnant she knew she should tell him, but she wanted a love like Fiona and Violet had found not a man who was only "doing the right thing."

The Backside of Forty coven is still trying to find the Dark One who is causing havoc in the area. It appears that there may also be a goddess involved with her shenanigans. A new problem arises when a woman comes to report the theft of her family's grimoire. Apparently, the book contains some spells that should not be allowed out for just anyone to get their hands on. They wonder if the Dark One is somehow involved in the theft since the spells would be very useful for her to have. As the group starts their investigation, they are struck with a powerful spell which sends them all to a cave system infested with magical beings that are out to kill them. The three women are separated and have to fight to find each other... and to stay alive.

I don't want to tell you any more and ruin it for you. Enjoy! I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.
Profile Image for Cassie Edwards.
40 reviews
April 24, 2023
I am dead set on completing any series I start, but I’m just gonna have to hang it up on this one. Just can’t handle it anymore. It’s a great world, but it’s written like a 9th grade book report with a minimum word requirement that leaves a kid scrambling to find a way to write three paragraphs to describe the letter A. Half of every book is repeating, SEVERAL TIMES, everything that happened in every book prior, instead of simply assuming the reader has started at one and worked their way through, and these books are entirely too short for half of the narration to be a step by step walk through of everything a reader may have missed if they just happened to randomly pick up book 7. There are so many instances where miscommunication is blatant and absurd, followed by conversations where understanding is somehow immediately reached without thought, deliberation, or the passing of time or explanation of conclusion. It’s just “well now that you mention it, here’s a deeply emotionally intelligent connection and breakdown of this experience, followed with an empathic understanding of the other person’s viewpoint” and two pages later it’s “I can’t tell anyone, they’ll hate me.” Like… what? I wish I could tough it out but it’s time for me to give up the ghost. This will be an identical review to its sister series since they’re best read in tandem but equally infuriating as it relates to writing style.
Profile Image for Denise.
6 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2025
While I am enjoying the stories as a whole I have a lot of annoying niggles. I mentioned in a previous review how I think little research has gone into it as far as it being situatiated in Britain she has the British characters calling nappies diapers, While I can get the 1 American that has moved to England calling them that not the English unless the were reacting to them being called that but they are just straight up referring to them as this. Then there is the flavoured creamer that she is using in her coffee popular with Americans which is not available here so either she brought a suitcase of it with her or has her kid's ids have been shipping it to her. It's not a big deal but it just highlights to me the lack of research. Other things like she has now several times alluded to the British characters not understanding the 'Amercanisms' of Fiona but the so called 'Amercanisms' given are widely known like saying her saying 'potato potahto ' this is part of a widely known song from a film and not an Americanism that a British characters would not understand it us a bit derogatory and makes the britsh seem uneducated that she thinks British do not understand stand that and the other ones are just as bad and while even if they were so called Amercanisms the British characters would understand them just maybe not use them which is different to understanding them not using something because it is not a common saying while knowing the meaning is different to a lack of understanding and if you are going to use that type of scenario multiple time at least make sure it isn't a common thing we know but just do not say as it is not part normal language rather than something that is not widely known . As an author if you are going to base your story in a country you do not live in i think it should be mandatory that you do detailed research on that country so that you do not make such small but common errors and end up offending or annoying your readers
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
522 reviews4 followers
February 23, 2022
Whew! Things are heating up in Cottlehill Wilds.... the crazies are at it again and the girls get swept away again!!! The baddies are out and causing trouble again and girls get the brunt of the hurting. Aislinn's lil bambino is growing but growth of the baby is not good for Aislinn's health! The girls are again trying to help the paranormal community and Gardross, the local paranormal PD, is sending people their way and as a bonus telling people they will be charging! Go Gardross! They end running into a bind with the latest run in with the tainted witches... it's touch and go for a bit.... thank goodness Argies gets a feeling Aislinn needs him! He hangs around and passes on knowledge he has about dragon babies... Aislinn needs to visit the dragons in Eidothea. This is a roller coaster for the motions, but everything works out. Looking forward to the next book to see how things go! Love this series!!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
111 reviews3 followers
February 28, 2022
Loved it! Need more! CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!! Do not read if you don't want to know ;-)

I had fun reading this book. The story's energy was fantastic. There was so much going on I found myself cheering her on. She was constantly in a jam of one sort or another. Huge problems... such as...
how do you solve a mystery, and stop a disaster......
while also figuring out how to co-parent your unborn child with your possibly ex....
or not......
who doesn't live in the same realm you do....
while explaining that you happen to be pregnant but,.... you were just hoping he realized that he couldn't live without you before you told him.....
and hadn't actually gotten around to telling him ......
surprise!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
6,030 reviews45 followers
March 7, 2022
Her pregnancy is really taking a toll on Aislynn. The dragon baby she is carrying needs more than average energy, warmth and food. Apparently non dragon shifters rarely survive the pregnancy and birth

Before the Backside of Forty trio can leave for the fae realm, several challenges pop up, along with a powerful missing grimoire, a dangerous journey, and some family challenges

hidden dangers pop up repeatedly working hard to destroy the ladies.

Will a possessive dragon and his overbearing family be more dangerous still - if they survive the trials ahead with getting to a safe place to give birth?

ongoing drama and action packed, sisterhood and magic packed adventures

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
794 reviews6 followers
February 22, 2022
The term 'Complications' is an understatement. The ladies can't help but to find themselves smack dab in the middle of one crisis after another. This is on top of the difficulty Aislinn is having with her pregnancy. It's not easy carrying a dragon baby. Action, adventure and suspense are in full force. I was anxiously awaiting the return of Argies. Even though Aislinn was nervous, their reunion was well overdue. They will have to wrap a few things up before they can finally make the journey to the Fae Realm. A read full of excitement that will leave you wanting more. I received an early copy and this is my honest review.
1,124 reviews16 followers
February 20, 2022
The Backside of Forty coven have alot to deal with. A stolen grimoire and haunted house, but the most worring is Aislinn's dragonette pregnancy. It is almost unheard of for a human to be able to carry a dragons baby. She has still to tell the father (Argies). They have either a new very powerful enemy or an old powerful one. This story moves at a fast pace and holds your attention from begining to end

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
597 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2022
Aislinn and Argies reunion was a long time coming and the reactions to the news of the pregnancy and what has been happening while they were apart is suspenseful! The new adventures and problems that the Backside of Forty face is full of action and mystery! The relationships are wonderful between the friends and their mates! I have enjoyed reading this series and can’t wait for the next book to find out what will happen next!. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
256 reviews
April 2, 2022
Aislinn really has it hard now!

Backside of Forty, our amazing coven, has its work cut out for them in helping Ais and her unborn dragon baby! This book is from Ais' POV, and it is terrifying and amazing at the same time. Trim gives us an in-depth, scary, amazing look into Ais and her difficult pregnancy, along with her difficult decisions on how to deal with her child and her dragon baby daddy. Too bad the Dark One has his or her fingers in so many pies!

Great reading, and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book!
Profile Image for Lynne  Davison.
226 reviews
February 17, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this book .

This is book 8 in a series, that follows the Backside of Forty (BoF) gang.

This book focuses on Aislinn and her pregnancy to a Dragon. It looks at the trials and tribulations and sets the scene for book 9 which I cant wait to read.

It ends at the right point but I wanted more.

Definitely recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
885 reviews3 followers
March 6, 2022
I love this series and grab each new book as soon as it comes out. This one focuses on Aislinn who is pregnant with a dragon baby. Her body is not coping well, and she needs to go to the Fae realm to deliver the babe safely. In the meantime, the Backside of Forty Coven is still hunting the dark one. Lots of other people are now asking the coven to solve mysteries and problems, there is so much to do, and not much time to do it all in.
Profile Image for Tahnia Ross.
2,184 reviews9 followers
March 16, 2022
Pregnant Aislinn is told she must go to Eidothea or her and the baby will both die but the Backside of Forty needs to find a grimoire with some nasty spells in it before they can go. And Aislinn still needs to tell Argies about the baby. This story includes plenty of action, has romance, and ends in a cliffhanger. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Debbie Eyre.
5,918 reviews116 followers
March 16, 2022
I am a huge fan of any of the paranormal midlife books and this series well I have loved it since book one! This latest book grabbed me from the get go as once again we join Cottenhill wilds and it’s magical drama. Exciting, entertaining, enthralling, crazy and super fun and full of
Troublesome vampires, rogue demons, evil Fae royalty,Tainted witches and giant spider monsters!!! Love the storyline and I just love the characters and I very much enjoyed this.
Profile Image for Karen.
284 reviews6 followers
March 17, 2022
It's only possible in the pages of Brenda Trim's books.

In the continuing story of our Midlife Wichery be Brenda Trim. Well no dragon baby yet *spoiler* sorry but you are turning the pages fast to see what happens. Every where these women turn they are close to death and destruction. I don't usually don't cry while reading a book but have as if late with Brenda Trim's books. I want more even at the end of the book. MORE PLEASE!
Profile Image for Anne-Marie .
970 reviews23 followers
April 6, 2022
Loved it

Wow talk about a fast paced action packed story...
Fiona, Violet and Aislen are in the thick of things...i could have done without the spiders (actually scared of them) but all in all a great addition to the series.
The writing is flawless and it just flows keeping me reading well past my sleep time.
A great cast of characters and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book
Highly recommend this series
Profile Image for Spinneretta.
2,863 reviews21 followers
Read
October 12, 2022
Good

Aisling’s story begins as she and her friends in the Backside of Forty start to prepare for their trip to Eidotheia.
Unfortunately, they have a couple of issues to clear up first- and there is still a dark one around to mess with their plans…
Aisling is dealing with a difficult pregnancy, and the father of her baby isn’t no’s easy for her (mostly her own fault).
An enjoyable tale in the Backside of Forty world.
Profile Image for Veronica LaRoche.
4,630 reviews69 followers
February 19, 2022
Finally Aislinn books. I’ve been dying to finally read Aislinn telling Argies about her pregnancy. Aislinn has had it hard with her pregnancy and now someone of course is targeting the Backside of Forty. This was an interesting story and definitely can’t wait too read the next book.


I voluntarily reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
4,497 reviews24 followers
February 20, 2022
It seems like this trio is a magnet for trouble, this storyline is entertaining and filled with action, adventure and intrigue. The interaction and chemistry between the characters is wonderful. I can't wait for the next book in this series. I received this book 📚, as a FREE ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.
1,147 reviews13 followers
March 16, 2022
Aislynn is a fae and the leader of the backside of forty. She is pregnant with a dragon baby and nobody really knows how to take care of her medically. These are her crazy adventures. This is one phenomenal book. I hope this series never ends. The books are always well written and highly entertaining. . I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Renee Barattini-Daniel.
174 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2022
Magical Complications

I’ve really enjoyed this series. It’s fun, imaginative, and has great characters. The only downside is the lack of editing. The author has no idea of verb tenses, constantly mixing up past and present. This is really distracting. I hope she gets an editor soon, because she has a lot of talent, just not a lot of grammar savvy.
2,901 reviews17 followers
May 13, 2022
They didn't expect a being that powerful.

I love these books and these characters. The characters are well written and unique. Lots of magic, and magical battles with some scary creatures thrown into the mix. Fantastic book and I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Livey.
1,437 reviews
June 9, 2022
another exciting addition

This book was another exciting addition to the Midlife Witchery books. Giant spiders, yuk combined with swollen ankles and never hot enough wasn’t the worst part of the attacks against BoF. Unrequited love and arrogant dragons played a huge role in this book.
Profile Image for Karen Fisher.
1,280 reviews12 followers
February 20, 2022
I loved it! Aislinn and her friends find themselves in such situations that boggle the mind. Spider and stone demons are enough to make anyone scream. It;s a very good read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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