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Broomsticks & Books #2

Once Upon a Witch

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Just as Daphne starts to settle down, another murder occurs in Shadow Woods. This time, the victim is one of Thomas’ colleagues working on a book that delved into the lives of the various victims of the Salem Witch Trials.

In search of the truth, Daphne finds much more than she anticipated. For one, she discovers that the victim was a part of a secret organization of mortals that knew about the existence of magic but never had any proof.

As she uncovers the clues, Daphne and Dolly discover that the once-impossible task of opening portals into other realms is possible and has been accomplished in recent times by powerful witches.

Daphne wonders if this somehow relates to her parents’ disappearance. Could it be possible that they’re alive after all?
Deep in her heart, Daphne just wants to find peace. But the journey there is long and treacherous because of the mysteries shrouding her family and town.

It’s made even worse by the old photo albums she and Matthew find tucked away in the bookstore’s storage. There, they find snapshots of their parents when they were young and happy.

However, they find another woman in the mix. One that looks eerily similar to the brother they lost eight years prior. What gives?

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2022

300 people are currently reading
51 people want to read

About the author

Sara Bourgeois

233 books342 followers
Sara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)

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Community Reviews

5 stars
206 (65%)
4 stars
73 (23%)
3 stars
23 (7%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Mike Watson.
Author 5 books5 followers
December 2, 2022
Didn't bother to finish.

What can I say, unlikable characters and weak, predictable plot. The first book was bad I finished it. This time I reached chapter 30 and realized I had no desire to finish.
Profile Image for CarolKat.
2,280 reviews29 followers
October 7, 2023
If you haven't read the first book in this series go back and read it, while it wasn't a cliffhanger there is an ongoing plot point.

In the last book Daphne learns that her parents aren't dead but instead had disappeared along with several of their friends. They haven't been seen or heard from since.

Now she's determined to figure out what happened to them but hasn't confronted her grandmother about it yet. She's resumed her friendship with Lizzy and started one with Thomas and John. Although she's still wondering about John's father and his determination to become mayor and possibly run all the witches out of town.

Thomas brings a woman to the bookstore with him a colleague named Renee Spencer and instead of looking at books she starts interrogating Daphne.

Things start getting very interesting when Daphne reveals what she knows about her parents to both her brother Matthew and their grandmother. The reaction is not exactly what she expected.

The other twist is big as well and can have far reaching consequences. Renee is found deceased in her office at the university.

Plenty of intrigue as Daphne sticks her nose where it doesn't belong again. I love the interactions with Dolly and there also seems to be a bit of a competition between John and Thomas for Daphne's attention.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Kimberly Gordon-Bercich.
1,850 reviews6 followers
May 24, 2023
Mundane

What’s a witch to do when only mundanes are available to date? When said mundane might be a murder victim, said witch rushes to the crime scene. Daphne has no clue what her relationship with Thomas is. They haven’t had the DTR conversation, and really haven’t even had a real date. That doesn’t matter when she thinks he might be a murder victim.

The stories are cute. I struggle with the dialogue between characters. It’s formal and feels stilted. The development of underlining stories is well done, the main story is easy to follow. The problem is these characters come off sounding British when they’re supposed to be from the Connecticut and Maine areas. It’s distracting. Not enough to stop me from reading, mind you. Enough that it distracts from the reading enjoyment and experience though.
Profile Image for Christine.
10.7k reviews33 followers
August 19, 2022
ARC review I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Daphne Alcott wants to know what happened two decades ago, what happened to her parents and the murder at the university. lots happening in this story awesome read.
Profile Image for Jodi Sweet.
1,778 reviews9 followers
September 27, 2022
So good!

This was such a good read! Loved it! It’s amazing what jealousy can do to a person. I can’t wait to read the next book. There are so many unanswered questions left about portals and wormholes to discover.
85 reviews
October 1, 2022
Family tree

This was a great read! The reader was able to visualize the characters read the characters read from each page of the book. Recommend this book to all readers. 2 thumbs up!
Profile Image for Sharon Laughlin.
59 reviews
October 6, 2022
Great mystery!

Things can get very scary around Shadow Woods. Sara is a wonderful story teller and. keeps you in suspense to the very end of the story. Murder, jealous people are just the start of this mystery. I love this series of books and so will you.
253 reviews
May 18, 2025
Loved the intrique

Just a short review because I can't wait to start the next book. The murder from this book was solved but new facts have arisen that need to be answered in the next book. Bye for now.
223 reviews
September 19, 2022
Witches

Another wonderful book by Sara Bourgeois. Has lots of action and mystery along with lots of history. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys reading mysteries about witches.
703 reviews1 follower
September 23, 2022
Once upon a Witch

Another excellent witch story. I wonder what the boy friend will think when he finds out they are witches because he is sure to find out.
Profile Image for Marti.
933 reviews3 followers
January 2, 2023
Daphne gets involved in another murder investigation. In this one, the victim is a professor at the nearby college who has done extensive research into witchcraft.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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