The Winter Crone: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Series (Book 1)

by Natasha Bache

‘Blending folklore and family secrets, The Winter Crone is a magical debut from a promising new author.’
Sarah Painter

‘Beautiful, evocative storytelling and fascinating attention to detail. This is a wonderful book.’
Suzy K Quinn

Reader

‘A mixture of English mystery crime village with darkness and magic that makes this series very compelling.’

‘A beautifully written book. It mixes folklore, magic and well written characters.’

‘A tale of mystery and magic, with just the right injection of humour.’

Rosemount Cottage was exactly as her grandmother left it…
Hat on the coat stand.
Slippers by the chair.
Poisoned tea leaves in the strainer…

Tamsyn Pride knows someone – or something – killed her grandmother. But every attempt she makes to catch the killer is met with whispers behind her back and suspicious looks. In the sleepy town of Much Wenlock, everyone has a secret. Everyone has something to hide.

Meanwhile, in the churning depths of the River Severn, a lost soul has been summoned – and they will stop at nothing to exact their deadly revenge.

Yet there is only one person the villagers are terrified of. They just have to pray she doesn’t remember she was once a witch with the power to destroy them all.

If you reads with witchesMagical mysteriesQuirky small town communitiesParanormal Women’s FictionLocal folklore and mythologyHumorous charactersA contemporary fantasyThis book is for you!

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Witches, Paranormal, Mystery, Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2022

Reviews

[Sarah Oakey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was the setting that drew me towards this book. Set in the beautiful Much Wenloch and Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England this story of folklore features witches and druids living hidden in amongst society and even sirens who live in the River Severn...very much my childhood stomping ground!!

After the death of her Grandmother Tamsyn Pride is returning to her childhood home Rosemount Cottage and it was exactly as her grandmother left it…
Hat on the coat stand.
Slippers by the chair.
Poisoned tea leaves in the strainer… but suspicious circumstances lead Tamsyn to look deeper into her Grandmothers death and she unearths a treasure trove of hidden secrets and dangers.

Take away the setting and it would probably be a 2⭐ read for me. It was engaging enough but a little erratic regarding the storyline. I think it would have worked better as a cosy mystery rather than what it was.

There is a sequel, if it crops up free on Audible then I'll listen but won't be in a great rush to read it.

[ThatBookish_deviant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0/5

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book, such a great witchy story with old folklore and magic! Would be great for an autumn read for anyone. I really loved all the development that happened with the characters. Some twists and turns along the way. Definitely looking forward to the next one 😍

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK: Brilliant and the narrator was excellent!

This story of Tamsin and her witchcraft was really brought to life by the narrator.

Thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to the second book when it comes to #audible

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

13. Oh man! I really wanted to like this one more than I did. It was just so slow to get anywhere.

[Kanan Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her paranormal women's fiction novel, The Winter Crone, Natasha Bache weaves a story of family secrets, folklore, and magic set in the sleepy English village of Much Wenlock. Protagonist Tamsyn Pride returns to her grandmother's cottage following her death, only to discover a lingering scent of poisoned tea leaves. The discovery leads her to believe foul play was involved, but her attempts to find the truth are met with suspicion from the superstitious villagers who fear a dormant witch among them.
The book, which is the first installment in The Arcane Tales of Tamsyn Pride series, follows Tamsyn as she navigates a contemporary murder mystery steeped in local lore. While Tamsyn uncovers her grandmother's secrets, a long-lost soul from the River Severn is summoned, bent on revenge. Reviewers on platforms like Amazon and Goodreads praise the novel's atmospheric storytelling, its compelling blend of magic and mystery, and the intriguing cast of characters. Some readers, however, noted that the main character was difficult to connect with at first but grew into her role as the story progressed. For fans of witchy tales and magical mysteries, The Winter Crone provides a gripping and enjoyable read.

[Jacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ausiobook narrated by Harrie Dobby
Tamsyn Pride returns to her Grandmother's house, Rosemount Cottage, in Much Wenlock on the death of the old lady, but gradually realises that something unnatural is going on. Her grandma didn't die of a heart attack, but who killed her and why? Gradually Tam begins to remember a magic she's been spelled to forget, but even her grandmother's best friend, Bridie, isn't telling everything she knows. There's a 'magical' council and the chairman is making a bid for power. This is a halfway decent story but there are a few plot-holes and a bit of a weird ending. It's designed to lead on to a second book, but I probably won't pick that up immediately. It's very well read by Harrie Dobby.

[Kristen C · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up
A pretty interesting story that kept my attention and had me thinking about the characters even after I stopped listening. It has a Discovery of Witches vibe many would enjoy. It’s less diabolical and the MC a bit less everything than Diana Bishop, but still enjoyable.

The audio narration was decent, though I will say the pronunciation of anything with an “s” preceding a vowel was often given a “sh” sound which struck me each time I heard it. It was fine though.

[Melanie]

I shan’t be rating this one as it’s a dnf for me. I am not a fan of the writing style. The characters are doing nothing for me and I’m not even invested in Tamsyn (Maybe the kitty but that’s it). Having lived in a small village it also comes across as a little ‘cliche’ with the people who live there. This a little too ‘wishy washy’ for me - sorry.

Kindle unlimited read so free to read if you subscribe to the service.

[Glynis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My partner recommended this novel to me after spotting it is set in Much Wenlock, a village local to us in Shropshire. What I loved most about this story, were the links to the River Severn (we live on its banks) and her goddess and sirens, which the author really brought alive in a way I wasn’t expecting. A unique story; I am hoping for a sequel.

[Jasper Boccalatte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this well enough overall, the characters were interesting and the storyline intriguing. I’d have enjoyed it more if the author were a little less repetitive with some words - in particular the amount of times characters were said to have “screamed” really grated on me by the end of the story.

[Sue Gill]

I enjoyed this enough to immediately go looking for the next one when o had finished. Sadly this is the first, so far, so i will have to attempt patience.
I got a little muddles with who was who at times but I think that was a me problem (dyslexic not remembering names well)
I liked the main character and the fact it was set in contemporary Shropshire

[Lynne Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story

I do love a good book with a wicked character to hate and despise and this delivered. I was so angry at the odious man I didn't see the twist coming and was truly shocked by the revelations. Tamsyn was a little annoying at first but as her story began to open up I couldn't put the book down. Now on to the next.....

[AP · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 (half stars should have been a thing as this is not a 4 star rounded up to me personally nor is it a 3!) - A cosy and interesting magical/folkloric read. I might continue the series in the future when the next book is out.

[anna wakelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and enjoyable

I'm new to Natasha's work but I loved it from being to end, I'm into the next book lets hope there's many more to come from this talented writer, I shall be waiting for my inbox to ping with news of more

[CharlieJLZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book easy to slip into, nice to follow and the story interested me. I didn't connect to the main character as I have with others. A good book, entwined with some magic, historical treatment of witches and a cat. For a first novel, excellent! And grateful to have this free via Audible.

[Stormcatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable

Well written with magical lore and powerful women. Of course where there are powerful women there are jealous, abusive men and the other women who turn a blind eye to abuses.
Hail Hecate!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading this. I loved the world building and learning who the characters are. There are some great surprises and twists. And it was beautifully written. I’ll definitely check out book 2.

[Katie Peal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this in one sitting. I'm not usually a fan of the paranormal or fantasy but this blended Shropshire history with the story and I actually loved it.

Looking forward to continuing the series.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though it is from a genre that is not normally one I tend to read. The story was different and gripping and I loved the description and characters.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Audiobook. Witches and betrayals and spells, evil and persistence.

[scarlettraces]

DNF

Of the writing school that I shall call "overly descriptive".

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. The main character was hard to bond with but the villain was easy to dislike. A pleasant weekend read. I'll be looking out for the second book.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up to 3 ✨️

[James Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I didn't want to put it down but life gets in the way of a good book every time.well written and perfect for a teen witch to read.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY Enjoyed the audio book. And I want to read the next book in the series, but it’s not available in audio, so it’ll have to wait until I have time to borrow from the library (Libby or paper).

[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, somewhat cookie cutter I found tho. No interest in continuing the series but enjoyable enough

[Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had so much potential but honestly I was so bored I rushed to finish

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and enjoyable read