With their mother dead, will the Rowan siblings have to atone for their mother’s evil deeds? Fifteen years ago, Victoria Rowan left Grimsby and never regretted it, until her mother, Rachel, dies. Ding, dong, she’s finally dead. No remorse, just anger at all that took place eats away at Vic. Anger turns to fury when the police arrest her brother Liam, who’s on the spectrum, for a murder he didn’t commit. Three magical siblings must join forces in order to rid their souls of an abusive past to bridge the present and future as one family. Vic, Philippa, and Liam need to sort through the murders, suicide, blackmail, and revenge before it's too late.

A Spell of Rowans is a tragic story about one woman’s thirst for power at any cost, including her gifted children. There’s an old saying that a death in the family, particularly the head of the family, opens all the closets full of secrets. In the Rowan family, they’re not mourning their mother’s death but exhaling. The wicked witch is dead and can no longer control them. But the fallout, the abuse, the pain, still needs to be dealt with and Byrd Nash’s writing exemplifies all the emotions perfectly. A Spell of Rowans is so much more than a magical story, it’s a gripping tale of family dynamics, abuse, autism, murder, small-town life, and so much more. Yes, each Rowan sibling has a magical talent but that’s not the crux of the story. I connected with Vic right away and I identified with her personality best. The plot moves at a good pace with a full cast of characters to interact with. There’s plenty of mystery in this story and I felt a bit like I’d jumped into the middle of a play, not knowing what was going on. While some authors do this and I’m forever lost, Byrd Nash takes the reader and slowly builds the backstory. Piece by piece, the story begins to take shape until the reader becomes a part of the story. Brilliant writing, engrossing characters, a mystery to solve, and healing. A Spell of Rowans is a superb story from start to finish. I recommend this book to every reader.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it. My thoughts are all my own.

My Rating: 5 stars

I thought this was a really interesting book! It's a story filled with magical aspects that are so interesting, but it also has such a family element. I loved the relationships between the siblings. I struggled to read about the abuse they endured, but I loved the healing as the story progresses. There is mystery and magical realism, and some soft romance. I really enjoyed it!

This is a most glorious book but difficult to classify: magic, magical realism, murder, possible murder, mystery, small town vibes, rekindled romance, police and legal procedure, to name but a few. Yet somehow it works, and I had to finish it and ultimately recommend it.

The main character, Vic, is the middle of three children of a ghastly mother, an ineffective father and possesses magic. Childhood was horrible and adulthood meant distancing herself from her family both mentally and physically. The death of her mother meant re-engagement with her family and some fairly serious consequences.

Who was murdered and by whom is one line of enquiry, but the legacy of childhood and the mother’s actions form another thread of the story. The mother is one of the nastiest and most vicious people I have read about. Her horrendous actions are dropped bit by bit through the book and the overall effect is suspense – waiting to find out what other awful things she did. The writing produces some real tension and some absolute cliff-hangers.

The pace is sometimes uneven, and suddenly dips in and out of urgency with descriptive scenes, but the narrative is addictive, you need to know what happens! Vic and her siblings Philippa and Liam are well realized characters and possess useful magic themselves. The remaining cast of characters are interesting and add depth to the tale.

The end is a bit out of kilter and the speed of the denouement is slightly jarring, surprising and not really given any concrete hints but, again, it is compelling.

Trigger warnings: childhood abuse, attempted sexual assault, drowning, murder, suicide. Not very graphic but read at your own discretion.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I wasn't disappointed. Although more contemporary than I anticipated I must say I really enjoyed it. Deals with a range of aspects - and I've come to find that I like magical realism and this book displayed that well; abuse, trauma, family - healing and no over the top romance. If you find yourself like me, enjoying this type of magical realism genre I totally recommend.

From the blurb I was expecting something a little more paranormal, a little more fantasy, for want of a better word. It turned out to be a much more contemporary, a murder mystery with minor magical elements, and but I was surprisingly very OK with that. I really liked the author's voice and could connect with the main characters, so that there feelings were my feelings.


We experience the entire story through the eyes of Victoria (Vic) Rowan, a headstrong and impulsive character with a complex history. There are many truths to be uncovered in the town of Grimsby and at times it felt as though each time we discovered the answer to one question two more mysteries were spawned. The author had many different threads to weave into the story and whilst I loved the richness this provided some elements did feel a little underdeveloped.


In the story Vic is joined by her siblings, Pip and Liam, as well as a couple of ex-boyfriends and a number of suspicious, and unwelcoming, town folk. The romantic element is very minor, a second chance from the protagonists teenage years. However I felt there was a missed opportunity to convince the reader of the depth of Vic and Reed's feelings, particularly given the huge time interval that had elapsed since they had last seen one another. Whilst I could find myself believing in the emotions Victoria was experiencing it was more difficult to image that those feelings had survived fifteen years apart.


I very much enjoyed the mystery element. There wasn't a huge amount of foreshadowing, certainly no obvious pointers as to the culprit even with hindsight. We are aware of all the main players within the story, though some feature more heavily than others. All in all the story readily held my attention and left me wanting to read more of the authors work.

I liked this book. I am always up to read a book whenever witches are part of the storyline but I didn't love it. Would I tell people I know about it if I know they are someone who also loves a book with a good witch or two in the storyline.. I would absolutely tell them about this magical book.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

Check the trigger warnings on this before picking up. It's not overly graphic, but just be aware :)

The cover caught my eye. Some magical realism that has some Practical Magic vibes. Yay for witchy stories! I like how the each of their giftings were presented as talents. The author does a fantastic job developing each of the characters. There is some darkness in the pages and narcissism, which honestly you're made aware of from page one when the children imply their deceased mother is a witch. The author has very good pacing and a bit of a lyrical style, but not over the top. Would recommend for anyone who's a fan of Alice Hoffman or witchy books.

I received this arc for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley/BookSirens for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.

The premise of this story hooked me first: family secrets, witches, and blackmail. I started reading this story and had a hard time putting it down. It's both serious with some of the topics (check for trigger warnings)brought up, funny with snipe comments from characters as well as inner monologue. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's true there was "as much" magic as there was murder and mystery but honestly, I was perfectly fine with that. I love the author's writing style as well as how she shapes her characters. I ended up reading this in less than 24 hours because I couldn't seem to want to stop reading it.

This is probably one of my top 10 favorites this year!!!

My Rating: 5 stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Vic returns to her hometown after her mother’s death. Her siblings and her have secrets wrapped in their childhood memories. She escaped but not all of them did.

Now that she returns she must unravel all that has happened since she’s been gone. The death of her mother and her assistant happening on the same day raises suspicion. Then, there is the death of her father all those years ago.

With the whole town thinking that their family was strange and bad always follows the Rowans, Vic must try to out what happened. Someone seems to want her gone and threats like a rock being thrown through the window make her want to find out whats been going on even more.

I enjoyed this story, With so many new details being unraveled, it was able to keep me interested. The powers that this family has is very interesting.

There are some elements that might turn others off. There is talk of child abuse, blackmail, and of course, murder.

If you enjoy mysteries, supernatural, magic, family drama, and blackmail then this is definitely worth a read!

I was expecting a paranormal mystery mixed with a women's fiction aspects, this is a women's fiction with some paranormal aspects.
It's well written and the characters are fleshed but the world building is a bit lacking and I wasn't a fan of the characters.
It's one of those "Me-not-the-book" cases, not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Victoria and Phillipa are called home after their mother dies, so they can bury her, settle the estate and decide what to do with her business, Rosemary Thyme. Liam, the youngest member of the family, had been working at the business when their mother died. As they delve into the business financials, they discover the business was a front for a blackmailing scheme, and their mother had been using Liam's powers of being able to touch an object and find out things about the person attached to the object, to blackmail them. When the police arrest Liam for their mom's murder, they have to use their own powers to help prove his innocence.
First of all, what a horrid woman their mom was. This book deals with themes of child abuse. cruelty & mental trauma all courtesy of dear old mom. I enjoyed reading about each of their gifts and how they used them. I also enjoyed seeing them try to reverse some of the damage their mom had done to others in their community. I would have loved to have gotten a deeper dive into the characters (mom excluded), but overall it was an enjoyable book

A Spell of Rowans by Byrd Nash is a wonderful witchy read perfect for this time of year.
When her mother dies Victoria Rowan is forced to return to the small town she fled from years before, tired of the abuse and manipulation she suffered at her mother's hands because of her unusual skills. As an empath Victoria can not only sense the emotions of others, she can manipulate them at will. She is not the only Rowan family member with powers, her older sister Phillipa uses glamour to get what she wants and her younger brother Liam only has to touch an object to learn about its past and their mother is perfectly willing to use those talents for her own ends. When it turns out that their mother's death is being treated as suspicious by the police, and that Liam may be a prime suspect, Victoria is determined that she will not let this be her mother's final act of cruelty from beyond the grave, and with the help of her high school boyfriend now turned FBI agent, her siblings and their unique skills she is determined to uncover the truth about her mother's death even if it means revealing a few family secrets in the process.
I really enjoyed this book, the blend of magic and mystery worked perfectly for me. I thought the mystery was well crafted and the reveal made sense, but the real heart of the book was the relationship between the three siblings which felt completely believable. The impact of their traumatic childhood was really important to the story and I thought it was impeccably handled by the author, it was fascinating to see how the cruelty inflicted on them by their mother drew them together in so many ways, but was also occasionally a source of tension between them. The pacing was good and helped to keep me engaged in the story the author was telling., but honestly I was so enamoured of the three siblings and their skills that I was already all in.
I really hope that the author plans to revisit the Rowan family so that we can learn more of Phillipa's , and especially Liam's stories as I think there is real room for more.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher ,all opinions are my own.

{3.5 stars}

"My mother, the witch from a fairytale with no happy ending."

----------------------------------

A Spell of Rowans is more of a murder mystery and family drama than a book about witches and magic. It reminded me in a lot of ways of The Family Plot. The Rowans are an unusual family in a small town and boy do they have secrets! When the matriarch of the family dies, her three children are brought back together to deal with her estate. Quickly, they find out their mother was evil to more than just them. The town all has a grudge against the dead woman and her children are trying to right the wrongs. When one of them is arrested for the murder of their mother's assistant, they use their unusual powers to get to the truth.

I enjoyed this story especially the murder mystery part. I did not see the murderer coming and it made sense whodunit, but there were lots of great suspects along the way. The abuse of the mother to the children was quite hard to read but it gave context to how these three became who they were. I wished there was a little more magic and a little less forced romance for the two sisters. The son's power to trace the history of items was really interesting, I would have loved to see more of that, or maybe a whole book with him central to the story?

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy. All opinions above are my own.

I loved this title! The bond between the siblings was typical of so many families. I appreciated it portrayed a dysfunctional family and the lasting effects it has on adult children. It would be a great part of a series, but I loved it even if doesn't come to be.

This book was such a delight! So grateful that I got to read it and share my thoughts, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and share my honest opinion! It was a wonderfully woven hometown tale of family and trauma and how those two things intersect. I loved the magic elements used in this story, specifically the way they are never fully explained. The way the family and the town talks about it is so "it is what it is," so even though their magic drove the plot in a few ways, it also wasn't really about that, it was about the family, siblings, and their history and their love for each other and their loyalty to one another.

The author did a wonderful job writing all the ways that trauma can affect a family, and I loved each of the three Rowan siblings so much. Getting to see Vic exist in her past and her present made her feel so real, and I actually wanted to know even more about her job and how she got from past to present... The story moved at such a good, fast pace I honestly could hardly put this down. At times, it did feel a bit overwritten, like some plot points were hitting me over the head with a plank, but that is something I feel about books pretty often so I won't fault this novel too hard for not being as subtle as I prefer. Truly great read!

**SPOILERS BELOW*
The only thing that really bothered me in this story was that Reed's ability to suck up any extra emotions was never explained. The first time I understood what happened it felt menacing to me, but as I kept reading I saw how the characters thought it was a gift, but I never could understand why he was that way, and although I didn't need to know how the Rowans got their magic, I found I really did need to know how Reed got his.

I loved A spell of Rowans! The author's writing style reminds me of Alice Hoffman. Magic runs through the background of the storyline, but takes a back seat to the plot.
Victoria Rowan left her hometown behind to pursue college and her career in the city. Her mother recently died, her father died years ago, and her brother is under suspicion for the murders. Victoria returns to her hometown to find violence and anger against the members of her family is still prevalent among the community members. Victoria, her older sister, Phillipa, and younger brother, Liam seek to discover their mother's secrets, clear Liam's name, and hopefully stop the violence.

Victoria Rowan, "Vic", escaped from her mother's controlling abusive house years ago after her father's death. Now, her response after hearing of her mother's death...ding, dong, the witch is dead. But when she returns home to Grimsby to help with final arrangements, things aren't quite that easy. How can narcissistic mother still be the center of attention after her death?
This book has well written characters, a great mysterious plot, a little bit of romantic tension, and some magic. I love this author's writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This is really good, the characters felt so real and the magic system was written wonderfully.
They seemed so real that I felt their pain, cried for them, cried with them, felt for them.
I felt so much sympathy for Liam.
The cover is amazing, the plot, the magic system.
I recommend, it felt so real and the magic system was written wonderfully.

The Rowan siblings were born with powers – both a gift and a curse. Phillipa could charm anyone, Victoria could see through someone else’s deepest secrets and emotions, and Liam could read memories by touching an object. Their mother, Rachel, was abusive, and even after her death, she’s still terrorizing their waking hours.

I enjoyed reading this book so much that I had to read it twice. It’s fascinating and affecting because it has the elements of mystery, magic, and, most importantly, family drama. At first, I was under the impression that it would be a fantasy/magic kind of book, but it turns out to be more than that. The ‘magic’ element isn’t even that prominent in the book. It tackles more on how these siblings cope and grew together after enduring years of abuse from their mother.

I love the characterization of each character. I particularly adore the interaction of the siblings and the little romance in there. (And speaking of romance, you have got to watch out for Reed—I think we all need a person like Reed in our lives.) I also enjoyed the fact that it kept me guessing until the end about their mother’s death. My only criticism is the ending, which I wished did have some time skip or a future view of these characters because you’d absolutely root for them. I know I did.

I highly recommend this book and would explore other works from the author.

Matriarch, Rachel Rowan has recently passed away. Yet, she still seems to be controlling her children from beyond the grave. It seems that her abusive behavior in life was so extreme that it extended to the afterlife. She truly scarred them in ways they have never recovered from. My heart went out to all three of the Rowan siblings - Pip, Vic and Liam. They each suffered differently at the hands of their mother and have dealt with it in different ways.

This was an incredibly creative storyline. I don't believe I've ever read anything quite like it before. It can't be classified as any one genre. It definitely could fall under several different ones. I was quite intrigued. In addition to the great paranormal plot, there is a mystery surrounding it all that is done extremely well. To top it off, there are some underlying romances brewing throughout the story as well. This novel was an absolute delight to read. Oh, and the cover is incredible!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.