I wish I liked this more, but I got caught up on the "I'm not like other girls" aspect of Hecate's character. I'm genuinely really sad I didn't love this, as I also work in a library and was hoping I would feel a kinship with her!

that wasn't as understood or approved of - - with the twist of having some special abilities.

I found the characters and the plot interesting. There were some points in the story that moved a bit slowly and others that felt a little unnecessary. But overall, I found it to be enjoyable to read. It had a little of everything. Some paranormal, romance, historical feel, mystery and more. Yet it didn't feel disjointed. The author managed to blend it all together seemlessly.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I really enjoyed the audio version. The narration was done well and gave the story a more gothic and atmospheric feel. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for these early release copies.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish. I enjoyed the time period, characters, paranormal events and story line. I think Hecate was well developed as a character. The story moved at a good pace. I loved the library and the map (and all of its secrets). I am drawn to books about books, libraries, librarians, etc and this one did not disappoint. I also love a good haunting. I would like to read more about Hecate and her world. If you like a good historical fiction, paranormal, mystery, and light romance, give this one a try.

I liked parts of this book, but overall it's a bit too long. Marisa Calin is a good narrator. I wanted more magic and library intrigue, and less highly descriptive day to day goings on. The books, the map, Hecate's burgeoning abilities, and the mystery portions are all good; the story just felt a tedious at times and I didn't care much about the romance. Overall this is a 3.75 for me.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m very glad I was able to listen to the book because I would not have pronounced Hecate properly on my own! This book checks a lot of boxes for me:

- strong female MC
- high moral character of MC
- magic
- suspense
- romance
- period piece
- good vs evil

But I LOVED the narrator as much as I loved the book. I will read more by this author because they’re narrated by the same person! If you like historical and magical, you will probably like this!

I always love Brackstons witchy magic fantasies. This fell short for me. At times it was boring and needed less descriptions. Always love the narrator. Wanted to love this one.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavenish - Paula Brackston. I don’t think it’s fair to review this book. I am a huge fan-girlie of Paula Brackston’s, and I love everything she does. This book is about Hecate, she has gifts, she can communicate with the dead and the more she learns about her gifts, the more she puts the people around her in danger.

I love the writing style. I love the characters and the way the author weaves such a hypnotic tale. I was addicted from start to finish. I got the ARC and the ALC and both were phenomenal. It is the start of a new series and if you love historical fiction, add this one to your TBR. 5 stars

This book follows Hecate Cavendish, who is excited to have secured a position as librarian’s assistant at Hereford Cathedral. Though her mother would prefer she direct her efforts toward finding a suitor, her father Edward Cavendish, an archaeologist by profession, is encouraging of his daughter's endeavors. Unbeknownst to Hecate she possesses a special gift – an ability to see and interact with the spirit world with a strong sense of paranormal activity – a gift she only becomes aware of when she encounters the friendly spirits roaming about in the cathedral. But much evil also lurks within those walls, spirits with sinister motives being unleashed into the community. As chaos ensues, Hecate will have to learn how to use her gift to protect everything and everyone she holds dear.
I was interested in this book because of it's intriguing premise. The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston is an engaging read. The author combines elements of paranormal and murder mystery, historical fiction, magical realism and mythology and romance into an immersive narrative that kept me glued to the pages. The novel gets off to a slow start but picks up as the narrative progresses. The author writes beautifully with keen attention to detail. Hecate is an endearing protagonist and I absolutely loved getting to know her and those in her circle of family and friends. Her father, who is an ally and who believes in her abilities, and their interactions were a joy to read as was her relationship with her ailing younger brother. I enjoyed the way both she and her father strive to appease as well as work their way around her mother. The characters (good and sinister) were well developed, and I enjoyed following Hecate in her search for the truth behind the sinister occurrences. Despite the uneven pacing, the narrative flows well. I did find the ending a little underwhelming after such an intense build-up, more so because we did not get all the answers to our questions. This is a lengthy read and I can’t help but feel disappointed that the author chose to leave certain aspects of the mystery unresolved.
However, since this is the first in a new series, I suppose we will have to wait for the next installment for our answers.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc copy to preview.

Story Review: I feel like there should be a category for rating for people who have aphantasia or hypophantasia. The writing in this was incredibly descriptive and beautiful from a word perspective. Unfortunately, for someone who is unable to render images in their mind, it just starts to mumble all together. I love witchy books, LOVE. I received both the audio netgalley copy and the ebook and even attempted to stick with the story in immersion reading style, but alas, the descriptions just took me out of the story.

Audio Narrator Review: As for the audio narration, the voice was clear, crisp and well metered. The pacing was excellent. The difference voices were great and the accent selected fit the story quite well. If not for the description lengths at points I would have really enjoyed this book based on narration. I am giving the narration 4 stars, while the book gets a 3.

I loved the cover of Paula Brackston's new book - The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish. The colors and motion highlights caught my eye - and then I saw the ring of keys. I was hooked!

The time frame and setting is one I always enjoy - England in the1800's. The dialogue is written in that time frame and transports the listener to the time and place.

Our protagonist is Hecate Cavendish - a young woman who has just been hired as an Assistant Librarian in a chained library. I loved her enthusiasm, her awe, and her joy being surrounded by so many ancient books and maps. She is warned to confine her tasks to what is been assigned. But there is one map that she is drawn to time and time again. And then...

Oh, I'm going to let you discover what the 'and then' might bring! I thought it was a fabulous plot - one that kept me engaged and eager to see what the next chapter would bring. The sub plot is for Hecate and her personal life - which adds much to the plot.

There's action, suspense, romance, duty and so much more. It's a magical listen - and you know what magic brings don't you...? Evil...

This is the first book in a new series from Brackston. The ending of the book was satisfying, but the door is just waiting for the second book.

The audio book of The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish was performed by Marisa Calin. She did a wonderful job with her presentation. She has a rich and full voice that moves up and down within a single sentence. There's a bit of a gravelly tone that works well in this book. The voice she has for Hecate suits perfectly. She speaks clearly and enunciates well. She has captured the plot, the characters and the action very well. Her English accent works so well with this book. This was an excellent performance.

Well, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting from Brackston. I've come to expect great historical fantasy from her, and in some ways, this book delivered. Ghosts, witches, spells, fantastical creatures, and disembodied spirits all make an appearance. So, in theory, this should be a great spooky season historical fantasy. Sadly, though, this book was just okay. As an avid historical fiction reader, I appreciated her dedication to the genre and how she incorporated fantasy elements with such flair. But this book suffered from pacing issues throughout. I don't think it needed a second book, and I fear many readers, myself included, will be frustrated with the ending. Hecate as a character was charming enough, which helped me stay engaged with the book and interested in finishing. However, the pacing issues made it difficult to read my physical/ebook copy; I switched to audio to try a different approach. The audio version was well done, with a single narrator and great production. I loved the relationship development between Hecate and her beau, but overall it was a bit too chaste. Honestly, I'm not sure why this book is categorized as "adult" fiction, as it felt very YA to me. Will I read book two? Yes. Do I recommend this read? Sure, but only if you don't mind an ambling tale and a major cliffhanger.

The haunting of Heckett Cavendish by Paula Braxton is the first book in the new historical paranormal cozy mystery Series featuring the Independent Heckett Cavendish. It’s 1881 in while most girls Hecketts age or securing a husband she’s securing a position as a librarian assistant and couldn’t be happier about it. It’s at Hereford Cathedral but it’s not your every day church library, Heckett learns many things at her new post but it’s the things she doesn’t know that may get her in trouble. There is so much I wanted to say about the book like how much I loved the gremlin I also truly enjoyed the mystery and everything with the towns people but I think the next book I will read on my Kindle because although I thought the narrator had a great voice it was to entergetic for me. Don’t get me wrong had she spoke like that for Hecate and Hecate alone that would’ve made for a great listen but she read that way throughout the whole book and I found it a bit much and could only listen in intervals. Having said that I still recommend this book and cannot wait for the next one this is my kind of paranormal book I love a book with talking ghost and even better with talking animals or animals that are knowledgeable and that is definitely this book and so I totally would’ve enjoyed it better had it been Kendall but still ultimately liked it. #McMillanAudio, #NetGalley, #PaulaBrackston, #TheHauntingOfHeckettCavendish,

I can't wait to read the next installment of this series!

This book was great, and while it covered some ground I don't usually go in for, I really enjoyed it. It was a wild ride, filled with twists, and left you wanting more. All the characters we get to know are fun to learn more about, though I wish one in particular had been explored a little more and earlier for... reasons.

This is a great read for anyone who likes historical mysteries, supernatural mysteries, and dark story lines.

Mild Spoiler Warning: No character is held precious or safe.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audio ARC Copy!

Set in the 1800s with a library, a magical map, ghosts, monsters, mystery, and betrayal.

I really enjoyed this book, the mystery was promising and I really loved Hecate as a character, she was spunky, and smart, and self sufficient, which is refreshing when often times FMC are written as damsel in distress.

I did not realize that this was a series when I was reading it, but I am really glad that it is because it seemed like the ending was lacking a bit, I was just left wanting a bit more but now that just means that I will have to read the second book in the series.

I really enjoyed this historical mystery novel complete with ghosts, powerful books, and a magical map.
I found the characters very compelling, especially Hecate. I loved her relationship with her dad. She seems to have a gift for befriending people from all walks of life—from the gentry to common folk to holy men to ghosts to mysterious key makers. I particularly appreciated Hecate’s approach with Inspector Winter.

The audiobook is narrated by Marisa Calin. I enjoyed the way she portrayed Hecate—practical yet open-minded.

I love all of Paula Brackston's books. This one was was a bit slower than some of her others, and not my favorite but I still enjoyed it.

I love, love, love Paula Brackston and everything about this book. The narration was wonderful. The story kept me hooked. I binge listened one Saturday (and my house has never been cleaner!) I'm not a huge fan of series, but I can't wait for the next title in this one!

Have you ever picked up a book that immediately draws you in, wrapping you into its spooky, gothic embrace? The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston did just that for me.

The novel sweeps us away to 1881, where we meet the vibrant Hecate Cavendish, the new Assistant Librarian at the Hereford Cathedral. Fair warning; this novel is a departure from Brackston’s usual fare. Instead of following a witch, our protagonist, Hecate, is “witch-adjacent”. But while she’s not a witch herself, she’s certainly surrounded by the supernatural… including dangerous books.

Honestly, I’m already a sucker for novels about books and libraries. But when you add in dangerous books?

*Swoon*

This book had so much to like. Ghosts, libraries, living maps, guardians of dangerous artifacts, a creepy cathedral, and a curmudgeon of a boss for young Hecate. There's a tie-in with her name and the goddess that's interesting, her relationship with her father is fantastic, and despite the year, 1881, her experiences with misogyny aren't as sickening as some. Not all the paranormal entities she encounters are friendly and there's a big battle, but her spirit friends charmingly help her in many ways.

I enjoyed this, but honestly, I completely forgot the book a week after I finished it, making writing my review difficult. It was cute enough as I read it, but it didn't have enough "oompf" to make longer-lasting space in my head.

Would I read the next book in the series? Sure, I'll try it. I might even recommend it to the right person. But it just didn't make much of a footprint.

A delightful blend of supernatural historical mystery, with a memorable heroine with the ability to communicate with ghosts! Hecate defies the social conditions of 1880's England by seeking employment as the Assistant Librarian in her local Cathedral. Upon starting her new role, she quickly learns in her magical ability to communicate with a variety of 'lost souls' who live in the Cathedral. When evil forces use magic to set free previously entombed spirits leading to murders in town, Hecate feels it is her duty to use her gift and access to ancient texts to solve the crimes. With descriptive prose, a gothic immersive setting, endearing secondary characters, and a propulsive mystery, this new series opener captivated my attention and has me anxious to return to this magical world!

Narrator, Marisa Calin, did a lovely job bringing the story to life. Her accents and nuanced performance added to my immersive listening experience by adding to the suspense and thrills of the plot! Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my physical copy of the book, and Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook.