What could be better in the Autumn than a new release from Jenni Keer and the fact its about witchcraft and the evils of the devil is ideal
On the run from a murder charge an unnamed woman is escaping the constables, colliding with a man causes her to break her ankle. But as the constables catch them up, Mr Greybourne surprises her by saying she's his wife Luna. Keeping up the charade she spends her recovery as the lady of the house. But where is the real Mrs Greybourne and why do all the villagers call her a witch.
This novel was quite mysterious, fairly dark in places and with a touch of romance. I loved it

This was my first Jenni Keer book and with the word 'witch' in the title it was well on to being a winner in my mind before I'd even started. Unfortunately I was to be disappointed. The Ravenswood Witch started off as a pleasant enough story with little hints of gothic but never really went anywhere. A nice enough read but a little boring in parts. Not for me I'm afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! ❤️ I saw a couple low reviews and I'm really trying to figure out why? I thought it was beautiful, well done, and a fun twist on some classics. Think a little Jane Eyre, mixed a little with the Scarlett Letter, mixed with something all it's own! A young woman running from her past steps into the role of wife to a man she doesn't know. She's looking for shelter and he's looking for someone to play the role of his wife. There is sorcery, ghosts, mystery, and a love story all tied into one. This was the perfect book to start the spooky season! The author is a great writer and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Book Review: The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer

As someone who has devoured over 1,400 books, it’s rare for a story to truly surprise me. I often find myself predicting plot twists, uncovering the villain’s identity, or mapping out the love story before the first seeds are even planted. But The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer took me on an entirely unexpected journey that I couldn’t put down.

From the moment I started reading, this book captured my imagination and refused to let go. The intricate plot kept me guessing at every turn, challenging my expectations and keeping me on my toes. I found myself constantly thinking about the story, even when I wasn’t actively reading. Each time I thought I had figured it out, Keer masterfully twisted the narrative in a new direction, leaving me questioning everything I thought I knew.

The characters are richly developed, and the setting is wonderfully atmospheric, drawing you deeper into the mysterious world of Ravenswood with every page. This is more than just a book; it’s an experience that lingers with you long after you’ve turned the final page.

Without a doubt, The Ravenswood Witch is an easy 5-star read. It’s a perfect pick for the fall season, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. This was my first book by Jenni Keer, but it certainly won’t be my last. I’ve already requested her other works from my library, eager to explore more of her storytelling.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, and an even bigger thank you to Jenni Keer for crafting such an extraordinary tale. Please, do yourself a favor and read this book!

Although I enjoyed the begining of this book it became slow and repetitive quite early on!

I was hoping for a spooky start to the season which this book did give me it just fell flat on pacing.

I found myself getting bored of the characters and not caring about the next chapter and reading it became a chore.

I honestly think this is a good book with a great premise. For the right person this will be incredible.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Boldwood for providing me with an ARC of Jenni Keer's The Ravenswood Witch prior to its September 30th release.

A woman accused of murder is on the run through the English countryside when she collides with the solid figure of Marcus Greybourne, the master of Ravenswood house, and breaks her ankle. With the constable on her heels, and Marcus himself in mysterious need of help, they enter into deception together and decide in that moment that she is actually his wife, Luna, thus saving her from authorities. He takes her to his home to let her ankle heal and explains as much of the situation as he can: his wife Luna is gone but without her, he cannot claim the staggered payments of her inheritance and he needs this new Luna to play the role. With no other real option, Luna does. But the real Luna's mantle is not an easy one to assume. She was the Ravenswood Witch, hated and distrusted in the village for cursing people and her ungodly acts, and she was known for violence and destruction. Can Luna keep up the charade? Can she live with a man at close quarters as his wife? Can she handle the ghost that haunts the home and the full weight of this new role?

This was a bit of a slow start for me...but then I read 250 pages in a sitting and was completely hooked through to the end. Keer's book has gothic elements, references to Victorian history that I adore, a forced proximity love plot, supernatural elements, and a setting and characters that jump off the page. A twist 3/4 of the way through that ties the alternating past/present storylines together was well done and not what I expected, which was a fun surprise.

The only thing that I found less compelling was the climax of the drama. The "villain" talks too much in the moment, giving us a step by step layout of their own plot and history that I felt was a bit reductive and like the author was explaining everything directly for readers to understand what was going on. I didn't feel trusted as a reader and I found that all the characters' dialogue from that point on felt a bit too direct/less authentic.
But overall I really enjoyed this and think you should pick it up!

Happy reading 📚
Shell

A woman, accused of murder, is on the run. She collides with a man, falls and breaks her ankle. The man, Marcus, convinces the local constable that she is his wife, Luna. He takes her back to his house and promises that she can stay with him to heal if she pretends to be his wife.

But where is the real Luna Greybourne and what of the scratches, marks and destruction found in the house? These are all questions that the woman pretending to be Luna is determined to find the answers to.

The book was quite slow-paced and not much happened for most of it. I felt a strong connection between Marcus and Luna when they first bumped into each other, but the connection faded as the story went on.

The Ravenswood Witch was incredible; I loved how Jenni designed her characters and filled it with suspense. As a reader who isn’t always into the more fantasy, witches, etc I love this book! It was a great way to dabble in around in a different area. Highly recommend this to anyone wanting a good suspenseful book full of twists.

The Ravenswood Witch is a nice way to kick off the spooky seasons. This book had a very interesting plot that intrigued me. The pacing and writing however, I found be rather slow and boring. Overall a good read but not one of my favorites.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

I really enjoyed this historical paranormal mystery set in 1885. It is full of unnerving witchy activities, spooky characters and strange twists and turns that kept me intrigued from start to finish. The emotions of the characters were often reflected in the moody weather that added to the ominous atmosphere. The shadowy woodsy location is both appealing and frightening. And Bran, the stunning talking raven, added both wisdom and drama to the story. His protectiveness of Luna was endearing and he certainly lived up to the attributes of ravens as being bearers of prophecy and insight. As a psychopomp, the bird kept everything swirling between the spirit realm and physical world.

A woman has run away from a sticky situation where she is accused of murder. During her middle of the night escape along the river bank, she literally runs into Marcus Greybourne and breaks her ankle. He scoops her up and takes her to his home to attend to her injury. When a constable arrives looking for this woman, Marcus pretends this woman is Luna (his wife) to save her from being taken away. But what has happened to his real wife? It is a fair while before this question is answered and in the meantime nobody can be trusted. The author leads us to question each of the characters that surround Luna. Who is friend and who is enemy?

This story is full of many eerie moments that gave me numerous chills! Strange threatening messages, a cracked mirror, flying roof tiles and other unusual activities kept things interesting! Were they the handwork of a woman’s ghost? Who was behind all this haunting on the premises?

There is a lot of discussion about witchcraft in this novel. Marcus says he does not believe in the supernatural but Luna is not quite sure what she thinks. Doubts she may have are challenged, when a number of bizarre things start to happen. It is obvious someone is out to get her.

The thing about this story to remember is that evil is good at deception and sometimes what appears to be safe is actually sinister. I cannot say too much more about this or I risk giving the plot away.

We learn a fair bit about the real Luna and what a mad woman she was with her bizarre behaviour. And how she tortured her husband who tried so hard to save her. But when this woman comes on the scene and agrees to continue the charade of being his wife, a lot begins to happen. This new Luna, so as not to be labelled a witch (like the real wife of Marcus) must convey her improved condition. That she has changed into a better person. Well many in the village do not believe she is who she says she is. Others are willing to go along with the pretending as they believe Marcus deserves some happiness. And this woman definitely appears to be brightening his life. In fact, an unexpected romance erupts and these two lonely souls find great solace and tenderness in each other. A second chance at happiness. But will it be upset by the townspeople’s superstitious beliefs and accusations?

I loved the ending—once I got past all the scary stuff! And getting to know Marcus a little more was beneficial. I gravitated to the new Luna and watched her come full circle as a stronger and more vibrant woman in control of her destiny. I highly recommend The Ravenswood Witch — an entertaining original read. Hats off to Jenni Keer for stirring up lots of hair-raising moments! My heart raced on more than one occasion. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

It’s 1885 and the book opens with a young woman running into a man and breaking her ankle. It soon becomes clear that she was being pursued by a constable. To her surprise, for some inexplicable reason, the man persuades the constable that she is his wife, Luna Greybourne, and he takes her back to his home Ravenswood Hall. Written in dual timelines and dual POV’s - those of Elena and the ‘new’ Luna - this is a well written gothic, witchy book which was compelling reading.

Briefly, having agreed with Marcus that she will continue the pretence that she is Luna, who is missing, she is shocked to find that the destruction in virtually every room in the house was caused by Luna. Luna was also feared by the locals and is known as the Ravenswood Witch so this fear and anger is now thrown at her. The new Luna is beginning to think she has jumped out of the fat into the fire but there is no denying that she is attracted to Marcus so she stays.

The second POV of Elena is a flashback - Elena is the only child of a wealthy couple. She has formed an attachment to a local man who her parents will not consider as a potential husband and her only ally is her maid Rose. There are some great characters in the book but the one I really enjoyed was Bran, no spoilers. Full of suspense this is a dark, more grey than black, and very spooky read and I couldn’t work out who to trust. There are some good twists and turns and they had me fooled too. A very enjoyable read. 4.5⭐️

I loved this book! it had the perfect mix of mystery and thriller and romance to keep me hooked. There were so many twists and revelations that kept me guessing, I would definitely recommend this.

A witchy Jane Eyre-esque tale, gothic and sometimes unnerving, this is another superb book from Jenni Keer! So many clever twists and turns the story has fantastic pace, it never slows down. Every character really deserves their place in the book and as the story progressed I didn’t know who I could trust!

I was so excited to begin my first “witchy” book of fall and this one didn’t disappoint. I love historical fiction featuring women accused of witchcraft - it’s total catnip to me. The relationship between the two main characters dragged a bit in the middle but things really picked up by the end. Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot and am looking forward to seeing what else this author comes out with.

Synopsis: it is 1885, a woman accused of murder flees in the middle of the night only to run in to a man on the bank of a river. When the constables arrive he pretends she is his wife. She is grateful for this secret, until she begins to question what happened to the real wife who may or may not be haunting her.
Pros/cons: a totally original, creative, and spooky story! I was invested in finding out what happened to the real wife, it was just a bit slow to get there. For a relatively short book this one felt long and took a while to get through. But if you like spooky and dark magic, this will be a great Halloween read for you! Thank you NetGalley, due out next month!

This story is about a woman on the run, accused of murder. As she’s trying to outrun the constable, she collides with man, breaking her ankle. Surprisingly, he convinces the constable that she is actually his wife, and not the fugitive he is looking for. He takes her home to his derelict home known as Ravenswood Hall. To keep her safe until her ankle is healed, she must pretend to be his missing wife, Luna. She finds strange markings and scratches on the walls and she realizes that the rumors of the “Ravenswood witch” may not be rumors after all.

This book had a very interesting plot that intrigued me. The pacing and writing however, fell kinda flat. I found it to be rather slow and boring.

This book was the perfect blend of mystery and romance with spooky/ witchy vibes. I really enjoyed this book.

I really liked the concept of this book, but it was just not for me. It was slow, but definitely kept you wanting to read because of the suspense. There were a few twists that I enjoyed and didn't fully see coming. But, it felt a bit slow until the last 25%. I really did not feel like I connected with or really liked any of the characters, and many of their interactions felt forced and a bit awkward to read.

Event though this did not work for me, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

In 1885, a young woman is on the run from the police and wanted for murder, when she has a run-in with a mysterious stranger and breaks her ankle. The police catch up, and she thinks she’s been caught, when suddenly the stranger tells the police that she is actually his wife, Luna. Desperate to escape the hangman, the woman plays along. The man takes her to his home, Ravenswood Hall, to rest and recuperate from her injury. And there she finds out why he lied to the police – the real Luna has vanished, and the man needs the false Luna to keep up the charade that everything is fine. The real Luna was also rumored to be a witch and did sinister rituals in the house and the forest. As strange and frightening things happen in Ravenswood Hall, the woman posing as Luna wonders if maybe living in this terrible place is worse than facing up to her crimes.

This book had fantastic spooky vibes from the very beginning – I kind of wished I had saved it for October! I really enjoyed the main character – there are chapters interspersed throughout the story that shed light on her past and what she’s running from, and she shows tremendous growth throughout the novel. The pacing of the book was a little uneven, but it kept my interest enough to keep me interested and moving forward. Four stars.

I found the blurb interesting and it started well. The writing is good and the setting gives a Rebecca or Jane Eyre type feelings. However, after some chapters it becomes very slow. I was so interested in the romance thing but it's kind of non existent for a long time because Marcus, the male protagonist, leaves the place immediately, thus there is no interaction between them.

Also, the mystery, the odd things happening in the house failed to grip me.

Thank you for the copy. Sorry, it didn't really work for me.