Book Review: To Catch the Witch by Sharon Booth

October is here, making it the perfect time to celebrate Halloween and have a witch and ghost takeover.

My first witchy book review is To Catch a Witch by one of my favourite Yorkshire author’s Sharon Booth, who we met last year. You can find her interview here. It is the last novel in the Castle Clair trilogy. Read on to discover more.

To Catch a Witch by Sharon Booth

Title: To Catch a Witch

Author: Sharon Booth

Publisher: Green Ginger Publishing

Genre: Romance, uplifting fiction, witchlit

Release Date: 28th April 2020

Links

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sharonbooth.writer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Sharon_Booth1

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sharonboothwriter

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sharon-Booth/e/B00PP5S1X8

Website: www.sharonboothwriter.com

Blurb

Return to Castle Clair for the final chapter of the St Clair story.

It’s three hundred and fifty years since the famous witch’s leap happened in the North Yorkshire town. Riverside Walk is swarming with eager tourists, wanting to pay tribute to the legendary Blaise St Clair. It’s also Christmas Eve, and the family has gathered to celebrate an eventful year, and to look forward to even better times ahead.

But a shock event changes everything, bringing a whole lot of trouble to the door of Castle Lodge.

For something big is happening in Castle Clair. Strangers are arriving, a prophecy is unfolding, a mystery is deepening, a reckoning is coming … and someone’s getting rather too fond of Mrs Greenwood’s baking.

The past is colliding with the present, and the future is in jeopardy. No wonder the High Council of Witches is a bit miffed.

Will the St Clairs have enough strength, courage ~ and chocolate fudge cake ~ to see them through?

Or is this the end of the world as they know it?

My Thoughts

I was mesmerised by the other two novels based in Castle Clair which tell the stories of Sky and Star St Clair and pre-ordered this one, eager for its release but delayed reading it until now. Why? I did not want the series and the magic to end. Mistake. Big mistake, I could have reread the entire series by now. What was not a mistake was the timing. Celeste’s story begins on Christmas Eve, the 350th anniversary of Blaise St Clair’s death at Witches Leap, making it an ideal book for October with the preparations of both Halloween and Christmas. Witches and Christmas, my favourite things make it a winning combination.

Sharon Booth’s wonderful storytelling invoked the Christmas spirit and drew me into the St Clair’s world. The opening chapters are upbeat, quirky, and full of laughter as well as trepidation of what is to come. The many references to Dr Who to describe the situation made me smile and added to the festive atmosphere. Like the Muppet’s Christmas Carol, Dr Who specials make Christmas.

Celeste fast became my favourite witch with her innocent, romantic view of love, believing she will meet the one. Her gentle and kind nature makes her the ideal match for Blaise, the 17th century witch. I enjoyed watching him grapple with the steep learning curve of fitting in to the 21st century, including the changing roles of women and zippers. That scene is one I cannot get out of my head.

Would I recommend?

To Catch A Witch is witchy escapism wrapped up in an uplifting romance that also revisits the other St Clair sisters. With many twists and turns, it was a joy to read and is firmly one of my forever shelf with the rest of the series. This has become my favourite, but it would be wrong to read it again without the others. I can feel a Halloween tradition brewing.

Author Biography

Sharon Booth

Sharon Booth is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and writes uplifting women’s fiction — “love, laughter, and happy ever after”. Although a happy ending for her main characters is guaranteed, she makes them work for it!

Sharon grew up in the East Yorkshire town of Hessle, where her enduring love for all things Yorkshire was born. She now lives in Kingston-upon-Hull with her husband and their much-loved German Shepherd dog.

Since giving up her admin job at a medical practice, she spends a lot of time assuring her family of five children, assorted in-laws and hordes of grandchildren – not to mention a sceptical mother and a contrary hairdresser – that writing full-time IS a “proper” job and she HASN’T taken early retirement.

She has a love/hate relationship with chocolate, adores Doctor Who and Cary Grant movies, and admits to being shamefully prone to all-consuming crushes on fictional heroes.

You can sign up to Sharon’s newsletter at smarturl.it/sharonsnewsletter

Happy reading and stay safe!

Love

Meet the Author: Sharon Booth

Halloween is days away and I have been catching up on spooky or witch related books. I am excited to introduce Sharon Booth, author of the wonderful Witches of Castle Clair series to my blog to talk about her books, writing and other things.

Author Sharon Booth

• You have written two books from the Witches of Castle Clair series, what gave you the inspiration for this trilogy?

Probably the town of Castle Clair itself – or Knaresborough as the rest of the world know it! In North Yorkshire, not far from Harrogate, it’s one of the prettiest places I’ve ever visited, but there’s also something really different and special about it. Maybe it’s the legend of prophetess, Old Mother Shipton; or the petrifying well that turns everyday objects to stone; or the ruins of the magnificent castle, complete with ravens; or the River Nidd; or the shrine set into the cliffside … or maybe it’s all these factors combined, along with the atmosphere in the town itself, the cobbled streets, the delightful charms of Ye Oldest Chemist Shoppe in England. Every time I visit Knaresborough my imagination goes into overdrive! Plus, I’m a huge fan of Bewitched so put those two things together and there you have it.

• It follows three sisters who are also witches. Who is your favourite sister?

Oh no, what a cruel question! I absolutely love them all, and my favourite is probably the one I’m featuring at the time. They’re all very different, after all. Right now, I’m beginning to learn more about the middle sister, Celeste, as she’s the star of the third and final book which I’m currently plotting. Ask me again at the end of the series!

• I have a bookcase full of books I will keep forever and regularly reread them. Do you reread books or do you only read them one?

I have so many books that were childhood favourites, particularly pony books and Enid Blyton books. I’ve been known to reread those many times. They’re like chicken soup when I’m feeling low or unwell. I’ve also reread the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend more times than I care to remember. I don’t reread many books these days, as I have so many new ones to get through, but I have plenty that I’ll never part with.

• Do you have a favourite spooky book for Halloween?

Anything by Phil Rickman! I thought that Curfew was especially creepy, and I have a soft spot for The Chalice, which was the first Phil Rickman book I ever read. Unlike just about every Phil Rickman fan I know, it’s his standalone books that I love. I’ve only read one Merrily Watkins novel, although I own them all. When I have time, I will start making my way through the rest.

• What are you currently reading?

I’ve just finished Christmas at Wynter House by Emily Harvale, which is a lovely, cosy Christmas romance. So, for a complete change of pace I’m going to read some Golden Age crime — maybe Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers, or Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party.

• If you could perform one spell, what would it be?

A Never-Get-Fat spell! Too shallow?

• What is your favourite book?

Jane Eyre

• Who is your favourite author?

Aarrgghh! I’ll say Enid Blyton because she was the one who gave me my love of reading and made me want to write stories of my own

• Is your writing influenced by the books you have read?

Probably, in the sense of learning from other writers, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and why. It’s all a learning experience, isn’t it? I used to worry that I’d copy the voice or tone of an author whose book I was enjoying, but I never worry about that now, as I’ve realised I have my own voice and I can’t help but use it!

• Where is your favourite place to read or write?

Writing, in my own little office. Reading, downstairs on a reclining armchair, with a cup of tea to hand.

• When did you begin writing and how did being published come about?

I’ve written stories for as long as I can remember but took it up seriously in 2011. I suppose being published came about thanks to the Romantic Novelists’ Association and my Write Romantics’ friends, who took me seriously and made me think that, actually, maybe it would be okay if other people read my stories.

• If you have a genre you write, how did you begin writing in this style?

It just came naturally. I always thought I’d write sagas or historical fiction, but somehow my stories were always contemporary with lots of humour. I’m quite happy with that. If I put a smile on someone’s face, I’ve done my job.

Links

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sharonbooth.writer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Sharon_Booth1

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sharonboothwriter

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sharon-Booth/e/B00PP5S1X8

Website: www.sharonboothwriter.com

Biography

Sharon Booth is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and writes uplifting women’s fiction — “love, laughter, and happy ever after”. Although a happy ending for her main characters is guaranteed, she makes them work for it!

Sharon grew up in the East Yorkshire town of Hessle, where her enduring love for all things Yorkshire was born. She now lives in Kingston-upon-Hull with her husband and their much-loved German Shepherd dog.

Since giving up her admin job at a medical practice, she spends a lot of time assuring her family of five children, assorted in-laws and hordes of grandchildren – not to mention a sceptical mother and a contrary hairdresser – that writing full-time IS a “proper” job and she HASN’T taken early retirement.

She has a love/hate relationship with chocolate, adores Doctor Who and Cary Grant movies, and admits to being shamefully prone to all-consuming crushes on fictional heroes.

You can sign up to Sharon’s newsletter at smarturl.it/sharonsnewsletter

Thank you, Sharon for visiting the blog. I now have even more books added on my TBR pile and I look forward to reading Celeste’s story in the future.

Happy Halloween and reading!

Love