Hello, fellow bookworms. Today, I’d like to share my thoughts about New Witch on the Block by Louisa West. The first book in Louisa’s paranormal women’s fiction series, Midlife in Mosswood. My thanks to the publisher, Tantor Media, for the audiobook in exchange for a candid review.
What’s New Witch on the Block about?
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My Rating: Title: New Witch on the Block by Louisa West
Series: Midlife in Mosswood #1
Published by Tantor Audio on 2nd March 2021
Narrator: Johanna Parker
Length: 4 hours 35 minutes
No. of Pages: 238
She thought she was running away from her past, not catching up with it.
Rosemary Bell just wants to live a quiet, happy life and raise her daughter as far away from her toxic ex-husband as she can get. But when they move into a decrepit cottage in the woods of Mosswood, Georgia, Rosie realises her life will never be simple.
A gang of meddling neighborhood do-gooders want to run her out of town. The vicious laundromat machines keep eating her spare change. Not to mention her buff Irish stalker who insists that he’s a Witch King and that it’s her royal destiny to be his Queen.
And to top it all off, strange things keep happening around Rosie when she least expects it...
She could deal with it all, but her ex won’t rest until he tracks her down. When her ability to protect her daughter is threatened, Rosie shows them all that nobody messes with the new witch on the block.
Practical Magic meets Bridget Jones’ Diary in this fun, heart-warming short novel about starting over, putting family first, and finding love when you least expect it.
©2020 Louisa West (P)2021 Tantor
Source: ARC
I received this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't affect my opinion of the book or influence the content of my review.
Formats Available: Audiobook, eBook, PaperbackPurchase Links: Books2Read - Universal Link ¦ Audible* ¦ Book Depository*
Read: 13th – 18th February 2021
Louisa has already written and published 3 titles in this series as ebooks and paperbacks with a couple more planned for 2021. However, she’s teamed up with Tantor Media to create the series on audiobook!
What did I think about it?
A Good Story To Start This New Series
Louisa West is a new-to-me author but as a woman in my late forties, I liked the premise of this story. I really liked the characters Louisa created. Our protagonist, Rosemary (Rosie) exhibited all the personality traits that I love. She’s intelligent, resilient, self-reliant and has oodles of gumption. The supporting cast are a diverse group, showcasing lots of different characteristics. I loved reading about Rosie’s midlife coming-of-age challenges and seeing her blossom in confidence.
Johanna Parker is a new-to-me narrator.
I really enjoyed the pace at which she read this story. The emotions and inflections she used for the different scenes felt natural and brought them to life. I loved her lilting southern accent for Rosie, her daughter Maggie and the townsfolk of Mosswood. Unfortunately, what didn’t sit as well was her Irish accent or indeed any of her male voices. It put me in mind of Dick van Dyke trying to capture the Londoner’s accent – just no – stop! The males in this story played a continual role and Johanna’s lack of skill in this area sadly affected my enjoyment of this audiobook.
New Witch on the Block is a good book, and I enjoyed the story.
My only niggle with the plot was Rosie’s timeline. I can understand her young age at meeting Randy (my husband and I are childhood sweethearts). However, her age when Maggie was born didn’t feel credible, I felt it was too long a gap after marrying Randy. Was Randy so controlling that they always used birth control? Had Rosie been unable to carry due to the increasing stress and abuse of her marriage? I feel a small explanation would have helped me get a better grip of the situation.
New Witch on The Block has a great mix of the supernatural, small-town idiosyncrasies, and the dangers of life in an MC (Motorcycle Club). Plus, there’s no life-or-death perilous cliffhanger at the end! WoopWoop!
I’ll be looking out for the second audiobook – Jealousy’s a Witch – as I want to find out how Rosie and Maggie settle into their new life in Mosswood.
Has my review of New Witch on the Block encouraged you to find out more? I do hope so. Click on any of my links to check it out yourself.
Keep reading to find out more about the Midlife in Mosswood series and its author.
Midlife in Mosswood by Louisa West
Titles in the Series
- New Witch on the Block (Midlife in Mosswood #1) (2020)
- Jealousy’s a Witch (Midlife in Mosswood #2) (2020)
- We Witch You A Merry Christmas (Midlife in Mosswood #3) (2020)
- Get Witch Quick (Midlife in Mosswood #4) (Expected 2021)
- Son Of A Witch (Midlife in Mosswood #5) (Expected 2021)
Keep reading to find out more about Louisa.
About Louisa West
Louisa West: Author by day, Netflix connoisseur by night.
Louisa likes Pina Coladas and gettin’ caught in the rain. Determined to empty her brain of stories, she writes across several genres including fantasy, speculative fiction, contemporary and historical fiction, and romance.
She lives in Mandurah, Western Australia, and drinks more coffee than is good for her. When she’s not writing or researching projects, Louisa enjoys spending time with her family, and Harriet The Great (Dane). Hobbies include playing video games, watching copious amounts of tv, and various craft-related initiatives.
She strongly believes that the truth is still out there.
And because this is a review about an audiobook, here’s the narrator’s bio.
About Johanna Parker
Johanna Parker is an Audie Award Winning, Earphone Award Winning actress living and working in San Francisco. Since narrating her first audiobook for Recorded Books in 2002, Johanna has received high praise for her work in all genres, including the young adult Mediator series by Meg Cabot, Earlene Fowler’s Bennie Harper Mysteries, and her portrayal of Sookie Stackhouse in Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire books.
Johanna received her BFA in Acting from Boston University and studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. She has performed on stages in London, Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York and has numerous film and television credits. Now a sought after voiceover actress, Johanna has voiced commercials, video games, documentaries and web sites.
Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to read my thoughts about New Witch on the Block. Have you read this one or any others by Louisa West? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.
Before you go, find out why I love stories with an older female protagonist. Check out my Paranormal Women’s Fiction (PWF) page!
Bye for now,
Flora x
