Belle, Book and Christmas Candle (The Witches of Castle Clair Book 1) by @Sharon_Booth1 #BookReview #FridayReads

Author: Sharon Booth

Published: December 2018 by Green Ginger Publishing

Category: Festive, Romance, Magic, Witches, Book Review

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Do you believe in magic? 

Sky St Clair doesn’t, and growing up in Castle Clair, a small town renowned for its mystical past and magical legends, she never felt she belonged. 

Sky got away from Castle Clair as soon as she could, but when a run of bad luck leaves her homeless and jobless, she has little choice but to accept her sister Star’s invitation to return home for the festive season.

It’s over three years since Sky St Clair left the pretty town of Castle Clair, the ancestral home of her family. She is returning reluctantly, forced to swallow her pride and stay with her two sisters, after losing her job, boyfriend and home in one fell swoop. She loves Star and Celeste, of course she does, it was just…the legend and the family business. She just didn’t—couldn’t—believe in all that magic stuff despite the family legacy. 

Jethro Richmond, fantasy writer and a man who is dealing with loss of a different kind altogether, is travelling to Castle Clair on the same train as Sky. His dreams are shattered and all hope is lost. But this is Castle Clair, a town built on myth and magic where anything is possible.

When Star has an accident and dislocates her shoulder leaving her unable to work at her shop, The Broom Closet, it falls to Sky to step in and volunteer despite her misgivings.

But how could I do it? Go to work in that dratted magic shop, of all places! I had no interest in the place, no belief in magic, and no faith in any of the stupid items that Star sold there. How could I spend all day, every day, cooped up in that place?

Then I thought of the call centre. I’d certainly had no interest in that job, but it hadn’t stopped me working there, had it? And Star needed me. She’d always been so good to me. Such a loving, supportive sister. How could I not help her if it was in my power to do so? And there was Mrs Greenwood’s livelihood to consider, too. I took a deep breath. No going back. ‘I’ll cover at the shop for you,’ I said.

Belle, Book and Christmas Candle is a delightful read. Anything lightheartedly witchy and magical is a draw for me and I love browsing in shops like The Broom Closet. The characters are well defined and engaging, I love the developing relationship between Sky and Jethro and how Sky battles with herself until she can’t deny the truth anymore. 

I believe Castle Clair is based on the pretty Yorkshire market town of Knaresborough, complete with castle and other interesting attractions.

 

The story is told from Sky’s perspective and is structured well with drama, humour and magic. Sharon Booth’s writing is lovely, easy to read with descriptive imagery. I wasn’t able to second guess several twists and enjoyed the way Sky came to terms with working in the shop, and Belle, the little black cat, that kept visiting added to the magic. Looking forward to following up with Star’s story.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US | 

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

About the Author

Sharon Booth writes uplifting women’s fiction – love, laughter, and happy ever after. Happy endings are guaranteed for her main characters, though she likes to make them work for it.
Sharon is a member of the Society of Authors, the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and an Authorpreneur member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She loves Yorkshire Tea, Doctor Who, and Cary Grant movies – not necessarily in that order.
Sharon grew up in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and the Yorkshire coast and countryside feature strongly in her novels.
Her stories are set in pretty villages and quirky market towns, by the sea or in the countryside, and feature lots of humour, romance and friendship. If you love gorgeous, kind heroes, and heroines who have far more important things on their minds than buying shoes, you’ll love her books.

Author links ~ Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram