Paula Brackston lives in a wild, mountainous part of Wales. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and is a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Before becoming a writer, Paula tried her hand at various career paths, with mixed success. These included working as a groom on a racing yard, as a travel agent, a secretary, an English teacher, and a goat herd. Everyone involved (particularly the goats) is very relieved that she has now found a job she is actually able to do properly.
When not hunched over her keyboard in her tiny office under the stairs, Paula is dragged outside by her children to play Swedish tennis on the vertiginous slopes which surround them. She also enjoys being walked by the dog, hacking through weeds in the vegetable patch, or sitting by the pond with a glass of wine. Most of the inspiration for her writing comes from stomping about on the mountains being serenaded by skylarks and buzzards.
In 2007 Paula was short listed in the Creme de la Crime search for new writers. In 2010 her book ‘Nutters’ (writing as PJ Davy) was short listed for the Mind Book Award, and she was selected by the BBC under their New Welsh Writers scheme.
She is the proud creator of The Witch’s Daughter, The Winter Witch and her newest release, The Midnight Witch.
You can keep up with Paula online at her Website, on Facebook, and on GoodReads.
The Midnight Witch
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"The dead are seldom silent. All that is required for them to be heard is that someone be willing to listen. I have been listening to the dead all my life."
Buy from Amazon / B&N
"The dead are seldom silent. All that is required for them to be heard is that someone be willing to listen. I have been listening to the dead all my life."
Lilith is the daughter of the sixth Duke of Radnor. She is one of the most beautiful young women in London and engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. She is also a witch.
When her father dies, her hapless brother Freddie takes the title. But it is Lilith, instructed in the art of necromancy, who inherits their father’s role as Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven. And it is Lilith who must face the threat of the Sentinels, a powerful group of sorcerers intent on reclaiming the Elixir from the coven’s guardianship for their own dark purposes. Lilith knows the Lazarus creed: secrecy and silence. To abandon either would put both the coven and all she holds dear in grave danger. She has spent her life honoring it, right down to her charming fiancé and fellow witch, Viscount Louis Harcourt.
Until the day she meets Bram, a talented artist who is neither a witch nor a member of her class. With him, she must not be secret and silent. Despite her loyalty to the coven and duty to her family, Lilith cannot keep her life as a witch hidden from the man she loves.
To tell him will risk everything.
When her father dies, her hapless brother Freddie takes the title. But it is Lilith, instructed in the art of necromancy, who inherits their father’s role as Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven. And it is Lilith who must face the threat of the Sentinels, a powerful group of sorcerers intent on reclaiming the Elixir from the coven’s guardianship for their own dark purposes. Lilith knows the Lazarus creed: secrecy and silence. To abandon either would put both the coven and all she holds dear in grave danger. She has spent her life honoring it, right down to her charming fiancé and fellow witch, Viscount Louis Harcourt.
Until the day she meets Bram, a talented artist who is neither a witch nor a member of her class. With him, she must not be secret and silent. Despite her loyalty to the coven and duty to her family, Lilith cannot keep her life as a witch hidden from the man she loves.
To tell him will risk everything.
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha - Chelle:
*Copy gifted by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review
*Copy gifted by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I couldn’t put it down. 339 pages passed in a blink, & I only wanted more.
For those of you looking at Paula’s body of work online, it should be noted that the ‘series’ is actually a group of standalone novels that share commonalities, but The Midnight Witch can be read at any time.
For those of you looking at Paula’s body of work online, it should be noted that the ‘series’ is actually a group of standalone novels that share commonalities, but The Midnight Witch can be read at any time.
Our main protagonist is a powerful witch and necromancer who has just lost her father and is set to inherit the role of head witch. She’s young, strong and has a good head on her shoulders. It’s easy to relate to her and cheer her on. She has many obstacles to overcome, and aside from trying to live in very proper Elizabethan England, she has to keep this massive secret and find herself along the way. When she meets a handsome starving artist she can’t help but wonder what her life would be like if she wouldn’t have the burden of leading the Lazarus Coven, and her steps to try to mesh the pieces of her world are enchanting.
The Midnight Witch has a powerful and wicked antagonist, and pitting Lilith and her witches against them is a wonderful representation of good versus evil. The entirety of the tale culminates in a captivating story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
After reading The Midnight Witch I immediately bought The Winter Witch and The Witch’s Daughter. Paula’s writing is magic, and I can’t wait to read more.
The Midnight Witch is highly recommended! If you like Deborah Harkness or other similarly written historical paranormal fiction, you will enjoy The Midnight Witch.
The Midnight Witch
I added this to my TBR!! Can't wait to check it out! Great review, Chelle!
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