I picked up the first book in the series when the author gave it away for free on Amazon, and was immediately hooked by this charming series. So when I got Kindle Unlimited for 3 months, I made it my mission to read all 8 books!
Alf is such a lovable character, and as the series progresses she overcomes her lack of self confidence, becoming feistier and stronger with each book. Unlucky in love, she has the added benefit of being able to turn annoying exes into toads if she wishes!
Each story has a murder mystery to solve, with the wonky inn and Alf right in the middle of things. There are ghosts, resident and non, vampires, a mysterious association that is trying to drive Alf away, dead bodies turning up, and even an episode of The Great Witchy Cake Off!
Full of dry British humour, great characters (goodā¦
My review for The Wonkiest Witch: Wonky Inn Book 1 by Jeannie Wycherley, 5/5 stars.
I loved this book right from the beginning. The writing style is fun and relaxed, and the story draws you in. After reading a lot of dark psychological thrillers lately, this was just what I needed!
The protagonist, Alfhild Daemonne, has denied her witch powers for years. But after inheriting a wonky inn and most of a village in the middle of the countryside, she decides to leave London and start a new, quieter life.
Like most plans, nothing goes as expected and she finds herself in the middle of a battle between good and evil, with her inn at the centre.
This is a wonderful cozy mystery, with great characters, a beautiful setting, and a couple of twists along the way. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the seriesā¦
Itās been a while since I had an Audiobook here so yay for this one. Which is going to be SO much fun!
The Audiobook is The Wonkiest Witch (Wonky Inn, Book 1) by Jeannie Wycherley, narrated by Kim Bretton, and itās a paranormal, cozy mystery.
Alfhild Daemonne has inherited an inn. And a dead body. Estranged from her witch mother, and having committed to little in her 30 years, Alf surprises herself when she decides to start a new life.
She heads deep into the English countryside, intent on making a success of the once popular inn. However, discovering the murder throws her a curve ball. Especially when she suspects dark magick.
Additionally, a less than warm welcome from several locals persuades her that a variety of folk ā of both the mortal and magickal persuasions ā have it in for her.
I have a very long and ever-growing āTo Be Read Listā. Many months ago I added a book called Crone by Jeannie Wycherley after she graciously agreed to be spotlighted on this blog for Women in Horror Month,Ā read that post here.Ā I was just about to read Crone when I saw on FaceBook that Jeannie was releasing a new book. With an interesting premise and amazing cover, my attention was hooked, and I began reading the second it hit my iPad.
I am now a devoted Jeannie Wycherley fan. I tossed my current Stephen King read on the floor of my office and read Beyond the Veilevery chance I got. My family had to eat pizza and hot dogs for a couple nights because I Could. Not. Stop. Reading. And Iām not even the least bit sorry.
An unlikely trio, a cop, a near-death experiencer, and aā¦
There are many complex relationships in my debut novel, Crone. I agonised over the relationship between Heather, my protagonist, and University researcher Trent, because I didnāt want her to be so wrapped up in him that she couldnāt then focus on defeating the evil at the heart of the novel. Croneisnāt a love story after all, and I didnāt need Heather to be a woman who loses herself at the merest hint of testosterone. I certainly didnāt want her to become a weaker sidekick.
Thatās not to say that Trent isnāt perfectly adorable. Heās intelligent, brave, thoughtful and supportive, but heās also the non-believer, preaching caution when Heather has wild ideas, and when her desire for revenge starts to burn her up inside. They make a good couple ā the perfect yin and yang.
Fortunately, there are two other men in Heatherās life who balance Trentās influence, otherwise Cronemay have been a very different story and genre! The first is her dead teenage son, Max. At the beginning of Crone, Heather has largely disassociated herself from the world, and her bereavement has alienated her from any pleasures in life. The third relationship, and perhaps the most important to her when the novel opens, is Pip, her aging and scruffy lurcher dog.
I have several friends who have suffered the loss of a child or children. How do I know them? Through our mutual love of dogs. Observing from a distance, I feel that their dogs have given them a reason to carry on. Pets in this instance are not a substitute for children by any means, but they provide a necessary outlet for love.
As humans, most of us have an infinite capacity to give love in one form or another. When the life of someone you care about is wiped out, you find yourself floundering around, unsure of how to define yourself (a child who loses her parents is an orphan, but parents who lose children? What name do we give them?). In addition, society loses interest in the bereaved after a while, and we politely ignore ongoing sorrow. In the UK, we expect our emotionally wounded to ākeep calm and carry onā. Outwardly, in Crone, Heather is coping, but really all she is doing is putting one foot in front of another ā¦ and remembering to breathe.
Pip gives Heather a two-way conduit for her love. He provides a reason for her to get up in the morning. By get up, I don’t mean wake up ā note, because Heather doesnāt sleep. She lies awake wondering why her son is dead and she is alive. Pip is the reason Heather visits the supermarket. He needs to eat, so she’s shopping for him, but then she remembers to buy food for herself too. Pip helps Heather to bond with Trent, because Pip is ecstatic when Trent is around.
In the first draft of Crone, Pip didnāt make it through a particularly horrible encounter in the forest, but in the end I couldnāt do that to Heather. It just felt too unnecessarily cruel, and besides Iām a soft touch. It was a good decision in retrospect because a number of readers have told me how much they worried about him, and loved his presence in the story.
Beautiful Pip was based on my own Bedlington Terrier X Lurcher, Herbie. When I began writing Crone, Herbs, my constant companion, was alive and well and always under my desk, nudging my knee when he wanted my attention. By the time Iād published it, he was gone prematurely. It seemed fitting that I memorialise him in Crone, as a remembrance of one of the important relationships in my own life, as well as Heatherās.
I struggled so badly with the loss of Herbie that I wrote a book that was part tribute, and part support for others affected by dog bereavement. Losing my Best Friend is my most consistent seller, and every copy sold makes me eternally proud of my beautiful boy.
February is a terrific month! Winter is in full swing, but Spring is just around the corner, itās my birthday month, and itās when we celebrate Women in Horror Month!
āWomen in Horror Month (WiHM) is an international, grassroots initiative, which encourages supporters to learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries. Whether they are on the screen, behind the scenes, or contributing in their other various artistic ways, it is clear that women love, appreciate, and contribute to the horror genre.
WiHM celebrates these contributions to horror throughout the year via the official WiHM blog, Ax Wound, The Ax Wound Film Festival, and with the official WiHM event/project database in February. This database in conjunction with the WiHM social media fan baseā actively promotes do-it-yourself annual film screenings, blogs/articles, podcasts, and any other form of creative media with the ultimate goal of helping worksā¦
Todayās guest at Books and Wine Gums is the wonderfulĀ Jeannie Wycherley, author of Crone (published byĀ Bark at the Moon Books).
Tell us a little about your debut novel, Crone.
Crone centres on two very different women. Heather Keynes is a bereaved mother. Her teenage son was killed when the car he was travelling in hit a huge oak tree on a rural road. Max had survivable injuries but he didnāt make it, and Heather canāt understand why, or move on with her life. Aefre, the crone, is a shape-shifting soul-sucking seductress, a foul witch, ancient and fearless. She periodically sleeps for great lengths of time, but now sheās awake and she wants to garner her strength, and liaise with her evil sisters.
When there is another accident at the same bend in the road, Heather goes to the scene and what she finds there sets her on aā¦
Bound by blood.
Cursed for eternity.
Sheās worn out every welcome.
Bitten every hand that feeds.
But with a name like Mrs. Dracula, what did you expect?
Eighteen bestselling and award-winning authors spill secrets about this lady of the night just in time for Halloween. Tales of titillating evil, supernatural events, thrilling mystery, and historical horrors, or rather, proof of the vampireās existence.
Can you escape the bride of Dracula?
Get your copy and find out tonight!
MY REVIEWS: One thing I noticed as somewhat of a theme through many of these shorts was Mrs. Dracula in her various forms teetered on the edge of having a soul or a slight moral compass at time. I read a lot of compassion which is not always the case with these types of stories.
A CONCERTO FOR THE DEAD AND DYING by Jeannie Wycherley: This is a newā¦
There are many complex relationships in my debut novel, Crone. I agonised over the relationship between Heather, my protagonist, and University researcher Trent, because I didnāt want her to be so wrapped up in him that she couldnāt then focus on defeating the evil at the heart of the novel. Crone isnāt a love story after all, and I didnāt need Heather to be a woman who loses herself at the merest hint of testosterone. I certainly didnāt want her to become a weaker sidekick.
February is a terrific month! Winter is in full swing, but Spring is just around the corner, itās my birthday month, and itās when we celebrate Women in Horror Month!
Todayās guest at Books and Wine Gums is the wonderfulĀ Jeannie Wycherley, author of Crone (published byĀ Bark at the Moon Books).
thewritersbarn 