Book Review: The Witch of Starmont by Linda Ash

My rating: 4 1/2 stars

Just finished reading THE WITCH OF STARMONT by Linda Ash, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. At first was a bit skeptical when reading the description of this book. It basically stated that it was about a gardener named Mara who had a secret her ex-husband was holding over her head that would stifle any chance of happiness she may have. To me it sounded trite, that there was nothing new this book could offer, and that I already knew what the witch's secret was. Boy was I wrong! I read the first page and instantly loved the story!

The tale begins with Mara hiring Johnathan and his crew to build a new bridge over her stream. The author's voice was delightful and uplifting even through Mara's sadness. I instantly felt right at home with Mara, and this is one of the few books where I felt like I was in the story rather than just reading it.

The spark between Mara and Johnathan was believable instead of one of those gushy tales where the main characters instantly fall head over heels for each other and say stupid gushy things. Their romance was genuine and really reflected the reality of these two peoples lives.

I instantly despised the vile ex-husband. He was an all out jerk, one of those characters you love to hate.

And the secret itself? I was truly surprised when the author finally revealed what it was because it was something I never would have guessed. I think it was the secret more than anything that made me really love this story since I've never read a book about it before. I actually had no idea what the secret was when the main character finally confessed it, and I'm so glad the author gave me a little clarification without going into too much detail.

There were only a couple things I wasn't a fan of, and that was that some of the lesser characters seemed a little flat. I also felt like the ending had too much resolution too quickly. I would have liked to see more of what had happened after the story took an unexpected twist, and would have preferred a little more detail about the ending.

That being said, overall I thought that THE WITCH OF STARMONT was a wonderful read. It was cozy, refreashing, kept me guessing, and was full of surprises. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a good book about myth mixed with reality they can happily get lost in in one afternoon. Kudos to the author Linda Ash! I'm looking forward to reading another one of her books and hope the next story will delight me just as much as this one did.