Tag: witches and ghosts

Review:  Under The Hat  (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow #2) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I really enjoyed Under The Hat more than the first story. The author is really defining her characters and the unique universe of Calderon Hollow here so we get a real sense of the nature of the town, and the magical strength of the powers of the families who live there.

Blythe Fairfield has made her choice to live in the house, accepting the magic and learn her role, whatever it may be. But the unstable Veil and shifting perspectives of the townspeople make it hard for Blythe to get a better sense of them and her new community.

I really liked how the different relationships are evolving here, between Blythe and the magical family on the other side of the ancient power feud, and even more so, between her and the Sheriff who “knows” instinctively that there’s something about her and the town that he can’t see or be involved with but also realizing it’s no less true. 

The details, the history behind the old feud, the darker aspects of the town, it’s slowly getting revealed. 

And it all gives depth to her and the series. 

Just terrific. Great storytelling. 

Highly recommended. Love the author.

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4

Buy link

 Book 2 of 4: Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow 

Blurb 

Blythe Fairfield chose to stay in Cauldron Hollow. She’s not sure the town has chosen her back.

Her relationship with Sheriff Paine Wilder is in ruins. Her bank account is worse. The only job she can find is running a cash register at the local grocery store, where her boss is a conspiracy theorist, her customers include a woman who screams about paying for eggs, and the one friend who made it all bearable keeps talking her into things she shouldn’t do.

Then a reclusive prepper turns up dead on his rural property, and Blythe finds more than a body. Buried beneath the man’s unfinished root cellar is a book of spells that should not exist, magic that breaks every rule Blythe has been taught to follow. She can’t leave it for the police. She can’t destroy it. And she definitely can’t stop thinking about what’s inside.

Someone killed a man for this book. And Blythe just brought it home.

Review:  If the Hat Fits (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow #1) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4⭐️

I love this author’s Haunted Ranch Mysteries series, so while I was waiting on the next book in that series to be released, I noticed that she had started another series, different location and perspective on a similar type of female character. 

The author has a real fondness for older women starting over. I can get behind this.

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries series has the beauty of the Arizona desert and the unique nature that enhances the atmosphere and fantastic storytelling. 

I’ve yet to find a similar surrounding landscape here that has the same feel or that is so striking that it acts as a compelling backdrop.  

So it’s a nondescript setting that depends heavily on character development and storytelling. Luckily, it delivers on both accounts. 

Where certain characters in other series are stereotypical personalities, here Bourgeous takes them outside of the usual configuration into something interesting.

The sheriff and townspeople all have characters that surprise the reader with their depth of personality and the growth they exhibit during the story. This continues throughout the series. 

The overall magic system is one that is slowly evolving and being defined as each situation arises, and it’s an unusual one that envelops the entire town. 

There’s an ancient witch family feud, a cat familiar, and of course, a sentient house, to go along with the main character of Blythe Fairfield, a woman who is restarting her life after divorce.

The language is one of someone quietly reviewing their past and present options, no panic but a sense of resolve to make things work. You immediately understand Blythe, the circumstances that brought her to Caldron Hollow, and the thought processes as each event comes her way. However, increasing wild each one is. 

It ends with Blythe staying true to her values, at the beginning of her journey and a long way to understanding what’s ahead. The author has started to set much in motion but there is so much more that’s needs a foundation or exploration, especially with regard to the town and witch families. 

I’m definitely going forward with the series. And recommending this. Great read!

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4

Buy link

 Book 1 of 4: Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow 

Blurb 

Welcome to Cauldron Hollow!

Sometimes the worst day of your life is just the beginning.

Blythe Fairfield has officially failed at adulthood. Divorced. Fired. Broke. When she inherits Gallows Gate House in the small town of Cauldron Hollow from her allegedly unhinged great-aunt, she decides it’s a temporary stop. Renovate. Sell. Leave.

Then her cat starts talking.

Cauldron Hollow isn’t just quaint. It was founded by two rival witch families. The Stoneharts stayed. The Tallowmeres were driven out.

Guess which family Blythe belongs to.

Between a house that hums with old magic, a violet streak suddenly appearing in her hair, and a snarky familiar named Pippin who keeps saying “Obviously,” Blythe barely has time to process her new reality before she stumbles over a dead body behind Merlin’s Diner.

The victim made enemies. Unfortunately, Blythe just made the suspect list.

With the town’s frustratingly handsome sheriff watching her every move and a killer determined to protect their secrets, Blythe must decide whether she’s still running from her inheritance or finally ready to claim it.

Turns out, if the hat fits… you might have to wear it.

If the Hat Fits is the first book in the Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow cozy mystery series. Expect humor, heart, magic, and a clean read with no swearing or explicit content.

Cauldron Hollow is an alternate universe to Coventry. You’ll see hints and shadows of our original wicked witches, but this book and series can be read and enjoyed on their own.

March 9, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

207 pages

Book 1 of 4

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow