This spring I listened to the audiobook of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane via Audible and I loved it! I knew Katherine Howe from her awesome YA novel, Conversion, so I knew I’d enjoy another novel by her. Physick Book is the first in a series about women “witches” and their descendants. It was quite intriguing and well-narrated. And I was thrilled that I could immediately pair it with The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs, since that continued the story. That said, I don’t think you need to read one in order to read the other — “Daughters” stands alone as a novel in its own right.
Thank you for my copy via Net Galley!

A pleasant read by a favorite author. Although it is a sequel to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane it is able to be read independently without affecting the story. 4 stars. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to review this book..

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt for sharing this advance reader copy of Katherine Howe’s new novel. In a nutshell, if you previously enjoyed The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, this title is perfect. It’s a continuation of that storyline, 10 years later. I liked this book, but not as much as its predecessor. It seemed to be straining in some ways, I felt the story did not develop as organically in some aspects. I still liked the mixture of historical and modern day takes on witchcraft and do recommend this.

I was very excited to see there was a new book by Katherine Howe featuring Constance Goodwin once again! The second book in the series is set in the year 2000 and Connie is now an assistant professor at Northeastern University. She is super busy working towards tenure while writing a book, grading papers and mentoring grad students. She is under so much stress and it doesn't help that her personal life is in a bit of disarray. Her mother Grace keeps warning her to end her affair with Sam if she really loves him: the men who love the women in her family usually die young. Did her ancestor Temperance Hobbs discover a way to avoid this curse? Can Connie attempt to use the same folk magic if she can figure it out or is it much too dangerous?

I'd have to say I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first as Connie works out what she must do to save Sam's life. Some of the action scenes are extremely well depicted.

I also enjoyed the flashbacks to the stories of her ancestors--from England onward. Temperance Hobbs herself is especially interesting.

An historical tidbit the author shares is that shortly after the Salem witch trials, the crime of witchcraft ceased to be prosecuted. Instead, laws focused more on 'the pretense of witchcraft' and the crime of conning the gullible by selling charms and such. And there actually WAS a year with no summer in 1816 which affected how America came to be settled.

I received an arc of this new book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity!

I appreciate that this was a stand alone book since it had been awhile since i had read the Deliverance Dane book. I like the characters in this book and the plot line was quite interesting. It is historical fiction with some relation to reality. Connie and Sam are such a magical couple. I hope the weather spell works and they can be happy together!

*An ARC of this novel was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Great atmosphere, okay characters, but I kept waiting for something to actually happen. There was a lot of description of academic research which was fine because the research topic was interesting. Some parts seemed a bit convoluted and I found out when I was over halfway through the book that this was actually sort of a sequel, but ultimately I think everything came together.

Connie Goodwin is an on tenure track professor working on writing a book on the history of witchcraft, and in particular, the women who were called witches. She hs a vested interest in this because she comes from a long line of witches seemingly starting with Livvy Hasseltine and her mother.

The book alternates between snippets of her ancestors' lives and workings and the year 2000. Connie is desperately seeking a way to combat a curse on the women of her family that her mother makes her aware of. As the days go on the curse becomes more and more of an issue for her. Her love is in danger.

Meanwhile, her student Zazi is doing research to try and help her. And a former student of Connie's, Thomas, is after her for resources and support.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy the book. It's well-written and has interesting characters. But, for me, there were a few places that dragged a little. And the ending seemed to be resolved kind of quickly. I did like how she showed whether or not the working worked. And I enjoyed the historical aspect.

I would recommend this book especially to people that like stories about witches with a historical background. There is a nice Author's Note at the end that discusses some of the history involved in the book. I understand this is a follow-up book to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, but it can be read and enjoyed without reading the first book.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe was published June 25th, 2019 by Henry Holt and Company.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Such a joy to revisit the world of Deliverance Dane and her descendants. This time Connie needs to safeguard her partner Sam and needs to find the recipe that will allow weather work to keep him safe. For lovers of the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and the Discovery of Witches (Book of Life) trilogy this one is a must read.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs picks up several years after [book:The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane|4836308] (one of my all-time favorite books) ends. I was so excited to hear that Katherine Howe was coming out with a follow-up to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and I was not disappointed! While this book contains most of the same characters and settings and refers back to the previous book frequently, it is easily enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

Full of vivid, rich historical accounts of Colonial America, botany, and all things witchy, The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs is a book I will read again and again!

I adored the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. It is the root that makes strange facts and fancies and possibilities pop into my mind when I am bored or sleepy. It is a book I intend to read again, and that will have to be soon.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs is completely stand alone, but it is a richer, fuller tale with the background of the first book. In any case, I am certain that you will love it. I am happy to refer this fine novel to friends and family.

Connie Goodwin is a smart, well-educated, almost-tenured professor in Boston, a well-versed expert on America's long criminal pattern of interaction with women thought to be witches over the centuries. She has a long-term companion in Sam Hartley, an in-demand steeple restorer across the eastern seaboard, a dog named Arlo who wiggled his way into her life and heart, an old worn Volvo wagon, and a crumbling apartment that houses both Connie and Sam's extensive book collections. Connie keeps her nose to the grindstone. Life can only happen after she finishes her book and achieves tenure. Period. Tenure can only happen if she gets her book finished and that can only happen if she can find the time to spend researching the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. And if you read the first book, you know how hard that is going to be.

Connie is the daughter of a hippie midwife named Grace Goodwin, who raised her only child on a commune in upstate New York. Grace is the only child of a midwife tarot reader named Sophia and was raised in an ancient hand-me-down house and garden on Milk Street in Salem, Massachuttes. Grace inherited the Milk Street house and plans to pass it on to Connie and Sam. And it is Grace who figures out that every generation of women in their recent line have lost their husbands to accident or illness as soon as there is an heir apparent. Most don't last until the birthing. Sam wants very much to marry, and make babies. He doesn't care about tenure, and doesn't know about the limited use history has had for the fathers of all these daughters. These witch daughters of the line of Temperance Hobbs. But there is a possible way out - Temperance herself was married to the father of her daughters - a man who lived to be 110. Maybe tenure can wait while Connie figures out how to make that happen.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Katherine Howe, and Henry Holt & Company. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

Rating: 3.0 Witchy Stars

This is the second installment of Katherine Howe’s ‘Physick Book’ series. The first book in the series is “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane”, which is on my reading list, but I have not actually read it yet. After finishing her new book, “The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs”, I'm here to let you know that you don’t have to read the first book in order to follow along with the new plot and storyline in this book. Reading the first book probably adds some color and background, and I understand that the second book answers some mysteries that had been left hanging in the first book.

Connie Goodwin is an only daughter of a hippie Mom who also was an only daughter. Connie is a full- fledged career academic. She is a college professor in Boston. She seems more interested in furthering her career and finishing her book, than paying much attention to her long-suffering partner, Sam. Then Connie’s mother warns her that Sam may not be long for this world if he continues to stay with Connie. It seems that the husbands of her ancestors mysteriously die after the women have the next daughter in the line.

From there the hunt is on to find a magic spell that will free Sam from his fate, without letting on to Sam that he is in danger. This was an unexpected mix of a deep dive into the inner workings of post-graduate academia and mystical legends and spells. The story is told in multiple timelines. Connie narrates most of this, but there are often flashbacks to the prior generations of descendants of Deliverance Dane.

I rated this book a 3 solid stars. I am not sure if I could have used less of the academic angst, or less of the witchcraft stuff, but something just felt out of balance to me. In addition, Sam seemed like such a nice guy. I often got frustrated with how he was on Connie’s priority list. The book was entertaining and educational. I now know more about doctoral panels than I probably ever needed to know. I’m still intrigued enough in the backstory that I’ll probably go back and read the first book in the series to see how it all started.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Henry Holt & Company; and the author, Katherine Howe, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I admit I'm a sucker for mystical or witchcraft related historical fiction. Its a guilty pleasure. So I was excited to get an advance copy of this, especially because I really enjoyed the prequel with all its tie-ins to the terrible and actual Salem witch trials. Unfortunately, so much of this story was predictable and the overall plot line was pretty weak. I kept waiting for more mystery or danger or just, well anything, to ramp up the excitement. I still enjoyed spending time with Connie's ancestors, just not so much with Connie (and poor Sam just lingering in the margins). Too much hand-wringing and time spent in academic libraries. This book also felt a bit disjointed, with elements brought in for no apparent reason and left unexplained.

Honestly I just don’t know that this book was for me. I did not know it was in a series and felt that I could not just pick it up from there. I read a fair amount but this was a dnf for me. It was well written though and I could see where it would appeal to plenty of people. Thank you so much for the opportunity though.

A book that delivers exactly what it promises. Temperance Hobbs is a solid follow up that doesn't burden you with the need to reread the first book. It also doesn't get weighed down with too much explanation of past events, an unusual balance.

"New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe returns to the world of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane with a bewitching story of a New England history professor who must race against time to free her family from a curse.

Connie Goodwin is an expert on America’s fractured past with witchcraft. A young, tenure-track professor in Boston, she’s earned career success by studying the history of magic in colonial America - especially women’s home recipes and medicines - and by exposing society's threats against women fluent in those skills. But beyond her studies, Connie harbors a secret: She is the direct descendant of a woman tried as a witch in Salem, an ancestor whose abilities were far more magical than the historical record shows.

When a hint from her mother and clues from her research lead Connie to the shocking realization that her partner’s life is in danger, she must race to solve the mystery behind a hundreds’-years-long deadly curse.

Flashing back through American history to the lives of certain supernaturally gifted women, The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs affectingly reveals not only the special bond that unites one particular matriarchal line, but also explores the many challenges to women’s survival across the decades―and the risks some women are forced to take to protect what they love most."

Witches and history and Salem oh my!

I just finished this and was very impressed! This is the 2nd book in the series, but I read the 1st book years ago and still had no trouble enjoying this without remembering much of the first.

Connie, a professor and descendent of powerful witches, needs to find a way to break a centuries old curse that leaves her female family members widowed after they have children. To break the curse, Connie must find and interpret a cryptic recipe from a grimoire lost somewhere in her family’s history. The clues are there, and have been left for her to find, only if she is strong enough to awaken her magic and use the recipe to save her fiancée.

This book was masterfully written and character development was stellar. The plot kept me engrossed and I really enjoyed every minute I read this. I highly recommend!!!

Thank you, #Netgalley!
#KatherineHowe
#TheDaughtersofTemperanceHobbs

While this book did not pack the same sort of response in me as its predecessor, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, still it was an engaging and enjoyable read.

I read the first book followed closely with The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. That trio of books formed a solid beginning to a change in the sort of books I read, the genres I prefer and what I recognize in truly outstanding stories.

This book is more sentimental and more mainstream than the first but still brings enough folklore and cunning to keep it interesting.

Women, telling tales of wisdom and learning, hand-over-hand, down the generations, are where the real magic lies.

Well, okay then. That sums up how I feel.

I loved The Physick Book of Delivery Dane, which came out a decade ago, and so I was excited to get an early copy of this followup. And then I started reading, and my excitement turned to annoyance.

What we have with this book is a mind-numbing journey into academia. Connie is stressed going for tenure. This is drilled into us, over and over. Connie is grading papers. Connie is talking to students, helping them navigate their doctoral program or whatever else. Connie is again stressing about tenure. The tone is pretentious and the content is repetitive.

The characters have no personality. I didn't feel any sparks between Connie and Sam. I didn't feel... anything.

At the 25% mark on my Kindle, I was still waiting for something, anything, to happen. We'd finally work up to a point where it felt like we'd have a moment, and then we'd just move on to something else. Back to academia. Back to Connie's incessant self-involvement.

And so I started skimming, because, yeah, I was bored. At the 35% mark, I gave up.

The author definitely knows her subject, but nothing about this book worked for me.

Connie Goodwin, a professor in Boston, has studied the history of magic and witchcraft. She is a direct descendant of a Salem witch. When someone close to her is in danger, she must go back and solve a mystery behind a curse.

I really enjoyed this sequel to the Physik Book of Deliverance Dane which I read awhile back. This story picks up with them same main character, Connie, who is determined to find a way to prevent losing her love the way women in her family have for centuries. The book goes back and forth between Connie’s time and her ancestors. This was particularly well done when Connie’s attempt at weather work is told parallel with Temperance’s attempt almost two hundred years before.