This was a standout paranormal romance that had a little bit of everything: fantasy, mystery, magic, gods, curses, lost daughters, time travel, walking dead/nightmare creatures and on and on! What starts off in the 1920s Ireland sees a woman making a Faustian bargain for a daughter only to have her snatched away and finding herself 100 years in the future in a town on the brink of being taken over by dark magic/the undead.

I enjoyed both storylines (past and present), the forbidden lovers angle and all the Bad ass modern day witch coven (lots of Buffy vibes in this book!). Great on audio (I especially enjoyed the creepy witches voices) and highly recommended for fans of books like Small town, big magic or any of Nora Roberts's witch series. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

Brigid wakes up and realizes she’s lost her memories,
The story flips back and forth which I found hard to follow at times. It’s your typical story about good vs. evil.
If you’re into fantasy this book is for you
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Fantasy
Heat Level: Medium (Almost closed door)
Representation: LGBTQ

I've been in the mood for witchy books. THE LOST WITCH wasn't what I expected, but it caught me in its magic spell. This book is highly imaginative and creative.

The story opens in the past then moves to modern day. Our poor witchy protagonist, Brigid, is forced to navigate the modern world, a lost memory, and battle monsters all at the same time. I think she handles it with aplomb.

And then Brigid faces the half-god, Luc Knightly, the one who is tied to the loss of her years and memory. But why is he so tantalizing? She wants nothing to do with him, but she's also drawn to him. He knows something he isn't telling her.

Brigid forms a new coven with her family, Ophelia and Finola, through her sister's line. These three women bond and support one another—no matter what! I adored their relationship and ability to see beyond themselves. They are brave to protect the citizens of Evermore even when they are exhausted. When Brigid arrives, Ophelia and Finola also have their power increase. And it's about time because the Witches of Knightly are stirring up more monsters, ready to take over the town and ascend in the ranks to a semi-god-like status.

My favorite character is Brigid because she's tenacious about saving her daughter. As we get more snippets of her relationship with Luc, I became more vested to find out what she would do. The radio show interviews with Ophelia and Finola are funny, snarky, and strange. These women add in subtext, which made me chuckle.

I loved the sense of hope in this story. The women bond and keep trying even when everything is going wrong.

I recommend this story.

This didn’t work for me. Like others have said in their reviews something is off with this book and I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s cursed like the lough. The beginning was messy and a bit strange, the middle was just overrun with introducing new characters and random thoughts. I struggled to get through this and that is not an enjoyable read.

Regrettably, the witch wasn't the only one who was lost- I was too! I know I'm going to be an outlier who gave up on this paranormal time traveling dual time line novel set on an island off the coast of Ireland but there you have it. It didn't help that Brigid was loyal to the Goddess Brighid and that there were all sorts of witch things going on that just aren't in my lexicon (although I'm sure others know them.). When Brigid wakes up in 2022, she finds she's sharing space with her descendants Finola and Ophelia, both of whom have their say as does Luc, the dark force, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Crutcher's fans as well as those more familiar with the genre will likely enjoy this.

In 1922 Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in the charming small town of Evermore, on a forgotten isle in Ireland. However, Brigid wants a child and her goddess is not inclined to help where this is concerned. Brigid is seduced by Luc Knightly, handsome, mysterious and powerful. When their child is born and falls ill, Brigid will risk anything to save her daughter–even tap into the forbidden magic of the Lough of Brionglóid. But it is forbidden for a reason, and Brigid ends up losing her daughter, Dove, and herself to the magical chaos.
In 2022 Evermore is under siege. The witches of Knight (not Luc), have been using their magic to widen the rift between the island and the Otherworld, using the lough. Creatures f prey on the villagers, consuming their humanity, making them damned.
Brigid awakens in 2022 with no memory but she learns that she is the reason the Evermore is cursed. To seal the lough and stop the witches, she must work with her descendants, Ophelia and Finola, who also happen to be powerful witches. But the knowledge she seeks lies with Luc Knightly himself—mysterious, handsome, and powerful. To save Evermore (& Dove), Brigid may have to lose everything again.

*Special thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this e-arc.*

This novel was cute and entertaining! Will be recommending it to my friends! It is the perfect book for a cozy fall day.

Brigid wakes up 100 years in the future with no memories and oh, did I mention that she disappeared with her town being cursed and is about to be overrun by the damned. What a wake to come back. This novel was beautifully written and very descriptive. It was easy to imagine and visualize what was happening. But, there was something about this book that just didn’t do it for me. I struggled to finish it and I can’t put my finger on it. It was hard to relate to the characters. I did find myself skimming through the book at most parts but I was determined to finish it. The romance wasn’t really there for me. It fell flat. I just wish I was more invested but, I just couldn’t find myself to do it. Now, just because this book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it isn’t for someone else.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the early are in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I liked Luc and I liked Brigid for the most part. That being said, they were the only things that kept me going and their interactions were too few for me. Fin and Ophelia were too cliche and annoying for me. I saw where it wanted to go but it just didn't carry enough weight for someone to stay invested. Best of luck next time! 2.5 out of 3.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book definitely checked some boxes for me:I love some magic, forbidden love, time changes or travel, and fun side characters. I feel like this book would be great if you like Practical Magic and maybe some classic Charmed vibes. I liked the romance between the mains but something wasn’t completely working for me for most of the book. However in the end, I really loved the characters and world building here.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher combines paranormal romance and suspense with heartbreak, magic, and hope in an evocative good versus evil story line. While the first chapter takes place in 1922, the rest of the story occurs in 2022. Both timelines take place in Evermore on an island off the coast of Ireland.

Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in Evermore in 1922. She longs for a child and allows herself to be seduced by Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly coven. However, when her child becomes ill, she is willing to do anything to heal her. In 2022, Evermore is under siege from the witches of Knight who have been using their chaos magic to bring creatures to the island to prey on the villagers. Brigid awakens in this new world with memory gaps of what happened and where she’s been. She must work with her descendants, Ophelia and Finola, to stop the witches of Knight.

Brigid, Ophelia, Finola, and Luc are well-defined characters with depth. Their personalities shine throughout the book. While Ophelia was somewhat serious, Finola provided some lightness and humor. Brigid and Luc show significant growth over the course of the novel. As Brigid tries to understand the repercussions from what occurred in 1922 and attempts to recover her memories, it was enjoyable to watch her personality take on added dimensions. The antagonist witches known as East, West, North, and South, keep the tension high and provide some surprises.

The author did a great job of transporting me to this community in both timelines. The imagery was extraordinary. However, the pacing in the middle section of the book was slow. I believe this was partially due to Brigid’s memory gaps. The readers were struggling along with her to determine what had happened. My other quibble is that there were times when the writing was more telling than showing. This also affected the novel’s pacing.

The author weaves a story of light versus darkness that highlights mythology, folktales, monsters, family, love, heartbreak, power, kindness, and helping others. The plot has some unexpected twists and the antagonist’s psychosis was memorable.

Overall, this was an entertaining story that kept me engaged. The rich storyline with its layered plot, several interesting characters, and plenty of action made this a pleasurable read. Those that enjoy good versus evil stories with some romance and action may want to consider this book as their next read.

St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Paige Crutcher provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for December 27, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

“Grief is not a simple emotions. It does not come in a wave with the tide and rush back out when the moon calls it to the sea. Grief is the worst uninvited houseguest, it is a chasing echo, a haunting ghost.”

A witch from 1922 wakes up in 2022 with no memories and to make matters worse there are monsters coming out of the loch. Now she must regain her memories and figure out how to seal the loch.

There were times when the writing was atmospheric and moody. I think the inclusion of the podcasts and pop culture references really took away from that atmospheric read. While reading I felt this undertone of grief and loss, it felt very personal while reading.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an e-arc. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Paige Crutcher is a creative writer whose mystical characters take us from 1922 all the way to the present as a determined witch searches for her daughter while also fighting against the darkness who wishes to destroy all who she loves. I love Ms. Crutcher’s creative storyline and her meticulous attention to detail. Her beautiful writing took me away to an enchanted land filled with magical witches, fairies and evil enemies all trying to control the land.

Brigid Heron made a deal with a handsome and mysterious man, Luc Knightly, and also fell in love with him. He followed Brigid into the future so he could protect her from the harm that was awaiting her. Brigid wasn’t ready for all the changes she encountered as she was unceremoniously transported to the future. When she arrived, she was relieved that her house was still there, but who was living in it now? Were they friend or foe and would she need to protect herself from them? Brigid found that the struggle between good and evil hadn’t changed in 100 years and she had her work cut out for her as she struggled to survive in her new world. She was in awe of the real world, but she needed to focus on finding her beloved daughter, Dove, who was the light of her world, no matter what year it was. Together, Brigid and Luc fought evil, helped the townspeople and held each other when all seemed lost.

"The Lost Witch" by Paige Crutcher is a supernatural mystery and romance story all in one. It is the story of Brigid a witch who follows the teachings of a goddess. But she desires a child and this changes everything for her. She ends up in a timeline a century later than her own and can't remember why. The town she is from is under attack from supernatural beings and with the help of others she must figure out why and what happened to her and her daughter. I enjoyed this novel very much.

I was invited to read this book through Netgalley, but I was also lucky enough to win a copy of it through Goodreads. In fact, because I've been going through some things in my personal life and not checking my email regularly, I'd actually received my copy of the book from Goodreads and read it before I even saw that I was invited to read it on Netgalley. Neither of those facts has had any influence on my review.

This was the first book that I found myself able to read this year, and I read it in August. My inability to get into any books for most of the year may actually affect how I felt about this book overall, but I'm going to stand by my star rating because it was made at the time I finished the book. You, however, should take it with a grain of salt.

I would love to be able to say that I was just so drawn into this book because I wanted to know what happened next that I couldn't put it down, and that's why it's the first book I read this year, but that would be a lie. For the most part, I did not struggle with putting this book down to do other things, but it was engaging enough that I did want to keep returning to it when I had some free time.

I found myself rather frustrated by Brigid's memory issues, but even more frustrated that Luc Knightly wouldn't just tell her what he knew about her situation. I really felt like most of the problems the main characters faced would have been complete non-issues if not for Knightly's reticence. Granted that would have made the book significantly shorter and removed almost all of the suspense.

I found it interesting how readily Brigid adapted to the present day, although I also had to keep reminding myself that she was only missing for a hundred years. Being a witch, my brain was set on thinking that her natural time was in like the 1600s. And there is literally no reason I should've been stuck on that from what the book presented, so that is entirely my failing.

Overall, I give The Lost Witch 3 out of 5 stars because I wanted to finish it, but didn't feel the need to ignore other responsibilities to do so.

When a wild magic sweeps away Brigid and her daughter in 1922, Brigid awakens in 2022 with no memory of what happened. The only thing she knows is that to save the town, Evermore, she may have to lose everything once again.
I loved the magical setting of this fantasy, but I couldn't really sink my teeth into it. The characters felt flat, the plot was disjointed, complex and hard to follow. Plus, it's not really my type of fantasy. There are hints of this being continued in a series, but I will not be continuing. However, I loved the chemistry between Brigid and her lover, and the fact that the writing was very lyrical.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Lost Witch was fun and enchanting. The premise was interesting and the characters were witty and entertaining. I really enjoyed the setting, especially the glimpses we saw into the Otherworld; I wish more of the story took place there! Toward the beginning of the book up to maybe half-way through I got major The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue vibes (which I loved). As the story evolved it became its own, with magical elements, witches, gods and Goddesses, the Otherworld and the Damned. I truly enjoyed this story, although was a bit lost and confused at times. A little more explanation about some of the magical beings, how they came to be there, and some of the magical elements would have been helpful, although it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I really loved the peeks we got of Brigid's relationship with Knightly, but wish there was more of it. It wasn't really even much of a subplot, but all the elements were there to make it a great one!
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes stories about modern-day witches, mystical settings, quaint Irish towns, seemingly morally-grey love interests, and found family. I can definitely see myself reading this again!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review! The Lost Witch is available December 27th, 2022.

This book definitely teased you for the first couple chapters. It was paced well at first, and really drew you in. Then it fell flat. The was drawn out and confusing more than anything. Crutches is a great writer! Her words flow and she her style is beautiful, I just felt as though the story itself was just not it. So much of it felt rushed. Not put together. Mashed.

I did enjoy all the elements in the book. With witch craft, folklore and other magic elements it made parts of it really fun. I was let down when Dove didn’t have a larger roles in the book, as she was a part of the actual synopsis of the book.

I really enjoyed The Orphan Witch and at first thought this was going to a sequel to that. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't, but it is a good book on its own. It gets off to a slow start, but if you keep with it you will be rewarded. The final quarter of the book is fast paced and action packed. There are also some really great scenes between Brigid and Knightly - I liked getting to see the early days of their romance. I liked Ophelia and Finola, but was not a huge fan of the podcast inserts throughout the book. They didn't add much and interrupted the flow of the story. Much like with Orphan Witch, The Lost Witch has some loose threads that are left unfinished/unresolved and give the impression there may be more stories with these characters. Maybe there could be a crossover between the characters of these two books? I would definitely be game for that.

I wanted to enjoy this book but I just didn't. It's not a bad book I just couldn't get into it. I feel bad because it's well written. it's just not for me.