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I would LOVE to put a review for this book, loved it. I cannot in good conscious do so because of the publisher not employing their union with fair wages, working conditions and wanting more diverse reads to publish with.

Until they do, I WILL NOT PUBLISH MY 4.5 STAR REVIEW. Thank you for your time.

I have mixed feelings toward the story which is why I settled on three stars. I see the potential of the story as a whole and I could see it being made into a film or tv mini-series.

It shines in the past timeline with it's backdrop set in 1950s New Orleans, history of voodoo spells, how they worked and what led to the curse on the Montrose women through the eyes of the family's matriarch, Augusta. The reason behind my mixed feelings is that I didn't actually like Augusta and never felt bad for her. Every consequence she experienced (past and present) for her actions were well-deserved. 🤷🏾‍♀️😂 Those are the moments I enjoyed the most. Basically, I became a bonus villain to the plot.

In the present timeline, the details of the spell book came across as very convoluted. They seemed to all get lost with each other? Sections with actual printed spells and recipes would have benefited the flow and visual of the story. The disagreements between Victoria and Willow got old and tired really quick and only caused extra miscommunication especially when it came to the plot regarding Nickie. How they worked in their job field was beyond me. The last quarter felt rushed and misplaced at times. The character development went into hiding and there were still things left in the air. A lot of points where I went "How does that make any sense?" or just shook my head in discontent.



Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House Books for providing a copy for an honest review.

This one was not for me. I wanted to love it so much, I thought it would be about the family empowering each other and working their craft together but it just wasn’t like that at all.

This novel was nothing like I expected. I expected a dual narrative, lots of voodoo/hoodoo/black magic and more New Orleans. Of course those expectations were based on one sentence at the end of the back over synopsis.

Thankfully, I wasn’t totally disappointed with the linear narrative, Black family life, generational trauma and a decades-old curse novel that I ended up reading.

Augusta Montrose fled New Orleans with her granddaughters after her spiritual mentor put a curse on the women in her family in the 1950s. Now it is current time. The curse has come true for Augusta and her oldest granddaughter, Victoria. The younger granddaughter, Willow, has managed to avoid it, but her life is spiraling towards it. Even Victoria’s great-granddaughter, seventeen-year-old Nickie is even barreling toward heartbreak and tears.

Although Victoria is not a licensed therapist, she runs a successful business out of their basement, using her special gift: being able to read people and talk with them through their troubles. She is highly respected in her African-American community. Her sister, Willow, has a side hustle going on that is steeped in the potions and powders she can make for the book of spells that Augusta brought from New Orleans.

Nickie is aware of the curse but does not feel that will be affect her. It is only after she is abandoned in a nearby hotel that Nickie comes to understand the consequences.

This story moved slowly. It just did not engage me as much as I thought it would based on the cover and synopsis. “Black Candle Women” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. This book definitely had a slow start that often left me confused on what was going on. I wouldn't let this deter you from reading as I feel this can often occur with multi-generational stories. Once the story developed and the characters were introduced, I got engrossed in their lives. You could feel the pain that these women have gone through, and it was so relatable to the things us women go through to this day. Although the lives of these women were cursed, it reflected so much of the societal norms that are pushed on us. Although it did not have as much of the magic realism that I had hoped for, I definitely appreciated what Diane Marie Brown did with this story and the character growth that occurred.

This story spans four generations of the Montrose women who all have a gift that also comes with a curse. This curse leads to the men in their life dying, if they fall in love with them. The first three generations know to steer clear of love but Nikki on the other hand does not. This throws the close-knit household into a whirlwind. Secrets, voodoo and hoodoo all intertwine to lead these women on a journey of discovery that spans back to the 1950's.

Beware: miscommunication trope is present in this book.

So I saw a lot of potential in this story. Powerful women who tried to live their
lives, but a curse kept them from ever falling in love. I didn't love this story; I felt it could have been better. I would say over half of the problems these women had was that there was no communication between them. The curse these women have on them isn't really that old, so it didn't carry the weight I was expecting it to. I guess I was looking for something more that I was hoping this book would deliver. Instead, it felt more like a drama and relationship book than I expected. I liked how Willow could help people out by using magic in herbs. I felt that was a neat aspect of the book.
As our story unfolds over each page and each chapter, the family learns that they need to not only listen to one another but not to have secrets because secrets are not always the best to keep. Within this story, you see how the family comes back together and that together curses can be broken; you have to want it. I feel the story kept going back to the same feelings and situations over and over again, which was a bit dull. Again I saw such high potential for this story, but it didn't cut it. It was one I kept putting down and picking up over and over again. I don't think my students will enjoy this story.

I was interested in this book based on the description. It's like Practical Magic with diversity. However, I couldn't finish it. I didn't care for the pacing, I found Victoria to be obnoxious, and I just wanted them to get to the point. It is a good read for someone. Just not .me.

I'm not a big reader of multigenerational family drama but I was interested in the cultural and/or magical realism of the story.

This didn't quite do it for me. The narration was a little clunky-- with 5 women from 4 generations, it would be a challenge to keep all dialogue and attributions clear, but there's extra confusion added by frequent changes in perspective or primacy. Readers who prefer multigenerational family stories will have more insightful feedback on the dynamics.

The curse is mildly interesting but can't carry the story. The author tries to add tension by revealing-- and the repreating, multiple times-- that each character is keeping secrets but drawing out the reveal of those secrets. This goes on too long and feels repetive and stingy. That the matriarch can't effectively tell her secrets now, as she is mute after a stroke, adds dimension-- although she never speaks in the book, she is a major character. A lot of narration is focused on the long history of the curse and the generations of women it has impacted, but curse turns out to be not much more than 50 or 60 years old, laid against the great-grandmother who is still alive and well(ish). This short lifespan makes the curse feel less real, less important.

There were some problems with the writing-- it often seemed like the characters were frozen if not acting on the page. During gaps of days up to several months, no conversations took place off-screen and nothing changed, nothing developed or evolved. If the characters weren't on the page, they were in stasis.

eARC from NetGalley.

Augusta, Victoria, Willow and Nicki all reminded me of myself in different stages of my life. I laughed, I screamed, I cried throughout this book. The breaking of generational curses, finding ones voice and not being afraid to do the unexpected truly carried this story. I hope Diane Brown starts a series with this family, I truly look forward to reading more!

The Montrose women all share the same magical gift, but it comes at a particular cost.... the men that they fall in love with must die! This curse, dating back to the 1950s, dictates the way that 4 generation of women live their lives. Secrets, lies, and spells surround this peculiar family, as they navigate their complicated family ties.
Readers beware: if, like me, you hate the miscommunication trope, this book may not be for you! Even though, I particularly enjoyed the 1950s flashbacks and the voodoo magic, most of the problems in the family could have been solved by basic communication. Each character was incredibly frustrating in its own way, and it was hard at times to care about every little petty argument. The pace was pretty slow and it only picked up in the last quarter of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley, these are my honest opinions of the book.

This book took me a while to get into. I had a note at 17% that I was bored. But shortly after that, I started enjoying the book. It got more into the family dynamics & drama. The great-grandmother had a curse put upon her by her mentor that has now affected 4 generations of women.

There’s A LOT of miscommunication in this book, as there is with all families. But there is character development for everyone in the entire Montrose family. There were times I was shocked, times I laughed and times I related to the characters.

This was my absolute favorite book of the year! Full review coming this evening.

Thank you to NetGalley, Diane Marie Brown, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I felt like this was a strong story and I’m excited to see what else this author does. I always wanted something like Practical Magic but for Black girls. These type of stories will always hold a special place in my heart. I felt the story and the characters were fully fleshed out and incredibly strong. I’ll definitely be coming back to this.

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the eARC, these are my honest opinions of the book.

This book took me a while to get into. I had a note at 17% that I was board. But shortly after that, I started enjoying the book. It got more into the family dynamics & drama. The great grandmother had a curse put upon her by her mentor that has now effected 4 generations of women.

There’s A LOT of miscommunication in this book, as there are with all families. But there is character development for everyone in the entire Montrose family. There were times I was shocked, times I laughed and times I related to the characters.

What a fun romp of a read, with a message at heart. I appreciated the flow of this novel, there were never any moments it felt stagnant. And the women in this book come to life in Browns pages. They care for one another deeply, care for their customs and traditions and magic just as intensely. And still feel trapped by both that love and tradition. Thoroughly enjoyed.

"but maybe, she thought, Dudley Lee had been born to die young anyway . Some people’s fates were chosen that way, so that others could do things they wouldn’t otherwise do."
I recieved a netgalley arc of this and I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH. magic? A cursed family tree? Badass women? this was an adventure start to finish and it was my pleasure to read, honestly.
recommended<3

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read Diane Marie Brown's Black Candle Women.

What a fascinating story about some amazing women. I was caught on page one and stayed captivayed until the very end. Bravo!!

I was so invested in what was going on in this story, I was invested from the first page and really loved these characters and their story. The story worked on so many levels and I really had a good time reading this. The characters were beautifully done and I'm glad I was able to read this.

"Her fizzy heart went flat once she saw the long list of results linking to sites about a Mexican band with the same name. It occurred to her that she might try Bela Nova’s given name, and her date of birth, and as much supplementary information she could remember about the woman."