A Bewitching Read

Sister of Wales by Cynthia Raleigh

Yarrow Pickering is the proprietor of the Lanthorne Ordinary, an inn located in the small hamlet of Milthorpe, Connecticut, in the 17th century. She’s also a skilled and gifted healer, an herb woman, and a witch.

In this second book of the Lanthorne Ordinary series by Cynthia Raleigh, Yarrow finds a glass orb nestled in the sand along the beach not far from her home. Upon close examination of the object, Yarrow knows this orb is more than simply a glass bauble. Its center is glowing and it is wrapped in a tattered piece of fabric that had obviously belonged to someone at one time.

Yarrow’s discovery of the orb sets in motion a series of otherworldly events that have Yarrow concerned for her own safety, as well as that of her sister and the villagers of Milthorpe.

First, a villager is attacked by a beast no one seems to be able to identify. It’s too big to be a wolf…but what else can it be?

Then the injured villager and his wife go missing under suspicious and eerie circumstances: will either of them be seen again? Where did they go and why did they leave the village?

The arrival of an English ship in the harbor of Milthorpe is reason for excitement among the villagers, but at least one of the passengers seems to have business with Yarrow. Who is he and what information does he seek? Is he there for good or for evil?

I could go on, but I won’t because I want you to read this engaging and riveting story for yourself. I said this (among other good things) when I reviewed the first book in the Lanthorne Ordinary series, Summoning the Winds: I am not normally a reader of paranormal or supernatural fiction. But as with Summoning the Winds, I could not put this book down. Cynthia Raleigh is a masterful storyteller with an uncanny knack for description and setting. The reader feels Yarrow’s trepidation, unease, and fear as she faces the prospect of confronting the beast in the woods, as well as certain people in the village who may turn out to be friend or foe.

This story reaches back into the legends of Yarrow’s Welsh ancestors as she learns more about her mother’s legacy and her own responsibility as an herbal woman. The tale does not disappoint.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense, dark secrets, historical fiction, and a story that unfolds like a beautiful tapestry from the past. You need not be a lover of paranormal or supernatural fiction to love the story, which is lush with legend.