| Title | : | If the Broom Fits (Wicked Witches of Coventry #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 200 |
| Publication | : | First published March 17, 2019 |
Brighton Longfield is kinda bad at life. She’s divorced, childless, and she just got fired… again…
With dwindling savings and few prospects, she packs her possessions into a U-Haul and sets out for the little town of Coventry where she inherited a dilapidated old house from her Great Aunt “Mad” Maude Tuttlesmith.
Coventry is supposed to be a stop in the road for Brighton. The plan is to fix up the house, sell it, and then figure out what to do with her life.
You know what they say about the best-laid plans…
Coventry isn’t your typical small town. At one time, it was home to two powerful families of witches. But, the Skeenbauer and Tuttlesmith families couldn’t put their differences aside, and eventually, the feuding drove the Tuttlesmith witches out of town.
The matriarch of the Skeenbauer family isn’t pleased to have a descendant of the Tuttlesmith witches return. The thing is, the Tuttlesmiths stopped practicing magic when they left Coventry, and Brighton has no idea she’s a witch. She’s about to get a big surprise.
Oh, and there’s also a dead guy in an alley behind the diner. Brighton finds his body one night after stopping in for a stack of pancakes, and of course, the town’s hunky sheriff starts to give her the side eye. But, a lot of people wanted the victim dead, and that only complicates the investigation.
There’s a murderer on the loose in Coventry, and Brighton’s got to learn to harness her powers to avoid the killer’s snare.
If the Broom Fits is the first book in the Wicked Witches of Coventry cozy mystery series. It is a humorous and clean read with no swearing, violence, or adult content.
If the Broom Fits (Wicked Witches of Coventry #1) Reviews
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Thanks to some lovely other Bibliophiles, I recently discovered Scribd. Since I returned to working full time at the beginning of 2020, I find myself listening to many more audiobooks. I can listen during my commute, on breaks at work, in the evening while I catch up on household chores... It allows me to get my reading fix when I don't have a lot of time to sit and read a physical book. But, my selection of audiobooks was severely limited until recently. Now, between my local library, Audible+ and Scribd, I can always find something entertaining to listen to.
I love it when I find a new-to-me author that I really like! I came across this book on Scribd and the cover art and blurb caught my interest. I really needed a cute, cozy story that was a bit Halloween-ish....and this fit that need perfectly. This is the first book by Sara Bourgeois that I have read -- and I'm definitely sticking around for more! I like the characters and the plot -- fun, entertaining, well-written. The short length was nice too....I finished this first story in two days and already have book 2 queued up on my phone.
The basics: Brighton Longwood's life is falling apart. She is newly divorced, childless, and got fired from her job. So, she packs everything she owns into a U-haul and heads to Hangman's House, a long empty mansion she inherited from her Aunt. The place is dirty, a bit neglected and she has no funds for renovation, but Brighton is determined to start over. That's when things start to get a bit weird. Turns out her aunt -- nicknamed Mad Maude -- might not have been so crazy after all. The little town of Coventry has a real witch of a secret! Soon Brighton not only finds herself a suspect in a murder investigation...but she's smack dab in the middle of a witch feud, discovers she has a family familiar, and strange things even happen to her hair. Her life is definitely taking a new direction -- just not one she could have ever expected!
I'm definitely going to be reading/listening to the rest of the books in the Witches of Coventry series. This story kept my attention the entire time -- entertaining and fun! Brighton is an interesting main character. I'm curious to see where character development goes for her...and for several of the side characters. And I adore her familiar!
Readers who like cozy mysteries with paranormal aspects and a dash of humor will enjoy this series! -
Cute Storyline
Interesting read, if you can move past the spelling and grammar mistakes. I do intend on finishing the series despite the amateur publishing, because I can clearly see the potential there. -
Brighton Longfield has moved to Conventry, a little town where she inhertited her great aunts house. When she first arrives she knows she has a lot of work cut out for her.
She isn’t making too many friends in town. She stays at an inn where Hattie runs the place. Not liking professor Hawkins she only stays one night. She could only afford one night. She goes back to work on the house and she notices it is not as bad has it seems.
She stumbles over the body of the professor which brings us to the sherriff in town. He is not too humorous and at first suspects Brighton. She doesn’t know what to think with a talking cat she now owns and a couple of friends she tries to make a life in town.
The characters were liked enough. The typos and grammer was a tad bit annoying. I did finish the book and it was easy to figure out who was doing what. I will try the next book in the series to see how well it fairs. It is not a bad book but can use a good editor. -
This was such a fun start to a new series! It was a quick read with some great characters that I'm definitely interested in keeping up with. All I could think of when Meri the cat started talking to Brighton was Salem, the talking cat on the old Sabrina series. The snark was just like him, but like Salem, I just loved Meri. He was a great character and despite his snarky comments and haughty attitude, he was a wealth of information for Brighton as well as a true and loyal friend when she needed him the most, especially when she crossed paths with a dead body her first day in town.
Being a quicker read, of course there were less suspects and it was a little easier to guess, but the fun was in catching the perp in action. Brighton decided to stick around Coventry, since she now had two new friends, a loyal cat familiar--and a cute sheriff was interested in her. I'll definitely be reading on in the series to see what other secrets the old house has and just who the ghost was that Brighton followed to the cemetery. -
Meh. Has potential. Cute characters, but inconsistent in their characterization. Perfunctory completion, little detail, choppy transitions. With detailing and something to build tension or suspense (barely present), this could be a good read rather than just a disposable novella. It was cute enough, but I'm not overeager to jump to the next.
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4.5 Stars This book doesn't take itself too seriously. It's got lots to recommend it like witches, a feud, a big black cat that talks, a creepy old house, a hunky sheriff, a handsome, blushing librarian, some funny situations and a dead body. What more do you want? Well, yes, it needs a proofreader. It's an easy, fun read and has lots more in the series. Recommended.
I have just finished reading all of the currently published books in this series, a dozen, I think. The easy, fun read continues throughout the whole series as does the funny series and dead body in each one. Witches, the talking cat gets a new start. The hunky sheriff leaves a legacy. The blushing librarian gets married and retires. We meet a voodoo queen and a vampire motor cycle club. Ghosts are a constant in this town, they pop up with every new dead body, old cemetery and sometimes just for fun, I think. The next book is due out in January 2021 and there is a big event coming up. Recommended. -
This book was literally just dumb.
The main character is dumb
The potential love interests are .. less than one dimensional.. I don’t even know if I can describe them as characters.
The one star (barely) is for Meri the cat. -
Mo review
The book "ends" on a disjaring note which has put me off continuing. It was a so so read as well. -
cute but not very good.
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Adoro cozy de bruxa
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2 stars - A bit of a nothing plot with a fairly pedestrian protagonist and lacklustre villain. Definitely not the worst, but far from the best cozy paranormal mystery I've read>
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Really fun book but
There are a lot of spelling and grammatical errors that need fixing. It was distracting. Otherwise, this was a really fun and and I'm about to grab the next book in the series. Hope the editing is better. -
Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited
Brighton Longfield is divorced and pretty much broke when she inherits her Great Aunt Maude’s old house in Coventry. Mad Maude had been in a mental institution for decades, but when she died she left the house to Brighton. Brighton’s mom and grandma didn’t want her to go to Coventry, but she had no other prospects so off she went. And her life will never be the same.
When Brighton gets to the house with all of her possessions in a U-haul trailer, she discovers it’s pretty dilapidated. After spending the night at an over-priced B&B she decides she needs to be able to live in it to preserve her limited funds. As she cleans it though, it turns out the house isn’t as bad as she thought the previous day. And then there���s the black cat that has declared it his home. Weird things are going on, but Brighton hasn’t figured it out yet. Because weird is actually magic. Who knew? Not Brighton.
So, Brighton has a “new” house, starts to make friends, learns of old family enemies, discovers she’s descended from witches, and then she finds a dead body. That’s when the fun really begins. Because she’s a curious type of person, Brighton can’t stop poking her nose into the investigation. And the hottie Sheriff is not appreciative of her efforts. Eventually everything works out.
This is a cute story with humor, mystery, and a bit of hotness. It’s light and fluffy despite the murder and a great way to spend a few hours. -
It was okay.
Nothing original and about 20 mistakes. But it filled some empty time I had. I don't think I'll read anymore from this series. -
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Fun read
This a fun book to read, a real page turner. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Keep reading! -
Brighton Longfield is divorced, childless and has lost her job again. The only thing she has is Hangman's House in Coventry, she's inherited it from her great aunt 'Mad' Maude Tuttlesmith. As she approaches the town her car sputters and dies, with dwindling funds she just gets out of the car raises the hood and begs it to start with promises of the best oil changes money can but once she has the funds. To her surprise it works and she's on her way once more.
Hangman's House is rundown and definitely needs a thorough cleaning. After a bat in the master bedroom closet scares the living daylights out of her, she decides to stay a night at Mama Hattie's. It's a basement room and definitely not worth the money, even with dinner and breakfast included, but it's the only place in town.
At dinner she meets Professor Max Harkin who's surprised she doesn't know of him. However, everyone is shocked and Cassidy the manager ran to the kitchen to burst out laughing when she professed to not being interested in his specialty of the paranormal. Let's just say Brighten is in for quite the surprise as she settles here.
Once back at Hangman's House Brighton is surprised to find as she cleans, the house is in better shape than she originally thought. A visit to the grocery store leads to interesting reactions from some of the shoppers. But it's an encounter she witnesses at Prue's Chocolate Treasures between the owner, Prue and Professor Harkin that leaves her angry and without her treat.
Back at home she finds a cat on the porch, she doesn't let him in though. It's not until she's rehanging the now clean drapes that she sees him again outside the window. When she goes outside to shoo him away again, he scoots into the house and settles in front of the fireplace. She hasn't admitted yet but she now has a cat. However, this is not just any cat.
Treating herself to dinner at Dumbledore's Diner, she has to share a table because of the crowd. It's here she meets Annika Skeenbauer and learns of the feud between their families, although Annika doesn't seem to be holding any grudges toward her.
Deciding to go home a different way, Brighton traverses the alley behind Dumbledore's only to find a body. The body of Professor Harkin. As she's panicking the cat shows up and she can hear him talking to her and calming her as she calls 911. Of course, she thinks she's imagining things. This is when she meets the Sheriff Thorn Wilson who advises her not to leave town.
It seems the cat, Meri has much to say and Brighton has a conversation first with her mother, who doesn't help and then her grandmother who does.
The attic, proves to be a library of old books, and some of them she can't read. In looking for help she meets Remy, Annika's cousin in the Archives of the Courthouse. She also manages to have a confrontation with Amelda Skeenbauer, Annika's grandmother, who was responsible for Maude being placed in a psychiatric hospital.
We meet a lot of people in this book, I've mentioned the most important ones. Those who help her solve the murder and clear her name and those who become fast friends and romantic interests.
I am reading the boxset, so I've already started the next book. -
This book is such a good fit for me! I love cozies, mysteries, and humor – most especially if there is a paranormal aspect, like witches! And guess what – it had everything I enjoy!
Having divorced her husband, lost her job, was childless after years of trying, and had no other options left, Brighton headed for Coventry to fix up and sell an old house left to her by her aunt, “Mad” Maude Tuttlesmith. Aunt Maude had loved Coventry, but her grandmother, Eunice Tuttlesmith-Bridger, had spoken of Coventry with complete loathing. Almost there, her car broke down on the way, and she has no money to fix it! Lifting the car’s hood in vain hope -- she admitted it was just a wasted gesture since she knew nothing about cars – a possible fix still looked hopeless. She was so close to Coventry, so she begged her car to just get her that far – and the engine restarted as if it had heard her!
As she drove down the main street, people kept staring. She hurried along and pulled into the driveway of a decaying old Victorian with at least two stories and maybe a third, unless that was an attic? Boarded windows and peeling paint greeted her. Crossing the sagging and creaking porch was a scary adventure. Turning on the lights inside didn’t help, even though the power was on. The dim bulbs still left her standing in a gloomy room. She yanked open the heavy drapes, and things looked much . . . worse . . . as sunlight flooded the room. The dining room and kitchen were equally dismal. This was going to need a whole lot of work!
Not expecting much, she headed upstairs. Choosing the master bedroom for herself, she opened the closet door and screamed all the way down the stairs and out to the front yard. She had probably terrified the bat in the closet, but she phoned a place called Mama Hattie’s she had seen on the way through town to ask about getting a room. The room, located in the basement, wasn’t much better than her own house!
As Brighton settles in, she discovers that she comes from a magical family with a long history in Coventry. She even manages to find a few friends, some enemies, a cat who speaks to her and maybe a little hope for a new beginning too. Finding a dead body in an alley behind the diner takes her in yet another direction as the sheriff looks at her strangely. Fortunately, she has a couple of friendly relatives to help her track down the murderer. Will they crack the case? Or will Brighton have to give up on her new life here?
This book is fun, giving us a light-hearted story of Brighton’s tackling everything life throws at her – well, hopefully everything! Don’t miss her adventures and see whether she can fix up her new home! This is only the beginning! -
3.5⭐️
Synopsis:
Brighton Longfield is descended from the Tuttlesmith witches of Coventry, although she doesn’t know it. When Brighton inherits her aunt “mad” Maud’s estate in Coventry after Maud dies, Brighton has no idea that Maud was not mad and was actually a witch. When Brighton moves to Coventry she discovers that she has powers of her own and many of the Skeenbauer witches are not happy that the Tuttlesmiths have returned to Coventry. The small town is rocked by a murder shortly after Brighton arrives and many begin to suspect Mad Maud’s descendent as the prime suspect. However, with some help from her familiar (a black cat called Merry), some unlikely allies amongst the younger skeenbauers, and the hunky town cop, Brighton might solve the murder and find a home in Coventry.
What I liked:
-This story was adorable. It felt like a Nancy Drew book except the narrator was a divorcée. The murder plot was interesting, but not frightening in any way. It was a perfect light hearted mystery. This book is super clean in general - no cursing, sex or any other steamy interactions, or gore. I don’t mind any of the above in books, but thought it was worth mentioning.
-I really liked Rémy and Anika and love how the younger Skeenbauers were portrayed as very accepting of Brighton despite her heritage and their family feud. I love how both actively go against their family to defend Brighton and forge a friendship.
What I didn’t like:
-The end of the book raced to a finish. I listened to this on audio and with fifteen minutes left the murder still wasn’t solved. It also ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. Overall the pacing felt a little odd because of that. This book is also incredibly short - it was only 3 hours long (compared to the average audiobook I read which is somewhere around 9 or 10). I think it seemed overall a little simple because of the length even though a lot is worked in and set up in this book. I feel like it seemed a bit rushed because of how short it was and things could have been developed a lot further than they were.
-I do not find Thorn, the hunky town cop figure, remotely attractive. He seems rude, condescending, and like he runs hot and cold. I would much rather see a relationship develop with Rémy, but sadly I don’t think that’s where this is going to go anytime soon 🙄
Final Thoughts:
If the Nancy Drew books and the hallmark series The Good Witch had a baby, it would be this book. Super light and happy even though there are murders and ghosts afoot, it was the perfect light hearted Halloween read. Don’t expect anything too in depth or developed - you will be disappointed. If you’re looking for light-hearted fall mystery, this is it. -
Intriguing little cozy witch mystery. I have to say, though, I started Familiar Kitten Mysteries first. I discovered Wicked Witches of Coventry later and bought the box set as I desired to know Brighton's story before I continued with Familiar Kitten Mysteries. This world, and the characters, really has me wanting more. It is fun, humourous, entertaining, cute, suspenseful, and magical.
My rating is based on a major timeframe issue, and little characteristics that appear strange to me.
First, the tameframe:
In Familiar Kitten Mysteries, Kinsley, daughter of Brighton and Remy, is 30-years-old. Wicked Witches of Coventry takes places around 30 years prior, when Brighton and Remy are 30-years-old and not yet together. Kinsley isn't even a thought. Now... in Wicked Witches of Coventry, there is talk of smartphones, GPS, the internet age, Googling, no payphones, and a diner called Dumbledore's Diner. It seems to me both series take place in the present time period. If there is approximately a 30 year difference, Brighton and Remy should be from the year 1990 or earlier.
Next, the characteristics:
Brighton acts like she has PTSD or severe fear of being hurt/attacked out of the blue. I know she is recently divorced and her ex remarried within 3 months, but was he abusive to her? She literally keeps thinking someone is watching or hiding in the house. She is quick to believe it has to be an intruder closing the curtains in the middle of the night.
Prue showing up at Brighton's to have her try bitter chocolates even though they never spoke or even interacted before was random and forced and bizzare. Then it turns out Prue is a Kitchen Witch. Maybe that last part is something for the next book or later, but it is still strange and not connected to the plot of this book.
The connection between Brighton and Thorn seems forced into the one between Brighton and Remy, ultimately creating a love triangle. Love triangles seem to be a thing, but they are cliche. You should just stick with the issue of Brighton and Remy as lovers despite being from feuding witch families. I don't see very many Romeo and Juliet situations. -
4 1/2 Stars
What a great start to a new series. This was an very enjoyable read that was highly entertaining.
Brighton finds herself single again and down on her luck. After divorcing her husband and losing her job, she finds herself moving into an old family home left to her from her departed aunt. She figures she can fix up the house and sell it, but what she does not expect is to find herself claimed by a cat, be given the stink eye by part of the towns occupants, and did I forget to mention realize that her family has a history of witches that co-founded the town?
There is mischief, mayhem, and murder in Coventry and the sexy Thorn doesn't realize how badly he needs Brightons help. There are ghosts, familiars, and feuds to be dealt with. Brighton finds herself friended by Annika and Remy. Together they mastermind a plan to catch the culprit to all the towns current mishaps.
Brighton is attracted to the sexy Thorn, but for some reason can not help but be curious about the nerdy but sweet Remy.
Strong story line, awesome description to detail, entertaining characters, and engaging dialogue. All in all a great book. One thing keeping this from getting 5 stars was the editing. This really needed a good beta reading to catch those minor things that needed cleaned and tightened up.
I can not wait to read more in this series!
Would I recommend this book? Yes
Would I read more from this author? Yes
Sassy Beta Reading and Review
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. -
The right book at the right time
💖 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚 Genre: Chick Lit / Cozy Mystery
💕 Positives:
* Some of the main characters were likable and sweet. Loved the sass from Annika.
* Learning about the town was interesting yet cozy.
* This has three mysteries to solve, which was pretty fun. They were fairly easy to solve, but still nice.
🚫 Negatives:
* Some of the other characters weren't well fleshed out. Thorn seemed very 2D and the epilogue scene didn't make much sense.
* It might have been my heavy amounts of brain fog from anaphalxis, but I don't remember a description of the main character outside of purple hair. So if I'm wrong, please discredit this comment.
⚡Trigger Warning: None. Squeaky clean.
🌟 Overall, this book appeared in my KU account at the right time. I was dealing with some health issues and definitely needed a distraction. Chick lit books are tough to rate since they're a bit fluffy, but sometimes when everything is super stressful, one needs a bit of fluff.
I enjoyed the multiple mysteries and learning more about the small town of Coventry. The only major downside is that a few of the characters weren't well described and the ending felt a bit rushed. More than likely though, I'll give this series another try. -
This book is frankly mediocre at best. The writing is juvenile. There are phrases like "bopping along" and "pound sand" that threw me so out of the story that I had a hard time going back. It read like a YA book for a very young audience.
The book was littered with grammatical errors. I couldn't help but think it was self-published without an editor.
The mystery was paper thin at best.
The author attempted a love triangle but it's not believable. There is zero chemistry between the MC and the two males.
The MC is not interesting enough to carry a book or a series. Of course she suddenly gets purple streaks in her hair after attempting magic, sigh. She started out promising and then she and the story fell flat.
The only reason I read this book is because I am interested in the spin-off from this series. Now, I'm not even sure I want to read that.
3-stars because the book had potential as did the characters. I'm just not interested enough and was so put off by all the errors and juvenile writing to continue the series.
