The Ravenswood Witch
By: Jennifer Keer

5 Stars

Rose is on the run for her life when she is injured and finds herself in a very different role. She soons finds herself in the role of Luna Greybourne, or as the villagers know her, the "Witch of Ravenswood." She continues to play the role to help out her "husband, "but her life will be even more changed than she could ever have imagined.

This was a story of survival and magic. Love and hate. Secrets and betrayal. It had a good historical setting with loads of the witchy superstitious stuff. The characters were easy to follow and presented the reader with a well laid out story. It was descriptive and captivating. I'll have to add. The shocking ending was one I never saw coming and wow!!!

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

**"The Ravenswood Witch"** by Jenni Keer is a charming blend of historical fiction, mystery, and magical realism, set against the backdrop of post-war Britain. The story revolves around its central character, Hester, and weaves together themes of family, identity, and the power of secrets.

The novel is set in the small village of Ravenswood in 1947, where Hester lives in an old house, Ravenswood Hall. Her life takes a turn when she starts to uncover the mysteries of her past and the connection to witchcraft within her family. The plot delves into dual timelines, combining historical events with Hester’s modern-day story, which keeps the narrative dynamic and engaging. Keer masterfully juxtaposes the struggles of post-war recovery with the deeper, mystical secrets surrounding the Ravenswood family.

One of the book's strengths lies in its character development. Hester is a relatable and resilient heroine, and her journey of self-discovery is heartfelt. The secondary characters, including villagers and other family members, are well-drawn, adding depth and warmth to the story. The relationships, particularly the complex dynamics within Hester's family, feel authentic and compelling.

Keer’s writing is lyrical and evocative, painting vivid pictures of both the enchanting and eerie elements of Ravenswood. The pacing balances the mystery with moments of introspection, giving readers time to connect emotionally with the characters while still advancing the plot.

On the downside, readers expecting a fast-paced mystery or heavy doses of magic might find the novel’s slow burn a little meandering at times. The magical elements, while present, are subtle and often take a backseat to the family drama and historical aspects, which might leave fans of more overt witchcraft narratives wanting more.

Overall, **"The Ravenswood Witch"** by Jenni Keer is an atmospheric and heartwarming tale, perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of magic. It is a story about embracing one’s heritage, the strength of family, and the power of untold stories, making it a satisfying read with a rich emotional core.

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is perfect for this time of year! To snuggle up and read, I couldn't put it down, wanting to know to know more about the characters and what their back story was. Set in 1885, where the belief in witchcraft is still alive, a poor young woman ankle is broke by accident by a man while running from something. Luckily for her, he saves her from prosecution and asks her to pretend to be his wife while her ankle is mended for inheritance. But what's happened to his wife before ? Why are the people in Ravenswood calling her a witch ?

Brilliant read thank you for netgally, boldwood reads for the ARC read.

This was my first Jenni Keer read and will not be my last. I could not put this book down. Perfect read for autumn for any mood readers out there. A mystery set in England in the late 19th century, with a splash of magic. The plot twist got me, the mystery got me, and I would die for Bran.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which had me hooked from the beginning.

Marcus bumps into a lady in the woods who seems to be running away from someone. He takes her back to Ravenswood Hall as she injures herself.

Whilst she’s recuperating, he persuades her to take the place of his wife Luna, whose whereabouts nobody knows, he will ensure she’s safe. Luna is also known as the Ravenswood Witch. The hall has some spooky things happening and things aren’t what they appear to be.

Secrets are withheld and speculation by the villagers of witchcraft, the story keeps you turning the pages. The characters, each with their own individuality, the story was very well written, kept you guessing how it would end.

I highly recommend this book.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it really was addictive reading that I couldn’t put down. This has been compared to Jane Eyre and it definitely has similarities, but it exists firmly in its own right too.

The atmosphere in this book was so good. We have a small town in England in the 1800s, a woman on the run who is injured in a collision with a stranger. The stranger is owner of a stately home but needs someone to pretend to be his missing wife in order to continue to receive her inheritance payments. He provides her a home to rest and recuperate in away from the eyes of her pursuers. However whilst in the house, strange occurrences are experienced, she sees signs of devil worship, there are odd things in the woods and she hears worrying stories about the wife she’s pretending to be. This has so many great things in for the gothic house vibes, ravens, witches, small town, decaying house, odd servants. It really nails the atmosphere.

We also have a slow unravelling of the secrets of our main character and her odd saviour. Some of this I genuinely didn’t see coming which was fab!

We also explore what it means to be a hero or a villain. Where people who are or want to be good have to do bad things to survive, people being put in dangerous situations, people being manipulated or hurt and what they have to do to get through it. This was really interesting and made the characters feel more fully realised.

A fab read!

The Rawenswood witch was a great read for me. I loved the plot, I loved the characters and mostly I loved the atmosphere of the book. While reading, I was trying to figure out all the mysteries and connect all the dots that author has created very successfully. I loved the mix of magic, love and drama. This book will keep you interested and it will give you space to develop different theories while also enjoying writing style and creative plots that will appear.

Mysterious, witchy, and dark. The Ravenswood Witch is a gothic romance centred around an unamed woman. On he run from the authorities, she is fortunately saved and hindered by Marcus Greybourne who passes her off as his wife to avoid her capture. Taking on the name and persona of Luna Greybourne, our unamed protagonist focuses on healing her broken ankle and unravelling the many mysteries at Ravenswood house.

Spookys, witches, mysteries and plot twists. While it is quite slow to begin with, once the plot gets into it, you're taken on a rollarcoaster of twists and turns. This is a perfect Autumn and Halloween read!

This was definitely a slower read which took me a little while to be invested it, but overall it was enjoyable!

The year is 1885, and a young woman is on the run, knowing if she’s caught, she’ll be hanged for murder. Moments from a safe haven, she collides with a gruff stranger, falling and breaking her ankle.

To her surprise, the man – Marcus Greybourne – convinces the local constable that she is his reclusive wife of ten years, Luna. He carries her back to the neglected and crumbling Ravenswood Hall, promising if she agrees to maintain this charade, he will keep her safe until her injuries have healed.

But the house is haunted by shadows and secrets. What’s more, the real Luna Greybourne is missing, without trace. Scratches and marks made by her around the house suggest witchcraft; and indeed Luna is known locally as the Ravenswood Witch; her reputation in tatters, like the wallpapers of the padlocked rooms she’d destroyed.

As strange happenings in the house continue, outside the screech of a raven echoes across oppressive woods that seem alive with dark magic. And the woman who is now pretending to be Luna can’t help but fear she’s escaped the noose for a far more terrible fate…

Loved this story! This is the perfect fall book club read. There is murder, mystery, magic and many twists. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

2.5 rounded to 3

I started reading this book without many expectations because I wasn't really sure about it. The premise of this book was great and it definitely piqued my interest, however I found the execution flat. Personally I wasn't able to connect with or just really get invested in the story and the characters. The beginning was slow and a bit boring and even though after around 30% of the book it got a better pace (for my taste at least) it wasn't enough for it to grab my full attention and wating to keep reading. Still I did.

This being said I really liked the gothic elements and the idea as a whole was great. I enjoyed the talks about witchcraft and several moments were still entertaining.

a young woman is on the run for murder. she collides with a man in the woods, and breaks her ankle, he takes her to his home and she pretends to be his wife. good book

The Ravenswood Witch
Historical , witchy ,Gothic, paranormal read with a touch of romance I really enjoyed this book !

Set in the 19th century (1885) this historical paranormal mystery is packed full of witchy activities, plot twists and turns with a spooky setting and characters. The story kept me intrigued and pulled me in from the first page to the last.
The authors atmospheric writing creates lots of tension setting the scene for the character’s whose emotions are reflected brilliantly throughout. The setting itself is a large gothic house Ravenwood and is situated on the edge of a wood which is where the house takes its name from.
Marcus and Luna Greybourne live in ravenswood house, only Luna is troubled, and her bizarre behaviour has caused the local villagers to believe her to be the ravenwood witch. The word witch still held plenty of provocation in 1885, with many still holding onto their superstitious ways the villagers struggle to understand Lunas behaviour and look to witchcraft as the answer.
Into the story comes a young woman fleeing for her life she crashes into Marcus and injures her ankle; Marcus scoops her up and takes her back to Ravenwood house. While she is there a police constable comes knocking looking for her, Marcus convinces him that she is his wife, Luna.
But where is his real wife? Where is the real Luna?
The author leads us to question each of characters that surround Luna, who can be trusted ? and who cannot?
The story is full of spinetingling moments that will give you chills, without giving away any spoilers “what appears to be safe is actually sinister” and “what is good is shrouded in evil”.
I loved getting to know all the characters and Bran the stunning talking Raven who is very protective of Luna was an interesting character adding extra level of intrigue. This is the second book I have read by Jenni Keer I love her writing style and the way she weaves each character into the setting. I definitely recommend The Ravenwood Witch especially if you love spine-tingling hair-raising moments and it is the perfect Autumn read.
Thankyou to Boldwood books and Netgalley for the Arc..

The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer

A great read. This is a fab period book with plenty of atmosphere and intrigue with a few twists along the,way to keep you interested.
I like how they meet and under which circumstances and the way the two went about getting to know each other.

It is 1885, and a young woman is on the run,, knowing if she was caught she will be hanged for murder. In her haste to get away, she collides with Marcus Greybourne and they both fall. Unfortunately for her,, he lands on her leg breaking her ankle in the fall. Unable to walk he takes her up to his manor on the hill. He strikes a bargain with her: if she will pretend to be his wife Luna Greybourne, then he will provide her a safe place to recuperate and he will tell no one her true identity. She agrees, and begins the charade of being Luna Greybourne of Ravenswood Manor, But the house is haunted by shadows and secrets. What’s more, the real Luna Greybourne is missing, without trace. Scratches and marks made by her around the house suggest witchcraft; and indeed Luna was known locally as the Ravenswood Witch. As strange happenings in the house continue, outside the screech of a raven echoes across oppressive woods that seem alive with dark magic. And the woman who is now pretending to be Luna can’t help but fear she’s escaped the noose for a far more terrible fate…

This was the first book I have read by this author, but I look forward to reading many more. This book was so good. I couldn't put it down. The book goas back and forth between the current storyline, and the timeline before she had to run away. In the current timeline you are finding out all that the "first Luna Greybourne" did, how she had descended into insanity, and this person was taking her place out of necessity. In the past timeline you find out what caused that person to have to run for their life. This book is perfect for fans of Simone St. James & Hester Fox. I highly recommend it!

This book will certainly become a classic! What a fantastic autumn read. This is the third Jenni Keer book I’ve read in the past two weeks and I am now her biggest fan.

The Ravenswood Witch is a great period read with every emotion you’d want in a good story. There are surprises, twists, and the ending is wrapped up in a perfect literary bow. The characters are well defined and the story moves along at a perfect pace. I enjoyed every page. Jenni Keer has such a special way to pull my opinions all over the board regarding characters and their situations.

Thank you for this advanced copy.

I rate this book a 3.5 but will round up to 4.

I had a harder time getting into this book until about 30% of the way in. Even then, it was a slower paced book but I felt more connected to the main character and was curious to see where it was going. I enjoyed a couple of the plot twists and the mystery in the book. I did feel disappointed with the ending though. I wish it would have ended differently. I felt like the biggest plot twist at the end seemed a little predictable and I didn’t like the turn it took explaining the reality of the original Luna. I also felt like the ending felt very rushed and a lot of loose ends needed to be tied up quickly in 20ish pages.

I did feel like this was a fun spooky mystery that is enjoyable for an October read, although a bit of it was a little bit “dark” for what I normally enjoy. I still enjoyed it and am grateful for the chance to have read an ARC copy of the book.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it, I would definitely read more books from this author. I’ve started to ready more historical books has the few I have read I’ve enjoyed, I loved this book well written and dark creepy vibes it was a bit slow in places but I didn’t find myself losing interest.

A young woman, wanted for a murder is on the run for her life when she collides with stranger Marcus Greybourne. As she falls, accidentally he lands on her and breaks her ankle.
To her surprise, he scoops her up just as the constable who has been pursuing her arrives on the scene. Marcus convinces the constable that the woman in his arms in his own wife of 10 years, Luna, and when asked about the woman he has been chasing, Marcus states that he has seen no one else in the area.
Marcus carries 'Luna' up to his old, wreck of a home - Ravenswood Hall. He enlists the help of his staff to tend to 'Luna's' wounds, and to get her comfortable for the night.
He and Luna come to an arrangement that they will continue the charade, and he will keep her safe until her ankle has healed. In return she needs to stay in character when a solicitor arrives for his annual visit. The man needs to see that Luna is safe and well so that he will be paid an annuity from Luna's family wealth.
The thing is, the real Luna is nowhere to be found. The Luna whom the locals believe to be a witch. Where can she be? Is she hiding in the house? Is she dead? Is she really a witch? Who can imposter Luna trust?
I loved this book from start to finish. Full of mystery and with excellent characters.
A1.