Reviewed: June 10th, 2025
Released: April 18th, 2021
Genre: MM Paranormal Fantasy
Something wicked this way comes…and it might be too late to stop it.
Xander Corey lives simply, sustainably, on the outskirts of Osprey, a small, quaint town in Upstate New York. He’s a librarian when the town’s budget can afford him, a good friend, kind neighbor, and also, a witch. And while that’s of no concern to anyone around him, there are others, non-humans, who have a vested interest in Xander’s family land. Xander knows something dark and dangerous is brewing. He’s just not quite sure what.
And that’s not the only mystery he’s dealing with. The new chief of police is, by turns, giving him heart palpitations and homicidal thoughts. Xander can’t decide if the gorgeous yet infuriating Lorne MacBain is on his side, or trying to drive him insane. Added to that, the man doesn’t believe in magic, and since that’s who Xander is, their future looks anything but bright.
But Lorne is not the unimaginative, stick-in-the-mud Xander thinks he is. And a rock to anchor him as his life is turning upside down is just the thing Xander needs. Now if only the two of them can stay alive…
Helen’s Thoughts: 5/5
An enjoyable cozy fantasy about a hearth witch, Xander, who is the guardian of the parcel of land called Corvus. He is well known in the town of Osprey as the local witch and is oblivious to the attentions of the new police chief who keeps stopping him for jaywalking or other minor infractions.
Xander doesn’t understand why the police chief hates him, and Lorne, the police chief, is wonderfully inept at trying to explain his attraction. The banter is snarky, the setting idyllic, and the community watches with glee as Xander and Lorne stumble into a relationship. There is a touch of humour as Xander’s cottage helps with the match making, especially as it adores Lorne.
Against a backdrop of friends supporting each other, family relationships, and introducing a stoic Lorne to the paranormal, Xander and Lorne need to solve a murder mystery which links back to local history and Xander’s family. I love the relationship between Xander and Lorne; the flighty witch and the grumpy police chief are the perfect match.
The mystery intertwines cleverly with local history, ghosts, and scary monsters. Along the way, one of my favourite parts was Xander helping two young girls, both grieving recent losses and not understanding the paranormal activities happening around them. Skokse, the kelpie, was great, as was Argos. Shape shifting cats are always great fun.
I listened to the audio book, (I also have the ebook), and Greg Tremblay did a great job of narrating this story. His intonation and different voices were great and really brought the tale to life. A great listen, and an easy read.
Purchase Woods of the Raven
Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback
Link to book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback
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If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series or the Romantic Fantasy SoulMist series and now Harmony, a dystopian science fantasy.
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