1811, Boston Massachusetts, USA, home to the Salem Witch Trials two centuries earlier. Little Lydia Montrose is caught up in what is described as a ‘fight’ with a local boy, but the rumours never die down of what really happened that day.

1821, with the rumours still doing the rounds and Lydia now becoming a woman, the family move from the city to a small town and into Willow Hall. The house has stood empty for many years and even the owner, John Barrett won’t live there, preferring a smaller dwelling down the road. There is talk in the town that the place is home for ghosts, but surely ghosts aren’t real?

The Witch of Willow Hall is a fictional historical paranormal story with the most amazing cast of characters. The Montrose family, consisting of Father, Mother and three daughter, Catherine, Lydia and Emeline, who move into Willow Hall after a turbulent time at their old home, due to the incident with Lydia some ten-years before.

The tale is told from Lydia Montrose’s point of view. Lydia is a plain young girl, she is also a witch, she just doesn’t know it. She understands that certain things happened depending on her moods, but she doesn’t know why or how, though there are stories that they are the descendants from one of the Witches hung at Salem.

Catherine is older than Lydia and much prettier too. She is used to men falling at her feet and so deems every man to be in love with her. She is exceptionally shallow and naive and very, very selfish. She detests Lydia and tries to do everything in her power to make her sister miserable. She is also harbouring a dangerous secret, one that could tear her family apart.

Emeline is just a little girl, full of curiosity. She gets in the way a lot and wants to be like her big sisters. Lydia is her idol and they dote on one another.

The plot builds slowly as we get to know and understand the Montrose family, mainly the girls and witness overtime as strange occurrences happen to Lydia that she can’t explain and no-one else notices. There is a very upsetting scene within the book, one I’m not going to talk about. All I will say is that had I know it was coming I wouldn’t have read it sat on a sun lounger around the pool – Luckily I had my sunglasses on!!

The Witch of Willow Hall is a real treat if you love paranormal books or historical fiction. The casting is vivid, the setting beautiful, and the pace just right. I was amazed to discover that it was written by a debut novelist as it really is superb. I was hooked from the very beginning and stayed that way throughout. It is wonderfully enjoyable and the story lingers long after you close that final page.

About the Author

Hester Fox comes to writing from a background in the museum field as a collections maintenance technician.

This job has taken her from historic houses to fine art museums, where she has the privilege of cleaning and caring for collections that range from paintings by old masters, to ancient artefacts, to early American furniture.

She is a keen painter and has a master’s degree in historical archaeology, as well as a background in Medieval studies and art history. Hester lives outside of Boston with her husband and two cats.

The Witch of Willow Hall is her debut novel.