Calling all romance and romantic fantasy lovers, Bookmark is excited to be launching Island author Caitlyn Paxson’s debut novel A Widow’s Charm on Tuesday, March 31st at 7 pm at The Haviland Club, located at 2 Haviland Street. If you are a fan of neighbours to lovers, he falls first, comic flirtations, and very good dogs (yes, an actual dog), this will be an event not to be missed. Caitlyn will be joined by Katharine MacDonald for a conversation about her new book. This event is free and all are welcome.
In Caitlyn’s witty fantasy romance A Widow’s Charm, a widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home—only to find herself falling for him instead.
Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he drops dead quite unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde from her malevolent brother-in-law die along with him. What's a widow to do?
Fortunately, potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Erol Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead and save his own life. Now he's injured, destitute, and miserable, stuck hiding out at the neighboring estate.
For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful, Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again. This book works on all levels—as a romance, as a fantasy and as a delightful comedy of errors with a serious heart. Grounded in relatable characters, a faux-historical setting, and plenty of witty banter—with only a shimmer of magic and a charming cozy feel.
CAITLYN PAXSON has a degree in writing and cultural history and has been employed as the artistic director of storytelling performances, a harpist, a book reviewer, a nineteenth century jack-of-all-trades, and a shepherdess. She lives on Prince Edward Island where she works as a historical interpreter for the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation. You might know her from programs like The Haunting of Yeo House, The Beaconsfield Seance, In the Time of Maud at Orwell Corner Historic Village, and other immersive historic programs. She keeps a witchy garden and lives in the country with her husband and three orange cats. A Widow's Charm is her first book.
KATHARINE MACDONALD is a reader, mom, content creator and municipal administrator living in beautiful Mount Stewart, PEI. She grew up nearby in the newly-renamed Wild Harbour and in Charlottetown, and loved reading all throughout her youth. Having lost touch with reading for pleasure in early adulthood, the voraciousness returned after discovering historical romance. Though most of her reading is to her toddler these days, she always has a few books on the go. When she's not reading or parenting, she putters around her home trying to make it cozy and shares bits of rural PEI life online. As CAO of the Rural Municipality of Mount Stewart, she oversees all operations of the municipality, and is especially proud of the two ginkgo trees planted and the custom strawberry-and-duck crosswalk, which everyone should definitely come check out.
Praise for A Widow’s Charm
"Witty, whimsical, and deeply kind, A Widow's Charm is beyond charming—it's wholly enchanting." —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting
"A Widow's Charm is an absolute delight from start to finish: a lush garden of warmth, wonder, and appetite that will leave you pleasantly sated and hungry for more." —Amal El-Mohtar, New York Times bestselling co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War
"Funny, sexy, and unbelievably charming—this novel is a new forever favorite. Full of complex characters, delicious yearning, and earnest heart, A Widow's Charm is a brilliant debut." —Alexandra Vasti, USA Today bestselling author of Ladies in Hating
"A rake on the run, a heroine who wields the double entendre like weapon, a dash of necromancy, and a very good dog—Caitlyn Paxson's debut had me smiling (and swooning) from page one. Witty, magical, and utterly charming." —Kate Robb, author of This Spells Love
"Caitlyn Paxson's A Widow's Charm is hair-raising, dead-raising, and utterly arousing. Sexy, absurd, cozy, lovable, hold-on-to-your-pants thrilling. The whole thing charmed the hell out of me. What even is this book? It's everything I want to read!" —C. S. E. Cooney, author of World Fantasy Award-winning Saint Death's Daughter
"Debut author Paxson playfully toys with tropes in this heartening and hilarious romantasy. . . . The ensuing comedy of errors is almost Shakespearian in scope. . . .The romance that blooms between Hilde and Erol adds to the charm and the delightfully drawn supporting cast is similarly easy to love. It's a joy." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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