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Post Written by Doll Alli

Author: Lee Nichols
Book: Wednesday Night Witches
Release: August 1, 2007
Series: Novel
Source: Author
Purchase: – Barnes & Noble
 

“On the outs with her live-in boyfriend, Eve Crenshaw flees Manhattan for a different kind of island life of the coast of Maine. With the help of her college roommate, Natasha and her friend Kim, she rents a seaside cottage and waits for her boyfriend to beg for her return. Instead, he gets a new girlfriend. Now Eve’s stuck on an island with no cable TV, no Starbucks and no eligible men. Desperate for diversion the women meet every week for drinks, dubbing themselves the Wednesday Night Witches. One stormy evening, the Witches raid Kim’s cellar and find a strange bottle of liqueur. Getting into the spirit, they each make a wish, life their glasses and… well, no one can quite recall what happens next. But suddenly, their wishes start coming true! Only, as life gets better and better for the Wednesday Night Witches, everything else on the island starts going to hell…”

This is the first time that I’m reviewing a book by 1) an author I’ve never read before and 2) a book I haven’t previously read. It’s slightly overwhelming trying to put all my thoughts in to one coherent review that everyone will enjoy. Let’s get down to business. My first impression was that the book had an interesting title. After reading the summary on the back of the book I wasn’t quite sure how the whole witch nomenclature would fit. The cover wasn’t much help either, as it is just 3 different colored hair women sitting on a moon with some type of beverage in their hands. I had assumed solely based on title, that this chick-lit story would be much more paranormal than it actually was. That being said, I was pleased with the way the witch plot-line was woven into the story.

Meet Eve Crenshaw, a kindergarten teacher in NYC, who suddenly breaks up with her live-in boyfriend Gregory. In the heat of the moment, she catches a flight and ferry up to Broome Island, Maine, the residence of her old college roommate Natasha Kent. Natasha Kent is a starving artist, selling what she calls “surf n’ turf” paintings in a local gift shop. After accidentally falling into a perfect new job, and loving the island life, she decides to stay and rent a cottage on the water owned by Kim Gray. Kim Gray, a founding family descendant of Broome Island and Natasha’s ex-sister in-law, claimed to be a witch or at least have some witchy powers. Insert one story of a founding family member being hung for being a witch after banishing one demon! That’s right, I said DEMON! One night, all three women playing trivia and desperate to change their lives around form the “Wednesday Night Witch” club. Things seem relatively normal until one night, the WNW club was drinking at Kim’s house during an ice storm, when they found a bottle of what they thought was elderberry wine. From there it seems as if all the three girls wishes are coming true, but not without some expense. Without wanting to ruin too much, let’s just say things get really tricky.

I really liked Nichols writing style. I didn’t find myself getting bored with the mundane details and there was enough dialogue to keep the story moving quickly. Growing up in the North Atlantic region, I could relate to how frigid cold Nichols painted Maine, and how there wasn’t a whole lot of activities, shops, or people around. Again, I kept waiting for the generic chick-lit love formula to smack me in the face but Nichols was so slight about when it occurred and with whom. I also loved the paranormal aspect of this novel. It was quite subtle but gave an air of mystery to the story. And the twists! I love it when authors put plot twists in there. Just when you think you have it all figured out BAM! Think again! Like most chick-lit, there are some booty making scenes to this story. The cheese factor was a 4 out of 10 (not too terribly cheesy..maybe blueberryish, if you read it you’ll know what I’m talking about). I just found it slightly annoying how the characters had to rehash said sex scene over and over and over again in slight intimate detail. It made me feel uncomfortable for that character… but that just might be me. I do have to admit something. I did have a complete “Witches of Eastwick” moment and was wondering when Jack Nicholson was going to make someone start puking cherries stones.

Overall, I liked the book. I would definitely recommend it to a friend who’s looking for a fast read. The only complaint I would say I have is the switching of story narrator. Sometimes it became confusing on who was actually narrating until a paragraph or two in. I’m looking forward to reading more from Nichols in the future.

Also Reviewed By: – RT Book Reviews

Alli has always been a lover of books. Her mom even has a photograph of her sleeping curled up in a book rack as a young child. From reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street books as a young teen to reading just about anything and everything these days, her love for great stories has never ceased. She even thought to pursue her love of books with an English degree in college, but decided science was more of her forte. She currently resides in Georgia with her husband, her Boston Terrier (Maddie), and two fluffy cats (Chummy, Lulu) where she works as a research scientist. When her nose isn’t in a book, she enjoys anything outdoorsy and running races/ triathlons in her spare time.

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