Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Opinions shared are mine.
Romantic books are fine with me, as long as there’s a decent plot that carries the story beyond the romance. The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry had such an interesting backstory, with just enough romance on the back burner, that I couldn’t put it down!
Though I didn’t know it when I selected this book to review, The Fifth Petal’s story is drawn from the Salem witch trials. I recently read How to Hang a Witch, so the legend of powerful descendants was still on my mind. The mystery of the good witch vs. bad witch was truly enchanting!
What I liked best about the book was the way Barry demonstrated her extensive research on unique history without making it a boring lesson. I found myself looking up things like “sound therapy” and “tufo” just to find out how much of it was real. The characters were so realistic that I could imagine them….almost like a small-town roll book. Paranormal details such as the banshee and dark magic just added to the creepy factor. If you’ve ever walked among the trees in a forest and felt the eerie sensation that the trees were whispering, you’ll be chillingly delighted with this tale! Though there was romance in the story, it was a natural extension of the characters instead of feeling forced. It wasn’t too graphic, thankfully, and seemed to fit in the story pretty well. I love when history comes alive through modern stories like The Fifth Petal.
Do you like modern stories about old legends?
I’ll be sending my review copy of The Fifth Petal to one lucky Savings in Seconds reader. Open to US/CAN residents ages 18+. Void where prohibited by law. To enter, visit the form below. Good luck!
I don’t know why but there is no video for me to click on. It just has the word ad in parenthesies. I’ve been looking forward to reading this. I’d like to read the first book though The Lace Reader.
Carol L
Publishers Weekly says this is “dark and suspenseful,” so I’d certainly be willing to give it a look!
The video isn’t working :/
ditto on the video comment!
The review sounds good and has me intrigued!
I have always been interested by the Salem witch trials and the hunt for witches throughout time. Tying the past and the present together sounds very interesting to me.
Thank you so much.
It sounds like a great book and I like the cover, that makes me want to read it.
This sounds great. I like the dark magic element.
I enjoyed the review and it made me want to read it. I know I will enjoy reading this.
I want to win because I like a good romance book!
it looks very interesting to me
I want to read The Fifth Petal because I have read so many positive reviews.
This book sounds really interesting. I love suspense/thriller! Thanks for the giveaway! ?
What an intriguing book! The Salem witch trials and paranormal books are very interesting. I would love to win a copy of this book. Thanks for the great giveaway.
I want to read this because your review made it sound interesting–paranormal, witches, a little romance but not a mush fest…sounds like a good read!