I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic novella by Louise Marley. Having previously read Breathless by the same author, I was looking forward to this and it didn’t disappoint. It was a really gripping read, and, although fairly short, it really drew me in and kept me guessing right till the end.

Kat has been through a terrible ordeal, having nearly drowned, washed up on a beach and almost given up for dead by the people who found her. Eight years on, she has no memory of what happened that night, or how she ended up on the sands, barely alive.

She is married to Jake Davenport, a writer who barely seems to notice her. When her aunt dies she inherits Raven’s Cottage in the village of Buckley, although Kat can’t imagine why it was left to her. There’s something special about Raven’s Cottage. Not only is it also a bookshop and cafe, but it was once the home of the legendary Magik Meg, a witch who apparently drowned, and whose ghost is reportedly haunting the area.

Taking the opportunity that has now presented itself, Kat takes her husband’s beloved cat, Mister Snuffles, and leaves Jake, heading to Buckley in the hope of starting a new life…or at least, hoping Jake will notice she’s gone and maybe do something about it. Upon her arrival at the cottage, she meets Chris Buckley, a police officer, whose family once owned the local manor house. He tells her there have been reports of lights in the cottage, and tells her to be careful. Kat, already feeling vulnerable and unwanted by Jake, is flattered by his attentions and not a little drawn to him.

Before long, she is running the cafe and bookshop and settling into the village, determined to put her marriage behind her, and it seems Chris is all too willing to help her do that. But strange things start to happen, and Kat begins to wonder if the legends about Magik Meg could possibly be true. Is the cottage haunted by her spirit? And what is it that Kat needs to remember?

When Jake turns up to sort out their marriage, Kat’s confusion grows. And when she makes a discovery about her husband, her bewilderment turns to fear. Who can she trust? As her memories start to flood back, she realises her life is in real danger, all over again…

This book is so easy to read, and really gripped me from the start. I couldn’t possibly give it anything less than five stars. I look forward to my next Louise Marley story.

5/5

Buy Something Wicked here