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A Secret History of Witches

The spellbinding historical saga of love and magic

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A Secret History of Witches

By: Louisa Morgan
Narrated by: Polly Lee
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About this listen

Discover a magical historical saga of mothers, daughters and the power of witchcraft - perfect for fans of A Discovery of Witches, Outlander and Nora Roberts.

'It's true, ma petite. If they know - if they discover what we are - they will try to kill us'

Brittany, 1821. After Grand-mere Ursule gives her life to save her family, their magic seems to die with her. Even so, the Orchires fight to keep the old ways alive, practicing half-remembered spells and arcane rites in hopes of a revival. And when their youngest daughter comes of age, magic flows anew. The lineage continues, though new generations struggle not only to master their power, but also to keep it hidden.

But when World War II looms on the horizon, magic is needed more urgently than ever - not for simple potions or visions, but to change the entire course of history.

A Secret History of Witches is a moving historical saga that traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters - witches whose magical inheritance is both a dangerous threat and an extraordinary gift.

Shortlisted for the Endeavour Award.

©2018 Louisa Morgan (P)2018 Little, Brown Book Group 20th Century Family Life Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Magic Romance Women's Fiction Witchcraft Epic Fantasy Magic Users Paranormal

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Critic reviews

"Will sweep you away to a time of magic, love, and loss...Mesmerising." (Tish Thawer)

"Deftly captures the greatest magic of all: the love between mothers and daughters." (Jordanna Max Brodsky)

"A deeply satisfying and magical work of great craft." (Carol Goodman, author of Incubus)

Featured article: Witches in fiction: 12 historical fiction books to listen to this Halloween


Throughout history, women have been branded as witches by people scared of their power, confidence and independence. In days past, accusations of being a witch – thrown at women for everything from being talented at working with herbs to being in the vicinity of a death – could result in banishment or even death. These 12 audiobooks, perfect for the longer nights, colder weather and the Halloween season, tell the stories of women through history, from goddesses to regular women, through a mix of horror, fantasy and historical fiction.

Featured article Witches in fiction: 12 historical fiction books to listen to this Halloween
All stars
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Beautifully read Hard to put down despite the jumping through generations making new sub stories

Gripping

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This was my first audio book and I am sure it won't be my last. I was hooked from the start.

A great listen

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I felt the choice of narrator carried this for me a little as they did a fantastic job. I did enjoy the story but it was more a pleasant nostalgic ramble for me than something that compelled me onwards. I think there's room for that though and it was a really light and pleasant distraction to listen to while going about my own doings.

pleasant distraction

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love it, fantastic listen, worth the wait, a little slow at the start, but really really worth the wait

wow wow wow

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I loved absolutely everything about this book, each Ochiere woman's story was equally fascinating.
The only tiny problem I had was with the narrator, the way she pronounced Samhain drove me a little bit crazy. I know it seems silly but surely a narrator should find out how to say words they aren't sure of. Polly Lee you are a good story teller but for future reference Samhain is pronounced Sow-en or Sah-win.

Mesmerising

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I almost didn’t read this book because of some strange reviews. The story is fantasy fiction so does not need to be believable and the narrator pronounces some words in French because it’s a French family. The book of Veronica brings the whole story together and highlights the compromises made to carry on the family line. I really enjoyed this book.

A good story and narration

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This is the fastest I've gone through a book on audible. Loved it.

Excellent read

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I was really enjoying this book until the bit about Queen Elizabeth being a witch.... a step too far IMO and I gave up....

lost its way

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It's hard to get into this as I'm totally thrown by odd pronunciations. I'm a witch who's been around pagans for a while. I love reading historical or fictional accounts about witches even though most of it is fantasy and does not relate to real life Wiccans. I'm sure this is a great book but I'm not a fan of the narration. It's a dry, raspy academic sounding reading. And there are words that I've never heard pronounced like this like Samhain which the narrator reads as Sam-Hane. And Lith which she pronounces Lith-er. And even Sabbat has strange stress on syllables in this book. I kept thinking there was a male character called Louis Sept, then realised the narrator actually meant Louisette which should be more like Louise with an ette on the end. So however knowledgeable the author is with Wiccan traditions and the wheel of the year, hearing the odd pronunciations sounds like someone who's never met a Pagan and probably isn't interested to find out. So I'm curious, do publishers just get a voice artist to read then never check their product afterwards? Some strange things kept happening as well like sentences or pages that repeated twice and I checked on other devices and it kept happening. It seems to me there's a lot of money to be made when audible books are around £28 sometimes, or more, but publishers are behaving like it's just an add on perk or favour like they have produced a charitable reading for the blind to access, when we've actually paid a lot for it. I have come across annoying things about audiobooks like the fact it doesn't read the front pages, or the about book, nor does it ever read the afterword or info or acknowledgements at the back of the book, sometimes chapter numbers are missed too when ALL should be accessible to the visually impaired. Sometimes there are other mistakes too. Yet if we have visual problems and rely on an audiobook it's always a shadow of the cheaper text version. Anyway, my point is, publishers please check your audiobooks. And if you include elements of religion, culture or foreign languages, check that these are pronounced correctly otherwise it feels disrespectful. Also check that the voice is suitable and restful for someone who wants to listen for hours. Often I have to return an audiobook because the voice is hard, grating and painful with inconsistent volume. In this particular book, I don't want to be rude but mispronunciation aside, the voice just isn't a pleasant one to listen to for hours on end. I am continuing and hoping the story will distract me from these annoying bits.

Odd pronunciation of some important words

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Everything about this book I liked I know it’s a work of fiction but lovely to hear about 'THE CRAFT' without all the devil/god stuff that has hijacked any mention of the women who knew how to heal and nurture passing through the ages of time.
So sad it had to end but ended very well

Wonderful

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