By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

I was hoping for a few days off from dealing with murder charges, bad guys, and the everyday paranormal bizarre. All I wanted was a nice break from all the crazy. And did I get it? No. Of course not.

Instead, a new coven comes to town. A coven of witch females who call themselves The Sisters of the Circle, a small, elite group for the upper crust of witch society—according to Dolores.

But there’s something off about this coven, and I just can’t put my finger on it. All the while, my aunts and other witches in town worship the ground they walk on like giddy fangirls.

Forget my time off. What I got was a whole new set of problems as my life spirals down the crapper once again.

If that isn’t bad enough, a curse settles on Hollow Cove. Something dark, ominous, that threatens the lives of the townspeople. If I don’t find the counter-curse in time, I could lose everything.

And the clock is ticking . . .

Tessa wakes up to quite the racket coming from downstairs. When she arrives in the kitchen expecting a party or something close to that, she’s informed that the Sisters of the Circle are in Hollow Cove. Dolores is positive they are here to offer her a spot, well her and the rest of the Davenport witches.
Apparently, they are a big deal in paranormal circles as they are rich, powerful and elite.When Iris arrives, she has with her the coveted invitation. Then it’s a frenzy to get ready, wouldn’t want to be late for this party. Tessa struggles mainly because she really wants no part of this but for Dolores’ sake, she will suffer through it. When she sees the wards on the door, she’s also worried about her demon side being exposed.Tessa’s reaction entering is very different from everyone else, it was hard for her to take the steps through, but she makes it okay. It would have been fun to watch these crazy witches, dressed like they belong in the fifties and acting like the ‘Stepford Wives’ if it wasn’t for the voice in her head. The voice that sounds like the leader of this coven, Jemma.The worst thing is her aunts don’t believe her and Dolores more so than the others accuses her of wanting to destroy her chances to join them. They can’t fathom anything being wrong with this coven.

Iris tries to help but thinks she actually made things worse. Talking things through with Marcus helps and he even tells her she can move in with him.

A conversation with her Dad helps with the knowledge of her new demon mojo. At least she’ll have help learning to control it.

Things go from bad to worse when Tessa’s aunts hold a dinner party for the Sisters of the Circle. This is amusing with childish food play between Dolores and Tessa until Obiryn shows up. Thankfully Beverly saves the day playing it that he is her date. But then Jemma offers a position to Tessa not Dolores.

Then something totally unexpected happens, every shifter in Hollow Cove has shifted and can’t shift back. The gather at Davenport house for the Merlins to help them. Only what has worked before doesn’t work now.

This is a favorite scene.

“Oh, I don’t like this at all. Not at all.” Beverly’s green eyes were wide, her pretty face wrinkled in worry as she wrapped her arms around herself. “Did you see them? They’ve all gone completely mad! They wanted to kill us. They think we’re responsible for this.”

“I know. I was here,” snapped Dolores, her dark eyes scanning the paranormals, who were shaking the snow from their fur.

I looked across the front snow-covered lawn. Marcus the silverback gorilla was pacing again, his eyes wide and wild, and my heart sank at the confusion and unease I saw on his face. He looked trapped, confined in an invisible cage. He also looked like he was about to pound on some parked cars or take down some of the electrical poles.

“If it’s not a magical conjunction, what do you think this is?” Ruth was shifting from foot to foot, looking like she needed to use the ladies’ room.

Dolores raised her chin. “It has to be a curse. There’s no mistaking that. Could be the Twilight coven from New York. They’ve always been envious of what we have here. I remember Francine saying that one day they’d take down our town and make it their own.” Dolores let out a labored breath. “But this is more sinister. My guess is the Guild of Dark Wizards.”

Beverly let out a sharp breath, and Ruth crossed her legs, looking extremely uncomfortable. Yeah, she needed to pee.

“You can’t be serious!” exclaimed Beverly, shaking her head.

“Who are they?” I’d never heard of the Guild of Dark Wizards, but from the concerned expressions shared by the sisters, I didn’t think they were good guys.

Dolores looked at me, and I was surprised she actually answered. “They hate all shifters and half-breeds of any kind. It’s no secret they want to remove them from our world. They’ve done it before too.”

“What do you mean?”

Dolores paused and said, “They’ve destroyed communities of paranormals, just like this one. It started in Europe back in the twentieth century, and I’ve heard the rumors that they’re in North America now. They eradicate all shifters. Anything that is part animal or has a beast form, they kill. And this curse only affected them.”

Ruth nodded, her face wrinkling in distress. “That’s right. We weren’t affected.”

“I’ve heard of these bastards,” commented Ronin, leaning on the porch post closest to my father. “They hate vampires too, not just shifters. Yeah, it’s gotta be them.”

But I wasn’t buying it.

“Oh, come on.” I threw my hands in the air. “Isn’t it obvious? Who’s new in town and has the skills and the means to do this?” I stared at their blank expressions. Jeez. I was going to have to spell it out. “The Sisters of the Circle.”

Iris’s attention snapped to mine, worry lines wrinkling her forehead. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I answered. “I don’t believe in coincidences.” Somehow, I knew the coven was involved. The question was why?

“What is this madness?” It was Dolores’s turn to throw up her arms. “You just can’t stop, can you?”

“Apparently not if you still think this coven is all rainbows and unicorns.”

Dolores’s long face darkened. “You’re one of them now. You accepted the invitation to join their coven. How do you think they’ll feel when they hear you’re blaming them for this?”

“They’ll know I’m onto them.” Which wasn’t ideal since I wanted to keep those suspicions to myself until I found proof, but Dolores was pushing my buttons.

“You’re being ridiculous,” shot Dolores, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Ruth, wince. “Your logic has no merit. Give me one reason why the Sisters of the Circle would want to put our community at risk? What would they gain from performing a curse like this?”

Okay, she had me. “I don’t know.” Yup, I sounded lame, but I didn’t know. However, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to do my damnedest to find out.

Dolores scoffed. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”

“Right back at you,” I snapped. I could be just as nasty as her.

Beverly stomped her foot. “Would you two just stop it! Stop. How about we stop this bickering and figure out how to help these poor souls.”

“It’s them,” I repeated. “The coven did this.”

“If you hate them that much, why did you accept their invitation?” asked Dolores. I heard her teeth grinding, and the sudden flush of anger on her face was truly savage.

I clamped my mouth shut, knowing that even if I tried to explain, she’d never believe me. “I…”

Beverly let out a breath. “Leave it alone, Tessa. Just stop it.”

My mouth fell open. “That’s not fair. I didn’t ask to be part of their coven.”

“But you accepted.” Dolores looked away from me and stepped to the edge of the porch. “Go home,” she called out. “Go home and rest. We’ll figure this out in the morning. No need for all this nonsense. Get some sleep. It’ll all be okay in the morning.”

None of the shifters moved for a long while until one of the cougars got up and padded away. Then all the other shifters followed, everyone except for Marcus.

“Let’s go, ladies.” Dolores gestured toward the door. “Looks like we have a lot of work to do tonight.”

Without another word, my aunts turned and walked back into Davenport House, leaving me, Iris, and Ronin staring back at them.

I realized, then, that my father had disappeared, and I hadn’t even noticed.

Anger fueled me. How could they be so blind when it was right there in front of them?

I stared back at the street. “Guess I can’t count on them to help now.”

“Dolores seems pretty pissed.” Ronin leaned on the porch railing next to me. He folded his arms on his chest, his eyes reflecting in the porch light and searching. “I’d hate to be on that witch’s bad side. She scares me.”

Iris let out a long breath. “For what it’s worth, I believe you.” “You don’t think it’s that wizard guild?” I’d forgotten the name already.

Iris shook her head. “It’s like you said. It all started when the Sisters of the Circle came to Hollow Cove. The voices in your head. This curse. Now they’ve offered you a position in their coven. It has to be connected.”

Ronin made a sound of agreement in his throat. “Yeah. Makes sense.”

Relief and gratitude washed over me at the loyalty of my friends. At least I could count on them.

“Besides,” said Ronin. “The wizard guild wants us dead, period. They don’t want me or the shifters to stay in their animal forms. They want us gone, like we never existed. These bitches are just playing with us.”

Stay in their animal form.

I stared out into the night until my eyes met that massive silverback gorilla who was the chief in town. Guess I couldn’t stay at his place tonight. The gorilla was full of rage. He felt powerless, which fueled his rage. He needed an outlet for it, or he was going to hurt someone, possibly kill.

He was in no shape to have company. I didn’t think Marcus would want that either, and I didn’t blame him. The thought of having to stay in Davenport House tonight after the continued animosity between me and Dolores made me sick to my stomach.

But I didn’t have a choice.

Yet that wasn’t the reason why my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. “What happens the longer they stay this way?” The gorilla stilled, and I knew his hearing was just as good as it was in his human form, probably better. He wanted to know the answer too.

“Depends on a lot of things,” said Iris, worry pinching her features, “including age and type of shifter. But the longer they stay in their beast form, the harder it will be to turn back to their human form.” She hesitated, and I knew she was holding something back.

“What is it?”

A flicker of unease crossed her face. “Well, if they don’t change back soon, I mean, some might never change back.”

“What?” Ronin pushed off the railing, his eyes catching the light of the porch. “Are you saying that these poor bastards are going to stay this way for the rest of their lives if we don’t find a way to reverse this?”

Iris nodded.

Shit. The worry that had wrapped around my guts grew stronger and stronger until it blossomed into full-blown anxiety. “How long do we have?”

Iris’s face looked pale as tension marred her expression. “Depends on the curse. Forty-eight hours, maybe? Possibly less? After that, it’ll be too late. Their beast will take over. They’ll forget about their human part and succumb to their animal.” Iris took a breath and said, “They’ll never be able to change back.”
Richardson, Kim. Witching Whispers (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 7).Kindle Locations (1513-1577). fableprint. Kindle Edition.

Nothing like a time limit to have everyone working to find a cure. For Tessa, it means keeping Marcus calm, and figuring out what that dang coven is up to.

There are plenty more surprises ahead, and I couldn’t put this book down until everything was solved.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.