Book Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Title:  Witches of East End

Author:  Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher:  Hyperion

Publish Date:  June 21, 2001

Source:  Book it Forward Tours

Synopsis (from Goodreads:  From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

My Thoughts:   This book is Melissa de la Cruz's first book in the Beauchamp series and it was a great start!  I loved that it was about witches which was quite refreshing after so many werewolf and vampire and even fairy novels.  It is also the author's first adult paranormal book.

Joanna Beauchamp and her two daughters, Ingrid and Freya, are witches.  However, they are forbidden to practice magic due to the chaos of the Salem Witch Trials.  If they wanted to stay immortal, they must live in a human world with no magic.  This is going along quite well for hundreds of years until the girls decided they had had enough of their friends' troubles. 

That is when their trouble begins.  After Freya concocts a magical love potion and Ingrid ties a small knot, two people disappear.  Along with a strange silver substance that appears on the ocean and many of the townspeople getting sick, the witches know something evil is happening and that they must stop it.

I really liked Freya.  She was sassy, strong and a fun character.  Her romance starts out with Bran but quickly (within pages) she is torn between him and his brother Killian.  Killian is your typical bad boy.  He is mysterious and sexy and Freya can't help herself, despite the fact that she is engaged to Bran.  Bran is the nice, kind, generous brother.  The boring brother but Freya can't help but think that he is the one she has been looking for all these years.

Ingrid is your typical librarian.  She wears a tight bun and is very strict about how her library is run.  But she has a kind heart and despite the fact that she thinks she doesn't need or want love, she finds herself feeling something for the local detective, Matt. 

Joanna is a great character as well.  She has a lot of love for Tyler, her housekeeper's son and will do anything to make him happy.  She also ends up resorting to magic and even going so far as to bring someone back from the dead. 

I love all the friends the girl has as well.  Hudson is Ingrid's coworker.  He is gay and a terrific addition to their "girls" group at the library (Ingrid, Tabitha and Hudson).  I loved his character and hope to see more of him in future novels.  Tabitha was sweet and I couldn't help but feel for her with her struggle in getting pregnant.

For those of you that have read and enjoy the Blue Blood series, Mimi and Oliver also make a short appearance.  I'm not quite sure what their purpose really is in this series yet but again, maybe we will find out in later books.  I am also not quite caught up on all the Blue Blood series so maybe if I was it would have made more sense to me.

The only issue that I had with this book was when the girls were taken to the police station to be questioned.  They weren't being arrested yet they were put in the back of a police car and taken to the station with lights and sirens on.  Trust me, as the wife of a police officer, I know that they do not escort persons of interest to the station with lights and sirens.  Just doesn't happen.  So, besides the unrealistic investigation process, I really enjoyed the book!