Loved this book. I was hooked from the first chapter.
This new series is going to be my next book addiction. I am a huge fan of all things Shawn McGuire and once again, she has hit a home run.
As sad as I was to not be revisiting the Village of Whispering Pines, I am happy to now be just as invested in The Blackwood Grove. As with all first books in a series, it takes a little while to establish all things, from the home and town to the characters and a little bit of back story. By the end of the book, you feel as if you know this world and can't wait to find out even more. I definitely finished the last page screaming impatiently that I want the next book NOW.
Dusty is all grown up and returns to her hometown that she hasn't been to since she graduated high school. She comes back to keep her granddaughter safe. Pretty much from the moment she gets there, she is thrust into a murder that her cousin is accused of, the cold shoulder of family, and a house that is also very bitter about her being away for so long. As Dusty tries to clear her cousin's name in order to make good with her family, the truth and feelings about why Dusty left all those years ago and what has happened since then comes to light. Even though she has been away for more than thirty years, something just doesn't feel right about the town, and it isn't just that things have changed over time. The characters have funny and quirky personalities and granddaughter Cricket is just the cutest lil' bug.
If you have read any of Shawn's series, you will love this new one. This series has a "Practical Magic" type feel. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Shawn McGuire, great characters, mystery, and magic.
As usual in Shawn‘s books, the characters are well-developed and compassionate. They have a real life issues connected to their mystical life the realities of relationships, including feelings of abandonment really struck Home. the drama of some underlying event that was about to occurs throughout the book as I waited to see what next. There were surprises in some of the characters, but it was wonderful to watch them develop and to see the sides of them that weren’t initially there. I can hardly wait to read the next book because I’m already invested in the story and in the characters. Well done.
This was a great read! While it was a departure from the Whispering Pines series, it is just as magical and so fun! Itbis full of interesting characters! I can’t wait for Book 2!
I loved the book! It was a great start to a new, exciting series.
The story line was full of mystery, intrigue, heartbreak and redemption. And the ending - left me in suspense and impatient for the next book in the series.
I read anything and everything that Shaw McGuire writes. She never disappoints!
I enjoyed the storyline and reading mysteries are my thing. I’m a super fan of the Whispering Pines Series and I was expecting that caliber of writing but this book missed the mark. In my humble opinion I feel there was a lot of redundancy through the book and a missed opportunity to add intriguing content. All of the elements are there for a good book. Maybe trimming out a few of the repeated reasons Dusty left would help it flow better. It sounds like Dusty and Carly will be be a crime solving duo so I’m looking forward to the next book.
Can’t wait to read.
I just finished Shawn’s first book titled The Caretaker in her new Blackwood Farm series and I loved it! I enjoy reading about Whispering Pines and its residents, but found myself equally enjoying Dusty’s story of returning to her magical roots with her granddaughter in tow and helping solve a mystery to save both the town and her family. The characters are engaging and the perspective of a middle aged woman rediscovering her magic was refreshing. Looking forward to the next story in the series!
Love the characters! Looking forward to the next book in the series.
It’s fun to discover new characters in different settings.
Another excellent read! I need to read it again and try to go slower!!!
I liked this book and I think the series is going to be a good one! I love the concept of the different safe cities for witches and hope this concept is delved into a little more as the series progresses. There are some good characters to learn more about and, as is Shawn's way, each book solves a portion of the puzzle while keeping us waiting for the missing pieces. Can't wait for the next one!
Fabulous, entertaining, captivating, and fun.
She did it again. Shawn wrote another amazing book. I love her books. She sets the scene that you just can’t help but get drawn into you. Feel like you’re right there and you’re part of the story. Once you pick this up and start it, you cannot put it down till it’s done. This is a fantastic start to another spectacular adventure. I can’t wait for more.
I thought this book was great, I am really liking the Warren family and really can’t wait for the second book. I have to say that I really love every one of Shawn’s books and like every one else I would move to Whispering Pines in a heartbeat!
Like all of Shawn's work, this book was engrossing. The characters were relatable and enjoyable and I was transported into their world. A great escape.
Shawn does an amazing job at pulling you in. I want to visit & talk with the characters in the book. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
The Caretaker by Shawn McGuire – June 15, 2024
I received The Caretaker ARC, a new series by Shawn McGuire, I have read her series of Whispering Pines and Hearth & Cauldron series and love them. So, when I started reading The Caretaker, this book was a little slow starting out, but the more I read about Dusty and her granddaughter Cricket I couldn’t stop reading about them and their problems.
The characters in this story are interesting, Dusty, her sone Micah, Micah’s wife Josie and Cricket their daughter, they are all in trouble and don’t know why. Dusty’s father Jasper convinces Dusty to go back home to Blackwood Grove (is considered a safe town for witches) and take care of her aunts. Micah & Josie are in a terrible mess, not sure if they will get out of it, plus Dusty isn’t sure how to help her son.
Dusty left Blackwood Grove when she was 18, someone threatened her and her family and she thought it better to leave, she is back at age 50 to help her aunts and get back in good graces with her family and let them know why she left, and plus Dusty and Cricket are in need of a safe place to be to protect Cricket. That will be living with their aunts on Applewood farms.
Dusty & Cricket goes back to Blackwood Grove and arrives right in the middle of a Murder in her aunt Comfort’s small diner. When Dusty got there, she went to the diner to meet with her aunt, found the victim on the floor, she knows she will have to help figure out what happened to the man and prove her family didn’t murder him.
A lot of different things can happen in a safe place for witches, and some can’t be explained. It will take time for Dusty to be forgiven by her family and to earn their trust again. Dusty hasn’t used magic sense she was 18 yrs. old, but for Dusty it felt good to be home and Cricket loves everything about Blackwood Grove and all her new family, she is still missing her mom & dad.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this new series to see what will come next. You will have to read the story to find out all the ends and outs about the witches and ordinaries of Blackwood Grove. You will meet Comfort, Carly, Pepper, Gwynne and more. All of them have unique characters, even the ordinaries are.
This book, The Caretaker, is the first book of Shawn McGuire's new series, The Witches of Blackwood Grove. We meet Dusty Hotte; she feels like she has been cursed, as her world is falling apart, all within a very short time. When she meets with her father, she gets an offer to go back home, and all she has to do is take care of her family back in her home town, this same home town that she fled some 32 years ago when she made a mistake. Does this job sound simple? It's not!
As is usual with Shawn McGuire's books, the characters are well-developed, and the dialogue is humorous and engaging. This is a great first book for this new series, and I enjoyed it very much. I believe that you will too.
Your books keep me up at night ...because I absolutely MUST keep reading! I've read nearly all of Shawn’s books and this is definitely one of the best. As usual, very cleverly done, well-written, engaging, easy read, with twists that make you wonder what happens after the book is over.
Oh my gosh! This new series may be my new favorite series from Shawn! The twists and turns kept me guessing on what would happen next. And you can't help but love the main character, Dusty Hotte. She has to be cursed with all the bad luck she's been having. But that bad luck also seems to be bringing her some good. You will definitely want to read this series!
I am a huge fan of Shawn's Whispering Pines series and her Hearth and Cauldron series, so I was extremely excited to hear about her newest series starting with The Caretaker. As always, Shawn did not disappoint.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more! Shawn has a remarkable talent for grabbing the reader's attention and transporting them into her story. The level of detail in each setting and character is incredible, making you feel like you're right there with them. I, personally, loved reading this book and look forward to getting to know the characters even more with each installment in this series.
Shawn's ability to create such an immersive and compelling narrative is unmatched. I also love the new village and characters introduced in this series and appreciated the nod to Whispering Pines. It's exciting to think about what more is in store for Dusty and the witches.
Great job, Shawn! This is another fantastic book that I will definitely recommend to my friends. Love everything she has written and am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.
I loved this first in series. The characters are all so well developed that you feel like you're reading about actual living people/friends to be if you will. The "in the moment" and " intent" is a calming part in these books from this Author. I can't wait to read the next in this series and the hidden motives and secrets in each of their pasts and how they deal with them. I highly recommend this book!
This is a brand new series from the author who brought us the Whispering Pines and Hearth & Cauldron cosy mystery series, both featuring Wicca with hints of the magical. The Caretaker stakes its separate ground immediately by openly claiming magic, with a witch main character who has prophetic visions and dreams and can perform grey magic spells too.
And although this is new characters and an all-new community based at Blackwood Grove, regular readers will be happy to note that a certain familiar green witch gets a mention in the story!
We join Dusty and her granddaughter Cricket in crisis, as they have lost Cricket’s parents, Dusty’s house and job and most of their belongings and have been threatened with worse by an anonymous source, leaving Dusty with no choice but to return to the magical community (and her family) that she fled as a teenager. Tough for her, but great for us readers – I loved finding out about all of the different powers, the magic sentient house, the various witches with their cute familiars and endearingly ‘wonky’ magic.
There is also a murder mystery to be solved, which it technically is by the end of this story, but which definitely opens up bigger questions and points to far darker mysteries and secrets relating to Dusty’s family, her past, her magic and the wider community.
I was willingly, utterly immersed into this new world and am only disappointed that there isn’t another whole series complete ready for me to binge read… I guess we’ll all have to wait together for the next instalment!
This is ideal if you’re looking for a wholesome, entertaining magical mystery that gives cosy witch vibes and that small-town, family warmth that have become this author’s trademark.
Excited to start this new series from a favorite author!
Dusty Hotte is a mature woman returning to her home town with her granddaughter to escape a threat on her granddaughter's life. The story had me hooked from the first page. The family and the house have reason to be leery about Dusty's return, as many misunderstandings have occurred over the 'missing years'. I felt transported to a mystical village where I was instantly welcomed and found myself rooting for Dusty and the job with which she has been charged. I'm already anticipating the next book in this series!!