Suzanne PalmieriRezensionen

I. received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Bronwyn Whalen left home at the age of 17, after her mother passed away. She'd stayed away until she received a phone call from her father after 14 years. Her little brother was in a world of trouble, accused of murdering Wyn's best friend Lottie, and her son Jaime. Why returns home determined to prove her brother's innocence and take care of niece she's never met. Unfortunately,, in order to accomplish this, she needs to come to terms with her past, accept who she is and embrace the future.

This was a great story about redemption, forgiveness and love. I loved the stubbornness of the Whalen women. The mystery of who murdered Lottie kept me engrossed to the very end. It's a great story of embracing who you are, no matter how different that may be. A beautiful and bittersweet story of love and loss. One of the best summer reads thus far this year!

Going to give this one 2.5 stars. Loved The Witch of Little Italy, this one not so much.½

Magical, charming, enchanting...I loved it!

It was an easy read but the story jumped around and left some loose threads. It also had questionable plot lines and incidents, like serving bourbon to children, children murdering other children with belladonna, incest, and money solving everything. I didn’t dislike it; I just didn’t like it. Neutral.

I'm not going to rate this one because it's my own darn fault that I didn't like this story. I almost always read an excerpt before I buy a book and I didn't this time because I have really enjoyed everything else written by this author. She even included a recurring character from another book. I thought it was basically a guaranteed enjoyable read.

Had I read even a page of the excerpt I would have received the author's very kind warning about upsetting material in the book. Had I realized there would have been rapes in this story, I would have passed.

I still made it half way through the book but there was more yet to come and I couldn't do it.

If the author reads this review, or anyone else who loves her writing, it's nothing personal about her writing. She's a great writer. I was super excited to read another one of her books. I just didn't see her warning before I bought this book and that's my own fault.

Another great book.

This is the story of Frances Sorrow and also of her ancestors.

In 1901 the entire Sorrow family seemed to be cursed. Almost the entire family died and a nurse who worked for them was considered guilty by most.

Current day, Frances continues to struggle with a secret from her past. I didn't think her secret was shocking and it also came out way earlier in the book than I'd expected.
The reason? Frances' secret is far from the be all end all part of this story.

Frances struggles with the way her secret has effected her ability to love.
When her son disappears, everyone has to band together to find him. They also have to dig into the mystery behind what happened to the Sorrow family in 1901.

Very well written. I just love her books.

This book had a witchy theme to it, but it wasn't witchy in the sense that I normally like. More like intuition and "old ways" witchiness. There is a lot of death in this story, and some abuse type scenes, so it's got some darker elements.


The story does have some plot twists and semi spooky moments, but I have to admit I was let down by the ending. It seemed to wrap up too neatly for my tastes.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters, I just didn't feel any emotional involvement. There wasn't a whole lot depth or growth, for that matter.

I'm hoping the author's other books are better, because I jumped the gun and bought those too, to add to my "witch" collection.

Loved It

Wonderful Louisiana bayou setting and the characters speak varying degrees of patois. Mysterious magical story, beautifully written. Love this series.

Absolutely captivating story in the genre of Magical Realism; where the story is placed in a realistic universe yet edges into those mysterious happenings we all experience that can't be casually explained. What determines a haunted house? Isn't it more our perception than any real provable fact? Here the Witch House is called such mostly because of the women who have inhabited it. For the most part these women are singular in that their actions and temperament do not fit with the social norms of a small village. They are outsiders, hence witches. So for some visitors to the house it is a sinister and unwelcoming place, where others find it a home like any other.

This is a story of women in a family from the time the house was built to present day when it becomes occupied the new heirs to the family's fortunes. Not money, but those situations that developed that created the home and family's karma. An excellent read, tho a bit dark and spooky.

Recommended for those who like the authors: Alice Hoffman, Sarah Addison Allen, Neil Gaiman, Isabel Allende and other authors of Magical Realism.

The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri is a mix of women's literature, new adult, tragedy, love, and magic. With the help of her aunts, Eleanor discovers her true self and in the process grows into a beautifully confident woman. It unfolds through interesting characters and their family secrets. The secrets show the ties that bind, the distance love can take you, and the endurance of the human spirit.
Palmieri nailed it when it comes to both the reality of how we are formed by our past and the struggle to make repairs to one's soul in the aftermath.
I am awestruck at the deeper meaning of much of this book, which allows for some wonderful book club discussions and the gift of a much remembered book.

I absolutely love these books! There are well written and the story line keeps you glued to the pages from beginning to end.This one dealt with my favorite region in the world, the bayous of New Orleans, With so many truism's I'll just give you a few to think on, "Though each person in the world is born with a purpose, we're never given maps that take us there. And most times, it's the tragic things that lead us straight to our rightful place." And this one, " The only time we ever see clearly what we have is right before we're about ot lose it for good." Read all three you won't want them to end!½

Yes, some of this novel was very predictable and yes, some of the lines were a bit corny but this was the prefect beach read. I mean you have the Sorrow Family, a family said to be witches and to have mysterious powers and then Bourbon Street and a crumbling down mansion with a mysterious past. On top of that you have a long past mystery of a whole family, at that mansion, that was found dead, a missing child, and a current family that is as strange as they are interesting. The pat will affect the present in pressing ways and finally the truth of what happened cannot be denied. Loved every inch of this novel and could have read on. Butt like all good things it ended and so did my beach vacation.½

The Sorrow family is just that, a family filled with history of sorrow. Due to a tragedy in 1901, the subsequent generations of Sorrows have had to deal with the idea that their family is cursed. The Sorrow women consist of Frances (Frankie), her mother Claudette, and her grandmother Dida. Claudette suffered a tragic injury causing blindness when she was only four years old. Her lover and father to Frankie drowned in an accident at sea. Frankie has turned her back on the world because she feels guilt over an incident that occurred when she was sixteen years old. Frankie's son Jack has decided to take it upon himself to bring his parents back together using whatever magic he can work. The Witch of Bourbon Street is a multigenerational story that weaves magic in with love lost, love found, family, and forgiveness.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this story. We have Frances "Frankie" Sorrow and her family: Belinda "Dida" Sorrow (grandmother), Old Jim Green (grandfather), Claudette "Claudie" Sorrow (mother), Daniel Amore (ex-husband and father to Jack), Jack Amore (Frankie's son), Millie Bliss (Jackie’s best friend and surrogate sister), and Sippie Wallace (Frankie's daughter). The supporting cast includes: Eight Track (Sippie's adoptive father), Simone (Sippie's deceased adoptive mother), Junebug (the bartender at Voodoo), and Mr. Craven (historical society worker) . . . and a lot of ghosts. There's the bar at 13 Bourbon Street in New Orleans that is owned by the Sorrow family, the Voodoo bar in Tivoli Parish that is managed by Millie, the bayou, and the Sorrow family estate. Add in a family history of witchcraft and magic along with the hidden story behind the tragedy of 1901 and you've got all the makings for a somewhat convoluted yet intriguing story that spans generations and time.

I found The Witch of Bourbon Street to be a bit confusing a first simply because it was bouncing back and forth in time (1901 and the present), and then bouncing between perspectives. Once I had all of the major characters clear in my head and their relationships to one another it was a bit easier to keep track of everything. The story really began to pick up when Sippie located her biological family and was reunited with them. There's quite a bit of backstory that has to be dealt with before we get to the action precipitated by Jack's disappearance. Can Frankie and Danny overcome their differences and build a lasting relationship? Will Frankie, Danny, and Sippie be able to find Jack? What's the mystery behind the Sorrow family tragedy in 1901? These questions and many more are answered fully when the past and present overlap in The Witch of Bourbon Street. This story is perfect for anyone that enjoys reading about love, forgiveness, and family drama with hints of magic.½

I would give this book 6 stars if I could. It is the second I've read by the author and I have her new one THE WITCH OF BOURBON STREET to read also, but I'll save it, knowing it will be fantastic and then I'll have a wait for more! The book is filled with so many clear true thoughts and quotes from another wonderful classic, The Little Prince, normally I would put a few quotes i loved in my review but I can't pick there were so many. The book never stopped being Southern, small town quirky, big crazy family magic. Great read summer or whenever, don't miss these books!

I'm giving this book a 4 star, not 5, only because it dragged little in the middle, but it's one of 3 books so far and I'm excited to read the other two, so that's always a plus! The other two books are not part of a series, just the names tend to be like a series, THE WITCH OF BELLADONNA BAY and THE WITCH OF BOURBON STREET. This book did read well, some of the quotes were so good, "We have to teach ourselves not to become obsessed. True love lies in peace, not torture."and my favorite, "Don't make the same mistakes, make different ones. We all make mistakes...no need to compound them."
It was a good read that had me guessing until the end.

I just finished The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri. The book starts off in 1901 with all but one member of the Sorrow family dead. People believe Sister Vesta Grace killed off the family while others think it was the voodoo witch, Rosella. The truth has not come out in all these years.

Back in 2014, Frances Green Sorrow has hidden herself away on her family estate in a small shack. She has left behind her husband (they are now divorced), her son, Jack, her friends, and family. Frances does not leave the area. She quit running the bar at 13 Bourbon Street and doing tarot readings for clients. The Sorrow family is magical, but Frances has not used her gifts in many years. Why did she hide herself away? Is she ready to come out of hiding and rejoin her family?

Sippie Wallace is the adopted daughter of Simone (committed suicide when she was six) and Eight Track (a drunk and drifter). Sippie is sixteen years old and on her own. The Crow has come to give her a message. The Crow has taught her things all her life. Now it is time to find her biological family.

Danny Amore is Frances’ ex-husband (he is a shrimper with the boat The Gypsy Witch). He has custody of their son, Jack Amore Sorrow. Jack wants to spend more time with his mother at the Sorrow estate. He has gifts and wants to embrace them. Jack has a plan to get his parents back together. He has made a plan to run away and wait for his parents to come together to find him (he goes to a shack across the canal from his mother). Jack is confident his plan will work (he is twelve). He has only told one person about his plan and that is Millie. Millie grew up with Frances. She came to the family when she was six years old and Frances was four years old. Millie has been acting strange lately. She is lashing out at everyone.

The Witch of Bourbon Street is told from different points of view throughout the book. Frances, Sippie, Millie, Danny, and Jack (it changes with each chapter). Some of the dialogue is written as though they are talking with New Orleans accent (which is hard to understand and figure out depending upon who is talking). The Witch of Bourbon Street is a strange and depressing book. It was hard to get into with the way it kept jumping from one person to the next. It does contain a copious amount of foul language (which is really not needed). The book got a little better towards the end when all the story lines starting coming together. I give The Witch of Bourbon Street 2.5 out of 5 stars. I thought this would be a wonderful and magical book, but I was incorrect. There is very little magic in the book (there are some ghosts though).

I received a complimentary copy of The Witch of Bourbon Street in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri in exchange for an honest review.

Bronwyn left her home in Alabama 14 years ago and she’s never looked back. Her childhood memories aren’t the happiest, except when it comes to her brother and her two best friends. Then she gets a message from her father that her brother is in jail for killing her best friend. Bronwyn can’t help but believe in her heart that her brother is no murderer, but if he didn’t do it – who did? This book for me was as close to I get at being terrified! Yup, I’m a proud coward…The writer tells a great story of family relationships, friendships and how they shape us through time and faith in those we love. Even though I had a bit of the heebeejeebies I could not help but read to the very end and even when I thought I’d figured it out, I didn’t. Good storyline with a bit of the paranormal and very mysterious too!

If you're looking for a good book to read this weekend, look no further. The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri is an engaging read about the ups and downs of family life, regrets, getting lost, and finding your way home again. Add a dash of magic into the mixture and you have a book that will keep you glued to the pages all weekend long.

Bronwyn hasn't been home in fourteen years. When she left, she had no intention of coming back to her town of Magnolia Creek, Alabama. However circumstances changed when she gets a call from her father telling her that her brother has been arrested for murder and she must come home to look after his daughter Byrd. Though reluctant, Bronwyn gets on a plane to return to the home she never wanted to see again. She knows her brother is innocent, she just has to prove it. But of course, once she returns old memories, friends, and ghosts start to haunt her. Palmieri weaves a magical, Gothic tale about three generations of women who are not only connected by blood but also magic.

Bronwyn must try to figure out the mystery of who killed her former best friend, and why her brother confessed to a murder he didn't commit. Not to mention, she has to deal with her dysfunctional family and try to mend broken fences. The story is told from three different view points: Bronwyn, Byrd, and Naomi. This dynamic mixture of women makes for an entertaining read.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2014/07/review-witch-of-belladonna-bay.html#1W9...

Leaving home when she was seventeen, after her mothers death and a fight with her father, Wynn moves from the sultry south to the north. She has a relationship with Ben, who hopes to marry her, but she is called back home when a young niece that she has never met, needs her. The younger brother she left behind is now in prison for killing Wynn's best friend of her youth and possibly for the death of her young son.

It was very easy to be drawn into this story, the characters and the descriptions were just fantastic. The hot, humid weather, cold lemonade, magnolia trees, and a young Byrd, aged eleven who is a wonderful little girl with an old soul. There is southern charm, and a whole lot of magic. There are spirits who talk and try to guide the way. Young love and a huge mystery that must be solved.

A novel about finding ones self as Wynn finally learns, "If you're broken, be broken. If you're crazy, be crazy, If you're opinionated, yell your opinions from the rooftop. If you have strange ways? See it as a blessing, not a curse."

A novel about forgiveness, coming to terms with the past. Ultimately a novel about coming home again.

I received a copy of The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri in exchange for an honest review.

Bronwyn left her home in Alabama 14 years ago and she’s never looked back. Her childhood memories aren’t the happiest, except when it comes to her brother and her two best friends. Then she gets a message from her father that her brother is in jail for killing her best friend. Bronwyn can’t help but believe in her heart that her brother is no murderer, but if he didn’t do it – who did? This book for me was as close to I get at being terrified! Yup, I’m a proud coward…The writer tells a great story of family relationships, friendships and how they shape us through time and faith in those we love. Even though I had a bit of the heebeejeebies I could not help but read to the very end and even when I thought I’d figured it out, I didn’t. Good storyline with a bit of the paranormal and very mysterious too!

Magic and the supernatural are not usually things I search out in the books I read. There's magic enough just in the escape found in books for me. But occasionally a little extra magic in a book helps to drive the story onwards. In Suzanne Palmieri's new novel, The Witch of Belladonna Bay, magic and the supernatural swirl all through the characters and the plot of this novel about a family coming back together, facing long avoided truths, and learning to embrace love.

Bronwyn Whalen left her Alabama town fourteen years ago, after her mother's opium overdose and she hasn't been home since. But now she's got to go back. Her brother Paddy is in jail for murdering her childhood best friend Charlotte and Charlotte's son Jamie. Paddy's daughter Byrd, the niece Wyn has never met, needs her. So despite her misgivings and no desire to face the unresolved feelings that her home and family inspire in her, Wyn heads home to her alcoholic father, Jackson, wealthy and privileged mayor of the town; to her great aunt and the mysterious man she married; to her memories and ghosts, literal and figurative; to the place where her long suppressed powers belong; to free spirited and precocious Byrd; and to BitsyWyn, the sassy, determined Southerner she's been deep down all along.

Wyn is determined to discover who really killed Charlotte because she knows in her heart that it can't have been Paddy. As she digs around to exonerate her brother, she falls in love with her strange and magical niece, loving her fiercely and protectively. When Wyn's fiancé, Ben, arrives in Alabama, she learns more about herself and the heritage she's been running from forever and she knows in her bones that she can never leave Byrd, no matter what. It is only when all the puzzle pieces are in place that Wyn can see not only what happened the night that Charlotte died and Jamie disappeared but that she can start to help those she loves heal all of the hurts they have carried for so long.

Narrated in turn by Wyn, Byrd, and Naomi, Wyn's dead mother, the story is more about coming to accept and love who you are down to your very soul than it is about the mystery surrounding Charlotte's death. Wyn is holding onto bitterness and carrying a load of guilt that has left her something less than happy. Byrd is an old soul, funny, earnest, and loving beyond her years. Naomi is held back by her regret and the need to explain and ask for forgiveness for her choices. And while Jackson chooses alcohol over everything, he still loves his family, wanting the best for them. The scene is very southern Gothic with the hovering mist over the forbidding and scary island in Belladonna Bay and the characters are suitably eccentric. There are quite a few plot threads weaving through the narrative, Ben as Wyn's caretaker, what really happened to Charlotte, Wyn's childhood love and Charlotte's brother Grant and his role in everything, Byrd's powers, and more, not all of which are as fully developed as might have been. But even so the novel is enticing. The resolution of the mystery is one part predictable and another part surprise and the end of the novel wraps up tidily, moving from slightly sinister feeling to contented, a tone shift that is a bit abrupt. Over all though, a good read, this will appeal to fans of the supernatural, contemporary southern fiction, and those who like reading about families who find their way back to each other and to their hearts.½

Bronwyn Whalen has, what she feels is, the perfect life. She has a successful career in photography and a man that she loves. What she doesn't have is a relationship with her family. All of that is about to change with one simple phone call. It's been fourteen years since Bronwyn left Magnolia Creek, Alabama vowing never to return. She left behind her father, her brother, her great-aunt, and her best friends. One simple phone call shatters her life. Her childhood best friend has been murdered, her brother has been arrested for the murder, and her brother's daughter is left to fend for herself. The only thing Bronwyn can do is face the past and return to Alabama to sort out the truth.

The Witch of Belladonna Bay is a modern gothic novel with a Southern twist. Ms. Palmieri deftly blends murder, mayhem, mystery, magic, mysticism, and ghosts into a captivating tale of family and loss. Bronwyn feels that her mother neglected her and her brother by using drugs to the point of addiction. Bronwyn, in turn, neglects her family for years as she struggles to find herself. Byrd, Bronwyn's niece, is precocious, lovable, and wild. Byrd attends school when she wants, takes baths when she feels like it, and is loved and feared by almost everyone in town. It doesn't help that Bronwyn's mother, Naomi, and her entire family are descendants of witches from New England, or that Bronwyn and Byrd are recipients of that magic. Add in a family curse and legends into the mix and you wind up with a story that didn't let me go until the final page.

One of the things that kept my attention from beginning to end was the alternating perspectives of Bronwyn, Byrd, and the ghostly Naomi. Ms. Palmieri has crafted believable characters even when dealing with somewhat unbelievable circumstances. The Witch of Belladonna Bay is all about what a person is willing to do to protect their loved ones. Byrd does what she can in order to protect her father, aunt, and grandfather even if it means turning her back on the greatest love of her life. Bronwyn is forced to act to protect her loved ones even if it means losing the one person she has turned to for love and support over the past seven years of her life. I found The Witch of Belladonna Bay to be a fast-paced read and one that I completed in one sitting over the course of one evening. If you enjoy contemporary gothic fiction or are just interested in reading something a little different, then I strongly encourage you to grab a copy of The Witch of Belladonna Bay to read. You'll probably want to set aside a few hours so you can read it cover to cover, perhaps while enjoying the sun at the beach or poolside.½

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Bronwyn Whalen left home at the age of 17, shortly after her mother passes away. She'd stayed away until she received a phone call from her father after 14 years. Her little brother was in a world of trouble, accused of murdering Wyn's best friend Lottie, and her son Jaime. Wyn returns home determined to prove her brother's innocence and take care of the niece she's never met. Unfortunately,, in order to accomplish this, she needs to come to terms with her past, accept who she is and embrace the future.

This was a great story about redemption, forgiveness and love. I loved the stubbornness of the Whalen women. The mystery of who murdered Lottie kept me engrossed to the very end. It's a great story of embracing who you are, no matter how different that may be. A beautiful and bittersweet story of love and loss, be sure to have a box of kleenex ready. One of the best summer reads thus far this year!

I absolutely loved this book! I knew I would. I loved The Witch of Little Italy. In this novel, Palmieri writes even closer to my heart- in the south. Bronwyn left Alabama at age 16, the night of her mother's funeral. Daughter of a wealthy, privileged family plagued with addiction (her father to alcohol, her mother to opium), Bronwyn runs away from her life and the only people she has ever known and loved. She is also running away from a supernatural heritage- the women in her family are all witches. Fourteen years later, she is in a loving interracial relationship in upstate New York. A successful photojournalist, she has truly left her past life behind. Then, she gets a call from her father asking her to return home. Her brother has been sent to prison for murdering her best friend from childhood. Her niece, who possess more supernatural power than anyone knows how to handle, is running wild. Bronwyn returns to her childhood home to face the ghosts of her past (literally) and to find the truth that will set her brother free. In order to do this, she must face her past and accept her own supernatural abilities.
This is an amazing story, full of surprising twists and turns. The setting adds to the supernatural mystery. I could not put this book down! Palmieri's books are believable. The supernatural element blends flawlessly into the story, making it intriguing and intoxicating. Now for the sad part...we have to wait until she finishes the net one.

Read this book if...
*you love southern fiction
*you love books with a supernatural element

I just stumbled across Suzanne Palmieri from another authors posting on Facebook and have now read all 3 of her books: I'll be Seeing You, The Witch of Little Italy. She is fantastic. Her stories are rich and painted with wonderful colors that make them come alive. I feel like I felt when I was a child and listened to the radio....Visualization is so important when you read, and very few authors accomplish this..... I want to have dinner on the porch of the Big House, sleep in the play house that Byrd fixed up, dance with the fireflies barefoot in the grass. Magic, pure magic! Thank you for another wonderful book. Not to mention that these wonderful people are added to my family....How lucky am I .