Postscript, Kedgetown #1, by Anne Barwell - Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Magic, mystery, and romance. Anne Barwell has created a beautiful world, a mix of reality and make-believe in the first of the Kedgetown series, Postscript.

From the blurb:

A magical bookshop holds the keys.

When Mason Chynoweth inherits an old house in small-town New Zealand, he hopes to discover what happened to his great-great uncle Lewis after he returned from the war in 1945. Mason’s first encounter with the property is thankfully reassuring—his sensitive psychic powers aren’t triggered and he has a calm sense of coming home.

Elijah Whitaker arrives in Kedgetown for an extended visit with his aunts. He’s quickly drawn to Mason and offers to help him try to find some answers in the dusty old house. It soon becomes clear that Mason is keeping secrets, but Elijah has a few secrets of his own. Like his closely guarded knowledge of the hidden supernatural world, and the fact that many of the townspeople are psi and supernaturals.

What is the connection between the house and Postscript, the town’s enigmatic bookshop? Mason’s glimpses of the past give some clues, but not enough to make sense of the puzzle.

When a hidden journal comes to light, the true story of Lewis’s journey is revealed, and his path and Mason and Elijah’s begin to intertwine.

SNik's Review:

First in series (Kedgetown). Paranormal. Slow burn. 

A man who gets visions, a journal that only reveals things slowly over time, a house that is sometimes a bookshop, and a town that holds a lot of secrets for its unusual residents. 

Mason inherits a house from his great-great uncle Lewis and wants to learn more about the man but must first decide if staying in Kedgetown is what he wants. While Mason gets help fixing up the house from Elijah, they slowly begin to build a relationship as they discover more and more about Lewis and his life in the supernatural town. 

There is an immediate drop into the world building of Kedgetown, which sometimes gets confusing due to the introduction of the large cast of characters. I was torn as to whether I enjoyed the flashbacks to the romance of Lewis and Cyrus or the one with Mason and Elijah more. 

All of them were likable and sweet, and committed to building a relationship with their partner. 

A good introduction to an intriguing magical town with interesting characters.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Reedkaye's Review:

This story centers around characters in the current and past lifetimes. As I got into the story, I found no one was who they originally seemed.

Mason comes to town to check out a house he inherited from his great-great uncle Lewis. He has no idea why Lewis left it to him. Then he meets Annalise, who seems to know everything about the house and town. She is very friendly and explains and shows him the house. She owns the B&B and is married to Rilla. Their story isn’t revealed at the beginning, but is a whole story in itself.

Mason also meets Elijah, who is visiting Annalise and Rilla. He has his own secrets and concerns, but it attracted to Mason. 

Mason has had previous issues with relationships and he is afraid to give into his attraction to Elijah right away.

As the two get better acquainted and comfortable with each other, plenty of secrets come out. The past and the present have a number of issues that keep the story absorbing. As more and more about the bookstore comes out and the characters' stories are told, it all comes together.  

The story flow is well thought out and the characters, each dealing with their own matters, all come together smoothly. This is a very entertaining story.

Holly's Review:

Set in New Zealand (which as a kiwi I love) in a magical rural town called Kedgetown. Mason is a psi, someone who sees the past through objects, and Elijah is a werewolf when the moon is full. 

Feeling lost and heartbroken, Mason is left a house when a relative dies and he makes his way to Kedgetown to check it out. Here he meets Elijah. 

Postscript takes them on a journey through the past and into their futures. It’s a romantic, magical story with a cast of incredible characters.

I’m ashamed to admit this is the first of Anne Barwell’s books I’ve read and I’ll be sure to remedy that as soon as possible. I also can’t wait to see who Postscript will choose to share in her magic next! 

Rating: 5 Stars

Postscript is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title:  Postscript (Kedgetown, Book 1)

Author:  Anne Barwell

Publisher: LaceDragon Publishing

Cover Artist: T.L. Bland

Release Date: February 7, 2023

Genres: M/M romance, Paranormal, Dual Timeline (contemporary & historical), Psychic Powers, mystery 

Tropes: Small town romance, sweet with heat, magical bookshop

Themes: Family, found family

Heat Rating: 3 flames        

Length:  50 000 words/125 pages

It is book 1 in the series. There are references to a wider shared world, but the reader doesn’t need to have read them. Two of the MCs are new to the supernatural world so are introduced to it through the course of the story. 

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |   Universal Link

Excerpt 

“Kedgetown has always prided itself on being welcoming.” Annalise interrupted as though Mason hadn’t spoken. “It’s part of its magic.”

Elijah choked on his mouthful of gravy. Mason was a stranger. They didn’t talk about the town or its history in front of anyone who hadn’t grown up here. Or make comments that might lead to awkward questions. If Mason decided to make his home here and settle in the old house, Elijah definitely would not stick around. He’d had enough of lying about who he was.

“Are you okay?” Mason put down his fork, concerned.

“Yeah.” Elijah shot his aunts a glare. What were they up to? He didn’t believe their innocent expressions for a moment. “Went down the wrong way.”

“What do you do for a living, Mason, dear?” Annalise moved the conversation along.

“I work in IT. Data entry mainly.” Mason shrugged. “It’s not very exciting, but it pays the bills, and I can do it from home.” He paused. “Which at the moment is Invercargill, but if the house pans out, it is something I could do from anywhere.”

“Mason likes the house so far, and I suspect it’s mutual. But, as I said, there’s a lot of work to do first.” Annalise got up from the table, retrieved the casserole dish, and placed it between Mason and Elijah. “You boys still look hungry. Help yourselves if you want more.”

“Thanks.” Elijah spooned more onto his plate. He’d forgotten what a good cook his aunt was. “Is your family in Invercargill?”

“My parents are, but the rest of my family live on the West Coast. My sister lives in Greytown, so she’s only an hour away, although she’s only visited Kedgetown once.”

Mason waited until Elijah had finished, then reached for the serving spoon at the same time Elijah handed it to him. Their fingers brushed. Mason went rigid. All colour drained from his face. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Elijah glanced at Rilla, who was behind Mason. She shrugged.

The serving spoon clattered to the table.

“Mason?” Elijah pushed back his chair to go to Mason.

Annalise laid a warning hand on Elijah’s arm. “Give him a moment to come back to us. Perhaps a cup of tea would be a good idea. For later.”

A moment later, Mason gasped for breath. “I saw… what….” He glanced around the table.

“It’s a very old serving spoon,” Annalise said. “With a lot of history. It was a wedding present from an old friend. I’m not exactly sure of its origins.”

Mason relaxed a little. “I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude.” He massaged his temples. “I have a… headache. Thank you for the lovely meal. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He stood and bolted, footsteps loud against the wood of the stairs to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him.

Elijah stared after him. “What the hell?”

“Tea, I’m thinking.” Rilla sounded thoughtful and more than a little smug. “The special one you used to make for me.”

“Definitely.” Annalise’s eyes glowed gold, and she smiled. “I suspected as much after we met his sister last Christmas, but this is even better than we thought.”

“Huh?” Elijah glanced from one aunty to the other. “What are you up to?”

“Us? We’re looking after our visitors like any good host would.” Annalise walked over to the kitchen to put the kettle on. “Help me clean up, will you? And then you can take Mason a nice cup of tea.”

About the Author 

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with kitty siblings Byron and Marigold, who are already running the house and causing havoc. 

Anne works in a library, is an avid reader and watcher of a wide range of genres, and is constantly on the look-out for more hours in her day. She likes to write in series and even so called one shots seem to breed more plot bunnies. Her writing is like her reading - across a range of genres, although her favourites are paranormal, fantasy, SF, and historical. Music often plays a part in her stories and/or her characters are musicians.

She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes.  She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.   Her books have received honourable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards.  

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