Allison may finally be accepted into the inner circle of Monrovia’s most influential women. The Glamour Girls, led by Astrid, run a soap-selling company and have their hand in everything that goes on in their town. But when Allison’s estranged mother, Wilhemena, passes away, Allison finds out that she comes from a long line of witches. She has magical powers – if she can just remember how to harness them. And it seems the Glamour Girls are not what they seem either. The story about trying to fit into the picture-perfect wives club soon turns into a darker tale. With flashbacks to Wilhemena’s past with her two sisters, the story raises the stakes for Allison at every turn. If you are looking for a well-crafted read with magical elements, this one may well cast its spell on you.
Housewitch, by Katie Schickel, offers a peek into the dark arts of 21st-century motherhood. The summary says: "Allison Darling, former foster child, now a stay-at-home mum of three, desperately wants to fit in with the organic latte drinking, hundred-dollar-yoga-pants-wearing moms who run Monrovia, her charming seaside village. Constantly feeling like an outsider, Allison dreams of more for her children. When the Glamour Girls, a soap-selling company run by the most charismatic and powerful women in town, recruits Allison, she jumps at the invitation. The Glamor Girls have a hand in everything in Monrovia, from bake sales to business deals. This is what Allison's wanted her whole life - to be liked. To be popular. To belong. After Allison's estranged mother passes away, she learns her family's heartbreaking legacy and the secret Allison's been fighting to suppress all her life emerges: she's a witch. What's more, she's not the only one in town. There's more to the Glamour Girls then it seems... and once you're a Glamour Girl, there's no going back." Housewitch is out in February 2015.