Windburn by Milena McKay: Book Review
Windburn by Milena McKay is a spicy sapphic romance filled to the brim with secrets, witches, and a chin lift or two.
Never Forgive and Never Forget. Hunted as witches during the Salem Trials and haunted by their past sins, the Crowhart women carry a deep secret and an inescapable curse.
Rhiannon Crowhart, the wild, long-gone middle sister of the infamous Crowhart clan, blows back onto Dragons Island and into the quiet town of Crow’s Nest on a wave of bad weather and worse gossip. No one is thrilled to see her: not the locals who remember every slight, not the sisters who’ve nursed their resentment for decades. Not that Rhiannon cares. She walked away twenty-two years ago and never intended to return… until her inheritance dragged her back to the island she couldn’t stand.
Well…she hated nearly everything about it. Everything except the pair of gray eyes she keeps catching through the window of the bookstore next door. The eyes she’s been dreaming about.
Prudence Fowler has never met anyone like the striking, storm-scarred woman striding around town in high-heeled boots and quiet fury. Rhiannon Crowhart is impossible to ignore; she’s brilliant, beautiful, and undeniably dangerous.
But when the spark between them threatens to overturn both their carefully arranged lives, Prudence must decide whether she’ll stand with the family that raised her… or reach for the woman who feels like wind made flesh.
Writing
Windburn has a moody, seductive vibe that fits Dragons perfectly. The place feels a little frozen in time with its all-girls’ school (with its sexy headmistress), Market Square, chatty locals, and, somehow, a shiny new luxury hotel dropped onto Viridescent Cliff. The story is full of rich details that allow readers to peek into the Crowhart sisters’ past, their family line, and what shaped them.
The mystery around why Rhiannon bolted twenty-two years ago, and why she’s suddenly back to fix up the Atelier of all things, shows up in pieces throughout the book, giving readers plenty of room to guess at the answers.
The story treats the painful history of the witch trials and the locals’ lingering fear of witches with real care, without dulling the emotional impact, and it also digs into self-discovery and the courage to embrace who you really are in a genuinely powerful way.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
One of my favorite parts of the book is the connection between Pru and Rhiannon. The first time they touch, the spark practically leaps off the page and adds a real jolt to the story. Rhiannon’s dark, broody vibe and the heavy guilt she carries could have easily dragged the tone down, yet it never does. Her more negative tendencies are balanced beautifully by Pru’s warm, steady, and accepting nature. Pru listens with this quiet patience that gives Rhiannon room to finally let go of the breath she’s been holding for years. Their relationship unfolds at just the right pace, full of simmering tension and plenty of heat.
The relationships between the four Crowhart sisters are messy and layered, made even more complicated by Rhiannon’s disappearance more than twenty years ago. The tension between them simmers under every interaction, creating a constant push and pull that adds real depth to the story. Their conversations feel genuine and full of emotion, and even with all the tension and clashing viewpoints, it’s clear throughout the story that the love between them runs incredibly deep.
I’d be missing something big if I didn’t mention how much I adored the slow-burn courtship and eventual “relationship” between Patches the possum and Boleyn the cat. Patches’ affection is honestly irresistible, from the longing stares to the little gifts to the way she keeps guiding Boleyn to safety. His chortles and snuffles slowly chip away at the walls the aloof cat built around herself. It might look like an odd pairing at first, yet their story ends up highlighting just how delightful the opposites-attract trope can be.
Heads Up
Witch hunts and mentions of suicide.
The Conclusion
Windburn is the kind of story that stays with you long after you finish it. The atmosphere, the complicated family bonds, the romance that sparks like wildfire, and even the unexpected animal love story all come together in a way that feels rich and satisfying.
It is emotional without being heavy, magical without losing its heart, and full of characters you want to follow long past the final page.
This book is an easy one to recommend, and an even easier one to love. I can’t wait for book two!
Excerpt from Windburn by Milena McKay
And just like that, the air around them filled with a distinct scent. A strong, comforting one. One that reminded Pru of green pastures and thundering storms.
She inhaled, marveling at the electricity making her lightheaded.
Or, was it actually the air?
There was no possible way Rhiannon could have seen them, obscured by stacks of books and displays of merchandise as they were, and yet for a brief second, Pru felt pierced.
A needle through a butterfly, the green eyes from her dreams caught her in place, pinning her, rendering her breathless. They moved on as quickly as they had ensnared her, and when Pru finally inhaled again, closing her eyes and allowing herself to savor, she was unable to explain what was happening.
Except she knew the scent. Familiar, sweet, and fresh. There was nothing like it.
Petrichor.
The second the thought crossed her mind, above her, thunder split the pleasant silence of the autumn day, and when Pru opened her eyes a flash of lighting almost blinded her. The world was suddenly very alive, the colors bright, vivid, the sounds of birds and rain permeating her bookstore. She blinked once, twice, and everything was gone, the quiet falling over her again.
On her stool, Victoria sat still, the cup in her hand lifted halfway to her mouth, and watched Pru with wide eyes.
When Pru shook her head to dispel whatever had come over her, Victoria slowly lowered her coffee.
“See? The storm is here. And that’s my cue to not be. Here, that is.”
Her long gray braid bouncing on her back, she sidestepped the counter and bussed Pru’s suddenly chilled cheek, patting the other one.
“Um… Victoria? What kind of thunder comes before lightning?” Pru’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
“Hers” was the only answer she got.
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Series: Crow’s Coven
Windburn
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8272049209
Publisher: Indie Author
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