A locked door, a hidden tower, and a cat who happened to be watching. The guild couldn’t have picked a worse witness to overlook.

Monty lives a simple life. He sunbathes, catches mice, and minds his own business. He’s been doing it for centuries, so naturally he’s perfected it. When something threatens to disturb his peace, he’s determined to ignore it, but ultimately his curiosity takes over…

Then someone in a cloak opens a door that’s stayed shut for generations. Monty follows before anyone thinks to check for a shadow at their heels.

It’s probably nothing. Whatever is going on behind the door in the secret space he’s discovered is someone else’s problem. The incantations could be meaningless. The runes on the ground might always glow like that. He notices a tray of moonstones is missing, but they’ll show up. Probably.

Then the magic in the air starts to sputter. It’s failing. Something inside the tower is coming undone, and for once, Monty can’t pretend not to notice.

He should tell somebody. But most of the witches he knows wouldn’t believe a word out of his mouth — and by the time they might, it could already be too late.

Before the Bell is a prequel novella to The Wicked Witches of Whisperwood series, narrated by its least cooperative, least reliable, most immortal witness.

Titles in The Wicked Witches of Whisperwood series include:  Before the Bell (prequel) ~ A Whisper of Witchcraft ~

This is a no-spice, Paranormal Cozy Mystery.

Title:  Before the Bell
Series:  The Wicked Witches of Whisperwood (prequel)
Author:  Mara Webb
Published:  October 5, 2926
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Before the Bell is the prequel novella to The Wicked Witches of Whisperwood series, and our narrator is Monty, a quirky, snarky familiar/cat who steals the story quite easily. He really is snarky, and I loved him.  He is the epitome of every cat who has ever owned me over the years.  Full of himself, certain he is the captain of the story and will never, ever believe differently.  So, don’t even try to convince him (or yourself) otherwise.

Something odd is going on at the tower in the forest at the edge of this small magical town.  Monty could tell you all about it… if he felt it was worth his interest, and, oh yes, if he remembered before the next shiny object distracted him.  Yet strange things in the town are getting stranger as time goes on.  By the time Monty decides to tell someone, it might be too late… or just in time; we won’t know until A Whisper of Witchcraft releases shortly.

Before the Bell is the type of prequel I enjoy most.  It sets up the series to come, gives us a bit of background (but not too much), and makes us want to know what happens next in the series’ first official book.  It’s well-written, witty, suspenseful, with sarcasm (from Monty) galore.  If you love getting a taste of a series beforehand, then you’d love Monty’s adventures… and will want to continue the series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. I chose to leave a review with my personal opinion of this book.*

This title is available on Amazon