My enormous thanks to lovely Georgia Hill for ensuring I received a copy of her latest book, Magpie, and to Tara Lyons for sending it to me. It’s my pleasure to share my review of Magpie today.
You’ll find Georgia’s other appearances on Linda’s Book Bag here.
Magpie was published by Bloodhound on 26th August 2025 and is available for purchase here.
Magpie
Two women. Two centuries. One house full of secrets.
A spellbinding tale for fans of Weyward, where the past never truly dies…
When Beth Loveday retreats to a shadowed corner of the Devon coast, she hopes to rebuild her life in peace. But the old timbered shop she buys – Tenpenny House – has other plans. Strange objects hidden in the walls. A book of forgotten remedies. And dreams that feel like memories.
In 1660, Susanna Loveday walks the same worn floors. Apprentice to a healer, she’s swept into a deadly game of suspicion and power when whispers of witchcraft begin to spread. As danger closes in, a single choice will echo through time.
Linked by blood and bound by secrets, Beth and Susanna are caught in a web that spans centuries. The truth lies buried – but Tenpenny House remembers everything…
My Review of Magpie
Beth Loveday is moving into Tenpenny House.
Yes! What a cracking narrative. Magpie is what one might call a proper story and I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m not usually a great lover of dial timeline narratives, but in the case of Magpie it is perfect. When reading the seventeenth century parts I thought they were my favourite, being so authentic in creating a sense of time and place. And then, the moment I began reading the modern sections I felt they were my favourite elements. This is because Georgia Hill creates a sense of both history and modernity with aplomb. The shift in language formality is especially effective, particularly through direct speech, so that it places the reader at the heart of the two timescales. There’s also a really fascinating irony that I found the slightly supernatural suggestion of why Beth experiences unease in Tenpenny House far more unsettling than the witchcraft of the earlier century. I loved too the way snippets of historical detail were gathered by Beth and Nathan in much the same way a magpie gathers up shiny objects.
What also works brilliantly is the manner in which echoes of the past in Susanna and Prudie’s story reverberate through the centuries to Beth and Nathan. There’s a hint of magical realism, a sense of history repeating itself and a glorious understanding of how the past in all its forms helps shape who we are in the present. I really loved the motifs threaded through; from the mock a pies, through the sense of history repeating itself, to the exploration of mental and physical health blended with science and superstition. Georgia Hill shows how today’s exploitation and online trolling really is a modern equivalent of the superstition, gossip and rumour that affected some women in the witch hunts of the sixteen hundreds. This makes for compelling reading.
And despite the control of men in Susanna and Prudie’s lives, and Hugh and Nathan’s importance in Beth’s life, this really is herstory at its best. Magpie is not only part historical drama, part modern romance and part mystery, but it is a celebration of women with all their many facets. Georgia Hill gives voice to the oppressed like Prudie, illustrating grit, determination and strength of character, but equally she doesn’t shy away from the indecision, spitefulness and manipulative ways some women can also behave. Beth in particular illustrates a strong feminist streak, but it is Susanna who truly embodies such strength. This gives a wonderful depth and texture to the book.
So too does the backdrop of Tenpenny House. The setting feels creepy, bordering malevolent at times, and yet comforting and supportive at others. The writing had a real feel of Daphne du Maurier in the setting so that I was drawn further and further into the narrative.
I thought Magpie was absolutely engaging and entertaining and so well plotted. It’s just right for the increasingly dark evenings! Anyone reading it might just find themselves wanting to research their own ancestry, but you’ll need to read the book to see why. I really recommend that you do.
About Georgia Hill
Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and timeslip romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There’s always a dog. It’s usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. She lives near the sea with her beloved dogs and husband (also beloved) and loves the books of Jane Austen, collecting elephants, Belgian chocolate and Strictly Come Dancing. She’s also a complete museum geek and finds inspiration for her books in the folklore and history of the many places in which she’s lived.
She’s worked in the theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making things up was what she really wanted to do.
She’s been happily creating believable heroines, intriguing men and page-turning stories ever since.
For further information, follow Georgia on X @georgiawrites, visit her website, or find Georgia on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
English (US) · 