The Moorwitch

By: Jessica Khoury

Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden

In this sweeping romantic fantasy from bestselling author Jessica Khoury, a young witch caught in a twisted bargain with the fae must disguise herself as a governess and uncover the gateway to the realm of faerie in order to save her dying magic and escape the clutches of her controlling fae handler—even as she finds herself falling for her new employer, an enigmatic young Scottish laird and the owner of a crumbling estate brimming with secrets.

Rose Pryor has sacrificed everything for magic. As a Weaver skilled in the craft of spinning spells with thread and needle, she’s always chosen magic over love, and it was magic that brought her to Lachlan, the fae with whom Rose once struck a sinister deal in order to escape her abusive home. After years of running from her past, Rose has finally managed to build a new life for herself as a teacher in a school for young Weavers. But Rose has a secret: Her magic is waning, and every spell she weaves to train her students is slowly killing her.

When Lachlan returns to collect the debt Rose owes him, she finds herself on a perilous journey to the Scottish moors where she must find him an ancient gateway to the realm of the fae, lest her precious magic be forfeit. But when her quest pits her against Conrad, a young laird with a soul as lonely as her own who hires Rose to work as a governess for his rebellious young sister, Rose finds herself torn between her promise to Lachlan and her budding feelings for her new employer as her search for the gateway puts both her magic and her heart at stake.

©2025 by Jessica Khoury. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The Moorwitch weaves a spell as vivid as the magic within its pages. Prepare for a sweeping fantasy that rings of classic tales, mystical realms, and sweet romance, all threaded into one enchanting tapestry.”—Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of Night of the Witch

“Breathtaking in both romance and magic, this is a must-read!”—Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Night of the Witch

Magical!

So awesome! I'm on a roll with 5 stars this year. What a awesome take on witches, magic, and faeries. I wish this wasn't a stand alone, at least in ends like one, so.

Rose and Conrad, woooweeee! The slow-burn is burning. Weaving, knots, knitting, sewing, and channeling magic. Also, this was a read/listen so the narrator was fantastic to listen to, a lady from the UK or just someone really great at accents. And she had a wide variety. The main chunk of the story is based in Scotland, so there's that accent thrown in there. All I have to say is, don't trust a faerie who takes advantage of an 8 year old....

A definite must read. Good fall vibes, with some spooky vibes. Not super spicy, just mostly longing, but a little fevered kissing moments *eye waggle* Smoochy smoochy. Like 🌶.5, lol

Enjoyed this! Especially those final chapters!

I came across this, and saw it was KU with Audio… and decided I needed something to play while I did cleaning… and then I slowly became invested… I even went back to restart it because I missed some details !! I love the fantasy, and different use of magick with the weaving… the Fae of course is always awesome to have! The Faustian deal and the overall build up leading to those climatic final chapters! Really fun!

A magical world

Great book! Loved the storyline and characters. Keeps you guessing until the end. Hope there will be more books to this series

Loved this story

I loved the story, the characters the world and magic they weave. Highly recommend the Moor witch

I loved this!

The narrator was a delight to listen to and the material she had to work with was fantastic. yes, it is a slower pace than a lot of current fantasy, but the writing was wonderful, I loved the characters (heros, villains & extras), and the descriptions of everything pulled you into the world.