Web of Witches Series by Samantha Grosser

Shakespeare’s new play has unleashed a strange curse on the company of actors at the Globe theatre. But when seamstress Sarah Stone begs the playwright to abandon it he refuses, aware it is one of his best. And so rehearsals for Macbeth begin.From the start it is beset by misfortune. A freak accident takes out the lead actor, and when Sarah’s half-brother Tom seduces boy player John Upton, John sees the hand of witchcraft in his own forbidden desires for men... moreShakespeare’s new play has unleashed a strange curse on the company of actors at the Globe theatre. But when seamstress Sarah Stone begs the playwright to abandon it he refuses, aware it is one of his best. And so rehearsals for Macbeth begin.From the start it is beset by misfortune. A freak accident takes out the lead actor, and when Sarah’s half-brother Tom seduces boy player John Upton, John sees the hand of witchcraft in his own forbidden desires for men. Then Sarah weaves a spell to win the new lead player’s love, and John begins to make his accusations against her.As rehearsals continue, brother and sister must find a way to convince John that his sins are his own - their lives and the fortune of the play are at stake. Will the fate Sarah foresaw come to pass, or is their destiny their own to decide?Compelling, seductive, and suspenseful, Shakespeare’s Witch is an unforgettable imagining of the origins of the curse of the Scottish Play. Contains adult themes. less

Some Secrets Are Better Left Untold ...Six-fingered Mary Sparrow believes she was cursed at birth, and the bawdy house at the Cardinal's Cap is the only home she's ever known. Like most of the girls, she dreams of escape, but when an old man mysteriously drives her friend to madness, Mary begins to fear for her life.Toby Chyrche also hopes for a better future, away from the confines of the tailor's shop where it seems his fate is set in stone... moreSome Secrets Are Better Left Untold ...Six-fingered Mary Sparrow believes she was cursed at birth, and the bawdy house at the Cardinal's Cap is the only home she's ever known. Like most of the girls, she dreams of escape, but when an old man mysteriously drives her friend to madness, Mary begins to fear for her life.Toby Chyrche also hopes for a better future, away from the confines of the tailor's shop where it seems his fate is set in stone. So when a chance meeting with an old man at the brothel offers him a different path, he is only too eager to accept. Then the discovery of an old book of magic throws a new and shocking light onto the past - his mother had a brother, and that brother was a witch.As the old man's shadow over Bankside lengthens, Mary is drawn into the growing web of darkness. Unable to escape its reach, she turns to Toby for help. But Toby has daemons of his own to face. Will possession of the book be enough to protect them? And what price will they have to pay?The Witch's Secret was previously published as The Sorcerer's Whore. It is Part II in A Web of Witches, but may be read as a stand alone novel. It contains sex and the occult. less