Close Modal

A Widow's Charm

Paperback
5-1/2"W x 8-1/4"H | 13 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Mar 31, 2026 | 432 Pages | 9780593976272

In this witty fantasy romance, a widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home—only to find herself falling for him instead.

"Witty, whimsical, and deeply kind, A Widow's Charm is beyond charming—it's wholly enchanting."—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting


Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he drops dead quite unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde from her malevolent brother-in-law die along with him. What's a widow to do?

Fortunately, potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Erol Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead and save his own life. Now he's injured, destitute, and miserable, stuck hiding out at the neighboring estate.

For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is, all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again.
Caitlyn Paxson has a degree in writing and cultural history and has worked as the artistic director of storytelling performances, a harpist, a book reviewer, a nineteenth century jack-of-all-trades, a shepherdess, and a fake Victorian spirit medium. She lives on Prince Edward Island with her husband and three orange cats. A Widow's Charm is her first book. View titles by Caitlyn Paxson
Available for sale exclusive:
•     Guam
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     North Mariana
•     Philippines
•     Puerto Rico
•     Samoa,American
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahrain
•     Belarus
•     Benin
•     Bhutan
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cape Verde
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Djibouti
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Ethiopia
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Iceland
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Israel
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Morocco
•     Myanmar
•     Nepal
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     Saint Martin
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Sint Maarten
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Yemen

Not available for sale:
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Cameroon
•     Canada
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Croatia
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Denmark
•     Dominica
•     Estonia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Gambia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     Hungary
•     India
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Italy
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Latvia
•     Lesotho
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Netherlands
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Romania
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Sudan
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Western Samoa
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

“Bursting with humor, heart, and healing love, A Widow’s Charm is as sweet and sparkling as Wylderuckus cider. I was utterly charmed by Hilde, Elmwood, and, of course, the dashing Lord Rollo. . . . An unmissable debut.”—Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Starlight

“Witty, whimsical, and deeply kind, A Widow’s Charm is beyond charming—it’s wholly enchanting.”—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting

A Widow’s Charm is a delightfully grown-up fairy tale: witty, sexy, and deeply romantic. Hilde and Elmwood are instantly loveable leads—two bruised Charmers in a broken world, drawn together by love’s irresistible spell. This is a warm, glowing hearth of a book, perfect for a night when the world seems too cold.”New York Times bestselling author Tessa Dare

“Engrossing, flirtatious, sensual, spirited, and highly original.”—Connie Willis, bestselling author of The Road to Roswell

“Clever, funny, charmingly written, this tale of unexpected love and, yes, dead bodies, will run away with your heart. I was rooting for Hilde and Elmwood from the very first page.”—Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong

“A rake on the run, a heroine who wields the double entendre like weapon, a dash of necromancy, and a very good dog—Caitlyn Paxson’s debut had me smiling (and swooning) from page one. Witty, magical, and utterly charming.”—Kate Robb, author of This Spells Love

“A lovely story full of heart, wit, and whimsy, with complex, broken characters it’s hard not to root for . . . This is a novel about loyalty and trust in all their forms, forbidden magics, and forbidden romance.”—Marianne Gordon, author of The Gilded Crown

“A clever, unconventional fantasy with a fascinating magic system, A Widow’s Charm was an absolute delight. All hail Lord Rollo and his darling waggy tail!”—Olivia Atwater, author of The Witchwood Knot

About

In this witty fantasy romance, a widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home—only to find herself falling for him instead.

"Witty, whimsical, and deeply kind, A Widow's Charm is beyond charming—it's wholly enchanting."—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting


Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he drops dead quite unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde from her malevolent brother-in-law die along with him. What's a widow to do?

Fortunately, potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Erol Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead and save his own life. Now he's injured, destitute, and miserable, stuck hiding out at the neighboring estate.

For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is, all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again.

Creators

Caitlyn Paxson has a degree in writing and cultural history and has worked as the artistic director of storytelling performances, a harpist, a book reviewer, a nineteenth century jack-of-all-trades, a shepherdess, and a fake Victorian spirit medium. She lives on Prince Edward Island with her husband and three orange cats. A Widow's Charm is her first book. View titles by Caitlyn Paxson

Praise

“Bursting with humor, heart, and healing love, A Widow’s Charm is as sweet and sparkling as Wylderuckus cider. I was utterly charmed by Hilde, Elmwood, and, of course, the dashing Lord Rollo. . . . An unmissable debut.”—Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Starlight

“Witty, whimsical, and deeply kind, A Widow’s Charm is beyond charming—it’s wholly enchanting.”—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting

A Widow’s Charm is a delightfully grown-up fairy tale: witty, sexy, and deeply romantic. Hilde and Elmwood are instantly loveable leads—two bruised Charmers in a broken world, drawn together by love’s irresistible spell. This is a warm, glowing hearth of a book, perfect for a night when the world seems too cold.”New York Times bestselling author Tessa Dare

“Engrossing, flirtatious, sensual, spirited, and highly original.”—Connie Willis, bestselling author of The Road to Roswell

“Clever, funny, charmingly written, this tale of unexpected love and, yes, dead bodies, will run away with your heart. I was rooting for Hilde and Elmwood from the very first page.”—Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong

“A rake on the run, a heroine who wields the double entendre like weapon, a dash of necromancy, and a very good dog—Caitlyn Paxson’s debut had me smiling (and swooning) from page one. Witty, magical, and utterly charming.”—Kate Robb, author of This Spells Love

“A lovely story full of heart, wit, and whimsy, with complex, broken characters it’s hard not to root for . . . This is a novel about loyalty and trust in all their forms, forbidden magics, and forbidden romance.”—Marianne Gordon, author of The Gilded Crown

“A clever, unconventional fantasy with a fascinating magic system, A Widow’s Charm was an absolute delight. All hail Lord Rollo and his darling waggy tail!”—Olivia Atwater, author of The Witchwood Knot
Penguin Random House Comics Retail