Nell Grey

*contains minor spoilers*

In the sequel to Nell Grey’s novel Trust Me, Find Me follows Sion Edwards, now Shaun Cobain, to New Zealand where he begins his new life in witness protection. Claire Williams embarks on her journey around the world to find her long lost father, wondering what could have been if she’d gone with Sion. As Sion thinks of ways to reach out to Claire and bring her back to him, Claire is put in a dangerous situation when Sion’s enemies plot to use her to bring him out of hiding.

Like Trust Me, I found the writing style to be more believable than most stories. And while I personally love it when it’s real, I understand that some might find it boring (just a heads if that’s you). I particularly liked when Claire kissed Sion during an inconvenient time and he responded with, “What are you doing? We have to go.” Was it a romantic response? No. Was it a good time to kiss him? Also no. I liked that she was trying to be cutesy, but I also liked that he knew it wasn’t a good time. Too many couples get caught up in the moment and end up wasting precious time. One part of the writing style worth mentioning that was difficult to get used to was the use of perspectives. Claire’s POV is first person present, while everyone else’s is third person past tense. And those perspectives sometimes changed with no transition so it was a bit hard to adjust.

The plot didn’t turn out as I expected. Not in a bad way, to be clear. I was surprised at how quickly Claire made her way to NZ, and how easy it was for Sion to get her there without her knowing. There was a plot twist here and there, but the main one, I had hoped for a bit more foreshadowing. I also noticed how in Trust Me, the love scene was vague and glossed over, but here, it was more descriptive. And seeing how Sion and Claire were a major part of book one had me thinking Find Me was the real story the author wanted to tell, and Trust Me was more of a prologue.

I especially loved how different Claire and Sion were from Annie and Jac. It shows that Nell Grey has variety in her work and makes me want to read more from her. They had that fun teasing banter and, unlike Annie and Jac, they didn’t fight all the time. They were apart, and simply wanted to be together. And Sion’s obsession with seeing her again made him a bit careless with his witness protection. I kind of expected more from someone who used to be in the special forces. But he was also so much more human than all those macho-men leads. At one point, he received some distressing news and actually vomited. Sorry if it’s gross to say, but it’s a common reaction that I never read about, and I appreciated it here.

So, Nell Grey gets another four stars from me! I loved the story and characters and would gladly read more from her. There were a few grammatical errors that slipped through, a couple minor plot holes, and one particular plot element that had me thinking, “well that de-escalated quickly.” The story wrapped up nicely, including a major concern of mine that was tastefully resolved in a single sentence. Thank you, Nell Grey, for this book!… (més)

Following the mysterious suicide of her abusive father and a suspension from her job, Annie returns to the family farm she ran from years ago, and to Jac, the man who boke her heart at the same time. Annie and Jac must come to terms with the difficulties they faced in the past, as well as confront the feelings they undoubtedly still feel for each other. Sion, Jac’s best friend, steps in to help the family, but his work in special ops is catching up to him, and he can’t risk putting his friends, or sweet bartender Claire, in harm’s way.

Trust Me had a very sweet love story. There’s a lot of drama between Annie and Jac, but the way author Nell Grey wrote it made it seem so much more real than what I’ve read before. Yes, there’s miscommunication and fighting, but there was also honesty and forgiveness. Their past friendship was too strong for them to completely let go, and even though there were times when all seemed lost, I knew they would run back to each other in a heartbeat. Annie was such a stubborn character and I was glad to see how she grew throughout the story. As for Jac, he may have been in denial at times, but it was clear what he wanted all along.

I liked Sion’s story as well. It was more suspenseful and action-packed than the main storyline, so it seemed a bit out of place, but I enjoyed it all the same. Sion is a hitman who hides in the countryside between jobs to avoid suspicion and falls for Claire, a bartender at the local pub. I loved the casual flirtiness between them and I’m excited to read more of them in Grey’s sequel Find Me.

The writing style for the most part was simple and easy to read, perfect for a day of relaxing. Backstories were told at a steady pace, revealing small, but significant details at a pace that kept me intrigued and added a dramatic flair. But there were a few times when the setting changed rather abruptly, with little to no transition. I had to reread a few bits to get my bearings.

Ultimately, it was a lovely book. It’s a great read for those that want a dramatic love story with a suspenseful side story. I found it refreshing, lacking the cliche elements of your typical romance. I would definitely recommend it.… (més)

The prologue of Three Magic Women allows the reader a glimpse of Ellie, the main character from The Golden Web, at the beginning of a new life and needing some purpose and direction. These arrive somewhat disguised in the form of her grandmother’s letters. Chapter one rolls back the years, and the whole of Part 1 is told by way of the same letters, written by Una to her own mother at the age of sixteen, when she was starting married life in The Old Priory, Ellie’s childhood home where half of The Golden Web takes place. The letters reveal Una as a strange damaged creature, given to violent passions and imaginings. In Part 2 the novel reverts to where the prologue left off, with Ellie, confused and vaguely troubled, not only by the content of the letters but also by the happenings in the house she shares with others like herself. Somehow she must pick up the threads of normality and learn to live in the real world.

The first part of Three Magic Women is as strange as Una herself. One can’t help asking questions about madness, where and how it begins and how broad the cusp of sanity and insanity is. Una’s story is punctuated and paralleled (in an odd and non-literal way), by verses from Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene, which seems in some way as mysterious and multi-layered as Una herself.

Part 2 takes place in the present day and is written in a completely different way. Una’s voice has gone, to be replaced with a straightforward third person narrative. Events escalate as Ellie attempts to find herself, until the wonderfully lyrical end which I won’t give away; all I’ll say is that it did make me cry.… (més)

The story begins …My mind is wandering again… A woman is looking back over her life, reliving her early years as a child with a mystical connection to the natural world, and with it the sense of being different and misunderstood. Her first mystical experience allows her to briefly escape the horrors of school life, but more importantly opens her eyes to the possibilities of magick and the knowledge that a community of others like her exists in a forest somewhere in the west of England. The Golden Web is the story of how she leaves home to find not only her true name and spiritual family but also how a single act of magick, performed out of concern for her parents and small brother, has far-reaching consequences that will affect all of their lives.

Beautifully written with a poetic feel to the language, and very dark in places. Women with a passion for nature and the spiritual side of life, especially those who are searching, will identify strongly with Ellie and feel for her in all she has to go through before they turn the final page. The novel has a strong wiccan slant and contains lyrical invocations and spellcastings that one could incorporate into one’s own practice. Three Magic Women (the sequel) was published recently – review coming soon.… (més)