Clueless witch meets quirky vampire... a magical realism, paranormal romance.
Alba is about to lose everything during an awful divorce... until she meets the Vampires of Emberbury, who dwell under an abandoned graveyard, stuck in Victorian times. They will make her a very interesting job offer, and she will get to meet Clarence, a mysterious vampire gentleman who thinks cloaks and top hats are still in fashion. With his help, Alba will figure out that, sometimes, the scariest monster isn’t the one with fangs.
A magical story about a lost witch recovering her self-esteem and overcoming a terrible mistake, a seemingly cheerful vampire with a tortured past, and finding love in the most unexpected of places. This is a slow-burn paranormal vampire romance and magical realism novel that deals with worldly issues in a magical, humorous way and guarantees to make you laugh, cry, and gasp as you follow Alba and Clarence on their quest to solve Alba’s real-life troubles in a fairy-tale setting.
Stray Witch is the first book in the Vampires of Emberbury series but can also be read as a stand-alone story.
Assessment:
Plot: The simple, yet complex plot builds organically and flows easily from beginning to end, with clear plot points and resolutions. Lack of explanation on some background details – Elizabeth’s businesses, for example, or how Mark was able to fabricate so much about Alba – can lead to questions which should have easy answers, yet those answers aren’t found in the narrative.
Prose/Style: The writing style is smooth and readily engaging, and the author has a definitive talent for storytelling. Certain phrasings may prove foreign to some readers.
Originality: The highly original plot combines the best of paranormal with the best of romance. While the idea has been seen before, Stray Witch is a fresh take with delightful results.
Character Development: Each character is lovingly detailed, vivid in perspective. The slow teasing out of each’s history allows for a tantalizing, unputdownable read, though small idiosyncrasies, particularly regarding Alba’s relationship with Mark, may pull readers out of the story.
Date Submitted: August 24, 2020
