It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog blitz for Warwick’s Mermaid by Ellie Gray, and sharing my review once more. It was published by Tirgearr in October 2017, and is available for kindle via Amazon, via Smashwords, and in other e-formats from Apple, for Nook and for Kobo. Many thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support.
I read and reviewed this lovely book back in 2017, but it wasn’t the first time I’d tried Ellie’s writing. I’d read and reviewed (and rather enjoyed) her debut Beauty and the Recluse back in 2016 (you can read that review again here), and featured her again (here) when her second, Love on the Nile, was touring. And just before publishing my review of this one, I’d had the pleasure of meeting her at the RNA Afternoon Tea in York, and found her as warm and lovely as her writing. Let’s hope it won’t be too long now until we see another book from her.
Let’s take a closer look…
Having escaped an abusive relationship, Chloe MacGregor is determined to put the past behind her. The little cottage high up on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful North Yorkshire town of Whitby is her safe haven, somewhere she is free to be herself.
When the arrival of her new neighbour and boss, Luke Warwick, threatens her peaceful, sheltered life, Chloe is forced to confront her past and to re-evaluate who she really is. Falling in love with Luke is not part of her plan but, to her surprise, Luke is falling for her too. The only thing preventing their happy ever after is Chloe herself. Will she ever truly learn to leave the past where it belongs?
And here’s my review, just once more…
This was very much my kind of read – a rather gorgeous love story, but with a real edge of darkness as Chloe struggles to escape the shadow of domestic abuse and her belief that she’s incapable of forming a relationship, and some very unexpected unpleasantness in the workplace. Other than the dark edges, it’s a fairly easy read, and Chloe’s a likeable character who you feel for from the very beginning. Luke is distinctly gorgeous, warm and caring – and there are moments when you really want to shake Chloe in the hope that she’ll realise how perfectly lovely and ideal for her he really is. But things don’t run smoothly, and misunderstandings and other people’s meddling threaten the relationship before it really starts.
There are moments of high drama, heart-stopping and breathless – and moments of great tenderness, equally well handled. There were other scenes I particularly enjoyed – the afternoon event where Chloe sold her silver jewellery, the scenes in the photography shop, and Chloe’s dash to Whitby Abbey – and the whole Whitby setting was rather well done. And I really liked Jasper too, the female dog (yes, really…) – and the way she was both the catalyst for some of the drama and also Chloe’s best friend. But Chloe’s mother – my goodness, she has a lot to answer for. And as for some of her work colleagues…
I really liked this one – a satisfying love story, but with a few very different twists and turns, and a very enjoyable read.
About the author
I’m a contemporary romance author, published with the lovely Tirgearr Publishing, and am a proud member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. I live in the beautiful East Riding of Yorkshire in the UK and, although I work full-time in the public sector, my favourite pastime, when not writing, is wandering around old stately homes.
My debut novel, Beauty and the Recluse, was published in February 2016, closely followed by my second, Love on the Nile, which was released in the summer of 2016. My third novel, Warwick’s Mermaid, was published in October 2017 and I’m currently working on my fourth.
A few random pieces of information about me:
Favourite TV shows – The Walking Dead, The X-Files, Nashville, Dr. Who, the Great British Bake-off.
Favourite Music – I’m an 80’s girl!, country, sixties, Elvis, classical (when I’m writing)
Favourite Food – Indian, tapas, crisps
Favourite Drink – black coffee (copious amounts when I’m writing) sauvignon blanc
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Thank you, Anne – looking forward to meeting up again at the next RNA Afternoon Tea whenever restrictions allow! Ellie
Something I’m really looking forward to as well, Ellie – hopefully with lots of hugs!