My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The enchanting cover image would lure you in making you believe in magic, but there’s nothing magical about A Spell Of Rowans, it is all about churning emotions and ‘laugh a bit, cry a bit’ family relationships.

Vic Rowan has escaped Grimsby and its clutches a long time ago but now she has to return and face her darkest fears. Her mother Rachel Rowan is dead and she has to help her older sister Philippa and younger brother Liam deal with the fallout as Vic discovers the exact truth of her mother’s antique stores. All the Rowan children have their unique powers but it is Vic who is an empath that suffers the worst. In a town whose residents are happy about their mother’s death and her old love back in Grimsby, her brother being accused as a murderer, too many things are happening around the Rowans for Vic to let things be. Fuelled by the guilt of leaving her brother and running from responsibilities, it is now her priority to save herself and her siblings from being persecuted any further.

A Spell Of Rowans is a gripping story of abuse and the misuse of powers. Rachel Rowan is dead when we begin the story but her presence is felt throughout as this angry specter looming over her children. The sibling relationship was one of the warmest I have read in recent times and Liam was a character that I simply loved. Byrd Nash has used magic very sparingly in the story which was surprising, in fact, the story explored family dynamics and the effects of long-term abuse and letting go of its past in such a genuine way that it was easy to forget the paranormal elements of the story.

The story is fast and keeps the reader hooked with the twists and turns as old secrets come tumbling out of the closet. There’s a sprinkling of romance in all the 3 sibling lives but Vic and Reed just score the bonus points with their intensity. The attack on Vic leaves a sour taste but thankfully the author never downplays the event and as a matter of fact, a sentence mentioned here and there lets the reader know the emotional effects of the victim. The sense of danger keeps piling up towards the end of the story leading to a thrilling climax.

If there’s one thing that I would have probably wanted would have been more atmosphere, as the house and the town of Grimsby never creates an impression but it doesn’t take anything away from this deep and emotional story of sibling love and forgiveness.

Many thanks to BookSirens, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Raised by a narcissistic mother, the Rowan children’s magical talents were twisted to fit her needs. When Rachel dies, her children must confront the past to have a future.

Rachel Rowan could sniff out secrets and her antique shop, Rosemary Thyme, was a front to torment the residents of Grimsby. When she dies, her children are faced with the deadly fallout of blackmail, murder, and magic.

Victoria, whose empathic talent knows everyone’s hidden feelings; Philippa, whose glamour can bewitch; and Liam, the brother who touches objects to reveal their secrets, all find themselves in danger.

When her autistic brother is arrested, Vic needs to discover the truth to set him free.

A successful art restorer in the big city, Vic’s made a career of ignoring her past and hiding her strange powers. But with Rachel’s death, she must gamble away her secrets to face down forces determined to destroy her and her siblings.

And that hometown boy she dumped way back? He’s in Grimsby, and knows the truth about her.

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