The Selkie Spell
by Sophie Moss
Publication Date: November 6, 2011
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance
Synopsis
American doctor Tara Moore wants to disappear. On the run from an abusive husband, she seeks shelter on a windswept Irish island and dismisses the villagers' speculation that she is descended from a selkie—a magical creature who is bewitching the island. But when a ghostly woman appears to her with a warning, Tara realizes it was more than chance that brought her to this island. Desperate to escape a dark and dangerous past, she struggles against a passionate attraction to handsome islander, Dominic O'Sullivan. But the enchantment of the island soon overpowers her and she falls helpless under its spell. Caught between magic and reality, Tara must find a way to wield both when a dangerous stranger from her past arrives, threatening to destroy the lives of everyone on the island.
Winner of the Best Romance/Fantasy Novel in the 2013 International Book Awards
A FIRE FAIRY REVIEW
I received a
complimentary copy of the Seal Island Trilogy in exchange for an honest review.
The Selkie Spell is
the first book of the Seal Island Trilogy. The story is about Tara, an American
Doctor on the run from her abusive husband. She’s been moving from one place to
another until she found herself on Seal Island. Her stay was met with
disapproval from the tavern owner, Dominic, who wants her gone for some personal reasons. But from the
first time she set foot on the island, strange things have been happening
around her – which revolves around a legend that may be connected to her. Some
people believe that she’s a descendant of the Selkie in the legend, that she has the
power to break the 200 year old curse.
Tara dismissed the
stories knowing she will only stay for a short while. But she didn’t know that
she’d fall in love with the island, the people, and Dominic. Now that her past
is catching up to her, she needs to leave the island to protect the people she
came to love, but Dominic won’t let her. Torn between wanting to keep them safe
and wanting to stay with Dominic, will she choose to leave or fight for her
freedom and embrace the legend and the magic calling to her blood?
Of all the sub-genres
of Paranormal Romance, it’s those connected to myth and folklore that I love
the most. The Selkie Spell is a
combination of Irish folklore and naked fairy tales based from Hans Christian
Andersen's stories (definitely not the happy ending version by Disney). As Book One, it was a great starter for the trilogy. It made a perfect base for the
next books. I love the first chapters of the book. It was haunting, beautiful
and just gripped me until the last chapter. I love that the story was so
mysterious that I just have to finish it to know the answers to questions thrown
in the first few chapters. This is only the second series I've read featuring
the Selkies and I’m glad to read more about them. The Selkie Spell features fantasy,
mystery, and of course, romance with dark and gloomy settings.
Character-wise, Sophie
Moss created people you wish you'd meet in real life. The people in the island
were lovable. They sounded warm and friendly and if Seal Island is true, I
would love to go there just by the sound of the people. I like
the interaction between the characters, particularly Tara and Dominic. I loved
how their story maintained the sweetness and wasn't overwhelmed by over-steamy
romantic/passionate moments. I’m glad the author didn't dwell much on the romance part. It
was just a perfect balance of magic, mystery and romance. I guess the character
who really made an impression on me is Glenna. From this book you can feel the
air of mystery surrounding her which made me ask questions I know will be answered
on the next books. The character that bothered me most is Kelsey. It was
mentioned that she’s about 8 years old but by the way she talks in the book, it’s
like a teenager or young adult is talking. It just didn't add up to her age, no
matter how intelligent she is.
So overall, I’m giving The Selkie Spell 4 Fairy
Wings. It’s really a very good book. I love how the author mixed contemporary
romance with folklore and fairy tales. It was entertaining and definitely
merits a demand for books 2 and 3 to be read. If you love trilogies like Nora
Roberts’ Three Sisters Island, then this book is just perfect for you. I would
recommend this to paranormal romance readers who want to read a mash of mystery,
folklore, and fairy tales. Definitely worth your time and money.
Synopsis
In this modern-day fairy tale romance, Irish islander, Caitlin Conner, has been in love with professor of Irish folklore, Liam O'Sullivan, for as long as she can remember. But just when he's starting to look at her as more than a friend, a mysterious woman arrives on Seal Island and captures his heart. As Caitlin discovers the truth behind the woman's lies, she realizes Liam is trapped in a dangerous enchantment and the only way to break the spell is to uncover a secret Irish fairy tale that has remained hidden for hundreds of years. But when the petals of a white rose grown in winter start to fall, the legend is set in motion. And Caitlin must find a way to change the ending before the last petal falls.
A FIRE FAIRY REVIEW
The Selkie Enchantress is the second book of The Seal Island Trilogy and features Caitlin and Liam. Caitlin is Dominic’s (of Book One) best friend and Liam is his brother who works as a professor on the mainland. Unknown to others, Cait and Liam had a romantic past but because Caitlin was too young, she made bad decisions which resulted to heartbreaks. They’ve been friends after that but on the day of Tara and Dominic’s wedding, they became lovers again. After months of constant communication, Liam has decided to stay on the island for good. On his way back to Seal Island for their dinner date, he met Nuala, a mysterious woman who enchanted him. She made him forget about Caitlyn and his newly discovered legend that was hidden for so long. In this second book, it’s now time for Caitlin and Liam to fight for their love and to meet someone connected to their secret past.
Damn! Sophie Moss just raised the trilogy to a higher level! The Selkie Enchantress is stunning, captivating, so beautiful and heart-tugging! It’s a modern day fusion of fairy tales and true romance that took my breath away. The story was excellently written and enchanting. I liked the first book but I LOVED this book. This is definitely a lot better than The Selkie Spell. I really love how the author mixes everything here. Irish myth, contemporary, mystery, fantasy, a fusion of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast all rolled into one. I loved the twists and magic in the book. Moss has a knack of weaving fascinating mysteries and tales that leaves you wanting to know everything.
Liam is hot! He’s way hotter than Dominic (my opinion!) and I just love his character. He’s strong, caring, kind, intelligent, and he absolutely loves Caitlin even when he doesn’t remember what they are to each other. Who doesn’t want a sexy, handsome professor? Definitely not me! Caitlin, on the other hand, hides so many heartaches, that she became so good in showing people how strong she is emotionally. She has a very big heart and has so much room for love and caring that she even takes care of Owen even though she knows that he was Nuala’s son. I loved her for that and I loved the twist Moss made on her character and Owen’s. The other characters in the Book One still play important roles in this book. Just like in the first book, I’m once again drawn to Glenna. I just love her character. She’s so strong and mysterious. She doesn’t want to reveal her true self but she loves the people on the island and is willing to help them no matter what. Sam is definitely my favorite guy in this trilogy! Even though he’s the reason why Tara has been found by her husband, he quickly realized his mistakes and decided to switch sides right on time. He’s a good guy and wants redemption for everything he had done. He’d do anything for Tara and the rest of the family to atone for his sins. Another character that made an impact on me is Nuala. I just can’t seem to hate her in this book, even with all the pain she’s caused Caitlin. For me she was just another victim of circumstance taken advantage by another. Even with all the things she’d done, there’s still goodness inside her.
I’m giving The Selkie Enchantress 5 Fairy Wings. I realized I can’t give it anything less. It was stunning, enchanting, beautifully written, has exciting twists and plot, and characters to love. I love how Moss maintained the fairy tale quality in this dark tale. That no matter what happens, true love is still the strongest thing there is; and that it can overcome everything. I recommend this to all paranormal romance fans. I wish everyone of the right age can read this. You’ll be amazed how wonderful and heartfelt this book is.
The Selkie Sorceress
by Sophie Moss
Publication Date: April 20, 2013
American detective Sam Holt has a knack for finding people who shouldn't be found. When his last case almost killed an innocent woman, he swore off detective work forever. But when that same woman asks him for one last investigation--to find her husband's long lost mother--Sam cannot refuse. Clairvoyant Irish artist Glenna McClure will do anything to stop Sam, even if it means teaming up with a powerful sorceress who she knows she cannot trust. But when the petals of a mysterious night-blooming rose begin to turn black, Glenna realizes that an even darker force is at work. To protect the people she loves, Glenna will have to face a terrible curse that has haunted her all her life before the final petal fades to ash.
A FIRE FAIRY REVIEW
I think I have enough reasons to believe that Sophie Moss has selkie blood in her. This book, along with the first two books, charmed me, pulled me, and enchanted me until I read every page of the book. it’s like every page in the book has magic in it. I can’t seem to stop myself from turning the book page by page. After reading these books, I will never look at the seals in the same way again.
The Selkie Sorceress is the third and final book of The Seal Island Trilogy. With the fall of the White Selkie, the balance between land and the sea is in jeopardy. With Moira in her most powerful, she will stop at nothing until she became the Queen of the Selkies. Only one person can stop her. And Glenna will do everything to protect that person. Meanwhile, with the mystery of the white selkie discovered, Tara and Liam decided they need to find the person that led them to the legend, Brigid. Tara asked Sam to find her and Sam will do anything she asks in penance to what he did. There’s only one problem, Glenna seems determined to stop him from finding Dominic and Liam’s mother.
There’s nothing more that I love than reading a series that ends with a bang! I have one word for The Selkie Sorceress – PERFECT! In this book, every secret is revealed. I loved every page of this book. I mentioned on my reviews of Books 1 and 2 that my favorite character is Glenna because she’s so mysterious and that I want to know everything about her. Well… it’s finally her book! Moss didn’t fail to deliver everything that I wanted in this book and more. In this book, I loved Glenna’s character so much more! She’s kind, intelligent, strong, loving, caring, and most especially selfless. I felt bad for her and Brigid because of what they had to go through. But I admired her for what she did after that. Always after protecting the people she cares about, including Sam. And Sam… My favorite hero among the three. I’ve always known he’s good deep inside. I was touched by how much he cared for Glenna, even if Glenna always pushes him away.
Story-wise, this book is fantastic. Moss is a genius in her craft. The trilogy was beautifully written; it was riveting and will just suck you in once you start reading. The story was full of surprises and everything fell into places. Honestly, I can’t be happier with how it ended. It was just so perfect for me. It was definitely a happy ending although the path towards it was really painful. All the mysteries have been answered except for one which the author has deliberately left opened. A spin-off novel, perhaps? I’m looking forward to reading it. :)
I am giving The Selkie Sorceress 10 Fairy Wings. Yes, I know I can only give it 5 wings but I will personally make an exception (I hope the other fairies won’t give me a hard time for this). I just loved this story and it made me so happy I feel like I can do anything. I don’t have to tell you that I’m recommending this to everyone, right? If you haven’t started reading this awesome trilogy better start now. I’ll even make a trade with the sea-witch if you will not like this at all. *wink*
About Sophie Moss
Sophie Moss is a USA Today bestselling author of four full-length romance novels. She is known for her captivating Irish fantasy romances and heartwarming contemporary romances with realistic characters and unique island settings. As a former journalist, Sophie has been writing professionally for over ten years. She currently lives in San Diego, California, where she’s working on her next novel. When she’s not writing, she’s walking the beach, testing out a new dessert recipe, or fiddling in her garden. Sophie loves to hear from readers. Email her at sophiemosswrites@gmail.com or visit her website sophiemossauthor.com to sign up for her newsletter.
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