Stevie‘s review of As the Crow Flies by Karen F. Williams
Contemporary Lesbian Paranormal Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 13 Nov 18
As a student, my flatmates and I were presented with an abandoned baby rook to take care of. The bird and I never really bonded, although he liked my flatmates well enough, and eventually he matured enough to make a home with other rooks in a wood well away from our city centre home. With all that in mind, I was intrigued to see how this book’s principal heroine copes with her corvid companion.
Samantha Weller first met Bertha the crow during Hurricane Bertha, when stopping to rescue the fledgling led to her avoiding certain death by a falling tree; now she regards her crow as a talisman, especially since a series of paranormal detective novels starring Bertha the crow launched her previously faltering writing career. The same cannot be said for Samantha’s love life; most of her dates seem put off by Bertha and don’t stick around for a repeat meeting. Samantha wouldn’t be without her bird, and when she comes across a bookend depicting a crow, she is keen to learn more of the piece’s history and perhaps match it up to its pair.
Via her sister’s antiquarian sister-in-law, Liz, Samantha makes contact with Dr Gwen Laraway, an academic and keen collector of items made by the pottery that produced Samantha’s bookend, who has the matching piece in her collection. The women agree to meet, and Liz tags along, keen to see the rest of Gwen’s collection. Gwen lives with her niece, Isabel, who works in the family business and also takes in stray animals, and when the four women get together, Samantha is very taken with Gwen and Liz is equally so with Liz. However, Gwen worries that she is too old for Samantha, while Isobel has never dated in the course of her adult life.
The two pairs of women continue to meet up after the bookends have been ‘married’ off, and affections slowly develop; Gwen’s estate is haunted, though, and the ghost seems to resent Samantha’s presence. Meanwhile, Bertha the crow finds new friends amongst the birds on the estate.
While the paranormal elements of this book were a little different from my usual reading material, I enjoyed the discussions the women had on art, antiques, and metaphysics. I also appreciated watching the friendship develop between Liz and Samantha, although I got frustrated with both of them at times as they pursued their respective love interests. Overall, this was an excellent introduction to a new-to-me author and I’ll certainly be looking out for her other works.
Grade: B
Summary:
Samantha Weller, a forensic scientist turned paranormal novelist, owes her life and writing career to a crow that saved her from certain death. When she buys an old bookend that looks like her avian muse, her world begins to resemble the plots of her novels.
Determined to find the mate to her bookend, Samantha and her antiquarian sidekick, Liz, go on a search leading them to the beautiful and wealthy Gwen Laraway. Samantha is instantly smitten, but the age difference has Gwen second-guessing Samantha’s interest.
Meanwhile, Liz is crushing on Gwen’s niece, Isabel. As clueless as she is sensuous, Isabel hasn’t had a date since her high school prom ten years ago, and she’s petrified to act on her sudden attraction to Liz.
Romance seems to be blooming all around, but problems arise when a restless ghost emerges from the ether to roam the dark corners of this haunting tale that explores the quantum mechanics of immortality.
Read an excerpt.
