Foxfire

by Sandra Ireland

Modern-day Edinburgh. Psychic Myrrh devotes her days to contacting other people’s lost loved ones, all the while waiting for a sign that never comes from her dear departed Frank. Meanwhile, in the vaults and alleyways of the Old Town, the phenomenon of streetslip is growing stronger, tearing down the walls of time and allowing grisly characters from the past to prey on the present. Someone else’s problem? Myrrh thinks so, until her best friend Willow disappears and then it suddenly becomes personal. Enter Reyner, the irresistible stranger who has emerged from the shadows to turn Myrrh’s world upside down. Has he been sent to protect her, as he claims? Or is he hiding a dark, unearthly secret of his own?

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2012

About the author

Sandra Ireland was born in England but lived for many years in Éire before returning ‘home’ to Scotland in the 1990s. She is the author of Beneath the Skin, a psychological thriller, which was shortlisted for a Saltire Literary Award in 2017. Her second novel, Bone Deep, a modern Gothic tale of sibling rivalry, inspired by an old Scottish folktale, will be published in the UK by Polygon in July, and in the US (Gallery) and Germany (Penguin) next year. She also writes poetry, often inspired by the seascapes of Scotland’s rugged east coast. Her poems have been widely published in anthologies, including Seagate III (Dundee), and New Writing Scotland. She won the Dorothy Dunbar Trophy for Poetry, awarded by the Scottish Association of Writers, in 2017 and 2018. Sandra is Secretary of Angus Writers’ Circle and one third of the Chasing Time Team, which runs writing retreats in a gloriously gothic rural setting.

Reviews

[Meggan Connors · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

When I first picked up this novella, I wasn't sure what to expect. A paranormal, sure. A love story, definitely.

What I got was so much more than that.

Foxfire is about a medium, Myrrh, who spends her days contacting the departed dead of other people, all the while waiting for some sort of contact from her dead husband, Frank. Myrrh lives in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, where the veil separating the past from the present is being torn asunder. Add in a mysterious stranger, in the form of Reyner, a beautiful, unearthly man who claims to have been sent to protect her, but may be hiding secrets of his own, and you've got the makings of a great story.

And the story was good, don't get me wrong. The story alone would have kept me reading.

But what spurred me to read the entire book in the space of a few hours and immediately write a review? Why, that was one of the other major players in the book.

Edinburgh herself.

Ms. Ireland has crafted a story that beautifully captures the sights and the smells of Edinburgh. It's been years nice I've even there, but from the first line, I could picture the old streets, the mist and the rain. I could feel the chill in the air against my skin. I saw stone walls and narrow alleys, where every rock breathes of history and ghosts.

I would have liked a little more backstory on Reyner and our villains, but the story was solid, and the setting was so exquisite it more than made up for it.

I'm excited to see what Ms. Ireland comes up with next!

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very fast, interesting read. It had very vivid imagery. I loved the concept of it. The only problem I had with it was that I wish there was more of a build up to the romance. It just moved very fast and she was grieving one moment and then in his arms the next. I did really enjoy the little history facts throughout. Overall very enjoyable.