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    Reluctantly Charmed: A Novel
    Reluctantly Charmed: A Novel
    Reluctantly Charmed: A Novel
    Ebook434 pages8 hours

    Reluctantly Charmed: A Novel

    By Ellie O'Neill

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    In the spirit of Cecelia Ahearn and Regina McBride, a lighthearted and relatable debut novel about an advertising copywriter who upends her ordinary life and captures the attention of the world after publishing a seven-part treatise on the existence of fairies.

    Kate McDaid thought that going to the reading of her great-great-aunt’s will would be just another non-event in her ordinary life. A junior copywriter at an advertising agency in Dublin, she was used to spending her days wrangling clients, over-indulging in chocolatey products, and whiling away nights at the pub with her best friends, using her trusty bicycle to get around town. Instead, Kate finds out that the will and her aunt (also known as the Red Witch of Knocknamee) dictates that Kate must publish a series of strange poems called “The Seven Steps” under her own name in order to inherit the rest of her aunt’s estate.

    And those poems? They’re a mysterious treatise on the importance and existence of fairies…

    Kate decides to publish the Steps on a friend’s website, thinking that the low traffic on the site would let her posts go unnoticed. She never could have imagined that in a matter of days, she would find herself a local celebrity with her own group of devotees and the target of a mysterious and glamorous newspaper reporter. Even Dublin’s rock-and-roll sweetheart—and Kate’s onetime fling—writes a song inspired by the Steps.

    While the Steps strike a chord across Ireland and the world, Kate takes the message to heart. But as the tone of each Step moves from free-spirited to sinister, Kate must decide if she will go through with publishing all seven Steps—or protect humankind from an ancient evil.

    Infused with just enough magic and everyday familiarity that anyone can relate to, this fantastic debut is a page-turner with the perfect mix of humor and mystery.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTouchstone
    Release dateMar 17, 2015
    ISBN9781476757568
    Reluctantly Charmed: A Novel
    Author

    Ellie O'Neill

    Ellie O'Neill is an Irish Australian author based in Geelong, Victoria. She is the author of four novels, the first of which, Reluctantly Charmed, was a bestseller. Her most recent novel, Family Matters, was published in 2022. Her writing has been described as charming, whimsical, funny and touching. To date, all of her books have been set in Ireland and she's not entirely sure why. See www.ellieoneill.com.au

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    Reviews for Reluctantly Charmed

    3.5/5

    15 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I didn't think I'd make it through this book at first. Well, that's not completely accurate; I thought the first 10% or so was really intriguing. I liked the idea of an inheritance hinged upon the publication of 1 letter each week. But then it stated to get a bit weird with the whole fairy thing and how obsessed people got about it. What kept me hooked had nothing to do with the fairies, or her magic (which was never really fleshed out in detail). I kept reading because I found the story of instant fame and celebrity thrust upon someone who is not the least bit interested in it compelling. In this respect the story is moving and powerful as Kate completely loses control of her own life and identity. There's romance here too, but so slow burning it's almost back-burnered most of the time. An odd story, written well enough, with an exploration of the destructive powers the public can wield.
    • 4/5
      Reluctantly Charmed is a bewitching novel from debut author Ellie O’Neill.Kate McDaid is curious when she is summoned on her 26th birthday to a lawyer’s office to hear the reading of a will written 130 years ago. The will, penned by Kate’s great-great-great-great aunt, requires her to agree to publish a series of letters over seven weeks in exchange for her inheritance. Kate, a modern Dubliner and junior copywriter, is bemused to discover the letters contain Seven Steps that her aunt, a self proclaimed witch, claims will reunite humanity with the near forgotten world of fairy. Not seeing the harm in fulfilling the eccentric request, Kate publishes the first letter online but within days her life is turned completely upside down.Entertaining and light, Reluctantly Charmed is a fanciful story about self discovery, modern day malaise, and magic, with appealing touches of humour, intrigue and romance.An ordinary young woman, with a 9-5 job in advertising to which she rides her bike everyday, a crush on a gorgeous pub singer, and a tiny flat in Dublin, Kate is a likeable character who is easy to relate to. She is naturally skeptical of her aunt’s claim that she was a witch who communed with the fairies, and that Kate too has powers. Even as Kate instinctively offers ‘spells’ to her girlfriends to improve their love life or help their children sleep or chats with the flowers on her desk, she remains doubtful of the existence of magic, more concerned with attracting the attention of ‘rock god’ Jim, lining up ‘The Hoff’ to star in a client’s campaign and getting to the corner store without being accosted by the Anorak gang. Kate is astonished by the snowballing interest in the ‘Steps’, fueled by social media, which bestows on her an unwelcome celebrity status.Ireland is an ideal setting for the novel, given the country’s traditional association with the ‘wee folk’. Despite the modern pace of Irish life, belief in fairy folklore still lingers and O’Neill’s story invites the reader to imagine the possibilities. The ‘Seven Steps’, which urges people to reconnect with nature and promise a revelatory reward, is an irresistible lure for those, from the earnest Simon the Anorak to the sinister journalist, Maura Ni Ghaora, looking for the potential of magic.With well drawn, engaging characters, a delightful premise and effortless style, fans of magical realism are sure to be enchanted by the whimsy of Reluctantly Charmed.

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    Reluctantly Charmed - Ellie O'Neill

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