(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A bitter writer, an enthusiastic protege and a story that must be told.
Peter is a young nurse and aspiring author whose professional dreams have come true - a patient in his care, Penelope, needs someone to transcribe her final story. Revolving around four friends sharing an apartment where they hone their artistic and musical skills, Peter soon realises there is more to the story - another presence is lurking in the building, an intriguing, creative, temperamental force that goes by the name Em Jewel.
When tragedy strikes, Peter and his charming co-worker Gabrielle must finish Penelope's story before it ruins both their lives. With the help of a motley group of authors, Peter and Gabrielle are swept up into a world of art, intrigue and deception. They must choose whether to follow their heads or their hearts - with life-altering consequences.

I have long been a fan of Traci Harding - her fantasy novels are among my favourite of that genre - EVER! So when I learned that she was branching out into commercial fiction, I was a little concerned. That market is heaving with authors writing dual narrative stories and I wondered how Harding would stack up against them.

I shouldn't have worried...

What Harding does with this novel is really good: she takes what could have been a very mundane storyline (two people help an old woman tell her life story), adds a dual narrative so the reader can be taken back into Penelope's story (rather than just have it done in flashbacks), then adds a touch of the supernatural mystery to give the story an added dimension. What all this does, of course, is add depth for not just the characters, but for the story itself. That was quite a treat...

The only downside I took from this book - and why it is a 4-star and not 5 - is the role of Gabrielle. She was almost like a magician's assistant: stand there, look pretty and make the magician (or, in this case, Peter) look good. I think she could have had a far more important role than she did.

Overall, I would have no trouble whatsoever telling all and sundry about this new book (and direction) from Traci Harding!


Paul
ARH