A FAERIE STORY by BARBARA ELSBORG

“Is that what you’re searching for? Happiness? Peace?”
“Aren’t we all?” I want to be needed, loved. That would make me happy, give me peace.

Barbara Elsborg is and has been an unsung hero in our eyes for almost a decade now, the way in which she writes her characters and their stories never fail to completely and utterly consume us. Especially when it comes to her male characters who always have such intriguing, vulnerable and compelling character traits. We literally feel like we know them inside out by the time we’ve finished their journey, with and alongside them. It’s an incredible talent to be able to write characters in such a flawless way which enables us readers to form an instantaneous connection. It is faultless, and it is an outstanding skill. Another thing this Author writes so brilliantly, is Faeries. In the world of the paranormal Faeries are perhaps not one of the most coveted of mystical beings, however the way in which Barbara Elsborg writes them they should be. She has a way with shaping her characters which makes them about so much more than just what they are, set in a world of ‘normality’ as is the case in ‘A Faerie Story.’ She is a gift to readers like us who love paranormal romance.

‘They didn’t need magic to find love, to fall in love, to stay in love. It was here.
“This is just the beginning.”

A Faerie Story by Barbara Elsborg is like three stories in one, we say that because the three male characters; Keagan, Aiden and Pascal had such immense stories to tell that it felt so comprehensive it was not just about one man’s journey. It was three journeys which culminated into one epic story. As per usual Barbara Elsborg throws down the gauntlet on how many agonising rounds of pounding your heart can take before it shatters. There is not one single character who doesn’t bring an emotional story to the mix. Rather, each character carries internal or external scars as well as burdens from their past, with one or two more horrific than the other. We cried so many tears.

“So can I persuade you?”
“To do what?”
“To continue to look for beauty in the world.”
“Why bother when everything is black?”
“You’re wrong. There is beauty. You haven’t looked hard enough. You haven’t wanted it enough. Don’t run from it, run towards it.”

Combining a story of paranormal and mystical settings with an intense love affair between three men is quite the feat. It felt so real and tangible, it was as if we were there. And oh how we wanted to be. We wanted to gather these three lads up and bring them home. We have to say, we had a real soft spot for Aiden especially and understood wholeheartedly why Keagan and Pascal seemed to surround him and protect him until he was completely enveloped in the safety of their arms. His story truly broke us. Saying that, we fell in love with them all for very different reasons and as a whole they just worked so perfectly. One soul, three broken hearts, learning to heal through love.

“You were…are magnificent. Brave. Unique. Gorgeous. And you have no idea.”

The setting….spectacular, just what we love- Christmas and snow, loads of snow! The world-building was flawless and the concept of snow globes and the way in which they feature in this story, genius. Barbara Elsborg has a knack of staying away from just writing a ‘simple’ story, rather there is always so much going on, yet somehow it all always comes together perfectly, and everything no matter how minor or seemingly irrelevant at the time, has a place in a story that feels so all encompassing. And this is why Barbara Elsborg is one of the unsung heroes, in our hearts!

“Physical limitations don’t define you. Only the way you think.”