Marcella’s best friend, Callie, goes missing and it all has something to do with the package Callie received from from her brother — Marcella’s long-lost first love. People are dying, powerful forces have an interest in keeping this all quiet, and in the midst of it all Marcella must deal with long-buried feelings.
Told in the first person from Marcella’s point of view, and read by a talented voice actress with an ageless quality to her voice, this story was instantly captivating. I read a lot of books with young heroes and heroines, so for me it was refreshing to read about a middle-aged woman and her husband, especially since they acted their ages. They’ve both lived a lot of life and have the history to back it up. I also found the perspective to be charmingly honest. Marcella is unquestioningly in love with her husband, Quinn, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t affected by the return of her first lover after nearly two decades of his being MIA. She has to deal with those feelings, and with other secrets that come out over the course of the book.
There’s a mystic quality to this book. I almost hesitate to call it paranormal because it’s all tied in with natural medicine and Native American spirituality, although psychic links and astral projection do qualify as paranormal. It was subtle, written into the fabric of the world in a way that suspends disbelief.
Disclaimer: I read 95% of my books on audio, although I rarely read commercial audiobooks because I have access to the national library for the blind (which usually uses volunteer readers). I received a copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
My standards for audiobooks are high. Because I usually read non-commercial audiobooks that aren’t available to the general public, I don’t normally comment on that aspect of the books I review. But I’m aware of it. The reader for this book was very good. She did mispronounce the word copse consistently (using a long o instead of a short o), but that’s my only complaint. In all other ways she portrayed Marcella very well, reading with good tone/inflections.
I enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend it in audiobook format or in more traditional formats to mystery readers, especially those who like a little mysticism in their stories and who like a strong central character.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Essentially Yours
Author: Aaron Paul Lazar