Ellie O'Neill

Reluctantly Charmed is one of the most unique novels I’ve read for a very long time. It’s fiction, combined with history and tradition and a sprinkling of magic. It’s funny, sunny and turns very serious at a point, reflecting on some of the questions humans have been asking for centuries – who or what is to be believed in? Do witches, magic and fairies exist?

The story starts out quite normally – Kate is a 26 year old woman in Dublin with man problems and a job that seems to be a show more bit of a dead end. She gives us some hilarious commentary about how everyone in Dublin seems to know everyone somehow and the endless possibilities to offend someone because their great aunt used to play tennis with your grandmother’s best friend and then Kate finds out she’s been left an inheritance by her great times four aunt, also Kate McDaid. It’s not an ordinary inheritance though – to get the unidentified inheritance, she must publish seven letters, or Steps, weekly. Kate thinks it’s all a bit of a laugh, especially as the first step seems harmless. So she publishes it on the forgotten website of the Space Monkeys (the former band of the object of her affection, Jim). What Kate didn’t think about was the ability of the internet to hype everything up and soon she’s a celebrity, complete with paparazzi and an anorak-wearing fan club. She’s being asked to use her influence to get David Hasselhoff to star in an ad campaign, people are sending her things and she’s being followed down to the corner shop. But the final step is different from the rest – will Kate take the risk and publish, or will she devastate her followers?

I found Reluctantly Charmed to be a quirky book with hidden depths. Ellie O’Neill’s writing grew stronger with each chapter and the climax was a tricky one to accomplish, but she nailed it. As the tone of the novel grew darker in shades, I found myself rethinking what I had badged as light fiction. Each step deals with rethinking the way we live and slowing down our busy lives. It’s about appreciating what’s around you. Nature is a strong theme here and respecting the natural surrounds. I found it lovely that people took on board the steps and started spending time looking at flowers at the detriment of the phones. The reveal of the final step was a gasp-worthy moment where I had to reconsider every step before and what they could have meant (a little more than appreciation of natural surroundings). It was a tense read as Kate grappled with what to do as thousands awaited the words they had travelled so far to hear. The tension practically made the book quiver with anticipation.

There are also plenty of fun moments in Reluctantly Charmed. Ellie’s on-off relationship with Jim is funny, as is the character of Jim himself. The attempt to get the Hoff in an ad for chocolate was laugh out loud material. There’s a lovely relationship building and periodic appearances of a large dog. Kate’s friends are also very funny in their attempts to catch a man via spells and then get rid of him. Kate is an easy character to get to know – it feels like you’ve known her for years. Her problems are (mainly) relatable but her journey is a wild one, full of fun and unwanted fame.

A question asked in this book is how much does magic exist in our lives? Is it there under the surface and we’ve just forgotten how to see it? The fairies of Ireland and the people’s belief in them play a big role in the story. Whether you believe in them or not, Reluctantly Charmed forces you to think about how you came to your conclusion. A belief in fairies is not necessary to enjoy this book (it’s firmly rooted in reality), but it’s interesting to read the varying responses of the characters to fairies.

An amusing and imaginative story, this book is a delightful debut by Ellie O’Neill.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the copy of this book.

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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, show more 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. show less

The Enchanted Island is Ellie O’Neill’s captivating second novel about self discovery, modern day malaise, and magic.

When apprentice solictor Maeve O’Brien is sent to Hy Brasil, a tiny island off the coast of Ireland, to finalise a deal for a client, she’s determined to prove herself. Sure, she has made some mistakes, betraying her best friend and burying herself in debt among them, but she’s confident that this assignment will help her turn things around. All Maeve needs is a show more signature from Sean Fitzpatrick, so that the client’s plans to build a bridge between the mainland and the island can go ahead, but the landowner proves to be elusive, and most of the locals uniformly unhelpful.

Stuck on Hy Brasil, determined to complete her mission, Maeve is initially panicked at the thought of being on her own, but without the distractions of retail therapy and her busy city social life, she begins to reevaluate what she is looking for in life. O’Brien pokes fun at our modern day obsession with packaged beauty, social media and consumerism. I really liked the way in which Maeve changes through the novel, letting go of her shallow obsessions, and becoming a more confident, authentic person.

And while many of the locals, especially the elderly are distinctly unfriendly, Maeve makes some new friends including two stoner app developers, a charming gay couple and the handsome local schoolteacher, Killian. It’s not until she finally corners Sean Fitzpatrick though that she learns the secrets of Hy Brasil.

reluctantlycharmedAs in Reluctantly Charmed, O’Neill draws on the folklore of Ireland to add a touch of mysticism to this contemporary novel. Hy Brasil is an island of great, almost unspoiled, beauty, rumoured to offer you your heart’s desire, but there is an underlying atmosphere of menace that makes Maeve uneasy. The locals are secretive, bone chilling cries rent the night air, and a dark sort of energy seems to lurk unseen.

With an appealing mix of humour, intrigue and romance, this is an entertaining read. Well written, The Enchanted Island is an enchanting novel. show less

I've learned not to trust a book by it's cover, and nowhere is this point more valid than Reluctantly Charmed by Ellie O'Neill. Pitched as having the 'warmth of Monica McInerney and the charm of Bridget Jones', I'd never have picked up Reluctantly Charmed if it weren't for the invitation to join the virtual book tour being hosted by Simon and Schuster and being offered an ARC of the novel.

Far from being a beach read or chick lit novel, I found Reluctantly Charmed to be a dark mystery that show more definitely held my attention. The romance is subtle, the protagonist Kate is very likeable and the plot is original and believable. I flagged each of the letters as they appeared in the novel (and were subsequently published on the web by Kate) and couldn't wait to read the final letter and the instructions it contained.

I enjoyed the darkness and fear associated with Irish folklore and the mention that some Irishman still try to please the fairies by fulfilling superstitious beliefs. Author Ellie O'Neill tells me more in her guest post here: http://www.carpelibrum.net/2014/10/book-tour-guest-post-reluctantly.html

Reluctantly Charmed was the most unexpected and surprising read of the year for me and reinforces the lesson that if you generalise and make snap judgements about a book, you could be missing out on a rewarding reading experience. I'm glad I didn't miss this one. show less