There is a time when I would ha e had very little time for what I might earlier have dismissed as so much ew Age woo-woo. I have attended many a psychic fair in the past working with either birth charts or the cards but was never error remotely interested in either wishing or claiming to be in touch with Spirit. In any case, most messages passed on from Spirit always struck me as being either trivial or even even spiteful. Trolling is by no means confined to the side of the living!

As with so many others, major bereavement can change all that! How can someone who had been there all your life with a their hopes and wishes now just not be there. Just not be.

This writer seems to have been usually close to her mother, who seems to have even something of a soul mate to her. Losing her therefore was more than she was able to bear. She became suicidal.

Communicating with a lost loved one is easier with the help of a good medium, which this writer had access too, alongside good intuition, which she had sharpened through much meditation and Positive Thinking. So her mother came though many times - and loud and clear!

The reader is warned that communications with Spirit do tend to be rather more subtle than many recipients might miss. Spirit may make itself felt through utilising animals, through a familiar scent or through a light touch on the hand. They won't manifest as a full presence sitting down and having a cup of tea with you. In this case, however, the writer appears to still enjoy a particularly involved and close relationship with her deceased loved one.

This is an uplifting book in its way, though I felt an uneven mix of credulity and scepticism whilst reading it. I lost both a parent, an old neighbour and an old friend in the space of a couple of months at the end of 2015. And I did experience the scent of the home where my old friend used to live and where I used to visit her - enough to exclaim out aloud. My father passed straight from Go to Mayfair or whatever his next destination was, but it was my mother who went on to experience a complicated grief after his passing. Something this book does not mention is something my mother independently corroborated on the death of a pet - she could see little grey shadows in the corner of her eyes afterwards for a short while. I had noticed that too but if it was the spirit of my little cat, it was cold comfort at the time.

So all in all this was a very interesting read. I would neither dismiss the experiences. described in this book outright, nor place too much credence in them. I should think it is quite possible a good medium may be able to offer a bereaved person closure in a way that would otherwise be impossible in many circumstances.

Love, Life and the Spirit Within by Ashley Marsillas

I am fascinated by the concept of a spirit world and staying in touch with our loved ones after they depart this physical world. I believe they can indeed guide and comfort us in times of need but I found this book to be somewhat annoying even while agreeing with some of the techniques recommended. The writing style is very immature and repetitive.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy.

I truly enjoyed this book. Ashley's writing style is down-to-earth and very expressive as she relates her extreme grief about her mother. Her journey to connect with her mother's spirit and her exploration of her own spiritual gifts make this a fascinating and powerful story. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the afterlife, grief, spirituality, and the love for a parent.