Fascinating!

The Seventh Life of Aline Lloyd is Evan Morgan’s brother Damon who suddenly dies.

Evan is understandably shocked to learn he left him an inheritance, leaving him instantly wealthy and the owner of his country farm. Travelling to North Wales seems to be a formality: attend the reading of the will, pick up and dispose of any valuables, and head back home.

But everything changes when he arrives in Denbighshire and meets his new neighbor, the alluring and mysterious Aline Lloyd. Suddenly, staying doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, especially since the ancient grounds surrounding his new home feel as if they are calling to him to stay.

I could not finish this book, as much as I tried I found it very boring. I did like a few things that happened throughout the book, but not enough that would get me to stay and finish it. I don't tend to DNF. but I couldn't help myself with this one.

This was an interesting book with some good ideas, although at times it was a little unbelievale and the fantasy aspect of it was a little bit much for me - I like my fantasy light as possible!

I loved the time.
The book started well. I was excited. But them shortly after I got bored and the book came flat for me. I barely finished.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I’d rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

When Evan Morgan’s brother Damon dies suddenly, Evan is shocked to learn he left him an inheritance, leaving him instantly wealthy and the owner of his country farm. Traveling to North Wales seems to be a formality: attend the reading of the will, pick up and dispose of any valuables, and head back home. But everything changes when he arrives in Denbighshire and meets his new neighbor, the alluring and mysterious Aline Lloyd. Suddenly, staying doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, especially since the ancient grounds surrounding his new home feel as if they are calling to him to stay. As the details of Damon’s death become even more bizarre, Evan is slowly drawn deeper into the growing mystery surrounding Aline. Who is she? Where is she from? What is she hiding? Consumed, Evan is determined to learn her secret. But some mysteries are better left undiscovered…because something is coming to his quiet valley. And it’s looking for Aline.
This was a bit of a slow read and not really what I expected. I found it hard to keep my attention. DNF.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This is not your usual kind of mystery story. The set up and many of the tropes would make it fit into a number of related genres – mystery, paranormal, even sff. The death of a brother sees the MC moving temporarily to Wales to take care of his affairs but then the MC falls in love with the landscape, and is compulsively interested in the beautiful and mysterious Aline Lloyd, who has a secret. On the surface that’s classic mystery set up especially when taken in context with the beautiful rendering of the landscape whereby the setting almost becomes a character in its own right. (Which, btw, I am all for. I love it when authors pull that off.) But there is more to Aline than meets the eye and as things unwind we discover just how strange she really is. I can see how this might not be for some people. It is a gradual story done in delicate strokes that assumes you will keep up. If you want lots of action, it’s not that kind of tale. The character journey is largely internal and paralleled by the landscape and the slow reveal of Aline’s past. Personally, I loved it. It may have had few surprises but the way the author wrote the journey meant that the fact I knew the destination didn’t matter. If you like a gradual mystery with flashes of folk horror and paranormal fantasy, then this is for you.

This book/story does not quite fit any one genre. It's unusual story changes pace and throws us a few clues but then twists so that you never quite figure out what the characters are about to face. Robert Davies has given us a different kind of story that starts with a death in the family with all the routines that entails. As the surviving brother makes his way slowly through the leftovers of his brother's life, he just wants to get it done and go back home. Routine so far, right? Then he finds himself feeling a connection with the farmland left to him but maybe it really is calling to him to keep him there. Next he meets the lovely Aline. Beautiful with many secrets that make her even more alluring, the story now shifts to the science fiction backstory. A good read even if it was not quite what I expected when I started. I'm going to check out what else Robert Davies has written.

The story is told from a man's point of view, and begins with the death of his brother. The man then moves into his brother's house in England. There he meets Aline, and they begin a romance. The story continues with Aline's extraordinary gifts, and how he deals with them. The story is a love story, but everything is based on trust. I would love to have Aline's gifts but they would come with extraordinary responsibilities. I wouldn't want to kill anyone unless my life and my loved ones were threatened. She seems a little cold emotionally. Her boyfriend is a good man wanting to only believe the good in people. I don't quite trust Aline. It's a little slow paced, but overall a good read.

I received a complimentary copy of The Seventh Life of Aline Lloyd
by Robert Davies from NetGalley and BHC Press in order to read and give an honest review.

... In my opinion, it's a well-written character-driven mystery which slowly unravels...

Publisher's Description
From two-time IPPY-award-winning author Robert Davies comes a genre-defying tale of mind control and reincarnation.

When Evan Morgan’s brother Damon dies suddenly, Evan is shocked to learn he left him an inheritance, leaving him instantly wealthy and the owner of his country farm. Traveling to North Wales seems to be a formality: attend the reading of the will, pick up and dispose of any valuables, and head back home.

But everything changes when he arrives in Denbighshire and meets his new neighbor, the alluring and mysterious Aline Lloyd. Suddenly, staying doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, especially since the ancient grounds surrounding his new home feel as if they are calling to him to stay.

As the details of Damon’s death become even more bizarre, Evan is slowly drawn deeper into the growing mystery surrounding Aline. Who is she? Where is she from? What is she hiding?

Consumed, Evan is determined to learn her secret.

But some mysteries are better left undiscovered…because something is coming to his quiet valley. And it’s looking for Aline.

Although not really what I expected I still enjoyed The Seventh Life of Aline Lloyd. Slow-paced, this is more of a memoir told from Evan's point of view, as we follow his life after the death of his brother and inheriting his estate in Wales.  In my opinion, it's a well-written character-driven mystery which slowly unravels, first with Evan trying to get to the bottom of his brother Damon's unusual and concerning behaviour before his death. Then Evan's obsession of uncovering the truth of who Aline Lloyd really is and what secrets lie behind her intense personality seems to take centre stage.  Although it has a touch of the paranormal, basically a reincarnation story, to me it reads more like a romantic mystery. It does pick up when an elite agency chases after Aline but sadly the action is short lived.

All in all, not a bad book but I think the cover although well done, is the most misleading thing for readers. It's dark and lends an impression of a darker more paranormal infused story.  I guess this is a good example of when a cover can be misleading and garner a negative impression on an otherwise decent story.

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
The seventh Life of Aline Lloyd is a standalone novel from Robert Davies, who has penned several award-winning fantasy and Sci-Fi books. It takes place in the present day, but several different centuries span the entirety of the book.

Evan (our main character) has been contacted by his sister because their brother, Damon has died unexpectedly. He dies from natural causes, but his age makes you question the circumstances around his death. Damon’s solicitor is in contact with the sister and it is arranged that they both will attend the Will and Testament reading. During the reading they discover that Evan leaves an unexpected amount of wealth to Evan and his sister, one of which is an estate in North Wales to Evan. This is where the tale takes a twisted turn.

I was pleased to discover that the author included a map of the area at the beginning of the book. Personally, it is an absolute must in any fantasy tale to have a map in which to imagine the area the story is based upon. There were several Welsh place names included in the story and it helped greatly to picture where in the country they were as, well, I’m not native to Wales.

Anyway, back on course. The estate agent Evan deals with in Wales warns him about his neighbour, Aline. He must stay away, she apparently likes to keep herself to herself. He is informed about apparent troubles during her time in Scotland. She had an emotional breakdown and was committed to a mental institution until she was deemed fit enough for discharge.

Taking on board the estate agent’s advice he leaves his neighbour well along, but he meets her in the adjoining field. For all intents and purposes the estate agent seems wrong about her but she seems mysterious and seems to know a lot more than she’s letting on. “I am History.” She also seems to know Evan’s decisions before he is aware he has made them. Odd.

Aline is forced into admitting some things to Evan after a detective turns up in Wales from Belgium asking some very confusing questions. Evan understandably has questions of his own. Aline has done things that science can’t explain. Can she shed any light on the accusations? What does the future hold for Aline and Evan now that he knows some very uncomfortable secrets.

The world building was decent enough and was fit for purpose, but I would have liked the author to give us more in the way of history of Aline. I felt for such an apparently powerful character such as Aline we needed more strength portrayed in her character arc. I felt at different points she came across as quite wooden. Aspects of the story also seemed to be skimmed over but at the same time there just wasn’t enough action in the book. It was slow and just didn’t feel connected in the story.

Although it was an OK read it wasn’t a book I felt connected to and there wasn’t really a point where I thought “yes I need to keep reading”. I’ve actually struggled to rate this book, but I am going to stick with three stars. Although I didn’t dislike it, it really was just OK. I really enjoy the Fantasy Genre, but this just failed to hit the mark for me.

When I read the summary I thought this book had all the elements needed for a suspenseful, supernatural tale with possible hints of romance, but I was so dissatisfied in this book.

At first I thought it might be a slow build, but I was just bored the entire time.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading The Seventh Life of Aline Lloyd, especially as I've visited both Colwyn Bay and North Wales in general, so I know how the charm of North Wales and the landscape. It was perhaps a lighter fantasy, both in the sense that it's a modern day fantasy and that it doesn't have too many dark elements as one might guess by the cover and the blurb, but that's totally fine. I also really liked Aline and Evan as characters.

An engrossing and entertaining book with fleshed out characters and an interesting storyline.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

When Evan Morgan learns of his brother's sudden death, he also discovers his brother mysteriously died a very wealthy man, leaving Evan a farmhouse in Wales. Not keen to stay in the wilds of Wales, Evan intends to sell, until the lure of the Welsh countryside and his strange neighbour Aline give him second thoughts.
I liked the start of this novel. It had promise and I particularly wanted to know more about Aline. I was perhaps expecting it to be a bit more creepy because of her but as Evan and Aline fall in love and more of her backstory is revealed I just became like Evan and accepted the weird supernatural stuff because she didn't really do much with it. Even when the baddies became involved, the bureaucrats in suits, nothing much happened.
However, it was a fast, easy read. Nothing wrong with the writing at all, just the plot perhaps needed more conflict and tension.

What happens when a man of logic meets a woman that logic cannot explain? When Evan's life changes suddenly, he finds himself in Wales living next to an intriguing neighbor. This book had a good start and I found myself very interested as the main character began investigating the mystery of his brother's choices in life as his relationship with Aline. Things started to plod a little in the middle, and I found myself wishing that the author spent more time on Aline's backstory rather than on her constantly trying to prove herself to Evan. The ending was a little too easy, and I felt myself scratching my head when the couple was able to return to life rather unscathed. All in all, a good read. I will definitely try another book by this author in the future.

I really wanted to like this story! I was hoping for more supernatural/fantasy elements and really all we get is a love story? I wound up skipping large parts of this book just to see if I could find something that would catch my attention. Unfortunately, I didn't really find anything that did. I am a mood reader, so maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this book.

Powerful and captivating. This story is perfect for this summer: witchcraft, reincarnation and romance. i can't stop reading the book until the end...


#TheSeventhLifeOfAlineLloyd #NetGalley

This is a very readable book, which is more of a fictional memoir than anything else. It does have some supernatural qualities, but it is more about an average person thrown into an exceptional circumstance, and how he deals with it. It’s a very step-by-step account of how Evan Morgan moves through the loss of his brother, pursuing the mystery of his death and his prior change in financial circumstances, all the while falling for his mysterious neighbor – the titular Aline Lloyd.

It’s not a fast-paced romance or fantasy thriller, digging rather deeply into Evan and Aline’s interpersonal relationship development and how Aline’s special talents dovetail into that. As the relationship develops, so follows necessarily Aline sharing more and more of her history and talents piece by piece with Evan. Along the way, tension is put upon both the relationship and specifically Aline, as outside forces invade with an agenda to learn more about her abilities.

While I enjoyed the story, it was milder than I expected. There is no crescendo, but rather a gentle process of unfolding, action/reaction and much internal introspection. Perhaps that is more aligned with how life goes and that is the point of the novel. In the process, it is an engaging story, albeit slower to move along at times and not as impactful as it could be. Again, perhaps that is the actual point. I give it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars - it's not for everybody, but it is well-written and enjoyable to read.

Interesting premise, but the execution fell short. I was expecting a creepy paranormal story and instead got a verrry long-winded quasi-love story. I had a very hard time maintaining interest and ended up doing a lot of skimming.