The Willing

by Lyn Hemphill

Kitty Wilson doesn’t know how, but she can bring people back from the dead as long as someone is willing to take their place and keep the universe in balance. Oxford student Talia McGregor’s life goes from bad to worse when she’s killed in a hit-and-run. When the drunk driver responsible agrees to sacrifice his life to save Talia’s, Kitty makes the trade and brings Talia back to life. Neither of them expects the ghost of Matt, Kitty’s BFF, to come back with her.

Kitty has to figure out how to untether Matt’s ghost from Talia and bring him back for good. In her quest to discover the extent of her magic, Kitty must confront a secret society with questionable motives and connections to tragedies in her past, and a magical bloodline she never knew was hers.

As the stakes and the spells rise, Kitty and Talia rely on each other to survive, but can they open their hearts and trust the magic of love?

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

Lyn is Kenyan born and bred but now lives in Oxfordshire with her partner and two children, who like to help her come up with some more outlandish plot points. She writes every spare moment she can find, in between teaching science online and developing screenplays with her writing partner Aloïs Castel.

Reviews

[Della B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic abounds as Kitty has the ability to bring someone back from the dead if a “willing” person offers to switch with them. Things don’t go quite as planned when Kitty brings Talia back with another person/ghost attached to her. Only Talia can see and hear Matt to compound matters. 
The Willing is an entertaining novel with an unique storyline.  Kitty and Talia are both easy to like and the story moves quickly with lots of action taking place. I would consider the romance to be PG which suited the characters nicely. The real love story is among all the characters and the family unit they created to make up for their personal losses. It was quite touching. I enjoyed The Willing and definitely recommended it.

I received an advance review copy from Bold Stroke Books and NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bringing back the dead.

This is the first book I've read with a magical storyline and the afterlife so I was naturally intrigued. Kitty has magical powers that can revive the dead but there are rules. There must be another party willing to take their place. The other main character, Talia, died in a car accident and is brought back to life by Kitty after the remorseful driver offers to trade places. Kitty's best friend, Matt, dies and comes back too but is a prime example of why rules need to be followed. He comes back as a ghost attached to Talia instead and Kitty has to find ways to unattach them.

Equal attention is given to the action and the family dynamics of the characters. The action-driven plot was kinda a fun ride and the families of Kitty, Talia and Matt are all very different and it was nice that we get to know that side of them too. The romance is lacking though. Kitty and Talia develop an attraction for each other, but it's PG and light and there's nothing much about it.

This is not bad choice for people who are interested in the magical storyline and not romance. It's easy to read.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jo reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual. But I liked it. Lots of ghostly go ons’, with some magical happenings. This is not my normal ‘go to’ afternoon read, but lately, I've started reading books that are out of my comfort zone. The willing is worth a read if you are into different, magical spells and the dead. It's not scary one bit and I found myself laughing at the banter going on between the characters. All in all, a good read.

I've given The willing a 3.9/5... And I'm looking forward to reading lyn Hemphill's future stories

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Willing is a magical fantasy novel. Kitty is human with the abilities of a reaper. She has the ability to return someone back to life as long as a living person will take their place. Talia has had a rough life and is happy to be away from her mother attending Oxford on scholarship. She is killed by a drunk driver and he is willing to take her place. Kitty use the magic her mother taught her to make the switch. Even though it has been a few weeks it’s as if she was never gone. But strangely the ghost of Kitty’s best friend Matt returns attached to Talia. While trying to resolve that situation, Kitty is approached by two men who know about her magic and want her to work for them. The story is focuses on the magic aspects with a little time for a few kisses and a potential romance. I liked Talia’s new found Jewish faith and the helpful rabbi she trusts. And the magic made sense to a non magical person like me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really warm to this book and I’m not sure why. It’s well written, it has an intriguing storyline, and interesting characters but somehow it didn’t connect with me. I wanted to like Kitty and Talia but at times just found them annoying.

No criticism of the writing or the plotting and maybe another time it would work better for me.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley