A review by edent_
Somewhere To Be by Laurie Mather

5.0

My friend has published their first novel - and it is a cracker!

After a calamitous accident, the Fairy realm is cut off from the mundane world. Only one trickster remains, a sprite by the name of Mainder who is now trapped on our side. All seems to be going well in his little corner of the world, until a plucky team of archaeologists start digging around the shattered ruins of the portal between worlds.

It isn't a startlingly original take on a well-trodden subject; but it isn't intended to be. It's a cosy - slightly sexy - story of people whirling around each other, caught in a mystic tangle of intrigue.

There are some lovely touches and clever little twists on the genre - including how to use a smartphone while trying to find your way through an enchanted forest and the perils of ethical seduction in interspecies romance.

It's well paced and the frequent hops in time help flesh out the story without resorting to tedious exposition. A great debut.