A Necessary Blessing (The Roelswick Chronicles Book One) by Sarah Head

 

A Necessary Blessing (The Roelswick Chronicles Book One) by Sarah Head.

Published 19th November 2020 by Heresy Publishing.

From the cover of the book:

Ruth Turner has a unique ability. She can walk through time, seeing the village, religious community and inhabitants as they used to be. Abandoned by her philandering husband, she makes new friends amongst village leaders, Greg Iles, the village blacksmith, Granny Compson, a retired farmer's wife and Lord Peter Brazington, the prickly Earl of Haverliegh, owner of Roelswick Estate.

As Ruth learns more about village history, she uncovers many secrets, which change her life and affect her closest friends, putting her at the centre of ghostly retribution. Can she use her new knowledge to unravel the cause of all the trouble before her community is torn apart again?

A Necessary Blessing is the first book in the Roeslwick Chronicles by Sarah Head. Set deep in the heart of the Cotswolds, it charts the story of a rural village where modern and ancient practice work side by side. Where past beliefs inform present customs, promoting future action, we understand how water is a necessary blessing to us all.

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A Necessary Blessing is the kind of book that appears to promise you a tale of the modern domestic woes of a downtrodden wife, abandoned by her faithless husband, then leads you on a merry dance in quite a different direction - and an enchanting one at that. 

As Ruth begins an uphill journey towards recovery after the break up of her marriage, helped along by the villagers who come rallying to her side, she begins to pick up the threads of her former self, allowing the skills that she has buried deep to resurface - skills that mark her out as particularly suited to the close knit community of Roeslwick as it turns out for, pardon the Sixth Sense pun, Ruth can 'see dead people'.

As she learns more about Roelswick and its history, through her interactions with a lovely cast of characters (both living and ghostly), it becomes clear that Ruth is connected to this village in ways she never knew, and destiny has led her here to assume a mantle of responsibility that has always been hers to wear. But I don't want to delve too much into that here for fear of spoilers - suffice to say that I thoroughly enjoyed putting together all the pieces alongside Ruth, and our author, Sarah Head, spins out the mystery beautifully, revealing just enough at opportune moments to keep you absorbed right to the very end.

This is a bit of a genre busting kind of book, rich in folklore and the weight of past misdeeds, that mixes supernatural elements with historical fiction, romance, cosy mystery and domestic drama. Sarah Head brings history alive (often literally!) in these pages and I really enjoyed the way folklore, pagan traditions, and the mystical properties of water weave throughout the book, blending with the more modern elements in a way which works surprisingly well. There are some beautifully drawn relationships between Ruth and other villagers as her status changes from outsider to spiritual guide and stalwart of the village that were really rather lovely too - and the theme of wronged woman who rediscovers her strength, and finds love, is always very compelling.

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this debut novel, but it turned out to be something of a quirky little gem that completely drew me in. There is a superb little hook at the end that serves to lead the reader into the next book in the series, and I cannot wait to find out what happens to Ruth and the Roelswick gang in the next instalment!

A Necessary Blessing is available to buy from your favourite book retailer now, or from Bookshop.org HERE.

Thank you to Charlie Farrow of Heresy Publishing for sending me an e-copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Born in a small North Cotswold village, Sarah grew up listening to stories while helping her family around their arable farm. As a small child she climbed the steps of the medieval water cross, singing hymns in the 11th century Norman church while her grandmother played the harmonium.

Her landscape was steeped in history, from Neolithic henge through Roman roads to the second Civil War. Living halfway between two villages on their new farm and sent away to secondary school, isolated holidays left plenty of time for dreaming about the people who lived before.

After studying social policy at university, she made a career supporting NHS patients in many different forms. She has kept in touch with her Cotswold roots, providing relief organ duties to several villages for many years, like her mother and grandmother before her. Writing inspired her to study the medicinal use of plants and become a spiritual healer. Now, she teaches herbwifery on the family farm and music in the town where she lives with her husband. 

She enjoys exploring different parts of the UK to discover ancient sites and healing wells. A Necessary Blessing is her first published novel.