** spoiler alert ** Simply enthralling.

Miriam is stuck in a life where she feels she doesn't quite fit. Her mother despises her. Her husband is emotionally abusive. Her In-laws constantly berate her. On Christmas Eve when she gets the shocking realization of finding that her husband is cheating on her, she snaps, and jumps a train. Soon she learns the reason why she has never felt that she fit in. She's a Changeling. A Faerie swapped with a human child. Now she has to get back to the Faerie Realm to learn about her true life. What will her true fate be?

This book did a great job of bringing my emotions out. The treatment Miriam receives throughout the book from her family and even Orin, her faerie guide, was infuriating to me. It didn't exactly have a "happy ending", but in a way that makes me want to read the series even more. Because I want that happy ending for Miriam and I won't be happy till she gets it.

*I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The review is my own honest opinion. ( )

Got this book from the author to read
i just finished reading this book. i must say the book is all i thought it would be. The author took me from a shy verbally abused house wife to a “faerie” to a darkling. Every image was clear in my mind. from a naive house wife to an adventurous woman who always dreamt of a world unknown and always feeling she didn’t belong, ran away and found she was not crazy after all but now hungry for a new start, new life that one could only happen in a dream have now become a reality. beautiful story line, love the suspense, beautiful twist of events kept me wondering how the story would end.

the suspense held me from start to finish, with each new page you wanted to read more and more.
Would diffidently read it again ( )

4 STARS
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book was quite interesting. The story line was strong and relatable. Miriam's character of an unassertive, lonely housewife with an amazing imagination was beautifully portrayed and how her life changed by the call of a chickadee was riveting. The character development was done justice to and the imagery was impeccable. The author's writing style was effortless and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The fact that I could really predict some parts and the "twists" made certain parts even more obvious is the reason why I have given this book 4 stars. Otherwise its a great book and I would recommend it to one and all. ( )

Miriam has spent her entire life in one loveless abusive relationship or another, growing up with a mother who hates her and blames her for all the failings in her life and then when she is grown with her verbally abusive husband. One day on her way home from work she gives some carrot cake to a chickadee who tells her that she is special and should be careful of the darkness and that a guide would be coming to help her soon. At first she can't believe it but she so wishes it to be true because it would explain so much of the grief in her life, her feelings of never belonging and being different. When Miriam finds out that her husband is having an affair with a younger man on Christmas eve at her mother-in-laws house, she flees from the constant abuse and betrayal and impulsively jump on a train. The first time the train stops Miriam jumps off and finds herself in the middle of nowhere near a cave in the woods where she meets Delano a darkling who is a fairy who has voluntarily given up the light and lives only in the darkness. The darkling's protect the earth and are the enemy of the light fairies who he says have become evil and only wish to use earth for her riches. Orin is a light fairy who has been sent to bring Miriam to the fairy realm. He tells her all about the beauty and goodness of his realm and soon Miriam begins to trust Orin and agrees to go with him ignoring her growing feelings for Delano. When Orin and Miriam get to the border of the fairy lands Miriam goes through the process of getting the wings of an earth healer wings tattooed on her back and Orin is promoted to retriever a special position where he will bring back changelings like Miriam which requires his tattoo to be altered to a different design. it is after the ceremony that Miriam discover to her horror that the wings she received are those of a lowly mine worker and that all Delano had told her was truth. Orin tries to save Miriam by letting her escape and is whipped ruining his new tattoo and making them both outlaws of the realm hen they do escape. With no other option left to him Orin joins the resistance and Mariam free to finally give in to the feelings she has for Delano and the dark magic growing inside her. I look forward to reading the next book in the Darkshine series to find out what happens to Miriam, Delano and Orin and the war between the light and dark fairies. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I'm glad to recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, action, adventure and romance. ( )

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this expecting something average, not so great, and overall probably not my taste.

I was wrong.

This book is part of a special little collection I like to call the "Comfort Food Books". If you strip it down to bare bones, it may be average or predictable in some places, and really you see 1000 reasons why you shouldn't like it, but you adore it. This book has a flow that makes you want to keep reading. I felt all the emotions brought on by our main character and lived every page. There was a small love triangle (more of a love angle, but I digress) where it was actually satisfying and not frustrating. It was just, overall a pleasure to read.

Now it does have its issues. Sam being kinda one, but it's a matter of personal opinion. His reasonings and what happens with him may rub some the wrong way. There was a single spot where a rhyme is playing in the main character's head and in italics, but one random line has parenthesis. I felt this must have been a placeholder for the italics and wasn't removed.

I will happily grab the second book whenever it comes. And it could not come soon enough. ( )