A Different Reflection

A Different Reflection by Jane L.Gibson is a magical tale.  It is set in London, England.  Katharina “Kat” Stuart lives in London with her fiancé, John Cardel, she loves fairy tales (thanks to her mother), and she is a journalist for Resolute magazine.  Her newest assignment is to find unusual heart-warming true stories (a tall order).   Then she hears about Northfield and George.  Northfield is a beautiful estate that is over 300 years old.  George is the caretaker of the estate.  Northfield is being offered as a lease-hold (no renovations can be made to house, George can go anywhere in the house, and the estate returns to George’s family after 99 years).  Kat sets out to find out more about George and the estate.  On the first visit George starts by telling her the history of the estate.  They have a wonderful time together (friendly not romantic) and Kat arranges to come back again.  Kat loves beautiful old homes and Northfield is just gorgeous.  On the next visit Kat gets more history on the home and enjoys a lovely meal with George.  They arrange for her to come and spend the night (to get information on George for the story).

John, the fiancé, is rarely at home because he is busy with a big business deal.  He does like having Kat on hand for business dinners and drinks with clients.  Kat and John have been growing apart over the last six months.  Claire, Kat’s assistant and best friend, has never liked John and thinks that Kat can do much better.  When Kat spends the night at Northfield, George tells her the story of James Henry Aldersley who was born in 1720.  After the death of his father, James became something of a rake.  He went from woman to woman breaking hearts.  When James was thirty he spent a week with a woman named Alice.  Alice fell in love with James and did not take kindly to him leaving and breaking her heart.  She arrived on the day of party at Northfield. Turns out Alice was a witch.  She put a spell on James.  He was confined to the mirror.  He could look out, but could not interact.  He was given one person to keep him company at that was George.  The spell could only be broken by Alice (who said she would break it after fifty years) or if a woman fell in love with James (and he fell in love with her) with just his words.  Only someone pure of heart can see James in the mirrors.  Unfortunately for James, Alice was killed after ten years in the witchcraft trials.  Two hundred sixty four years later and James is still in the mirror.

Because Kat grew up loving and believing in fairy tales (thanks to her mother), she believes the story and can see James.  James can interact with her and George.  Kat is determined to help them.  Kat sets out to find someone who can see James and fall in love with him.  A Different Reflection is a charming book.  I just loved it.  Now I knew how this story would play out, but I still enjoyed reading it.  I give A Different Reflection 4.25 out of 5 stars.  I found Claire very annoying.  She is the type of person who likes to party and talk (and talk and talk).  Kat’s loyalty to John was another sore point (I cannot say much more without spoilers) and the over indulgence in alcohol (it seemed they were always drinking and getting drunk).  I would have loved just a little more of the magical element in the story (maybe Kat consulting with a witch).  Overall A Different Reflection was a very enjoyable book, and I look forward to reading more books by Jane L. Gibson.

I received a complimentary copy of A Different Reflection from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you for reading my latest review.  I am currently reading Evil Games by Angela Marsons.  Have an enjoyable and relaxing evening.  Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader