The Calling by Ashley Lynn Willis
October 12, 2011
Paranormal Romance
E-book
Self Published

Reviewed by Helyce

Goodreads Blurb:

Mandy Hardy lost more than a breast to cancer; she lost her fiancé when he dumped her a week before her mastectomy. Her ego bruised and her self-esteem battered, Mandy’s sure she’ll never fall in love again.
Justin Seward is a headstrong Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer with a heart of gold and the supernatural ability to command the seas. He had to hide his feelings while Mandy was engaged to his best friend. Now that she’s free, he’s vowed to make her his.

Together, they may hold the key to each other’s salvation. But when Justin’s past catches up with him, and Mandy’s ex-fiancé wants vengeance, they realize they might not live long enough for happily ever after. The Calling is a 360 page contemporary romance with a paranormal twist.

This story took me by surprise, but in a really good way. Initially, I was drawn in by the blurb and the “paranormal” aspect of this story. It seemed completely different from any other paranormal I read with werewolves or vampires. The hint of Justin’s ability in the blurb had me thinking I’d be getting more of a mythological type paranormal, and it is, but just slightly so.

When we meet Mandy, it’s been a year since her mastectomy and she’s back to work. Chemo is over and her hair is growing out, but is still much shorter than the long locks she had before her surgery. She’s had breast reconstruction, but no matter the talent of the surgeon, there is nothing like a real breast. She’s basically numb on that side and the nipple you see is a tattoo; she has no sensitivity at all. But Mandy is alive and trying to get on with her life. She is still emotional about her ex-fiancé, and she fears that she’ll never find someone who can accept her, scars and all. She’s got some great girlfriends though and they are not going to let her sit home, alone and worry about things that she doesn’t have control over.

Mandy doesn’t know it, but Justin Seward has had feelings for her for a long time. He kept them to himself because Mandy was engaged to his best friend Ty. But that friendship was over the minute Ty left Mandy the way he did. Justin had reached out to Mandy repeatedly during her recovery from surgery, but Justin was just too close to Ty and Mandy couldn’t deal with that in her emotional state.

Things are different now, however. When Mandy runs into Justin at the hospital, she is nervous about talking to him after ignoring his calls for nearly eight months. But Justin is just as happy to see Mandy as she is to see him and she can’t mistake the look of longing in his eyes. He’s missed her and if she were to be honest with herself, she’s missed him too. As they start to spend time together, it’s clear that there is more to this than just friendship.

Justin has a secret, though, and he knows that if he’s going to have the life he wants with Mandy, he’s going to have to tell her about all of it. Before he can do it, though, they are faced with several obstacles that will really test their new and still fragile relationship. In the end, they’ll both realize much about themselves and come to learn that they are so much stronger together than they are apart.

I have to admit that I actually read this story twice. After the first read, which I rushed through just trying to get to the end to see what would happen, I just didn’t get that “satisfied” feeling I usually get from a book that captures me like this one did. So I set it aside and then picked it up again a few weeks later and did a re-read, slower this time. Then I figured out what was bothering me. The story is labeled ‘paranormal romance’ but it reads so much more like a contemporary with a very light pnr flair. Yes, Justin has the ability to control the sea and it is a huge part of him and this story, but the author does a terrific job of weaving that in throughout the story without having it take over. Truly, for me anyway, the focus of this story is on the people, their relationships and the growing romance between Justin and Mandy.

Mandy is an extremely likable character. Here you have a woman, who days before major surgery gets dumped. She manages, with the help of her family and friends to get through one of the most trying times in her life. She is not jaded or hateful in any way though she does struggle with her self-image which of course affects her self confidence. She’s known Justin for a while, so when he pops into her life she’s certainly not thinking anything romantic, even though Justin puts it all out there pretty much from the beginning.

There are a host of secondary characters from Mandy’s friends to Justin’s co-workers, but there is much emphasis on Justin’s family because of his “secret”. I especially enjoyed Justin’s mother-who really keeps us guessing. Is she really suffering from a mental breakdown? Or is she fooling everyone in order to achieve her own goals. Ultimately though, it is the relationship between Justin and his dad that I found most endearing. They are estranged for the most part at the beginning of this story. Due to a tragic event that occurred when Justin was about 10 years old, his parent’s relationship was never the same. His mother becoming depressed and ending up in a facility for most of her life. The author does a fabulous job of bringing Justin and his dad together again with forgiveness and love.

This is a beautiful story of second chances and forgiveness with a wonderful happy ending. And while there is a paranormal aspect to this story, its light for the most part except near the end where it does become the focus and has much to do with outcome of the story. There is a lovely epilogue too and I love when an author does that.

Rating: B+

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