Title: Once a Gypsy
Author: Danica Winters
Series: Irish Traveler Series #1
Fascinating
I would like to thank Danica Winters and Diversion Books for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Helena O’Driscoll wants more out of life than marriage to a “good enough” Traveler boy and the subsequent brood of children. She longs to break free of tradition and do something she’s passionate about—pursue an education, forge a career…fall in love with kind, awkward Graham Kelly. But Graham is a gorger, and being with him would mean being shunned from her family. The last thing she wants is to never see her loved ones again…but would staying, complying, be worth forfeiting her ambitions, her dreams, and her happiness?
I really liked this book. I was lost in the beginning simply because, in large part, I’m not familiar with Irish culture, let alone Traveler culture. The slang terms went over my head—thank you, Google—but the attitudes of the Travelers are, sadly, not unique to them. There are closed-minded podunk communities everywhere. That much I understand.
The story itself sucked me right in, almost convinced me to stay up all night reading it (I would have if I hadn’t had to work the next day). The plot was compelling, the characters sympathetic, and the pace steady. However. This book has something of an identity crisis. Not major, and some might completely disagree, but I’ve been thinking and thinking and can’t decide if this is more romance or women’s fiction. I’m leaning toward women’s fiction for two reasons; first, because it seemed more about Helena’s journey and her decisions than it did about her relationship with Graham. I don’t feel we got to know Graham very well. I believe there were brief moments from his point of view, and they skimmed the parts of his background that were strictly relevant to the plot, but I don’t feel that I got to know him on a deep, personal level, which is a bummer, because I really liked him. No, this was Helena’s story, and she told it well. She and I are kindred spirits. I know what it’s like to feel like the outcast in your own family, your own society, because you want to break tradition. She had an impossible decision to make—stay with her family or pursue her own unconventional dreams—and it didn’t work out perfectly, but a happy medium was achieved. Second, the romance itself wasn’t very convincing. Graham seemed to fall in love with her upon first seeing her and that was that for him. Thankfully Helena wasn’t so certain.
There’s also a strong paranormal/fantasy subplot, but it remains a strong—fascinating—subplot. I’m not even going to try to explain it, but it was pretty cool.
Loose ends abound, but since it’s a continuing series—and I think it will continue to focus on Helena and Graham’s budding relationship—the ends are left loose for a reason. I can’t wait for the sequel next summer. I really want to know what happens next.
