The Connelly Boys (Celtic Witches, #1) by Lily Velez Goodreads
The Connelly boys are practically royalty at St. Andrew’s Prep. Popular, wealthy, and devastatingly beautiful, the four brothers have long cast a spell over their classmates and over the sleepy seaport town of Rosalyn Bay, Ireland.
There’s just one problem: they’re also cursed.
...Or so the rumors say.
Seventeen-year-old newcomer Scarlet Monroe has never been one for rumors, but when she inadvertently banishes a demon while trying to help eldest brother Jack Connelly, the most breathtaking of the boys and the one to whom she feels inexplicably drawn, she quickly discovers there may be more to the local superstitions and folklore than she originally thought.
Before long, the Connellys pull her into a dark and mysterious world filled with ancient magic, powerful spells, kidnapped souls, and deadly enemies. But none of it compares to Scarlet discovering the truth of who she really is...or what she’ll have to become to defeat a rising evil older than humankind itself before she loses everyone she loves—that is, of course, if she can survive the world of the Connellys long enough.
Don’t miss this first installment in the new dark fantasy series by Lily Velez, which features Irish folklore, Celtic mythology, mystery and light romance, and an engrossing world of witches and magic that will keep you reading long into the night!
If you a looking for a great paranormal young adult read Lily Velez’ The Connelly Boys has you covered. It’s been a while since I’ve read a paranormal book that wasn’t more strongly romance. The Connelly Boys, while it does have a romance in it, filled the ticket for me. The romance was more a secondary line in this book. The story of Scarlet Monroe is a complex situation and one that tugs at the heart strings. Scarlet has just lost her mother and has to leave her whole life in the states behind. Moving to Ireland to live with a father who she doesn’t really know. Scarlet starts to learn more about herself, her family’s past, and her future. Meeting the Connelly boys turns her whole life around. It makes her believe and face things that no normal person would even comprehend exist.
Lily Velez did an outstanding job of bringing Irish lore to life and making me want to jump in. I was able to clearly view every scene in my mind. While I will admit a couple of her plot twists I was able to guess, I think that comes from the fact that I read A LOT! I don’t think that truly has any bearing on this book. The story flowed beautifully. Her characters were relatable, likeable, hateable, and realistic, even though this is a fantasy book. I enjoyed being lost in the world of the Connelly’s and Scarlet and can’t wait for book two to come out so that I can see what Velez does to keep this world going.