New Beginning

Sparlow Tales #2

by Barbara Elsborg

One moment, Teddy is driving through thick fog after his high school reunion. The next, a head-on collision shatters everything. He wakes beside the mangled wreckage without a scratch. Alone and confused, Teddy thinks he survived.

He didn’t.

Now he’s trapped in The Drift, a dangerous realm suspended between life and death, where Teddy struggles to come to terms with what’s happened. A demon is sent to help him, but Mikkel has problems of his own, not least of which is an attraction to Teddy.

To escape the afterlife’s dark underbelly, Teddy must learn trust a monster…or remain lost forever.

Warning
Starts dark but ends light!
Multiple deaths in traffic accident.
Multiple attempts by an MC to end his life with no chance of succeeding.
Horrible mother.
Claustrophobia.
Panic attacks.

This is a novella in the world of The Other Side. Mikkel is first mentioned in this book. Teddy is a new character.

Genres: Romance

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 19, 2026

About the author

Barbara Elsborg lives in Kent in the south of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Volcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide.

After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.

Her books feature quirky heroines and bad boys, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to write.

Reviews

[Cadiva]

In spite of the traumatic (although in no great detail) beginning, this is a super sweet romance novella.

When Teddy dies in a multicar pile up on his way home from his school reunion, the guilt he feels (although it wasn't his fault) is compounded by the fact three of his friends died alongside him. It causes a reaction which sees him stuck in The Drift, a limbo of hellish imagination in which he repeatedly punishes himself for the accident.

Fortunately help in at hand in the form of the Angel of Death, Azael, who brings in the cavalry, Belial-spawned demon Mikkel who readers of Barbara's The Other Side will have met running Sparlow, the hidden sanctuary for all things supernatural in the Derbyshire Peak District.

What follows is a delightful relationship where Teddy learns to accept the accident and its outcomes, Mikkel learns he's worthy of love, and both of them discover the enjoyment in falling in love, with all the super hot sex that brings!

I'm loving both of the books I've read in this new setting and hope there's more on the way!

#ARC kindly received from the author, I am voluntarily leaving a review

[Pat]

Barbara Elsborg has a remarkable ability to weave a story that draws you in completely. From the very beginning, I felt as though I was transported to that foggy road, almost able to see the mist surrounding Teddy and hear the distant voices of his friends in the backseat. The depth of guilt that Teddy experiences is heart-wrenching; even when he grapples with the knowledge that it's not his fault, he remains lost in his emotions.

The Drift, the place where Teddy was found caught in between his past and the relentless punishment he inflicts upon himself. Mikkel's role in trying to support Teddy is incredibly touching.

Mikkel is asked to help him through his grief, and slowly Teddy begins to listen, understand, and let go of some of his guilt.

Beautifully written and deeply moving, this is a story that completely drew me in. I loved watching Teddy’s feelings slowly emerge and his journey back towards life.

[Vicki]

How could I not love Teddy and Mikkel. They are both such loveable characters who are absolutely perfect for each other. This wonderful novella starts off filled with sadness and guilt as Teddy finds himself in The Drift which is a place in between. Mikkel is tasked to help Teddy leave The Drift and so begins Teddy’s journey of healing, growth and happiness. All with Mikkel by his side showing him what their future together looks like - a dead human and a demon finding their HEA, living in a cottage (which can be a bit cheeky) within a delightful village filled with friends. A heartwarming story that definitely left me smiling.

[Cassandra]

Full ARC review to come

[Roroblu'sMum]

4* Sad at first, then sweet. Mismatched Mikkel and Teddy somehow work, and it's lovely to see Sparlow again, as well as more of Mikkel’s magical-waterways cottage with attitude 😀

This book is part of BE's new PNR Sparlow Village setting, but can be read as a standalone, the only connection being that we met Mikkel and his fascinating cottage in The Other Side.

Teddy reminded me a bit of myself - 'coulda, shoulda, woulda' with a guilty complex over stuff that's not really of our doing. He's probably a bit like quite a few of us, but in his case, add in that he's dead, which he doesn't immediately realise; he's agoraphobic; he's got OCD, and he's stuck in an afterlife place/stage of afterlife called The Drift, that's not Heaven, nor Hell. Enter Mikkel, a demon who's (currently, hopefully for a long time to come) on the good side in the lovely village of Sparlow that not everyone IRL can access, though it's on the map in the Peak District.

Mikkel’s been tasked with helping Teddy through his guilt and torment and out of The Drift. Teddy's not doing well on his own, so Mikkel takes him to his cottage. Mikkel’s magical cottage, that sounds like something alive from a kind of Willy Wonka or Magic Faraway Tree world, likes Teddy. Sparlow likes Teddy. Mikkel likes Teddy...

Together with Mikkel, Sparlow helps him heal. Which means that Teddy has to leave for the ultimate destiny that awaits him, because The Drift was just an in-between place. Which means that Teddy and Mikkel are at the end of their time together...or are they? 🤞🏼we'll see them in another Sparlow world book.

ARC courtesy of the author for my reading pleasure.

[Nese's reads]

Can Angels and Demons ever be together? What does it take to make these opposit Angels finally find love together?

There is a truly scary "Drift" which enhances your fears and can drive you out of your mind.
Then there's a house, a very special house full of tricks.
A village full of different people that make you feel so welcome.
Finally there's the demon that was sent to collect you after your nearly death. A demon that's determined to make all your wishes come true, even if you're already dead.

How can any man even if he's an actual angel not lose his heart by the end.

[Yvonne]

A new paranormal romance series series by Barbara Elsborg.
I wasn't familiar with her books yet, but I am pleasantly surprised.

This is a very nice novella to read.
It is set in Sparlow Village. The two main characters complement each other well.
Fortunately, it ends well, because it starts sadly with feelings of guilt.

This novella promises a lot for the rest of the series.

💞Thank you to the Author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC💖

[Sophia Soames]

Barbara Elsborg has dragged me (kicking and screaming) into the paranormal genre, and where as I would normally run away from anything not strictly contemporary, my tastes are now slowly changing. Well, that's clearly Barbara's fault because once again she is producing a story that I just cant help being sucked into. This is the companion novella to The other side, set in the same realm. Highly recommend for a quick satisfying steamy read! Yay!

[Ren]

Received an ARC for this, and after the first book in this series where we met Mikkel and briefly Teddy, I was invested in their story from the start.

I felt so sorry for Teddy; what a life he’s had. But the way he blossomed under Mikkel’s care was lovely to read. The ending with the showdown made my heart race for a few moments, but phew, everything turned out right.

[Splash]

Loved being back in the Sparlow universe and seeing a bit more of the found family we met in book 1. Teddy was an interesting character, and I really liked the concept of the drift. My only wish is that I could have read more about Mikkel’s history, but with a novella there’s only so much you can cram in. Still a lovely little addition to the series.

[Jennifer Reilley]

I just love the stories and worlds that Barbara creates. Here we have Teddy lost in the Drift. Mikeal is tasked to help him move forward. This was such a magical story once they meet qnd so loved revisiting this world. Don’t miss out. Must read.

[Stormy Raincloud]

I was lucky to receive an ARC of this novella.

A lovely little story in the Sparlow Tales world.
Teddy and Mikkel were lovely characters with a well deserved HEA.
They were so good for each other.