May Day: A Gray Witch Novel

by R.R. Born

Ari Mason is a shunned and exiled witch. She works as a bartender and reads tarot in the park. Neither of which requires her brand of black magic. Which is how she likes it. Ari's power has always left a trail of death and destruction in her wake, and she's chosen a path of altruism. By using herbs and plants in her spells, instead of blood, she can help those around her.

As the temperature rises in Houston, so does the body count. But these aren't regular murders; someone is using old magic to take out humans and witches.

Ari realizes that any witch is fair game and sends out a call for black magic and white magic witches. They must join forces to fight this ancient evil if any of them plans on making it through this Beltane alive.

Genres: Paranormal

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2018

Reviews

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

An exciting ride from the first page to the last, “May Day” will have lovers of a good paranormal tale reading late into the night.

Read full review in the 2018 Nov issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Gerry Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari was born into a family of witches that practices black magic. When she leaves, determined to move toward the light, she has no coven and only friends who don't understand her powers. R.R. Born writes a great book full of excitement, unusual witches and plot twists. I liked her characters and hope we'll be seeing more of this gray witch. What a great find in a new author.

[Bookish AF • Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg!! Y’all!!! I was
able to carve some reading time out and finish May Day by RR Born!!! I need to
buy book 2 now!! May Day was sooooo good! Twists, turns and WTFs every where!
Loved this grey witch book. It’s definitely a series I want to continue reading.
There is a splash of romance but it’s so much more than that.



I happened upon RR
Born at a signing, DDnD19. I was looking for something that I hadn’t read in a
while and Born suggested her first book, May Day. It was exactly what I needed.



Ari Mason is a
strong, but self conscious witch. Having been born into a black magic coven,
she wasn’t sure how to fit into a world that was more of her liking. Ari had
always felt that she was not meant to do the dark blood magic, even if it was
all she had ever known. Turning her back on that type of magic sadly meant her
family and coven turned their backs on her. A damned if you do, damned if you
don’t situation if you ask me. Only one person had truly stuck with her through
it all, Liese, her non-magical best friend.



Ari finds herself
leading a simple life. One that she loved. She helped those who needed her. Ari
worked as a bartender and a tarot card reader. When witches and dismayed (non
magical humans) start being killed Ari is forced to confront her fear of not fitting
in.



Can Ari help save
everyone from the nightmare that is stalking her town?? Can she keep her
friends and loved ones safe?? Will Ari ever realize that who she is now is more
than enough??



I know I mentioned
romance lol. That does happen but talking too much about Heath or Brennen gives
so much away. One is not who he seems to be, the other is just beyond reach.
Then there is Remy who, if he was of the earthly, I think would be the absolute
perfect mate for Ari.



Born has seriously
put so many different aspects into May Day that you would think that there
would be no way to sort them out in just one book, yet she does it like a pro.
The characters in May Day will have you begging more. Lucky for me, and for
you, this is only book one in the series.



So come join Ari and
Liese in Houston and see which side of Ari will win. Be it the black or white
magic, RR Born will no doubt keep you on your toes and your fingers turning the
page.
This review was originally posted on My Blissful Books

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/15/2020)! 🎁

[Sarah Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and sassy read!

Loved all the research that went in to authenticating this story of a witch born with black powers trying to journey over to the white witch side. Tarot cards, crystals, teas and herbs for spells and healing, etc. A fun romp into witchcraft, Druid’s and ghosts. Highly recommend!

[Rox Burkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari Mason was driven out of her coven and forced to find her own way in the world. Living in Houston she reads tarot cards, tends bar, and desperately tries to control her black magic fire power. Along with her pursuit of positive magic applied with herbs, amulets, crystals, and teas, she finds herself drawn to help those who need her compassion. Her dearest friend, Leise, is injured by dark magic which results in them both being caught up in a series of horrific events caused by dark magic. Ari draws upon her knowledge of ghosts, ancient magic, witches and Druids to try to bring together white and black witches to fight the evil blood magic stalking all witches. A great paranormal read with a modern twist, powerful female lead character, and unexpected insights to this influential gray witch and the significance Beltane or lucky fire as it is known.

RR Born has a variety of characters who entwine through the multiple story threads. I was drawn to two of the characters. First, Remy-Pierre Arceneaux a companion and ghost to Ari who provides insights and directions, with an unshakeable loyalty. Born’s description grabbed me from the start. "Ari had accidentally released Remy-Pierre from a cursed locket when she was eight. He always appeared as he died, a Private in the Civil War. A young man of twenty with black hair, two deep dimples, and haunting blue eyes. His Union uniform had light blue pants, black boots, and the dark blue jacket that hung unbuttoned and a bit too big. He told her his family didn’t believe in slavery…" Second, Elizabeth, the white witch who runs the White Cauldron and vouches for Ari with her white witch coven. I found these two characters endearing, encouraging, and supportive of Ari as she is finding her way to embracing herself as a gray witch.

It is clear this story is well-researched on not only witchcraft, but the entire surround of magic, spells, and lore. The results are a merry paranormal of good versus evil with only a hint of romance rather than the steam often found in this genre. Young and old adults will thoroughly enjoy the interesting characters taken from modern day. Enjoyable from start to finish!

Follow R.R. Born https://www.rrborn.com/

[Kay Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari Mason, the heroine of R.R. Born’s debut novel, May Day, is a gray witch. Born into a coven of black witches, Ari left the practice of black magic, cutting ties with much of her family. Now she tends bar by night and reads Tarot in the park by day. She volunteers for children and senior citizens, and generally keeps her distance from the magic community in her home town of Houston.

When her best friend, Leise (a non-magical person or dismage), has a problem with an antique amethyst pendant, Ari does her best to help, with the assistance of Remy, the Cajun ghost Ari accidentally summoned during a youthful experiment.

But when a series of magical murders begins, targeting both witches and dismages, Ari must act, and she must seek allies among the white witches who have no reason to trust her. For that matter, Ari doesn’t know who she can trust—some people aren’t what they seem at all.

May Day is a fast-paced race through the magical community of Houston, filled with interesting—and sometimes terrifying—characters. Ari’s next adventure, Day of the Dead, has just been released.

[Erin Penn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book bought directly from author at Book Bash - December 7, 2024 - in Canton Texas.

DNF 12/29/24 - 28% mark (page 76)

I took a break from the book at the 58 page mark to read two (big-budget) books for my book clubs in January. Returning to it and slogging through another score of pages, the not-yet fully-experienced writing just couldn't support the great plotline and characters, especially coming at the heels of two books put out by large publishers with large editing support and agent caretaking. Even giving the larger wiggle room I give to indie writers, this book is mediocre in my opinion. I'm glad I bought the book, because the author has potential - again the plotline and characters are there, and I want to support growing authors.

Most of my issues are editorial and are in the spoiler section below.


Editorial comments: Basically the book is jumpy.

There is a head hop I wasn't expecting in Chapter 4. If you are going to have head hops between characters, it should start sooner than that.

There are scene jumps ... not scene transitions. Admittedly this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, because I am horrible about doing scene jumps instead of transitions.

There is a huge time jump between page 57 and 60. I am hoping it gets explained later in the book, because right now it feels very manufactured with the author not having anything to do between the visit to a store and the next action scene but not wanting to lose tension of a ticking clock. Since the character noticed it, I bet it will have a plot-worthy impact reason. BUT, after the head hop and the scene jumps, (and me taking a break from the book) there was not stored good will to accept this magical loss of six hours.

And with all the time/transition issues - this part on page 56 glared at me.

This time, Ari exhaled loudly. "Can you do me a favor?" She continued when he groaned. She took that to mean, yes and continued. "If you...

One of the rules of writing is always move forward. "She continued when he groaned. She took that to mean..." So "she continued" is actually the last of the three actions. First "he groaned", then "she took that to mean yes", and then "she continued."

Better would be a paragraph break with "He groaned." then another paragraph break. "She took that to mean 'yes' and continued. "If you..."

It would keep the action moving forward chronologically and also get rid of the second "continued". Now I didn't see another problem like this, but then I was trying to read for enjoyment, not editing. A typo and writing issue always sneaks through, no matter how hard an author and editor tries.

Finally, the wording was jumpy. I couldn't look at the copula percentage (to be verbs - is, am, was, were, etc) but it felt high. Likely reducing the to-be would make things flow better. But, again, no guarantee.

Anyway after 25% of the book, I realized I just can't enjoy it so it goes into the did-not-finish pile.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

May Day is fun witchy read which I had a hard time putting down in the last 1/3 of the book. I picked up the next book in the series when I bought this one and can't wait to start that one.

R.R. Born creates characters we want to spend more time with. Ari, Leise, Remy, and other witches battle dark magic in this paranormal story set in Houston. From cloaked buildings to an "otherworld" contained in a necklace, Ari must work against time, her past, and an extraordinarily obstinate detective to find out who is killing witches and how to stop him. Along the way, one of Ari's friends finds love and Ari finds a place for her magic to call home.

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the many grammatical errors made me drop a star here. It's not so much that the reading becomes difficult but there are definitely more than I like to see.

[Karen Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari Mason lives between worlds. To make ends meet in the land of the living, she works as a bartender and a tarot reader in the park. As an extra sideline, she uses her powers to speak to the dead.
She's been shunned as a Black Witch and not accepted by the White Witches. So, she hovers in between her coven worlds as a Grey Witch and utilizes her gifts through herbs and good spells to help others.
It’s not until the body count rises that she suspects magic is involved. But, will she be able to save her ghostly and the mortal friends before it’s too late?
May Day is worth reading if you’re a fan of paranormal mixed with a sense of mystery.

[Chrissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable urban fantasy focusing on witches in Houston, Texas. Sincerely hoping this is the beginning of a series, as I'd like to find out what happens next with Ari and her friends. Despite a few hiccups in the beginning (an explanation of mortar & pestle, some choppy paragraph breaks), this novel flew me through from the first page to the last. The supporting cast was enjoyable and created an ensemble that I would happily visit again.

[Jo Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.R. Born’s debut novel is a winner! I love Ari, and can’t wait to read the second installment in her adventures. This urban fantasy has it all: witches, ghosts, and Druids; spells, tarot cards, charms, and magic; family karma and free-will choices to be who we want to be. It also has plenty of romance, friendship, action, and good versus evil. It’s well-written, well-researched, and, both scary and FUN! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Debbie Alvarado · Rating 5 out of 5]

May Day is so Amazing!

I jumped into this book pretty much blind. I have to say I expected it to be good, however it exceeded that entirely, it was great!
I loved the characters created in here. They are so real and alive. I could almost feel them.
This is definitely one to be on your TBR list! I am on to book 2!

[Lee Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this paranormal story, it was interesting because you get POV not only from Ari but her best friend Leise in this journey. It has romance but its not the main front. There is danger going on and mystery to solve. I loved seeming the forms of magic going on here. And you meet many characters you will fall in love with. I look forward to book 2.

[Melanie Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witchy fun - R R Born kept me guessing with action and plot twists, and I was immersed in her world of magic among the everyday. I'm already wondering what will happen next in these character's lives!

[Kristina Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular specters!

I really enjoyed this story! The writing is well developed and the characters are lovable. I look forward to reading more Grey Witch novels by RR Born!