The Concealed by Sarah Kleck Review + #Giveaway

The Concealed
The Lakewood Series
Book # 1
Sarah Kleck

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Release Date: November 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1503947801
ASIN: B00VVWB0AU
Pages: 335

Goodreads Rating: 3.63
My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

“Can you be happy when what you desire most means your doom?”

Evelyn Lakewood, an orphan, is crushed after the death of her beloved sister Zara. But the nineteen-year old enrolls in Psychology at Oxford in honor of Zara.

There, Evelyn first becomes friends with vivacious Sally and seemingly charming Felix. But the encounter with Jared Calmburry, whose incredibly blue eyes immediately captivate her, fundamentally changes her life. She is instantly drawn to this mysterious stranger around whom unusual things happen and who simply disappears every time Evelyn tries to confront him about his puzzling behavior. After finding a mysterious book with a unique symbol on its leather cover in the university library, her curiosity is perked. She doesn’t know what to make of it but Jared’s best friend Colin Sullivan encourages her with cryptic hints to continue her search for evidence. When she discovers the same medieval symbol is worn by hostile professor Karen Mayflower and engraved on another faculty member’s seal ring, she realizes that an ancient secret surrounds Jared.

My Take on The Book:

That was an amazing book!

I've always had a soft spot for mythology,  history and legends. The one in this book has always been a favorite  of mine. I won't go spoiling the surprise and tell you all which one it is because figuring it all out is all part of the fun. 

I found that I liked the characters is this story more than any of the ones I've read recently. They were strong and loyal and innately good. And the depravity of the villians is tangible and terrifying that it left me with chills.

My one and only complaint was the massive cliff hanger that this book ended in and I can only hope that book 2 is released sooner rather than later. I'm definitely itching to see where this story and these characters will go!

5 Quills

A great start to what I'm sure will be a great series full of twists,  turns,  highs and lows and all around greatness. My one recommendation is that you as a reader pay attention to the little clues that are left in basically every chapter. Also, there is some sensitive subject manner that goes on in this book so if tramatic experiences like brutal murder or rape are a trigger for you like they are for me then be advised that there is some of that in here. It did touch a rather sensitive nerve with me but luckily it isn't something that is continuously mentioned. And while I commend the author for including something like that in this book as it is very important subject matter, a little warning would have been much appreciated!

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About The Author 

Sarah Kleck, born in 1984, studied Education, Psychology and Sociology at the University of Augsburg.

Currently, she's working as a human resources officer and lives with her husband in Germany near Lake Constance.

"The Concealed" is her first novel.

Author links:

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 “I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”

*** Please Disregard any typos and formating issues; my internet was down with an expected return in 24+ hours so I literally scheduled this on my phone with limited data. ***

Crow’s Rest Book Blitz, Trailer and Teaser + #Giveaway

Crow's Rest
Angelica R. Jackson

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

ISBN: 978-1633920057
ASIN: B00VI89PQS
Pages: 288

Book Description:

Avery Flynn arrives for a visit at her Uncle Tam's, eager to rekindle her summertime romance with her crush-next-door, Daniel.

But Daniel’s not the sweet, neurotic guy she remembers—and she wonders if this is her Daniel at all. Or if someone—some thing—has taken his place.

Her quest to find the real Daniel—and get him back—plunges Avery into a world of Fae and changelings, where creatures swap bodies like humans change their socks, and magic lives much closer to home than she ever imagined. 

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ARJ’s Top Ten Creatures from 

Myths and Legends
 

1. Kelpies: these water-horses have fascinated me since I was a child. I was horse crazy to begin with, and then you add in magic? Yes, please! The bit about them drowning and/or devouring people didn’t faze me a bit; I just knew I would be the exception and the kelpie and I would become fast friends. Fortunately, this belief was never tested, because older-me fears I would have just been another tasty morsel.

2. The Wild Hunt: this is another one that combined my love of horses with hounds, and like Hagrid and his blast-ended screwts, as a child I refused to believe their sinister reputation. Once I got older and more morbid, their sinister reputation was what renewed my fascination, lol. The Wild Hunt makes an appearance in the Crow’s Rest sequel, No Man’s Land.

3. Puca: I’m a sucker for trickster characters, and a puca is the ultimate trickster. If you haven’t seen the movie Harvey with Jimmy Stewart, I highly recommend that as an introduction. The film features the puca’s rabbit form, but they’re also fond of goat, horse, or dog shapes.

1 Art by ARJ

4. Raven (the trickster): back in my days as a professional storyteller, I discovered the stories of Raven and Coyote from Native American tribes. They came to be some of my favorites, even though I didn’t tell them myself (out of respect for cultural laws) and I’m sure this affection was part of the reason why I settled on crows as a Fae conduit.

5. Unicorns: yes, I admit I was one of those girls whose bedroom walls were covered in unicorn posters, and who toted around a sticker book containing 90% of the unicorn decals ever manufactured. They were like the best horse ever, but with an upgrade. My very first attempt at a novel, when I was around eleven, included unicorn and werewolf characters, lol

6. Selkie: One of my all-time favorite movies is The Secret of Roan Inish, a story of a young girl who tries to reclaim her baby brother, lost to the seals. It’s a great example of how the Fae can protect human folk, and aren’t always sinister.

7. Hedley Kow: You can find the tale of the Hedley Kow here, but he’s basically another shapeshifting trickster. His tricks are more on the prank end of the spectrum, than on the “laughing while they devour you alive” side.

2 The Hedley Kow as pictured in More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (public domain)

8. Cat Sith: this is a creature that must be appeased with a wake that includes games, singing, dancing,  storytelling, and offerings, lest it steal the soul of your dead loved one. I may have shared a home with this sinister black cat for twenty-plus years, but I could never prove it. She answered to Tippy.

9. Pegasus: are you noticing the fantasy-horse theme among my favorites? What could be better than a horse that actually flies? I remember reading a book where some children climb up a pole to the gas station’s sign, a flying red horse, and bring it to life. They fly off on adventures, and I was so envious. Then there’s the actual Pegasus myths from Greece, that are epic in their own right.

10. Corbin: okay, so this is the creature I made up for Crow’s Rest. But a corbin and his trickster ways, along with a more young adult sexiness, combines all the things I love about mythical and legendary creatures. So even though corbin don’t have as long of a history as his puca brethren (they’re closely related), they will always have a place in my heart.

 

Book Trailer

And check out the illustrated companion, A Compendium of the Faer Folke! 
Available as a free download!

About The Author

In keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, Angelica R. Jackson has far to o many interests to list here.

She has an obsession wit h creating more writing nooks in the home she share s with her husband and two corpulent cats in California's Gold Country. Fortunately, the writing nooks serve for reading and cat cuddling too.

Other pastimes include cooking for food allergies (not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it), photography, and volunteering at a local no-kill sanctuary.
 
She blogs at Angelic Mus e, and is a contributing member of Operation Awesome and the Fearless Fifteeners.

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