Hidden

Fire and Iceland #1

by Megan Morgan

After a breathtaking journey through Iceland, Vanessa Evanston finishes her dream vacation with her two best friends in the capital city of Reykjavik—and wakes up the next morning on the ground, on a tiny island 250 kilometers north, with no memory of how she got there.


Luckily, handsome and kind-hearted local Gunnar Heimirsson stumbles upon her—unluckily, he can’t explain her mysterious journey either. Nor can anyone explain why Vanessa soon discovers “last night” actually happened a year ago, and everyone thinks she’s dead.


Iceland is known for its folklore, but beyond the elves and mountain trolls, there are other beautiful, powerful, and vengeful, known as the huldufólk. Gunnar has been alive for a century, trapped by their curse after angering them. From the far flung Westfjords to the black sands of Reynisfjara, the answer to Vanessa’s missing year might be connected to Gunnar’s punishment—as well as his long-lost wife, Hera—but the truth lies somewhere in the realm of magic, myth, and love, and Vanessa has only just discovered fairytales are real.

Genres: Romance

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2018

About the author

Megan Morgan is an award-winning paranormal and contemporary romance author from Cleveland, Ohio. She lives on the often-wintry shores of Lake Erie with her spoiled cat and adult son, both of whom shed too much.

Reviews

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanessa Evanston is missing a whole year of her life and Gunnar Heimirrson is convinced that the answer for her mysterious journey is connected to his punishment which was inflicted upon him by the huldfólk.

Suspense and emotional turmoil flow freely from every page throughout this thrilling story. Vanessa and Gunnar are two strong, captivating character that easily grab readers’ attentions and draw them into their story. The romance is sweet and sizzling with passion but the relationship a serious cloud over it as Vanessa and Gunnar try to unravel Vanessa’s lost memories.

The plot is steady to fast paced and full of suspense that really holds readers in thrall and the fascinating and powerful huldfólk are quite intriguing so the story keeps readers glued to the pages as they join Gunnar and Vanessa in discovering the truth. The story has hints of danger especially as Vanessa is determined to take on those vengeful creatures of lore. I was caught up in the story and I certainly didn’t see that surprising twist that set the whole story as well as the characters on end, but I was disappointed in the way the situation has worked out with the huldfólk so far and really disappointed that the story continues on to the next book. In essence this story is not a complete HEA romance is more of a serial romance with lots of questions being left unanswered, but on the bright side, I am hoping that we will see more of the mysterious huldfólk.

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vanessa has been so excited for the last year to take her trip to Iceland, and now that she is there, she is sad to see if end. When she steps out of a bar to get some air on her last night, the next thing she knows is that it is morning and she is laying on the ground with two strange men standing over her. What makes it even worse is that a year has passed and she has no memories of that time. Hopefully she can figure out what is going on with the help of a handsome, knowing stranger.

These creatures were starting to sound stupid. They wouldn’t go near metal and wanted to take people’s money and booze. She supposed it was much better than, say, a blood sacrifice, of course.

I know nothing about Scandinavian culture so I found this book to be really interesting. Keep in mind, I have zero idea if any of this mythology is to be true, but I enjoyed learning about it anyway. Faeries in all there beautiful and terrifying glory are one of my favorite subjects to read about so to see people who have been victims of them made me very interested to read the book.

I will say that the first half of the book kept me engaged and fully immersed in Vanessa's plight and this new strange world I fell into. The second half was a little slower, more introspective and internally plotty, with Vanessa thinking more about her actions and the supernatural creatures than any actual action, and I found myself having a harder time picking up the book to keep reading. There was nothing wrong with it per se, I just was not as interested in reading anymore. I will admit that the twist near the end was shocking, but I still have not processed whether that is a good thing or not or if I liked the direction the book went (honestly, it creeps me out a little bit).

Overall this was a unique Fey(ish) book with a Scandinavian twist that I appreciated the concept of. Based on the (gorgeous) cover this looks like a romance book, but I do not know if I would call it that. More of a Paranormal Mystery that had a few (awkward and strangely detached) romantic encounters and a whole lot of steamy thoughts.

I reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. Come visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden by Megan Morgan.
After a breathtaking journey through Iceland, Vanessa Evanston finishes her dream vacation with her two best friends in the capital city of Reykjavik—and wakes up the next morning on the ground, on a tiny island 250 kilometers north, with no memory of how she got there.
Luckily, handsome and kind-hearted local Gunnar Heimirsson stumbles upon her—unluckily, he can’t explain her mysterious journey either. Nor can anyone explain why Vanessa soon discovers “last night” actually happened a year ago, and everyone thinks she’s dead.
Iceland is known for its folklore, but beyond the elves and mountain trolls, there are other creatures: beautiful, powerful, and vengeful, known as the huldufólk. Gunnar has been alive for a century, trapped by their curse after angering them. From the far flung Westfjords to the black sands of Reynisfjara, the answer to Vanessa’s missing year might be connected to Gunnar’s punishment—as well as his long-lost wife, Hera—but the truth lies somewhere in the realm of magic, myth, and love, and Vanessa has only just discovered fairy tales are real.
A very enjoyable read with some great characters. I liked Vanessa.
 Gunnar Heimirsson and Aedan I wasn't sure how I felt about them. I had my theory and I was partly right. 4*.

[Mahathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect on the edge thriller I have read recently. Iam not satisfied about the supernatural aspect, but I couldn't put down the book in the middle. It was very interesting until I completed 3/4th part of the book. Then, it becomes predictable and this being a first part of 'Fire and Iceland' series, you will end up wanting to read the next part.

Overall, a wonderful read. Loved the suspense and erotic romance part. The characters are great, especially Aedan, Gunnar, Hera and Vennessa. The story is excellent and unpredictable. The backdrop of Iceland is great to read about. I even liked the bonus part at the end of the book.

I recommend this book to the readers who like on-the-edge thrillers and romantic novels. 


My Rating: 4.5/5


PS: I have received this book from the author in exchange for a review and this is my honest opinion on the book. 

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an amazing story I loved it. Vanessa is having the holiday of a lifetime in Iceland with her two best friends. She wakes up the next day and finds out that a whole year of her life is missing and everyone thinks that she is dead. Gunner finds Vanessa and he believes that what has happened to Vanessa is all his fault, you see he was cursed by the creatures known as Huldufolk when he angered them over a century ago. I love all kinds of folklore and it was interesting to read about Iceland’s from the authors prospective, this is a fantastic story and I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.

[SBee Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t Reykjavik

A very intricate story unwinds when Vanessa awakes and finds herself in a strange location by two young men named Gunnar and Aedan. Just how she wound up there is a mystery she is desperate to get to the bottom of, because the very first scary fact she learns is that she has missed a whole year of her life and has no recollection since she took a breather outside a local bar one night.

Intriguing Icelandic mythology, specifically the Huldufólk and other supernatural creatures which may be responsible for her mental and physical purgatory as well as that of the men she comes to care for in her quest for answers.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is mystery-driven. Set in Iceland, the folklore is fascinating and incorporated in the plot. It is very interesting how the mystery and the roles Vanessa and Gunnar plays in each other’s life unravels. The author was able to retain reader’s attention even though the shroud of mystery was taking forever to reveal. It has a good twist at the end. The only thing is I feel like it’s an HFA instead of an HEA. [I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.]

[Tonia Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book drove me insane. And not in a good way. The author runs you through so much and in the end it was like they didn't know how or which way they wanted the story to actually go. It was a cluster.. Yeah that. I'm very disappointed in this. There's so mic talking and extra information that I skipped large sections to try and get to the end to find out what would happen, and then I was like "are you kidding me!?" If I had known I'd probably have DNfd it. As is, it's not for me. I don't recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Fleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how this story unfolded from finding Vanessa with no memory of the last year and then learning of Gunner and Aedan's past and secrets. There is plenty of mystery, sexual tension, secrets and twists that kept me reading needing to know what I might found out next. I will definitely be reading the next book to see where things go next!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is on the last part of her holiday and when she next wakes up, she is on a small island 250 one away on a small.island. No-one knows what happened even her. She then finds out it happened a year ago but too her it felt like one night. What happened to her? Where has she been? Will she ever find out? See if she will find out

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are complex and realistic, the interplay stunningly believable. Megan Morgan is an author to watch out for for any lover of the unusual. Thoroughly enjoyable and easy to read, from the first to the last page.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden by Megan Morgan is a wonderful story to read. This is an author I never read till this wonderful start to a brand new series this is book number one. I highly recommend this story exspecially if you love fantasy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting, entertaining and engulfing.
This story is a wild ride with many mysteries right from the start.
This a beautiful story about magic, love, and folklore. The characters are amazing with dynamic backgrounds, each more unique than the last.

I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an unbiased , honest review.

[Kathy L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and mysterious...
There were so many questions from the very start of the book. You cannot help but want to figure it all out. This book is definitely a page-turner, but I felt the ending could have been slightly better. It still left you with some more questions in the end, but it was not too bad. Interesting, for sure...

[Vesmé · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books starts with protagonist Vanessa walking up hundreds of kilometres from where she was the night before, only to realize that the night before was a year ago.

Things do not get easier from there.

I really enjoyed the mystery and characters. Also the locations are described very well so you can easily picture them. I always enjoy Morgan's work, she writes such compelling story lines!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is an original paranormal romance. The characters are complex and realistic, the interplay stunningly believable. Megan Morgan is an author to watch out for for any lover of the unusual. Thoroughly enjoyable and easy to read, from the first to the last page.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden is a great story and I enjoyed reading it. There are lots of twists and turns and once I started reading I couldn't stop... Well worth the time to read.. Can't wait for book 2

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great fantasy book and a great start to a series. I'll be reading book 2, definitely! This book had all the twists, mystery, steamy scenes, suspense and was great!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A start to a new series by an Author I have not read before a story that kept me turning pages. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nadea Croix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this story It is well written and quite and engaging read with challenges in their relationship and detail provided to wet the reader interest.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hidden is the first book in the Fire and Ice series, and we start off with Vanessa as she wakes up outside, wondering what on earth has happened to her. She is found by two Icelandic men, who she can understand even though she knows they are speaking their own language. Not only that, but Vanessa senses she is being watched, and has no idea what has gone on, or why.

This is a long book that is a slow burner. The first half of the book I thoroughly enjoyed, as Vanessa learnt more about the Icelandic mythology, and just how pertinent to her situation it may be. Then, I'm afraid, I got a bit bored. There is a lot of repetition, with Vanessa telling the world how unfair life is. And then we have an attraction thrown into the mix, where his ghostly wife may or may not be involved. And then the ending... of which I won't say anything because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else.

There were lots of aspects of this book that I enjoyed, but I was left feeling vaguely unsatisfied. I have given it a 3-star rating though, because it WAS good! It just didn't hold me engrossed like I love to be in a book. There were no editing or grammatical errors that ruined my reading, which is another reason for 3-stars.

If you fancy something a bit different, and like the idea of Iceland, then I would recommend this book.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 15, 2018

[Tina]

I really enjoyed this story. Really good plot to the story. Very well written. Would highly recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of stories. Can't wait to read more from this author

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.