One Helluva Adventure...
Ashley McLeo is back with a brand new urban fantasy series, Seeker of Secrets is the first book in the Coven of Shadows and Secrets. This book was bomb. Ms. Mcleo did a great job, this dual perspective paranormal romance was fascinating and teeming with adventure. The story may have started a little slow but picked up very quickly and had characters that I connected to.
The story is told from Meredith Stone's and Tobias Aston's perspectives. Meredith is a thief, no way to sugarcoat that, she hunts for artifacts in the strangest of places. Think Indiana Jones still, tomb raiding traps and ancient artifacts, parts of lost civilizations. Meredith is obviously daring and confident, she's good at her job but also trapped. She's indebted to her boss who may or may not be a bigger problem than anyone knows, because he saved her so she works for him. This is one of the few vulnerable points she has, Meredith isn't around people and has no one to rely on. However when the Shadows and Secrets coven take an interest in her, believe that she is more than what she even knows, Meredith is strong enough to take the opportunity to improve her life. Meredith is clever, wise, determined, and willing to fight on the right side of things, she isn't a runner and I like that.
As for Tobias, the vampire is already an established member of the coven and is very stiff and proper but all that changes when Meredith shows up. Tobias is taken out of his comfort zone, at first he's a little snotty about Meredith's past as a thief but then it's just Meredith herself. Something about her gets under his skin and he tends to lose control of himself more often than not when she's around. The two aggravate each other so much but there is an attraction there that both of them are fighting. The back and forth between the two of them are highly entertaining especially when Meredith gets the better of him. Meredith wasn't the only one with some past reveals, Tobias' creation history was given briefly but the most interesting tidbit was something that was hinted at but not outright told about and I'm dying to know what.
The story was great. I loved the unique mythology about how supernaturals came about and learning that almost every supernatural you can think of probably exists in this book. Not only do they exist but apparently they cohabitate with each other well. There are no warring factions (at least not yet), no territory issues, heck the coven is made up of all kinds of supernaturals, it's a nice change of pace. The magic was interesting but I wish that there was more of it, I can't wait to see what else Meredith can do. Meredith and her past and how she is connecting to everything are good, along with her relationship with Tobias but it's the overall arcing story that really captured my attention. Ancient artifacts of destructions, a wild hunt, and varying factions all vying for them most definitely amped the story up.
Seeker of Secrets is actually the first urban fantasy that I've read by Ms. Mcleo and she's done a fantastic job. She's included so much, tomb raiding in Egypt, secret societies at Yale, mystical artifacts, varying supernaturals, dark creatures, a supernatural library, and a mysterious benefactor just to name some of the themes in this book. How could anyone not be entertained by that, I mean, magical library, I'm such a nerd at heart. The story ended with another clue coming to light, someone in considerable danger, and a dark secret is revealed. My only question is how long am I gonna have to wait for that next book.