Unseen. The Folk, Book 2 by Meg Benjamin is a Trick or Treat Bonanza pick #paranormalromance #pnr #spookyreads #giveaway
- N. N. Light
- Oct 15, 2024
- 6 min read
Title: Unseen. The Folk, Book 2
Author: Meg Benjamin
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Book Blurb:
A routine job, but then it turned deadly.
Teran Richter is in Animas, Colorado, to find members of the Folk, a simple task. But the annual Animas Fall Festival brings hordes of tourists and daily celebrations that make it frustrating. Things begin to look up when Teran meets Marika Sager. Marika’s business partner Eva seems to be a member of the Folk, only it’s Marika Teran’s attracted to, particularly after a local witch’s brew sends the two into a memorable night of passion.
But there are sinister forces at work in Animas. Teran’s attacked and his assistant is kidnapped. When Marika also disappears, Teran’s forced to confront the truth: someone is out to sabotage his mission and destroy anyone who tries to help. With an eccentric team of magical allies, Teran must rescue Marika and fight off those who want to destroy both him and the Folk. But can he find a way to confront the shadowy forces while keeping himself and his lover safe from harm?
Excerpt:
Teran peered through the rapidly thickening fog. There didn’t seem to be a point of origin. It was all around them. He glanced at the path. The fog was lapping at their shoes, like water.
“What the fuck?” Reynard’s voice tightened.
“This is no fog,” Teran said flatly. “Or no real fog. This is somebody’s mojo.”
“Why would somebody be sending a fog spell after us?”
“No idea. Let’s discuss it after we get the hell out of here.” He walked forward, only to pause. He could no longer see his feet. The fog was deepening. He could feel fingers of dampness sliding beneath his clothes. “Fuck.”
“What’s your plan?” Reynard stepped closer so they could see each other through the swirling cloud. “We need to get out of here. It’s getting thicker. I don’t want to be here when this shit reaches our faces. I assume you’ve got a plan. Right, Deputy?”
Teran held on to his temper. Now was definitely not the time for sniping at each other. “We can try blasting our way through.”
“With what? I’ve got nothing.”
Teran sighed. “I can do a Seelie power blast. I’m not very good at it. I don’t guarantee anything. But I’m willing to try it. If someone is on the other side of this, making it happen, a power blast might work. If nothing else, maybe it could burn a hole through this stuff.”
Reynard grimaced as the fog closed in. “Do it. What have we got to lose?”
Aside from a spare limb or two? “Okay, stay behind me.” Teran concentrated his attention on the wall of fog in front of them, raising his hands as Reynard slipped in back. The blast didn’t always issue from the hands, but the hands were easier to focus.
Reynard leaned closer. “How do you work it? Is it a spell?”
“No. It’s a physical thing. And you might want to stand farther away from me. Like I say, I’m not real good at this.”
Reynard edged away. The fog appeared to form a long tunnel in front of them, swirling around hypnotically. Teran closed his eyes, concentrating on the heat he felt gathering at the center of his shoulders. It would probably work better if he had some incantation. Then he’d know when the burst was coming. As it was . . .
The flash of heat zapped along his backbone, branching out into the nerves along his shoulders, then into his arms. He jerked with the force of it, and the heat ripped to his sides and out. The fog glowed red as his power crashed into it.
It thinned before it gathered once again.
They pushed forward quickly, but not quickly enough.
“Shit,” Reynard muttered. “Can you increase the voltage?”
“If I knew what I was doing, I might be able to. Since I’m playing it by ear, I don’t know. I’ll try once more.” He took a deep breath, then concentrated. This time the power snaked through his body more quickly—he felt it all the way to the back of his head. For a moment he felt as if he were glowing, and then the blast flew outward into the mist.
And shot back toward them.
“Holy crap,” Reynard cried, throwing himself flat on the ground.
Teran had time to hunch over, protecting his head. The power blast washed over him like a superheated wave. It felt like he’d singed his hair.
Terrific. What the hell kind of Seelie singes his own goddamn hair with his own goddamn power blast? A reluctant Seelie, obviously.
Reynard pushed himself to his feet, spitting. “The freaking fog tastes like sewage.”
Ahead of them the fog thinned once more. “Come on,” Teran grated. “Move.”
This time they advanced a few yards before the fog closed in. They had to be close to the condo, didn’t they?
“Do another one.” Reynard stiffened, bracing himself.
Teran blew out a breath. That struck him as a very bad idea. On the other hand, what other option did they have? “Okay. Take cover.”
Reynard dropped to his knees, covering his head with his arms.
Teran focused on the fog ahead of him. If he could control the force of the blast, he might be able to break through the wall of white mist. He raised his hands, closing his eyes, picturing a lightning strike.
The power blast ripped through him, shaking his body with the force. It crashed against the fog, turning it yellow then red, as if two powers were warring in front of them.
“Crap,” Teran whispered. “Shit, goddamn.”
Another flash of light and then a brief sizzling. And then the blast was gone.
“Stop that.” The voice came from the other side of the fog wall. “It’s not helping, and I need to concentrate to get you out of there.”
The voice was vaguely familiar.
Reynard raised his head, blinking. “Did you hear it too?”
“Oh, yeah.” Teran rested his hands on his knees as he tried to get his pulse to stop pounding. Power blasts took a lot out of you.
“Who was it?”
“No idea.”
Ahead of them the fog thinned as it had with the power blasts. He could see shapes of trees, then the distant glow of lights from the street beside the condos. In the center there was a huddled figure, black against white.
He gathered himself together, hoping he had one more blast in him.
“Don’t,” the figure snapped. “I’m almost done and then you’ll be out.”
Teran slumped, rubbing his forehead. A beaut of a headache was gathering at his temples.
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ehUnqJ
Google Play: https://books.google.com/books/about?id=h2gjEQAAQBAJ
If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
Always a witch. I love the idea of powerful old ladies who scare the hell out of the local establishment. Of course, I’m not quite as taken with the whole burning-at-the-stake thing, but like the T-shirt says, “We’re the descendants of the witches you didn’t burn.”
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
I had so much fun writing the Folk trilogy. I got to do a deep dive into fairy lore and then translate it into contemporary Colorado. If fairies were humans with a few special powers, where would they live, how would they behave, how would they keep their magic a secret? I’m particularly fond of Unseen because I got to do a fictional version of one of my favorite Colorado towns, Crested Butte, and their eccentric fall harvest festival. Animas, my Crested Butte, is a raucous mountain town that happens to feature some supernaturals, including members of the Folk. And some of those supernaturals are turning this harvest festival into a much less innocent event. My hero, Teran, is a member of the Folk who’s never really used his magic before and is trying to fight off the bad guys while getting his powers under control. My heroine, Marika, is a mortal. Well, sort of. Can the two of them balance romance and magic to combat some nasty threats? Check out Unseen for the answer.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs October 1 – 31, 2024
Drawing will be held on November 1, 2024.
Author Biography:
Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance and cozy mysteries. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing and from Meg’s indie line). Her new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Along with romance and cozies, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Meg’s indie line. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1/ (personal)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/megbenj1
Instagram: meg_benjamin
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/megbenjamin/
Website: http://www.MegBenjamin.com/
