Deceived by L.A. Starkey: Review, Guest Post, & More!

Deceived

(Soul Keeper, Book 1)

by L.A. Starkey

Genre: Paranormal Romance, YA, Suspense

They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principal, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose? 

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.

Scene Writing: Always the Same

by L.A. Starkey

(I love to write random scenes… check this one out.)

The air smelled of sulfur, the icy road before me doing nothing to quell my curiosity as velvet colored smoke lifted in the air just beyond my reach. A soft coo of a nightingale lifted in the wind around me and almost gave me pause.

A warning? A welcome? Just simply a murmur from the small creature...

The wind picked up as the moon stole the audience of the night, its iridescent glow giving life to shadows that neither held true form nor remained still for too long. My eyes wondered along their motion, my own dark twin walking close and shivering alongside me.

There had to be a reason for the demented dreams of late that stole my rest and yet thrilled the proposition of possibilities that took more definitive form with each night that passed fulfilled. It was always the same story, the same theme and the same dark figure that I knew was full of danger and yet endless freedom dangled at the edge of my reality as I lay asleep in my bed each night.

What seemed to always change was the setting. At times I was thrown in a frenzy trying to juggle the various effects of the dream that were tossed my way and in that activity I lost my ability to recognize that reality had run from the scene and I was left once again with velvet colored smoke and the soft sounds of midnight life.

He brushed my shoulder as he passed, his steps so very hurried and try as I may, I could move only as someone of languid intent might, my voice finding no depth as a frustrated sigh swept away in the swirling ether just beyond my lips.

A dark suit coat hung over his black slacks, his hair the color of night and his built and demeanor labeling him as important. He noticed me not, or if he did, I was left unaware of it. I tried to reach out toward him, but he was a noticeable distance ahead and the space around me didn't allow for conscious movement at all. 

Frustrated and rather confused I willed my legs to move faster and yet the consorted effort awarded me simply with refusal. He stopped just before reaching a small wooden bridge that spanned the length of the rushing water below and turned to look at me, no... through me.

Sadness filled the confines of my chest as the emotion etched upon his handsome features spoke of loss and despair. He pressed two finger to his lips, kissed them and threw the affection into the night sky as if hoping that someone might catch it and cherish it again. Was that someone me?

I closed my eyes only for a moment, the rushing of a million wings delivered fear to my system and small bumps of chill covered my exposed arms and legs, the man long done without a trace as I managed to regain sight, my knees giving out before me as I crumbled into the waiting snow.

It was always the same story, the same theme, but tonight, it was a different character. Or was it? I'd never before seen his face and perhaps never would again.

He stopped just before her, his gaze locked on hers, and try though she may words escaped her cry for assistance. His piercing jade eyes bore into her, dark orange rays stretching lazily from the iris, his skin seeming to glitter as if kissed by the sun. 

“I’ve been waiting for you.” 

“For me?” Sam blinked in surprise, taking a hesitant step back. 

“Ah, Samantha,” he breathed out, his brow creasing ever so slightly. “Same questions every time, my love. Shall I give you the same answers?” 

“W-what a-answers?” She shook her head, attempting to draw in a breath that wasn’t filled with the smell of pure male. 

There would be no relaxing in front of him for something was so very familiar and yet alarming to all of her protective senses. Brick by brick, her heart constructed a thick wall that would promise protection. He took a step forward and reached for her hand, but was a bit too late to infiltrate her senses as the wall was up and impenetrable. 

She exhaled softly as their skin connected and instinctively let her fingers wrap around his as a sign of friendship. The warmth of his touch sent tingles racing along the corridors of her body and yet still the cold loneliness remained because she demanded it so. No one would ever penetrate her defenses again. Self-preservation had become her lifelong companion simply because life required such company.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Samantha is unaware that she is standing at the edge of life as she knows it. Her whole world is about to change in unimaginable ways. Abandoned at birth and raised in an orphanage prior to being adopted as a pre-teen, she has built strong walls around her heart in an effort to protect herself from further pain. Life has only brought her disappointment up to this point but in order to fulfill her destiny, she is going to have to make difficult choices and be willing to risk the pain of opening her heart.

This is a difficult book to review without spoiling the reading experience because it is a complex story with multiple characters. L.A. Starkey does an excellent job cycling through the various perspectives and telling each story in a way that makes the overall timeline understandable.

This is book one, so prepare yourself for a lot of questions left unanswered and a bit of a cliff hanger that leaves searching for more. Fortunately, Destroyed is scheduled to be published on November 15th, 2014 so you won't have long to wait. Don't be overwhelmed by the length... it's worth it in the end!

I loved that this book is heavy on the drama and suspense, with Greek mythology, paranormal elements and contemporary romance all blended together. DECEIVED is a unique story with precise attention paid to detail and a strong build up into the rest of the series.

View all my reviews

Coming Soon!!

Now I lay me down to sleep,
Whom shall I trust my soul to keep?
If I should die before I wake,
I leave to fate my soul to take.

Destroyed

(Soul Keeper, Book 2)

Release date: November 15, 2014

Laurie Starkey is the author of the upcoming Soul Keeper Series, a supernatural young adult series, and The Liarus Detective Series, a supernatural middle grade series. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Jacob and three beautiful kiddos.

She is a CPA by trade, a church planter and entrepreneur at heart; however, writing and reading are passions she just can't help but indulge in. With more ideas that one person should be allowed, she is blessed to have a muse that doesn't seem to take a vacation and more energy that one might consider healthy.

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