Freaky creatures, insane asylums, and secrets make for an awesome adventure!

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Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro follows the young protagonists Hunter Glenn, and Elly Ann through an adventure ripe with adversity, paranormal monsters, secret societies, and most haunting of all, a life without their parents.
The book follows both, the sibling’s emotional struggle from their parent’s sudden loss, as well as their physical journey into a new and strange “home”, an ancient and creepy mansion known only as the Belmonte Estate.
It is here where they first learn of their new guardian, an eccentric old man named Professor Clandestine and the rest of the mansion's caretakers. Tossed into their bedroom, and locked away under the pretense of “safety concerns” it does not take long for the children to hatch an escape plan.
Follow the children as they slowly unravel the secrets of their parent’s true identities, the origin of the strange Mansion, and their inheritance into an ancient secret society of monster hunters known as Seekers.
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Even though I'm 23 years old, I am still a sucker for a good book about kids.  Add in some freaky creatures, mystery, adventure, and maybe even a little magic?  I am sold.  Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro is about two siblings, Elly and Hunter who, after the death of their parents, are sent to live with a godfather whom they have never met, let alone heard of.

Obviously, the kids are scared and intimidated by meeting the stranger, especially since, get this, he has them delivered to an abandoned looking insane asylum.  I don't want to give away too much, but as cool as an abandoned insane asylum would be to explore, the truth is far more incredible. 

Admittedly, I fell in love with Hunter and Elly pretty early on.  They're dealing with a lot of loss and change all at the same time.  Even through the sadness and pain they are feeling, they both have a lot of spunk and are the epitome of kids being kids.  Albeit, kids thrown into a crazy world of monsters and adventure with no prior knowledge.

Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro is a great start to a series and I cannot wait to read more.  There is so much world to learn about and explore in J. L. Hickey's story.  He only touched the surface in this book, and I anticipate many great stories from him.

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(Guest review by Lauren Pesci)

Motorcycles, Werewolves, Police - Oh My!

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The Seventh Sons of Sycamore is a short novel about a small town cop; a tall, dark, handsome stranger; and a werewolf biker gang in modern-day Sanctuary, Arizona. First, we meet the small town cop, Detective Maxim Dwyer, as he locks up some brawling bikers and pines after his missing wife. He is soon joined by Diego, a mysterious man, with a dark past and an ulterior motive. They join forces in order to take down the Seventh Sons, a formidable local motorcycle gang with a strange and terrifying reputation. The unexpected occurs, and allies and enemies are found in unlikely places.

If you enjoy police dramas and the paranormal with a human twist, this book is definitely in your realm. Note that although there are werewolves and fight scenes containing gore, The Seventh Sons of  Sycamore is not a horror novel. Overall, the plot is entertaining and consistent. Domino Finn, the author, noted that he wrote each chapter as its own short story and somehow it became a book; this was not a hindrance to the readability of the story, it flows smoothly throughout. 

There are some typical jurisdiction disputes that are expected in any story involving local law enforcement and the government. Lycanthropy is given a reasonable explanation; the likes of which, I have not seen before (points for originality!). The greatest weakness in my eyes is that the writing is often verbose; however,the writing remains clear and grammatically correct, which is always a huge joy in my life. The characters are easy to differentiate and easy to imagine while reading.

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Reviewed by guest reviewer Lauren Pesci for Movies and Manuscripts.

Thank you Lauren!