Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds is the first book in K.R. Gastreich's Soul Masters series. Prepare to embark on a world-blending novel as Mayela comes to learn more about who she is and the dangers that she unwittingly embarked upon. Now, she must face the consequences of her actions and work to come out the other side alive.
Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds piques readers' interest with a forest-style cover with what appears to be a portal. Where does this portal lead to? Is it a new fantastical world? Or is there something dark and insidious on the other side? The only way to find out is to delve into this story and explore as the story unfolds.
Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds is the first in this new series, and it alternates between the present and the past. You get get to see some of Mayela's childhood. Mayela remembers events that happened but she thinks that they are just hallucinations from overly stressed mind. But is the truth something else? As you reflect at random moments back to her childhood you'll see that there is more going on than meets the eye.
Is Mayela in denial as to the things that she is seeing? The answer to that question is a touch complex and one that requires you to delve deeper into the story to truly understand what is going on.
The dynamics between Mayela and Nathan, when he enters the picture, is interesting. She's drawn to him not realizing what is actually going on. That there is already a connection between them. But what is with this other guy? The coffee shop owner's financial advisor? The way that he behaves is extremely off. Is he dangerous? Is he something like Nathan?
These questions will push at you more than once when he makes an appearance at the oddest of times. We literally reared back at one specific unexpected appearance. You get the sense that something bad is about to happen, but...she's saved by the sound of heels on flooring! Think it's Nathan coming to her rescue? You may want to guess again.
Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds is an interesting story, but we feel like it could have benefited from having a prologue. A prologue would have given readers a foundation to build on. As it is, Mayela remembers certain things that readers have no idea even transpired already. It's like we're rushing to play catch-up to something already in motion.
There are other things that just hit wrong when it comes to the storyline. When the truth starts to come out Mayela gets upset and claims that Nathan has been dishonest with her. We were really thrown by this because there is no sign that they were even texting back and forth that heavily before the date. So it translates to her being over-dramatic...and for what?
The boat rocks a bit from time to time with the back and forth between the characters, but it does even out here and there. You get some questions answered, and others you're left with, but this is just the first in the series, so who knows where things will go from here.
4 out of 5 stars
Thank you to the author, K.R. Gastreich, and Bewitching Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Soul
Masters: The Hunting Grounds
Soul
Masters
Book
One
K.R. Gastreich
Genre: Paranormal
Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication:
February 7, 2024
ISBN: 978-1509253302
ASIN:
B0CP6GMWRK
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 90k
Cover
Artist: Kristian Norris
Tagline: He wants to claim her
soul. But can she capture his heart?
Book Description:
On
a hike through the forest, Mayela stumbles into a terrifying world
where immortals hunt souls. To survive she secures protection from a
Soul Master. When he demands payment, Mayela fights back. But how can
she fight the desire consuming her heart?
Every soul
Nathan claims expands the power of his realm. In Mayela, he finds a
rare gift that could guarantee his place among the Soul Masters. All
he must do is secure her allegiance without losing his heart. And
Nathan has no heart to lose. Or does he?
With
eternity at stake, Mayela and Nathan ignite a transcendent passion
that breaks all the rules. Among the Soul Masters, a malevolent force
awakens. The final hunt is on…
Amazon
BN
Bookshop
Excerpt:
Then everything froze. Joni,
the customers, the cars outside. All movement simply stopped. The
chime on the front door sounded. My throat went dry. Somehow, I knew
what was happening. I knew who had arrived, though I didn’t
understand how or why.
Twisting around, I peered over the rim of
the booth. Standing in the doorway was the man from my
hallucinations, a creature of the dark plains. Tall and slim,
broad-shouldered, dark in aspect. That same man had beheaded a snake
in my kitchen. Not my kitchen, I reminded myself. The illusion of my
kitchen, part of the same hallucination of an impossible world. The
Hunting Grounds, he’d called it. Where we go to hunt souls.
My mind spun with the
impossibility of what I was seeing. He couldn’t be real. Yet
here he was, in Joni’s shop. Except, he looked different. His hair
was peppered gray instead of black. His skin seemed a shade darker.
Or maybe lighter? It was like wrapping my head around a mirage,
trying to remember what he looked like in my nightmares. But the
simple force of his presence, the quiet luminescence of his spirit,
was unmistakable. That was him.
Without so much as a glance in
my direction, the man stepped into the shop and started toward the
counter. Everything stirred at once. Several people looked his way.
Joni let go a long, low whistle.
“Well, I’ll be!” she
exclaimed. "We haven’t had anyone that drop-dead gorgeous walk
in here since…Well, ever!”
She kept staring, mouth agape,
as he ordered coffee. Then her face lit up, and she jumped into
action, wiping down the table next to me.
“I’ve got an idea,” she
said. “I think you should go for him.”
“What?” I croaked.
“He’s totally your style.”
“I don’t date men in
suits.”
“What are you talking
about?” She laughed. “Look at him! It’s fate. I can feel it.”
“Joni –”
“Sir!” She called. “Sir,
we’ve got an empty table right over here. Next to the windows.”
Holy crap! I sank deeper into
my seat. “I’m serious, Joni! Send him somewhere else.”
“Straighten up, beautiful.”
She patted me on the shoulder. “Give it a shot. What’ve you got
to lose?”
Then she was gone. I cast
about frantically for an escape, but there was no back exit from the
booth. Unless I wanted to crash through the window. Could I do that?
Crash through the window?
Yeah, I could do that. But I’d
have to leave my insects behind, and –
And there he was,
taking the table next to me. His chair scraped against the floor. His
clothes rustled as he settled in. Minutes passed while my heart
pounded inside my chest. I kept my face turned, pretended to stare
out the window, wondered whether it would hurt to feel the glass
shatter against my skin.
Idle talk filled the coffee
shop. Customers came and went, orders were taken, steam forced
through frothing milk.
Still the man said nothing.
I snuck a glance in his
direction. Damn, he was handsome. Heart stoppingly so. Desire tugged
at my gut, a strangely familiar sense of attraction, as if we’d
known each other before this moment. As if I’d been bound to him in
a time before memory.
About the Author:
K.R.
Gastreich is a recipient of the OZMA Award for fantasy fiction and
the Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency, as well as a winner of the
Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest. Her fantasy novels feature
high-stakes romance, gripping battles, and darkly lyrical prose. In
addition to Soul Masters and The Silver Web trilogy, she has
published short stories in Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman,
69 Flavors of Paranoia, and World Jumping.
A proud native
of the American Midwest, K.R. Gastreich lived for many years in Texas
and then in Latin America before returning to the Kansas City Metro
where she grew up. When not writing she enjoys hiking, camping,
studying dance, and spending time with her family.
To
learn about new releases and other events, visit K.R. Gastreich’s
website at krgastreich.com, or follow her on Instagram
@EolynChronicles.
Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/EolynChronicles
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063135194840
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4431702.K_R_Gastreich
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