Hidden by Amy McKinley Review from The Reading Addict

3.75 out of 5 stars

http://thereadingaddict-elf.blogspot.ca/2015/11/hidden-by-amy-mckinley-excerpt-review.html?showComment=1447421961275#c3442950352720962351

Hidden by Amy McKinley is an erotic paranormal romance that centers on one of five sister demigoddesses who have been targeted because they have been cursed by the Fates to be a threat to the gods.  Jade is the first of them to have her beast awakening, seen through the effects of her paintings.  She has to find her balance before the beast takes over completely, but she never suspects the major role a Worr demon named Roen will play in her struggle against the Oneiroi who seek to kill her. Finding a way to deal with Jade’s challenges and keep her alive long enough to explore the attraction between her and Roen is complicated, especially since there are so many beings who have a vested interest in the outcome, and not everyone wants the same result.

This paranormal story is a fascinating twist on the concept of the Olympic gods and their relationships with various generations of offspring.  It was startling to realize that this very sensual and intense relationship that is unfolding between two very strong personalities who each have remarkable talents reflects the events taking place between non-human beings.  The author does a wonderful job of personifying many of the beings that are normally seen only in myths, and the story provides intriguing insights on the conflicts between the various factions.  There are great twists, such as Jade having a ‘step-demon’ in her life who is wonderfully protective of all of the daughters that came with the female he married, her gift that allows her to effect changes, and the motivation for the Oneroi Nightmare’s actions. 

I think that this is theoretically the introductory tale to a series that features all five of the sisters, and as such, it is chock full of details that can be somewhat overwhelming, because there are so many conflicts and opposing factions that one almost needs a diagram to keep track of alliances and connections.  The action gets a little jerky and chaotic because so many different facets are included and I suspect that things would be better if the story was a little longer so that events were able to unfold more sequentially. I am a little puzzled because it seems that two different pantheons are involved, as I thought that Helios and Apollo were the Greek and Latin names for the same deity but two different individuals are cited in this story, yet Helios is referred to as a god instead of a Titan.  There are multiple strings dangling that hopefully will be addressed in future stories, and perhaps a brief index will also be included with subsequent tales to assist in keeping track of who each character is.  This is a refreshingly novel look at some of the beings who populate traditional mythology and an entertaining introduction to a multiplicity of mysteries.