The Cursed Key: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance Novel

Miranda Brock · Rebecca Hamilton

Jan 2020 · Evershade Publishing

About this ebook

A forgotten past, a dark mage, and an unyielding curse.

Another team beat free-spirited archaeologist Olivia Perez to the dig of a lifetime, and now she’s left with the choice to wait for scraps or brave a dangerous, dusty tomb in hopes of finding other priceless artifacts. Her reward? A mysterious key she has no idea is cursed. Soon, Olivia realizes she’s brought home more than just an ancient rarity.

Malevolent visions begin to plague her. Unnerved by what they reveal, she casts away the key...unknowingly placing it into the waiting hands of a dark mage bent on destruction. Only when a shifter agent from the Paranormal Intelligence and Tracking Organization arrives searching for the key does Olivia realize what a huge mistake she’s made.

Forced to team up with the ill-tempered shifter, her journey to reclaim the cursed key leads down a twisting path of dark histories, dangerous magic, and deadly obstacles. But Olivia’s efforts to take back the ancient relic before the dark mage can destroy the lives of humans, shifters, witches, and fae alike are thwarted by her own dark past...and a price steeper than what she’s willing to pay.

Fans of Tomb Raider and Ilona Andrews will love the blend of urban fantasy, magical adventure, and paranormal romance in THE CURSED KEY from Miranda Brock and New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Hamilton!

Scroll up and one click to start this slow burn urban fantasy romance adventure!

Ratings and reviews

I am not quite sure what to make of this book. There are elements of it that I enjoyed, but there were definitely some issues with it. I enjoyed the paranormal aspect and the idea that such a paranormal world existed was unknown to the heroine at the book start, but I didn't feel like the MacGuffin, the key, was explained well enough so that the reader would know why it was so important to everyone. We weren't really given much background about it to understand its significance nor were we told what exactly it did. I thought that the two main characters had grating personalities, which sometimes made them annoying to read about. I also thought the heroine acted unprofessionally and unethically at times. The opening jungle sequence was a good start to the story, but then the pacing slowed down to a crawl when the heroine returned to the United States; luckily, it did pick up again towards the middle of the book. Some of these flaws may be overlooked when you're reading because the author actually has a good writing style. It is engaging, especially in the action parts, and easy to read. But then only when you start thinking about the story do its flaws truly become apparent.

An ancient evil comes to life in the Cursed Key by Rebecca Hamilton and Miranda Brock. The story begins in the rainforests of Brazil where the Cursed Key is re-discovered by artifact hunter Olivia. She has no idea what she discovers until it begins to impact her and the world around her. There is so much detail that it is almost blinding to all the underlying details. The characters are awesome and compelling. I absolutely love them all as they are so well developed and engaging. This story is like an Indiana Jones meets the most ultimate urban paranormal fantasy. it is just amazing. There is action, drama, suspense, mystery, and so much more. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

There is a LOT going on in the layers of this book. We have a quest involving the paranormal world and the "ordinary". Questions the possibility of reincatnation's impact on self identity. Then there is the cruddy situation of can she sacrifice the few to save the many? Throw in some psychological mind-games on the level of Doctor Smith as portrayed by Parker Posey in the recient version of "Lost in Space" from the supposed villian and possibly other characters if the level of mistrust by various factions and characters is to be believed. Is this a story illustrating the harm of bigotry rooted in past hurts? Is it a study in self identity? Or is it an illustration of how the world is actually made up of various shades of grey ethics because there is no ultimate good or evil side, choice, or action in our day-to-day lives? This series is for those who like drama-filled, complicated reads. Book 1 of 3.