The Uncovering
(The Underneath and Inbetween Trilogy #1)
by Jes Young
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Tab Bennett is normal — unusually, excessively normal.
Her job as a bank teller is safe and secure, her grandfather
finally let her move out of the house (at least to the cottage at the end of the driveway), and her fiancé fiercely guards her chastity, whether she wants him to or not.
It's something of a shock, then, when Tab learns that she is the elvish queen of the fabled kingdom of the Inbetween. Also shocking is the appearance of the staggeringly confident and gorgeous elvish warrior who claims to be Tab's true betrothed. Even amidst a steamy love triangle, Tab must tell friend from foe in an unknown world of danger, deceit, magic, and sex.
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I adored the character of Tab in the beginning. She's such a fighter in the face of impossible circumstances. But then the love triangle rolled around and I noped out of being on Tab's team. It seemed so out of place and uncomfortable. As did the graphic sex scenes. But the secondary characters really add to the story in their own way. Jes Young is wildly talented at giving personality to characters and giving them their own unique identity. I was beyond appreciative of that talent.
The opening of this book will you sweep you up. (Read the beginning excerpt below!) The pacing is good enough that the book didn't drag a lot, and I was able to read it in a single day. It's very much a roller coaster type read with various ups and downs, but I found that they were placed well enough to keep my interest solid.
Parts of the story do get confusing, though. There seemed to be a lot to keep up with. If it hadn't been for the love triangle that made me just red in the face with anger, I would have given this so many more stars. I don't think Tab's actions were explained in a way that even remotely justified them.
Paranormal fans should enjoy The Uncovering. It has all of the elements to make for a solid paranormal romance read.
**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Jes Young and Enchanted Book Promotions.
CHAPTER ONE
While my sister Rivers was dying, I was planting crocus bulbs in my front yard. While she was fighting for life, I was thinking about how pretty the purple and yellow flowers would look poking up through the snow when the spring came. While she was gasping for air, I was singing along with the radio to some stupid Top Forty song I’d be embarrassed to admit I knew. I was tired and achy. I saw the dirt under my nails and then I knew. There was dirt under her nails too. I could see her struggling in a small dark place. I could feel her panic as the air ran out. Her fingernails snagged and broke on rocks and roots as she clawed at the soil settling above her.
The earth closed in all around until there was no light and no air and no sound. There was nothing but the quiet, airy emptiness you hear inside a seashell.
Rivers was gone and I was kneeling in the cold, wet grass with a pounding headache and a bloody knee. The vision ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Some black birds lifted from their roost in the trees just as Francis came running from the other side of the house.
“What is it? Are you hurt?” he yelled as he ran toward me. “Are you hurt?”
I struggled to my feet, took one lurching step, and passed out before I hit the dirt.
* * * * *
It was dark and quiet when I woke up.
I didn’t have to lift my head or open my eyes to know where I was. I recognized the lumps in the cushions and the smell of the afghan draped over me. I heard the comforting rumble of men’s voices in a nearby room and knew that I was home, safe and cared for on the couch in the downstairs sitting room at Witchwood Manor. The tapping of a size twelve work boot against the floor told me that my fiancé Robbin was there waiting for me to wake up, watching over me until I did. For the first time ever I found his restless, relentless tap, tap, tapping comforting. It told my heart what to do. Beat, beat, beat, it said. It reminded my lungs to fill and empty and fill again.
He was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. He was leaning against the doorframe, still in his work clothes, looking angry and sad and, of course, beautiful. He just couldn’t help that—even when tragedy really called for him to be less sensational-looking. He was tall and muscular with a strong chin and a soft, sweet mouth. His eyes were the color of the ocean on a sunny day and his short hair was a sandy blond. I sighed, wishing I were waking up with him under happier circumstances.
Jes Young holds a BFA in creative writing from Emerson College. She writes Urban Fantasy and Paranormal romance because, in spite of a complete lack of supporting evidence, Jes still believes in fairy tales, happy endings, and true love.
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