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The Complete Check Your Luck Agency by K.S. Augustin Book Review, Tour, & Giveaway

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Check Your Luck AgencyThe Complete Check Your Luck Agency

by K.S. Augustin

Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.

After the tragic death of her parents, and with nothing left tying her to the United Kingdom, Ursula Formosa returns to her homeland and a job with the eccentrically-named Singapore firm, “The Check Your Luck Agency”.

What begins as an attempt to stave off boredom turns into a new way of life as the scales drop from Ursula’s eyes and she tentatively enters a realm that contains vengeful ghosts, toyol, demons, pontianak and curses, not to mention old-fashioned fraud and larceny.

As she befriends bomohs, mediums and a young woman already centuries old, Ursula’s ideas of friendship expand into a fresh view of the world that surrounds her.

But she isn’t going to be left to ease into things. A criminal mastermind, who is also a powerful sorcerer, is gathering mythical creatures to help him possess every living soul in Singapore, and he isn’t about to let the members of The Check Your Luck Agency stand in his way!

Check Your Luck Agency

Excerpt:

“Did you have any difficulty finding the house?” Evelyn Long asked as she led me up a short flight of concrete steps.

“Well, the taxi driver wasn’t too keen to drive down the lane.”

Evelyn nodded her head. “The ignorant fear what they don’t understand,” she said.

I made a noise that might have indicated I agreed with her sentiment, and left it at that.

“I’m afraid Alfred is still meditating,” she began.

“I’m sorry,” I cut in, a shade too quickly, “I knew I shouldn’t have come. Perhaps I could pay him another visit some other time?”

I turned as if to leave and Evelyn Long grabbed me by the arm. No, “grabbed” was too gentle a term for it. Although her movement was smooth and she appeared to hold me lightly, I knew I would not be able to wrench free of her grasp without breaking flesh or limbs, or both, all of them mine. I looked up at her, startled, but saw nothing beyond polite interest. There wasn’t an ounce of strain on her face, nothing to show that she had me manacled with her slim, delicate- looking fingers.

Who – or what – was Evelyn Long?

“He won’t be much longer,” she said, as if commenting on the weather. “He’s been waiting to see you for more than a month now. We’re both glad you visited.”

And I suddenly realised that nobody knew where I was. Long and his supernaturally strong wife could do whatever they wanted with me, dispose of my dead body no doubt in the acres of primeval jungle behind their house and nobody would be the wiser. A wave of energy suddenly thrummed beneath my feet, a surge so strong I was sure that Long’s wife was able to feel it pulse through my body and travel to hers at our menacing point of contact.

“Why don’t I get you something to drink? You can relax while I fetch Alfred.”

 

Check Your Luck

 

Not a Western Urban Fantasy

Firstly, I’d like to thank Danelle for letting me camp out here for a while and tell you about my book.

 

Although my family and I now live in Malaysia, I remember my time living in the States with great fondness. But I need to tell you that things outside North America are a little different and I hope to explain why my book is, therefore, a little different.

 

For a start, we’re not so gung­ho on guns. I remember walking into a pawnshop in San Jose and seeing a pistol under the glass. After asking if I could look at it, I took its heavy weight into my hands, held it and turned to my husband. “Look at this!” I told him. “I’m holding a pistol!”

 

“Here,” he said, “let me hold it.” And we examined it, stroking the metal, looking down the barrel, hefting it in our hands.Judging by the owner’s face, I knew he thought we were bonkers, but the truth is, I doubt many people outside North America have actually seen a gun, least of all held one. It was a novelty for us and one we haven’t forgotten to this day.

 

I know, we’re easily amused.So my book? No guns. Also, no literal ass­kicking heroine. And as much as I’ve enjoyed reading Celtic mythology in my urban fantasy, when it came time to writing some, I knew that the environment around me was just begging me to tell its story. Set in Southeast Asia, The Complete Check Your Luck Agency has British ghosts, Buddhist demons, Malay vampires, Arabic djinn,and—at its centre a woman who keeps denying her own paranormal abilities. It also has quite a fewdescriptions of food, so if you’re into armchair travelling, the book should satisfy those cravings as well.

 

After the tragic death of her parents, and with nothing left tying her to the United Kingdom, Ursula Formosa returns to her homeland of Malaysia and a job with the eccentrically named Singapore firm, “The Check Your Luck Agency”.

 

What begins as an attempt to stave off boredom turns into a new way of life as the scales drop from Ursula’s eyes and she tentatively enters a realm that contains vengeful ghosts, toyol, demons, pontianak and curses, not to mention old­fashioned fraud and larceny. As she befriends bomohs, mediums and a young woman already centuries old, Ursula’s ideas of friendship expand into a fresh view of the world that surrounds her.

 

But she isn’t going to be left to ease into things. A criminal mastermind, who is also a powerful sorcerer, is gathering mythical creatures to help him possess every living soul in Singapore, and he isn’t about to let the members of The Check Your Luck Agency stand in his way!

My Reaction:

{I was given a complimentary copy of an eBook to facilitate this review. Opinions are 100% my own}

 

This was truly a unique read, with all kinds of fun creatures and characters. I am one that love lore, and that is the feel that I got reading this. Ursula is a well developed character that takes you on a journey through the most mysterious worlds. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of all the scenery, making it easy to picture in your mind. Being able to grasp a vision of a person, place, or thing does not come naturally to me, but with ease it happened while reading this book.

 

I highly recommend reading this series or this particular collection, especially if you enjoy mystery and lore-like stories.

 

Keep in mind that this was a compilation of a whole series, and you can find the books separately.
 
 
 
About The Author:

KS “Kaz” Augustin loves writing human stories, whether set on Earth or out among the stars. Malaysian-born, she has traveled a goodly portion of the world and lived to tell the tale!

Her urban fantasy release, The Complete Check Your Luck Agency, consists of five books, exploring the myths and legends of the melting-pot that is south-east Asia. Come for the food, stay for the monsters! (Ghosts included at no extra charge.)

As if all that’s not enough, she’s also Chief Editor of the free online quarterly magazine, Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly.

* Kaz’s website  * List Of Books * An occasional Tweeter *

 

The Complete Check Your Luck Agency is available from:

* Amazon * Amazon UK *  Apple *  Barnes & Noble * OmniLit *  Tomely *  

 

Kaz will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found by clicking the banner below:  Good Luck!

GoddessFishPromotions

This promotion was brought to by both the author, Michael Fedison, and Goddess Fish Promotions. If you are interested in Goddess Fish Promotions, you can contact them via website, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, or Google+.

Comments

  1. I love the fact that this is not a “Western Urban Fantasy”.

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