All posts by Arwen

Lineage: Book Blitz

Blitz

Lineage
by C. Vonzale Lewis
Publication date: July 16th 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Meet A New Book

Synopsis:

Smart-mouthed Nicole Fontane has a way of getting herself into trouble. She’s been fired from every job she’s had but still refuses to work in her father’s apothecary shop because of his practice of Earth Magick. On Tulare Island where Nicole grew up, Magick has always been a way of life—one she’s determined to avoid at all costs.

With less than two hundred dollars in the bank and rent due, Nicole is forced to take a job at Tribec Insurance as a last resort. Little does she realize, the moment she sets foot inside the building, she becomes a pawn. A sinister force has set its sights on her and will stop at nothing to use her in a sadistic game.

Tribec’s proprietors, the Stewart family, are curiously preoccupied with the Naqada, the mysterious pre-dynastic Egyptian society. Nicole finds it creepy, but on the bright side, the job reconnects her with her estranged friend, Marta. Yet the eerie atmosphere, disappearing Magick wards, and the smell of blood inside Tribec bring Nicole to a startling conclusion—the Stewarts are practicing Blood Magick, the deadliest of the Five Principles. By the time Nicole uncovers the truth, Marta and her four children have gone missing, and all signs implicate the Stewarts and an archaic blood ritual to an Old One, a Naqada god imprisoned on Tulare Island.

Battling the evil of Blood Magick will demand Nicole to confront a hidden past and unlock the Magick buried within. But can she set aside her deep-rooted fears to work with a team of vigilante Mages? Or will the clock run out on Marta and her children—and on Nicole?

Read an excerpt.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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Thorn: Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal

Thorn
By Intisar Khanani
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication date: March 24th 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

A princess with two futures. A destiny all her own.

Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.

When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.

But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.

With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

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EXCERPT:

I lead the king down to the back entrance to the gardens, and we walk along between plots of dill, thyme, and chives. I wait, knowing he will speak when he is ready.

“How much does your mother confide in you?” he asks as we near the middle of the gardens.

I slide a look at him from the corner of my eye. “Enough. My lord.”

His lips quirk, the first true smile I have seen from him. “Is that honest?”

I pause beside a bed of borage. “How much do I need to know, my lord? You are here seeking a wife for your son.”

“I am,” he agrees. “How often do you participate in the discussions between your mother and the council?”

“I don’t, my lord. You should know I am not . . .” I hesitate, aware that I have no place telling this king what he should or should not know. Or jeopardizing such an alliance for my land.

“Not what?”

I struggle to find an appropriate way to finish. “Not—it is not thought my place to attend such meetings.”

“You would never inherit the throne?”

I could inherit, it is true, but I doubt the council would allow it given my history—and certainly not now that I might marry into another royal family, one that would be happy to add our lands to their own. Either way, should my brother die, the council would certainly pass over me in favor of our nearest cousin. “It is unlikely,” I say finally.

“I doubt that,” the king says. “It has been my experience that even young men die. What you mean to say is your council would not accept you should your brother die without issue and you were yet unwed. Why?”

If he knows all the answers, why is he asking? I look him in the eye and quip, “Perhaps I am too honest, my lord.”

He laughs. “And too straightforward. You will have to learn to play with your words more.” He reaches out, his fingertips brushing my arm where my brother held me. I flinch back reflexively, as if the bruises have already darkened—as if he could see them through my sleeve. He watches me, his eyes glinting in the sunlight. “Once you are Menaiya’s,” he says, “your brother will never hurt you again.”

 

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A Bad Breed: Review

ARC Review

A Bad Breed
by Kat Ross
(Gaslamp Gothic, #3)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: May 31st 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Retelling

Book Reviews- Liked it Alot

Liked It A lot

 

Synopsis:

Content Rating: Adult content including sexually explicit content and violence. Contains LGBT content.

Pricolici.

A creature out of folklore. And nightmare.

January 1889. When a Romanian village suffers a series of brutal attacks, occult investigator Anne Lawrence is dispatched to the forests of the Old Country to hunt the killer – only to vanish without a trace.

The trail leads her mentor Vivienne Cumberland deep into the Carpathians to a remote monastery. As a blizzard rages outside, trapping them all with the pricolici, Vivienne risks sharing the fate of the woman she came to find. But is the culprit truly a werewolf … or something even more dangerous?

A man bent on revenge. And a love that was never meant to be.

Imprisoned in a decaying castle, Anne finds herself ensnared in a web of dark enchantment, at the mercy of a mysterious captor with a beast inside – and a memory as old as the ancient legends.

As the weeks pass, Anne learns his real identity, and slowly uncovers a complex and deeply passionate man. But is she willing to pay the price for falling under his spell?

Note: This darkly magical reimagining of Beauty and the Beast is the third book in the Gaslamp Gothic series, but can be read as a standalone with no need to start with Book #1, The Daemoniac.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Reviews of the Other Books in the Series:

Dominion Mysteries
The Daemoniac
The Thirteenth Gate

Review:

This book… wow it oozes mood. Right from the first page you know you are in a Victorian Gothic novel. The world building just pulls you in, especially if you are a big fan of Victorian era pieces like I am.

This book has it all – Necromancers ✔ Secret Societies ✔ Paranormal Investigations ✔ Long Burning Revenge ✔ Old Empty Castles ✔ Fantastic Heroines and more ✔ ✔ ✔.

If you’ve been around my blog for a while you know I love Kat Ross’s writing style and world-building and well just about everything else.

This is the third book in the series, (you can find links to my reviews of the other titles above) but I think this book does well as a stand alone. I don’t even really feel like you’d miss much in the way of character back stories, the characters and plot carry enough emotion without the backstory. The only thing you might miss out on is the history of the Deavas and the bond, and for that you need to go back to the Forth Element series (my review of the first two books.)

The depth of the characters keep this book moving through one twist after another. It keeps you hooked and entertained through out.

The only thing that keeps this book from begin a five-star, I Loved It rated book is the really explicit sex scene. I just don’t find those tasteful or enjoyable. It’s enough for me (and in my option the story) just to know that character has consummated their relationship. I really don’t want the details.

Bottom Line:

Another great book from Kat Ross, although I really would have preferred it if the sexual content had been more PG-13 instead of X-rated.

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Angst: 3 Volume Set On Sale!

Book Deals

A collection of the first three titles in the Angst series of fantasy novels.

Angst Collection by David J Pedersen

Books included:
1. Angst
2. Buried in Angst
3. Drowning in Angst

Get the collection for only $0.99 until June 23rd or read for free through Kindle Unlimited.

Angst

When Angst turned 40, he knew it was over. Angst had longed to be a knight, but now it is too late. Not only is 40 far too old, Angst is one of the few able to wield “the magics” which has been outlawed for 2,000 years.

Without warning, Unsel is besieged with dangerous monsters. The world that shunned magic now turns to Angst for help, and he is happy to listen once his back stops hurting. On the edge of a mid-life crisis, Angst drags his reluctant friends along with him on an adventure. He’s not sure where they’re going, or even if they’ll survive. But he knows this is his one chance to be a hero because the only way to fight magic is with magic.

Buried in Angst

Angst had found the adventure he was looking for and got to be the hero, but those days are behind him. To save the ones he loves most, he sacrificed his bond with the sword that allowed him to be a hero.

Now, Unsel faces a new threat, a war between the Elements is coming, and humans are in the way. His friends reluctantly join him on another quest, but where do they start? Rose is missing, Angst is dying, he has somehow upset the Elements of Ehrde, and Chryslaenor has been stolen! What could make things worse? Perhaps a kiss from Princess Victoria’s younger cousin, Alloria?

Drowning in Angst

The five elements are at war and Ehrde is their battlefield. The only one who can possibly protect the inhabitants, is a hero bonded to a foci, a weapon of unimaginable power. Unfortunately, the hero is having a little problem.

Bonding with the giant sword saved Angst’s life, but didn’t make it easier. All of the great power that comes with wielding a foci is now out of control. Angst just wanted to be a hero, a knight of Unsel, but his mid-life crisis has created a trail of destruction, including the death of Water’s beloved.

Now, to save Rose, Angst and his friends must cross the ocean where Water is most powerful. But how can he keep them safe when the very sword that makes him a hero doesn’t work right?

Additional books not included in set:
4. Burning with Angst
5. Dying with Angst

Get that collection here.

 

Note: This is a new Book Deals feature on my blog. Where I will be featuring deals on books I’ve read and loved. To be featured here I have to have previously reviewed the book on my blog. Authors if I have reviewed your book and it’s going to be going on sale please send me a message (with at least a week’s lead time) and I will add your deal to my blog.

My Reviews

Angst – Coming Soon!

Other Books By David J Pedersen

Clod Makes A Friend