Tag Archives: Fiction

$10 GC – Curse Of Ashmedei by Michael Snaerravn @goddessfish #curseofashmedei #michalsnaerravn

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CURSE OF ASHMEDEI by Michal Snaerravn

GENRE:  Epic fantasy

MY REVIEW

I am always up for a good fantasy story to get lost in and Curse Of Ashmedei by Michal Snaerravn provided me one. There are also some cool illustrations.

Curse Of Ashmedei is one of those stories I find it hard to review without spoilers.

Curse Of Asmedei is filled with battles, betrayals and death. I felt the loss as Michal killed off some characters I had grown to care about. We have Druids, Demonsblood, Lycans, Trollbloods and Ogrebloods, plus creatures that fly and hide in the sand, so be careful crossing over those dunes.

I was quickly drawn in by Amnon, a young Demonblood that vows revenge on those who killed his parents. The action is nonstop. I couldn’t figure out who he should trust and who he should kill outright. There is a price to be paid for letting the bad guy live. Strange alliances are made, because he is not the only one that has a price on his head. A Blood War is coming.

My thanks go out to Michael Snaerravn for the opportunity to read and review Curse Of Ashmedei. The real downside I came across is I need the next book, Golems Of Beithir to find out what happens next.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

BLURB

The Black Star approaches, heralding the cataclysm of Hell’s Gate. The pawns on the chessboard have played the opening gambits as the Races vie for its power. Amnon, a young Demonblood consumed by revenge, finds himself drawn into a maelstrom of treacherous alliances and primeval magic. With a price on his head and outmanoeuvred by Druids and Trollbloods at every turn, he can’t survive alone. An ancient Lycan who has lost his humanity is the only one he can trust.

EXCERPT

The sun began to slip behind the ragged slope, staining the wisps of clouds surrounding the peak in blood red.

It was late summer, and the bitter katabatic wind was making its way down the slope, rustling a few dying leaves, and chilling my bones. A lone peregrine falcon drew lazy spirals high above the erratic maze of rocks and boulders, looking for the unwary marmot that enjoyed the evening sun just a bit too long. Crouched, I carefully studied nearly invisible tracks. It was the same company I had been trailing for weeks now, consisting of an armored party of more than a dozen men and women. The tracks wound along the steep slope and entered the open scree. Soon their trail would be lost in the jumble of jagged rocks and Troll-sized boulders. I hesitated, my tail twitching as it usually did when I was annoyed. The path they were on faced directly against the sun as it dipped into the glacial valley. I knew the valley well, and it was perfect for an all-too-easy ambush. I suspected the company had already detected my presence, and it would be foolish to tempt fate, especially when facing a dozen armed men … headed by a Druid, no less.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Michal Snaerravn is an outdoor enthusiast, an aficionado of the martial arts, and, above all, a sci-fi/fantasy nerd. A fan of all the timeless fantasy classics, he is eager to share his imagination: “Living in seven distinct cultures and reading hundreds of novels in four languages inspired a fantasy world that had to be revealed.” He considers novel writing not for the timid, or for selling a million copies; it is for those who have a vision to share. “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

Curse of Ashmedei: Book 1: https://amzn.to/3IxIO41

Golems of Beithir: Book 2: https://a.co/d/hW1YFT7

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michal-Snaerravn/author/B0DHDBSC55

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amnonofhadur/

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Review – Sanctuary by Michael J Stiehl #michaeljstiehl #sanctuary #blackharepress

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Sanctuary by Michael J Stiehl is a fantasy, horror, novella. I hesitated with the rating, bouncing between a 3 and a 4. When that happens, I round up. I know it’s hard to grab someone’s attention and hold them til the end when the story is so short, but I feel Sanctuary warrants that extra star.

Theobard is training to be a monk and has lived a quiet life among the Silent Brotherhood. Everything changes when Dellia arrives. She opens Theobard’s eyes to what is really going on at the Sanctuary. Michael J Stiehl did a great job of increasing the anticipation of what was coming, making me feel that life can be very dangerous at the Sanctuary if you don’t toe the line. The ending caught me offguard and, Michael, you kinda pissed me off…but that’s a good thing.

My thanks go out to Michael J Stiehl and Black Hare Press for the opportunity to read and review Sanctuary.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Deep in an impenetrable swamp, lies the Sanctuary. Abandoned there as a child, Theobard has lived a quiet life among the Silent Brotherhood, a monastic sect that never speaks.

The arrival of Dellia, a beautiful golden-eyed girl with a secret, will change everything.

Her secret will expose Theobard’s true nature, and that of the Sanctuary, pulling apart the only world he has ever known, leaving nothing the same.

  • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Novella and Short Stories
  • 93 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published October 18, 2022 by Black Hare Press

ABOUT MICHAEL J STIEHL

Michael J. Stiehl has had a lifelong passion for fiction, in particular horror, comics, adventure and science fiction, and is thrilled to finally be writing some of his own. Michael lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, two kids and his very silly poodle Jack. When not writing fiction, Michael spends his time riding bikes, camping, reading books, obsessively listening to music and playing D&D with his friends. In short, he hasn’t changed a bit since junior high.

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Review – Dead West (The Endings #3) by Linda L Richards @lindalrichards #deadwest

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Dead West
Dead West
Dead West

 

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have read a couple of books in the Endings series by Linda L Richards and loved them, so when I found I had Dead West hanging around from a free book day, I had to read it. I love assassins and I think she is one of the most mysterious assassins I have met in a while. It doesn’t matter what her name is because it is as fictional as her life story, but I like the twist Linda L Richards incorporates into her story.

I have read another book recently that dealt with the wild horses out west and the struggles they have to survive in the political climate. I love horses and so much of the problems in Dead West ring true.

It doesn’t take much and she is ready to switch sides. How can she get out of killing Cameron Walker, a rancher in Arizona. He’s a good man and she is torn between what she has been paid to do and what she feels is right. If she reneges on the deal, it could mean the end of her.

We have a lot of twists and turns in Dead West. The mystery is not easy to figure out and I was surprised when I learned who the biggest villain was. As we approach the end, I wonder how she will make herself and everyone else happy. Dead West is one of my favorite books in the Endings series.

There are book club questions at the end of the book and they prove thought provoking whether you are part of a book club or an individual, like me. I love a book that makes me think and sticks with me after the reading.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Rule #1 of being a hired never get to know your target . . . and definitely don’ t fall in love with them

Taking lives has taken its toll. Her moral justifications have faltered. Do any of the the people she has killed — some of them heinous, but all of them human — deserve to die?

Her next target is Cameron Walker, a rancher in Arizona. When she arrives at his remote desert estate to carry out her orders, she discovers that he is a kind and beautiful man. After a lengthy tour of the ranch, not only has she not killed him, she’s wondering who might want him dead. 

She procrastinates long enough that a vibe grows between them. At the same time, she learns that he’s passionate about wild horses and has been fighting a losing political battle to save the mustangs that live on protected land near his property. He’s even received death threats from those who oppose him.

She finds herself trying to protect the man she was sent to kill, following a trail that leads from the desert, to the Phoenix cognoscenti, to the highest offices in Washington, DC. Along the way she encounters kidnappers and killers, horse thieves and even human traffickers. Hopefully she can figure out who ordered the hit before they hire someone else to execute the assignment.

Perfect for fans of Dean Koontz and Tana French

While the novels in The Endings Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is as:

Endings
Exit Strategy
Dead West

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • 306 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published September 5, 2023 by Oceanview Publishing

ABOUT LINDA L RICHARDS

Linda L. Richards is the award-winning author of over a dozen books. The founder and publisher of January Magazine and a contributing editor to the crime fiction blog The Rap Sheet, she is best known for her strong female protagonists in the thriller genre. Richards is from Vancouver, Canada and currently makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona. New for 2024: INSENSIBLE LOSS, the fourth book in the Endings series featuring a reluctant hit woman struggling towards the light. Linda’s 2021 novel, the first in this series, ENDINGS, was recently optioned by a major studio for series production. Richards is an accomplished horsewoman and an avid tennis player, and is on the National Board of Sisters in Crime.

Catch Up With Linda L. Richards:
LindaLRichards.com
Goodreads – @lindalrichards
BookBub – @linda1841
Instagram – @lindalrichards
Threads – @lindalrichards
Twitter/X – @lindalrichards
Facebook – @lindalrichardsauthor

 

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Review – Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino #katiesturino #netgalley

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GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

Sunny Side Up is Katie Sturino’s debut novel and she knocked it out of the park.

I don’t read a lot of chick lit, but there was something about Sunny Side Up that spoke to me. The main character, Sunny Greene, is not a slim and trim damsel in distress. She is a plus size business owner with a new goal. She’s planning a vacation, but she can’t find a bathing suit that she likes, so she, along with her best friends, create a line for plus sizes, which quickly becomes a success.

She has a newsletter that becomes hugely popular. Kinda reminds me of Carey Bradshaw of Sex and the City (like the blurb says), only plus size. Sunny has a fun sense of humor. I laughed out loud at:

Were there new dating rules she didn’t know about? Moves to practice? How much hair were people working with down there nowadays, anyway?

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino has some predictable moments but I enjoyed spending time with Sunny. I loved watching her become all she can be and finding a love interest. So, if you are looking for a light, entertaining read for the beach season, you can’t go wrong with Sunny Side Up.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“A clever and stylish ride.”
—New York Times, The Summer’s Best Beach Reads

“Escape into a world of designer clothes and trendy NYC restaurants, where career dreams come true at the drop of a hat, preferably by the pool in a flattering swimsuit.”
—Oprah Daily, 26 Best Summer Reads of 2025

From body-acceptance advocate and MEGABABE founder Katie Sturino comes a heartwarming and hilarious debut.

Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. It’s not going well. But isn’t rock bottom the perfect place to start a climb?

She decides it’s now or never. Sunny has her PR empire, her gorgeous Chelsea apartment, her two dogs, and her loyal best friends. Maybe it’s time to just love her body and accept herself for who she is. With a new commitment to confidence, her journey begins. Who says a plus-sized divorcee can’t put herself first, feel beautiful, and date up a storm?

Of course things are never straightforward in the dating world. Is fate knocking at her door with Dennis, the charming and down-to-earth mailman, or should she be with Ted, the business tycoon who seems ready to make her size-inclusive swimsuit brand a reality? And what should she do about her ex, who shows up unexpectedly, eager to reconnect?

With the same candor and confidence her followers love, Sturino brings us Sunny Greene, a Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation, and her journey through the trials and triumphs of dating, friendship, and finding yourself.

  • Genre: Beach Reads, Chick Lit, Comedy and Humor, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Plus Size, Romance
  • Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication June 24, 2025 by Celadon Books

ABOUT KATIE STURINO (from Amazon)

Katie Sturino is an entrepreneur, author and body acceptance advocate. Through her personal platform @katiesturino, she lends her voice and personal style to raise awareness for size inclusivity, empowering women of all sizes to find their confidence and celebrate their style. Her regular content series, #SuperSizeTheLook and #MakeMySize, have gone viral, reaching millions of people and attracting global media attention.

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Review – The Great Decay by Steven Jenkins #thegreatdecay @Author_Jenkins

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GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

Zombies are not your friend!

Ruby and her friends find what may be the last zombie on earth, and they make him their friend. They hang out at the cave with him, until…

The group of friends are too young to remember The Great Decay, a zombie apocalypse that nearly wiped out the human race.

Of course, I know what’s coming. I mean, look at that cover. Is there anything good about it?

The towering walls that had been built fifteen years ago during The Great Decay…Are they there to keep the zombies or the humans, in or out?

The short chapters and shifting points of view make The Great Decay an easy, fast paced read.

I’ve read enough zombie stories to be on the lookout for one that I can’t predict who will live and who will die. I want to be surprised. AND, I don’t mind if it’s one that has me wanting to throw my ereader at the wall. In fact, that gets my emotions riled up and makes if even better. Then I know, I have to be on my toes, and so do they.

My thanks go out to Steven Jenkins for the opportunity to share The Great Decay with you.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“Stand By Me meets World War Z.”

Like so many towns and cities, the giant walls around Camberwood stand as silent reminders of humanity’s darkest hour—The Great Decay: a zombie invasion that nearly wiped-out mankind.

For seventeen-year-old Ruby and her friends, these walls are nothing more than relics of a history they’re too young to remember, monuments to their parents’ trauma.

Ruby dreams of a better life away from this small, soul-crushing town. Away from her alcoholic mother who still grieves the loss of her husband.

But boredom suddenly lifts when Ruby and her friends discover what seems impossible: a lone, emaciated zombie, perhaps the last of its kind, trapped in an abandoned coal mine. The creature appears docile, almost pitiful—a living artifact begging to be studied. Against all reason, they keep it secret, drawn to this rotting piece of forbidden history.

But their dangerous game of friendship with the undead is about to shatter their safe, uneventful world.

As a new wave of infection erupts within Camberwood’s walls, Ruby faces a devastating realization: she and her friends haven’t just unearthed a scientific curiosity—they’ve unleashed the very nightmare the last generation barely survived.

As the shadows of the past rise again, Ruby must fight to prevent a second Great Decay—or watch everything she loves crumble into ruin.

  • Genre: Fiction, Horror, Zombies

ABOUT STEVEN JENKINS

Born in the small Welsh town of Llanelli, Steven began writing stories at the age of eight. His inspiration came from his love for ‘80s horror movies, and novels by Stephen King and the late Richard Matheson.

During Steven’s teenage years, as well as being a black-belt kickboxer, he became a great lover of writing dark and twisted poems – six of which gained him publications with Poetry Now, Brownstone Books, and Strong Words.

Over the next few years, and after becoming a father and a husband, Steven’s passion drove him towards writing short stories, gaining him further publication with Dark Moon Digest: an American horror magazine. His terrifying tales of the afterlife and zombies gained him positive reviews, particularly his story, Burning Ambition, which also came runner up in a Five-stop-story contest.

Finally, in 2013, after years of hard work (and countless rejection letters), Steven got his debut novel, Fourteen Days, published by Barking Rain Press.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Instagram

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$10 GC – The Adventures Of The Unicorn Poo by Reice Godfrey @goddessfish

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Reice Godfrey will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



Join Sonny and Bailee on their adventure to find a magical Unicorn. The only way to find the magical Unicorn is to follow the trail of POOs until they find a rainbow-coloured, cotton-candy smelling, glitter-covered POO.


Read an Excerpt

They ran over to the Poo and Bailee said, “Is this Unicorn POO?”

Sonny asked, “Is it the colour of a rainbow? NO!”

“Is it covered in glitter? NO!”

“Does it smell like cotton candy? (Sniff, Sniff) NO!”

This is fox POO as a little tiny fox runs away into the bushes.

About the Author: Join Sonny and Bailee on their adventure to find a magical Unicorn. The only way to find the magical Unicorn is to follow the trail of POOs until they find a rainbow-coloured, cotton-candy smelling, glitter-covered POO.

AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Unicorn-Poo-Reice-Godfrey/dp/0228878942/ref=sr_1_1

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Review – The Valkyries Legacy by Tiana Warner @tianawarner #TheValkyriesLegacy #NetGalley

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Valkyries Legacy by Tiana Warner is the third book in the Sigrid and The Valkyries series. This series has been blowing my mind, so I am happy to be back in the saddle again with Sigrid.

We open with immediate action and I love it. Will I get a chance to catch my breath along the way? No, I won’t. The action and danger are intense and non stop. The vivid descriptions of Sigrid’s fantastical world draw me in, deeper and deeper.

Loki is creating havoc across the nine worlds.

I love that Sigrid is more warrior than princess. A badass female main character is always at the top of my list of desirable characters, especially when there will be many battles fought. Sigrid would rather everyone learn to work together, but sometimes others refuse. I also love that we have a lesbian heroine and I love an author that is not afraid to share diverse characters.

I love all the creatures.

The nine worlds are in danger and Sigrid has tasked herself with the dangerous journey to the Norns in the hopes of creating a new Eye of Hnitbjorg, thus restoring Vanaheim’s gods given magic.

In Chapter 27, Tiana may have thought she could sneak one by me, but I am on my toes. I love what she did and I read even faster to find out the end result.

Sigrid and the Valkyrie’s series is amazing. Each and every book kept me enthralled, waiting for the next book to be available, having to know the story. I raced through the pages, heart in my throat, a white knuckled grasp on my ereader. I am sad to see the series end, but Tiana Warner wrapped it up in a spectacular fashion.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Valkyrie’s Legacy by Tiana Warner.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The blood of a princess
…and the heart of valkyrie

Sigrid may be the last surviving royal of Vanaheim, but she’s more warrior than princess. Her world is collapsing under the onslaught of their enemies, who are ripping apart Sigrid’s home and everyone in it. Even astride Sleipnir, her legendary eight-legged horse, Sigrid can’t fight the darkness unleashed by the Night Elves. And at any moment, the god Loki could unleash chaos upon them all…

With the fate of nine worlds perilously close to breaking, there’s only one way to restore the by restoring Vanaheim’s gods-given magic. But doing so means undertaking a journey that’s not only treacherous but nearly impossible.

With her beloved Mariam by her side, Sigrid must find a way to unite all the worlds…including Helheim.

It will take courage.

It will take strength.

Most of all, it will tempt Sigrid to draw upon the thing she fears most: the darkness inside her own heart. Because the only way to take on a god—and win—will be to raise an army from the most fearsome corners of the nine worlds.

The Sigrid and The Valkyries series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading
Book #1 The Valkyrie’s Daughter
Book #2 The Valkyrie’s Shadow
Book #3 The Valkyrie’s Legacy

  • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance
  • 366 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication January 27, 2025 by Entangled: Teen

ABOUT TIANA WARNER

Tiana Warner is an LGBTQ+ author from British Columbia, Canada, best known for her critically acclaimed “Mermaids of Eriana Kwai” trilogy and its comic adaptation. Tiana is a lifelong horseback rider, a former programmer with a Computer Science degree, and an outdoor enthusiast who loves to explore nature with her musician boyfriend and their hyperactive rescue mutt, Joey. Find her online at tianawarner.com.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / TikTok / Twitter

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Dark Romance – Haunt Me by M C Frank @mcfrank_author

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Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I was introduced to M C Frank’s writing when I grabbed a copy of Seduced and it blew me away. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. She also creates some gorgeous covers and I am a sucker for a book with a fabulous cover. I don’t read a lot of pop and rock star novels, but, because I find M C Frank’s writing off the charts, I will read anything she writes.

Haunt Me is one of the most angsty books I have ever read. M C Frank knows how to wring out every emotion, and tissues may be required.

Two lost souls. Eden had been kidnapped when just a few months old, so she was really lost. She has been kept isolated and doesn’t know that the life she is living is not normal. Now, the whole world knows her story. Isaiah is the pop star who became famous because he lost the love of his life, Eden.

I will warn you, the romance is dark, yet clean, but there are a lot of triggers…dealing with mental issues, kidnapping, rape, substance abuse and more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Haunt Me by M C Frank and I will be checking my ereader to see is I have any other books hanging around.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The crowd is roaring my name.

Their cries drown out the gorgeous music as I slowly sink back to my knees, where I belong.

Utterly, desperately, completely alone.

“I hope I haunt you!” I shout at her retreating back from the stage.

“I hope you do,” she shouts back.

But I am the one who will be haunted.

If anyone is the heartbreaker here, it’s me, not her. I broke my own heart, and hers. And I have no idea how to put what I broke back together.

I can’t seem to get back up on my feet. All these people are waiting for me, and I can’t open my mouth. I can have pretty much anything I want in the whole world, except for her. She is the one thing I want and the one thing I can’t have.

Is it too late to start believing in hope?

I hope it’s not. Because right now, at this moment when I have zero reasons to start believing and even less reasons to start hoping—this is when I freaking start.

And this time, I’m all in.

There was once a girl who was lost.

And she met a boy who was lost, and they tried to save each other. And they did save each other, for a little while.

But then they got lost again, and even they lost each other.

I was the lost boy and Eden was the lost girl—but she wasn’t lost in the same sense I was. She wasn’t just sad and bruised by life. She wasn’t just alone like me. No.

She was literally lost.

Her family had been searching for her since she was a few months old.

Eden – the poet

The whole country knows my story. It’s tragic, it’s sad, it’s bad. It’s famous. But that was years ago. Now, I am just a girl trying to survive the trauma. Trying to relearn how to live.

And forget that somehow, in the middle of it all, I fell in love with the biggest pop idol on the planet.

Who now hates me for ruining his life.

But my love for him still haunts me, it won’t let me move on. I am stuck in a ghost of a life. I am a ghost of a girl.

I have broken into a million pieces and I don’t know how to be whole again. Love can do miracles, they say. But what love would ever be strong enough to heal me?

Isaiah – the pop idol

I have been writing all my songs about her since the very beginning. These songs have made me a superstar, but my heart is still haunted by her. Still empty. Still bleeding.

The day I lost her, I lost everything. I lost myself.

The years passed, but my heart kept breaking. She pierced my heart, and a man does not recover from a love like that. From a girl like her–even if he is a pop idol.

The minute I meet her again, I know I am hers. There is no denying I never stopped loving her. Pretending to hate her was a waste of time and now, I have ruined everything. She doesn’t want me.

Is it too late to hope?

Is it too late to win her back?

Is it too late for us?

Haunt Me is a second-chance angsty romance about a pop idol and the girl who destroyed him. Prepare the tissues. The darkness will be off the charts with this one -but so will the hope. So will the heat. So will the love.

  • Genre: Dark Romance, Fiction, Second Chance
  • 487 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published January 10, 2025

ABOUT M C FRANK

Welcome to the world of M.C. FRANK’s books, where characters aren’t going to have an easy time of it: They will find themselves in icy-cold dystopian worlds where kissing is forbidden (among other things), or in green forests ruled by evil Sheriffs. If they’re in Jane Austen’s England, they have to be running away from a traumatic childhood, or if they are in our contemporary world, they’re scared they’ll die before they have finished high school. That sort of thing.
Don’t worry, though, she knows we all need a little hope and joy in our lives, so there’s a good dose of those as well in everything she writes.
M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that’s before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life.
She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she’s like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her ‘dude’ in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed.
Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn’t pick the easiest subjects for her novels.
Learn more about her and her New Adult, Young Adult, scifi, Greek mythology and historical novels at mcfrankauthor.com

  • Website: mcfrankauthor.com
  • Twitter: @mcfrank_author
  • Instagram: @mcfrank_author
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$25 GC – Tale Of The Seasons’ Weaver by D Wallace Peach @xpressotours

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Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver
D. Wallace Peach
Publication date: January 9th 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

“Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”

In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breathtaking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.

But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.

With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.

In the lyrical fantasy tradition of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, D. Wallace Peach spins a spellbinding tale of magic, resilience, and the transformative potency of tales—a tapestry woven with peril and hope set against the frigid backdrop of an eternal winter.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

A wicker basket of colorful spools rested at my feet. I picked through the bewitched thread my mother had hand-spun long before my birth. No matter how many seasons passed, the spools unwound and unwound, and I no longer fretted about reaching their ends. There was no end to magic, no end to the seasons, no end to my place on the cusp of two worlds.

A delicate pink caught my eye, a color crafted from the cherry blossoms bordering my garden. I held it against the tapestry, testing its suitability for flowering plum trees and coral bells I’d stitch into the meadows and along the forest’s edge.

“Should you desire my opinion, Erith,” a small voice piped up, “it requires a touch of carnation and a shimmer of sunshine. On the dogwood blossoms as well.”

“I wondered about those.” My gaze rose to my knee-high hospet. He sat cross-legged on the hearthstone in front of our shrinking fire, cracking walnuts with his sharp teeth. The creature blinked at me with eyes as clear as spring water, his waistcoat buttoned, cheeks rosy, and cinnamon hair parted in the middle like a magistrate. Nobbin kept my wood and moss cottage tidy, expecting little beyond customary respect and an occasional outfit when his garments aged past mending.

He also took it upon himself to offer artistic advice since my mother had chosen to join my father in the underworld.

“I might leave them as they are,” I said. “Dogwoods are white.”

Nobbin’s eyebrows tilted up in an expression of devilish skepticism. “Spring’s princess will agree with me. Give it a brush of magic. I know you dabble when I’m otherwise occupied.”

“You spy on me?”

“I’m observant. And I’m charmed.” He flicked his handcloth at the window. “Snow doesn’t glitter like that without your touch, my girl. You added that sparkle to your mother’s tapestry, and it impressed the Winter King.”

“Do you think so?” A blush heated my cheeks. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s not one to dole out compliments.”

“None of them are.” Nobbin held up a nut as if inspecting a precious gem. “Such is the nature of immortals. Add a layer of royalty on top, and we are lucky they don’t dismember anyone or anything tarnishing their crowns.”

“Dismember?” I cringed at the grisly thought and drew my black shawl around my shoulders. “My mother told me the courtiers are kind and cruel in equal measure. Without good reason for either.”

Not one to speak with his mouth full, Nobbin raised a finger and swallowed a morsel of walnut. “Indeed, they’re notoriously whimsical. But you are their weaver, and every artist must begin somewhere. You will earn your place, Erith, though it is no simple task to prove your power and demand respect. Spring is the first tapestry you may claim as your own creation, and it is a glorious start. I have untold faith in you.”

I smiled gratefully and stifled a shudder at the challenge ahead. Despite Nobbin’s trust in me, my confidence wavered like a weathervane on a gusty day. I’d done my best, and it would have to serve. The seasons’ rulers wouldn’t dismember me on a whim. I hoped.

Author Bio:

Best-selling author D. Wallace Peach grew up surrounded by her father’s well-loved paperback books. Fantasy was a staple, but it was Tolkien’s The Hobbit that planted the seeds which would grow into a passion for writing.

Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.
In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.
Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Myths of the Mirror


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Review – Bending The ARC by Nicholas Gretener #nicholasgretener #bendingthearc

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MY REVIEW

Bending The ARC by Nicholas Gretener is a story that pits lawyer, Steve Shane against a team of lawyers from the notable firm of Todd Ives Tillington. The disparity between them makes the outcome seem like a forgone conclusion. Not so fast.

How can the scales of justice be balanced? Enter LawForce, a legal SWAT team led by Steve Shane to do just that.

I had thought all the battles would take place in the courtroom, but that is not the case. On land and sea, Steve Shane will struggle to save Wildcat Oil & Gas from the Green Action Coalition.

Wildcat Oil & Gas is plagued by accidents, each more deadly than the last. But, things are not as they seem. At times, Nicholas Gretener had me sitting on the edge of my seat, tightly gripping my ereader as I raced through the pages to see what was going to happen next. Not all the characters will survive and I did not take their deaths lightly. I may have even shed a tear or two as the book came to its conclusion.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bending The ARC by Nicholas Gretener.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice .”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jonathan Hendrix, the youngest U.S. Attorney General in history, knows that bending the arc won’t happen on its own, help is needed. He is determined to curb runaway civil jury awards that are threatening to destabilize the economy.

Graduating law school, Steve Shane is a top wall street prospect. Shunning the big firms, he sets up his own practice and six years later has developed a solid reputation as a commercial litigator.

Hendrix recruits Shane to create LawForce, a government-supported, legal SWAT team to be deployed in key cases where an inequality of counsel threatens bad verdicts. Their first case – Green Action Coalition v. Wildcat Oil & Gas.

A medium sized oil and gas company, Wildcat is plagued by an apparently random series of environmental accidents. Not accidents according to the Green Action Coalition, a leader in the new era of aggressive environmental litigation, but evidence of a pattern of negligence. The damages sought by the GAC have the potential to destroy Wildcat. Acting for the GAC is a high-powered team of legal eagles from the blue-chip firm of Todd Ives Tillington, led by senior partner Andrew Tillington III. Wildcat appears hopelessly outclassed . . . then Shane is retained.

Shane and LawForce discover they are in for more than just a tough legal battle as they negotiate the twists and turns of the case to its explosive courtroom finale.

  • Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
  • 399 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published October 15, 2024

ABOUT NICHOLAS GRETENER

Nick is a retired lawyer and engineer, based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He splits his time between Calgary, Canada; Wengen, Switzerland; and Maui, USA.

He can usually be found writing on a laptop somewhere, skiing down a piste, hiking up a mountain, or rafting down a river in canyon country.

He is convinced that if people read more, the world would be a better place. It doesn’t always have to be heavy. Read something that will stretch your mind, then enjoy a beach read. Rinse and repeat.

Website

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