Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category

 

Mirror World Publishing presents a 1-week book tour for Mixter Twizzle’s Breakfast. Written by Regan W.H. Macaulay and Illustrated by Wei Lu!

 

Follow the book tour HERE.

 

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My Review

Mixter Twizzle is a naughty little demon. He lives under the hen coup and comes out to steal their eggs. But then something happens to change the little red guy and a new story begins.

I just loved Mixter Twizzle. He’s a little cutie but he can be very pesky. It took something magical to change his ways and I really liked how that worked out.

Fun for little ones but I enjoyed it too. The story is not too long or too short. Just right. And the illustrations are very colorful and fun.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes. That little red imp charmed me. Would I recommend it. Very much so. A lesson about friendship and a fun adventure.

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About Mixter Twizzle’s Breakfast:

Mixter Twizzle is an odd, red, round-shaped, mischievous creature. He lives in a hovel, beneath a rustic barn, underneath the chicken coop at Riverdale Farm. He’s a snoozing sneezer and a snoring barker—a peculiar sort that both annoys and pleases. At first, Mixter Twizzle is thrilled by his egg-gorging fests, delighting in his own wickedness, but he soon realizes he is lonely. He longs for companionship, but the hens will have nothing to do with him. Can this fiendish creature learn to make friends at the farm?

Genre: Children’s Picture Book; Fantasy; Friendship

Publish Date: September 3, 2018

Publisher: Mirror World Publishing

Publisher Website: https://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Mirror World Publishing

 

Meet Author Regan W.H. Macaulay:
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Regan W. H. Macaulay writes novels, short stories, children’s literature, and scripts. Writing is her passion, but she’s also a producer and director of theatre, film, and television. She is an animal-enthusiast as well, which led her to become a Certified Canine (and Feline) Massage Therapist. Other award-winning picture storybooks by Regan W. H. Macaulay include Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese, Sloth the Lazy Dragon, and Tamara Turtle’s Life So Far. She is also the author of The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-baked Ham which includes Space Zombies! (based on her film, Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem!—available on iTunes and on DVD), They Suck, and Horror at Terror Creek.

Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Amazon US

Meet Illustrator Wei Lu:

Wei Lu is an illustrator and graphic designer residing in Toronto. She grew up in China before studying at Nova Scotia’s College of Art and Design. She loves animals and make-believe characters of any kind and can bring them to life with a pencil and paper.

 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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Wild Spirits of the Hollow
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by Lea Ryan
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Wild Spirits of the Hollow by [Ryan, Lea]
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Genre: Contemporary fantasy/Supernatural fiction

Publisher: NightLark Publishing

Date of Publication: 08/28/2018

ISBN: 1721041397 / ASIN: B07DN3CH9H

Number of pages: 163 / Word Count: 43000

Cover Artist: RL Bender

An ancient evil is murdering residents in the isolated village of Mistwalk. Can Shannon survive long enough to save them all?

Synopsis

Shannon lies to almost everyone she meets. When she gets lost and winds up trapped in an Appalachian valley village, her lies don’t get her far.

Mistwalk Vale may look like a fairy tale, but nightmares lurk in the shadows.

Villagers are dying grisly deaths, their bodies reduced to bones and left in the streets for their friends and family to find. Worse, some people suspect that Shannon is involved. They accuse her of coming from the tribe of vicious earth witches down in the hollow.

A man named Owen believes Shannon is innocent. He tries to protect her as best he can, but there’s only so much he can do. She feels herself falling for him, despite her plan to leave as soon as she gets an opportunity.

Caught between angry mobs and an ancient darkness, she will be forced to fight for her survival. Can she save herself and the village before evil consumes them all?

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Excerpt from Chapter 1
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I stood at the edge of the trees, staring at the light deep within the forest. Between it and
me, a sea of shadow concealed the underbrush and all that lurked there. This
forest, like many other forests, would have its insects, snakes, tangles of
who-knew-what, maybe wildcats or some other thing ready to pounce on and maim
me.
After hours of walking along a secluded, mountain highway, my brain was thoroughly scrambled.
I knew enough to know that, and I knew enough to not fully trust what I was
seeing.
It might be a lie, the light, a mirage conjured by some desperate part of my mind. I’d told
enough lies to others, why not myself?
A fantasy of stumbling upon a cabin with friendly occupants swam through my mind. They’d
have food left over from dinner, a plate they’d be happy to hand over to
someone who really needed it, and I did really need it. Lunch was a distant
memory, as well as the Skittles from my backpack, my bottle of water. If I made
it anywhere alive, I would really have to reevaluate my packing priorities.
I sighed. Unless I wanted to sleep next to the highway, that light was my only hope. I adjusted
my backpack straps and stepped into the trees.
I plodded through the darkness in high tops that weren’t made for terrain any more
intense than a mall floor. I also regretted wearing shorts and a t-shirt
because there was no trail, only weeds and trees and rustling sounds made by
small animals nearby.
All the while, the light in the distance remained bright, burning my eyes, but I kept my
sights on it because that was hope, even if it never seemed to get any closer.
I kept my mind off my creepy surroundings by considering who I would be for the people who
awaited me. Had someone picked me up as I attempted to hitchhike, that lucky
individual would’ve had the opportunity to hang out with a model, who was on
her way to Miami.
Everybody likes to hang out with famous people and people who are about to be famous. I’ve
noticed this before. When I tell them whatever version of the story I’d
concocted for the evening, their eyes would light up as if I had offered to
take them along to fame and fortune.
The model story was my go-to. I was lanky and odd looking in a way that some people found
attractive or interesting, at the very least, plausible model material. This
was not the person I would be in the cabin. I didn’t have the energy to keep up
the behaviors that went along with that lie.
Models didn’t eat substantial food. Models ate iceberg lettuce and drank lemon, cucumber
water. My model did, anyway.
There in the woods with possible food ahead of me, there was no way I could keep that up. I
didn’t care what food someone shoved under my nose. The idea of grilled opossum
made my mouth water. Boiled weeds? Fine. I’d eat anything.

 

I tried to come up with another story, but the most compelling at that moment was my own.
Broken car. Girl wandering the woods in hope of finding food and shelter. I was
filthy and growing filthier by the minute. If I had scissors in my backpack, I
would’ve chopped off at least half of my long, brown hair just to get rid of
the tangles. That evening, I wouldn’t have to fake a look of utter desperation.
So I let the story be what it was.
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About the Author:
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Lea Ryan is the author of several books and stories. She writes about the strange and the dark, as well as the light and love and strives to immerse readers in vivid fictional worlds. She currently lives in Indiana with assorted family members and various pets. Her website and blog can be found at www.LeaRyan.com.
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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

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Welcome to The Kid’s Korner.

I decided to do this feature as I have so many great children’s books to share. From picture books, to books for beginning readers, to middle graders, I have plenty of fun ones.

Today I’m taking  to a fantastical place……

Alice’s Magic Garden

Before The Rabbit Hole and her Adventures in Wonderland

by Henry Herz

Illustrated by Natalie Hoopes

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Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Fantasy

My Review

Before Alice ever fell down the rabbit hole she lived a colorless life at a boarding school where the other girls didn’t like her and made her life miserable. Then she discovered the magic garden, sparkling in all the glorious colors of the rainbow, and some secret benefactors that, through her acts of kindness, became her friends.

Author Henry Herz crafts a charming and magical tale of Alice in her younger years.  Simply told, he shares through his character’s how kindness wins the day. And the warm, alluring illustrations of Natalie Hoopes will have you pausing to indulge in the delicate details.

If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Alice before, you’ll recognize some of the character’s in these pages. If you haven’t, you’ll delight in making their acquaintance.

Did I enjoy Alice’s Magic Garden? Yes, it bedazzled me. Would I recommend it? Most certainly!

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

Thanks so much to Familius Publishing and Author Henry Herz for this enchanting book.

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Synopsis

Curiouser and curiouser!

In this imaginative prequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice finds herself at a gray, dreary boarding school that is decidedly up the rabbit hole. From the relentless clocks to the beastly students, Alice’s world is void of color and cheer–until Alice finds a secret garden and begins tending its wilting inhabitants. When Alice’s love touches an ordinary caterpillar, a lorry bird, and a white rabbit, magical things will happen–and that, as you know, is just the beginning of the story. Filled with literary allusions and clever nods to its classic roots, Alice’s Magic Garden is a delightful prequel that begs an escape to the whimsy of Wonderland.

Amazon / B&N

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by Ambrosia  @ The Purple Booker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser for this week is from

The Book Of M

by Peng Shepherd

36204070

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Genre: Fantasy / Science Fiction

  Teaser from page 74 in the hardcover.

Naz called, and her mother picked up crying. She and Rojan already knew from the news that the power had gone out in Boston overnight. “How much battery do you have left?” was all she said.

“Seven percent,” Naz answered.

Naz left the earpiece in for weeks, even though it was useless.

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Synopsis

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.

Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.

Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.

As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

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A GIRL OF WHITE WINTER
A Dark Glass Novel Book #3
by Barb Hendee
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Pub Date: 8/7/2018
 
Kara, as a ward with
no parentage and no future, has been raised knowing nothing outside
her lady’s chambers. Until Royce Capello, a visiting nobleman, is
struck by her ice-pale looks, and demands her as payment for the land
the family needs.
With barely time to protest, Kara is sold and packed off for a life as a concubine
—until a raiding party descends on Royce’s company and she’s kidnapped
for the second time in as many days.
Whatever happens, Kara will be alone in the world, inexperienced and fearing even the
vast unfamiliar sky. But one raider gives her a choice—and a magic
mirror appears to show her where each path will lead…
She can leave with her protector Raven and journey with his performing troupe, competing for his mercurial affections.
She can flee the raiders’ settlement, and return to Royce’s manor, chattel among
devious nobility.
Or she can stay in the settlement, bound to firm, silent Caine, who is as gentle as he
is staid and inscrutable.
Her fates twist and turn to affect far more than she could have guessed, tangling the
bitter with the sweet—and Kara must choose which consequences she
can live with…
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A CHOICE OF CROWNS
A Dark Glass Novel Book #2
Olivia Geroux knew
her king was reluctant to marry her, whatever the negotiations had
arranged. But she never expected to find handsome, arrogant King
Rowan obsessed with his stepsister instead. And before she can
determine what course to take, she overhears her greatest ally
plotting to murder the princess.
Olivia must act quickly—and live with whatever chaos results.
As the assassin hunts his prey, a magic mirror appears to show Olivia the three paths that open before her . . .
If she hesitates only a moment, the princess will die—and she will become queen.
If she calls for help, she will gain great power—but she must also thrust away her
own happiness.
If she runs to stop the murder herself, she will know love and contentment—but her
whole country will suffer.
As she lives out each path, her wits and courage will be tested as she fights to
protect her people, her friends, and her heart. And deciding which to
follow will be far from easy . . .
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THROUGH A DARK GLASS
A Dark Glass Novel Book 1
On her seventeenth birthday, Megan of Chaumont discovers she’ll be sold as a bride to
the brutish Volodane family—within hours. Her father grants only
that she may choose which one of the ruthless, grasping lord’s three
sons she weds:
Rolf, the eldest: stern, ambitious, and loyal?
Sebastian, the second son: sympathetic, sly, and rebellious?
Or Kai, the youngest: bitter, brooding, and proud?
As shy, horrified Megan flees the welcome dinner for her in-laws-to-be, she finds an
enchanted mirror that will display how her life unrolls with each
man, as if she were living it out in a breath. But there is no smooth
“happily ever after” in her choices.
Deaths and honors, joys and agonies, intrigues and escapes await her in a remote,
ramshackle keep, where these rough but complex men reveal one side
and then another of their jagged characters—and bring forth new
aspects of Megan, too. But the decisions of one teenaged
marriage-pawn reverberate much farther than any of them have guessed . . .
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Barb Hendee is the New York Times bestselling author of The Mist-Torn Witches
series. She is the co-author (with husband J.C.) of the Noble Dead
Saga. She holds a master’s degree in composition/rhetoric from the
University of Idaho and currently teaches writing for Umpqua
Community College. She and J.C. live in a quirky two-level townhouse
just south of Portland, Oregon.
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Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by Ambrosia  @ The Purple Booker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser for this week is from

House Of Furies

House Of Furies #1

by Madeleine Roux

35820373

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Genre: Horror / Fantasy / YA

  Teaser from page 69 in the paperback.

I breathed deeply, stilled, and knocked twice on the door.

 Go in, be pleasant, leave, return to work. You can accomplish this, Louisa. You can just be normal. You can disappear.

“Come in.”

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Synopsis

An all-new gothic horror series from the New York Times bestselling author of Asylum.

After escaping a harsh school where punishment was the lesson of the day, seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boarding house. But soon after her arrival at Coldthistle House, Louisa begins to realize that the house’s mysterious owner, Mr. Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. Far from a place of rest, the house is a place of judgment, and Mr. Morningside and his unusual staff are meant to execute their own justice on those who are past being saved.

Louisa begins to fear for a young man named Lee who is not like the other guests. He is charismatic and kind, and Louisa knows that it may be up to her to save him from an untimely judgment. But in this house of distortions and lies, how can Louisa be sure whom to trust?

Featuring stunning interior illustrations from artist Iris Compiet, plus photo-collages that bring Coldthistle House to chilling life, House of Furies invites readers to a world where the line between monsters and men is ghostly thin.

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

We’re celebrating the release of

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Game of Secrets

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By Kim Foster

Learn more about this new Young Adult Historical
Fantasy, read an excerpt, and enter the giveaway below…

Game of Secrets
By Kim Foster
YA Historical Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 368 Pages
July 3rd 2018 by Sky Pony Press

Felicity Cole sells flowers in the streets of Victorian London to feed herself and her young brother. But she has a close-guarded secret—her brother is a Tainted, born with special abilities that society fears and a shadowy organization called the Hunstsmen scours the country to eliminate. When Felicity becomes the target of one of these individuals, she discovers something horrible: she’s Tainted, too.

Rescued by a mysterious gentleman on the eve of execution, she’s whisked away to a school funded by Queen Victoria, established to train selected Tainted into assassins in service of the crown.

Struggling to harness her incredible strength, speed, and agility, and despised by her classmates, all she wants is to use her new position to find a cure so she can be normal and reunited with her brother.

But with the Golden Jubilee fast approaching and the discovery that there’s a traitor in their midst, she has no choice but to embrace the one thing she’s been fighting all along.

GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & NobleBook DepositoryKobo

Excerpt

Movement around me slows. The mist from the horses’ nostrils hangs suspended in the air. Carriage wheels on cobbles and the bells from St. Paul’s Cathedral sound stifled—dampened and low.

I see everything at once. Time bends, curving around me.

Locals and customers cower in the market, screams frozen on their faces. They crouch behind carts. A surge goes to my muscles and somehow I know—I just know—I can do impossible things. I am not thinking. I am pure rage. A deep burning takes hold of my bones.

I reach Kit’s murderer in a heartbeat. Impossibly fast. Before he can fire his pistol again, I punch forward, catching him square in the throat. His eyes pop wide. I chop the hand that holds the gun and it skitters away on the ground. He staggers. I punch him again, smashing his nose, and blood spurts everywhere. I kick at his knees, sending him to the ground. I don’t know what I’m doing, or how I’m doing it, only that it’s coming from somewhere deep inside.

Everything around me is slow, like it’s moving through water. Sliding like molasses. But I am a spark. Fire. Lightning.

I hear the report of a gun—a dull, low rumble, not the sharp crack it should be—and I have time to spin. The bullet tears from the footman’s weapon in a plume of smoke. But I don’t feel the sharp agony of the shot. Instead, I see the bullet as it comes toward me. It moves through the air trailing a spiraling smoke wisp behind it like a comet. I slide out of the way, ducking easily underneath it.

With a slow, deep thud it slams harmlessly into a vegetable cart behind me, smashing into the cabbages and sending a fountain of dusty hay into the air.

And now the footman is mine.

About the Author

Kim Foster is the author of the Agency of Burglary & Theft series for adults and GAME OF SECRETS, her YA debut. She has a typical background for someone who writes thrillers about thieves and spies and criminals: she has a degree in medicine and is a practicing family doctor. (Don’t worry, it doesn’t make much sense to her friends and family, either.)

She’s addicted to yoga, loves to travel, and has a clinical weakness for dark chocolate with sea salt. Online, you can find her at www.kimfoster.com. She lives with her husband and their two young sons in Victoria, British Columbia.

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Tour Giveaway

l winner will receive a $20 Amazon eGift Card
– Open internationally
– Ends July 5th

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Ullr's Fangs banner
Thanks for stopping in for my spot on the blog tour for Ullr’s Fangs by Katharine E. Wibell.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 25 June till 15 July. See the tour schedule here.

Ullr's FangsUllr’s Fangs (The Incarn Saga #2)
By Katharine E. Wibell
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Age category: Young Adult, New Adult
Release Date: 29 April 2018

Blurb:
According to legend, when the world was young, two gods of war — one male, one female — were destined for each other. Yet Ullr, forever unfaithful, lost the love of Issaura, his true match, and was forsworn. His violent anger and bitter rage grew and intensified, poisoning all creation and humanity.

Now that the Raiders’ long ships have faded from sight, the kingdom of Elysia is beginning to recover from the summer’s war with the brutal invaders from across the sea. Yet darker forces have taken root, forces that can alter the future of the land and its people in unthinkable ways. Seventeen-year-old Lluava must discover the means to prevent her world from collapsing. But in doing so, will she succumb to that darkness?

You can find Ullr’s Fangs on Goodreads

You can buy Ullr’s Fangs here on Amazon

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Check out the excerpt:

In the failing light, Lluava sat her weary body down on one of the cut logs that served as benches around the ever-blazing cooking fires. She ached from an exhaustion that was more than physical. In her hand, she held a steaming bowl of clumping porridge, or maybe repurposed hash. Although its taste was barely better than its looks, this mysterious gruel was the only thing the town could provide to feed the army for their extended stay. Lluava had grown accustomed to its bland taste and grainy texture. It might not be ideal, but it kept everyone’s strength up when they needed it.

“May I sit next to you?” Varren’s formal upbringing emerged even when there was no need.

Nodding, Lluava shoveled down the sludge. Eating quickly was her trick to keep the so-called food from sticking to the back of her throat. In contrast, Varren sat down, whispered a prayer of thanks, and began to eat. They remained silent until Varren had finished.

Wiping his mouth, he said, “I would like to head back to the capital tomorrow. Since you are my military partner—no, that is not the reason.” Varren seemed flustered. He was not one to fumble with his choice of words. Eloquence had always come naturally to him, so why could he not state a clear thought now?

“Yes?” inquired Lluava, hoping to coax him to continue.

Varren stood up in his most formal manner and asked, “Lluava, would you come with me to the royal palace? I want to introduce you to Grandfather and the High Council and, well…I would like you to be with me when I return to court.”

Lluava understood his fear of what he was about to do, for altering an age-old law was all but unheard of. Nevertheless, excitement fluttered inside her like a newly fledged bird. Varren wanted her near him. This was his way of admitting how much he needed her at his side. This day had truly brought wonderful news.

She was about to say yes when a new thought crossed her mind. “How long do you expect to be at court?”

“I do not know. Why do you ask?”

Lluava fingered the carefully folded letter in her pants pocket. “Well, I had hoped to visit home. I haven’t seen my family since the draft.”

Thoughtfully, Varren said, “I will not force you to come. You can leave at any time. However, I would like you to be with me when—”

Lluava interrupted. “Don’t worry. I’ll be standing by your side from now until eternity.” She grinned at her pathetic attempt at poeticism.

“That is good. That is great!” Varren could not hide his relief. “Well, I will say good night to you now. Tomorrow will be a new and exciting day.”

With that, Varren gently took Lluava’s hand and kissed it, which sent a tingling sensation up her arm. As he left, Lluava thought, Oh, what am I getting myself into?

Next morning, Lluava ran to the shanty that served as Ymen’s dispatch headquarters. Since a large portion of the Southern army was stationed here, the king’s messengers came to the town every two weeks. Lluava had to hurry so as not to miss the chance to send off her own letter. She had forgotten to do this errand the day before, and with her departure imminent this was the only chance she would have before she left.

Attempting to catch her breath, Lluava retrieved the letter from her pocket. It was surprisingly unwrinkled. Perhaps the gods were watching over her. She handed the parchment to the small man loading full satchels onto his horse. Annoyed at the last-minute arrival, he began to lecture Lluava on the importance of punctuality. She in turn quietly reprimanded herself for her forgetfulness. Satisfied with his thorough scolding, the letter carrier asked Lluava in a disinterested manner, “Are you human or Theriomorph?”

This simplest of questions caught Lluava off guard. An inner heat coursed through her body as she growled out the formal reply.

“I am Lluava Kargen, daughter of Haliden Kargen, and I am Theriomorph.”

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First book in the series:
Issaura’s Claws by Katharine E. Wibell
“If they fail to trust each other, the consequences will be devastating. Death and destruction are on the horizon and time is running out.”Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
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Katharine E WibellAbout the Author:
Katharine Wibell’s lifelong interest in mythology includes epic poetry like the Odyssey, Ramayana, Beowulf, and the Nibelungenlied. In addition, she is interested in all things animal whether training dogs, apprenticing at a children’s zoo, or caring for injured animals as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. After receiving degrees from Mercer University in both art and psychology with an emphasis in animal behavior, Wibell moved to New Orleans with her dog, Alli, to kick start her career as an artist and a writer. Her first literary works blend her knowledge of the animal world with the world of high fantasy.You can find and contact Katharine here:
Website
Website blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Instagram

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GIVEAWAY

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Book Tour Grand Finale for

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The Battle is O’er

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By Laura Vosika

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

LaunchAuthor Interview

What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read [The Battle is O’er]?

I hope they’ll feel as if they walked beside Shawn and Niall for a time, and all the rest in the story, that the inhabitants of the Blue Bells world have become people they knew and cared about. And many readers seem to very much feel that way. I hope they’ll carry with them the beautiful story of a man who recognizes his flaws and makes a decision to turn himself around. I hope they’ll remember the humorous moments and the poignant moments and smile long after the book is closed.

Bri’s Book Nook – Review

“…I enjoyed every bit of plot that I read and could take the storyline seriously. . . . I would recommend this to lovers of fantasy novels, and now-complete series with complex storylines, characters, and worldbuilding.”

Among the Reads – Excerpt

Clive moved in silence beside him for a time, flashing his light around the cells that opened on their right, and down another passage.

“That one comes to a dead end,” Shawn said. “I’ll take a look. Stay here. Be ready for anything.”

He followed the passage, quickly, his mind on Niall. His brother would be searching too, neither of them knowing if Simon had crossed or not. He hoped Niall would be okay—not ambushed by Simon. He hoped he wouldn’t be ambushed himself, nor Clive, nor the chief. He doubted they could take on a medieval knight with years of brutal warfare under his belt.

E-Romance News – Excerpt

Yes, Let’s Go Back to the Old Couple
Inverness, Present

“So you want to tell me where you were for a year?” his mother asked. “I’ve given you plenty of space, but I’ve waited long enough and I think you owe me some answers.”

Shawn stared into the fire. “An old couple in the west of Scotland?”

Carol snorted. “One of many stories you’ve told. if it were true, you’d have said so from the start.”

He took another long drink, letting the tea thaw out his insides. “What has Amy told you?”

Carol shook her head. “Nothing I can make sense of. A ring from Robert the Bruce. You turned up in the tower of Glenmirril. None of it makes sense.”

Shawn set the tea mug down, rose, and lifted the linen shirt made by Christina, revealing the scar.

Hearts & Scribbles – Excerpt

Simon Arrives at Claverock
Claverock Castle, Northumbria, December 1317

Simon stared up with pride at the great stone walls of Claverock, at his banners snapping on its towers. His steward had kept the place up. It was all worth it, he thought. He drew breath. This was his moment! “Open the gates!” he bellowed up at his towers. “Your Lord of Claverock is home!”

Men looked down from the walls above the gatehouse. One pointed and shouted. Two ran, and soon the portcullis creaked, lifting. His steward raced through, falling to one knee, as he cried, “My Lord! My Lord, is it really you? We thought you dead, my Lord!”

Andi’s Book Reviews – Excerpt

Niall and Company Meet Christina Coming Home
Scottish Highlands, December 1317

They were two days into the ride, when a scout came racing back to them, spurring his garron. “Lochmaben ahead!” he shouted joyfully. “Milady Christina rides with them!”

Cheers rose from the men of Glenmirril. Relief washed through Niall. Their ruse with James Angus had not entirely silenced the whispers, though Margaret had been stalwart in looking down her nose at those who did so, reprimanding them and silencing them. He was grateful the rumors had not diminished the love of the people of Glenmirril for Christina.

Paulette’s Papers – Excerpt

Niall Meets Joan
Creagsmalan, Southwest Scotland, January 1318

Niall waited in the hills outside Creagsmalan as Conal, Lachlan, and Owen rode in. He and Hugh sat on a pair of boulders, watching sunrise spill light over the water beyond the town.

“Are ye sure she’ll believe it?” Hugh’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “Surely she knows the Bruce will not return his lands until he swears fealty.”

“Hope,” Niall said. “She wishes to believe it. Moreover, Bruce is known for mercy. She will count on that, for she does not wish to leave Scotland.”

Becky on Books – Excerpt

Angus Warns Shawn

“Sit down. We need to talk.” Angus’s voice snapped Shawn’s attention back to the hospital room. Angus sat in a wheelchair by the hospital window, wearing jeans and a heavy fisherman’s sweater, a book in his hand. He laid it down on his lap.

“You’re up!” Shawn stopped in the doorway, feigning energy. In truth, he’d had multiple late nights, on top of a heavy load of arranging for the album Ben wanted out yesterday. He wanted nothing more than to be in bed, asleep. But when he collapsed in bed, he turned and rolled restlessly through the dark hours with nightmares—if he slept at all.

“Shut the door.”

Rockin’ Book Reviews – Spotlight

“It is full of action, danger and romance, plus more…”

Two Points of Interest – Review

“I found the novel to have an interesting premise with realistic characters and development. I like that the story was told from the past, future, and present. Overall, it was an interesting book…”

Stacking My Book Shelves! – Excerpt

Simon Meets Eamonn Again

“Good to go home to your young bride, eh?” The man gave a wink as he waved for a stable boy.

Simon grinned. It felt odd and light on his face. Smiles, in his experience, had always been a deliberate tensing of muscles. This time, his features moved on their own, without his will, and his heart lifted, too.

“Cat’s got your tongue,” the man laughed. “She must be a fair delight to the eyes!” He slapped his horse on the rump and melted into the crowd, leaving Simon alone and feeling foolish in the midst of the courtyard, as more men poured through the gates.

Beck Valley Books – Spotlight

Daily Waffle – Excerpt

Amy Sees the Pool

He mentioned it as we entered his foyer. “By the way, I put in a pool.” A pool in the yard, I thought, a small pool or a hot tub on the deck. But this—this is beyond what anyone would conceive from, “by the way, I put in a pool.”

I stand on the terrace where Shawn loved to barbecue. Black velvet sky shows overhead. Starlight shines down—but now it pours through a glass ceiling. I catch my breath as I take it in—on my right, a room like a medieval castle vault; stone walls with Gothic arches at intervals, alternating between windows of leaded glass and stone niches framing….“Sconces,” I breathe. “You put in sconces.”

“They’re electric,” he says defensively. And then, with the child-like joy I loved, the innocent joy that made me believe his public self was the facade: “You like it?”

Mel’s Shelves – Excerpt

Beatrice and Simon
Northumbria, England, 1318

Beatrice’s head shot up as the door burst open, yanking back from her husband’s embrace.

“Sir Kenrick….” The guard, Erol, stumbled to his knees, shoved by a man in chain mail.

“Lord Claverock!” Kenrick jumped forward, reaching to help his man up off the floor as he said, “Why did you not send word you were coming? I’d have met you in the hall.”

Beatrice backed up, gripping her shift close as she studied her cousin. She’d not seen him in years, not since he’d been a vile boy, dropping spiders in her hair. The malice in his eyes had not changed.

Koops Konclusions – Spotlight

SilverWoodSketches – Review

The Battle is O’er blends the excitement of a modern thriller, with the immersive details of the best historical fiction. Vosika clearly shows her writing chops here, drawing her story forward with a cast of colorful and relatable characters living through extraordinary circumstances. I’d highly recommend this to fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.”

Teatime and Books – Excerpt

Escaping the Bishop’s Palace
Linstock, 1318

“Is he dead?” Lachlan whispered, looking at the man on the frosty ground.

Owen shook his head, working at the bolts on the huge doors. “A potion is all. He’ll appear to have fallen asleep at his post.” At the same moment, they heard a shout from the courtyard. Owen eased the door open a crack. They slipped through, onto the dock that ran alongside the castle wall and pulled the door shut behind them.

Lachlan scanned the river, whispering, “Conal!” His breath hung in the air.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already…

The Battle is O’er
(The Blue Bells Chronicles #5)
By Laura Vosika
Historical Time Travel, Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 470 pages
March 23rd 2018 by Gabriel’s Horn Press

In the gripping conclusion to The Blue Bells Chronicles, just as Shawn is steadily regaining all he feared he had lost forever—his career, his son, and even Amy’s heart—he learns of MacDougall’s vengeance against Niall, for the act Shawn himself committed. He wrestles with a prophecy and an ancient letter that never changes, a letter that details the fate of his own son, if he cannot stop it—and possibly the fate of the world itself, as he learns of Simon Beaumont’s plan to use his knowledge of the future to destroy it.

Shawn’s selfishness once cost him everything. His newfound selflessness may do the same.

GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & NobleKoboiBooks!ndigoAngus & Robertson

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

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Laura Vosika is the author of the beloved series, The Blue Bells Chronicles, a tale of time travel, action and adventure, romance and redemption, ranging across modern and medieval Scotland. She runs Gabriel’s Horn Press, and is active in poetry as a member of the League of Minnesota Poets, routinely performing at local open mics. She has appeared in The Star Tribune, and on WCCO and Channel 12, and hosted Books and Brews with Laura Vosika on AM 950.

WebsiteBlogGoodreadsFacebookTwitterPinterest

Tour Giveaway

l winner will receive a print copy of Blue Bells of Scotland (book one in the series) and a Team Shawn or Team Angus t-shirt (US only)
1 winner will receive an ebook of Blue Bells of Scotland (open internationally)
– Ends June 27th

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Asta benner

I enjoy a good fantasy and a tough female protagonist. Asta And The Barbarians has all the ingredients to grab my attention.

Look at that stunning cover!

Check out the excerpt.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Asta And The Barbarians

by Becca Fox

Asta cover

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis

Asta heard about King Torvald’s crusade and watched her people fortify the town’s defenses, but she never imagined foreign invaders would come to her peaceful shores. In one fateful night, she loses everything she holds dear and somehow gains the favor of the warrior god. Has he given her the tools she needs for revenge or does he have a greater plan in store?

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Enjoy this peek inside:

I waited until I couldn’t hear his boots slapping against the floor. Then I eased the door shut, leaned against the rough wood and laughed. It sounded hysterical, almost maniacal, even to my own ears. I clapped a hand over my mouth then, suddenly overwhelmed with grief. Because I wasn’t free. I would never be free of him.

Sliding down the length of the door, I sobbed as quietly as I could manage. The events of the last few weeks washed over me with their terror and grisliness. I allowed myself to mourn my parents, my sister, my fiancé, my friends, the servants who had so diligently cared for me, the quaint little town I had once hated, and the naïve, self-centered child I had once been.

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Author Becca Fox

Asta author

Becca Fox was that strange girl in high school, who always seemed to have her nose in a book. She didn’t talk much because, more often than not, she was daydreaming about different fantasy worlds. During class, under the guise of taking notes, she wrote scenes for her works in progress.

Becca is a bit more social now but still enjoys reading, writing, and daydreaming. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, a fat orange tabby cat, and a forever-puppy. She has published three books to date, I Dare You to Love Me (a young adult romance), In the Dark (a new adult paranormal romance), and Asta and the Barbarians (a new adult fantasy.)

Blog / Website / Amazon / Goodreads

Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram

 

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Apple / Kobo / B&N

Asta teaser

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.