.
.
~~~~~
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.
.
.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
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.
Phoenix Falling
A Wildlands Novel
Book Five
Laura Bickle
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
ISBN-10: 0062567357 / ISBN-13: 978-0062567352
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror, Dark Fantasy, PNR, Paranormal Fantasy
My Review
I’ve been loving these characters since the very beginning of the series and this one is particularly bittersweet as it is the last book. I’ve went through so much with them and I expect I’ll be going through some tough times as I get the wrap up.
Petra struggles with what she is or isn’t. What makes her human? Nine has been separated from her pack. Will she rejoin them? Gabe is the last of the Hangmen. What will he be now? Owen is still haunted by a little girl from his past. Will he finally help her find peace? And what is causing the wildfires burning throughout Temperance and will Lascaris rise again to claim their souls?
While the book has a bit of a slow start, I was still held captive. As I mentioned at the start of my review, I’ve loved these characters from the beginning, even that scamp, Sig, Petra’s coyote sidekick. I got all of the answers to questions I’ve had from the start of this series. Some were harrowing. Some were sweet sorrow. And some were happy happy.
And I got a great ending. It was like a hug goodbye.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
~~~~~
Synopsis
Laura Bickle, the critically acclaimed author of Nine of Stars and Witch Creek, returns with a fiery new chapter in her celebrated Wildlands series.
In the Yellowstone backcountry, a merciless source of evil carries a torch for the past…
Petra Dee and her immortal husband, Gabe, have been trying to gain a toehold in what passes for ordinary life in Temperance, Wyoming—
a wickedly enchanted land founded generations ago by the alchemist, Lascaris. Petra may be adept when it comes to the uncanny, but as a reasoned geologist, Petra still can’t fathom the wildfires suddenly engulfing Yellowstone National Park, or why Gabe claims to have seen the sky explode in flames. The answers could lie in the past.
It was a dreadful night in 1862 when Lascaris went harvesting for souls, only to be set upon by townsfolk determined to eliminate the root of all evil in a trial by fire. Petra can’t help fearing that Lascaris has crawled out of the ashes of history to wreak vengeance—and to complete his mission by claiming every vulnerable soul in Temperance.
With the help of Gabe and her coyote sidekick, Sig, Petra must now venture into Lascaris’s shadow before he turns her world into an inferno burning out of control.
“Bickle is well on her way to establishing her work as a cornerstone of her genre.”
—Publishers Weekly
Amazon Harper Voyager BN iTunes Google Play
About Author Laura Bickle

Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology – Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs, also writing contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams.
Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.
Website / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram
~~~~~
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
Book Tour Grand Finale for
Bound Beauty
By Jennifer Silverwood
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:
Launch – Note from the Author
…Bound Beauty is the third and (mostly) final volume in this series. Not only do we finally get a peek inside the true nature of the prince’s curse, but we get epic romance, epic journeys and one very epic beastly battle. And because this is Gothic fiction, plenty of ghosts, magic and heaving bodices. 😉 Thanks for coming on this adventure with me, fantasy avengers!
—Jennifer
Mythical Books – Guest Post
10 Fun Facts About Wylder Tales
1. Wylder Tales takes its name from the borderland between our world and the magical world across the Veil, Wylderland.
2. Vynasha’s journey is loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, but written more like a “the legend behind the fairy tale” than a strict retelling…
J.L. Mbewe – Excerpt
Vynasha stiffened as familiar sensations washed over her, the sound of dripping water on cobblestone, the scent of her beast. She opened her eyes in fear and released a breath of relief to meet a pair of emerald rather than silver.
“Baalor?” Her voice was scratchy from sleep, strained from more nightmares, no doubt.
Concern creased a faint line between his brow, but then his fingers brushed her curls from her face and he smiled. “I have missed your face, witch.”
Vynasha bit her lower lip and didn’t mind the prick of sharp teeth, not when his were sharper. “Wish I could say the same, brute.” She reached to touch his beard and took in his haggard look. “You just got back.”
Baalor’s smile widened, though it couldn’t disguise his fatigue. Or the darkness lingering in his eyes. “Do you always sleep by the fire when I am away?”
Rockin’ Book Reviews – Excerpt
It said something of the nature of majik, that Vynasha found Grendall’s amulet so easily. She clawed at the snow until she reached a hole in the dirt and uncovered Erythea’s hiding place. The sight of Old Ced’s towsack wrenched a dry sob from her chest.
“Nothing is as it seems…” Father had said before he died. Before she killed him.
She tore a hole in the sack in her haste to retrieve the amulet and snarled at the —-ed amethyst in her hands. Her hands shook as she fell back into the snow at her feet and gripped the talisman. Grandmother had once called this a key and a burden. Thea saw it as a weapon. Vynasha yearned to welcome the security of the bond, longed to feel in control of her majik again. She wanted to throw it as far as the east is from the west.

Wishful Endings – Guest Post
What’s in a Cover?
I have a very unique relationship with my cover designer. I first discovered Najla Qamber in 2012, when I was scouring Deviantart for talented artists. I had drawn a cover for one of my novellas, but knew it wasn’t quite up to snuff. Also, I wanted someone to design my cover for my current WIP, Silver Hollow. I stumbled across Najla’s profile, messaged her and the rest is history. Well, not quite. Najla has covered every single one of my novels (and recovered…bless her). Every time I gave her a concept stirring around in my brain, she broke through my expectations with her brilliance…
Locks, Hooks and Books – Review
“…I enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It ends with a cliffhanger that makes me want more. . . . Scarred Beauty is a pretty good addition to the Wylder Tales series. . . . I cannot wait to get my hands on Bound Beauty to see what happens next. I enjoy Jennifer Silverwood’s story telling.”
Colorimetry – Guest Post
Final Page from Soraya’s Journal
I suppose it best to finish an enchanted text with a proper introduction. After all, the spells shall not take effect without the name of the caster. Everything begins with a name. My name was Soraya Wenderdowne and I was born to the most noble royal house among all the Fayere of Lunnae. The other peoples call us “lightwings,” but only the royal houses still bore wings of honor. I had always been proud of my wings. Not only were they my most beautiful feature (and trust me when I tell you I was not unpleasant to look upon) but my wings allowed me to fly…
Declarations of a Fangirl – Excerpt
Vynasha sucked in a sharp breath of cold air and leaned heavily on her walking stick.
A firm, but gentle hand squeezed her shoulder. “Alright then, beasty?” Wolfsbane turned his head, before she could catch more than a glimpse of his concern.
Vynasha touched his glove with her clawed hand and smiled. “Just need a moment.” This was a lie, of course. Her calves no longer burned from endless days of hiking up and down mountains and through slippery brambles.
Reading On The Edge – Excerpt
“Aren’t you disgusted by me?”
He jerked back as though struck and she could feel his temper brewing. “Why would I be disgusted by you?”
Vynasha’s knee ached with a sharp pang and she closed her eyes, unconsciously squeezing his arm tighter.
His free hand clasped her waist as he came to face her. “Vynasha,” he beckoned her look at him. “Allies?”
She laughed so she wouldn’t cry, then held up her clawed hand. “Look at me. I’m not what I was before.” She grimaced and shook her head. “I have never been beautiful, I know, but…”
Book Butterfly in Dreamland – Review
“Embark on an epic retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a twist and a gothic flare!”
Bookworm Lisa – Excerpt
In the beginning, all the prince of Bitterhelm could see was the curse.
By day he walked the shadowed halls of his forefathers, the bitter remnant of his kingdom. By night his bones snapped in a moment of agony, until his cries fell into roars. He learned quickly, after wreaking havoc to all the furniture in his stately chamber, to confine himself to the dungeons. There, only the other beasts could hear his screams.
Once the night was through, his manservant, Odym appeared with keys to lead his master back to his chambers. The broken furniture had been discreetly cleared away by the other servants, replaced by pieces from the king’s vacant rooms. Grendall had been too weary to punish them, though his skin crawled for different reasons, lying in the bed of his father.
Books to Light Your Fire – Excerpt
Erythea’s sigh interrupted Vynasha’s darker thoughts. The girl was always chattering about every thought which entered her head. “I’ve never seen spring, did you know?”
Vynasha blinked and for a moment, saw the valley of Whistleande, carpets of fuchsia heather and sage grass.
Thea touched stray branches, infusing blue tendrils of energy into the sleeping buds. “My majik is tied to the earth like Mother’s. It wants to end this winter and let things grow.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vynasha with a crooked smile. “Did you know the last true spring hasn’t come in an age?”
Vynasha pressed her claws into her palms. “Since the curse,” she whispered. Her voice held a rasp she couldn’t shake, ever since the fire. Not even her transformation under the curse could hide what she was before.
We Write Fantasy – Guest Post
Finishing a Trilogy: Part 3
First off, apologies for the misleading title. This is not the third part of a blog serial. It is, however, a post about trilogies, specifically mine. Wylder Tales is a darker (often Gothic) fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When I approached what I simply titled “Vynasha” I wanted to tell the classic fairy tale with a legendary bend, much like Snow White and the Huntsman. My first incarnation of Volume 1 was a little different from what you know today. It was also extra heavy on the prose. I can’t help myself sometimes, being a life-long fan of L.M. Montgomery, to love the beauty of language. But I learned over the following two years that the story was too stagnant and bogged down. On the encouragement of my writing coach, I returned to Vynasha and added more characters like Hvalla, Wolfsbane and Resha, cut off most flashbacks and expanded the dialogue. Thus, Craving Beauty was born…
Nicole’s Book Musings – Excerpt
That night, they danced among the Hall of Mirrors, as summer moonlight filtered through the windows. He had kept them closed for so long, but wanted to see the way the stars played off her hair. She was light and laughter incarnate.
He proposed after their prancing steps fell into a sensuous lilt. She sucked in a breath, indeed every servant and even the walls seemed to still, waiting for her reply.
Her smile was soft as she whispered, “Yes.”
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already…
Bound Beauty
(A Wylder Tale #3)
By Jennifer Silverwood
YA Dark Fantasy
Paperback & ebook
December 21st 2018
Beware the bond between blood and beasts…
Vynasha has united the warring human and forgotten clans of Wylderland, claiming her majik and power as curse breaker. Her brother, Ceddrych keeps their nephew safely hidden away while Vynasha and her new allies fight against the feral beasts roaming their borders.
Meanwhile, her friendship with the Iceveins family deepens, unveiling a love she never expected. But her majik is still bound to the cursed prince she left behind and he isn’t done fighting for her soul.
Darker forces walk in the forests, all drawn to Vynasha’s light and the shade of a corrupt Enchantress haunts her waking dreams. A war is about to begin, between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the evil power of Bitterhelm.
Prophecy and Forgotten unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.
The Wylder Tales Series
Craving Beauty (Vol. 1)
Wolfsbane’s Daughter (Vol. 1.5)
Scarred Beauty (Vol. 2)
Bound Beauty (Vol. 3)

Goodreads│iBooks│Barnes & Noble│Smashwords│Kobo
Other Books in the Series
Grab the first book, Craving Beauty, for FREE! You can find your preferred
format here. Or grab the compilation of volumes 1, 1.5, and 2 on Amazon.
About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it’s the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of two series—Heaven’s Edge and Wylder Tales—and the stand-alone titles Stay and Silver Hollow.
Website│Blog│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Tumblr
Tour Giveaway

PRIZE PACK #1: Print copies of Wylder Tales Vol 1-2 along with a “Gothic fairytale” themed basket. (US only.)
PRIZE PACK #2: $10 Amazon eGift Card and winner’s choice of two of the author’s ebooks (if a novella series is pickes, i.e. Heaven’s Edge, then all three novellas will be included). (Open internationally.)
Ends December 12, 2018

Witch Creek
The Wildlands Series
Book Four
Laura Bickle
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Date of Publication: Feb. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0062567314 / ASIN: B071VBHPW7
Number of pages: 384 / Word Count: 88,160
My Review
So much drama. Petra is in treatment for cancer. Sig, her coyote sidekick, is lost without her. And her husband, Gabriel, is still missing. And now there’s a flesh eating mermaid on the loose.
Petra is such a strong woman. She’s overcome some truly crazy obstacles in the world of alchemy and finally married her true love. It all sounds rosy, but the Big C is kicking her butt. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine cancer as her deadliest foe. As she weakens and all things point to a bad ending, she uses her remaining time and strength to find Gabriel. And nothing, not a crazy would be alchemist or a deadly mermaid, will stop her.
Witch Creek was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I adore Petra and always pictured her as a fierce warrior, strong and unstoppable. But cancer has weakened her. My heart went out to her. Her once strong body so gaunt and weak. The face staring back at her from the mirror, a stranger. She may be down but don’t count her out, though. I loved that she still had a trick or two up her sleeve. And when the unthinkable happened, I had to stop, go back, and read it again, stunned.
Sig still brings a smile to my face. A loyal companion to Petra and always looking out for her. But he’s still a wily coyote and up to some fun antics.
And the mermaid, Muireen. She’s a nasty one. Tricky and not too pretty to look at, she likes her meals raw and wriggling. Don’t get too close. She lurks just beneath the surface. Hungry. Waiting.
While not as fast moving as the previous books, Petra’s story is still a strong one and the saga is still addictive.
5 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
In the backcountry of Yellowstone, evil moves below the surface . . .
Following Nine of Stars comes the next chapter in Laura Bickle’s critically acclaimed Wildlands series.
As the daughter of an alchemist, Petra Dee has battled supernatural horrors and experienced astonishing wonders. But there’s no magic on earth that can defeat her recent cancer diagnosis, or help find her missing husband, Gabriel. Still, she would bet all her remaining days that the answer to his disappearance lies in the dark subterranean world beneath the Rutherford Ranch on the outskirts of Temperance, Wyoming.
Gabe is being held prisoner by the sheriff and heir to the ranch, Owen Rutherford. Owen is determined to harness the power of the Tree of Life—and he needs Gabe to reveal its magic. Secretly, the sheriff has also made a pact to free a creature of the underground, a flesh-devouring mermaid. Muirenn has vowed to exact vengeance on Gabe, who helped imprison her, but first . . . she’s hungry. Once freed, she will swim into Yellowstone—to feed.
With her coyote sidekick Sig, Petra must descend into the underworld to rescue Gabe before it’s too late . . . for both of them.
Enjoy this glimpse inside:
Peering through the cattails, she saw a man with a fishing pole, standing on an outcropping. He seemed alone, caught in a bit of reverie, gazing at his line skipping along the surface of the water.
She dipped below the surface of the water, toward the shiver of the fishing line. With green-spotted fingers, she lifted the struggling fish from the hook. The line jerked away.
The man swore.
Muirenn lifted her head above the water.
“Holy shit.” The man stumbled backward. “I didn’t realize you were swimming there . . . I . . .”
His expression changed from embarrassment to curiosity as he looked at her. The pupils of his eyes dilated. “Who . . . are you?”
Muirenn gripped the fish close to her chest, giving a small smile.
The fisherman crouched on the rock, setting his pole beside him. “Wow. You’re uh . . . green? Is that real?”
Muirenn cocked her head and slipped forward a bit in the water. The edge of her tail skimmed above the surface.
“Is that like . . . one of those tails that the girls have at that park in Florida? For a movie or something?” His suntanned brow wrinkled. “No. That’s real,” he decided. “You, um . . . want the fish? You can have it.”
She was within arm’s length of him. She released the squirming fish into the water.
“You wanted to let it go? Look, I . . .”
The man talked too much. She swam closer, tentatively.
The fisherman looked at her, at her dappled skin and the dark rust hair spreading into the water. She wouldn’t ordinarily have been so bold. The weight off her tail was going to her head. She let him take in the black of her eyes, the gills on her throat. He gazed in wonder, and his fingers twitched to a small square piece of plastic on top of his tackle box.
“Can I take your picture? What . . . are you?”
A smile played across her lips, and she spoke to him in a silvery voice. “I’m the Mermaid.”
“Wow. I . . . wow. I’m, uh, Norm. Do I, like, make a wish or something?”
“You can, if you want. I’ll listen.”
She reached up with delicate fingers to touch him. Her fingers brushed the pockets of his fishing vest, playing with wonder over the bits and baubles there meant to lure the attention of fish. The man forgot about his camera and stared, transfixed.
Muirenn reached up for his collar . . .
. . . and dragged him down into the water.
He splashed and flailed. She brought him down—down to the bottom of the creek. It wasn’t so far, but it was far enough for a land dweller. He couldn’t fight her for long. He thrashed until his lungs grew heavy with creek water. He convulsed as the lack of oxygen reached his heart and filtered up to his brain. And then he stopped.
Muirenn grinned, showing row upon row of shark-like teeth. She ripped off his arm and began to chew. It had been so long since she’d had anything but the errant fish that wandered into her realm . . . this was a meal worth waiting for.
The creek ran red.
Red as the idle red-and-white bobber drifting on the surface of the water.
About Author Laura Bickle:

Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology – Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs, also writing contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams.
Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.
Website / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram
~~~~~

~~~~~
Laura’s series quickly became a favorite of mine! I never miss each new book.
Click on the covers for my reviews.
~~~~~
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
Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

This is a really fun meme!
The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!
My 56 for this week is from:
Witch creek
A Wildlands Novel #4
by Laura Bickle
Genre: Dark Fantasy
My 56 from the eBook.
The world was much different than it had been when she strode through it on two legs.
It was poison.
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
In the backcountry of Yellowstone, evil moves below the surface . . .
Following Nine of Stars comes the next chapter in Laura Bickle’s critically acclaimed Wildlands series
As the daughter of an alchemist, Petra Dee has battled supernatural horrors and experienced astonishing wonders. But there’s no magic on earth that can defeat her recent cancer diagnosis, or help find her missing husband, Gabriel. Still, she would bet all her remaining days that the answer to his disappearance lies in the dark subterranean world beneath the Rutherford Ranch on the outskirts of Temperance, Wyoming.
Gabe is being held prisoner by the sheriff and heir to the ranch, Owen Rutherford. Owen is determined to harness the power of the Tree of Life—and he needs Gabe to reveal its magic. Secretly, the sheriff has also made a pact to free a creature of the underground, a flesh-devouring mermaid. Muirenn has vowed to exact vengeance on Gabe, who helped imprison her, but first . . . she’s hungry. Once freed, she will swim into Yellowstone—to feed.
With her coyote sidekick Sig, Petra must descend into the underworld to rescue Gabe before it’s too late . . . for both of them.
~~~~~
Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.
Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!
You can find a list of my reviews HERE.
~~~~~
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