I’ve decided to make these posts a monthly feature – an easy way to share some of my favorite and/or interesting posts I did this past month.
I only started doing this last year as a way to “mass” share posts over on my personal Facebook now, since WordPress no longer cross posts to private accounts. I have friends and family on that platform, and I wanted a way to share my content, without bogging up my feed.
So, let’s jump into this. Continue reading “Posts You Might’ve Missed This Month #2”
I wanted to get more done this month.
I had plans to get more done.
Between life, a raise & new responsibility at work, training Codigo and blogging – I’ve been left very little free time. And this past week I’ve been dealing with the death of a dog, so my energy has been at an all time low.
Last month I made it a goal to do at least one chapter. Just revise one chapter. Continue reading “Writing Update #23”
Title: Birthspell
Author: Miriam Khan
Pub. Date: March 23, 2020
Pages: 311
Pub: Amazon Digital Services
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️.5
He’s bad news.
Full of himself, brutally honest and arrogant.
Under that gorgeous mask is something dark and twisted, and he’s claimed me as his victim.
When orphan Crystal visits a great aunt she’s just met in Blacksville, West Virginia, she sets some rules for herself:
#1 – Don’t get too close to anyone.
#2 – Don’t expect too much.
#3 – Don’t fall for the town’s bad boy like everyone else.
While she finds the last one frustrating, Crystal has no intention of giving into any weaknesses. That is until she’s told there’s a curse that’s been running through her family for generations, and it seems the one she needs to avoid is the key to bringing it to an end.
Now all bets are off. Only a single line separates her from the side of magical beings, and she’s crossing it.
But she learns rules are in place for a reason. The hidden world in the seemingly small and innocent town goes far beyond the one she knows and understands.
It’s a world where humans once visited and have been warned not to return.
Ever.
Continue reading “DNF Book Review: Birthspell (Lebrus Stone #1)”
And just like that, February is almost over. It’s been exhausting honestly. Having acquired a new position at work – I’m tired all of the time. I was also been dealing with the looming knowledge that I was going to lose another dog and that stressed me out. So, needless to say, I’ve been inhaling stories in various formats this month like they were candy. Anything to take my mind off of life at large. Continue reading “Currently Reading & Watching #23”
Title: Thief
Author: Sylvia Mercedes
Pub. Date: September 20, 2020
Pages: 423
Pub: FireWyrm Books
Genre: Fantasy Romance Retelling
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A clever thief. A disgraced mage. A kiss of poison . . . .
Don’t miss this “Beauty and the Beast” trilogy!
Peronelle Beck longs for nothing more than to leave behind her thieving ways and pursue a life of honest work. But when her father lands himself neck-deep in debt, Nelle must take on a dangerous job if she hopes to save his life . . . a job that brings her to the shores of Roseward Isle.
For fifteen years, Soran Silveri has fought to suppress the nightmarish monster stalking Roseward. His weapons are few and running low, and the curse placed upon him cripples his once unmatched power. Isolation has driven him to the brink of madness, and he knows he won’t be able to hold on much longer.
When a sharp-tongued, uncouth, and undeniably beautiful young woman shows up on his shore, Soran resolves to drive her away. He won’t be responsible for another death!
But Nelle is equally determined not to be frightened off by the hideously scarred mage. Not until she gets what she came for . . . .
Can two outcasts thrown together in a tangle of lies discover they are each other’s only hope? Or will the haunted darkness of Roseward tear them apart? Continue reading “Book Review: Thief (The Scarred Mage of Roseward #1)”
Title: Down Comes the Night
Author: Allison Shaft
Pub. Date: March 2, 2021
Pages: 400
Pub: Wednesday Books
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.
Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.
The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.
With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall. Continue reading “Book Review: Down Comes the Night”
Title: A Twist of the Blade
Author: S.M. Gaither
Pub. Date: January 28, 2021
Pages: 548
Pub: S.M. Gaither
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mercenary. Survivor. Queen.
Who is Casia Greythorne?
Still reeling from an unimaginable loss and the revelation of an identity she isn’t sure she wants to embrace, Casia has one plan: Try to control something. Something like the strange magic awakening inside of her. Mastering that magic will take her and her friends on a quest through cursed lands, into the dwellings of old gods, and deep into a southern empire filled with deadly foes and unlikely allies.
Meanwhile, the foundations of the Kethran Empire continue to crumble. The king-emperor clings to his crown with increasingly bloodied hands. Monsters and soldiers alike stalk Casia’s every step, determined not to let her return to claim a throne that is rightfully hers. Still, the greatest threat to her possible rule may not lie in the king-emperor, but in a former captain of his army—a man that she came dangerously close to falling in love with.
Elander Revenmar thought he knew who he was. He had a mission, a plan, a god he was content to serve. Then came Casia. A woman as mysterious as she is dangerous. One he should have stayed away from, and whose life he never should have saved.
Because salvation always comes with a cost.
And some debts can only be paid for in blood. Continue reading “Book Review: A Twist of the Blade (Shadows and Crowns #2)”
Title: Light Singer
Author: Audrey Grey
Pub. Date: November 10, 2020
Pages: 476
Pub: Starfall Press
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Haven escaped the clutches of the new Sun Sovereign and found solace in Shadoria, but for how long?
Now that the extent of her powers is known, Solis, Noctis, and mortals all hunt her. Meanwhile, chaos reigns across the land. The immortal realm is ruled by a depraved King who will stop at nothing to reclaim Haven as a weapon, while the mortal lands must choose between serving a tyrant or following Prince Bell, the Kinslayer.
And below, in the Netherworld, a great evil awaits, amassing an army of untold powers.
Hunted, plagued by doubt, and torn between duty and love, Haven must find a way to broker peace between the nations before it’s too late. Continue reading “Book Review: Light Singer (Kingdom of Runes #4)”
Title: Clover
Author: Nicole Kilpatrick
Pub. Date: December 1, 2021
Pages: 270
Pub: Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️.5 (DNF @ 56%)
Clover is a Young Adult Fantasy novel that reimagines the leprechaun trope, depicting them as handsome, powerful fairies—and not the little mischievous sprites of lore. It’s an adventure and a love story which touches on the themes of luck, coming of age, and crossing worlds.
When a handsome leprechaun reveals himself to Clover O’Leary on her eighteenth birthday, she is faced with three hard facts. One: he is the reason for her remarkably charmed life; Two: her luck has now taken a turn for the worse. Three: her name is a curse; a malicious gift from the powerful leprechaun who named her while she was still in the womb.
In order to get her life back and undo the evil spell, she must travel to Ireland to seek the only creature who may be able to help: the Seelie Queen. With her intriguing leprechaun in tow, Clover crosses into the Faerie Realm, where fairies and mythical creatures abound and where finding her luck may ultimately lead to finding her love. Continue reading “DNF Book Review: Clover”
Title: A Trial of Sorcerers
Author: Elise Kova
Pub. Date: March 4, 2021
Pages: 336
Pub: Silver Wing Press
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ice is in her blood.
Eighteen-year-old Waterrunner Eira Landan lives her life in the shadows — the shadow of her older brother, of her magic’s whispers, and of the person she accidentally killed. She’s the most unwanted apprentice in the Tower of Sorcerers until the day she decides to step out and compete for a spot in the Tournament of Five Kingdoms.
Pitted against the best sorcerers in the Empire, Eira fights to be one of four champions. Excelling in the trials has its rewards. She’s invited to the royal court with the “Prince of the Tower,” discovers her rare talent for forbidden magic, and at midnight, Eira meets with a handsome elfin ambassador.
But, Eira soon learns, no reward is without risk. As she comes into the spotlight, so too do the skeletons of a past she hadn’t even realized was haunting her.
Eira went into the trials ready for a fight. Ready to win. She wasn’t ready for what it would cost her. No one expected the candidates might not make it out with their lives.
This is the first book in a young adult, epic fantasy that’s a tale of competition, coming of age, distant lands, elemental magic, and romance. It’s perfect for fans of the Legend of Korra, Truthwitch, and A Sorcery of Thorns. Continue reading “Book Review: A Trial of Sorcerers (A Trial of Sorcerers #1)”
Writing The Universe 