Daily Archives: August 25, 2022

Review – Sararonna’s Gift by Carmen Webster Buxton @CarmenWBuxton

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Saronna's Gift

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Saronna is being sold. It may sound harsh, but it works for her. Freedom. No veil, no division of men and women. Off Worlders have a different outlook on life than here on Kruegar’s World. The Threecon World travels the galaxy, each planet sharing their culture.

Saronna was being purchased for Duncan by his father. She had used her gifts to keep her father from getting rid of her, but it hadn’t worked on Vladimir Trushenko. She’s kept it secret…She’s a witch.

The cover tells of the life Saronna was born into, that women had only one purpose in life, to please man. Cruel customs, obedience, no education….unless taught secretly, and Saronna’s mother had taught her to read. There was a purpose to it.

Duncan has introduced Saronna to electronics, including an ereader, encouraging her to read and get an education. He even hires a tutor for her. I loved watching Saronna, her struggle, her sacrifice as she grew, learned, changed and became her own person, no matter the pressure put on her. I have a feeling that will be a good fit, once she figures out how she is being manipulated by those she is supposed to be able to trust.

I would surely be dead if I was born under such an oppressive system…my mouth would have been the end of me. LOL

And to think this goes on today makes me say, “I can’t believe this is happening in the twenty first century”. People can change, and I was happy to be along for Saronna’s ‘coming of age’, and she comes a long way, baby.

Carmen Webster Buxton has created a world for Saronna that is rich in detail, the characters are riveting, drawing me in, making me feel…almost…as if I am there with them, through the good and bad, wishing, hoping for the happy ever after ending that I have come to love so much.

Unputdownable. I read 463 pages in one sitting.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Saronna’s Gift by Carmen Webster Buxton.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Saronna Maynard never expected to be sold into an off-world household. She and Duncan Trushenko, her new protector, have very little in common. Saronna grew up in a small village outside of New Jerusalem, the largest city on Krueger’s World. Duncan grew up on many worlds, and has traveled the galaxy. He is dumbstruck to return from a business trip and find that his father has purchased a companion for him.

Saronna is terrified by the strangeness of the house and her sense of powerlessness, but in a very short time she realizes she might be better off—and safer—in Duncan’s house than in her father’s. For one thing, Duncan doesn’t believe in witches. Also, the more time she spends with Duncan, the harder it is for her to believe all men are as evil as her mother taught her. But safer or not, Saronna is still intent on keeping her secrets. After all, she’s still on Krueger’s World.

ABOUT CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON

Carmen Webster Buxton

Carmen Webster Buxton spent her youth reading every book published by Ursula LeGuin, Robert Heinlein and Georgette Heyer. This combination of far-future worlds, alien cultures, and old-fashioned courting customs influenced her writing, especially in her ThreeCon series.

Carmen was born in Hawaii and experienced a peripatetic childhood, as her father was in the US Navy. Having raised two wonderful children, she now lives in Maryland with her husband Charlie, and a beagle named Cosmo. She writes science fiction (often including a romance, and mostly set in the far future), and the occasional fantasy.

Carmen has published many books:

WAKANREO SERIES
Alien Bonds
Alien Vows
Alien Skies

HAVEN SERIES
The Sixth Discipline
No Safe Haven

THREECON SERIES (can be read in any order)
The Nostalgia Gambit
Saronna’s Gift
Shades of Empire
Tribes
Worlds Apart

ALTERNATE HISTORY
King of Trees

YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION
Turnabout
Drifters

FANTASY
Where Magic Rules
Bag of Tricks
Hidden Magic

THE NAMELESS WORLD SAGA (coming in 2021)
The North Edge of Nowhere
Oaths and Promises

Carmen often blogs about ereaders, digital publishing, writing, and speculative fiction. Visit her blog to see what’s coming out next! To ask questions or to provide feedback on her books, send email to carmen.webster.buxton (at) gmail.com.

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Giveaway – Autumn Chaos by Olena Nikitin @XpressoTours @olena_nikitin

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Autumn Chaos
Olena Nikitin
(Season’s War, #1)
Publication date: September 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

A mystery of a monster on the rampage ignites the passionate love triangle between a witch and two warriors with a help of a mysterious cat.

After ten years of peaceful solitude, exiled-mage-turned-village-witch, Lady Inanuan of Thorn, has her life turned upside down when a half-dead warrior is dumped on her doorstep. Soon she learns that no good deed goes unpunished in the Black Forest—not even if your friend is Leshy, the Forest God himself.

Expelled from her position as a court mage for her sharp tongue, Ina’s had ten years to learn how to survive in a harsh environment. The forbidden healing she performs links her life energy with her unexpected guest Marcach, captain of the guards, and Ren, his best friend, a traveller from lands so far away that many consider them a myth.

With unnatural monsters on the loose and unrest in the capital, everything points toward rebellion, and clues that both men discover indicate Ina’s involvement. Ina learns her magic is not what it seems, and her past comes back to haunt her.
An old mistake will see her dragged back to the court and thrown right into the middle of the political struggle. To make things worse, her heart succumbs not to just one man but two, and each expects the worst of her.

Will the woman who does not believe in love be able to choose? And can she clear her name and learn to control the Chaos before it burns the kingdom down?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Taking the life distraught her, but Ina didn’t have the time to think about it. The noise of the fight led to the entrance of another room. Well, the wreck of one, at least. Mar was there, struggling with three opponents that attacked him simultaneously. He was working hard with his axe and dagger. The weapons glided through the air in precise cuts, wounding the monsters. Ina’s hand closed on the peridot, and she drew on its power, deeper and deeper. Her sorrow turned to anger at the sight of the troll smashing heavy fists into Mar’s chest. Whips of pure fire coiled around her, animated by Chaos magic. Anger and Chaos poured into the stone, and a torrent flooded back, shaping the whips into vipers, beautiful and deadly, as Ina lashed them at the troll. Coils of destruction shot out, slamming into the attacking creature. The beast roared and turned to the source of the pain.

***

The light glowing in Mar’s eyes flared, feasting on Ina, magnificent in her magic. His beautiful distraction gave him the perfect opportunity again. His axe cleaved through the air, crushing one dog’s head, killing it instantly. Ina held her ground, her fire vipers lashing at the troll, leaving deep gashes of burnt tissue behind. The beast leapt backwards, trying to avoid the pain, but Mar was there to stop it. This formidable display of Ina’s magic terrified the remaining canine to turn tail and run, whimpering into the darkness.

“Ina, stop!” shouted Mar as he ducked to avoid a strike from the vipers, and Ina lowered her hands, letting the energy dissipate in the air. Again, the monstrous troll turned back to her, giving Mar the opening he needed. His axe rose high and cleaved its collar bone so deeply that he could see the heart pulsing through the gap. Then, with a final stab of the dagger, it was stopped dead.

The beast landed on the floor with a heavy thud, and without glancing at it, Mar ran to his woman. In the light of her pulsar, he saw she was crying, her body and hair coated with blood and fluid, his heart aching at her pain.

“Are you… wounded?” He asked and felt immense relief when she shook her head. There was something in his spitfire’s posture that held him back. “What happened back there?”

Ina shook her head and walked toward the exit, and her silence worried him more than he was willing to admit.


Author Bio:

Olena Nikitin is our pen name. We are an enthusiastic couple of writers who are fascinated by the fantasy/paranormal romance genre and decided to write a book we would love to read

Behind the Pen name:

Olga – is Polish, armed with a wicked sense of humour and typical Slavic pessimism she is the wicked witch from the East. She has written stories since childhood, initially mostly about her work. As an emergency physician, she always has a story to tell and often not much time to write.

Mark is a typical English gentleman whose charm, refined taste and an impressive collection of books were tempting enough to make Olga leave her homeland. Don’t tease him too much; this man has an impressive sword collection and he knows how to use it. He also can fix everything, including Polish syntax in English writing.

See more on our website: www.olenanikitin.uk

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  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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