Tag Archives: fantasy

Giveaway – Innocence by Adrienne Woods @XpressoTours @erichb3

Posted on by

Innocence
Adrienne Woods
(Beaumond, #1)
Publication date: December 20th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Welcome to Beaumont Academy! We’re here to mold your supernatural abilities into the best they can be. Remember to submit your abilities test results, or we will deny your application.

After Maxima Lane turns into a bat, her acceptance into Beaumont Academy was a given. It means freedom from her horrid stepmother and equally terrible stepsisters. However, her freedom isn’t long lived as her stepmother claims she doesn’t have the x-gene and if Max can’t turn into a bat before the Magic Sector comes, she might get expelled from school.

Gabriel Hendrix’s life is simple. Capture the villains and don’t fall for a witch. Until he meets Maxima Lane. She has an X-gene that allows her to turn into a bat. Meaning she can follow the falcon, and he can put a stop to the Shadowed—if only it was that simple. The girl comes with a lot of secrets, and it drives Gabriel insane. Why is her stepmother obsessed with her? Why is there yellow in her eyes when it’s supposed to be red and why can’t she activate her bat?

When people die and Max gets kidnapped from the academy, time is running against Gabe. He needs to find answers and Max before it’s too late.

If you are fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Bella Forrest, you don’t want to miss out on this new paranormal/fantasy series by Adrienne Woods. Scroll up to order your copy!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

My gaze searched the treetops where it came from, and the falcon was jumping from branch to branch. Something hung from her claw.

She stared straight at me as if she were begging for help.

I lifted my arm, and she dove from the branch. Her talons pierced into my skin as she landed on my arm. The blood seeped through the jacket that Maria had lent me.

My gaze flickered from the blood on the jacket toward the blinking red button on a metal sphere hanging from the leather laces.

My fingers worked fast, untangling the leather strings around her leg.

The magic pricked and burned the tips of my fingers, but I pushed through that too. The only thing that drove me through the pain was that someone had forcefully used magic to put this tracker on her. Someone nasty and that they wanted to hurt her beyond my understanding.

It wasn’t the first time that the falcon had crossed paths with me. We were old friends. Met on previous occasions, usually in this forest. Sometimes I gave her berries or took her to Maria if she had a broken wing or something that needed attention. She would stay until she was ready to go on her way.

“Again? How do you always get into trouble?”

She kacked softly. As if she was telling me ‘I don’t know.’ I finally got the string off. The magic died as I shoved the tracker inside my pocket. I inspected her wing, pulled it softly open. She let me. There didn’t seem to be any other wounds.

She kacked her thank you.

“Don’t!” a man’s voice yelled, and the falcon pushed herself off my arm and darted through the trees. My arm throbbed where her claws had pierced into my skin.

Arrows whooshed after her, and my teeth ground on each other as the guy was relentless, trying to kill something as beautiful as that bird. She didn’t do anyone harm.

I didn’t think; I just charged.

My body connected hard with his, and we both tumbled to the ground. Grunts left him and complaints left me as we rolled a couple of times.

Rocks and pinecones pressed into my back, and something sharp on this guy nipped at my hip-bone. The scent of sandalwood mixed with a sweet manly fragrance spread through my nostrils and clouded my mind.

My head bumped against something hard bringing me back to reality.

His weight worked in his favor. My boney ass might have knocked him to the ground, but it wouldn’t get the upper hand in this struggle.

My back connected hard with the ground as he pinned me there. He forced my hands above my head, grasping both my palms with one of his giant ones. An arrow pointed into my cheek.

Author Bio:

Adrienne Woods is a USA Today Bestselling author, living in South Africa.

She’s been in love with books all her life and knew at the age of 13 that she is going to be a writer one day.

That dream happened ten years ago and she started to pen her stories down on paper. Firebolt, her debut novel, were released 4 years after that, and she hasn’t stop since.

Now she almost have 15 novels under her belt, and it doesn’t look like she is going to stop soon.

To find out more about Adrienne and her books, please visit her website at www.adriennewoodsbooks.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Winter Dragon by Olena Nikitin @XpressoTours @olena_nikitin

Posted on by

Winter Dragon
Olena Nikitin
(Season’s War, #2)
Publication date: December 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

“When a Chaos mage fights, only blood and scorched earth remain.”

Mage War Chronicles

Some victories are more costly than others, and Ina was the one that paid the price.

Determined to rescue her dragon, the newly appointed royal witch embarks on a gruelling journey through the wintery Grey Mountains. The weather is not her only obstacle, as the enemy forces gathered in the kobold mines have only one goal.

To capture the Chaos mage and deliver her to the heart of the mountain.

With the help of Sa’Ren, Ina arrives at Castle Liath almost unscathed, but her joy is short-lived, as its granite walls hide a shocking revelation.

With blossoming love shattered by a possessive dragon’s claim and an impossible mission to fulfil, will the mysterious Blessing of the Mountain help or hinder her efforts to protect Cornovii?

Immerse yourself in the second book of Season’s War, where passion mix with cruelty and the world-changing power is buried deep in the ancient tomb guarded by the stern Mountain God.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

A flash of movement caught her attention. Next to the stables in the small courtyard, Ren danced with his sword. That was the only way she could describe his fluid, graceful movements as he glided around the small space. Relieved to see he’d recovered from their ordeal and fascinated by his technique, Ina grabbed the poker from the fire and clumsily followed his moves. Despite feeling embarrassed at her lack of skill, she followed the more straightforward combinations. If I can’t work my magic, it would be helpful to know a trick or two.

Ina had never trained in combat, as her mother and great aunt wanted her to comport herself as a lady, and by the time she started university, enough people had belittled her inability to work any branch of Order magic that all confidence to try it was gone. The few attacks the witch could manage, she had learned from her mercenary friends in the tavern. Not that she would ever start a tavern brawl—not on purpose at least—but after getting caught up in two fights in Gruff’s place, Janik, the bloody idiot, taught her how to disable any drunk man who saw a woman as an easy target. Ina pictured her former associate as she thrust the poker forward, pleased at how satisfying it felt.

‘Die!’ she shouted, preparing to kill the wardrobe when the door snapped open, and Ren charged into the room.

Despite his laboured breathing and heavy perspiration, the warrior’s eyes were focused as he looked around the small room, sword drawn and ready to strike the enemy. As he noticed Ina, alone, her poker pointed towards the wardrobe, he stepped closer and turned to the potential danger.

‘Ina? Move back. I’ll deal with this,’ Ren said slowly.

‘But Ren—’ she tried to say, but he raised his hand to silence her.

‘Step away from the wardrobe,’ he said, crossing the small room, not a single plank creaking beneath his feet.

Ina rolled her eyes and stepped aside. The warrior yanked the door open, revealing an empty interior and a few spiders running away from the sudden light. Still, it wasn’t good enough. Ren poked and prodded the back panel before he turned around to Ina.

‘My lady, who was attacking you?’ he asked, and despite the calm tone of his voice, Ina noticed how on edge he was.

‘Why does everyone always assume someone’s trying to kill me?’ She could not resist but answer his question with one of her own.

Ren just raised his eyebrow. ‘I saw through the window you were stabbing something and heard a commotion in your room, and you shouted, “Die!” when I was running up here. Care to tell me who was it and where they are now?’

Putting it like that, Ren had a point, and now it was her turn to explain. Pink shades of embarrassment blossomed on her cheeks as she started. ‘My magic is gone, for now. I can’t even start a fire, and I don’t know how long it will take to get it back. I saw you practising, and I wanted to learn.’ Ina tried to hide the poker behind her back. ‘That was what you saw in the window, and I may have tripped over the furniture a few times.’

Ren blinked several times, looking at her with disbelief. ‘You’re trying to tell me you practised Jian kata… with a poker?’ Something broke in him, and the warrior doubled over, laughing. He struggled to calm down, and gasping between bouts of laughing intertwined with cough, Ren stuttered, ‘But why, my lady?’

Ina huffed with exasperation. She was proud of her new moves, but Ren seemed to find it a joke. ‘I wanted to learn how to defend myself when my magic is depleted or blocked. I would like to know other ways to fight instead of always relying on magic and my Chaos. Right now, even a simpleton with enough strength could take me down. I don’t like it, Ren.’

Ren approached and reached behind her, taking the poker from her hand. ‘I will teach you, if you’d like.’ His eyes were smiling, and he behaved as if teaching her couldn’t make him happier.

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

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok / Newsletter


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Armadas In The Mist by Christian Klaver @iReadBookTours @mrchrstn

Posted on by


 

Book Details:

Book Title:  Armadas in the Mist (Empire of the House of Thorns series – Book Three) by Christian Klaver
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  332 pages
Genre: YA Fantasy 
Publisher:  CamCat Books 
Release date:  November 2022
Content Rating: PG. It’s very clean.
Book Description:

The Black Shuck’s forces gather just beyond the mist . . .

Captain Justice Kasric knows how complicated family can be. The escalating Human-Faerie war has scattered and wounded her siblings and transformed her parents beyond recognition. After narrowly escaping yet another dangerous clash, fifteen-year-old Justice has had enough. She’s determined to defeat the Black Shuck, the mysterious leader controlling the Faerie invasion of London, but if Justice hopes to stand a chance at victory, she’ll have to do the impossible: reunite her family and lead them against the looming Faerie Armada.

With her mother and brother at the helm of the enemy fleet, and the prophesized Seven Virtues slipping out of reach, Justice more than has her work cut out for her. Even if she can save England, the cost may be higher than she’s willing to pay.
Buy the Book:
CamCat Books
Amazon
B&N ~ IndieBound ~ BookShop
Audible 
(coming soon)
add to goodreads
Continue reading →

Review – The Sixth Discipline & No Safe Haven by Carmen Webster Buxton @CarmenWBuxton

Posted on by

.

Carmen Webster Buxton writes some amazing stories. I am working my way through all her books. Today, I am sharing my reviews for The Sixth Discipline and No Safe Haven, a duology.

You can get The Sixth Discipline for FREE

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have numerous books by Carmen Webster Buxton. I love her writing so much, I am working my way through her entire body of work. The Sixth Discipline & No Safe Haven are a science fiction duology and I don’t want to waste any time getting right to it.

Kidnapped and dropped into a foreign world, Ran Del has no idea why he was taken.

Francesca’s father has a problem…and a plan. He feels Ran Del may be the answer.

Even though Francesca’s world is familiar to me through Carmen Webster Buxton’s writing, Ran Del’s is not. He is a Sansoussy, growing up in the Sansoussy Forest. The Sansoussy have a very distinct mental and physical Discipline. The world building makes me feel Ran Del’s world is a simpler world, more respectful of the nature that surrounds them. But, there are always complexities that are not revealed to outsiders. But Carmen is willing to share their hidden world.

The characters, especially Ran Del, are the stars. It was fun watching him and Francesca grow, mature, and develop into more well rounded characters through their experiences. He’s from the woods, she’s from the city. An arranged marriage. But, there was more going on than meets the eye. Isn’t that how it usually is?

As Ran Del learns about the city and Francesca learns about the Sansoussy way, I do too.

The writing kept the story flowing smoothly, danger and intrigue amongst the every day doings. Ran Del and Francesca feel each other out, learn to share their thoughts and feelings. Can they actually fall in love? Become a family? Hold the fort against those who are determined to take them down?

I have Book II, No Safe Haven, so I will begin that pronto.

I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars. I think it was more me than the book. When that happens, I round up, so 4 stars it is.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Ran-Del Jahanpur is a warrior of the Sansoussy Forest, trained in both the mental and physical Disciplines of his people. He thinks he’s prepared for any danger the forest might hold, but his skills prove useless when he’s caught in a hi-tech trap. Soon Ran-Del finds himself in a city so alien it might as well be another world—machines speak, vehicles fly, and his captors’ weapons can inflict pain without touching him. Every time Ran-Del tries to escape, he’s foiled by a technology he doesn’t understand. As terrifying as the city is, his kidnapper, the enigmatic Baron Hayden, exudes a jovial affability that worries the Sansoussy even more. What can such a powerful man want with a Sansoussy warrior, who can neither read nor write and knows nothing of city ways? The Baron’s daughter Francesca clearly knows more than she’s saying, but Ran-Del’s psy sense tells him only she’s being truthful, not what she’s thinking. And it’s only after it seems that Ran-Del has escaped the city and its dangers, that he finds out how thoroughly he has been caught.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am now totally invested in Ran Del and Francesca’s lives…and so are they.

I have learned of Ran Del’s psy talents and Francesca’s ability to run the House of Hayden empire. They learn to work together and forge a marriage of love and commitment.

When danger strikes and life changing decisions have to be made, strange bedfellows will make for unlikely partners.

Freddie, as I learn about his situation, his heart, he doesn’t seem like such an arrogant, bad guy, as he did in The Sixth Discipline. Carmen Webster Buxton shows us that a book cannot be judged by its cover. People put up a front, give up when hitting a brick wall…or at least it seems they do. Give people a chance and they might surprise you.

Freddie will play an important role in the House of Hayden’s future.

The clan shaman had said Ran Del’s destiny was in the city and his life will come full circle.

As all the forces come together, I love how Carmen brought the story to an end. I did not see it happening the way it did, but it makes perfect sense. Well done Carmen.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Ran-Del Jahanpur still doesn’t know what his clan shaman foresaw in his vision of the future. Whatever the old man saw made him force Ran-Del to leave the forest and marry Baron Hayden’s daughter. In spite of minor jealousies, Ran-Del and Francesca have forged a strong marriage. Ran-Del is still a warrior, but he’s comfortable in the city partly because few people know of the psy abilities that make him so useful to the House of Hayden. Francesca is happy Ran-Del can see her thoughts well enough to know her feelings for her old flame Freddie Leong have cooled. Fortunately, psy talents are rare in the city, and no one knows the true circumstances of her marriage, not even Freddie. As heir to House Leong, Freddie has his own problems; he spends his days trying to escape his mother’s iron control and ensure she never kills his father.
But not all the dangers of Haven lie in the cities. In the mountains to the north, the fiercely independent people known as the Horde have changed their ways. Instead of fighting among themselves and raiding in force, they now use cunning to get what they need. When the Horde strikes, Ran-Del and Francesca face a threat far worse than either of them ever imagined. And then finally, Ran-Del confronts his destiny.

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.

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Born To Magic by David Wind @david_wind

Posted on by

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love the cover for the amazing adventure I had with Areena and Mikaal. The world David created is vividly detailed, filled with creatures, magic, evil, love and hope. Taking place in the future, sparks of our possible reality mesh seamlessly with the magical world. The danger is not over, but this adventure finished with a happy ending. I am curious about their next adventure, and hope to be there for it.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Welcome to Nevaeh— a world where technology no longer exists, but magic does.

Long ago, the violence and radiation of the terrorist wars killed America. Those left dwell in a world of ritual and magic where ten dominions struggle for supremacy and a dark power rises to claim all.

Areenna, the only daughter of the King of Freemorn, is barely eighteen, yet her psychic ability is strong. She is summoned to ‘The Island’ and learns that the fate of her world is in her hands. She must undertake a perilous journey to save Nevaeh from destruction. But she will not travel alone.

Mikaal, the son of the High King of Nevaeh, has as much at stake as Areenna. Their quest takes them through haunted wastelands filled with mutants while an evil force does everything in its power to stop Areenna and Mikaal—for it wants Nevaeh as its own.

ABOUT DAVID WIND

International award winning author and double B.R.A.G. Honoree, David Wind, has published forty-three novels including Science Fiction, Mystery, and suspense thrillers. He lives in Florida, with his wife Bonnie. David is the past President (2020) of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America.

A Hybrid Traditional and Independent Author, David became an independent publisher, author, and writer in 2008 with Angels in Mourning, his ‘homage’ to the old-time private detective’s of the 50’s and the 60’s. (He used to sneak them from his parents’ night tables and read them as a young boy.) Angels is a contemporary take on the old-style noir detective and won the Amazon.com Book of the Month Reader’s Choice Award.

The first book of David’s Epic Sci-Fi Fantasy Series, Tales Of Nevaeh. Born To Magic, is an international Amazon genre Best Seller, a Kindle Review of Books finalist for Fantasy Book of the year, and winner of the Silver Award from Ireland’s Drunken Druid International Awards for Literary excellence. Over 80,000 copies of the Tales of Nevaeh series have been download. The first two books of David’s new series, (a prequel spin-off to Tales of Nevaeh) The Journals of Solomon Roth, is the story of how Roth became the Warlord of Nevaeh.

His mystery, suspense, Police procedurals, and thrillers are The Hyte Maneuver, (a Literary guild alternate selection); The Sokova Convention, The Morrisy Manifest, Out of the Shadows, and, Desperately Killing Suzanne. He wrote the Medical Thriller, The Whistleblower’s Daughter, with Terese Ramin. The idea for this Medical Legal Thriller came shortly after the death of a close friend. David said, “I couldn’t help but wonder about the medication….”

David’s Contemporary Fiction novel, published in December of 2017, and based on the Harry Chapin Song, A Better Place To Be, received the Bronze Award for Literary Excellence, from Ireland’s prestigious DD International Awards; A Better Place To Be was named a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree, signifying a book of the highest literary quality and written by Independent writers.

David wrote his first nonfiction book, The Indie Writer’s Handbook, to help authors who have completed their manuscripts and want to publish Independently, navigate the online publishing experience. The Indie Writer’s Handbook was David’s second book to be awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion for literary excellence.

David’s novels have been translated into 11 languages and published in 15 countries.
–Follow David on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/davidwindauthor
–Follow David on Twitter at https://twitter.com/David_Wind
–Visit David’s Website at http://www.davidwind.com

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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’.
Product images are linked/I am an Amazon affiliate.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Violins Played Before Junsian by Lou Kemp @GoddessFish

Posted on by

Violins Played before Junstan by Lou Kemp

GENRE: Fantasy (magical realism)

BLURB

While on a mission to avenge the death of his lover, the immortal peyote-eating magician Celwyn is hired to deliver an automat, Professor Kang, to a priest. But Celwyn quickly learns that everything the priest told him was a lie. Now his ship, the Zelda, is stuck in a horrific storm and Celwyn knows he must reconsider his allegiance if he is to steer his vessel in the right direction and continue his quest.

EXCERPT

San Francisco, 1865  

Late in the evening, thick ribbons of fog moved like a living animal, breathing, then thinning to vapor before revealing the shadows between the wooden barrels that lined the docks. Beyond the Opera House’s silhouette, oily glimmers of the bay cut through the darkness, only to be obscured by the fog again.

As Celwyn neared the docks, he heard virulent cursing above the commotion from a carriage as it charged down the cobblestones toward him. When the coach drew level, the driver raised a whip above his horse. On its descent to the horse’s back, the tip suspended mid-air and snake-like, the whip shimmied out of the coachman’s hand.

The man steered the hackney to a stop. As he slithered out of the high cab, the whip followed him, wrapping around his ankles, lifting him feetfirst into the air. His cursing echoed to screams as he disappeared into the night sky. A moment later, a splash could be heard, and a satisfied smile crossed Celwyn’s lips; he couldn’t stand to see anyone mistreating an animal. The horse trotted down the street, rather jauntily, back toward the stable yard as the magician stepped around a snoring drunk and into Salty’s tattered and dingy atmosphere. Celwyn could have sworn it was the same drunk he stepped over last night.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Early work was horror and suspense, later work morphed into a combination of magical realism, mystery and adventure painted with a horrific element as needed.

I’m one of those writers who doesn’t plan ahead, no outlines, no clue, and I sometimes write myself into a corner. Atmospheric music in the background helps. Black by Pearl Jam especially.

More information is available at LouKemp.com. I’d love to hear from you and what you think of Celwyn, Bartholomew, and Professor Xiau Kang.

Milestones:

2009 The anthology story Sherlock’s Opera appeared in Seattle Noir, edited by Curt Colbert, Akashic Books. Available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble online. Booklist published a favorable review of my contribution to the anthology.

2010 My story, In Memory of the Sibylline, was accepted into the best-selling MWA anthology Crimes by Moonlight, edited by Charlaine Harris. The immortal magician Celwyn makes his first appearance in print.

2018 The story, The Violins Played before Junstan is published in the MWA anthology Odd Partners, edited by Anne Perry. The Celwyn series begins.

Book 1, The Violins Played before Junstan reissue with the publisher, the 4 Horsemen on 10-17-22. The 4 Horsemen will publish the remaining books in the series beginning with Music Shall Untune the Sky, The Raven and the Pig, The Pirate Danced and the Automat Died.  The companion book, Farm Hall continues the story of Pelaez, another immortal magician and Celwyn’s brother will also be available.

Website / Amazon / Book Depository / B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Toyworld: Home of the Christmas Thief by Tony Bertauski @tonybertauski

Posted on by

.

NEW RELEASE

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have been reading books in Tony Bertauski’s Claus Universe since Claus: Legend of the Fat Man came out in 2012. I have missed some of the books, but I am always eager to enter the fantasy realm Tony as created.

Hiro’s world expands when he finds the dreams he has been having are of Toyworld. He finds friends he never would have made, danger that could keep him trapped in Toyworld, and the reason the real world is so gray and dreary. Christmas has disappeared. Hope and happiness has been stolen.

Dreams aren’t just dreams, they’re windows. Not windows, doorways. Most nights we’re just looking through the, seeing what’s over there. But you can crawl through a window if you open it.

People say anything is possible even when we know it isn’t true.

It’s hard to review a book like Toyworld by Tony Bertauski without giving all the good parts away. The adventure is definitely something a reader would want to experience on their own. The world building is out of this world. HA HA HA The descriptions are vivid and detailed. The characters are richly developed, and, if you are anything like me, you will find it hard to choose a favorite. They all have a role to play and it will take all of them to save Christmas.

Can the villain be redeemed? Isn’t that always the question?

I find it hard to name an age group. I got lost in the adventure, but it has been so long since I have had a youngster in my home that I can’t remember their reading level. I did some searching, so I would recommend middle grade and up.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Toyworld: Home of the Christmas Thief by Tony Bertauski.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Book 10 in the Claus Universe.

Hiro’s parents rearrange the furniture every December.

They make space in the corner for something tall. They plug in string lights and leave them on the floor. Sometimes, they cut down a tree but don’t know what to do with it. It’s not just Hiro’s parents. Everyone does it. Come January, they all straighten up their living rooms and everything goes back to normal. They do this every year.

No one knows why.

Something’s missing and they all feel it, but they never wonder what it is. And every year that passes, the world becomes colder and grayer. Until Hiro has a dream.

It’s a world of magic, where he can taste sounds and hear thoughts, see things that defy the laws of physics and biology. It’s a place where trees are decorated and stockings are hung above the fireplace. Every day is celebrated with gifts.

It’s the last place where joy exists.

Someone has stolen the Christmas spirit from the universe and hidden it in the dream. Hiro doesn’t remember a jolly fat man or flying reindeer, or elves on the North Pole. No one in Hiro’s world remembers Christmas at all.

Hiro and others like him need to free the Christmas spirit. This is their one and only chance. If they fail, his world and all others like it will stay cold and gray without Christmas… unless they discover the thief’s true identity.

It’s closer than they think.

ABOUT TONY BERTAUSKI

Tony Bertauski

Get my books FREE. Tell me where to send them at http://bertauski.com

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’ve written textbooks on landscape design, but that was straightforward, informational writing; the kind of stuff that helps most people get to sleep. I’ve also been writing a gardening column with a humorous slant. That takes a little more finesse, but still informational for the most part.

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I wanted to write, not the assigned reading we used to get in high school. I wanted to create stories that kept you up late.

Fiction, GOOD fiction, is hard to write. Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

MY TONY BERTAUSKI REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Long Anticipated Finale for the Wormwood Trilogy – Angel of Ashes and Dust by D H Nevins @dhnevins

Posted on by

.

FIRST, I feel bad because I missed the Launch on the 18th. I was under the weather and it got by me. I know how important it is for independent authors who depend on us bloggers to spread the word.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am going to start by saying I LOVE the gorgeous cover. Once I finished the book, it became even more pertinent to the story inside. I fell in love with this trilogy as soon as I met Kali and Tiamat in the first book, Wormwood. At that time, I had not read very many angel and human novels and was just getting hooked on apocalyptic and dystopian novels. Now, I say bring ’em on. I can’t get enough of them and D H Nevins is part of the reason why.

The first two books of the series, Wormwood and Angel of Shadow, blew me away! The characters came to life on the pages, as the Earth began to die. Just because a character does something horrific, does that make them an evil person?

Kali: I was darkness and death, shadows and pain.

Tiamat commanded the Nephilim, half angels/half humans, who had destroyed the world and most of humanity. Tiamat’s Shadow is a parasite that forces them to stay apart.

Kali is the leader of the encampment, a position that was foisted on her. The Shadow is her weapon, an extension of her, though she refuses to call upon it. It frightens her.

Her father, Richard is a demon. What is his ultimate goal? Is it to destroy them and everything left on Earth?

Bram is a special character, a youngster that I have come to love. He is a ninja, secretive, sneaking up on people, spying on them, now you see him, now you don’t. I can picture him climbing through the rocks and looking around corners.

I am always curious how an author will end a series…and to know the complete story, you need to read the entire Wormwood Trilogy. D H Nevins kept me reading as I tried to figure it out. I had no idea how the story would finish and who would be left standing. It took her telling me to find out.

D H Nevins shocked me. She saddened me. She made me smile. She made me tear up.

I keep mulling over the ending. Yes, I am satisfied. Yes, I am super happy that I was unable to figure out how it would end. Yes, D H Nevins did a fantastic job of wrapping it up.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Angel of Ashes and Dust by D H Nevins.

4 Stars

BACK COVER DESCRIPTION

The end of her people and the death of a planet are looming over her. Kali Michaels must choose between the illusion of safety and the danger of her own power in this anticipated and heart-stopping finale to The Wormwood Trilogy. 

Kali learned the hard way that her abilities cannot be trusted if they can be used against her. In an effort to protect those she cares about, she is determined to let the power of her Shadow lie dormant, despite the dangers rising up around her.  

Now, tormented by an unstoppable enemy, she and Tiamat Wormwood must try to lead others while doing the impossible—ensuring the survival of humans and half-angels alike.  

But how can she partner with Tiamat, when her proximity could kill him? 

And how can the Nephilim, Tiamat, be trusted to save a planet, if he is the one who shattered it in the first place? 

Little do they know that sometimes, for new beginnings, that which they love must first be destroyed. 

  • Title: Angel of Ashes and Dust, Book 3 in the Wormwood Trilogy 
  • Author: D.H. Nevins 
  • Release date: October 18, 2022 
  • Link to Wormwood (book 1 in the series, which is FREE right now): https://amzn.to/3TqDD6g
  • Link to Angel of Shadow (book 2 in the series, which is only $2.99): https://amzn.to/3CYfNYR
  • Link to Angel of Ashes and Dust (special pre-order and release week price is only $2.99):
  • Author Website: www.dhnevins.com 
  • Newsletter sign-up: https://bit.ly/3xFL6pu  

ABOUT D H NEVINS

D.H. Nevins was born in Toronto and currently lives in a quiet area of Ontario, surrounded by forests and lakes. By day, she is a personable, friendly school teacher. By night, she silently chuckles as she writes about destroying the world. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, camping, flying around on her motorcycle or dabbling in live theatre.

a Rafflecopter giveaway ;

MY D H NEVINS REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • Product images are linked/I am an Amazon affiliate.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Unusual Light by J Elizaga @RoxanneRhoads @jelizaga1

Posted on by



At Half Past Two

Our movie broke at half past two.
I begged Time to return to the black and white film
We lived in, with you by my side;
But the grand drapes stayed shut in silence and shock.
I closed my eyes and opened my mouth,
Mad about your sudden absence, with unrestrained outbursts
To a greedy God adored by millions. Only one adored me!
Had He really just snatched you away?
My mind kept restarting the movie before half past two.
Each time I waited for the roll to resume play
With you and me in high-definition color,
But tears blurred my vision and I couldn’t see you.
I kept moving your souvenirs back and forth,
With eyes unaware they should blink.
I struggled to savor each memory of you in my mind,
Flashing every second until my gut retched.
I followed your scent aimlessly through the house,
Before strength left my knees and I curled on the floor.
Then I saw my arms dance, caressing the air
Where you lay last night — I thought I heard you laugh.
Enough of this cruel joke. Stop it.
Come back. Please.


Unusual Light
J. Elizaga

Genre: Young Adult fantasy
Date of Publication: July 31, 2022 
ASIN: B0B85ZRPSZ
Number of pages: 86
Word Count: 20,000

Cover Artist: The Book Cover Designer

Tagline: A young engineer, a ghost, and a mystery at the morgue

Book Description:

How does one keep a promise to a ghost? Engineering student Ana Juliet (AJ) Diwa takes a summer job as a swing-shift security guard at a hospital morgue—the same morgue once investigated by the police for unusual calls received during full moons. And the calls happen only when Matt, a guard assigned to the overnight shift, is on duty.

AJ scoffs at the idea of otherworldly activities. But soon after, she witnesses a mysterious orb at the morgue. The orb reveals itself to be the ghost of Binni Almond, a teenager who went missing thirty years ago. Despite AJ’s shock, she befriends the entity. She vows to use her problem-solving abilities to find Binni’s family and solve the mystery of the young girl’s disappearance. But darker spirits are afoot.

As AJ descends to the morgue’s basement to capture evidence of Binni’s remains, Matt’s visions worsen. Evil spirits surge around the premises. And AJ is in danger of getting caught in the middle of a paranormal showdown.



Chapter 1: An Unusual Call

AT half past midnight, a public safety dispatcher received a familiar but unsettling call. Amid the static and crackle, a voice uttered, “Send help.”

The strange calls started nine months ago, and they always occurred on or near the full moon. The voice supplied only their first name and location. The caller’s name changed every month, but the location stayed the same—Shoreline Hospital morgue. The police officer who responded to the first dispatch spoke with Matt Faulson, the morgue’s overnight security guard. He denied dialing for assistance. The officer walked around the perimeter of the building and witnessed nothing out of the ordinary.

But after three monthly calls involving the same person on duty, the department assigned Officer David Jackson to patrol around the time of the full moon, when they estimated a call would occur. They suspected the twenty-seven-year-old Matt to be the prankster.

Police interviews failed to pin him. Instead, the detectives saw video footage of stationary objects moving randomly in various rooms in the morgue late at night.

The young man admitted to seeing strange activity during his shifts. Adding to the mystery, the city’s emergency dispatch system saved the calls, but the hospital had no record of any of their phones being used.

David arrived at the parking lot with another patrol car at 12:25 a.m. He saw a lone figure sitting on a bench near the morgue’s main entrance.

“Matt.” He approached the security guard with friendly caution. As the guard greeted him, the officer couldn’t help but notice the dark shadows under the young man’s eyes and the ruffled hair. “Man, you look terrible.”

Matt sighed. “There’s not a lot of sleep with the graveyard shift, as you know. I don’t like walking the floors between midnight and one a.m., but I took too long answering an email, and I forgot the time. I rushed through the hallways, and let me tell you, I had more than one sighting,” Matt said. “I guess you received a call?”

David nodded. “You have to get me in there one of these nights. I want to see for myself.”

“I’ll call next time. But I didn’t make the call tonight,” Matt replied. He stood up and prepared to go back in the morgue, but froze. “Oh.”

“What is it?” David asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the second officer took a defensive stance.

“A gray entity floated out of the wall to my left,” Matt said softly as he kept his head very still.

David looked as soon as Matt spoke. “I don’t see anything.” He glanced at the other officer.

“I don’t see anything either.”

“Really?” Matt asked as his shoulders dropped. He gingerly turned his head and looked. “Am I the only one who sees ghosts?”

“I’m beginning to believe that,” David replied.



About the Author:

J. ELIZAGA is a fan of science fiction and science mysteries. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she peered over her father’s shoulders as he watched TV shows such as In Search Of, and Carl Sagan’s Cosmos during the 1970s. 

J. lives in California. She wrote stories in high school but had set aside her hobby for college and career…until she attended a writer’s conference in San Francisco in 2010. The experience unsealed a door in her mind that she thought had long closed.

J. works in information technology by day, and makes time to write stories about humans who face extraordinary circumstances and discover their superhuman abilities. 











a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • Product images are linked/I am an Amazon affiliate.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Sky Over Mountain and Memory by J B Lassalle @XpressoTours

Posted on by

Sky Over Mountain and Memory
JB Lassalle
(The Enchanted Elements, #1)
Publication date: October 13th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

A painter with a mystical talent. An adventurer with a lifelong quest. Can they survive a brush with danger and find the love they lost in their youth?

Amelie pretends she’s content with her small business outside New Orleans. But despite her magical ability to create paintings anyone can travel through, she yearns for the love that never was. So when the boy she rescued as a child by sending him through her canvas returns as a handsome man in need of her aid, the aimless artist is startled by the flood of unexpected emotions.

Rav’s quest feels never-ending. Having escaped an abusive father through the hidden world Amelie opened for him, he’s dedicated his life to fulfilling his mother’s deathbed request. A request that has taken him across the globe, searching for an enchanted treasure. But when the object he’s seeking eludes him, he returns to the painter who saved him as a child… and discovers she’s all grown up.

Agreeing to paint the landscape to complete Rav’s epic journey breathes new life into Amelie’s world. But when the stakes are raised, Rav must answer the ultimate question: which treasure is more precious?

Sky Over Mountain and Memory is the adventure-filled first book in the Enchanted Elements fantasy romance series. If you like childhood friends to lovers, low steam slow burn romances, and dangerous mystical quests, then you’ll adore JB Lassalle’s exciting new world.

Buy Sky Over Mountain and Memory for a unique shade of fantasy today!

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“I control my gift, Rav, no one else.” Amelie’s hands formed fists at her side. “I say when and where, and I choose the purpose when I it. But you don’t know that because you haven’t been around.”

She bit her bottom lip and drew a shaky breath. Even to her own ears, her voice was petulant and angry. But she’d held on for twenty years. Now that it was out, so there was no sense in sugar coating. “I know why you left. I even know why you didn’t come back at first. But sending me a cryptic chain with a note you couldn’t bother to sign? That’s just cowardice.”

“What if I said I wanted to protect you?”

Amelie pounced to her feet, sending her chair backwards. “Bull.” She jabbed her finger at him, the silver coin banging against his chest. “You stayed away because it was convenient to you. You returned for the same reason.”

Rav rose, taking his time as his height let him hover over her. He met her eyes, wood meeting steel, and kept his voice low, in contrast to the rising pitch of hers. “You were my dearest friend, Amelie. You saved my life. Not a day has passed without a thought of you. Do you think I would have sent you a ghost’s trinket otherwise?”

Amelie took three steps backwards, Rav three forward. When her back bumped against the wall, she put her palm on his chest, the chain still entangled in her fingers. She didn’t have words, so she said nothing, and in the silence of what they did not say she noticed the intensity of his breath on hers, the nearness of his lips, the sudden clouding of desire in his eyes. He dipped his head to her, bringing them closer, and her heart pounded in response.

His eyes dropped to her lips. He inched closer. “I never forgot you. The little girl or the woman.”
She licked her lips, head spinning as she fought for her voice. “Which one is it?”
Rav furrowed his brow. “Which what?”

The whisper of his skin on hers, the sweetness of lingering peach tea, the salty dew of nervous sweat. Desire howled like a dog straining on its leash.

But Amelie knew better. He was back for a reason, and that reason wasn’t her. “Which coin can’t you get to without me?”

His sigh was one of defeat. If it took effort for him to back away from her, she couldn’t tell, but the space between them became cold and sharp at his distance. The cloud behind his eyes lifted, and a shadow of guilt took its place.

Then he spoke a single word and shattered the tenuous cord of their long-ago friendship. “Air.”

Author Bio:

New Orleans writer of romantic and urban fantasy filled with rich worlds, strong characters, and found family friendships that triumph over darkness.

Website / TikTok / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:
XBTBanner1

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • 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’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!