New Release – Knight’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler @muirwoodwheeler

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Knight’s Ransom is my first book by Jeff Wheeler, but it won’t be my last.

Knight's Ransom (The First Argentines, #1)

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Knight’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler is my introduction to his writing and I am so happy to have met him and his characters. I loved the book and look forward to reading more of his work. I think I waited to long after reading Knight’s Ransom to write the review, because I don’t feel it reflects how I truly felt.

Ransom had been taken hostage by King Gervase. Now, the king is dead and he’s going home. He had met Claire while he was a hostage and she is the one who gave him his name, Ransom. The king had raised them both as if they were his own. Claire is very outspoken and I think Ransom will have his hands full with her. Will they become a couple. I don’t know yet, but I am going to find out.

The point of views bounce back and forth between Ransom and Claire.

Ransom wants to become a knight and leader, but the path will be fraught with danger and intrigue.

There is something special about Ransom and when he is at his lowest, something good comes his way.

So much betrayal, political machinations, kings fighting, always fighting. Seems to me they need to find something else to do. Maybe they have too much spare time and desire to dominate.

Ransom makes difficult choices, but his loyalty can never be questioned. He is caught in the courtly machinations going on, young royals being easily manipulated, then betrayed, sons going to war to depose their father as king, brothers fighting each other.

There are many characters and not all will survive, but this is Ransom’s story and it will be told over several books. I do like when an author is not afraid to kill off his characters, though some will be missed, others I will be glad are gone.

Medieval history is stretched and twisted in this brutal world, brilliantly spelled out through Jeff’s words. I am hooked and can hardly wait for the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Knight’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. A brutal war of succession has plunged the court of Kingfountain into a power struggle between a charitable king who took the crown unlawfully and his ambitious rival, Devon Argentine. The balance of power between the two men hinges on the fate of a young boy ensnared in this courtly intrigue. A boy befittingly nicknamed Ransom.

When the Argentine family finally rules, Ransom must make his own way in the world. Opportunities open and shut before him as he journeys along the path to knighthood, blind to a shadowy conspiracy of jealousy and revenge. Securing his place will not be easy, nor will winning the affection of Lady Claire de Murrow, a fiery young heiress from an unpredictably mad kingdom.

Ransom interrupts an abduction plot targeting the Queen of Ceredigion and earns a position in service to her son, the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. But conflict and treachery threaten the family, and Ransom must also come to understand and hone his burgeoning powers—abilities that involve more than his mastery with a blade and that make him as much a target as his lord.

ABOUT JEFF WHEELER

Jeff Wheeler

Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains. His books have been on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 5 times (for The Thief’s Daughter, The King’s Traitor, The Hollow Crown, The Silent Shield, and Prism Cloud) and have sold more than 4 million copies. His novels have also been published or will be published in many languages: Italian, Chinese, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Spanish, Russian, and German.

He is also the founder of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co), a quarterly e-zine featuring amazing short stories, novellas, and sample chapters.

You can usually find Jeff at Emerald City Comic Con, New York Comic Con or at writers conferences.

He welcomes hearing from readers: jgwheels /at/ gmail dot com

If you are interested in purchasing signed copies of his books for friends, family, or your own collection, please e-mail: WOJWbooks /at/ gmail dot 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?
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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The Killing Fog by Jeff Wheeler @muirwoodwheeler @JeanBookNerd

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Print Length: 404 pages
Publisher: 47North (March 1, 2020)
Publication Date: March 1, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07RJQPB63

Praise for THE KILLING FOG
“Wheeler (Broken Veil) opens the Grave Kingdom series with this winding tale of valor and sacrifice, set in a realm where using magic summons a heavy fog that kills every living thing it touches. [T]he threat of the fog looming in the background adds atmosphere and tension…This excellent introduction to the prolific Wheeler’s work will appeal to fans of Asian-influenced fantasy.” —Publishers Weekly

The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain series conjures an epic, adventurous world of ancient myth and magic as a young woman’s battle with infinite evil begins.

Survivor of a combat school, the orphaned Bingmei belongs to a band of mercenaries employed by a local ruler. Now the nobleman, and collector of rare artifacts, has entrusted Bingmei and the skilled team with a treacherous assignment: brave the wilderness’s dangers to retrieve the treasures of a lost palace buried in a glacier valley. But upsetting its tombs has a price.

Echion, emperor of the Grave Kingdom, ruler of darkness, Dragon of Night, has long been entombed. Now Bingmei has unwittingly awakened him and is answerable to a legendary prophecy. Destroying the dark lord before he reclaims the kingdoms of the living is her inherited mission. Killing Bingmei before she fulfills it is Echion’s.

Thrust unprepared into the role of savior, urged on by a renegade prince, and possessing a magic that is her destiny, Bingmei knows what she must do. But what must she risk to honor her ancestors? Bingmei’s fateful choice is one that neither her friends nor her enemies can foretell, as Echion’s dark war for control unfolds.

You can purchase The Killing Fog at the following Retailers:

Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

THE KILLING FOG BY JEFF WHEELER EXCERPT

Bingmei turned back to watch the struggle between Kunmia and the Qiangdao leader. If only it were the man who had murdered her grandfather. She’d hoped to find him this season, to make him pay for what he’d done. But this was the first band of marauders they’d come across.

Kunmia’s weapon was soon the only one shining, and the fog’s sickly haze was drawn toward it like a flock of moths. Magic lured the fog. It was why the artifacts were used sparingly, if at all.

And then the leader went down, his skull cracked by the staff.

“Lieren!” Kunmia shouted in warning. The valiant man continued to fight, not seeing the creeping mist that licked at his adversaries’ ankles as if to taste them. He was still surrounded. And then the fog suddenly surged forward, engulfing him and the others near him.

“Please!” Marenqo gripped the young man’s arm, hoisting him to his feet. The fisherman’s boy saw the fog then, the scene illuminated by the glow of Kunmia’s staff. No further warnings were needed. The boy leaped into the boat and began unfastening the ropes, working quickly. Screams of panic started. The fog had begun its deadly work.

“Kunmia!” shouted Zhuyi. “The boat!”

Kunmia stood transfixed, gripping the weapon that had helped summon the death of her friend, her companion in arms. Bingmei saw the anguish in her face, which was quickly replaced by implacable determination. The leader of the ensign rushed toward the boat, the staff’s glow slowly decreasing. Still it lured the fog to follow her. Knee-high tendrils of mist snaked through the grass, chasing after Kunmia.

Photo Content from Jeff Wheeler
Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains. His books have been on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 5 times (for The Thief’s Daughter, The King’s Traitor, The Hollow Crown, The Silent Shield, and Prism Cloud) and have sold more than 4 million copies. His novels have also been published or will be published in many languages: Italian, Chinese, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Spanish, Russian, and German.

He is also the founder of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co), a quarterly e-zine featuring amazing short stories, novellas, and sample chapters.

You can usually find Jeff at Emerald City Comic Con, New York Comic Con or at writers conferences.

He welcomes hearing from readers: jgwheels /at/ gmail dot com

If you are interested in purchasing signed copies of his books for friends, family, or your own collection, please e-mail: WOJWbooks /at/ gmail dot com

Follow the tour and enter the giveaway 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!