Tag Archives: myths and legends

Defiant Dragons – Book I – Unleashed by Aria Glaski @AriaGlazki

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MY REVIEW

Isn’t that a beautiful cover for Unleashed by Aria Glaski. It depicts the story inside to a T, and I love it when that happens. I feel the author does the book justice by representing it as it is. Unleashed is a bit on the dark side, so adult warnings apply.

We start with a map. I love maps, referring back to them as I travel through the pages.

I have been reading Aria Glaski for a while now (See my review links below) and she writes some great books BUT I will say, Unleashed seems outside her norm, and I was surprised at how quickly I became engrossed in the story. Unleashed is by far my favorite Aria Glazki book. AND, it’s a series. It could end here, but I am so very happy it doesn’t. Oh, yeah!

It starts with a one night stand…is there such a thing with a dragon? I doooon’t think so. Who can say no to that animal attraction?

I realize it is very difficult to come up with an original idea for an oft told tale, but Aria Glazki did it. I love that the main character, Tia, has been living as a human for hundreds of years to avoid the ritual. The ritual where her and her brother would fight to the death. She won’t do it. But, what if…

Azur was determined to find her and bring her back. It is a duty she must fulfill…

Seraphina is so much more than he bargained for and he is rethinking his position, but a cow does follow the herd and he makes a mistake. She is kidnapped out from under him.

Things are not as she imagined in Azhidar Zher…and neither is her brother.

I thought it was interesting that Aria Glazki pointed out a similarity to us humans. There is a double standard, one set of rules for males and another for females. Guess who makes out the best?

Sexual tension permeates the pages and I devour the words as Azur devours Seraphina.

Sure, many things are familiar, but Aria Glazki did an amazing job bringing a fresh look into the life of dragons. It’s not all lollipops and rainbows, but it’s not all war and killing either. We always have time for some romance, right?

Aria Glazki shares her thoughts at the end of the book :

…never intended for it to become Fantasy…..I wanted to play around with dragons…Alas, such is the life of a “pantser” – the story goes where it wants…

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Unleashed, Defiant Dragons, Book I, by Aria Glazki.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A one-night stand with the sexy new dragon in town could force her into a fight to the death. Still, worth it?

Tia’s been hiding among the humans for hundreds of years, evading her so-called birthright. But when a hot new dragon arrives in her city, she doesn’t run fast enough. The pull to be with her own kind is just too strong. Too bad the newcomer is determined to drag her back for the ritual she escaped.

Did she say “ritual”? Make that “fight to the death.”

Azar never dreamed he’d be the one to find her: the spoiled, selfish royal who doomed all the dragons. Only it turns out the Zubir’s sister is nothing like he was told. She’s fierce, shrewd, and stunning, and she throws everything he believes into question.

The one thing Azar knows without a doubt? Bringing her home is dragonkind’s only hope.

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Unleashed is a sizzling dragon shifter romance featuring a strong heroine fighting magic and politics to save a species that wants her dead. Then there’s her one-night-stand-turned-hostage, igniting all sorts of sparks she can’t ignore. Too bad even a dragon can end up burned.

Genre:

336 pages, ebook

Expected publication September 27, 2023 by Anika Press

ABOUT ARIA GLAZKI

Aria Glazki’s first kiss technically came from a bear cub. Though no fairytale transformation followed, she still believes magic can happen when the right people come together—if they don’t get in their own way, that is. So now Aria writes heartfelt romances about relatable people overcoming real-world obstacles to build love that lasts.

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Early Review – The Valkyrie’s Shadow by Tiana Warner @tianawarner #TheValkyriesShadow #NetGalley.

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The Valkyrie’s Shadow by Tiana Warner is up for preorder and will be released on 7.25.23. I want to thank NetGalley and Entangled Teen Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Valkyrie’s Shadow.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Sigrid and the Valkyrie’s series by Tiana Warner has become an epic saga for me. I loved the first book, The Valkyrie’s Daughter, but got lost in The Valkyrie’s Shadow. The characters came to life on the pages in this coming of age story and, even though it is a long book, 435 Kindle pages, I read and read and read…

Because the series needs to be read in order, I will do my best to include NO spoilers.

We have some familiar characters and creatures. Royal politics are complicated and the lines of loyalty are often blurred. I am glad that Sigrid stayed leery, and even though she is a young woman, she does know the difference between right and wrong. Each individual is as important as any other.

Sigrid wants the best for everyone and slowly builds her self confidence as she is forced to make decisions that will affect the lives of many. She is an lgbtq character and I love that Tiana Warner adds that extra something to make her character stand out. The romance with Mariam was sweet and innocent.

Tora, what a fabulous character. She made me smile. Fisk is another outstanding and unique character that stuck with me.

I loved all the supernatural characters and creatures.

The Valkrie’s Shadow by Tiana Warner has so much depth and detail to the world she has vividly created. I traveled miles with the characters, and not all will survive. We walked, we flew, we sailed…We have valkyries, elves, humans, winged mares (so how do they reproduce), and an eight legged horse that once belonged to a god…We have loyalty and betrayal, friends and lovers…

There is 435 pages of deliciousness and I hated to read the final word. I was left with a feeling of happiness and hope. Tiana, you blew my mind with this awesome story! I don’t feel my review conveyed how much I loved this book, but, maybe I shared enough to make you want to read it for yourself. I do want to stress that it is best to read The Valkyrie’s Daughter first.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Valkyrie’s Shadow by Tiana Warner.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Being both a valkyrie and a princess isn’t turning out quite the way Sigrid imagined. The other valkyries still treat her like a stable hand. Her relationship with Mariam is less “long-distance” and more “worlds apart.” And lately, she’s been wondering if Sleipnir, her new horse, isn’t making her a little bit…well, evil .

But Sigrid’s first official valkyrie mission sends ripples through the Nine Worlds. She’s attracted the wrath of not only the Night Elves but their sinister king, who wants nothing more than to bring darkness down on everyone. Worse yet, Loki might just be interfering with the balance of light and dark…

When war threatens the shores of Vanaheim and her friends are in danger of being exiled, Sigrid makes a deal with the new queen. She will ride Sleipnir against their enemies and use his might to defeat them, even as he pulls her closer to that line between good and evil.

What she becomes will either save everyone…or unleash disaster upon them all.

The Sigrid and The Valkyries series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading
Book #1 The Valkyrie’s Daughter
Book #2 The Valkyrie’s Shadow

  • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ, Myths and Legends, Queer, Teen and Young Adult
  • 435 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication July 25, 2023 Entangled: Teen

ABOUT TIANA WARNER

Tiana Warner

Tiana Warner is an LGBTQ+ author from British Columbia, Canada, best known for her critically acclaimed “Mermaids of Eriana Kwai” trilogy and its comic adaptation. Tiana is a lifelong horseback rider, a former programmer with a Computer Science degree, and an outdoor enthusiast who loves to explore nature with her musician boyfriend and their hyperactive rescue mutt, Joey. Find her online at tianawarner.com.

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Giveaway – Of Blood And Light by C Monk @XpressoTours

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Of Blood and Light
C. Monk
Publication date: April 30th 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Arthurian legend, bodice-ripping, and capybaras: welcome to Thule.

A girl with a secret . . .
In the back of an ambulance, River Greer counts each breath her little sister takes until the final one: Sage’s body is giving up, ravaged by a mysterious illness. The late-night rush to the ER, however, turns into a surreal nightmare when River is abducted and ferried across the universe to the fabled Thule: a world beyond worlds, where Victorian mores collide with magic and Arthurian legend.

. . . meets a knight on a mission to save his world.
There, his grace Hadrian Landevale of Caid is fighting losing battles of his own: to recover Isolde, his runaway wife, and against the blight that threatens the ichor, the source of all life on Thule. To add insult to injury, the captured fugitive Thule pathfinders just brought back from Earth is not his duchess but an eerie doppelgänger.
When it becomes clear that someone on Thule will go to any length to silence River, Hadrian offers his protection to this enchanting, obstinate stranger . . . whose secrets might be the key to saving Thule’s most precious treasure: the light in its blood.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

“I have a lot more questions than you,” I murmur, tracking the movements of a pair of lone figures across the lawn. A man in farm clothes and a woman wearing some sort of maid outfit carry buckets and packages from a carriage stationed on a gravel path. They mill around, seemingly unbothered by the fractured moon and massive misty planet looming over their heads.

By the time the two strangers disappear, I realize Hadrian is still supporting me, one arm curled over the front of my torso while the other rests around my waist. I cautiously pry myself from his hold. He lets go and takes a step back, allowing some salutary distance between us. “What is this place?”

“Thule,” he reasserts.

“I heard you the first time, but that’s not what I’m asking.” I stagger away from the windows, unable to tear my gaze from the foreign sky outside. “Are we in space?”

One of his eyebrows rises a fraction. “Miss Greer, everything is, by essence, in space.”

“Are we in space elsewhere than on Earth? Like . . . how far?” I urge, desperate for tangible facts to hold on to as I plummet down this rabbit hole.

He motions to the evil chair he used to trap me earlier. “You seem quite overtaxed; would you like to take a seat?”

I shake my head to signal I’m never sitting in that thing again. “How far?”

“We’re approximately two hundred and ninety light-years away from Earth.”

A tremor snakes up my legs; I grip one of the bedposts for support. “How is that . . . No. No. It’s not possible.”

“The paths connect our worlds, as they have since the very first breath of time. The Dekwenn Tīrr, through which Eliud ferried you, is one such path. That is how you came to be here.”

“But it only took a second!” I shriek, the chaos of my thoughts coalescing into something cold and dark. Was it truly a second, or have I been asleep in that bright void for years and lost everything?

“Time and space are quite altered within the paths,” he notes.

“What do you mean? How long have I been here?”

He pulls a gold pocket watch from his waistcoat, flicks it open, and checks the dial. “Slightly over six hours.”

My initial rush of relief becomes a leaden sensation in the pit of my stomach as I recall the twisted physics of Miller’s planet in Interstellar—where severe time dilation caused by a neighboring black hole turns every hour into seven years.

“How long has it been on Earth?” Please let it not be forty-two years. Please.

A crease forms between his eyebrows. “The same amount of time, one should expect.”

“Exactly the same? So six hours? A quarter of a day?”

“A tenth, rather,” he corrects. Seeing my face scrunch in confusion, then panic, he adds, “While I’ve never had the privilege of visiting Earth, it is my understanding that solar days there are quite short.”

One-tenth . . . I whip my neurons into action and do the math, the room spinning around me as I process this new level of weird. “Sixty hours. Your solar days last sixty hours.”

“Indeed. It is past midday—” He checks his watch again. “Precisely thirty-two o’clock.”

“Give or take a light-year.”

“As I’ve already explained to you, the rules of time and space do not apply within the paths. Nothing does, in truth,” he adds, like an afterthought.

The room is warm, but I’m trembling, freezing. “I can’t be here. Please let me go home. Take me back through one of those paths!”

The lines bracketing his mouth deepening as he turns to face me once more. “I cannot.”

His earlier conversation with Eliud rings back in my ears: under arrest for the illegal crossing of an unregistered path . . . crimes for which even the wife of a knight must be held accountable.

“You can’t because it’s forbidden even to you.”

A single nod from him. “All paths have been strictly regulated for centuries. Only pathfinders are permitted to cross them freely. Thule’s legislation on the matter is enforced with the greatest severity.”

Centuries. That might explain why Thule hasn’t yet caught up with Earth’s latest fashion and tech and, instead, appears suspended in this weird Victorian bubble. “How severe are we talking?”

“Death.”

Author Bio:

Visit camillamonk.com for signed books, updates on upcoming titles, free reads, and giveaways.

C. Monk grew up in a Franco-American family and rose to dubious fame with a romantic suspense series starring an OCD-ridden hitman and a wide array of strange and occasionally angry animals. These days she shares her writing time between high-octane adventures in the same vein and fantasy, her secret love (but with weird animals, too.)

In another life, she lived in Paris and Tokyo, and spent ten years in advertising, building rickety websites for M&A boutiques and hedge funds. All of that somehow landed her in Montréal, where she keeps a close watch on the squirrels and complains on a daily basis about the egregious number of Tim Hortons.

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I Am So Lovin’ The Epic Fantasy of Unicorn Island by Donna Galanti With Illustrator Bethany Stancliff @DonnaGalanti #bethanystancliffe

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PREORDER – Will be released 4.4.23

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MY REVIEW

If you are looking for some reading material to give your child hours of reading pleasure, getting lost in a fantasy world where Sam and Tuck take some amazing adventures, I must recommend this series.

The books are beautiful, with wonderful illustrations that draw us into the book, making it easier to visualize the scenes as they unfold, offering a little something extra to keep children involved, maybe even putting themselves in Sam and Tuck’s place.

Sam has a big heart and a need to help others, drawing Tuck into her adventures. Verny the Wyvern and Barloc the Unicorn are a couple of their best friends and volunteer to help them go Beyond The Portal to find discover answers about the disappearance of her biological mother.

Not only will they get the answers they are searching for, but they will help others who are in desperate need of it. All of them will be surprised at the outcome, learning that things are not always as they appear and helping others comes back to you. I love watching them grow and develop into more complex characters that are willing to accept what is, to go above and beyond what is expected of them, doing it with love and compassion.

I highly recommend the Unicorn Island series by Donna Galanti. Children will have hours of fun on Sam and Tuck’s adventures, playing on Unicorn Island, solving mysteries and making new friends of the supernatural kind. Their imaginations will blossom, maybe believing in magic and legends that are sure to supply hours of entertainment. I hope I conveyed my love of this series without spoiling anything for anyone.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Unicorn Island: Beyond The Portal by Donna Galanti.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The secrets of Unicorn Island are all revealed in the final book in Epic’s middle-grade fantasy series! When Sam and Tuck discover a way to unlock the answers they’ve been seeking, they must set out to discover the truth…

For Sam, knowing a little about her mother’s disappearance through the portal is almost worse than knowing nothing at all. Determined to distract herself, she tries to learn everything possible about caring for the herd on Unicorn Island. But when she and her friend Tuck stumble on a coded verse in The Unicorn Protector Creed, they are faced with an even greater task.

With no way of knowing what’s beyond it, Sam, Tuck, and Barloc the unicorn step through the portal and find that not only is Sam’s mother no longer a unicorn protector, she also lives in a world plagued by its own problems—and convinced that the only solution to them rests in the horn on Barloc’s head.

With the portal closing at sundown on the third day, Sam and Tuck are in a race to rescue their friend, reunite their families, and save another world from a terrible fate of its own making!

ABOUT DONNA GALANTI

Donna Galanti is the author of the bestselling paranormal suspense Element Trilogy and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine, a writing contest judge at nycmidnight.com, and regularly presents as a guest author at schools and teaches at writing conferences. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna also loves teaching writers about building author brand and platform through her free training series at yourawesomeauthorlife.com. Visit her at donnagalanti.com.

CONNECT WITH DONNA:

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Review – Taking Myths To The Mat: Integrating Yoga Mythology Into Your Asana Teaching by Sandra Sluberski

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MY REVIEW

Seeing I am not Sandra Sluberski’s target audience for Taking Myths To The Mat: Integrating Yoga Mythology Into Your Asana Teaching with fabulous and colorful illustrations by Cecilia Engvall, I was very surprised how much I got out of it. I have loved myths and legends, it seems forever, and have read numerous fiction and nonfiction books about god and godesses.

Taking Myths is a companion novel to the YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Program. I found it fascinating, even though I am no teacher. Sandra Sluberski fills the book with many resources and insights that she is very happy to share with everyone.

I find Sandra Sluberski’s bio fascinating and urge you to check it out. Even though Taking Myths is not aimed at me, I found so many fascinating and useful thoughts that will stick with me. Such as:

Keep in mind that yoga mythology is really all about one concept: all beings and all things are part of a great universal one-ness

I’m sure many of us remember The Beatles, John Lennon and Maharishi Maresh Yogi. John Lennon wrote the lyrics for I Am A Walrus and incorporated a mantra: Jai guru deva om, which means Hail to the divine teacher or Gory to God the divine. How about The Little Engine That Could: I think I can I think I can. A football slogan can be a mantra: Go Blue Wolverines, Roll Tide Roll…Even our calendar has a connection to mythology. I highly recommend checking that out for yourself. I also found the fun fact below awesome:

The logo of The Rolling Stones is based on Kali’s tongue. See, fascinating information in an unexpected source. That is why I try to keep an open mind when reading books. I never know where those hidden gems will come from and every book, to me, has something to offer.

I based my rating on how easy it was to follow the book, though it is aimed at teachers of the craft, how Sandra shared so many resources that can lead us to gods and goddesses, myths and legends, nature and nurture, music and form…and so much more that may have us using those resources to learn more about life and what is waiting to be explored.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Bring your yoga class sequencing to a new level with the inclusion of yoga mythology! This book gives you the methodology for creating single-asana inclusions, longer partial-class sequences, and and entire one-hour YM themed vinyasas, utilizing ancient yogic myths and fascinating stories. Three different approaches to YM presentations are discussed, along with samples of sequence planning notes. Commonly-asked questions regarding YM and spirituality are also addressed, and a practice guide is given for seven essential mantras which any instructor can easily include to enhance the YM experience for their students. This book is also the companion to the YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Program) course of the same name, available at the Online Yoga School (www.courses.onlineyoga.school).

ABOUT SANDRA SLUBERSKI

Dr. SANDRA BOYSEN SLUBERSKI is an RYT-500 and E-RYT 200 yoga instructor through Yoga Alliance, as well as a YACEP (Yoga Alliance Contiuing Education Provider), teaching at both the Online Yoga School through the Yoga & Ayurveda Center, and at The Hochstein School in Rochester, NY, in addition to her own business at SBS Yogaworx (www.sbsyogaworx.com). Introduced to yoga in 2010, she completed teacher training in 2021 through the Yoga & Ayurveda Center under the guidance of Steph Bal-Mitchell, earning additional certification in Yin, Restorative and Chair Yoga, as well as in Ayurveda studies. She offers themed yoga workshops, with currently over a dozen available, and more than 60 Yoga Mythology 1-hour sessions, all available on the OYS Virtual Studio site (https://courses.onlineyoga.school). She’s the creator and lead trainer of OYS’s YACEP course, “Taking Myths to the Mat: Integrating Yoga Mythology into Your Asana Training,” released in August 2022, and released the companion book by the same title as a paperback on Amazon and an eBook on Amazon Kindle.

She’s also a Kirtan leader who trained with Mike Cohen through the Kirtan Leadership Institute in Boulder, CO. She records monthly 1-hour Kirtan satsang/sessions, teaching mantras and bhajans (meditative devotional chants), using harmonium, singing bowls and cajon percussion. She’s also a Brand Ambassador for The Ohm Store (www.theohmstore.co), a fair-trade global supplier of singing bowls.

Sandra holds the D.M. and M.M. degrees in voice performance from Florida State University’s College of Music, and is currently in her 23rd year on the voice faculty at The Hochstein School, which honored her with the Faculty Service Award in 2013 and the Faculty Excellence Grant in 2019. She provides voiceover talent for commercial and media venues through SBS Vocalworx (www.sbsvocalworx.com) and West Rush Media LLC (www.davesluberski.com), and is listed for booking on Backstage (https://www.backstage.com/u/sandra-sluberski/). Her audiobook narration of “Stories of Food and Life” by Mariuccia Milla is available through Amazon.

She’s married to Dave Sluberski, professor of audio recording for film/animation/gaming at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Film & Animation/MAGIC Spell Studios, and broadcast audio recording engineer for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. When not on the mat or behind a mic, Sandra enjoys her pet Silkie hens, or works on cars in the garage with Dave, who enjoys being married to a yogini.

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Review – Never King’s by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff @MimiJeanRomance

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MY REVIEW

Oh man…Never King’s is the finale of the King series by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and I am sad to see it end. But, there will be a spinoff and Mimi gives that away at the end of Never King’s. I have missed a book or two, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment.

As I was reading, I highlighted numerous spots on my ereader, but I don’t think that is the way to go with Book 8, Never King’s, of the King series. I feel that may spoil the story. I will, however, try and entice you with snippets and my thoughts and feelings.

Never King’s by Mimi Jean Pamfilof was a total surprise. Every time I thought I had a grasp on what was happening, Mimi spun me in a different direction. Her ability to create such imaginative stories amazes me. Her characters have me loving and hating them, occasionally, at the same time.

King is dead and now Ansin is the baddest of the bad. He was the one that killed King, so Jeni fought against him every step of the way. He had killed the father of her baby. The only leverage she had, when dealing with Ansin, was that she was the last Seer in the world.and he needed her bloodline to revive his.

Good and bad? Well, there is definitely a lot of bad…and secrets. When Draco, her son, goes missing, Jeni is frantic and will do anything, work with anyone, to find him.

If I was going to find Draco, it wasn’t going to happen with these two…supernatural dickheads who claimed to be dying and would rather hold all the cards close to their chests than lay them out so we might help each other.

That had me laughing out loud. Did it tease you, wondering how the two dickheads are?

As all the secrets are exposed, I am stunned. Mimi Jean Pamfiloff twisted and turned me inside out as I rapidly devoured the words, wanting to reach the end, but not. I have been with the characters for a long time and I will miss them, and the darkness they brought to light. I never could have anticipated how Mimi would wrap up the King series, but she did it a in a incredible way, with wit and creativity. They will be missed.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Never King’s by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes a Paranormal Suspense, Never King’s, the finale of the USA Today bestselling King Series.

KING IS DEAD, AND NOW THE CHILD HE LEFT BEHIND ISN’T SAFE …

ANSIN

Ding-dong, people. The wicked king is dead. And, yes, I take full credit. King had it coming.

So now that I’m the most ancient, deadly badass on the planet, I can finally get on with my plan. Step one: resurrecting my bloodline.

But to do it, I must win over Jeni, the one woman who can give me powerful children. If only she’d stop holding a grudge. So what if I killed the father of her baby?

Sooner or later she’ll have to forgive me because there are bad, bad things coming her way, and I’m the only one who can protect her.

But will she come around before it’s too late?

JENI

My love for King never made sense, but now that he’s gone, I’m holding it together (barely) for our newborn son. I must be vigilant because my enemies think he belongs to them.

Unfortunately, the only one who can help is dangerous, evil, and a constant reminder of what I’ve lost. Then my worst nightmare happens, and he steps in. No demands. No bartering. Just help.

Has he finally changed his evil ways, or is this a trick to get what he wants? Because without Ansin, my baby and I won’t get through this.

ABOUT MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF

MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who’s sold over one million books around the world. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dreams.

Mimi lives with her Latin lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.

She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / Amazon / Bookbub / TikTok / Pinterestagram

MY MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF REVIEWS

MY M O MACK REVIEWS

YOU CAN GRAB A FREEBIE AND GET TO KNOW KING

As Lucifer would say, “I am a devil of my word”

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Reviews for The Valens of Legacy, Book I & II, by Sherrel Lee @gryphoenix

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I was looking on my TBR for something to read that I didn’t ‘have’ to review (because I have several others waiting to be written) and came across this fabulous cover. 🙂 Then, I saw I had the second book too. There are numerous books in the series and I am excited to see they are on Kindle Unlimited.

I mean…look at that fabulous cover. How could I possibly resist?

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Flipping through my reading list, I came across this gorgeous cover. Then, I saw I had the second book in The Valen Legacy by Sherrel Lee, and I had to read on. Valens Remembered is a prequel and it sure caught my attention. Short and not so sweet, I quickly got caught up in the intrigue. Why is everyone in the Nix family being bumped off?

Larinda Nix Thomas has lost two sets of parents. She only has memories of her adoptive parents, but that is only a temporary situation. You see, Larinda is special. She is a Valen. A unicorn shapeshifter, born to guard humankind. BUT…

A quick read of loss, sorrow, danger and intrigue. I am so happy that I have Valens Rise, Book II waiting to be read.

3 Stars

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I immediately began reading Valens Rise by Sherrel Lee after reading the prequel, Valens Remembered. I was just getting involved with Larinda when….

Jemma NIx is a Phoenix, but doesn’t know it…yet. She has no family and doesn’t realize the danger she will face. She had been in the foster system, but that didn’t work for her, so she grew up on the streets. She is naive, untrusting, easily misled. She began to run away at a very young age, ending up on the street, until she found out she was the sole survivor of an inheritance that will change her life. She is childlike in her joy when experiencing new things.

I love when Hawke takes her to the fair and she has her first corndog.

“Ooooooh, it’s really good….I may become addicted. Who knew meat by products on a stick could manifest love at first bite?”

I can understand her making some mistakes, going to the wrong people for help, seeing she doesn’t know who she can trust.

For the first time in her life, sexual feelings are coming alive. Hawke makes her feel ‘funny’ and I feel a romance coming. Her aches and pains are something else. She does not yet know that Valens are a special breed of human…and she is a Phoenix.

I was sad to say goodbye to Larinda in the first book, but I am quickly becoming a ‘friend’ to Jemma, whether she realizes it or not. LOL I love humor with danger and Sherrell Lee gave me smiles, along with the…NO, DON’T DO THAT. NO, DON’T GO THERE.

I don’t read as many books about Phoenixes as I do Werewolves and Vampires, so I try and snap them up. I am loving this series and the covers that spotlight what supernatural/fantasy creature will be the star.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Valens Rise by Sherrell Lee.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

When Jemma Nix, a shape shifting phoenix discovers her family’s legacy, she is overwhelmed with distrust and doubt. Her entire family may have been murdered. Her mentor may be using her in a deadly pursuit of power.

Confronted with these facts, Jemma begins to suspect that those closest to her are mad. Refusing to believe their claims of a secret race, she pushes away the one man who may be able to help. The one man who she may love. Rather than face the reality of her new life, Jemma makes a fateful decision. One that places the Valens in jeopardy and forces them to face a deadly, genetically engineered threat.

ABOUT SHERREL LEE

Sherrel Lee lives in a land called Texas and is the wrangler of a fearsome Yorkiepoo named Rogue (Half Yorkie half Poodle weighing in at a hefty eight pounds). She is a mother and grandmother who encourages her family to live life on their own terms, and to laugh as often as they can. She is fascinated with the real and mystical worlds of Urban Fantasy and Romantic suspense chasing murderous villains through the pages of her books.

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The Spotlight Is On Titanlord by M G Darwish @XpressoTours @infrangilis

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Titanlord: Child of Prophecy
M.G. Darwish
(Titanlord Series, #3)
Publication date: March 7th 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

From the award-winning author of The Long Night, an enthralling novel that will captivate you with tales, myths and legends as it brings an epic conclusion to the Titanlord Series.

“Beware when victors win, as they often become the demons they vanquish.”

Griffyn Haikrou has become Titanlord. Ever since he journeyed from his village with nothing but a sword and a few friends, he has overcome one obstacle and another in pursuit of avenging a world that was doomed to crumble at destined prophecies. He avenged his friends; he mourned, fought, lost, and won.

The sky turned red. For the hour has come.

Now, he must test his mettle against the prophecy that he set out to fulfill in the first place. Rumors and whispers still linger wherever he goes, so he turns to the one truth he knows: the world must be saved… no matter the cost.

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Author Bio:

M.G. Darwish is an award nominated author who writes dark, twisted and action-packed fiction. He tries his best not to base his characters on anyone he knows in real life to avoid that extra weird conversation about how they were brutalized and killed in the book. Oh and he’s terrified of a penguin uprising more than ghosts and demons.

He is best known for his Secret of the Moonlight which was featured on Wattpad.

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Youtube / Bookbub


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Giveaway – The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven @GoddessFish @bohemienneivy

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The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven by Jennifer Ivy Walker

GENRE: Paranormal fantasy medieval romance

BLURB

In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom. Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks. Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?

EXCERPT

He opened the brilliant blue eyes that she’d seen in the vision.

As she gazed into them, the earth tilted. Her heart raced; her bearings were lost. In the depths of his eyes, she glimpsed a fountain in a forest. The turquoise waters of the ocean. An underground well encased by sacred stones. She, the forest fairy, was immersed in the blue waters of the warrior’s eyes, the waves emanating from him flowing through her, cleansing her. Beckoning her.

In Tristan’s eyes, Issylte glimpsed a black bird—a sea raven—soaring over an open sea, hovering now before her. A small dove fluttered in her breast, called forth from her soul. White wings unfurled as she took flight, rising into the azure sky alongside the black seabird—-floating together through the diaphanous clouds scattered across the vast ocean.

In the breadth of an instant, Issylte was bound to this warrior, the Blue Knight of Cornwall, as if fate had indeed entwined them. Through the windows of his eyes, she peered into his soul, her own blending with his, as if they were the forest and the ocean, encircled now within the three layers of protective stones, the holy trinity of sacred elements of the Goddess.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, “Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête”–an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of “Tristan et Yseult” and the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

Her debut novel, “The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven”–the first of a trilogy– is a blend of her love for medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of “Tristan et Yseult”, interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldy elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

  • Website:  https://jenniferivywalker.com/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker
  • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy
  • Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/
  • Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0B91R2MJZ
  • Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-jennifer-ivy-walker/1141977954
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Ghosts and Legends Of Genesee & Lapeer Counties @RoxanneRhoads

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Ghosts and Legends of Genesee Lapeer Counties

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

As I read the history of Flint, Michigan, much of my life flashed before my eyes. I worked for General Motors for 15 years before taking early retirement. I took some college classes at Mott Community College. I very much remember when Michael Moore’s documentary came out about General Motors, sharing its faults as they left a city, perhaps an entire state, that was build on the automotive industry.

  • A haunted library
  • A party shoppe
  • The Genesee County Jail (I used to go to an A&W right across the street)
  • Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad
  • A movie, Fatal Desire, made from a book, Fatal Error, is about a murder in Clio. It was also on Forensic Files, Season 9, Episode 4, and I do remember watching it. It was, possibly, the first murder where the internet played a part.
  • A salvage yard
  • Hurley Hospital (I was born there)
  • Linden Hotel (I lived in Linden after I got married, but that was a looong time ago, so I can’t remember it)
  • The Game Station in Fenton
  • Fenton Hotel Tavern & Grille (most haunted bar in Michigan)
  • White Horse in Metamora
  • Lapeer State Home (I found the history fascinating)
  • And more

I traveled many familiar roads, through familiar towns, and never had a paranormal adventure. I hate to think I am missing out on something.

Ghosts and Legends of Genesee & Lapeer Counties is chockfull of sites, with information and photos to lure you in. Lots of research and documented sources.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Ghosts and Legends of Genesee & Lapeer Counties by Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Roxanne Rhoads is an author, book publicist, mixed media crafter, and lover of all things spooky. Her books include Haunted Flint and Pumpkins and Party Themes: 50 DIY Designs to Bring Your Halloween Extravaganza to Life. She is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours, a virtual book tour and social media marketing company and she operates a Halloween blog- A Bewitching Guide to Halloween. She sells handcrafted jewelry, art, and home decor through her Etsy store The Bewitching Cauldron. When not reading or writing, Roxanne loves to craft, plan Halloween adventures, and search for unique vintage finds.

Joe Schipani is an integral part of Flint’s art community, with ties to local artists, galleries, bookstores, and the Flint Cultural Center.

As the executive director of Flint Public Art Project, he has curated an outdoor mural gallery in the City of Flint, with over 200 murals from artist all around the world. He also serves as the one of Flint’s Historic District Commissioners and loves learning about the history of old buildings. In 2019 he co-authored Haunted Flint with Roxanne Rhoads.

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