History, Fantasy, and Thrilling Romance - OH MY!

After finishing Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar last month, I thought I'd explore a couple more SPFBO nominated works and let me tell you, they did NOT disappoint. HL Tinsley's We Men of Ash and Shadow introduces us to John Vanguard, background fader and assassin extraordinaire with a checkered reputation and a mission to unravel why the last war happened. Vanguard becomes the unlikely mentor to an aspiring assassin and discovers a revolution in the making. Vanguard finds himself pitted against his equally talented former pupil. This SPFBO finalist, adult fiction book is engrossing and serves as the jumping off point for a new series, The Vanguard Chronicles. Adult themes and subject matter included so maybe not the best idea for young or sensitive readers.

If you're hankering for a new epic fantasy with dragons, minotaurs, vampires, demons, good vs. evil, and strange magics, SPFBO nominee The Forever King by Ben Galley will be right up your alley. Weaving bits of Norse mythology into a dense, chonky narrative, the 600+ pages of The Forever King will wear you out, make you laugh, piss you off, give you hope, stomp on that hope, and leave you begging for more. Galley creates a world and power structure which should make Tor Publishing angry and jealous they didn't get the chance to add it to their stable. I have no idea if Galley tried to traditionally publish but if so, the trads missed out by passing on this one. Follow the tale of Mithrid, a teenage refugee in the frozen lands of Scalussen, as she discovers the dangerous and valuable magic which resides within. Rebel king, Farden, hopes Mithrid will use her talents to help him overthrow the greedy and corrupt Emperor Malvus, thus freeing Emaneska from his ever-tightening stranglehold. I suffered from extreme book hangover when I finished this one...even so, I need a few days to recuperate before moving on to the sequels. I'm exhausted.

Unknown Number by Anna Grace steps way outside my comfort zone. I don't usually read romance or thrillers and this one serves up both. Packing a super-satisfying twist at the end, this little book rolls along with predictably attractive characters in relatively unchallenging relationships which often border on the schmaltzy. UNTIL THE TWIST! Here I was just bee-bopping along, not bored but not enthralled either, when BOOM! All of a sudden my heart is racing and I am racing myself to the final page.

I love historical fiction but with the glut of WWII works in the field, I'd become a little "meh" and haven't read much in the genre recently. Still, They Went Left by Monica Hesse, caught my attention. So many works which place themselves in the WWII era focus on stories from during the war and life in the camps. While those stories are compelling and interesting, often highlighting true and incredible events, for me, it just felt like there were pieces of history which were being overlooked. Hesse shines her spotlight on camp survivors as they try to piece together themselves, their psyches, and their families after liberation. The guilt of survival, the foreignness of familiarity, the desperation for hope, the agonizing wait for news. All of these are front and center in They Went Left as it tells us of Zofia's search for the only member of her family she believes might have survived, her younger brother, Abek. Hesse does a wonderful job exposing Zofia's strength and frailty without making her seem superhuman or pitiful. I couldn't walk away from Zofia. You shouldn't either. 

The Witch's Knight - SOON TO BE RELEASED!! - by Paula and Trevor Brackston

 

ARC Review - Scheduled Release Date - April 19, 2022

The Witch's Knight by Paula and Trevor Brackston

“I, Rhiannon, pledge you my allegiance, my dagger hand, my magic, and my life.

You have my oath.”

Do you enjoy stories about witches and knights in armor? You should read this book. Medieval historical fiction? You should read this book. Eternal love? Read this book. Modern suspense thriller? Yep. This book.

The Witch’s Knight, by Paula Brackston and her brother, Trevor, is an exhilarating departure from Paula’s wildly successful Witch’s and Found Things series. This collaborative work adds a thrilling new dimension which Paula’s already dedicated readers will love. (I certainly did!) Trevor’s voice adds a rumbling bass line of suspense and danger in counterpoint to Paula’s soaring sopranos of magic and romance. Dare I say this work is “magical?”

When Gwen’s home in The Black Mountains of Wales is attacked by vicious Norman baron, De Chapelle, in 1094, following William the Conqueror’s invasion of England, she confronts the baron, defending her family and village from further depredation. No match for the villainous Norman, Gwen picks a battle she cannot hope to win. He turns her own knife against her and leaves her for dead.

The few survivors of the attack desperately retreat to a small farming croft high in the mountains and carve out a meager and isolated, yet peaceful, existence. Gwen is nursed back to health and the tiny community – widows, wounded soldiers from her father’s court, orphans – becomes a family. The village grandmother, Mamgi, tutors Gwen in the art of witchcraft, encouraging her to use her abilities to protect the settlement. Gwen protects their crops and livestock from the worst of the weather and lends her skills to healing the sick.

After surviving their first winter tucked away in the Black Valley, the displaced villagers choose a small party to travel to a nearby town for much needed supplies and news. Gwen, now known as Lady Rhiannon, and two of the men track carefully into town, intent on making their trades and leaving as quickly as possible. That plan goes awry when Gwen is recognized by one of de Chappelle’s men. A traveling knight comes to her rescue and is wounded in the melee. One of the men is taken captive while the other narrowly escapes with the supply wagon.

Gwen’s savior is Tudor. While he heals, and as he is slowly accepted by the wary villagers, the two become inseparable. When de Chappelle eventually finds them, Tudor is mortally wounded in defense of the village and Gwen pleads with ancient powers to spare his life. Thus sparking a love which will transcend the limits of time and span centuries.

 

“Tudor watched her go, wondering at the way the world had a habit of spinning like a roulette wheel, snatching you onto familiar numbers at the most unexpected of times.”

 

In modern day London, Rhys Tudor is an ex-military private security contractor responsible for the safety of a nineteen year-old rich kid. When his employers purchase a posh flat in The Aurora, an extremely exclusive building, for their son, Tudor is diligent about protecting his charge. Not long after moving his ward into his new digs, a series of grisly murders take place, annihilating two entire families in the building. Suddenly, Tudor and his daughter, Emily are swept up in a terrifying whirlwind of Slavic gangsters, fighting off assailants and dodging bullets. Despite his connections with the Metropolitan Police, Tudor is unsuccessful at ferreting out the reason why he or his daughter would be targets for the mafia-like Begovich family. His quest for clues and the safety of his daughter, leads him to strange and unusual ends where coincidences and happenings are unnerving, even for a hardened soldier like Tudor.

Told as two seemingly separate stories, through two seemingly unrelated timelines, The Witch’s Knight weaves together disparate characters and incongruous eras in a beautiful dance to the final page when the two worlds eventually, finally, collide. The Brackstons hurtle their readers through time and space, never letting up on the throttle, until the last gasp, quite literally the last four paragraphs of the book. My only complaint with this work is purely selfish. I need Book Two (and Three!) to be ready for consumption. I need to know more!

Sisters, Brothers, Gods Old and New

 

Vicky Ball, author of Powerless, comes out swinging for a TKO in her debut novel. Published in collaboration with  Burton Mayers Books, Powerless is riveting from the get-go. When their oldest daughter, Beth, went missing seven years ago, the Kimmings family was shattered. Younger sister, Abby, and her parents, have marked time in a semblance of normal life ever since. Their surprise and relief is palpable when Beth turns up on their doorstep on Christmas Eve with no explanation of where she’s been or what she’s been doing since the last time they saw her. Abby is glad to have her sister back but frustrated with her reticence at answering questions. Beth is cagey and needy in turn and Abby is desperate to know why. The answers she finds are terrifying. Ball throws thrilling twists and oh-no moments with the ease of a seasoned ball player. I can’t give this one enough stars for fans of the suspense and thriller genres.

 

I loved indie author Mike DeLucia’s Madness. Likewise, I can heartily recommend his novel, Being Brothers, as well. Brothers is unusual in its format so don’t let it surprise you or draw you out of the story. You’ll soon get into the groove. Written as a story within a story, readers follow along as writer, Mark Marino, hones his screenplay about baseball loving brothers, Jackie and Sal Amato, in the heyday of Little League Baseball in Throgs Neck, Bronx, New York. DeLucia masterfully wields the screenplay format to jump back and forth in the timeline and illuminate the triumphs and challenges of Being Brothers. This book is a grand slam.

 

Promised Land by indie writer, Perry Wolfecastle, is a dystopian future fantasy work which, honestly, left me a little uncomfortable. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Set in the near future, the moon has cracked and monsters plague the earth. Surviving humans carve out safe spaces for themselves where and however they can. One group, known as the Sanctuary, has all but depleted the resources where they live and must find a new home. The Sanctuary, an extremely religious group led by the zealous Father Lenihan, sends out scouting parties in search of resources and potential places to inhabit. More and more frequently, scouting parties aren’t returning. When a cast-out apostate returns, telling Lenihan of a green, monster-free place, he seizes upon her as their deliverer and the place she found as the Promised Land. His sermons to the Sanctuary’s inhabitants teach them that the wickedness of men in the “before” is the cause of their current plight. These few must hold fast to their faith in God, never questioning Lenihan’s teachings, in order to ensure survival and salvation. The Promised Land proves to be both more and less than the community had hoped for. Some wonder if they have simply exchanged one monster for another. Take a chance on the Promised Land and Wolfecastle’s new religion.

Follow Up on The Tomb, Freeing the Bastards, and Brain Stretching

 

I promised more about The Tomb, Book 1 of The Watchers Series by Carl Novakovich and didn't want to let you down. So, here goes!

This independently published book is a roaring good time practically guaranteed to make you laugh out loud, hold your breath, and groan in dismay. Sometimes all in the space of one page! Chicago Police Detective, John Gideon and his partner cum father figure, Walter are working multiple missing persons cases. One of which holds particular interest for them both, the case of John’s missing mother. When a suspect in these cases, Steven, is taken into custody, John and Walter find themselves catapulted into a world they never knew existed. A world of demons which operates alongside the human world, forever plotting and planning, to unleash Hell on earth.
 
With the aid of a witch-turned-demon, Beth, John learns his family has a historical tie to the battle to keep Hell in its rightful place. He also discovers that his mother’s disappearance is not only connected to the demonic designs but that CPD leadership is somehow “in on it.” Can Beth and John rescue Walter, solve the case of John’s mother’s disappearance, and save the world from possession?
 
Told in the first person omniscient, with occasional fourth-wall breaks, The Watchers: The Tomb is well worth the space on your calendar to read. I promise.

I confess to anxiously waiting for the third installment of The Bastards series by Jonathan French and I have to say, The Free Bastards does not disappoint! Fabulously filthy and fun, Fetching, Jackal, and Oats grudgingly partner with Crafty, the half-orc wizard who they feel is responsible for the disintegration of their hoof, to take on Hispartha and wrest control of their home, the Lot Lands, away from the crown. The mongrels come into their own and realize their potential in this exciting trilogy conclusion. I have to admit, I hope French continues to tell us about their adventures as truly free bastards in the years to come. I will read each and every story without regret or remorse. 

The Red Grouse Tales, by indie author Leslie Garland, spins us in a completely different direction. Think Aesop's Fables meets Modern Morality. Constructed as an anthology (of sorts) of stories told around a pub table by a group of long-time friends, The Red Grouse Tales each stand alone without need for further explanation or exploration. However, don't write this off as just a fun time. The Little Dog, The White Hart, The Crow, The Blue Horse, The Golden Tup (and others) are thought provoking, philosophically challenging and engrossing. Garland's compelling stories kept me turning pages well into the wee hours when I should have been sleeping instead of reading. He masterfully weaves social commentary into tales of the uncanny without being heavy-handed or overbearing.

Thoroughly and effectively utilizing the story-as-lesson trope, Garland presents readers with gorgeously crafted narratives which are excellent on the surface and yet also address larger concerns such as the nature of good and evil, heartbreak and betrayal, redemption, vengeance, gender equality, and simple pleasures versus material strife. Several times in each short story, I was drawn up short to re-read and thoughtfully consider what I'd just read - even though I desperately wanted to forge ahead and find out what happened next! 

I'll be continuing my journey through the other Red Grouse Tales not included in this collection. I'll also be recommending these to educator friends and colleagues as discussion prompts.

Holly and the Nobodies

 Holly and the Nobodies - 9 July 2021

Holly and the Nobodies

I took a break from course work this morning (final projects, ugh!) and jumped way, way, way out of my comfort zone to read Pienaar's latest YA Horror/Thriller novel. Let me start by saying I'm glad I read it the daylight because I'm sure I'd be reliving it in my dreams if I'd read it before bed. It was that engrossing.

Alex, and then James, find themselves trapped in the terrifyingly twisted world of Holly, a lonely little girl with a psychotic and  supernatural imagination. Hold on tight as you tag along in their attempts to escape this mind-bending, gasp inducing, crazily fast paced thriller. (Special thanks to Hellbound Books for the opportunity to read and review!)