The Champion's Lord by V.C. Willis

After losing control of their land to the invaders from the old continent, life had been rough for many people, most of whom now seek only to survive. When the empire’s crown prince comes seeking an alliance with the Thompson clan, he brings along some knowledge of what the invaders seem to be looking for, though parts of the puzzle are still missing. Still, Raphael is determined to try and aid his new friends and allies as best he can while trying to keep the fate that befell the empire from happening again. With the help of Ashton’s family, hopefully he can succeed, despite the odds stacked against them.

I first read an Advance Review Copy of this book when it was originally about to be published only as a Yonder app Web exclusive and enjoyed it. But earlier this year, the book was released more widely and is now available in both a paper and ebook versions from multiple retailers. (And with Yonder closing down later this month, access to this book on the app will be lost.) I reread the book before updating my review to repost, and I can say that it is just as enjoyable to read the second time around.

I found this book to be well written; the story is fast paced and the characters are fascinating. They each have their own problems and faults, just as they bring their own strengths and abilities to the fight. They know that if they fail, things will become very dark for those still around to see it. Someone is messing around with dark magic, and without the aid of the Fates, will anything remain? And if the Fates are forced to intervene, who knows what will happen.

It does need to be noted that this fantasy/adventure story is not meant for younger readers. There are a fair amount of very graphic sexual encounters, both male/female and male/male. This book is a very descriptive, very steamy adventure/romance novel. There is also some violence in the story, as it is clearly building up to a war, or at least some sort of battle between two opposing forces; one side seeking to protect, the other, possibly to destroy or possibly simply to dominate and control the rest of the world.

If you enjoy books that involve male/male as well as male/female relationships, have read any of Ms. Willis’ other books, or are looking for an extremely steamy fantasy adventure/romance novel to read, I’d recommend giving this book a try. I think you’ll enjoy it. Ms. Willis is an excellent writer, and one whose books are worth taking the time to read.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

As & When by Alex Andre

Aileen has been running the “underground” element of Locksville for a while. And while it may not seem like an important job, without her influence chaos would take over and no one would be safe. By keeping things controlled, there is essentially peace. And even those in charge of the city on the more lawful/legal/political side of things recognize that without her and her group controlling the less than legal elements of the population, things would get very bad, very quickly. So when Aileen disappears without explanation (a highly unusual thing), it is up to her second in command, Bo, to find out what has happened to her and to arrange for whatever is needed to bring her home.

This was the second book in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian series called the E Apocrypha. While this book focuses mainly on a different part of the world from the previous book, it does include many of the characters we met in that novel. In this story, we learn quite a bit about Aileen and how she came to be in charge of the underground element of Locksville, as well as why she was kidnapped. Her adventures, as well as those of Bo, the one seeking to find and rescue her, make for a very interesting and entertaining story.

I received and read a review copy of this book and I greatly enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the references to characters from the first book in the series and learning what happened to them after the conclusion of their story. And while I do believe that readers could probably read this book even without having read the previous one, I think that they will enjoy it much more if they have read the first book. (Without the information from that story, readers may miss some of the reasons why the referenced characters from the first book are still important to know about in this one.)

I believe that anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic and/or dystopian novels will enjoy this book a great deal. I found the mix of characters who see the usefulness of mechanical equipment and those who feel that such were the cause of the catastrophe that essentially reset the world to a pre-industrial society interesting. And the complexities of those who marvel over what was lost and historical compared to those who seemed to feel that everyone was better off without them also enhances the story. In my opinion, this is a story that is well worth reading, and I am looking forward to reading the third book in this series.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Gifts With Hard Swordsby Scott Telek

In the early days of King Arthur’s Reign, there was much strife, many difficulties, and people either trying to influence or curry favor with the young king. And with many not believing him to be capable of being High King, or simply not willing to accept him as such, war was inevitable. As a young man who has not been a king for long, in this book Arthur is still struggling to find his way and wishing he were free to control his own destiny rather than following the path laid out for him by Merlin. Yes, he knows that Merlin’s desire is for the good of everyone, not just the rich and powerful, but when you are a young man, it is hard to suddenly find yourself the one suddenly held responsible for everything. Mistakes will happen. The question seems to be whether or not Arthur can handle it when those mistakes may be life changing—for both himself and for his people.

I read a review copy of this book, and I loved it. Mr. Telek’s story is based on historically found tales of Arthur and his knights. It is not simply a retelling of the stories that many of us have heard many times throughout our lives, though for the most part we can anticipate much of what will happen. But this series is unique in that while it is very based off of the most historical versions of Arthur’s story, the gaps that were left by the original authors have been filled in with Mr. Telek’s own contributions to the tale. And those contributions are not insignificant; they meld in perfectly with the existing information that was his source material for this story.

As such, I should warn you that there is a part of this story that some may find disturbing. The event shows Arthur’s fears for his future, and it ultimately contributes to his eventual downfall. But given that it was part of the original tale, it was not something that could, or should, be ignored by Mr. Telek. It was an important part of the story and does show us a great deal of Arthur as a young man who is unsure of himself as king. It also gives us a glimpse into the fact that there are some events that even the great Merlin could not have prevented. It may be a bit disturbing, but it was necessary to this story. And honestly, there are many historical tales of kings and other leaders who have done much worse.

Mr. Telek has woven a wonderful and very enjoyable tale for us to enjoy. One where we get to see not only Arthur’s strengths and successes, but also his failures and weaknesses. We get to see that while King Arthur may someday become a legendary figure, at this point in time he was simply a young man who felt the weight of the kingdom that rested on his shoulders. One who has been repeatedly told that only he could bring about the golden age that was to come, though how he was supposed to do that, he didn't know. It makes for a wonderful tale, and I very much look forward to seeing what happens in the next book in this series. 

If you enjoy tales of King Arthur, his Knights, Merlin, and the others, this is a series you will want to read. I do recommend starting at the beginning of the series if you have not previously read the books before this one. There are some surprises early on in the series that you won’t want to miss. Mr. Telek’s version of the King Arthur story is very unique and worth taking the time to read. Highly recommended.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

5 Editors Tackle The 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing by C.S. Lakin with Linda S. Clare, Christy Distler, Robin Patchen, and Rachel Starr Thompson

This book was recommended for a class that I am taking and having read it, I can very easily understand why. I have since recommended it to someone I know who is working on writing their first novel as I believe this book will be extremely helpful for them during the writing process. It very clearly describes the main problems that many authors face when writing a novel, and it offers potential solutions for each of these issues.

This book covers quite a bit of information, so it may take some time to read and fully absorb all of the knowledge and wisdom that it is attempting to share. But I can honestly say that those who take the time to read it and attempt to eliminate any of the “fatal flaws” that may run through their writing will not be disappointed with the results and improvement in the responses to their own tales.

While I have not written a book myself, given that I have reviewed a number of books, I was already familiar with a number of these fatal flaws and have seen them in some of the books that I have read and reviewed over the years. I may not have always been able to put into exact words why something may have bothered me about a story, but when reading the descriptions of those same issues and the potential ways to solve or avoid them, those reasons become much clearer.

This book is an excellent source of information for anyone who is writing a novel or even a short story. It will definitely help with avoiding quite a few pitfalls whether you are planning on trying to get your book published through a publisher or are planning on publishing independently. It can also be helpful for anyone just wanting to improve their storytelling skills in general. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is writing a story to share with others. It is a fantastic resource book for both new writers as well as for anyone hoping to improve on existing skills.

If you are a writer, this is one book that I highly recommend adding to your collection. This is also one that I feel could be very helpful to editors, specifically developmental editors, as it helps the reader to recognize at least some of the potential problems that authors might inadvertently incorporate into their writing. (I know that I have been guilty of some of them myself, and I've never written or tried to publish a book.)

Prudencewritten by Gail CarrigerNarrated by Moira Quirk

Prudence, now a young woman with a preternatural for a mother and a werewolf father is herself a metanatural; the only one born in centuries. She is capable of "borrowing" the form and abilities of any supernatural being she touches while they revert to being mortal for as long as she retains their supernatural abilities. Prudence is also the adopted daughter of a vampire—an arrangement that was made before her birth as the only way to prevent the local vampire hive from trying to kill her mother before Prudence was born.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which focused on the next generation of characters from the Parasol Protectorate series rather than their parents and enjoyed it.  Though I do wish that they had used the same narrator as they did in the first series; mainly because the changes in the way the characters from the original series were voiced seemed vastly different in style from how they sounded when spoken by the previous narrator. But it was only those particular characters’ voices that bothered me, and likely only because I was so used to the previous narrator's style.

The voices of the characters that were not in the original series, however, felt much more welcome and did not bother me in any way. This narrator also did an excellent job of keeping each character's voice distinct from all others.

One thing that I found amusing in this story involves a stolen snuffbox that is hiding tea inside. And, if you have been reading my reviews for at least the last year or so, you know that I have been enjoying the teas purchased from Punk Teas. Whenever I ordered tea from them, a free sample of another tea had been included with my purchase, and their sample sized tins look suspiciously like small snuffboxes. At one point, I asked a representative from their company if this had been intentional as I know that Ms. Carriger has worked with Tea Punk Teas to create at least one tea inspired by another of her books, but it seems that it was merely a coincidence. (The size of the small tin merely being very convenient for tea samples.) But it was fun to discover it as part of the story I was currently listening to.

I think that anyone who enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate Series and anyone who enjoys Steampunk tales should enjoy this one. (Especially while enjoying drinking a nice, refreshing cup of tea, something which is a very important part of this book.) I know that I enjoyed both this book and my tea while I listened to this story. And whether you listen to the audiobook, as I did, or you read the pages of the story yourself, I think that you will find it a fun tale.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Mortal Coils: The Necromancer's Apprenticeby Chris Durston

Mara is an apprentice necromancer, not by choice, but because a master necromancer decided to make her his apprentice, and if she refused, her family would pay the price for her refusal. Over time, she has gotten used to the evil nature of her existence and grown in power. They are at the last task she must complete to no longer be considered his apprentice, but will be a full necromancer in her own right, making her family finally be safe from this monster's harm. However, once the task is completed, he kills her, sending her to the realm of the dead until he can master the spell that will bind her soul to him as an undead servant; one with all her awareness and power intact. Not wanting this to be her fate, Mara is in a hurry to find a way to cross over to where her former master cannot call her back from the Sunless Crossing. But she can’t manage this on her own, and soon finds herself as part of an adventuring party for the first time.

I received and read a review copy of this book. It is a tie-in novel to the Black Ballad roleplaying campaign, and like the other Sunless Crossing novels, it is one I enjoyed reading. I enjoyed watching Mara learn to see that friends are not always a weakness. Sometimes, they are what makes life (or in this case, death) worthwhile. It’s not easy to learn to trust when for most of your life, you have had to hide your true thoughts and feelings from those closest to you.

Watching Mara grow as a person after her death made for an interesting story. It’s not often that one learns those lessons after they have died, but before then, she had no one who could show her the value of trust and friendship. And ultimately, the value of putting others’ needs and desires ahead of your own. I truly enjoyed this aspect of the story. The idea that it is never too late to learn to care about others is a very strong and important lesson.

Anyone who enjoys RPG tie-in novels, fantasy adventure stories, or character driven stories about discovering who you truly are and what you want out of life should enjoy this book. It’s a interesting story that I think many will enjoy. I did.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Safe Passage: Through the Wildlands of Capherayna by Karen Menezes

After many days of walking through an-old growth forest, The Lightbender, a man trained extensively from birth in a variety of holistic and metaphysical as well as scientific methods has found his way to a village in need of his help. The new ruler of a neighboring kingdom has declared a war on the peaceful village in an effort to steal their land, as well as the land of all the nearby villages also living in the forest. And when the villagers refuse to either join his kingdom—a much more modern society with a great deal of technology—or to abandon their homes, he sends in his military to shoot the children first, since killing the children will cause despair and make it less likely that the adults will continue to resist.

This was an interesting story, and while it took me a while to actually realize what it was about (there was a great deal of necessary worldbuilding in order to explain not only The Lightbender and those like him, but what was happening around these villages and why the neighboring kingdom was so determined to control them). It also took me a while to realize that this was likely supposed to be a world similar to if not actually our own, though it wasn’t taking place in any part of the world with which I was familiar.

The author did a wonderful job of describing the forest and the people living there, spending so much time in their world, that when the soldiers arrived with guns and a plan to bomb the villages if necessary, it was rather jarring to me; I had completely forgotten that there were modern societies in this world, as the people focused on were ones that chose to live without technology. However, to me the pacing of the book felt slightly off. There were long sections where it was very calm and sedate, with a great deal of narrative description. And though much of it was necessary, it caused much of the urgency that I expected to feel to be missing.

Also, when the people were hiding from the soldiers in the forest with The Lightbender and others like him who were trying to help hide, heal, and protect the people from discovery, some of the recovering children were not seeming to grasp the need for quiet, despite the fact that they had been shot and left for dead by the soldiers, with a great many of their friends and family having not survived. To me, this seemed like more than the few specifically mentioned as having PTSD from the violence should have been more traumatized by it, rather than acting out because they were bored, or loudly voicing a desire to return home. (I’m sure that I would find it very difficult to return to a place where I had nearly been killed and watched many others die.)

But don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy reading this book, and would happily read more of the series. I believe that many of my issues revolved around the amount of necessary world building in order for me to grasp what was happening in this story and understand the why behind it. But I do need to include some trigger warnings for this book, as there is some violence, some violent shooting of innocent children. So it is likely that this book is not a good fit for everyone. But I do feel that many people will enjoy this story. Even with the issues I felt the book contained, overall I did enjoy reading it.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.