Tracy Falbe's Blog, page 7

New epic fantasy release 'And Night Descends' by Canadian author Bruce Blake

AND NIGHT DESCENDSBook 3 of the Small Gods Series

AUTHOR: Bruce BlakeGENRE: Epic Fantasy
CONTENT WARNING: 18+




To raise the Small Gods, a Small God must die,
When stars go out, the end is nigh.
One must die to raise them all,
Should Small Gods rise, man will fall,
One can stop them, on darken’d wing,
The firstborn child of the rightful king.

WHEN SHADOWS FALL…THE DARKNESS COMES…AND NIGHT DESCENDS
The moment Teryk and Danya, the royal siblings, spoke the words inscribed on the long-forgotten scroll, they foolishly set in motion events destined to bring about the prophecy’s predictions. Teryk is the firstborn, but why do the words only make sense to his sister?
As they each launch themselves recklessly into a heroic mission to save mankind, it seems inevitable that key elements in this game of the gods would be drawn to one another and collide with frightful and yet-unfathomable consequences.
With a Small God already captured and being dragged to his death by a colossal, bloodthirsty golem, is it too late to turn back fate? Can any of them find a way to resist their destinies?
Intrigue in the court, an impenetrable veil between two worlds, escape, sacrifice, retribution and magic pull the strings of these puppets of destiny on a massive, creation-spanning chessboard hidden in shadow, veiled in darkness, lost in the night.


Prologue

Long ago, blood and anger colored his dreams red every night until the night she came to him.
In his sleep, steel glinted through the haze of crimson, pain flashed. A coppery scent stirred him in his bed, rank bile soured his tongue, and Trenan woke with sweat on his brow and agony tearing through him from an arm no longer there. Every time he awakened, he reached out with a phantom hand, expecting—hoping—for fingers to brush the rough wool blanket or touch his face. But they found nothing because they remained attached to an arm rotting in the bottom of a ditch with the rest of the dead.
“At least the rest of you isn’t down there,” Erral had said with a chuckle one day as he sat beside his bunk, struggling to articulate his appreciation.
Trenan thought lying in the ditch with the dead might be better than losing the arm meant to wield his sword.
What good is a soldier with no hand to hold his weapon?
The one-armed swordsman stared up at the dark ceiling, the muscles in his jaw clenched hard against the throb in his shoulder and the knot clogging his throat. Since the days of his childhood, his life had been based on what that arm could do with a sword. It performed feats others couldn’t, moved in ways and with speed beyond the abilities of but a few men. It took lives, saved lives, helped to put down a rebellion.
But no more. Off it came, a sacrifice to save the king from a blow meant to separate his royal head from his regal body. A more than fair trade in the kingdom’s mind, but a bitter mouthful to a master swordsman left with the wrong arm.
Trenan closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, filling his lungs to capacity and using the air to squash regret from his chest. Sacrificing himself for the king was expected of him and an honor. But it wasn’t he who’d been sacrificed but his arm, with the rest of him left behind to cope without it.
I’d rather have died.
And they knew it; it was the reason his chambers were devoid of sharp weapons.
“Trenan?”
The whispered word didn’t startle him, but he was surprised by the timbre of the voice speaking it. The doctor assigned to his bedside like a hairy-chested wet nurse would return soon to touch his forehead to gauge his temperature, or give him more of the acrid herbs to hide a pain that would never leave, but the man charged with caring for him didn’t speak with a woman’s voice.
Trenan dragged his lids open, cocked his head. The woman perched on the chair set beside his bunk was the last person he’d have expected to find.
Her hair, which he’d only ever seen her wear up, hung loose past her shoulders in waves the color of honey tinted with a few drops of blood. Her eyes sparkled with the dim light of the taper flickering in the far corner of the swordsman’s chamber, worry plain in their set. Concern tilted the corners of the full lips of her exquisite mouth.
“My queen.”
Trenan scrambled to push himself up on his elbows, forgot he had but one, and tumbled onto his side on the mattress, jarring his wound. He gritted his teeth and pressed his lips together to keep from crying out, but when he found the queen’s hand upon him, he forgot the pain.
“Are you all right?”
He looked into the eyes of the young woman who’d seen the seasons turn eighteen times since her birth and once since she’d become wife to the king. The knot of despair that had choked him dissipated, the pain in his shoulder faded. He nodded.
“Yes, my queen.”
“Ishla,” she said and brushed his cheek with the backs of her fingers. “You poor man.”
She settled back on the edge of the chair, removing her touch from his face, but the feel of it remained with him. He struggled himself up to sitting, the wool blanket falling from his bare chest as he stretched to see past the wife of his friend. Behind her, the chamber lay empty.
“Where is Gollard?” He looked to her face, found her still gazing at him, so diverted his eyes. “Where is the doctor?”
“Do you need him?”
She stood, took a half-step toward the door and stopped, awaiting his reply. He’d have answered at once but, when she stood, he saw she’d chosen not to wear one of the elaborate dresses he’d seen her wear every other time he’d been in her presence. Instead, she wore white bed clothes with sleeve cuffs that clung to her wrists and a hem that brushed her ankles.
“N...no. I’m fine, just wondering where he’d gone.”
Ishla clasped her hands in front of her, lowered her chin to regard her intertwined fingers.
“I had him called away.”
Trenan stared at the young woman. Now her eyes weren’t upon him, he let his gaze linger, saw that the taper burning behind her cast her outline in the fine cloth. Trenan swallowed hard.
“Called away? For what?”
She raised her head, making him slip his gaze back to her face, then gestured toward the side of the bed.
“May I?”
Trenan looked from her to the bed and back, uncertain what she meant, at first. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“Of course, my quee...Ishla.”
She alighted on the edge of the mattress close enough Trenan felt her warmth. Her perfume filled his nose—not a cologne she’d put on, but the smell of her hair, the scent of her skin. Apprehension stirred in the swordsman’s chest, excitement, confusion.
Why is she here?
“I’ve come to thank you for saving the king, Trenan.”
It might have surprised him that she read his thoughts, but what else might he have been thinking? Trenan shifted away, trying to quell his excited discomfort.
“There’s no need. The king has conveyed his appreciation with the best surgeons the kingdom can offer and his promise to take care of me as long as I need.”
The words were Erral’s, but this marked the first time Trenan had spoken them aloud. They tasted of vinegar on his tongue, but the queen’s sweetness was enough to overpower the bitter morsel.
Ishla wiggled nearer, closing the distance he’d created, her lithe body making little impression on the mattress. His eyes strayed from hers, fell to her curves beneath the bed clothes before returning to find a smile beginning on her lips.
“That is Erral’s way of thanking you, not mine. And I suspect his method may be more hurtful than fulfilling.”
She lifted a hand and touched her palm to his cheek. Trenan nearly jerked away out of sense of duty to king and kingdom but didn’t for fear of offending the queen. And because he liked the way her warm flesh felt against his.
Ishla moved closer and leaned in, leaving a hand's-breadth between the tips of their noses. Her breath touched his lips, her gaze found its way inside him.
“It is my thanks I bring tonight.”
“And Gollard?”
“Won’t be back until morning.”
“Who else knows you had him called away?”
She shook her head. “A queen can be discreet.”
Trenan licked his lips, resisted the urge to close the space between them. A plethora of furtive smiles returned to his memory. From the first time he’d seen his friend’s wife—the queen of the kingdom—they’d been there, finding their way to her lips whenever their eyes met. As much as he wanted them to be for him, about him, he’d convinced himself her nature and her youth brought them forth, convinced himself the tingle-inspiring smiles and gentle blushes weren’t meant for him.
Now he didn’t know if he should be elated he’d been wrong, or fearful.
His gaze slipped form her eyes to her mouth. He imagined his lips pressing against hers, their tongues finding each other, until the king’s angry visage intruded on his thoughts.
“Erral—”
“Is your friend,” she finished for him. “And my husband, but he isn’t here. There is you and me, and no one else knows I’m here.”
Her hand left his face, fell to rest on his upper chest. The tight thrill swirling beneath his ribs expanded, flowing into his stomach, lower, stirring other things. Ishla held his gaze but moved no more, staring into his eyes with her lips parted, her head tilted.
This is wrong.
Trenan’s mind continued to resist even as he leaned forward and their mouths came together.
***
Ishla ran the tip of her finger along the swordsman’s breast bone, tracing a line through the cooling perspiration. The ache in Trenan’s shoulder he’d forgotten as the queen expressed her appreciation crept back as though someone pressed the tip of a stick into his wound.
The queen peered at him and he held her gaze. Though neither spoke, words swam through his mind—things to say, plans never to be executed, the vision of an impossible life. He thought he saw the same shining in her eyes, hidden behind a mix of nurturing care and sadness.
After a moment, the breathtaking young woman climbed off him, her weight lifting from his hips as another palpable one settled into his chest.
“I must go before I am missed,” she said, one corner of her mouth lifting in a lopsided smile.
She bent and retrieved her nightgown from the floor. Trenan watched as she shook it out, revelling in the way her muscles moved beneath her porcelain skin, the tremor shaking her breasts. She stretched her arms toward the ceiling and slipped her hands into the sleeves, let the nightshirt fall around her like the curtain falling at the end of a masterful play.
A performance Trenan never wanted to end.
The gown fell into place and she smoothed the front with her palms. The swordsman reached out, a jolt of pain shooting along the right side of his chest, and grasped her wrist, coaxed her back toward the bed.
“When will I see you again?”
She looked at him, the smile still on her face, but he watched the sliver of sadness in her eyes overtake it. The queen said nothing in response; she didn’t need to. He’d already known the answer before his lips spoke the words—this was a dangerous game they shouldn’t play again.
Dangerous, but worth the risk.
Ishla leaned over and put her lips to his, the passion and longing of their earlier kisses usurped by regret, mourning. The touch lingered, and he thought to grab her, pull her to him, but the moment passed and she moved away. Trenan released his hold on her wrist and watched her stride across the room to the chamber door.
She let herself out without a backward glance.
***
“I’ve seen the seasons pass nearly fifteen times,” Dansil mumbled under his breath as he stalked through the castle halls. “I’ll be a man soon enough; bitch can’t tell me what to do.”
His cheek still stung in precisely the shape of his mother’s hand, but her punishments didn’t hurt like they did in his youth. Then, they’d caused him more than physical pain; it was as though she’d struck his soul.
But if something gets beaten enough times, it toughens.
He came to a corner and slowed his pace, peeked around before continuing. Getting caught wandering the halls wouldn’t get him killed, but none of the king’s men would be impressed should they discover him. Even with the red haze of anger at his mother hanging around him, he knew better than to be careless—he’d crept these halls enough times.
Dansil followed the hall and went up the next staircase, avoiding the routes the guards followed when patrolling in the evening. At the top of the stairs, he paused a second time, checking both ways along the corridor. Thick carpet in a shade of deep red covered the floor in both directions; portraits of people he neither recognized nor cared to recognize lined the walls.
On a whim, he took a right and maintained a slow but steady pace, the muscles in his thighs tight and ready to hie him away should one of the many doors lining the hall open and a visiting noble step out. He figured none would this late at night, but better ready than caught.
The end of the hall intersected another; here he stopped again and found himself rewarded for his care. Halfway along the corridor, a door opened. A woman clothed in white bedclothes emerged, the wall sconces behind her illuminating the outline of her body through the cloth.
Dansil sucked a sharp breath at the sight and his hand darted to his groin. The woman stood for a short time, hand on the door’s handle, her head hung. Her long hair caressed her arms and shoulders, the light highlighted the shape of her breasts, the curve at the small of her back. After a moment, she raised her head, glanced along the hall away from where Dansil peered around the corner, then swivelled her head toward him. The young man faded back from the corner before she saw him, a silent curse on his lips.
He waited, breath held, resisting the urge to peep around the corner again. If he did, and she was walking away, the wall sconce’s light might shine between her legs, outlining the most secret of places. But if she headed toward him, he’d be discovered.
The whisper of footsteps padding on the rug interrupted his thought.
She’s coming this way.
No time to hurry back the way he’d come; if he tried, she’d see him, even if she didn’t turn his direction. Lips squeezed hard together, he pressed himself against the wall and hoped she’d continue straight along the corridor.
A moment later, she passed by and Dansil saw her face. His eyes widened and his grip on his half-swollen man thing released.
The queen!
As she hurried down the corridor, Dansil stepped out from his hiding spot to watch her go, forgetting the possibility she might glance back and see him. She didn’t and, instead of admiring the swing of her hips, the shape of her body hidden beneath the bedclothes, the young man wondered why she’d be out alone at this time of night. When she disappeared around the far corner, he peered back toward the door she’d exited.
The curiosity was too much for Dansil. He crept along the corridor in the direction from which the queen had come, his hand extended and fingertips dragging along the rough stone wall. Every door appeared the same as the others, but he’d noted the one from which she’d emerged: the third on the left. A moment later, he stood in front of the plain wood slab, staring at the handle. After a quick survey of the empty hall, he leaned close, pressed his ear to the door, but heard no sounds within.
Excited saliva filled his mouth. He swallowed hard, raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against the wood.
The knock garnered no immediate response so Dansil assumed the chamber empty until a man’s voice spoke a single word.
“Ishla?”
The curiosity burning in his brain tingled into his chest and along his limbs. The hand he still held raised after knocking fell to the door handle, gripped it. He didn’t recognize the voice or know who might reside within, but was aware he shouldn’t enter any room in the castle without invitation. He also knew no invitation would come if he waited for one, and he’d never discover who the door concealed.
Dansil set his jaw and pushed the door open.
A musky odor filled the air in the room, one he recognized from the occasions when his mother came home with a man and sent him off to his chambers. The furnishings were sparse and a man lay upon a bed to the left, one shoulder wrapped with a pink-tinged bandage where his arm was missing. The tender expression on his face went stony when he spied the lad.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Beg your pardon, m’lord swordsman. Wrong chamber.”
Dansil backed out of the room and closed the door behind him, a wicked grin creeping onto his lips as he went. The door clicked shut; he hurried away along the hall lest the man rise and come after him.
Trenan and the queen. The king’s friend and his wife. Together.
He rounded the corner and hastened to the staircase, the path of his future falling into view.
Sometimes, one unexpected turn of events can change a boy’s life.


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OF THE SMALL GODS SERIES


A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the Goddess banished the Small Gods to the sky, leaving the land to mankind alone. 
For Prince Teryk, life behind the castle walls is boring and uneventful until he stumbles upon an arcane scroll in a long-forgotten chamber. The parchment speaks of Small Gods, the fall of man, and the kingdom's savior—the firstborn child of the rightful king. It's his opportunity to prove himself to his father, the king, and assure his place in history. All he needs to do is find the man from across the sea—a man who can't possibly exist—and save mankind. 
But ancient magic has been put in motion by a mysterious cult determined to see the Small Gods reborn. Powerful forces clash, uncaring for the lives of mortals in their struggle to prevent the return of the banished ones, or aid in their rebirth. 
Named in a prophecy or not, what chance does a cocky prince who barely understands the task laid before him stand in a battle with the gods?


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When shadows fall, the darkness comes... 
A disgraced Goddess Mother wanders blind and alone, praying for her agony to end. When a helpful apostle finds her, could it truly be salvation, or does worse torment lie ahead? 
A sister struggles to understand a prophecy that may not be meant for her while her brother fights for his life. If the firstborn child of the rightful king dies, will it spell the end for everyone? 
Darkness and shadow creep across the land in the form of a fierce clay golem animated by its sculptor's blood. It seeks a mythical creature whose sacrifice portends the return of ancient evil banished from the world long ago. With its return will come the fall of man. 
As the game unfolds, the Small Gods watch from the sky, waiting for their time to come and their chance to rise again. They wait for the fall of shadows, the coming of the darkness. 
They wait for night to descend.


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Bruce Blake lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. When pressing issues like shovelling snow and building igloos don't take up his spare time, Bruce can be found taking the dog sled to the nearest coffee shop to work on his short stories and novels.
Actually, Victoria, B.C. is only a couple hours north of Seattle, Wash., where more rain is seen than snow. Since snow isn't really a pressing issue, Bruce spends more time trying to remember to leave the "u" out of words like "colour" and "neighbour" than he does shovelling (and watch out for those pesky double l's). The father of two, Bruce is also the trophy husband of a burlesque diva.
Bruce's first short story, "Another Man's Shoes" was published in the Winter 2008 edition of Cemetery Moon. Another short, "Yardwork," was made into a podcast in Oct., 2011 by Pseudopod. Bruce's first Icarus Fell novel, "On Unfaithful Wings", was published in Dec., 2011 while the follow up, "All Who Wander Are Lost", came out in July, 2012. The third in the series, "Secrets of the Hanged Man", came out in July, 2013. The first part of his Khirro's Journey epic fantasy trilogy, "Blood of the King", was released Sept., 2012, book 2, "Spirit of the King," in Dec., 2012, and book 3, "Heart of the King," in Feb., 2013.
The two books in the Small Gods series, "When Shadows Fall" and "The Darkness Comes", were released in 2013, after which Bruce took a year out to concentrate on his family and career. Book three in the Small Gods series is Bruce Blake's current project.
         
MoB Promosmagicofbookspromo@gmail.com

A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.

50 Percent Off Fantasy Box Set at Kobo

My Kobo readers are important to me, and I'm offering an excellent 50 percent off sale on The Rys Chronicles Complete Series Box Set now through New Year's Day. This bundle will give you an entire 4-book epic fantasy series that spans a 7-year saga in the lives of the characters.

Along with a human hero and heroine, you'll enter the world of the rys, a powerful magical race that has ruled over the people of the western tribal kingdoms for over two thousand years. The status quo is upset when travelers from a distant eastern empire come into the realm of Onja, the rys queen who requires all people to worship her as their Goddess.

Her rival, Shan, jumps on the opportunity to make allies and raise a rebellion that will bring two civilizations into conflict.

The box set is 50 percent off worldwide at Kobo through January 1st.Here's what some of my fans have had to say about The Rys Chronicles. “You have just passed George R. R. Martin and Anne McCaffrey as my favorite writer.”

“I cannot put your books down once I've started. Some of the greatest writers that I have read include Raymond E Feist, Lee Child, Clive Custler and Jenifer Fallon to name a few and to which I now add your name.”

“This series is one of the best that I have ever read! Your character creation is fantastic.”

“I am on the last novel in the The Rys Chronicles fantasy series. I have read the series non-stop since I purchased it.”

“I love your books! The human characters are so real, my heart really goes out to them. In good times and bad. The Rys are unlike any characters in any other fantasy books I've ever read, and believe me, I've read a few!”

The box set is 50 percent off worldwide at Kobo through January 1st.

A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.

Dracula Untold presents excellent vampire movie with historical details

Director Gary Shore has provided us with a truly decent new Dracula movie. Dracula Untold, starring Luke Evans, delves into the back story of Dracula. We meet him before he is actually a supernatural monster although he has a monstrous reputation. He's known as the impaler for a gory battle against the Turks.

The movie opens from the perspective of his young son, who begins this story of how and why Dracula took on his eternal blood hunger and damnation. It's the 15th century, and Dracula's little corner of Transylvania is ruled by the Ottoman Turks. He pays tribute to the Sultan, but when the Sultan demands a tribute of 1,000 boys to join his Janissary soldiers, Dracula balks. Then, the Sultan demands Dracula's son as part of the tribute, and Dracula refuses. Such demands of boys for the Janissaries is a historically accurate detail in the movie. The vast army of the Ottomans was supplemented for years by taking boys from conquered territories and sending them to be raised as Muslims and trained as soldiers.

Because Draculas has no Earthly way to battle back the vengeful Turks, he goes into a mountain where he knows a terrible creature dwells. He makes a pact with the creature that is imprisoned there. He drinks of the creature's blood to gain supernatural abilities, but with this act comes the thirst for blood. If he can go three days without giving in to his desire for blood, the spell will end, and his mortal state will return. If he drinks blood, however, he'll become a vampire and the creature in the mountain will be freed of the curse binding him in his cave.

As you can well imagine, a crisis provokes Dracula to drink blood because he needs to retain his powers during a prolonged battle with the Sultan.

Overall, Dracula Untold was well paced and exciting. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I knocked off a star for some unbelievable elements, like the Sultan getting an army of 100,000 men into Transylvania overnight. Something not even a modern army could achieve.

-----------

If you'd like to discover another historical fantasy set in the 16th century Holy Roman Empire, I recommend the first book of my series-in-progress, Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale.


Thal is wanted for Devil worship and shape shifting but still boldly walks the streets of 16th century Prague. Jesuits hunt him. Mercenaries fear him. Musicians sing his praise, and women are captivated by his alpha swagger.

Born of a witch and a sorcerer, he is summoned when his desperate mother casts the werewolf spell before facing torture and execution. Burdened with her magical call for vengeance Thal seeks the men that killed her. His hunt is complicated when the Magistrate’s stepdaughter Altea Kardas crosses his path. Horrified that her community is burning women to death, she can confide her doubt and fear only to Thal.

He desires her greatly but knows he will bring ruin upon her. Across Bohemia and beyond people who are different are labeled heretics in a restless world hobbled by tyrannical ignorance. The Renaissance has thrown the Holy Roman Empire into turmoil. Printed books are spreading radical ideas. Firearms are triggering a new age of warfare. And the human spirit is shaking off obedience.

Thal embodies the ancient magic of the pagan past. He challenges a world conquered by a spiritual system that denies the flesh and forgets the Earth. And he awakens within Altea recognition of these truths. She believes any risk is worth loving him until she becomes the bait in a trap set by Thal’s enemies.

Download a copy today
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Or find it at one of the retailers listed on the left.


A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.

Get Free Ebooks for Holiday Reading During Cyber Week

While you're shopping for gift specials online during Cyber Week, it's easy to treat yourself to free ebooks at many online retailers. If you're at Amazon, go to the Kindle store and get my free fantasy books. I have three of them free in the United States. My free reads are also available worldwide at Google Play, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook, and Smashwords.

Get to know a little more about the three fantasy novels I offer as free downloads.

Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale

Thal embodies the ancient magic of the pagan past. He challenges a world conquered by a spiritual system that denies the flesh and forgets the Earth. Although wanted for Devil worship and shape shifting, he still boldly walks the streets of 16th century Prague. Jesuits hunt him. Mercenaries fear him. Musicians sing his praise, and women are captivated by his alpha swagger. 

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Kobo
Smashwords
iBooks
Nook

Rys Rising: Book I

A young warrior ruined and near death is saved by Onja a mysterious rys female. Forsaking all that he was, he will take the name Amar and serve his new magical mistress. A lord among outlaws he will become, feared by kings and called the dro-shalum or curse demon by the common folk. Indulge yourself and read this sumptuous epic told from many angles.

Google Play
Kindle
Kobo
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iBooks
Nook
Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I

The epic begins as Dreibrand Veta and the conquering Horde of the Atrophane Empire reach a mythic Wilderness that beckons with a magical call to glory. But Onja, Queen of the rys, a race far more powerful than the greatest human state, guards this land. She has the power to imprison souls and her genocidal rage is legendary. Everything is at risk for her desperate enemies, the union of renegades.

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iBooks
Nook


A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.

Thanksgiving Weekend Fantasy Box Set Giveaway

If you need a reason to avoid your relatives this holiday season, I suggest you sneak away and read books.

This Thanksgiving weekend I'm running an ebook giveaway. One lucky winner will win The Rys Chronicles Box Set. It's a complete epic fantasy series containing four full-length novels, and the box set sells regularly for $8.99. The winner will be get access to a free digital copy at Smashwords, which provides any ebook format you need.

Use the form below to enter the giveaway drawing. I'll pick a winner on Sunday, November 29th.

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About the Box Set

This value bundle brings together all four novels of The Rys Chronicles – Union of Renegades, The Goddess Queen, Judgment Rising, and the stunning conclusion The Borderlands of Power.

The sprawling epic covers seven years in the lives of the main characters, whose charms and exploits have won Falbe fans around the world.

The story begins in Union of Renegades, when Dreibrand Veta, a disgruntled and disgraced officer in the Atrophane Horde, strikes out on his own into a mythic Wilderness. He partners with Miranda, an escaped slave, and they’re compelled to enter an empty land guarded by the ghosts of an ancient genocide.

Here, they enter the world of the rys, a magical race whose all-powerful Queen Onja subjugates a whole civilization. For thousands of years, she has reigned, but, when Miranda dares to defy her, the status quo disintegrates.

Through ambition and desperation, Dreibrand and Miranda trigger events that will change the world. One empire will be tested to its limits. Another civilization will erupt into rebellion and civil war. And ultimately the Wilderness will be reclaimed, and new visions will shine on the horizon.

For terror, triumph, and true feelings, The Rys Chronicles delivers on all fronts.

Readers of books by Tracy Falbe have counted her among their favorite authors, like Orson Scott Card, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, Terry Goodkind, Raymond E. Feist, Lee Child, Anne McCaffery, and Robin Hobb.

At the fan feedback page at her website, readers have declared:

“You have just passed George R. R. Martin and Anne McCaffrey as my favorite writer.”

“I cannot put your books down once I've started. Some of the greatest writers that I have read include Raymond E Feist, Lee Child, Clive Custler and Jenifer Fallon to name a few and to which I now add your name.”

“This series is one of the best that I have ever read! Your character creation is fantastic.”

“I am on the last novel in the The Rys Chronicles fantasy series. I have read the series non-stop since I purchased it.”

“I love your books! The human characters are so real, my heart really goes out to them. In good times and bad. The Rys are unlike any characters in any other fantasy books I've ever read, and believe me, I've read a few!”



A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.

Black Friday Kindle sale for readers of Celtic historical fantasy

One of my author friends, Juli D. Revezzo, alerted me to her Black Friday sale for Passion's Sacred Dance, the first book of the Celtic Steward Chronicles. From now through November 28th, it's only $0.99 at Amazon Kindle.




Passion's Sacred Dance is available in paperback too.

If one book of magical Celtic romance and action is not going to be enough for you, then rejoice in the fact that the sequel, Druid Warrior's Heart, is also published in print and digital formats. 




About Druid Warrior's Heart

As the latest in her family’s long line of Stewards, Ruth Macken awaits the arrival of a warrior sworn to the Tuatha dé Danaan, the Celtic gods her family has served since the beginning of time. For on that day, a magical battle will erupt. A war between druids and an evil that will decide the fate of mankind.
Isaac Connel knows the battle is imminent, and is ready to fight, once again but from the moment he sees Ruth flitting around the sacred ground, he’s captivated by her fiery charms and a need to protect her.
Despite Isaac’s assurances and the dreams that guide her, what can Ruth and her lover do to drive off this evil? Despite everything, will the world end at the hands of an evil god?

Excerpt
 
from Chapter One

Ruth shivered and continued winding the green yarn she worked into a ball. The fiber slipped easily through her fingers. Skeins of newly dyed yarn hung drying on racks near the back door. The sweet scent of baking chicken filled the room as Mother stood in the kitchen ladling savory gallentyne sauce over their dinner. She hissed and paused to pull a stool closer.

“Are you not well, Mother?” Ruth said.

“My gout vexes me,” Mother said. Resting on a stool, she retrieved her ladle.

Cows mooed in the distance. Horse’s hooves clopped against new cobblestones. Ruth glanced out the window and narrowed her eyes at the fields. Four men paused before her fence, shading their eyes from the sun as they peered at her farm, first the field to this side of the road, then the half on the other.

Ruth set her yarn aside and opened the door to peek out.

“Good day, Lord Macken,” one man called.

In the road ahead, her father nudged his horse around to stand between the men and his gate as he spoke with them. “Good day.”

“Might we have a word with you?” the man asked. He wore a plaid cloak over a fine yellow surcoat and wool shirt. His companion was well-dressed in a dark coat hemmed with gold thread, a frilly shirt, fine pants, and tooled-leather boots. He kept his shoulder-length red hair away from his face by means of a strip of suede. He must be rich enough to buy the whole town, Ruth thought, to afford all that finery.

Ruth stepped onto the porch to see and hear better.

Why were they here?

Her father repositioned his grip on the horse’s reins. “What can I do for you?”

“Know you the date?” the stranger asked.

Ruth’s father nodded. “Aye. What of it?”

“We need to speak of your land,” said the fine man’s companion. “What’s to be done with it in the immediate future.”

“The land belongs to my family,” her father said. “And we have plans for it. None that concern strangers.”

His answer rang in Ruth’s ears. Her family had held the land as far back as their oldest stories recalled. Her father oversaw it now and it would go to her brother—or her, if Mother had her way.

Yet, she knew what her father referred to: the sacred battle. On some days, she expected it. On others, she hoped it was no more than a fairy tale.

“We are hardly strangers, sir.” The man curled his palm around the hilt of the blade hanging from his belt. “Father Ciaran sent us. Said yours is the ideal spot for our—” He paused, glancing at his companion. “—venture.”

“What venture would that be?” her father asked.

The man’s companion hooked a thumb into his belt. His money pouch twitched, drawing her father’s attention.

Father would never be so stupid to turn over their land for mere money, would he? Though the travelers they put up sometimes tendered payment, and the income from Lonan’s shop provided, her family would never refuse more. Depending on who offered. But if these men had come from Father Ciaran perhaps they were worthy?

Yet, something tickled along her nerves. Something dark.

Ruth narrowed her eyes at the two men. Something struck her as off about them. The mere fact that they asked for her land wasn’t enough to account for her wariness. Something else was…wrong.

Ruth peered toward the hearth to see Mother basting the succulent fowl that roasted over the fire. “Mother, I’m going out. You should stay here.”

Mother blinked her green eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ruth lied, securing the door latches. Before she asked more questions Ruth ran to the back door and, outside, made her way to the barn. A roan mare waited there and Ruth saddled her and led her quietly from her stall.

In the distance she heard Mother now speaking to the strangers.

No. Go back inside! she mentally warned her mother and hoped the gods sent her words to her.

“Come on, girl,” Ruth muttered and angled the mare into the thorn grove. She brushed against the vines as she entered and they parted silently, opening a pathway. Even the ducks along her river dipped under the water, as if fearing a foe.

Through the thorn grove’s rough vines, Ruth spied the men still talking, and she hoped she could keep out of sight. The men kept their attention on her parents; even her horse’s steps went unnoticed, and Ruth wondered. Perhaps the stories about the protective power of their grove were true, after all.

She hoped she was wrong about the strangers. Maybe they weren’t here to use her land for anything more than an extension of the marketplace or whatever such venture they had in mind. Maybe they were telling the truth. Maybe the priest had sent them.

No. Her gut said otherwise. She always had a sense about people, good or bad. Why would it fail her now? She bit the inside of her mouth. Best not to tell anyone about that sense. No matter how much her family tithed to the church every week the priest would never understand.

Witchcraft was something of which she would never be absolved.

Even if it saved the world.

She took in little of the town as her horse raced along, but the warm stone façade of the town church soon loomed before her. Some brown-clad student priests milled in the yard feeding chickens and shivering in the chill breeze. Ruth dismounted and one priest offered to take the horse’s reins. “I seek Father Ciaran,” she said.

He directed her inside and she moved through the grounds, avoiding poultry, and any slippery spot. She didn’t need to break her neck now. Not before she told someone what bothered her. Father Ciaran would know what to do. Even if she didn’t tell him exactly what frightened her about the men, the fact remained he would notice the signs, wouldn’t he?

People didn’t usually ask to use their land. Not even Father Ciaran.

She pushed open the heavy oak doors and ran through the tiny church, ignoring the marble baptismal font, the stern and staring statues of Jesus. There was only one man she sought here. “Father Ciaran!” Where was he?

About the Author
http://julidrevezzo.com/ And Juli’s Amazon page. You can also find her on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julidrevezzo Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782712.Juli_D_Revezzo Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111476709039805267272/posts Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jewelsraven/ Celtic Steward Chronicles Pinterest page, for images and articles that have inspired the Celtic Stewards Chronicles: https://www.pinterest.com/jewelsraven/related-to-the-celtic-stewards-chronicles/
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/julidrevezzo Sign up for her newsletter at: http://bit.ly/SNI5K6
 


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Google Play Books sale - Get Savage Storm for only 99 cents

I just realized it's been over 2 months since I ran a sale at the Google Play Store.

If you're a fan of epic fantasy, or want to try something new and exciting, this 80 percent off sale is a great opportunity to dive into the Rys Rising series. Savage Storm is the second book in the series. It's normally $4.99, but you can buy it for $0.99 or the foreign currency equivalent now through November 22. The first part, Rys Rising: Book I, is always a free ebook at the Play store.

Get Savage Storm for $0.99 and save 80 percent off list price.(You can download 60 pages of it free to check out the story first if you want.)

About the novel:

When Onja enthralls the savage Chatapaka people of the remote north and unleashes their brutal hordes upon vulnerable Nufalese settlements, the militia is overwhelmed. Cruce Chenomet and his comrades struggle to save the fleeing settlers. Cruce quickly loses hope but keeps his courage as he confronts the savage storm.


Get Savage Storm for $0.99 and save 80 percent off list price.
Read an excerpt from the novel:

Savage Storm - Excerpt from Epic Fantasy by Tracy Falbe from Tracy Falbe
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New Release tour with Amazon Gift Card giveaway for Woman of Courage - Exciting Irish Historical Romance

Author: Marlow KellyEditor: Anne Knol -Editor with The Wild Rose PressCover Designer: Debbie Taylor – DCA GraphicsGenre: Steamy Historical Romance


When an injured Fianna Byrne turns up at Connell O’Neill’s gate twelve years after their separation he knows this could be his last chance to find happiness with the woman he loves.
False accusations against Fianna had strained relations between their clans and forced Connell, under Irish law, to divorce her. Their disastrous three-month relationship left Fianna pregnant and heartbroken. She has avoided Duncarraig and her ex-husband ever since.
But with her home obliterated by the Vikings, Fianna must face her past in order to save her son, and prove once and for all she is a woman of courage.

Fianna Byrne scrambled up the steep embankment that circled the hillfort of Duncarraig. Scratches streaked her legs, her body ached, and no matter how much she tried to prevent it, blood seeped into her mouth from a gash at her temple. But these wounds were inconsequential compared to her grief. Her home was gone, destroyed by an attack that began at sundown and ended with the destruction of everything she loved.



She hammered on the wide wooden gates of the fort. Would she be welcomed or turned away? Were old feuds still guiding their decisions? Muffled voices floated down from the rampart, and footfalls echoed on the wooden palisade. They were aware of her presence. She almost prayed they would kill her where she stood. It was what she deserved. As the leader of Clan Byrne, she had failed to protect her people.



She turned to see the sun rising over the eastern horizon. Orange and gold rays danced over the fields, welcoming the dawn. It would be a glorious summer day. On any other morning she would have watched the sunrise, and prepared for the long working day that characterized the season. But all that was gone, obliterated in one hellish night.



Amazon US ~ Amazon CA
Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

After being thrown out of England for refusing to drink tea, Marlow Kelly made her way to Canada where she found love, a home and a pug named Max. She also discovered her love of storytelling. Encouraged by her husband, children and let’s not forget Max, she started putting her ideas to paper. Her need to write about strong women in crisis drives her stories and her curiosity regarding the lives and loves of historical figures are the inspiration for her characters.        

   
A Woman of Honour ~ A Woman of Love
a Rafflecopter giveaway


MoB Promosmagicofbookspromo@gmail.com



A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.

Not 1 but 2 awesome 99 cent Kindle box set deals for fantasy and sci fi fans

"LEGACY" & "LEGENDS" BOX SETS
Complete Books Anthologies — Hot New Release — Vacation Reading Package — Perfect Holiday Gift Idea
LEGENDS Published: November 10, 2015


13 COMPLETE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS FROM YOUR FAVORITE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY AUTHORS.
This box set is comprised of a mix of already released and totally new novels and novellas, all complete works. Those books which are part of a series can be enjoyed fully without the need to read the complete series (though there is a chance you might develop story-addiction issues—for that, we apologize).


Amazon US ~ Amazon CA


ON UNFAITHFUL WINGS (ICARUS FELL #1) — Bruce Blake
To some, death is the end; to others, a beginning. To Icarus Fell, it should have been a relief from a life gone seriously awry.
But death had other plans.
Icarus doesn't believe that the man awaiting him when he wakes up in a cheap motel room is really the archangel Michael, or that God's right hand wants him to help souls on their way to Heaven. Icarus doesn't believe there's a Heaven, so why should they want his help?
But the man claiming to be the archangel tempts him with an offer he can't ignore--harvest enough souls and get back the life he wished he'd had.
It seems Icarus has nothing to lose, until he botches a harvest and the soul that went to Hell instead of Heaven comes back to make him pay by threatening to take away the life he hoped to win back.
To save the wife and son he already lost once, Icarus will have to become the man he never was. Somehow, he will have to learn to believe.
THE UNIVERSE BUILDERS: BERNIE AND THE PUTTY — Steve LeBel
A young god graduates from God School and gets his dream job of building his first universe. Plagued by a school rival and aided by his friends, he struggles to create a world he can be proud of.






BRAIN WAVES — Cherime MacFarlane
CoDee is a brain damaged young man living on a dusty, dirty desert world. He is barely functional but owns an old junk yard. He hates it when dead animals are dumped in the yard. He says it "hurts his heart" to deal with them. The world he lives on caters to the older poorer freighters and trading ships. A ship rescued a member of a feline species with massive injuries. The cat is dumped in his yard barely alive. The female cat asks for CoDee's help. He does the best he can. Cat can help heal him, but first she must mend. 
Cat's efforts to help CoDee reveals memories of the individual who nearly killed him, his father.
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON — Ahmad Taylor
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Take a Suspense filled Action packed journey to the Dark Side of the Moon. The brand new Sci-fi/Suspense/Thriller by Ahmad Taylor.
Government agent Derrick Thomas awakens from a disturbing dream to find a message from his father asking for help. As he sets out to lend his assistance he quickly discovers that not only has his father gone missing, but that a clandestine government agency is out to derail his search before it can begin. After the murders of two of his father's colleagues and the further disappearances of his mother and sister, Derrick is thrust into a battle for the lives of his family while attempting to uncover details of a secret government program which may hold the key to his family's whereabouts. Will he be able to save them and uncover the truth before he becomes the next victim of a government bent on keeping him silent?
SUNSTONE — Holly Barbo
Corruption meets revolution in this steampunk thriller
Before there was a history, the sun goddess Navora visited a moon within her realm that held primitive ocean life. She dipped her staff of power into the primordial sea and stirred. Pleased with what she had wrought, she departed, not at all troubled that a divine spark had touched two small dying sea creatures.
As centuries pass, life on the moon develops into a geothermal steam-powered industrial age. A triumvirate of politicians, banks and corporations bring strain and suffering to the masses they rule over. Unbeknownst to the people of the moon, there may be help. With the gears of time ever moving and trouble spiraling to a crisis point, can three individuals and a handful of fossils prevent a violent revolution?
TRAPT: A TWISTED WOLF TALE — Rene Folsom
Mardi Gras is coming, and no one is more excited than Jolie—The Big Easy’s resident good witch. Amidst the festivities, darkness creeps under the blissful veil of love she is entangled with. Her twin sister, the evil witch Melanie, is out to destroy Jolie before her powers can usurp her own, willing to stop at nothing to do so. Jolie, aided by Asher and his seven-man wolf pack, are set to keep New Orleans safe from Melanie’s sorcery, or die trying.
Enjoy the story of Jolie and Asher, a modern-day retelling of the classic tale Snow White. 
This Mardi Gras season, let the sinful good times roll with Trapt, a Twisted Wolf Tale and part of the Red Hot Cajun Nights multi-author series (stands alone for reading enjoyment).
Warning: This supernatural urban fantasy romance novella contains adult situations and is meant for ages 18+.
GONE — Julie Elizabeth Powell
After Charley dies in her office chair, how is it that she finds herself propelled into the mysterious world of Avalon? 
Upon encountering an essence, which insists is her daughter – the one she knows she left behind – insanity battles with fear inside her mind. 
The further she delves, the more puzzling things appear, especially after she rises into the Orb of Caprice – a realm of fairies, talking flowers and goblins…and something else, something that lurks in the shadows ready to swallow her whole. 
Can she realise in time what it is she must do…or has she left it too late? 
Gone is a story inspired by a true event.
WITCHWOOD ESTATE: GOING HOME — Patti Roberts
There is something very evil lurking in the woods surrounding Witchwood Estate.
Alexandria Santorini learns as a child that she comes from a long line of Harvey witches. Now, as a teenager, Alexandria must say goodbye to Catnip Cottage and the Barnabys, her loving guardians for the last twelve years, and go home to Ferntree Falls to claim her inheritance. Witchwood Estate. The home where she was born and her parents were murdered. Her journey home becomes even more sinister, however, when she discovers that there are those around her who have other plans for her and her new friends…
FROZEN HEART — Ella Medler
Quiet and listless, the glass heart sat hidden under layers of unremarkable clutter, its secret safe. The human hands had touched it often through the strata of debris, but until now, had never uncovered it fully. At last, the yellow duster cut through the grime, and the heart began to shift. It would most likely have frozen over again, up on its high shelf, if the cat’s careless pouncing hadn’t made if fall into a box full of tinsel. This is how the history of time and place began to change — with the story of the frozen heart.



GARNETS — Suzy Stewart Dubot
A 19th century time travel mystery revolves around Garnets. But then, is it really time travelling? 
From early childhood, a young woman has often awakened in the night to find herself in a different bedroom, but she has never encountered another living soul.
And then comes the day when circumstances push her to open a door and look beyond...

SHERDAN’S PROPHECY — Jess Mountifield
The first book in the Sherdan series
“The story is beautifully brought to life with plenty of emotional turmoil … readers will be hooked until the last words.” D. J. Lowbridge, Author
“A strong book about the battle between science and religion without exaggerating either side.” Paul Kater, Author
Sherdan has spent many years planning for the future of the superhuman race he's created. Now he's in control of their land and he is expected to forge a fresh start and provide somewhere safe for them all to live, but Britain's PM has other ideas. On top of this he has to face the one thing he never expected to love.
Anya is on a mission from God; to find out why she has been sent to the heart of Bristol, and what she can do to stop the world being plunged into war. When she finds herself forced to choose between Sherdan with his enzyme fuelled followers and her own country, only her faith can see her through.
Sherdan's Prophecy is a tale of high stakes and political intrigue. A science fiction novel where faith and technology come together to take the human race another step closer to the final showdown. A gritty account of power that shows both the best and the worst of humanity.
OF SOUND MIND — Julie Elizabeth Powell
Jorja always knew she was different. But it wasn’t until she discovered her telekinetic ability that she realised just how different she was.Living with her frail mother and an obsessive, cruel and hated aunt, Jorja grapples with the truth of her being. 
As her story is revealed, other powers are uncovered – not least that she can see other people’s souls in the colours that surround them – and we are led into a surprising and shocking world of fantasy, forcing doubt as to the sanity of the heroine. 
We follow Jorja’s life, delving into her loves, hates and fears though cannot help but delight in the woman she becomes, despite the question which hangs mysteriously in the air. 
It will be up to the reader to decide if Mageia and its diverse inhabitants are indeed real or only the illusionary world created by a disturbed mind, due, not only to grief but also to her persecution by her aunt and the defective qualities of a barbarous doctor. 
Although the story is resolved, questions will remain.
THE UNRAVELING (SAGE SEED CHRONICLES BOOK 3) — Holly Barbo
The Sage Seed Chronicles follows the stories of certain individuals with a psychic gene
There are no monsters on Ose. People can be monstrous enough.
Erin's parents are murdered and she can sense that same malevolent energy hunting her down. With little time to grieve, Erin is forced into hiding and discovers an unusual ability she's never had before -- she can talk to animals!
With the help of her new found animal companions, she eludes the killer. Disguising herself as a boy, she joins the Autumn Gathering and is able to concentrate on the questions she needs to solve: Who killed her parents? Why are they trying to kill her, too?
Quakes, storms, and murders begin plaguing Erin's world and she soon realizes that they're all connected. The fabric of her world is just beginning to unravel...
Legacy (Fantasy Box Set Vol. 2) Published: November 12, 2015

10 COMPLETE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS FROM YOUR FAVORITE FANTASY AUTHORS
LEGACY is an impressive collection of fantasy stories — some darker, some intense, all suspenseful, and every one unique. 10 new worlds to explore, 10 wild adventures, 10 ways to make a new set of best friends. The perfect companion for late nights on the sofa, the perfect gift to those who enjoy a good read. Add it to your favorite kindle with one click now.


Amazon US ~ Amazon CA


WHITE HART — Sarah Dalton
Mae never asked to be craft-born. She never wanted that burden.
The realm needs magic again, and the the King of Aegunlund has been waiting for the first craft-born girl to marry his son, Prince Casimir.
In Mae's town of Halts-Walden, the ambitious miller claims his daughter Ellen is craft-born. Mae knows this is a load of hogwash, but she's glad Ellen will have the unfortunate pleasure of becoming queen instead of her. All she has to do is sit back and wait until Casimir and Ellen are married, then she will finally be free of the threat of her fate. But on that day an event so shocking and terrible occurs that Mae finds herself entering the neighbouring cursed forest on a quest she never thought she'd have to follow.
Join Mae as she rides her white stag through the Waerg Woods with a pampered prince at her heels. She's out for revenge and nothing, no one, will get in her way. 
DESTINY'S WINGS — D.S. Schmeckpeper
Celeste is tired. She just wants to be left alone.
For centuries, the half-blooded elf has hidden herself away from the world and lived in isolation. Things have been peaceful, quiet. But some have a greater calling, a destiny. When the humans unwittingly set about a plan to release the source of all evil back into the world, Celeste is called upon by an old ally to stop them, and to keep all of Altierra safe.
Now she must face her past as she and her allies travel across the continent to save a world she has been apart from for eons. Will even her angelic birthright and druidic powers be enough to stop the rise of the last god?
She never asked to be a hero.
Destiny can be funny that way. 
WANDERING TO BELONG — Jess Mountifield
Aneira has been wandering the lands since her tribe vanished, eight years ago. One day she hopes to find them and get back to a normal life. In the mean time she has to make the most of any help she’s offered along the road, but she isn’t prepared for what might happen when she decides to help back, or when she’s prevented from running away. 
This is a short fantasy story of one girls only desire – to belong. 



WHEN SHADOWS FALL — Bruce Blake
A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the Goddess banished the Small Gods to the sky, leaving the land to mankind alone.
For Prince Teryk, life behind the castle walls is boring and uneventful until he stumbles upon an arcane scroll in a long-forgotten chamber. The parchment speaks of Small Gods, the fall of man, and the kingdom's savior—the firstborn child of the rightful king. It's his opportunity to prove himself to his father, the king, and assure his place in history. All he needs to do is find the man from across the sea—a man who can't possibly exist—and save mankind.
But ancient magic has been put in motion by a mysterious cult determined to see the Small Gods reborn. Powerful forces clash, uncaring for the lives of mortals in their struggle to prevent the return of the banished ones, or aid in their rebirth.
Named in a prophecy or not, what chance does a cocky prince who barely understands the task laid before him stand in a battle with the gods?
PARADOX: THE ANGELS ARE HERE — Patti Roberts
Two Worlds. One Ancient—One New.
Grigori – the original vampires.
Bulguardi – guardian angels.
Long ago, in an almost forgotten realm, the Grigori clash with the Bulguardi in the royal city of Altair.
Their battle changed events in the Ancient World and the New World forever. 
Altair, a realm where a year can last centuries and an Ancient magical people still rule.  Rising up from their most recent imprisonment, the Grigori are on a destructive path of revenge, and Earth becomes their next destination. 
Trapped in the middle, between the old world and the new, a little girl is cursed with horrific visions from past events she does not understand. 
From the Ancient world to the new world on Earth, this is a tale of myth and legend, mayhem and magic, birth and death.
You can run from evil, but you cannot run forever. 
My name is Juliette, and this is my story.
WERELORD THAL: A RENAISSANCE WEREWOLF TALE — Tracy Falbe
He raised his mouth and howled like he never had before. A huge sound trumpeted from his great throat with an intelligent rage that put the world on notice that he would defend his right to live. The sound filled the vale with shuddering energy. Peasants clutched their covers and stared into the darkness. Children whimpered in their little beds. Praying monks faltered in their entreaties to a higher power when the voice of the Earth beneath their knees called them to attention.


THE DRAGIL: BROKEN MAGIC — Holly Barbo
Part of the Tendrils short stories collection.
When Willum, an apprentice book maker, has a nasty fall, he loses all of his memories… including the strictures concerning protective magic for the exquisite miniature dragons called dragilios. Not knowing he is breaking the magic law, and sending the little dragil, Malle, into deadly peril, he draws the friendly, little dragil. 
The moment the picture is finished the protective spell shatters. Her anguished cry as she disappears restores his memory.
Devastated at what he has done and wanting to right the wrong or die trying, Willum undertakes a dangerous quest into the malignant world of the giant leather-winged dragons. Can he find her in time before she is ripped apart and eaten or, if he stays too long in that lethal land, before he becomes stone?
The hourglass sands are slipping away toward the doom of the boy and the fragile little dragil. Can he save them both?
THE AVALON TRILOGY I: THE STAR REALM — Julie Elizabeth Powell
What would you do if you were called to another world…a world filled with seemingly impossible things?
Faced with this choice, Davie, Ben, Anne, Chrissie and Billy embark upon a mysterious quest, finding themselves transported to the spectacular and extraordinary world of Avalon, whereupon they are catapulted into one of the uncountable heptagonal pieces that make up the magical sphere of the Orb of Caprice…namely, the Star Realm.
Follow the exploits of the five and champion their long, arduous yet amazing journey. Though the question remains…will Time be on their side?
This story is for anyone with a head overflowing with dreams, a heart filled with a yearning for adventure and a soul buoyant in magic.
This is the first adventure in the Avalon trilogy. 
THE AVALON TRILOGY II: INVASION — Julie Elizabeth Powell
The children are once again called by the Time Keeper of Avalon and find themselves within the Orb of Caprice, this time joined by Daisy, Billy’s unsuspecting grandmother, where, together, they must find the Key of Light, if all their worlds are to be saved before DarkStar gains control.
The corrupted land of the Dark Reaches is full of mysterious and forbidding creatures, testing friendships and resolve as they battle through this fragmented world in an effort to complete their quest.
Faced with these dangers, they have the added worry about what may have happened to Kimeranet, who has disappeared without a trace.
As the puzzle unravels, not least about Kimeranet’s past, a further mystery develops, as the travellers discover part of the Legend of the Kraal, and meet Kaarvok...but should they trust him? And can they remain united as they struggle through this newly found world?
Follow this next adventure and see if they can again successfully fight to save their friend and home. 
THE AVALON TRILOGY III: SECRETS OF THE ICE — Julie Elizabeth Powell
Secrets Of The Ice is the last of the epic journey for Davie, Ben, Chrissie, Billy, Anne and Daisy. It sees them battle against unrelenting odds within the Dominion of Ice, where they must find the thirteen pieces of the Mystical Pyramid before Lokian can use it to unleash DarkStar and so to bring Elsewhere under its thrall.
There is something they do not realise, however, something that goes back further than the creation of Avalon, but will the secrets be unravelled in time and be enough to show them what they must do and what sacrifices must be made?
Delve into the mystery and find out if they can do it.
MoBmagicofbookspromo@gmail.com

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Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King an awesome first novel

1st Edition cover image from Carrie by Stephen King


Like many readers, I’ve admired Stephen King for years. His talent inspires me, and I really consider him a Titan of modern American literature.

As a teenager and young adult, I read many of his novels, including the biggies It and The Stand. However, I had never read his first novel, Carrie.

I had seen the original movie, which blew me away. The viciousness of the girls struck me as so true to life.

Upon reading the novel, I discovered that Carrie was a masterpiece of a first novel. It is SO deep. The novel strikes at the heart of so many big issues.

One of the most obvious is how extreme Christianity makes Carrie’s mother hate all sexuality. Indeed, she hates womanhood entirely. Her fervor reflects the well-known attribute of Christianity that glorifies the denial of the flesh. Sexuality, particularly female sexuality, is sinful. This warped belief is at the heart of the novel, and the story bears the message that this misguided hatred is deeply destructive.

Another theme in Carrie is more conventional. It’s the link between puberty and the unlocking of power. It’s not just demonstrated through the supernatural telekinetic ability of Carrie. This concept is also shown in the character of Christine who motivates her boyfriend through sex to kill pigs and gather their blood for the awful attack on Carrie at the school dance. Furthermore, another character, Sue, also convinces her boyfriend to ask Carrie to the dance. He does it to be nice, but there is the undercurrent of sex as reward. He will do things to make Sue happy because he loves her but also because she has sex with him.

As for the writing in the novel, it is daring, especially for a first novel. Segments within the novel have an inner stream of consciousness voice overlapping with the outer narrative. Sometimes it’s a bit challenging to follow, but when it clicks, it’s quite brilliant.

This showed the power of King’s writing skill. He made me experience the contradictions between inner thoughts and spoken words. It made me reflect on how this must go on with all of us almost all the time.

The design of the novel is also intriguing. Although it is a horror story, there is very little suspense or surprise. The story weaves a documentary with the live-action story narrative that lets the reader see what really happened. The novel literally contains constant spoilers that tell you what will happen and who will die. The horror arises from knowing what will happen and wishing it won’t but still being compelled to see it through to its completion.

Carrie is a great novel, and especially impressive as a first novel. It is pure Stephen King – a vivid, thought-provoking page-turner.







A note from Tracy Falbe: Be the first to know about my new releases and special sales at Brave Luck Books. Join the Readers' List. Ebooks and audiobooks available worldwide. Print in select countries.