Tag: fantasy

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BBNYA Semi-finalists: Wings and Wounds – Dr S.K. Burkman

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This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

An injured dragon. An ordinary veterinarian. Will their chance encounter lead to salvation or death? Doc only ever wanted to be a “normal” veterinarian for typical dog and cat patients, but her life turns upside down when she discovers that dragons exist… and they need her help.

Doc learns dragon medicine on her own, in secret, terrified that discovery will spell disaster for her incredible, endangered patients, not to mention her career. If that isn’t daunting enough, dragons challenge Doc far more than dogs and cats ever could. Not only are the unpredictable creatures considerably larger than livestock, they have sharp teeth, huge claws, horrid stinky breath weapons, and sometimes belch or sneeze fire. What could possibly go wrong?

Can Doc save the dragons? Will she lose her life in the attempt, or at least her eyebrows? Join the Dragon Doc in Wings and Wounds as she tells of her many frightening, dangerous, and yet hilarious misadventures in the world of dragon medicine.

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On a summer day long ago, Dr. S. K. Burkman climbed a mountain, got sick, and hallucinated a dragon. Thus began a lifelong fascination with dragons, and many, many exhaustion-fueled musings on what they might be like as patients.

Originally from Colorado and British Columbia, Dr. Burkman earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine at Colorado State University. As a busy veterinarian, Dr. Burkman keeps her sanity by writing about dragons. Many of her own adventures and misadventures are woven into her novels. Outside of work and writing, she enjoys hiking, backpacking, kayaking, travel, cake baking and decorating, power tools, DIY projects, and looking for dragons. She has been married to Joshua for over twenty years, and they have one child. Dr. Burkman and her family reside in Idaho with their motley assortment of pets, and maybe, just maybe, a dragon or two.

Find out more on Dr. Burkman’s website, thedragondoc.com. Also, follow Dr. Burkman on social media: Facebook IAmTheDragonDoc, Twitter @iamthedragondoc, and Instagram iamthedragondoc.

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Where Fate Whispers – E.G. Tudor

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

BOOK ONE IN THE FATED PARTNERS TRILOGY

In the Twin Realms of Nos and Sol, Ceridwen Moonshade anxiously awaits the Fated Pair Choosing; she hopes to be partnered with her best friend, Malakai Ostara.

But the Fates have other plans.

Something insidious lurks amongst the shadows, and Ceridwen’s whole life will turn on its head, when an ominous prophecy is foretold. In order to save the realms and stave back the horrors of the lower realm of Fog, she must put aside her own growing feelings for Malakai and do what is right.

But in the process of discovering who she really is, and what she is capable of… will she realise that Fate isn’t always set in stone?

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E.G. Tudor is an award-winning multi-genre author from the original land of myth and legend; Wales. She lives on the beautiful coast with her husband, four children and crazy dog. She loves to connect with her readers and can be found on Twitter: @E_G_Tudor or on Instagram: @from_the_shelf_of_e_g_tudor

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Under the Lesser Moon – Shelly Campbell

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Dragons once led our people across the wastelands, away from storms, and toward hunting grounds.’

That’s what the elders say, but eleven-year-old Akrist has squinted at empty skies his whole life. The dragons have abandoned them, and it’s Akrist’s fault. He’s cursed. Like every other firstborn son, he has inherited the sins of his ancestors. In his camp, he’s the only eldest boy left. Something happened to the others.

Something terrible.

When Akrist befriends Tanar, an eldest boy from another tribe, he discovers the awful truth: they’re being raised as sacrifices to appease the Goddess and win back her dragons. The ritual happens when the dual moons eclipse. Escape is the only option, but Akrist was never taught to hunt or survive the wastelands alone. Time is running out, and he has to do something before the moons touch.

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At a young age, Shelly Campbell wanted to be an air show pilot or a pirate, possibly a dragon and definitely a writer and artist. She’s piloted a Cessna 172 through spins and stalls, and sailed up the east coast on a tall ship barque—mostly without projectile vomiting. In the end, Shelly found writing fantasy and drawing dragons to be so much easier on the stomach.

Shelly’s tales are speculative fiction, tending toward literary with dollops of oddity. She enjoys the challenge of exploring new techniques and subject matter, and strives to embed inspiring stories in her writing.

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: The Warriors of Bhrea; The Lost King – T.M Kohl

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

She’s trapped on another world. With a strange voice in her head. What will it take to get back to Earth?

Lauren Strauss wanted a normal life, but fate had another idea in mind. Plagued by bizarre dreams and questions about her family’s past, Lauren hopes the day of her college graduation will lead to her getting answers…

When she’s caught up in a violent attack that rocks downtown Chicago, her mother arms her with a mysterious amulet which she will soon realize has a mind of its own. Tearing her from Earth and dropping her in an alien place, it abandons Lauren and leaves her to navigate this new world by herself. With the help of a young warrior, she discovers the secrets of her past and a new destiny she must embrace.

She will do anything to return home. But can she?

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T. M. Kohl’s passion is writing fantastic stories with unique worlds, cultures, and languages. Every day, her worlds grow a little bigger as she learns and gets inspired. Her current works include the epic fantasy series, The Warriors of Bhrea. When not writing, she enjoys hiking, playing the piano, and cuddling her cat Loki. Visit her website at www.tmkohl.com

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: The Ventifact Colossus – Dorian Hart

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Banished to an otherworldly prison for centuries, the monstrous Emperor Naradawk is about to break free and wreak havoc upon the world of Spira. The archmage Abernathy can no longer keep the monster at bay, and has summoned a collection of would-be heroes to help set things right.

Surely he made a mistake. These *can’t* be the right people.

Dranko is priest-turned-pickpocket, expelled from his church for his antics. Kibilhathur is a painfully shy craftsman who speaks to stones. Aravia is a wizard’s apprentice whose intellect is eclipsed only by her arrogance. Ernest is a terrified baker’s son. Morningstar is a priestess forbidden from daylight. Tor is a young nobleman with attention issues. Ysabel is an elderly farm woman. Grey Wolf is a hard-bitten mercenary.

None of them are qualified to save the world, but they’ll have to do. Even Abernathy himself seems uncertain as to why he chose them.

What starts with a simple scouting mission soon spirals into something more far-reaching and sinister. The heroes will contest with dream warriors, evil cultists, sentient gemstones, and a devious yet infuriatingly polite gentleman with a perfect mustache, on their way to a desperate encounter with the unstoppable: The Ventifact Colossus.

The Ventifact Colossus is Book One of The Heroes of Spira.

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Dorian Hart is the author of the five-book Heroes of Spira epic fantasy series, which starts with The Ventifact Colossus.

In a bygone century, Dorian graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in creative writing. This led circuitously to a 20-year career as a video game designer, where he contributed to many award-winning titles including Thief, System Shock, System Shock 2, and BioShock.

Now he writes books in his Boston-area study, serves as the stay-at-home dad for his two daughters, plays as much pickleball as he can arrange, and happily allows his wife to drag him off on various wilderness adventures.

You can find him online at:

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DorianHart 

Bluesky: @dorianhart.bsky.social

books

Cover Reveal: In The Shadows – L.B. August

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Amidst a realm on the brink of chaos, two souls collide in “In The Shadows,” defying gods and risking everything for love, in a captivating tale of power, sacrifice, and the battle between destiny and desire.

Goodreads

To be published February 2024

Born and raised in Ohio, where she still resides with her spouse, young child, and sweet senior dog, L.B. August’s most significant memories are Cedar Point and failing Hooked on Phonics (true story). Thrill seeking and difficulty reading followed L.B. into adulthood until, in 2022, she discovered a genre that tapped into the excitement of escapism and world building while capturing her attention and turning her into a voracious reader of fantasy. As she devoured book after book, L.B. found herself desperately wanting to read more empowered female characters within the genre, so she set off to write her own. Encouraged by her best friend, she wrote her debut novel, In The Shadows. Now she can be found hyper-fixating on new projects, downing copious amounts of black coffee, and pretending to be a corporate professional, all while crafting intricate, rich stories with captivating characters that she hopes will pass on her newfound passion for reading.

Social media:

Cover reveal organised by Zooloo’s Book Tours

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: The Trouble With Fairies – Emma Bradley

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Welcome to Arcanium, where the fairies never play fair

All Demi Darcy dreams of is a new life. Tormented by her human sisters for being born part-fairy, she wants to find somewhere she can truly belong. When she is invited to join Arcanium, one of the most prestigious organisations that oversees all Faerie realms, she believes it’s her big chance.

But all is not well in Faerie. Despite her best efforts to stay out of trouble, Demi soon stumbles on a plot to murder the Queen by an outcast group of Court Fae. Their goal? Return Faerie to the dark days of old, when humans were used for sport and half-breed fairies were ostracised.

Letting the Queen die isn’t something Demi’s willing to do, but neither is ruining her chance at a new life. A choice must be made, but time is short and life in Faerie soon turns out to be more dangerous than Demi’s darkest nightmares.

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Emma lives on the UK south coast with her husband, her plant collection and a very lazy black Labrador who occasionally condescends to take her out for a walk. Aside from creative writing studies, an addiction to cereal and spending far too much time procrastinating on social media, Emma is still waiting for the arrival of her unicorn. Or a tank, she’s not fussy.

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: The Trials of Ashmount – John Palladino

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Cedain is destined to collapse.

Across a world rife with blood, betrayal, and brutality, five people wade through unexpected tragedies.

An egotistical student, a fleeing refugee, a nomadic warrior, a fallen noble, and a criminal in hiding navigate the sinister dealings of politicians, two sudden wars, and nefarious lies that surface at Ashmount-a university dedicated to teaching the five branches of magic.

Survival means adapting or dying.

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blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Grievar’s Blood – Alexander Darwin

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In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight in the Circles so that the rest can remain at peace. But given the stakes, things are never so simple. The Daimyo govern from the shadows and plot to gain an edge by unnaturally enhancing their Grievar Knights.

Cego and his team enter year two at the world’s most prestigious combat school, the Lyceum. Though he’d like to focus on his martial studies, Cego feels the pull of his mysterious past and two missing brothers.

Solara Halberd, daughter of the fighting legend, embarks on her own quest to bury the past. She must utilize every lesson her father taught her to explore unknown lands where evil lurks in the shadows.

My thoughts: as Cego and his friends continue their training under the elite Grievar masters of the Lyceum, and Solara goes to claim her father’s remains, we are drawn into a much more complex and darker conspiracy.

There are those who seek to disrupt the way of life that has kept the grievar subservient, fighting for the Daimyo and settling matters of state hand to hand. Tired of being seen as disposable, they decide to use their strength to rise up.

Cego’s brother Silas, having appeared briefly in the first book, is working his way across the Kyrothian empire, winning his fights, but he seems to be a little…odd and his new squire is somewhat scared of him. Possibly with good reason.

Solara uncovers all manner of things on her solo adventure – undercover as a member of an island lord’s stable of fighters but are her new friends who they seem to be?

As events begin to coalesce and various paths head to intersect, we learn more about the history and the world these elite fighters inhabit and how the Codes they live by came to be.

Cego is in realy trouble and Murray isn’t back from his own quest in time to save his protégé, how crucial are Cego and his brothers to the future of their world?

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: Umbrate – A.D. Jones

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Welcome to Dalton

Home to Humans, Dwarves, Elves and the shadowy Umbral Populace.

Detective Vanic Bradley works hard to keep the peace, coming down hard on the criminal underbelly of the city.

After putting his life on the line multiple times in recent weeks, all he wanted was a day off work to spend time with his son, and re-evaluate his place in the world – but forces beyond his control have other ideas.

For reasons unknown, he will find himself in a race against time as two hundred innocent citizens become collateral damage in a murderous plot centred around him.

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A.D Jones lives in the North of England; where he spends his time favouring books over people and can be found writing or devouring said books to review online. He loves Cola, Twin Peaks, cult movies and all things horror. He dislikes the movie ‘The Karate Kid’ with a passion that burns brighter than the sun.

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My thoughts: this was an interesting take on an alternate version of our world, where humans live alongside elves, dwarves and a race of people known as umbrals. The umbrals are black, with razor sharp claws and a sensitivity that means they turn invisible in sunlight. For the most part the different species rub along, but there are always tensions.

When detective Vanic Bradley gets involved in a hostage situation with his young son, it seems to be aimed at him. Could the killer be related to his latest case, or is it more personal?

Exploring prejudice and unconscious bias, this is an intelligent and intriguing fantasy thriller.

I also really want to know why the author hates the Karate Kid so much!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.