Book Review Alert: The Silent Blade by Jacob Peppers

Reviewed: January 8th, 2026
Released: October 5th, 2017
Genre: Grimdark Fantasy

Sometimes, coin isn’t enough.

Sometimes, blood is the only payment worth taking.

The Downs, the poor district of the city of Avarest, is home to cutthroats and thieves, pickpockets and prostitutes, all of whom pay tribute to one of two powerful crime bosses. It is also home to Aaron Envelar, a disillusioned sellsword known as the Silent Blade, who cares nothing for the criminal overlords or their schemes, who only wants to survive and make a little coin in the process.

But when a group of unwitting thugs steal his mother’s necklace, the only link he has to his murdered parents, and leave him for dead, Aaron decides that sometimes, surviving isn’t enough. Sometimes, vengeance is the only answer.

After all, when you take everything from a man… What else does he have to lose?

Read My Thoughts…

Sentinals Origins Part Two receives a Wishing Shelf Five Star review!

Have you read Sentinals Origins Part Two yet? The eighth book in the award winning Sentinal Series.

The Wishing Shelf Book Awards has given it a Five Star review.

Birler, Tagerill and Serill have accepted the Lady’s invitation to become her personal guards, her Sentinals. They roam the territories of Remargaren in the name of the Lady, protecting those who can’t protect themselves.

But the threat against Lady Leyandrii is growing and Captain Guerlaire is in the Ascendants sights. He has been too successful in disrupting their plans and now time is running out, for him and the Sentinals. The Ascendants are determined to kill them all and show Leyandrii, once and for all, that they hold the power in Remargaren.

Birlerion’s discovery of his innate magic, offers Leyandrii an alternate path, but it’s a last resort and as Leyandrii teaches him how to control it, she is desperate to find another solution.

As the final confrontation looms and the natural world buckles under the backlash from the reckless use of magic, Leyandrii has one last throw to try and save their world from ruin and destruction, but will any of them live to tell the tale?

Click HERE to Purchase Your Copy Today!

Editorial Book Review:

By Wishing Shelf Reviewer

“A superbly plotted fantasy adventure with a strong cast of memorable characters. Highly recommended!” The Wishing Shelf www.thewsa.co.uk

REVIEW

A good book this! But I’m a fantasy fan ; ‘epic’ is my middle name, so a magical saga like this is perfect for me. It’s the second part of SENTINALS ORIGINS and I have to say, I was enjoying this book so much, I stopped reading it, grabbed a copy of the first, read that – also excellent – then went back to part two! My next job will be to start the other ‘Sentinals’ novels, six in all – I’m going to be busy!

So, why did I enjoy it so much? Well, to be perfectly honest, it’s the planning. You see, a lot of epic fantasy is badly planned and, as a result, it all gets very complicated and confusing, often in the last third of the book when the author can’t work out how to end things. But Helen Garraway hasn’t fallen into this trap. Using alternative POVs, she’s constructed a complex – but never too complex – fantasy adventure with a strong LOTR feel to it.

So, if you happen to be on the lookout for a smartly plotted, character-driven adventure with clever twists and populated with the sort of characters you can enjoy rooting for, then this book is for you. Saying that, I would recommend reading part one first. You don’t have to – part two works as a standalone – but why wouldn’t you? The first book’s a gem too!

Now, I need to go and buy a copy of Sentinals Awaken; let’s see if that’s just as good.

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series or the Romantic Fantasy SoulMist series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and also Sentinals Discovery, the first few chapters of Sentinals Awaken from Birlerion’s POV and get notified when my next books are published.

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Sentinals Origins Part One is a Finalist in the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

The excitement is rising as I announce that Sentinals Origins Part One is a FINALIST in the Chanticleer International Book Award’s (CIBA) 2025 for OZMA Fantasy.

The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Magic, Steampunk and Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs). These titles have moved forward in the second round from all 2025 OZMA Fantasy Fiction entries to the 2025 Ozma Book Awards Short List.

These titles have moved forward from the 2025 OZMA Fantasy Fiction Semi-Finalists to the 2025 Ozma Book Awards Finalists. Finalists will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

CIBA will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA.

Congratulations to all the Finalists:

Abigail O’Bryan – Iron Rose
B.L. Mostyn – Heroes of Another Age
David Nos – The Final War of Wizards and Dragons
C.R. Ware – All We Have to Remember: Volume One of the Seventh Layer Saga
Crystal D. Grant – Lightshed
Evette Davis – The Gift
Helen Garraway – Sentinals Origins Part One
J.A. Nielsen – The Winter Heir (Fractured Kingdoms, Book 2)
J.C. Wade – Summer’s Reaping
Jason P. Crawford – The Trials of Poseidon
Jeffrey L. Kohanek – The First Wizard
Nikhil Prabala – The Duchess of Kokora
Nikki Mccormack – Child of Vanris (The Warden’s Son Book 1)
Palmer Pickering – Dark Town
R. M. Krogman – Sundering
Richard M Wagner – The Chronicles of Amerista: Griefold
S.G. Blaise – Eldryan Elders
Sean M. Tirman – Dreamweavers LLC
Simran Sadana – Itehas
Ted Neill – Lost Elawn
William H. Johnston – Shards of Unbroken Will

See full details on CIBA website.

👀 Series link

Wild magic is rife in the world of Remargaren and a shadowy group of dissidents have discovered how to exploit the power for their own purposes.

The goddess, Leyandrii, and her Captain, Guerlaire, must face down this new threat and protect the people from unseen dangers. As Guerlaire learns to wield his own power, three new cadets with the potential to change the world are beginning their journey to become Lady’s Rangers.

Drawn from the back streets of Vespers, a young boy is thrust into a world beyond his comprehension. Battling bigotry and violence, Birler will need to navigate the Rangers’ Academy while grappling with unexpected ties of friendship, a tantalising found family, and embrace ancient magical powers.

A heartwarming tale of friendship and family is set against a backdrop of bigotry and violence in a world where wild magic can precariously tip the balance. Birler and his new friends will have to fight their own battles, not only to earn the right to become rangers but to help Leyandrii and Guerlaire restore the natural balance and defend their world.

This is the first part of the prequel to the award winning Sentinal series.

Book Review Alert: Daughter of Flood and Fury by Levi Jacobs

Reviewed: January 5th, 2026
Released: April 13th, 2021
Genre: YA/Epic Fantasy

Aletheia was born a heresy: a girl with a man’s magic, in a city where monks and witches are mortal enemies. Training in her powers only under her father’s protection, head of the monastery, she shocks everyone by becoming the best seer in generations.

Until her father is murdered. A suicide, they call it, but she knows the truth: he was murdered for his heresy. For her. Now she must make a harrowing choice: disown everything her father stood for to stay alive, or flee the temple and seek to expose his killers, even as they hunt her down.

Read My Thoughts…

… and 2025 is a wrap!

Another year has passed, and it’s that time of year when you look back at what you achieved last year and plan for the next. This year we reached the five year anniversary of publishing my debut novel, and now I have 13 books published, 6 audiobooks, been a contributing author to four anthologies, one kickstarter, and written four novellas for my newsletter subscribers.

I hope you downloaded the bonus free novella, Sentinals of Stoneford, set in the world of the Sentinals series which I wrote as thankyou to all my newsletter subscribers. Your support makes writing so fulfilling, and your enthusiam for my characters makes me want to write more!

Anyhow, back to what I achieved in 2025, and what’s in store for 2026?

I published two books, one novella, and one short story

May 3rd: Secret Alliance in the Reign of Dragons Anthology (Kickstarter-Short story)
May 5th: Sentinals Origins Part One
Dec 1st: Sentinals Origins Part Two
23rd December: Sentinals of Stoneford, Novella 4.5 Sentinal series (Free for Newsletter subscribers)

My books won more Awards!!

Sentinals Destiny
- Global Book Awards Winter 2025 Finalist/GOLD medal for Epic Fantasy
Sentinals Origins Part One
- Short listed for the 2025 CIBA OZMA Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction
OblivionGate
- Global Book Awards Winter 2025 Finalist/Silver

So what’s in store for 2026? Well I have plans for more books! Ready for a brand new epic fantasy series?

Book One: Forged by Betrayal and Blood, Celestial Throne series. Release date TBC 1H25, currently on preorder.
Book Two: Celestial Throne series: Release date TBC
Sentinals Series Collection 1 : Anthology of novellas originally released to newsletter subscribers only.
- Sentinals Discovery (Novella 1.5)
- Sentinals and Guardians (Novella 2.5)
- Sentinals of Stoneford (Novella 4.5)

Other goals:

More formal Marketing plan to grow sales
Open a Tiktok shop
Create a Sentinals Wiki site (still a stretch goal!!)

So plenty to keep me busy outside of the day job!

Work continues to take up most of my brain power as I was promoted and took on more responsibility. Which meant it was more difficult to focus on writing in the evenings and weekends.

I am very proud that I still managed to write and release two books, both of which hit the number one new release spot on Amazon Classic Fantasy, wrote the first draft of a book in a brand new epic fantasy series, participated in a kickstarter, and wrote a 35k word novella for my newsletter subscribers. In total that was over 400,000 words in 2025!

I know 2026 will be just as productive. I look forward to sharing the results with you throughout the year. Once again – Thank you for all your support, I hope you stay with me as we continue this amazing journey. Follow my blog or sign up to my newsletter to get the news first!

OblivionGate wins SILVER in the Global Book Awards

I am so thrilled to announce that OblivionGate the third book in the Fantasy Romance SoulMist Series won the silver medal in the 2025 Global Book Awards in the Fantasy-Paranormal category.

The 2025 Global Book Awards for Self-Published Authors.

The Global Awards aim to discover new talent as well as recognize fine examples of self-published books. As such, we hope they will give self-published authors the recognition they deserve, whether that is in their writing creativity, or in the way they have marketed their books to attract new readers.

In this modern age of self-publishing, books need to be appraised not only by their content and writing style, but also by the way they present and market themselves to the prospective buyer, whether that is in the good ratings it has on important stores like Amazon, its book cover and description, or the number of reviews it has collected. They must also appeal to new readers so part of the evaluation included a survey asking avid readers to select the top 5 books they enjoyed the most.

The awards are grouped by category (or genre) and divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Award Finalists.

Grab your copy today!

Having survived Apologia and faced down the Angelic Assembly, Demavrian has every right to be feeling triumphant, but the threat hanging over his head from the vengeful god, Kaenera, is enough to snuff out any celebrations.

His fledglings are distraught and in disarray, Solanji’s brother is still without a soul and Solanji has no idea how her SoulBreathing works. He has no idea how to manage the Oblivion Gate and even with his Gate Wraith’s help, the burden of the soulless banging on the door may be his undoing.

Kaenera is poised to strike back and if Demavrian doesn’t learn the secrets of the Oblivion Gate fast enough, he may be the shortest lived Gate Keeper in history.

OblivionGate is the third enthralling book in the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series full of vibrant characters, political intrigue and betrayal.

Read for free on Kindle Unlimited

Sentinals Destiny wins GOLD in the Global Book Awards

I am so thrilled to announce that Sentinals Destiny, the sixth book in the epic fantasy Sentinal Series won the gold medal in the 2025 Global Book Awards in the Epic Fantasy category.

The 2025 Global Book Awards for Self-Published Authors.

The awards are grouped by category (or genre) and divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Award Finalists.

Grab your copy today!

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE SENTINAL SERIES

Birlerion’s leave of absence is up and it’s time for him to return to work. Before he has time to sit behind his desk, or discover the source of the brooding threat that is hovering over him, he is sent off to Terolia to negotiate with the Families for a bride. The succession must be protected and it’s time for King Anders to marry.

As he travels through the deserts, he realises that it is the Veil that is hunting him, and it wants his blood. But no one will listen to his concerns about the Veil. The healers believe he is struggling to adjust after his recent traumas. Their arguments are persuasive and overrule saner minds.

Betrayed by those he loves, driven by an oath invoked by the king, and with only Jaredion and Leyarille to protect him, Birlerion goes on the run across Vespiri, Terolia and into the islands of Birtoli, the home of the Oath. If he doesn’t discover a way to stop the Veil from killing him, it will not only be his life that is lost, it will be all of Remargaren that is destroyed.

Book six of the Sentinals Series, Sentinals Destiny, is the final book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.

Read for free in Kindle Unlimted

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series or the Romantic Fantasy SoulMist series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

Sentinals Destiny and OblivionGate are finalists in the Global Book Awards

I am so thrilled to announce that Sentinals Destiny, the sixth book in the epic fantasy Sentinal Series and OblivionGate the third book in the Fantasy romance SoulMist series are both a finalists in the 2025 Global Book Awards.

The 2025 Global Book Awards for Self-Published Authors.

The awards are grouped by category (or genre) and divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Award Finalists.

Grab your copy today!

Book six of the Sentinals Series, Sentinals Destiny, is the final book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.

Kaenera is poised to strike back and if Demavrian doesn’t learn the secrets of the Oblivion Gate fast enough, he may be the shortest lived Gate Keeper in history.

OblivionGate is the third enthralling book in the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series full of vibrant characters, political intrigue and betrayal.

Book Review Alert: The Blade Mage by Phillip Drayer Duncan

Reviewed: December 12th, 2025
Released: June 5th, 2020
Genre: Urban Fantasy

The sword chooses its wielder.

I never asked to be Blade Mage. My fellow wizards weren’t thrilled, either. Unfortunately, those weird old druids have a strict no returns policy.

So I left, and for the past few years, I’ve hidden from my responsibilities. But I always knew one day the Cabal would come looking for its precious sword.

And so they have, but only because a heinous crime has occurred…

A sorcerer has used forbidden magic to slay a fellow wizard. It’s an open and shut case. The killer admitted it. He also stands accused of kidnapping a child, who is still missing, but they say that isn’t my problem. No, as Blade Mage, I’m not supposed to play paranormal detective. The Cabal only expects one thing of me—they want me to play executioner.

Problem is…

The accused is my best friend.

And before I chop off his head, I want to know the truth. But the path is filled with shifty wizards, fearsome witches, insidious demons, and supernatural conspirators at every turn.

It ain’t easy being the Blade Mage.

Read My Thoughts…

A week to go – Come and meet me at the Newbury Craft and Gift Market

When: Saturday 6th, December, 10am-4pm

Where: Newbury Methodist Church, located at the junction of Northbrook Street and Albert Road.

FREE Entry

Last in person event before Christmas. Have a booklover in the family?

I’ll have my latest release, Sentinals Origins Part Two, in paperback, and you can get the Sentinals Origins duology at a special show offer price.

Do your booklovers love dragons? Then I will have a limited number of the most amazing fantasy anthology with foiled cover, sprayed edges, beautiful artwork and 18 dragon-themed stories. The ideal present for your bookdragon hoarder!

Come and peruse the variety of stalls in this vibrant market and find some christmas gifts and a new book to read. Everyone welcome.

Already bought my book and want it signed? Then I’m happy to sign your book for you.

If there is a specific book you want, then please let me know, so I make sure I bring enough copies and can reserve one for you, as now I have 15 books, I am limited by the number of books I can fit in my car!

Hope to see you there.