Book Review Alert: A Wolf So Grim and Mangy by Caroline Noe

Reviewed: September 3rd, 2023
Released: September 20th, 2022
Genre: Humourous Fantasy
Format: Paperback

A Land of Darkness drowns in despair.
It’s called My Office.

When I’m not typing manifests, I churn out fantasy books no-one reads.
Less Young Adult, more MAD: Middle Aged Disappointment.
So, when I’m gifted a magic book for Secret Santa, I can’t believe my luck.

One miserable ‘Once Upon a Time’ later and I’m marooned on a frozen mountain, heaving with weirdos, biting each other’s throats.

The Snake’s oily,
The Eagle’s bald,
The Bear’s accident prone,
My ‘Handsome Prince’ is more cheesed off Wolf, busy scratching, and I’ve no idea who the Villain is (unless it’s me).

Worst of all…
I’ve no way home and the Mangy Wolf’s got the hots for me.

Growing old is no fairytale. Read my thoughts…

Book Review Alert: Mosiac by R.A Harrison

Reviewed: August 31st, 2023
Released: September 1st, 2023 (Launch day!!)
Genre: Science Fantasy
Format: ARC- Paperback

Declared a renegade
The life you knew in shatters
How do you pick up the pieces?

Bekah and Lan are young professionals, at the beginnings of their careers, but have fallen foul of the Consortium, the huge mining and industrial conglomeration with its stranglehold on the colonies. Into their lives comes the enigmatic Zandra, with a secret so well hidden not even she knows of it, but which will change all of their lives. But an invitation from Captain Pendryl, to join him aboard the Caladrius, may provide the solution they are all searching for.

Crewed almost entirely by the Gifted, the Caladrius will be the flagship of a taskforce protecting telepaths and telekinetics in the colonies. But the mission is not without danger … too many of the colonies have become isolationist and regressive, and see the Gift as witchcraft.

Read my thoughts…

SoulBreather FINALIST in the Global Book Awards

Even more excitement is in the air! Double the celebration! Can you feel it? Not only has Sentinals Justice reached the finals, but so has SoulBreather, the first book in the Fantasy Romance/Paranormal Romance SoulMist Series, which has made it through to the Finals for the 2023 Global Book Awards in the Paranormal Fantasy category.

Now we wait for the final placements to be announced by September 7th, 2023.

The 2023 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!

If you fall in love with the shadows, does that mean you are fallen too?

A dying angel. A fractured realm. The mortal who might be able to save them both.

Solanji has a secret. One that is becoming increasingly difficult to keep. She can touch souls and see into a person’s inner thoughts. Soulbreathing is exhilarating and addictive, until the day Solanji caresses the wrong person’s soulmist.

Dragged into a long forgotten angelic mystery, she is forced to venture into Eidolon, the godforsaken last resort for those without souls. In order to save her brother, she must rescue a broken and tortured man. Can she save him from the shadows? Does he even want to be saved? And can she find a way to return to the light before the darkness engulfs them both?

SoulBreather is the first book in the fantasy romance SoulMist series.

Originally published as part of the USA Today Bestselling Realm of Darkness anthology.
Receipient of a Reader’s Favorite Five Star Review

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.

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Sentinals Justice FINALIST in the Global Book Awards

Excitement is in the air! Can you feel it? Sentinals Justice, the third book in the epic fantasy Sentinal Series has made it through to the Finals for the 2023 Global Book Awards in the Epic Fantasy category.

Now we wait for the final placements to be announced by September 7th, 2023.

The 2023 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!

Lost guardians. Tensions brewing in the frozen north. Can a goddess-appointed champion prevent a looming war?

Jerrol Haven’s last run-in with evil has left deep scars. Recovering from the torture that damaged him mentally and physically, the guilt-ridden commander searches for the whereabouts of one of his captured allies. But he feels the chance to rescue the awakened sentinal slipping away when his king requests his aid in peace negotiations at a remote and unstable border.

Accompanied by his beloved, Jerrol arrives at his destination only to discover the enemy’s corruption running rife. And after he’s cut down by a shocking betrayal, the skilled soldier’s destiny plunges into bloody chaos.

Can he overcome his failures to forge a desperate victory?

Sentinals Justice is the thrilling third book in the Sentinal epic fantasy series. If you like courageous characters, action-packed suspense, and gritty battles, then you’ll love Helen Garraway’s emotional rollercoaster ride.

Book Review Alert: Sea of Souls by N.C Scrimgeour

Reviewed: August 25th, 2023
Released: August 4th, 2023
Genre: Folklore Fantasy

Dark be the water, and darker still the creatures that lurk within…

Free-spirited Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves.

But when tragedy calls Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running from. Selkie raiders have been terrorising the island’s coasts, and when they strike at Blackwood Estate, Isla is forced to flee with her hot-headed brother and brooding swordmaster.

To avenge her family and reclaim her home, Isla will have to set aside old grudges and join forces with an exiled selkie searching for a lost pelt. The heirloom might be the key to stopping the bloody conflict—but only if they can steal it from the island’s most notorious selkie hunter, the Grand Admiral himself.

Caught between a promise to the brother she once left behind and an unlikely friendship with the selkie who should have been her enemy, Isla soon realises the open seas aren’t the only treacherous waters she’ll need to navigate.

As enemies close in on all sides, she must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie if she wants to save what’s left of her family—and find the belonging she’s been searching for.

Sea of Souls is a dark fantasy filled with selkie folklore, ancient magic and high-seas adventure. Perfect for fans of Scottish-inspired settings and dark mythological creatures. Read My Thoughts …

Book Review Alert: Recruitment by K.A Riley

Reviewed: August 20th, 2023
Released: November 28th, 2018
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy

In the Valta, no matter what month you were born, everyone is assigned the same birthday. November 1st. It’s the anniversary of the day when the government declared war on the Eastern Order.
The day you turn seventeen, the Recruiters come to take you away. And no one ever hears from you again.

It’s October 31st. Today, Kress is sixteen years old.
Tomorrow, she’ll be taken.

The good news? So will her best friend Cardyn, and Brohn, the handsome, enigmatic boy she’s avoided all her life.

The bad news?

Recruitment isn’t what any of them expected.

Weeks of training await. Military and psychological tests, escape rooms, hand-to-hand combat. The Recruits are told they’re the key to winning the war. But with each day that passes, things begin to make less sense.
If only Kress had been able to bring her trained raven, Render, with her.
If only none of them had ever had to come to this place. Read my thoughts…

Book Review Alert: A Descent of Dragons by Jasmine Young

Reviewed: August 15th, 2023
Released: July 31st, 2023
Genre: Epic Fantasy

One hatchling’s fall will break a continent.

A hatchling will descend from the skies.

It will forever change the fate of one rider.

But this is far from a dragon. Better that it had never come at all.

This is the portentous truth about what caused it to fall into the world of men…

An event that will precede the breaking of a continent.

Only available by subscribing to Jasmine Young’s Epic Legends mailing list.

Read my thoughts…

Book Review Alert: The Stone of Time by Pamela Chartrand

Reviewed: August 13th, 2023
Released: July 31st, 2023
Genre: Wicca Fantasy

When you recognize your destiny, you’ll know what to do.

Paige Delaney is coming to terms with her identity as a bloodline witch. Although she’s one of the most powerful of her line, she struggles to access her magical gifts.

Returning to the Wiccan bonfire, she receives a mystical vision of a monk attacking a hooded figure, and she knows she must pursue it. She travels to France to find the enigmatic bookseller who introduced her to the sacred text that started it all. With his mentorship, and the mysterious Stone of Time, she time-travels to 14th-century Avignon on a daring mission to rescue the Herbarium.

There, she meets the Companion who is attempting to save the life of a young man, but risks falling into a trap set by the Papal counsel.

Overwhelmed, Paige fears her tenuous grasp on her powers will fail.

And when fate reunites her with her timeless love, Paige must make a heart-wrenching choice—

Return to the present, or remain and leave behind everything she knows and holds dear. Read My Thoughts …

Indie Author Blog: Self Care

This week has been really busy. I am finalising my latest book for launch. Creating the marketing plan for the launch and all the supporting promotional assets and activities. Trying to set up a webstore so I can sell audiobooks direct. Working with two design agencies on two separate book covers. Dealing with offers from book vendors. Ordering all the stuff I need for physical IRL book fairs and the insurance that’s needed to go with it, and on top of that my daughter is home visiting from Canada and it is all TOO MUCH!

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

I have realised I cannot do it all, and it’s ok to take a breath and stop for a moment. Not everything needs to be done today, and I need to prioritise my daughter being home and enjoy her company while I can.

Then I’ll get back to the chaos of the self publishing world. Maybe prioritise my list so I can actually do some writing. I desperately need to do some brainstorming too, as I have lots of thoughts I need to capture for a book that’s currently in my head.

Maybe it is time to consider delegating some things to someone else, if I can figure out how to let go of it!

I suppose what I am trying to say, is that not everything needs to be done this minute. So make a list, Helen. Prioritise it with realistic due dates and don’t let it all overwhelm you. The webstore can wait. Enjoy time with my daughter first. (I have tickets for the Hundreds! A day of watching cricket is a first step!)

After that, I need to get the books and merch for the book fairs, (If you are in Marlow on September 2nd then come to the Marlow Indie Book Fair and say hello,) and then the book launch is the priority, and make time to write, because that is the reason I am doing this in the first place. Because I love writing, and if this was an ideal world, then all I would be doing is writing.

See, I am writing this blog and I’ve calmed down already! Writing is my therapy. I hope you find something that you enjoy and relaxes you when life gets that little bit too stressful.

If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal 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.

Book Review Alert: Salvage Right by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Reviewed: August 9th, 2023
Released: July 4th, 2023
Genre: Space Opera

A door never closes, but a window opens . . .

With origins in the Old Universe, the malevolent, acquisitive intelligence of Tinsori Light sought to infect others with itself and send those agents out into the wide new universe to infect even more.

For centuries, two heroes stood between Tinsori Light and the vulnerable universe—Light Keepers Jen Sin yos’Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat.

Just when it seemed that they—merely human—must fail, Tinsori Light, enfeebled by aged systems, succumbed to the stress of a unique spatial event—and died, leaving the station a shell.

Luckily, the light keepers have back-up. A mismatched team of arcane specialists are on-station, working nonstop to preserve the Light, build trustworthy systems, and open the refurbished station for business.

In fact, ships are already incoming, and it becomes a matter of urgency to sort friend from foe. In particular, the Lyre Institute wishes to acquire Tinsori Light, and will do anything, spend anyone, to achieve that goal. Read My Thoughts…