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 …
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!
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.
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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…
Reviewed: August 6th, 2023 Released: January 12th, 2023 Genre: Science Fiction
Princesses are born to defend their people.
Being the best Imperial Air Force cadet, spending time with her friends and maybe meeting a cute boy is all Princess Astrid Zainab Korsning better known as Izzy wants.
If only Yanar, her country, was not at war with Petra.
If only she wasn’t forced to become regent while her mother was fighting on the front lines.
If only she had not come face to face with the unknown enemies while investigating signs of infiltration on earth by dark forces.
If only she was not in danger of falling in love with the wrong boy during her first trip to London.
Princesses are born to die for their people
The kingdom of Petra: once upon a time the best place in the galaxy for art, literature and music. That was until the war against The Alliance, a federation of planets led by the Yan empire.
Their last hope for victory, travelling to a planet of savages named Earth and attacking from the inside, their most powerful country, Yanar.
The Hendus: survivors of a dead world, desperate for a new home.
Their last hope for survival, finalising the colonisation of Earth from the shadows which they started 200 years ago.
The Backhand : Marginalised group of nature lovers, forbidden from practicing their religion by Yanar.
Their last hope for revenge, the alienation of the Members of the Tens, Yanar’s aristocracy and the imperial family.
Petra, Hendu and The Backhand agree, the empire must fall.
And it starts with the death of a 17-year-old princess. The only problem, Izzy is not just a princess, she is also an Omni, a human who possesses five supernatural powers. Read My Thoughts….
Reviewed: August 1st, 2023 Released: April 21st, 2021 Genre: Paranormal Romance
Nothing happens in Wakefield…
But Josephine “Jo” Ligaya wakes up to find Alexa Ocampo, standing next to her window, black hair illuminated by the moonlight, gazing out of the frosted glass. No reason exists in Jo’s solitary world for the cheerleader to be in her room—except for two. She died and found her way to the young medium. The missing girl. Dead at eighteen.
Forced to join forces with Julian Taylor, the town’s celebrated athlete and a former friend, she must traverse the land mines of the spiritual realm and the equally intense halls of Wakefield High. This unlikely pair—a high school loner and a popular jock—must learn to work together to find the remains of a murdered teen with only communications from the dead as their guide.
Night Orchid is a coming-of-age tale of severed friendships, broken promises and the enduring powers of love. It’s Ghost Whisperer, but with hot-tempered teenagers and a strong female lead. Get ready for a wild ride.
*Strong language, sexual innuendos and violence. Night Orchid touches on mental health issues and unhealthy coping mechanisms (ie: alcohol abuse, drugs, a habit that resembles cutting). Please take caution if any of these themes trigger you. Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: July 25th, 2023 Released: June 1st, 2023 Genre: Epic Fantasy
Eleven paladins walk into a monastery. Only one knows it’s a trap.
When Victoriana Greenmantle is summoned to represent her paladin order in an unusual quest, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Having just witnessed the horrific death of her mentor, she is barely a paladin at all. Worse, she has a trapped demon on her hands and if anyone discovers she hasn’t quite managed to cast it out, she will be made to suffer consequences worse than death.
The summoning requires Victoriana to journey to the newly revealed Aching Monastery and there to search for and recover the fabled Cup of Tears on behalf of her order.
But her order is not the only one seeking this relic. And her rivals are stronger, smarter, more experienced and just as motivated as she is. Will this cynical paladin have the faith to find the truth?
When Adalbrand Von Menticure is summoned to the Aching Monastery he is unamused. Far from his holy work healing the sick and injured, this quest seems a waste of his time. But when the murders start and he’s thrown together unwittingly with a young female paladin who keeps breaking all the rules and drawing everyone’s ire, he is forced to confront ghosts of his past. Can he push past his guilt to accept this tempting ally?
Together, these two holy paladins may be the only ones who can discover what or who is killing their compatriots and whether the Cup of Tears is really worth the bloodshed and danger within the monastery walls before time runs out and they are trapped forever.
A complicated mission, you say? Oh, but it gets worse, because forbidden love is slowly stalking them both, complicating everything, and leaving them each more vulnerable than they can afford to be in the face of a danger worse than either of them ever imagined.
Will this pair find strength in their strict discipline and holy orders in time to escape, or will they fall before the twin dangers of a rogue killer and an attraction more deadly than the simple risk of death? Read My Thoughts …
Reviewed: July 23rd, 2023 Released: March 29th, 2022 Genre: Dark Fantasy
Witch politics, maddening men, a desperate demon, and monsters from above blow apart Lucie Bellerose’s world. Can she still save her thinning witchline?
The confident witch next door? She’s a hot mess. The reliable, level-headed friend you know you can count on? She’s broken and hiding big lies. The powerful woman who finds herself at the center of an old prophecy? She’s overwhelmed.
Witches hide things.
Lucie Bellerose holds secrets in her heart, fear in her belly, and her Tarot cards close to her chest. She’s a witch among too many men, with too many problems, and one thinning witchline.
A tyrannical former teacher who likes to inflict pain? Check. A loyal friend she keeps dragging through hell? Check. A mysterious man who excites her and infuriates her – often in the same 60 seconds? Check. Then there are the expectations of the Congress of Empire Witches, danger lurking behind doors to other worlds, and one psychotic demon who needs to possess her.
And this is only the beginning of Lucie’s problems.
Join Lucie Bellerose as she navigates infuriating men, witch politics, controlling her growing power, a fiery temper, a crazed demon… and ‘monsters and beasties’ when doors to other worlds begin to open. Read my Thoughts …
Reviewed: July 12th, 2023 Released: April 26th, 2021 Genre: YA Fantasy
Some secrets run deeper than blood…
Long ago, a battle was fought against the dark Etheria, creatures who wanted control of the world. Now, Etheria are kept hidden by Trucekeepers. They’re just myths… or are they?
Hannah is a frustrated sixteen-year-old—fed up with school, her diabetes and desperate to find somewhere she belongs. Daegan is a Trucekeeper—a fearless warrior with a dark past, sworn to keep the existence of mythical creatures a secret.
Their lives couldn’t be more different… But everything changes when a magical blood crystal brings them together.
After Daegan saves Hannah from a vicious zburător, Hannah discovers the existence of Etheria, mythical creatures from all around the world, hidden by the Trucekeepers for centuries.
As Daegan trains her to become a Trucekeeper, Hannah rubs shoulders with Etheria, learns how to cast magic and finds somewhere she can finally call home… until she discovers that her mysterious past is the key to a war that could destroy the Trucekeepers and her new home forever. Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: June 30th, 2023 Released: July 6th, 2021 Genre: Dark Fantasy
All in Voramis know the legend of the Hunter. Relentless. Immortal. Death walking. The greatest assassin who ever lived.
Pay the master killer his due and the Hunter will execute any target, carry out any contract, no matter how impossible.
But when the Bloody Hand crime syndicate harms the innocents under his protection, they foolishly make an enemy of the one man they can’t afford to anger. The price of the Hunter’s vengeance is high—paid in blood and eternal damnation. Not even an army of crooks, cutthroats, and demonic creatures of nightmare can stand in his way.
He’s far more than just one man…he’s the Keeper-damned Hunter of Voramis. Read my Thoughts…
Reviewed: June 23rd, 2023 Released: December 15th, 2021 Genre: Epic Fantasy
An epic spiritual, political, and military fantasy full of profound thoughts about the meaning of freedom, human compassion, women’s empowerment, true leadership, and the stark contrast between absolute good and absolute evil
The Blood-soaked Sorcerer tyrannizes the land of Icilia with every form of cruelty imaginable, dying his armor red in the blood of innocents. Crushed to pieces under such savagery, the people of Icilia abandon hope and begin to forget the gifts of civilization that had once been their dearest blessings.
In Amena Jamali’s The Bell Tolling, Book One of the The Lord of Freedom series, we meet Lucian, the divinely-appointed hero of Icilia and Leader of the Quest of Freedom. Educated in all of the ancient arts, Lucian has the virtue and power necessary to cleanse evil from the land. But not alone—answering the call of his sacred destiny, Lucian gathers his four divinely-chosen companions and embarks on a journey to free his world. He is determined to restore the forgotten laws, heal the tormented, and unite the land behind his banner.
But how can it be possible for him to succeed? His companions seem too shattered to save anyone, while his people might be too blind to see the light…Read on for content warning and Read My Thoughts...
Helen Garraway 