Released Today - The Penance of Pride

The Penance of Pride

(Shadyia Ascendant Book 2)

by T.S. Adrian

347 page Sword & Sorcery Fantasy novel

Shadyia's Adventure Continues!

'I will never leave you, and I will always come for you.'

Shadyia’s vow to her lover is put to the test when the Innocenti rise and envelope the sisterhood she adores.

As the magician she aided hunts for the path to an ancient city, the new madam of the Silver Rose strives to please the evil that has promised, upon its freedom, to make her a queen.

Meanwhile, the advisor to the Innocenti prepares the final stage of his strategy to crush the faith of the old gods. He needs but a bit of magic to carry out his ultimate plan.

Magicians. Zealots. Madams. Whores. It’s all the same to he who waits within the enchanted box. Soon he will unleash his servants, and every horror of the abyss will once again consume humanity.

Read the First Chapter by clicking here!

Books 1 and 2 are just $0.99 each on Amazon. 

New Books of 2017 (Part 2)

New Books of 2017 (Part 2)

Check out these new books that have been released as of Jan. 2017.

Click on the book covers to view the book on Amazon.

Crime Thriller:

Kiss of Death by Robert Skuce

Homicide detective, Bruno Norcross, is called to investigate the brutal murder of a college call girl. This isn't just any other crime scene. Bruno has seen this scene before, only the last time, the killer got away leaving Bruno feeling as though his career is incomplete. Nobody escapes Bruno's grasp twice and when his nemesis arises again, it’s time to bring him in. A serial killer, only known as the Kiss of Death, is back, only this time he made a mistake. A witness, like no other, was left behind and this witness knows the victim better than anyone.

Rosie's stalker, Ashley Truelove knows everything about her, from what she wears to who she sees. The question isn't can Ashley help Bruno catch the killer, but will he? With meager and confusing clues, two known victims and time running out, Bruno realizes that the cost of bringing the murderer to justice will be paid in blood. With the police Sergeant on his back to catch this killer and provide justice for the death of his daughter, Bruno is racing against time. Kiss of Death only hunts occasionally and time is running out before he vanishes again. Can Bruno find the evidence to stop him or will he escape his clutches once again?

Political Satire:

IQ84 by Mike Dickenson 

A virus has struck America and anyone with an IQ over 84 is in danger. People's heads are exploding. The country is on lockdown. Everything is about to change.

Luckily, the President of the United States is very much still alive (and most of Congress, too). They’ve decided to fix things.

Which brings us to David Dingle. He's the not-too-bright guy whom this whole story revolves around. A lot of people revolve around David Dingle. Some of them include a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, an ineffective jihadist, a Grand Dragon of the KKK, a creationist and his very extended family, a pill-popping doctor, a drop-dead sexy clepto-nympho-suicidal-maniac, and a rogue Illuminati mastermind to name just a few. All of them are eager to figure out why their heads aren't blowing up.

Now David Dingle doesn't know much about these people, but frankly, he doesn't know much about much. He's just a simple American with a government job and a fantastic phone who one day finds himself at the epicenter of the biggest biological terrorist attack perpetrated on American soil. And now everyone's after him. Not cool. All the while, the President of the United States has to keep voters’ heads from blowing up before re-elections - things couldn’t get worse.

A timely satire that dives into the darkest corners of American Culture, IQ84 examines some of the most controversial issues in America today. It’s a book about freedom.

Illustrated Children's Book:

If I Was a Caterpillar by Ben Jackson, Sam Lawrence, Danko Herrera

Read along with the caterpillar as it travels around the world trying exciting new activities and having fun! Reading with children is one of the biggest forms of early education, helping to develop young minds.

As a young child, it’s important to believe that anything is possible. If I Was A Caterpillar is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that follows a caterpillar on its journey as it discovers new activities.

Too often these days, children are being put onto tracks that are unachievable or told that a dream is just a dream and to forget about it. One of the most enjoyable things about being a young child is believing that you can fly to the moon as an astronaut or dive under the water searching for hidden treasure.

If I Was A Caterpillar shows young children that you can do anything you want. Your dreams can come true! If you enjoy reading books with beautiful illustrations and love having your child read along with you, then make sure you check out If I Was A Caterpillar!

YA Fantasy Adventure:

The Nature of Gods: The Awakening by D.J. Torres

When gods and goddesses abruptly overthrow Earth, humans are given two choices – worship or die. Desperate to survive, Olivia and her family devote their days to fulfilling the will of the gods. But the wrath of the gods is insatiable and unpredictable. With her hope crushed, Olivia is resigned to her bleak fate . . . until she meets Nature.

Immediately, Olivia knows this charismatic girl with color-changing eyes isn’t normal. Nature looks like a teenager yet she has the power to control the weather and converse with animals. Nature opens Olivia’s eyes to a hidden world that had always existed in harmony with her own. However, know-it-all butterflies and mystical creatures aren’t the only secrets revealed as Olivia discovers the dark plan of the gods.

When Nature decides to confront the gods, Olivia is catapulted to the forefront of humanity’s battle for survival. Olivia must rely on her courage, strength, and newfound gifts as she faces monster-infested pathways and ever-looming traps. But does she have enough courage or skill to battle brutal gods eager to rule the world and dole out punishment to anyone who defies them? Nature and the world depend on it.

Crime Thriller:

The Steps by Iveta Redliha

"Shivers ran down Reyna's spine. For a moment she thought his last words were meant as a threat. The stranger's look had been so sharp and penetrating, horrifying and exciting at the same time. She embraced herself and shuddered once again. This time it was due to the pungent wind that was becoming stronger as the evening grew closer. For a while she stood there watching Lucas walk away, then finally looked away."

Bradbury is a gorgeous property that stands amidst dark secrets. One fine day a young reckless woman Leonora, driven by desire for easy money that a rich couple would offer their surrogate mother, comes to live at the mansion, unsuspecting of the paths this seemingly carefree life and lust for money will bring to.

Meanwhile, Reyna’s steady life is turned upside down the moment her mother dies in suspicious circumstances and leaves her an unknown property and dark secrets from her turbulent past. Around that time handsome yet secretive Lucas comes into Reyna’s life. At the end the truth about the young man and the horrors of his past that haunt him, not allowing him to give in to his feelings, serves a final blow to Reyna.

Iveta Redliha (b. 1977) is a Latvian writer. With great passion she unravels in writing destinies of people of different walks of life, and their entangled feelings. “The Steps” was born out of the writer’s imagination and built on inspiration from gothic love and detective novels.

Want to see other new 2017 books? Click Here for Part 1

What 2017 book are you looking forward to? 

Around the World in 80 Tales (GUEST POST)

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TALES

by Dave Tomlinson

80 Stories, 25 Countries, 5 Continents, One Heck of a Ride!

Travel is an amazing experience and I’ve spent years of my life living out of my backpack. I’ve explored well-beaten tourist trails and to far corners beyond them.  Each journey is an adventure and each adventure gives with a story to tell.  So one day I decided that yes, I would write 80 of my best Travel Stories.

After leaving me speechless, travel then turned me into a storyteller!

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TALES is:

TRUTHFUL: When you read a travel story, you want it to be genuine. You don’t want to read some fictional account of something that never happened written by someone who’s never been there! All my stories are completely true and related exactly as they happened. Nothing in my book has been contrived or exaggerated.

CONCISE: Each of my stories has been intentionally edited to 500 words.  The result is that the book develops a rhythm and you can enjoy each adventure without any unnecessary diction.

VIBRANT: Unlike many other travel books, Around the World in 80 Tales is packed with colour photos.  Nearly all the photos are my own or taken on my camera and have explanatory captions.

INFORMATIVE: You also want a travel story to be entertaining.  And it would be also nice if you could learn about different places too.  Around the World in 80 Tales provides exactly that, page after page!  Aside from relating my personal experiences, I’ve also included numerous relevant facts and historical information.

DIVERSE: My stories have been rearranged from the original order they were written in.  This was done to create a fascinating journey through a diverse range of travel situations and activities.  As the pages turn, you’ll be taken on adventures such as snorkelling in Malaysia to hiking in Nepal and camel riding in Morocco.  Enjoy the ride!

BOOK SUMMARY

-  An informative and friendly introduction
-  80 entertaining stories of real travel experiences
-  World map images showing story locations
-  Colour photos and captions relating to every story
-  Acknowledgements of those who contributed to the book

A FINAL WORD

I’ve found that travel is a kaleidoscope of people, places, events, history, culture, food and fun. Through the pages of my book, I’ll bring it all to life for you.  The stories are fascinating, inspiring, amusing and amazing.  Some are even a little crazy but collectively they are an insight into the unique adventures of travelling the world on a budget.

REVIEWS

There are currently 17 reviews on Amazon Kindle rating Around the World in 80 Tales 4.4 out of 5 stars.

PUBLICATION

Around the World in 80 Tales was published on Amazon and Step Ahead Travel on 16 August 2016.

LINKS

Purchase:

Around the World in 80 Tales sells for $2.99 through:

Step Ahead Travel - http://bit.ly/1PwjeIk

Amazon Kindle - http://amzn.to/2czLiM0

Author Information:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1Wkn4ES
Step Ahead Travel - http://www.stepaheadtravel.com/about_me

Social Media:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/stepaheadtravel

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/stepaheadtravel

Reaper's Claim & Reaper's Rival Spotlight

Recently released and already highly rated...

Reaper's Claim

(Satan's Sons MC Romance Series Book 1)

by Simone Elise

In my motorcycle club I’ve earned the name ‘Reaper’ and now I have my claim on Abby Harrison.

Reaper:
I didn’t know what love was, but I knew what want was, and I wanted Abby. When I walked out of the club and saw her I was stone cold sober. She was quietly beautiful and unlike any other woman I’d had before. But she was the daughter of the president of Satan’s Sons MC and completely out of my reach.

Abby:
Everyone knew The Reaper and how he got his name, so I never expected him to be my salvation when my sister's drunk boyfriend wanted to lay hands on me. I thought my innocence would be lost in that alley, until he showed up and saved me. I know being with Reaper will lead to trouble, but I don’t know if I have the strength to stay away.

Being together might be dangerous, but outlaws are meant to break the rules.

This book is $2.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited. 

Don't have Kindle Unlimited? Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial

Today, March 22, 2017 the sequel has been released!

Reaper's Rival

(Satan's Sons MC Romance Series Book 2)

Find it on Amazon here. 

But I suggest not reading the Amazon description until you read Book 1 (it contains spoilers).

Guest Post - HistFic Author Malcolm Colley

GIDEON: THE BOER BLOOD

by Malcolm Colley

THE AUTHOR

The author was born in South Africa in 1942 and spent his teens of the 1950’s on a small farm just outside Naboomspruit in the Northern Province of South Africa, during which time he came to love the sounds, smells and sights of the bush. He did his basic training with 1st Special Service Battalion in Bloemfontein and has happy memories of army life in the bush. He also spent twenty-five years training in the martial arts.

During his work in a steel mill and underground in a diamond mine, he yearned to be back in the bush.

THE BOOK

By 1902 the British war against South Africa, the so called “Boer War” was over. Paul Kruger, attempted to negotiate a deal with Holland and Germany for arms and ammunition in exchange for gold. The arms and ammunition reached the port of Lorenco Marques but the gold, sent by Kruger, went missing.

Into this chaos of the aftermath of the war, with men, woman and children trying to make it back to the farms, Gideon Barron, an Irishman born in South Africa is accused of helping to steal the gold. Wounded, he escapes but is followed and hunted by his fellow Boers for treason.

INSPIRATION FOR THE BOOK

The disappearance of Kruger’s gold has always intrigued me. There are many stories, myths and legends about the whereabouts of this treasure. In this work of fiction adventure, I have put forward one possibility. I grew up in this area amongst these people whose stories to their grandchildren in the lamplight around the kitchen table, tell of the gold that may have changed the course of the war, told with the bitterness against the English.

 

Upcoming Sci-Fi Release + FREE BOOK!

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Edgy Sci-Fi Dystopian Love Story

by the very talented D. L. Orton.

I'll be reading it, will you?

Grab the first book FREE today only!

If someone took everything you live for, how far would you go to get it back?

CROSSING IN TIME

When offered a one-way trip to the past, Iz sacrifices everything for a chance to change her dystopian future—and see her murdered lover one last time. 

After a perilous journey through a black hole, she wakes up on a tropical beach, buck naked and mortally wounded—but twenty years younger! With only hours to live, she must convince an enraptured but skeptical twenty-something guy to fix their future relationship and thereby save the planet (no one is quite sure why.)

But it's easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that's a heartbreaker, save the world or not.

Across the infinite expanse of space and time, love endures...

(Unfortunately, it’s not going to be enough.)

FALL INTO THIS EDGY, action-packed, darkly comedic, dystopian love story, and be prepared to encounter a finicky time machine, a mysterious seashell, and a very clever dog (some sex, some swearing, some violence, but no vampires and absolutely no ditzes.)

LOST TIME

When a faulty time machine deposits Diego in a towering evergreen, he knows he's in the wrong place—but has no idea he's in the wrong time. Naked and shivering in the chilly mountain air, he attempts to climb down, but slips, whacks his head on a branch, and falls into oblivion.

He wakes up inside a darkened room, crippled and disheartened, and must come to grips with the realization that he is marooned in a bleak alternate future. In this universe, what remains of the human race is trapped inside a handful of aging biodomes. With his mission failed, his world destroyed, and the one woman he loves, dead, he can find no reason to go on living.

But Lani, the emotionally scarred doctor who finds him, refuses to let him die, and as Diego heals, their relationship becomes... complicated. He struggles to let go of the past but is unable to get Isabel out of his head—or his heart. Just when it seems he may be able to find some measure of happiness in a world teetering on the edge of extinction...

Another note arrives from the future: Isabel is alive—but not for long…

Grab Book 2 Free with Kindle Unlimited or $6.99

To be released in just 1 month... 

From award-winning author D. L. ORTON comes book three in the Between Two Evils series...


DEAD TIME

Shannon fights to stay alive inside a rogue biodome and discovers something totally unexpected... Peter. Lani is forced into the role of the reluctant heroine but rediscovers her street-kid mojo and sets out to find everything she's lost. Diego receives another dirty sock (and a note) from the poorly aimed fireball express: "The window between universes is closing." If Diego has any hope of getting back to Iz, he must get to the Magic Kingdom and power up the time machine before it's too late.

What could possibly go wrong?

Snag this book for the pre-order price of $2.99 or Free with Kindle Unlimited

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can get this whole series for free. If you don't have Kindle Unlimited you can get a free trial here:  Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial

Claimed (REVIEW) #ShortReadsSaturdays

Claimed

An Uncommon World Prequel

 

#ShortReadsSaturdays

Welcome to another Short Reads Saturdays! These are the Saturdays I am lucky enough to put all of my busy aside and read a good short book! Today, I read this little freebie prequel that you can find here.

Author: Alisha Klapheke
Category: YA Fantasy, Prequel to a series

Suitable for: teens+

My Rating: 4 Stars

Format Read for Review: Nook/epub copy

Pages: 24

Description:  A short teaser for a YA fantasy series with a lot of potential. In this prequel we get a glimpse into the situation our protagonists are in. Kinneret is trying to get her and her sister out of debt so that they can advance in society and she can be with the man she loves. She is a skilled sailor and witch that uses forbidden salt magic to help her.

In Short: This series seems like it would appeal to fans of YA fantasy who enjoy nautical themed stories with magic and romance mixed in. I think this story shows a lot of potential for the series. 

Pros: By the end of the story I was very interested in seeing more. The main character, Kinneret proved to be a strong and likable character. I would like to see her story continue and see her accomplish all of her goals. There are a lot of promising features to this story. I would like to learn more about the myths and magic of this world including what exactly are Salt Wraiths and what role do they play. I would like to see the characters earn the removal of their bells, that symbolize their low-caste. I see a lot of potential for exciting conflicts in this storyline. Although short, this book was well written and edited.

Cons: Because of the short nature of this book it lacked character descriptions. I jumped in without knowing anything about this story so as I read the first several pages I wasn't sure what the main character looked like or their gender. The character you get the best/only physical description of is the love interest of the narrating character. I was a little disappointed in the use of magic in this book just because I thought it was too brief and lacking wonder. The spell started out nice and rhymed a little and then lost its flow for me. The magic itself wasn't descriptive, I assume the spell worked but didn't see it work. This teaser was a little too mysterious for me at times.

Parent's Guide: This short story was clean.

Join me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ODbookreviews/ I'm happy to follow you back so we can discuss books there too :)

New Books of 2017

New Books of 2017
Check out these new books that have been released as of Jan. 2017.

Click on the book covers to find it on Amazon.

Historical Fiction:

The wedding between the Princess Marguerite de Valois and Henri King of Navarre was intended to be a celebration that would at last bring peace to the warring Catholics and Huguenots in France.

Instead, it was a precursor for the infamous Massacre of Saint Bartholomew.

By the time the bloodshed had abated, none was seen as guiltier of creating the horrors of that night than the Queen Mother - Catherine de Medici.

Seventeen years later, as Catherine’s life hangs in the balance, the mob threatens to drag her body through the streets.

To them she is no longer Queen Mother, merely the second Jezebel in history to be thrown to the dogs.

Excerpt and more info here. 

Dark Fiction:

Rayna escaped the bordello as a teenager. She meets a Buddhist monk that helps her to learn that life is worth living again. She learns different languages and several studies of martial arts. Rayna also has a secret. Without warning, time will stop moving. Only Rayna is allowed to move in this frozen world. She can not control it, but uses it to her advantage to seek revenge on those that have hurt her.

Weird Western:

An enchanted blade. An evil old man. An ancient spirit behind a mask. The Weird West just gets weirder.

Orville and Jimmy are a pair of hucksters, struggling to scrape together enough coin for a square meal. While Orville angles for the big score, Jimmy hopes to make an honest buck for a day's work. When an old man calling himself Marzby asks for help with a supernatural pest, Orville smells opportunity. Jimmy smells danger.

In two shakes of a lamb's tail, Marzby imprisons Orville and only Jimmy can save him from a gruesome death. The price for Orville's life? Jimmy must retrieve an enchanted knife from inside Skull Hill and put it in Marzby's hands in three days time. With the blade in reach, Jimmy runs head on into more trouble: a shapeshifting opossum, a larger than average coyote and an ancient spirit determined to keep the blade where it is. Maybe the evil Marzby shouldn't have the blade, but without it, how is Jimmy going to rescue Orville?

The Black Blade is a weird western novel in Jeff Chapman's Huckster Tales series, mixing horror, fantasy, and comedy in an Old West setting. Climb up in the wagon and follow Orville and Jimmy as they once again plunge over their heads into supernatural trouble.

Paranormal YA Mystery:

From tragedy came power. And from mishandled power came mystery.

After moving into a new gated community with her family, Natalie is ready to begin a peaceful year at Emerson High. A year complete with boy troubles, school dances, new friends... everything an average girl could expect.

Then she starts receiving notes warning her not to go to school November first. Notes in her day planner, on a piece of homework, on a homecoming ticket... The more notes she receives the more details she uncovers, and the clearer it becomes: words like peaceful and average are about the worst ones anyone could use to describe the year she’s about to have. Crazy? Maybe. Violent? Definitely. Heart-wrenching, mind-blowing, life-changing?

Well, that remains to be seen. All Natalie knows from the start is that she shouldn’t go to school on November first. And maybe you shouldn’t either.

Ashes to Ashes is a Paranormal Young Adult Mystery packed full of realistic fantasy and powerful twists. Fans of Paper Towns and Before I Fall will feel right at home with this gritty novel, the first in a planned series.

Military Thriller:

CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY...BLEEDING EDGE TERROR

A biotechnology conference in Prague is the target of a terrorist attack, and in its aftermath a renowned geneticist lay dying. His last act is to inject a man he has never before met with an experimental substance--artificial DNA that has been encoded with the details of a plot to unleash mass terror on the United States.

Enter OUTCAST (Operational Undertaking To Counteract Active Stateside Threats)--six ex-operatives from six of America’s most powerful organizations. Each has been unceremoniously released by their respective former employer for alleged misdoings that leave their pride wounded but their essential skill-sets untouched. After uniting over their shared bond of dismissal from the nation’s most elite outfits, the disgruntled spooks realize they can work together like never before to take down threats to their beloved country, a country that branded them as outcasts but needs them now more than ever.

As international authorities hunt for the fugitive whose blood carries some of the most sensitive intelligence data on the planet, they get close enough to learn his identity, but the truth rocks the White House to its core. The most wanted individual in the world is none other than OUTCAST leader, Tanner Wilson. One of the only people capable of stopping the looming threat to millions of innocent Americans, Wilson is placed on the terror watchlist, and once again, OUTCAST is hell-bent on showing America that their way isn't the best way--it's the only way.

Watchlist is Book 5 in the OUTCAST Ops series. They can be read in any order. Game of Drones is Book 1. The Poseidon Initiative is Book 2. African Firestorm is Book 3. Red Ice is book 4.

What 2017 book are you most looking forward to, or what is the best book you have read so far this year (even if it wasn't from 2017)? 

One book that I read this year that I particularly loved was the murder mystery, Dizzy in Durango by D.R. Ransdell: 

(Review)