Dive in Review: To Weave the Wind.

21 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

My Good Friend Sharon Just released a new book. It’s the second book in her Arts of Substance series.

To Weave the Wind: Arts of Substance – Novel 2

by Sharon Rose

Only the powerfully gifted new ambassador can save the underground province. Or so they believe until she arrives.

Dirklan Province is owed a royal ambassador. What they desperately need is a powerful streamer to restore the trade cataracts. Fanteal should provide both, for they’ve heard of her amazing gift.

Fanteal soon discovers that she will be more of a pawn than an ambassador. Worse yet, as crowds cheer her arrival, she collapses from a mysterious illness. Rumors spread that something is wrong with her gift. Had their old prime minister lied? Why?

The new prime minister’s son, Jaikon, becomes Fanteal’s unwilling champion. He alone saw her gift manifest. Didn’t he? His already shaky reputation will never recover if she possesses the wrong gift.

Fanteal must learn what secrets the last prime minister took to his grave. What did he know about wind weavers and this so-called illness? But her visit to his private library just spawns more questions, and it ends with a disastrous public challenge of her gift.

Now everyone knows the truth—or thinks they do. Trade will fail, and severe poverty will follow. Yet Fanteal and Jaikon know there is a far more dangerous truth lurking in their underground world.

To Weave the Wind is the second story in the Arts of Substance trilogy. Each stand-alone novel explores one of the world’s three substance gifts: forming, wind weaving, and streaming. With every ability comes risk. The gifts are neither easy nor safe. Who has the courage and wit to use their gift well? And at what cost?

Purchase To Weave the Wind on Amazon*: https://amzn.to/3NBAAXM

All Non-amazon stores: https://books2read.com/u/3nBwKx

Book one links: https://books2read.com/u/b5wRLG

My Dive In Review

To Weave the Wind is the second book in the Arts of Substance series. While this book is stand alone with new unrelated characters, I still recommend reading the first book as the events of that book effect the culture and people of this book.

Naturally To Weave the Wind revolves around a wind weaver, a person with the ability to sense and manipulate air flow. Ambassador Fanteal is not what the people of Dirkland expect, or even want.

To them a female ambassador is only good for boosting ones political power through marriage. A wind weaver is even more useless to their underground nation.

But despite these set backs, Fanteal does her best to bring about real change to the country of Dirkland. Change that is long over due.

I really admire Fanteal’s determination and perseverance as she navigates the political hurdles set before her. She also collects a small close knit circle of friends around her who help fulfill her duties without overstepping her bounds as an ambassador.

Sharon Rose composes a masterful plot of political intrigue and the tiniest bit of romance as she once again demonstrates her ability to create and navigate complex interpersonal situations.

*I received an early review copy of this story and the above review is my honest evaluation of it.*

See the Full Series here: https://amzn.to/4dUB0TY

Author bio:

I started writing when I was seven years old. Okay, My Life as a Flying Squirrel may have had a couple spelling errors, but my classmates loved it.

Plenty of life has happened since that first story, and I’ve come to realize the things that fascinate me. People. Communication. Culture. Personality. Viewpoints. Beliefs. Anything that makes each of us beautifully unique. Small wonder that my art spills out in story form.

It was only a matter of time before I just had to share my stories. I publish fantasy and science fiction because they allow vast spaces to explore. My stories weave cultures and characters, who are more than they seem to be, into adventures with mystery, romance, and hope.

When I’m not writing or reading, I may be traveling, enjoying gardens, or searching for unique coffee shops with my husband. We live in Minnesota, USA, famed for its mosquitoes—uh, I mean 10,000 lakes and vibrant seasons.

The Most Magnificent Dragon Silmaril Awards Ceremony 2024

16 Sep 2024 7 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Well that could have been worse. I guess. Julio and Norbert were polite house guests. But the other three. All I can say is, well just look at what’s left of my family’s barn:

This is what I get for housing three full grown dragons in the barn. Though maybe they were just upset about having to stay in the barn.

It’s finally time to go through the interdimensional portal for the awards ceremony itself. Shardas, The Dragon and Vollys fly though first while Julio, in his human guise, and I walk through pushing Baby Norbert in a pram.

As we enter the back stage area, we catch snatches of arguing. “I said, I don’t want to wear it.” Whines a prepubescent voice with an English accent. As we enter the giant green room where finalists and hosts wait. I see a boy who almost looks like he deserves the name Eustace Scrubb. He is holding a fancy gold cuff and staring down a large menacing dragon. I can only assume that this magnificent fire wyrm is Smaug the great and powerful.

Smaug points a menacing claw at the child and says, “This is an award for Dragons, and if you are going to cohost then you must be a dragon.”

Eustace sighs and slides the cuff onto his forearm. “If I’d known when they made me official cohost, that I’d have to do this every year then I never would have agreed to it.” Once the Cuff is firmly in place Eustace Scrubb starts growing scales all over his body. In seconds the transformation from boy to dragon is complete.

“That’s my cue as well.” Julio says before he too transforms into a fierce green dragon.

Smaug and Eustice step out on stage and introduce the finalist one by one. Fist Shardas, then Vollys, The Dragon, and Julio. I follow quickly with Norbert in the pram. Eustace takes the large envelope and slides a claw across the wax seal.

“And the Winner for 2024 with 23% of the vote…”

All of the finalists puff out their chests in anticipation.

“Norbert from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” He looks up from the card. “That can’t be right. I’m sure the book was called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone.” I chuckle as I realize that of course Eustace would have read the British version.

Julio rushes over and steals the poster sized card away from Eustace. “Does it say what place I got?” He scans for a moment. I expect him to be disappointed but he actually looks cheery. “Second place again, and I didn’t even have to share it.” He shoots a smug grin over at Shardas.

He comes back to the Pram and picks up Norbert. “And if I have to lose to a baby at least it’s a cute one. Come on Norberta, Let’s get your award.”

“Wait, did you just call him Norberta?”

Julio looks down at the baby dragon. “Yes this dragon is female, I thought that was obvious.”

“Ah, okay. I guess I hadn’t thought to check that.”

Eustace is clearly getting flustered now. “i don’t understand why everything is wrong. The title of the book is wrong the gender and name of the dragon are wrong. Why is this happening my first time on stage?”

“Ah well,” says Julio. “If the baby is disqualified then does that mean I get the award?”

Smaug roars. “No one is disqualified. If the readers voted for this dragon, then this dragon is The Most Magnificent Dragon.” Everyone quickly calms down.

Julio hands Norberta to Eustace and Smaug gently lays the Silmaril around her neck.

With the ceremony over I see the other three finalists turn to me.

Vollys speaks up, accusation in her voice. “So you allowed the first and second place dragons to stay in your house, while the three of us were relegated to the dirty barn.”

I hold up my hands. “It wasn’t like that, I didn’t know the results ahead of time. I promise, it’s just what was most convenient. I mean Julio can literally turn into a human, how could I not let him sleep int eh house?”

The Dragon starts morphing. “Julio is not the only one who knows such a trick.” When he is done shifting I see a towering humanoid that resembles something out of the Slenderman horror franchise.

I think this is my cue to leave. I run back through the interdimensional portal and shut it behind me.

I hope you enjoyed the Most Magnificent Dragon Ceremony. Be sure to check out all the other Silmaril awards happening this week and next.

Award Ceremonies schedules

Most Magnificent Dragon: Mon. Sept 16 – cobonham.com (You are here.)

Most Faithful Friend: Tues. Sept 17 – https://imperialscribis.wordpress.com/

Most Nefarious Villain: Wed. Sept 18 – https://www.hlburkeauthor.com/blog

Most Devoted Couple: Thurs. Sept 19 – https://catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com/

Most Silver Tongue: Fri. Sept. 20 – https://tpssarahlightshadows.wordpress.com/

Most Epic Hero: Mon. Sept 23 – https://bardonpilgrimage.wordpress.com/

Wisest Counselor: Tues. Sept 24 – https://samsbookshire.blogspot.com/

Most Epic Heroine: Wed. Sept 25 – https://djedwardson.com/blog/

Most Wayward Soul: Thurs. Sept. 26 – https://mackenziekwrites.com/blog/

Most Mischievous Imp: Fri. Sept 27 – https://www.jenelleschmidt.com/blog

2024 Silmaril Awards: Most Magnificent Dragon. [CLOSED]

02 Sep 2024 61 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Edit: Nominations are now closed and no new comments will be counted. Please come back on September nineth for the finalist voting. See you then and may the Most Magnificent dragon win.

I am hosting again for the premier award for fantasy characters.

The Silmaril Awards. This year there are ten categories including the return of last years newbie, Most Wayward Soul.

I am hosting the nominations and award for The Most Magnificent Dragon. I actually pretty nervious about this year. I heard that when you host the Dragon awards you actually have to host the nominees and I just don’t know if I have the room for them all.


What are the Silmaril Awards?

The Silmaril Awards are all about celebrating fantasy fiction. But whereas most awards go to authors or books, these awards go to the characters themselves!

Started in 2016, these awards are a four week online celebration of all that’s best in fantasy literature. There are several awards in various categories given every year.

The characters who receive them have to be from books in the fantasy genre.

Characters cannot receive the same award more than once. These are lifetime awards.

Tolkien and Narnian characters are not eligible to be nominated. Instead, they’ll be the ones presenting the awards. 

Nominations are submitted in the comments of each of the host blogs.

Anyone can submit a nomination and you can second (and third and fourth, etc.) any number of nominations besides your own.

After the nomination period (lasting one week), the five characters receiving the most nominations will make it onto the ballot and you’ll have one week to vote. After the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced, one per day, over the final two weeks of the awards.

The dates for this year’s awards are:

Nominations week — Sept 2-6

Voting week — Sept 9-13

Awards ceremonies — Sept 16-27

Most Magnificent Dragon Past Winners

· 2023 Yurgen from Wingfeather Saga

· 2022 Hulwen from Wingfeather Saga

· 2021 Malcolm Blackfire from The Afterverse

· 2020 Clefspeare from Dragons in Our Midst

· 2019 Saphira from Eragon

· 2018 Eustace from The Chronicles of Narnia

· 2017 Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon

Quick Reminders:

No Tolkien or Narnia Characters

Book characters only (Movies don’t count unless the book came first.)

Only fantasy characters are allows (No sci-fi, adventure, mystery ect…)

Leave your nomination as a comment State the character’s name and what book they’re from.

Second other’s nominations by replying “I second” to their comment.

These are lifetime awards please check the past winners above before nominating.

So, Who do you think the Most Magnificent Dragon is?

Nominate them now, by leaving a comment below!

Then nominate more at the blogs below:

Most Faithful Friend – https://imperialscribis.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/the-silmaril-awards-nominations-for-most-faithful-friend/

Most Nefarious Villain – https://www.hlburkeauthor.com/post/2024-silmaril-awards-nominations-most-nefarious-villain

Most Devoted Couple – https://catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com/2024/09/now-open-nominations-for-silmaril.html?m=1

Most Silver Tongue – https://wp.me/p3FlHI-2io

Most Epic Hero – https://bardonpilgrimage.wordpress.com/2024/09/02/2024-silmaril-award-nominations-most-epic-hero/

Wisest Counselor – https://samsbookshire.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-silmaril-awards-2024-nominations.html

Most Epic Heroine – https://djedwardson.com/2024-silmaril-award-nominations-for-most-epic-heroine/

Most Wayward Soul – https://mackenziekwrites.com/2024/09/02/the-silmaril-awards-nominations-now-open-for-wayward-souls/

Most Mischievous Imp – https://jenelleschmidt.com/blog/nominations-2024-silmaril-awards-mischievous-imps

Remember all nominations close the evening of September Sixth.

The Wolf King Cover Reveal

17 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , ,

Today I have a cover reveal for you it’s from an author I’ve featured before. Lauren H. Salisbury has been on here before for her science fiction retellings of Moses and for her steampunk prodigal son retelling. This time she’s genre hopping again with a fantasy romance.

Behold the cover for: The Wolf King.

Cover designer: @moonpressdesign

She’s captured the king… but can she capture his heart before it’s too late?

Madeline Dalbot rules the peaceful kingdom of Tyrrath on her ailing father’s behalf. When their borders are attacked and her guards capture the notorious Wolf King, she is left with an impossible decision.
Unable either to release him or keep him prisoner without risking a full-scale war, she agrees to marry him instead, allowing his army access to her lands in exchange for the freedom to rule as she sees fit. But he ignores their bargain. His army strips Tyrrath’s resources, and her people go missing.
With the Wolf King intent on destroying everything and everyone Madeline loves, she must break through to his cold heart before her entire kingdom is enslaved. But the only way may be to risk everything she has.

Release date: Tuesday 8th October 2024

Add it to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205579422-the-wolf-king

Author’s Website – https://www.laurenhsalisbury.com

Cover Reveal: Prophetess of Arden

24 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Today I’m helping reveal the cover for this new book but I have nothing for you just the cover. No description, no pre-order link, no Goodreads link. Why? Because this reveal was on Bookstagram but I am not on Instagram so I have to post here.

I can tell you that this book is the first book in an epic fantasy series called the King and Prophet Chronicles. I am reasonably sure it takes place in a kingdom called Arden. I can also tell you with certainty that there is also a prophetess in this book. I am even willing to bet that she is the main character.

I can also tell you that I am an early ARC reader for this novel and as soon as I finish it I will share a review here for you, right now I have one more book to read before I can get to it.

Prophetess of Arden is expected to release on or around March 24th.

You can find L. A. Thornhill at her website http://lathornhill.com

And on Instagram @lathornhill

Quest: an Audiobook Review

27 Jan 2022 1 Comment

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks Tags: , , , , , ,

Hello and Happy New Year. I know it’s pretty late to be doing the first post of the year. Is it really almost February? But I needed a serious break from everything. I also had some cleaning up to do on my manuscript. (Don’t get excited. It’s not the sequel.) A couple trusted friends helped me get my commas in the right places so Runaway Lyrics would read better. There’s a couple good reasons why it needs to read better. Hopefully I can share good news about both of the reasons soon.

With so much going on I haven’t had much time for reading—at least not typed books. I can always find time for audiobooks.

Sylvalla escapes Avondale castle and the life of a princess, in search of the adventure she’s always wanted.
Once found, adventure bites back.
Fortunately, she’s not alone. Unfortunately, her new-found companions are less than heroic. Jonathan, would rather make money than learn wizardry. Dirk, would rather live a long and happy life than confront danger. And at 150, old Capro would rather stop gallivanting, and harangue unsuspecting wizardry students about his glory days over a nice cup of tea.
Quest has everything, heroes, monsters, chases, escapes and a complete lack of true love.

A celebration of adventure fantasy, Quest is a quirky and original fantasy from award winning and USA Today Bestselling author, A.J. Ponder on behalf of Wizardly historian, F Fraderghast. Become a student of magic today, and discover the true fighter, warrior, and most unprincesslike Princess Sylvalla, as she battles for her place as a hero.

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Audiobook Review of Quest: book one in the Sylvalla Chronicles

*review of audiobook edition*

Quest is a fun little side quest of a read that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

It has jokes sprinkled throughout by a Douglas Adams style narrator, character intro’s that read like D&D character sheet summaries, with gimmicks that could have carried the novel if they had to.

Quest is a fun read is you are just looking for surface level adventure and humorous antics. The story does get a little serious towards the end, which I fear may be setting the tone for future installments.

The Characters are all likeable enough and each has their own thing that draws you too them.

There is a wizard named Goodfellow who is trying desperately to reconnect with his adult son, Johnathan. These two are the characters that I connected with most. I felt like their plot thread was never fully developed to it’s fullest potential. There was an opportunity for some real deep feels here.

The rest of the characters felt like stereotypes of D&D classes. I suspect this book may be a novelized D&D campaign—or several. Like a Dungeon Master was trying to bring several campaigns together in one story.


Which brings me to this book’s one major flaw.

There are too many characters. They are not together as a party either. They are separate and seemingly unrelated to each other. The constant jumping from one character to the next makes it hard to care about any of them and also keeps them from developing.

The narrator Benjamin Fife was amazing as he always is. He handled the large cast of characters the only way he could, by giving each one a different voice. He even reads subtext and emotion into the really underdeveloped relationship between Johnathan Goodfellow and his father.

If you do pick up this book, I really hope you choose the audio version.

Will I continue this series? Yes, but mostly likely not until they release on audio. I like to complete series in the same format I start them in. I certainly hope Benjamin Fife returns for the next two books.

*Thank you to Story Origin and the author for providing me with a free reviewer code. This review is my own honest opinion.* 

Quest is available in ebook, paperback, and in audio formats from multiple retailers. As of this writing you can get the ebook for only 99cents.

Buy Quest on Amazon
Buy Quest on Google play
Buy on B&N

A.J. Ponder

“Writing is about fun. Reading doubly so.”

USA Today bestselling author, and winner of the Wright-Murray Residency 2021, A.J. Ponder (BSc, Dip Teach) is the author of numerous novels and short stories including the award winning Frankie and the Netball Clone, Dying for the Record, The Sylvalla Chronicles, Wizard’s Guide to Wellington and more.

A.J. lives in a hundred year old house overlooking Wellington harbour with three cats and a family all obsessed with games, books and dungeons and dragons. A.J. has a head full of monsters, and recklessly spills them onto the written page. Beware dragons, dreadbeasts, taniwha, and small children—all are equally dangerous, and capable of treading on your heart—or tearing it, still beating, from your chest.

Runaway Lyrics Release Day!

21 Sep 2021 8 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in book tours Tags: , , , , , ,

It’s out of the box!.

It’s finally here.

Runaway Lyrics is out in the world and I am nervous.

People can buy it. They can read it. What if no one likes it?

(hides book baby from everyone)

Thankfully I was lucky enough to be part of the Frosted Roses Release. The amazing Kendra E. Ardnek put together a blog tour for six new books all based on the same fairy-tale — Snow White and Rose Red.

My Book is the first to release; it’s so much pressure.

It’s good though, because now I can’t hide it. I have a whole host of bloggers all posting about my book today. Also Kendra made me a ton of fancy graphics with my book in them.

Check out the awesome blogs below, to learn all about Runaway Lyrics:

Edit to state that all of the blogs have been updated and the link to will take you directly to the Runaway Lyrics post on that site.

Interviews:
Fantastical Notions – Rose
Mae Heller – C.O. Bonham


Character Spotlights:
Rachel Rossano – Bayare
A Splash of Ink – Rose
Live. Love. Read. – Wickham
Dreams & Dragons – Snow

Guest Posts:
Laura A. Grace – Becoming the Musician
Deeply Shallow – How the Dwarf Kept His Beard

Ellwyn’s Blog – The Magic of Music

Reviews:
The Arista’s Directory
Blooming With Books
The Lost Review of Odd Books
Light and Shadows

If you’re looking for more musical fun:

Check out my Playlist on YouTube full of Lindsey Stirling music videos and awesome violin music. All of which inspired parts of the book.

You can also download Runaway Lyrics themed wallpapers for your desktop or mobile device.

And of course don’t forget to buy a copy! It’s available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and Kindle Unlimited!

If you read it will you consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads? Or you can even just pop back over to this post to let me know what you thought.

Now to start writing the next one!

The King’s Spell Cover Reveal

10 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , ,

Today I am hosting a cover reveal for The King’s Spell. This book is the first in a new series by E.J. Kitchens. The Realm and Wand series. This book also takes place in her Magic collectors universe, So if you’ve been following her magic collector book then you should like this addition.

I’m sure you’re tired of suspense so lets open right with the cover:

Cover design by MoorBooks Design

The King’s Spell

E.J. Kitchens

Realm and Wand, book 1

A Magic Collectors series

YA fantasy, Christian

Release date: June 17th, 2021

Only a king can banish sorcerers and strip enchanters of their power. Only a king is immune to spells and potions. Only a king knows the truth behind the legends. Until now.

Magic Collector Devryn Ashby may have deserved the curse that saps his magic-manipulating abilities, but it certainly won’t help him with the task King Reginald has assigned him. Instead of allowing him to continue hunting for those who stole the powerful Enchanter’s List, the king makes Devryn trainer-in-magic to the mischievous enchantress Lady Meredith Lofton.

Except for an occasional matchmaking exploit, Lady Meredith has little use for her power of enchantment—until the king asks her to train in magical warfare techniques. This both excites and terrifies her. And irks her, for she refuses to be bossed around by the critical Devryn Ashby, a man she’s not even sure she should trust. 

But as dangers increase and the sorcerers’ schemes unfold, Devryn and Meredith must choose whom to follow—their own desires and prejudices or their king. Only a king knows how much the kingdom depends on their choice.

About the Author:

E.J. Kitchens loves tales of romance, adventure, and happily-ever-afters and strives to write such tales herself. When she’s not thinking about dashing heroes or how awesome bacteria are—she is a microbiologist after all—she’s enjoying the beautiful outdoors or talking about classic books and black-and-white movies. She is a member of Realm Makers and lives in Alabama.

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.elizabethjanekitchens.com        

Group blog: http://www.landsuncharted.com

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/ekitchens0132/                   

Facebook group Faith and Fairy Tales:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/585858426143754/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ej_kitchens/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10409961-elizabeth

Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/E-J-Kitchens/e/B00J7C53XG

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/e-j-kitchens

Audio review: Yorien’s hand

23 Apr 2021 4 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks, book tours, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

Last November I did a month of audio book reviews. One of those reviews was for a book called King’s Warrior by Jenelle Schmidt, you can read that here: https://cobonham.com/2020/11/09/audiobook-review-kings-warrior/

If you were interested in that book then you will be pleased to hear the next three books in the series are now available on Audible for your binge listening pleasure.

The book I’m reviewing today isn’t book two. No, it’s actually book three. Book two is a prequel book so to get back to where the action left off we must look to book three.

About Yorien’s Hand

The years of Oraeyn’s short rule have been peaceful, but now ominous nightmares plague his sleep and cling to him during his waking hours. When two of his most trusted advisors disappear without a trace and not even the power of dragons can locate them, the fell promise of the king’s nightmares becomes reality.

From the furthest reaches of the world, an ancient enemy stirs. Stretching beyond his crumbling prison walls, this foe seeks to bring life to the darkest of shadows. His army marches towards Aom-igh with deadly intent, threatening all Oraeyn holds dear.

Aided by dragons, and with the warrior Brant and Princess Kamarie at his side, Oraeyn must journey into the wilds of a forgotten realm. Trusting in the wisdom and skill of the enigmatic minstrel, Kiernan Kane, the companions race against time in search of Yorien’s Hand, a relic that may hold the power to save them all.

My Audio Review

This is book three in the Minstrel’s song series, but you can read it second if you want.
The true second book, Second Son, is a prequel. This makes Yorin’s Hand the true sequel. So if you enjoyed King’s Warrior, and want to continue the story of those characters, you have my permission to skip book two and read this book.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the bad guy isn’t as rounded out as the one in the first book was. Grimdorack is generic evil. Sauruman to the main Sauron, if you will. He was just evil for evil’s sake.

But we get more Dragons in this book, so I guess it evens out.

I really liked Kamarie in this book, I was afraid her character would have been less proactive after the events of the first book, but she is as stubborn and insistent as ever. Not taking no, for an answer. Even her relationship with Oraeyn is nicely balanced between deference to her king, and not letting him boss her around just because he’s a man.

The Character Yol is back and is a second favorite of mine. He reads a lot older in this book and we learn about his family so more. I reall wish we had spent more time with Yol but this was already a long book.

Like most epic fantasy Yorien’s Hand, features a lot of POV characters. Maybe more than the first book, if that’s possible.

Thankfully Benjamin Fife is back, a seasoned narrator who is good at distinguishing between characters. He does the voices beautifully and is very good at reading description. He is quickly becoming one of my go to narrators.

I was given a free copy for the purposes of review. I was not required to leave a review, but I did because I’m cool like that. This review was my own honest opinion.

Series Blurb:

From time immemorial a world has endured the struggles of the mighty.  Creatures of myth have been hidden away for centuries waiting to take their place.  But will they be conquerors or protectors?  

The Minstrel’s Song chronicles the story of heroes pitting their will and strength against the hidden, personal, and ancient foes seeking to dominate a world poised for a new era.

Find the whole series available on Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Jenelle-Leanne-Schmidt/B008J4H9ZS

Or if you still prefer your books a bit more silent get them in paperback or ebook an Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C6DBH1

Your best option price wise is to buy the eBooks and add the audible for $7.49. You still come out paying about half the Audible price.

About the Author:

Jenelle first fell in love with stories through her father’s voice reading books aloud each night. A relentless opener-of-doors in hopes of someday finding a passage to Narnia, it was only natural that she soon began making up fantastical realms of her own. Jenelle currently resides in the wintry tundra of Wisconsin —which she maintains is almost as good as Narnia — with her knight-in-shining armor and their four hobbits. When she is not writing, she homeschools said hobbits and helps them along on their daily adventures… which she says makes her a wizard.

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Dive in Review: A Castle Awakened

26 Dec 2020 2 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , , , , ,

Welcome back I hope every one enjoyed their holiday yesterday. Today I’m dropping in with a new release that you can spend your new amazon gift cards on. It’s a thought provoking read and a slow building romance, which is the healthiest kind of romance.

A Castle Awakened by Sharon Rose

Novel 1 in the Castle in the Wilde series

A foreign usurper. A lady who longs for freedom. Vicious beasts who want to rip them all to shreds. Who wins?

Never one to shy from a challenge, Lord Tristan Petram took possession of a forsaken castle. His search uncovered no hint of who built it or why they abandoned such a gem. What treachery would strike the founding family from history? Still, it seems a small matter, since the generations have passed. If he and his followers can forge a life here—and hold out against ravenous vixicats—the castle and this land will be theirs. As for the nearest kingdom, they never venture beyond their border or the mysterious forest of tower trees. Except…

Beth dons a disguise and takes a forbidden ride in Tower Woods—a last fling before she bows to the dictates of her noble birth. Her fun adventure turns into a nightmare of kidnap and rescue—of sorts. Now she’s trapped in a nameless castle held by a foreign usurper who calls himself Lord Petram. Who could he be, and what will he do with her if he finds out who she really is?

Thus, Lord Petram finds himself the unwilling guardian of an injured lady who won’t give her full name. A crime he didn’t commit may bring retribution from an unknown kingdom. Do they have a claim to this castle that he now calls home? If he survives the vixicats, will an army slaughter him and his followers?

A Castle Awakened is the first novel in the Castle in the Wilde trilogy. If you like fantasy with mystery, intrigue, and romance, come and explore this secondary world with medieval undertones and the turmoil of clashing cultures.

Author bio:

I started writing when I was seven years old. Okay, My Life as a Flying Squirrel may have had a couple spelling errors, but my classmates loved it.

Plenty of life has happened since that first story, and I’ve come to realize the things that fascinate me. People. Communication. Culture. Personality. Viewpoints. Beliefs. Anything that makes each of us beautifully unique. Small wonder that my art spills out in story form.

It was only a matter of time before I just had to share my stories. I publish fantasy and science fiction because they allow vast spaces to explore. My stories weave cultures and characters, who are more than they seem to be, into adventures with mystery, romance, and hope.

When I’m not writing or reading, I may be traveling, enjoying gardens, or searching for unique coffee shops with my husband. We live in Minnesota, USA, famed for its mosquitoes—uh, I mean 10,000 lakes and vibrant seasons.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Review:

A Castle Awakened is the first Fantasy novel from Sharon Rose. Up to now she has been known for her thought provoking science fiction. This book shows that she can also write thought provoking fantasy.

Much like her sci-fi offerings, A Castle Awakened deals with humans and their inability to communicate with each other.

When Lord Tristian’s men rescue an unknown girl from bandits he is at a loss for what to do with her. Because no matter how nicely he asks, she refuses to tell him anything about herself. Is it just stubbornness born of fear, memory loss, or possible a subterfuge? He is occupying an abandon castle, in a land that is not his own.

This story has so much going for it, mysterious girl, mysterious monsters in the woods mysterious abandoned castle that no one knows where the last residents went. It’s all so mysterious.

If there was one thing I didn’t like in this story it was Beth. She spends so much of this novel being distrusting and, while not confrontational, frustrated. The worst part is that most of her frustration is her own fault. She refuses to give any information at all to Lord Tristian and expects him to just treat her like an equal. In this age of the strong independent heroine, I am pleased to see someone finally learn that equality is just as much what you give as what you get.

This story is very much a romance. Far more romance than any of Rose’s space operas were. But it’s a well written slow building romance where two people learn mutual respect and how to communicate. Not the romance most people want, but the one they need if society expects couples to actually build healthy relationships.

The fantastical elements were nicely done. There are no wizards or magic use in this world, at least none that’s appeared yet, but there are healing waters, an ageless healer and mysterious beasts known as Vixicats. They sound kind of like foxes but they are much larger and more fearsome.

The novel ends on a good note. Not a cliff hanger but certainly with plenty more story needing to be told.

*I was given a free copy of the book by the author for the purpose of advance review. The opinions included herein, are my own and are willingly and honestly given.* 

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

The Castle in the Wilde books are available from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. The print versions can also be ordered from local bookstores and libraries.

A Castle Awakened Available now.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GL7QXB2

Other Amazon markets: https://books2read.com/u/3LY9qJ

For a printed book from your local bookstore or library, request ISBN 978-1-948160-21-6.

A Castle Sealed – a prequel novella – will release Jan 19, 2021.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GKZMCFZ

Other Amazon markets: https://books2read.com/u/bPXJdl

For a printed book from your local bookstore or library, request ISBN 978-1-948160-19-3.

A Castle Contended – look for novel 2 in June, 2021.

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