|
A Day of Darkness by Suzannah Rowntree A warrior running from his future. A djinn running from her past. Can they save the city…or will they doom it? Tripoli, 1289: Trapped by black magic in a hostile future, John Bessarion is determined to find his way home to a family and homeland that desperately need him. Yet when his quest leads him to a city trembling on the brink of destruction, John discovers that not everyone in this strange future has forgotten his name...or the terrible things he's already done to protect his people. As an enslaved djinn, Soraya fears she will never be anything more than a killer. Sent to infiltrate and betray a city under siege, she is helpless to subvert her mission until she stumbles across a face from her long-forgotten past. When John and Soraya join forces to save the city, they attract the attention of opposing sides in an ancient battle of evil against evil. Yet the greatest danger they face might not be the demons struggling for control of Tripoli...but the secrets buried in both their pasts. Is there any way home for killers like them? A Day of Darkness is Book 3 in the critically acclaimed Watchers of Outremer series (though it can be read as a standalone). City of Brass fans will love this stunning historical fantasy featuring time travel, palace intrigue, and immortal assassins! |
|
The Wrong Sword by Ted Rabinowitz The year is 1190. The place is Paris. If you are a noble, life is fleeting but wonderful. If you are a commoner, it's just fleeting. And on the streets of Paris, an enterprising ex-monk is selling "magic" swords to gullible knights with the help of a decrepit Welshman and a giant, sullen blacksmith. Henry the Rat thinks he has the world finally figured out. But then he sells the wrong sword to the wrong prince, and everything goes wrong. Before he knows it, he has been shanghaied on a quest to find a mythical blade. Unfortunately, the mythical weapon turns out to be real. And that's when the fun begins. |
|
Hag of the Hills (The Bronze Sword Cycles Duology Book 1) by J.T.T. Ryder “Nothing is unconquerable; even our gods can die.” Brennus is destined from birth to become a warrior, despite his farmer’s life. But when the Hillmen kill his family and annihilate his clan, he now has the opportunity to avenge those who he loved. Brennus must survive endless hordes of invading Hillmen and magic-wielding sidhe, aided by only a band of shifty mercenaries, and an ancient bronze sword. Failure means his family and clan go unavenged. Victory will bring glory to Brennus and his ancestors. Hag of the Hills is a heroic fantasy novel set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture. |
|
The Covenant of Shihala by Laya V. Smith and Kyro Dean For ten years, street musician Ayelet has been on the run from the faceless slave master who tormented her childhood. Every time she sees a wisp or the jewel-toned face of a djinn lurking in the shadows, she knows her tormentor is close and it is time to move on. Nobody else can see the wisps or the nightkeepers, so Ayelet must trust only in herself and her beloved lyre. Secretly, she longs for a home, but she knows anyone she gets close to will share in her terrible fate when the Faceless Man inevitably finds her. Jahmil Amir, djinn prince and heir to the throne of Shihala, has lost his army and with it his hope. The fierce drakonte riders are his only chance of retaking his fallen lands and avoiding an arranged marriage to the despicable queen of a neighboring kingdom. The desire for revenge has blackened his heart and stolen his sense of humor. Only when he hears music does Jahmil allow himself to dream of peace and to hope for a new home. When the prophecy of a traitor sends Jahmil into the human world in search of his lost cavalry, he finds Ayelet playing her lyre in the streets. She quickly plucks her way into his heart, while his diamond eyes tempt her with the dream of a real home. But the eight moons of Qaf harbor a different fate. A dark plan is unfolding that will open a rift between the human and djinn lands and unleash a power unknown in either world. To stop it, Ayelet must realize her tortured existence has forged her into an instrument of cataclysmic destruction. Meanwhile, Jahmil must let go of his thirst for vengeance and face the truth that love may be the only thing strong enough to save both of their worlds. |
|
In the aftermath of the Norman Invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror was uncompromising and brutal. English society was broken apart, its systems turned on their head. What is little known is that a fractured network of guerrilla fighters took up arms against the French occupiers. In The Wake, a postapocalyptic novel set a thousand years in the past, Paul Kingsnorth brings this dire scenario back to us through the eyes of the unforgettable Buccmaster, a proud landowner bearing witness to the end of his world. Accompanied by a band of like-minded men, Buccmaster is determined to seek revenge on the invaders. But as the men travel across the scorched English landscape, Buccmaster becomes increasingly unhinged by the immensity of his loss, and their path forward becomes increasingly unclear. Written in what the author describes as “a shadow tongue”—a version of Old English updated so as to be understandable to the modern reader—The Wake renders the inner life of an Anglo-Saxon man with an accuracy and immediacy rare in historical fiction. To enter Buccmaster’s world is to feel powerfully the sheer strangeness of the past. A tale of lost gods and haunted visions, The Wake is both a sensational, gripping story and a major literary achievement. |
|
Detective King Book I: Magic and Mystery by LionBolt What’s a detective to do when faced by criminals he doesn’t believe exist? Ghosts, magical creatures, demons, and was that a talking mouse? The son of Dr. John Watson strives to overtake the legacy of Sherlock Holmes but finds himself cast into another world filled with the paranormal, mythical and impossible while sinister plots threaten the fabric of society. When a mysterious woman who looks just like his late mother makes off with an ancient demon, can the teenage detective unravel the web of supernatural mysteries and take his crown as the detective king? And seriously—I’m certain that mouse just spoke. Whether fighting a witch raising the dead, fighting a mythological, or simply solving your run-of-the-mill serial murder—come along with Arthur and his Detective Knights in the first installment of their roaring twenties fantasy adventure. |
|
An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time--and a destroyed one can stop it completely. A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork, but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town. A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England. A boy who would give anything to relive his past, and one who would give anything to live at all. A romance that will shake the very foundations of time. The first book in a dazzling new steampunk-fantasy trilogy, Timekeeper introduces a magical world of mythology and innovation that readers will never want to leave. |
|
A Song of Steel by J.C. Duncan A roaring Norse saga of war, honour, love and loss. Vikings face Crusaders in an epic battle for the soul of the North 'A gripping, well-executed story, with a fun, original premise.' - Angus Donald' A Song Of Steel is a rising light of Norse Mythology.' - Daniel Kelly It began with a single Viking raid, now their world will blaze with the fury of a pope's revenge. Alternate history - 1116 AD. Three hundred years of cruel Viking raids have finally united Christian Europe against the pagan Northlands. A great crusade has been called to pacify the wild Norse kingdoms. The banner of the cross has been raised against the north, and all the power and fury of the west rides under it. Ordulf, a talented young German swordsmith, is ripped from his comfortable life and cast into the bloody chaos of the crusade. As fate deals him a cruel blow in the lands of his enemies, he will have to forge a new path through the chaos, or be consumed by it. In the Northlands, three rival kingdoms must unite to survive the onslaught. But can any man, king or commoner, unite the bickering brotherhood of the Norse? Or is the time of the Vikings finally drawing to a violent end. Heroes will fail, kings will fall, and ordinary people will fight for the right to a future. An epic saga of war, love and politics sure to delight fans of Bernard Cornwell, Giles Krystian, Matthew Harffy, Christian Cameron and all lovers of historical fiction. |
|
She's the One Who Gets in Fights by S. R. Cronin Do you know what your problem is? Sulphur knows hers. This 13th-century woman has trained as a fighter all her life in hopes of joining the army. Then, within days, both of her older sisters announce plans and suddenly Sulphur is expected to find a man to marry instead. Is it her good fortune her homeland is gripped by fear of a pending invasion and the army now goes door to door encouraging recruits? Sulphur thinks it is. But once she’s forced to kill in a small skirmish, she’s ready to rethink her career decision. Too bad it’s too late. The invasion is coming, and Ilari needs every good soldier it has. Once Sulphur learns Ilari’s army has made the strategic decision to not defend certain parts of the realm, including the one where her family lives, she has to re-evaluate her loyalty. Is it with the military she’s always admired? Or is it with her sisters, who are hatching a plan to defend their homeland with magic? The problem with being a woman who fights for what’s right is that now, she has to figure out what is. The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters consists of seven short companion novels. Each tells the personal story and perspective of one of seven radically different sisters in the 1200s as they prepare for an invasion of their realm. While these historical fantasy/alternate history books can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, together they tell the full story of how Ilari survived. Which sister do you think saved the realm? That will depend on whose story you are reading. |
|
She's the One Who Cares Too Much by S. R. Cronin Do you know what your problem is? Coral knows hers. People have been telling this tenderhearted 13th-century woman for years. So when a heroic army officer proposes, she decides she’s stronger than people realize and her dreams have come true. Except, the perfect man turns out to be less than ideal. And she’s gotten pregnant. And her homeland is gripped with fear of a pending Mongol invasion and she cries about everything now that she’s with child. When a friend suggests the ever-caring Coral possesses a power well beyond what anyone imagines, Coral’s sister decides this formidable talent is what the realm needs. Can Coral raise a baby, placate an absent military husband who thinks he’s stopping the invasion, and help her sister save her homeland? This is just the sort of problem encountered by a woman who cares too much. The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters consists of seven short companion novels. Each tells the personal story and perspective of one of seven radically different sisters in the 1200s as they prepare for an invasion of their realm. While these historical fantasy/alternate history books can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, together they tell the full story of how Ilari survived. Which sister do you think saved the realm? That will depend on whose story you are reading. |
|
She's the One Who Thinks Too Much by S. R. Cronin Do you know what your problem is? Ryalgar knows hers. People have been telling this over-educated 13th-century woman for years. So when an equally intellectual prince decides he loves her, it looks like everyone was wrong and her dreams have come true. Except, this prince is obligated to marry another. He is leading the army training to defend their tiny realm against an expected Mongol invasion. And he is considering sacrificing Ryalgar’s home nichna by abandoning it’s rich farmlands to their foes. If only he wasn’t such a nice guy. Another woman would ….. Ryalgar has no idea what another would do. All she knows is she has a multitude of university intellectuals and a family of tough farmers behind her, and a newfound connection with the witches in the forest. Why not devise her own strategy to keep the invaders from destroying her home? Then she can figure out what to do about this problem prince. It’s just the sort of thing that happens when a woman thinks too much. |
|
Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft: Book One of Marcus Grimm saga by Stas Borodin, Stanislav Borodin The steppes were always feared, for the steppe warlocks were cruel and ruthless. For centuries, the tiny kingdom of Lieh was a shield that protected civilization from the hordes of ferocious nomads. But one day, everything changed. The truce that had lasted for many years was broken and a powerful new warlock invaded the kingdom. Young Marcus Grimm must take up arms and join his father's army in his maiden battle. Adventurer, student at the Academy of Magic, pirate hunter, army scout and slayer of sorcerers – on the way he will find true friends and make some fearsome enemies. He will become the Hand of Destiny. The first book of the Marcus Grimm saga. Translated from Russian. Stas Borodin is the author of the popular fantasy series “Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft”, written in the genre of heroic fantasy. The series includes the novel of the same name “Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft”, novels “Black Hands” and “Funeral Pyres”. “Fists of clay” is a stand-alone novel and a sequel to “Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft”. The novel “Stars and Arrows” is written in the genre of alternative history and set in times of American Civil War. |
|
A Locket of No Particular Significance (Weskerlee #1) by Florien St. John "Are you suggesting Captain that a Faerie might have wings? Like a bird? That's preposterous. Why, think of all that effort flapping one's arms getting from point A to point B when with just a small amount of magic, one could achieve the very same result. Without the flapping. Next, you will have us in nests gathering worms and shiny things. I'd be very embarrassed for any Faerie so tiny it must fly about like an insect, building tiny houses in the exposed roots of trees, dressed in nothing but Butterbell trousers. Have you ever worn Butterbell trousers Ib? Of course you haven't. No one has. I am not sure who is responsible for creating such an idle fantasy. Perhaps one of your literature types? There is nothing worse than a writer, who when they have nothing to write of consequence, find themselves seduced by the temptation to expostulate on what could or might be, instead of what is!" - The Good Faerie Jasper Wintergreen. Can a GOOD Faerie turned BAD ever turn GOOD again? Higher Faerie has banished unworthy Lesser Faerie from The Other-Lands. Like it or not, the human realm of The Middle Counties and The Wild South is besieged.When bookish Alisanne Frochard, a Vigilant apprentice studying Faerie Lore at Weskerlee Folly is tasked to track down a mischievous Dark Faerie alongside her handsome Captain whom she may or may not admire more than she ought, she hopes to prove herself worthy, or at the very least, tolerably capable.Jasper Wintergreen and Faerydae Ib, two elite Nobles from Faerie, both hard-pressed to contain their natural proclivity for expressing excessive and elaborately ebullient expostulations, are unbeknown to the Vigilants, watching over them.There's a Half-Faerie orphan if we are to believe what she says and she is never ever where she is thought to be. There is a riddle, heartrending lost love, a prologue, an enchanted locket and a blue feather in a hat worn for luck. An almost Regency period historical fantasy of manners where the wit appears larger than the plot holes and where becoming lost in a fog in a bog somewhere east of Whirrel is only of concern during Autumn. |
|
Meet Jacob Williams. A survivor of the First World War, forever changed by his experience. Now he’s facing down the terrors that conflict unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Weak spots have always existed between our world and that of the Fae; stone circles help to keep the most dangerous sealed shut. But now Stonehenge is failing… It falls to the members of the Fae Defence Society to repair the ancient monument, protect humanity from the terrors it holds back and prevent another disastrous war. Jacob and his wartime comrade Harry are on the front lines in a supernatural battle which threatens everything. |
|
Enlightened (Enlightened #1) by Billie Kowalewski "Winner 2017 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD Distinguished Favorites" "Enlightened is exactly the sort of book that remains in your mind long after you've read it, for all the best reasons." authorstalkaboutit.com" "Enlightened is such a fascinating read and is not mindless by any stretch of the imagination." lisaluvstoread.blogspot.com When Veronica lost the love of her life in a horrible accident she wassure he was gone forever, and she would never love again. Then, fiveyears later she meets her own tragic demise leading her back to the manshe loves, but, with an unexpected twist... Imagine waking up to discover that the life you thought was real never was. That your real life is actually lived somewhere else, and the love you thought was lost will go on forever |
|
Lost Souls: A Servant of Death by Shane Martin Executed, widowed, and robbed of his entire crew of pirates, Captain Ander Frost makes a desperate attempt to recover what he’s lost: a deal with Death. Because those always go so well. Tasked to kill a usurper of the Roman emperorship, he must ally himself with the man that had him, his wife and crew murdered in the first place ‒ High King of the entire human population ‒ Rian Forge. Set in ancient Imperial Rome, where the likes of dwarves and elves live side by side with humans under Roman rule, Captain Frost must make unlikely alliances, work with enemies, bargain with Death, and fight anyone who would dare prevent him from reuniting with his wife. |