Fantasy

The Child-Stealers – Book 1 of The Cursed Ground

The Child-Stealers – Book 1 of The Cursed Ground
Title: The Child-Stealers – Book 1 of The Cursed Ground
ASIN: B00PXIKE4G
Categories: ,
Published: January 20, 2015
Author:
Author's Twitter: @aroyking
A sudden, vicious attack by a band of raiders shatters the peace of the Till, an isolated agricultural community. But these marauders have carried off more than a few supplies and valuables. They’ve abducted a child, sister of a young man named Boon. To recover the lost child, Boon and a small force of loyal companions take leave of their simple village and march off into a vast, unknown forest in pursuit of the violent child-stealers. The Till has been at peace for generations, but now these farmers and tradesmen must track armed marauders through the wilderness, asking for help from distrustful strangers along the way. They know next to nothing about fighting or weapons, but somehow they must form a plan for confronting their enemies and wresting the stolen child away from them. The Cursed Ground historical-fantasy saga brings to life a long-gone era when humans lived for hundreds of years and all spoke the same language. This series tells the story of a group of defenders who struggle to protect their communities from the growing violence in the world around them. Meanwhile, a small brotherhood is charged with carrying an unpopular message to humankind: The Creator has declared that this violent world will soon come to an end.

Assessed 

Wind Catcher : A Chosen Novel

Wind Catcher : A Chosen Novel
Title: Wind Catcher : A Chosen Novel
ASIN: B00U555OLU
Published: March 21, 2015
Author's Twitter: @jeffaltabef
Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense. When she stumbles upon a series of murders she can’t help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her. All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average. Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

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In The Wreckage (A Tale of Two Brothers)

In The Wreckage (A Tale of Two Brothers)
Title: In The Wreckage (A Tale of Two Brothers)
ASIN: B00MBGZUZG
Published: July 31, 2014
Author's Twitter: @simonjtownley
In a future ravaged by climate change, two brothers stow away on a tall ship headed for the melting arctic, searching for revenge, redemption, runaway parents – and priceless buried treasure. Abandoned by their parents, Conall and Faro Hawkins survive by their wits, stranded on Shetland as the world burns and the fuel runs dry – until one day The Arkady, last of the sailing ships, calls at the Scottish island. Hiding as stow aways in the ship’s hold, the brothers overhear first mate Jonah Argent plotting to steal the captain’s treasure map. Argent dreams of looting the mythical riches hidden by the ancients on the Svalbard archipelago. As The Arkady sails for the melting arctic, can fifteen-year-old Conall find his parents, win the love of the captain’s daughter and rescue his own brother from reckless dreams of useless gold? Can he save the crew from slavers and the ship from jagged rocks – or salvage hope for a new world from the wreckage of the old?

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Gaspar The Thief

Gaspar The Thief
Title: Gaspar The Thief
ASIN: B007T9I7I2
Category:
Tag:
Published: January 6, 2014
Follow the adventures of Gaspar, a freelance thief who stubbornly refuses to swear fealty to the Thieves' Guild. Cursed with a special affinity for calamity and mishap, and a talent for snatching defeat from the brink of victory, our hero blunders from one misfortune to the next, yet somehow always manages to survive to tell the tale. Accompanied by his long-suffering companions - Hubris, a spellbroker who refuses to pay his dues to Wizards' Hall; Marna, a feisty thiefess with a quick tongue and a quicker temper; and Drune, a mischievous wight with an unusual magical ability - our unlikely hero encounters looming retribution and imminent catastrophe at every step.

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Henrietta The Dragon Slayer

Henrietta The Dragon Slayer
Title: Henrietta The Dragon Slayer
ASIN: B004P8K292
Publisher:
Published: January 5, 2014
Author:
She's a legend at 17, but only Henrietta knows the price she paid for her fame … and it was much too high. From the Winner of the California Fiction Writer's Book Contest comes this thrilling adventure of a young warrior on one final quest … against an opponent she swore never to face again. Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of Bleuve, can't face the thought of another kill. She's lost family, friends and home on her rocky road to fame. But when the young warrior is summoned by a King to retrieve the Dragon Stone from the last dragon in existence, she can't refuse--her mentor lies dying, and the healing stone is all that can save him. This quest will be her most harrowing of all, for it means facing mysterious assassins, the dreaded choppy sea, and all with a misfit band--a young witch, a jester and a surly knight. And at journey's end, someone must die … the dragon, or Henrietta.

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The Red Gate

The Red Gate
Title: The Red Gate
ASIN: B002BDU5HC
Published: March 11, 2014
It’s a tale of family struggle and an ancient Irish legacy that begins late Summer, 1911 in Western Co. Mayo, Ireland. It begins, oddly enough with an unexplained drowning and a muddy fall into a pasture sinkhole. For a traditional Irish farming family, a chain of strange events leads them to uncover ancient buried secrets about themselves and their place in the greater world. As the greed and ambition of an unfolding plan begins to threaten their very lives, what will become of their home and it’s hidden legacy? What will become of their sheep? It's a rousing story of how one family confronts adversity and survives to enjoy another day with help coming from allies they didn't know they had! In these times, people who read will enjoy the change of pace and place and all the comfort that’s in it.

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

The Commons: Book 1: The Journeyman:

The Commons: Book 1: The Journeyman
Title: The Commons: Book 1: The Journeyman
ASIN: B00L5RI87O
Series:
Publisher:
Published: June 19, 2014
Author's Twitter: @michaelapeck
 “Paul Reid died in the snow at seventeen. The day of his death, he told a lie–and for the rest of his life, he wondered if that was what killed him.” And so begins the battle for the afterlife, known as The Commons. It’s been taken over by a corporate raider who uses the energy of its souls to maintain his brutal control. The result is an imaginary landscape of a broken America-stuck in time and overrun by the heroes, monsters, dreams, and nightmares of the imprisoned dead. Three people board a bus to nowhere: a New York street kid, an Iraq War veteran, and her five-year-old special-needs son. After a horrific accident, they are the last, best hope for The Commons to free itself. Along for the ride are a shotgun-toting goth girl, a six-foot-six mummy, a mute Shaolin monk with anger-management issues, and the only guide left to lead them. Three Journeys: separate but joined. One mission: to save forever. But first they have to save themselves.

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A Lifetime Last Night

A Lifetime Last Night
Title: A Lifetime Last Night
ASIN: B00MLDFI38
Published: August 10, 2014
Author:
Author's Twitter: @DavidHomick
Every choice has a consequence, a notion Richard Dunham refuses to acknowledge even as his twenty-five-year marriage to college sweetheart Emily falls apart. Forced into a homeless shelter when Emily throws him out, Richard has an unexpected encounter with an eccentric old man who offers him a rare opportunity. A fatal accident leaves Richard between two worlds, but he refuses to leave this one before making things right with Emily. Left with only one option, he embarks on a mission to reclaim the heart of the only woman he’s ever loved, while trapped in the body of a man she’s never met – the man involved in her husband’s death. With time running out, Richard must navigate a minefield of obstacles that stand in the way of reclaiming everything he once held dear. A shocking discovery offers hope, but is it too late? Will Richard let his past determine his future, or will he discover that it is never too late to be what he might have been?

Assessed 

Replying to @Awesome_Indies

Thank you, but this book is no longer in print. The revised version is named “Reason to Live”

The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky

The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky
Title: The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky
ASIN: B00K434HRU
Published: May 3, 2014
Author's Twitter: @davidlitwack
After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light-two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.  Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena’s plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions. These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena’s home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky. A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom. But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever… and perhaps their world as well.

Assessed for Awesome Indies