Showing posts with label Clean Romantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clean Romantasy. Show all posts

7.01.2025

Awakened ~ Review

Awakened 
By Roseanna M. White 

Awakened, a detail rich fantasy world that drew me in from the opening page, was worth the exploration. There are mer-people, not mermaids, this is an important difference. The Royal family of those who dwell on the land have a connection to the mer-people which results in the royals having an extended lifespan. 

For generations mer-people and land-dwellers have had peace. But something has shifted and both groups are looking to tap into a new magic, one of the air. This story centers around King Seidon and sisters Jade and Arden. For some unknown reason Jade is stolen by the mer-people, threatening the fragile peace between the two groups. What has made Jade so special? And what of Arden? The answers to these may determine the future of their world. 

Everything appears to have a blood link. Blood calls to blood. Blood determines your fate. There are a lot of fantastical elements throughout with a subtle nod to The Little Mermaid. Overall a good read with a clean dash of romance. This is not the author's usual fare of historical romance but instead a lovely romantasy debut. The faith element was particularly appealing, in my opinion. This is one story world I would love to revisit and explore further. I would compare it to Gillian Bronte Adams' The Fireborn Epic series but without the horses. It is more grown up than Narnia but has some similar vibes.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I give my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Where sea and land meet, two worlds clash in a fury of wind and waves.

Arden Bleu has always known that her stepsister, Jade, was destined for great things. In a world where beauty follows magic, she has no doubt that their upcoming Awakening ceremony will reveal that gorgeous, kind, compelling Jade is far more than a mere mortal. But when Jade is kidnapped by a mysterious sect of mer on the eve of the newly-returned king’s ball, Arden will do anything to save her sister. Even face down the man she’s always dreaded meeting because of the power he holds over her family, the man to whom her father swore loyalty long before she was born. The Sea King.

Seidon, the Sea King of Daryatla, has grown only more powerful as the centuries have gone by, but lifetime after lifetime have failed to give him what he most yearns for: a family. He knows that it will take a woman of extraordinary power to match him enough to create a child, and no such woman seems to exist…until he feels her magic calling to his one day in the water. And when Arden Bleu, daughter of his most trusted official, arrives to tell him about her missing stepsister, he knows this Jade, with a new magic so coveted that the mer would risk war with his kingdom to steal her away, may be the one he’s waited centuries for. But how can he and the determined Arden ever hope to find one young woman trapped beneath the waves? Perhaps the Great Golden Sea Hawk who has guarded the sisters all their lives holds the key.

In a world on the brink of war between the mer and the land-dwellers, friendship, faith, and love demand the ultimate sacrifice as both kingdoms seek to unlock the prophesied magic waiting to spring forth: the magic of wind and sky. To the mer, it would mean the freedom to return to the land. To Seidon’s court, it would mean safety from every storm. But how can any human hand wield the wind?

5.04.2025

Golden Lotus - Full Hardcover Wrap Revealed

 I have the full cover wrap for the Golden Lotus 
Hardcover Special Edition to share.
The Special Edition is publishing on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Extra chapters and more in this book.


If you are a digital fan the ebook is still available at a reduced preorder price.
The eBook releases on Friday, May 9, 2025.
Preorder and start reading on Friday.





3.18.2025

Cover Reveal for Golden Lotus

 Today, I'm thrilled to share the cover reveal for my upcoming book
Golden Lotus. This is one of seven books in a multi-author collection
titled A Garden of Fairy Tales.

Golden Lotus is a retelling of the Little Mermaid with some elements
from the Winter
 Fairy and the Legend of the Frozen Lake.
The ebook is currently available for preorder for $0.99.

There will be a paperback and hardcover edition too. The hardcover will have an
exclusive cover that is just so pretty.

But I know that you're here for the cover reveals.

First, here is the eBook/Paperback cover.

 
This cover was created by follow author Kendra E. Ardnek
who is creating all the eBook/Paperback covers.
 
Now for the hardcover cover reveal, which I will
admit I designed. 
 

 
I confess I found designing this cover
to be as enjoyable as writing the book.
 
The release date is May 9, 2025!

 

9.14.2024

Spirits and Pacts ~ Review

Spirits and Pacts:
A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and 
          The Phantom of the Opera - Part 2
The Roumaterra Chronicles #3
By Erin Halbmaier

Before you read any further IF you have not read part one Songs and Spun Gold  don't read any further. Part one is a must read.

Five years ago Katy and Axel married after a rather difficult trial. Katy was forced to spin gold after her not so reliable father popped off at the mouth and criticized the king. Yeah not too smart. But it resulted in Katy and Axel marrying one another. 

But Katy made a deal that has her first born child's future out of her hands. The stranger who aided her in spinning all that gold has a claim on her child. But this child will also be heir to the kingdom's throne. Will Axel or the king ever forgive her if she has to give up her child? Of course she must first have a child and after five years the nobles are getting restless about this lack of an heir.

Axel's always been drawn to singing, to his father's displeasure. Five years ago the theater was destroyed by fire and his father refused to allow it to be rebuilt. Even worse Axel lost his mentor. After five years Lottie must be dead, but still Axel hopes to find her.

But something is happening within the kingdom. And that something is a danger to the throne. Until Katy and Axel along with those closest to them can figure out what is going on no one is safe.

I love how the author has carried the Rumpelstiltskin and The Phantom of the Opera theme into this third book in The Roumaterra Chronicles series. The reader is drawn into the story as Katy struggles with her childless state and what it means for her. This book allows Katy and Axel to further grow, but this time as a couple as they must face the choices that they have made. 

There are a few surprises along the way that add another layer to this book and provide a potential avenue for additional books in the series. The book is a clean read that retells two different stories that one would not think of working so well together, yet the author does so in a beautiful work that will engage your imagination.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

She married the man she loves. But at what cost?

Five years after the fire at the theater and Katy and Axel’s wedding, pressure is building because of their childless state. Katy’s feelings are mixed: the kingdom needs an heir, but the gold-spinning stranger can’t take a child she doesn’t have.

While Axel longs for the stage, he can’t ignore the fact that his kingdom needs him, little as he feels qualified. He tries to shield Katy from the trouble brewing in the council, but more accidents at the theater, a curse no one remembers until it breaks, and physical danger mix with the secret she is hiding.

Can Katy find a way to save their child? Or will the troubles in the kingdom pull her and her husband down with them?

Spirits and Pacts is part two of a clean, no-spice retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and The Phantom of the Opera. It is the third book in The Roumaterra Chronicles, a series of interconnected, standalone fairy tale retellings perfect for readers of Brittany Fichter, Celeste Baxendell, and Annette K. Larsen.

9.12.2024

The Beauty and the Griffin ~ Review

The Beauty and the Griffin
Faraway Castle #6
By J.M. Stengl

It's sad, but true (thank you Disney's Little Mermaid) but this series has come to an end. I've loved the Faraway Castle series from the very beginning and each book is better than the last. This isn't to say that the story is necessarily, but rather that the story world that the author has created has grown. 

I love how aspects of Beauty and the Beast are woven throughout this book. In this book we finally get a chance to meet the Gamekeeper of Faraway Castle and get some backstory about the castle and some of the characters. 

And we met Beatrice de Callen who has a unique tie to the castle one that may determine the fate of the world. Beatrice first comes to Faraway Castle as a young girl and through a trick of fate, chance, or design meets a young boy. She forms an almost instantaneous friendship with this young man whom she never sees again. As she grows she forms a friendship with the Gamekeeper and has a series of dreams in which she forms another attachment. I know it makes one think of Sleeping Beauty's I Know You

Then there is the Gamekeeper who is mysterious and always hidden in some way. You guessed it he about to have his story brought to life. And what a story it is. Just saying anyone who has read the rest of the books in this series does not want to miss this one!

When Beatrice is called upon to help protect two rare griffin eggs, she answers the call. Little does she realize just what she has gotten herself into - a war that could destroy everything she knows and everyone she loves. These rare griflets are very important to everything, but so is Beatrice and the choice her heart must make.

Did I say I love how everything comes together in this book? And yes you need to read the other books, in order, before reading The Beauty and the Griffin

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:
Three romantic dreams.
Two priceless eggs.
One hasty curse that may doom not only Faraway Castle but the world.

Beatrice de Callen, an otherwise sensible young woman, was foolish enough to fall in love with the benevolent yet shadowy mage known as the Gamekeeper of Faraway Castle. Worse still, she broke his heart.

But when traitorous mages steal a powerful fay artifact, magical war threatens, and the Gamekeeper vanishes, Beatrice promises her fairy godmother to help and soon finds herself escorting two telepathic griffin eggs and Winifred, their furious nanny, through a labyrinth of caves in search of the Forbidden Palace. Exhausted, Beatrice falls asleep while snuggling the gold egg and dreams of dancing with a stunning young king at his coronation ball. Have they met before?

Once the eggs guide their humans to the timeless palace, Beatrice is relieved to sense the Gamekeeper’s presence—but Win insists he is the monster that killed the last King of Adelboden!

Beatrice must not only help raise the lively griflets and watch over a girl who hates her, but also save Faraway Castle and the world by breaking a century-old curse.

Only the Golden Griffin can tell her how.

This final Faraway Castle book is an adventurous, humorous, and sweetly romantic retelling of “The Beauty and the Beast” that ties the series together.

8.26.2024

Arabella's Song ~ Coming Soon

 Arabella's Song will be released on September 26, 2024!

Arabella's Song is a work of love, a project I thoroughly enjoyed and dedicated myself to.
It was created as a part of the
Arista Lost Kerchiefs Challenge (2023)
hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek.

The theme behind the challenge was retelling the Goose Girl. Creating a totally new story while keeping key elements intact was indeed a challenge. What did or didn't I like about the original? As with all fairy tales, there is a story underneath; capturing that essence was the end goal. 

But what was that essence?
I'll let you discover that for yourself.

I further challenged myself by adding an additional layer by bringing in the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

I hope you will enjoy Arabella's Song,
the first book in the series The House of Sorah

The ebook is currently available for pre-order. But if you prefer to wait, there will also be a paperback edition.


7.23.2024

Shattered Revision ~ Now Available

 Available Now!

Shattered Revision by Madisyn Carlin 
from The Shattered Lands 
comes a prequel that is 
inspired by Sleeping Beauty.

Beware the truth, for it could cost you your life.






Locksmith-turned-soldier Canon Norr is finally free from war. When his best friend calls in a favor, however, he finds himself stepping right back into danger and potential bloodshed. Protecting the innocent woman targeted by evil schemers would be easy if she wasn’t so distracting and unlike any noble he’s ever before encountered.

Lady Silci Clanna spent most of her life in hiding, but when her people need a leader, she finds herself stepping forward and exposing her existence to those who’ve desired her death since she was born. Can her best friend and a handsome, yet ornery and sarcastic foreigner help her live long enough to see her people finally free from bloodshed and hardship? Or will her enemies finally succeed and end the Clanna line?

As desperation mounts and a malevolent plot is brought to light, Canon and Silci are confronted by danger at every turn. Hope wanes and danger grows, and with it a terrifying revelation—in order for most to survive, one must die.

Shattered Revision is a New Adult Christian fantasy tale inspired by Sleeping Beauty and is the prequel to The Shattered Lands series.

The Shattered Lands
Shattered Revision - Prequel
Shattered Reflection - Book One
Shattered Reaction - Book Two
Shattered Resistance - Book Three
Shattered Redemption - Book Four (Available for Preorder)
Shattered Risk - Novella (Coming late 2025)