Book Review: Love in Two Acts: A Romance Novella by Ronnda Eileen Henry

Synopsis

Set in a fantasy world, “Love in Two Acts” is the story of two people who seem to be one thing but aren't, as three kingdoms collide in long-held disputes and life and death hang in the balance. Marigold has been the companion and protector of Princess Rozabela since they were children. When Rozabela’s entourage is attacked on her way to her own royal wedding by those wanting to take her captive and marry her to the son of a different king. Who else can step in to save her except confident courageous Marigold even though it may mean her death if she’s caught in the act?

           

                              NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON and BARNE&NOBLE  

REVIEW

Not one to really get swept up in romances whether they are books, movies, or music. I have to admit Ronnda Eileen Henry swept me away in her charming royal court fantasy adventure romance tale “Love in Two Acts.”

 Set in a medieval fantasy setting Love in Two Acts is a refreshing sweet romantic read. Henry’s heroine Marigold is brilliantly written. I just loved her. She is ever the kind polite lady but doesn't take any BS reminding me of a medieval version of Princess Leia with the smart witty tongue to boot.

Henry’s writing flows flowery and eloquent reminiscent of the time period the story takes place in, with a couple of hiccups at times. For instance, Andro’s calls Marigold by her true name in one scene to which I think this was just a typo on the author's part, not a jaw-dropping plot twist for when Marigold gets discovered…well do not want to ruin the book for you all. Thanks to Henry’s strong driven characters they override these little nit-picky details.

Love in Two Acts is a pleasantly pure, yet alluring romantic adventurous tale perfect for young and old readers alike. I love books that can totally sweep me away making me forgot life's problems for a moment and take me on an adventure, stirs things in my soul I had forgotten totally about. Henry did just that. I think I just might read it again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronnda Eileen Henry is originally from Michagan and was raised in Califorinia and Virginia. She read a lot of history, biography, science fiction, and regency romances when she was young, but her two favorite authors are Jane Austen and William Shakespeare(though she perfers to see the later acted rather that simply read). Retired now she lives in Florida.

BOOK REVIEW: Thomas Blackwing & the Crystal Heart (Part 1 of the Immortal Chronicles) By M.V. Grimm

The Story Unfolds...

 Fourteen years following the assassination of the royal family, the Aries Council prepares to elect a new ruler. The King’s Candidates event is lauded as the premiere event for first-year cadets anxious to secure their place in history. Hailing from three of the most prestigious schools in the kingdom, knights, wizards, witches, and rangers will compete to secure their place behind the throne.

Among the brave contestants stand a pair of fourteen-year-old orphans. Their shared quest will pit them against each other, but a strange turn of fate will seal their bond. As an ancient mystery begins to unravel, startling revelations and mystifying incidents around them lead to a sinister game of deception.

Will they solve the legend of the Seven Immortals before the chaos of a great war erupts?

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

REVIEW

Thomas Blackwing & the Crystal Heart enters you into a fantastical fantasy land filled swords and sorcery. Think Harry Potter meets the Hobbits and you, kind of get the vibe for this coming of age fantasy story.  A brand new story from brand new author M.V. Grimm the overall the story has magic potential, yet Grimm’s layout of storytelling leaves you as the reader lacking to get fully drawn into the story. I wanted to get drawn into this story for there were some good parts in which I was drawn into, then Grimm made an odd choice of writing style and lost me causing the writer in me to cringe. His chapters with his two main characters Thomas and Will shine brightly though. These are two characters are strong, likable, and well-constructed characters that you will fall in love with instantly. Sadly, the rest of his world and characters fall short compared to Thomas and Will.

Perhaps this is maybe due to the writing style and format Grimm chose to use. It is really a distraction from getting fully engrossed in the story. Overall Grimm has a good story it is just his weaving of his tale falls short from you really getting involved.

Overall rating **** (4 stars) It’s got potential thanks to the Thomas and Will characters if it were only written not so oddly.

Check Thomas Blackwing & the Crystal Heart for yourself.    

Available now on AMAZON

______________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Sword and magic can keep the enemy at bay,

While bow and arrows will always win the day.

M. V Grimm is an author with a love and passion for mystery and fantasy stories. He currently works doing odd jobs while concentrating most of his attention to a flourishing writing career.

Thomas Blackwing and the Crystal Heart is M.V Grimm’s first novel and is a fantasy story of a pair of fourteen-year-old orphans who compete with others for a throne left vacant after the murder of a royal dynasty. It is available through Amazon and is the first in a planned series.

His hopes for the future are to carry on writing fantasy novels full-time and to bring them to as wide an audience as possible and when he has some time to himself he enjoys fishing, which helps to clear his mind of troubles and all thoughts for a few hours, before dreaming up new stories and adventures.

Follow/Contact M.V. Grimm on his blog http://immortalschronicle.blogspot.sg/

Also, follow him on Twitter @mv_grimm

Book Review: The Ansgar Kids Treasury by Aleksandra Layland

*Editors Note* We would like to apologize for the misspelling of author Aleksandra Layland's name in our previous review.

The Ansgar Kids Treasury is a collection of four books for younger readers which are part of the Windflower Saga epic fantasy series. These books introduce kids to characters from the first two books in the Windflower Saga trilogy of novels: "Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart." and "Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War. The Path of Peace." 
The four books in this collection are two short picture books for K-2nd grade: "Tiyo, The Dog Who Saved Ansgar" and "Bright Star, A Pony of the Kimbrii." It also includes a short chapter book, "Keri and Kalina" and a middle-grade novel, "Golden Skye of Ansgar." "Keri and Kalina" is the story of two cousins aged about 10 and 7 who are orphaned or left with only one parent and share a room at a boarding school run by nuns. "Golden Skye of Ansgar" is about a horse belonging to Queen Keridwen of Kimbria, now in her 40s, who was Keri in "Keri and Kalina." The Queen has children who have adventures with horses, a dog, a cat, and several parrots.

                                                        Available on AMAZON NOW

 



REVIEW

Fully completing the Windflower Saga is THE ANSGAR KIDS TREASURY: A WINDFLOWER SAGA COLLECTION. This treasury collection features the kid-friendly books Tiyo, The Dog Who Saved Ansgar; Bright Star, A Pony of the Kimbrii; Keri and Kalina; and lastly Golden Skye of Ansgar. 
You may think to skip this treasury collection since they are kids themed books.  You also may wonder why input kid friendly books into the more adult oriented Windflower Saga? The answer is I have no idea, but oddly it kind of works for if you read each book they give you a hint of a new perspective on the main trilogy. To be honest, they are charming books, and Layland’s tackle at writing for kids is fair. I just love how these books are like the final touches on a great epic cake. Kids books or not if you have read the main trilogy saga you are going to want to read the kids books too. These little books actually add the finishing touches that complete this epic fantasy saga that Mrs. Layland created.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

The Windflower Saga series is comprised of the following volumes which trace the lives of members of the fictional Ansgar ducal family against a background of struggles between forces such as good and evil, love and hate, and war and peace. The series is a unique blending of traditional love stories and adventure and action stories in an "other world" setting, with serious spiritual and moral themes which are addressed in an overall uplifting tone. For all that the characters may face harsh realities, the story of the Ansgar family is a happy one.

BOOK REVIEW: The Windflower Saga Collection by Aleksandra Layland

FINALLY! The royal epic Windflower Saga comes home in an EPIC deluxe collection. The first being THE ANSGAR TREASURY: A Windflower Saga Collection. This collection includes book 1 of the epic saga Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart along with its 3 companion novellas The Feathered Crown,
 Far Endeavor, and Three Brothers of Ansgar that further develop the fantasy world of Kimbria that Layland has created.

 This collection is perfect for readers who like to read their series in chronological order, and it makes it an easy share read with friends, for now, you have book 1 along with its 3 sub novellas all wrapped up in one beautifully covered package.

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

THE WISDOM AND VALOR TREASURY:  A Windflower Saga Collection is the second book in the Windflower Saga Treasury collection containing book 2 of the trilogy Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War the Path of Peace and its companion novella’s Bind Not the Heart, Leofric of Longridge, and Keridwen Rose (Part 1) from Swords of Ansgar. It was in 2015 that the main trilogy was written. Then Layland went back to her world in 2016 writing a series of novellas that were companion books to the main trilogy that re-visited some of the characters from the trilogy adding more depth to the storyline.

Now Layland has brought the saga together as it intentionally should be read now with the second Windflower Saga Treasury book.

Masterfully done!

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 THE FAR HAVEN TREASURY: A Windflower Saga Collection concludes your treasury collection with the adventurous book 3 Far Haven: A Quest for Certitude. A Fight for Justice in the Windflower Saga Trilogy as well as its 3 companion books that followed. Albina, Courage of Ansgar, and “Kimbria Ke’ilani” (Part 2) from Swords of Ansgar.

The final books wrap up this dramatic family fantasy saga in the fashion it was designed in…EPIC.

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

The Windflower Saga series is comprised of the following volumes which trace the lives of members of the fictional Ansgar ducal family against a background of struggles between forces such as good and evil, love and hate, and war and peace. The series is a unique blending of traditional love stories and adventure and action stories in an "other world" setting, with serious spiritual and moral themes which are addressed in an overall uplifting tone. For all that the characters may face harsh realities, the story of the Ansgar family is a happy one.

Book Review: Giselle and the Fate of Wahine By Marty Walpole

It is April 10th 1968; Emma Cassidy boards the inter-island ferry Wahine. The overnight voyage from Christchurch's port of Lyttelton to New Zealand's capital of Wellington is expected to be uneventful. Captain Angus Robertson, reviews the latest weather report and, orders Wahine's departure.

As the ship steams up the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, weather conditions deteriorate. Mammoth waves slam the ship, and torrential rain cuts visibility to mere meters. Robertson and his crew remain vigilant.

While the ferry crosses Cook Strait and heads for her berth in Wellington harbor, Cyclone Giselle hits sending the ship off course. Now Emma must fight for, not only her survival but also the lives of a friend and young family she met onboard.

Meanwhile, Wellington City Harbormaster, Samuel Galloway makes the decision to head out in the hurricane-like conditions on the tugboat Tapuhi and attempt to tow the stricken ferry to safety.

Follow Emma as she does battle, along with Wahine's crew and Galloway, with the monster Giselle.

                                            AVAILABLE ON AMAZON NOW!

REVIEW

 HARROWING! EMOTIONAL!

  Giselle and the Fate of  Wahine is the breakout novella of Marty Walpole author of the hit page turner The Choson Connection. Going back and reading his first book it is a vast difference from his second release of conspiracy and espionage. GISELLE AND THE FATE OF THE WAHINE takes us to the unforgiving seas. Imagine The Perfect Storm meets Titanic on a passenger ferry boat and you get the kind of the idea of the book, but it doesn’t disappoint.

Walpole’s writing is once again fantastic thanks to his cinema graphic writing style, it’s like watching a movie in your head.

You might think, Oh, another ‘nautical thriller’. Not really my cup of tea either. Never judge a book by its cover, though. Worth the read? Yes, Walpole surprises in his breakout novella. I gasped.  I said, “Oh damn!” (The way one of the crewmen die is just painfully real life unlucky.) And had tears welling in my eyes.

 I took Giselle as more than just a ‘nautical thriller’.  On a deeper level, it’s a great example of how the triumph of the human spirit never seems to fail.  

Rating **** (four-star rating)

Don't Forget to check out his action packed follow up 

THE CHOSON CONNECTION (Available on Amazon)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marty Walpole was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. At the young age of twenty-three, he headed across the Tasman Sea to Australia. Living in Brisbane, Marty worked in the electroplating industry as well as teaching the martial art of Shodokan Aikido. It was his desire to excel in Aikido that led him to depart the Australian shores and head to Japan. Gaining a teaching diploma, Marty spent many years working as a teacher in public schools around the city of Osaka. It was through teaching English that Marty’s interest in writing was rekindled (in junior high and high school Marty enjoyed writing and telling stories). After writing for various blogs and websites, he put all his energy into writing his first novella, Giselle and the Fate of Wahine. Today, he still resides in Japan with his Japanese wife and three children and is writing his next novel.

BOOK REVIEW:Umbrae (The P.A.W.S. Saga Volume 3) By Debbie Manber Kupfer

Miri’s world at P.A.W.S. in St. Louis is falling apart. First, Danny is accused of stealing her opapa’s charm. But before he can defend himself, he mysteriously disappears. Miri seeks Josh for help and advice, but he too has gone missing.

Then Lilith has a vision – Miri dragged away by wolves. Miri needs answers, answers that she feels sure are hidden in the blank pages of the book of Argentum.

With the help of Lilith, she travels to the ancient city of Safed. There, with the aid of a mystical rabbi and an outspoken werecat, her omama’s story is slowly revealed. And Miri uncovers something else, a world hidden deep beneath our own – the labyrinth of shadows also known as Umbrae.

BUY NOW !!! Available Now on Amazon

JOIN THE TOUR!!! UMBRAE is going on tour all March long! Click on UMBRAE  for the schedule of all the awesome stops along the way. They'll be interviews, character meet and greets, snippets and more! Also join the event on FACEBOOK with games, prizes and more!

                                                                 

REVIEW

Debbie Manber Kupfer brings the magic back to reading in her latest installment in the P.A.W.S. saga, UMBRAE.  

WONDERFUL! CAPTIVATING! BRILLIANT! Are the few words I have to say about UMBRAE.

 I have never found a book so well written and engrossing in a while. As the title suggests Kupfer leads us deeper into her shadowy world of shapeshifters, Animal changing magic charms, werecats, and more in her third book to her hit teen/young adult book series The P.A.W.S. Saga.

  Having read the first book (P.A.W.S.) and picking up in on the third book was not that hard to do. I found falling back into Kupfer’s world like falling back into an old lover’s arms. Kupfer writing is comfortable vivid and alive changing character personalities with ease. There are writers in this world and then there are storytellers that lock you into their magical web for hours. Kupfer is one of those storytellers. You will soon forget you are reading and become lost in UMBRAE.

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Get your paws on the other P.A.W.S. saga books.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

                                 ARGENTUM Available on AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Manber Kupfer grew up in London and lived in Israel, before somehow ended up in St. Louis, where she works as a puzzle constructor and writer. She lives with her husband, two children, and a very opinionated feline. She is the author of the P.A.W.S. Saga and has short stories in several anthologies including Fauxpocalypse, Shades of Fear, Sins of the Past, and Stardust, Always. She also created the puzzle book, Paws 4 Logic together with her son, Joey. She believes that with enough tea and dark chocolate you can achieve anything!

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Anaerfell (Book 1 of The Blood of Dragons) by Joshua Robertson and J.C. Boyd

Welcome to our new feature BOOK SPOTLIGHT! 
Like to have your book featured? Click on Indie Promotions under Get Featured over on the side.
Thank you and enjoy!

Today's Book Spotlight is ANAERFELL Book 1 of The Blood Dagons by Joshua Robertson and J.C. Boyd. Let's take a peek into ANAERFELL.

Drast, cunning but reckless, is on the hunt for admiration. Tyran, calculating but tactless, is in search of affection. Bound by a friendship thicker than blood, the two brothers have been hardened by their father’s ambitions. Drast and Tyran are forced to set aside their own hopes and dreams during their struggle to fulfill their father’s desire for immortality. Now, the two will face skin-switchers and dragons, ultimately leading to a final clash with Wolos, God of the Dead.

AVAILABLE  NOW ON AMAZON

EXCERPT

The room still whirled from last night. He tried to close his eyes to keep his stomach from doing the same, but closing his eyes actually made it worse. Drast was somewhat surprised that the drink was still affecting him like this. He had been having more than his fill for—he did not know how long. How long ago did Tyran leave? His mind was too foggy to remember. And Walstan was gone, too.

Vaguely, Drast saw that the sky was just turning blue with the rising sun. At least, he was fairly certain it was sunrise. None of the hues of sunset had begun to color the sky.

“Ser Drast?”

He turned his head to the entrance into his chambers and pulled himself more upright to lean against the nightstand beside his bed. One of the serving women stood just inside of his room. “What?”

“The Arkhon wishes to speak with you.”

He was not certain what string of curses came from his lips, but the maid blanched and her face grew pink, almost to the color of her hair. The room swirled again while she spoke.

“What?” he asked again.

“I said, Ser Drast, the Arkhon instructed me to remain with you until you came to meet with him.” Her voice quivered.

She was right to fear him. Her voice was fuzzy, just like everything. But, he knew he had not been particularly kind to any of the servants of late. He had managed to avoid his father by effectively frightening the servants. Their fear, combined with late nights, ale, and sleeping until the sun set, had allowed him to avoid talking with anyone who did not enjoy a mug or two.

A few of the servants had initially joined him in drinking. He loosely recalled this maid among them. Ura? Mura? Lura?

“Kura,” he finally muttered. He had been a little too handsy and she had since avoided him like—he could not clearly comprise a simile. Like. Like? Like the moon avoided the sun? Good enough.

“Yes, Kura,” she murmured.

Drast spat at the chamber pot. He was fairly certain he missed. “Well, come on in, Kura.” He belched. “I know how we can pass the time.”

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Joshua Robertson was born in Kingman, Kansas on May 23, 1984. A graduate of Norwich High School, Robertson attended Wichita State University where he received his Masters in Social Work with minors in Psychology and Sociology. His bestselling novel, Melkorka, the first in The Kaelandur Series, was released in 2015. Known most for his Thrice Nine Legends Saga, Robertson enjoys an ever-expanding and extremely loyal following of readers. He counts R.A. Salvatore and J.R.R. Tolkien among his literary influences.

www.robertsonwrites.com/
@robertsonwrites

J.C. lives in the Midwest with his wife and two dogs. He recently earned his MA in English Literature and is working on his debut novel for his own fantasy world. Despite growing up with Dungeons & Dragons, Lord of the Rings, and a collection of both Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels, J.C. has an abiding love of classics and spends his free time reading anything he can get his hands on.

www.crimsonedgepress.com

@jcboyd_author

BOOK REVIEW: Golden Skye of Ansgar: A Windflower Saga Middle-Grade Novel by Aleksandra Layland

In a time not now and in a world not of our own…

A beautiful golden mare was sent to the Queen as a gift. She made many new friends in the stable of the Royal Palace. Everyone liked her. She was gentle yet brave, calm yet strong, happy yet ready to work hard. Whenever her friends needed help, they knew they could count on her.

Named “Golden Skye of Aikenstone” at birth, she proudly became one of the Queen’s favorite warhorses; and was later known to the people of Kimbria as “Golden Skye of Ansgar." This is a book for middle-grade readers and up, based on an animal character in the book "Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War. The Path of Peace." (Part II of the Windflower Saga) She is joined by new characters in the form of three parrots, a dog, and a cat, as well as several children and adults.

          AVAILABLE NOW ON  AMAZON 

___________________________________________

REVIEW

In Golden Skye of Ansgar(A Windflower Saga Middle-Grade Novel), we meet a special color coated horse named Golden Skye as she embarks on her destiny that was set in place for her so long ago.

Sadly, Golden Skye of Ansgar is a fair book. While written for middle-grade school age readers this book is spun off from in the more adult-oriented Windflower Saga novels and novellas leaving the reader feeling empty to the story and to who these characters are that are set before them. You really of had to read the previous books to capture any emotion from this book. This maybe could be due to the monotone voice Layland chose to use this time. This hurts to say as a fan of Layland’s previous books.  This one sadly kind of flatlined. 

                                              AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.