Dark Goddess - Spotlight, Review and Giveaway

This is my post during the blog tour for Dark Goddess by Kelsey Ketch. Dark Goddess is a vampiric retelling of the Eye of Ra.

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 7 till 13 August. You can see the tour schedule here.

Dark Goddess (A Dark Reflections Short Story #1)
By Kelsey Ketch
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Age category: New Adult
Release Date:

August 2022

(Don't forget to read down to the bottom of the post, and enter the Giveaway to win a $10 //Amazon giftcard.

Blurb:
Chaos has descended on Egypt, and the people are revolting against their immortal king. Little do they know the wrath he is about to unleash using his daughter as his weapon.

Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Smashwords
- Google Play
- Apple

Other book in the series:

Dark Creation (A Dark Reflections Short Story #2)
By Kelsey Ketch
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: 30 April 2021

Blurb:
Long before Charissa began her murderous rampage through history, she was a young woman living in ancient Alexandria.

Oppressed by society and cursed by the color of her hair, Charissa had hardly seen the world beyond the four walls of her home. So, when her husband leaves for extended military duty, she takes the opportunity to tour the city her brother once loved. Little does she know the Fates have other plans in store for her when she runs into an exotic woman in the Rhakotis District. The encounter will change her life forever.

Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Smashwords
- Google Play
- Apple

About the Author:
Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist and Data Analyst. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.

Author Links:
- Website
- Newsletter
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Pinterest
- Instagram
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Bookbub

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Dark Goddess. The author is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card (INT).

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

MY REVIEW

While not the greatest fan of vampire stories, there have been one or two I really enjoyed, and I've always had a fascination with ancient Egypt, so I was very interested to read

Dark Goddess. 

Despite the occasional slightly awkward phrase,  e.g. - 'his eyes glanced at the floor', it was, on the whole,  well written with vividly described locations putting the reader right there in the Egypt the goddess Sekhmet knew. 

I learnt a lot about the customs and myths of Egypt and  although Sekhmet killed thousands of people in a blood frenzy, it is difficult not to feel a certain amount of sympathy for her. As depicted in this story, she was not really responsible, but  a victim of her father's lust for power.

A quick and enjoyable short read.

Four stars

 

 

 

 

 

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Under Fortunate Stars Review

I featured Under Fortunate Stars on my blog a while ago as part of Lola's Blog Tour for this book. I promised to review it here when I'd read it - so here is my review:

 

Stranded in the dark.

 In the final throes of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven's junk freighter breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter a science vessel that claims to be from 152 years in the future. Engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the desperate peace mission that ended the war with the Felen and ushered in a new age of collaboration—a mission Keeven's first mate, Leesongronski, is supposed to be leading right now. If Ozakka is right, more than the fates of two ships hangs in the balance....

Review

There is a great deal to absorb, enjoy and think about in this novel with its various twists and turns..

The story skips back and fore between timelines, which is something I got used to, although the number and variety of characters was, at times, a bit confusing, especially as sometimes forenames and sometimes last names are used. However, that's just something I personally found distracting as a reader, and might not bother other readers at all.

Having said that, the book was very well written and the science seems perfectly logical and feasible despite the anomaly of two sets of characters meeting up with a time difference between them of 152 years, and the disparity between events on board the Gallion and what history records happened all those years ago. This all adds to the mystery and intrigue.

Definitely not your usual time travel tale, there is a diverse cast of characters, who are all richly drawn and mostly likeable, despite their various flaws. There are moments of humour, and also poignancy and the ending is quite moving. I could see this being made into a movie and can recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good SF story with some edge of the seat mystery thrown in.

I give it Five Stars

 

 

 

 

Someone In Time Spotlight, review and #Giveaway

This is my post during the blog tour for Someone in Time. Someone in Time is a science fiction time travel romance anthology.

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and runs from 17 till 30 May. You can see the tour schedule here.

Someone in Time
Edited by Jonathan Strahan
Including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn and Ellen Klages
Genre: Science Fiction Romance/ Time Travel Romance
Age category: Adult
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing
Release Date: 10 May 2022

Blurb:
Even time travel can’t unravel love

Time-travel is a way for writers to play with history and imagine different futures – for better, or worse.

When romance is thrown into the mix, time-travel becomes a passionate tool, or heart-breaking weapon. A time agent in the 22nd century puts their whole mission at risk when they fall in love with the wrong person. No matter which part of history a man visits, he cannot not escape his ex. A woman is desperately in love with the time-space continuum, but it doesn’t love her back. As time passes and falls apart, a time-traveller must say goodbye to their soulmate.

With stories from best-selling and award-winning authors such as Seanan McGuire, Alix E. Harrow and Nina Allan, this anthology gives a taste for the rich treasure trove of stories we can imagine with love, loss and reunion across time and space.

Edited by Jonathan Strahan and including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages

Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- Audible
- B&N
- Kobo
- Waterstones
- Bookshop
- Rebellion Publishing

 

MY REVIEW

 A wide range of varied Time Travel, with something for all tastes. I have to admit there were some stories I really loved and some I was not so keen on, but it's all a matter of individual taste, I felt many of the stories fell a little short on what I think of as romance, but as I said, everyone has different tastes and I am sure anyone who purchases this anthology will find something to enjoy and to think about.

 

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Someone in Time. 5 winners win a paperback copy of Someone in Time. And 5 winners win an ecopy of Someone in Time. Open International.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Under Fortunate Stars - Spotlight and Giveaway

This is my post during the blog tour for Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings. Under Fortunate Stars is a timey wimey space opera for lovers of Star Trek and Firefly. 

(Space opera, my favourite genre 😃) I'm enjoying this book and will be posting my review here and elsewhere soon.

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 10 till 23 May. You can see the tour schedule here.

Under Fortunate Stars
By Ren Hutchings
Genre: Science Fiction
Age category: Adult
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing

Release Date: 10 May 2022

Blurb:
Two Ships. One Chance To Save The Future.

Fleeing the final days of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven’s freighter the Jonah breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter the research vessel Gallion, which claims to be from 152 years in the future.

The Gallion’s chief engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the tale of the Fortunate Five, who ended the war with the Felen. When the Gallion rescues a run-down junk freighter, Ozakka is shocked to recognize the Five's legendary ship—and the Five's famed leader, Eldric Leesongronski, among the crew.

But nothing else about Leesongronski and his crewmates seems to match up with the historical record. With their ships running out of power in the rift, more than the lives of both crews may be at stake...

Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Waterstones
- Bookshop
- Rebellion Publishing

About the Author:
Ren Hutchings is a speculative fiction writer, writing mentor, and history grad. She spent most of the past decade working in game dev while also plotting twisty space novels. She loves pop science, unexplained mysteries, 90s music, collecting outdated electronics, and pondering about alternate universes. Ren always drafts out of order, and almost everything she writes ends up involving a dash of time travel.

Author links:
- Website
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Newsletter

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Under Fortunate Stars. One winner wins a paperback copy of Under Fortunate Stars. Open International.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Chandelier - spotlight an #Giveaway

 

 Chandelier

by Michael Leon

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GENRE: SF/ Fantasy Romance

BLURB:

CHANDELIER is the genre-bending SF/fantasy-romance novel follow up of Michael Leon’s 2019 fantasy-romance book, PHANTOMS. A century has passed since the fabled Phantom ruled the Garnier Opera House. Technology has advanced, and AI has evolved beyond human knowledge. They reside in a virtual Earth, free from the ravages of an environmentally damaged Earth where humans and post-humans live under AI’s qualified governance. CHANDELIER follows one AI sentient’s journey, Benny, whose loyalty for a famous opera singer, Madame D’Arenberg, sets him on a dangerous course, entangling him in The Phantom of the Opera’s deadly web. 

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Excerpt 

The twilight between tired revellers and early morning risers had become Erik’s refuge, a place where the pains of past and present could coalesce in his ritual of the macabre. He’d dreamt of his tormentors again, beasts controlled by masters who understood their canine's savagery as intimately as a mother
knew her child and recurring nightly, taunting his mind.

Chilly breezes flowed down from the Lepontine Alps, carving patterns across Lake Como, so he drew his coat closer, protecting all but his face, but he wouldn't feel an arctic breeze there. He touched his pale cheeks, not to warm them for they were permanently cold, an immovable party mask. Instead, he felt the rough texture of the implanted skin, grafted to his face. Habitually, he reached into his coat pocket for a medicated ointment that soothed and camouflaged his face in equal measure.

A single boat predictably made its way toward the Bellagio port, the first for the day, in wait for the steady procession of commuters and tourists that would navigate the Lombardy region, Italy's foothills to the Swiss alps. The light from the slow-moving boat cast a darker than usual spotlight on the famous U-shaped lake, lit by its twin light, a crescent moon. It took Erik back to a dark past when he ruled the Garnier from the recesses of its famous lake chamber. His rule was cut short through carelessness, a mistake he would not repeat. He’d return to the jewel of the opera crown and rule that grand world again, but this time he'd lead it from the stage rather than Garnier’s hidden lake.

 Were similar dark secrets contained in the black depths of Lake Como? The thought made him grimace, drawing pain. He held his mouth and cheeks, soothing the scar lines camouflaged beneath a thick beard. The scars, like his name, Erik, were all that remained of his past life, contingencies needed to protect him from those who’d seek to destroy him.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 Michael Leon is an explorer, writer and author of the new novel, Sentient. Professionally trained in international trade, Michael has spent the last decade reading and writing SFF novels about new worlds

to be explored in the future. His latest work, Sentient, imagines Earth in the year 2120. His next novel, Chandelier, will be released in 2022. Michael has travelled extensively around Europe, walking the paths of his characters, from the famous European opera houses in Phantoms to the mountain tops of Switzerland in Emissary.

 

 

 

Website: https://www.michaelleon.com.au

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelleon043

Blogger: https://michaelleoncommentspage.blogspot.com

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5369984.Michael_Leon

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Leon/e/B01LNQALBW%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Horses Prayer

 Just came across this - as a horse lover, I think it's beautiful and wanted to share!