The Magic of Redemption by Jessica Sly

No Comments on The Magic of Redemption by Jessica Sly

The Magic of RedemptionGoodreads ~ B&N ~ Amazon

1916 – Ireland

Can Adelynn and Baze overcome the obstacles and lies that separate them . . . or is redemption just out of reach?

After escaping Ireland’s most sinister criminal, Baze and Adelynn Ford realize they must change tactics if they want to survive, but it’s not an easy task given the rift that’s forming between the couple. Baze’s past traumas are tainting the hard decisions he faces in both his family and career, while Adelynn does the unthinkable: using her gift to plunge into Shay O’Sullivan’s mind. It works—she discovers his hiding place. But it also triggers a string of deadly visions they can’t ignore.

Together, Baze and Adelynn decide it’s time to bring the fight to Shay’s homeland. With Emily Bennett and her young son in tow, they infiltrate Dublin, a city swirling with tension and rumors of rebellion. When Adelynn’s visions begin to come true, their small group must rely on old and new allies to stop Shay before it’s too late.

In this dramatic conclusion, Baze and Adelynn will have to conquer their demons and defeat their enemies before anyone else—including themselves—is lost.

Martyr by Camille Elliot

No Comments on Martyr by Camille Elliot

GoodreadsMartyr ~ Amazon

Regency – England

A Christian Historical Adventure set in Regency England with slow-burn romance and a supernatural twist
Part six in an epic-length serial novel

Lady Wynwood has discovered the gardening notebooks belonging to Bianca Jadis, the deceased mistress of the late Lord Wynwood and a former member of the treasonous group, the Citadel. However, the team is dismayed to discover that parts of the notebooks have been written in some sort of code.

Mr. Sol Drydale has kept hidden the fact that the notebooks have been found because he is unable to fully trust his superior officers at the Ramparts, the secret branch of the Alien Office. After all, when one of his own was kidnapped, the men who should have assisted him had seemed more interested in obtaining the Root potion that gives men supernatural strength.

But then two Ramparts agents bring information about an opportunity to capture the poisoner Apothecary Jack, one of the members of the Citadel. Sol is ordered to integrate these newcomers into his group, then plan a daring raid upon Jack’s new laboratory.

When things take an unexpected turn, Sol is faced with a terrible choice. Will he disobey orders, or will he forfeit the life of someone he holds dear?

The Art of Misdirection by Jessica Sly

No Comments on The Art of Misdirection by Jessica Sly

The Art of MisdirectionGoodreads ~ Amazon

1914 – England

Adelynn’s visions have returned. But this time, she’s not the only one seeing the future before it happens.

The conflict with Cornelius Marx is over. Determined to move forward, Adelynn Spencer eagerly charges into her new marriage to Detective Inspector Baze Ford and steals away with him to the countryside city of Bath. While Adelynn wrestles to escape her recurring nightmares of the Irish magician—both waking and sleeping—Baze seeks the city’s legendary waters, hoping they’ll cure his damaged leg and break his growing opium addiction.

Just when they settle in, a string of poisonings strikes Bath—and Adelynn’s visions return. But this time, one of the victims survives, bringing her face-to-face with Katherine Quinn, a fiery woman with a penchant for magic and a mysterious bond to Ireland. Katherine soon reveals a shocking secret that causes Adelynn to question everything she once knew about her gift.

As Baze and Adelynn desperately try to focus on their marriage and the investigation at hand, Baze’s destructive dependence on opium and Adelynn’s obsession with uncovering Katherine’s shadowy past begin driving them apart. Can they reconcile and catch the killer before poisonous plans bring about deadly consequences?

Deceived by Madisyn Carlin

No Comments on Deceived by Madisyn Carlin

deceivedGoodreads ~ Amazon

Medieval Like Era – Fictitious Kingdom

In a land built upon lies and deception, uncovering the truth can be deadly.

Therese Westa is sick of death, but taking lives is what provides for her younger sisters. When a client approaches her with an unusual request, Therese takes the job offer, which includes the condition of “no questions asked”. As Therese uncovers the reason for the request, she is faced with a choice: kill an innocent man or save her sisters.

Therese’s hesitation to carry out the assassination thrusts her into the aftermath of a dangerous chain of events. Caught between security and truth, Therese must choose where her loyalties lie, for the answer will determine who survives

The Promise of Deception by Jessica Sly

No Comments on The Promise of Deception by Jessica Sly

promiseofdeceptionGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1913 – England

Adelynn Spencer, a spirited member of the Edwardian London upper class, struggles under the conditions of her engagement to Detective Inspector Baze Ford. But during the gala announcing their betrothal, events take a fatal turn when Adelynn experiences a vivid dream of a man dying with a knife buried in his chest. To her alarm, Baze and his men later discover the man exactly as she witnessed.

When Adelynn sees a second dream—a second victim—she tries to convince Baze that there are more sinister things at work. Choosing hard evidence over Adelynn’s outrageous claims, Baze dismisses her and turns his attention to the location of the most recent crime, the Empress Theatre. Determined to uncover the truth of her visions, Adelynn investigates on her own. She infiltrates the theater and becomes spellbound by the charming spectacle of the resident magician.

As Baze wrestles with the decision to harden his heart or take action to protect the woman who means everything to him, Adelynn ventures further into the clutches of magic and murder. Can she keep her mind safe and draw the killer out of the shadows?

 

The Stolen Scroll by Mark E. Fisher

No Comments on The Stolen Scroll by Mark E. Fisher

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Medieval – Fictitious Kingdom

When a druid steals an ancient document holding the millennium’s-old secrets of the Tower of Dochás, young Machar is sent on a mission across the sea to find the thief and bring it back. What’s at stake? Only the key to ending the Dark Age that’s creeping across the Celtic world called Erde.

A Stolen Scroll Bearing the Secrets of the Ages.

Long has the secret society of Capulum scholars waited to understand the mysterious markings inside the Tower of Dochás, a structure so old its purpose was feared lost to the ages. Newly discovered documents hint that when the lost Scepter of Elyon sat in the Tower, hope, light, and prosperity shone on all the peoples of Erde.

Beneath the tumbled ruins of a forgotten temple, two scrolls appear. The first introduces the second. But as scholars work to understand the first, a druid masquerading as one of their own steals the second scroll and spirits it across the sea to distant Fjernshavn.

Now a great darkness is coming, spreading from the east, and the scholars discover that the lost scroll may tell them the location of the lost Scepter whose theft so long ago began the current Dark Age.

Machar mac Moan, the Cloaked Rider.

Young Machar mac Moan, the Cloaked Rider, has spent the last year riding across Ériu on missions for the Capulum. He’s weary, ready to sleep in his own bed with his dog at his side. But on his first night home, an anonymous rider knifes a cryptic message to his door: “Meet me at the Boar’s Head this very night. I will wait in the darkest corner. Come armed and prepared for a long journey.” Once again, the Capulum calls.

Thus begins a journey across the sea to Fjernshavn at the end of a cold fjord. Even before he lands, a druid cabal is planning his death. It’s a city where shapeshifters roam the night, where ordinary citizens disappear almost nightly, and where, it’s rumored, the druid cabal keeps a monster in a pit, a creature with an insatiable hunger.

Machar’s only help: A kindly cheese merchant and a beautiful serving wench, who’s attracted to Machar and who unwittingly puts herself in danger.

At stake is the future of the world. And if Machar can’t find the thief and bring back the stolen scroll . . .

She Walks in Majesty by MaryLu Tyndall

No Comments on She Walks in Majesty by MaryLu Tyndall

Goodreadsshewalksinmajesty ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Medieval – Fictional Country

With only a worn document in hand and the Spear of Destiny strapped to her thigh, Seraphina de Mobray, the new Protector of the Spear, must convince the king that her friends are innocent of treason and witchcraft. Who is she to embark on such a lofty task but a lowly servant, an orphan abandoned at birth? Yet each step of the way, the Spear grants her favor and opens a path for her to enter the royal palace. What she finds there is naught but lies, greed, and a danger that threatens her very existence.

Sir Damien LaRage, knight of the elite King’s Guard would do anything to protect Seraphina and save his friends, anything except give up his quest for revenge against the person who murdered his parents. Returning to court, to a world of secrets, deceit, and power is exhilarating at first. Then things become dangerous when he must protect Seraphina from those would do her harm. Even himself. For he soon discovers that he must choose between saving her or avenging his parents’ deaths.

The king is ill, and evil takes over the throne as Seraphina must run for her life, and Damien is left to battle against forces not of this world. Meanwhile, darkness suffocates the Knights of the Eternal realm. leaving them defenseless against wicked powers that have taken over Luxley. Only Seraphina and the Spear of Destiny can save them now.

Return to the Tower by Mark Fisher

No Comments on Return to the Tower by Mark Fisher

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Medieval – Fictitious Kingdom

A THOUSAND LEAGUES FROM HOME

What’s left of the Company must now follow Tristan from their hidden camp in the druids’ dark realm, cross a thousand leagues of enemy-occupied lands filled with ancient horrors, and return Elyon’s great gifts to the Tower of Dochás in Ériu.

ANCIENT HORRORS AND THE BUTCHER OF BURGUNDIA

Only by returning the Scepter and Augury to the Tower can Tristan defeat the Deamhan Lord and end the darkness threatening to engulf the world. Before him lie an ancient horror released by the arch druid, the fatal enchantments of the red tent, a Cthyllin ice giant, and the arch druid’s ruthless ally—Gundovald, the Butcher of Burgundia.

A RACE TO THE TOWER

But the arch druid Faolukan has built a great fleet in Fjernshavn, and it’s a race to return home before enemy ships disembark their foul hordes on Ériu’s distant shores and destroy the Tower. Faolukan and Gundovald serve a Deamhan Lord who wants not to conquer, but to burn, destroy, and crush that fair country under the boots of his bespelled soldiers and shapeshifters.

If Faolukan destroys the Tower before Tristan arrives with the Scepter—all is lost.

And the darkness wins.

Into the Druid’s Lair by Mark Fisher

No Comments on Into the Druid’s Lair by Mark Fisher

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Medieval – Fictitious Kingdom

A SECONDGREAT QUEST, EVEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE FIRST.

With the Scepter in his possession, Tristan, still posing as Prince Neil, leads the Company across a continent rife with magical entrapments, enemy armies, and ancient barriers. His goal—to seek Elyon’s second great gift that will lift the darkness from the Celtic world of Erde.

After their battle with the arch druid Faolukan, the Company seeks respite in the high mountain refuge of Ard Cúl Dín. But when priests translate the scroll that Tristan also brought back from Schwarzburg’s subterranean maze, they discover a secret lost for millennia—the nature and location of Elyon’s second legacy to the world, another artifact Tristan’s people failed to keep safe.

Coveting the incredible power of Elyon’s first gift, the priests seize the Scepter. Days later, as trebuchets pound the high walls, Faolukan’s armies swarm the slopes below the city. With the city’s fall imminent, one priest steals the Scepter and flees into the mountains.

AN IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY INTO THE DRUID’S LAIR

As enemy armies close in, Caitir, Tristan’s newly betrothed, Ewan, his squire, and Machar, the Cloaked Rider, join him to again retrieve the Scepter before they can undertake the second journey. For only when both of Elyon’s bequests to the world are secure in Ewhain Macha’s Tower will light and hope return to Ériu.

Blocking their way is an army of shapeshifters and soldiers mesmerized by the Deamhan Lord’s spells. Somewhere beyond the distant Sfarsit Mountains lies their goal—in Cathair Duvh, a foul city on the slopes of volcanic Drochcarn; in dread Drochtar, a bleak land where Faolukan, the arch druid, reigns with magic and terror. In that realm, all serve the Deamhan Lord, a spirit of darkness whose presence strips even the bravest warrior of all courage and hope.

Thus begins the second great quest, a journey even more difficult than the first.

She Walks in Love by MaryLu Tyndall

No Comments on She Walks in Love by MaryLu Tyndall

shewalksinloveGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Medieval – Fictional Country

Lady Cristiana D’Clere, the new protector of the Spear, is on the run from the steward of her estate, who has kept her drugged for years. All she ever wanted was to be safe, marry well, and raise a bevy of wee ones. Instead, she is far from home, chased by men intent on killing her and stealing the Spear of Christ for its incredible powers.

Sir Jarin the Just has never forgotten the woman who stirred his heart like no other. Determined to find and restore her to her proper place as Lady of Luxley Castle, he sets out on a journey fraught with more dangers than he ever could have foreseen. The biggest danger is to his heart, for he has vowed to remain unfettered and never surrender his freedom to a woman.

Though the Spear protects the couple along their journey, Cristiana must learn to trust the One whose blood stains the relic, while Jarin must learn to rely on powers far above his own knightly skills. For the dark magic that is chasing them may take all the powers of heaven to defeat.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

No Comments on Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1918 – Russia

My name is Anastasia . . . The history books say I died . . . They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are either to release the spell and deal with the consequences, or to enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya has only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction to Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her.

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel by James Markert

No Comments on Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel by James Markert

midnightatthetuscanyhotelGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1945 – California/Italy

For years, guests of the Tuscany Hotel could leave their pasts behind and live among fellow artists. Now guests of a different sort fill the rooms, searching for their memories—no matter the cost.

Run by renowned sculptor Robert Gandy and his wife and muse, Magdalena, the Tuscany Hotel hosted guests of a certain kind—artists, actors, scientists, and engineers who left their worries behind so that they could create their latest masterpieces. Surrounded by lore, the hotel was rumored to free the mind and inspire artists’ gifts. But tragic circumstances force Robert and his family to move.

After thirteen months at war, Vittorio Gandy is haunted by memories, and his former life is unrecognizable. Once a gifted painter, now he can’t bear the vivid, bleeding colors on a canvas. His young son doesn’t remember him, and his wife, Valerie, is scared of him. But the most disconcerting change is in Vitto’s father, Robert Gandy, who has fallen from being a larger-than-life sculptor to a man whose mind has been taken by Alzheimer’s. 

When Robert steals away in the night, Valerie, Vitto, and his new acquaintance and fellow veteran John go to the only place Robert might remember—the now-abandoned Tuscany Hotel. When they find him there, Robert’s mind is sound and his memories are intact. 

Before long, word gets out that drinking from the fountain at the hotel can restore the memories of those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. The rooms once again fill up with guests—not artists this time, but people seeking control over their memories and lives. Vitto desperately wants to clear his own mind, but as he learns more about his mother’s life and her tragic death, he begins to wonder whether drinking the water comes at a price. 

A story of father and son, memories lost and found, artists and their muses, Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel explores the mysteries of the mind, the truth behind lore, and the miracle of inspiration.

Quest for the Scepter by Mark Fisher

No Comments on Quest for the Scepter by Mark Fisher

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

Medieval – Fictitious Kingdom

A STOLEN SCEPTER, A WORLD IN PERIL

When the arch druid Faolukan stole the Scepter of Elyon, he plunged the medieval Celtic world called Erde into a Dark Age. But the prince who was prophesied to steal it back has been killed, and now nothing can stop the coming darkness.

ONLY ONE CAN BRING IT BACK

Orphaned Tristan slaves at his uncle’s forge and longs to erase the dishonor his wastrel father and harlot mother bequeathed him. When a squire discovers that Tristan is the prince’s exact double, the fate of Erde weighs heavily upon him. Reluctantly, Tristan agrees to masquerade as the savior prince, lead a chosen Company of nobles, and seek the Scepter across the sea.

Before riding from his forest village, Tristan tells his life-long friend Caitir she must stay behind. But this intrepid lass has other ideas. She stows aboard the departing ship.

AHEAD — A DANGEROUS TREK

Cryptic texts hint that the Scepter lies hidden beyond the Fell Bogs, haunt of mesmerizing marsh spirits. It’s even more distant than the oppressive dark forest of the Waldreich, reign of misshapen wolves and the treacherous, treetop-dwelling Naz. Into such dangers, Tristan’s Company must follow a trail of ancient clues.

ONE LAD AGAINST A POWERFUL SORCERER

In service to the Deamhan Lord, Faolukan pledges to stop the group with all the magic, sorcery, and monsters at his command, including Tristan’s worst fear—a dark, subterranean cavern where stalks the creature of shadows, the barghest whose name is Thrag.

But how can a mere blacksmith’s nephew and a cooper’s daughter ever hope to defeat the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever known? How can anyone stop the coming darkness?

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

No Comments on Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

fawkesGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1604 – England

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.

Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th-century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.

But what if death finds him first?

Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

What Blooms from Dust by James Markert

No Comments on What Blooms from Dust by James Markert

whatbloomsfromdustGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1935 – Oklahoma

Just as Jeremiah Goodbye is set to meet his fate in the electric chair, a tornado tears down the prison walls, and he is given a second chance at life. With the flip of a coin, he decides to return to his home town of Nowhere, Oklahoma, to settle the score with his twin brother Josiah. But upon his escape, he enters a world he doesn’t recognize—one that has been overtaken by the Dust Bowl. And the gift he once relied on to guide him is as unrecognizable as the path back to Nowhere.

After one jolt in Old Sparky, Jeremiah sees things more clearly and begins to question the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murders he was accused of. On his journey home, he accidentally rescues a young boy who follows him the rest of the way, and the pair arrive at their destination where they are greeted by fearful townspeople. When the Black Sunday storm hits the very next day, the residents of Nowhere finally begin to let the past few years of hardship bury them under the weight of all that dust.

Unlikely heroes, Jeremiah and his new companion, Peter Cotton, try to protect the townspeople from themselves, but Jeremiah must face his nightmares and free himself from the guilt of flipping the coin on those men who died.

Filled with mystery and magic, What Blooms from Dust is the story of finding hope in the midst of darkness and discovering the beauty of unexpected kindness.

 

The Mystic Rose by Stephen R. Lawhead

No Comments on The Mystic Rose by Stephen R. Lawhead

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

11th Century – Turkey/Spain

A thousand years after its disappearance, the Mystic Rose—the fabled Chalice of the Last Supper—has been found, and the warrior monks of the Knights Templar, led by the ruthless and corrupt Renaud de Bracineaux, will stop at nothing to possess it. One brave, dauntless, noblewoman stands in their way . . .

Born among the hills of Scotland, and raised on the Crusader tales of her grandfather, Murdo, and her father, Duncan, young Cait is determined to claim the Holy Cup for her own. Guided by a handful of clues gleaned from a stolen letter, Cait and a small band of knights follow a treacherous trail that leads from the shadowed halls of Saint Sophia into the heart of Moorish Spain and a world long unseen by Christian eyes. A journey whose end means victory . . . or death.

The Black Rood by Stephen R. Lawhead

No Comments on The Black Rood by Stephen R. Lawhead

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1132 – Ancient Scotland/Israel

In a time of legends and heroes, blood and mystery, one man will carry on his family’s destiny as he sets upon a dangerous and glorious quest.

The Great Crusade is long over, or so Duncan, son of Murdo, believes until a long-lost uncle appears from the East bearing tales of immense treasure. Though the Iron Lance had been won for the emperor, an even holier relic has been found: the Black Rood—the prayer-worn, blood-stained remnant of the True Cross—now endangered by the greedy ambitions of ruthless crusader barons bent on carving kingdoms from the desert sands of the Middle East.

When Duncan’s life is shattered by tragedy, he sets sail on his own pilgrimage to Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of his father. But the gates to the Holy Land are guarded by the warrior priests known as the Knights Templar. These fearsome guardians hold the key to more than just Duncan’s fate—the very destiny of the West is in their hands.

Legend of the Emerald Rose by Linda Wichman

No Comments on Legend of the Emerald Rose by Linda Wichman

Goodreadslegendoftheemeraldrose ~ Purchase

456 AD – Britannia

King Arthur and his queen are dead and Merlin has vanished. Bound by Divine Providence but divided by distrust, Shadoe and Rayn must find a way to save the Isle of Might and themselves from the threatening evil. A tantilizing brew of fantasy, action, and romance.

The Iron Lance by Stephen R. Lawhead

No Comments on The Iron Lance by Stephen R. Lawhead

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1095 – Scotland

While his father and brothers follow Pope Urban II’s call to win Jerusalem from the infidels, Murdo Ranulfson stays behind to guard his family’s interests. But when his home is confiscated by greedy usurpers, Murdo is forced to follow the Crusades himself. Hoping to find his father and redeem his family’s land, Murdo sets off on a journey that leads him to the Mediterranean—the heart of civilization now threatened by barbarian hordes—and on to the fabled city of Constantinople and beyond, to the Holy Land. Amidst brutality and ambition, Murdo discovers what he seeks—and obtains a relic that will guide him and his descendants for centuries.

Rich in heroism, treachery, and adventure, The Iron Lance begins an epic trilogy of Scottish noble family fighting for its existence and its faith during the age of the Crusades—and of a secret society whose ceremonies will shape history for a millennium.