Spotlight – Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is quite possibly the most loved book the The Write Reads team has had on a book tour. I’ve not seen one negative comment yet.

---

Goodreads  –  Amazon

---

Blurb

This high-stakes space-based adventure will be perfect for those who loved Children of Time, also by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans ¬such as Idris – who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it.

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:

‘Brilliant science fiction’ – James McAvoy on Children of Time

‘Full of sparkling, speculative invention’ – Stephen Baxter on The Doors of Eden

Shards of Earth is the first thrilling instalment in the Final Architecture trilogy – by the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning novelist Adrian Tchaikovsky.

About the author

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the acclaimed Shadows of the Apt fantasy series, from the first volume, Empire In Black and Gold in 2008 to the final book, Seal of the Worm, in 2014, with a new series and a standalone science fiction novel scheduled for 2015. He has been nominated for the David Gemmell Legend Award and a British Fantasy Society Award. In civilian life he is a lawyer, gamer and amateur entomologist.

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes by M.R. Noble

Well, well, well, my first blog tour of the year. And my first review in over a month. Once again Dave @WriteReadsTours has delivered the book goods, serving up another winner.

Fast paced, sexy, Non stop action

Blurb- Blindsided by an attack that destroys her home and blamed for murder, Karolina Dalca, a half-vampire, escapes, only to plunge into the magical societies from which she was sheltered.

Betrayed by those around her, she abandons her dreams of becoming an investigator and flees, trusting only herself. Her police internship would never prove more useful. Hoofing it through the wilderness, she makes it to her university dorm, dishevelled but delightfully deflowered.

Enter a full vampire: one wielding dark magic and a ride out of Canada. A fugitive from the law, Karo complies with his demands to escape, unsure whether his requests are bewitched. She vows to clear her name and avenge her mother’s death, but Karo’s family secrets aren’t so easily left behind.

---

What I wanted from this book – A fun adventure with vampires and werewolves.

What I got – A fun, sexy, bloody, adventure with vampires, werewolves, magic and family secrets.

There is a lot of good stuff in Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes, but first we need to get to something important, the sexual tension… So much sexual tension. I’m not mad, I loved it and there was a certain scene in the woods, that well… Phew… You will know what I’m talking about when you get to it. That in itself makes this book worth reading.

So a big tick for the sexy levels.

And now the less smutty stuff. Dark Eyes weaves magic and myth to bring the fantastical elements to life and gives us an often unseen touch of elemental magic. Tied in with demons, vampire royalty and shady agents, we get to discover all the different aspects of the world as Karo does. Because unfortunately for Karo, she has been deemed to powerful by those who care about her; unable to control her powers, so they keep the majority of her history hidden from her. In usual moronic fashion, they think they know best and think that it will work out for her in the long run.

Side note, it doesn’t matter who you are, friend, family or foe, you don’t get to decide what’s best for other people and keep them in the dark about their abilities or their history. 

As often happens, keeping Karo sheltered doesn’t prepare her for life. She is thrown into situations that cause her to act rashly. Because she is naïve about the consequences, she almost gets everyone killed quite a few times, she is easily manipulated.

It does allow for a decent character arc, because she is definitely a changed woman by the end of the book.

Our two male side characters were somewhat typical of the genre, but that doesn’t change the fact I enjoyed them. I liked the way they interacted, the way their relationships with Karo develop and I just know there is going to be some more love triangle action in the next book.

I did have an issue with the final conflict in the book, everything about it was to easy. I don’t think the suspense was built well, it felt as though it was written at exactly the same pace as the rest of the book and I need more than that. And it felt like it was over way to quickly, like hardly any space on the page was dedicated to it. It could have been so much better.

Overall Dark Eyes is a solid read, it’s fun, easy, sexy and it has definitely set up book two well. There are so many elements that have only been briefly touched on that will hopefully be fleshed out in book two and I’m 100% down with Karo’s attitude at the end and her plans for revenge.

---

Goodreads  –  Amazon

---

Author Bio

M. R. Noble has played a tug of war between science and art her whole life, but the rope broke when she wrote the first line of The Dark Eyes Series. Immersed up to her keyboard in paranormal romance and urban fantasy, she enjoys blending the real with the surreal. The only drawback is she misplaces her mug while dreaming up her next scene, and soon finds herself six cups overpoured.

Keeping to her Lake Simcoe roots, she is a member of the Writers Community of York Region (WCYR), where her muse is made not found . . . over a hefty cup of coffee.

---

Twitter – Website

---

Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J. Hayes

Some days I need to be careful where I check my email, because occasionally I get an email that causes me to emit a shrieking “hell yeah” followed by a fist pump in the air, a silly grin and a little dance. That is exactly what occurred the day I opened my email and discovered an arc of Pawn’s Gambit sitting there waiting for me. It was the ultimate early Christmas present. 

Pawn’s Gambit is book 2 in the Mortal Techniques series and while it is definitely an advantage to have read book 1, Never Die, they aren’t tied together so they can be read separately. Although I will say you would be doing yourself a massive disservice as there are little nods to book one throughout and its an absolute treat.

Amari and The Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

This past month has been a time of silence on the review front which means I missed my slot on this blog tour, ran by Dave from Write Reads Tours. My lack of review is not a negative reflection of this book, in fact it’s the opposite.. I wanted to write this review when I had some time to put it together, not while rushing around trying to do 100 things. I wanted to attempt to give this book the review it deserves.

Amethyst by Jesse Nolan Bailey

Today I’m featuring an excerpt from Amethyst by Jesse Nolan Bailey as part of a blog tour from the team at Storytellers on Tour. To see what the rest of the roadies are posting, you can find their links HERE.

Synopsis –

Rashell’s brother has vanished. When the local villagers express no concern, she enlists the help of a stranger from a faraway city to find Teth.

Investigator Derrik discovers the people worship a massive stone known as the Amethyst. Even more bizarre, an ancient relic of a mummy fuels their reverence.

Given limited time, Rashell and Derrik confront these mysterious elements at play, all the while striving to uncover what happened to Rashell’s brother.

---

Chapter 1

Rashell held her breath while the hushed forest begged for silence. She waited, just as the forest waited, wondering if the distant sound from moments earlier had been a cruel trick of the mind. She’d stepped out of the cottage, unbothered at such a late hour to exchange her nightgown for daylight attire, or her bandana for one of her wigs. Most likely, the sound had only been a phantom—a side effect of restless sleep.
Fresh screams lacerated the air, stripping the silence with wild agony.
Rashell startled as the cries swept across the rolling hills and sunk to a disgraced murmur at the tree line. More panicked and crazed screams followed. Flashes of violet light illuminated in perfect synch with the sounds, blooming in the distance beyond the branches. Her eyes trailed after the haze of color. It bled out from the nearest house of the fields, positioned atop a hill. The grand display of color banished the darkness for mere seconds, like flashes of lightning. The screams were its thunder.
Rashell sprinted. The cries continued, and she swore they quickened and intensified the faster she ran. She breached the tree line within a dozen strides and her feet adjusted to the changed terrain of packed dirt. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, adding organic drums to accompany the pained shrieks
dragging across the night air. The house grew closer. The purple beams leaked out of its windows, streaking between the tall crops. Rashell entered the light’s reign, and skidded to a stop outside the house. Darkness overtook the night again for the briefest moment, only to relent again to a blaze of purple flashes from the house’s windows. More cries punctured the air. Rashell squinted and tentatively made her way to the window’s ledge to peer in.
She knew what she’d see. She knew what the flashes and screams meant. But she’d never personally witnessed the trial by purge. It had never occurred during her residence.
She only stood in the window long enough to soak in the scene. As expected, the house’s rustic interior featured minimal and plain decor—quilted rugs, stitched curtains, and the such that warmed the otherwise bland kitchen and connected hallways. A few candles lit the space.
The figures gathered in the kitchen captured Rashell’s attention. She instantly recognized the residents of the house, as well as their obvious guest. Uthar, the patriarch of the house, and his wife Terra stood in a tight embrace. They stared with wide eyes at the scene unfolding within the confines of their home.
Rashell bristled at the sight of The Village Head, Keer, looming over the couple’s eating table. Bundled in a thick, unblemished white cloak that contrasted the dark shadows, he held an exquisite staff outstretched above the table. Candlelight reflected off the staff’s slender, metal frame.
Someone unfamiliar to Rashell lay prostrate across the table. Realization snaked through her mind within seconds, just before a bright flash erupted from the head of the staff, choking out the darkness in an explosion of purple light. Rashell leapt from the window over to the adjacent door, not waiting for the screams. By the time she burst through the door, the stranger’s cries from the table echoed through her ears once again, and she witnessed one last flash as she broke upon the scene. The sound of the door opening broke the stares of Uthar and Terra, who startled at Rashell’s entrance.
“What are you doing here?” Uthar asked with indignation. A moan broke from the table. “What’s happening here?” Rashell demanded. She kept her tone level, hoping it would deescalate the tension of the room. Accusation wouldn’t get her far with this audience.
“Don’t act naïve, Rashell,” said Uthar. “It’s not flattering.”
“Do you even know this stranger’s name?” she asked. “Did you try conversing, or did you go immediately to purging?”
Uthar scoffed. “He was blabbering like a madman, which was enough reason to summon Keer.”
Rashell shifted her attention to the Village Head, who had not turned around at her intrusion. Keer’s cloak defied the darkness, startling to behold without a single blemish. He had propped his staff against his side, head declined as he silently stared down at the traumatized stranger on the table.
“What did this man say, Keer?” Rashell asked.
The question finally stirred the man to turn and bestow her an even, calm expression. Cleanly shaven hair, raked to the scalp, and a well-trimmed goatee evoked a pious and vain allure. Keer was surprisedly handsome, even as he donned the wrinkles of prime age and past the years of typical courtship. Yet these features became lost in the abrasions and scars traveling across his skin in chaotic patterns. The dancing shadows from the candlelight conjured a motion that made his wilted skin appear to writhe with unnatural life.
“As Uthar so crudely stated,” Keer murmured, “the man spoke of blasphemous things.” She swallowed to ensure her voice didn’t crack. “Surely, he said nothing so terrible to provoke this treatment.”
“You twist your words.” Keer said slowly. “This is not a punishment, but liberation. We are cleansing him of outside taint.”
His voice sent a chill down Rashell’s spine. Something in his tone always set her on edge. Perhaps it was the articulated way he pronounced words or the hint of sanctimonious conceit. Most in the village either buckled in the man’s presence or worshipped his dung-stained boots. Rashell saw him for what he was—a man with a dangerous ability to manipulate. At times, she wondered if Keer was even aware of his innate ability to sway others.
“Strangers are given a choice,” Rashell said firmly. “To turn back, or endure this trial of purification. Did you give this man that choice?” She noticed Terra’s expression twist with conviction, but the men’s faces remained stern. No one answered, which only confirmed Rashell’s suspicions. As an immigrant to the area herself, she knew what outsiders thought of the village. No one dared breach the wall that guarded the land, and whispers of the village’s purification rites joined the pool of rumors cultivated by Keer’s intolerance of outsiders. No one would willingly choose purification—not this kind. Or at least not with
enthusiasm.
“This man was crazed!” Uthar insisted as he broke the silence and pointed to the stranger. “If you’d heard the things he said—”
“I asked you about that,” Rashell interrupted. She cocked her eyebrows at Uthar and glanced around the room at each of them.
“He claimed to have been summoned here,” said Uthar. “We know that isn’t true. He’s a bad omen. Maybe even the culprit behind the graveyard thefts.”
Keer’s hand shot up, and a tense silence fell across the room again. All eyes latched onto the Village Head as he bestowed a curt glare to Uthar. He put down his hand and turned his heated gaze to Rashell. A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it. She refused to be intimidated. Keer opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first.
“By law, the man is now protected,” Rashell stated. “You’ve robbed him of the chance to refuse our rituals, and you’ve mistreated him just to satiate your own appetite for power. Our people now owe him a debt.” The tension of the room inflamed, but she pressed on. “If you’d simply taken him into the village until morning, I would have been able to clear up any confusion. It was I that summoned him here.”
Shock visibly spread through her audience. Keer’s eyes grew so wide she thought they’d burst. Uthar and Terra simply stared at her as if she’d grown horns and a pair of wings.
“Why in the Oracle’s good graces would you do that?” Keer asked, his hands curling tight around the staff.
“My brother has been missing for over a week, and you’ve done nothing!” Rashell shouted, no longer able to maintain a civil tone. “He didn’t just wander off like you’ve insisted. Nobody leaves this village without you knowing, and yet, you have no answer as to his whereabouts. So, I’ve brought help from outside. Maybe this man can find one of your flock, Keer.”
“You should have consulted me before committing this atrocity,” said Keer. “You’ve brought taint into our homes and you’ve doomed us with your naivety.”
“Stop acting like this stranger is a fungus,” Rashell snapped. “Maybe if you help us find Teth, he won’t be here for long. Regardless, he’s here to find my brother, and I don’t need your approval.”
Keer raised his chin. “If you do this, he is your responsibility. If he commits any crime, it will be on your head.”
Rashell straightened, squaring her shoulders. “I accept any consequence of his stay.”
“Watch yourself, Rashell,” Keer warned. “You know better than to meddle where you don’t belong. I will permit this arrangement, as I have no wish to abolish any laws that our village has acknowledged since its inception. We failed to give this man his choice.” He held up his index finger, a foreboding pinnacle. “One week. At one week, he will be asked to leave or else endure his purification.”

Get your own copy to see what happens next – Book Funnel

---

About the author – Enthralled by the magic that written stories contain, Jesse Nolan Bailey has always wanted to be an author. With his debut novel, THE JEALOUSY OF JALICE, and his shorter fiction, AMETHYST, released to the masses, he can now claim such title with relief. He lives in Durham, North Carolina, where he has embraced the equally-gratifying lifework of hosting a trio of spoiled cats and two mini-aussies.

 

Website: https://jessenolanbailey.com/  Twitter:https://twitter.com/jesseNbailey Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jesseNbailey/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jesse.nolan.bailey/ Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/jessenbailey

 

Vultures by Luke Tarzian

Hi, Hello, Welcome to my little neck of the woods for the latest blog tour by The Write Reads On Tour, featuring a look at Vultures by Luke Tarzian.

Catalyst by Tracy Richardson

Welcome to my stop on the Catalyst blog tour. Thank you to Dave from The Write Reads for asking me to be involved. If you aren’t already following him over on Twitter, get on it. He is a massive advocate for books, authors and bloggers alike.