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A Heroine's Luck #1
A Winter of Fish and Favor
In this high fantasy of intrigue, fast wit, and forbidden attraction, an ambitious lady warrior aims to clean up her corrupt family—but first she must solve a murder with the help of a casino owner who may, or may not, be a villain.
In a city that runs on traded favors, precisely-applied violence, flirtation, and large amounts of tea, House Gaurjo is in charge. Professional heroine Tinsa Gaurjo’s only hope of cleaning up her family’s corruption lies in becoming the next Housemaster. That means currying favor with her elders, and keeping her nose clean. But now the current Housemaster Gaurjo has asked her to investigate a double murder, and the odds that nothing fishy is going on seem slim to none.
Sure enough, the city’s rumor mill is quick to provide a convenient main suspect: Biaili Erdai, owner of a local casino and an ex-courtesan. Guilty or not, he’s annoyingly entertaining, and his interest in Tinsa obviously goes beyond clearing his name. He could be serious—or he could be trying to distract her. Either way, he’s the last man a would-be Housemaster should have anything to do with.
But when her quest to find the truth unravels a family secret that puts her own life on the line, Tinsa will have to accept her unlikely ally if she wants to survive the winter.
Because ambition means nothing if you’re dead...or alone.
“A Winter of Fish and Favor” is the first half of an adult fantasy duology set in a lush ancient world inspired by East Asia and the Iroquois Confederacy.
In a city that runs on traded favors, precisely-applied violence, flirtation, and large amounts of tea, House Gaurjo is in charge. Professional heroine Tinsa Gaurjo’s only hope of cleaning up her family’s corruption lies in becoming the next Housemaster. That means currying favor with her elders, and keeping her nose clean. But now the current Housemaster Gaurjo has asked her to investigate a double murder, and the odds that nothing fishy is going on seem slim to none.
Sure enough, the city’s rumor mill is quick to provide a convenient main suspect: Biaili Erdai, owner of a local casino and an ex-courtesan. Guilty or not, he’s annoyingly entertaining, and his interest in Tinsa obviously goes beyond clearing his name. He could be serious—or he could be trying to distract her. Either way, he’s the last man a would-be Housemaster should have anything to do with.
But when her quest to find the truth unravels a family secret that puts her own life on the line, Tinsa will have to accept her unlikely ally if she wants to survive the winter.
Because ambition means nothing if you’re dead...or alone.
“A Winter of Fish and Favor” is the first half of an adult fantasy duology set in a lush ancient world inspired by East Asia and the Iroquois Confederacy.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2024
About the author
E.M. Epps
17 books43 followersBy day, E. M. Epps is a bookseller in Seattle, WA. By night, she writes high fantasy with likable but pragmatic heroes, who are likely to be diplomats, warriors, sorcerers, or some combination of the above. To receive free stories and writing updates, sign up for her mailing list at www.emepps.com.
As a young writer, she was inspired by the action and heroism of C.S. Forester, the scope of Tolstoy, the scientific magic of Diane Duane, the romance of Catherine Asaro, the martial arts of Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan - and, above all, the diversity of human cultures featured in the anthropology textbooks she devoured in her teens.
She is the author of the court intrigue novel THE INTERPRETER'S TALE and the single-volume epic adventure COMPLETE WITH SHIPWRECK (both set in her Direnayu high fantasy world), the fantasy romantic comedy COLD SANDWICHES AND ALL, and many, many other works.
As a young writer, she was inspired by the action and heroism of C.S. Forester, the scope of Tolstoy, the scientific magic of Diane Duane, the romance of Catherine Asaro, the martial arts of Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan - and, above all, the diversity of human cultures featured in the anthropology textbooks she devoured in her teens.
She is the author of the court intrigue novel THE INTERPRETER'S TALE and the single-volume epic adventure COMPLETE WITH SHIPWRECK (both set in her Direnayu high fantasy world), the fantasy romantic comedy COLD SANDWICHES AND ALL, and many, many other works.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 21, 2024
This was so much fun!! Fast paced and inventive, with unique characters
February 4, 2024
@emepps wrote this badass book that every single one of you MUST READ! No jokes, no exaggeration. I was especially critical of this book because it isn’t my usual genre, but I found no flaws. I honestly want to re-read this book as soon as I have finished my TBR for the year.
August 14, 2024
Quick, easy and fun read
February 27, 2024
Tinsa is a fabulously fun character to read about! Always using the exact amount of respect, or calculated rudeness as the situation demands. Pushing her little brother's buttons as she trains him. Indulging herself in some fun flirting and banter with her lead suspect. Well, a girl can't control where the undeniable chemistry strikes. I'm not sure what I liked more, the deliciously awkward moments, or the rarer sweet ones.
This is a mystery that is definitely not what it seems. The connections between victims starts to draw the shape of a dark secret that is only partially revealed.
This is the first book in a duology, so although the mystery is mostly solved and the romantic flirtation does hit some sweet spots, nothing was really resolved satisfactorily yet. I am really glad there is another book coming because I was really upset with where a few things ended highlighting the corruption in the family that Tinsa is challenging.
This is a mystery that is definitely not what it seems. The connections between victims starts to draw the shape of a dark secret that is only partially revealed.
This is the first book in a duology, so although the mystery is mostly solved and the romantic flirtation does hit some sweet spots, nothing was really resolved satisfactorily yet. I am really glad there is another book coming because I was really upset with where a few things ended highlighting the corruption in the family that Tinsa is challenging.
July 4, 2024
“It is impossible to predict the future, but one can run the odds.”
3.75 ⭐s
Tinsa is a professional heroine, training her younger brother in the business of heroism and enjoying her flirtations with her multiple paramours, when she is given the task of solving a murder. On the surface it appears that two random men were killed on the same night, but with some delving, Tinsa quickly realises everything is not as it seems. With multiple fraying leads, a history of a house war, a flamboyant casino and even some of her own family mixed up in the mystery, she has her hands full trying to make sense of it all. When one of the murder suspects becomes an unlikely ally in her hunt for the truth she wonders if their obvious attraction to one another will get in the way or her doing her job, or maybe he will convince her to live a completely different life to the one she plans...
This was a fascinating story and I was certainly invested right from the beginning. I recognise this story is a spin off from an original series, and having not read that series I think perhaps I did get a bit confused at points. Firstly, Tinsa is an extremely confident, self-assured woman in her young 30s, angling for the job as Housemaster one day. It was really nice to read a fantasy book from the perspective of someone my age and someone who is so sure of herself and what she wants. There were moments where I felt she came off a bit cocky, but mostly I really enjoyed her perspective in this book. I loved the way her mind worked, how she was always toying the line between respectful and disobedient, she really wanted the chance to be able to make a change in her world. The storyline was interesting, it was the perfect crossover of mystery/crime and cosy, mid-low stakes fantasy with just a small sprinkling of romance. The world and culture in this was also really fascinating, it felt very Asian-inspired with a fascinating mixture of modern world ideals and traditional gender roles.
I did find this story very conversation and politicking heavy, we spend a lot of time going between different suspects and victim's families talking about suspicions and history which was a little dry in some places. Then there was also the tiptoeing around the cultural hierarchy of respect for elders which constantly stalled Tinsa's investigations and served for a particularly annoying end result as well. About halfway through the action really picks up, but even then, many of the moments that could've built some wonderful tension happened mostly off page unfortunately. The world building wasn't dived into very deeply, which may be because it is described more in the main series of this world but I think it did need a little bit more explanation for readers who haven't read those series before just to make sense of some of the more intricate details. I also wish there had been a bit more about the magic system, it seemed like the rules for this magic are relatively loose and it didn't really serve the story as much as I think it could have.
Overall, a very well written fantasy mystery, that definitely had me intrigued about the rest of the series and wanting to know more. I think I will try to pick up some of those books, because I want to learn more about this world and also want to continue this particular series as well to see where the budding romance might lead. I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily, a big thank you to E.M. Epps and BookSirens for allowing me to enjoy this story!
3.75 ⭐s
Tinsa is a professional heroine, training her younger brother in the business of heroism and enjoying her flirtations with her multiple paramours, when she is given the task of solving a murder. On the surface it appears that two random men were killed on the same night, but with some delving, Tinsa quickly realises everything is not as it seems. With multiple fraying leads, a history of a house war, a flamboyant casino and even some of her own family mixed up in the mystery, she has her hands full trying to make sense of it all. When one of the murder suspects becomes an unlikely ally in her hunt for the truth she wonders if their obvious attraction to one another will get in the way or her doing her job, or maybe he will convince her to live a completely different life to the one she plans...
This was a fascinating story and I was certainly invested right from the beginning. I recognise this story is a spin off from an original series, and having not read that series I think perhaps I did get a bit confused at points. Firstly, Tinsa is an extremely confident, self-assured woman in her young 30s, angling for the job as Housemaster one day. It was really nice to read a fantasy book from the perspective of someone my age and someone who is so sure of herself and what she wants. There were moments where I felt she came off a bit cocky, but mostly I really enjoyed her perspective in this book. I loved the way her mind worked, how she was always toying the line between respectful and disobedient, she really wanted the chance to be able to make a change in her world. The storyline was interesting, it was the perfect crossover of mystery/crime and cosy, mid-low stakes fantasy with just a small sprinkling of romance. The world and culture in this was also really fascinating, it felt very Asian-inspired with a fascinating mixture of modern world ideals and traditional gender roles.
I did find this story very conversation and politicking heavy, we spend a lot of time going between different suspects and victim's families talking about suspicions and history which was a little dry in some places. Then there was also the tiptoeing around the cultural hierarchy of respect for elders which constantly stalled Tinsa's investigations and served for a particularly annoying end result as well. About halfway through the action really picks up, but even then, many of the moments that could've built some wonderful tension happened mostly off page unfortunately. The world building wasn't dived into very deeply, which may be because it is described more in the main series of this world but I think it did need a little bit more explanation for readers who haven't read those series before just to make sense of some of the more intricate details. I also wish there had been a bit more about the magic system, it seemed like the rules for this magic are relatively loose and it didn't really serve the story as much as I think it could have.
Overall, a very well written fantasy mystery, that definitely had me intrigued about the rest of the series and wanting to know more. I think I will try to pick up some of those books, because I want to learn more about this world and also want to continue this particular series as well to see where the budding romance might lead. I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily, a big thank you to E.M. Epps and BookSirens for allowing me to enjoy this story!
June 19, 2024
Four and a half stars rounded up to five.
In a world where Hero is a job description, Tinsa Guarjo, wears the title well. She swaggers, she is in her thirties, she understands the importance of flirting, and manners, and having tea with her aunties. She is a survivor of the last civil war between houses, she is an accomplished archer, swordswoman, and magician. Most importantly, she has ambitions to be Housemaster Guarjo of her family someday.
But between this day and that day, there are mysteries to solve, problems to resolve, villains to vanquish, and heroes to train - currently her younger brother, Gef, who would rather talk about music than work on his sword skills.
When Tinsa and Gef are tasked with solving a double murder by their current Housemaster, the siblings find themselves in a murky soup of corruption, treason, false clues, and an assassination attempt or two. Who's the puppet master behind the crimes? Why does a random connection during the civil war years ago seem to have implications now? When does a gambling owner go from conveniently framed suspect to indispensable magical ally?
This is an entertaining tongue-in-cheek story that is just a delight. E.M. Epps storytelling has more Terry Pratchett style humor than George RR Martin blood and gore, and Tinsa is a self-aware charmer that is much more enjoyable than Patrick Rothfuss's narcissistic Kvothe in The Name of the Wind. Tinsa Guarjo will resonate with fans of the investigator Kate Shugak (author: Dana Stabanow), Mercy Thompson (author Patricia Briggs), or anyone who likes fictional adult women who solve crimes and mitigate trouble through wit and swagger.
A few clunkers with anachronistic sayings, expletives, and actions that seemed out of time and place. But it's fantasy and who am I to gatekeep the worldbuilding of another?
In a world where Hero is a job description, Tinsa Guarjo, wears the title well. She swaggers, she is in her thirties, she understands the importance of flirting, and manners, and having tea with her aunties. She is a survivor of the last civil war between houses, she is an accomplished archer, swordswoman, and magician. Most importantly, she has ambitions to be Housemaster Guarjo of her family someday.
But between this day and that day, there are mysteries to solve, problems to resolve, villains to vanquish, and heroes to train - currently her younger brother, Gef, who would rather talk about music than work on his sword skills.
When Tinsa and Gef are tasked with solving a double murder by their current Housemaster, the siblings find themselves in a murky soup of corruption, treason, false clues, and an assassination attempt or two. Who's the puppet master behind the crimes? Why does a random connection during the civil war years ago seem to have implications now? When does a gambling owner go from conveniently framed suspect to indispensable magical ally?
This is an entertaining tongue-in-cheek story that is just a delight. E.M. Epps storytelling has more Terry Pratchett style humor than George RR Martin blood and gore, and Tinsa is a self-aware charmer that is much more enjoyable than Patrick Rothfuss's narcissistic Kvothe in The Name of the Wind. Tinsa Guarjo will resonate with fans of the investigator Kate Shugak (author: Dana Stabanow), Mercy Thompson (author Patricia Briggs), or anyone who likes fictional adult women who solve crimes and mitigate trouble through wit and swagger.
A few clunkers with anachronistic sayings, expletives, and actions that seemed out of time and place. But it's fantasy and who am I to gatekeep the worldbuilding of another?
June 23, 2024
A lot of conversations, not a lot magic and adventure
The main characters, professional heroine Tinsa and her brother Gef, hero in training are relatable and the premise of the story is okay.
But the way the story is written does not work for me. The pace is slow and the story mainly consists of cultural and political observations and conversations with the whole families of victims and the whole families of their ex and the whole families of the employers and the whole families of the ex employers.
This has to do with the cultural fact that a whole family ( incl. uncles, aunts, niece, nephews and so on) , lives in a family compound and that Tinsa wants to speak with as much people as possible at the same time to get as much info as is available. Maybe this style of writing is for readers who want to join in the search and want to digest and analyze all the clues themselves?
There is not a lot of magic in this book. Only some of the people are magicians, Tinsa being one of them. Some are more talented than others but magic is mostly used for simple healing, daily tasks and, in Tina's case, enhancing her skills
But it is kind of an original find of the writer that the magic spells are done by singing ( either soft or out loud).
At page 117,( of 229) the, personally, more interesting part starts off with a bang,. an epic fight against overwhelming odds. And from tha point on, the story gears to a faster pace. The story becomes more emotionally intense and the mystery deepens towards a powerful political enemy. There is a kind of ending to the book but it is not really satisfactory, probably because it is only part one of a series.
The main characters, professional heroine Tinsa and her brother Gef, hero in training are relatable and the premise of the story is okay.
But the way the story is written does not work for me. The pace is slow and the story mainly consists of cultural and political observations and conversations with the whole families of victims and the whole families of their ex and the whole families of the employers and the whole families of the ex employers.
This has to do with the cultural fact that a whole family ( incl. uncles, aunts, niece, nephews and so on) , lives in a family compound and that Tinsa wants to speak with as much people as possible at the same time to get as much info as is available. Maybe this style of writing is for readers who want to join in the search and want to digest and analyze all the clues themselves?
There is not a lot of magic in this book. Only some of the people are magicians, Tinsa being one of them. Some are more talented than others but magic is mostly used for simple healing, daily tasks and, in Tina's case, enhancing her skills
But it is kind of an original find of the writer that the magic spells are done by singing ( either soft or out loud).
At page 117,( of 229) the, personally, more interesting part starts off with a bang,. an epic fight against overwhelming odds. And from tha point on, the story gears to a faster pace. The story becomes more emotionally intense and the mystery deepens towards a powerful political enemy. There is a kind of ending to the book but it is not really satisfactory, probably because it is only part one of a series.
October 10, 2025
A new author ‘discovery’ for me!
Tinsa is a magically-talented aristocrat, with ambitions of someday being elected Housemaster of her House. She’s also a professional heroine and good with both magic and blade. She is tasked by the current Housemaster to solve a triple murder which leads her to Biaili, the charismatic owner of a local casino, who’s the perfect suspect – if only he weren’t so attractively irritating.
The banter between Our Heroes is absolutely delicious and I LOVE Tinsa as a character. She’s brilliant, loud, gregarious, socially gifted, and just an awful lot of fun. The world-building, too, is creative and well-developed, and I could easily picture the houses with the paper windows, the bamboo forests, the food (oh, the food!). The romance evolves naturally, with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor. It takes a back seat to the mystery for most of the book, which I liked, but I admit, I might have flailed my arms with glee in a few places.
Highly recommended for folks who enjoy mystery and suspense with their fantasy, with intriguing politics and complicated family relationships. It’s part one of a duology, and I look forward to diving into the second book, because I honestly adore Tinsa and Biaili.
Tinsa is a magically-talented aristocrat, with ambitions of someday being elected Housemaster of her House. She’s also a professional heroine and good with both magic and blade. She is tasked by the current Housemaster to solve a triple murder which leads her to Biaili, the charismatic owner of a local casino, who’s the perfect suspect – if only he weren’t so attractively irritating.
The banter between Our Heroes is absolutely delicious and I LOVE Tinsa as a character. She’s brilliant, loud, gregarious, socially gifted, and just an awful lot of fun. The world-building, too, is creative and well-developed, and I could easily picture the houses with the paper windows, the bamboo forests, the food (oh, the food!). The romance evolves naturally, with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor. It takes a back seat to the mystery for most of the book, which I liked, but I admit, I might have flailed my arms with glee in a few places.
Highly recommended for folks who enjoy mystery and suspense with their fantasy, with intriguing politics and complicated family relationships. It’s part one of a duology, and I look forward to diving into the second book, because I honestly adore Tinsa and Biaili.
April 25, 2024
I was drawn into this book almost in spite of myself. I love long, detailed world building and character driven books, and that's not really this. At first I thought it was kind of an Asian inspired/fantasy version of Agatha Christie - there's a mystery to solve, and a world that isn't very fleshed out and the characters are somewhat two dimensional. (Plus there are SO many minor characters, and it's impossible to keep track of all of them.) There's nothing wrong with a good, if formulaic, mystery though, so I kept reading. As the book progressed I found it harder and harder to put down. It's well written, the mystery is interesting, and there's an odd love story that develops - odd because again, the characters aren't super well developed, yet at the same time quite likeable.
I'll definitely look for the 2nd book in this duology. 4 stars because of how well it's crafted and how entertaining the story is. If it was just a wee bit more fleshed out in both the world building and the characters, it would definitely have been a 5 start book.
I'll definitely look for the 2nd book in this duology. 4 stars because of how well it's crafted and how entertaining the story is. If it was just a wee bit more fleshed out in both the world building and the characters, it would definitely have been a 5 start book.
May 14, 2024
Who doesn’t enjoy a good hero story? I mean what’s there to not enjoy? Action. Mystery. Difficult decisions. Layers of intrigue. A murky past.
All of these can be found in A Winter of Fish and Favor.
why did I only give it a 4? Because there were times I would wonder how much of the book I had left so I could move on to the next. I’ve been thinking about it and not sure I can put a finger on an exact flaw, which makes me think it could be the pace of the book. Longer periods of “down time” compared to the rest of the action. Maybe the story could have been developed slightly different to being more of the intrigue to the forefront. Or maybe my concentration for reading is shot at the moment.
It did have an interesting story. I think the love match works well. (Side note, it mentions the other interested parties but never once shows them from any angle, did we miss something?)
Overall a decent story. If you enjoy fantasy, read it.
All of these can be found in A Winter of Fish and Favor.
why did I only give it a 4? Because there were times I would wonder how much of the book I had left so I could move on to the next. I’ve been thinking about it and not sure I can put a finger on an exact flaw, which makes me think it could be the pace of the book. Longer periods of “down time” compared to the rest of the action. Maybe the story could have been developed slightly different to being more of the intrigue to the forefront. Or maybe my concentration for reading is shot at the moment.
It did have an interesting story. I think the love match works well. (Side note, it mentions the other interested parties but never once shows them from any angle, did we miss something?)
Overall a decent story. If you enjoy fantasy, read it.
July 20, 2025
This book is an intrigue, and not a thriller - right up my alley.
The main interest is the FMC, this is actually her story - her heart, her skill, her grit, her ambition - all in the interest of getting in a position to make the city a better place. She's determined and stubborn enough to trample her own chance at happiness to achieve that purpose, which really is heroine-worthy. There are a lot of characters in her orbit, close or distant family, friends or strangers and that might seem too complicated, but I think it really helps us to get to know her and understand what drives her.
I love the writing style, the slow unfurling of the plot, the whimsy, the quirky and the dialogues, and I'm invested in the series, so I'll go ahead and read it.
I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The main interest is the FMC, this is actually her story - her heart, her skill, her grit, her ambition - all in the interest of getting in a position to make the city a better place. She's determined and stubborn enough to trample her own chance at happiness to achieve that purpose, which really is heroine-worthy. There are a lot of characters in her orbit, close or distant family, friends or strangers and that might seem too complicated, but I think it really helps us to get to know her and understand what drives her.
I love the writing style, the slow unfurling of the plot, the whimsy, the quirky and the dialogues, and I'm invested in the series, so I'll go ahead and read it.
I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 21, 2024
This is a story about a young heroine and magician named Tinsa. When Tinsa embarks on a quest to find a mysterious murderer, she's confronted with many challenges. Among them are being a woman in a man's world, handling unfair treatment from her leaders, figuring out who to trust and who not to trust, and resting to fall for forbitten love. The storyline has great potential with a lot of exciting elements: love, crime, and magic. It was exciting at times, but for me, there was a little too much downtime in the first part of the book, and I got kind of bored before the action took off. So that's why I'm giving it a three, but overall, I still found it to be an enjoyable read with a unique premise.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 31, 2024
A book that pulls you in and leaves you with a smile. A loved the interaction of the MFC and her brother, rude and respectful, snarky and sarcastic at times. My main complaint was the number of characters off the top that made it hard to keep straight. However, this author has such a unique and likable writing style and a story that is interesting and developed that it made for this easily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 16, 2024
What a story. Tinsa is a professional heroine and if she can’t save the day, no one can. Fast paced to make this an intriguing story with interesting characters. How will this all end can the crime be solved. Absolutely loved everything about it.
May 18, 2024
I really enjoyed all the elements of this book as it was very unique with them coming together. A great story with wonderful characters.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 20, 2024
2.5 stars rounded up. This story was difficult for me, I enjoyed the characters and saw a lot of great potential with the magicians, hero’s and more, however, it felt like reading a book filled with investigative reports. This did pick up slightly with more action in the last few chapters.
July 17, 2025
This story was just so INTRICATE. We have lore, great storytelling, and a world-building that takes a lot of talent to build. I found myself enjoying the story more and more as I read. The fmc was so lovely and fun! And the tidbits of romance we got left me wanting more!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews