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A Fearsome, Lonely Heart: A dark fantasy found family story
From multi-award-winning author, Rebecca L. Fearnley, comes a new adventure ...
When her past returns to haunt her, will she rise to face it or fall to its darkness?
Annie swears she won’t go through the portal again. Not yet. After their encounter with the bone crow, she and her family need to recover. But when Annie hears her mother’s voice through the portal, begging for help, how can she turn her back?
Through the portal, Annie finds a world ravaged by war and hatred. But that’s nothing compared to the secrets it turns out her mother has kept from her, and the danger of a new monster, prowling through the mists.
The Zekesh.
As Annie battles to uncover the truth behind this beast, painful secrets rear their heads and a terrible betrayal means she and her family are left fighting for their lives. Annie may finally have taken on more than she bargained for. Reuniting with the mother that abandoned her, learning a shocking new truth, can she bring herself to save the woman who left her?
Or will Annie’s anger add fuel to the rampaging monster?
Don't miss the next installment in the dark and dangerous Nowhere Chronicles. Explore a world where monsters roam, goddesses walk, and the darkness is out ot get you. Grab your copy of A Fearsome, Lonely Heart to experience the adventure today!
Annie swears she won’t go through the portal again. Not yet. After their encounter with the bone crow, she and her family need to recover. But when Annie hears her mother’s voice through the portal, begging for help, how can she turn her back?
Through the portal, Annie finds a world ravaged by war and hatred. But that’s nothing compared to the secrets it turns out her mother has kept from her, and the danger of a new monster, prowling through the mists.
The Zekesh.
As Annie battles to uncover the truth behind this beast, painful secrets rear their heads and a terrible betrayal means she and her family are left fighting for their lives. Annie may finally have taken on more than she bargained for. Reuniting with the mother that abandoned her, learning a shocking new truth, can she bring herself to save the woman who left her?
Or will Annie’s anger add fuel to the rampaging monster?
Don't miss the next installment in the dark and dangerous Nowhere Chronicles. Explore a world where monsters roam, goddesses walk, and the darkness is out ot get you. Grab your copy of A Fearsome, Lonely Heart to experience the adventure today!
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2025
4 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca L. Fearnley
12 books23 followersRebecca has been obsessed with two things since she learned to walk and talk: stories and animals. Luckily, the two seem to be very compatible. Rebecca writes stories set in strange worlds filled with bizarre creatures, strong female characters and magical powers. She started her writing career as a poet, performing all over the country and publishing her first collection, Octopus Medicine, with Two Rivers Press in 2017.
In addition to writing, Rebecca is also a teacher and, in 2018, decided that she wanted to write quality books for the young people she works with. Her books tend towards themes of respect for the environment, protecting the planet and the new generations challenging the old to face up to their mistakes.
She lives in Reading, UK, with her unusual family, which includes herself and her partner, a friendly little mini-lop rabbit (called Cleo) and a gregarious and feisty quaker parrot (called Maya).
In addition to writing, Rebecca is also a teacher and, in 2018, decided that she wanted to write quality books for the young people she works with. Her books tend towards themes of respect for the environment, protecting the planet and the new generations challenging the old to face up to their mistakes.
She lives in Reading, UK, with her unusual family, which includes herself and her partner, a friendly little mini-lop rabbit (called Cleo) and a gregarious and feisty quaker parrot (called Maya).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 29, 2025
This is the third in the Nowhere Chronicles Series, and each book gets darker, intense and more emotional.
The characters are complex, diverse and sometimes morally grey, but together they have a bond of friendship that saves them from the darkness.
I always love the rawness and depth of emotions portrayed, you see their flaws, fears and vulnerabilities, but also their bravery, determination and loyalty.
Each book not only navigates mystery, murder, intrigue and secrets, but also the characters discovering themselves, their powers, their strengths and weaknesses, and what they'll do to protect each other.
This story was extra emotional with Annie confronting her traumatic past, and the mother who abandoned her, hoping to get answers and closure.
The worldbuilding is always vivid and eerie, and the places they find themselves always have secrets in the shadows.
I always love the dilemmas they face, the choices they have to make, and the sides they choose and seeing their reasoning.
It's a fantastic dark world of portals, monsters, powers and stopping villains.
The characters are complex, diverse and sometimes morally grey, but together they have a bond of friendship that saves them from the darkness.
I always love the rawness and depth of emotions portrayed, you see their flaws, fears and vulnerabilities, but also their bravery, determination and loyalty.
Each book not only navigates mystery, murder, intrigue and secrets, but also the characters discovering themselves, their powers, their strengths and weaknesses, and what they'll do to protect each other.
This story was extra emotional with Annie confronting her traumatic past, and the mother who abandoned her, hoping to get answers and closure.
The worldbuilding is always vivid and eerie, and the places they find themselves always have secrets in the shadows.
I always love the dilemmas they face, the choices they have to make, and the sides they choose and seeing their reasoning.
It's a fantastic dark world of portals, monsters, powers and stopping villains.
August 18, 2025
Wriggler remains my favorite character of this series. He obtains his wit, while becoming more comfortable with Annie to give her more push back. Making her think harder upon her choices and if she is doing the right thing.
A Fearsome, Lonely Heart retains the charm the previous two installments of the series had. Presenting a dire situation that Annie feels she must face. Her friends jumping in besides her without question because they are her family, even if she doesn't want to admit it. She must face that this time - the mom that abandoned her twice is the one calling for help. Never mind the danger, Annie now has to also find balance between her found family, and blood family.
This emotional dilemma was tactfully done. History from the previous stories is discussed so that it makes sense if this was the only book read, but not overdone to feel repetitive if the other books where read. It's quickly set how hurt Annie is with how her mother can't just love her for who she is, that they both have a lot of blame towards each other. The solution, for someone who has a mother like Annie’s- I was satisfied with how she matured and approached her mother in the end.
As for the action and bigger picture, exactly what I wanted from this series. This time the group had jumped into a dystopian/medieval setting almost. With several lush, misty areas, rocky mountains. Setting sometimes for a creepy, alone feeling, or a expansive area with nowhere to hide. Several waring factions are for or against those with lunella - monsters like Annie - and those wanting to cage and abuse the lunella's powers to defeat the others. All believing it to be a curse from a dark moon goddess. Annie is thrown right in the middle and quickly has to pick a side, even though she knows none are exactly right. As complex as each sides' reasoning is for their actions, it made for an excellent setting for Annie to compare herself to and see her own hurts through others while helping with a larger disaster. It took her too long - but finally it allows Annie to see in her what her friends have seen in her all along.
A Fearsome, Lonely Heart retains the charm the previous two installments of the series had. Presenting a dire situation that Annie feels she must face. Her friends jumping in besides her without question because they are her family, even if she doesn't want to admit it. She must face that this time - the mom that abandoned her twice is the one calling for help. Never mind the danger, Annie now has to also find balance between her found family, and blood family.
This emotional dilemma was tactfully done. History from the previous stories is discussed so that it makes sense if this was the only book read, but not overdone to feel repetitive if the other books where read. It's quickly set how hurt Annie is with how her mother can't just love her for who she is, that they both have a lot of blame towards each other. The solution, for someone who has a mother like Annie’s- I was satisfied with how she matured and approached her mother in the end.
As for the action and bigger picture, exactly what I wanted from this series. This time the group had jumped into a dystopian/medieval setting almost. With several lush, misty areas, rocky mountains. Setting sometimes for a creepy, alone feeling, or a expansive area with nowhere to hide. Several waring factions are for or against those with lunella - monsters like Annie - and those wanting to cage and abuse the lunella's powers to defeat the others. All believing it to be a curse from a dark moon goddess. Annie is thrown right in the middle and quickly has to pick a side, even though she knows none are exactly right. As complex as each sides' reasoning is for their actions, it made for an excellent setting for Annie to compare herself to and see her own hurts through others while helping with a larger disaster. It took her too long - but finally it allows Annie to see in her what her friends have seen in her all along.
August 10, 2025
A Fearsome Lonely Heart is third in the Nowhere Chronicles series. This was a very emotional book. Love, sorrow, betrayal, redemption. It is all here. Rebecca writes very diverse full characters. Some definitely fall in the villan category, some in the hero and some sort of in-between. The true villans are so despicable that it is difficult to read their passages without a bit of frowning and grinding of teeth. The heros are staunch, brave, and sometimes reckless. Some we know, some are new, all are excellently written. I do love this series and now it will be so difficult to wait for the next. I know that is going to take a bit, you cannot whip a story like this out willy nilly, but lawd it's going to be hard.
I received a copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.
I received a copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.
September 2, 2025
You would think that Annie had, had enough adventures to last a lifetime and yet here we are embarking on another journey as we follow Annie through the portal that she said she would never go through again. The world she finds on the other side is dark and dangerous and full of secrets and shadows and is ravaged by war and hatred and is a scary place to be. The author does an incredible job with the world building, so much so that you can easily visualise everything and see what our characters can see, as Annie must this time face the mother that left her behind, abandoned her and is now calling for her aid even though she cannot accept Annie for who she is and Annie and her found family / friends face betrayal, danger, darkness and shocking truths, secrets and monsters. It’s an emotional read, complex and gripping and the author does an incredible job luring you in and holding you to the edge of your seat from the very start. I love this series and this addition only enhances it more as we see our characters grow even more and stand together against the baddies and get a little closure and I will admit a few tears were shed but OMG I absolutely loved it!
August 9, 2025
This a great series and I can't wait until the next book.
Although Annie had been, for some time, hearing her mother's voice calling her through the portal, it wasn't until she heard Sasha's voice that she answered the call.
Although she went on her own, it didn't take long for the others to follow. She had a vision, but found that all was not how she thought. In a world where many people were monster-bonded, she had to find who controlled the biggest monster, fearing that it was bonded to a two year old child. At the same time, another group of people were trying to use the monster-bonded as a weapon. If they succeeded in controlling the biggest monster, then all was lost.
Although Annie had been, for some time, hearing her mother's voice calling her through the portal, it wasn't until she heard Sasha's voice that she answered the call.
Although she went on her own, it didn't take long for the others to follow. She had a vision, but found that all was not how she thought. In a world where many people were monster-bonded, she had to find who controlled the biggest monster, fearing that it was bonded to a two year old child. At the same time, another group of people were trying to use the monster-bonded as a weapon. If they succeeded in controlling the biggest monster, then all was lost.
September 1, 2025
A Fearsome Lonely Heart is book three in Rebecca Fearnley’s dark fantasy series, The Nowhere Chronicles. The book draws you in immediately with Annie thrashing through the woods, tormented by cries for help from her estranged mother coming through the portal. Once again, bolstered by her loyal and loving found family, Annie is jumping through the portal into another realm. Rebecca’s writing pulls me into all the emotions, fear, pain, love and forgiveness. I really like the way Annie is forming stronger bonds with her monster, Wriggler.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and I thank Rebecca Fearnley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and I thank Rebecca Fearnley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2025
Wow xxx
This is my favourite of the series so far xxx I laughed I cried and stayed up way to late just reading one more chapter 🥴lol xxx It’s lovely to see how the group has bonded into a little family xxx Rebeccas writing is brilliant n leaves u wanting more xxx can’t wait for the next book xxx
This is my favourite of the series so far xxx I laughed I cried and stayed up way to late just reading one more chapter 🥴lol xxx It’s lovely to see how the group has bonded into a little family xxx Rebeccas writing is brilliant n leaves u wanting more xxx can’t wait for the next book xxx
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews