The Devotion

by Joseph Paradis

If you're looking for fairy tales and happy endings, seek your solace elsewhere.

Cole was three when he first went missing. He repeatedly vanished for days on end, only to appear back in his bed where his mother left him. The problem was slow to fade, so he grew up isolated from anyone who might get close enough to learn his secret.

By high school the vanishings have all but stopped, and Cole is finally free to claim a life of normalcy. But when faced with a deadly encounter, a mysterious presence appears and takes him away. For good.

He finds himself on Aeneria, an exotic world inhabited by giants, demons, and magic. Cole's arrival reignites an ancient war and unleashes three evil gods, threatening not only Aeneria, but Earth itself. His only hope lies within a sect of warriors who show him the ways of magic, and for the first time in his life, friendship.

In order to save this world and his own, Cole must temper himself in the fires of nightmares, all while trying to find his place in a world where he doesn't belong.

Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers -coming spring 2019
Saving The Dark Side Book 3: The Unbound- coming spring 2019
The Swindlers And The Squall- coming spring 2019

398 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2019

About the author

I've been writing sporadically for most of my life. However, it wasn't until January 2016 that I began to take it seriously thanks to one of my closest friends. While I'd like to be writing full-time, I (like most independent authors) have a day job, which is a logistician position in the National Guard. I joined in 2005, deployed twice, and have been active duty since 2012. The military lifestyle has had a tremendous impact on my life, filling it with more ups and downs than I can keep track of, as well as some lifelong friends.
My days are spent at a desk or bumbling around in a humongous truck. After work I get myself to a gym and do battle with my inner fat kid for a couple of hours, then rush home and hopefully start writing before 8 pm. I nurture a love for performance arts, especially plays and local stand-up. During summers I don't ride my motorcycle nearly enough, and the same goes for my snowboard during the winters. At least once a year I'll go abroad, usually your typical over-indulgent Caribbean cruise, though recently I spent a week in France, where I had the privilege of officiating at a wedding for two dear friends.
The stories I enjoy the most usually leave me shaken for a few days, not because I'm a glutton for masochism, but because they resonate with the wounded parts of me that I wouldn't ordinarily take notice of. With a somewhat busy lifestyle where stoicism has become my go-to survival tool, I need those stories that derail me from my daily grind, that kick me in the gut and make me feel something.
As of writing this I'm 30 years old and live in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Frances Beckwith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific read. I was transfixed, from beginning to end.

The roller coaster hadn't even begun to drop when I reached the end of Book One. I'm emotionally exhausted, but I need more!

And now we wait.

Thanks for ride, Joe.

[Niels Vandenbrande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paradis does an incredible job with this story. He got you hooked by the first chapter. What Cole goes through, what he finds in Aeneria, how book 1 ends... This is a story that for me ended way too soon, I would love to just keep on reading and reading.

[Charles Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for hardcore and sci-fi fans.

This book had me from the beginning. Loved it completely. Now can't wait to continue the series. Definitely worth the read.

[Emotonal Reads]

I was really enjoying this book until the author killed off Josh. I couldn't understand why that had to happen. I was just done after that, just done.

I will be wary about picking up any other book by this author in the future.