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Kingdoms of Oz #1
The Ruby Fortress
An unexpected inheritance
A storybook world at war
A reluctant heroine with big shoes to fill
After inheriting her Grandma Dot’s house, Ellana Rose comes across the collection of books written by her Great Grandma Dot.
Her reminiscing over childhood stories about the fantastical world of Oz is interrupted by a stranger knocking on the door looking for her long-deceased Great Grandma Dorothy.
Ellana has no patience for the man she assumes is a debt-collector from the funeral home and sends him on his way.
After another long, tiring shift at work dancing – okay, pole dancing, but who’s judging? – Ellana returns to find the persistent suit back, and this time, he’s there for her. She finds herself involuntarily transported to the world of Oz.
Only this is no happy fairytale realm, and Dorothy was not just some crazy storyteller, but a powerful witch-killer.
Now, the two remaining Witches of Oz are at war, and thanks to her family legacy, Ellana is caught in the middle.
With a world at stake and too many secrets to sort through, Ellana will need all her wits, a pair of magical shoes, and two alluring allies to survive the journey to come.
Dive into the story of Oz as you’ve never read it before!
Contains strong language and adult scenes.
A storybook world at war
A reluctant heroine with big shoes to fill
After inheriting her Grandma Dot’s house, Ellana Rose comes across the collection of books written by her Great Grandma Dot.
Her reminiscing over childhood stories about the fantastical world of Oz is interrupted by a stranger knocking on the door looking for her long-deceased Great Grandma Dorothy.
Ellana has no patience for the man she assumes is a debt-collector from the funeral home and sends him on his way.
After another long, tiring shift at work dancing – okay, pole dancing, but who’s judging? – Ellana returns to find the persistent suit back, and this time, he’s there for her. She finds herself involuntarily transported to the world of Oz.
Only this is no happy fairytale realm, and Dorothy was not just some crazy storyteller, but a powerful witch-killer.
Now, the two remaining Witches of Oz are at war, and thanks to her family legacy, Ellana is caught in the middle.
With a world at stake and too many secrets to sort through, Ellana will need all her wits, a pair of magical shoes, and two alluring allies to survive the journey to come.
Dive into the story of Oz as you’ve never read it before!
Contains strong language and adult scenes.
- GenresFantasy
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2019
50 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Whitethorne
23 books71 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Whitethorne lives on the edge of the Lake District in North Western England with her husband and two children.
She writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Fantasy Romance with a focus on folklore and mythology.
Carrie would be thrilled if you could leave a review.
Contact Carrie at:
enquiries@carriewhitethorne.com
Follow Carrie on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/Whitethorneb...
Sign up for her monthly Newsletter www.carriewhitethorne.com
She writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Fantasy Romance with a focus on folklore and mythology.
Carrie would be thrilled if you could leave a review.
Contact Carrie at:
enquiries@carriewhitethorne.com
Follow Carrie on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/Whitethorneb...
Sign up for her monthly Newsletter www.carriewhitethorne.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 20, 2019
The land of oz has a new visitor. A relation of Dorothy with her very own ruby red shoes. Ella’s grandmas caused quite the storm in her fantasy world as well her the real one. Ella has heard the stories, but now her grandmother has gone she needs to live the adventure.
This is intended for an adult audience. If the shoe fits the magic will follow. This is book one is a trilogy. It has the magic of oz, but the romance of a modern day fantasy novel.
This was something different. It wasn’t what I was fully expecting, yet the tale of the girl in the red shoes is intriguing. There is hints of the plot thickening and the story has just begun, and it does end with a cliffhanger.
An old tale with a new twist. This book is available on KU and the next two in the series are soon to follow. I always say this but it’s hard to taste a book with no ending. It has adventure, mystery, romance and a few modern day quirks. It’s worth looking at if you have KU.
I read this via Paperback and KU (it’s easier in the dark).
This is intended for an adult audience. If the shoe fits the magic will follow. This is book one is a trilogy. It has the magic of oz, but the romance of a modern day fantasy novel.
This was something different. It wasn’t what I was fully expecting, yet the tale of the girl in the red shoes is intriguing. There is hints of the plot thickening and the story has just begun, and it does end with a cliffhanger.
An old tale with a new twist. This book is available on KU and the next two in the series are soon to follow. I always say this but it’s hard to taste a book with no ending. It has adventure, mystery, romance and a few modern day quirks. It’s worth looking at if you have KU.
I read this via Paperback and KU (it’s easier in the dark).
Want to read
October 19, 2020🎁 Free on Amazon today (10/18/2020)! 🎁
June 21, 2019
Message from the author.
Hi!
Thanks so much for reading The Ruby Fortress.
Your feedback is incredibly important to me so I'd like to thank you in advance for your review.
The rest of the series will follow on the dates stated in the blurb and will be up for preorder as soon as it's possible for me to set those up.
If you want to read more from me, please check out my Three Tricksters and Riftkeepers series. To keep up to date with news and offers please visit my website and join my monthly mailing list.
Hi!
Thanks so much for reading The Ruby Fortress.
Your feedback is incredibly important to me so I'd like to thank you in advance for your review.
The rest of the series will follow on the dates stated in the blurb and will be up for preorder as soon as it's possible for me to set those up.
If you want to read more from me, please check out my Three Tricksters and Riftkeepers series. To keep up to date with news and offers please visit my website and join my monthly mailing list.
January 9, 2020
I didn't expect this. I'm all for a powerful heroine. Yay!
September 30, 2020
Eh.
I love retellings of old stories with a new twist, generally, but this was bland. There was zero info - I read this whole book and I don't really know anything about the plot, don't really care in any case, and I think the characters are two dimensional and bland.
Ella is TSTL. She is swept into this world, and she just goes along with whatever, not asking questions or demanding info, blindly trusting the dude who brought her there (even as he tells her nothing), and falling into bed with each human male she encounters within like two days of meeting them. Always lamenting that she's not this way, she's single for a reason, but she just feels something stronger than she's ever felt before... And then couple days later, it is literally the exact same inner narrative when she meets Fallon.
Is this insta-love or is she just a moron? I'd read on and find out, if I cared about this story even a teeny bit, but I don't. *shrug*
I love retellings of old stories with a new twist, generally, but this was bland. There was zero info - I read this whole book and I don't really know anything about the plot, don't really care in any case, and I think the characters are two dimensional and bland.
Ella is TSTL. She is swept into this world, and she just goes along with whatever, not asking questions or demanding info, blindly trusting the dude who brought her there (even as he tells her nothing), and falling into bed with each human male she encounters within like two days of meeting them. Always lamenting that she's not this way, she's single for a reason, but she just feels something stronger than she's ever felt before... And then couple days later, it is literally the exact same inner narrative when she meets Fallon.
Is this insta-love or is she just a moron? I'd read on and find out, if I cared about this story even a teeny bit, but I don't. *shrug*
July 31, 2019
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I love me some Wizard of Oz so when I saw this one was a remake I knew I was going to have to read it. I was not disappointed!! Whitethorne takes us on a fascinating adventure with Ellana who finds out she is a descendant of the original Dorothy when she is pretty much kidnapped and taken to Oz. Once she arrives no one really wants to tell her what is going on but she is not going to let that stop her. Full of intriguing characters with lots of surprises to really keep you on your toes even if you think you do know the story. I was hooked from the very first sentence and now I really need book two!! Total must read for Oz fans!! I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
I love me some Wizard of Oz so when I saw this one was a remake I knew I was going to have to read it. I was not disappointed!! Whitethorne takes us on a fascinating adventure with Ellana who finds out she is a descendant of the original Dorothy when she is pretty much kidnapped and taken to Oz. Once she arrives no one really wants to tell her what is going on but she is not going to let that stop her. Full of intriguing characters with lots of surprises to really keep you on your toes even if you think you do know the story. I was hooked from the very first sentence and now I really need book two!! Total must read for Oz fans!! I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
October 3, 2019
Gripping!
I absolutely love this take or continuation of the Wizard of Oz! Couldn’t put it down and read it almost in one sitting! I’m dying to know what happens next!
I absolutely love this take or continuation of the Wizard of Oz! Couldn’t put it down and read it almost in one sitting! I’m dying to know what happens next!
January 6, 2021
I grew up loving The Wizard of Oz movie, so I love finding adult twists on it!
Ellana is the great grand-daughter of Dorothy Gale, who has grown up hearing about Oz as a fairy tale. She's whisked off to Oz at the behest of Glinda, where she finds she has inherited Dorothy's powers, and is needed to help straighten out situation in the land.
No one is quite what they seem, and everything you thought you knew about Oz is wrong! This is a great first book in the series, with 2 more to follow!
Ellana is the great grand-daughter of Dorothy Gale, who has grown up hearing about Oz as a fairy tale. She's whisked off to Oz at the behest of Glinda, where she finds she has inherited Dorothy's powers, and is needed to help straighten out situation in the land.
No one is quite what they seem, and everything you thought you knew about Oz is wrong! This is a great first book in the series, with 2 more to follow!
July 6, 2023
Legion of flying monkey??? Sign mu up!
June 27, 2019
Ok, first, my bona fides: I am a lifelong lover of the classic Oz tales, have the full 15 book set of them in hard cover at home, including a 1913 edition of Baum’s Little Wizard Stories of Oz. They’re among the books in our “never to be donated to the library” collection. So I’m no dilettante. Having said that, while I realize that there are those in the Oz loving community who can’t stand the thought of new non-Baum Oz books, I’m not one of them. I love anything set in Oz so long as it is well done. To me it’s a great homage to the original series. Carrie Whitethorne’s new Kingdoms Of Oz series falls into that category. It’s first book, The Ruby Fortress, is a total blast. This is not, however, even remotely, the classic Oz books. Don’t let your kids near this: it’s a sexy and exciting book (yes, there are indeed “adult scenes” here) with a pole-dancer lead, Ellana, who finds out her great-grandma Dot (you can call her Dorothy) was, wait for it, a powerful witch-killer. Ellana is now sucked into an Oz the two remaining witches are at war. Trust me, exciting times ensue. Trust me too that it’s great fun thanks to being superbly written, with a great plot and great cast of characters. Well worth the ride for those who love Oz and those who know nothing about it other than the movie. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
July 8, 2019
Hidden Gem
This book is a really interesting concept, and not one I've come across before. It's sort of a retelling or possibly re-imagining of the wizard of Oz but also so much more.
The main character is a breath of fresh air in that she is not whiny at all and yet isn't one of those 'A$$hole' FMC either. Yeah she gets dropped into some pretty intense stuff but instead of stamping her feet she just gets on with it all. I can't wait to see how strong she will become through the series.
The love interests... HOT, caring and sensitive. There's one in particular (following a certoan scene) who I'm definitely recruiting for my harem 🔥🔥🔥
If you love steamy reads with hot men and an emotionally mature FMC then this is for you
This book is a really interesting concept, and not one I've come across before. It's sort of a retelling or possibly re-imagining of the wizard of Oz but also so much more.
The main character is a breath of fresh air in that she is not whiny at all and yet isn't one of those 'A$$hole' FMC either. Yeah she gets dropped into some pretty intense stuff but instead of stamping her feet she just gets on with it all. I can't wait to see how strong she will become through the series.
The love interests... HOT, caring and sensitive. There's one in particular (following a certoan scene) who I'm definitely recruiting for my harem 🔥🔥🔥
If you love steamy reads with hot men and an emotionally mature FMC then this is for you
September 9, 2019
I love the plot of this story! It was told well and ended well to go into a second book. I give only three stars because I felt it lacking a little in each of the scenes. The action could have been a little more powerful, the magic and powers could have been explained a little better. The passion was needed more intensity. The detail of the different villages and lifeforms within left something to my imagination instead of given to me. I know this doesn't sound like one of my most positive reviews but I did enjoy the story. I liked that one of the main characters didn't talk and communication came from touch. I feel the story has more to offer, more potential and would love to read a revised or updated version.
August 4, 2019
Ellana Rose thought she was starting to settle in ok to her new life after Grandma Dot left her her house then a stranger turns up not one but twice and then all of a sudden those stories Grandma Dot read and made a book about are a lot more real. Seeing a though the original Dorothy is no loner around its up to Ella to sort out the mess that is currently Oz, you will wonder who to trust including the hawt guys who are meant to help her, who will you meet next and did her Grandma have something to do with why things are like they are now?
June 29, 2019
I am so enjoying this story. Finally a story about Oz. Story kept me captivated from start to finish. I claim Fallon as mine. Story has twists and turns. Some things I was not expecting. Love how this authors mind works. This story was phenomenal. I'm really looking forward to reading more in the next book. I want to see where this story will lead us and what the guys are spelled not to say. Great story.
June 30, 2019
Based on the old fairy tale, The Wizard Of Oz, comes The Ruby Fortress (TRF) with a big twist. As the FMC Ellana (or as I nicknamed her El) would say "We're not in Kansas anymore."
The story & characters are likeable & flows nicely. There's this nice little, steamy scene(s) in there that was wow. Since TRF is just the 1st book in this series, it does leave on a cliffy, so I expect to read book 2 very soon.
The story & characters are likeable & flows nicely. There's this nice little, steamy scene(s) in there that was wow. Since TRF is just the 1st book in this series, it does leave on a cliffy, so I expect to read book 2 very soon.
August 31, 2019
This was such a wonderful book and fabulous world to enter!! Ellana is a descendant of Dorothy and brilliant FMC. The story is non stop flows from start to finish!! It’s an epic and phenomenal adventure which Ella and the reader is on and also captivating. Along the way we meet some wonderful and mysterious characters who enrich the story even more which I didn’t think possible!! I seriously can’t wait for the next book!
October 11, 2019
I loved this book! Ellana is an amazing MC, she thinks for herself, she stands up for herself, and she has a heart of gold! She’s dealing with the death of her grandmother, who was the daughter of Dorothy, the one we all know from the Wizard of Oz. She gets pulled into a war, sisters feuding over the remnants of what was left when her great grandma left Oz. This book is a medium burn, and is a must for fans of the world of Oz.
December 7, 2019
New favorite at home spa night bubble bath read. The sass of the main character, the steam of the romances, and the twist on a well beloved childhood favorite made this a story I could easily fall into. I started reading Carries writing with her Riftkeepers series. Getting to see the writer grow in their craft is exactly what I want to see when I stick with someone long term. Only warning is if you plan on reading this book- go ahead and buy the whole series. I’m already diving into book 2!
June 27, 2019
Good story about what might have happened with Oz once Dorothy left and what happens when her great granddaughter is brought back. The characters are well written and the story flows nicely. It is a must read for anyone who has always wondered what happens after the classic stories are done and if the happily ever afters are truly the end of the tales.
August 7, 2019
LOVED this retelling of The Wizard of Oz, and this is the first of this type of retelling that I have read. With the interesting concepts that the author throws into this book there is plenty to keep you pulled in and reading it till the end. I can not wait to see what is in store for the next book in the series. I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it.
August 6, 2019
Another fab book by Carrie Whitethorne, she has become one of my favourite new authors. Her books just keep getting better. This is Oz reimagined and I love it. Can't wait to read book 2! Get reading folks!
August 9, 2019
Excellent
I loved this book it’s the perfect mix of things in line with the old story and new exciting twists
I loved this book it’s the perfect mix of things in line with the old story and new exciting twists
August 17, 2019
A new take on oz
I actually really liked this story. I totally agree with her take On the “ good witch “” so many secrets so little time. The men in this story 🔥
I actually really liked this story. I totally agree with her take On the “ good witch “” so many secrets so little time. The men in this story 🔥
September 1, 2019
What fun!!!
Excellent imagination! I love the main characters and the twist and turns this story takes you through,while weaving in the familiar tale. Very enjoyable.
Excellent imagination! I love the main characters and the twist and turns this story takes you through,while weaving in the familiar tale. Very enjoyable.
September 10, 2019
Can’t wait to read part 2
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews