The Book Shelf discussion

Book Title: Dolor and Shadow
Genre: Dark Fantasy/Epic saga
Author: Angela B. Chrysler
Website: http://www.angelabchrysler.com/
Release Date: 31 May 2015
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXB916Y

Short description:

Two elven clans of Alfheim are at war while 10th century kings of Scandinavia war for Midgard. As the Norse gods watch in silence, the Celtic Fae gods hunt the elven witch, Queen Kallan. But Kallan has vowed to avenge her father and kill her nemesis, King Rune—who has been charged with Kallan's protection. They fight their way across Midgard while the Dvergar, Fae gods, and Norse kings hunt them.

Blurb:

As the elven city burns, Princess Kallan is taken to Alfheim while a great power begins to awaken within her. Desperate to keep the child hidden, her abilities are suppressed and her memory erased. But the gods have powers as well, and it is only a matter of time before they find the child again.

When Kallan, the elven witch, Queen of Lorlenalin, fails to save her dying father, she inherits her father’s war and vows revenge on the one man she believes is responsible: Rune, King of Gunir. But nothing is as it seems, and the gods are relentless. A twist of fate puts Kallan into the protection of the man she has sworn to kill, and Rune into possession of power he does not understand.

From Alfheim, to Jotunheim, and then lost in the world of Men, these two must form an alliance to make their way home, and try to solve the lies of the past and of the Shadow that hunts them all.

Dragon's Curse (first in a four part series, the Dragon and the Scholar)
Fantasy Romance/Fairy Tale Fantasy
Author HL Burke
website www.hlburkeauthor.com
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
On her first assignment out of the Academy, young healer and scholar, Shannon Macaulay is summoned to the struggling kingdom of Regone to see to the wounds of a young but crippled king. When the unwanted attentions of an aggressive knight and the sudden appearance of a hated dragon turn her world upside down, she decides to take matters into her own hands even if doing so proves dangerous.

Finding herself strangely drawn to the company of the dragon, Gnaw, Shannon must force herself out of her safe world of books and botany to come to the aid of her unexpected ally in a strange kingdom, cursed by a fateful encounter with a dragon and the loss of a beloved prince. Can she learn to put aside her fears, and perhaps sacrifice her deepest desires, to help a friend and restore a family?

Book title: Beyond the Tempest Gate
Fantasy

My book received a 4 star review from the eminent Sarah Chorn at Bookworm Blues. That's probably my proudest review, as Chorn has a solid reputation and is close with the biggies in fantasy and sci fi.

Blurb:

By the time he was 24, he had already led the Church's armies to greater victories than any man before him. He slayed the pagan giant Emir and left him dead atop his mountain. He conquered the barabarian tribes of the south. He hunted down every last dragon in the world and snuffed them out completely.

Yet, now he prepares to face an evil that defies human understanding, an evil that existed long before the human world.

There are those who say that his quest will spell the end of humankind. For Gabriel, the fearful uncertainty of the detractor's is merely cowardice and a lack of faith.

Is Gabriel Aterias the savior of the world, or is he the narcisist that will usher in its destruction?

The answer lies beyond the Tempest Gate.

It's available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Tempest-...) and Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyon...).

Author: Ashley Capes
Book Title: City of Masks
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Action Adventure
Release Date: May 2014

Websites: http://www.amazon.com/City-Masks-Fant...
http://www.cityofmasks.com/

Summary:

Waking in Anaskar Prison, covered in blood and accused of murder, nobody will listen to Notch’s claims of innocence until he meets the future Protector of the Monarchy, Sofia Falco.

But Sofia has her own burdens. The first female Protector in a hundred years, her House is under threat from enemies within, the prince has made it clear he does not want her services and worst of all, she cannot communicate with her father’s sentient mask of bone, the centuries-old Argeon. Without the bone mask she cannot help anyone — not herself, and certainly not a mercenary with no powerful House to protect him.


Got two more titles I'd like to post - hope that's ok!

The Watcher's Keep
Author Timothy Bond
Website: www.triadinesaga.com

The Watchers long ago abandoned their sworn duty to monitor and suppress the powers of Khollaran, an evil wizard, locked away in a distant prison at the end of the First Age. As his power grows, an ancient and dire prophecy appear to be coming true.

The Guardians take actions to try to stop him, putting young Peter and Alexandra in the middle of the greatest conflict since the Breaking of the World.

As the Children of the Prophecy, the twins will be tasked with a near impossible quest to recover the pieces of the fabled Triadine and unite the races in a battle to destroy the growing evil, without destroying the world in the process.

Book 1 of The Triadine Saga

Available at all major online resellers, and Buyers Name Your Price at Smashwords until the end of January 2015.

Paperback available through Createspace and in a current Goodreads giveaway.

Author: L.F. Falconer
Title: The Vagabond's Son: Prelude to a Legacy
Fantasy/Fairy tale
Released: 2014
www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMNGSBM
www.lffalconer.com

No one can outrun the dark...
The ogres call them pixies, and who in their right mind is going to argue with an ogre? Certainly not Laramato when he sells them his wife. This is the story of the child left behind.
Recommended for mature readers, this dark, dramatic prequel to the upcoming "Legacy of Skur" focuses upon the harsh events which forge the psyche of a young man meant to become a hero.



Finalist in Fantasy Fiction in the 2015 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards.

C.L. Schneider
Magic-Price

Epic Fantasy/Dark/Adult
Released: December 2013
To learn more http://www.clschneiderauthor.com/
For Kindle http://bit.ly/MagicPriceKindle
In Paperback http://bit.ly/MagicPricePB

For ten years Ian Troy has been running from the blood in his veins and on his hands.

Born of the Shinree, a fallen race reviled for their inherent addiction to magic, Ian is no stranger to scorn. His people, drugged to suppress their magic, are bred and sold as slaves. Some are granted conditional freedom, but only to serve the ruling races. Possessing the magic of a soldier, Ian was conscripted into the Rellan army and made to fight in their longstanding war against the brutal Langorian invaders.

With defeat imminent, Ian turned to the Crown of Stones, an ancient Shinree relic of untold power. His attempt to end the war brought peace—but at an unthinkable price.

A decade later, Ian still struggles to leave the aftermath of that tragic day behind. But the past is catching up.

C.L. Schneider
Magic-Scars

Epic Fantasy/Dark/Adult
Released for Kindle 1/7/15 (paperback Dec/14)
To learn more: http://www.clschneiderauthor.com/
For Kindle http://bit.ly/ScarsKindle
In Paperback http://bit.ly/MagicScarsPB

Go deeper into the story of Ian Troy in Magic Scars, the second installment in the Bestselling The Crown of Stones trilogy.

Revisit the war-torn world of Mirra'kelan and learn what fate has befallen Ian and his friends in the wake of the Langorian invasion. Discover the secrets of the ancient Shinree as Ian struggles to understand the meaning behind his connection to the Crown of Stones, and the strange scars that adorn his body. Can he discover the truth of what's happening to him time to save the realms?

The price of Ian's magic and his addiction have never been higher.

THE IMMORTALS now available at Amazon, Smashwords, and Google Play for 99cents usd!

Amazon: http://geni.us/TIpt1

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/13Yus3x

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1AksPZD

A thousand years ago the gods known as The Four created the Immortals to protect and defend their world against an invader known as the Dro-Aconi—and then vanished. Left to fend for themselves, the three races of Ein-Aral and the Immortals banded together to save the world.

Part One: Shadows and Starstone

Ivo, Jaeger, Jadeth, and Emaranthe must protect a desert village and it’s hoard of Starstone, a power source that can aid the Dro-Aconi’s plans for the dominion over Ein-Aral. Can the companions battle inner demons long enough to defeat legions of enemies and keep their leader, Alarandia, from seizing the Starstone?

Breath of the Titans: The False Titanbringer

Riley Amos Westbrook, Sara Lynn Westbrook

Rileyamoswestbrook.wordpress.com

Breath of the Titans: The False Titanbringer by Riley A. Westbrook and Sara L. Westbrook is a story that centers around a half elf, half dragon boy who just turned 16, named Lovonian. The story begins with Lov and his uncle Nord taking their annual hunting trip. On their return to Elvenhom, they find that the city’s population has been slaughtered by an army of Titans, except for those taken as slaves, when they see the collection of ears that were chopped off. With Amon dead and his mother captured, Lov and Nord begin their quest to find his mother by seeking out Nord’s old friend Jaxon. After acquiring weapons and knowledge of their enemy, they set out to rescue Lov’s mother with the help of a fairy sent by Lov’s grandfather. From there, they encounter all kinds of adventures and creatures, while in desperate pursuit.

Available at Amazon

Jill H. O'Bones

Behind the Vines




Fantasy/Epic/Romance

Release date: August 7, 2015

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Vines-Ji...

"The Fairies know who she is."

The stories her aunt had told her were only fairy tales; at least that's what Elizabeth believed until she took her son to her aunt's house to remember her past, before the brain tumor killed her. But when she found the butterflies, they showed her that the stories were true. Elizabeth was destined to be queen in a world where unicorns and fairies exist.

With the discovery of her true destiny, Elizabeth must now unite the people in that other world to stop Baron Priam from taking the Kingdom over, and she must find a suitable King to rule in her place before the tumor in her head kills her.

Author: SL Perrine
Book Title: The Beast Within
Book Photo:

Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Websites:

https://slperrine.wordpress.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Beast-Within-Wi...

http://www.lulu.com/shop/sl-perrine/t...

Summary: The Beast Within: Book One - Huntress, or Sorceress Princess? Renee Fresee has spent a year learning to deal with the fact that she is a huntress of mythical beasts. When Ty Cole gets cut off from his home world, he erupts from beast form to man, and Renee finds out she may be a reincarnated Sorceress Princess. Together Ty and Renee discover their past, and devise a plan to defeat the darkest sorcerer of their home world, ... Ty's father, and bring back to life the land they once loved.

Epic Fantasy by Deborah Jay
THE PRINCE'S MAN

Think James Bond meets Lord of the Rings - a sweeping tale of spies and deadly politics, inter-species mistrust and magic phobia, with an underlying thread of romance.
Rustam Chalice, dance tutor and spy, loves his life, so when the kingdom he serves is threatened from within, he leaps into action. Only trouble is, the spy master teams him up with a beautiful assassin who despises him.
Plunged into a desperate journey over the mountains, the mismatched pair struggle to survive deadly wildlife, the machinations of a spiteful god - and each other.
They must also keep alive a sickly elf they need as a political pawn. But when the elf reveals that Rustam has magic of his own, he is forced to question his identity, his sanity and worst, his loyalty to his prince.
For in Tyr-en, all magic users are put to death.
Amazon: http://myBook.to/PrincesMan
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-p...
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id67...

Jim Butcher

Series: The Codex Alera

Style: Traditional swords-and-sorcery style HIGH epic fantasy in the tradition of Professor J.R.R Tolkien's THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE Rings as well as Professor C.S. Lewis' CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

Twist: The Alerans are modeled after the Roman Empire and the furies after Pokemon.

Series opener: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Deborah: Now THAT sounds INTERESTING: "Think James Bond meets Lord of the Rings..."

The Legacy of Skur Volume One

Dark fantasy, as grim a fairy tale as one could want...

No one has ever returned from Skur. "It's a death quest," Fane is told, but he chooses to ignore the legends, for according to the wizard Fith, hidden among the wealth of treasure atop the mountain is the key to eternal life. Can Fane hope to steal it from under the nose of its guardian dragon?

Armed with little more than a sword and a magical talisman, Fane's misadventures upon the mist-enshrouded mountain begin. In this adult, epic saga of love, betrayal, war, vengeance, and friendship, we follow the pawns who are shrewdly manipulated within a celestial game of dominance. It's survival of the fittest as the players are mercilessly maneuvered across the playing field, and these are their stories: Fane, the wizard's apprentice; Kael, the warrior; and Elva, the legacy.

www.amazon.com/dp/B014GMECQ0

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B014GMECQ0

Book Title: The Caves of Tavannar
Series: Book #1 of The Crystal Keeper Trllogy
Genre: Epic/Urban Fantasy
Author:WJ Lennox
Release Date: First published Aug 2013. New cover edition September 2015.
Website: http://www.wjlennox.com/Home/Books
Goodreads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Blurb:

ONE GIRL ~ TWO WORLDS ~ ONE SECRET

Some families are tied by blood, others by love, but one family is bound by a stronger thread.

Destiny

In an ordinary town in Scotland, thirteen-year-old Josie’s life is not just unravelling – it is spinning out of control. But when she uncovers a long-buried secret in her gran’s attic, fate decides to pull her from her messed up world, straight into another.

Galidom

Lost on a volcanic island, a sinister turn of events lead Josie and an unlikely ally on a perilous quest to Tavannar to free its enslaved inhabitants. But as they venture deep inside the mountain’s vast caverns and twisting tunnels, Josie soon finds herself thrust into an underground world of dark sorcery, deadly traps and shape-shifting demons.

With no means of escape, and her only protection a mysterious crystal pendant, Josie is about to be tested in ways she never thought possible, nor chose.

For where one crystal has the power to heal – another has the power to destroy.

Short Description:

The Caves of Tavannar is the first book in the Crystal Keeper Trilogy. A story of friendship, courage, sacrifice and hope, it will take you on an extraordinary journey, where the entwined strands of time and destiny come full circle in a thrilling and unexpected conclusion.

The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne #1) by by Brian Staveley (Goodreads Author)

Book one in an epic fantasy of intrigue and empire, for fans of George R. R. Martin and Douglas Hulick.

The circle is closing. The stakes are high. And old truths will live again . . .

The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy.

His son Valyn, training for the empire’s deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. He expected a challenge, but after several ‘accidents’ and a dying soldier’s warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Yet before Valyn can take action, he must survive the mercenaries’ brutal final initiation.

Meanwhile, the Emperor’s daughter, Minister Adare, hunts her father’s murderer in the capital itself. Court politics can be fatal, but she needs justice. And Kaden, heir to an empire, studies in a remote monastery. Here, the Blank God’s disciples teach their harsh ways – which Kaden must master to unlock their ancient powers. When an imperial delegation arrives, he’s learnt enough to perceive evil intent. But will this keep him alive, as long-hidden powers make their move? from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

and Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1)
by Saladin Ahmed (Goodreads Author): From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year’s most anticipated fantasy debuts: THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, “the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat,” just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame’s family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed’s sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time—and struggle against their own misgivings—to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin. From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Author: LG Surgeson
Book Title: The Winter That Follows - The Black River Chronicles Book 1

Genre: Fantasy adventure
Release Date: May 2014
Websites
Good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-Surgeson/e...

Vote to help me get a publishing contract :http://soopllc.com/blog/book-ideas/ra...

Summary: The Summer of Fire has burned away. The younger gods and their champion have defeated Krynok the Hunter, who had called himself the All-Father. General Salamander has been destroyed and slowly Tartaria is reuniting to heal the Clans and the land. The world has been left dazed and flattened, trying to pick up the pieces. Those that have survived find themselves standing amongst the ruins with empty hearts, waiting for faces they will never see again. It has not occurred to many that this might be the greatest challenge of all.
Once the glorious struggles of the Summer are over, somehow you have to find a way to live through the winter that follows.

Title: Secrets of the Throne
Author: CC Rogers
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: October 2015



Websites:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Throne-...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Danger... Romance... Magic...

Eighteen-year-old Lady Sharilyn Dawson yearns to sample the sophistication of the royal court. She recognizes an opportunity to leave her country home when she meets Lord Jonathan Redley, a widower who needs help caring for his young son. Life at the castle, however, is more perilous than she ever imagined. As lords vie for the throne and an assassin stalks the night, Sharilyn must learn to navigate the treacherous waters of politics before they claim her life.

Book Title: King's Warrior
Series: The Minstrel's Song, Book 1
Genre: Family-Friendly Epic Fantasy
Author: Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Website: http://jenelleschmidt.com
Release Date: 29 February 2012
http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Warrior-M...

When Dark Warriors invade her country, it is up to Princess Kamarie to seek out the legendary king’s warrior and request his aid. The feisty princess has spent her life dreaming of adventure and is thrilled to be tasked with such a quest. There’s only one thing that can dampen the princess’s excitement: Oraeyn. The squire views his task of protecting the princess on her journey as an inglorious assignment and makes no attempt to hide his disappointment.

Despite a rocky start to their journey – in which Oraeyn throws the obnoxious princess in a river just to get her to call him by name – the travelers soon learn that they must depend upon one another if they are to locate the man they have been sent to find.

The adventure merely begins when they meet Brant: a warrior with a mysterious past. He joins their cause readily, his heart smoldering with a vendetta Kamarie cannot completely understand. But whether she trusts him or not, the hope of their world rests on the steel he wears at his side….

Author Name T.P. Keane
Book TitleThe Paladins of Naretia
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Release Date: Feb 28th 2016
Author Website www.tpkeane.com
A vision sparks the beginning of treachery and war, and Olorin cannot stop it. Dark forces, conspire against him. The fate of the kingdom rests on his shoulders, but Naretia is destined to burn by the hand of his beloved son.

A.J. Norfield
Windcatcher
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy (Epic)
Release Date:
- eBook: October 30th 2015
- Paperback: April 14th 2016
www.ajnorfield.com

Summary:
Far away from home, under the command of his brother, Raylan and his squad must retrieve an ancient relic stolen from their kingdom’s trading partner—the Tiankong Empire.

Traveling deep into unknown enemy territory to complete their mission, Raylan learns that the ancient relic holds unexpected life; a creature buried in legends, one not seen in their world for more than two hundred years.

With their enemies closing in, Raylan and his friends search, desperately, for a safe way home. Danger lurks around every corner: Warriors larger than any man, predators stalking them through the night and soldiers determined to hunt them down. Leaving them all little choice, except to keep moving as they strategically plot—and skillfully fight—their way back to those awaiting their return.

Tom Fallwell
A Whisper in the Shadows
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Release Date: April 10, 2015
Author Website: TomFallwell.com

When Baric meets the exotic and alluring woman from Vaar'da, Whisper, he agrees to assist her on what seems a simple rescue mission that soon turns into something far more complicated than he expected. Seeking the source of her recurring nightmares, they discover an artifact of unimaginable power that was likely the cause of the Great Disruption, which destroyed all of Hir, over two thousand years ago.

Their journey soon becomes a deadly and suicidal quest into the Great Divide, an area of Hir where men fear to travel, into the realm of the demonic Manenase, who live under a great volcano in the center of the Boiling Sea. Gathering a small army of Rangers, they delve deep into the bowels of the volcano, Mount Scorch, on a journey to prevent another earth-shattering disruption that could destroy their entire world.

Tom Fallwell
Where Shadows Fall
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Release Date: February 1, 2016
Author Website: TomFallwell.com

When the Rangers discover that a deadly and horrific dragon of unspeakable power has been loosed upon their world, they must find a way to destroy the monster before the creature of shadows burns them all into oblivion. Complicating their efforts, the discovery of a secret and hidden dragon cult that worships the monster, and a conspiracy of dark forces from the realm of shadows, threatens to destroy the peace their world has known for centuries and bring war to the people of Hir.

Struggling to survive the deepest of betrayals, the Rangers face a dark and foreboding time, as the world of Hir changes dramatically around them. Baric faces an impossible task of entering the realm of shadows to stop the lethal attacks of the King of Shadows, Doomrage, and save the soul of his lost love, Whisper.

Author: S. Lynn Helton
Book Title: Duplicity of Power

Genre: Fantasy (epic), Action/Adventure Fantasy
Release Date: October 25, 2018
Author Website: https://slynnhelton.com/

Summary:
An improbable partnership of noble and rogue, an unlikely quest – key to the fate of the Six Realms, and a legendary artifact of Power…
And Namid doesn’t even believe in quests.
Or fate.

Entangled in another’s quest to restore a legendary artifact of Power, Namid defies power struggles, the machinations of gods, and the dangers of a past thought left behind to pursue this fool’s errand.

Author: S. Lynn Helton
Book Title: Crystalborne Sigils

Genre: Fantasy (epic)
Release Date: April 4, 2022
Author Website: https://slynnhelton.com/

Summary:
Bringing with it the secret and proscribed, a battered ship unlike any seen before in the Atturei Empire sails into the harbor of Hawei. As the townsfolk whisper of ‘death ships’ and ‘evil omens’, and inexplicable afflictions begin to plague the town, Gyasi fears he can no longer keep the secret of his forbidden magic.