The captivating prose by Nicole Eigener in Citizens of Shadow is a true masterpiece. With a perfect blend of gothic ambience, vivid horror, and intense emotions, the book is an absolute treat for anyone who loves dark and decadent, sexy and queer vampires. From the very beginning, it engulfs you in its alluring world, leaving you mesmerized by its sheer beauty and brilliance.
If you love your vampires multi-faceted, complicated, queer and sexy, this is for you. Just remember to read book 1, Beguiled by Night, first…You won’t regret it!
A DREAM OF DEATH AND MAGIC is a little out of my comfort zone; although I read urban and high fantasy, they are not my go-to. Having said that, this felt rather a unique, individual story, and I was drawn very quickly to the world of Esta Anderson and all the chaos that is about to ensue.
Esta Anderson is a young woman with a passion for photography. Through her ability to lucid dream, she finds herself stepping from the shadows into a world surrounded by the Veiled — fairies and vampires, werewolves and demons. But with her newfound knowledge comes a genuine threat that could jeopardise everyone’s existence.
This is the first on a ten-book series, although it stands well on its own. If the prospect of embarking on such a series worries you, don’t let it. Although the author sets up so much more story and characters to come, the tale within this book has a completeness with the turn of the last page.
This is a relatively quick read with a must-read-on feeling from the first chapter. With a beautiful slow-burn romance building (I think I’ve fallen in love too), this book is full of wonderful, diverse characters, great dialogue and vivid, well-written scenes. Although I know the author to be a meticulous writer of epic worlds, I loved this book far more than I imagined.
Congratulations to Ruth Miranda on the release of her new fantasy novel, Avalon Hall. I was lucky to have had an ARC edition. Avalon Hall is available to purchase Kindle or Paperback at Amazon.
Avalon Hall by Ruth Miranda – this is Ruth doing what she does best. A story of vampires, witches, fantasy and magic. This is a book of two halves, both as important as the other, coming together just enough at the end, but most certainly leaving you craving more.
Modern-day
Scotland. We are introduced to a cast of contemporary characters, all
well-crafted and intriguing with their own backstories. Set against the
magnificent architecture of Avalon Hall, a modern-day school for adult
preternatural, a place to nurture their new magical talents that manifest in
their late teens or early twenties. This is no Hogwarts; there is more lurking
the rooms and halls than just magic; and beyond the Hall, the vast grounds hold
their own secrets. There is one student with her own damaged past that has the
talent to step beyond the ‘now’ into the ‘then’. She has a vital role to play,
unravelling the past mysteries and miseries of Avalon Hall’s hidden resident.
Just as your heartbeat starts racing, the author halts, whipping you off to the past. A place home to myth and Arthurian legend. But don’t think for one second you are about to receive a run of the mill story of King Arthur. Avalon Hall offers so much more. Instead of the general, the author gives us her own interpretations and thoughts, taking you across the lake at Avalon, delving into the history, the ancestry of who we know to be King Arthur, weaving us a tale that is so in-depth you feel kin to it. This second part of the book is so painstakingly meticulous, a richly woven tapestry of characters, each playing their role in carving the future of who will be known as King Arthur.
I’m now eagerly,
and not so patiently, waiting for the second book in this series. Avalon Hall
offers so much for those who adore fantasy, those stories abundant with witches
and magic, but also those like me, who adore the mysteries that surround
Arthurian legend.
If Mr Stoker & I is sitting on your TBR list, there is no better time to purchase it ready. This weekend only, Mr Stoker & I is on a Flash Kindle Sale for Only 99
My name is Miss Lucinda Meredith. Please, come sit with me a while, let me tell you my story.
It was the Summer of 1890. Theatre manager and writer, Mr Bram Stoker, arrived here in Whitby after an arduous theatre tour of Scotland. It was to be a welcome respite before his return to London. What he discovered was far more intriguing.
We met at dawn on the East Cliff, in the shadow of Whitby Abbey, on a bench overlooking the sea. So at ease in his company, I felt compelled to share the events that had haunted my existence.
And after all these years, I wonder, could our chance encounter have inspired what would become, Bram Stoker’s legacy?
“Death finds us all, it is our finality. I had ached for death for so long, to rid me of the misery, torment – plague. Yet, when it came, my end only signified a beginning. The creation of something new.”
It’s always fun to do something a little different. An author interview is always nice to do, but when your book characters grab a little limelight, that is where the fun begins… So when USA Today Bestselling Romance Author, Jenny Foster met Vladimir from Mr Stoker & I, here’s what happened.
Q: I hope you had some time to recover from your last adventure in “Mr Stoker & I”. Tell me, what is your favorite relaxing pastime?
I do not have much spare time, I find my mind too occupied with my work.
Since I came to your country as a young man, my eagerness to work, or achieve
my goals, to accomplish, has been far too great to worry my mind with small
details as relaxation. My work has become far too important, too time-consuming
to allow anything else to interfere.
Q: Where did you grow up? Do you have fond memories of your childhood?
My home is a small village just outside of Brașov, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, where the river snakes, and stories are told. My childhood was filled with tales of those whispering Mountains. There is a fondness attached to those thoughts, to my Grandmother. She was very wise, her knowledge was great, and I learnt well from her. There is more a need attached to those memories, a need for answers. It was that need that brought me to your shores.
Q: Whom or what do you really hate?
Hate? That is a strong word, a strong emotion. Surely to hate you must
love; I have found they are much the same. There is no room for either in my
life, not anymore. Love brings about weakness, rash behaviour. I have seen what
becomes of those who love too much, hate too much, it brings devastation to
their door, what they crave so greatly to protect, crumbles.
Q: What is your biggest fear?
Again, I have witness fear, it can easily be mistaken for hatred, or
become one with it. That is truly a mixture most lethal. Great fear takes man’s
logic only to replace it with nothing but foolish expectations, of
possibilities of what they can never obtain. Fear brings rashness, doubt. It
leads to mistakes. I have no room for it.
Q: What makes you smile?
There was one that brought warmth, a
spark of that kindred spirit; one that made me smile. Someone with an
honest heart. A solitary soul with a longing to do what was right. There was no
fear in her actions or hatred in her heart, only a need to protect those she
loved. I wanted to… what did I want, I wonder? Did I want her, or the mere hope
that shone from her? I will never know, I no longer like to reflect.
Q: I´d love to hear about your future plans. Is there anything you can reveal?
Do I have a future? What future could I possibly hope for? I wander back to my home of the whispering Carpathian Mountains and the winding river that surrounds the town. Of those memories of my childhood and the stories of the ancestors told by my grandmother. I may stay there, and wait.
Intrigued? Left wanting more? Why not buy the book and read more of Miss Lucinda Meredith and Vladimir…
Becky Wright ~ Gothic Writer 