Tales from the Circle

    Miss Percy's Guide to the Restoration of Dragons is a wonderful conclusion to this trilogy. The ever-growing cast of excellent characters that feel so real continues to grow, bringing more great characters and also giving more depth to some of the characters that were already introduced in the previous two volumes. This book is full of adventure and difficult situations for Mildred and the others, so much so that I felt intense anger and stress for her future at times, but it's also full of that same cozy vibe that permeated the other two.  With this series the coziness stems from the character interactions and the fact that even though it's a book about dragons you can see similarities and connections to very real behaviours that a pet or child might display. The way Mildred cares for the dragons - and for everyone else around her, really - is so reminiscent of a mother or other caregiver worrying about and caring for their kids, which makes it all so believable in t...

Time to Play (Apocalypse Parenting Book 1) is a LitRPG book about a mother thrust into an apocalyptic game-like situation with her three kids. One minute she's worrying about driving them to their sports lessons and the next minute the electricity stops working and an announcement informs her - and everyone else - that earth has just become the site of some alien game-show and they're now the unwilling contestants in this game. It's such an excellent premise with some great characterization that grounds it and makes it very, very real. I flew through this book in about two days because it was such a page-turner. One of the main draws that kept me turning the pages is the main character Meghan's realistic struggles and reactions as a mother of three. In a way, it's a book where monsters suddenly spawn and the characters can collect points and have to figure out how to survive, but it's also really just a book about the struggles of parenting, because it's not...

 Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons is basically like a Jane Austen novel, but the main character inherits a dragon egg. The egg hatches. She has to deal with it while also dealing with her growing realization that the life she's settled into isn't exactly the life she wanted. Her inheritance changes her life, slowly but surely, but I loved that Mildred doesn't immediately become some hardened adventurer at the drop of a hat. She remains true to her character and reacts to the change in her life in realistic ways, making the book more charming than ever and adding another excellent thread of her personal growth into the plot.  It's a cozy book, but not one without excitement and adventure. The plot really comes together near the end and delivers a satisfying action-packed conclusion. That being said, this is book 1 in a series and the doors were definitely left open for even bigger adventures. I think it works well enough on its own...

Gunpowder Alchemy is an excellent steampunk book set in 1800s China. In the midst of the Opium war a young woman named Soling, who is working as an assistant to a physician in a small town and trying to keep her family fed, ends up getting embroiled in the war between the Empire, the English, and a band of rebels that is growing into a dangerous army. She has to confront her past, her father's old position in the court, and her family's current disgrace.  It's an immersive, well-told tale with amazing characterization at the heart of it that drives the story. It's so rare when a protagonist's family relationships feel real. She goes on an adventure that takes her away from them, but she thinks about them and tries her best to make sure they're safe and to contact them and that makes all her interactions feel real and genuine.  There's action, there are interesting clockwork contraptions, gunpowder warfare, ships, and so many other exciting things. The story ...

So now that I've finished that sci-fi WIP that fantasy story that was bothering me so much suddenly feels a lot less urgent/has left me alone. So nothing unusual, I guess, since that always tends to happen to me. Still, I'm slowly but surely working on planning it and excited to start writing soon. Right now it's looking like it's going to be a series of six stand-alone, but chronological novels.  I'm participating in a few free promos and sales that I thought I would share. There are so many books available here for free or for discounted prices!  Mid-November Miraculous Fantasy Giveaway  Fantasy and Adventure Novels Black Friday/Cyber Monday Book Sale $3.99 and Under or KU Books Paranormal/Fantasy/UF/Sci-Fi And finally, a promotion I've organized myself:  Uncover a Fantasy World I hope you find something among these titles that you enjoy! :)