Category: Fantasy

Enter the Fantasy World of Alexis Duran and To Catch A Threeve (book tour and contest)

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Alexis Duran is here today! Check out our interview, read the blurb and excerpt and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end of the post!  Happy Reading.

So I was lucky enough to catch Alexis Duran and have her answer a few questions for me.  Here is the fascinating look at Alexis Duran!

Q: I love the title To Catch a Threeve.  Where did that come from?

AD: This is one of those times a title just popped into my head. After I’d come up with the threeves and the plot unfolded in my head, it struck me as perfect (and pretty darn clever, I must say).

Q:Threeve?  Is that something you created or took from established folklore?

AD: Threeves arose out of my own twisted imagination. I love to create my own mythos, especially when the classic ones don’t quite fit my literary needs. If you’re interested in reading more about threeves, I’m writing a blog post on the topic for Rainbow Gold Reviews. It will come out on November 4.

Q: Fantasy is obviously a favorite trope.  Have you always loved fantasy stories?

AD: Yes!

Q: When did your love of fantasy start?

AD: From the first time my mom read my sister and I a fairy tale at bedtime. Going to the drive-in to watch a Disney movie was my idea of pure heaven.

Q: Were you a prolific reader as a child and did you have a favorite story or book that has had a lasting impact on you as an adult and a writer?

AD: Oh, yes. I was that kid, the one with her nose always deeply buried in a book. I think my early outlook, as a story spinner and as a human being, was deeply influenced by the classic fairy tales; Hans Christian Anderson, The Brothers Grimm, The Arabian Nights, plus a rather scary big book of folk tales our German grandmother sent us. I think that book might have sent me down the path of dark fantasy.

Q: Fantasy or urban fantasy?  How do you define them?

AD: There’s no either/ or here for me. I love them both. Fantasy, what you might call classic fantasy, takes place in another world or an earth-like setting in a different time. Usually the author makes use of well-known mythical creatures like elves and fairies, but not always. Urban fantasy happens in the here and now, in worlds similar to this one but with magic. Urban fantasy tends to break the “rules” more often, which can be exciting.

Q: Do you have a favorite fantasy author you read?

AD: I tend to have favorite books rather than authors, but a big favorite is Neil Gaiman. Neverworld is one of my all time BBE’s (Best Book Ever). I also absolutely adored Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. New (to me) writers I’ve recently discovered and plan on stalking are Astrid Amara and Rhys Ford.

Q: Why fantasy?  Why does that resonate with you?

AD: Possibility. Potential. Power. As a kid I deeply believed in magic. As an adult, I strive to recreate that feeling of wonder in my stories. I love the idea of a vast mysterious power source that can save us or destroy us, depending on how we choose to use it.

Q: Favorite fantasy universe if you have one?

AD: Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea. How can I not have mentioned Ursula under favorite authors? Tolkien’s Middle Earth, of course. A bit astray of the fantasy genre is Tom Robbins. He creates magic-tinged worlds I just don’t want to leave.

Q: Old school elf or new mythology elf?  Do you draw from one or both?

AD: Totally depends on the story. My tendency is to start with the with the classic model, then tweak accordingly.

Q: What’s next for Alexis Duran?

AD:I’m mere days away from finishing the next book in the Masters and Mages series, currently titled Blood of Salar. That’s Classic Fantasy. And then I have an Urban Fantasy called Dark Heart nearly completed that I hope my publisher will love as much as I do. My problem is too many ideas, never the opposite. I hope to finish several stories during NaNoWriMo.

Thank you, Alexis Duran, for the great interview and for definitely adding to my TBR pile! And I couldn’t agree with you more about Astrid Amara and Rhys Ford!

 

Book Name: To Catch A Threeve
Author Name: Alexis Duran

Author Bio:

Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing. She’s worked in museums, fashion, finance and film production. Her favorite job so far was Administrative Assistant in a haunted Victorian Mansion.

She’s had several short stories published in the mystery, horror and literary genres and is the author of the Masters and Mages erotic fantasy series. Her fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference. She lives with one dog and four and half cats. She is currently working on the next Masters and Mages novella and several other erotic novellas.

Author Contact:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran.18294
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran

Publisher: Loose IDTo Catch a Threeve_coverin
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Sales Links:  Loose id     amazon

To Catch a Threeve Blurb:

Axel Blackwood catches a thief and is astounded to see that he closely resembles Liam Alloway, the love he lost seven years ago in an attack by the evil woodland folk known as threeves. Axel suspects he’s fallen prey to dark magic, but can’t help becoming infatuated with his prisoner. He’s overwhelmed with the hope that he can at last bring his lost lover home, despite everything that warns him it’s all a diabolical trick. 

Bryn Darrow, the half-threeve, half human orphan sent to trick Axel and rob him of much more than a simple gem finds himself equally as fascinated with his handsome human captor and the lure of someplace to call home, but he knows deep down that the constable is in love with a dangerous illusion. When he’s commanded by the threeves to murder Axel and steal a witch’s powerful grimoire, he’s forced to decide between the only family he’s ever known and the one person who might rescue him from a life of isolation and pain.

Will Axel and Bryn be forced into a deadly confrontation before they can discover the truth?

Categories: Erotica, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

To Catch a Threeve Excerpt:

“What are you, Bryn Darrow?” Axel asked.

“Wish I knew,” Bryn answered, shaking his head and chuckling. “You can go on pretending I’m this Liam person if you want.”

“If you ever try to act like Liam again, I’ll let Drummond lop your head off. He’s itching to, you know.”

“You started it,” Bryn snapped. “And now you’re getting friendly again.”

Axel jerked his hands away from Bryn’s back as if he’d been burned. “I’m looking for your clan sign. Why’d you remove it?”

“Looking with your fingers instead of your eyes? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind it.” Bryn looked over his shoulder with that annoying, delectable smile. Only the memory of being spelled senseless stopped Axel from resuming his exploration of Bryn’s skin, kissing his neck, pushing him down into the grass—


Pages: 43,000 words/135 pages


ThreeveBadgeTour Dates: October 28, 2014

Tour Stops:  Parker Williams,  My Fiction Nook,  Prism Book Alliance,  Multitasking Mommas,  Inked Rainbow Reads
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words,  Cate Ashwood,  Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews,  Rainbow Gold Reviews,  Love Bytes,Andrew Q. Gordon, The Hat Party,  Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents,  MM Good Book Reviews.  Jade Crystal,
It’s Raining Men,  Michael Mandrake,  Fallen Angel Reviews,  3 Chicks After Dark

 

Contest:  Enter to win Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Loose ID gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link below for the entry and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

On Tour with Belinda McBride’s An Uncommon Whore 3: Prince of Faith (contest)

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Check out Belinda McBride’s latest release in her An Uncommon Whore series, A Prince of Faith.  Excerpt and contest can be found below.

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Now let’s get up close and personal with Belinda McBride…

STRW:  A Prince of Faith is the 3 book in An Uncommon Whore series? Can it be read as a stand alone or must the series be read in the order they were written to understand this story and characters?

Belinda:  Yes, Prince of Faith is the third book in the Uncommon Whore series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but to get the most enjoyment out of the book, I’d suggest reading it as part of the series.

STRW:   When writing a novel, do you know in advance if it is to be a series or stand alone?  Or can it change along the way?

Belinda:  Generally I know when I’m going to be doing a series, especially when the world building is fairly extensive. Sometimes I’ve written a stand-alone story and realized along the way that there’s really more to the story than I’m telling in that first book. That was the case with An Uncommon Whore. It was meant to be a short novel and as I finished the book I realized that Helios and Griffin had a very deep story to tell, so one book was clearly not going to be enough.

STRW:  Some authors have said the characters “speak” to them. Do yours do that? Or are they planned out along with the stories?

Belinda:  Sometimes characters do really “pop” and take on a life of their own. I do fairly extensive character development on paper, but there are characters (like Helios) who seem to spring intact from my brain with a voice and personality of their own. April Bleu in Blacque/Bleu was another of those characters; she had no place in the outline of the book. She just rolled into town on a motorcycle and was too awesome to send away!

STRW: I love your vampire and werewolf stories as well as your fantasy. Do you have a favorite genre to write in?

Belinda:  I really enjoy science fiction and space opera. For some reason, I just love the limitless potential of the genre, as well as the action that is inherent to it. But since I’ve been known to send my werewolves into space, I have a hard time picking favorites! LOL!

STRW:   How many books to you have planned for this series or is it open ended?

Belinda:  The Uncommon series is really part of a large sci fi universe I call Coalition. It includes The Bacchi and Belle Starr. While I do plan to end the Uncommon series at book 4, I have no doubt Helios and Griffin will be back in some capacity. I’d also like to do stories for some of the supporting characters that appear in their books.

STRW:  What comes first universe or characters? Do you feel you have to have a world to put them down in or do you have a romance in mind first and then create everything around it?

Belinda:  You know, that really varies. Sometimes I have a scenario or a feeling that captures my imagination. I’ll write a few lines and tuck them away in a file. For example I wanted to write a vampire with insomnia. That’s where Oliver Bleu came from. Griffin Hawke was in my file as a “…one eyed, one balled rapscallion” who was escorting a princess to her castle. I also want to write a book about a bunch of misfits on a spaceship. Once I started playing with that idea, I started harvesting damaged characters from some of the other books I’d written. Other times, I have a very strong idea of the story before I start writing. Blacque and Bleu was completely plotted before I started the book.

STRW:. Will you return to the world of Blaque and Bleu anytime soon? Or are you done with that universe and characters?

Belinda:  I plan one more m/m story in that universe and then will turn to a m/m/f trilogy featuring the women who have appeared in the series. I haven’t finished with Oliver and Lukas, but their story will probably play out as a sub-plot in Dane’s story, but I’m also considering a novella for them. Frankly, I’ll probably always play around in Arcada, there are some great characters lurking on the sidelines.

STRW:   What childhood book or story had the greatest impact on you as a child and writer today?

Belinda:  That’s a tough question because I learned to read really, really early and once I started reading, I read copiously and well beyond my age level. I think the book/s that most affected me as a child and continue to influence me as an adult are Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Georgette Heyer’s Black Sheep. The Tolkien books opened my eyes to fantasy and made me realize I wasn’t the only one having these off dreams and imaginings. And Black Sheep introduced me to romance, dark anti-heroes and tough as nails heroines.

STRW:  What’s next for Belinda McBride?

Belinda McBride:  Lots, actually! I’m currently working on a Doms of Dark Haven/Truckee Wolves cross-over featuring Destiny: the sometimes intrepid and often naked receptionist from Dark Haven. I’m throwing her to the wolves. LOL! I’m also playing with a few different series ideas, some with cowboys, Frenchmen and more science fiction. I’m also developing another Belle Starr story. So lots on the drawing board!

STRW:  Thank you, Belinda, for the great interview.  I know fans of your series are lining up to see what’s in store for their favorite characters next. Now check out a Prince of Faith and don’t forget to enter the contest!

Book Name: An UncommonWhore 3: Prince of Faith
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22931220-prince-of-faith
Author Name: Belinda McBride

Author Bio:

Belinda is an award-winning, top selling author of erotic romance, speculative fiction and LGBTQ romance. She lives in far Northern California with her family and a pack of Siberian Huskies.

A graduate of CSU Chico, she managed to attend the notorious party school without once getting drunk, arrested or appearing in a “Girls Gone Wild” video. Her main focus of study was classical and archival history, cultural anthropology and theatre arts.

After several years in the workforce. Belinda purchased a laptop computer and from there, knew that her childhood dream of being an author would come to life.

Belinda’s books are available at all the typical distributors as well as on the publisher’s homepages.

Author Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Belinda-McBride/49209583129?ref=bookmarks
@Belinda_McBride

BM_UW3_princeoffaith_coverin_1Title:  A Prince of Faith (An Uncommon Whore #3) by Belinda McBride
Publisher: Loose ID
Cover Artist: PL Nunn

Sales Links:   Loose id

A Prince of Faith Blurb:

Held captive in a whorehouse, Markus Dayspring wakes every morning with a thirst for revenge, and collapses every night with a prayer for strength. He lives on in spite of deadly addictions and a crippling, shameful secret. When he’s rescued by a man from his past, his reawakened love threatens to crush his damaged soul.

Caius also has a secret, one that could ultimately kill him. But his vow to rescue Markus is stronger than guilt, fear and even his loyalty to King Helios. Too many have died because of Caius and rescuing the missing prince might allow him to sleep without nightmares.

Old habits are hard to break and new pain threatens their growing love. Yet one gleaming ray of hope continues to guide them to safety, even in the face of an unexpected violation of trust. With the stakes growing higher by the hour, Markus and Caius must learn to have faith before they can heal and face the future together.

Categories: Fantasy, M/M Romance, Romance, Science Fiction

A Prince of Faith Excerpt:

PoFBadgeTemplateTour Dates/Stops:
10/21: Rainbow Gold Reviews, Sinfully Sexy
10/22: Multitasking Mommas, Kimi-Chan
10/23: Prism Book Alliance, Cathy Brockman Romances
10/24: Hearts on Fire, SA McAuley
10/27: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Tara Lain
10/28: Wake Up Your Wild Side, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Carly’s Book Reviews
10/29: Jade Crystal, EE Montgomery
10/30: Amanda C. Stone, The Novel Approach
10/31: The Hat Party, Romance the Night
11/3: MM Good Book Reviews, The Blogger Girls, Fallen Angel Reviews
11/4: Love Bytes, Angel Martinez

 

 

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: 2 prizes: 1 – A cover art poster, and 2 – 2 e-books (An Uncommon Whore and When I Fall).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link below for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

 

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

A History of Halloween as Samhain (All Hallows Eve) Approaches and the Week Ahead at Scattered Thoughts

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Happy Samhain!

 

October 31st is almost upon us. Known by many names, this time of year is celebrated by people all over the world and in far different ways than we might imagine.  A little history first.  Known first as Samhain (pronounced Sa win or sow en depending upon which Celtic dialect you use), it is an ancient Celtic festival celebrated from sunset on October 31 to sunset on November 1. This date  falls about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. The festival marks the end of summer and fall (harvest season) and the beginning of winter, the darker, colder half of the year.

During Samhain, people bring their livestock down from the upper grazing pastures.  Now was the time of separating the animals, choosing which to keep as breeding stock and which to choose for slaughter for winter. Households take careful stock of their pantries and food supplies in order to prepare for the long, cold weather ahead. Unlike the Gaelic festival of Beltane, which celebrates life and growth, Samhain honors the darker side of things.  These months are considered a “liminal” time of the year, passing from the abundance of summer into the darkness and harsh times of the winter. It is also thought to be the time of the year when the walls between our world and the next plane of existence thin and the spirits can reach out to the living.Lag_BaOmer_bonfire

It is believed that the deceased spirits would return to the homes and places they knew, seeking comfort and sometimes revenge.  In order to appease these spirits, people would place a dinner plate at their table and/or bowls of food or treats by their front door. People took special care not to offend any wandering spirits, and if they left their homes they would disguise themselves with masks and costumes to avoid recognition. Eventually the tables were turned, and the masked citizens started imitating the spirits they once feared by going door-to-door demanding treats and threatening to perform mischief of their own.

Into this celebration came large bonfires,  lit to keep away bad spirits and even act as an imitation sun.  The bones from  freshly slaughtered animals were tossed into the fires known as “bone-fires”, which eventually became bonfires.  People carried part of the bone-fires with them by placing a hot coal inside a hollowed-out turnip, potato or beet.  Yes, that’s where our jack ‘o lanterns came from.   According to lore and historian Hannah Kincaid*:

The lanterns were frequently carved with creepy faces to represent and scare away the wandering spirits. The term “jack-o’-lantern” comes from an old Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.” According to lore, the drunkard Stingy Jack tricked the devil into never condemning him to Hell. When Jack died, however, God wouldn’t allow such an unsavory soul into heaven, either, so Jack was sentenced to eternally wander the Earth with nothing but a coal nestled inside a hollowed-out-turnip for light. The Irish referred to Stingy Jack’s Jack-o'-Lantern_2003-10-31ghost as “Jack of the Lantern,” which eventually became “jack-o’-lantern” as we know it today.

So how did Samhain become Halloween?  Blame it on the Church…the Catholic church that is.  Here is the best explanation courtesy of Hannah Kincaid again:

The term “Halloween” is a result of Catholic interference with Samhain in the year 609. All Saints Day is a Roman Catholic holiday that honors and remembers all Christian saints both known and unknown. Pope Gregory IV decided to officially move the date of All Saints Day to November 1, the same day as Samhain. All Saints Day is also called “All Hallows” because “hallowed” means sanctified or holy (for those of you who know The Our Father prayer, think of the part “hallowed be thy name.”) The evening before All Hallows was a popular time to celebrate, so the term “All Hallows’ Eve” was used quite a bit. Eventually the term All Hallows’ Eve morphed into Halloween as we know it, and along the way it snatched up and mingled with many of the Samhain traditions that had already been happening for thousands of years.

The history of Samhain reminds us that we once celebrated holidays because of a shared human connection that resonated with the Earth’s cycles — the weather, the moon, the harvest — instead of a celebration of consumerism or heroic dominance.*

 

So how do you intend to spend this All Hallows Eve?  Masked, costumed, ready to explore into the night and see what spirits are afoot?  Or will you be staying home, listening for the sound of footsteps big and small, the sound of giggling and howls upon the night air?   Do you have your candy ready or will there be a trick or two in store for those who venture near?  Me and mine will light a candle or two, keep the wee doggies inside safe and warm, and have the goodies ready to share for those who visit.  Happy Samhain, everyone!raven and moon

Now for the Week Ahead at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words:

Monday, October 27:

  • Belinda McBride’s Prince of Faith Book Tour and Contest
  • A MelanieM Review:  Accidental Contact and Other Mahu Investigations (Mahu #7.5)
    by Neil S. Plakcy

Tuesday, October 28:

  • D.T. Peterson’s Seduction in Red Book Tour and Contest
  • Alexis Duran’s To Catch a Threeve Book Tour and Contest
  • A PaulB Review: Phoenix Heart (Stolen Elements #1) by A.L. Wilson
  • A MelanieM Review: Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne

Wednesday, October 29:

  • Silvia Violet’s Shifting Hearts Book Tour and Contest
  • Lila Bruce’s The Scent of Jasmine Book Tour and Contest
  • A MelanieM Review:  Red Dirt Heart 3 by N. R. Walker

Thursday, October 30:

  • John Simpson and Robert Cummings’ The Marine Book Tour and Contest
  • Iyana Jenna’s Love’s Home Book Tour and Contest
  • A Barb, the Zany, Old Lady Review:  The Trouble with Elves by Theresa Woodson

Friday, October 31 (Happy Halloween):

  • Garrett Leigh’s Heart Book Tour and Contest
  • A MelanieM Review:  Confetti, Cake, and Confessions by KC Wells
  • October 2014 Summary of Reviews and Best Covers of the Month

Saturday, November 1:

  • An Aurora YA Review:  The Key to Behliseth by Lou Hoffmann

 

*references Hannah Kincaid,  History of Halloween (history.com), Telegraph uk

 

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Anchored by Rachel Haimowitz

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Anchored Riptide CoverDaniel Halstrom was born a slave, brutally indoctrinated into sex slave behavior before he even reached puberty, and then sold by his master to NewWorld Media at the age of ten. Fortunately, they wanted him for a different role and now, twenty-five years later, the handsome, blond news anchor who began his climb to fame as a field reporter is fairly secure in his role in the newsroom—or so he thinks. When NewWorld informs him that he’s been leased to Carl Whitman, a talk show host on a rival network, for the amazing sum of $6 million for the year, he’s seized by total and complete panic and frozen by fear as old memories of what it means to be a sex slave come back to haunt him. So much so, that he doesn’t recognize Carl’s attempts at being friendly and compassionate and it causes much unnecessary angst and frustration for the both of them.

Carl seems determined to include Daniel at the dinner table and as a companion while he watches television in the evenings. He doesn’t order Daniel around and fails to give Daniel the direction he’s come to expect from his masters. In fact, Daniel really isn’t capable of making his own decisions, having been born a slave and punished severely all his life for any attempt to do so. When Daniel fails to engage in any conversation with Carl, remaining mute and remote, in frustration, Carl reports his disappointment to the brass at NewWorld.

Once his bosses learn that Carl is not happy with him, they take Daniel to their punishment room. Spoiler alert. Continue reading “Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Anchored by Rachel Haimowitz” →

A MelanieM Review: A Taste for Poison (Memory of Scorpions #3) by Aleksandr Voinov

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Even a king gets stung when he reaches for a scorpion.

ATasteForPoison_200x300Once the leader of the band of mercenaries known as the Scorpions, Adrastes is now King and a changed man.  Ruler of two countries, along with his sister/wife, King Adrastes has just survived an assassination, just barely.  In poor health and still recovering, Adrastes trusts no one and is determined to find the assassin and make the individual pay.  Wary of everyone now, including allies and friends, King Adrastes prepares his kingdom for war against the only kingdom and ruler outside his control, the Elder of Vededrin.  But not everyone supports Adrastes, including the man who loved and rescued him, Kendras.

Kendras, former lover to Adrastes and leader of the Scorpions, no longer blindly supports his king.  He’s watched Adrastes change and the orders from the King are making him uneasy and reluctant to obey.  And to go to war with Adrastes against Vededrin just might mean the end of the Scorpions for all time.  And replacing Adrastes in Kendras’ bed and heart is Graukar, newly appointed general to the king, an event the King is not happy with.  Kendras must figure out how to balance responsibilities and loyalties in a world gone increasingly complex and grey.  And quickly before someone he loves is injured.

As Kendras tries to work through his thoughts and feelings, a new threat arises to King Adrastes rule.  An anonymous outrider wearing a mask calling himself Death foments rebellion in the mountains, aided by a prophecy that promises he’ll stop the Black King.   Ordered to find and kill the man called Death, Kendras leaves feeling unsettled, uncertain and sure of only one thing…his love for Graukar.

From the moment I read the first book in this series, Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions #1), I knew that Kendras and the Scorpions would lead me on a remarkable journey.    It’s been a brutal, raw, and violent saga and one of the best in its genre.  The life of a mercenary is a hard and savage one, unsparring in the injuries and deaths that come as part of the profession.  Only the loyalty to each other and the tight rules and rich history of the Scorpions, make this band of soldiers a family.  Voinov’s saga begins with Kendras, his entrance into the Scorpions, his scant memories of his childhood, and the heartbreak and pain of finding and then losing Adrastes, not to another lover, but to the kingship itself.  Told from Kendras’ point of view, the character grows from a soldier with a single minded focus and goal to one floundering amongst the political seas at court.   It’s a mesmerizing and arduous scramble as Kendras rises up the social scale, pulled along by Adrastes, whether he wants to go or not.  Kendras must grow as a character and Voinov delivers that mental and emotional growth in spurts that come with despair along with great joy.

A Taste of Poison (Memory of Scorpions #3)  finds Adrastes suffering the effects of an assassination attempt, one that profoundly changes the King’s outlook on those around him and accelerates his goal of expanding his rule to all three kingdoms.  The man who rules is not the man Kendras followed and loved.  That dichotomy is cause for depression, and uncertainty, along troubling thoughts of disloyalty  is adding to unrest among the Scorpions and Kendras.  Voinov has made Kendras a man of honor and depth and to see and feel him floundering and pulled by this faction and that both enriches this story and ups the suspense for the welfare of all involved.

Everything is heightened here in A Taste of Poison.  Goals, loyalties, love, trust…the bar is now so high and the repercussions of any deviation or conflict are swift, exacting, and devastating.  Voinov reveals more of Kendras’ past, unknown even to Kendras  Also revealed are hidden alliances, and schemes to depose one ruler or another.  There are no black and white sides, only grey as Kendras has been slow to learn.  And with every startling exposition and shattering event, we are pulled deeper into the lives of all the Scorpions and their leader, Kendras.

Voinov has delivered a saga rich in character development, alive with action and battle sequences, and complete with the horrors that love and jealousy can and does inflict on all involved.  Aleksandr Voinov has said that the quote from Leo Tolstoy: “The best stories don’t come from “good vs. bad” but “good vs. good.” helped shape not only the characters of  Adrastes and Kendras but the stories themselves.  Only a tilt of the prism or a slight change of perspective will make either character “good” or “evil”.  Is it evil for Adrastes to want to solidify the 3 warring kingdoms into one for the betterment of all?  At what price is that not acceptable?  Is Kendras’s feelings and actions betrayal or loyalty?  Whose goals are the ones that should be honored by personal sacrifice and love?  That Voinov is able to bring all facets to life in each of these strong personalities is not only a marvelous achievement but makes this a series worth reading and remembering.

The Memory of Scorpions series is astonishingly inventive, beautifully crafted and fiercely passionate. From the bloody sands of battle to the lethal layers and complex rituals of court, Alexandr Voinov brings his world and characters to life word by word, page by page using vivid imagery and an attention to detail that leaves no construct of person or kingdom feeling shallow or undone.  Just masterful.

I don’t know if this is the end of the Scorpions.  Voinov is silent about future stories.  I hope not.  There is so much here I still need to know.  The Black King still lives…if the prophecy is correct, who will bring him down?  What is ahead and possible for Kendras and the Scorpions?  This amazing story and series begs the questions.  Hopefully Aleksandr Voinov will answer.  Meanwhile, pick up this wondrous series and get acquainted with some of the most powerful and engaging characters around.  One of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words “must reads” and highly recommended stories of 2014.

Cover art by Reese Dante.  Love that cover, powerful and perfect image that speaks to the story within.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing    All Romance eBooks (ARe)     Amazon      A Taste of Poison

Book Details:

alternative world, gritty fantasy, warrior mercenaries

ebook, 265 pages
Expected publication: October 13th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626491557
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/a-taste-for-poison
seriesMemory of Scorpions #3

Books in the Memory of Scorpions series in the order they were written and should be read:

Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions, #1)
Lying with Scorpions (Memory of Scorpions, #2)
A Taste for Poison (Memory of Scorpions, #3)

Scorpion coverLying with Scorpions coverATasteForPoison_200x300