Blog Tour (Guest Post): ‘My Journey to Romance’ – Dan Fitzgerald (The Delve)

On Feb 2, 2023Feb 2, 2023 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Guest Post, Romance, Self-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello,

It is my pleasure to be joining the Escapist Book Tours blog tour for The Delve by Dan Fitzgerald. This book is the first in a new trilogy of standalones, set in the same world as the Maer Cycle (but you do not need to have read them to enjoy this book). You can check out my review for The Delve here as I was lucky enough to read an ARC – and this book was one of my favourite reads for 2022!

Today, I am delighted to welcome Dan to the blog with a fantastic guest post about his journey to writing romance, it’s a fantastic post, very open and personal and for me incredibily relatable; and I want to thank Dan for sharing this post.

Book Summary:

The sword wants what it wants.

The Deepfold mine has gone dark on the eve of war. Without its supply of brightstone, the Maer’s technological advantage over the humans will evaporate. A rising knight named Yglind has earned his Forever Blade and been sent on a quest to uncover the cause of the blackout. Joined by his trusted squire Ardo and a prickly mage named Aene, Yglind hopes to cement his legacy and the Maer’s chance at victory in the coming war.

Inside the Deepfold, they are plunged into a world of bloodshed and chaos. Unknown foes have slaughtered many of the miners, and a gruesome dragon stalks the dark tunnels. While taking refuge in the mine’s impregnable keep, Yglind and Ardo seek solace in each other’s arms and the courage to face the cruel forces arrayed against them.

With their civilization hanging in the balance, they strike out against the invaders as their quest hurtles toward its bloody end.

The Delve is a fast-paced spicy romantic fantasy, the first in the Time Before trio of linked standalones, set 2,000 years before the Maer Cycle trilogy and the Weirdwater Confluence duology. The series are independent and can be read in any order.

Author’s note: this book contains explicit, consensual sex scenes, violence, gore, and death, and is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

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My 10 Most Anticipated Books for 2022

On Dec 27, 2022Jan 6, 2023 By Rowena AndrewsIn ListsLeave a comment

Hello!

The first list post of the week is taking a look ahead to 2023 as Hogmany looms. This year has been a great year for books, and next year is already shaping up to be a great year with both new releases and those already on my TBR.

For the purposes of this list, I have only included books that are (a) coming out in 2023 and (b) as confirmed as they can be (allowing for life and everything else that might get in the way.

And because I have no self control I might have snuck an extra one in too…

However, before we get into that list. I also want to shout out the following who may or may not have books out in 2023, but would be on my most anticipated list if and when they do (and who I will wait however long it takes for their books). Firstly, Sarah Chorn who has the Necessity of Rain in the works which is shaping up to be one of the most emotional and beautiful books, and I am already very much in love with this book and can’t wait to see the finished product whenever it is ready. Secondly, Luke Tarzian who is currently working on a project called Atrocious Puppets, and every snippet he has shared so far has been hauntingly compelling to read. Another is Nathan Hall who is working on A Fort of Winter which is the sequel to An Altar on the Village Green which was my favourite book of 2021. And finally, Jonathan Nevair who has just released Stellar Instinct which was such a fun read, and whose Wind Tide series is absolutely fantastic, and I look forward to discovering what his next project is going to be!

And now on with the list…

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Book Review: The Delve (A Novel of The Time Before) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Nov 12, 2022Jan 6, 2023 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Romance, Self-Published4 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing an ARC of The Delve by Dan Fitzgerald which will be out in the wild on the 1st February. The Delve is the first in a trio of linked standalones in The Time Before, which is set 2,000 years before the Maer Cycle trilogy and the Weirdwater Confluence duology but can be read independently.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

The sword wants what it wants.

The Deepfold mine has gone dark on the eve of war. Without its supply of brightstone, the Maer’s technological advantage over the humans will evaporate. A rising knight named Yglind has earned his Forever Blade and been sent on a quest to uncover the cause of the blackout. Joined by his trusted squire Ardo and a prickly mage named Aene, Yglind hopes to cement his legacy and the Maer’s chance at victory in the coming war.

Inside the Deepfold, they are plunged into a world of bloodshed and chaos. Unknown foes have slaughtered many of the miners, and a gruesome dragon stalks the dark tunnels. While taking refuge in the mine’s impregnable keep, Yglind and Ardo seek solace in each other’s arms and the courage to face the cruel forces arrayed against them.

With their civilization hanging in the balance, they strike out against the invaders as their quest hurtles toward its bloody end.

***

Author’s note: this book contains explicit, consensual sex scenes, violence, gore, and death, and is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Isle of a Thousand Worlds (The Weirdwater Confluence #2) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Dec 17, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review2 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The Isle of a Thousand Worlds by Dan Fitzgerald, the second book in the Weirdwater Confluence Duology which is out from Shadow Spark Publishing on the 15th January 2022. I absolutely adored the first book in this pair, The Living Waters when I read it earlier this year, which was a remarkably meditative book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, and I have been counting down the days until I could get my hands on book two and thank you so much to Dan Fitzgerald for the opportunity to read it early – and for such a wonderful second book!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

An aging alchemist seeks the key to the Universal Tincture said to unlock the Thousand Worlds of the mind, but she never expected to solve the riddle of her hermetic heart.

A meditation acolyte travels the mystical social media known as the Caravan and finds that the Thousand Worlds lie just below the surface, if she can only learn to see the space between the stars.

This steamy romantic fantasy explores the confluence of the physical and the metaphysical through the commingling of bodies and minds.

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Cover Reveal: The Isle of a Thousand Worlds (The Weirdwater Confluence #2) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Dec 15, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, FantasyLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am absolutely delighted to be helping out with the Storytellers on Tour Cover Reveal for The Isle of a Thousand Worlds by Dan Fitzgerald, which is the second book in The Weirdwater Confluence duology. I absolutely loved The Living Waters, and I have been counting down the days until this cover reveal and it has only increased my excitement for getting my hands on the book itself, and The Isle of a Thousand Worlds was already one of my most anticipated reads for 2022.

Book Summary:

An aging alchemist seeks the key to the Universal Tincture said to unlock the Thousand Worlds of the mind, but she never expected to solve the riddle of her hermetic heart.

A meditation acolyte travels the mystical social media known as the Caravan and finds that the Thousand Worlds lie just below the surface, if she can only learn to see the space between the stars.

This steamy romantic fantasy explores the confluence of the physical and the metaphysical through the commingling of bodies and minds.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Living Waters (Weirdwater Confluence #1) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Oct 5, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review5 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be sharing my review of The Living Waters by Dan Fitzgerald, the first book in the Weirdwater Confluence Duology which is out from Shadow Spark Publishing on the 15th October. I loved the Maer Cycle, and was super excited for this one and oh my goodness I am in love with this book and it’s characters. This is possibly the longest review I’ve written because The Living Waters gave me so many thoughts and feelings, and even then I don’t feel as though I’ve even scraped the surface.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

When two painted-faced nobles take a guided raft trip on a muddy river, they expect to rough it for a few weeks before returning to their life of sheltered ease. But when mysterious swirls start appearing in the water, even their seasoned guides get rattled.

The mystery of the swirls lures them on to seek the mythical wetlands known as the Living Waters. They discover a world beyond their imagining, but stranger still are the worlds they find inside their own minds as they are drawn deep into the troubles of this hidden place.

The Living Waters is a sword-free fantasy novel featuring an ethereal love story, meditation magic, and an ancient book with cryptic marginalia.

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Cover Reveal: The Living Waters (The Weirdwater Confluence #1) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Sep 15, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, Fantasy, IndieLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be part of the Storytellers on Tour Cover Reveal for The Living Waters by Dan Fitzgerald which is due for release from Shadow Spark Publishing on the 15th October. I have been looking forward to this book ever since it was first announced, and it’s so close now and I can’t wait to read this sword-free fantasy… and the cover is simply stunning, but don’t take my word for it, check it out below!

Book Summary:

The Living Waters is a sword-free fantasy novel featuring an ethereal love story, meditation magic, and an ancient book with cryptic marginalia.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): The Place Below (The Maer Cycle #3) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Mar 26, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review6 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Place Below’ by Dan Fitzgerald organised by Storytellers on Tour, and I am delighted to be sharing the third and final part of my focus on this fantastic series. You can find my reviews for the first two books here (Hollow Road | The Archive).

There is also an International Giveaway at the end of this post where you have the chance to win an amazing megapack featuring all three books, artwork and character cards.

I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review, all views are my own.’*

Book Summary:

It’s been twenty-five years since the Battle for the Archive. Peace reigns over the Silver Hills, and humans and Maer are preparing to sign their first trade agreement. Even warring tribes of the Free Maer have set aside old quarrels.

Sasha is a young scholar of mixed Maer and human parentage, traveling throughout the Maer lands collecting stories of the Ka-lar, the buried Forever Kings. She finds a reference in the Archive to a Ka-lar named Kuun, a scholar in life, who was laid down in an ancient brightstone mine, beneath a mountain said to be the home of the fabled Skin Maer. The lure of the tale is too strong to resist. Joined by some old friends, Sasha sets out to uncover secrets that have lain buried for over a thousand years.

In The Place Below, the Maer Cycle comes to a close as the darkest mysteries of the Maer are at last brought into the light.

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Book Review: The Archive (The Maer Cycle #2) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Mar 26, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review3 Comments

Hello!

I am back with the second part of my three-part special for The Maer Cycle by Dan Fitzgerald. You can find my review for book one ‘Hollow Road’ (Here) and the post for the third book, as well as a truly epic giveaway will be up shortly and all I can say is that you need to read this series asap!

Book Summary:

In Hollow Road (book 1), three companions discovered the monsters of legend were all too real…

Rumors among the Maer tell of an underground library called the Archive, which houses a wealth of knowledge and terrible magics that could be used to start the biggest war seen since the Great Betrayal. A mixed group of humans and Maer set off on an historic quest to find the Archive and protect it from those who would use it to destroy everything they hold dear. As the cold of winter bears down upon them, they trek through forbidding mountains beset by dangers they could have never imagined. They follow a set of ancient clues deep into the Silver Hills, forging surprising alliances and making new enemies.

The humans and Maer are linked by more than their quest to find the Archive and stop an insidious war. A mystical surrogacy may bridge the gap between two peoples, and many hearts entwine as their adventure hurtles toward its bloody conclusion.

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Blog Review: Hollow Road (The Maer Cycle #1) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Mar 26, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review5 Comments

Hello!

So today I have a three-part special as I review The Maer Cycle by Dan Fitzgerald from start to finish. This is a series and an author that I’ve been aware of for a while, and I’ve helped with the cover reveal for the second and third book, but I hadn’t got around to picking them up for myself. So when the tour for the third book in the trilogy came up, I hopped and board, bought the first two and dived in (and why did I wait so long?!!), and here we are.

Book Summary:

Legends describe the Maer as savage man-beasts haunting the mountains, their bodies and faces covered with hair. Creatures of unimaginable strength, cunning, and cruelty. Bedtime stories to keep children indoors at night. Soldiers’ tales to frighten new recruits.

It is said the Maer once ruled the Silver Hills, but they have long since passed into oblivion.

This is the story of their return.

Carl, Sinnie and Finn, three companions since childhood, are tasked with bringing a friend’s body home for burial. Along the way, they find there is more to the stories than they ever imagined, and the mountains hold threats even darker than the Maer. What they discover on their journey will change the way they see the world forever.

Travel down Hollow Road to find out which legends are true, and which have been twisted.

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