The Romance Reviews
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 January 2020

The Knight and the Witch Series - with new reviews


THE SNOW BRIDE (THE KNIGHT AND THE WITCH 1) https://amzn.to/2MZZan0    

Blurb:

England, winter, 1131

Elfrida, spirited, caring and beautiful, is also alone. She is the witch of the woods and no man dares to ask for her hand in marriage until a beast comes stalking brides and steals away her sister. Desperate, the lovely Elfrida offers herself as a sacrifice, as bridal bait, and she is seized by a man with fearful scars. Is he the beast?

In the depths of a frozen midwinter, in the heart of the woodland, Sir Magnus, battle-hardened knight of the Crusades, searches ceaselessly for three missing brides, pitting his wits and weapons against a nameless stalker of the snowy forest. Disfigured and hideously scarred, Magnus has finished with love, he thinks, until he rescues a fourth 'bride', the beautiful, red-haired Elfrida, whose innocent touch ignites in him a fierce passion that satisfies his deepest yearnings and darkest desires.

 Review:

The Snow Bride delivers a thrilling tale of magic, adventure, and love.

I adored Magnus!!  I loved how he was not the flashy knight-in-shining-armor, but instead was battle-scarred and weary, was someone who's proved himself and could be counted on to keep fighting through any and every battle.  He desperately sought after a seemingly unattainable dream and watching him realize Elfrida was his dream come to life - what he wished for and then more - melted my heart.  The gentleness he showed Elfrida balanced wonderfully with his protectiveness that flared around her. 

Elfrida had a heart that overflowed with devotion and compassion, even as much as she struggled to truly find her place.  She had a special kind of wisdom and a stubborn tenacity that saw her through her journey, and afforded her the opportunity to learn that she wasn't on her own fighting battles anymore.

I enjoyed watching the two of them learn to compromise and trust each other - which was very much a challenge with their temperaments and instincts.  Their ability to communicate and make reparations quickly also showed strength and confidence.  Their strengths played well off the other, even if sometimes you were wanting to join the other in shaking someone... haha.

If you enjoy a adventure story filled with knightly brawn and magical good-vs-evil, this is a fantastic story to snuggle up with on the long, dark winter nights.

Purchase Links:
     


   

A SUMMER BEWITCHMENT ( THE KNIGHT AND THE WITCH 2) https://amzn.to/2SxGj5L Amazon Co Uk  https://amzn.to/352aAfD
Blurb Can a knight and his witch save seven kidnapped maidens? Sir Magnus and Elfrida strive to find the girls, but at what cost to their marriage?
December 31, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Quick read. Good for a cold, snow day! Takes you through the first year of marriage between our heroine and hero
Blurb
When a shadowy piper kidnaps seven beautiful girls, can a wounded knight and his witch-wife save them? Will Sir Magnus and Elfrida find them in time—and at what cost?

Magnus, the fearless, battered crusader knight, and his fey wife, Elfrida, are happily married, but each of them carries a secret. Elfrida believes that being peasant-born will one day undermine her husband’s love for her. Wounded and scarred, Magnus fears nothing—except, perhaps, that he will not be able to give Elfrida her greatest wish—children.
Their fears are sharpened when high-born Lady Astrid appears at their manor and demands their help to find the seven missing girls. Though the lady clearly regards low-born Elfrida beneath her, why has she truly sought out Magnus, a ruthless knight? Which one of the kidnapped girls does she really want to recover so badly—and to what hidden purpose?
In the scorching summer heat, Magnus and Elfrida search together for the missing girls. Will they be able to rescue them in time? And can their own marriage survive?

EXCERPT

     Before Magnus could move away from the shadows, Elfrida seized his arm. “I must come with you, sir. You and I alone, I think, until we are sure we have found Silvester’s lair.”     “Indeed?”
     She did not quail under his frown though it was a near thing. “Please,” she almost said, but she was done with beg­ging.
     “I have a plan,” she began as he shifted. When he strode into the sunlight, the rest of her words withered inside her mouth.     He hooked his hand into his belt. “I will not have you as bait.”
     He understood part of her idea, then. This would be only gos­sip-bait, she wanted to say, but Magnus’s growl stopped her.
     “So small you are,” he said. “So slender, still. If I were only more a man, this caper of yours would be impossible.” His fingers whitened on his belt and he fell silent.
     “What?” Magnus’s frustration raked through Elfrida’s mind like claws. As she stared at him, horrified, he jerked his head aside, checking no one was close. Her own feelings now raging, and even with all her magic she could not sense the rest of his thought. That was always the difficulty with magic and  thought sensing. She needed a cool, calm head to do such things and at present her thoughts and feelings were in tumult, with fear uppermost.
      “My lord?” What does he mean? “Please, Magnus.”
     They marched across the yard in the same arrow-straight diagonal that Tancred had taken toward the steps of the great hall. Magnus snatched her hand and veered left to the stables, acknowledging the smith coming the other way.
     “Are we leaving?” she ventured.
     “Let me think.”

     


Saturday, 30 January 2010

The Good & The Bad: Reviews!

Two nights ago, I found a new review for my newest book. I opened the link and sat and stared at it. Did I want to read it? *deep breath* This is someone I know, an author who tends to be as critical with reviews as I am. Yes, I have it coming to hear the ugly truth about my work along with whatever praise I can hope for, since I do share my honest opinions when giving reviews. I’m nice about it. I don’t want to deter a writer from writing (although my feeling is that if a writer CAN be deterred due to a bad review or two or three, maybe that’s just as well).

This book is my fourth. As long as I make some of my books, it’s the equivalent of about 8 or 9 romance-length books. It’s also the deepest and most powerful story I’ve written. I expect to hear about that, about issues I’ve raised some readers may not appreciate. That said, I also think I’ve learned a heck of a lot over the thirteen plus years I’ve been novelling (I do realize that’s not a word, yes, but I’m a writer and it’s artistic license). And I hope with each book that growth will show.

I cheated. My son read the review for me while I clenched my eyes and held my breath (exaggeration – writer’s license).

When it came to this part, I unclenched and grabbed a huge breath of relief:

“This book shows how much LK has grown into her craft. Her characters, especially Ryan and the girl, Kaitlyn, are as I expect from LK; deep, believable and ones the reader can both root for or want to slap upside the head at times. As far as the writing itself, it’s concise and flows extremely well. One of her best efforts yet. I read it in less than a week, sacrificing many hours of sleep to finish it.”
A.L. Marquardt, author of “A Reason To Hope” http://almarquardt.com/blog/?p=217


*whew* (Yes, there is a character you’re supposed to want to slap upside the head at times!)

I’ve been fortunate with my reviews and have received some incredible words. Here are a mix of some of the highlights from all four books:

"Really classic, soul-moving stuff. It is unforgettable... The romance was described exquisitely -- gorgeous, living-eternally writing! ...you have created a masterpiece ... I absolutely could not put it down."
Marilyn Savage Gray, author of
"The Real Shakespeare"

“In the style of most great storytellers, Ms. Hunsaker has created a cast of characters that captivated me, had me on the edge of my seat, not even wanting to close my eyes at 4am. Though I am known for not wanting to stop reading in the middle of the story, I can scarcely recall a time that I have become so engrossed in the lives of the characters so totally. I very much look forward to reading the next three stories.”
Dee of dee and Dee Dish … About Books
http://deeanddeedish.blogspot.com/2006/11/rehearsal-different-drummer-by-lk.html


“Very raw. Very intriguing. When I settled down to continue reading, I finished OFF THE MOON in one sitting. At the kitchen table. On a laptop. With my arse going to sleep on a hard wooden chair.  Yes, the story is THAT compelling.”

Lainey Bancroft author of The Trouble with Tessa
http://www.elaineforlife.com/LaineysBlog/tabid/463/EntryId/144/OFF-THE-MOON.aspx


"I just finished reading your book. I'm kind of overwhelmed. As someone who has written lyrics and short stories for years, I'm amazed that such a complex person and story can be created, and told in such beautiful, thoughtful detail. I feel like I know her now, like I've been inside her thoughts and her life."
Lynda, a reader via email


Of course, with the good comes the bad and I’ve also heard such comments as “slow pacing” & “melancholy style” & “LONG” & “do I HAVE to suffer through reading this”! Seriously, although it wasn’t an actual review. At this point, I’m glad to say it makes me laugh to remember that comment. An author has to keep her feet in the dirt while her head is in the imaginative clouds, after all.

All readers have different interests and wants from their fiction. All authors will hear about it from readers who don’t quite care for some aspect of their work. It’s part of the job. Reviews are like taxes: a cost of writing, and a necessary thing that can sometimes be joyous and sometimes feel evil.

At the end of the day, if you hang on to words like these:

 

“LK, it was a pleasure to read FINISHING TOUCHES. You took a very difficult and poignant subject and gave it real soul and heart, without ever being sentimental. Jenna is very much a real person whom I could follow with profound interest.”
Lindsay Townsend, via email

“It's quite something... Very intense, very visceral, very emotional, very intelligent, ultra romantic, and Loraine's  attention to the slightest detail, particularly in her protagonist's thought patterns…, is outstanding. I'm impressed.” [about Off The Moon]
Francesca Prescott, via email list



and then remember the dirt on your feet, you should have plenty of room to grow while rooted. So, a huge thank you to reviewers and readers who take the time to let us know both what you like and what you don’t.

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LK Hunsaker
~ Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist ~

http://www.lkhunsaker.com
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

Monday, 25 January 2010

Reviews & News - "Torc of Moonlight"

Torc of Moonlight is Linda Acaster's fourth novel, and the first in a trilogy of British time-slip romantic thrillers set in university cities around the fabled North York Moors.

Why fabled? Mediaeval seats of learning - abbeys - ringed the Moors almost before they'd been given their name, and the Lyke Wake Walk, the supposed midnight coffin walk, is still undertaken by the intrepid across its boggy centre during the midsummer solstice. It's long been favoured by authors intrigued by its history: Bram Stoker's Dracula made use of its coastline and port of Whitby.

Torc of Moonlight starts in more mundane Hull, at its university, where Alice and Nick meet in odd circumstances. She's determined to find the shrine to a forgotten Celtic water goddess, he to gain her love. Neither realise they are being called from the myths of history, not until the trees crowd in and fragments of dreams become the nightmare of reality. Those mediaeval abbeys didn't ring the Moors as isolated seats of learning; they were citadels built to contain the power of the old religions still live in the landscape.

For more information, excerpts, & link to purchase http://www.lindaacaster.co.uk/
Availability:  pbk £7.99/$13.99
ebook from BooksOnBoard e-Pub format £6.50/$10
Kindle edition out soon

Linda will be speaking about Torc of Moonlight at the Huntington Community Centre, York, on 25 Feb, at the launch of the La Scala short story competition: http://lascalastudios.photium.com/

Reader Reviews:
Full reviews can be read at Amazon.co.uk

...The historical detail is immaculate, as is the authentic detail of modern student-life, the whole suffused with a rich pagan sexuality as the plot twists towards its terrifying (pardon the pun) climax...
...in starkly elegant prose, builds a powerful novel of possession and psychological breakdown...
...narrative voice is punchy, crisp and authoritative...Her love scenes aren't half bad either...
...darkly chilling read with suspense built so adroitly...
Two things I guarantee will happen when you read this book:
1 - you'll have to finish it, because you'll be desperate to know how the mysteries unravel
2 - you'll want to buy an ordanance survey map and go hunting for signs...
...Torc of Moonlight is a highly enjoyable read; the kind of story that has you thinking about it long after you've put it down.

Wishing you enjoyable reading!
Linda Acaster
http://www.lindaacaster.co.uk/
http://www.lindaacaster.com/
http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com/