Monday, March 25, 2024

Relentless

 The legacy continues….

Relentless

Death Dwellers MC Legacy Generation Book 3

by Kathryn C. Kelly

Genre: Contemporary MC Romance

 


In the gripping sequel to "Restless," Christopher "Outlaw" Caldwell's transformation into a devoted family man is put to the ultimate test. Once feared for his ruthlessness, he finds himself drifting further away from his notorious MC leader persona as he navigates the aftermath of his youngest child’s turbulent entrance into the world.

As Jo experiences a new set of challenges, he only spirals further, affecting everyone around him. Most especially his wife, Megan, who struggles to traverse her grief as she enters a new stage in her life while dealing with a hard-headed bully.

Amidst this chaos, CJ, Outlaw and Meggie's son, struggles to hold everything together as his parents falter. He has a hard time recognizing his developing feelings for a girl who isn't Harley Banks, causing further complications in his already tumultuous life.
Meanwhile, Bash still lurks, and as his reign of terror continues, the kids of the MC learn what it means to be a Death Dweller.

In this gritty and emotionally charged sequel, "Relentless" delves deeper into the complexities of family, loyalty, and the harsh realities of life within the MC world. Will Outlaw's transformation be enough to protect those he loves, or will the past catch up with him, threatening to tear everything apart?

EXCERPT

Relentless Excerpt by Kathryn C. Kelly

©2023 All rights reserved

Unedited copy

Christopher headed to the bathroom, regretting he couldn’t enjoy The Work Song by Hozier. It piped into the bathroom too, but he wasn’t sure how much time he had to clean up before Megan returned. He refused to waste even a minute to return to the bedroom and turn the volume up.

A few minutes into the steaming hot water raining over his head and chest and washing away his first round of soap, arms wrapped around his waist and a small, soft body pressed into his back.

He stilled and squeezed his eyes shut, his entire being suddenly sizzling. For days, he’d been afraid to even imagine feeling her touch. No matter what, they always found their way back into each other’s arms and resumed their very healthy sex life.

But for a brief moment in time, his world had collapsed. Megan’s chances of survival had been slim, and he’d believed their daughter dead.

“Christopher,” Megan said, placing tiny kisses along his back and setting his blood on fire. Her little hand wrapped around his big dick, and he jerked, on the verge of coming.

Instead, he twisted around, dislodging her fingers, and lifted her into his arms, slanting his mouth over hers, sliding his tongue between her lips.

“Christopher,” she breathed again, threading her fingers through his hair, as ravenous for his kisses as he was for hers.

Their lips met softly, then crashed together hungrily, varying between soft and tender to deep and fervent in an endless loop of love, desire, and tenderness.

Time stood still, but warmth and excitement flooded him, awakening every nerve ending and igniting a spark that exposed his soul and exploded in his brain.

The world, the bullshit, the fear and trauma of the last few weeks, faded into nothingness. All that mattered was her, them, and the solace and affirmation he found in her arms.

He adored her, and he would unto eternity, beyond his dying breath.

“I love you, Megan,” he said hoarsely. “You my everything, baby.”

She thumbed his lips, offering him a soft, sweet smile. “And I worship you, Christopher. Without you, my life has no meaning. I don’t know how to begin to show you my gratitude for being a wonderful husband and an amazing father. You’re the best of the best, and the day I met you was the luckiest day of my life.”

He kissed her again, his heart beating in harmony with hers. “I ain’t too sure where I’d be without you. You keep me on my fuckin’ toes. You stormed into my life, and I knew if I didn’t change for you, I would lose you. You changed me and my entire world.”

Sadness touched her gorgeous face and her lips trembled.

“What, baby?”

“Nothing,” she said quietly, then pasted a smile on her face, leaned forward and kissed him again. “I love you.”

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CPYG5Z2N

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/relentless-the-legacy-rises-death-dwellers-mc-legacy-generation-book-3-by-kathryn-c-kelly

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203628760-relentless

 

Restless

Death Dwellers MC Legacy Generation Book 2

 


In the gripping second installment of the Death Dweller MC’s Legacy Series, "Restless," CJ Caldwell finds himself facing more challenges and heartbreak than ever before. Still grappling with a devastating family tragedy, CJ is now also dealing with the fractured relationship between him and his once-best friend, Harley. Her erratic behavior has not only destroyed their friendship, but it also threatens to unravel other important relationships in CJ's life.

As CJ's parents struggle with their own personal issues, the weight of responsibility falls heavily on CJ's young shoulders. He must step up and take care of his siblings while navigating the complex dynamics of a broken family. But little does he know, danger lurks in the shadows, ready to pounce when he least expects it.

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP5QMM7R

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/restless-the-legacy-continues-death-dwellers-mc-legacy-generation-book-2-by-kathryn-c-kelly

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202912489-restless

 

Reckless

Death Dwellers MC Legacy Generation Book 1

 


Sixteen-year-old CJ Caldwell struggles to live up to the reputation of his legendary father, Outlaw. He dreams of joining the Death Dwellers, but he's expected to finish high school and go to college before he can even be considered.

To make matters worse, the only girl he wants, Harley Banks, has rejected him, breaking his heart. Little does he know, she's breaking her own heart too. CJ must navigate the challenges of becoming a man, coping with heartbreak, and saving his cousin Ryan from dangerous influences.

In this gripping coming-of-age tale, CJ learns that being reckless can have serious consequences, and that sometimes, the hardest thing to do is the right thing.

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS21QXRB

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/reckless-the-legacy-begins-death-dwellers-mc-by-kathryn-c-kelly

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123232685-reckless

 

About the Author


In her dreams, Kathryn C. Kelly is a flirtatious biker babe with the rumble of a hog between her legs and a shirtless bad boy wrapped in her arms. Kathryn and her bad ass biker boy spend their evenings tossing back great scotch (Chivas Regal) and fighting over who is better at Cards against Humanity (she is, obviously.)
In her reality, Kathryn is a native New Orleanian who has survived Hurricane Katrina and breast
cancer. Now she’s hoping to survive three lively girls. While not playing Wonder Mom, Kathryn can be found putting all those dreams into the pages of her next Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club novel.

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://www.katckelly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathryn.kelly.336717

X: https://twitter.com/katkelwriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katkelwriter

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathryn-c-kelly

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathryn-C.-Kelly/author/B00H4BM862

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7422779.Kathryn_Kelly

 

Giveaway

$20 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/RelentlessTour

 

Friday, March 22, 2024

The Empress’ Journey

What is your stance?

 The Empress’ Journey

Tikl The First of Nehel Book 1

by Joseph Kopel

Genre: Epic Fantasy


Amid turmoil and despair, a new hope arises as a young empress.

The Gesha obliterated the once thriving but ailing Kingdom of Aranka, triggering an imbalance in Sankaris. Epidemics, wars, pollution, and madness plague the land as the protagonists pursue for answers.

A glimmer of faith spreads throughout the maimed world as the Promise. Her rise to power brings a much-needed balance, ensuring a fresh start and the dawning of a new era.

Will she unravel the mysteries behind these afflictions and restore the balance to Sankaris?

Join this captivating tale of humanity, resilience, determination, and the search for truths in a world gripped by darkness.

GUEST POST

Can you, for those who do not know already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

As a kid I always loved stories, either way, books, movies, TV shows, comics, or whatever there is a story, and as a kid from the 70’s a good story always amazed me. And that included a peeking among the books from my grandfather’s library, on the last floor of his apartment.

My grandfather had his collection of thousands of books. Indeed, I am not making up by saying he had thousands of volumes, half of his room he called “office” had walls covered by bookcases and volumes. I could find any genre, fiction and non-fiction, encyclopedias, and manuals, as well as those written by famous authors I still remember in my head—Dickens, Wild, Christie, Dumas, Hugo, Verne, Fuentes, Paz. However, my eyes got tempted by two titles in particular— “The Andromeda Strain” by Michael Crichton and “Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury.

The blend of Sci-Fi with thriller, suspense, terror, and a bit of worldbuilding attracted me, inspired by those authors I took the choice to start writing at the age. Many writers made up stories, and I wanted to make one.

Since then, I have never stopped writing.

As I grew up, I discovered the works of Asimov, H.G. Wells, Heinlen and others. Through my school I learned about Latin American writers such as Juan Rulfo and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, inspiring me into the Magic Realism. There were other authors as Stephen King that also introduced me to the written language of horror.

Much later, closer to my 30 years old, my half-brother led me into the Medieval Fantasy with “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R. Tolkien, from there I have immersed myself in other works from Suzanne Collins, R.R. Martin and World of Warcraft’s Christie Golden.

Apart from a brief slump, I will still write today. But until recently I have decided to publish—self-publishing—because I believe it was time that my wide selection of characters, I have created in forty years had to go out from the hiding and become known and public. I could not stand having them buried, wishing to share them with my readers and, at least, put a smile on their faces because in any way they could identify with them, to inspire them in their lives.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

In the past I used to smoke—I know, not a good habit—and always had cigarette in my hand while typing. Since I quit smoking eleven years ago, I suck flavored lollipops or bite gums. Even I steal from my kids’ Halloween candies to get a lollipop and focus on my writing.

Also, sometimes I eat baby food just for pleasure, though I have not done it for a long time. I need my wife’s permission for it.

Tell us something really interesting that happened to you.

My love for writing drove me to work for a small newspaper at a small city in Mexico. I was a news reporter. I covered politics, social realities, crime, and even local sports, I had my own column. It was an interesting time I experienced, but that was not the kind of writing I wished, fiction was my stuff, not harsh realities I had to witness everyday as part of my job. Covering crimes and injustices can really suck your soul, and it’s something I don’t wish to no one.

What are some of your pet peeves?

My kids do not listen to me when I teach them the proper ways to do chores—rest assured I love my kids! Distraction when I am focused on something, especially writing. When someone talks to me with their mouth covered as I have hearing loss unable to read them.

Where were you born/grew up at?

I was born in Mexico City from a Mexican English teacher and an American Marine from New York, giving me the chance to learn and master two languages. I grew up in that city until my eighteen years old, and moved a lot, first to Northern and Central Mexico, then Florida, Puerto Rico and lastly Missouri where I live since 2007.

My childhood in Mexico City is an unforgettable one, as I had lived in the city’s Golden Era as I was born just four years after the Olympic Games and two years after its first World Cup. The colors and the unique culture that Mexico offered from the seventies to the late eighties were parts that complemented my childhood and most of my teen years. Unfortunately, I had to move away even against my will for many reasons.

However, moving and traveling to other cities also allowed me to enjoy more about the Mexican culture, met many people and had some opportunities.

If you knew you’d die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

In the company of my family, nothing else

Who is your hero and why?

John F Kennedy. He favored the human rights along with his brother Robert and Martin Luther King. He did not achieve what he intended with the equality and took decades, but he started an openness to other races. He also averted another world war.

What are you passionate about these days?

My family and my pets.

How do you unwind and relax?

Watching some sports I like, especially baseball.

How do you find time to write as a parent?

It is still hard to find time for myself and my books. The only available times I have are from around 8 to 10 in the morning, as my three kids leave for school before my usual chores or job, and from 10 to 12 in the night as they are sleeping while I await my wife from work.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

Caring, emphatic, loyal, believer, observant.

When did you consider yourself a writer?

Since the moment I began writing stories, at the age of 10. Anybody who writes is a writer, no need to publish or make stories public.

Do you have a favorite movie?

I love movies and favorites are so many that I can’t decide which one I like the most, I guess I don’t have a favorite.  But I can mention the most memorable ones. The Fifth Element is to me like a drug that takes me inside a world between the fantasy and sci-fi, Sophie’s Choice is something that can break the heart, The Neverending Story is a beautiful film that even gave me inspiration to write. I am only mentioning the ones that come to my mind.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?

From all my novels, published and unpublished, this, “The Empress’ Journey.” There is a reason why I decided to start—or restart—my career in the self-publishing by choosing that specific novel.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

I have not done it, but the closest thing to a pilgrimage was Eureka Spring in Arkansas, a place that helped me to give ideas for my book. Also, the Renaissance Festival in Kansas City.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Ram. It is my zodiac sign, and I identify myself as a ram in my style.

EXCERPT

The Promise has to accept her stance.

"I am just a small girl with all the burden of an empire."

Beings of pure evilness.

"I had an encounter with a wraith of nightmarish malevolence!"

Tests of loyalty.

"Do not ya see, indeed, the Promise is with this knight?"

The Gesha (Prologue)

So many stories about the Gesha spread throughout Sankaris. Unfolded in different accounts, but the same culmination.

Though restricted to half a continent, the influence reached all over the world.

None of the four moons were visible that night as dark clouds gathered over the ailing Kingdom of Aranka.

A realm so cursed by the plague and the sudden death of two monarchs in a short time.

The thunderstorm came afterward.

A massive roar echoed from the clouds, even in distant places on three continents.

The sound was too bizarre to be a rumble of thunder.

The blazing white lightning impossible to see fell to the ground somewhere in Aranka. A burning reverberation resonated, shrieking.

The powerful earthquake trembled the underground.

Twisted and massive, rapid winds danced along with the fire. It lasted a moment in time but seemed an eternity.

Then, void. Silence, darkness. Without a trace, the clouds vanished, unveiling the night sky with the imposing moons of No Sak and No Nunn.

By the morning, when the sun arose, Aranka was no more.

Nothing.

All existence of a realm gone.

Life became dead. Sand only sand. Desert.

A kingdom obliterated.

Everyone knew the morning sensed strange.

A severed balance immutably maimed Sankaris.

Excerpt from: Kopel, Joseph. The Empress' Journey: Tikl the First of Nehel (pp. 7-8). Joseph Kopel. Kindle Edition.

“I have a feeling there is more you wish to reveal. Have you forgotten?” she said with a fixed stare. “What is my life stance?”

“Aye, Lakia,” he smiled with apprehension. “You were born as the Promise of the Jyistereerk, an empress entrusted with bringing balance to this ill world.”

The girl, feeling a sense of tranquility, turned her gaze towards the majestic Karekall Mountains. She understood what dwelt beyond the formidable mountains and knew her purpose. Still, an essence of chilling mystery hid behind.

Excerpt from: Kopel, Joseph. The Empress' Journey: Tikl the First of Nehel (p. 203). Joseph Kopel. Kindle Edition.

His eyes wetted, and he was about to cease on his purpose when a light wind crashed on his face. He sensed her and turned to glance to the left.

Juni found her.

Lakia stood under a cherry blossom tree of white flowers. She was immobile and covered by the cloak’s hood and with boyish clothes.

The wind, her wind, made the loosened flower’s tiny petals descend on her like a snowfall. Her hazel eyes stared at him inexpressively.

Juni rushed and halted when he had her before him. His breath was fast that he could barely speak. “Please! Forgive me! I should not have called you a sorcerer!” gasped, with a regretful and sad face. “You are more than that!”


Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Empress-Journey-Tikl-First-Nehel-ebook/dp/B0CPLDZKR9

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-empress-journey-tikl-the-first-of-nehel-by-joseph-kopel

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203297039-the-empress-journey

 

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/CGI4Zal45zQ

 

About the Author


Joseph Kopel is an imaginative author who has transitioned from Sci-Fi to Space Opera and now ventures into the realm of Fantasy with his debut in the genre.

What began as a hobby has grown into thirty-five years of writing. Being bilingual, he switched between English and Spanish. The greatest influences on him were the Latin American literature in Mexico City's libraries and the most famous American Sci-Fi authors.

When he is out of any fantastic realm to be in the world of reality, he enjoys his time with his wife, three kids, and his two pets.

Currently, he lives in Northwest Missouri, in a small peaceful country town of only 250 people.

 

Facebook * TikTok * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JosKAuthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joew7705

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joseph-Kopel/author/B073ZYW7X6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47224999.Joseph_Kopel

  

Giveaway

$20 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner, 

Signed Original First Edition of The Empress’ Journey – 5 winners!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/EmpressJourneyTour

  

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Adulting: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

Don't just drift through adulthood—thrive in it.

 

Adulting: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

by Haley Cavanagh

Genre: YA Nonfiction, Coming of Age Self-Help 


Embark on a journey to adulting mastery with Adulting: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Unlock the secrets to a well-rounded adult life with clear, concise, and invaluable advice on budgeting, cooking, time management, building meaningful relationships, and so much more! This comprehensive guide is your roadmap to taking charge of your life, offering you the tools and wisdom you need to sculpt the life of your dreams.

Adulting: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet offers practical advice and user-friendly tips that will empower you to make the most of every aspect of your life, ensuring that you become the self-reliant, confident, and accomplished person you were always meant to be.

Join author, Haley Cavanagh—military veteran, devoted wife and mother, and award winning author—in waving goodbye to uncertainty and hesitation and embracing the fulfilling life you've envisioned. Don't just drift through adulthood—thrive in it. The future is yours to shape, and this book is your indispensable guide on the journey to living the adult life you truly desire.

EXCERPT

**Enter the Goodreads giveaway HERE! Ends 3/15**

Bookbub * Goodreads

Amazon * *AbeBooks * Alibris * B&N * Bookshop.org * CedarFortPublishing * Target * ThriftBooks

 

Book Links:
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/adulting-the-ultimate-cheat-sheet-by-haley-cavanagh

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205796643-adulting

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Adulting-Ultimate-Cheat-Haley-Cavanagh-ebook/dp/B0CV4C1MC6

Abe Books: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31792113963

Alibris: https://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=1462146406

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/adulting-haley-cavanagh/1144919046?ean=9781462146406

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/adulting-the-ultimate-cheat-sheet-haley-cavanagh/21167130?ean=9781462146406

Cedar Fort Publishing: https://www.cedarfort.com/collections/new-this-month/products/the-ultimate-cheat-sheet

Target: https://www.target.com/p/adulting-by-haley-cavanagh-paperback/-/A-91375883

 

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/tEVhASZLgks

 

Also by the Author

Astraeus

The Oceanstone Initiative #1

by Haley Cavanagh

Genre: SciFi Romance

 

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Astraeus-Oceanstone-Initiative-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0BX4SWBCR

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/astraeus/id6445894916

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/astraeus-haley-cavanagh/1129709119?ean=2940166890603

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/astraeus-the-oceanstone-initiative-1-by-haley-cavanagh

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123065411-astraeus

 

Retaliation

The Oceanstone Initiative #2


Amazon * Apple * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BX4RWH8B

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/retaliation/id6445894873

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/retaliation-haley-cavanagh/1135488266?ean=2940167033153

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/retaliation-the-oceanstone-initiative-2-by-haley-cavanagh

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49206345-retaliation

 

About the Author


Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She was awarded the League of Utah Writers 2020 Silver Quill Award for Retaliation, the second novel in her Oceanstone Initiative series. Haley is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she’s not writing. She loves to hear from her readers and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

You can find her in-person book signing events here:

https://haleycavanaghbooks.com/events/

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://haleycavanaghbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haleycavanaghbooks

X: https://twitter.com/haley_cavanagh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleycavanaghbooks

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/haley-cavanagh

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Haley-Cavanagh/author/B07J5RKVF8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4841648.Haley_Cavanagh

  

Giveaway

$50 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/AdultingCheatSheetTour

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

The Undead Wars

 Love Never Dies


The Undead Wars

A Cry in the Moon’s Light Book 2

by Alan McGill

Genre: Horror Romance, Dark Fantasy 



A LEADER WILL RISE AND A KINGDOM WILL FALL.

The former Duchess of Harcourt lives a quiet life. The events of the Dark Forest are a distant memory. But evil does not forget so easily. The sinister Witch King has sent new creatures to find the remaining witches.
Gruesome murders plague the land as eerie Wolf Song echoes from the mountains. Is this the return of Seth? Or something else?
Alessandra de Moreau must decide if she can work with those who killed her love, for only together will they be able to stop the Undead Army. But first, she will have to find the Dagger of Dark Silver and unravel the Mystery of the Wolf, if they are to survive The Undead Wars.

 

**Get it for Only .99cents until March 6th!!**

Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CTC6P74Y

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-undead-wars-alan-mcgill/1144940073?ean=9798989969517

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-undead-wars-a-cry-in-the-moon-s-light-book-two-by-alan-mcgill

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207057341-the-undead-wars-a-cry-in-the-moon-s-light

 

A Cry in the Moon’s Light

A Cry in the Moon’s Light Book 1



In a time of castles, muskets, and hideous creatures of the night, a beautiful woman travels across the treacherous Dark Forest to be by the side of her dying grandmother. With only a young carriage driver to protect her, she must use her wits and all of her courage to cross the wild country—and to evade the mysterious beast who stalks her.

What follows is a tale full of horror, mystery, and romance: gruesome murders at a village hidden deep in the forest, a castle that holds dark secrets, and a black wolf leading a deadly pack. Nothing is as it seems, and this journey has only just begun. The beautiful lady in the carriage will learn that only love can defeat evil, but is it love or danger that cries out to her in the deceitful light of the moon?

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords * Bookbub * Goodreads

Buy Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Moons-Light-Alan-McGill-ebook/dp/B09J457T2M

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-cry-in-the-moons-light/id1592719730

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-cry-in-the-moons-light-alan-mcgill/1140455372

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-cry-in-the-moon-s-light

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1112391

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-cry-in-the-moon-s-light-by-alan-mcgill

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59522519-a-cry-in-the-moon-s-light

**Don’t miss the companion books!**

Red Door

A Cry In the Moon's Light Novella

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords * Goodreads

Father Daniel's Compendium of the Undead

A Companion Novella to A Cry in the Moon's Light

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords * Goodreads

 

About the Author

Alan McGill is an American author who lives in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a clowder of cats. Alan was close to his grandparents who grew up in the Great Depression. They were married young and remained together until his grandmother’s passing. His grandfather served in the Navy during WWII and was a gifted storyteller who weaved humorous tales about tough events. Alan grew up with these stories of right and wrong along with watching fictional heroes such as The Lone Ranger, Adam West’s Batman and Captain America. Heroes who stood up to bullies and protected those who could not protect themselves. This made an impression on the author to always do what was right in his own life and shaped his love for storytelling. He is a multi-genre author with his debut novel being A Cry in the Moon’s Light which is a horror romance and mystery series. As with all his books, one of the primary themes involves characters who strive to do the right thing regardless of the adversity they face. The second theme present in all his books is love. A pure and deep love that defeats all evil.

 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Author Links

Website: https://www.alanmcgillbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACryInTheMoonsLight

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alanmcgill14

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanmcgill14

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alan-mcgill

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alan-McGill/e/B09JR7YQVM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21972421.Alan_McGill

  

Giveaway

$20 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/UndeadWarsTour

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Scourge A Darkhurst Novel Book 1

Undertaker brothers fight the monsters who killed their family and uncover a dark secret that could destroy a kingdom.

Scourge

A Darkhurst Novel Book 1

 


Three undertaker brothers fight the monsters who killed their family—and uncover a plot larger and far more dangerous than they ever imagined.

In a city beset by monsters, three brothers must find out who is controlling the abominations. The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant princes and guild masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king’s favor and advantageous trading terms. Lord Mayor Ellor Machison wields assassins, blood witches, and forbidden magic to ensure that his powerful patrons get what they want, no matter the cost.

Corran, Rigan, and Kell Valmonde are guild undertakers left to run their family’s business when guards murdered their father and monsters killed their mother. Their grave magic enables them to help souls pass to the After and banish vengeful spirits. Rigan’s magic is unusually strong and enables him to hear the confessions of the dead, the secrets that would otherwise be taken to the grave.

When the toll exacted by monsters and brutal guards hits close to home, and ghosts expose the hidden sins of powerful men, Corran, Rigan, and Kell become targets in a deadly game and face a choice: obey the guild or fight back and risk everything.

Scourge is a fast-paced, action-packed, monster-filled fantasy adventure with non-stop twists and turns, loyal brothers, found family, forbidden magic, vengeful ghosts, high-stakes intrigue, and dangerous secrets set in a vibrantly visualized world.

 EXCERPT

Chapter One

A heavy iron candleholder slammed against the wall, just missing Corran Valmonde’s head.

“Son of a bitch!”

“Try not to make her mad, Corran.”

Rigan Valmonde knelt on the worn floor, drawing a sigil in charcoal, moving as quickly as he dared. Not quickly enough; a piece of firewood spun from the hearth and flew across the room, slamming him in the shoulder hard enough to make him grunt in pain.

“Keep her off me!” he snapped, repairing the smudge in the soot line. Sloppy symbols meant sloppy magic, and that could get someone killed.

“I would if I could see her.” Corran stepped away from the wall, raising his iron sword, putting himself between the fireplace and his brother. His breath misted in the unnaturally cold room and moisture condensed on the wavy glass of the only window.

“Watch where you step.” Rigan worked on the second sigil, widdershins from the soot marking, this one daubed in ochre. “I don’t want to have to do this again.”

A small ceramic bowl careened from the mantle, and, for an instant, Rigan glimpsed a young woman in a blood-soaked dress, one hand clutching her heavily pregnant belly. The other hand slipped right through the bowl, even as the dish hurtled at Rigan’s head. Rigan dove to one side and the bowl smashed against the opposite wall. At the same time, Corran’s sword slashed down through the specter. A howl of rage filled the air as the ghost dissipated.

You have no right to be in my home. The dead woman’s voice echoed in Rigan’s mind.

Get out of my head.

You are a confessor. Hear me!

Not while you’re trying to kill my brother.

“You’d better hurry.” Corran slowly turned, watching for the ghost.

“I can’t rush the ritual.” Rigan tried to shut out the ghost’s voice, focusing on the complex chalk sigil. He reached into a pouch and drew a thin curved line of salt, aconite, and powdered amanita, connecting the first sigil to the second, and the second to the third and fourth, working his way to drawing a complete warded circle.

The ghost materialized without warning on the other side of the line, thrusting a thin arm toward Rigan, her long fingers crabbed into claws, old blood beneath her torn nails. She opened a gash on Rigan’s cheek as he stumbled backward, grabbed a handful of the salt mixture and threw it. The apparition vanished with a wail.

“Corran!” Rigan’s warning came a breath too late as the ghost appeared right behind his brother, and took a swipe with her sharp, filthy nails, clawing Corran’s left shoulder.

He wronged me. He let me die, let my baby die— The voice shrieked in Rigan’s mind.

“Draw the damn signs!” Corran yelled. “I’ll handle her.” He wheeled, and before the blood- smeared ghost could strike again, the tip of his iron blade caught her in the chest. Her image dissipated like smoke, with a shriek that echoed from the walls.

Avenge me.

Sorry, lady, Rigan thought as he reached for a pot of pigment. I’m stuck listening to dead people’s dirty little secrets and last regrets, but I just bury people. Take your complaints up with the gods.

“Last one.” Rigan marked the rune in blue woad. The condensation on the window turned to frost, and he shivered. The ghost flickered, insubstantial but still identifiable as the young woman who had died bringing her stillborn child into the world. Her blood still stained the floor in the center of the warded circle and held her to this world as surely as her grief.

Wind whipped through the room, and would have scattered the salt and aconite line if Rigan had not daubed the mixture onto the floor in paste. Fragments of the broken bowl scythed through the air. The iron candle holder sailed across the room; Corran dodged it again, and a shard caught the side of his brother’s head, opening a cut on Rigan’s scalp, sending a warm rush of blood down the side of his face.

The ghost raged on, her anger and grief whipping the air into a whirlwind. I will not leave without justice for myself and my son.

You don’t really have a choice about it, Rigan replied silently and stepped across the warding, careful not to smudge the lines, pulling an iron knife from his belt. He nodded to Corran and together their voices rose as they chanted the burial rite, harmonizing out of long practice, the words of the Old Language as familiar as their own names.

The ghostly woman’s image flickered again, solid enough now that Rigan could see the streaks of blood on her pale arms and make out the pattern of her dress. She appeared right next to him, close enough that his shoulder bumped against her chest, and her mouth brushed his ear.

’Twas not nature that killed meMy faithless husband let us bleed because he thought the child was not his own.

The ghost vanished, compelled to reappear in the center of the circle, standing on the blood-stained floor. Rigan extended his trembling right hand and called to the magic, drawing on the old, familiar currents of power. The circle and runes flared with light. The sigils burned in red, white, blue, and black, with the salt-aconite lines a golden glow between them.

Corran and Rigan’s voices rose as the glow grew steadily brighter, and the ghost raged all the harder against the power that held her, thinning the line between this world and the next, opening a door and forcing her through it.

One heartbeat she was present; in the next she was gone, though her screams continued to echo.

Rigan and Corran kept on chanting, finishing the rite as the circle’s glow faded and the sigils dulled to mere pigment once more. Rigan lowered his palm and dispelled the magic, then blew out a deep breath.

“That was not supposed to happen.” Corran’s scowl deepened as he looked around the room, taking in the shattered bowl and the dented candle holder. He flinched, noticing Rigan’s wounds now that the immediate danger had passed.

“You’re hurt.”

Rigan shrugged. “Not as bad as you are.” He wiped blood from his face with his sleeve, then bent to gather the ritual materials.

“She confessed to you?” Corran bent to help his brother, wincing at the movement.

“Yeah. And she had her reasons,” Rigan replied. He looked at Corran, frowning at the blood that soaked his shirt. “We’ll need to wash and bind your wounds when we get back to the shop.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

They packed up their gear, but Corran did not sheath his iron sword until they were ready to step outside. A small crowd had gathered, no doubt drawn by the shrieks and thuds and the flares of light through the cracked, dirty window.

“Nothing to see here, folks,” Corran said, exhaustion clear in his voice. “We’re just the undertakers.”

Once they were convinced the excitement was over, the onlookers dispersed, leaving one man standing to the side. He looked up anxiously as Rigan and Corran approached him.

“Is it done? Is she gone?” For an instant, eagerness shone too clearly in his eyes. Then his posture shifted, shoulders hunching, gaze dropping, and mask slipped back into place. “I mean, is she at rest? After all she’s been through?”

Before Corran could answer, Rigan grabbed the man by the collar, pulled him around the corner into an alley and threw him up against the wall. “You can stop the grieving widower act,” he growled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Corran standing guard at the mouth of the alley, gripping his sword.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The denial did not reach the man’s eyes.

“You let her bleed out, you let the baby die, because you didn’t think the child was yours.” Rigan’s voice was rough as gravel, pitched low so that only the trembling man could hear him.

“She betrayed me—”

“No.” The word brought the man up short. “No, if she had been lying, her spirit wouldn’t have been trapped here.” Rigan slammed the widower against the wall again to get his attention.

“Rigan—” Corran cautioned.

“Lying spirits don’t get trapped.” Rigan had a tight grip on the man’s shirt, enough that he could feel his body trembling. “Your wife. Your baby. Your fault.” He stepped back and let the man down, then threw him aside to land on the cobblestones.

“The dead are at peace. You’ve got the rest of your life to live with what you did.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, as the man choked back a sob.

Corran sheathed his sword. “I really wish you’d stop beating up paying customers,” he grumbled as they turned to walk back to the shop.

“Wish I could. Don’t know how to stop being confessor to the dead, not sure what else to do once I know the dirt,” Rigan replied, an edge of pain and bitterness in his voice.

“So the husband brought us in to clean up his mess?” Corran winced as he walked; the gashes on his arm and back had to be throbbing.

“Yeah.”

“I like it better when the ghosts confess something like where they buried their money,” Corran replied.

“So do I.”

The sign over the front of the shop read Valmonde Undertakers. Around back, in the alley, the sign over the door just said Bodies. Corran led the way, dropping the small rucksack containing their gear just inside the entrance, and cursed under his breath as the strap raked across raw shoulders.

“Sit down,” Rigan said, nodding at an unoccupied mortuary table. He tied his brown hair into a queue before washing his hands in a bucket of fresh water drawn from the pump. “Let me have a look at those wounds.”

Footsteps descended the stairs from the small apartment above.

“You’re back? How bad was it?” Kell, the youngest of the Valmonde brothers, stopped halfway down the stairs. He had Corran’s coloring, taking after their father, with dark blond hair that curled when it grew long. Rigan’s brown hair favored their mother. All three brothers’ blue eyes were the same shade, making the resemblance impossible to overlook.

“Shit.” Kell jumped the last several steps as he saw his brothers’ injuries. He grabbed a bucket of water and scanned a row of powders and elixirs, grabbing bottles and measuring out with a practiced eye and long experience. “I thought you said it was just a banishing.”

“It was supposed to be ‘just’ a banishing,” Rigan said as Corran stripped off his bloody shirt. “But it didn’t go entirely to plan.” He soaked a clean cloth in the bucket Kell held and wrung it out.

“A murder, not a natural death,” Corran said, and his breath hitched as Rigan daubed his wounds. “Another ghost with more power than it should have had.”

Rigan saw Kell appraising Corran’s wounds, glancing at the gashes on Rigan’s face and hairline.

“Mine aren’t as bad,” Rigan said.

“When you’re done with Corran, I’ll take care of them,” Kell said. “So I’m guessing Mama’s magic kicked in again, if you knew about the murder?”

“Yeah,” Rigan replied in a flat voice.

Undertaking, like all the trades in Ravenwood, was a hereditary profession. That it came with its own magic held no surprise; all the trades did. The power and the profession were passed down from one generation to the next. Undertakers could ease a spirit’s transition to the realm beyond, nudge a lost soul onward, or release one held back by unfinished business. Sigils, grave markings, corpse paints, and ritual chants were all part of the job. But none of the other undertakers that Rigan knew had a mama who was part Wanderer. Of the three Valmonde brothers, only Rigan had inherited her ability to hear the confessions of the dead, something not even the temple priests could do. His mother had called it a gift. Most of the time, Rigan regarded it as a burden, sometimes a curse. Usually, it just made things more complicated than they needed to be.

“Hold still,” Rigan chided as Corran winced. “Ghost wounds draw taint.” He wiped away the blood, cleaned the cuts, and then applied ointment from the jar Kell handed him. All three of them knew the routine; they had done this kind of thing far too many times.

“There,” he said, binding up Corran’s arm and shoulder with strips of gauze torn from a clean linen shroud. “That should do it.”

Corran slid off the table to make room for Rigan. While Kell dealt with his brother’s wounds, Corran went to pour them each a whiskey.

“That’s the second time this month we’ve had a spirit go from angry to dangerous,” Corran said, returning with their drinks. He pushed a glass into Rigan’s hand, and set one aside for Kell, who was busy wiping the blood from his brother’s face.

“I’d love to know why.” Rigan tried not to wince as Kell probed his wounds. The deep gash where the pottery shard had sliced his hairline bled more freely than the cut on his cheek. Kell swore under his breath as he tried to staunch the bleeding.

“It’s happening all over Ravenwood, and no one in the Guild seems to know a damn thing about why or what to do about it,” Corran said, knocking his drink back in one shot. “Old Daniels said he’d heard his father talk about the same sort of thing, but that was fifty years ago. So why did the ghosts stop being dangerous then, and what made them start being dangerous now?”

Rigan started to shake his head, but stopped at a glare from Kell, who said, “Hold still.”

He let out a long breath and complied, but his mind raced. Until the last few months, banishings were routine. Violence and tragedy sometimes produced ghosts, but in all the years since Rigan and Corran had been undertakers—first helping their father and uncles and then running the business since the older men had passed away—banishings were usually uneventful.

Make the marks, sing the chant, the ghost goes on and we go home. So what’s changed?

“I’m sick of being handed my ass by things that aren’t even solid,” Rigan grumbled. “If this keeps up, we’ll need to charge more.”

Corran snorted. “Good luck convincing Guild Master Orlo to raise the rates.”

Rigan’s eyes narrowed. “Guild Master Orlo can dodge flying candlesticks and broken pottery. See how he likes it.”

“Once you’ve finished grumbling we’ve got four new bodies to attend to,” Kell said. “One’s a Guild burial and the others are worth a few silvers a piece.” Rigan did not doubt that Kell had negotiated the best fees possible, he always did.

“Nice,” Rigan replied, and for the first time noticed that there were corpses on the other tables in the workshop, covered with sheets. “We can probably have these ready to take to the cemetery in the morning.”

“One of them was killed by a guard,” Kell said, turning his back and keeping his voice carefully neutral.

“Do you know why?” Corran tensed.

“His wife said he protested when the guard doubled the ‘protection’ fee. Guess the guard felt he needed to be taught a lesson.” Bribes were part of everyday life in Ravenwood, and residents generally went along with the hated extortion. Guilds promised to shield their members from the guards’ worst abuses, but in reality, the Guild Masters only intervened in the most extreme cases, fearful of drawing the Lord Mayor’s ire. At least, that had been the excuse when Corran sought justice from the Undertakers’ Guild for their father’s murder, a fatal beating on flimsy charges. Rigan suspected the guards had killed their father because the neighborhood looked up to him, and if he’d decided to speak out in opposition, others might have followed. Even with the passing years, the grief remained sharp, the injustice bitter.

Kell went to wash his hands in a bucket by the door. “Trent came by while you and Corran were out. There’s been another attack, three dead. He wants you to go have a look and take care of the bodies.”

Rigan and Corran exchanged a glance. “What kind of attack?”

Kell sighed. “What kind do you think? Creatures.” He hesitated. “I got the feeling from Trent this was worse than usual.”

“Did Trent say what kind of creatures?” Corran asked, and Rigan picked up on an edge to his brother’s voice.

Kell nodded. “Ghouls.”

Corran swore under his breath and looked away, pushing back old memories. “All right,” he said, not quite managing to hide a shudder. “Let’s go get the bodies before it gets any later. We’re going to have our hands full tonight.”

“Kell and I can go, if you want to start on the ones here,” Rigan offered.

Corran shook his head. “No. I’m not much use as an undertaker if I can’t go get the corpses no matter how they came to an end,” Corran said.

Rigan heard the undercurrent in his tone. Kell glanced at Rigan, who gave a barely perceptible nod, warning Kell to say nothing. Corran’s dealing with the memories the best way he knows how, Rigan thought. I just wish there weren’t so many reminders.

“I’ll prepare the wash and the pigments, and get the shrouds ready,” Kell said. “I’ll have these folks ready for your part of the ritual by the time you get back.” He gestured to the bodies already laid out. “Might have to park the new ones in the cart for a bit and switch out—tables are scarce.”

Corran grimaced. “That’ll help.” He turned to Rigan. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

Kell gave them the directions Trent had provided. Corran took up the long poles of the undertaker’s cart, which clattered behind him as they walked. Rigan knew better than to talk to his brother when he was in this kind of mood. At best he could be present, keep Corran from having to deal with the ghouls’ victims alone, and sit up with him afterward.

It’s only been three months since he buried Jora, since we almost had to bury him. The memory’s raw, although he won’t mention it. But Kell and I both hear what he shouts in his sleep. He’s still fighting them in his dreams, and still losing.

Rigan’s memories of that night were bad enough—Trent stumbling to the back door of the shop, carrying Corran, bloody and unconscious; Corran’s too-still body on one of the mortuary tables; Kell praying to Doharmu and any god who would listen to stave off death; Trent, covered in Corran’s blood, telling them how he had found their brother and Jora out in the tavern barn, the ghoul that attacked them already feasting on Jora’s fresh corpse.

Rigan never did understand why Trent had gone to the barn that night, or how he managed to fight off the ghoul. Corran and Jora, no doubt, had slipped away for a tryst, expecting the barn to be safe and private. Corran said little of the attack, and Rigan hoped his brother truly did not remember all the details.

“We’re here.” Corran’s rough voice and expressionless face revealed more than any words.

Ross, the farrier, met them at the door. “I’m sorry to have to call you out,” he said.

“It’s our job,” Corran replied. “I’m just sorry the godsdamned ghouls are back.”

“Not for long,” Ross said under his breath. A glance passed between Corran and Ross. Rigan filed it away to ask Corran about later.

The stench hit Rigan as soon as they entered the barn. Two horses lay gutted in their stalls and partially dismembered. Blood spattered the wooden walls and soaked the sawdust. Flies swarmed on what the ghouls had left behind.

“They’re over here,” Ross said. The bodies of two men and a woman had been tossed aside like discarded bones at a feast. Rigan swallowed down bile. Corran paled, his jaw working as he ground his teeth.

Rigan and Corran knew better than most what remained of a corpse once a ghoul had finished with it. Belly torn open to get to the soft organs; ribs split wide to access the heart. How much of the flesh remained depended on the ghoul’s hunger and whether or not it feasted undisturbed. Given the state these bodies were in—their faces were the only parts left untouched—the ghouls had taken their time. Rigan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself not to retch.

“What about the creatures?” Corran asked.

“Must have fled when they heard us coming,” Ross said. “We were making plenty of noise.” Ross handed them each a shovel, and took one up himself. “There’s not much left, and what’s there is… loose.”

“Who were they?” Rigan asked, not sure Corran felt up to asking questions.

Ross swallowed hard. “One of the men was my cousin, Tad. The other two were customers. They brought in the two horses late in the day, and my cousin said he’d handle it.”

Rigan heard the guilt in Ross’s tone.

“Guild honors?” Corran asked, finding his voice, and Ross nodded.

Rigan brought the cart into the barn, stopping as close as possible to the mangled corpses. The bodies were likely to fall to pieces as soon as they began shoveling.

“Yeah,” Ross replied, getting past the lump in his throat. “Send them off right.” He shook his head. “They say the monsters are all part of the Balance, like life and death cancel each other out somehow. That’s bullshit, if you ask me.”

The three men bent to their work, trying not to think of the slippery bones and bloody bits as bodies. Carcasses. Like what’s left when the butcher’s done with a hog, or the vultures are finished with a cow, Rigan thoughtThe barn smelled of blood and entrails, copper and shit. Rigan looked at what they loaded into the cart. Only the skulls made it possible to tell that the remains had once been human.

“I’m sorry about this, but I need to do it—to keep them from rising as ghouls or restless spirits,” Rigan said. He pulled a glass bottle from the bag at the front of the wagon, and carefully removed the stopper, sprinkling the bodies with green vitriol to burn the flesh and prevent the corpses from rising. The acid sizzled, sending up noxious tendrils of smoke. Rigan stoppered the bottle and pulled out a bag of the salt-aconite-amanita mixture, dusting it over the bodies, assuring that the spirits would remain at rest.

Ross nodded. “Better than having them return as one of those… things,” he said, shuddering.

“We’ll have them buried tomorrow,” Corran said as Rigan secured their grisly load.

“That’s more than fair,” Ross agreed. “Corran—you know if I’d had a choice about calling you—”

“It’s our job.” Corran cut off the apology. Ross knew about Jora’s death. That didn’t change the fact that they were the only Guild undertakers in this area of Ravenwood, and Ross was a friend.

“I’ll be by tomorrow afternoon with the money,” Ross said, accompanying them to the door.

“We’ll be done by then,” Corran replied. Rigan went to pick up the cart’s poles, but Corran shook his head and lifted them himself.

Rigan did not argue. Easier for him to haul the wagon; that way he doesn’t have to look at the bodies and remember when Jora’s brother brought her for burial.

Rigan felt for the reassuring bulk of his knife beneath his cloak—a steel blade rather than the iron weapon they used in the banishing rite. No one knew the true nature of the monsters, or why so many more had started appearing in Ravenwood of late. Ghouls weren’t like angry ghosts or restless spirits that could be banished with salt, aconite, and iron. Whatever darkness spawned them and the rest of their monstrous brethren, they were creatures of skin and bone; only beheading would stop them.

Rigan kept his blade sharpened.

 

Amazon * Audiobook * Audible * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Scourge-Darkhurst-Novel-Book-One-ebook/dp/B0CL1H9R7S

Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Scourge-Gail-Z-Martin-audiobook/dp/B075DHYGHD

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Scourge-Audiobook/B075DCKV3S

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/scourge/id6469456934

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scourge-gail-z-martin/1131889619?ean=2940179178118

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/scourge-19

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/4DDpYO

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/scourge-by-gail-z-martin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32927246-scourge

 

Vengeance

A Darkhurst Novel Book 2

 


Fighting the monsters that killed their family and friends cost undertaker brothers Corran and Rigan Valmonde their home and livelihood and made them wanted men—but the worst is yet to come.

The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant Princes and Guild Masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king’s favor and the best trading terms. Ambitious and ruthless leaders use betrayal and assassination to gain their ends. Blood magic conjures monsters to further the goals of the ruling class, and the price of stolen power is paid for by the deaths of commoners. Now, the fate of Ravenwood hangs in the balance as rival city-states maneuver to gain advantage.

When Corran and Rigan and their friends became outlaw monster hunters and fled beyond the walls of Ravenwood City, they thought they had defeated the source of the abominations that killed so many of their friends and loved ones. But the more successful they become at destroying the creatures, the more they realize a greater evil is at work – larger and more monstrous than they ever could imagine…


Amazon * Audiobook * Audible * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK348NK

Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Vengeance-Gail-Z-Martin-audiobook/dp/B07GZGPM7M

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Vengeance-Audiobook/1541449916

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/vengeance/id1411465341

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vengeance-johnny-martin/1127330865?ean=2940164621285

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vengeance-173

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/vengeance-darkhurst-2-by-gail-z-martin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40793331-vengeance

 

 Reckoning

A Darkhurst Novel Book 3

by Gail Z. Martin

Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy Adventure

 


Undertaker brothers fight the monsters who killed their family and uncover a dark secret that could destroy a kingdom.

 

When Corran, Rigan, and their friends became outlaw monster hunters and fled beyond the walls of Ravenwood City, they thought they had defeated the source of the abominations that killed so many of their friends and loved ones. But the more successful they become at destroying the creatures, the more they realize that greater evil is at work—larger and more terrifying than they ever imagined.

The city state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Ambitious and ruthless leaders use betrayal and assassination to gain their ends. Blood magic conjures monsters to further the goals of the ruling class, and stolen power is paid for by the deaths of commoners. But now the magic extracts too high a toll, merchant princes scheme against each other, smugglers and pirates threaten the trade that holds the kingdom together, and old alliances shatter. Darkhurst’s wastrel king seems ill-suited to stop the collapse of the merchant league and the kingdom itself.

When fanatic priests begin a reign of terror to summon ravenous beings and cause the unmaking of the world, Corran, Rigan, and their friends face an impossible task. They must bind the monstrous First Being, stop the priests from bringing about their blood-soaked reckoning, and put a king on the throne that will end the cull forever. The price of failure is the destruction of Darkhurst and the world itself.

Reckoning is the fast-paced, action-packed conclusion to a monster-filled fantasy adventure with non-stop twists and turns, loyal brothers, found family, forbidden magic, vengeful ghosts, high-stakes intrigue, and dangerous secrets set in a vibrantly visualized world.

 

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CT2D5ZKG

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/reckoning/id6476566863

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reckoning-gail-z-martin/1144704661?ean=2940179318446

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/reckoning-136

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/reckoning-darkhurst-3-by-gail-z-martin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205798245-reckoning

 

 About the Author


Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.

Together with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron & Blood, Storm & Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Author Links

Website: https://ascendantkingdoms.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WinterKingdoms

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gailzmartin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganbriceauthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gail-z-martin

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Z.-Martin/e/B002BM8XSQ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1637418.Gail_Z_Martin

  

Giveaway

$20 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/DarkhurstTour

 

Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice

 The revolt of Queen Boudica and the Iceni against the might of Rome has echoed down the centuries. Nearly 2000 years ago, during the early ...