Books I purchased during the #IndieApril sale #fantasy by #indieauthors

During the #IndieApril book sale I could not resist picking up some new books. I haven’t read any of these authors before so I’m looking forward to checking them out. Here is a taste of what attracted me to these books…

The Traitors We Are – In a world where writing disappears when the author dies, 22-year-old Cael Oberlan watches the last gasping breaths of his best friend. He pulls a scrap of paper out of his pocket as his friend’s signature fades. Cael only wants vengeance for his friend and to create a reality where he no longer has to bow before any man. However, the nagging suspicion that his father, who started this war, hasn’t given him the whole story about his role in this conflict threatens to unravel everything he ever thought he knew about himself and the people he is fighting to free.

As nephew of the King, 24-year-old Emil Trestinsen should be a hero. He should already hear his name echoing in celebration in the streets of the capital. In a young life already full of disappointment, a lack of recognition for ridding the kingdom of “Ruinous” Lorcen Oberlan may prove to be the final push he needs to seize his destiny. He will prove his worth to his family and his nation. He will end this rebellion and take his rightful place as the next governor of the rebels.

When 18-year-old Merily Oberlan receives letters from the frontlines, and the top one is blank, she is devastated to realize one of her loved ones has died in battle. She is determined to help bring an end to this bloody war and be strong for her people, a cultural and religious minority in the kingdom of Harfal.

What started as a simple rebellion transforms into a complicated web of lies, betrayal, and difficult decisions no one should have to make. It is a race against time and death as handwriting continues to disappear, erasing the contracts and historical records necessary for peaceful negotiations.

Winds of Destruction – Ancient pacts have been broken and powers greater than anything is about to be released and threatens to swallow the world. Life wants vengeance and the Wind freedom. The Spirits will fight for their justice and only the thunderous Storm can lead them to victory.But the war her ancestors have started is too much for her to handle alone. To break the Lord of Life’s dynasty and set the Spirits free she needs help from her uncle; a long-lost war hero now wasting the remnants of his broken life in ale. Once he was the Lord of Winds, but the Wind, people whisper, cannot be killed.

Broken Sky – Dorian Valmont is the sorriest excuse for an aeronaut the crew of skyship Phoenix has ever seen.

Forced to flee his home to protect his magical inheritance from the machinations of his ambitious stepfather, awkward misfit Dorian finds himself poorly suited to the rigors of life in the sky. But when an exiled dragon finds him, injured and desperate for help, Dorian learns it’s not enough merely to run away. Dorian must learn to fight back.


Caught between forces that seek to use or destroy him, Dorian must train and adapt if he wants to survive. But if he can, he might just hold the key to restoring the world’s faltering magic — or destroying it once and for all.

Flames over Frosthelm – An Investigation Gone Awry Sometimes, your case takes a left turn. Or three or four. Marten Mingenstern and Boog Eggstrom are provisional inspectors, fresh out of Inquisitor’s Guild training and eager to prove themselves. Assigned the mundane task of tracking down stolen jewels, they instead uncover a mysterious cult set on destroying the city. After a thief explodes, they earn the enmity of a vicious noble, the Chief Inquisitor gets bought off and goes rogue, they are seized by barbarians, and they are sentenced to death at least a couple of times. In a final, frantic race with prophecy, they face ruthless fanatics, a city turned against them, and terrible forces long buried.Flames Over Frosthelm is the first novel about the Inquisitor’s Guild, the investigative arm of the government of Frosthelm, a medieval city-state where criminals thrive, nobles scheme, and dark secrets lurk. Expect intrigue, mystery, swordplay, adventure, politics, romance, and the strong bonds of friendship. And a little magic along the way. Described as Princess Bride meets CSI, this new novel is a tale of classic adventure with a healthy dose of humor.

Devil’s Deal – When two angels break their deal with the Devil, he comes for the one they’re trying to protect.

16-year-old Eleonora Santos works through the summer break so she can visit her family in Italy when she graduates. With the new school year around the corner, her focus is back on homework and enjoying life with her tight group of friends. But on their first day back, she finds them fawning over two new guys in their class—Ben and Danny.

Not a day goes by before Nora’s life is turned upside down. Her best friend now hates her, and the boys seem eager to get to know her. Despite their charming efforts, she’d rather have her best friend, not a boyfriend.

When Nora discovers Ben and Danny are not who they claim to be, and their nefarious deal goes wrong, Nora is caught in the middle.

To fix their mistakes, she must face the Devil and betray herself—or pay with her life.

Silver Mage – NEW EDITION – The dragons once sacrificed everything to destroy their enemy. They failed. Now the burden of that failure falls on the man they have called to reforge what their war destroyed – the link between the races and the magic that holds the world together.

Touched by elemental Fire, Aarin is driven by his need to return the dragons to Andeira. But the dragons vanished three thousand years ago, taking their magic with them, and their ancient partnership with mankind is now no more than legend. Even the memory of the magic they shared is fading, and Aarin’s obsession has made him an outsider even to his own people.

But when he is confronted by a magic he thought long lost, he suddenly finds himself in conflict with powerful forces intent on preventing the return of the dragons at all costs. And, deadlier still, the machinations of an age-old power that would sacrifice anything to see them returned, even the life of the man they have waited thousands of years to find.

Beset on all sides, Aarin must sort friend from foe and unravel the mysteries of a past long forgotten. Because, to survive, he must first discover the secret of why the dragons left – and what they risked everything to destroy. A classic epic fantasy adventure, Silver Mage is the standalone first novel in the Long Dream sequence.

City of Masks – When a royal conspiracy topples the noble House Falco, Sofia must take up the burden of her father’s mantle and assume guardianship of his Greatmask. Yet the sentient bone mask, powerful enough to Compel those around her, will not speak, and Sofia, the first female Protector in a hundred years, is left defenceless.

Hunted by the king, she is driven from the palace and must fight for survival, alone in the cold streets of Anaskar. There, she crosses paths with Notch, a bitter mercenary with problems of his own. Accused of murder, Notch is trying to clear his name while hunted by the city’s robed assassins, the very people who are now searching for Sofia.

To take back their city and cast down the tyrant on the throne, Sofia and Notch must face the blades of Anaskar’s assassins, the rage of a mighty sea beast, and the mysterious Lupo, a man with a Greatmask of his own, who has masterminded vicious terrorist attacks on the city that spurned him.

Their struggle threatens to tear the city – and the kingdom – into shreds.

No Heart for a Thief – We are the stories we tell ourselves…even the lies.

The Thief, a great spirit, and her descendants have abused their ability to steal magic for centuries. When Kaylo starts to hear the song of other people’s magic, he must learn to hide from his people as well as the invaders. A gift or a curse, Kaylo may be able to save his people from the Gousht Empire that claimed their land with this stolen magic.

Eighteen years later, Kaylo still prays to the spirits, but not out of loyalty or love. He knows better than to rely on those selfish bastards for anything. While hiding in the forest from his foolish acts of rebellion, he encounters a girl, Tayen, being pursued by two soldiers of the empire. Against his better judgment, he risks facing the consequences of his past to intervene.

When Tayen attempts to run off seeking vengeance for her family, he offers to train her to wield her magic and a blade. If he can’t convince her to relinquish her need for vengeance and stave off the demons of his past, he’s going to get them both killed.

Spirit of the Dragon – Every dream comes at a price.

Twins Genshu Masanori and Genshu Hidekazu watched in horror as a woman was kidnapped from the annual Midsummer Festival. Delving into the case, they discover she wasn’t the first victim of the sorcerer who took her, nor will she be the last.

But fighting to rescue the woman will mean breaking ancient clan laws against warfare.
By embarking on this rescue mission they will sign their lives away to the prestigious Tsukiko Academy… regardless of the rumours about the dark secrets harboured within the school grounds. Yet embracing their future as warriors is only the beginning.

As the twins unravel the sorcerer’s sinister plan, they come to the horrific revelation that if they can’t find him in time, the game of life and death he whispers about might be the last anyone ever plays…

Jump into the world of Yumihari, a land filled with spirits, dragons, monsters, and characters who wield elemental magic. If you love epic fight scenes, mystery, monsters, and mayhem you will love Spirit of the Dragon!

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I can’t wait to dive into some new fantasy worlds. How about you? Have any of these books caught your eye?

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

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#Bookreview Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe Jo Thomas #netgalley #romance

The word heart-warming was made for this book. In fact it doesn’t do it justice!

And look at the sweet cover.

Here’s the blurb…

A dream home
Beca Valentino is ready to escape the city. When she sees the perfect house for sale in her hometown, it seems like fate. Is this her chance to build the foster family she dreams of, on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast?

A big mistake?
Returning home isn’t as easy as she thought, however. Her family’s beloved ice cream café is gone – turned into a soulless wine bar by her hateful ex-boyfriend. Reconnecting with her oldest friend, fisherman Griff, isn’t straightforward either. And when, instead of the children she expected to take in, two wary teenage boys appear on her doorstep, Beca fears she’s made a terrible mistake.

A recipe for change
But an old family recipe book is just the inspiration she needs. Soon, with a little help from friends old and new, Beca is selling mouth-watering homemade gelato from a pop-up café on the beach.

Then disaster strikes. Will the Valentino family legacy be lost forever? Or can Beca create a new recipe for happiness?

My Review

I can’t quite explain how much I loved this story. It was such an uplifting book to read, with so many moments that had me smiling and wiping away happy tears. Of course it had it’s sad moments too, and moments where I wanted to grab Beca and talk some sense into her.

The supporting cast were brilliant, especially the two teenage boys who came to stay. Watching them come out of their shells was a joy to read. And I love how Griff, Beca’s best friend from childhood, is always there to lend a hand, a shoulder to cry on, anything that Beca needs.

I think this has to be one of my top favourite Jo Thomas books. Give it a read, I’m sure you will love it too.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC copy. The book comes out on 27th April 2023, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

You can follow me on

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The #IndieApril book sale is back! #indieauthors

For the next 3 days, 1st to 3rd April, 150 indie authors like myself have joined together and organised a huge book sale.

There are fantasy, sci-fi and horror books on offer at various price points, including free, so please take a look at the sales page.

My own books are also included at just 99p each, so if you haven’t read them now is a great time to try. Visions of Zarua and The Lost Sentinel.

I’ve just had a quick browse and already picked up 8 books to add to my TBR. I will try and share some more info on those books and spread a little more love before the sale ends.

Please share this post and help share the love for indie authors. And don’t forget to check out the sales page right here.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

You can follow me on

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Love, Loss and Life In Between #audiobookreview from the audio tour

I’m back again. I missed a couple of reviews from my previous post today, which you can read here. I didn’t want to leave anyone out so please check out these links.

Paws.Read.Repeat said ‘The stories in the book are from a variety of genres, which I loved. The diversity was eclectic and kept me engaged from start to finish.’

ebookaddictsI really enjoyed  listening to this collection from Susanne Rogerson. The anthology is narrated by Sandie Keane and she did a wonderful job bringing these short stories life.

Girls who hike and read posted ‘I adore short stories and this collection of 10 beautifully written stories about love and loss completely met the brief for me…’

And that’s it, a full house of reviews for the tour which is brilliant. I’ve loved sharing my short story collection and reading such lovely reviews. Sandie did an excellent job narrating the book for me and I hope you get the chance to check it out.

Here’s a sample if you want to have a listen.

Thanks for reading and listening.

Next time I’ll be back with a reading and writing update.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

You can follow me on

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Blog Tour round up for Love, Loss and Life In Between #audiobook #shortstories #bookreview

I can’t believe how time has flown and I haven’t posted anything for a month and a half! Yesterday was the blog tour for my newest audiobook, Love, Loss and Life In Between – a short listen perfect for those who like to dip in and out of audiobooks.

Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the tour and of course thank you to all the bloggers who listened to the collection and have been posting their reviews over the last few weeks.

It’s great how everyone connects with different stories for different reasons and I just love to read their reviews. Of course I also like to share them with you, so here’s a round up with my review highlights. Here goes…

Lara Maynard gives listeners a taste of the stories in this collection in her post on Instagram. ‘The stories include “Garden Therapy” (to which gardeners like me will relate), “A Cat-Shaped Hole” (which might make pet lovers misty-eyed), a story around domestic abuse, and a second chance romance. Most of the stories are broadly in the domestic fiction realm, with flavours of romance or thriller, but a couple veer into the paranormal.’

The Bookish Hermit says ‘…a selection of very emotionally charged stories that have been written with care, respect and love. The audible version is narrated perfectly by Sandie Keane who does a fantastic job of bringing the author’s (Suzanne Rogerson) words to life.’

Just Katherine Blog says ‘…A quick-paced collection of wonderful little stories that are all so different and capture the difficult task of moving on after loss and tragedy. There’s a message that runs through them all: whatever happens, you have to do your best to move on and be strong…’

Bookworm86 shared mini reviews for each story. ‘A beautiful collection of 10 short stories filled with emotion from heartbreak to love, sadness to new beginnings…
📱 ‘The Phone Call’: This story is definitely my favourite one!! It is one of those stories that hit you straight in the gut and will stay witjh me for a long time!’

Jessica’s reading room shared her review ‘Several of the stories deal with death and moving on. Rogerson did a great job with capturing the emotions of a story in just a few words!’

Lis Carey’s Library shared ‘”A Cat-Shaped Hole” is a sweet story of a cat who makes someone’s day brighter, while “Not Just For Christmas” is a story of a family grieving their departed dog deciding it’s time to welcome a new dog into their family. Both brightened my day.’

Niki Preston says ‘I found Suzanne’s writing style was wonderfully creative and really lent itself to this anthology. You really get drawn in and each story feels complete even though they are all short. She definitely gets to the heart of each one with a precision that makes you wonder how on earth she managed to create each differing story with such honesty. A great listen all round.’

Romance that’s out of this world also shared a review saying ‘An eclectic and delightful selection of short stories, which are perfect for listening to when you fancy a few minutes relaxation, or you just want to dip in and out. They range from the slightly eerie to the ‘feelgood’ and ‘cosy’ tale, so there is something for everyone…’

Juliereadzintherockies shared an Instagram post ‘The narrator was lovely as she read through these deep, dark, and passionate stories. I love thrillers but it’s nice to step away and sample something meaningful and touching once in a while.’

A review from MJ Porter says ‘Garden Therapy, with its slight otherworldliness was delightful, and A Mermaid’s Tale was a beautiful account of a young girl coming to terms with the loss of her mother, whereas Catalyst was quite edgy. Not Just for Christmas is a tale many pet owners with feel resonates with them.’

Books we’ve read and loved say ‘I really enjoyed each story. They were like little windows in to different worlds – whole stories in their right but that let you build a world for the characters all of your own. I found myself creating pasts or futures for the characters.’

Storied Conversation was impressed with the narration ‘Sandie Keane did a wonderful job of narrating these stories. I loved her voice and was able to get lost in the stories without having her voice over power them.’

The final review is from Seaside Book Nook. ‘Suzanne Rogerson did a great job pulling me into the story very quickly while telling very touching stories.  The stories cover the three Ls: Life, Love, and Loss. After each story, I was able to reflect on the meaning of the story and how it was connected to one of the three Ls. ‘

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Wow, that was quite a list to go through. A big thank you to everyone who took part, I hope I haven’t missed anyone off.

If you’ve been inspired to check out the audiobook by these wonderful reviews, here’s the link for Audible. Also available on Amazon as ebook, paperback, audio and hardback.

Thanks for reading and have a brilliant weekend.

#Audiobook Blog tour for Love, Loss and Life In Between taking sign ups now

Happy Monday!

I’m just sharing a quick update today. For any audiobook lovers / reviewers, there’s a new blog tour run by Rachel’s Random Resources. Sign ups for this 1 day tour are happening now. You can get the full info here Love, Loss and Life In Between audio blog tour.

The audiobook came out last month and I’m really excited to see what reviewers think. It’s a collection of short stories and has a run time of just over two hours, a perfect listen when you are pushed for time.

Please check out the page above for the full details, a sample and info on how to sign up. The blog tour date is 17th March 2023.

Monthly round up – reading and writing #amreading #amwriting

I am not great at sharing reviews, which is a shame as I know how important they are to authors, so I’ve decided to try a monthly wrap up post to share what I’ve been reading through the month. I also plan to share any progress on my writing projects as well as trying to stick to a quarterly plan.

January Update

Reading

I’ve made a good start to the year and my Goodreads goal of 26. Reading 4 books this month has set me up well.

The Fifth Sun Series by Talis Jones has kept me entertained and I’m looking forward to the final installment.

Writing Romance Novels and Love Stories has given me plenty to think about and work through with The Mermaid Hotel Series.

Rules for dating a Romantic Hero was a quick read and enjoyable. A good choice to get someone into reading who is daunted by bigger books.

Christmas Kisses by Alison May was a great read. I loved how the three novellas were interlinked and how it all came together at the end. Very enjoyable.

Writing

My new audiobook came out in January – Love, Loss and Life In Between. I have free audio codes available for reviewers, so please get in touch.

Romance series

Book 1 has a new title (formerly known as Evie’s Song) – Secrets and Love Songs at The Mermaid Hotel. It really fits the story and the genre. Feedback so far has been brilliant. What do you think?

I’ve also decided that I’ve been mentally putting the book in the wrong category – thinking of it as Contemporary Women’s fiction when it’s closer to the Cosy Seaside Romance genre.

I’m still editing the above and have quite a bit of work to do on the descriptions and layout of the novel.

Other Writing

Starlight Prophecy – No progress

Other writing – Nothing to report.

Other relevant writing news

I have joined the Romantic Novelist Association’s New Writers Scheme, which turned out to be easier than anticipated. It means I can send ‘Secrets and Love Songs at The Mermaid Hotel’ to a reader in March and get new professional eyes on the story.

I have subscribed to Mslexia, the women’s writing magazine and taken out their special Salon membership which has various perks throughout the year.

I have signed up to the RNA’s course ‘Writing a series with a coastal or countryside setting’ taught by Jessica Redland (I’m reading one of her books for the first time and loving it!). I think this course will be really helpful as I plan the rest of The Mermaid Hotel Series.

Plans for February

Books I hope to read this month

Writing projects for February

Complete the latest draft of Secrets and Love Songs at the Mermaid Hotel in preparation for the New Writer’s Scheme.

Write something new for my writing group meeting mid-February.

I think that about sums up my plans for February. Short and sweet!

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

You can follow me on

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You can also join my Newsletter for writing updates and news of promotions.

My first author appearance of 2023 #indieauthor #interview #author

At the weekend I was lucky enough to feature on Becca’s blog – Avoiding reality of books. My interview discusses my writing journey, where I get inspiration and questions about genre amongst other things. See the full interview here.

This is a short post this morning, so don’t forget to check out Becca’s blog where she has her series 7 questions with an author, book reviews and more.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

You can follow me on

Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   Amazon   Facebook Instagram

You can also join my Newsletter for writing updates and news of promotions.

Love, Loss and Life In Between is out in audiobook! #audio #audible #newrelease

I’m excited to announce my latest audiobook is now available on Amazon, Audible and iTunes – narrated by Sandie Keane. It has been a pleasure working with Sandie and I hope you enjoy the result.

You can listen to a sample and read reviews on this universal Amazon link.

Or listen to a sample right here…

Spirit Song Sample via Soundcloud

Don’t forget if you purchase the ebook you can get the audiobook for a discounted price.

Alternatively, I’m looking for reviewers to share their thoughts on the audiobook and have free audio codes to give away. Please get in touch to request this by leaving a comment or using the contact form.

Whether you plan to read or listen to Love, Loss and Life In Between, I hope you enjoy the collection. Do let me know what you think, just like these reviewers did.

Amazon Reviewer – ‘This is a lovely collection of short stories, you can have heart-breaking, heart-warming and shocking moments all in one collection.’

Amazon reviewer – ‘A quick-paced collection of wonderful little stories that are all so different and capture the difficult task of moving on after loss and tragedy…’

Thanks for reading.

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories. All social media links can be found on Linktree

Reading challenge 2023 and my TBR so far #amreading

As it’s the start of the year, it’s time to set myself some reading goals. Last year I was very comfortable with a 25 book target. In 2023 I don’t plan to up it by much, just going for 26 books. I’m hoping that is a practical target to fit around my writing and whatever else the year throws at me.

I have some books carried over from last year that I want to read so I already have an idea of some of my reads. I plan to stay away from Netgalley and requesting books even though it’s a great way to read books by my favourite authors before they are published. Saying that, if the publishers marketing teams contact me, I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist the pull of a shiny new book or two!

My TBR for 2023 so far

Fantasy

Urban Fantasy

Romance

Writing guides

That is just a taster of the books that I’ve wanted to read for a while. I have a ton on my kindle which I haven’t even looked through yet. I’ll see how I go with this lot first.

What do you think of my selection?

Have you set yourself a reading challenge this year? Do you usually meet your targets?

Whatever and however you read, I hope you enjoy lots of books in 2023!

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy, heart-warming romance and short stories

Links to all my socials are on Linktree