Monthly Archives: December 2021

Writing achievements in 2021 #amwriting #amediting #indieauthor

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2021 was a huge disappointment in many ways, not least because it just seemed to disappear without anything happening.

There were some good things that happened and my big event was being a finalist in the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2021.

The Lost Sentinel came 12th, just short of receiving a prize, but it is still a great achievement and I’m proud to be able to display this badge on my blog.

As for the rest of my writing, I did manage to meet some of the deadlines I set myself last year but I didn’t manage to publish anything. However, let’s not focus on the bad but the good. Here goes…

Romance

I drafted the first three books in my Mermaid Hotel Romance Series – Evie’s Song, A.J’s Legacy and Love in Degrees (working titles). There are still plenty of notes to work through at the editing stage, but I’m hoping to finish them in 2022. Plus plans for the next 3 books in the series are whirring away at the back of my mind.

Fantasy

I’ve reworked my Starlight Prophecy Series and will have two full books rather than a novella prequel and a dual timeline story. This format should be a lot less complicated for the reader and for me to write!

Short Stories

I have finished three short stories based in the worlds of my fantasy novels and have printed them in booklet form to sell at events. Early in 2022 I plan to publish them on Kindle and giveaway to my newsletter subscribers.

I have also produced a booklet of short stories but I want to write some more before I publish these on kindle.

Courses

I completed two online courses, the Curtis Brown Creative Romance course led by Jenny Colegan and Romantic Novel Association’s Fantasy Worldbuilding course led by Ruth Long. Both of these courses were great fun and I feel as though I’ve learnt a lot from them.

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I think that is about it for now. All there is left to say is Happy New Year. Let’s hope 2022 is a wonderful year for everyone.

I’ll follow up with my plans for the new year very soon.

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

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Goodreads Challenge 2021 complete #fantasy #romance #netgalley

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In 2021 I set a target of reading 20 books. I’m pleased to say at the time of writing this I have read 32 and will hopefully get the chance to finish another by the end of the year.

Since deciding to write a romance series I’ve been devouring romance books, especially those by my fav authors in the genre Sue Moorcroft, Jo Thomas and Jill Mansell. I’ve also discovered some new authors I can’t wait to read more of. I’ve read a lot of books through Netgalley this year, which is a wonderful way to read new books, but not great at clearing my TBR pile.

I’m disappointed to see that I haven’t read much fantasy, but those I have read have been brilliant.

I read a few non-fiction about writing and nature and I’ve tried a classic which I had to DNF because I just didn’t care at all about the characters. I might go back and try to read the end at some point.

So here is my list of books split into genres for easy reference and links to my reviews where available.

Fantasy

Book Reviews;
The Sixth Fire
Raven Storm
Mageborn
The Sword of Kaigen Review

Romance

Sue Moorcroft

Book Reviews
A Home in the Sun
Under the Italian Sun
Christmas Wishes
Review to follow

Jo Thomas

Book Reviews
Celebrations at the Chateau
Chasing the Italian Dream
Winter Beneath the Stars

Jill Mansell

Lilac Mills

Book Reviews
Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell
Tanglewood teashop

Jenny Colegan

Other great authors

Book Reviews
Elle’s A to Z of Love
A Bookshop Christmas
The Hotel ay Honeymoon Station
The River Between Us
Summer Kisses at Mermaid Point

Writing Guide

Other Genres

Book Reviews
Capital Action
Beginning of the End

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I’ll share my favourite books of 2021 in another post.

Have you beat your Goodreads challenge? Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think.

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

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#Bookreview Mageborn – The Hollow King book 1 by Jessica Thorne @JessThorneBooks #Fantasy

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An excellent fantasy. Mageborn is one of those books you start and know you are going to love from the first page. And look at this gorgeous cover…

Blurb

A dark and addictive fantasy read for fans of Graceling and Sarah J. Maas. The life of an orphan soldier becomes entwined with that of the mysterious heir to the throne, whose very presence draws out the secret magic living inside her: a magic that breaks every law she is duty-bound to uphold…

The room is small and dark. Row upon row of jars line the shelves, each one sealed with blood-red wax. The seal’s mark is a twisted circle of briar with gleaming, gold-tipped thorns. And in each jar a flicker of forbidden magic dances… beautiful, but deadly.

Sold to the Crown in the aftermath of the Last Great War, Grace Marchant has never known her parents. Now, she trains as an elite soldier tracking down mageborn – those born with an ancient and long-outlawed magic – and destroying them if they don’t surrender their power to the Crown.

The mageborn who submit are collared, then handed over to the King’s cousin and heir: the elusive Bastien Larelwynn, Lord of Thorns, locked away in his shadowy workshop deep inside the castle. What becomes of them is hard to say – the Lord of Thorns keeps his secrets close.

Grace has always fought the voice inside her that questions whether the law is truly just – but when her closest friend is next on Bastien’s list, Grace’s loyalties are tested to the limit. Confronting Bastien – searching his strangely compelling obsidian-black eyes for answers – Grace is shocked to feel herself begin to change, to show the first signs of the wild magic she so fears.

Only the Lord of Thorns has the power to save her and the rest of the mageborn – if he doesn’t destroy them all first…

My Review

I actually read this book a few months ago and didn’t realise I hadn’t shared a review until I was looking through my Goodreads list for 2021.

Mageborn is so good that I can’t let it slip by without sharing a quick recommendation to all fantasy readers. It has a compelling storyline with plenty of mystery and the magic is excellently described. The whole world building is a great strength of the book (no wonder the author is teaching classes on it for the RNA!). I haven’t read anything by Jessica Thorne before so I was very happy to discover a new author to follow.

I loved the main characters, Grace and Bastien, and the turbulent relationship between them. The fact the story was told from their alternating viewpoints really strengthened my connection to them and I was desperate for them to join forces in more ways than one!

There are many twists and turns in the plot and I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. It was an absorbing read and the ending didn’t disappoint. I’ve already bought the second book and hope to read it asap in 2022. I really hope Jessica Thorne writes book 3 soon.

Check out Mageborn for yourself on Goodreads

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

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The Sixth Fire – Children of Sinai II by Clarke Nixon #bookreview #fiction

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Brilliant sequel!

Blurb

Hope Meadows is now a thriving community of survivors, following the world-changing revelations made by The Fathers. They live and work together to follow the guidelines set down for a kinder, more tolerant future, and their number is growing every day.

A Ute medicine woman inherits the double-edged gift of visions of her own, and, following their confusing messages, she leads her diminished group to Hope Meadows. It becomes clear that an ancestor’s prophecy, and those of the old tribes, is to become a reality… but they come with one final warning for mankind. Their ancestors, and those of the Hope Meadows founders, are inextricably linked, and their communities must now work together to preserve the world for which they have fought.

But old enemies are gradually building their plans against them, and all too soon they realise that the solution could prove as deadly as the threat.

My Review

I loved the start of the second book where we meet and follow some new characters and see events that happened in book 1 through their eyes and the awful impact it had on their lives. I loved Rose and Joe, but I think the star of the whole book for me was Nita the medicine woman who plays a huge part in the unfolding story of the survivors. I loved her scenes with Doron too.

It was also great to be back at Hope Meadows to see how the characters are coping with the realities of their new lives. I loved meeting up with the twins again and seeing how their powers are being honed for the good of the growing community of survivors. There are plenty of shocks and surprises in book two and plenty of new revelations. It was an entertaining read.

I have to say I was sad to finish The Sixth Fire. There is plenty of scope for further books in the series, so I really hope the authors are working on a sequel right now!

I was given a ARC copy. This review is an honest reflection of my thoughts on what is a very different and entertaining series.

Check it out on Amazon

Link to review of Book 1 Children of Sinai

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

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New release from GJ Stevens – The Gemini Assignment #spy #thriller @stevens_gj

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Exciting news!

Book 3 in the Agent Carrie Harris spy thriller series came out on 10th December 2021. I’ve enjoyed the prequel and first book in the series (links to my reviews below) and I look forward to catching up with the rest of the series in 2022.

Here’s the blurb for book 3…

The Gemini Assignment

Only hours after stepping from a plane, and still reeling from the turmoil of her last assignment (LESSON LEARNED), Agent Carrie Harris’s journey to headquarters is interrupted when the Operation Centre task her to hunt down something so sensitive they can’t even tell her about it.

Carrie is under no illusion that her second official assignment would be easy, but little did she know, whilst hunting down the first clue, a childhood she’d consigned to a distant memory would confront her in a way only helpful to the enemy.

Distracted by a time she’d thought she’d forgotten, Agent Harris battles to concentrate on the hunt leading her across London and onwards to the suburbs, hoping to stay one step ahead of rivals intent on getting to the prize first.

Despite a constant concern that if she doesn’t succeed so many could die, including an innocent who’d become so important to her, the chase takes her over the ocean where her fears seem as if they have come true. Can our hero stay focused enough to see if she’s a match for the evil she’s confronted with and return what was stolen, or will Carrie lose everything she holds dear, including her life?

For fans of John Wick, Jack Reacher, Sydney Bristow and Eve Polastri from Killing Eve.

Plus the series has brand new covers which look awesome. Book 3 has already received some great reviews which you can check on these links below;

UK: https://amzn.to/3GjfN5v

US: https://amzn.to/3lI7tEu

Official author site – https://gj-stevens.square.site

My review of Book 1 Operation Dawn Wolf

My review of the Novella Capital Action

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think.

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

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Elle’s A to Z of Love by Claire Huston #romance #bookreview

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A very enjoyable romance that keeps you guessing in the love interest sakes.

Blurb

Haileybrook, a beautiful village in the peaceful Cotswolds countryside, is most people’s idea of heaven on earth.

It should be easy, but every time she packs her bags for exotic adventures, old loves and loyalties pull her back.

Will Elle be forced to forget her dreams of far-flung places and epic romance, or can she grab one last chance to have it all?

An uplifting, romantic story about friends, family and the relationships that make a place a home. 

My review

Firstly, isn’t this a pretty cover!

I really enjoyed my visit to Haileybrook but felt for Elle – no matter how much she wanted to escape her childhood home, life and fate always intervened.

This was a very enjoyable romance, the kind that keeps you guessing if the couple that are meant to be together will ever admit their feelings for each other. The book is filled with entertaining characters, unexpected situations and keeps you turning the pages wanting to know what happens next.

I enjoyed Elle’s journey of discovery and I recommend this book to all romance readers.

Also, I must just mention the title – I didn’t realise it’s significance until quite late in the book. It’s very clever.

You can add it to your goodreads shelf.

See my review of Claire Huston’s previous book Art and Soul – another great romance.

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

You can follow me on

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