Books I read in 2020 #amreading #fantasy #romance

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2020 was a good reading year for me. I set my goal on Goodreads as 15 but I managed to read 30. I haven’t reviewed many of these books, but I hope to do a better job this year.

I love reading people’s wrap up book posts, so I thought I would share my own. Hopefully this will make up for the fact I haven’t done many reviews through 2020.

Fantasy

Daevabad trilogy by S.A Chakraborty – 5 stars. I loved everything about this series. Imaginative, unusual, great setting, wonderful characters. I hope Chakraborty has a new book out soon, definitely up there with my favourite authors.

Firewalker Series by Emma Miles – 5 star series so far. I loved the first two books in the series and plan to make book 3 one of my first reads for 2021. Here’s my review of the series so far.

Fallible Justice by Laura Laakso. A cool start to a Urban Fantasy series that I hope to continue with this year. Here’s my review.

Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine. Last book in the Great Library books and I loved it. 5 stars across the whole series! Don’t know why I didn’t get around to reviewing it. My goodreads review;

The perfect end to the series. I loved reading these books over the last few years but feel it reached a natural and very satisfying conclusion. I imagine the characters having the happy ever after they deserve, at least for a little while!

Origins – Summoner series by Taran Matharu – Enjoyable and quick origin story for younger readers. It entertained me at the time though I’m ashamed to admit I don’t remember much of it. I know my son loved the series a few years ago, so it might be worth revisiting one day.

The Last Wish by Andrezej Sapkowski – I loved the Witcher series on Netflix and although this was a good introduction to the books, I didn’t love it as much as I was hoping too.

Romance

As I started writing a romance series myself in 2020, I challenged myself to read as many romances as I could. I’ve read some really great books but again haven’t reviewed as many as I would like.

Art and Soul by Claire Huston. Very enjoyable, feel good romance Here’s my review.

Escape to the French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas. Another fantastic romance by Jo Thomas. My review.

The Chestnut Tree by Jo Thomas. A sweet novella with Jo Thomas’ usual magic.

Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley. Not a bad read, kept me entertained but I didn’t love it.

The Little Kiosk by the Sea by Jennifer Bohnet. Pretty good read.

Meet me at Beachcomer Bay by Jill Mansell. Very enjoyable story and I will be reading more of Jill Mansell’s books.

Katie’s Cornish Kitchen by Rosie Chambers – Another enjoyable romance that I highly recommend.

Finding Love at the Christmas Market by Jo Thomas – A heart-warming Christmas story. Maybe not quite as great as Jo’s other books but still very, very good!

Other

Children of Sinai by Shelley Clarke – As I state in my review, this is a hard book to put into a category. It is well worth a read though. Check out my review here.

Operation Dawn Wolf by G.J. Stevens. This was a fast paced read, very gripping. Here’s my review.

White Knight, Black Swan – Ross Harding (David Gemmell fantasy legend!) A thriller by the great fantasy author David Gemmell. Despite it not being fantasy, it was still a great read.

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. I was surprisingly hooked by this book. It is worth a read.

Non-fiction

I got really into my non-fiction books towards the end of 2020 and read quite a few on the craft of writing. They are all good and worth a read. I hope to share a bit more of a review on them in the future. For now, here are the covers to show what I’ve been reading…

Nigel by Monty Don – Lovely book about the dogs in Monty’s life. A tearjerker if you’re an animal person.

Astronomy by Patrick Moore – A research book for my Starlight Prophecy series though it wasn’t quite what I was looking for.

And that’s it as far as I can tell. It has been great to look back over my reads and it has inspired me to keep going through 2021. I’ve set my reading goal to 20. Who knows how the year will pan out. I am hoping to do a lot more writing this year and that is more important than anything else right now.

Happy reading and I look forward to sharing more books with you very soon.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any favourites?

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

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Last Chance: Silent Sea Chronicles Box set sale £2.99 #fantasy #epicfantasy

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Happy 2021 everyone!

This is just a super quick reminder that the box set returns to full price at the end of the weekend. Usually £6.99 you can pick up the complete trilogy for only £2.99 worldwide.

Fabulous Saga… it’s well written and utterly magical! (Amazon) Shelley Clarke

Tei has magic in a world where people like her are persecuted and forced into exile. Whilst fleeing their home, her father is attacked and his deathbed confession reveals a dangerous secret that will change her life forever.

Tei’s homeland, the magical island of Kalaya, is dying and without a Sentinel to restore the magic, it’s only a matter of time before all life is wiped out.

She must join the exiles in the search for the lost Sentinel, but they are not the only ones after the missing guardian. Sinister Masked Riders are on their trail and time is running out.

Tei must risk everything she loves to save Kalaya, but is she ready to make that sacrifice?

1396 pages of magic, adventure and intrigue.

This epic fantasy box set contains:
The Lost Sentinel – Book 1
The Sentinel’s Reign – Book 2
The Sentinel’s Alliance – Book 3

Praise for Silent Sea Chronicles…

This is a story about war, magic, and destiny, which you cannot miss. Following the characters during their journeys has been incredible… (Goodreads) Sofia – A book. A thought.

Love this series!!…The Sentinel’s Alliance is an epic conclusion to a fantastic series. (Amazon) Jessica Belmont

What an epic journey this trilogy has been…There are some terrific battle scenes, with massive shocks, and mouth dropping moments that I just hadn’t seen coming, all delivered with Rogerson perfection. (Amazon top 1000 reviewer. Vine Voice) Susan Hampson

Rogerson has managed to craft together a fantasy trilogy that is simultaneously complex and quick. So many layers and twists are woven throughout the books and yet it never feels too heavy, the pace moves at a determined clip and action holds one’s attention captive. (Amazon) Angela – Pooled Ink Reviews

£2.99 worldwide book link

Happy New Year and a quick review of 2020 #amwriting #amreading

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When I think back over 2020 I’m tempted to say it’s been a wasted year and I’ve achieved nothing, but when I look deeper I realise there are still things to celebrate and be thankful for.

Firstly (and most importantly)

I am lucky to have my health and my family and friends have thus far avoided catching Covid-19. Those few that have had the virus are still fighting fit. Hopefully this continues, and with two vaccines now approved in the UK, I hope we will all soon see the back of this virus and the disruption it has caused across the world.

Writing in 2020

Although I have no published books to boast about this year, I did manage to have two audiobooks produced in 2020 and that is all down to the hard work of my talented narrator George Ellington. The Lost Sentinel came out in September and The Sentinel’s Reign in December. Some very positive reviews have already come in and I have a blog blitz planned in January.

One thing I am hugely excited about is the 9 book romance novella series I began planning and writing in 2020. Yes, that’s right, 9 books!

I will share more about this in my plans for 2021 blog post, coming soon.

Another project I’m excited about working on in 2021 is The Starlight Prophecy. It’s a new fantasy series. Again I’ll share more about this soon, but I’m hoping to get two of the three books published in 2021! Set your sights high, right!

Reading in 2020

I doubled my goal of reading 15 books with a mix of fantasy, romance and non-fiction. I’ve read some cracking books and discovered new authors that I will be following closely and buying everything they write. I’m still hoping to blog about the books I read in 2020 and share my favourites so watch this space.

I did a lot of reading about the writing craft in 2020. I’ve found some great reference books as well as re-reading others. It’s been good to focus on the craft again, especially as I’ve decided to take my writing in a new direction with the romance series. Again, I hope to share more info about these books in another post.

For now I just want to wish you all a Happy New Year. No matter how quiet our celebrations must be this year, we can still see in 2021 with a smile.

Roll on the new year, I’m ready for you!

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

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Merry Christmas. My gift to you a box set for £2.99

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I hope everyone is well and attempting to make the best of a bad situation. 2020 has been hard and the hopes for a normal Christmas for many in the UK have been taken away at short notice. I’m sad not to be able to spend the day with my parents but completely support the decision. All we can do is look forward to a time when things can get back to normal.

I’m determined to keep positive and part of that for me is making plans to start publishing again in 2021. Very soon I will share these plans with you; I find it helps to record my goals, hoping by some miracle that telling the world will somehow make me stick to them!

Over the festive period I also want to share the books I’ve enjoyed in both fiction and non-fiction. I’ve smashed my target of 15 on Goodreads – I think by the end of the year I’ll have doubled that target.

For now I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I’ve also decided to discount my Silent Sea Chronicles box set to £2.99 worldwide for the rest of the year.

‘This is an amazing and epic fantasy trilogy, which will take you on an exciting, gripping and emotional journey!‘

Tei has magic in a world where people like her are persecuted and forced into exile. Whilst fleeing their home, her father is attacked and his deathbed confession reveals a dangerous secret that will change her life forever.

Tei’s homeland, the magical island of Kalaya, is dying and without a Sentinel to restore the magic, it’s only a matter of time before all life is wiped out.

She must join the exiles in the search for the lost Sentinel, but they are not the only ones after the missing guardian. Sinister Masked Riders are on their trail and time is running out.

Tei must risk everything she loves to save Kalaya, but is she ready to make that sacrifice?

1396 pages of magic, adventure and intrigue.

This epic fantasy box set contains:
The Lost Sentinel – Book 1
The Sentinel’s Reign – Book 2
The Sentinel’s Alliance – Book 3

Amazon universal link

Happy Christmas.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   AmazonFacebook    Instagram

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

#Newrelease #Audiobook The Sentinel’s Reign bk 2 #fantasy #Tuesdaybookblog

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I’m excited to announce that Book 2 in Silent Sea Chronicles, The Sentinel’s Reign is out now in audio! It’s available in the usual places, Amazon, Audible US, Audible UK and iTunes.

If you’re looking for something to do over the Christmas break, how about diving into an epic fantasy audiobook?

‘I first read this book on Kindle and I loved it, I jumped at the chance to get this book on audible and to get it for free was even better! I absolutely love this book and cannot wait for the second in the series. There are so many questions that need to be answered. The narrator was really good and well suited to this story. He has an awesome voice and fantastic pacing.’ – The Lost Sentinel audio reviewed by Shawna

Here’s a sample for you to enjoy

The Sentinel’s reign is doomed to failure unless Tei can prevent the Kalayan people from plunging into war.

With the new Sentinel initiated and the magic restored on Kalaya, life is flourishing for Tei and the exiles. But Rathnor’s plans for war soon escalate and thwart any chance of peace.

Brogan’s position on the Assembly is uncertain as rumours circulate that he is an exile spy.

After an attempt on his life, Farrell is more determined than ever to build a home for his people on Stone Haven. But the council have their sights set on Kalaya and Farrell struggles to steer them from war.

As trouble brews within and outside forces gather against them, can the exiles keep their hold on the magic, or will this spell the end of Kalaya and its people?

***

If you haven’t listened to book 1, The Lost Sentinel is also available on Audible and you can read both books on your audible subscription. The Lost Sentinel    Audible   Amazon Audiobook.

Fancy a reviewer’s copy? Please get in touch.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   Amazon Facebook    Instagram You can also join my Newsletter for writing updates and news of promotions.

Release Day IS HERE

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Today is the day GJ Stevens’ trilogy is complete with the publication of book 3 – After The End. See this post for information on a special deal to pick up book 1 free for a limited time.
I’ve really enjoyed the series so far, so please check it out now.

GJ Stevens's avatarGJ Stevens

AFTER THE END releases today and signifies the completion of the IN THE END series You can grab your Kindle, Kindle Unlimited or paperback copy from Amazon now. You can even purchase a signed copy directly from my website!

If you’ve not read any of the books in the series yet and fast-paced action and adventure is your thing then grab a free copy of the first book in the series, IN THE END. But beware, it’s only free for a limited time!

Although the series is complete, I plan to release at least one novella in the same world in the coming months.

Having barely survived leading the children to the military doctors and their promise of safety, and with Cassie still alive despite the creature’s bite, Logan’s thoughts turn to finding their own sanctuary.

When the hospital soon comes under attack, not only from the…

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Audio blog tour round up for The Lost Sentinel #fantasy #audiobook

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The audio tour for The Lost Sentinel ran last week from 8th to 15th November. A big thanks to Jess the Audiobookworm for organising everything.

Today I wanted to share the finalised schedule and links to all the blogs involved. Thank you to these lovely people who shared audio samples, author and narrator interviews, reviews and spotlight features. I certainly found George’s interview interesting, it’s not everyday you get to hear from a narrator’s perspective. Click on the links below to find out more.

Nov. 8th:

Westveil Publishing (Review)
Sadie’s Spotlight (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt)

‘…oh my goodness, I must gush about this voice! George Ellington’s smooth Scottish accent gave the story a medieval highland feel that I think suited it very well. Criticize the world-building for being simply “medieval Europe but magic” if you wish, but I didn’t mind at all, and I couldn’t imagine a more appropriate regional accent to bring this story to life. Even if I hadn’t enjoyed the story, I would have listened to the end just to hear Mr. Ellington keep reading it!’ Quote from Westveil review link above…

Nov. 9th:

Nesie’s Place (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Nov. 10th:

Jazzy Book Reviews (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
4 the Love of Audiobooks (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)

Nov. 11th:

A Wonderful World of Words (Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
Audiobook News (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt)

Nov. 12th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews (Spotlight)
Super Booked! (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Review from Dab of Darkness to follow.

Nov. 13th:

Eileen Troemel (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Nov. 14th:

2 Girls & A Book (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
T’s Stuff (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)
Rockin’ Book Reviews (Review)

‘The Narrator, George Ellington, did a fantastic job narrating. He truly made the scenes “come to life”.‘ Quote from Rockin’ Book Reviews

Nov. 15th:

I’m Into Books (Spotlight)
Teatime and Books (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview

The Lost Sentinel audiobook is available at Audible and Amazon Audiobook.

It’s been great to see my book appearing on so many blogs and I can’t wait to see book 2’s release. The Sentinel’s Reign should be out in December! We are just waiting for ACX to do their checks.

If your a reviewer or blogger and missed out on the chance to join this blog tour, fear not! There is another blog blitz coming up in January over on Rachel’s Random Resources. Sign up here.

Finally, here’s a book trailer for a little taste of George Ellington’s narrating skills. Don’t forget to check the links above to listen to a special sample of The Lost Sentinel.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   Amazon Facebook    Instagram

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

Book Review: Silent Sea Chronicles Box Set by Suzanne Rogerson

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I just had to share this great review about my box set Silent Sea Chronicles over on Cat’s blog.

‘Review:  This is an amazing and epic fantasy trilogy, which will take you on an exciting, gripping and emotional journey! The Silent Sea Chronicles follows the lives of the people living on the different islands of the Silent Sea, particularly two islands, and clashing of those who are magical and those without magic. Each book has its own epic adventure and a good conclusion and will leave you both satisfied but eager to read more in this wonderfully written series.’ Click anywhere on this paragraph to check out the full post.

Happy belated birthday to Visions of Zarua! #fantasy #epicfantasy #birthdaygiveaway

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I can’t believe I almost missed this huge milestone; Visions of Zarua is now 5 years old! Thanks facebook for reminding me.

I’ve been a bit distracted this week as my gorgeous puppy has been spayed and I’ve been like a neurotic mother watching over her. Thankfully she seems to be bouncing back and is almost her usual self. I know she can’t wait to get back to the park and play with her ball!

To celebrate the 5th birthday of my debut fantasy, Visions of Zarua, I wanted to give away a few copies to eager readers.

If you fancy an ebook or audiobook, just drop me a comment and I’ll be in touch. I would love an honest review once you’ve had time to read / listen, but there is no obligation. I just want to spread some birthday love.

Mini blurb

An ancient darkness haunts the realm and only Paddren can defeat it. Shunned by the Royal Order of Wizards, he must rely on his friends for help. He’s guided by a connection to a long dead wizard who holds the key to what happened in the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren solve the mystery and decipher his visions before the dark menace of Zarua’s past is unleashed?

Over the last 5 years Visions of Zarua has been well received by readers and reviewers with an average star rating of around 4.4.

Recent Reviews

Dab of Darkness audio review – ‘The world building is captivating, the characters engaging, and the plot full of suspense…’

Lexi – Amazon review ‘…I loved the style that was created and the medieval lore. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good mystery fantasy book.’

In 2019 the audiobook came out here’s a trailer produced by the brilliant narrator Guy Barnes.

The Czech edition also came out in October 2019 in the Pendragon world fantasy series alongside my writing hero Robin Hobb! I visited the bookshops in Prague and went to my publishers to sign some copies, though thinking back it all seems so surreal now.

As my debut novel, Visions of Zarua will always be special to me and I hope on its 10th birthday I’ll still feel the same. For now, I’ll leave you with one of my favourite pictures of Poppy showing Visions some love. Sadly, Poppy is no longer with us, but this picture still makes me smile.

If you are interested in finding out more please check out these links for Visions of Zarua on Amazon, Audible or  iTunes.

And if you want a free birthday copy of the ebook or audiobook, just let me know.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   Amazon Facebook    Instagram

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

The Lost Sentinel – Audiobook tour starts today. Plus FREE ebook offer. http://mybook.to/LostSentinel

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Happy weekend everyone, or what’s left of it.

Today marks the start of the audio blog tour for The Lost Sentinel run by Audiobookworm.

To celebrate I’ve set up the ebook to be free for the next 5 days only, just follow the Amazon link.

Did you know, if you pick up the ebook for free, you can get the audiobook at a huge discount on Amazon or Audible.

A review has already gone up ‘…The Start of a Wonderful Journey…’ See the 5 star review here on Westveil Publishing’s blog.

Here’s the schedule for the tour;

Nov. 8th:
Westveil Publishing (Review)
Sadie’s Spotlight (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt)

Nov. 9th:
Rockin’ Book Reviews (Review)
Nesie’s Place (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Nov. 10th:
Jazzy Book Reviews (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
4 the Love of Audiobooks (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)

Nov. 11th:
A Wonderful World of Words (Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
Audiobook News (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt)

Nov. 12th:
Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews (Review, Spotlight)
Super Booked! (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Nov. 13th:
Karma Readz (Review, Author Interview)
Eileen Troemel (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Nov. 14th:
2 Girls & A Book (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
T’s Stuff (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Narrator Interview)

Nov. 15th:
I’m Into Books (Spotlight)
Teatime and Books (Spotlight, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)

I’ll be back soon with the tour highlights.

Stay happy and stay safe!

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   Amazon Facebook    Instagram

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