Self Published

Wilthaven By Oli Jacobs| Review

June 26, 2020 Yvonne 2 Comments

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

51Crpu2GM9L - Wilthaven By Oli Jacobs| Review

Wilthaven by Oli Jacobs
Published by Self Published Genres: Horror, Occult & Supernatural, Supernatural, Comedy
Pages: 433
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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five stars - Wilthaven By Oli Jacobs| Review

Welcome to Wilthaven!

A quiet English town that thrives on local produce, old fashioned values, and survival against the rule of an Eldritch Abomination. Here, you will enjoy endless walks, soothing sounds, forceful avatars, and the kind of joys that only an English township can bring!

(Please note: this dossier has been compiled by the BPD based on materials found relating to P1983 - or Wilthaven as you know it. Treat every sentence, word, image, and syllable with the utmost paranoia. Be safe.)

Wilthaven is a horror comedy by Oli Jacobs, who previously mined scares & chuckles from the likes of The Children of Little Thwopping, Filmic Cuts, and Bad Sandwich. As always, he hopes you enjoy.

Wilthaven, what a fucking ride you were! This book encapsulates everything that indie published can offer. Would I have heard of it if I weren’t approached to review? No. Did I enjoy the tale told, absofuckinglutely? The title of the book gives nothing away – a world with rolling hills, luscious green grass, stunning lakes and an evil that rules over them all. Not exactly a utopia but you can’t deny that you aren’t intrigued. A deep and compelling story with writing as sharp as a tack. With a synopsis that pulls you in like a long-awaited fish, my kindle was gripped beyond an inch of its life.

“The World is a treacherous one. A man who walks into the unknown without considering all aspects is a man set on preparing for his own funeral.”

This was most definitely a book within a book. Wilthaven felt like something entirely new. It was fresh and unique and the horror purveyor within me was awakened with a renewed sense of vigour – I lapped it up, well inhaled is probably a more accurate description. Oli Jacobs knew the ingredients to make a horror cocktail but somewhere along the way he discovered a secret ingredient and blew it clean out of the park.

The opening gave us the necessary introduction to the BPD investigation into Wilthaven given the designation P1983. It is based within a P-Class dimension. The investigation spans from 1960 – present day and has been led by three agents and they present various documents of evidence, from posters, police reports to radio transmissions. The effect was outstandingly good. I loved the spooks feel I got from immersing myself into the book’s pages. It was a genius idea, but I was fearful that from such a powerful start that we would find out too much too quickly. Have no fear you are in incredibly safe hands with Oli Jacobs.

The incredible plot instantly starts messing with you. Its an intricate idea that just brings Goosebumps to my skin just thinking about it. Take the disappearances. The logical brain wants to find a reasonable explanation but what happens when there just isn’t one? Forget rules of physics and relativity in Wilthaven because nothing is as it seems. Jacobs has crafted a world that can possibly only exist in the craziest of imaginations (in a good way). Absorbing it all is an out of body experience. What lies beneath the story, the themes, and the narration? He tells a deeper tale of how humanity and evil can exist in parallel until a lure beckon from within.

Wierd? Well, that’s why I say come to Wilthaven, my friend! Have some proper local ale, some proper local food, and try not to be killed or worse by Hq’tar.”

Wilthaven is diabolical, intelligent, and unnerving. I read it cover to cover in just over six hours, it was utterly unputdownable. So propulsive and original.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

download 3 - Wilthaven By Oli Jacobs| Review

Oli Jacobs is a writer of words. Sometimes they are very short, sometimes they are very long. Overall, though, they are worth the power of your eyeballs. These words take on the form of twisted tales about manic decadents, adventurous spacemen, and terrifying horrors in the darkness.

Either way, he hopes you enjoy these words, and will join him on his journey down the crazy paving of creativity.

Oli can be found on Twitter as @olijacobsauthor, or located on Facebook at Facebook.com/OJBooks

Blog Tour| A King’s Bargain (Legend of Tal) By J.D.L. Rosell

June 10, 2020 Yvonne 1 Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

53300787. SY475 - Blog Tour| A King's Bargain (Legend of Tal) By J.D.L. Rosell

A King's Bargain (Legend Of Tal) by J.D.L. Rosell
Published by Self Published on June !st 2020
Genres: epic fantasy, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Fantasy
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Author
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Goodreads

four half stars - Blog Tour| A King's Bargain (Legend of Tal) By J.D.L. Rosell

The legend of Tal Harrenfel is sung across the Westreach - and with each telling, the tales grow taller. But though he’s declared a hero by his King, Tal has never claimed to be more than a man...

After three decades of fighting warlocks, killing mythical beasts, and hunting enchanted treasure, Tal has had enough. Running from the deeds of his past, he retreats to his home village under a different name and meets an unlikely companion: Garin, a village boy who dreams of making a name for himself and seeing the world beyond their sleepy town.

When Tal receives a mysterious visitor, both he and Garin find themselves thrown into a sojourn across the kingdom. Soon, they become embroiled in the plots of monarchs, on the frontlines of an ancient war, and at the mercy of a fabled sorcerer.

Now Tal must live up to his legend, and Garin discover his own power, to survive the forces pitted against them…

Name of the Wind meets Witcher in A KING'S BARGAIN, an intertwining sword and sorcery adventure and coming of age tale. If you like The Wheel of Time, The Dragonbone Chair, or The Stormlight Archive, you’ll love the captivating world of LEGEND OF TAL!

I’m honoured to be apart of the blog tour for A King’s Bargain organised by the lovely ladies at Storytellers on tour. They are passionate about Indie Fantasy and it shows in their hard work at putting these amazing tours together.

A King’s Bargain immediately gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling that I have so far only been awarded from very few Epic Fantasy stories. The world building was deep and complex and the introduction to the world was like falling through a portal and being immersed in the magical world first-hand. It is a fantastical piece of fiction that would be a perfect introduction to the immersive land of fantasy. The author has the perfect formula in his epic fantasy cauldron – a concise amount of characters, a vibrant world with endless possibilities and we were given the rare experience of having all the information at our fingertips…I didn’t feel that my questions were left unanswered. What I did have was a thirst for the next instalment, like yesterday!

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It only takes a few pages to conclude on whether a book is going to be a good fit for the reader. Well, let me tell you – the author blew it clean out of the park. I was in rapt attention by the end of the first chapter. I was all in! immediately I was given the sense of impending anticipation, mystique and my head was strapped in and prepared for a hell of a ride!

We make our introductions in Hunts Hollow, a quaint little village with quaint characters to match. A King’s Bargain’s protagonist, Garin is a small villager boy that has dreams and aspirations beyond the small town. He wants more for his life; he wants to see what the big old world has to offer. He imagines the sights he could see, if only he had the means to get out there…Garin works on a mysterious man called Brannin Cairn’s chicken farm – who is also not particularly good at chicken farming! Life is extremely uneventful until the moment Bran is graced with a visit from a stranger. Just how do Bran and the stranger know each other’s acquaintance?

What I particularly loved about A King’s Bargain was the author’s ability to suck us in with its vivid realism. Despite the magic and ethereal feel to the narrative, you could imagine meeting these intriguing characters from all walks of life, and within life, serious shit happens but we are also afforded the beauty of life too – the landscapes, the celebration of love and life and we also have humorous tales thrown in. Life is rarely all black and white.

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The interaction between this stranger and Bran becomes all-consuming for Garin – the talk quickly turns to magic! The visitor turns out to be Aelyn, who has brought the Kings command to bring Bran back to him. This is Garin’s biggest opportunity to see more of the world that he has dreamt about. Bran asks him to accompany him and Garin chews his hand off, albeit with the resulting guilt of leaving his family behind. The book leads us in a new direction, following Bran, Aelyn and Garin on their adventure to the Kingdom of Avendor. The path is littered with dangers – evil spirits and magical beings and I was in my element!

This book had absolutely everything that I love in Epic Fantasy. It was fast paced and totally captivating. The action kept emerging from the pages and slapping me around the face – my body was wrecked and shattered from the ride the author took me on. I was also overjoyed that the story included Elves – my favourite fantasy race! Their motivations and insights brought a heightened clarity to the overall story.

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A King’s Bargain was fantastical. The political intrigue reminded me of A Song of Ice and Fire, but this book is more than capable of standing on its own two feet! It takes a sharp mind to pen a novel that is as ambitious as this and pull it off beyond all expectations. He didn’t choose the easy path and the trail of crumbs he left behind will leave behind a walking shadow. Make room for this on your shelves because it is a must read!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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J.D.L. Rosell is the author of the dark epic fantasy series The Famine Cycle, the fast-paced LitRPG/Gamelit series The Everlands, and the sword-and-sorcery series Legend of Tal. He also writes some serialized books, including the Nordic epic fantasy The Frozen Throne.

Previously, J.D.L. Rosell earned an MA in creative writing and has written as a ghostwriter. Always drawn to the outdoors, he gets out into nature whenever he can and indulges in his hobbies of hiking and photography. But most of the time, he can be found curled up with a good book at home with his fiancée and two cats, Zelda and Abenthy.

J.D.L. Rosell Website

Blog Tour: Wizard Ring by Clare Blanchard

January 23, 2020 Yvonne 4 Comments

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

47903260. SY475 - Blog Tour: Wizard Ring by Clare Blanchard

Wizard Ring by Clare Blanchard
Published by Self Published on August 25th 2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 284
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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three stars - Blog Tour: Wizard Ring by Clare Blanchard

three stars - Blog Tour: Wizard Ring by Clare Blanchard

I knew nothing about the alchemist John Dee until one winter's night in Prague when I met the ghost of a barber.
My name is Sylvia. I was just a burnt-out teacher with a subversive sense of humour. Then my mother gave me a magic ring made in the Prague workshop of John Dee.
I've never been the same since.

Wizard Ring is a tale of a magical ring. It is steeped in mystery and intrigue. It was made in Prague and it has the ability to influence events and people around it. Unfortunately, these events aren’t always positive. What would you do if you were given the opportunity to harness a rings power to change events or people’s actions? Would you grab it with both hands or would you turn it down, knowing that it’s power would likely lead to some pretty dire consequences. Navigating the waters of this decision shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is the plight that Sylvia, our main character is faced with. What will the sacrifice be?

Sylvia has had a lifetime of knockbacks. A religious studies teacher, with a struggle to have any credence in her field of teaching. A bit of a battle-axe for a mother that appears to have been more than a little cold towards her daughter. She believes she has finally landed on her feet with her position in prestigious boarding school. Unfortunately, it all appears to have fallen flat. The headmistress isn’t interested in addressing concerns that she believes are below her station. Her position seems untenable. She has major concerns but with an unapproachable situation. Will the Wizard Ring solve her problems?

Life is about to take a turn when she finds out she is the inheritor of a seriously powerful ring. It was created by a legendary British alchemist. The story takes us on a journey of historical proportions, a woman trying to find her way in the world. Will this ring provide a necessary sense of stability that she has been craving in her career for many years. This seems like a great instrument to basically getting what you want, but, at what cost? Could it have implications in other areas of Sylvia’s world?

The story is a heart-warming tale of family and the dominion of bullies. It was a quick and entertaining read with the added elements of good vs evil. The familial relationships with Sylvia’s son and her mother added a necessary human element to the story and developed connections with the readers. It was highly entertaining. The author’s writing style was engaging and had moments of knife edge drama.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Originally from the North Yorkshire coast in England, Clare Blanchard spent half her lifetime in Czechia in Central Europe, where her books are mainly set. Inspired by noir fiction, her settings are often like another character in the plot. She writes crime mysteries and dark urban fantasy with a historical twist.

Clare loves beautiful landscapes and architecture, cross-country skiing, the wine of South Moravia, and of course Czech beer. When she’s not being literary she knits funky socks.

www.clareblanchard.com

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBcrime

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

Website: www.clareblanchard.com

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

Tales of Unexplained Mystery by Steph Young

December 30, 2019 Yvonne 1 Comment

Tales Of Unexplained Mystery by Steph Young
Published by Self Published on November 27th 2019
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 190
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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four stars - Tales of Unexplained Mystery by Steph Young

Tales of Mystery Unexplained.... Do you love Unexplained, cryptic, and intriguing & mysteries? Why was a man found in the same spot he disappeared, but 4 years later, with a hole in his head that no surgeons could explain, and what did this have to do with a séance, doppelgangers, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?

Why did a man write the Fibonacci sequence as a clue and tell a stranger he was “Looking for the Beast,” before he disappeared in the barren plains of a desert?

Why did five boys run from their car into the snowy wilderness, to certain death, yet not try to save themselves, at all? They found food but did not eat it. What were they running from? And why?

Who are Hecate? And what did they have to do with people disappearing in the countryside of England?

How did an introverted lady die on the top of an ancient fairy mound, on a remote island: her face locked in an expression of terror?

Why did a man die of fright atop a coal pile after disappearing for days, and why could no scientists identify the strange ointment found on his body? Where had he been? And what had happened to him?

How could a man be found after a plane crash, lying on a moor, with no injuries at all; yet his body had not been there when the plane had crashed and searchers had combed the area multiple times looking for him.

Also featuring an in-depth investigation into the strange death of Elisa Lam, found dead in a water tower on the top of a hotel roof in LA. Who were the two men who came to see her, and what was in the mystery box they gave her?

Steph Young has appeared on national radio shows and podcast including the UK's The Unexplained, and Coast to Coast Am, talking about many of these mysteries of the Unexplained, which are her passion... These stories are some of the most intriguing, enigmatic, and ultimately unfathomable & unexplained true tales I have ever come across and they continue to fascinate and completely puzzle me.

Join me for some true tales of Unexplained mysteries of the most cryptic kind. In this book are strange and baffling true stories of unexplained mysteries, and the cast of characters who star in them. Stories of unexplained mysteries that yearn to be solved. All of these strange and curious stories, I have written about over the last six years, across a number of my previous books. They continue to intrigue me, and while some of my readers may be familiar with some of these cryptic tales, there are many who are not, and I present them once more, in longer and far more extended format, with deeper delving into the strange and mysterious events and the central characters who feature in them, caught in the whirlwind of these strange unexplained mysteries… which still have yet to be solved.

Review

that moment when you receive a review request and it turns out to be just what your black soul had needed. This book turned out to be all that more. It just turned out to be the catalyst of great big emotions. This book capitulates everything mystery. The title brings it to life, gives it purpose and will have you questioning every little news report you ever recall seeing or hearing. Is its clear cut? Is something deeper and more sinister at play? The book is a creeping shadow, threatening to jump out of the pages and swallow you whole. Read on for my book review.

Each individual story had me engrossed. My imagination was racketed up by a thousand notches. My eyes blurred through tiredness, but I just couldn’t close that damn book! I imagined the fear, the black ooze dripping down the crease of the book. The book examines everything about the human condition and throws away the rule book. Your preconceived ideas will be stamped on and you will question everything you thought you once knew. Niggles were itching at my brain and I was turning into Poirot trying to conjure up reasonable explanations. Nothing is as it seems. The stories however outshine reasoning.

I was moved, I felt fear and the cold dread was constantly a presence up my spine. The deaths especially the Elisa Lam story was both heart-breaking and cruel. The beautiful narrative had her existence coming to life, her experience felt real and haunting. Steph Young’s writing ensures that you will never leave this story behind.

The stories were easy to follow and the writing as I’ve said has a real multi-faceted element to it. The research that the author has conducted was through and far beyond the scope than I expected. The stories were brought to life in 3-D technicolour. She gave meaning to these real-life characters and I was left in a bubble of emotion. She leaves scope for you to form your own opinions. She chucks you into the back of her truck and takes you along for the ride, whether, you wanted to or not.

Tales of Mystery Unexplained was a superb read, which I read in intense excitement. I savoured every dark word and hungered for more. I look forward to delving more into the world of Steph Young.

Check out Steph’s work – https://www.stephyoungauthor.com/bio

A Debt Repaid (The Debt Duet #2) by Clarissa Wild

July 4, 2019 Yvonne Leave a Comment

A Debt Repaid by Clarissa Wild
Published by Self Published on June 25th 2019
Genres: Dark Romance
Pages: 253
Format: eBook
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - A Debt Repaid (The Debt Duet #2) by Clarissa Wild

He stole my hand, but I won’t let him steal my heart.
On the worst day of my life I was given away by my own blood.
Sold to a handsome bad guy in exchange for my father’s debt.
Easton Van Buren claimed me and locked me up in his mansion.
That devilish man wanted more than just my body …
So I ran.
But when a rich man’s prized possession escapes…
He’ll do anything he can to get her back into his claws.
Anything he can to entice her heart to fall for him…
And submit.

A Debt Repaid is the follow up to the exciting Dark Billionaire Alpha Male Romance novel A Debt Owed by New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Clarissa Wild. This is book 2 of the Debt Duet and the final instalment.

A debt repaid is the concluding book in the steamy and utterly addictive two book Dark Romance series, Debt Duet. Book one finished with a frustrating but necessary cliff-hanger. Charlotte had finally snapped, she could take no more of the manipulation and mind games of the ever sexy and devious Easton.

I want you. I’ve always wanted you…

Charlotte’s escape left major ramifications in both her life and Easton’s. Charlotte is now trying to survive out with Easton’s control but not being able to speak the language or have a roof over her head is a challenge she struggles to accept. She is a girl on her own, she stands out on the streets, she doesn’t belong there but her need for freedom outweighs wanting to live a quiet life being bent to Easton’s will. She comes across a friendly face that only wants to help, he knows just how different she is. Just how much she doesn’t belong on the streets. Dion takes her back to his humble home. A home that is exact opposite of everything Charlotte and Easton are accustomed to. Dion feeds her, gives her a safe place and a bed, he doesn’t expect anything else from her, he’s a friend, an honest and solid one. The interactions between Dion and his daughter, Ashanti are heart-warming and heart-wrenching for Charlotte, she longs to have a family that care and love one another, not one that destroys and abuse each other.

Being the last book in the story there was no slow burn, it was fast paced and full of action…ahem if you know what I mean. The author brings the plotline to a close with an acceptable conclusion. The individual character arcs play out and they all get to a point I felt happy with. The most satisfying conclusion to Charlotte’s fathers arc was him being dealt the comeuppance that he deserved. That man just brought out the rage in me. How any parent can treat their children like that just beggar’s belief. It was a nice quick read that on the whole didn’t disappoint.

You won. I give in. I’m yours. What else could you want?

In this book we were treated to seeing a different side of Easton. He had different layers that we didn’t get an opportunity to witness. His initial plan was to annihilate the Davis empire. He wanted to dish out revenge to Charlotte’s father – and the best way to do that was by buying Charlotte as a wife and have him watch what he has charlotte become. Submissive, compliant and his. Somewhere along the way she gets under his skin, the power is exchanged, and she holds all the cards. He doesn’t want to hurt her and actually genuinely cares about her happiness. The heart wants what the heart wants.

The only thing I did dislike was the video footage that Easton hand collected of Charlotte and then just forwarded it on to her father. I thought that was a step too far, especially after realising that he was falling hard for her. Why would you do that? More importantly why would you forgive someone for doing that?

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Dark Romance. I would issue a TRIGGER WARNING because there are a few themes in this novel that could cause distress to some readers. There is plenty in this novel that lovers of this genre will be happy with – murder, sex, an enemies to lover storyline and a happy ever after.

Self Published

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Review

Tales of Mystery Unexplained was a superb read, which I read in intense excitement. I savoured every dark word and hungered for more. I look forward to delving more into the world of Steph Young.

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