January 13, 2021 – Gwendalyn’s Books

Hello and welcome to my stop on A CROWN OF ECHOES By Brindi Quinn

@tbrbeyondtours @brindifulon

#BrindiQuinn #TBRBeyondTours #ACrownofEchoes

Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Publishing date: June 11, 2020

“I’ve wondered what you taste like for so damn long. You taste better than I ever could have imagined… my queen.”
He shouldn’t be calling me that. Beau was his queen.
And I had a problem.
I wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

Queen Merrin might be the least queenly queen in all the realms. After all, queens don’t typically sneak out at night to drink with their guards. When her best friend and neighboring queen, Beau, goes missing, Merrin won’t leave rescue to the knights. She sets out from the civilized world and into the wilds to retrieve her lost friend, but with ancient hexes, stolen power, and a mountain of giants’ bones, Merrin stumbles into something much greater than a simple rescue mission. Get ready for a swoony whirlwind of dark magic and forbidden romance, as Merrin finds strength in the whispers of the forest and comfort in the arms of a guard with tantalizing abilities.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers

A Crown of Echoes by Brindi Quinn, is a delightful fantasy adventure tale.

This is the first installment in a brand new fantasy series by the author Brindi Quinn.

Queen Merrin, is the perfect heroine for me, with her unruly lioness hair, and her compassionate nature. When a friend who is a neighboring Queen goes missing there is only one thing to do. Merrin must find out what has happened to her sister friend Beau.

Merrin takes things into her own hands and assembles a band of allies to seek and find out what has become of her dearest Queenly friend. Joining forces in this entourage are her knights Rafe a young man who harbors a secret. Albie who has much like a father figure to Merrin. Then there is Windley, the missing Queen’s own

Spirite knight.

Merrin struggles to comprehend why she has assumed Beau’s powers. Theses strange and deadly magic that enables her to speak to the forest. Along with her growing attraction to Windley, who possesses unimaginable powers.

This was a wonderful magical experience that has a lovely budding romance. One thing the storyline focuses on is the power of friendship. The dialogue and banter between the characters was enjoyable and made for a memorable read. The world building and magic system was creative and I am excited to see expanded in the next installment.

A swoon worthy, magical adventure, that I couldn’t put down.

I can see why this author has a steadfast following her writing is absorbing, making this book a compulsive read.

COMING FEBRUARY 2021**⁣

COMING FEBRUARY 2021**⁣
⁣
Under the orphic light of the ballroom, Windley’s frosting had never looked better.⁣
As he walked by, he dallied at my back, drawing a hand along the small of it, leaning forward darkly to whisper: ⁣
“Tonight, I feast.”⁣
⁣
With the echoes off searching for another royal to corrupt, Merrin and Windley turn their efforts elsewhere: after Ascian’s stolen ring and in the direction of a certain honey-voiced doppelganger with deeper ties to Merrin than any of them know. As ancient truths are uncovered and fresh alliances formed, it’s up to Merrin to master the sparkly new power budding in her chest before destruction can have its way, but that may be easier said than done with multiple magical targets on her back. Sweet reunions and steamy moments aren’t all that await in the lair of a spider, where Merrin’s faith will be tested and her heart pulled in more ways than one.⁣
⁣

“Not just another vampire romance.” – Amazon Reviewer

Brindi Quinn is a fantasy/paranormal author from Minnesota specializing in world building and romance. She is an advocate of quirky love and firmly believes that banter makes the heart grow fonder.

Since 2011, Quinn has written over a dozen young adult novels beginning with her debut epic fantasy series,Heart of Farellah. Her works often blur the lines between paranormal romance, science fiction and fantasy, and her series have been hailed as addictive, unique reads within the YA genre by reviewers across platforms. Her bestselling series,The Pursuit of Zillow Stone, made it to #12 in the science fiction romance category on Amazon. 

Quinn has a bachelor’s in general communication studies and is contracted through Never & Ever Publishing. She considers herself an avid fangirl, indulging heavily in video game lore and good SF TV.

Be sure to catch her latest epic fantasy series, A Crown of Echoes.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of,

A Deadly Fortune: A Novel,by Stacie Murphy, which is being hosted by HFBT!

A Deadly Fortune by Stacie Murphy

Publication Date: January 5, 2021

Pegasus Crime

Genre: Historical Mystery

A historical mystery in the vein of The Alienist, in which a young woman in Gilded Age New York must use a special talent to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

Amelia Matthew has done the all-but-impossible, especially for an orphan in Gilded Age New York City. Along with her foster brother Jonas, she has parleyed her modest psychic talent into a safe and comfortable life. But safety and comfort vanish when a head injury leaves Amelia with a dramatically-expanded gift. After she publicly channels an angry spirit, she finds herself imprisoned in the notorious insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island. As Jonas searches for a way to free her, Amelia struggles to control her disturbing new abilities and survive a place where cruelty and despair threaten her sanity.

Andrew Cavanaugh is familiar with despair. In the wake of a devastating loss, he abandons a promising medical career—and his place in Philadelphia society—to devote himself to the study and treatment of mental disease. Miss Amelia Matthew is just another patient—until she channels a spirit in front of him and proves her gift is real.

When a distraught mother comes to Andrew searching for her missing daughter—a daughter she believes is being hidden at the asylum—he turns to Amelia. Together, they uncover evidence of a deadly conspiracy, and then it’s no longer just Amelia’s sanity and freedom at stake. Amelia must master her gift and use it to catch a killer—or risk becoming the next victim.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Advance Praise for A Deadly Fortune

“The 1893 world of the infamous lunatic asylum on Blackwell’s Island comes alive in frightening and horrific detail as a string of murders for profit is discovered when a young woman with a gift for contacting the dead becomes an accidental patient. She must fight for her life as well as her freedom in this engrossing mystery that reveals that all was not golden in Gilded Age New York.” —Rosemary Simpson, author of Death Brings a Shadow: A Gilded Age Mystery

“This engrossing mystery, rich in period detail, probes the dark side of Gilded Age New York and the even darker side of life at the insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island. Plucky Amelia Matthew rises to the considerable challenges that surround her, uncovering increasingly dangerous secrets that point to the presence of a murderer in the asylum. Amelia has a special gift that both helps and complicates her search for the truth, making her a unique heroine. A Deadly Fortune builds to a satisfying conclusion that will whet the reader’s appetite for more of Amelia’s adventures!” —Clarissa Harwood, author of Impossible Saints and Bear No Malice

“Stacie Murphy proves herself to be a masterful storyteller with A Deadly Fortune—an elegantly written, fast-paced mystery that blends the dark side of the Gilded Age, great characters, and a paranormal twist. Impossible to put down.” —Julie McElwain, author of the Kendra Donovan Mystery Series

“Murphy serves up a dark side of the Gilded Age with intrigue, historical detail, and captivating characters. This is a mystery to savor!” —Dianne Freeman, award winning author of the Countess of Harleigh mysteries.

❀ღ✿•*`Gwendalyn’s Books ¨`*•✿ღ❀

A historical mystery in the vein of The Alienist, in which a young woman in Gilded Age New York must use a special talent to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

An exceptional written, dark historical fiction.

In post gothic era 1893, Amelia Matthew makes her living by fortune telling for a gentlemen’s club in Gilded Age New York City. Amelia. Along with her self adopted brother Jonas, they survie by using their wits. Amelia has a talent laying dormant, a gift of foreshadowing that is awakened to its fullest by a dangerous head injury.

Unable to control her newly acquired skill she suffers the consequences when a incident happens to her involving a angry spirit in a public place. She is alone without Jonas there to help her, or speak up for her. Unable to make a coherent response, she is sent to a place that houses the mentally disabled. The notorious Blackwell’s Island insane asylum, a place that one your sent there, it’s highly unlikely that you will ever escape.

When Amelia comes to her senses, she realizes that she has been mistakenly placed on an island faraway from downtown New York. A place that houses societies incurables, those suffering from mental conditions brought on by inherited factors or caused by effects of trauma. Some were in the stages of neurosyphilis, alcoholism, and then their are the women who are sent to the hospital for no other reason than to make them disappear.

Amelia encounters a newly hired doctor, Dr. Andrew Cavanaugh, who has left his family and his life behind. Compassionate Andrew, is unnerved by the callous treatment that he sees at the asylum. When Amelia has a frightening episode that involves Dr Cavanaugh, the doctor might well question his own sanity.

A thrilling ride with fast moving storyline that intensifies as the tale progresses.

In a series of events that has the return of Amelia friend, Jonas, together along with the good doctor, things really take off.

All three will have to work together carefully to uncover clues as they seek out answers to uncover a massive conspiracy, before the killer makes Amelia the next victim. This book will keep you engaged as you follow along with the narration as it holds your attention. I was on the edge, as I read late into night. This is one exceptional written book that I throughly enjoyed.

Stacie Murphy grew up near Nashville, TN. She began writing A Deadly Fortune in 2017 as a way to force herself to stay off Twitter in the evenings. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and the worst cat in the world.