Paranormal Fantasy: The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy by Jennifer Ivy Walker + giveaway

Haunted and hunted. Entwined by Fate. Can their passion and power prevail?

 

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy Book 1)
by Jennifer Ivy Walker
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Medieval Romance
In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom.

Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.

Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?

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Excerpt
L’ Amour Fou
Taking another gulp of ale, Tristan turned to Lancelot and searched his knowing eyes. “I don’t know if she even exists, Lancelot, but I want a woman who makes me feel alive! I want her kisses to arouse my passion, her heart to sing to mine. I want a muse to inspire my song, a lady to whom I would pledge my sword—and my life.” Tristan shook his head and sighed. “Is such a love even possible?”

The First Knight of Camelot responded with a sad smile. “It is indeed possible, Tristan.” Lancelot turned his pensive gaze to the vast expanse of sea. “In French, we call such a love l’amour fou—a passion so intense… it can drive you mad.”

Lancelot glanced back at Tristan, a forlorn smile reaching his intense blue eyes. “When you find such a woman, Tristan, the love she gives you fills every empty hollow in your soul. She completes you; she invigorates you; she thrills you. And, when you consummate such a love, the exquisite blend of the spiritual and physical realms will satisfy you more than the finest wine or the greatest victory in battle. The love she gives you with her body will transport you to the stars, and you will never experience a greater joy.”

And, though he smiled, Tristan saw that the First Knight emanated loneliness, suffering, and sorrow. As Lancelot returned his gaze across the faraway sea, Tristan knew that the White Knight of Avalon longed for the beautiful blond queen of Camelot.

 

The Lady of the Mirrored Lake (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy Book 2)

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The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy Book 3)

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Series Trailer:

About the Author:
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Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, "Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête"--an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of "Tristan et Yseult" and the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

Her debut novel, "The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven"--the first of a trilogy-- is a blend of her love for medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of "Tristan et Yseult", interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldly elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

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Book Review: Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

Perilous Times
by Thomas D. Lee
May 23, 2023
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: urban fantasy, dystopian, Arthurian legend
ASIN: B0BBP1RNSK 

ISBN: 9780593499016
An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet—saving the politically polarized, rapidly warming world from itself—in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend.

Legends don’t always live up to reality.

Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years—or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again.

Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.

Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.

Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it.

In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.

Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.

But who will be fit to wield it?

With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself—all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion—Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.

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Kay wakes up again, which means England is in peril. This time it is not a war or just England itself, but the whole world due to climate change. Parts of England are flooded by the rising seas and melting icebergs. The military has become privatized. Scotland is not a part of the British Isles, and Wales is its own country again. And Manchester, England, where Kay is directed by the god Herme to wake King Arthur, is split into different Communistic groups. And he is not the only knight reawakened either.

It is an interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction dystopian, mixed with Arthurian tales. There is a lot of stuff going on—some that could have been chopped from the book. Still, it addresses climate change, showing a future most people won’t like, but possible (taking out the fantasy part.). Part 2 of the book is when it starts to get really going.

I gave Perilous Times 4 sheep.

Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Author:

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Thomas D. Lee is an author of fantastical and historical fiction. In 2019 he completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing. He has now embarked upon a PhD at the same institution, specialising in queer interpretations of the Arthurian mythos. He frequently considers emulating Merlin and becoming a hermit in the woods who speaks only in riddles.

He has previously worked as a copywriter and a high-school teaching assistant.

Book Review: Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

Half Sick of Shadows
by Laura Sebastian
July 6, 2021
448 pages
Publisher: Ace
"Laura Sebastian is the next Madeline Miller. . . . a fierce, fresh, lyrical tale that will enthrall until the last page."--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress

"Magical, haunting, unique--I haven't been so excited about an Arthur book since I read The Once and Future King ."--Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author

The Lady of Shalott reclaims her story in this bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian myth from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess.

Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come--for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.

On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends--countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.

When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.

As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change destiny--and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.

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A retelling of the Arthurian Legend with a feministy twist, this book was a good read for me. Here are some of the thoughts I had while reading it:

Deviations
Now, while I knew about the major players, Arthur, Lancelot, etc., 1 wasn't familiar with Elaine's character. Some quick Googling showed me that she was the mother of the Pure Knight, Galahad, and wife to Lancelot. In this iteration, she and Lancelot are a couple, but Galahad's been written as one of Arthur's cousins. Close enough, I'd say.

I was also okay with Mordred being made Arthur's bastard brother and not his son. So, while these changes didn't bother me as much, some of the others did. I mean, it's always okay to reinvent myths and legends. But why do it if there isn't a need for it or if it doesn't serve any real purpose?

I'm referring to Merlin being turned into a dud. He's described as being old, mysterious, and only worries about who will sit on Uther's throne. Yet none of his magical or amazing feats made it into this book.

Characters
Dunno if it's because I loved "Merlin" the series, starring Colin Morgan or not, but whenever Morgana appeared, I imagined Katie McGrath doing the talking, I loved the way she did whatever she could to get Arthur on the throne. Even when her family and friends treated her unfairly, she remained unrepentant.

I loved many things about Elaine. She could be petty, knew she'd be nothing without her friends, vacillated between breaking things off with Lancelot or staying with him. Her actions in the end redeemed her and only made me like her more.

What I didn't get was how a mousy girl who couldn't stand up to her mother transformed into someone who could manipulate royal politics and diplomacy with such aplomb. Nimue only provided her with training on how to read her visions. So, where did she learn all that suave maneuvering during her sojourn at Avalon?

Similarly, Arthur and his gang seemed to accept everything Elaine said too readily.

Gwen was another favorite of mine and a character who just jumped off the page because she felt so real! Like so many women have done, she was supposed to give up everything for Arthur and spend her life doing wifely things? Screw that! The resentment that brews in her was described very well--as were the consequences.

While I loved how complex and authentic the female characters in this book were, the male ones don't get the same fair treatment. Arthur's written as someone without any flaws. Someone who'd do anything for his people and to unite the kingdoms of human and fey. Just made him seem fake and unlikable if you ask me. Lancelot, too, deserved better.

Story
Well-told with fun twists along with brief flashbacks from Elaine's past. The only issue I had with it was that it seemed overly long in some places.

Conclusion
Given how all the women are manipulators and temptresses, this novel's like a breath of fresh air. I'd love for my younger cousin--a reader and already, a feminist to read this!

Rating  3 sheep

Reviewer: Midu Reads
Most of my go-to series are 3 starrers

*No rating - wasn't my genre/dnf'd so rating it would be unfair

1 sheep - won't be picking up another book in a series  again

2 sheep - average read with overused tropes and cliches. Will give the author another try/only continuing because of OCD, so must finish a series

2.5 sheep - liked the book but was put off because it was overly long/illtreatment of a character the author had me invest in and so on.

3 sheep - enjoyed the book but have reservations because I expected to be wowed and wasn't

4 sheep - was unputdownable

5 sheep - formed an emotional connection, will read the heck outta this series

About the Author:
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Laura Sebastian grew up having many adventures on an avocado grove and later an island in South Florida. She studied Performing Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design and now lives, reads, and writes in New York City with her dog, Neville.