Seasons of Sorcery by Amanda Bouchet, Jeffe Kennedy, Jennifer Estep, and Grace Draven @AuthorABouchet @GraceDraven @Jennifer_Estep ‏@jeffekennedy

Posted November 21, 2018 by Melanie in Book Review / 24 Comments

Seasons of Sorcery by Amanda Bouchet,  Jeffe Kennedy, Jennifer Estep, and Grace Draven @AuthorABouchet @GraceDraven @Jennifer_Estep ‏@jeffekennedySeasons of Sorcery by Amanda Bouchet, Jeffe Kennedy, Jennifer Estep, Grace Draven
Published by Brightlynx Publishing on November 13, 2018
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 370
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

WINTER'S WEB BY JENNIFER ESTEP
An assassin at a renaissance faire. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, if you’re Gin Blanco. This Spider is trapped in someone else’s icy web—and it seems like they don’t want her to leave the faire alive . . .

A CURSE FOR SPRING BY AMANDA BOUCHET

A malevolent spell strangles the kingdom of Leathen in catastrophic drought. Prince Daric must break the curse before his people starve. A once-mighty goddess trapped in a human body might be the key—but saving his kingdom could mean losing all that he loves.

THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER BY JEFFE KENNEDY

As unofficial consort to the High Queen, former mercenary Harlan Konyngrr faces a challenge worse than looming war and fearsome dragons. His long-held secrets threaten what he loves most—and he must make a choice between vows to two women.

A WILDERNESS OF GLASS BY GRACE DRAVEN

The stretch of sea known as The Gray rules the lives of those in the village of Ancilar, including widow Brida Gazi. In the aftermath of an autumn storm, Brida discovers one of the sea's secrets cast onto the shore—a discovery that will change her world, mend her soul, and put her in the greatest danger she's ever faced.

Winter’s Web by Jennifer Estep
I had fun with this short story with Gin and the gang at a Renaissance Festival. Of course Gin can’t go anywhere without getting into trouble. I think fans of the series will enjoy this story, although you don’t have to read it to continue the series. I’m not sure if people who haven’t read Elemental Assassins will enjoy it as much. I just think they might not understand the world and the magic that exists in it well enough. I do think people who don’t know Gin will enjoy the story, just not as much as fans of the series.

A Wilderness Of Glass by Grace Draven
I’m not at all familiar with this author or this story. It was an interesting story. It follows Brida Gazi a widow in a small town. She now tries to help out her brother and sister-in-law who have several kids. She also helps harvest seaweed. Then she comes across something she’s never seen before.There is also someone who is stalking her.

This was a nice short story with some romance and suspense and a lot of paranormal. I would be interested in learning more about this world.

A Curse For Spring by Amanda Bouchet
This is a stand-alone story. I have read Amanda Bouchet before. I liked her stories. This is another nice short story. Prince Daric is desperate for rain for his lands. There have been nothing but droughts since he was born. His parents are selling off pieces of their assets to get water from bordering kingdoms that have water. He was begging his goddess, Braylian, for help from her cauldron. Then a humanoid figure shows herself. Daric’s father pulls her out of the cauldron and she becomes flesh and bone. She is named Rain, since everyone kept asking her to make it rain.

This is a story of hardship, sacrifice and love.

The Dragons Of Summer by Jeffe Kennedy
This story follows Harlan Konyngrr from Dasnaria. He was also the hero of third book of The Twelve Kingdoms, The Talon of the Hawk. He is now the unofficial consort to Queen Ursula. However, he hasn’t shared everything with her. He has a secret in his past.

This story brings the fans of The Twelve Kingdoms series up to date with all that we’ve learned in The Chronicles of Dasnaria. Or, at least what Harlan knows from that series (there’s a lot he doesn’t know).

This is another story I think fans of the series will enjoy more than people who haven’t read the series. This world Jeffe Kennedy has created is pretty complex, and it is hard to get a full grasp of it in a novella length story. Not to mention, there is a lot of build up to this point.

Overall
I had a great time with all four of these stories. I got to read from two series I love, a new story from an author I’ve enjoyed and a new-to-me author. If you like fantasy stories, I recommend this anthology.

About Amanda Bouchet

Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.

A French master’s graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.

About Grace Draven

I’m an author and Louisiana native living in Texas with my husband, three smalls and a big doofus dog. I have lived in Spain, hiked the Teton Mountains, honeymooned in Scotland, ridden in competition rodeo and am the great great granddaughter of a Nicaraguan president. I also hate doing laundry and refuse to iron anything.

I’ve loved storytelling since forever. I published my first short story with Amber Quill Press and have since written several other tales. A love of the bad boy in fiction always inspires me.

About Jeffe Kennedy

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include novels, non-fiction, poetry, and short fiction. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award.

Her award-winning fantasy romance trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms hit the shelves starting in May 2014. Book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and was nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose received a Top Pick Gold and was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2014. The third book, The Talon of the Hawk, won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2015. Two more books followed in this world, beginning the spin-off series The Uncharted Realms. Book one in that series, The Pages of the Mind, has also been nominated for the RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2016 and won RWA’s 2017 RITA® Award. The second book, The Edge of the Blade, released December 27, 2016, and is a PRISM finalist, along with The Pages of the Mind. The next in the series, The Shift of the Tide, will be out in August, 2017. A high fantasy trilogy taking place in The Twelve Kingdoms world is forthcoming from Rebel Base books in 2018.

She also introduced a new fantasy romance series, Sorcerous Moons, which includes Lonen’s War, Oria’s Gambit, The Tides of Bàra, and The Forests of Dru. She’s begun releasing a new contemporary erotic romance series, Missed Connections, which started with Last Dance and continues in With a Prince.

In 2019, St. Martins Press will release the first book, The Orchid Throne, in a new fantasy romance series, The Forgotten Empires.

Her other works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion; an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera; and the erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, which includes Going Under, Under His Touch and Under Contract.

She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

About Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. She also writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series and the Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series. Jennifer also the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance series and Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series.

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Dialogue
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Melanie
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Posted November 21, 2018 by Melanie in Book Review / 24 Comments


24 responses to “Seasons of Sorcery by Amanda Bouchet, Jeffe Kennedy, Jennifer Estep, and Grace Draven

    • Melanie

      Anthologies are hit or miss for me. I’ve found some great new-to-me authors (as I did with Grace Draven in this book). But then there are also times I really dislike some of the stories. I enjoyed all the stories in this book.

      Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart

    • Melanie

      This is my first read with Grace Draven. I did like her story and want to read more. I’ve read the others, so I pretty much knew what to expect. I was surprised by Amanda Bouchet’s, it was so much different from the series I read from her.

      Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart

  1. Lorna

    I’m not one for anthologies unless it involves a favorite author. Then I tend to just read that one. The one that interests me is the one by Grace Draven. You have me wondering what she found from the sea!

  2. This sounds like a fun anthology. I always like anthologies to read more by authors I know and discover some new to me ones. I read a few books in the Elemental Assassin series, but eventually took a break and didn’t get back at it yet. I am glad to hear you enjoyed this one, it sounds like all the stories were good ones.