Annarite Born - R. B. Leyland

Two kingdoms. A rebel faction. Overwhelming odds.

The Annar have long been assailed by the slave kingdom next door, but with General Sain of the Annar heading the charge, they have held them at bay. When a prophesized babe is saved from a fiery attack and adopted by the General, he's thrust into a life of God-chosen warriors, rife with betrayal and chaos. Whilst the General and his oldest son move to eradicate a rebel group, his two younger sons strive to train and find their place within the infamous Sain guard. An alarming revelation, traitors around every bend. Will the Sain guard be able to weather the storm? Or will the slave kingdom of the Kerazar finally gain a foothold in the lands they covet? 

What did I think?

Annarite Born is the first book in an exciting new fantasy trilogy and I absolutely loved it.  If you liked Game of Thrones, you will LOVE Annarite Born.

There's a fabulous map in the front of the book to set the scene and it's good to refer to as the story progresses.  It's a shame there is no cast of characters as it took me a while to work out who was who, especially with Aldred having two sons named Alkor and Alnor, so I would recommend writing your own list of names when you start the book.

The plot is riveting though and I had a number of gasp out loud moments as well as a few grimaces from the gory battle scenes.  It is so vividly written that I could easily imagine the scenes that R. B. Leyland was describing as all the sights and sounds of this imagined world played out in my head.

There are some fantastic battle scenes that I enjoyed more than I expected because the tactics and strategy is explained to fully immerse the reader in the events.  Asserting strength and power goes hand in hand with manipulation and treachery and the characters don't know who they can trust.  One of them is drawn into a dark and dangerous web and it had my eyes glued to the page.

Annarite Born has a bit of everything to keep the reader entertained: family, fighting and a heartwarming romance.  It's an outstanding debut novel that I could have continued reading way past its 340th page so I can't wait for the next book.  A very highly recommended read.

I received a gifted paperback from the author via Whimsy Words PR and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Foyles

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BLOG TOUR: His Guilty Secret - Hélene Fermont

Secrets & Lies Are Dangerous 

When Jacques's body is discovered in a hotel room his wife, Patricia, suspects he has been hiding something from her. 

Why was he found naked and who is the woman that visited his grave on the day of the funeral? Significantly, who is the unnamed beneficiary Jacques left a large sum of money to in his will and what is the reason her best friend, also Jacques's sister, Coco, refuses to tell her what he confided to her? 

Struggling to find out the truth, Patricia visits Malmö where her twin sister Jasmine lives and is married to her ex boyfriend. But the sisters relationship is toxic and when a family member dies shortly after, an old secret is revealed that shines a light on an event that took place on their tenth birthday. 

As one revelation after another is revealed, Patricia is yet to discover her husband's biggest secret and what ultimately cost him his life. 

His Guilty Secret is an unafraid examination of the tangled bonds between siblings, the lengths we go to in protecting our wrongdoings, and the enduring psychological effects this has on the innocent...and the not so innocent. 

What did I think?

I discovered Hélene Fermont when I read and enjoyed her debut: Because of You, so I didn't hesitate to pick up His Guilty Secret.  Somehow I have missed her second novel, We Never Said Goodbye, but I aim to rectify that in due course.

Jacques has it all: a loving, trusting wife, a good job as a pilot, a sister who can keep his secrets and a mistress who doesn't want to break up his marriage.  No wonder this double life causes him so much stress that he has a heart attack whilst in a hotel with his mistress, Isabelle.  His wife, Patricia, knows that Jacques likes to 'unwind after his flight' by staying overnight in a hotel but Patricia has no idea that he's not alone.  Oooh I could have shaken her - what normal man doesn't want to rush home to his family?  A man who's a cheating, liar that's who!

So in the aftermath of Jacques death, it becomes clear to Patricia that Jacques wasn't as faithful as she thought.  He loved her, of that there is no doubt, but he also loved Isabelle and, although he claimed to love both women and couldn't leave either one of them, he annoyed me as he was selfishly having his cake and eating it.  Patricia starts to dig into Jacques' secret life and I felt so sorry for her when she realised that her sister-in-law and close friend, Coco, knew all along about Jacques' relationship with Isabelle.  This is where Patricia really showed what she is made of, as she could have easily folded under the weight of grief and deception.  She picks herself up and gets on with her life, determined to unearth every last secret that Jacques had buried.  His deception hurt her so much that nothing else can hurt her now.

There's something so crisp, clean and refreshing about Hélene Fermont's writing that it is very aptly referred to as having a scandi-feel.  We hear a lot about the Danish concepts of 'hygge' and 'lykke' and I feel that His Guilty Secret completely embraces the ethos of the Scandinavians.  There is no woman scorned, crying for days and feeling sorry for herself in this book, it's more a 'keep calm and carry on' and make the most of what you have left.  So very thought-provoking and eloquent, I think Hélene Fermont could almost have a genre all to herself.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Hélene Fermont writes character-driven psychological crime fiction with a Scandi Noir flavour. Known for her explosive, pacy narrative and storylines, she has published three novels – Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret – and two short story collections – The Love of Her Life and Who’s Sorry Now? Her fourth novel is due for release in the summer of 2019. After 20 years in London, Hélene recently returned to her native Sweden where she finds the unspoiled scenery and tranquillity a therapeutic boost for creativity. Enjoying a successful career as a Psychologist, when she’s not working her ‘day job’, Hélene spends her time writing, with friends and family, or playing with her beloved cat, Teddy. All three novels can be purchased via her website helenefermont.com/books/

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BLOG TOUR: His Guilty Secret - Hélene Fermont

Secrets & Lies Are Dangerous 

When Jacques's body is discovered in a hotel room his wife, Patricia, suspects he has been hiding something from her. 

Why was he found naked and who is the woman that visited his grave on the day of the funeral? Significantly, who is the unnamed beneficiary Jacques left a large sum of money to in his will and what is the reason her best friend, also Jacques's sister, Coco, refuses to tell her what he confided to her? 

Struggling to find out the truth, Patricia visits Malmö where her twin sister Jasmine lives and is married to her ex boyfriend. But the sisters relationship is toxic and when a family member dies shortly after, an old secret is revealed that shines a light on an event that took place on their tenth birthday. 

As one revelation after another is revealed, Patricia is yet to discover her husband's biggest secret and what ultimately cost him his life. 

His Guilty Secret is an unafraid examination of the tangled bonds between siblings, the lengths we go to in protecting our wrongdoings, and the enduring psychological effects this has on the innocent...and the not so innocent. 

What did I think?

I discovered Hélene Fermont when I read and enjoyed her debut: Because of You, so I didn't hesitate to pick up His Guilty Secret.  Somehow I have missed her second novel, We Never Said Goodbye, but I aim to rectify that in due course.

Jacques has it all: a loving, trusting wife, a good job as a pilot, a sister who can keep his secrets and a mistress who doesn't want to break up his marriage.  No wonder this double life causes him so much stress that he has a heart attack whilst in a hotel with his mistress, Isabelle.  His wife, Patricia, knows that Jacques likes to 'unwind after his flight' by staying overnight in a hotel but Patricia has no idea that he's not alone.  Oooh I could have shaken her - what normal man doesn't want to rush home to his family?  A man who's a cheating, liar that's who!

So in the aftermath of Jacques death, it becomes clear to Patricia that Jacques wasn't as faithful as she thought.  He loved her, of that there is no doubt, but he also loved Isabelle and, although he claimed to love both women and couldn't leave either one of them, he annoyed me as he was selfishly having his cake and eating it.  Patricia starts to dig into Jacques' secret life and I felt so sorry for her when she realised that her sister-in-law and close friend, Coco, knew all along about Jacques' relationship with Isabelle.  This is where Patricia really showed what she is made of, as she could have easily folded under the weight of grief and deception.  She picks herself up and gets on with her life, determined to unearth every last secret that Jacques had buried.  His deception hurt her so much that nothing else can hurt her now.

There's something so crisp, clean and refreshing about Hélene Fermont's writing that it is very aptly referred to as having a scandi-feel.  We hear a lot about the Danish concepts of 'hygge' and 'lykke' and I feel that His Guilty Secret completely embraces the ethos of the Scandinavians.  There is no woman scorned, crying for days and feeling sorry for herself in this book, it's more a 'keep calm and carry on' and make the most of what you have left.  So very thought-provoking and eloquent, I think Hélene Fermont could almost have a genre all to herself.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour: