Buyer’s Guides

A Stand-in for Dying by Rick Moskovitz

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

A Stand-in for Dying by Rick Moskovitz

In a near future world on the brink of environmental catastrophe, a mysterious woman brokers an anonymous pact between two men for the older man Ray to inhabit the younger man Marcus’s body when he dies in exchange for a fortune and access to vast knowledge. The consequences for both men evolve over the ensuing years. When Ray finds a way to exchange identities while still alive, both men struggle to navigate their new lives and relationships while under attack by Ganymede, the architect of the consciousness swapping technology, and the Tribe of 23, a human supremacist organization that has targeted Marcus because of his and his wife’s advocacy for AIs to have equal rights with carbon based humans.

Their moral and emotional development is informed by the resourceful women who love them, one an accomplished journalist, the other a teacher who guides AIs to perceive and feel human emotions.

Brink of Life by Rick Moskovitz

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Brink of Life by Rick Moskovitz

A woman plunges into consciousness in the midst of what seems like someone else’s life, sending her on a quest to discover who she is and to craft an identity that makes sense within her current circumstances. As she digs into the mystery of her life, she uncovers a top secret government organization plotting world domination and a clandestine vigilante organization dedicated to destroying it and is caught between these warring factions. Nobody in her new world is exactly who they appear to be, including herself. Identity, she learns, is complicated and inseparable from the body in which it resides.

The Creators by Rick Moskovitz

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

The Creators by Rick Moskovitz

A teenaged Natasha Takana seeks to decode the remainder of the hidden DNA code that became the basis for a new religion reviving Creationism in A Stand-in for Dying. Her quest takes her on a voyage to a parallel dimension to learn the fate of the Creators’ civilization. In the course of successive visits to their watery world, she finds herself transformed, a bridge between our world and theirs.

The conflict between Ganymede and Mandala, the warring factions of Brink of Life is rekindled, sweeping Natasha into the middle of it in a pursuit that crosses the boundaries of worlds and time.

Rumpled Rhett by Rachel Rossano

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Rumpled Rhett by Rachel Rossano

Rhett is a Huntsman, skilled, secretive, and mysterious. A wanted man, he spends his life on the move. His sole retreat is the outskirts of an isolated village in the northern reaches of the duchies. Then one fall, he arrives to find his hovel burned to the ground and the village reeve offering a new arrangement.

Catherine knows her father, the village miller, only cares about what she can bring him. The latest scheme of marrying her to the Huntsman is not the miller’s first attempt to sell her. Cat’s dread wanes when she meets the Huntsman. There is something honorable about him, and he treats her with respect, unlike her father or brother. Perhaps she can escape her father’s influence forever.

Despite his suspicions, Rhett agrees to the deal and frees Cat from her father’s tyranny, at least for a time. But can he protect her when enemies from his past catch up to him?

Inspired by Rumpelstiltskin.

Falling into Magic : Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Falling into Magic : Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley

An accidental journey through a magic mirror to an enchanted land. A mysterious newfound family. Destiny Falls is a wonder, but the magic is tainted by danger. Can Hayden and her clever, sassy sidekick remove the threat, so that she can begin her magical new life here? ~ “Absolutely brilliant, delightful, magical story. This is one book that you cannot stop reading.”

The Girl of Dorcha Wood by Kristin Ward

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

The Girl of Dorcha Wood by Kristin Ward

Treacherous. Evil. Dark. Dorcha Wood is all of these. And none of them.

The people of Felmore talk of Dorcha Wood in whispers, if they speak of it at all, fearing the wrath of the Cù-Sìth should their words be carried on the wind. Those murdering beasts still roam the darkness of the forest, the last remnants of the cursed Aos Sí, a race of elves, long since vanished from the world.

But to seventeen-year-old Fiadh, it is home. A haven. A forest whose secrets become known only when it chooses to reveal them. Her life is one of balance until the outside world shatters it.

From the moment Fiadh set eyes on Gideon, the peaceful rhythm of her life was lost. As a new path unfolds, Fiadh confronts the reality of old hatreds, the consequences of things hidden, and the truth of who she really is.

The Race to the Big Bang by Peter Solomon

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

The Race to the Big Bang by Peter Solomon

The Race to the Big Bang illustrated science adventure book is the sequel to The Stardust Mystery. The Cosmic Kids had just returned from a wonderful trip to the moon as a reward for their second-place finish in the Science and the Future Contest. But then their lives were altered by the Covid-19 pandemic. They find relief by inventing new pandemic pastimes. Then they discover the best pastime of all. It’s a new contest called The Race to the Big Bang. The grand prize is $1 million in cash and $1 million in college scholarships. The four Cosmic Kids and coach Grandpa form a new team, the Cosmic Explorers, with two new coaches and their friends and last year’s contest winners Jackson and Johari. Neddy invites her friend Richie to join them too. They are going to compete in a new series of Virtual World adventures. They are time traveling to the Big Bang. Along the way, they discover unusual things on earth, in the solar system and in the universe. They help prove the Big Bang theory by measuring the distance to a nearby galaxy. They prove Albert Einstein’s Twin Paradox with Lizzy’s long solo round trip voyage to our closest star. She returns, after four years of travel, to discover that her younger sister Neddy, who stayed behind, is now her older sister. Neddy loves that. They turn a planet that they have found 7 billion years ago into their space station by adding the events that made Planet Earth habitable. They add water by redirecting comets to hit their planet, they create an oxygen atmosphere using cyanobacteria brought from Earth, and they plant vegetation for food from seeds also from earth. Their brilliant idea has some unintended consequences that are wonderful, awful, and then wonderful again. They have accidentally provided a dramatic example of the Survival of the Fittest principal of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The Cosmic Kids end their adventure by using the Virtual World to create videos to help other kids understand how we can become infected by the Covid-19 virus, and how a vaccine can keep us safe. With this new project, the learn some interesting biology about how our body’s cells are factories that can fabricate substances based on pieces of genetic codes.

The Stardust Mystery by Peter Solomon

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

The Stardust Mystery by Peter Solomon

The Stardust Mystery illustrated book is a companion to the MissionKT video game. It follows the lives of cousins Lizzy, Milo, VC and Neddy as they unravel the Stardust Mystery. Their adventures take them across time during the evolution of the Universe and the history of Planet Earth in the Cosmic Egg time, space and size-change travel ship. They must figure out how everyone alive is made of the same Stardust that was once in the body of Albert Einstein and the Last T-Rex. They must find out what Stardust is, and how, when, and where it was created.
As the Cosmic Kids team, the cousins enter The Science and The Future Contest, held by the mysterious Dr. Q. The winners will be taken on a trip around the moon! What could be a better gift for the grandfather they love, a former NASA astronaut?
Along the way, they visit Einstein, dinosaurs, and even the Big Bang. To win, they’ll have to use their brains to answer the many science questions, but they’ll also have to use their hearts to come together to solve the problems of family.
The Mystery is presented in a poem:
“I was born in a place that is far, far away.
At a time long ago, but I am now here to stay.
Albert Einstein’s body was once my home.
I am now part of you, but I could always roam.
Some call me Stardust because of my history
It will all be clear when you solve the mystery.
Who am I, and what is my story
Write me a rhyme to tell of my glory”

We Don’t Die by Cedrick Wilson

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

We Don’t Die by Cedrick Wilson

A cocky police detective, Dallas Scott and his best friend and partner, Ray Davis chase after a notorious hit-man, McNeil, and a bad decision by Scott lead to Davis’ death.Scott is haunted by his choice and it leads him to become a bad cop and a horrible husband.Now partnered with a new young detective, John Crawford, they finally get a lead on the killer only to come up short.Days later, they find McNeil dead on the street and this still leaves Scott unhappy because he didn’t kill the man responsible for his partner’s death himself. McNeil’s wife asks Scott for help but he refuses and this is a huge mistake which leads to her and her child’s death. This incident brings McNeil’s ghost to come back and haunt Scott and causes him to have a car accident.Now in the afterlife, the chase is on again with Scott having to go after McNeil for bringing chaos to the people who murdered him and his family.The Stakes are higher than ever in purgatory with Scott having to stop McNeil and having to prevent his soul from getting in the hands of the devil due to his own sins.

White Hat Black Heart by D. B. Goodin

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

White Hat Black Heart by D. B. Goodin

Playing a virtual game is fun…unless the game wants you dead.

Nigel Watson is a clever teenage hacker who uses his skills to make extra spending money. But, after someone plunders his mother’s bank account and drains the funds,Nigel realizes his hacking could save the family.

Soon, Nigel’s online expertise is noticed by the billionaire founder of the Colossal Machine, a virtual game played by millions of people around the planet. When Nigel is given a chance to show his prowess, his skills outshine the work of the current developers. He even discovers new ways to cheat the game that no one else knows. But, Nigel doesn’t realize that his sudden success has made enemies who want him dead.

Nigel is thrust into the shadows of the Dark Web – a hidden part of the Internet where evil can find its way to your door. Little does he know, but the object of the game has become Nigel’s life.

In this cyber thriller, you never know who to trust when the virtual world makes it impossible to decrypt friend from foe.

Steel, Blood & Fire by Allan Batchelder

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Steel, Blood & Fire by Allan Batchelder

On the march, around the campfire, and in the taverns, they tell incredible stories about Tarmun Vykers, the Reaper – how he’s never been cut in battle, how he once defeated hundreds of men by himself, how he exterminated an entire people over an insult. These stories make Vykers seem like a god, but he is a man, an arrogant, ruthless and bloodthirsty man. For all that, he may be the only thing standing between the human race and utter annihilation at the hands of the mad wizard who calls himself the End-of-All-Things. Against this backdrop, smaller, lesser folks struggle to fulfill their own destinies, folks like Aoife, burdened with a secret so dark she is driven to do the unimaginable and seek an alliance with fey powers no mortal has ever encountered.

Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands by Wallace Briggs

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands by Wallace Briggs

Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands
This stand-alone story is the second in the series of Jimmy Crikey’s adventures.
Jimmy Crikey is the orphan alien brought up by a loving lady who lived on the edge of the forest close to Esh Village.
Once bullied beyond endurance because of his strange appearance, Jimmy ran away, searching for a place where he could fit in. He found himself in the town of Roombelow, where Jimmy developed his abilities to protect his new home from the dangers that threatened. Jimmy chose to remain on Earth with his new family of friends, which included Gemma, the little lady he found at the bottom of the well but didn’t know how she got there. The four witch guardians became an integral part of his life, as did Lord Oron, the Weatherman who roamed the world in his cloud.
Far above Earth, a war-like, galactic race of Zyrons invade the Sky Islands.
[Read more…] about Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands by Wallace Briggs

Grace by Contract by Rachel Rossano

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Grace by Contract by Rachel Rossano

After her father uproots the family to the northern duchy of Brackenhurst, Grace Eldon and her four younger sisters struggle with a new life of hardship. Desperate to keep a roof over their heads amid mounting debts, she and her youngest sister seek employment in the Duke of Brackenhurst’s household despite fearsome rumors.

Scarred and maimed from a terrible fire Silas Isling, Duke of Brackenhurst, buries himself in his work to avoid the stares of pity and fear. When one of the new maids shows no fear at his appearance, he is intrigued. That is until his meddling steward gives her the task of cleaning Silas’ bookroom. It is a most unwelcome disruption since he prefers to be alone.

While a thief plagues his castle, an old nemesis reappears, and enemies invade in the guise of guests. Amidst the distractions and chaos, Grace brings some unexpected order. Once convinced his scars had stolen all hope for love, Silas finds his life forever changed by the quiet maid. Could she love a scarred Duke?

A reimagining of Beauty and the Beast

Gisela’s Passion by Astrid V.J.

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Gisela’s Passion by Astrid V.J.

Ever since she can remember, 18-year-old Gisela Winry has wanted to dance. Her strict father sees dancing as the path to immorality, licentiousness and debauchery.
Devastated at his wrath after she secretly auditions and wins the title Harvest Queen of Ylvaton, Gisela turns to her best friend, Hilarion, who proposes a path she cannot take.
With their friendship broken, Hilarion retreats to the solace of the forest where he lets his hatred and jealousy fester.
Meanwhile, Gisela meets Vincent, a young nobleman seeking to escape his dead brother’s shadow. Will Gisela be able to uphold her family honour and get to do the one thing she’s always been passionate about? Will Vincent’s chance encounter with the lovely harvest queen from a tiny village become more meaningful than earning his father’s approval? And will Hilarion fight for the love of his life or give in to the darkness within him?
Immerse yourself in the life of the common people of Vendale in this prequel to The Siblings’ Tale. Gisela’s Passion is the retelling of a lesser-known Slavic folk tale, which is better known in its incarnation as a French ballet.

Guinevere Trilogy by Cheryl Carpinello

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Guinevere Trilogy by Cheryl Carpinello

Guinevere Trilogy

GUINEVERE: ON THE EVE OF LEGEND
Princess Guinevere dreaded her upcoming thirteenth birthday. It signaled the beginning of her official role as the Lady of her father’s castle. No more adventures in the forest with Cedwyn. No more explorations outside the castle walls. No more excitement. No more danger. No more fun. Cedwyn—her companion for as long as she remembered—viewed her circumstances differently. A Medieval coming-of-age story relevant today.

GUINEVERE: AT THE DAWN OF LEGEND
Ancient Stones. Mystical Stones. Autumnal Equinox. Down upon a wide plain the yellow orb shines strong. Racing side by side, the two laughingly ride. A mist descends. The laughing stops. A dangerous Medieval tale of two friends. Of a loyalty not often seen.

GUINEVERE: THE LEGEND
Fiercely loyal, Cedwyn always rushes to Guinevere’s defense. Stubborn to a fault. Always there for her. A future Knight? His one and only hope. A hero? Not what Cedwyn strove for, but it sought him.
Guinevere rarely thinks with her head. Just the opposite. Thinking with one’s heart: a recipe for trouble. And trouble finds Guinevere, all too often. Stubborn, she refuses to abandon those depending upon her. Even when ordered by her father, the king.
And so these two—both on the edge of Legend—barrel forth in this deadly dangerous and riveting Arthurian adventure.

Cursed Wolf by Brogan Thomas

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Cursed Wolf by Brogan Thomas

For a shifter…
…being stuck in wolf form is torture.

The moment I shifted; my life changed.

After witnessing a traumatic event at a young age, nine-year-old Forrest shifted into her wolf form – and was unable to shift back. Years later and suffering at the hands of her malicious step-brothers, she stubbornly clings to the hope that she’ll turn back into the girl she once was.

But when her magic returns at the moment she needs it most, Forrest is thrust back into the world of humans. There’s only one problem. Her pack is out to kill her.

Struggling to learn how to walk and talk again, Forrest finds herself on the run from the cold-blooded shifter council. But hidden deep within her human form lies a secret – a powerful magic that has the potential to set her free.

If only she can stay alive long enough to master it…

If you love high-octane Urban Fantasy with shifters, suspense, and one young woman fighting for her independence amid a dangerous patriarchal world, then you won’t want to miss Cursed Wolf. This thrilling novel strikes the perfect balance between humour, friendship, and slow-burn romance. Grab your copy now!

Written in British English.

Stone Cold by Karina Kantas

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Stone Cold by Karina Kantas

If being bullied through every school Billy went to wasn’t enough, being attacked in her own home just pushed her over the edge.
Now severely depressed and suicidal, Billy takes matters into her own hands and sees a counsellor.
After just one session, she’s now on her way to Scotland as a volunteer to help the Professor of Edinburgh university, dig and clean up an archaeological site that has just been discovered.

Although she tries to shy away from the others, not wanting them to find a reason to dislike her, she’s soon accepted as one of them. Without realising it’s happening, she becomes closer to Shane, a motocross enthusiast who has taken her under his wing.

However, whilst working at the site, Billy comes across an unusual stone. She takes it to the Professor to be looked at, but he dismisses it as a pendant probably dropped by a hiker and so threads the stone with a black leather cord and gives it back to Billy.
Only the peace they once had, the friendships they had all formed, gets tested as bodies start to pile up.

Reclaiming Ryda by Rachel Rossano

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Reclaiming Ryda by Rachel Rossano

Rydaria lives as a prisoner in a tower library. Captured as a child, her past is a mystery. Maintaining the literary treasures within her care, she studies the world through books that give her a glimpse of the freedom she craves.

A scribe by trade, Crispin has devoted the last three years of his life seeking the lost heir of Avalene. He travels to Worthenave’s famed library in hopes of finding the key. Instead, he discovers a new mystery, a beautiful librarian who is locked in with her books every night.

As the days pass, Crispin must choose. Rydaria’s precarious situation is deteriorating. Meanwhile, his duty demands he leave before the Duke of Worthenave uncovers his quest. Still, the scribe can’t bring himself to abandon the captive in the library tower, even if it costs him his mission.

Inspired by Rapunzel and East of the Sun West of the Moon

Shadow of Wolves by J.R. White

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

Shadow of Wolves by J.R. White

A tortured gunfighter. A Navajo outcast. – And the Creature whose claws would stain the stones of the Mojave red.
Flush with raw silver and ruled by a baron with an iron fist, the tiny mining outpost of Shank’s Point is under siege by a sinister evil.
When the rising sun reveals the claw-torn bodies littered among the rocks, John Swift-Runner calls on his old friend, a vagabond gunfighter, to stand with him against the slaughter he knows will come.
But as their band of misfits hunts for the creature on the burning sands of the Mojave, they stumble into a generations old mystery that goes beyond shamanic curses and into the bloodstained pages of legend.
Can the killing be stopped?
And can a tortured gunman like Kit Barker – with a terrible secret of his own – prevail against something as savage and eternal as the Beast?

The Biggest Bounty by Brian Koscienski and Chris Pisano

Posted By Fantasy Books Curator Leave a Comment

The Biggest Bounty by Brian Koscienski and Chris Pisano

Fiore is the (chemically enhanced) muscle; Zeus is the (super-genius) brains. Together, they’re out to become the greatest interstellar bounty hunters ever. Along the path to fame and fortune, they’ll accumulate contacts, partners, and enemies without meaning to. It’s all part of the job as they chase the biggest bounty the galaxy has ever seen while trying to best rival bounty hunters, including one so feared and respected he is simply known as The Legend.