Hey everyone! (*Surreptitiously slides briefly out of hiatus to bring you a cover reveal.*)
I’m super excited, because the third book in the series by my author friend Hazel B. West, that began with Blood Ties and An Earthly King (both of which I LOVED), is coming out in just a couple of weeks, and today I get to share the title/cover reveal with you!
I also have a snazzy snippet to share, an epic summary, and a giveaway, so stick around a minute!
And now, I give you . . .
*drumroll*
The covah!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
[EEP, isn’t it cool? 😀 I thiiiink that’s Aedan and Cass and I’M RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED. Also, I want a crossbow now…]
Book Info
Title: Scars of War (Modern Tales of Na Fianna Book Three)
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, mythology/folklore
Release Date: August 31, 2017 (so soon!)
Synopsis
After the events on Samhain Eve things have calmed down for High King Eamon and his Fianna. The Unseelie Court is under new rule, and Eamon is happily married—and with an heir on the way! But just when it seems like things couldn’t be better, reports of changelings keep coming into BPAFF (Bureau of Protection Against Fair Folk). With the risk of children being changed out in their cribs, especially when a royal heir is weeks from being born, Eamon enlists the help of Aeden Mac Cool, Commander of Na Fianna, and Cassandra Whalen, Director of BPAFF, to deal with the threat before it escalates. Riots, Faerie rebels, and road trips with the King of the Unseelie—it’s just a typical day, right?
[*flailing so hard* I need this book so badly! :O]
Other Links
Author’s Blog • Author’s Twitter • Goodreads • Blood Ties (Book One) • An Earthly King (Book Two) • Blood Ties Book Trailer
Giveaway and Excerpt Info
So! Here’s the deal.
Below, I have an excerpt of the book, but each of the other people who are posting the cover reveal today have a different excerpt, so you can get a whole chapter that way if you read them in order! How cool is that? Think of it as a mini scavenger hunt. XD
If you head on over to Hazel’s blog, she has a list of the participating blogs in the right order, so head on over there! 🙂
As for the giveaway, anyone who comments on any of the blog tour posts will be entered for a giveaway to win ebook copies of Blood Ties and An Earthly King (the first two books).
You can either leave your email address or Twitter handle in your comment, or if you’d rather not, you can go back to Hazel’s blog on the 23rd to see the announcement of the winner!
Also, if you leave comments on multiple blog posts in the tour, each comment is an extra entry.
Good luck!
Excerpt
After dropping off the Fae child with the motherly Mrs. O’Toole, Rory and I made our way back to the Dempseys’ farm.
“This might be more of a case than we thought,” I told him.
“Why do you say that? It seemed to be pretty open and shut to me.”
I shook my head. “I’m almost positive that was a high Sidhe child, Rory. Normal changeling cases involve sickly Fae children or even a stock or fetch—just a glamoured piece of wood or a doll. Rarely do they exchange perfectly healthy children; not without some reason behind it.”
“And what would that reason be?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” I told him obviously. “Do you remember the details of the previous changeling case?”
Rory hummed as he thought to himself. “Um, it wasn’t too far from here, actually, now that I think about it, in Kilkenny, I think. And I don’t think they ever recovered the girl, at least not that I know of. It was still in the pending cases when I filed it.”
“And the others?”
Rory shook his head. “I’ll have to pull them up when we get back to Dublin. Why, do you think they’re all connected?”
“I don’t know, but if they are, we need to find out as quickly as possible in order to get to the bottom of this. It might be a serial kidnapping.”
We got back to the Dempseys’ by late afternoon and I decided we should make a quick exploration of the woods and surrounding area while we still had daylight. Rory and I set off through the shaded trees and looked for any sign we could see of Fae activity.
“I can’t imagine them being too far away,” Rory commented as he batted some low-hanging branches away from his face. “I mean, it’s not like we’re up in the Borderlands where they could escape into the Faelands without a by your leave. This kind of thing doesn’t usually happen down here.”
I shrugged, crouching to inspect something on the ground that turned out to be a root. “With all the political changes in the Faelands, it would only make sense that some of the Fae have decided to make their own way. The Courts have no rule over their people down here so it provides an easy escape for those who don’t want to be tied with the regime changes.”
“I guess,” Rory said. “Still, that doesn’t really explain why they would want to change out so many babies all of a sudden.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed, my brain already working on the problem.
We searched until the sun got too low to see well, and I didn’t think it was a good idea to stay out in the woods with just the two of us without prior knowledge of the area. We trudged back to the house.
“So, what are we going to do? Go back to Dublin?” Rory asked.
“Not yet,” I told him. “It’s been a week since Tomas was taken. I’m worried they might come back for Donnie now.”
“Are you sure?” Rory asked. “Wouldn’t they think it would be too risky?”
“Actually, on the contrary. I think they would be counting on their changeling taking up all the family’s time and leaving the perfect opportunity for mistakes. You saw the house, it was a mess; any warding could easily be lost or misplaced by the changeling himself.”
“So what are we going to do about it?”
“We’re going to stay the night and see if we can catch the Faerie in the act.”
Rory sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
The Dempseys didn’t seem too convinced my idea was going to work, but they let Rory and I proceed and after they got ready for bed, they took Donnie per my request, to their room, and Rory and I entered the one belonging to the boys. We made sure there was no warding anywhere, but left the place a mess so the Faerie wouldn’t get suspicious.
***
Wrapup
And there you have it! I dunno, guys — Faerie changeling plots, some of my favorite characters, and an epic roadtrip with a Faerie King? CAN YOU SPELL AWESOME? o.o This book sounds like it might become a new favorite of mine! I CAN’T WAIT! 😀
So how about you? Have you read Blood Ties? Do these modern Irish fantasy tales intrigue you? Because they’re REALLY GOOD! 😀 And don’t forget to visit the other posts! 🙂
If you haven’t, and are curious, you can read my reviews for the first two books here:
Thanks for reading! ^_^
Excitement today! I’m thrilled to share in revealing the cover for an upcoming book by Ashlee Willis!
Ashlee Willis is the author of fantasy for young adults. She lives in the heart of Missouri with her husband and young son. While most of her days are balanced between writing, reading and being a stay-at-home mom, she also finds time to enjoy forest rambles, photography, and playing the piano.
Deborah O'Carroll (Road of a Writer) 