Blog Tour/Giveaway!! I, Guinevere, by C.K. Brooke

Welcome to the I, Guinevere Tour,

sponsored by 

YA Bound Book Tours!!

For my stop, I'm featuring an excerpt

with mini-review!

I, Guinevere

(Mythic Maidens, Book 2)

C.K. Brooke

Trade Paperback, 213 page

C.K. Brooke, Publisher

November 25, 2018
Kindle Edition, 138 pages
October 14, 2018
Arthurian Fiction, Fantasy, Feminism, 
Arthurian Mythology, Retellings,
Young Adult Fiction

  
Your legends have it wrong. Arthur never pulled that sword out of the stone. I did. I, Guinevere.

On the winter solstice, a mysterious sword in a stone appears in the churchyard. Not even the mightiest of the village men can remove it, until fifteen-year-old Guinevere gives a try. The sword heeds the unsuspecting maiden, proclaiming the unthinkable: she is the blood of Pendrakon, heir to the vacant throne of Camylot.

Guinevere never dreamed she was born royalty. Now, between apprenticing with the eccentric wizard, Merlyn; swordplay lessons with an abrasive—albeit, attractive—boy named Lance; and clandestine, magical meetings with the formidable High Priestess of Avalon, Guinevere is swept up in a whirlwind of training and preparation for her monumental new role as future queen. But invasions by the barbarous Saxyns and visitations from mysterious dark forces constantly warn that she may be in over her head. Can Guinevere defend the kingdom from the darkness and deception that threaten to seize it? Despite her doubts and the sinister forces working against her, can she harness the power to wield Exkalibur and rule the realm? Or is Camylot already destined to fall?

From the unstoppable pen of C.K. Brooke comes a fresh and unforgettable new retelling steeped in Arthurian mythology. Queen Guinevere has her own tale to share, and it's nothing like what you thought! Experience the magic and myth of Camylot and Avalon like never before as, in the vein of Brooke's award-winning Secrets of Artemis, this legendary maiden of lore recounts her side of the story.

Note
This mini-review is of the excerpt below, and not the entire book. I have already bought the Kindle edition, and will later purchase the paperback. 
I WANT TO DEVOUR THIS BOOK!!

What an EXCITING read this obviously is!!  I have LOVED the Arthurian tales since I first came across them, around the age of 11. This retelling presents the possibility that the REAL wielder of the famous "sword in the stone" was Guinevere, and not Arthur. The scene in which she pulls the sword out is described so well, her feelings, and the crowd's contempt, so palpable, that chills ran up and down my spine as I read. This is the beginning of a tale of a powerful woman, who then becomes the iconic ruler of the fabled Camelot, here spelled "Camylot".
In this novel, Guinevere is not the despised adulterer who betrays King Arthur. Instead, she herself is the legendary heroine who pulls the sword from the stone, and becomes Queen Guinevere, she who became the stuff of legends.....

The silver sword sparkled as I approached, pleading—nay, burning—for me to reach out and touch it. An unusual, dazzling haze surrounded the artifact. I blinked, worried my vision had gone blurry. But the sword, the stone, and everything around me was in perfect focus.

I could hear the sword humming. Buzzing like a swarm of insects. It was alive.

Had any of the other contestants noticed this? If so, why weren’t they all talking about it?

Ancient runes I couldn’t decipher were carved into the hilt. Up close, I saw the pommel was forged in the shape of a dragonhead. Compelled by magnetism, my hand closed over it. The rounded dragonhead fit perfectly in my palm, as if designed for me. It vibrated fiercely, eager beneath my touch.

I brought my other hand over the hilt and heaved.

There was no need to strain. The blade slid out with ease. The stone was like churned butter, the illusion of rock. While I heard the gasps of the crowd, I was immune to it all. It was just me and the magnificent sword that claimed me.

The villagers erupted in uproarious applause.

“We’ve a champion,” bellowed the deacon. Before I could stop him, he lifted my sword-wielding arm high, and yanked down my cowl for all to see my face. The downward thrust of my hood pushed my hair ribbon along with it. My long blonde hair came tumbling past my shoulders.

The applause died. I lowered my arm, bracing myself for the blowback.

“She’s but a girl.” A man scowled.

Another scratched his head. “Why was she allowed to enter?”

“Someone get that sword out of her hands,” cried the laundress, “before she hurts herself!”

I stepped back, clinging to my prize. The deacon stammered, confounded.

Arguing broke out. Although I well understood that the sword—which now hummed serenely in my hands—was exceptional, I wondered why they were so upset. It was just a contest, after all. So what if I’d won?

“Witchcraft,” shrieked the butcher’s wife.

At this, the old, bearded man advanced on his staff. “Nay.” He spoke in a firm, resounding timbre, silencing the crowd at large. “No witch could’ve enchanted that sword out of that stone.” He glanced over at a formidable-looking woman I hadn’t noticed until then was with him. Her raven hair was graying but lustrous. She wore a set of flowing, lavender robes, her posture practically regal. “Right, Vivien?”

The woman nodded sagely. But her deep, knowing eyes flitted with evident suspicion.

Morgan’s teacher. I shuddered on my best friend’s behalf. No doubt Morgan would be in high water for the stunt she’d pulled with the glamoured coin. I didn’t envy her position. Lady Vivien, High Priestess of Avalon, was the most intimidating woman I’d ever seen.

The old man drew himself to full height. “The sword,” he indicated the one I held, “Exkalibur, responds only to the blood of Pendrakon. Which means no one but a Pendrakon could have pulled it from the stone. Therefore,” he paused, the crowd held its breath collectively, and my heart began to pound before I even understood why, “the young lady is, unquestionably, the blood of Pendrakon, and heir to the throne of Camylot.”

Had it not been for the weight of the sword keeping me rooted, I would’ve tottered to the ground on the spot.

Blood of Pendrakon?

Heir to the throne?

Purchase Links
Amazon US/Amazon UK/Amazon CA

Interested in a free book from C.K. Brooke? Downloads available here:
https://ckbrooke.com/free-books/

C.K. Brooke is an award-winning author of over a dozen romance and fantasy novels. Her debut novel, The Duchess Quest (48fourteen, 2014), was selected by Shelf Unbound Magazine as a Top 100 Notable Indie Book of 2015, and her YA novel, Secrets Of Artemis, received the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award in 2017. She is also the author of The Wrong Prince (48fourteen, 2016), a Global EBook Award Honorable Mention title, as well as the historical romance, Capturing The Captain (Limitless, 2016), which was a RONE Award Nominee and a Finalist in the Mid-Michigan RWA Best Banter Contest. She lives in Michigan with her family. Visit her at her website and subscribe for updates!

Website/Goodreads/Facebook
Twitter/Newsletter/YouTube
ARC Review Team
Amazon Author Page



To access the complete tour schedule, just click on the button below!

Book Blogger Hop No. 153: Time Travel for a First Edition!!

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, and 

to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.

This Week's Question

If you could travel back in time

to purchase the first printing

of a specific novel, what

book would that be?

(Submitted  by Billy  @ 

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer)

My Answer

This one is a total no-brainer for me, as my FAVORITE CLASSIC OF ALL TIME is Jane Eyre, that immortal novel by Charlotte Brontë!!

This first edition, first printing is available in our time, but for the hefty price of $45,000!! It's actually for sale on Ebay, too! You can view the listing right HERE! The photo you see above is of the actual book, or rather, books, as this edition was printed in three volumes, in the year 1847. If you look closely (you can also zoom in when you view this photo in the listing), you will notice that the binding is a dark green, and not a dark brown, as it appears to be at a short distance.

This edition was published by Smith, Elder, and Company. I had not expected the three volumes; I had always thought that this novel had been published as one book, even from the time it was first released. Well, live and learn, lol.

The three books look new, but that's because they've actually been "rebound in 20th-century, dark green, crushed morocco, by Bayntun (Riviere)". This is an actual quote from this Ebay listing. 

The original title of this novel is Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, edited by Currer Bell in Three Volumes. (The author was using a masculine pen name to hide her gender, as women were "not supposed" to be novelists in her time. That, of course, is VERY laughable now!!)

This listing probably won't be available for very long, as Ebay listings are temporary. I'm sure some wealthy collector will come along pretty soon, and pick up these books!

I know there must be more of these scattered throughout the Internet. However, they must all be extremely expensive, due to the age of this first edition.

This novel totally captivated me when I first read it in high school, in a small, paperback edition. It captivated me again, when I read it for the second time, in 2014. That was during a read-along co-hosted by Brian @ Babbling Books and myself. We GREATLY enjoyed it!! We asked each other questions, and answered them, as well. Although it was supposed to be a read-along, by the end of it, there was only one other blogger also answering the questions -- Jim @ The Frugal Chariot. Nevertheless, I think this was a truly memorable experience! You can read my review, as well as access the read-along links, HERE.

This novel details the unforgettable story of Jane Eyre, an English orphan whose passionate love for her wealthy employer is just as passionate as her struggle to remain true to herself, even at the cost of great sacrifice. This is a novel to treasure and re-read again and again, especially for women, as it is a true feminist novel. 

Naturally, I would MUCH prefer to be able to travel back in Time, so that I could buy this edition without paying so much money! Lol. I might also possibly be able to purchase a copy signed by the author herself!! Alas, if only I had a Time Machine..... Hey, H.G., where did you hide those blueprints?

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

Please leave a comment! 

If you're participating in this meme,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!! 

Excerpt/Mini-Review/Giveaway!! Jaclyn and the Beanstalk, by Mary Ting

Welcome to the blog tour for

Jaclyn and the Beanstalk, 
sponsored by

I Am A Reader Blog Tours!!

For my stop, I'm featuring 
an excerpt with mini-review!
There's also a tour-wide giveaway!!

\

Jaclyn and the Beanstalk

Mary Ting
Trade Paperback, 276 pages
Kindle Edition, 214 pages
Vesuvian Books
September 4, 2018
Fantasy, Feminist Fiction, Romance, 
Young Adult Fiction

What fate awaits a girl who hears monsters at night…

Sixteen-year-old Jaclyn looks up to her father. An honest man who once fought for the king, he now teaches Jaclyn how to use her wits—and her sword.

But he has a secret. And his secret may have a connection to the one thing Jaclyn is hiding from him.

Upon hearing “monsters” are terrorizing the small villages around Black Mountain, Jaclyn’s father and his friends head out to hunt them … but they don’t return.

Armed only with her sword and three magic beans—a gift from a mysterious old woman—Jaclyn sets out for Black Mountain to save her father.

On her climb, one bean drops and grows into a beanstalk, catching her when she falls.

She isn’t the only one that takes the ride. Jack, her childhood friend and secret crush, is following her.

Jaclyn and Jack will have to work together to save not only their fathers, but the townspeople the beasts plan to lay waste to before it’s too late.

Note

The following mini-review is of the excerpt below, and not of the entire book. I do this only if I find a book entirely fascinating, such as this one!

The plot of this book is not only fascinating, but, of course, exciting! I LOVE the idea of a female version of Jack, the hero of the famous story, "Jack and the Beanstalk". 

The excerpt below shows us readers just what kind of character Jaclyn is. She's afraid of these monsters, true, but she confronts her fear in order to save her father. She has obviously sneaked into a meeting unobserved, a meeting meant only for the men of her village. But Jaclyn wants to have a part in whatever is being planned to help protect the villagers. So she's not sitting on sidelines or cowering in fear. Not her! She wants to be right in the middle of the all the action! I LOVE reading books with strong female protagonists, so this one will soon join my collection!

The men slapping Father on the shoulder one by one signaled time to leave. That night I heard a side of Father I’d never known. My respect for him rose even greater. He was well known by his former townspeople. He protected them, served them, and cared about them.

The men spoke to Father with reverence, at least the older ones with whom he had a kinship. None of them would have been there late into the night if they hadn’t sought his advice.

But the beasts—they were real whether the men believed or not. I believed because Father said they were, and I’d heard their cries for months.

The monsters’ wails had first invaded my mind the day I turned sixteen. How many heard their cries at night like me and never told a soul, afraid to be cast out of their village or burned for a heretic?

A silent, deadly chill took hold of every bone and muscle. Small wonder he had not liked my monster tale the previous night.

When Father flung the barn door open, I had no time to think but run back home. Who knew what kind of scolding I would receive if I were caught? I had seen no women at the meeting, let alone children.

Water descended in gleaming silver drops from the night sky, a gentle kiss on my face. I tightened my coverlet and ran against the frigid wind as fast as my legs would carry me.

Boots pounded against the wet dirt as the rain poured heavier and thicker on the spongy Earth. My face went numb, and then my body, not just from the savage cold, but from my thoughts. 

They are real … real. Taller than life … claws like a beast … teeth as sharp as knives.

I reached home with speed I never knew I had. Panting and desperate for air, I slipped inside quietly and walked with careful steps so as not to disturb Mother. Then I threw my coverlet across the bed and scooted under the damp blanket.

My hammering heart slowed to a steadier beat but refused to calm. I had discovered much through the crack in the wall. Having early chores in the morning, I closed my eyes for sleep, shivering, but sleep would not come.

Thoughts of monsters took hold of my mind. 

They are real.

Purchase Links

Amazon US/Amazon UK/Amazon CA

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal 
Cash Giveaway

Ends 9/27/18 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 International bestselling/award-winning author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one -- Something Great. She also tours with The Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book -- No Bullies Allowed.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Instagram

Amazon Author Page

To acess the complete tour schedule, just click on the banner below!

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 261: Seafire, by Natalie C. Parker

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

***Late Edition***

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful covers!

It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!

Here's my choice for this week!

Seafire
(Seafire, Book 1)
Natalie C. Parker
Hardcover, 384 pages
Razorbill
August 28 , 2018
Fantasy, Feminist Fiction, Pirates, 
Young Adult Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

Once again, a circular design on a book cover captures my eye, giving me so much visual delight! This is DEFINITELY a totally STUNNING cover! I first came across it on the blog Brittany's Book Rambles, which was created, of course, by Brittany. You can see that post HERE.

The circle includes a ring of roses which are themselves ringed by small, delicate branches. Deadly-looking spear points also jut out from the circle's perimeter, thus creating a very interesting contrast -- soft versus hard, gentleness versus aggression, beauty versus anger. The bursts of blue lightning flashes exploding from the circle give it a rather eerie look, too, and indicate that this circle has a lot of compressed energy in it.

The title is no less explosive than the circle behind it, on which the illustrator has also superimposed the four points of the compass. The title seems to glow with blue fire, echoing the blue of the lightning flashes. The font is basically a classic one, but it has been altered in very interesting ways. The letter "S" in the title has a very snakelike shape, for instance. This shape is echoed by the letter "R". In its present form, this title further reinforces the dynamic energy of the design behind it.

This cover makes me want to get this book as soon as possible, and dive in! Plus, aside from the GORGEOUS cover, there are FEMALE PIRATES in the plot! SOLD!!  :)

The creators of this cover awesomeness are Billelis, who is a freelance illustrator and Art Director from the UK, and Corina Lupp, who is a designer for Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House. 

Billelis counts the following companies among his past clients: Nike, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Coca-Cola, and Red Bull. His style is characterized by very intricate details, as well as macabre subject matter, such as skulls. Thankfully, none of that is evident in this cover! Only his superior artistic skills are beautifully displayed. The name "Billelis" is a pseudonym he's used since his days as a teen graffiti artist.

Corina Lupp is responsible for the design of this cover. She holds a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Art and General Art Studies from Cooper Union, and is based in New York City.

Online Links

Billelis

Website/LinkedIn/Instagram

Twitter

Corina Lupp

LinkedIn

What do you think of 
this week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!