Author: akuivalainen

I am SO thrilled to have Anya’s final adventure back out in the world! This series has such a special place in my heart and I couldn’t be happier that this one is LIVE. It is my favorite of the three with so much Finnish myth, big adventure and romance.

Need a blurb?

Filled with unforgettable characters, adventure, and mythology pulled deep from Russian and Finnish folklore, this richly imaginative fantasy series by bestselling author Amy Kuivalainen dives deep into the world of magic, pitting those who would abuse it against those sworn to protect it.

Traveling from the battlefields of Skazki to the Underworld of Tuonela, Anya and her companions encounter the vicious dark goddess Louhi and gain two magicians, the mad hero Kullervo and Eldon Blaise—apprentice of Merlin himself.

As devastating secrets of history and the heart are revealed, Anya must fight the darkness within herself and rise up to be a symbol for the Neutral rebel army that rallies under the banner of the firebird. Ready to restore the balance at any price, the final battle of the three armies will shape the worlds forever in this exciting finale of the Firebird Faerie Tales series. 

You can grab Anya’s final adventure here!

Don’t forget – More books are coming in this world starting with Mychal’s book ‘The Exorcist and the Demon Hunter’ in September!

Now go and enjoy and don’t forget to leave a rating or a review where ever you buy it from. It really does help other readers find my books and means the world to me,

Ames x

Exciting news everyone, Zahir has officially gone off to the editors and a pre-order is live!

When I say this book poured out of me after sitting on it for two years…it POURED out of me. My ADHD went into hyperfocus and I got through it in half the time I expected. I love this world so damn much and you can tell that I am thrilled to be back in this fantasy Venice.

This book picks up a couple of months after the events of ‘King of Swords’ and the epilogue in that is setting the scene for ‘Wands.’ If it’s been a while, I recommend you do a re-read of it before you jump into Zahir and Ezra’s story. You will also see some old faces from ‘King of Swords’ too, including plenty of Arkon (the attention whore that he is), Stella, Dom and Nico.

Now, depending on how quickly I get through the editing process, I will probably update this pre-order day from May to April. I’m thinking of St Marks Day, because I am a sap like that.

In the meantime, please enjoy this prologue and chapter one!

(please note, this is a draft so a few mistakes might have slipped through Grammarly. If that’s the kind of thing that annoys you, maybe wait :P)

***

The Last Ancient Wonder

There are many stories about Zahir the Eternal. With time, they have grown more outlandish, exaggerated, terrifying and magical, much like the King of the Djinn himself.

When asked which stories are true, Zahir has always replied, with a wink and a smile, that they all are.

If you try to point out the tales that couldn’t possibly be real for some reason or another, you would be invited to prove him wrong.

No one ever could.

One story about Zahir goes as follows; The year was 492 BC, and takes place in the city of Babylon. The powerful Djinn King has been enslaved to the Persian throne. He has been used many times for his power of foresight and prophecy, so the great king Darius demands that Zahir look into the future, to the land of the Greeks, where Darius plans to make his next conquest.

Zahir asks for three days and nights to summon his most powerful visions. This, the great Darius granted.

On the dawn of the fourth day, Zahir once again was summoned before the throne of Darius.

“Oh, wise and divine King of Kings, I have spent all of my power to divine the answers you seek,” Zahir declared. “The great Persian King will burn Athens to the ground.” This prophecy was met with much cheering by the courtiers…. until Zahir held up his hand.

“But-” he continued. “I have also seen that Persia will need more than the strength of your army in order to accomplish this glorious victory. I must travel with you to the land of the Greeks and appear to their senate as a freeman, like themselves, to spread fear and ensure they bow to you.”

“And if I refuse?” Darius demanded, for freeing a djinn as powerful as Zahir was a high price to pay.

“If you refuse, you will die defeated by these backward tribes, who are too ignorant to give you the respect you deserve. As a broken man, your body will be covered in wax, and this great glory that you would be remembered for all time will pass to another empire.”

Darius refused to give his ruling on the matter until the day their fleet sailed into the Cyclades’ blue waters. Finally, he summoned Zahir.

“You have served my family and this throne faithfully for a hundred years. I know what you want of me, but I am still reluctant to give it, and miss your wise council in the future.”

Zahir bowed low, ever the faithful servant. “Great king, I have served your throne so well and you most of all, because of my deep love and devotion to Persia. Free me, and I will serve you still. You need no ring binding me to you for that,” Zahir assured him.

Pleased by this announcement, Darius took the dull bronze ring carved in sigils from his finger, and passed it to Zahir, granting him his freedom.

“Go, my servant, and do as you foresaw. Sow animosity and fear into the Athenian hearts and minds. Prepare my way,” commanded Darius. With a parting deep and solemn bow, Zahir left the king and crossed the waves to the city of Athens.

Once there, Zahir appeared as a shining being of living flame before a general from the Leontis tribe.

“Marathon!” Zahir declared in a voice as old as creation.

“Are you the mighty Apollo?” the general asked, his face filled with awe.

Zahir’s flames rose higher. “Of course I am! Now, do as I say and take your men to Marathon!”

This general’s name was Themistocles, and he defeated Darius’s army at Marathon so thoroughly that it drove the King of Kings mad with the shame of it. When he died soon after, and his body was covered with wax, it was as a broken man.

When asked, Zahir has always argued that his prophecy to Darius was true; a great Persian king burned down Athens when Xerxes invaded some years later, and if he didn’t appear to Themistocles it never would have happened.

This story reveals two very important warnings that one must heed for their own good.

The first is that to enslave a djinn is not taming a dangerous creature. It is merely inviting it into your home so that it can learn all of the ways it can eventually destroy you.

The second is never, ever, fuck with Zahir the Eternal.

Chapter 1

In the city of Florence, deep in a warehouse basement, Ezra Eliyahu swayed under the flashing blue and crimson lights. The music was pounding hard, and she was dancing, dancing, dancing. She needed this release like she needed her heart beat. She had drunk enough, and there was enough weed in the air, that the week’s stress dulled down and her good vibes amped up.

Raising a hand as she moved, Ezra sketched an invisible sigil in the air. Golden stars rained down from the ceiling, making the crowd cheer and gasp. Every star that landed on skin glowed and magic sent a natural high through the party goer’s blood stream. 

When you can do nothing else, you dance, her father’s voice whispered to her through the music. She always thought it was one of his nonsense sayings, but as she got older and life got harder, she knew the truth in it. Her life could be a total garbage fire, and she would head straight to the dance floor. Somehow, everything would turn out okay.

Ezra missed her father every day, but she couldn’t bring herself to return to Venice. A few weeks before her twenty – eighth birthday, her mother, Lucia, had died, and for the two years afterward, Ezra and Judah had clung to each other in their grief. They had started doing magic together and father and daughter had created wonders.

It had all gone wrong when her father made some new friends in a group of mages.

The ‘Cabal of the Wise’ had creeped Ezra out from the minute Judah had mentioned them. She tried to warn him they weren’t to be trusted, that they were only out to use him. They had fought for the first time, and it ended when Ezra had packed her bags and left Venice. Six months and neither one had reached out, both too angry and proud.

Don’t think of it. Think of the music, Ezra told herself, the thorn still lodged in her heart. Blinking back her tears, she shouted a wordless sound amongst the music and noise, and sent a bigger rain of magic over the crowd. It was mere tricks compared to what she could wield. It made people happy, and that was what she was paid for.

She had planned on using her degree in magio-history to work in some museum or academia. When she had gotten to Florence, her hopes had fallen apart, and she had ended up bartending before doing party tricks. It paid the bills. Her study could wait. Everything could wait. 

Two hours later, Ezra picked up her money that had been left at the bar and stepped out into the warm night. Summer was ending soon, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. Heat made her blood and magic feel like it could flow properly.

Ezra had no fear of thieves or miscreants on her walk home to her apartment in Santo Spirito. She was more than adept at self-defense and had kept a thin spike of a dagger in her boot at all times. When that failed, magic was always burning on her fingertips.

You are made for more than party tricks, Judah’s voice echoed in the back of her head. Ezra knew it was true. She just didn’t know what else to do with herself. She had thought Florence would inspire her magic and the power of creation. Ezra was uninspired to even pick up a pencil. Until she could get herself together enough to work on more complex sigil designs, the dance floor would have to do.

Ezra instantly spotted the man leaning against the wrought-iron gate that led into her apartment building. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but something about him made her wary. Under the glowing street lamp, his pale eyes studied her.

“Excuse me, signorina, are you Ezra Eliyahu?” he asked in a Veneto accent.

“Depends. Who is asking?” she replied, digging around her bag for her keys and slipping them between her fingers.

“I’m here representing your father’s lawyer,” he explained, taking a step toward her. “I’m sorry to tell you like this, but your father is dead, signorina.” Ezra stumbled, all thought of her safety vanishing as disbelief, anger and shock hit her body all at once. She couldn’t hear what the man was saying, his words coming from underwater. She was still shaking her head when someone moved behind her. Sharp pain pierced her neck and Ezra was out before she hit the ground.

***

Thanks for reading! You can pre-order ‘King of Wands’ here, and also keep an eye out in the next little while because I’ll probably post a few more chapters before release,

Ames x

Look at my gorgeous King of the Djinn! I’m so excited to finally be sharing this cover with you! My designer UNDERSTOOD the assignment, I squealed like a demented dolphin when I first saw it.

To give you a quick update, I’m about half way through drafting this one, and it’s such a delight to be writing in this world again after two years. It was always a comfort series for me and I feel like it’s the perfect way to start a fresh New Year.

I am hoping to release this one in May, but I will put a pre-order up when I know for sure. I already have ‘Rise of the Firebird’ coming to you in March, so May feels like a good time. It will give me plenty of time to get it finished and through all the edits.

Here is a blurb to get you excited. It’s SUCH a fun story so far, and even though these are all written as stand alones, we are seeing a lot of familiar faces from book one including Arkon and Stella.

BLURB:

Things are finally going right for Ezra. She’s living in Florence, and her skill with rare sigil magic is unbeatable. Everything was going fine…right up until a crazy cabal of magicians decide to drag her back to Venice. Not only is her new captors determined to sell golem soldiers to the Varangians, they want Ezra’s magic to make it happen.

To save herself, Ezra will have to swallow her own prejudices and go to the one person in Venice that could help her; The Djinn King of Wands, Zahir Matani.

Zahir knows how to get the most from a deal. Sure, he’ll help Ezra, but only once she’s exposed the Republic’s enemies and fulfilled the small caveat that she has to spend three nights with the djinn king at a time and place of his choosing.

It’s better to make a deal with the Devil than a djinn, and Ezra has never met a man as ruthless as Zahir. He might be willing to save her from her captors, but who is going to save her from him?

***

Eeek! I can’t wait to share all of these shenanigans with you. Also, please make sure you are subscribed to this blog if you want exclusive content in the next few months. I’m going to be releasing some sneaky chapters because we all need some Zahir in our lives.

Ames x

First up….Look! It’s finally happened! I have released my paperbacks on all the retailers so you can get them everywhere. Damn all these covers look good when they are together.

This has been A YEAR.

I usually try and do a big wrap up but my mind is fire at the moment and most of this year a blur of weddings, random stories and so many, many edits. The good news is that I have sent off the final edits of the year. Five structural edits, several minor copy editing rounds, is too much editing in one year. I’m so happy it’s done. It was intentional, and planned, but it didn’t leave as much time as I would have liked to be creative this year. I did tie up my two major passion projects this year that I was so surprised about. Thank you so much to everyone who read “Sorcerers and Saints” and “Wolf of the Sands.” I’ve been so blown away by the responses to both books and I’m forever grateful.

Thank you to everyone who has also taken the relaunch of Anya and her adventures into their hearts. Her adventures are going to be wrapped up in ‘Rise of the Firebird’ in March, but don’t worry! This universe does continue with a whole swag of spin off books and adventures.

Speaking of releases for next year…I finally have enough space in my schedule to write ‘King of Wands.’ I know it’s been so long between these books, due to unforeseeable circumstances, and I can’t WAIT to dive into Zahir’s book. I finished the final outline of it today and I’m so freaking excited. I’m also going to be sharing sexy covers and a blurb early next year so make sure you keep an eye out. My next lot of indie releases will be ‘Tarot Kings’ so don’t worry, there will be no more yearly breaks with these guys.

I hope you all have a happy and safe holidays. Here’s hoping for a less chaotic 2023!

Ames x

It’s been a hot minute since I posted so I have lots of updates this week! First up, ‘Rise of the Firebird’ is now on preorder for March! If you are an ARC reader, it is also available to request over here at Netgalley.

Yes, Anya’s journey is coming to a close but don’t worry, there’s still tons of adventures lined up in this world. I’m getting the question pretty often about what’s happening next so here it is:

3. Rise of the Firebird (last chapter of Anya)

4. The Exorcist and the Demon Hunter (Mychal)

5. Of Starlight and Midnight (Aramis and Søren)

THE BLOOD LAKE CHRONICLES (this is a re-release trilogy in the same Firebird Universe. It deals with the fae and Arthurian myth).

In other news, I have come back from holiday to Istanbul and Greece and feeling a lot better and refreshed. I’ve just finished off some editing on ‘Of Starlight and Midnight’, and hopefully this will close of my year of editing. It’s been a bit crazy but it feels good to have it all done.

Next up, I’m writing Tarot Kings with ‘King of Wands.’ I am so excited to be finally heading back into this world and to the always lovely Venice. I have seen the new covers for the next three books and I can’t WAIT to start sharing them with you in the next few months. It’s going to be such a fun ride.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with another update, and news about some exciting things I have in the works.

Ames 🙂

This is just a quick email to let you know that the ‘King of Swords’ paperback is officially LIVE on Amazon! You can grab it right here.

And for those who haven’t read it, here is a blurb:

In a fantasy future, magic has replaced technology and Venice is once again the center of a powerful empire, but everything is not as serene in the new republic as it seems.

Stella is an unregistered magic-user, and a creator of tarot decks, two things that are illegal when they go together. She’ll do anything to protect her secret, even ignore the attentions of Dom Aladoro, the sexy as sin shifter prince of Venice.

As the heir of the most prominent shifter family in Venice, and a member of the Council of Ten, Dom’s life is one of wealth, privilege, and any woman he wants…except for one that he met by chance at Carnevale and who has spent the last eight months ghosting him.

When Dom stumbles across a fight in the dark streets of San Marco, he has no idea he is about to come face to face with his mystery woman. Stella draws him into a search for missing magic users, unveiling a conspiracy that could threaten the Republic to its core.

Together they will hunt through glittering palazzos and dockside brothels, their search taking them into the dark heart of Venice, where money and power may make the rules, but where love always conquers.

***

I hope you all enjoy it, and don’t worry ‘Sorcerers and Saints’ will also be getting a face lift and paperback soon!

Ames x

‘King of Swords’ has gotten a facelift! I’m gearing up to start writing this series after all of my editing is out of the way (end of November) and I wanted to kick things off by getting all new covers and branding for the series. I mean LOOK at this hotness. I swear my soul left my body when I first saw it.

Good news! It’s also going to be released soon as a paperback! I’m waiting on my final proof copy to arrive in the mail so I can give it a thorough check over and then I’ll be making it live.

Thank you everyone for your patience waiting on this world to continue. I had no idea how much my writing life would be taken up by the Firebird rewrites and editing in the past two years, and with COVID and lockdowns I really didn’t think I could do this new world the justice I wanted to. You will get them all next year, and man, are you in for a ride. They are going to be so much fun and I can’t WAIT.

If you haven’t already read King of Swords, I’ve put it on a special rebrand price of $2.99 so make sure you check it out here! I’ll also send another email when the paperback is live!

Ames

Hurray! We are live! After the kerfuffle (technical term) with the paperbacks arriving early, I thought, bugger it and changed the date for the ebook release. Big, big thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered this one!

If you missed the blurb, here is:

A Viking witch touched by the gods, a magi prince from a mysterious world, a love that will shape the destiny of a kingdom.

Betrayed by her gods, Fen is sold by raiders to the mysterious People of Sand and Sky and taken to Aaru, a world of impossible beauty and cruelty. An accidental encounter with the pharaoh’s son will alter her fate, offering Fen a chance to earn her freedom in the most unexpected way.

Khan knows that change is coming to Aaru, but he never anticipated it to be in the form of a fierce witch from another world. Fen is a gift from the gods, and he will do everything he can to keep her safe.

Prince and slave strike a bargain; Khan will protect her and send her home in a year’s time, and in return, Fen will teach him about her magic and gods while pretending to be his royal concubine.

When betrayal burns Khan’s world down, neither he nor Fen can predict how their bond will change them, awakening fierce magic and a love that will impact the very fate of Aaru itself.

Wolf of the Sands is a stand-alone romance novel in a high fantasy world based on Norse, Egyptian and Mesopotamian myth. It contains plenty of action and a guaranteed HEA, but please note it does have graphic violence, swearing and sex scenes

Grab it here!

***

I hope you all enjoy this labor of love. Please don’t forget if you love it, leave it a rating or review on Amazon as it really does help us indies get our titles in front of new readers.

Happy reading!

Ames x

I erred on the side of caution and set up my paperbacks early in case of Amazon waiting times, and surprise they went live quickly and you can get them now!

There are two versions that available so here are the links to the People Version and the Discreet Version.

The ebook is still due to launch on the third of September as planned. I also wanted to say thank you to everyone has taken advantage of the launch sale price and done a pre-order! I’ve really been blown away by the excitement around this passion project of mine and I can’t wait for everyone to read it.

Need a sneak peek? Keep reading for chapter one!

***

Fenrys Rune-Tongue opened her mouth to the sky and let the rainwater drip slowly down her parched throat.

It had been four days since she had been tied to her corner of the longboat. She had lived off the little rainwater she could manage to get into her mouth or suck off the wooden railing she was tied to. Her captors didn’t care if she died; they were hoping she would save them the headache of handling her.

In the dark of midnight, the raiders had beached their boat in the bay at her village of Visby, the place of sacrifices, where women came to learn to be seiðr to serve the gods. No one had ever dared attack them. Not until Egil had managed to convince his men it would be easy picking.

Fen had made it harder for them than they expected. She had been trained as a shield maiden and a seiðr, and she had killed seven of the raiders before they managed to overpower her.

It had been sufficient time for the acolytes and the teachers to get away and hide in the forest, and that was enough for Fen.

“We should push her over the side and be done with it,” Brandr spat as he glared at her.

Fen smirked. She liked that he was scared of her.

Good.

She was a seiðr, a keeper of stories and magic, a seer and sacred servant of Freya and Odin. Their mistreatment of her was enough for even the strongest of the raiders to be nervous. Egil only laughed at him.

“Don’t be a coward. She can do nothing to us without an ax in her hand.”

“The seiðr have magic. Who knows what curse she will bring down on us,” Brandr argued, earning Egil’s fist in his face.

“Shut up. We will be in Hedeby tomorrow, and we will sell her like all the rest.”

Fen laughed. “You think anyone is going to buy a seiðr? They will be too scared of the All-Father’s wrath as you should be,” she said calmly. Brandr raised his fist to her, but Egil caught his arm.

“Leave it. Don’t let the witch provoke you,” he said. “We are going to sell her to someone who doesn’t care about the gods or what powers she might have.”

Fen ignored them, settling deeper into her damp blue cloak that still smelled of pine smoke and blood. She tried not to listen as the other female slaves were assaulted that night, as they had been every night since their capture.

She prayed softly to Freya that they would be strong and those who touched them would die screaming and without glory. If she had a chance to get free, she would give them that death for everything they had done.

The goddess’s warm presence caressed her, and Fen whispered her gratitude. She was Odin-marked, after all, so the goddess rarely acknowledged her, but Freya was the mother of all seiðr; maybe she would not forget her daughter like Odin had. Fen had saved as many of her priestesses as she could. Perhaps that made Freya look favorably on her.

Fen wanted to know what the fuck the All-Father was playing at, letting an ox-like Egil take her as a slave. She should have seen their attack in the runes, should have been able to read this journey in her wyrd.

No one had seen it, and that was bad for all of the seiðr.

* * *

The following day, Fen woke to the smell of smoke and a fog so thick, she could barely see the front of the boat. She did her best to wipe the frost off her braid, still stained with blood and mud despite the rain that had been falling on her for days.

As the sun warmed, the fog began to vanish, and the trading port of Hedeby rose out of it—an island of moored boats, raiders, farmers, whores, and foreigners.

“Finally, we can be done with you,” Brandr snarled as he directed one of the men to untie her. He wasn’t about to lay a hand on her despite his words.

With cramps racing up and down her legs and back, Fen climbed from the boat and onto the wooden jetty to stand with the other twenty slaves. They all looked ashen and not worth the coin Egil would charge for them.

“Walk,” Egil commanded, shoving at Fen with the butt of his spear. He wasn’t brave or stupid enough to get too close, either. One wrong move, and Fen would have that spear so deep in his gullet that it came out of his throat.

The slaves were herded along the stinking streets, through the fish markets, and where farmers were selling crops. The ring of a blacksmith’s forge sounded in the distance, and people were busy selling or buying everywhere. There were also traders from the east—men in richly colored robes selling spices, dyes, and fabrics.

The stench of human suffering, blood, and shit filled Fen’s nose as they made it to the slave markets. Women and children were chained in pens, separate from the men, and ranked only slightly higher than livestock.

Fen ground her teeth together at the curse biting at her tongue. She made to follow the women into a pen, but a round shield shoved her back.

“Not you, witch. We would never sell you to this crowd,” Brandr said, sharing a smile with Egil. He took the rope of her leash and tugged her along.

There were only the two of them. She would only need a slight distraction. Fen froze as the cold, sharp tip of a spear rested on the back of her neck.

“Don’t even think about it. You already cost me seven vikingar, and if you weren’t worth the gold I need, I would gut you right here,” Egil snarled softly. “Now, move.”

Fen kept walking, following Brandr and trying to stay out of the way of the crowd. They headed out of town and up a grassy hill.

She wondered if she was being taken to be sacrificed, but no one would pay raiders gold for that, and no one would dare to sacrifice a seiðr.

Cages had been built at the top of the hill, but of metal, not wood. They were filled with criminals and those too dangerous to sell at a regular slave market.

Those hard-faced men all looked like they were going to piss themselves. The slave traders didn’t look much happier.

Blank-faced women of all ages were crowded into another cage. Fen couldn’t help but notice they were holding up better than the men.

What in Hel’s name is going on here?

The caw of a raven made Fen’s head snap to the side, and her stomach filled with ice. She hadn’t been afraid before, but she was now.

Two stone obelisks rose out of the earth like teeth, strange runes carved into them. They were at least ten feet tall, and sitting on top of each one was a raven watching her.

A Sky Bridge.

She had never seen them but heard the stories and knew to fear them.

All-Father, what did I do to displease you? Fen begged. Surely not something terrible enough to deserve this. She had saved the other seiðr. She had always served the gods loyally. Despite her heartbreak, she would show no fear.

“Good, we made it before they got here,” Egil said with a laugh at Fen.

“They are watching us,” Brandr whispered, noticing the birds.

“Shut the fuck up. This will be done with soon,” Egil replied. “Their gold spends as easily as any other’s. The bridge only opens once a year, so any curse for taking the witch will leave when she does.”

A pale light began to glow between the pillars, growing brighter as it filled the space. A bronze metal head shaped like a monstrous cat appeared through the light, followed by the rest of an armored body. Four others appeared, all bigger than ordinary men, carrying wickedly curved sickle swords at their sides and shields almost as tall as Fen was.

“You will sell me to the People of Sand and Sky? Do you really not fear the gods, Egil?” Fen demanded, a last pathetic attempt to save herself.

Egil only laughed. “Bitch, the gods won’t hear you once you go through the Sky Bridge. Not even Odin himself will be able to see you or hear your prayers.”

Fen straightened to her full six feet of height, making the two shorter men step backward in fear of the giantess.

“I pray to Odin that you both live long lives, and you die old men, alone by a hearth and with no honor,” she cursed. “You will not see the halls of Valhalla. You will freeze in the wastes of Hel’s halls, and no one will remember your name.”

Brandr hit her, fear making his face white. Fen tasted iron as she smiled at him and spat on the ground, sealing her curse with blood.

“It doesn’t mean shit,” Egil said, joining the other traders and the strangely armored men.

“Take it back,” Brandr hissed.

“Never,” Fen replied, her red-stained smile widening further. Egil whistled at them, and Brandr dragged her forward and thrust her rope at the bronze soldier.

The eyes of the helm were completely black, but Fen could feel them assessing her. A gloved hand touched her long, golden braid, and the warrior nodded. Gold ingots changed hands, and Fen’s rope was tied to the train of the other slaves.

The ravens hadn’t moved from the top of the glowing Sky Bridge, black eyes watching every moment.

“Why?” she whispered, but no reply came to her. There was no warmth of magic in her fingers or the iron and honey taste of runes on her tongue.

The train of slaves began to move through onto the bridge. As Fen’s feet stepped into the burning light, the last thing she knew of Midgard was the black eyes of the ravens and the cold certainty that Odin had abandoned her.

***

Want more? Check it out here.

Ames x

The rumors are true! You are getting a surprise fantasy romance book out of me on the 3rd of September! I’ve been teasing this one a little on Instagram but the cat is officially out of the bag.

I know a lot of you are waiting on the continuation to Tarot Kings, but due to some changes to my editing schedule for ‘The Firebird Faerietales’ universe, I have ended up not editing two books this year like I thought, but now it’s going to be FIVE. Because of this change, I quite literally don’t have the time to finish off another series. I did owe you a book so that’s why this new one is a stand alone. The editing *should* be wrapped up by Christmas which is going to free me up early next year to just focus on Tarot Kings. I already have sexy new covers in the works, so it’s definitely happening.

OKAY..the new book is a story I have been trying to write since I was fifteen years old…so ah, 21 years? (yikes). ANYWAY, during my Honey Moon/ holidays I wanted to tinker away on something fun and stress free and I ended up having this entire book flow out of me. Don’t worry, it has surprised me too.

What’s it about? Why, I’m so glad you asked. My dears, I give you…

A Viking witch touched by the gods, a magi prince from a mysterious world, a love that will shape the destiny of a kingdom.

Betrayed by her gods, Fen is sold by raiders to the mysterious People of Sand and Sky and taken to Aaru, a world of impossible beauty and cruelty. An accidental encounter with the pharaoh’s son will alter her fate, offering Fen a chance to earn her freedom in the most unexpected way.

Khan knows that change is coming to Aaru, but he never anticipated it to be in the form of a fierce witch from another world. Fen is a gift from the gods, and he will do everything he can to keep her safe.

Prince and slave strike a bargain; Khan will protect her and send her home in a year’s time, and in return, Fen will teach him about her magic and gods while pretending to be his royal concubine.

When betrayal burns Khan’s world down, neither he nor Fen can predict how their bond will change them, awakening fierce magic and a love that will impact the very fate of Aaru itself.

Wolf of the Sands is a stand-alone romance novel with a high fantasy world based on Norse, Egyptian and Mesopotamian myth. It contains plenty of action and a guaranteed HEA, but please note it does have some graphic violence, swearing and sex scenes.

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COOL, RIGHT?

This book is the love child of someone who grew up watching way too much 13th Warrior, the Mummy, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings. It’s a super fun story with loads of magic and romance and I am THRILLED it is finally in the world. It’s also going to be available in paperback (with this cover and a discreet cover if you don’t like bare chests) which I am really excited about. (Side note, King of Swords and Sorcerers and Saints will also be available in paperback by the end of the year.)

The pre-order is now live and on a special price. It will go up a week after launch so make sure you grab a copy now while it’s cheap! Grab it here.

You’ll hear more from me soon, so keep an eye out because I will be posting some sneaky first chapters in the coming weeks.

Ames x