#although i am going to get Gollum a cover or she's going to catch a cold staying in the air flow like that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lady-of-starlight · 7 years

Text

Let The Star Lead The Way - Chapter 8 - “...You’ll forgive me, if I finish it”

You find yourself unable to move as Thranduil catches you easily, lifts you off the ground and places you on the edge of the table.

“With utmost respect: You call that a kiss, my lady? Let me show you how it is truly to be done...”

You only have time to look at him in bewilderment before his lips close over yours.You try to struggle free, but he won’t allow it this time: His other arm is wrapped tightly around your waist while the other finds its way to the nape of your neck, his fingers curling there and holding your head in place as you try to turn away.

He starts slowly, but soon his kisses become deeper and more heated as his tongue brushes against your lip, clearly suggesting you to open your mouth.

Thranduil notices your resistance, you can feel him smiling against your lips as he speaks:

“You rewarded me with a bite of your delicate teeth, let me return the favor...”

Immediately, his teeth sink lightly into the soft flesh of your lower lip, and as that draws a startled gasp out of you, he takes advantage of your parted lips, with his tongue claiming yours.

Your head spins, as if you’d be drunk with a bittersweet need and warm lust that spreads from your core with every touch and kiss Thranduil places on your body. His arm tightens its grip around you, drawing you flush against his hard chest. You can’t help but spread your fingers against the front of his shirt, feeling the muscles beneath, while his lips leave yours and travel towards your throat. You shiver when his mouth pushes against your skin, moving closer to your cleavage. You feel paralyzed as his fingers come down from your neck to trail the collar of your shirt, pulling it lower to reveal more skin for his mouth to explore. When his head dips lower you let out an alarmed sound and he stops, turning his eyes on you.

“Scared, little one?”

You turn your eyes away, avoiding his gaze, which is enough of an answer. He chuckles and moves closer to your ear again, stopping to nibble the skin behind your ear before speaking:

“A small advice, if you please: Do not try to beat me in a game that I know better.”

At that, he adruptly lets go of you, forcing you to grab the edge of the table to regain your balance.

“We are done... For now.”

With a last look at your lips, Thranduil takes his jacket and starts off towards the doors, not looking back.

Your fingers rise to touch your swollen lips. What just happened?

You glide down from the table, trying to regain yours senses: Your knees still feel dangerously weak and your breath comes out in shaky bursts. As you lift your hands to cover your face, you notice the shakiness of your fingers.

That was not supposed to happen... It shouldn’t have....

Then why did it feel so good?

✽ ✽ ✽

You have no idea of how long you’ve been standing there, when someone enters the room.

“Oh, apologies, my lady. I did not expect anyone to be here anymore.”

You turn to face the speaker: Another elf lady, her ash-blonde hair gathered up with a set of wooden pins, stands in the doorway with a broom in her hands.

“No need to worry, I was just about to leave.” You do your best to smile, although your cheeks still feel half-paralyzed. “I believe we haven’t met before?”

“Most likely not. I am Erchiel.” She walks inside the room and starts sweeping right away. “You are one of the elves of Lothlórien who arrived during the attack?”

“Yes, I am”, you reply as you jump out of the way of her broom. “I assume you live here?”

“Certainly”, she says, not stopping her work for a minute. “Since the day I was born.”

She wanders towards the other end of the room, accompanied with the brushing sounds of her broom. As you’re pondering whether you should leave or not, Erchiel speaks again: “So, the King has taken it as his duty to help you with your practices?”

“Um, yes..” The mention of him threatens to make your breath stick to your throat, and you cough a bit. “He has been very helpful, I’m grateful for that.”

“He is a skillfull warrior, no need for a better teacher.”

“Truly...” You don’t know what else to say, so you fall silent.

“Well, unless my lady is planning on continuing training, I suggest you to get yourself tidied up so you can join others for lunch. It will be served in about an hour.” Erchiel speaks without turning to you.

“Oh. Well then, excuse me...” You mutter and back away from the room.

Erchiel certainly doesn’t appear like someone to befriend, no. Her voice had been almost downright hostile. The difference between her and Emlineth is quite apparent, and you can only hope that most of the Mirkwood elves fall closer to Emlineth’s persona than hers. Otherwise, this visit might possibly turn out to be even less pleasant than expected... Not that you had had any high hopes to begin with.

Sighing, you rush to your chambers, trying to silence the chaos in your head: Your mind feels like a tangled bundle of several thoughts and emotions, all trying to make themselves known at once. You grunt and rub your temples, feeling a headache approaching. Too much emotional stress always makes your head throb. Frustrated, you swing the doors to your chambers shut and start to remove your clothing.

You can only hope that Thranduil won’t be present at lunch, for you have no idea how you can ever face him again after what just happened.

✽ ✽ ✽

You make it to the dining hall just in time. You stop outside the doors to steady your breath before entering, your every nerve praying silently.

Sadly, your prayers are in vain. As you enter the room, you see Thranduil sitting at the other end of the massive, long table, calmly discussing with some of the elves seated near him. He doesn’t seemingly acknowledge your presence in any way, although you could swear his eyes follow you for a moment when you sit down to an empty chair as far from him as possible. You feel hot all over and try to keep your hands from shaking as you reach for your food, almost knocking over one of the wine goblets. You force the food down your throat in small bites and try to forget his presence, which proves to be difficult: You can see his every movement out of the corner of your eye, and every time the discussion around you calms down a bit, you can hear trails of his deep voice echoing from the other side of the room.

You lift your head when another elf enters the room: Legolas. He marches towards the King, and Thranduil rises immediatelly and leans closer to hear what Legolas has to say. As Legolas whispers into his ear, he frowns and his mouth sets into a thin line. Without a word, he waves his hand for Legolas and leads him out of the room. A few elves look after them, but continue their meal. You have no idea what might be going on, but you can only hope it’s nothing too serious.

Outside the dining hall, Thranduil and Legolas walk down the corridor, arguing silently.

“Ada. I need to go. That Gollum creature has been on the run far too long already. Lord Elrond must be informed.”

“Then why not send someone else? It doesn’t require any more than a regular messenger to bring a message, with rather ill news, to Imladris.”

“But the course of actions can be set faster while I am there, as you must stay here. Ada, be reasonable.”

Sighing, Thranduil halts. “Very well then. But you must promise me to send a message once you have arrived. The roads and paths aren’t as safe as they once were.”

“Of course.” Legolas is about to walk past his father, when Thranduil places his hand on his shoulder.

“And Legolas...”

Pale eyes meet each other, with mutual understanding shining through them. Legolas smiles a bit, and then rushes away, leaving Thranduil alone in the corridor, staring at the wall.

- End of chapter 8 -

Yay, I finally got around continuing my fanfic! Enjoy!

Erchiel = Daughter of Prickle.

Imladris = Rivendell

#thranduil #thranduil x reader #legolas #mirkwood #mirkwood elves #tolkien #tolkien fan fiction #hobbit #the hobbit #LOTR #lotr fanfic #lee pace #fanfic

51 notes · View notes

drabblesfromthemoon · 7 years

Text

Serene, Chapter III - Down the Rabbit Hole

Serene

Chapter III

Down the Rabbit Hole

Disclaimer: I don't own A Court of Thorn and Roses and all characters in the series. All of the characters are the property of Sarah J Maas, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

By the time he opened his eyes, the silver sparkling lands were no more. The realm is now pitch black. He heard a vicious growl from the distance, along with white eyes in the dark, whatever it was, ready to pounce him any minute. Tamlin went into his battle stance, preparing himself to kill whoever it is on sight. But soon he felt his magic taken away. Something was ripped from him and he roared to the night, refusing to accept the second experience of being stripped from his power.

The chilling growl turned into an otherworldly voice, echoing inside his head, unlike the gentle caress that had been guiding him earlier.

I saw greed.

And the High Lord collapsed.

Two Fae girls, not look older than 10 springs sat beside the comfy bed, with tree roots sustaining it and gentle shades of silver canopy up above. Their soft midnight haired head moved once in awhile, curiously inspecting the person in the bed. They have sat there for so a long while, fascinated by the creature who was sleeping soundly. Both of them had took him here because of the Queen's order, and it was no easy task. The man is so heavy! And the Gollum weren't so helpful either.

"Is he dead?" one with the shorter hair said for the umpteenth times, attempting to poke him.

"No, Milla, he's not," the other retorted, slapping her sisters' hand, "Her Majesty told us to keep an eye on him!"

"We have waited here for so long, Nalla, and he doesn't wake up at all!" she cried, "I want to go bother some Gollums! I'm bored!"

Nalla clicked her tongue. She despise her infernal twin of hers. So immature, so childish. Unlike her, Nalla take pride being one of the Queen's apprentice. Even though all she did was taking care of the old tree. However, Milla apparently doesn't care about it. All she did was chasing down the Tree younglings and Gollums, bugging them until they snapped and left her giggling.

"Fine, you go bug that Gollums, I'll watch over him alone," she retorted, emphasizing alone to make Milla catch the sign of how she try to guilt trip her sister.

"Really? Wooohoooo!" she exclaimed loudly, her feet stomping the wood under her, causing the tree house to shake.

"Milla, keep your voice down!" the older hissed.

Tamlin quietly open his eyes after all the noise, wanted to make the girls noticed him be releasing a groan. He had been aware of his surroundings for awhile, but refused to open his eyes to scanned the place by pretending to be asleep.

"He woke up, Nalla, I did it!"

"All you did was jumping around like a little monkey, you..."

"Hello, Sire! Are you awake?" little Milla exclaimed, putting her hands on the bed, excitedly looking at the man in front of her.

"Yes, yes I am," he groaned, getting up as he rub the back of his neck, "where am I?"

"We took you from the tree, Sire!" she continued her babbling, "you are really heavy and you must have upset the elder, didn't you? To have them knock you out like that? You shouldn't do that, Sire, you shouldn't! The Queen was..."

"Shhh!" the older hissed again, covering her twin sister, "go outside, I'll explain things to him!"

Milla pouted.

"Now," her sister finished.

The short haired girl stomped outside, muttering words as she went. Nalla turned her focus from her sister to her guest, who is sitting with his sleepy eyes and confusion.

"So, what is this place?" he asked again, eyes still wandering around. The room was so small compared to his chamber, with some silver light go through the windows. Dolls scattered in one corner while other place has a desk full of papers and maps. That, and a huge picure of a woman on the wall.

"This is my room, Sire," young Nalla answered, "we found you fainted by the Elder Tree. How did you get there?"

"Someone told me about that tree and I try to find it," he muttered, "the damned thing took my magic from me."

"You have angered him, then," she said.

"No idea how it got pissed off, I did what the voice told me."

"Voice? What voice?"

"A girl's voice led me to the tree, telling me how to find it. But when I said my wish the tree knocked me out."

Nalla held her breath.

"What? You know something, Brat?"

"No, nothing," she shook her head, "would you like to take a bath or something? The Queen is expecting you but she's away at this moment."

"I need to go back to my castle," he replied.

"Later, after you meet the Queen," she said, her voice stern. Tamlin eyed her for a good minute before he sighed.

"Fancy a tour?" she asked, her face uninterested, "this village isn't much, but I think you'll like it."

Is there a limit of how many times a man can be surprised in a day?

Tamlin had trouble keeping his mouth closed the entire time as his eyes scanned the sight before him. They just go passed the girls' door when he gaped at the city, it was a sight to behold. Something he never seen in the Spring Court. Everything was covered in different shades of silver and blue, the houses looked like they're carved out of the sturdy trunk. The realm is full of tree houses, with bridges connected one across another. Every bridges has roofs, graced by bright lantern ever 1-2 meters.

Up above was a night sky with endless stars and an unusually big moon graced the castle far, far away. Countless stars fell , some houses were made of glass on top of the hills and mountains.

Beneath the land was the turqoise colored water, just like what he saw earlier around the Ancient Tree. He can see a stairs twirled down from one house to the land below, giving them access to gether the water they needed.

"The water... isn't a magical one? It.. doesn't grant.. wishes...here?" he stuttered, feeling stupid.

"The only water that grant wishes is only the one close to the Elder."

"The Elder?"

"The tree that knocked you out," she replied.

"Ah, right."

"The water around here was the one the Queen provided. Although still magical, it won't grant any wishes. The Elder has the power, and he choose who he deemed worthy."

"Any specific criteria?"

"No lust, no greed, no anger," she answered, her index finger emphasizing each words, "you got the greed, didn't you?"

"How did you know?"

"The one with greed will have something precious taken away from him."

"My magic...," he sighed, "is there any way to retrieve it?"

"You must ask the Queen about that," she replied, "now where is she...?"

Nalla scanned the land around her, trying to find the one she looking for, that immature twin of hers. She found her chasing a group of tree younglings, which shrieking in annoyance as it ran from Milla.

"Milla! Leave them alone!" she shouted as he rolled down a carpet which turned into a long stairs. Tamlin went to the edge of the bridge to see what's the fuss, and catch himself muttering 'the hell is that? Those are trees, aren't they? But they are running around'.

"Aww, you're ruining the fun!" the younger pouted. Her eyes soon stare into Tamlin's as she smiled brightly again, "Hey, Sire! Having fun?"

The young lord found himself in a very confused state. This place is not an ordinary place, indeed. Running little trees, silver leaves, Elder tree sucking his power within seconds... this place is filled by great amount of magic.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, "and what is this.. place?"

"Oh, you finally got curious, aren't you?" Milla jumped, excited, "I'm waiting for a long time to say this!"

The girls stood before him, Milla's eyes round and bright, Nalla's face remained impassive as always, the younger tried to hold her bubbling happiness within her.

"Welcome to the Court of the Moon," she giggled, "We are Milla and Nalla, the Queen's apprentice."

"Court of the Moon?"

The twin nodded.

"There's no such thing as the Court of the Moon."

Milla gaped and Nalla shook her head in disapproval, looking at him as if he'a dumb fool.

"The Court of the Moon is one of the ancient Court ever made. We were the the ancestor of the Night's," said Nalla as she walked, motioning the rest to follow her.

"Yeah, the Night, one with the perverted, audacious High Lord, you know him, right?" Milla added.

"...of course," he muttered.

"Our Court has always been hidden, because of the Elder Tree. The former King of the Night was obsessed with it, especially on its ability to grant wishes," said Nalla, "he would come to the Elder Tree over and over, but never find his path, because of the overwhelming greed inside him."

"After many failed attempts, he became a bit.. destructive...," Milla chimed in.

"He burnt the entire woods in an attempt to find the path, that old fool. That one last attempt angered the Queen."

"Her Majesty sealed the whole Court with a spell to conceal it, away from all malice; and she cursed the wretched King to live with his greed all his life, until an heir came, that's strong willed enough to not inherit his amount of hatred."

"...Rhysand."

"The High Lord has been faring well, or so I've heard," Nalla smirked slightly.

Tamlin snorted.

"The side effect is thes realm never see other view than the night sky, but it's not that bad."

"I hate night sky," he grumbled under his breath.

"So.. how did you get here, Sire?" asked Milla, "because the Queen herself made sure that no one ever heard of our story."

"A maid in my castle told me," he said, confused, "she told me a story about a pond that can grant wishes."

Milla and Nalla exchanged glances.

"That's impossible, Sire, no one would ever know about this place, unless..."

"You were talking about a voice, too. What voice?" Nalla cut her off.

"There's a voice talking to me, saying that I should beg to find my path or something."

"Milla, go to the castle, immediately. We should request an audience to the Queen as soon as possible."

Milla nodded eagerly as she ran with her little legs, whistled as she went, calling a little fat bird. She hop onto it and flew.

"What is it? Explain to me!"

"Listen, Sire. No one, no one ever know about our story after our Queen sealed the realm. But the sealing doesn't came out perfect."

"You Queen made a mistake."

Nalla nodded.

"One of the royalty, a rebellous girl left out of the Court, the Queen has been terribly heartbroken ever since," she continued, "The Royal Princess were out there, trying to stop the damned King army."

"And she's the first Guardian of the Elder. She's the only one who can bend the Elder onto her will, a rare being that she was, at least enough to open the path. I am now understand why the Queen brought you here."

"You are saying that my maid is..."

"A Daemati and the first Shadowsinger master, Her Highness Sara Endear."

"You are saying my maid is a Daemati and Shadowsinger master."

Nalla nodded.

He roared a laugh.

"She can't even bring a tray properly," he chuckled.

"Oh yes, she's clumsy at times but she's still the Royal Princess of the Moon."

"Does that imply anything?"

Nalla sighed.

"The people of the Moon Court are masters of shadow, although with that amount of perceptiveness Her Highness won't need a Shadowsinger and Daemati skill at all to understand others."

"That princess of yours love to gossip with the rest of the maid, how unladylike."

"She did?" Nalla raised her brow, "but we made sure that she doesn't have that habit..."

"You think too highly of your master."

"You love to underestimate people, aren't you?"

Tamlin stiffened.

"Arrogance will not bring you anywhere," Nalla smirked, knowing that she hit the nail.

As the last word spilled from Nalla's mouth, horns were sounded, and Nalla found herself gripping the edge of the bridge. There, tens of boats came from afar, in the middle was a silver boat and in it stood a regal woman, whose face Tamlin had seen in Nalla's room. Silver hair, and eyes as dark as the haunting night sky, identical to the sky above.

"The Queen has arrived," said Nalla, "Pray that she like you enough to give back your magic."

#tamlin #fanfiction #after acowar #acowar #acomaf #acotar

19 notes · View notes

hermanwatts · 5 years

Text

Sensor Sweep

Science Fiction (Kairos): Congratulations to Analog for coming up with a more concise and even lamer award name than the Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence. Then again, that award was created because Burns accidentally emasculated someone. The Astounding Award specifically recognizes emasculation.

Cinema (Walker’s Retreat): This is not just corporate fan fiction. This is everything that fan fiction routinely gets shat upon put forth front and center, and passed off as “original”. Yes, right down to all sorts of contradictory narrative incompetence and Very SMRT Boy signalling. Yes, we get exactly what Rey Sue was going to get at the end: a galaxy where she’s the only Force User, making The Force Is Female a literal fact. We get the last of the Original Trilogy notables dredged up and abused in service to Rey Sue before being removed from the stage.

Gaming (Niche Gamer): Frozenbyte has released another new trailer for their upcoming space sandbox game, Starbase. The new trailer, which you can find above, shows off the physics and mechanics involved in creating your own starships in the game.

Here’s a rundown of the game.

Fiction (Jon Mollison): As part of the on-going effort to challenge indy writers to do better, let’s take a look at two of the most popular guidelines: “Avoid passive voice,” and, “Show don’t tell.” To do so, check out the masterful opening to The Scarlet Citadel, by the king of sword and sorcery, Robert E. Howard.

Television (Wasteland and Sky): Now, am I arguing sitcoms are on the level of high art that have been usurped by pretenders looking for its glorious crown? Hardly. What I’m arguing is that it’s another medium that was usurped and replaced by those who wanted to use it as a weapon, and then destroyed.

Sword and Sorcery (DMR Books): When “The Shadow Kingdom” by Robert E. Howard appeared in the pages of Weird Tales, no one would have guessed that it would continue to provide inspiration for fantasy authors for ninety years and counting. This remarkable story is often pointed to as the beginning of the sword and sorcery genre, although this opinion is not unanimous.

D&D Gaming (Polygon): One of the most delightful surprises of E3 2019 was the announcement of Baldur’s Gate 3. Die-hard fans of Dungeons & Dragons and computer role-playing games in general were ecstatic to learn that Larian Studios, creators of the excellent Divinity: Original Sin franchise, will be handling the project. Those same fans were notably confused, however, by the in-fiction timeline of Baldur’s Gate 3.

H. P. Lovecraft (M.C. Tuggle): How is it possible that the feverish works of a writer who died in poverty and obscurity more than 80 years ago still matter?

And yet they do matter, and to a growing number of fans and admirers. Here are three recent takes on Lovecraft’s continuing popularity, all from vastly different points of view, though they agree Howard Phillips Lovecraft has something to say to modern audiences.

Biography (Gardnerffox.com): This book is far overdue! Why wasn’t this book written twenty years ago? The comic book and pulp paperback industries, primarily American, brought the majority of what the world consumes as entertainment, today. It should go without being said that most of the people creating for these two industries would not have known the impact their work would have on generation upon generation of creatives.

Fiction & RPG (Cirsova): In the past, I’ve made the dangerous claim that good short fiction, like the kind you read in the pulps or in Appendix N, poses a threat to a product-driven OSR whose focus has moved away from systems and into settings materials and modules. My reasoning is that a short story is far easier to digest and build a game around than your typical Gazetteer-style setting product with its oodles of townships, kingdoms, persons of personage, blah blah blah.

RPG (Rlyehreviews): One of the issues with RuneQuest—recently and beautifully republished as RuneQuest Classic by Chaosim, Inc.—was what it hinted at and did not provide. It hinted at a setting, that of Glorantha, which we know of today in all of its richness and detail through numerous roleplaying games and supplements.

Fiction (Adventures Fantastic): Jack Vance was born on this date, August 28, in 1916. We lost him on May 26, 2013. Vance was a master of both science fiction and fantasy. He often wrote in a highly stylistic manner. I first read Vance in The Hugo Winners, edited by Isaac Asimov, when I was a freshman in high school. That volume contained “The Dragon Masters” and “The Last Castle”.

D&D (Skulls in the Stars): As long as I’m still on an old school kick, let me try and catch up with all my posts from twitter! Part 1 of Old School Dungeons & Dragons on the blog can be read here.

Without further ado, here’s part 2! N4: Treasure Hunt (1986), by Aaron Allston. The first thing you may notice when looking at the cover is that this module is unusual in that it is for 0th level characters! What is the deal with that?

Gaming (Postmodern Pulps): Today I just wanted to highlight the wargame I am most invested in on an emotional level – Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000. For those who don’t know what it is – I’ll do this REAL QUICK – a bunch of British tabletop miniatures folks had a set of wargaming rules called Warhammer. It had armies of Elves and Dwarfs and guys with swords and pikes, and orcs and goblins, even skeletons and ghouls and “chaos” warriors and monsters.

D&D (Brain Leakage): Last week, I talked a little about the corporate same-y-ness that overtook later editions of D&D, and how it differed from the kitchen sink, anything goes weirdness of 1st Edition AD&D. That post was written largely in response to a recent episode of Geek Gab.

Macabre Science Fiction (Old Style Tales): After 1906 Wells’ speculative fiction output had rapidly dried, and was only sporadic (and never particularly effective, unique, or good) after that point. During the fifteen years that he did write speculative fiction (which, to clarify, includes sci-fi, weird tales, ghost stories, horror, mystery, fantasy, alternate history, apocalyptic fiction, utopian fiction, and paranormal: all genres which Wells contributed in sizeable ways), Wells wrote nearly two dozen short stories of horror and the supernatural, most of which were of high literary merit as well as being entertaining. fter 1906 Wells’ speculative fiction output had rapidly dried, and was only sporadic (and never particularly e, unique, after that point.

Science Fiction (Tellers of Weird Tales): As I have thought more on it, I see that a distinction can be made between two types of projection, speculation, or extrapolation in science fiction:

First are things that don’t change. These are easy to project into the future because what is true today will also be true tomorrow. I’m thinking specifically here of human nature. If you write convincingly about human nature, your story can never be obsolete. Witness the Iliad and the Odyssey, composed nearly three millennia ago and still comprehendible to us today because its people are real.

Tolkien (Alas Not Me): If much of what we have seen in the first three chapters of Book Four traces a descent for Frodo, the next three chapters will show his path turn upward again. For the pity he showed Gollum is Frodo at his best, and confirms the good opinion Gandalf and Bilbo have of him. Soon, though, and in the name of his quest he uses the Ring to dominate a Gollum whom he would not kill and could not set loose.

Fiction (Postmodern Pulps): I wanted to highlight a series of fiction anthologies being put out by Wolfpack Publishing, and curated/edited by Paul Bishop, a retired LAPD detective and venerable novelist. The first anthology, Pattern of Behavior I read as soon as it was released, and while not every one of the stories was entirely my bag, so to speak, all of them were well-crafted tales from highly-talented authors.

Sensor Sweep published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

0 notes

jenmedsbookreviews · 6 years

Text

It is official. I am broken. Well … when I say official, I mean that I feel it. Let’s face it – none of us are getting any younger, me included, and it’s fair to say I’ve been working some pretty wacky hours of late. Well … they are finally catching up with me and if the bags under my eyes get much bigger, I’m not going to have to worry about taking my bags for life to Tesco for the weekly shop anymore …

This week was less hectic than previous weeks, but I’m not entirely convinced that’s a good thing. You know how it is. When you’ve been running around like a loon for ages, the minute you finally take a step back and relax, the worse you feel for it. That’s me this week. Only one trip out, although it was a long one. 0300 start to drive the 170+ miles to Southampton for an 0545 start. Then a day out on the van with one of my team who was using our new POD system for the first time. Thankfully the weather was good as I spent the day travelling around various customer in Southampton and seeing places I had read of in books. In fact at one point it felt as though I was on a Helen Grace mystery tour… Lots of views of the Solent and I saw some really big butts in the docks and some slightly smaller butts on a shelf … (that’s boats to people who have never watched Finding Nemo …). Actually, I suppose to the navy they’d be ships – boats go under water …

Actually, the worst part about the day wasn’t the early start or the 12 boxes (8 bottles bottles of water cooler water included) that we had to take to the second floor of an oldish building with no lift and a rather small staircase. Nope. That’s all bread and butter stuff and nothing I can really complain about as my drivers have to do it every day. The worst part … that was the nearly 5 hour drive home. Bloody Friday traffic and being that horrid hybrid weekend at the end/start of a half term week. Yak. No easy way back whichever way I played it. Got about 60% through my next audio book though so it’s not all bad, but I am fluffing knackered now.

The weekend was much better. Headed down to London late morning (I know – I’m nuts) for the TBC 3rd Birthday party. I have no pictures as I am not a selfie gal and I have already done something foolish this weekend which will haunt me (and you) for years :p, but there will be some knocking about of me on social media to prove I did it, and I do have witnesses by way in Susan Hampson, Linda Hill, Fiona Wilson and Rachel Gilbey amongst others 🙂 A big thanks to Tracy and the gang for organising it as it was a fab night and I got to meet some great folk and catch up with a few authors I’ve met before or have been chatting with on Social Media. I even rounded off the weekend with a trip to what is quite possibly my favourite restaurant now – Ole and Steen – for some Halloween cakes before heading home Sunday morning.

I know. Just … don’t say anything about the picture on the right. It is white chocolate, filled with a kind of chocolate cream.marshmallow and a marzipan base. It is very tasty and it is a ghost!!! Not all mine. I shared with family as a thank you for poochie sitting.

Anyhoo – back to the books. Well – Saturday night came with a whole host of them as each attendee had a tote bag full of goodies and I was also given a couple of new books by the lovely Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books. What did I get? Well, a side from back ache carrying them all home 😉 – from the party: The Watcher by Ross Armstrong; The Mine by Antti Tuomainen (love that book); Will You Remember Me by Amanda Prowse; Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward and The House by Simon Lelic. From the lovely Karen I received Maria in the Moon by the equally lovely Louise Beech and Deep Blue Trouble by the also very lovely Steph Broadribb. I will admit to getting a bit Gollum over them and perhaps stroking my new books a little too much … Moving on.

Book post wise, just the one this week but it is a cracker and I am very, very excited to read it. Again from the lovely Karen Sullivan and Orenda Books I received the CWA Short Story Anthology – Mystery Tour featuring some very fabulous authors. Bouncy happy tigger moment for me then. The only thing to cheer me after a very long Friday of travel. You find the last reserve of energy for the good books. Isn’t it stunning?

Book purchase wise I have been very reserved. I only ordered/pre-ordered the following books: The Cover Up by Marnie Riches; Truth or Dare by Richard Parker; Come Out To Play by Dylan Young; The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman; Before You Go by Clare Swatman; The Prodigal by Nicky Black and The Good Samaritan by John Marrs. No new Netgalley titles. I know!!! And no new audio books either.

Reading wise … well I really need to buck my ideas up as I’ve been pants again this week. Only three completed plus about 2/3 of an audio book and just about started another book. I am now a book and a half behind plan but determined to catch up. If I am missing from the world of blogging and sharing, you know why.

Books I have read

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

She’s a friendly voice on the phone. But can you trust her?

The people who call End of the Line need hope. They need reassurance that life is worth living. But some are unlucky enough to get through to Laura. Laura doesn’t want them to hope. She wants them to die.

Laura hasn’t had it easy: she’s survived sickness and a difficult marriage only to find herself heading for forty, unsettled and angry. She doesn’t love talking to people worse off than she is. She craves it.

But now someone’s on to her—Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand in hand with a stranger. Who was this man, and why did they choose to die together?

The sinister truth is within Ryan’s grasp, but he has no idea of the desperate lengths Laura will go to…

Because the best thing about being a Good Samaritan is that you can get away with murder.

Oh, oh, oh. Now I loved Mr Marrs last book The One (met him over the weekend too – lovely chap), but I have to say I think this one is even better. It’s quite a taboo topic and the main character is very, very dark. The creeping, twisting and unravelling story had me completely hooked, even if some of the characters made some mad decisions. Gah. I can’t talk about the book without spoiling things, but I am going to have to try as my review is due on Saturday – eeek. Out on December 1st, you can pre-order your own copy, as I have done, right here.

…

Killing State by Judith O’Reilly

The bullet in his brain isn’t the problem. She is. Michael North is a hero, with a bullet in the brain to prove it. A bullet which has rewired his neural pathways and heightened his sense of intuition. A bullet which is driving him mad.

Working for an extra-governmental agency called The Board, North knows one thing for sure. He is very good at killing very bad guys. But what happens when a hero is ordered to kill a good woman rather than a bad man?

Because it turns out that rising political star, Honor Jones, MP, can’t stop asking the right questions about the wrong people.

He should follow orders.

Shouldn’t he?

Wowsers. What a book. I don’t know quite what I was expecting when I started to read this but it wasn’t this. Part action thriller, part psychological thriller and part conspiracy theory, this is a most unusual but very entertaining and gripping read. You shouldn’t love a guy who is essentially a gun for hire but there is something about Michael North which engages you and has you rooting for a man you should want to see taken down. I’ll be reviewing this for the blog tour at the weekend but you can order a copy here.

…

White Out by Ragnar Jónasson

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop?

With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thór Arason discovers that the victim’s mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier. As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place.

Dark, chilling and complex, Whiteout is a haunting, atmospheric and stunningly plotted thriller from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers.

Man… I wanted to savour this, the last in the Ari Thor series, but I just couldn’t. I had to read and read and read until I was finished. What a haunting story; what a wonderfully atmospheric setting, what a brilliant way to say goodbye to Ari. Oh … but now I have to review it and there are only so many times you can use the word brilliant and perfect and magnificent and … well you get the picture. You’ll see if I managed to find any unique and seldom used adjectives next Monday. In the meantime go order yourselves a copy here.

…

And that was it. As I say I am most of the way through another audio book which I hope to complete and review this week, and I’m part way through another book I started last night, but I have a way to go to catch up with myself right now. Still if I go into radio (or social media) silence, you’ll know it’s in a good cause. And I have a pretty full week on the blog this week just as I did last, which you can see the highlights of below:

Review: Christmas at the Falling Down Guest House by Lilly Bartlett

#BookLove: Karen Cole

#BlogTour: Dead Lands by Lloyd Otis

#BlogTour: Absolution by P.A. Davies

#BlogBlitz: A Cosy Candlelit Christmas by Tilly Tennant

#BlogBlitz: The Lost Child by Patricia Gibney

Review: Now We Are Dead by Stuart MacBride

Review: The Binding Song by Elodie Harper

Broken Bones by Angela Marsons – Prologue Preview

The week ahead is a mixture of blog tours, and a little book love, this time from Annie at The Misstery Book Blog. Blog Tour wise I’m dropping in reviews of Murder Game by Caroline Mitchell, The Good Samaritan by John Marrs, and Killing State by Judith O’Reilly. I also have a special review planned in for later in the week, but trust me – soon said, soonest mended on that front. You may won’t want to miss it…

So that is it folks. I am off to read. Or sleep. Or some weird hybrid combination of both. If you share my posts this week – thanks in advance. If you see me about on Social Media – tell me to sod off and get some reading (or work) done.

Have a fabulously bookish week all

Jen

Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 29/10/17 It is official. I am broken. Well ... when I say official, I mean that I feel it.

#Rewind Recap #Weekly Round UP

0 notes