Book Spotlight Thursday: All the Sacrifice of Shadows by Hillary Raymer

The cover has a dragon on it, so of course, I am spotlighting this book. All the Sacrifice of Shadows is the exciting next installment in the Starstorm series, coming November 13th.

All the Sacrifice of Shadows (Starstorm Series Book 2)

Expected Publication Date: November 13, 2024

Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Dragons

Features

Arranged Marriage
Grumpy x Sunshine
Shadow Daddy
Morally Grey
Very Spicy
Dragons
His Dragon Like Her Better

Synopsis

She was a storm of violent sunbeams and catastrophic rainbows.
Marrying for love was never in the stars for Creslyn, as evidenced by her future husband. Drake is calculating, cruel, and wields a blade of death. By all rights, he should be terrifying. But something about him draws her in, his shadows call to the darkness she keeps locked away inside of her. She isn’t foolish enough to expect love from a marriage contract, but when they bind their vows in blood, Creslyn does the unthinkable—she claims Drake as her mate.

He was a monster of shadow and night, of death and destruction.
Cursed since his first breath, Drake has only known power and a realm of shadows. But now he’s bound to a faerie whose heart bleeds for him, and his obsession with her only grows with each passing day. Unfortunately, his world of violence puts her life at stake. Not only is he still the Shadowblade Assassin, but unrest is brewing in Aeramere, and an attack on House Celestine confirms an ill-fated prophecy. War is coming.
As Creslyn longs to find a way to break Drake’s curse and struggles to embrace her own darkness, Drake will be faced with a terrible choice—one that will only end in sacrifice.
Secrets will be unearthed and their bond will be put to the test, because love might be enough for a hero, but it will never save a villain
.
Don’t forget Book 1

Pre-Order Here

Content Warning: The book contains the following triggers.

⦁ Voyeurism
⦁ Foul language
⦁ Explicit sexual content
⦁ Attempted murder
⦁ Death
⦁ Blood
⦁ Brief on pages attempted SA

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hillary Raymer is a fantasy romance author. She’s a wanderer, a storyteller, and believes in happily ever afters.

Hillary has always been a dreamer, and lucky for her, she turned those dreams into stories. She has an unfinished Bachelor’s Degree in English, because she ran off and married a Marine halfway through college. She has an affinity toward plants, loves flowers, and enjoys scoping out metaphysical markets for crystals. Wanderlust comes naturally to her, and she’s doing her best to instill the same wild and free values in her daughters. When not writing, Hillary can be found attempting to do yoga, buying more makeup she doesn’t need, or discovering small businesses on Etsy.

Book Review: Dragon Train War by RJ The Story Guy

Dragon Train War (Book 3 in the Dragon Quest Series)

Published: May 1st 2024

Genre: Teen/young adult /fiction/fantasy-adventure

Jaiden’s simple act of freeing Skye, the blue dragon, along with her family, became a movement to free all dragons. And that escalated into a rebellion. Now, all-out war seems to be the only solution.

Jaiden and friends Tristram, Wyetta, Gorn, and Aleena represent the surge of humanity who joined the fight for Dragon Freedom. Skirmishes, ambushes, intense battles, and undercover operations transform everyday reality. Uncertainty surrounding the strength and weaponry of the Dear Leader’s human army adds to the tension.

 Mysteries, surprises, unexpected revelations, and shocking outcomes mark the Final Dragon War.

REVIEW

Our favorite dragon, Skye, and human, Jaiden, are back and ready for battle in Dragon Train War. The third book in the Dragon Quest Series, the first two books will be helpful when reading this book. 

A brief rundown is the dragons are enslaved by humans and used to pull train carts, hence the term “dragon train.” When a dragon train’s dragon collapses near the town of Hill Top, a farm boy named Jaiden rushes over, wanting to see a dragon up close. When the dragon talks to him in his mind, Jaiden learns about the injustices of these creatures. This revelation sparks a deep empathy in Jaiden, compelling him to help free the dragon, Skye. And so, their emotional and perilous adventure begins in book two, Dragon Rebellion.

This leads us to its climatic final Dragon Train, a battle where the humans rage war to wipe out all the dragons. The stakes are high, and not all feel that way, so battle lines are drawn. Love, loss, and secrets are revealed as RJ The Story Guy gives us an action-packed adventure. It’s almost like Star Wars, but with dragons, and surprisingly, I like it! 

I especially love the relationship between Skye and Jaiden. It is so endearing! The connection between an animal and a human is so special, and RJ The Story Guy captures it beautifully here and throughout the series. Dragon lovers will adore this series.

My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Get the whole Dragon Quest Series now on Amazon!

About the Author

RJ the Story Guy has lived in the Middle Rio Grande Valley for most of his life. His first writing endeavor was a fantasy series for adults, The Rio Grande Parallax trilogy, winning awards in the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. His recent book for children, Trixie Finds Her People, won several honors, including being a finalist for the 2020 Next Generation Indies Book Awards (an international contest).  Dragon Train won second place in the 2021 New Mexico Press Women Awards, with more award contests pending.

Book Release Spotlight: Lady of Dragons by Shelby Elizabeth

In celebration of the release of  Lady of Dragons by Shelby Elizabeth, I had to spotlight this beauty as I love dragons! If you’re a dragon lover or dragon rider, read on!

Lady of Dragons (Book One)
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance

Finlay McDonough wants nothing more than to be a Dragon Knight: a warrior bound with a dragon partner, intent on ridding the kingdom of its dragon-killing monarchy. Well, she might want one thing just a bit more … Evander, her childhood friend, now keeper of the dragon sanctuary. Scouting with Evander one day, Finlay’s attempt to save a dragon goes horribly wrong, and she inadvertently ties her fate to the dragon’s–their souls bind, lending Finlay powers like those of the Mages the Knights are sworn to destroy.

After passing the trial to train as a Knight, Finlay discovers a devastating truth about a beloved dragon. To save them, she’ll need to risk her dream of becoming a true Knight, her chance at a happily-ever-after with Evander … and maybe her very identity.

A fantasy romance with a strong heroine, sweet love interest, a sassy dragon companion, and more than a dash of adventure awaits.

AVAILABLE NOW ON Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelby Elizabeth is an English teacher in Upstate New York, with a B.A. in Writing from SUNY Potsdam (2019) and an M.A.T. in Secondary English from SUNY Empire (2021). I have self-published a young adult fantasy trilogy about Shifters and Elementals in the modern world (Celestials), and a young adult contemporary m/m romance (Don’t Hate the Player). When I am not writing in my free time, I am spending time with my family and my cats, reading, or watching just a little too much television.

Learn more about Shelby and her work at Shelby Elizabeth