Book Blitz of Sword of the Fallen by G.J. Ogden (#contests-Ent to win an Amazon Gift Card)

Sword of the Fallen
G.J. Ogden
(Hearts of Dragons, #1)
Publication date: March 20th 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

– From Kindle Storyteller Award Winner G J Ogden –
A dragon’s heart has the power to forge kingdoms – or shatter them.

Sir Torin Cadwell, Knight-Captain of the Watch and the tyrant king’s illegitimate son, has spent his life torn between loyalty to his father and the pull of destiny. For generations, his bloodline has been cursed by a bitter feud with Kyhrax, the Flame of Zarag-Gul – the most feared dragon in Westskyr.

The city of Dun Morlaig survives only because of the Breath – a magical barrier fueled by the crystallized heart of Astreya, the Great Mother dragon. Once a benevolent guardian, Astreya was slain by Torin’s ancestor, leaving Kyhrax consumed by grief and burning for revenge.

When Astreya’s Lament – the sword that holds the Great Mother’s heart – is stolen, the Breath falters. Chaos erupts as Koblyn monsters and dragon-worshiping cultists lay siege to the city, and Kyhrax prepares to unleash his long-awaited vengeance.

Defying the king’s command, Torin allies with Ruxandra Elyr, a ranger of the Order of the Green Bow, to recover the stolen sword. But Kyhrax’s wrath will not stop at Dun Morlaig. If the Flame of Zarag-Gul is not stopped, his fury will consume all seven realms and usher in the age of dragons.

Sword of the Fallen is the gripping first book in the Hearts of Dragons epic fantasy trilogy by Kindle Storyteller Award Winner G J Ogden. Dive into this thrilling adventure today!

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Sneak Peek:

“Long has it been since I tasted the reek of mortal flesh in these caves…”

The voice was sensuous, like a troubadour, and eloquent like a scholar, yet Kyhrax’s words shook Selene’s chest with the immensity of a thunderstorm. Opposite, from inside the dark recess of the mountain, a shape

emerged. Talons like swords gripped and splintered the rock, sending shards of grey-black stone tumbling into the magma below. Selene drew back, her burning eyes pressed wide, but she was frozen in fear and awe. Next, a diamond-shaped head emerged, followed by a long, elegant neck. In moments, the dragon’s full form—one hundred and eighty feet from snout to tail—had been hauled from the opening by powerful limbs the breadth of great oaks.

Selene remained on her knees, head bowed, body shaking with terror and reverence, dread and admiration.

She had thought herself ready to face Kyhrax, an audience ordained in magical visions, yet all the force of her will could not compel her to meet the dragon’s incandescent gaze.

“Why disturb my solitude, mortal?” Kyhrax asked as the dragon clawed its way across the cavern walls to within striking distance of the pilgrim who had invaded his lair. “There are easier ways to die.”

The dragon’s wings expanded, blotting out the light from below and casting the cavern into near-darkness. The smell of sulfur was suddenly gone, and instead the air around Kyhrax crackled with a sharp, biting tang. It was like the sky before a storm, heavy with the promise of lightning. Selene felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and her entire body prickled as if she had been imbued with a sliver of the dragon’s magical essence.

Then Kyhrax beat his wings, knocking Selene to the ground.

“Speak, woman, lest I burn you to ash!”

The cavern shook violently as Kyhrax roared his demand. His breath, suffocating and thick with outrage, whirled around the vast chamber, forcing Selene to grip the hot stone ledge as if she were suspended from it, clinging to it for life. It was all she could do to avoid being swept up in the vortex and cast into the pit of fire. Then, the dragon’s stifling breath abated, and steadily Selene lifted her chin. The physical exertion needed to move her exhausted body paled compared to the struggle of gazing upon the Flame of Zarag-Gul.

“Great Kyhrax, I pledge myself to your cause,” Selene said, her voice little more than a whimper. She rocked back to sit on her heels, then from inside her robes, she lifted the pendant hung from the steel chain around her neck. “Through this crystal heart, I have dreamed of a world where dragons, not mortal kings and queens, rule the seven realms.”

Kyhrax narrowed his orange eyes and drew his long neck closer, peering at the crystal in the young woman’s hand. He extended a single talon, as long as Selene’s body. Then, with a deftness and delicacy belying his colossal size, the dragon hooked the chain and pulled the pendant toward him.

“These dreams… I have seen them,” the dragon replied, its rumbling voice suddenly softer. “Yes… I remember you now, Selene Morgrave, discharged scholar of the Pillar of Commerce.”

Kyhrax turned his head and peered at Selene through his other eye. Selene did not move a muscle. She dared not.

“You pledge yourself without reservation, stealer of relics and dreams,” Kyhrax added. “But this is not the crystalline heart that I seek.”

Author Bio:

G J Ogden is a proud recipient of the Kindle Storyteller Award and has written over 50 books that have garnered over 15,000 5-star ratings on Amazon and Goodreads.

He is a physics graduate and a former technology journalist with a lifelong love of anything nerdy. From Firefly to Game of Thrones and everything in between, SFF is his bag. Conan! What is best in life?

On the rare occasions he’s not writing, G J Ogden is usually getting whooped in games of Warhammer 40K by his son. Unless he’s playing Adepta Sororitas, then he wins.

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Book Blitz of Immortal Dark by Shermon Kodi (#contests- Enter to Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card)

Immortal Dark
Shermon Kodi
Publication date: March 10th 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

The shadows awaken as darkness falls. And these shadows have fangs.

Seventeen-year-old Bexis has survived the frozen streets of Coppejj by trusting no one but herself. With her shadow magic, she’s scraped by as a freelance thief, working for local gang lords and politicians.

But when a routine heist goes horribly wrong, Bexis is branded with ancient magic, making her the target of a bloodthirsty spirit.

Desperate for answers, she turns to an eccentric demon hunter. Together, they uncover a deadly plot by a sinister cabal, threatening to plunge the world into eternal night. As Bexis confronts her haunted past, she faces a grim choice: Embrace the shadows within, or lose everything she holds dear.

To destroy the darkness, she must first become it.

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EXCERPT:

The job is simple.

Enter the room unseen. Wait for Ajjan to distract the mark—a foreign dignitary from the south. Then acquire her handbag and deliver it to the other side of town.

No blood. No trace.

My employer was very specific about that last bit. It’s common protocol in my line of work, along with an understanding that pay will be docked by half if I’m spotted. If there’s blood, I might not get paid at all. My mark must never know I was here. Personally, I thought I’d outgrown grabbing purses in the night. But it’s an easy job, and I can use the money.

The red night moon casts the world in crimson light as I pull myself onto the third-story balcony of a slummy brothel in the west end. The window is webbed with ice, obscuring my view inside—I can only make out pale blotches of yellow light. There doesn’t seem to be any movement, but I can’t be sure the room is empty. I just have to hope the Blackbones did their job and set everything up.

I give the windowpane a shove, but it doesn’t budge. Damn. The thing hasn’t been opened in months, and it’s frozen shut. For a common thief, a frozen window stymies a job. But I’m no common thief.

I take out my trapper tone pipe, a metal cylinder with a single reed, tuned to one specific note. The reflective surface catches light from the lanterns below, illuminating my name inscribed along the side in big bold letters: BEXIS. It was a gift from my deadbeat father right before he abandoned me. It’s the last thing I have from him, and if it weren’t so damn useful, I’d have tossed it years ago.

I bring the pipe to my lips and blow. The note is inaudible, like a dog whistle, too high for the human ear to hear. But the vibration weaves through the air and seeps into my skin, where it sparks like flint on steel, and a sonorous ember catches deep in my chest. Resonance hums through my body. The ambient darkness around me shimmers with feathered lines of silver that only I can see.

A burst of power shudders through me, and I hold it within my realm of focus, like cupping a candle against a sea wind.

This is resonance trapping—the first step in performing harmonic magic. Mine is the harmony of shadow. Sparking the ember is the easy part. Trapping it is more difficult, but holding it once it’s been trapped? Well, that’s like riding an angry wolverine. If I’m not careful, I might lose control, and people could get hurt. It’s been months since that’s happened, but there’s always a chance the resonance will lash out, sending me into an episode of uncontrollable power.

Resonance quivers through my veins. I reach my hand to the glass, willing the vibration into my fingertips, and the shadows obey. Tendrils of silver swirl across my wrist and through my palm. I touch the windowpane, and the shadows run through it, seeping like oil into the hinges.

The window squeals as ice crumbles around the edges.

I shift my awareness to the space above my head. Resonance purrs in my chest as I weave gossamer strands of silver around me like a cloak. This is my greatest trick. So long as I can hold the resonance and have enough ambient shadow to work with, I can conceal myself from prying eyes. But I can’t maintain it for long; already, I can feel my energy beginning to drain as heaviness settles behind my eyes.

Best be quick now.

I heave the window open and squeeze inside.

Author Bio:

Shermon Kodi is a legally blind author who finds inspiration in the quiet knolls of Chittenden County, Vermont, where the long snowy winters drive one to pair wool socks with moccasin slippers and curl up by the furnace with a pot of chamomile tea and a book about monsters in dark places doing dark things. Through his writing, Shermon seeks to explore the resilience of the human spirit, the tenacity of good people faced with hard times, and the relationships that light us up, make our hearts smile, and carry us through every storm.

When he’s not writing, Shermon spends his time thinking about writing.

He knows this is a problem— although, he contends, it’s a good kind of problem to have. Occasionally, he’ll break from his routines and really let go— sleep in till 7 AM, drink tea instead of coffee, read in the mornings, or plug in the ’07 Strat and reminisce about the days when he dreamed of being a rockstar instead of an author.

He’ll be the first to tell you: “No regrets!”

Life is funny like that.

Shermon is the author of Heart of the Valley and Songs of the Rhor, both available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Stay connected on TikTok and Instagram for updates on his latest books, behind-the-scenes insights, and creative content.

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Cover Reveal of Brimstone & Blades by Maria Alexander(#fantasy)

Brimstone & Blades
Maria Alexander
Publication date: June 3rd 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult

It’s 1689. Sixteen-year-old Julie de Maupin is on the run with her boyfriend, a young swordmaster named Sérannes. They perform sword fights and songs in taverns to survive. But when a diabolical creature kills Sérannes, it also injures Julie in the attack. Plunged into the dangerous world of French magic, Julie needs to return to Paris to find the great magician that can heal her devastating wound so she can avenge Sérannes’s death. On the way, she finds the creature is controlled by a necromantic coven called the Shadow Holders. Defeated during the Affair of the Poisons, they’ve returned but this time with traitors in the royal court to crush Louis XIV and terrorize France. With her found family of magical and moggie misfits, Julie must use her sword, wits, and gender-bending wiles to send the threat back to Hell. But will they be enough? Magic is illegal, and so is dueling. But that won’t stop La Maupin.

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Author Bio:

Maria Alexander is an Amazon #1 Bestseller of Young Adult Horror. Her short stories and nonfiction essays have appeared in numerous publications and acclaimed anthologies alongside living legends such as David Morrell and Heather Graham.

Her debut novel, MR. WICKER, won the 2014 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her first YA novel, SNOWED, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, and was nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Children's/YA Novel.

She lives in Los Angeles with two ungrateful cats, a Jewish Christmas caroler, and a purse called Trog.

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