Fantasy Romance At Its Best & A PRINT #Giveaway--Recommended Read
Sourcebooks Casablanca is thrilled to announce that we are releasing our very first fantasy romance! Coming August 2016 from debut author Amanda Bouchet is the un-put-downable A Promise of Fire, the first in the Kingmaker Chronicles series.
Early readers, including New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones, agree that this is an addictive story — luckily there will be two more books following Cat and Griffin!
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I’m always leery of books that get a lot of hype. Inflating expectations can make a good book seem not so great, in my opinion. Though there are those rare instances when a book lives to type. I’m a fan of romance. Period. I’ll read anything where two (or more) characters find love and their happily ever after. Contemporary romance has been the “It Girl” for a while now. And that’s great. We all know the genres shift in popularity over time, and what was popular four years ago will once again be dominating the marketplace.
That said, fantasy romance hasn’t been in the limelight for some time. It’s hard to find unless you’re working hard to get it. There are a few blogs that cater to the genre, Here Be Magic, for one. But finding a meaty fantasy romance that’s fresh and fun, not weighted down with so much angst you want to tear your hair out, can be a challenge.
Well, search no more! I’ve been reading about an upcoming Sourcebooks title, A Promise of Fire, by Amanda Bouchet, for some time. The book comes out in August. The publisher sent a swanky copy of the book as an Advanced Reader Copy, which one of our reviewers happily snapped up. And I am more than happy to say I agree with her Recommended Read, 5+ ribbon forthcoming review.
OH MY GOSH. I haven’t been so blown away in a while.
Stop. Wait. Reality Check. To un-hype, if I may, it’s not that the story-line has never been done before. There’s a powerful evil magic user (Magoi) , some non-magical (Hoi Poloi) good guys, and a woman who’s more than she seems. (Recall also Harry Potter was just a wizard in a long line of wizard stories, yet it was done so well it became iconic.) Bouchet’s characters aren’t so different from anything you’ve ever read. The hero is sexy and broody. The heroine is pretty, snarky, and blessedly full of common sense. Thank God. So yes, there’s a familiar plot and characters who seem typical of a romance book. So why all the gushing?
Because there’s magic in her storytelling, a kind of wondrous ability of the author to suck you in, making you read “just one more page” until you realize the book is over, and you’re left wanting more. The world building is marvelous. It’s a different land, where magic users and non-magic users coexist, mythology teases at the fringes, and kingdoms are fought and won using fair means and foul. The writing flows, the pacing is spot on, and the conflict builds so naturally you start to lose your sense of anything outside the author’s world. The secondary characters are fully fleshed out, enriching the story that much more. No one is two-dimensional, which makes Bouchet’s writing so thoughtfully absorbing. Hell, after reading her book, I wanted to BE the heroine. Cat is so authentic and normal yet not, a Magoi with real power. The sexual tension in the book is awesome, and the romance balanced perfectly with the fantasy elements and plot. What also intrigued me is that the story is told in first person point-of-view. That’s not normally a favorite viewpoint of mine, but it fits so well and gives so much more insight to the book through the heroine’s eyes that I can’t imagine the book not being written that way.
I am dying to read the next two books in this series, and I can’t wait for them to come out.
Because you’re no doubt curious to know if my hype is just that, hype–it isn’t at all–I have two print ARCs to give away, courtesy of Sourcebooks, for two random commenters on this post. Simply comment about fantasy romance to be entered to win.* (*books mailed only to U.S. residences)
Take a chance on A Promise of Fire. I swear, you’ll thank me later, gushing and singing your own praises about this amazing new series. Well done, Ms. Bouchet. Well done.
Wow really like the cover! Great looking fantasy book. Way to go to the artist and author.
Hugs. Lisa
Winners have been selected. April K and Teri C. Thanks to everyone who commented. Don’t miss this book!!!
I enjoy Fantasy stories, but there aren’t a lot to choose from until now.
I love Fantasy but didn’t know there was a genre specifically called Fantasy Romance! Color me intrigued. A Promise of Fire is definitely on my to-read list…the cover is pretty and the synopsis sounds amazing. I’m glad to know people are already lovin’ it. Thanks for the giveaway!
Fantasy romance is definitely one of my favorite genres. I just love all the amazing possibilities! Thanks for the chance. ♡
I love fantasy romance! Getting to explore a new world and a new way of life is always fun, not to mention the romance side. I mean, what’s not to love?! The cover is absolutely beautiful!
I love Fantasy Romances because they take you away to a different time & place & let your imagination go wild. I would love to win a print copy of this book, Thanks for this chance & your generosity.
I love both SF and Fantasy and this sounds like an absolutely amazing read. I have to admit I haven’t read any of Amanda Bouchet’s books yet, but I certainly need to rectify that. The characters and storyline of ‘A Promise Of Fire’sound right up my street. The title is enough to pique my interest anyway, and combined with such a stunning cover, what lover of fantasy could resist?
This sounds really good and right up my alley. I love strong fantasy books with the balance of magic, romance, action-adventure and mystery. Done right I can get captivated. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
This looks and sounds fantastic. I’ve been reading romance since I was 12 and I have to say I’m currently in a funk. A lot of stuff out there is…to be frank-crap. I mean I’ve found a few gems after reading 20 or so crap books but common after wading through the muck you just get tired of it. I’d like to be blown away. I’d like to say “Wow I need to put this author on my ToBuy”-but just haven’t really found anyone for the past two years who has done any of that for me. To say it’s been a few years since someone has really blown my socks off is an understatement of epic proportions. I used to read 4-6 books a day but sadly I’m lucky if I read 1 a week now. I’m just so disappointed with what is out there. So give me a book that I can sink my teeth into and will transport somewhere else for a few hours!
looks awesome and would love a chance to read
I read some fantasy. There are some ahthors that are must buys.
I love the fantasy/romance genre! I also like scifi/romance & am very pleased the two are increasing in popularity. Would love to have a new “go to” author on my list.
I love fantasy, especially anything that compares to Harry Potter. Until today, I didn’t realize fantasy romance was a thing. My two favorite genres combined. Bring it on!
I enjoy fantasy romance and there are few choices. The review definitely has me adding the book to my TBR. There just aren’t enough of this stories.
I’m happy to see fantasy romance gaining in popularity. I’ve been a fan of it since I was a teen. My mom has always read it and got me hooked on it young. It’s what started my life of PNR and Scifi romance. One of my favorite things about fantasy romance is it is always filled with strong capable heroines who can hold their own. That was what drew me to it as a teen.
The book looks fantastic and I’ve seen so many great reviews.