Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Finished “The Crown of War and Shadow” and My Books are on Sale

Smashwords is having a sale this July, so I decided to participate. You can find ALL of my e-books at 50% off. Just click HERE and start buying!


Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 14

Dates read: June 19 – July 8, 2026
Title: The Crown of War and Shadow
Year of publication: 2026
Author: J.R. Ward
Genre: Romantasy
Series: Kingdom of the Compass #1
# of Pages: 466
Paper or plastic: Hard cover
How obtained: Purchased from B&N
Blurb from Book: The fulcrum is failing, and demons are slipping into the mortal world.
    No one is safe.
    Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast within the walls of her small village because of her mystical abilities. She wants to survive…and find somewhere she can call her true home. But Fate has other plans.
    Sorrel has been chosen. Cursed.
    She must cross the Badlands to return a Queen’s crown and convince the fearsome sovereign to save their world from destruction.
    Well aware she’s no brave hero, Sorrel makes a dangerous deal with Merc, a brooding, commanding mercenary known only by his unscrupulous profession.
    The deal? A night in his bed that she will never forget, in exchange for her safe passage.
    But Merc has secrets of his own, and even though desire runs hot between them, adventure, danger, and betrayal lurk around every corner.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts:
I was not happy that it is written in first person, present tense (which surprised me since she usually writes in third person past tense), so I’m not so sure I will continue with the series. Plus, the print was tiny in such a large book! But the story kept me going, even though it was all one-sided (I prefer my books to be two-sided). I guess this is what romantasy is all about and I’m not so sure I like it. Not if it’s all written in first person present tense. I have my limits. But the story in this book DOES end, so I’m not left on a cliffhanger. Yay!

Good news! I finally finished the first draft of The Alien’s Change of Heart and am working on cleaning it up before giving it to my editor. I was hoping to give it to her before I left on our trip on the 16th, but I’m beginning to think that’s not gonna happen. I really need to get my butt in gear!

Happy Reading!

Stacy