What I’ve Been Reading Lately (May, 2023)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews1 Comment

Happy May!  This seems to have been my month for continuing and/or completing series, with a lot of books falling into that category.  I’ve been trying to stay on top of series and read them without too long a gap between books (because I forget too much, or lose track of the series entirely!) so I’ve been focusing some reading there lately.

I finished the last book in Martha Wells’ Raksura series, The Harbors of the Sun.  I’ve loved this series, so it’s kind of a shame to get to the end!  Books Two and Three were probably the best but I enjoyed this installment very much as well, and we got to see some new angles and aspects to the world.

I also finished the Janie series by Caroline B. Cooney with Janie Face to Face.  It was…odd.  The entire series was about the aftermath of a long ago kidnapping, and this book finally brings in the point of view of the kidnapper – in fact, alternating chapters are from her point of view.  Which was fascinating, but she seemed very different from how she was portrayed (by report) in the other books.  Meanwhile most of Janie’s story in this book focuses on her romance with on-and-off boyfriend Reeve, and introduced SO MANY new issues in their relationship that were…never resolved at all.  The book also seemed to be hurtling us towards a more dramatic, more thrilleresque ending finally, but ultimately never really went there.  So, I don’t know – it was all kind of odd! Continue reading “What I’ve Been Reading Lately (May, 2023)” →

Writing Update (April, 2023)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Writing1 Comment

Just a brief update this month! My biggest recent writing news, of course, was the launch of my newest novel, The Princess Behind Thorns, on April 4th.  Still very exciting to have that out in the world!

The second book in the series is currently with beta-readers, so I’ve been turning to Book 3, which I drafted in November, 2022, for NaNoWriMo.  It’s nice to work on a book that was drafted relatively recently, compared to the first two in the series.  It’s also a departure from the previous two in shifting perspective to two supporting characters, Elena and Henry.  I’ve done an initial read-through and plan to go back now for some more extensive changes.  The novel is essentially a heist story, and I need to introduce a few more co-conspirators and work out a few more details of the heist!

That will likely be my focus for at least the next month or so, and then I’ll either get back to Thorns 2 – or maybe look ahead to Thorns 4 briefly?  We’ll see!  Lots of books in play right now!

What I’ve Been Reading Lately (April, 2023)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews1 Comment

Happy Spring!  The weather is finally turning warm near me, but even though I do love reading under a warm blanket, my reading is still continuing along.  Mostly fiction in the last few weeks – and not quite as much Martha Wells as last month!

I did read two more installments in Wells’ Raksura series though – Book 4, The Edge of Worlds, and an anthology of short stories set in the same world, Stories of the Raksura, Volume One (of Two).  I should have read the short stories before Book 4, I think – no real harm in spoilers, but the chronology would have fit better.  I enjoyed both books – the short stories had some interesting alternate perspectives and filled in a few pieces of world building, and Book 4 started a new adventure that continues into the final book.  Still highly recommend this series! Continue reading “What I’ve Been Reading Lately (April, 2023)” →

Launch Day: The Princess Behind Thorns (Thorns 1)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Novel News3 Comments

It’s launch day, and I’m so excited to share this brand new series with you!  After four years in the writing, The Princess Behind Thorns is finally available, and I hope you’re going to love this new world and characters.

You can buy your copy in Kindle, paperback or hardback.

Here’s a little more about the book:

For this princess forced under an enchantment, escaping from her spell is only the first ordeal. Claiming the throne is even more dangerous.

Princess Rose Amelia has spent a hundred years trapped in a magical garden, surrounded by walls of thorns that protect her from rescuers she never wanted. Nothing ever changes – until the spell twists to threaten her as well, and a prince finally breaks through the thorns.

Prince Terrence knows he would never be his father’s preference to inherit the throne. But he also knows his oldest brother won’t take care of their people, and rescuing the Princess Behind Thorns is the only way he can become heir. He planned on marrying her to claim the inheritance; he didn’t plan on falling in love with her.

Escaping from the magical garden and returning to court will plunge Terrence and Rose both into a deadly world of politics, intrigue and betrayals. Making a claim to the throne doesn’t guarantee it will be accepted, and deciding to marry doesn’t mean that they actually can. To protect the country and themselves, they must learn who to trust and who is an enemy – and somehow learn how to admit their feelings for each other too.

This fantasy romance, the first in a series, brings a new angle to the story of Sleeping Beauty by starting where most versions end. If you enjoy heroines finding their strength, fantasy worlds with a touch of intrigue, and slightly magical cats, you won’t want to miss the Thorns Saga.

Writing Update (March, 2023)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Writing1 Comment

I’ve had lots of writing progress since my last update, so that’s exciting to be sharing.  As you hopefully saw, The Princess Behind Thorns (Thorns 1) will be published in just over a week!  The book will be out on April 4th; the Kindle is already available for pre-order, and it will be available in paperback and hardback too.

I also finished my current round of revisions for Thorns 2, and sent that off to beta-readers last week.  I wrote the first draft in November of 2019, so it’s really great to hit this point finally.  The draft will be with beta-readers for a couple months, and I plan on more revision in the summer.  So hopefully it won’t be too many months before I can share this one with everyone too!

For now, I’m doing some revision on my collaborative novel, Pesto, Pirouettes and Potions…which has also been in process for a few years (there’s a theme here, and it’s very much pandemic-related!)  That’s a relatively brief project for now, and then I’ll be on to revisions of Thorns 3!  This one was drafted just last November, so it’s a comparatively recent project.  It’s exciting to be onto something new, so I’m looking forward to diving back into that.

I expect to be in this series for a while…but it feels good to be moving on to later parts of the story!