Giveaway has Ended - Awaiting Verification of Winners :D
Welcome to my Sixtieth Hosting for Silver Dagger Book Tours!
What a magnificently written series!! It was the Gold Winner for Adult Fiction in 2019 from Wishing Shelf Awards :D Set back in Egyptian times, this series will surely keep you up reading way past your bedtime!!
As always, remember to follow the tour and visit all the other amazing blogs in the tour hop, then enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter Widget below. Good Luck!!
The Lost Valor of Love
The Transcendence Series Book 1
by E A Carter
Genre: Historical Fantasy, SciFi
"Claim me, and your every movement, every breath, every word will be written upon my heart, for eternity. You will be immortal yet."
'GRIPPING. WILL KEEP YOU READING THROUGH THE NIGHT.' KATHERINE STANSFIELD, AUTHOR OF FALLING CREATURES
Growing up during the centuries-long conflict between the empires of Egypt and Hatti, the young princess Istara is taken hostage by the King of Hatti to secure the loyalty of her father, the King of Kadesh to the empire. Soon her new life in Hatti's glittering capital becomes all she knows. Bound in blood before the gods to Hatti's unwilling crown prince, Istara, now Hatti's queen-in-waiting, learns she will never be loved.
But the drums of war beat again, and when the scheming plans of Hatti's king threaten the existence of all civilization, the gods give Istara a choice: to leave behind everything she knows to save mankind, or remain where she is, powerless, a token on the game board of kings. On the brink of one of the most brutal battles in history, she chooses to risk her life to deliver a message to the only man able to prevent the prophecy from becoming a reality—her mortal enemy, the Pharaoh Ramesses II.
Wounded, cold and hungry, she wanders in the battle's horrific aftermath, and aids a powerful commander, who she learns protected her once, and has been bound to her ever since by a prophetic dream of his future. Despite his resistance, and Istara once more becoming a pawn of kings, they must confront an eternal love so powerful, not even kings, the gods, or death can keep them apart.
The Lost Valor of Love is the first book of the Transcendence series.
**Get it FREE Apr 9 – 13!!**
Book Trailer
His father made
a wide circuit around the stump, stepping, disdainful, over its broken pieces.
He stopped and looked over his men, his eyes glittering.
“Everything of
value is to be taken.” The King of Hatti's voice carried across the square,
echoing over the soldiers and down into the city. “Every animal, every store of
provisions, every bolt of material, every hoarded ingot of gold and silver.
Spare only the image of the goddess herself. You will leave them nothing but
the stones we stand upon. If anyone resists, put them to the sword, be it man,
woman or child. By my command, you will show Kadesh no mercy.”
The pleas
began, quiet at first, soon escalating to desperate wails as the soldiers
stripped the nobles of their gold, jewels, and embroidered tunics. Some of the
women were left wearing nothing, their thin frames and slack skin exposed for
all to see. Several of the soldiers laughed, mocking them. Urhi-Teshub shook
his head, glaring at them, disgusted.
His father
turned his attention to Amunira, Kadesh's king, and gestured for Urhi-Teshub to
join him.
“Prince of
Hatti,” his father began as Urhi-Teshub navigated his way around the broken
remains of Seti's stela, “how shall we punish our disloyal vassal? Think well,
for one day you shall be Hatti's king, and the lessons you learn today will be
of great value to you then.”
Urhi-Teshub
caught the vindictive glint in his father's eye. He would not do his father's
dirty work for him.
“My lord king
and father,” he answered, choosing his words with care, “you have taken all
Kadesh has left to be taken after having endured a long siege. There is nothing
left to them now save their lives.”
His father
smiled, cold, as he pulled his daggers from their sheaths. “Shall we take their
lives as well, my son?”
Urhi-Teshub
looked at Amunira, stripped of his finery, waiting, stoic. Behind him, his
queen, Azfara, stood wearing only a thin linen shift. A beautiful woman. Her
gaze met his, pleading. He turned his attention back to Amunira, trying to
gauge the man, his worth as a king. Amunira met his eyes, courageous,
honorable, ready to die.
Urhi-Teshub
recognized in him the many qualities lacking in his father. Here stood a good
and noble king who had suffered much, who had been forced to make a terrible
choice to protect his people. Urhi-Teshub would not sacrifice this man just to
gain his father's approval. A thought crossed his mind.
“Is there not
another way?” he asked, his eyes on Amunira. “To kill them would only give rise
to a new nobility, perhaps ones chosen by Pharaoh Seti. We have the perfect
opportunity to ensure King Amunira's continued obedience, despite his treachery
of having allied himself to Egypt .”
A soft hiss
filled the quiet as his father slid one of his daggers back into its sheath. A
creak of sun warmed leather followed as he rested his hand on the dagger's
pommel. “I am listening.”
A flicker of
gratitude flared in Amunira's eyes. Urhi-Teshub ignored him. “Hostages,” he
said, gesturing along the line of nobles. “Just as Lord Hattusilis takes the
Kaskan children from the conquered tribes, let us take these children with us
to Tarhuntassa to educate under your command. Once they are grown, send them
back to Kadesh to serve as your loyal administrators.”
His father
rubbed the pommel of the other dagger against his jaw, its fluted edge rasping
against his stubble as he looked over the children among the nobles, unimpressed.
His gaze moved to one of the young women standing near the queen, stopping to
linger on the faint curves of her body. He nodded at her. Urhi-Teshub turned. A
little girl, a pretty, dark-haired thing, peeked out from behind the woman's
shift.
His father
pointed his dagger at her. “The girl,” he said, his voice taut. “Bring her to
me.”
With a cry,
Azfara rushed over to the child and put her behind her, out of his sight. “Your
Majesty,” she pleaded, her face tight with fear, “I beg you, not her.”
“Ah, the
desperate look of a mother,” his father smiled, slow. “So, I have flushed out
Amunira's brat.”
Before Azfara
could answer, the young woman who had first hidden the child brushed past
Azfara as though the queen were of no consequence.
“Your Highness,
of what use is a child?” she asked, soft and enticing, bowing low. “Such a
burden. Let me offer myself to you instead. I am Lady Rhoha, sister of King
Amunira. Allow me to devote my life to your pleasure as your concubine.”
Urhi-Teshub
looked from his father to the woman, who could be no more than twenty. Even in
her diminished state, there was no doubt the woman knew her beauty was
astonishing. With a few weeks of feeding, her body would once more be ripe and
full, ready to give great pleasure. Her thick, dark brown hair fell to her
waist in rolling waves, unbound without its jewels. Dark and sultry, she would
be a match for any of his father's most exotic concubines. She licked her lips,
slow, seductive. Urhi-Teshub raised his brow. Was she trying to seduce his
father here?
“I have
concubines enough,” his father grunted. “The girl, Urhi-Teshub.”
Rhoha opened
her shift, exposing the curve of her perfect breasts. She stepped toward his
father, her eyes wide and trusting. “Then, instead of the child,” she breathed,
“take my life. To be killed by one's king—a god—there can be no greater end.”
His father
narrowed his eyes. “You dare try to divert me? You are no one, worthless.
Beware I do not send both you and the child to the gods today.” He shoved her
aside, pointing once more at the girl. “I will not ask again. Bring me
Amunira's child. She will be the price for Kadesh's crimes. My blade awaits.”
The Call of Eternity
The Transcendence Series Book 2
'AN EPIC STORY OF LOVE. POWERFUL AND COMPELLING.' KATHERINE STANSFIELD, AUTHOR OF THE MAGPIE TREE
"I love you, even past the boundaries of eternity. Not even the end of my existence could extinguish the love I feel for you."
In the epic sequel to The Lost Valor of Love, worlds collide, and gods and mortals cross paths, kingdoms fall, and ancient, long-buried hatreds stir.
In the heavens, the storm god Teshub discovers two of the most powerful gods of the pantheon have fallen to a world torn apart by rivalry, war, famine, and plagues. Soon, he learns, he too must fall.
In the north, a crown prince ascends the throne, his queen taken by his enemy as compensation for the crimes of his father. But the new king is prepared to risk everything to reclaim his queen, and plans for war begin.
In the east, a near-immortal senses the awakening of a powerful artifact after an eternity of silence. It can only mean one thing: gods once more walk among men, and with their return—the key to his immortality.
And from far without, the Creator eyes his dying creation, its fragile boundaries unraveling. From across an enormous board, he picks up a token—an exact replica of a living woman. He smiles at it with fondness and sets it down on a new space. Folding his hands together, he steps back, and waits.
The Call of Eternity is the second book in the Transcendence series.
**Get it FREE April 16 – 20!!**
He passed a pool in one of the
deserted courtyards, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the dark water,
the skim of ice pulled away to allow the fish to breathe. Several weeks' worth
of thick stubble coated his jaw, and despite being tied back in a thong, his
long hair had become a tangled, dirty, matted mess. His armor, dull and
unoiled, glinted with frost in the cold, pale light. If not for the wealth of
gold embossing his armor and scabbards, none would have believed he was the
crown prince of Hatti. He had lost weight too, his face had thinned,
accentuating the hard cut of his jaw even through the dense graze of his
stubble.
The traders at Kadesh had not
exaggerated. Famine had fallen hard on Hatti, and the further away from Kadesh
he and his men travelled, the worse it became. People hoarded what little they
had left from the year before and were unwilling to sell it, even to Hatti's
crown prince. Despite his purse brimming with gold ingots, he could not procure
even a single dried fig for his men or a handful of grain for the horses.
In one village, an emaciated young
widow, her hair unbound in mourning, fell on her knees when he and his men
passed, wailing, begging him to end her life, saying she had lost her husband,
father and brother at Kadesh. Without any milk, her infant son had starved so
she had strangled him, only to cook and eat his withered flesh herself. She
followed after them, pleading, desperate, longing for death. None of them had
looked at her, and that night as he sat beside a meager fire with his men, no one spoke. Darkness
had fallen on Hatti. The gods had turned their backs against her king. None
would be spared. In the gods' eyes all were equal, all would suffer for
Muwatallis's crimes. Many would die.
Urhi-Teshub passed through the gate
into the empty outer courtyard of the Court of the Sun, the wind breaking free
of its restraints. It roared across the open space, cutting through his
snow-encrusted tunic, carrying the faint smell of baking bread. His stomach
cried out, clenching hard at the scent of warm food. Five days had passed since
he had eaten the last of his rations, sharing a dried biscuit between six men;
the horses forced to subsist on what frozen grass could be found between the
rocky clefts of the uninhabited valleys between the mountain passes.
At night, as his stomach cramped,
his body surrounded by the relentless, bitter cold, Urhi-Teshub shivered in his
blanket, slipping in and out of broken dreams where he saw Istara, safe and
warm on a sunlit terrace, at a table overflowing with roasted cuts of calf and
glistening fillets of fish. An Egyptian man—a warrior—gazed at her, tender, as
he fed her from his own platter, his actions intimate, private, possessive.
Other dreams showed her walking in opulent gardens, gathering flowers, smiling
and happy, wearing elegant, near-transparent gowns and jewelry fit for a queen.
And then there were other dreams, ones that made Urhi-Teshub's heart ache until
he feared it would break, of the warrior taking her in his arms and kissing her
the way Urhi-Teshub longed to do—of Istara returning the warrior's ardor, clinging to him
as he took his fill of her, welcoming his attention as she had once, long ago,
welcomed Urhi-Teshub's.
Each time, he would wake with a
start and stare at the glittering stars as they processed, slow, across the
black canopy of the heavens, and wonder who the Egyptian was, if he was real or
just a phantom of his deepest fear, resurrected from the careless words he had
once said, unthinking, never expecting them to come true.
During the long, slow weeks of their
harrowing journey to Tarhuntassa, when time felt as though it stood still and
the sun hung low and pale in an indifferent, white-washed sky, the memory of
the morning after his wedding would replay in his mind—the details precise,
aching with clarity. Bathed in the golden light of a new day, Istara had told him
she would never love again. His reply had been reckless, desperate, foolish. He
had sworn he could not wish such a lonely existence on her, had said he would
permit her to love another if it brought her back to him. He looked at the
gold-clad pillar of Teshub's temple rising up over the walls of the palace,
dull in the gray light. What sane man would allow his wife to love another?
The Rise of the Goddess
The Transcendence Series Book 3
Istara found the courage to meet Sethi's eyes. In his, the anguish of his love, untainted by the darkness. He was going to leave her. Tears blazed a path through her soul. He drew her against him as she wept, as she accepted what he already knew. For them, there could only be war.
'A SUPERB FINALE. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED.' KATHERINE STANSFIELD, AUTHOR OF THE MERMAID'S CALL
In a world older than time, a portal stirs from its long slumber. From out of its cerulean mists, the warship of the scion of darkness and destroyer of worlds emerges. With its gods long gone, Elati is a world ripe for the taking. Marduk intends to take it all.
Corrupted by Marduk's devices, Sethi succumbs to the grip of evil. A brutal, merciless commander, he oppresses the kingdoms of Elati, his violence awakening a weapon of the deepest darkness. Poisoned by lies and tainted by hate, he thirsts for its power to obliterate the light of the one he once loved beyond all reason.
Desperate to reprieve Sethi from his corruption, Istara pursues her last hope, risking everything to retrieve powerful artifacts of Thoth's, her light her only defense against the growing darkness—and the one determined to annihilate her.
Bound by love and driven by duty, Urhi-Teshub reaches the threshold of his destiny, where he faces the horrifying price he must pay to protect Istara.
And at the heart of an abandoned island of gods, surrounded by an endless storm, an eternal tower awaits. Caught in the crosshairs of a primordial war for supremacy, Sethi and Istara must face each other one final time. Darkness and light. Enemies. Lovers. Gods.
The Rise of the Goddess is the final book in the Transcendence series.
**Get all three books FREE April 23 – 25!!**
"If you
take that one," a quiet voice said from beyond the vault's open door,
"you will regret it." A slim woman emerged from the shadows, her skin
flawless, a midnight marble burnished by the torchlight.
"Urhi-Teshub," she said, "I am Sekhmet." A greeting, of
sorts.
Clad from neck
to toe in fitted black leather, she glided over to him, her movements sleek,
mesmerizing, graceful. She came to a halt behind him and ran her hand along the
weapon's enormous barrel. "I like the way you think." Her words
washed over him, rich, luxurious, a fountain of dark, red wine. "When it
comes to Marduk, bigger usually is better. But perhaps, not this time."
He turned,
unwilling to leave his back exposed to her. Teshub had once confided Sekhmet
was wild and unpredictable. She met his eyes, hers a dark, molten gold,
fathomless, unreadable. He did not look away, refused to let her think him
afraid. A faint smile touched her lips.
"Thoth
tells me you were once the king of a great empire." Her gaze slid over
him, impassive. She took his hand and turned his palm upward, exposed the lines
marking the path of his life. "It appears you are an honorable man,"
she said. "Of pure heart. A great warrior. Noble. Just. At times,
stubborn." She paused to trace her forefinger over his scar of binding.
"Hmmm." She let go of his hand and turned to examine his chosen array
of weapons. "I have decided to aid Thoth." She shot an enigmatic look
at Urhi-Teshub. "Osiris took it upon himself to point out my ship is the
fastest."
"I am in
your debt," Urhi-Teshub said, hoping he sounded more grateful than he
felt. When she lifted one of Marduk's devices, Urhi-Teshub cut an oblique look
at her, his curiosity getting the better of him. After the tales he had heard
of the goddess of war, he had expected her to be savage, bloodthirsty, brutal;
her visage disfigured, ugly from glorying in violence. Teshub had said she was
a loner, friendless, her rage during battle terrifying, legendary. Known as the
queen of revenge, death, and destruction—she was a goddess to be feared and
avoided. Urhi-Teshub had heard the stories, what she was capable of in battle,
her brutality far beyond anything his father had done. After the things he had
heard, he never could have expected a woman like this, clad in beauty,
elegance, and grace, her features even, perfect, as though carved by a master
sculptor. She turned, caught his frank appraisal. He turned away, but there was
nothing to look at it except the wall.
She laughed,
soft. It washed over him, honeyed and warm. "You have heard the stories
about me."
"Who
hasn't," he said, hauling the strap away from his shoulder. He dropped the
weapon back onto the table. It landed between them, hitting the wood with a
dense thud. He met her eyes again. "I admit you are not who I
expected."
"I am
never what anyone expects," Sekhmet returned. She reached past him to pick
up a slim pair of blunt-nosed weapons, their polished metal reflecting the
flames of the torches. "Take these." She held the weapons out to him.
"Where we are going, we will not have much room to maneuver."
He took them
with a murmur of thanks and waited for her to select more. Though she picked up
several pieces and set them down again, she gave him nothing else. With only
two weapons, he felt exposed. Unprepared. Even escorting Istara along the
palace's corridors, he carried twice as much. His gaze slid back to the largest
weapon. He could stow it in the ship—
"Not that
one," Sekhmet said, following his look. "There is a better one."
She went to where the weapons of the gods were set out, and opened a metal
case. From within its depths she retrieved a long-barreled weapon along with a
leather harness. "Wear this on your thigh," she said, handing him the
harness, before letting him take the weapon. "This is only to be used when
there are no other options left."
Urhi-Teshub
took the weapon. Made of black metal, it looked similar to the design of
Marduk's weapons, although unlike them, this one had a pleasing, reassuring
heft. He took hold of its grip and held it up, admiring its simple design,
liking it already. "What does it do?"
"It is one
of Set's," Sekhmet answered. "Those targeted by it will turn against
their own. But the effect is brief, and once they return to their senses, they
will come back with a vengeance." She touched it, reverent. "Be sure
not to lose it. Set dismembers those who offend him."
He sensed she
hoped for a reaction; he gave her none. Instead: "Will it work on Marduk's
patrols?" he asked, eyeing the length of the weapon, nearer to that of a
short sword, imagining what it could have wrought in his world—what he could
have done with it at Kadesh.
Sekhmet nodded.
"Patrols. Ships' weapons. It is the only thing we possess apart from the
pyramids' cores which can overcome Marduk's devices."
Urhi-Teshub
lifted a brow, impressed. He turned the weapon over in his hands, appreciating
anew the balance and weight of it. "I could do a lot of damage with
this."
"You
could, but you won't," Sekhmet said. Her gaze drifted once more to the
weapons taken from the Etemen'anki. She eyed them, cool, her expression
tightening. "It is regrettable there is only the one or we could have
escaped without the loss of my sister and brothers." She fell silent,
though sorrow tainted the curve of her lips. "This time we must be quiet.
But the next time, we fight."
She went to the
door. Her eyes touched his. A flicker of her fury scorched him, a furnace of
hate, buried alive. "You have my word." The heat faded. Sorrow
returned. She cut a look at the windows. "A storm is coming."
E A Carter is a British-Canadian who lives in Sweden.
Her debut novel The Lost Valor of Love is the first book in the Transcendence series and a finalist winner in the First Novel and Historical Fiction categories in the 2019 Indie Author Network's Book of the Year Awards.
When not at the keyboard, she can be found photographing the world around her. Between 2014-2015 she held three exhibitions of her photographs, two by invitation from the city's Kulturhuset. Her work has been seen on national television, and her black and white photography has won two contests, one in the US and one in Sweden.
***Notice: Nicolie-Olie's Meanderings is HOSTING a spot on Silver Dagger Book Tours. Choosing a Prize Winner and Delivery of Prize is not under the responsibility of Nicolie-Olie's Meanderings***
*This is a Creative Presentation*
Please make sure you follow the tour and visit all the other amazing hosts for this book tour - and if you stop by Silver Dagger on the hop, tell her HI from me 😉
Three (3) Prizes consisting of:
One (1) Prize: $30 Amazon Gift Card
Two (2) Prizes: $15 Amazon Gift Card each
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
This series sounds like a 5 star read! Looks like it is so far out of my comfort zone but yet I want to read it. I have an intense need to understand and know where the story is going and how it ends.
ReplyDeleteI like all the covers. The graphics are very nice.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
I really like the covers! It def draws me in. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThe series sound breathless and exciting!!
ReplyDeleteThe cover is very powerful. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis series looks to be terrific! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI like the covers and the excerpts too.
ReplyDeleteI think her makeup looks great. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the mix of simple color palette and complexity of the image! Will be reading :)
ReplyDeleteI like the covers. They are all clear and make sense to me. Looks nice
ReplyDeleteI like the cover and the book sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteI think the covers are really creative.
ReplyDeleteThe covers look very mysterious and ethereal.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Book Cover.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCovers look great!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great cover!
ReplyDelete