I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s posts as much as I have (don’t forget to check out the deets for the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post).  I’ve been a fan of A.F.E.’s since our Authonomy days, and I am beyond thrilled to see Darkhaven in print.  It’s a wonderful book, full of all the things that make a story great: fencing, fighting, chases, escapes, true love, steampunky goodness…The list goes on.

And the writing!  The writing is so beautiful.  For example:

“…the scents of a summer night caressed her with their familiarity…”

“She hesitated, her skin crawling with tiny spiders of unease.” -If that’s not evocative, I don’t know what is!

“As the sun rose higher in the sky, prying into the shade of her hood with bright inquisitive fingers, she had slipped into the narrow gap between a dueling room and a weaponry.”

“The books were mainly vast tomes with leather bindings, bearing such enticing titles as Upon the Principles and Ordinance of Government and An Assessment of Trade Relationships Between Mirrorvale and its Neighbors.”

That last line actually made me smile because it reminded me of my own story.

I loved this book.  The setting was unique, the characters were believable, and the religion was fascinating.  I could not put this book down – I finished it in a day and a half and wished I could have started the sequel right away.  Now I know how all my friends felt waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out.

This book is that good.

So if you haven’t pre-ordered Darkhaven yet, what are you waiting for?  This is one book you don’t want to miss!

About the Author

A.F.E. Smith is an editor of academic texts by day and a fantasy writer by night. So far, she hasn’t mixed up the two. She lives with her husband and their two young children in a house that someone built to be as creaky as possible – getting to bed without waking the baby is like crossing a nightingale floor. Though she doesn’t have much spare time, she makes space for reading, mainly by not getting enough sleep (she’s powered by chocolate). Her physical bookshelves were stacked two deep long ago, so now she’s busy filling up her e-reader.

What A.F.E. stands for is a closely guarded secret, but you might get it out of her if you offer her enough snacks.

You can find out more about A.F.E. on her website, as well as follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Book

Ayla Nightshade never wanted to rule Darkhaven. But her half-brother Myrren – true heir to the throne – hasn’t inherited their family gift, forcing her to take his place.

When this gift leads to Ayla being accused of killing her father, Myrren is the only one to believe her innocent. Does something more sinister than the power to shapeshift lie at the heart of the Nightshade family line?

Now on the run, Ayla must fight to clear her name if she is ever to wear the crown she never wanted and be allowed to return to the home she has always loved.

You can pre-order Darkhaven from HarperCollins, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, iBooks, and Kobo.

And now, onto the rest of the fun!

The aforementioned giveaway includes a host of great prizes.  There’s an e-book copy of Darkhaven, a signed paperback of Felinity, a set of five bookmarks, a notebook and keyring, some chocolate, AND a £10/$15 gift card!  It’s a king’s ransom in prizes, and they could be yours if you enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

You can earn entries in several ways:

1. Join the release party.
2. Sign up to A.F.E. Smith’s mailing list
3. Leave a blog post comment
4. Add Darkhaven on Goodreads
5. Tweet about the giveaway
6. Follow @afesmith on Twitter
7. Visit A.F.E. Smith on Facebook
8. Complete the scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt, you say?  Why, yes!  To join in the scavenger hunt, all you have to do is visit at least one of the stops on the tour each day and collect the letters (see the M up above).  At the end of the tour, you should have five words.  Type ’em into the Rafflecopter for five entries!

See?  Toldja it’d be fun. 😀

Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the tour – the fun’s not over yet, folks!  Have a fantastic weekend!

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.