The Stealthmaster's Shadow Blog Tour

Whew!!  Two book tours in one month!  Yes, I've been running around like crazy getting ready for all these, but it's been lots of fun, nonetheless.  Today, I'm sharing some exciting news about Hope Ann's new novella, The Stealthmaster's Shadow, and I'm beyond thrilled for this one!

It's been ten confounded years since the war ended.

Verus, a retired soldier, determines to enforce the peace the victory ought to have brought. His wanderings bring him to the city of Nerva, a sprawling riverside chaos no other Stealthmaster will touch.

Commandeering the task of a former comrade, Verus presents himself to the governor and promises to search out hidden Subverters. The true reason for his actions he keeps to himself. After all, the tyrannical governor will hardly approve of lending aid to those pitted against him, but the Subverters need information. Maybe even weapons.

The wishes of the Subverters themselves are immaterial. They weren’t there during the war. They didn’t see the horrors Tauscher spread.

Verus has.

So has the new ambassador from Zahavia who strides through the great doors of the feasting hall, bringing Verus face to face with nightmares from his past.

As the simple mission dissolves into confusion, Verus struggles to help those he’s plunged into danger, from a serving lad to the infuriating woman he’s taken to calling “Princess.” Fleeing will only make the enemy stronger. But staying…

Staying could doom them all.

~~*~~

*stutters*

I'm not even quite sure where to begin my review, to be honest.

I'll start by saying this is my favorite Legends of Light book yet.  I even went and re-read Rose of the Oath (my previous favorite) right after reading this one, just to verify which one I liked better.  Might not have been the greatest idea, but just for the record...The Stealthmaster's Shadow is now my new favorite.

Perhaps it was because I felt like I was reading a real story.  This wasn't just a fairy-tale retelling, with some names or stuff changed to make it different.  This wasn't just an allegorical/Christian story.

Yes, this is a faint retelling of the old 12 Dancing Princesses tale.  Yes, this does have some allegorical elements, and a Christian theme.

But it's also just a plain enjoyable read!  I enjoyed the characters, the world, the conflict...everything about this little novella.

Yes, it's a novella.  Normally I dislike novellas (I want tons of reading material, y'know??), but this one...somehow when I finished, I wasn't left with this empty "but I want more" feeling.  No, I was satisfied.  The story was nicely done, from beginning to end.

(There was, however, a good bit of more violence found in this book than in the other Legends of Light novellas.  Mostly just one particular torture scene...nothing too extremely graphic.  But just a brief heads up.)

But if you like a bit of mystery, a bit of excitement and danger, maybe a hint of romance, and tons of sarcasm...this is highly recommended!

So, are you excited yet???  If you haven't ordered it yet, just stare at this beautiful cover, and you might change your mind.

I'm sorry, but that cover is amazing.
Just amazing.
Whew, I can't stop repeating myself.  The castle...the cloaked figure...and the dark red...come on, that's an epic cover!!!!

Click here to order now from Amazon, and here to add to Goodreads.

Hope Ann uses chocolate to bribe a wide ring of spies, from the realm leapers of Aslaria to the double agents of Elkbend, for their stories. Based in Indiana, she is the self-published author of the Legends of Light series, personal writing coach, and the Communications Coordinator for Story Embers. You can find out more about her at authorhopeann.com