Blog Archives
Mask of Romulus
Mask of Romulus follows a sweeping story that stretches from Rome to India and ties together power, ambition, prophecy, and the fragile nature of empire. The book opens by painting a world connected by trade and restless ideas. It introduces Augustus at the height of his influence and an India fractured by competing kingdoms. Into this tense landscape steps Kamala, an oracle whose visions push her toward a journey that crosses four thousand miles and collides with the political storms of the Roman world. The novel layers real history with imagined personal struggles, giving the reader a sense that huge movements of empire hinge on private choices, secrets, and fate.
As I moved through the early chapters, I felt pulled in by how personal the book tries to make epic history. The scenes from Octavius’ childhood surprised me. They feel raw and grounded, almost gritty at times, and they made him more human than the distant marble figure we tend to imagine. The writing jumps between action and reflection, sometimes with sharp contrast, and that rhythm kept me alert. The prose feels almost cinematic, especially the storm at sea and the tension around Caesar’s final days. The book has a clear emotional heartbeat. It cares about loneliness, loyalty, power, and the cost of ambition. Those themes.
What really stuck with me was how confidently the author shifts between worlds. Rome feels vivid with its politics, temples, mentors, conflicts, and restless ambition. India feels just as alive in its spiritual tension and shifting kingdom lines. Even though the story reaches far beyond any one character, the author still gives each major figure enough emotion and doubt to make their choices feel real. I especially appreciated how the book doesn’t treat history like a static backdrop. It treats it as something alive and dangerous. The writing style itself is clean but emotional. Sometimes the dialogue leans formal, but I never felt pushed out of the story. Instead, it gave me the sense that these people carried the weight of their worlds in every sentence.
I feel like Mask of Romulus is a great fit for readers who love historical fiction but want more than dates and battles. It’s for people who like character-driven stories, who enjoy seeing famous figures stripped of their myth and shown as vulnerable, ambitious, or afraid. It’s also perfect for anyone who enjoys ancient-world political drama or a good cross-cultural adventure. I’d recommend it to readers who want something immersive, thoughtful, and full of heart.
Pages: 300 | ASIN : B0G26Z32D4
Most Glorious – A Story of the Eastern Roman Empire
Most Glorious follows the life of John, also known as Isidor the Younger, an architect whose work and quiet courage shape the world around him. The story paints the Eastern Roman Empire in rich color. It jumps between Constantinople, Miletos, and the Persian court. I watched generals prepare for war. I watched spies meddle. I watched John grow from a skilled but unsure young man into someone who bends fate with his hands. The book mixes politics, battles, construction, friendship, danger, and a deep sense of history. It feels big. It feels lived in. And it moves with purpose.
I found myself pulled in by the writing in a way I did not expect. It has a patient pace at first. Then it begins to coil tighter and tighter. I liked the confidence in the storytelling. I liked how the author lets scenes breathe. Sometimes the dialogue feels stiff. Sometimes a description lingers. But the world is so vivid that I did not mind. I could almost hear the sea at Miletos. I could picture the boulder field where John planned his building. I could feel the quiet pride in his uncle’s lessons. The writing has this mix of old-world formality and warm humanity that stuck with me.
The ideas in the book were intriguing. Power is always shifting. Trust feels fragile. People hide knives behind smiles. Yet the story keeps returning to the same thought. Small, steady acts matter. An architect with patience can shape cities. A soldier with doubts can still be brave. A king with fear in his chest can still change the course of nations. The book kept surprising me with moments of intimacy tucked inside grand, sweeping chapters. I caught myself rooting for John, not just because he is talented, but because he is decent. And in this world, decency feels rare and powerful.
This book would be perfect for anyone who likes historical fiction that leans into detail and atmosphere. It is great for readers who enjoy politics and military strategy, but also want characters who feel real. It is also a strong pick for people who love stories about craft, learning, and quiet heroism. If you want a book that takes its time and rewards your patience, Most Glorious will be a good fit.
Pages: 484 | ASIN: B0DYPF8PVW
Sinful Oath: Book 1 On The Wings Of Angels Series
Sinful Oath is a blend of historical fiction, Christian fiction, and historical mystery, set in 1618 London and centered on Elizabeth Bowmar, a young apprentice midwife with a fierce moral compass, and Alexander Berkley, a man tangled in his own duties, loyalties, and regrets. The book opens with Elizabeth reflecting on her past, her faith, and the weight of responsibility she carries, then pulls us into a widening web of injustice, danger, and compassion. Author KT McWilliams paints the world with gritty street life, tense family dynamics, and the looming shadow of Newgate Prison. By the time I settled in, I already felt the stakes tightening around both Elizabeth and Alexander in ways that promised more than simple historical drama.
I was surprised by how intimate the writing feels. Elizabeth’s voice in particular comes through full of honesty and vulnerability, especially in her private thoughts by the hearth as she burns her written worries, believing the smoke carries them to angels. Even with the book’s heavier themes like poverty, violence, faith, and control, the storytelling stays grounded in the everyday textures of life. I liked that the author doesn’t treat the period like a costume. It feels lived in. And even when characters lean into ideals or spiritual reflection, the language never pushes toward sermon; it reads instead like people trying to make sense of their choices, which made it easy to stay with them.
What I appreciated most was how McWilliams balances tenderness with hardship. The moments between Elizabeth and her father feel warm and steady, and they’re a strong counterweight to the scenes with her mother, whose sharpness cuts deeper than some of the book’s villains. Alexander’s chapters add another layer, especially when we see him navigating the dangerous corners of London and the people who operate in them. The tension between old loyalties and present conscience gives his storyline weight. Sometimes the book lingers on internal rumination a bit longer than I expected, but even then, it felt true to the characters’ emotional lives. I got the sense that both leads are standing at a threshold, stepping into versions of themselves they don’t fully understand yet.
I feel like Sinful Oath is less about a single mystery and more about courage, the quiet kind that comes from tending to others, and the louder kind that comes from facing what’s broken in a community or in oneself. If you enjoy historical fiction with strong moral undercurrents, detailed atmosphere, and characters who wrestle honestly with faith and justice, this book will be right up your alley. Readers who like a mix of Christian historical fiction and historical mystery will probably enjoy it most, especially if they’re drawn to stories that move with both heart and grit.
Pages: 459 | ASIN : B0FPMT9YVC
Literary Titan Book Award: Fiction
The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.
Award Recipients
Talthybius by Jessie Holder Tourtellotte and Nathaniel Howard
Golem Mine by Donald Schwartz
A Trail in the Woods by Mallory O’Connor
Messenger of the Reaper Part 2 by Jimmy Straley
Missing in Lincoln Park by Staci Andrea
Medusa: Or, Men Entombed in Winter by Kyle Farnworth
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award
Celebrating the brilliance of outstanding authors who have captivated us with their skillful prose, engaging narratives, and compelling real and imagined characters. We recognize books that stand out for their innovative storytelling and insightful exploration of truth and fiction. Join us in honoring the dedication and skill of these remarkable authors as we celebrate the diverse and rich worlds they’ve brought to life, whether through the realm of imagination or the lens of reality.
Award Recipients
The Moments Between Choices by Harris Kamal
Secretos De Familia by Diego Uribe
Once Upon A Time In The Big Easy: Down On The Bayou by Wilson Jackson
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
In Spectacular and Memorable Fashion
In the Wrath of Legends follows a Nez Perce woman torn between two worlds, as she confronts military secrets, supernatural horrors, and her own haunted past in a battle where myth and history collide. What inspired you to blend indigenous spirituality and supernatural elements in a historical setting?
This similar genre mishmash was previously utilized in my first novel (“In the Lair of Legends”) in spectacular and memorable fashion, but for the sequel I wanted to delve deeper into those unique facets of the story by exploring even more of the culture and history pertaining to the Nez Perce and the historical context in which these exciting stories take place. For me, the supernatural elements have allowed me to highlight some very difficult and challenging (and hugely important) political and racial themes by allowing the reader to experience them through the lens of spirituality, legends, and incredible action. I tend to think of these stories as character-driven adventure tales anchored by a foundation of history and faith.
Chenoa Winterhawk is such a layered, resilient protagonist. Was she inspired by a specific person or story?
Chenoa is absolutely my favorite character that I’ve ever written! (And I actually felt that way about her in the previous book when we meet her as a 6 year-old girl who becomes Chief Jolon Winterhawk’s motivation to not only survive, but to completely alter his perception of what duty and fatherhood truly means.) In this book, Chenoa is dealing with the loss of hope, struggling with the concept of fading honor, and feeling betrayed by the very ideals that her father fought for. In these types of action/adventure stories, it’s customary to launch the story with physical threats. But here, I wanted to introduce Chenoa to gigantic emotional obstacles before having her face those monsters of legends and monsters of men. She’s very different from her father, so I wanted to approach her character atypically for the genre. She’s a warrior, certainly, but her motivations and actions are driven by something much more deeply-rooted than what uniform she wears, or what enemy she’s facing. She sees everything from the inside-out, which is a unique perspective for an action hero. Her resiliency stems from faith which allowed me to richly layer and explore her character in fascinating and unforgettable ways.
I felt that some scenes explore the cost of survival and the moral weight of violence. What truths were you hoping readers would wrestle with?
Violence casts a shadow in our lives and in our world; sometimes, it follows behind us for the rest of our lives. In this particular story, characters use violence as both a means of survival and of opportunity; selfish as well as selfless. The human antagonist in the book experienced a great violent injustice, so his retribution was to inflict that same pain and suffering tenfold. He took everything bad he’d experienced and made it worse because he felt that blood (innocent or otherwise) was the only way through his own suffering. Chenoa Winterhawk is a warrior and her own father was a decorated Civil War soldier. Her dichotomy is that she recognized violence as being the answer but wrestled with it as the only solution. Our actions have consequences, and the book deals with how they impact us through generations and into eternity.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
My next novel is called “Suspension.” It’s a standalone adventure/thriller set in 1990 that’s a literary homage to some of my favorite action movies like “Die Hard 2” and “Sudden Death.” It will be published by Black Rose Writing on November 19, 2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
Chenoa Winterhawk is a battle-hardened member of Oregon’s elite U.S. Army Indian Scouts, sworn to protect travelers across treacherous mountain terrain and dark forests whispering of ancient terrors. As the daughter of legendary Civil War hero Chief Jolon Winterhawk, Chenoa is also a warrior bound by duty, struggling with injustices brought upon the Nez Perce amidst the broken promises that have forced another relocation of her tribe.
While escorting a military leader carrying a mining map of an underground river hidden deep inside the Blue Mountains, Chenoa is ambushed by a rogue Army unit in a deadly dirigible assault. Their sadistic leader is a traitor from her past, driven by revenge to destroy her family’s legacy. The diabolical plan-destroy the mine and unleash the underground river, bringing a destructive flood onto sacred tribal lands to avenge personal betrayals.
Engaging ruthless military forces throughout unforgiving mountain wilderness and abandoned mines, Winterhawk wages the fiercest battle of her life. But she soon discovers that a much darker terror is also stalking her. Monstrous legends, roused from their ancient lair. These enormous creatures of myth were once faced by her father in an epic battle to the death. And now, it’s her turn…
Jeanne The Woman In Red
Jeanne The Woman in Red is a literary historical novel that follows the life of Jeanne Tunica Y Casas, a fiery, uncompromising political activist whose story unfolds across New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, France, and beyond. The book moves between her final years in a nursing home in the late 1960s and vivid recollections of her political battles, her marriage to Paco, and the people and places she loved. It’s a portrait of a woman who refuses to soften or apologize, even as age and loss begin to close in around her.
This book feels intimate. As if Jeanne were sitting across from me, telling stories that run on nerves and conviction rather than nostalgia. The writing has a rawness I didn’t expect. Scenes of the nursing home feel almost claustrophobic with their vinyl chairs, faint smells, and the slow drip of Jeanne’s frustration. Then the narrative swings wide open into her past, where she teaches children under mango trees, writes furious letters, argues politics with anyone brave enough, and paints scenes that reveal more about her spirit than any speech could. The author’s choice to weave Jeanne’s inner voice with historical detail gives the story both grit and tenderness. It is a quiet kind of political novel, but political all the same, carried by the force of one woman who refuses to be small.
What struck me most was how unapologetically the book stays with Jeanne’s contradictions. She is compassionate one moment and sharp enough to cut the next. She is grieving but stubborn. She is certain of her beliefs, sometimes to the point of alienating those who might have helped her. And yet the book never asks me to judge her. It just lets her be. Some passages read like memories folded in warm light, while others hit like sudden blows. The sensory details work best when they’re simple: a wooden floorboard Paco never fixed, a pot of chrysanthemums at a grave, the sound of children giggling through a vocabulary lesson. The author trusts these small images to carry weight, and they do.
This isn’t a sweeping epic or a fast-moving plot. It’s more like sitting with someone who has lived too intensely to fade gently. The genre sits somewhere between literary fiction and biographical historical fiction, and it will appeal most to readers who like character-driven stories, real history woven with imagination, and portraits of complicated women who challenge the world rather than charm it.
Pages: 213 | ASIN : B08CPNPNDV
An Unsuitable Job
An Unsuitable Job drops readers straight into Josie MacFarland’s world and wastes no time showing the grit behind the glamour. The story follows Josie as she returns to the Harvey Company to serve as their first woman detective. A dead salesman, a scandal brewing in the Castañeda Hotel, and a tangle of secrets push her into danger and discovery. The pages move fast. The scenes glow with the heat of New Mexico. The world of Harvey Girls, rail travelers, cowboys, and local families feels alive and loud. The book reads like a window into 1930. The mystery unfolds piece by piece as Josie digs through gossip, grudges, and old wounds.
The style hit a sweet spot. Simple. Direct. No fluff. I liked how the dialogue carried the weight of the story. It felt crisp and quick. The emotions ran close to the surface. Josie’s tall presence, sharp eyes, and constant tug between courage and doubt made her easy to root for. I found myself grinning when she pushed back against people who underestimated her. I felt a pinch of sympathy when old mistakes nipped at her heels. The author paints these moments with an ease that makes the scenes sink in deep. The setting did a lot of lifting, too. The dusty roads. The clatter of the dining room. The smell of rain on sage.
Some moments caught me off guard. The tension between Josie and the sheriff had this spark that made me sit up straighter. The small flickers of jealousy or nerves or pride made the characters feel relatable. I also liked the way the story let the gossip swirl. Secrets traveled in whispers. People watched over their shoulders. The book didn’t shout its themes. It let them simmer. Women are boxed in by rules. Power running quietly through a small town. What people hide to keep the peace. The mystery itself moved with a steady beat. No rush. No drag. Just enough clues to keep me leaning forward.
This was a satisfying read. The story wrapped up in a way that felt clean but still left room for more. I could picture Josie walking off in her trench coat, not done with danger yet. I would recommend An Unsuitable Job to readers who like cozy mysteries with a little grit. Anyone who enjoys historical settings. Anyone who likes strong women who push back when they are told to stay quiet. It is a book for people who want quick pacing paired with warm character work. I enjoyed it, and I think many others will too.
Pages: 280 | ASIN : B0FQYRCBNH
LITERARY TITAN 