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Eramus of Hares End
Eramus of Hare’s End is a deeply heartfelt and surprisingly rich tale about survival, grief, and finding purpose when everything around you seems to be crumbling. It follows Eramus, a humble village farmer, who’s burdened with the task of saving his drought-stricken village from starvation. The journey that follows is as much inward as it is outward — full of painful memories, reluctant hope, and unexpected encounters that pull you into something much larger than you’d expect from the first few chapters.
What hit me first was how real Eramus felt. The writing here is simple in the best way — no fluff, no fancy prose trying to impress. Just raw emotion, hard choices, and lived-in characters. When the Ruling Hand decides to trade daughters for food, I swear I had to put the book down for a second. It’s brutal, but not in a shock-value way. It’s just the kind of awful decision people might actually have to make when hope is running on fumes. You feel the desperation — not because the author tells you to, but because it leaks from every word.
As the story unfolds, what really hooked me wasn’t just the survival stuff. It was the quiet, personal grief behind Eramus’s drive. The scenes where he visits his wife’s grave were emotionally difficult but in a good way. There’s this one part where he’s laying in the field at night, looking up at the stars, and you can just feel how much he misses her. It’s simple. Poignant. Beautiful. And then, boom — dreams, visions, whispers of something bigger stirring underneath the dirt and drought. The fantasy elements creep in softly, like mist, and I loved that slow burn. When he encounters Lewatollma — the mysterious, pointy-eared healer — I was fully in.
The book starts slow. It meanders a bit, especially in the early travel sections. But stick with it. There’s a subtle shift from a grim survival story into something laced with myth and destiny. And somehow, it works. The pacing feels intentional — like the world is slowly cracking open for both Eramus and the reader. When the wolves show up and Eramus is on death’s door, the story suddenly kicks into another gear, and I couldn’t stop reading. His hallucinations, his panic, that haunting moment where he thinks he’s being eaten by a demon — it’s weird and intense.
In the end, I was moved. Not just by Eramus’s journey, but by what the story says about pain, memory, and resilience. It’s not flashy fantasy. There are no sword fights, no magic duels. But there is magic — the quiet, earthy kind that shows up in healing hands, dream-visions, and the bonds between people. This book would be a great fit for readers who love character-driven fantasy, grounded world-building, and stories that feel like oral histories passed down by firelight.
Pages: 392 | ASIN : B0CW1D8T81
The Middle of Turmoil
Summer (With Collateral Damage) follows an attorney spending the summer in her beach condo who has her plans disrupted by a hurricane that destroys the community and puts her in close quarters with a man who is off-limits. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I didn’t have an inspirational moment. The story had an ordinary theme and was boring to me, so I took a dark turn. So I took an ordinary person and put them in the middle of turmoil. I feel life is like that sometimes.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
Alyse, she is entitled and has everything.
The hurricane and crime activity alter Alyse’s quiet and luxurious life. Do you think there’s a single moment in everyone’s life, maybe not as traumatic, that is life-changing?
Yes, I do. Maybe it’s something small, maybe it’s a loss, but many things can be life-changing.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am not sure where to go with my characters. I might start something completely different. My mind is sorting out small details that I imagine will make a good story.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Alyse Johnson has lived a sheltered life of privilege and wealth, growing up in her prominent family’s luxurious mansion on Jacksonville Beach. Now an attorney, she enjoys surfing and living a quiet life in her upscale beach condo.
But nothing in her past has prepared her for this wild crazy summer, and what she will go through at the hands of criminals invading her space, all while a Category 4 hurricane blows in off the Atlantic Coast, devastating and destroying her beach community.
Alyse and the Connor family lock themselves in, trying to avoid the criminal forces running rampant in their storm-abandoned neighborhood.
The novel Summer (With Collateral Damage) grabs readers from the first page and is the fourth book of a series that follows the Connor family.
Summer (With Collateral Damage)
Alyse Johnson is a young attorney leading a successful yet simple life. She has everything she needs but feels that something is missing and that something might be a relationship with the one guy who is off-limits. Alyse has vowed to make this summer, her first as a single woman, different. She has decided to play the field but has the lingering feeling that there is more to her friendship with Christian. As a hurricane approaches, Alyse is fortunate to take shelter with her friend’s family. Riding out the storm together, they soon learn that their neighborhood has a new danger on the horizon.
Summer (With Collateral Damage) is the fourth book in a series by Denise Ann Stock. Stock’s series follows the Connor family, and in this exciting fourth installment, the action centers around Alyse Johnson and her experience riding out a category 4 hurricane and the madness that follows. Two parallel storylines are running throughout Stock’s novel. Romance fans will appreciate the internal struggle Alyse experiences as she fights the feelings she has for her best friend’s brother. Tension and anxiety run high as Alyse and Christian deal with being in close proximity while they shelter in place. The threat of criminals skulking around the abandoned neighborhood provides mystery fans with the thrill they seek.
Stock does a beautiful job of building an air of mystery. Alyse shares that she has spotted suspicious vehicles in the neighborhood; readers will enjoy letting their imaginations run wild as they wait for the subsequent development. The evacuated neighborhood is the ideal backdrop for a dramatic buildup and gives ample opportunity for character development. I felt invested in Alyse’s plight, her romantic woes, and the danger building around her.
I appreciate the immersive first-person perspective and the use of present tense, which adds depth to the narrative of Summer (With Collateral Damage). While some moments in the plot lean towards introspection, they provide a unique diary-like charm rather than detract from the action and mystery elements. Fans of thrilling novels with a hint of romance should definitely explore Denise Ann Stock’s Connor family series.
Pages: 210 | ASIN : B0CBTWHCRS
Promised Land
Taking place during the rise of Harlem before its renaissance, our author Danny Holst takes us on a journey through the lives of characters Robert and Clifford trying to find their footing in the music world. With the addition of songs and politics, we get to see the story of Harlem come to life. You will feel pain, sorrow, and triumph while reading this all-too-real tale. Never underestimate the power of fiction and how it can shed light on real-life issues from the past.
Holst knows how to add a unique flair to his writing abilities and I was in awe of the added music cues that really made this pre-Harlem Renaissance tale come to life. He chooses songs that add historical and topic relevancy to scenes, and he does it flawlessly. Often times when authors tie in unique additions to their story they have a tendency to place them awkwardly and without rhyme or reason. I particularly liked the introduction to Belinda’s new music teacher and the song Holst chose to add along with describing its historical relevancy. It showed why it would mean something to the characters in the book. You never had to sit and wonder why a song was chosen or how it could tie into the lives of our characters. It was straightforward to digest. Holst truly knows how to engage the senses of his reader audibly and visually. His descriptions of the area and scenes made everything vivid and realistic. I could see the actions jumping off the page.
Although this story may be fiction, it sheds light on real-life issues. It’s a great introduction to important topics in history. I highly recommend anyone who wants to dive into the history of how the Harlem Renaissance began to add this to their reading list as a supplementary fun text. You’ll get insights into small tidbits of general African American history as well as a bit of a music history education.
Promised Land by Danny Holst is a masterpiece with its musical-like additives and tantalizing writing style, everyone is sure to get something enjoyable from reading this work of historical fiction. I’ll be waiting on the edge of my seat until our star-studded author gives us another gem to devour.
Pages: 232 | ASIN : B09VPNWGZY
LITERARY TITAN 