Here are another two long over due book reviews, this time, from two Fantasy writers – Sarah Zettel and Shana Abe.

Ever since I picked up Sarah Zettel’s first book in her Paths to Camelot series, I have grown to admire her talent in creating tales of honour, romance and chivalry, set in the evocative time of. King Arthur, and which are not only imaginative and well written, but also engaging and compelling.

The incredibly rich tapestry of magic, intrigue, politics, betrayal, self-doubt, forgiveness, redemption and of course, love woven into the plot makes for an engrossing afternoon of reading. This last book, Camelot’s Blood, is by far my absolute favourite and the best of the series, IMO, a sentiment shared by the Golden-tongued Knight.

A marvelous finale to the series, this book is Agravain’s story. The least known of Lot’s son, yet most misunderstood and troubled of the four brothers, whose moods and acerbic wit did not exactly endear him to the ladies in court, this strong, silent knight has surprising depths that few have the opportunity to know. So, imagine his surprise when Laurel Carnbrea, whose heritage and lineage means she could have far better suitors than him, should deign to marry him.

But the joy of their marriage and their wedding night is interrupted by his father’s imminent death, and as the pair breaks with Arthur to return to a bleak place that has never shaken off the dark magic of Morgaine, evil and betrayal seems to dog their every step.

I’ve been listening so often to this song I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me I thought I’d share it here with you.  Enjoy!

And the words to go with the music …

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine

My DIK pick for the February TBR Challenge is a romantic suspense novel by Jayne Ann Krentz.

Ms Krentz is no stranger to me. I’ve read her other historical romances penned under Amanda Quick, but this would be the first contemporary suspense I’ve read of hers. Good thing I decided to pick it up too, ‘coz I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. It really is a book worth staying up All Night Long to finish.

Without giving the entire plot away, this fast-paced potboiler set in the sleepy village of Dunster kept me turning the page chasing down the mystery and scandal surrounding a series of unexplainable violence and death. The story started with a flashback to 15 years ago, when Irene Stenson returned home after a late night out with then best friend Pamela Webb, only to discover her parents in a gruesome murder-suicide.

Finally decided to join in the TBR Challenge that Keishon is hosting after lurking around the blogosphere the last couple [of] months.

It’s also a motivation to myself to continue blogging even though real life interferes and sometimes even saps my energy … so much so weekends are now used for recuperating rather than just resting and relaxing with a good book in hand.

For the month of February, we’re supposed to read a book bought based on a DIK* review at AAR. Well, I haven’t been able to hit the bookstores as yet, but today, after a long while, I finally dropped by the local library and these are what I bagged home:

The Dream Thief by Shana Abe, whose paperback version has been out of stocks for a long while,

The Gospel according to Luke by Emily Maguire

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

And

All Night Long by Jayne Anne Krentz, the reader-written DIK rec that I’ve shortlisted from the AAR list

So, without further ado, let the challenge begin!