KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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THAT’S THE WAY THE CASTLE CRUMBLES
Tilda Quickthatch Book 2
BY LUNA RYDER
BLURB
An edgy, edge-of-your seat fantasy adventure where the laughs come just as fast as the punches!
The gang is back and at the behest of the tanuki master thief, Finnian Sly. Their original rescue mission must wait as they first work on restoring something far more important–a certain someone’s injured pride.
Their new mission is clear: infiltrate Mystwood Keep, depose its regent, and try not to die in the process. Formerly retired halfling rogue Tilda Quickthatch is, unfortunately, quick to realize they’re all in way over their heads with this one.
Can she turn her ragtag group into real-life heroes?
Maybe. All it will take is:
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- Teaching would-be-wizard Rurik how to master a level-two cantrip.
- Convincing centaur barbarian Tulip to fight even if she’s not the “main character.”
- Ensuring that half-elf ranger Calina doesn’t defect to the other side.
- And never, ever letting her guard down around the masked bandit she once called “Pa.”
That’s the Way the Castle Crumbles picks up right where When Life Gives You Legends left off… Are you ready to roll for initiative?
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THAT’S THE WAY THE CASTLE CRUMBLES
Tilda Quickthatch Book 2
BY LUNA RYDER
Excerpt
Finding Brugnor was not nearly as tricky as I’d feared. The map took us straight to the nearest settlement, and the very first villager we encountered gave us clear and simple directions to his abandoned estate.
As the guard had confided in us: not many hobgoblins held land, which meant Brugnor was well known in these parts. He’d also lived here for years as he carried out the indentureship that had earned him this estate.
It all seemed simple enough, although I did wonder why our kindly peasant helper could barely contain her laughter as she instructed our group on which turns to make to land us at Brugnor’s front door.
“Left from here, then right at the abandoned wagon, and right again at—hahahaha, sorry, sorry—right again at the pub. You should be able to—hehehehehe—see it from there.”
If this entire side quest was a joke, so help me…
But the chortling villager had steered us straight, and the estate was easy to identify. It was the only grand dwelling we’d seen since entering town, which meant it stood out.
And Brugnor’s home was truly a thing of beauty. As I surveyed the three-story structure’s deep slate walls and enormous windows wrapped in iron trim, I could see why the ghosts had decided to move in. If I could, I’d haunt this place, too.
Oooh. What treasure might we find inside? And would Brugnor be willing to give us any as his way of saying thanks once we’d cured him of his unwanted guests?
Maybe I could get an even better chalice for my wildflower tea.
Yeah, that would be nice.
“Tilda, are you coming?” Rurik said this, standing beside the mule with his arms outstretched, waiting for me to jump into them.
I had no problem dismounting a stationary animal, however, so I resisted his offer of help and hopped down of my own accord. “Yup, I’m ready,” I answered with a nod as I continued to inwardly salivate over whatever treasure—and bonus reward—might await us inside.
Rurik moved toward the front door and raised his fist to knock.
“Nope, we’re heading straight in. We already know we’re invited.” Calina pushed through the double-doored entryway, which was rather helpfully unlocked, and our small group ventured inside together.
Tulip needed to bend forward at the waist in order to fit, but she did so with minimal complaint, which showed real growth, I thought.
Save for the steady clomping of heavy hooves, everything was quiet. Too quiet.
I raised a finger to my lips to keep the others silent as we searched the ground floor. Calina’s newly acquired injury caused her to drag her leg in an awkward shuffling gait, but otherwise, we moved as… well, as ghosts.
In search of ghosts, yeah.
I pulled ahead of the group, trusting my experience in dungeons. I might be rusty but it was still—
Thump!
“What the—” I spun around just in time to see a net fall from the ceiling and trap Calina underneath.
“Calina, I’ll help you,” Rurik whispered and rushed forward when—
Crash!
A suit of armor fell forward and pinned Rurik to the ground. Luckily, he was big and strong and able to wrest the thing aside.
“What’s going on?” Tulip asked, taking careful steps back.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Some kind of hollowed-out bell started to go crazy. It was almost as if Amariel had rejoined us.
“Traps,” Rurik moaned, rubbing at the side of his face that was missing a tusk. “This place is trapped.”
“You think?!” Wait, wait. I’d promised to be more sociable. “You think… right,” I course-corrected a bit awkwardly as an ornate clock began to spin in dizzying circles from its spot on the wall. One of the floorboards also rose up on one end before slamming back down and sending a billow of dust into the otherwise still air.
I stepped up to the rotating clock and yanked it from the wall. Little iron gears continued to churn and spark within the wall. So not ghosts, not magic. We were dealing with a wayward artificer here, and from the positioning of both this clock and that ceiling, I wagered he was someone of modest stature—much like myself. “Definitely traps, which means we’re not dealing with ghosts here,” I summarized for the kids. “Something living is haunting this place.”
“Because ghosts aren’t real,” Rurik grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in his closest approximation of a tantrum. “I tried to tell you.”
Hi, I’m Luna, and I believe life is better when you’re laughing your way through it. I’m a millennial geek girl who is obsessed with my Chihuahua. I game way too much, collect magic rocks, and love defying stereotypes. My books are fresh and funny female-led fantasy; they’re weird and lovely, and I really hope you’ll enjoy them!
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Links to Luna’s websites, blogs, books, #ad etc.:
Amazon Kindle – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHQYX8X1
Apple Books
https://books.apple.com/us/book/thats-the-way-the-castle-crumbles/id6708242278
Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/that-s-the-way-the-castle-crumbles
Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?
id=uGYjEQAAQBAJ
Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Thats-Way-Castle-Crumbles-Quickthatch/dp/1644515350
Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lunarauthor/castle-trilogy
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Luna, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
This sounds like fun! Thanks for sharing!
Book looks intriguing and author is new to me looking forward to trying
I read the first book, and enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this one with us, Miss Ryder.
Hello Luna and welcome. Thank you so much for sharing your books excerpt , it sounds like a great read and the cover looks intriguing! Have a great day and a great week.
Welcome back to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, Luna. This series sounds like so much fun. I enjoyed this excerpt. Thanks for sharing your book with us today!
This sounds like a fun read.