It’s Time!
For Another Cover Reveal!!
Guys, this one has been in the works for a while, as my illustrator, Caroline, sent me drafts of the character art…and I have been SO EXCITED. Because much as I adore the art and the covers for the first two books in my Awakened romantasy series, there’s something so special about this one. The book isn’t finished yet (I’ll be hammering it home after I finish my next WW2 historical!), but this will be incentive!
Amazed is set only eighteen months after Aflame concludes, in the magic-less kingdom of Ellas, whose king will do anything–ANYTHING–to Awaken magic in his land…before it’s too late.
And something EXTRA fun for you…if you pre-order from my site, you’ll get an insta-download of the first TWO chapters of Amazed! (There was one in the back of Aflame, so I figured I’d better add an extra, LOL.) You also have the option of ebook, regular paperback, or printed-edge paperback. (Be sure you’re logged in when you order…that’s the only way the site knows who you are, to provide that download.)
Let’s meet…
Aziza
Aziza hails from Clan Ares, the fiercest, most war-like clan in Ellas (inspired a bit by Ancient Sparta). In Ares, everyone trains for war, male and female alike. And Aziza doesn’t just get by in this demanding society–she thrives. At the age of twenty-and-five, she has already attained the highest honor a woman can ever hope for: clan archa. Leader of all Aresian women in battle. An honor usually reserved for women far older than her, who have already vowed their man and raised their littles. But Aziza doesn’t see the point in waiting.
Especially since the only man who isn’t intimidated by her, her best friend, Galenos, has never given any indication that he feels the same pull toward her that she feels toward him.
A king who will do anything to protect his land…
Stefanos
Stefanos will do anything to Awaken magic in Ellas, which is why he’s commanded every woman of childbearing years to submit to a blood test. With a borrowed machine in hand to test their blood against his and determine which match might produce a magical child, the king finally has hope that Ellas will join the Awakened lands in the next generation.
But even he, the cleverest, most intelligent man in the kingdom–perhaps in the world–couldn’t foresee the consequences of his actions.
One of Clan Ares’s best male warriors…
Galenos
Galenos’s dreams may finally be within his grasp, if the scout from the capital city of Elystria spoke true. He may soon receive an invitation from King Stefanos himself to join his elite guards, the hoplites. It’s the highest honor a warrior can ever attain, even if it means leaving his clan forever. The highest honor for him…but he knows that if it comes, it will require the sacrifice of another dream. Because he could bring Aziza with him…but she’d have to give up her own rank and title. And how could he ask that of the woman who means so much to him?
A visiting princess…
Iraja
Iraja, wife of Prince Bleu of Daryatla, is not in Ellas for a happy reason. Their mineral pools are the only relief to be found for a fatal disease of the lungs that she’s been diagnosed with. But Iraja is determined to live out her final months with joy–and unlike every other royal in the world, she’s always liked Stefanos. She likes to think that if she and Bleu had ever been able to have children, their son would be a lot like this bold young king–too clever, too cunning, too observant. And when she learns the king has found a bride? Perhaps her husband is horrified that the machine has done its job, fearfal of what a magical Ellas could mean…but Iraja is overjoyed for him.
After all, the Voice of the Wind loves Ellesians no less than he loves the rest of the world. Why shouldn’t they, too, have a gift from above?
An evocative setting
Ellas
In a post-cataclysmic Earth many thousands of years in the future, technology and gift from God have combined to create power over the elements that is called “magic.” In what used to be the Mediterranean, this magic has evaded them…but they have stories to explain why. Stories that date back to the Great Cataclysm and the Dark Days immediately following. Stories that peek into the origins of magic in the world. But are these stories mere myths, told to keep the four rival clans in line? Or are they in fact a truth that could challenge the whole world?
Roseanna’s next
Fantasy Romance
In a world of warring clans held in balance by the cunning of a king, the quest to claim a promise from Theos will Awaken more than just the magic they seek…it will Awaken an enemy out to destroy that gift, not just in Ellas but in the world. And it will leave even the cleverest minds in the world utterly Amazed.
I know what you’re asking…
Perla & Daemon?
Those who have read Aflame already keep asking “When are we getting more of Perla and Daemon???”
Well…they’re in here. They’re not the focus. But they’re in here. 😉 There will be a couple POVs from both of them sprinkled in, to keep you up to date before their novella, which will release between books 3 and 4.
Ready? Here it is!
The cover of Amazed!
What do you think??
I’ll admit it–this is my favorite of the series so far! I LOVE IT!!!! The beautiful drawing of Aziza comes to us courtesy of the amazing Caroline Smith of Caroline Calligraphie (one of my P&P ladies). I’m absolutely in love with the motion of her hair and cape! And this kick-butt heroine HAD to be shown with her favorite weapon, a telescoping spear made of Therion steel, forged in the fires of Mt. Therios itself (seen behind her in the cover).
And see that clasp on her shoulder? The owl with a serpent in its claws denotes Aziza’s rank as clan archa!
Also…just check out the gorgeous gladiator sandals on that girl in the full image…and the muscle tone! Caroline did SO much work to make Aziza look like the warrior she is, and the result is just FABULOUS!
AND…this one will also have printed edges!!
(You have the option to pre-order with or without them, since I have a few readers who prefer to put their own art on the edges.)
Here’s a peek at what those may up looking like…they may also change. I’m not 100% happy with that design yet, LOL. But at any rate, it’ll be something cool.
The Official Description
In Ellas, strength is everything—but magic has long been out of reach.
Aziza of Clan Ares has spent her life proving she belongs among the greatest warriors of her people. Raised to believe the other clans are weak and that loyalty to Ares must come above all else, she has never questioned the traditions that shaped her. But when the king arrives and announces a shocking betrothal meant to unite all of Ellas, Aziza suddenly finds herself in a world of politics, secrets, and expectations that have nothing to do with the battlefield.
King Stefanos has ruled Ellas for thirteen years under the shadow of a prophecy: that a war will rise from his land and destroy the world unless magic Awakens soon among his people. Determined to prevent that fate, he has spent years searching for a woman whose bloodline, when combined with his, might bring this long-sought gift. When every sign points to Aziza, the fiercest warrior in the kingdom, he gambles everything on a union meant to bring magic to Ellas in the next generation…but which stirs a long-hidden society into action.
The clans of Ellas were built on ancient divisions, and some believe those divisions are the only thing keeping the world safe. A hidden sect works in secret to destroy magic before it can appear, and when Aziza’s own family is drawn into their deadly plans, the coming royal wedding may ignite a conflict that reaches far beyond Ellas.
Because if the king is right, the fate of the world rests on whether magic is Awakened in Ellas—or destroyed forever.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.