It’s Release Day! The Collector of Burned Books

It’s Release Day! The Collector of Burned Books

by | Jul 14, 2025 | Announcements, Book News, Books, Fantasy

Welcome to the Launch Day Celebration
for The Collector of Burned Books!

I’ve written a lot of historical romances at this point. Many of them were set during the Great War. One, Yesterday’s Tides, was both WWI and WW2. And as I was writing that one, despite having once said, “World War 2 is way too modern for me, thank you very much, I don’t think I’ll ever write anything set later than the 1920s,” I found I really enjoyed that 1940s line. And in typical me fashion, the more I researched for it, the more story ideas I began to have.

And so, today I am SO EXCITED to welcome my first solely 1940s book into the world! The Collector of Burned Books is set from June 1940 – January 1941 (with an epilogue that’s later), and GUYS…I love this book so much.

It’s partly the Parisian setting.

It’s partly the fact that it is ALL about libraries and books and how freedom of thought is intrinsically linked to freedom.

It’s partly the love story.

It’s partly the path this book has taken me on. If you read my post last week on “The Dangers of Dehumanizing,” then you know that this book led me to a new publisher, and while I loved my decade with Bethany House, my experience thus far with Tyndale has been AMAZING too.

And mostly…it’s just this story. A story I love so much. A story that made me ask hard questions. A story that let me write a love letter to the education I enjoyed in my college days, all about dialectic and free-thinking. A story that is far more apropos than I’d thought it would be. A story that is resonating so much with early readers, which just makes me all warm and grateful.

What Early Readers Are Saying

Publishers Weekly

Propulsively plotted and richly detailed, the narrative depicts how dangerous it can be under fascism to entertain ideas deemed “different”—and how deeply necessary. The result is a captivating historical romance and a resonant ode to the power of literature in dark times.

Starred review from booklist

Brilliantly written . . . [The Collector of Burned Books] captures the volatile intersection of art, academia, and authoritarian control, with the spark of unexpected romance bringing warmth to an unforgettable novel.

Live Event…Eventually. 😉

This week I’m at a writer’s conference with questionable wifi…and next week I’m having surgery. So we’re scheduling the Facebook Live video TWO WEEKS from now on Tuesday, July 29, at 7 pm Eastern! (You can watch it afterward too, and I’ll try to answer any questions in the comments!)

  • Behind the scenes
  • Fun facts
  • Short author reading
  • What’s coming next

Mark your calendars!!!

Visit Roseanna M. White on Facebook

Courage, honor, and sacrifice born of great love overflow the pages of The Collector of Burned Books.  Rarely have I read a book with such perfect tension.  Meticulously researched, intellectually and spiritually stimulating, compelling and beautifully written, Roseanna White has written a book I could not put down, one I will not forget.

Cathy Gohlke

Christy Award Hall of Fame author

About The Collector of Burned Books

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party―he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.

With her signature blend of page-turning storytelling, fascinating historical details, and enduring themes, Roseanna M. White draws readers into the dark days after Paris falls to Nazi occupation. Corinne and Christian shine in their undaunted determination to preserve books threatened by a regime that seeks to extinguish truth. The Collector of Burned Books is a stirring and inspiring tribute to the powerful bond between literature and freedom.

Amanda Barratt

Christy Award-winning author of The Warsaw Sisters and Within These Walls of Sorrow

A Book MADE for Book Clubs!

And I’ve got a Book Club Kit to prove it! 😉 In this kit you’ll find:

  • About the author
  • Letter from me, just for book clubs
  • Q&A with me, with answers to some of the most common questions about this book
  • Recipe for a classic French baguette
  • Discussion questions
  • Burned Books reading list
  • Article, “Who Are We Canceling?”
  • Meet the characters
  • A designed page for notes and questions

Interested in having me Zoom with your book club?
I’m always happy to join you! Just email me at roseannamwhite@gmail.com to set up a date!

Download Your Printable Book Club Kit

The Collector of Burned Books is a heart-pounding historical that kept me riveted from beginning to end. Roseanna White, a brilliant storyteller, weaves together a gripping plot about the many dangers of distributing prohibited books during the Nazi regime. As her cast of heroic characters secretly fight for freedom, they risk their lives to spread the truth and protect those they love. The Collector of Burned Books should be read by every lover of a life-changing book!

Melanie Dobson

award-winning author of Chateau of Secrets and The Curator’s Daughter

Giveaway

US entrants, enter to win a signed copy of The Collector of Burned Books
(or another book of your choice) + a $25 gift card to my shop!

International entrants, enter to win a copy of the book sent from your preferred retailer!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Discover Captivated

Discover Captivated

by | Jul 5, 2025 | Book News, Books, Fantasy

Discover Captivated

She isn’t ready to be queen…

It must have taken amazing people to raise Seidon…

My hero in Awakened is making readers go ga-ga…which is good, because I’d hate to be alone in my total love for this character! And though he talks and thinks about his parents, especially his mother, we never meet them in Awakened.

So naturally, I thought it would be fun to write a short about them!

Brenn, Crown Princess of Daryatla

Brenn isn’t ready to be queen…

But her father is aging, which means the Crown of Daryatla will soon pass to her. Desperate for advice from someone who understands the burden of ruling, she takes an unscheduled trip to visit her cousin, queen of the mer…only to find herself caught up in an uprising.

And of course, the guard she can never stop thinking about—Atlas, who decades ago chose to serve the mer kingdom beneath the waves instead of Daryatla—is there to frown and insist she leave…when all she wants is to be seen and understood.

Atlas will beg if he must.

The ambitious, often violent world of the mer is not where Atlas ever wanted to spend his life, but after his Awakening, he chose to join the mer queen’s guard so that he could tend his mother, who was wasting away from the surface sickness, after spending too long on land with him and his father. Now that she’s gone, he yearns to return to Daryatla…and serve the woman who had first captivated him decades ago.

Atlas

But unrest is brewing in the Sunken Kingdom, and to avoid being caught up in the would-be coup, Atlas and Brenn must make a quick escape to the surface…which isn’t as easy as it should be.

Fall in love with Brenn, the princess who never wanted to be queen, and Atlas, the noble guard who will do anything to serve her, in this Awakened world short.

The mermaid artwork ^^ is by my daughter!!

Grab it now for only 99¢

During the Reign of the First Sea King

During the Reign of the First Sea King

by | Jul 4, 2025 | Book News, Books, Fantasy

During the Reign of the First Sea King

Hero or monster?

If She Remains Faithful, She’ll Be the Queen the Mer Have Been Waiting For

That’s the prophecy that has dictated every aspect of Taryn’s life. Born of two Awakened, both of whom are on the run from the wicked Sea King, she doesn’t dare to use her magic often lest the king ever growing in power senses her…and realizes that her very being is illegal. She is an unregistered Awakened who has been living for the last decade on a small islet, when even life beneath the domes of the mer proved too dangerous for her.

Her father, Brayden, has formed a band of revolutionaries whose goal is to win independence for the mer. A noble goal, but their violence isn’t the way she’d choose to win that freedom. And she knows it isn’t the way the Triada wants them to go about it either.

Taryn has remained faithful to the Triada…but her many decades of running from the Sea King are about to come to an end.

Taryn of the House of Byrne

She may just be the second-most powerful Awakened on land or under the sea…

Taryn has spent most of her 83 years in solitude, with only the Triada for company. She has learned to hear his voice, to practice her magic while being careful not to touch the sea that the evil king controls. And she yearns for a world where her people, the mer, can live freely. A world where they can rule themselves and not be subject to the whims of the tyrannical king. How, though, can she convince her two warrior parents that there should be a peaceful way forward?

He gave up his very identity to shape a better world.

Once, the world was a cruel place, struggling to emerge from the darkness the Great Cataclysm had plunged humanity into. So much had been lost, and no one knew that better than Alaric. Born of a trafficked mer mother and a gangster father, Alaric had no life to speak of before the Awakening Blade touched his finger…and changed not only his life, but the world.

Alaric, the Sea King

When he first wrestled the sea enough to allow the mer to build their domes, when he controlled the tempestuous tides and brought clean water forth again for land-dwellers, the people were happy to crown him king. He gave up his very name when he took the throne, swearing he would be nothing but their servant. The Sea King.

As the centuries have passed, though, Alaric continued to fall prey to his own weaknesses, and the deep faith in the Triada that once underscored his every move has turned into a chafing, a constant reminder of his every failure. For five centuries, he has ruled. But it seems the people don’t remember all he did to create the strong kingdom they now enjoy.

All they remember are his sins.

Tyrant. Monster. Heartless.

This is what they call them now. So this is what he’ll be.

Brayden, of the House of Byrne

Norinne, wife of Brayden

Brayden, once tutored by the Sea King himself when he was Awakened to great magic, is now the leader of a group of revolutionaries dubbed the Black Tails by the mer…and the Death Demons by the unfortunate land-dwellers who get in his way.

Norinne was once a Guardian to the Sea King, but she faked her own death and went into hiding in the Sunken Cities to escape him. She married Brayden when the priests urged her to, for the sole purpose of creating a powerful child.

Taryn, who is everything they could have asked for.

Norinne is aging now, which means her days are numbered. But Brayden could still have decades or centuries to see his daughter on the new mer throne he intends to create.

But no one anticipated the Sea King
taking Taryn captive.

Alaric knows at first glance that Taryn will be his.

          Taryn knows at first glance that he is the enemy she’ll have to defeat.

Neither can anticipate how the Triada will use them
to shape the world both above and beneath the waves.

An unlikely friend…

Jasmine Bleu, one of the king’s courtesans, is soon the only friend Taryn can claim, a woman who shows her the cost of the Black Tails’ war.

 

Jasmine Bleu

A bitter enemy

Silvanus, the Master of the Guardians and hence Alaric’s most trusted guard, would sooner see Taryn killed than let her get her claws in the king.

 

The Black Tails will do anything
to reclaim their would-be queen…

But the longer Taryn is in Daryatla, the more she wonders if anything is quite what she’d been taught. If perhaps the king isn’t so much a tyrant…if the mer aren’t quite as oppressed…and if anyone can be trusted when those she loves most threaten the thing she most craves.

And the longer Taryn is in Daryatla, the more Alaric wonders if there’s hope that he’ll yet outrun the sins that have so long stood between him and the Triada. But the cost of salvation may prove too high for his timeworn heart, and Alaric may be doomed to be nothing but a cautionary tale for those to come.

The origin story of the First Sea King, 
Foretold,
will be coming soon!

Discover the World of Aflame

Discover the World of Aflame

by | Jul 4, 2025 | Book News, Books, Fantasy

Discover the World of Aflame

Where the magic is in the meeting of those who should never be friends…

A Kingdom of Snow and Ice…
and lava

In the world of the Awakened, where Seidon rules in Daryatla and new magic has been Awakened in that tidal kingdom, the other lands are also primed for the new gifts from God. In Fjordlandi, the kingdom of ice and lava, prepare to meet the rulers of ice…and the family of fire ruling the volcanoes as well.

Princess Valkyrja (Kyrja)

Kyrja has always been a princess…but she’s never had to use her power.

Valkyrja, known as Kyrja (KEER-ya), is the thirdborn child and second daughter of the reigning king, Isidor. In her father’s eyes she’s nothing but “Mamma’s pet,” the extra child her mother petitioned him for after already giving him an heir and a spare. Or as her sister likes to call her, “pretty and useless.” Though beloved by the people for her frequent trips into the capitol, Reykstoll, to give aid to the commoners, called thanes, the ruling body of magically Blessed considers her weak of magic and far too emotional. In a world ruled by ice, passion and emotion and faith are considered destructive to the logic needed to guide the land.

But Kyrja can’t help but be who she is—a woman who prefers the intricacy of creating art with her snow and ice magic to the brute strength required to keep the snows and ice in a magical fist. A woman who yearns for acceptance and love. A woman who, when forced by tragedy to step up, finds strength even she never suspected she had.

Nikanor only ever wanted to study the Words.

Nikanor (Nik) Tristansson

Born and raised beneath the greenhouse dome of Harroby, Nik should have been a farmer like everyone else…but he didn’t mind when his revolutionary father sold their plot of land, because Nik never wanted to farm. What he wants is to learn. To study. In Fjordlandi, only sixty men at a time are allowed to join the church, so his heart’s desire to study the Words is forbidden…but he finds a way. To learn the scriptures, and to study the law—as if a thane would ever be allowed to do that either.

But when he and his best friend, Raf, travel to Reykstoll to join Nik’s father for what he thinks is a summit requesting more resources for the thanes beneath the domes, a horrific attack shakes his world…and sends him on a course that redefines everything he thought he knew about himself, his family, and the Giver of All who he’s always sought with all his heart.

Daemon, primal of the lava wielders

Elianne, youngest of the lava wielders

But Fjordlandi has a secret that no one but the king knows…a secret they call the Curse, which stands in opposition to the Blessing of magic over snow and ice. A century and a half ago, a new magic was discovered, one that gives its holders control over lava and flame.

Daemon was the first, and for many years he was the only man living in the heart of Helviti, Fjordlandi’s biggest and most ferocious volcano. He is now the head of a small family of Cursed…but it’s Elianne, the newest member, who he tries not to be too intrigued by. In the years since she joined them in Helviti, a mountain once thought to be the gate to the underworld, she has resisted his training, always holding back, and she seems to have some tie to the king Daemon despises, the one holding his family in the mountain as slaves.

They are glad to help their land, to control the ring of volcanoes encircling the island nation…but what would it be like to taste fresh air again? To see the sun, to mark the passage of time? To feel the wind cool their brows?

But the king will do anything to keep
the Cursed inside Helviti.

King Isidor

Isidor has been ruling for a century with an icy fist, and part of that is keeping his father’s secret, keeping the Cursed where they belong. But in the wake of the attack that destroys part of the palace and thrusts his youngest child into a position of authority, Isidor’s frozen reign is threatened when the anointing of the Giver falls upon another.

And Fjordlandi will never be the same.

A visitor from Daryatla…

When Daryatla’s newest ambassador arrives after Isidor dismisses the previous one, she brings with her not only magic over wind as well as water, but insights into these newly-Awakened powers…

 

Princess Perla of Daryatla

And another unexpected visitor arrives…

from the ever-warring land of Ellas.

 

Thrown together by chance…or the Giver?

It seems to be only happenstance that put Kyrja and Nik together when the attack shakes Reykstoll, but as they work together to save whoever they can, a bond is forged…one that only deepens as her father’s desire for revenge on the revolutionaries who orchestrated the attack focuses on Nik in the weeks to come.

Do they have a hope of changing their land, though? Can anything better come? Or are all their hopes for a fair Fjordlandi bound to go up in flames?

The Ice Palace and Mt. Helviti

Book 2 of the Awakened Series, 
Aflame,
will be coming in 2026!

Title Reveal for My Next WWII Novel!

Title Reveal for My Next WWII Novel!

by | Jun 26, 2025 | Announcements, Book News, Books

For My Next

WW2 Historical Romance!

I’ve never actually done a title reveal before. Why? Not sure, except that generally I start talking about my stories as I’m writing them, and I rarely have a final title at that stage, and if I do…well then, I just talk about them, LOL.

In the case of this book, my second full-length WW2 romance coming from Tyndale, I had pitched it with the title The Face of Deception and just kept talking about it with that title as I began writing it and was sharing some fun stuff as I wrote the first draft.

But my editor emailed a few weeks ago to start the official title selection discussion, and she pointed out what I’d been thinking too: that we don’t want another Deception in a title so soon after An Honorable Deception. (Why did I even pitch it with that title, when I knew that Imposters would have that word in it?? No idea, LOL.)

And so, the conversation began about what would work for this story.

We knew we wanted to keep a similar rhythm and setup to both The Collector of Burned Books and the Christmas novella coming this fall, The Christmas Book Flood.

We knew we wanted to hint at Zelie’s role as head of France’s largest intelligence network during the war.

We toyed with an idea like A Woman of Intelligence, but that’s already in use for a book, and other variations, like A Lady of Intelligence, are too similar.

So my editor decided to play with the idea of a “spymaster,” which is what Zelie, based on the real-life Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, most assuredly was.

Spy Master, though, is masculine. And it’s a big deal that this is a traditionally masculine role, being filled by a woman. HUGE part of the plot (and of Marie-Madeleine’s struggles and victories throughout the war). Spy Mistress…could give the wrong impression, LOL, and make readers think I’m writing about a spy’s, ahem, special lady. Which I’m not.

But editor Elizabeth had a stroke of genius. She wrote to me, “What about ‘Spy Keeper‘?” and I went, “YYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!” I absolutely LOVE that phrase!

And so, we used that as our noun and then picked an ending to ground you in the setting. Are you ready?? Here it is!

The Spy Keeper of Marseille

(This is not a real cover, just an image I made to display the title…inspired by a similar one Tyndale has made for my Christmas novella, as a placeholder, LOL.)

Isn’t it a fun title?? The other funny thing was that I’d been spelling the town very inconsistently, LOL. Sometimes Marseilles (with an S on the end) and sometimes Marseille (no S). Historically, both have been used, and we had a bit of a back-and-forth as to which was “more correct” at that point in history…but eventually we decided to go with what’s standard today, which is no S.

I’d originally, before doing my research, ha ha, intended to set the book in Paris, like The Collector of Burned Books, but that just didn’t fit the actual history I’m delving into. Which means I got to learn about this beautiful port town, which was historically the most diverse French city. It worked perfectly for the setting of both my intelligence agency, Alliance (real thing, based first in Vichy, then, Pau, and then Marseille) and for the orchestra my hero conducts.

Now…wanna know more about the story? Here are just a few tidbits!

The Characters

Zelie & Marcel

Zelie Bellarose is a widow with two kids (aged 6 and 9), whose late husband was military. Through those contacts, she was the first recruit of another military officer who decided, even before the war began, that France needed an intelligence agency to counter the Nazis. Zelie, based on the real-life Fourcade, became the head of the whole group, called “la patronne” (the boss). Zelie is beautiful, charming, and cunning…but also insecure after a rocky marriage and being constantly underestimated by the men she worked with.

Marcel Laurent grew up in a solidly middle-class family, but his love and talent for music, especially piano, opened doors for him. He was an acclaimed concert pianist before the war…then a POW for a year after his regiment (under Zelie’s husband) was captured defending the Maginot Line. When a patron arranges for his release from the German camp, he has no idea why…until he meets Zelie and realizes he’s been hand-selected to be her intelligence network’s liaison to the arts. His job is now to recruit agents all throughout the arts sector, who can listen to conversations of their German patrons and pass along anything they learn. But at heart, he’s just a musician himself…a musician who knows the power music has on the soul.

The Shooting Star

I don’t often come up with lines of dialogue before I start actually writing, but as I was brainstorming this story to turn in my synopsis, this line popped into my head–and it became the guiding force as I developed the characters. Shooting stars appear several times in the book, and I am soooooo hoping one ends up on the final cover! (We’re still months away from cover design, so we’ll see, LOL.)

Love Note…

In the course of the story, Marcel starts leaving notes for Zelie, but in code. This one is her (and my, LOL) favorite. To his shooting star, with a Morse code message, signed with his callsign. ❤️​❤️​❤️​

And that’s all I’m gonna share right now! 😉 But I hope you’re as excited as I am to have an official title for this one. Keep your eyes peeled for a cover reveal in a couple months, at which point it’ll be up for pre-order in my shop. But for now…let’s just be excited about my awesome editor’s brilliant title idea!

The Spy Keeper

of Marseille

A Thrilling Historical Romance set in France of 1941-42

Coming Summer 2026!

It’s Release Day! Awakened

It’s Release Day! Awakened

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Announcements, Book News, Books, Fantasy

Welcome to the Launch Day Celebration
for Awakened!

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!!!

I am so, SO excited to celebrate the release of my FIRST (but not last!) romantasy. Awakened came to me on a beach vacation and gave me first a delightful week of world-building and dreaming while there, then countless hours of fun as I wrote the book between other projects, just because I had to.

It’s a story that consumed me in a way few books have done. A story that kept growing and expanding into a whole world, filled with origin stories, spin-offs, and new things to discover. It’s a story with a big-big romance that I hope makes you swoon as much as it did me.

Of course, this book is DIFFERENT. Nearly everything I’ve written is either historical or at least with a historical thread. Awakened, however, is pure fantasy-romance. I absolutely understand that not all my historical romance readers are going to want to dive into a fantasy world. And yet…I’d of course love it if you gave it a try. So I wanted to share some responses from other early readers who don’t often turn to fantasy but fell in love with Arden and Seidon’s story. =)

What Early Readers Are Saying

Even when they don’t usually read fantasy…

Halee Porter

Adventure, suspense, romance, and spirituality – Awakened is one of the BEST books I’ve read by one of my favorite authors, Roseanna M. White. There’s such beauty in every aspect of the book’s plot and its characters. In a mystical world surrounded by magical beings, you get a real love story filled with depth and conviction. I couldn’t put the book down and was sad to see the end of the story.

Shaleen Howard

This is a beautiful love story full of excitement, peril, stunning settings, themes that are relatable and touch your heart, and of course, there are mermaids! The realistic world and characters were creatively woven together with fantastic elements to provide a truly thrilling and immersive read. I loved every bit of this book and highly recommend!

Margaret N.

I am always amazed when an author is able to create a whole new world that makes sense to me in the speculative fiction/fantasy genre. I quickly fell in love with the characters and the world White has created. If you enjoy a good story with great characters, spiritual insights that apply to any age, and the fun of imagining swimming with a mermaid or riding an eagle, I think you’ll really enjoy this book!

Bethany Aich

Everything White writes is amazing, but I was interested to see if she could pull it off in a different genre. Boy howdy, did she. Awakened may be her debut fantasy, but it was riveting from first to last. There were some things I predicted and a lot I didn’t. I loved the world and the main characters and the magic system: basically, if it was in here, I loved it.

Laura Heagy

While fantasy fiction is not my usual go-to genre, Awakened proved to be the exception to my rule. Roseanna brings a brand new world to life through her amazing imagination and brilliant writing skills while not sacrificing the depth of her characters or the substance of her story. I was captured at the beginning of the story and captivated until the end. If you are one to hesitate where fantasy fiction is concerned, let Awakened take you on a fantastic voyage. Come on in… the water’s fine.

Candice W.

Awakened was an amazing romance in a fantasy setting! It has everything we love about Roseanna’s historical books (mystery, suspense, faith, intrigue, plot twists, character growth and development) just set in a wonderful world Roseanna created herself. I highly recommend reading this book to take you on a journey of romance and imagination – like all good books do!

Danielle Grandinetti

Roseanna M. White’s new romantasy highlights her quintessential ability to immerse the reader into a whole new world—whether historical or fantastical—and craft her tales with heart-touching romance and faith arcs. Whether you’re new to romantasy (like me) or it’s already a favorite genre, you won’t want to miss Awakened. I loved it!

Caroline Smith

(My illustrator!)
Awakened is a breathtaking new fantasy novel by Roseanna M. White. Following the diverging journeys of two sisters as they navigate self-discovery and the Lord’s purpose for their lives was both captivating and deeply moving. There were moments that made me laugh aloud and others that brought me to tears. Roseanna’s prose is as beautiful as ever, and her faith is woven seamlessly into this new genre—an inspiring and humble debut in fantasy for her. If you’re not sure about fantasy, but love Roseanna, I promise, you will not be disappointed!

A Reader

I loved this book. It grabbed me from the beginning and I could not put it down. I am new to the fantasy genre. This book has so much happening. The characters are amazing and you will be cheering for them and will be tuning the pages quickly to see what happens. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Live Event!

Join me for a Facebook Live video NEXT Tuesday, June 10, at 7 pm Eastern! (You can watch it afterward too, and I’ll try to answer any questions in the comments!)

  • Behind the scenes
  • Fun facts
  • Short author reading
  • What’s coming next
Visit Roseanna M. White on Facebook

The speculative fiction bug has been awakened in prolific author Roseanna White, and her fantasy debut does not disappoint! With a refreshing and imaginative spin on mermaid lore, Awakened offers a richly woven tale of love and loyalty in the collision of two vibrant worlds. White’s masterful storytelling and vivid world-building will draw readers into an epic adventure that explores the depths of sacrifice and the power of unity. A thoroughly enjoyable and captivating read—I eagerly await her next foray into the fantasy genre!

Jill Williamson

Christy Award-winning Blood of Kings author

Awakened 

Where sea and land meet, two worlds clash in a fury of wind and waves.

Arden Bleu has always known that her stepsister, Jade, was destined for great things. In a world where beauty follows magic, she has no doubt that their upcoming Awakening Ceremony will reveal that gorgeous Jade is far more than a mere mortal. But when Jade is kidnapped by a mysterious sect of mer on the eve of the newly-returned king’s ball, Arden will do anything to save her sister. Even face down the man she’s always dreaded meeting because of the power he holds over her family, the man to whom her father swore loyalty long before she was born. The Sea King.

Seidon, the Sea King of Daryatla, has grown only more powerful as the centuries have gone by, but lifetime after lifetime has failed to give him what he most yearns for: a family. He knows that it will take a woman of extraordinary power to match him enough to create a child, and no such woman seems to exist…until he feels her magic calling to his one day in the water. And when Arden Bleu, daughter of his most trusted official, arrives to tell him about her missing stepsister, he knows this Jade, with a new magic so coveted that the mer would risk war with his kingdom to steal her away, may be the one he’s waited centuries for. But how can he and the determined Arden ever hope to find one young woman trapped beneath the waves? Perhaps the Great Golden Sea Hawk who has guarded the sisters all their lives holds the key.

In a world on the brink of war between the mer and the land-dwellers, friendship, faith, and love demand the ultimate sacrifice as both kingdoms seek to unlock the prophesied magic waiting to spring forth: the magic of wind and sky. To the mer, it would mean the freedom to return to the land. To Seidon’s court, it would mean safety from every storm. But how can any human hand wield the wind?

Sand meets sea and Disney’s The Little Mermaid meets Robin McKinley’s beloved classic The Blue Sword in this beautifully written and wonderfully original YA science fantasy. Seidon and Arden stole my heart and Roseanna White’s gorgeous world-building, imbued with rich spiritual themes and symbolism, enthralled me from start to finish. Highly recommend!

J. J. Fischer

award-winning author of The Nightingale Trilogy, The Soul Mark Duology, and Regency & Regicide

Bonus Content that comes with Awakened

If you order Awakened before June 17, 2025, you don’t just get the book.
You get some bonuses too!

(If you order straight from me, you’ll get this automatically; if you ordered elsewhere, just email me the purchase confirmation/receipt at roseannamwhite@gmail.com with a subject line of “Awakened Pre-Order”)

  • ALL print copies from my shop will have printed edges!
  • Free short story, Captivated, in either PDF or epub (after June 10, this will be purchasable for 99¢)
  • Bonus story, Foretold…once I finish writing it. 😉 (I thought this would be a novella, but um…it might be longer than that.) Ebook format is the bonus.
  • An early peek at the world of Book 2, Aflame, including character art and descriptions and the first two chapters.

Roseanna White combines technology and fantasy to create a compelling world in Awakened. I enjoyed the unique take on mermaids, magic, and cultures. The characters were well crafted and relatable, and the blend of everyday faith she brought to the story felt natural. I could not put the book down!

Morgan L. Busse

award-winning author of the Ravenwood Saga and the Nordic Wars

More from the world of Awakened

There’s So Much to Explore!

Imagine a world thousands of years in the future, where the Lord has tarried in His return…

Explore More!

Awakened is an unforgettable journey filled with magic and heart-pounding heroism. This  fantasy masterpiece grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. With richly imagined worlds, fully developed and interesting characters, and twists that will leave you breathless, this is the kind of book that reminds me why I fell in love with fantasy in the first place.

Tabitha M. Corvin

author of the Beyond Wonderland trilogy

Giveaway

US entrants, enter to win a print version of Awakened with printed edges
(or another book of your choice) + a $25 gift card to my shop!

International entrants, enter to win an ebook!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wow, what a riveting read! Much-loved Historical author Roseanna White plunges into the fantasy genre with aplomb! Awakened takes a deep dive into intricate family and kingdom dynamics that had me on the edge of my seat. This story has it all—sisters who champion each other, a swoony hero, and a strong heroine! I loved this book and could not stop thinking about it long after the last tail—er, page!

Ronie Kendig

award-winning author of the Droseran Saga

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