Tag: Hollystone Mystery Series

To Dance with Destiny (Hollystone Mysteries Book 5) by W.L. Hawkin Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews2 Comments

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A clash of the past and present leads a powerful magician and Wiccan high priest to challenge the complex notions of love itself in author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Dance with Destiny”, the fifth book in the Hollystone Mysteries Book series.

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The Synopsis

Twin wolves howled beneath a turquoise crescent moon, their bushy manes wild and ruffled and knotted by the winds of change. “It’s us. You over my heart, and me beside you. It’s our destiny.”

In the captivating sequel of To Kill a King, ancient magic collides with modern trickery, as a gifted magician and Wicca high priest embarks on a thrilling journey, defying the boundaries of time to challenge the very fabric of destiny. This gripping urban fantasy novel follows Estrada who, armed with extraordinary powers, ventures into the past hoping to alter Michael Stryker’s future. A maelstrom of unforeseen events unfolds, weaving an intricate web of chaos that changes the course of history itself. For in the intricate tapestry of time, even the most well-intentioned actions can have devastating consequences.

While attempting to prevent the tragic outcome of To Render a Raven, Estrada struggles with the complexities of love, archaeologist Sorcha O’Hallorhan slips into her own time warp with a woman she once adored, and Conall Ceol, an Iron Age Druid bard, walks into the future to challenge Michael Stryker for Estrada’s attention.

DESTINY IS A SEDUCTIVE, YET WICKED, DANCER.

WOULD YOU CARE TO YOU DANCE?

#LGBTQ+ #urbanfantasy #thriller

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The Review

As a longtime fan of history, mythology, and fantasy, the author’s narrative really spoke to me. The way the author was able to build upon themes and storylines so flawlessly from previous books in the series while also building upon new concepts and ideas was fantastic to see come to life on the page. The erotic element of the novel kept the tension heated and the imagery passionately written, engaging the reader to understand the characters on a deeper and more personal level.

This was a brilliant read, thanks in large part to the fantastic character development and the powerful blend of mythos and magic. The added combination of both fantasy and sci-fi thanks to the time-travel elements of the narrative and the complex and emotional development of Estrada as a protagonist kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to delve deeper and deeper into the action-packed time-travel adventure. Add to this brilliant LGBTQ themes and storylines and readers will be in for quite the treat.

The Verdict

Memorable, captivating, and engaging, author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Dane with Destiny” is a must-read erotic fantasy meets sci-fi thriller you won’t want to miss. The twists and turns in the narrative and the shocking revelations not only heighten the anticipation and passionate moments between the characters but the direction this series is taking as a whole, which is just so thrilling and gripping. If you haven’t yet, be sure to preorder your copy today or grab your copy on October 31, 2023!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

W. L. Hawkin writes adventurous cross-genre fiction charged with “myth, magic, and mayhem” from her home in the Pacific Northwest.

Her urban fantasy series, the Hollystone Mysteries, features a coven of Vancouver witches who solve murders using their wits, ritual magic, and a little help from the gods. To Charm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, To Kill a King, and To Dance with Destiny, follow stage magician and Wicca high priest, Estrada, as he endeavors to save his friends while working through his own personal issues.

Her standalone novel, Lure: Jesse & Hawk (2022) won a National Indie Excellence Award, a Gold Reader’s Choice award from Connections E-magazine, a Crowned Heart Review from InD’tale Magazine, and placed as a finalist in The UK Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Lure is a small-town romantic suspense story set on a Chippewa Reservation in the American Midwest near the fictional town of Lure River.

As an intuitive writer, Wendy captures what she sees and hears on the page and allows her muses to guide her through the creative process. In an upcoming book, Writing with your Muse: a Guide to Creative Inspiration, she explains her writing process and offers tips and techniques to help writers get their words on the page.

Wendy is a book reviewer and publisher with a background in Indigenous Studies and Humanities. Born in Toronto, Canada, she completed a BA in Indigenous Studies at Trent University, then moved to B.C. where she completed diplomas in Humanities at SFU and taught high school for several years.

She also spent a year as a relief lighthouse keeper, enjoying the rugged isolation of the West Coast, and blogging her adventures at http://lifeonthebclights.blogspot.com Her experiences color “To Render a Raven.”

An introvert, Wendy does most of her musing while walking her yellow lab through the forested trails of B.C. “I continue to explore my ancestry, often in my writing. I love nature, history, archaeology, myths and magic, and feel I was born in the wrong century. If I could, I’d travel back in time to experience cultures long since changed or vanished.”

Website—http://bluehavenpress.com

Twitter @ladyhawke1003

Instagram @w.l.hawkin

Pinterest.ca @W. L. Hawkin Author

Facebook @wlhawkin

To Charm A Killer (A Hollystone Mystery Book One) by W.L. Hawkin Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews1 Comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

The High Priest of a powerful coven must search for a killer who is targeting witches as Hecate issues a dreadful prophecy he must race to prevent in author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Charm a Killer”, the first book in the Hollystone Mystery Series! 

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The Synopsis

When a third witch vanishes from Vancouver, the witches of Hollystone Coven spin a charm to catch the killer. But spells ripple with repercussions, and in the ensuing chaos, an innocent seventeen-year-old girl gets caught up in the charm. As obsessed with the killer as the killer is with him, High Priest Estrada vows to find the man and stop him. Then, at their Samhain ritual, Hecate speaks through their high priestess and shocks everyone with her prophecy:

As one of you has spun the charm, now none of you are safe from harm.

One who all felt they could trust, breeds deception cloaked in lust.

One will gain their heart’s desire, while yet another pays with fire.

Before the dark of winter night, four souls pass over into light.

Once begun it cannot end, but circles round as circles bend.

To save the girl and catch the killer, Estrada journeys from the West Coast of Canada to Ireland and Beyond. Abduction, death, fire, and faeries. Who is the killer? Why is he killing witches? And how can he be stopped before Hecate’s prophecy comes true?

WL Hawkin weaves threads of Macbeth and ancient Irish myth with edgy romance in this mysterious urban fantasy. To Charm a Killer is the first in the Hollystone Mysteries series.

The Review

I have had the pleasure of reviewing quite a few books this past year from W.L. Hawkins. Her work always entertains and inspires me both as a reader and a writer, and the interesting thing about this series, in particular, is that I came into it starting with book 2 and then jumping around a bit. I’ve become quite invested in Estrada’s journey throughout this series, and getting to see the genesis of this character and the supporting cast was such a pleasure to read about.

The balance of action and mythos was so strong in this first novel. The way the author is able to integrate the supernatural and paranormal elements into the world so naturally was amazing to read. As someone who is fascinated with the real-world applications of magick, the paranormal, and the supernatural as a whole, it was great to see just how close the author was able to go through real-world practices and mythologies before integrating the more fantastic elements of the narrative.

Yet it was the mystery and suspense of the narrative that was truly great to read about. The shocking murders and the cat and mouse element of the plot between Estrada and the killer kept me hooked on the author’s narrative. Being able to keep the reader guessing the killer’s identity as the clues begin to unravel before them was such a fun aspect of the plot, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Verdict

Captivating, entertaining, and thought-provoking, author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Charm a Killer” is a must-read novel and a great first book in the Hollystone Mystery series! The twists and turns in the narrative and globe-spanning mystery blended well into the mythology and supernatural deep dive into witchcraft, magick, and the paranormal as a whole, making this a thrilling story. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

W. L. Hawkin writes myth, magic, and mayhem designed to inspire and entertain. Described as “intoxicating, lush, magically-edgy, page-turners,” her Hollystone Mysteries series features a coven of witches who solve murders using their wits and ritual magic with a little help from the gods. Wendy is also a published blogger, book reviewer, Indie publisher, and poet, with a background in Indigenous Studies and English literature. She loves myth and magic, so when she’s not writing, she’s studying Druidry, shamanism, and mediumship. Although she is an introvert, in each book, her characters go on a journey where she has traveled herself.

She defies genre by writing character-driven fast-paced mysteries and thrillers that involve fantastical characters. See her four book series: To Charm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, and To Kill a King.

Her latest book, Lure, is set on a Chippewa Reservation in the American Midwest and tells the story of Jesse & Hawk.

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To Render a Raven (Hollystone Mysteries Book 3) by W.L. Hawkin Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews1 Comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A vengeful vampire steals a powerful High Priest’s daughter and forces a coven to work together to bring the child home in author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Render a Raven”, the third book in the Hollystone Mysteries series. 

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The Synopsis

Estrada is High Priest of Hollystone Coven, a shaman and magician. But is he a match for a vengeful vampire? When Diego steals his daughter from her crib on the eve of her first birthday, the Hollystone witches converge. The same night, a woman is murdered and another abducted. All three scenes are marked by roses that point to Michael Stryker, Estrada’s lover and best friend—a man with a strange dark “virus” brewing inside him. As the witches journey up the Pacific coast, emotions run raw as the close confines of a yacht heighten the tension between his jealous lovers. And then they meet the ravens . . .

Diego wants blood. Estrada wants his baby back. What will the high priest sacrifice to bring his daughter home?

A sexy Hitchcockian thriller that demystifies Vampire and illustrates the power of Love.

The Review

By far the most action-packed and yet most emotional of the Hollystone Mysteries series. The author did such an incredible job of building upon the mythos and cultures of the supernatural and paranormal. From unique changes to the vampire mythos and lore to the infusion of Celtic practices and explorations of high strangeness, the author brilliantly captures the magic and wonder of the world in which these characters inhabit.

Yet what stands out to me is the way the author was able to bring real human connection and emotion into this very supernatural world. The emotional connection the protagonist Estrada has with both the mother of his child and his current love interest really pulls at the heartstrings, and the heart-pounding terror that the abduction of Estrada’s child brings to mind is sure to play on the frayed nerves of any parent reading this story. The theme of facing our own inner darkness and learning to sacrifice our needs to protect those we love came through strongly thanks to these relationships and helped elevate the overall dangers the narrative brought to life.

The Verdict

Harrowing, engaging, and captivating, author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Render a Raven” is a must-read contemporary romance and fantasy novel and the perfect addition to the Hollystone Mysteries series. The intensity and passion the characters hold onto one another and the elevated danger that that intensity brings to the narrative were an instant draw for readers, and the heartbreaking twists and turns will have readers hanging off of the author’s every word until the climactic final chapter. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

W. L. Hawkin writes edgy urban fantasy with a twist of murder. Described as “intoxicating, lush, magically-edgy, page-turners,” her Hollystone Mysteries series features a coven of local witches who solve murders using their wits and ritual magic with a little help from the gods. Wendy is also a published blogger, a regular reviewer with the Ottawa Review of Books, Indie publisher and poet, with a background in Indigenous Studies and English literature. She loves myth and magic, so when she’s not writing, she’s studying Druidry, shamanism, and mediumship. Although she is an introvert, in each book, her characters go on a journey where she has traveled herself. Wendy completed a BA in Indigenous Studies at Trent University, and later, Post-Baccalaureate Diplomas in Humanities and a Teaching Certificate at Simon Fraser University, Canada. Fascinated by her Celtic and Tuscarora ancestry, she explores history, myth, and spirituality in her work. Born in Toronto, Canada, she currently lives in British Columbia.

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To Kill a King (A Hollystone Mystery #4) by W.L. Hawkin Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews3 Comments

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A leader and high priest of a powerful coven, Sandolino Estrada must travel to Iron Age Ireland to find and save his friend Sorcha from powerful Druids while still grieving the loss of his beloved lover in author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Kill a King”, the fourth novel in the Hollystone Mystery series.

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The Synopsis

“Sorcha’s fingers flew to the fey butterfly tattooed on the back of her neck. Sometimes the butterfly brought her joy; other times, inspiration, but always a sense of hope. And she needed all three in this moment for her heart was breaking to see her man so broken.”

Sorcha just wanted to warn Ruairí of his fate until she saw him and fell in love. How could she leave him to be ritually murdered and cast in a bog to cure for two thousand years?

Though he’s lost and grieving the loss of his lover, when Estrada realizes his friend, Sorcha, is trapped in Iron Age Ireland, he demands that Cernunnos take him and Dylan back through time to rescue her. The Horned God states the rules: you cannot change history or develop bonds with anyone. How can Sorcha, the spirited archaeologist, survive this prehistoric warrior culture? Assuming she’s fey, Ruairí’s unscrupulous rival wants her power; but worse still, Ruairí’s lover, the wicked Crow Queen, wants her dead.

Can Estrada use his Wiccan powers and skills to defeat Iron Age Druids and bring his friends home?

A spin-off of To Sleep with Stones, book four tells the story of archaeologist Sorcha O’Hallorhan’s deepest desire. Buy this romantic, time-traveling, prehistoric thriller today and find out what it takes To Kill a King.

The Review

A wonderful blend of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and mystery, author W.L. Hawkin does a marvelous job of crafting a narrative that speaks to the reader and eloquently paces the story so that not everything is revealed at once. The author explores historical fiction as well in this narrative, taking readers into a turbulent and fascinating period of history with the Iron Age of Ireland. The setting becomes just as much a character in the narrative as anyone else, making a memorable and insightful journey for both the reader and the cast of characters.

The protagonist, Estrada, really is the heart of this tale. While readers are able to delve into the hearts and minds of characters like Sorcha and Dylan, and how they evolve and grow in this novel, it is Estrada that provides the bulk of the emotional and creative aspects of the novel and its themes. The pain of loss and the need to make amends drives Estrada through much of this novel, and his complexity and compelling nature draw the reader in immediately, marking an invigorating protagonist in this memorable series. 

The Verdict

An entertaining, genre-defying, and lengthy yet memorable read, author W.L. Hawkin’s “To Kill a King” is a fantastic spin-off and next chapter in the Hollystone Mystery series. While knowing the history and events of the past books is helpful to newcomers, it is not always necessary as the author writes in a way that speaks to new and existing fans of this heart-pounding series, and makes for a mesmerizing read. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today! 

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

W. L. Hawkin writes edgy urban fantasy with a twist of murder. Described as “intoxicating, lush, magically-edgy, page-turners,” her Hollystone Mysteries series features a coven of local witches who solve murders using their wits and ritual magic with a little help from the gods. Wendy is also a published blogger, book reviewer, Indie publisher, and poet, with a background in Indigenous Studies and English literature. She loves myth and magic, so when she’s not writing, she’s studying Druidry, shamanism, and mediumship. Although she is an introvert, in each book, her characters go on a journey where she has traveled herself.

https://bluehavenpress.com/