Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the YA fantasy novel I, Guinevere by C.K. Brooke organized by YA Bound Book Tours. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour here for other excerpts and book reviews. Enjoy!
If you think you know the story of King Arthur and his mythical sword, think again. Your legends have it wrong.
Here’s the truth: I was never married to Arthur, and he wasn’t a king. Because Arthur never pulled that sword out of the stone. I did.
I, Guinevere.
On the winter solstice, a mysterious sword in a stone appears in the churchyard. Not even the mightiest of the village men can remove it, until fifteen-year-old Guinevere gives it a try. The sword heeds the unsuspecting maiden, proclaiming the unthinkable: she is the blood of Pendrakon, heir to the vacant throne of Camylot.
Guinevere never dreamed she was born royalty. Now, between apprenticing the eccentric wizard, Merlyn; swordplay lessons with an abrasive—albeit, attractive—boy named Lance; and clandestine, magical meetings with the formidable High Priestess of Avalon, Guinevere is swept up in a whirlwind of training and preparation for her monumental new role as future queen. But invasions by the barbarous Saxyns and visitations from mysterious dark forces continually warn that she may be in over her head. Can Guinevere defend the kingdom from the darkness and deception that threaten to seize it? Despite her doubts and the sinister forces working against her, can she harness the power to wield Exkalibur and rule the realm? Or is Camylot already destined to fall?
From the unstoppable pen of C.K. Brooke comes a fresh and unforgettable new retelling seeped in Arthurian mythology. Queen Guinevere has her own tale to share, and it's nothing like what you thought! Experience the magic and myth of Camylot, Avalon, Merlyn, and Exkalibur like never before as, in the vein of Brooke's award-winning Secrets of Artemis, this legendary maiden of lore recounts her side of the story.
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Excerpt:
Excerpt:
“What’s this?” I asked flatly.
“Training sword,” Lance muttered.
I didn’t care to conceal my insulted tone. “You would teach me with a child’s plaything?”
“I spent all evening sharpening it,” he defended.
I appealed to Merlyn with a flustered look, but the old man only smiled. Was he enjoying this?
“You can’t practice with a real sword anyhow until you know what you’re doing,” Lance continued.
“And how am I supposed to know what I’m doing if I’m not practicing with a real sword?” I returned.
“Well!” Merlyn sounded far too cheerful. “Looks like you two will get on just fine without me. I’ll leave you to it, then.” He tipped his hat at us, then departed through the field, whistling all the way.
In disbelief, I glared at Lance. He glared back.
Out of naught but what I suppose must’ve been sheer frustration, I swung my wooden mock-sword at him. Lance immediately—and skillfully—deflected it. He looked downright bored.
Clenching my teeth, I flicked my wrist and attacked again. He lazily parried.
“You don’t swing with your wrist, Guinevere,” he drawled. “You are not a priest sprinkling holy water.”
“I could name a dozen things you are not, Lancelot. A worthy instructor to your future queen is one of them.”
He brandished the benign weapon. This time, its whittled edge landed squarely upon the tip of my nose, rendering me still.
“We shall see about that,” he challenged.
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About the Author:
C.K. Brooke is an award-winning indie author of over a dozen romance and fantasy novels. Her debut novel, THE DUCHESS QUEST (48fourteen, 2014), was selected by Shelf Unbound Magazine as a Top 100 Notable Indie Book of 2015, and her YA novel, SECRETS OF ARTEMIS, received the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award in 2017. She is also the author of THE WRONG PRINCE, a Readers Favorite five star recipient and Global EBook Award Honorable Mention title, as well as the historical romance, CAPTURING THE CAPTAIN (Limitless, 2016), which was a RONE Award Nominee and a Finalist in the MMRWA Best Banter Contest. She lives in Michigan with her husband and son. Subscribe to her newsletter here for a FREE eBook!
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