Forget Me Knot (Royal Reaper 2)
by Ruth Silver
Publisher: Booktrope
Published: June 23, 2015
When Wynter explores his newly developed dark angel powers, regret soon fills his heart and mind. Saving a soul isn't what he imagined it to be, and it puts the grim reaper he loves in grave danger.
Obligated to take the throne as Queen, Mara must face the truth and unravel secrets she may not be ready to accept.
The second book in the Royal Reaper saga takes you on a paranormal fantasy adventure into a world of grim reapers, dark angels, and undead trucidators.
Also available on Barnes & Noble and iBooks
Excerpt
Death crept into the castle. Mara could feel its darkness pressing her down. As she walked to her father's bedchamber, the thought of marrying a man she did not love weighed heavily on her. All the invitations had been sent out months ago. Just as her life was beginning to almost feel normal, her father, King Philip, had fallen ill along with the court of Casmerelda and much of the kingdom. The second wave of the plague violently spread, leaving a trail of death and burning corpses for the living to clean up.
Her father had been bedridden for three days. His fever spiked and his skin glistened. He grew delirious, falling in and out of consciousness. As much as she despised him for what he'd done to her sister's boyfriend, he was still her father. She didn't want to be left alone.
"You must marry Astin at once."
Mara cringed. "I can't." Her lips hidden as she wore a piece of ivory cloth against her nose and mouth, the slightest bit of protection from the disease that had taken over the kingdom. "I don't love him. Please don't do this to me."
"Don't be selfish." The words struggled to reach his lips. He coughed and heaved, his chest rising and falling quickly as his pulse raced. "I'll be with your mother soon…"
"You'll be dead."
Taking in several deep breaths, he opened his mouth, his words coming out as a whisper. "You will be reigning queen. Mara, you must act the part. Marry Astin and forge an alliance with the country of Morro, for the sake of Casmerelda. Your people need you."
"I need you," Mara said, gripping her father's hand. She frowned, studying the tips of his fingers, a blackened hue lacing his skin.
"You shouldn't touch me." He tried to pull away, unsuccessfully. Her grip remained tight, but more significantly, he'd grown weak from the disease ravaging his body.
"I haven't been infected, and I've been at your bedside every night." Mara ordered the servants to bring more water and rags. It had done little good to break his fever or alleviate the discomfort he must have been experiencing, but it was all she could think of to help.
"Marry Astin." His words were rough slipping past his lips. He wheezed, trying to speak, but Mara rested a hand upon his chest.
"Don't." She didn't want to have this conversation again.
"For the sake of the kingdom," he said, pleading with her.
Mara refused to answer. Marrying Astin wasn't what she wanted. "I have no desire to be queen so young. You will pull through, do you hear me?"
He'd fallen into a deep slumber, unable to answer her.
Guest Post
How to Choose a Publisher
by Ruth Silver
by Ruth Silver
If you're writing and preparing to publish your first novel, you may start researching publishers. How do you know which ones are reputable? There are websites like Authors Beware that will give up to date information on complaints from authors. For example is a publisher isn't paying royalties or acting in some illegal or unethical manner. Always research the publisher before signing a contract. It's best to do some research before even wasting your time submitting a manuscript to them.
What else can you do?
If you want to know how their sales are, take a look on Amazon. Search the publisher and their titles. What are they charging for their novels? Is it a reasonable price? If they're too low, the authors aren't likely to make any money. Too high and they're not likely to get as many sales. There's a sweet spot, at this point it's between $2.99 - $4.99. With the Amazon market constantly changing and the eBook market always fresh with new novels, this could and likely will change. Look at the sales stats. Do the publisher's books have a lot of sales? Or are they only selling books when it's on a promotion (ie - Bookbub?).
Another point to consider is how the publisher chooses to market its authors. Do they invest in conferences for their authors? Does the publisher attend tradeshows or conventions to sell books? Even if a publisher is strictly an eBook publisher or touting themselves as one, they still need to be visible in the market.
If you have a few publishers in mind, ask an author that publishes with them if they're happy with the marketing that the publisher does. Ask the author if they will be publishing with that same publisher in the future. If they're not, ask them if they can disclose why.
As an author, you should never have to pay to have your book published. Decent publishers will be able to pay you an advance on your novel, even if it's minimal; at least it proves they're willing to invest in you and your writing. You don't want to be with a publisher that will publish anything and everything without reading through a manuscript.
Also consider the editing process. How much say do you get? Do you want more of an input or would you prefer to let them edit and you just see the final copy before it gets released? If you want total input and are a control freak, it's not a bad thing but consider self-publishing where you don't have to relinquish any control. Some editors won't do more than correct punctuation and grammar. Others may help further shape the novel if it's not ready for publication. It depends on the publisher and their process. Be choosy.
An Interview with Ruth Silver
What names do you write under?I write under my name: Ruth Silver and also Ravyn Rayne. I now have a pen name (Ravyn) for my romance novels that are geared toward an adult audience.
What are you currently reading?
In the Palace of Lazar by Alta Hensley. It's an adult romance novel. I just started but it's fantastic!
Favorite genre?
Please don't make me pick just one! I love romance, dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy. I also like mixing genres just like I do with Forget Me Knot, where there's a blend of historical fantasy and paranormal combined.
How much research do you do for your novels?
A ton! Especially when I'm writing anything remotely historical. The last thing I want is a character to make a joke that wouldn't make sense for that time period. You don't want to get pulled out of the story.
Favorite season?
I love fall with the leaves changing colors and the cooler temperatures. I'm not a fan of the hot sticky summer months, so when fall comes I can finally go outside without feeling sick!
My Review
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.Leila has finally come to understand and know more about what being a reaper is and what it is even if she doesn't really like doing it. But she is more ok with it now that she has come to realize that she is not killing people and that she is helping them to pass on to their next life. Although she still has a little problem following all of the rules that a reaper must follow. She is always getting in trouble with the council members.
One of Leila's problems is she can't get over the fact that she isn't allowed to see her sister Mara. Mara is her little sister and Leila has taken care of her for a long time with their mother dying when they both were small children. Leila is always trying to find ways to see her sister without getting herself and her friends in trouble with the council. Leila is a very stubborn girl and has nearly always gotten what she wanted being the daughter of a king.
Mara misses her big sister so very much especially now with the death of her father. Mara is now going to be the queen of her country. She isn't all that thrilled about becoming the queen and having to take on all the responsibilities that come with being the queen and the leader of so many people. Not counting all of that now she is going to have to marry a man that she did not pick or marry for love. To be the best queen that she can be she must put the lives of her kingdom before her own. So there for the best and only choice she has is to marry a man that she does not love but one that will best benefit the kingdom and save so many lives. Mara doesn't like the idea of being the queen because her sister was older than her and was supposed to be the queen not her.
Leila has made so many new friends since becoming a reaper. All of her new friends has stood right beside her when she needed their help or stood behind her and backed her up to help keep her out of trouble. They have tried to teach her all that they can in a short period of time all the rules of being a reaper. But there are so many rules to follow that it will take Leila many, many, many years to learn. But oh well that is ok because Leila is more than likely not going to follow them anyways if it does not suite her.
I have read almost every book that Ruth has written and I have loved each and every one of them. If you were to ask me which of her books that I liked the best I am not sure if I could answer that question or not because I am not sure myself. They are all out of this world and mind blowing. They will rock you to your core and keep you on the edge of your seat with your finger hanging out there just waiting to flip to the next page. Sometimes your brain and your finger just don't work well together. Your finger will flip the page before your brain is ready for the next page.
Oh man I love all or well almost all of the characters in Forget Me Knot and can't wait to read more of their stories and about their lives. I can't wait to find out what happens with everyone in the next book. What is Leila going to get herself into next? What about Mara as well? I hope Ruth doesn't make us wait to long for the next book.
If you have not read Forget Me Knot then I suggest that you do if you love a good story and you like reading about reapers helping souls to travel on to their next life. Oh and Ruth has thrown in some dark angels as well. But you will probably want to start with the first book in the series Dead Girl Walking you just so you will know what is going and what happen to Leila and how she became to be a reaper of souls.
About the Author
Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of the Aberrant trilogy. With a passion for writing and a love of story-telling, Ruth is actively writing two series: Royal Reaper and Orenda. She also writes The Federal Agent Chronicles and Palace Secrets, both of which are adult romance under the name Ravyn Rayne for Blushing Books. Her interests include traveling, reading, and photography. Her favorite vacation destination is Australia. Ruth currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois.
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