Thursday, October 22, 2020

Blog Tour + Review: The Matriarch by Annabelle McInnes @akmcinnes @HotTreePromos

The Matriarch is the thrilling first novel in the Women of the Dust dystopian romance series. If you like enemies-to-lovers, dynamic couples, and empowered feminism, then you’ll adore Annabelle McInnes’s gritty tale.

Author: Annabelle McInnes
Title: The Matriarch
Series: Women of the Dust Book 1
Release: October 12th
Genre: Dystopian Romance
Pages: 358 
Cover Designer: Lana from Bookcoverology.com

Available now - 99c Sale!



Her citizens are oppressed. His society is diminishing. In a frantic bid for survival, can their fiery union save their peoples?

On a scorched and barren future Earth, Yolanda is her people’s only hope. As Matriarch of an all-female nation, the battle-hardened commander fights an impossible war while desperately seeking a way to stop her subjects from dying of thirst. But when the enemy king is beheaded by his own warrior son, she’s offered a truce that will bring the water they urgently need… in return for leaving her populace defenseless.

With his father dead by his hand, the Hammer is determined to rebuild the shattered community the warmongering king’s brutality almost destroyed. In a bold move to strengthen his dwindling numbers, he offers armistice to a dangerous queen and her bloodthirsty horde of fighting women. All he asks in exchange is for her to accompany him to petition the Council to drop their poisonous sanctions…

As they uncover the truth behind the horrific war, Yolanda is surprised when her begrudging respect for her capable companion blossoms into unexpected desire. And though the Hammer learns there’s more to the impassioned fighter than her brutal reputation suggests, he fears giving himself to her could make him a traitor to his own kind.

When their united strength pits them against oppressive factions, will their growing bond become an unbreakable force?



When the sun shattered the clean line of the horizon in a cascade of flame, sparks and tangible heat, Yolanda, seventh-generation Matriarch of the Horde was meant to call for her army’s advance. 

Instead, she held her breath and remained mute. 

The rising sun was intended to be a precursor to their charge, the beacon, the flag to announce their attack. But Yolanda’s said nothing as her eyes watered, watching the wavering orb burn the edges of the landscape, expanding and inflating with every slow beat of her heart. 

About her, the creak of armour was exasperated in the void when the women of her army fidgeted, remaining silent as they waited for their Matriarch’s command. Idle engines rumbled low, the unwavering buzz of irritating insects hovered and the wind was a murmur in her ear, whispering words of foreboding.
The sun continued to climb, and still, she didn’t call for their stampede. 

Ignoring the swelling impatience of her women as it billowed around her, Yolanda closed her eyes from the bright majesty before them and tilted her head. She blocked out the sight of the infinite sweep of fist-sized red stones, the swathes of pink sand, the evidence of an arid riverbed stretched out before them. She ignored the smells of engine grease, the musky, comforting scents of the women who surrounded her, and the sharp stink of heating iron and warming steel. She focused solely on one single sense. Fixated and determined, she strained to hear the hushed warnings on the breeze. 

The wind whistled, hissed, murmured and howled. 

Then, it sobbed. 

My Review:

The Matriarch is the first book in the Women of the Dust series by Annabelle McInnes. It takes place on a future Earth where two nations are at war against each other. Men and women are divided into two nations with Yolanda being the head of the women. Yolanda is the Matriarch of a horde of women. The two nations have been at war for a long time.

Men and women divided into two nations fighting against each other. Question, how does life continue? Well, I’m sure they have their ways of course. I mean the leader of the men’s clan is known as a mean, evil, cruel dude, hoarding all the water leaving the women without.

The king dies at the hands of his own son the Hammer. After killing his father Hammer personally hands his father’s head to the leader of the women’s clan the Matriarch, Yolanda as a sort of truce I suppose.

Yolanda takes Hammer hostage as a bargaining tool hoping to obtain water rights from the men. Hammer makes her a counteroffer; stand with him when they visit the council and he will stop the war between their people. Hammer and Yolanda both want to stop the war among their people.

The Matriarch was a great start to a brand new series. I liked the demise of the plot with men and women being at war against each other. I sort of pictured Hammer as this huge guy with big muscular arms and legs, of course, a tall dude like maybe 6’ 8 at least, broad shoulders like the guy Luther on Umbrella Academy. I pictured Yolanda as a tiny petite woman who could stand under Hammer’s outstretched arm.

When I was reading The Matriarch I could see it in my head as if I was watching a movie. I could see Yolanda and Hammer as they were racing a way on the runner with Yolanda driving and Hammer sitting behind her with the dust flying all around them barely able to see around them. I pictured the runner as sort of small well, especially for Hammer. I would like to this on the big screen.

I really enjoyed reading The Matriarch and would love to read more of the Women in the Dust world. I would like to know more about their world and the characters.

I would recommend The Matriarch to all dystopian fans. One-click your copy of The Matriarch today to begin a new adventure!




From the age of sixteen, Annabelle lived in a homeless youth refuge while she remained committed to her education. She spent two years within a section of society that most overlook. 

Her experiences are the foundations that drive her stories and her characters. They fight for their freedoms, have courage in the face of adversity, and always aspire for greatness. 

Annabelle is the author of True Refuge, an International Bestseller and a finalist for the Australian Romantic Book of the Year in 2018. She is privileged to live in a small rural town in country New South Wales and writes to a distinctive Australian backdrop with its captivating change of seasons. 

Outside of her love for reading, she spends her time with her husband, son, and her fifteen-year-old poodle named Serendipity. She drinks her whisky neat and can often be found at the local market hunting for blue cheese and artisan bread.


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