I am so excited that the prequel to
The
Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales Book’s, THE SQUIRE AND HIS MAGICAL LIBRARY by
Christy Matheson is available now and that I get to
share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this
wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway
for copies of the eBook courtesy of Christy & Rockstar Book Tours. So if
you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.
About The Book:
Author: Christy
Matheson
Pub. Date: May 25, 2025
Publisher: Buttercup Books
Formats: eBook
Pages: 188
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/The-Squire-and-His-Magical-Library
What if he doesn’t have to be a
warrior?
What if fate is something he can
choose?
Despite the druids’ prediction that
Rian would become a great warrior, he hates the king’s training program. After
the first year’s Trials, humiliated and angry, Rian flees the other squires to
hide in the cellars...where he finds a magical library and a wren-like Fae who
explains that he can choose his own fate. Each year, one figurine crumbles and
one possible fate disappears because of the choices he's made. He should be
able to make the Warrior disappear before he turns eighteen, right?
Meanwhile, Rian helps two very different princesses—one bent on becoming a warrior to seek revenge, and the other imprisoned by blindness. As Rian’s decisions become entangled with his friendships, the figurines vanish one by one. As the years go by, does he have any choice left about his own future?
Read now, to journey back to 3rd-century Ireland with a reluctant young hero!
With characters based on Irish
mythology, this historical fantasy has plenty of action but no gore.
It takes place in the same world as
the other “Castle in Kilkenny” books, but is the earliest book featuring these
characters, so is a true stand-alone.
Excerpt:
I guess I can’t get much more lonely and shameful than I already am.
The door swings smoothly at my touch, and warmth hits me as
the light makes me blink.
No one’s here. And it still feels welcoming.
I hobble to the fire and sink onto the soft chair. Whoever
owns it isn’t using it, and I’ll leave soon. After a long moment, I open my eyes. At my
fingertips is a steaming cup and a jar of salve.
I sniff them both. The castle policy is that anyone is
allowed appropriate supplies. I’m a warrior, even a junior one. I am definitely allowed to
take medicine.
I rub the salve on the worst of my injuries. It works even
faster than usual, the pain fading right away.
So by the time I drink the tea, I’m feeling well enough to look around.
Carefully.
I warm my hands against my tea, feeling more alert with each
sip. The patterns on the rugs seem familiar, but the construction is softer and
denser than anything else in the castle. I understand what the furniture is
for, but the shapes and materials are like nothing I’ve ever seen. The mantle is
constructed of absolutely smooth stone, gray and red veins swirling against the
white, and the ironwork for the fireplace is more delicate and complicated than
anything the king’s smithy could produce. The light is coming from tall vases
with colored glass hats, and the hats are glowing. I examine one closely, and
find a little toggle that makes the flame go on and off. Definitely magic.
Besides, even a king couldn’t afford that much glass, and he wouldn’t put it in the basement if he did.
I’m not sure if that’s better or worse. Are there fae living underneath the
castle?
Well, I’m here now, and I’ve already drank and used their medicine—so if it’s a
magical trap, I’m already caught.
About Christy Matheson:
Christy
writes romantic Regency fiction about friendship, family, and finding one's
place in an ever-changing world.
Christy is
an embroidery artist, classically trained pianist, and sews all of her own
clothes. She lives in Oregon, on a country property that fondly reminds her of
a Regency estate (except with a swing set instead of faux Greek ruins), with
her five children, two Shelties, a bunny, and an improbable amount of art
supplies.
She is a
co-editor for the short story anthology, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of
Daring Women, and her novels are represented by Kristina Sutton Lennon of
Focused Artists. She is also an award-winning spoken-word poet.
She has
degrees from Smith College and Lesley University, and is a member of the
Women's Fiction Writers Association, Historical Novel Society, and Regency
Fiction Writers.
Sign up for
Christy’s newsletter!
Website | Twitter
| Facebook
| Instagram | Goodreads
| Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
3 winners
will receive an eBook of THE SQUIRE AND HIS MAGICAL LIBRARY, International.
Ends June 3rd, midnight EST.
