Jan 182013
Product Details:
- Title: Tournament of Chance
- Author: S.G. Rogers
- File Size: 562 KB
- Print Length: 273 pages
- Publisher: Musa Publishing (September 27, 2012)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B009I95O8M
- FTC, FYI: I was given a review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
- Reviewed by: Sheila
Book Description:
In Tournament of Chance, a hunter’s daughter becomes the spark that ignites a revolution—in time.
When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?
Excerpt:
“Today is a momentous occasion,” said King Chance, after he’d settled himself on a cushion. His booming voice resonated across the field. “Let the finalists for the Tournament of Chance come forward.”
“Your Majesty, I present Lady Felicia of the Valley and Heather of the Jagged Peaks,” announced Sir Fitzelle.
Felicia glided toward the king as if to greet an old friend, but Heather hung back. Now that the moment had arrived to actually meet the king and queen, her feet were frozen to the ground. Suddenly wishing for
invisibility, she forced herself to move toward the king’s canopy. All eyes swiveled in her direction as she stood next to Felicia. Murmurings and titters rippled through the royals at Heather’s appearance. Although Felicia ignored her altogether, the queen openly laughed, as did many of the courtiers. A rosy blush crept toward Heather’s hairline.
invisibility, she forced herself to move toward the king’s canopy. All eyes swiveled in her direction as she stood next to Felicia. Murmurings and titters rippled through the royals at Heather’s appearance. Although Felicia ignored her altogether, the queen openly laughed, as did many of the courtiers. A rosy blush crept toward Heather’s hairline.
The king beamed at Felicia. “How splendid to see you again, dear girl.”
“And you, Your Majesty,” Felicia responded. Her smile showed the lovely dimples in her cheeks.
Queen Chelsea frowned — far less pleased to see Felicia than was her husband. King Chance next focused his attention on Heather. His welcoming expression did not slip one bit, but Heather was taken aback. His eyes resembled those of a cold, poisonous snake.
My Review:
I could make this review short and say, this was one of those books I couldn’t wait to get back to, and end it there, but I won’t. That says a lot in my book. I read this book every chance I could: before bed, during my lunch time, while putting my make-up on etc. This compelling read has the best of everything! I loved the storyline, the characters, the fantasy world, the romance…well, even the bad guys! Tournament of Chance is one of those books, that when you finish, you love the ending but you are incredibly sad because you don’t want to leave this world you have been hanging out in the past few days.
This fantasy book has time travel, a great romance, lots of action, dragons, shape-shifters, a powerful lead character and a story that never drags and lots of magic. Even those that think they don’t like fantasy, will find something to like in this novel. I am now sitting here wishing for another book with these same characters. I would be thrilled to read anything else this author has written. This book gets 5 stars from me!
I’m happy to share this guest post with you from S.G. Rogers about her path to publication.
The Story Behind the Story
Never give up.
The path to publication can be, to paraphrase Paul McCartney, a long and winding road. I originally wrote Tournament of Chance as a lengthy short story and submitted it to several magazines. Although the feedback was positive, I could not sell it. Battered and bruised, I ordinarily would have chucked the manuscript into a folder marked REJECTS, licked my wounds, and moved on to something else. But I just couldn’t let it go. The concept behind Tournament appealed to me, and I knew there was more to the story than what I’d written. So in between revising, editing, and promoting my other titles, I allowed the full-length version of Tournament to unfold.
Unlike more disciplined authors, I usually let my stories discover themselves. That is to say, I write by the seat of my pants. As the novel moved along, I was actually quite surprised at its twists and turns. Although the original short story contained no magic, suddenly time travel, wizards, and shape shifters found their way into the mix. I wrote Tournament of Chance over a period of six months, and was thrilled when it found a publisher right away.
If it weren’t for the rejections I experienced, Tournament of Chance would never have been published as a full-length novel. Perhaps it’s the fighting Irish in me, but when I get knocked down, I get up again…and then I write some more.
~ S.G. Rogers
Purchase
Author: S.G. Rogers 
Originally from Southern California, S.G. Rogers has lived in Asheville, North Carolina and Laurel, Mississippi. She earned her first black belt in taekwondo from martial arts champion Billy Blanks. Later on, she earned black belts in taekwondo and hapkido from Master Myung Kim. Currently residing in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, S.G. Rogers writes fantasy and romantic fantasy stories. She’s owned by two hairless cats, Houdini and Nikita, and lives on an island populated by exotic birds, deer and the occasional gator. Although she’s most often drawn to speculative fiction, she’s been known to break away to write other genres.
One Response to “Sheila’s Review of Tournament of Chance, by S.G. Rogers”
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I like the review, I do the same thing read all the time. I have a book in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other while cooking. lol
The book sounds like a good read.
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