Way of the Sword

★★★★★ 'I loved this book. I was all prepared for some long-winded, drawn-out, fantasy rehash and was completely flattened by how clean and original the writing felt.' – Janna Ellis Forging your own destiny burns like fire and tastes like blood. Before Billy Cole can save the realm, he must first save himself. Those champions of peasants and folklore, The Colors Three, have faded over time. Trevor the Red is a tavern keeper now. Gregor the Golden is dead. And Ian the Black is a drunk. Ian is also Billy’s father. Being the son of a legend is hard. So is dragging that same legend home to sleep it off every night. Billy’s convinced there’s more to life than parenting his pop, tending the forge, and mending fences. He just needs a decent sword and freedom enough from his father’s shadow to prove it. When undying legions besiege their homeland, Billy gets his chance. He has his father’s strength, his mentor’s steel, and the heart of a warrior-poet. But is it enough to turn the son of a broken hero into epic adventurer Wil Thunderstrike? The way of the sword is double-edged. One delivers justice, honor, and salvation for the realm. The other seduces with power, greed, and glory. And discovering which blade edge is yours is only half the battle... A gritty coming-of-age epic that cuts like sword and sorcery and lingers like your first kiss. Whether you’re a young adult dreaming of your destiny or a longtime fantasy fan yearning for that midlife crisis, this book is for you! Previously known throughout the realm as the novel Tarnish. ★★★★★ "What’s amazing about this book is that it is its own story. It’s not some spin off, take off, bull$#!% twisting of the same young adult themes." -- Rattle the Stars "It’s less a coming-of-age tale and more a story of self-discovery." -- Beauty in Ruins "That’s why I like this book... [Billy’s] going to be a hero one day. It’s just going to take a couple more black eyes and a night in the Fellwater drunk tank to get there." -- Forever Young Adult "The strength of Tarnish is Billy’s coming-of-age narrative, his quest to develop his own, innate heroism, and his struggle to reconcile illustrious legends with harsher truths." -- Tales of the Talisman Magazine "Fantasy? Sword fights? Monsters? Destiny? Gimme, Gimme!" -- The Book Heap