I’m so excited to share the cover for my new book The Water Witch. Set in Brittany, this tale of magic, adventure and romance is one I’ve wanted to write for a very long time. As many of you will know Brittany is a place very dear to my heart and it’s wonderful legends have always fascinated me, especially the legend of the lost city of Ys. I’ve visited the area so many times and hope I’ve captured some of the beauty and wonder I find anew here every time

The Water Witch will be out on the 5th August 2022, perfect summer reading. It’s going to be in print and on Kindle. You can pre-order it here.

Sitting side by side on the clifftop, he turns to her solemnly and says, ‘The water witch is real.’ She rolls her eyes and grins, teasing him. ‘Sure. A psycho mermaid. Got it.’ But now he’s gone forever… will she find the truth beneath the waves?

Brittany, France. Ariadne Walker’s fiancé Simon drowned in the stormy Atlantic Ocean doing what he loved: searching for the lost underwater city of Ys. Local legend says it was destroyed centuries ago when the princess of Ys became a water witch, cursing the name of the man who betrayed her.

Ari never believed these tall tales. And the letter Simon sent before he died finishing their relationship is a devastating secret she’ll take to the grave. But arriving in Brittany, Ari encounters a man emerging from the sea in a rocky cove, saltwater dripping from his dark hair. Rafael swears the legends are true: and his ancestor was cursed by the water witch. Now, his own life is in terrible danger. And the secret to breaking the curse lies hidden in the lost city.

When Ari finds a strange engraved mask on the sea bed, and a cryptic map amongst Simon’s things, she has no choice but to believe Rafael’s plea. Can they follow the trail and save Rafael’s life? Poring over the map by candlelight, the flickering flames only add to the heat between them… but will Ari’s fragile heart soon be shattered all over again? And will they ever find Ys and break the curse – or will the water witch demand another sacrifice?

An absolutely addictive romantic fantasy read filled with passion and mystery, that will sweep you away to the wild coast of northern France. Inspired by real myths and legends from this magical place, The Water Witch is perfect for fans of Luanne G. Smith, River of Shadows and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I love a release day post. It’s so exciting to see a book out in the world, especially this book, The Bookbinder’s Daughter, (aka, The Library Book) as it is on I have wanted to write for more years than I care to remember. It’s set in a world that came into being in my mind at least ten years ago and has lingered there ever since, waiting for its time. The Ayredale Special Collection has been formed from libraries all over the world, real places I have visited and places I still dream about visiting. Finding the right people for that world and getting them to tease out their stories took a lot longer.

I’m really proud of what it all turned into – of Sophie and Will, of Tia and Edward (who was never meant to be heroic but decided he would be anyway), and not forgetting the gorgeous Titivillus the library cat (named for the patron demon of scribes, because have you met cats?) I had a black cat who definitely would have felt right at home in Ayredale and Titivillus is very much my beloved Patchwork Cat.

The Bookbinder’s Daughter is available now in print, ebook and audio, narrated by the amazing Charlie Norfolk. You can hear a sample here.

If you enjoy it please leave a review. They’re so important for visibility especially around launch times.

There is also a review blog tour

And if you can’t wait to read all those amazing reviews, here are a few of the early ones…

I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to reveal the new cover of my next Jessica Thorne book, The Book Binder’s Daughter, which will be out on the 20th September 2021.

This is another one of those stories I have wanted to write for a very long time. I have always loved libraries and adore working in a library of strange and unusual books in my day job. I’ve been lucky enough to travel with work and to see some of the most beautiful libraries in the world. I was able to pour all of this and more into The Book Binder’s Daughter and the strange, beautiful and magical world of the Ayredale Special collection.

Many thanks to Bookouture, my agent Sallyanne and my editor Ellen for helping to make this happen. I hope you will be as enchanted by Ayredale as I am.

Calling all Netgalley reviewers – The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall is now up on Netgalley and available for request. If timeslip, World War 2, witches, enchanted mazes and f/f romances are your thing don’t miss this one.

Nightborn, book 2 of The Hollow King is out today and available in ebook, print and audiobook.

I’m so delighted to share the second part of Grace and Bastien’s story, and to fill in some more of the mysteries of the Hollow King. There’s also lots to learn about Ellyn, Danny and Kurt. Action, adventure, romance and omelettes.

‘I legit just finished reading this book, and I’m speechless… my heart was breaking… the whole ending was just me switching between the sobbing, mind blown, shocked, angry emojis… There really isn’t a calm moment in this book, and it keeps you turning the page… you’re going to fall in love… kept me up until the light started shining in through my window. Perfect binge-able books. Have I convinced you yet?’ Writing the Universe, 5 stars

‘I don’t know what to say. I still haven’t recovered yet… kept me in complete suspense… led me to despair and back to earth again… At some points I was completely devastated and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I went through all the possible feelings through this story… amazing book.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘I stayed up wayyyy too late reading this story, but it was definitely worth the lack of sleep… actually had me tearing up… Recommended!’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘I devoured this book and stayed up into the early hours of the morning just to finish it… completely blew me away… My heart broke… I found myself shouting nooooo more times than a little… be prepared for a heart-wrenching emotional journey… It’s a page-turner… sure to be a bestseller… brilliant book.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘I devoured this in one sitting!… Jessica Thorne delivers delicious romance, intrigue, and all of the drama… I was enthralled and couldn’t stop turning pages… Five stars!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘I went through so many emotions reading this story… It literally at times makes your heart break. It is full of action, adventure, romance, magic and courtly intrigue… Fantasy fans, you really must read this series.’ BookishReadsAndMe, 5 stars

‘Wow… There’s romance and magic… The pace doesn’t let up… a brilliant fantasy adventure that gallops along.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

The BlogTour is up and running too. Check them out all this week.

We had a fantastic trip to London for the Romantic Novelists’ Association annual awards. The Stone’s Heart was nominated for the Fantasy Romantic Novel award so I was there as Jessica Thorne. Here are all the finalists in our finery.

Congratulations to winner Ruth Hogan! I had such an amazing night and it was so much fun to see everyone. Roll on next year! 😀

Mageborn is out in the world today!

And to celebrate we’re having a blogtour. Below you can find out all the wonderful bloggers who are reviewing and talking about Mageborn and The Hollow King. I’ll link to them as the posts go live. Hope you all are reading and reviewing and most of all enjoying.

Fred Weasley Died Laughing (YouTube)

So 2020 beckons. And it’s shaping up to be a rollercoaster of a year already. I have news that I cannot wait to tell you (but have to. Alas.)

However the first thing we can share is the brand new shiniest of shiny covers for my new book Mageborn, the first in a new series called The Hollow King. This is epic fantasy romance on a grand scale and honestly the type of book I have always wanted to write. It’ll be coming out on the 18th February, with a sequel to follow in May. That’s right TWO Books! I have been busy. (Looks frantically at edits. Yes, have…)

So here it is….

**DRUMROLL**

The Bookouture cover fairies have knocked it out of the park again.

Intrigued? You can find out all about Mageborn here and you can preorder Mageborn on Amazon kindle right away. Print and audiobook to follow.

The headlong rush to Worldcon starts here.

Dublin2019: An Irish Worldcon presents a pre-convention panel on LGBTQ+ writers, characters, and tropes. This panel follows on from the survey that was released in the May newsletter, the Pride survey. Join Andrew Meaney, Ruth Long, and Helen Corcoran to discuss the themes raised from the survey as well as how to write a positive LGBTQ+ character and how to avoid the usual tropes.

This panel will be held at the Pearse Street Library in Dublin on 22nd July at 6:30-7:30pm. Please come and join us!

Oh and also, as of today… there’s a new Jessica Thorne book in the works…

The Stone’s Heart by Jessica Thorne is now up on Netgalley for reviewers and book bloggers to request. It comes out on the 19th February, and is available for pre-order now.