Karen Tomlinson Books In Order

Publication Order of Eight Kingdoms Books

Publication Order of The Goddess and the Guardians Books

Publication Order of Shadow Sentinels Books

Publication Order of A Shadow Sentinels World Novel Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Karen Tomlinson is a USA Today Bestselling English author of spicy, action-packed fantasy and paranormal romance books. Besides writing, she loves devouring books in any genre that attracts her eye, but she loves nothing better than enthralling fantasy books set in a new magical world. She resides in Derbyshire, England, with her husband, their twin girls and their dog, Poppy. Karen is a professional nurse who works as a resuscitation and clinical skills trainer, which involves training medical students and health care professionals in acute patient care. She trained in Shotokan karate at 13 years, loves mountain biking, walking, and cake decorating.

A Bond of Venom and Magic is the first novel in The Goddess and the Guardians series by Karen Tomlinson. It’s a strong start to a great series that follows a young half-breed Fae and a half-human named Diamond Gillon. Diamond lives in the small picturesque town of Berriesford with her Fae father. Her existence has not always been the best, thanks to her mixed blood, but she has a decent life compared to other half-breeds. But unfortunately, her decent life is soon turned upside down when her home town is invaded by fleshing-eating monsters known as Seekers. These monsters serve only one master, a Wraith Lord Ragor, who has always raged war against the Kingdom of Avalonia. During the invasion, Diamond is rescued by a group of well-trained warriors, Fae, who force her to leave town.

One of the saviors is Hugo Casimir, a well-known Queen’s Guard tracking the movement of the Seekers that attacked Diamond’s town. At first, the warrior is too cold and blunt to her, but deep down and through emotions, there’s undeniable a strong attraction between the two.

Diamond’s “uncle” (not uncle by blood), General Amsal Edo, insists on taking Diamond to the capital of Avalonia, the home of the famous ruthless Fae Queen, who’s more than a millennium old. In the company of the brave warriors that rescued them from the invasion at Berriesford, the group make their way towards Valentia. This treacherous journey is full of danger and peril, and this somehow awakens the magic within Diamond. She wields unique magic that no other Fae possess. Her magic is so powerful that it can rival that of the Fae Queen. You’d think that with this power, Diamond would be much safer, but on the contrary, her powers put her in greater danger, as magic users are often subjected to brutal torture and death by the Fae Queen.

The Queen’s guard, Hugo, must take Diamond to the Fae Queen for judgement. While in the city, Diamond discovers the true extent of the prejudice against the halfbreeds and the consequences of what it means to fall in love with the Queen’s Guard, who are only supposed to love the Queen they’ve committed their life to.

The setting of A Bond of Venom and Magic is captivating, and the author delivers gracefully. The story moves along steadily, with plenty of actions throughout the pages. The selling point of this novel is the characters, especially the two mains. Diamond is the heroine and is not your typical leading female in this genre. Even though she doesn’t start as confident and powerful as you normally see in books in similar genres, she gathers her confidence and power as the story progresses. She has constant panic attacks and is, at times, naïve. Luckily enough, these struggles only make her growth and journey of strength more compelling. You will enjoy walking in her shoes as she discovers the truth about her background, heritage and struggles as she tries to figure out who to trust in this treacherous world.

On the other hand, Hugo is a true hero. He is a total heartthrob who spends most of the chapters dedicated to him trying to fight his forbidden attraction towards Diamond. The chemistry between the two is great. Together, they come head-on with the wrath of the Wraith Lord, who desires to send the world into total darkness and chaos. The world and mythos the author created in this novel are rich and one of the best parts of this series’ debut novel. There are so many different aspects of this realm, but we only get a glimpse. The supporting cast are all fantastic additions to the story and deserve a comeback in the sequels.

A Bond of Blood and Fire is the second instalment in The Goddess and the Guardians series. The book continues the story of half-blood Fae Diamond as she fights to survive in a world of war. Surrendering to become a weapon for the Fae Queen is the only option for her to save her friends from imminent execution and the people of Valentia from the invasion of Ragor and his army of the dead.

Commander Hugo is ordered to train her, but Diamond struggles to trust him and master her magic powers. To make matters worse, the two share a rare magical connection that will shape their hearts and fate. Love and loyalty will be tested as Diamon takes head on shifters, giants, and an army of monsters to save Valentia. But are her powers sufficient to defeat the Wraith Lord and avenge the lives of the people Ragor has claimed? Or will she fail, and the Eight Kingdom fall?

Although introduced in the debut novel, Karen Tomlinson spends more time explaining Hugo Casimir’s past. This helps add more layers to his depth and allows the reader to resonate with him as to why he took certain actions. Despite everything, he always puts Diamond before himself. Diamond sees much growth in this second installment. She transforms from being a whiny and confused character to a headstrong warrior. Her strength shines bright in this book as she starts choosing herself.
Plenty is going on in this book, from the ongoing war with the wraith lord, Queen’s threats, powers discovered, new revelations and hidden allies. One of the best things about this novel and the entire book series is no love triangle. Friends remain just friends; there are no suppressed emotions or awkward moments.