a cover reveal: Of Deeds Most Valiant, Poisoned Saints Book 1, by Sarah K.L. Wilson

I promise that this cover is worth a look!

Last year, I’d discovered the Author Queen that is Sarah K.L. Wilson via her Bluebeard’s Secret series (feat. a very lovely and sophisticated exploration into the nature of a holy convenant relationship – but also: Original. Brilliant. Satisfying. Twisty. Dark. Wicked. Noble. Lovely. Realistic. Beautiful. Poetic. And I run out of descriptors xD), Tangled Fae series (any The Cruel Prince fans will appreciate and also deeply fulfilling for those who wished for more Jurdan moments truly), Phoenix Heart series (utterly wholesome fun feat. phoenixes as well a heroine who cannot speak), as well as the Heart of Shadow series (my first series from her and I LOVE IT UTTERLY, feat. the practical daughter of a captain turned monster hunter due to necessity and her shadow guard who is trapped within a magical sword who can only be visible while defending her from violence, also – some dreadful, zombie-like monsters who are created from a plague). {Currently the audiobooks are all 50% off, at about 0.99 to 5 USD each directly from her. You can also download them as MP3 so no streaming required ;)}

Her storytelling have always hit me in a distinctively special way that I didn’t know I’d needed. And I’ve been making through her backlist ever since. So of course when I discovered that she’s about to release a new standalone series in the adult fantasy genre (adult for theme and voice, not for any sort of explicit content, so it can very easily work for YA readers as well) featuring paladins (yeah, I didn’t know what that meant either, apparantly they are “A paragon of chivalry; a heroic champion.” according to Wordnik), titled Poisoned Saints, I’ve been ALL ears. Being very into chivalry and the Middle Ages (like, King Arthur, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and even Narnia), reading about the aspects of the god in this storyworld has been very interesting: Rejected, Sorrowful, Benevolent, Creator, Sovereign, All-Seeing, All-Knowing, Majestic, Holy, and Vengeful. If this sparks any interest, I highly encourage you to read more about them here!

The first book is about to release very soon (June 6th, to be exact), and is titled Of Deeds Most Valiant. I’ve been given the honor to be a Street Team member and today I have the cover for you to behold (shall I say drool over?)!

There is also a series of short videos snippets you can check out here in which the author reads a bit from the book (no account necessary; press the next arrow on the right to load the next one).

What to expect from Of Deeds Most Valiant:

Expect:

– epic fantasy setting

– closed location puzzle plot

– paladin class deep-dive characters

– theocracy worldbuilding

– strong romance side-plot

– intriguing side character

Vibes: darkly humorous, romantic, mysterious

Tropes Included so Far:

– don’t kill the dog!

– knights competition

– no way out

– cinnamon roll love interest

– demon hunter

– chivalry is not dead

The Synopsis:

Eleven paladins walk into a monastery. Only one knows it’s a trap.

When Victorians Greenmantle is summoned to represent her paladin order in an unusual quest, she’s out of her depth from the very beginning. Victorian has only just been made a paladin and she has none of the resources or experience that the others have. On top of that, she has no idea how she will fulfill her orders — to find and claim for her superiors the God’s own Cup of Tears.

Her rivals are stronger, smarter, and more experienced. They want this just as badly as she does. And one of them might not be a paladin at all.

When Adalbrand Von Menticure arrives at the monastery with the other paladin representatives he sees the obstacles before him as one more way to dedicate himself to his healing arts. What he does not expect is murder. Or the young female paladin who keeps insisting that they have a traitor among them. Or how she makes him start to feel things that have long been forbidden.

Together, these two unwieldy allies must discover who the traitor is, how that one is killing the others, and whether the Cup of Tears is really worth the bloodshed and danger within the monastery walls before time runs out and they are trapped forever.

A complicated mission, you say? Oh, but it gets worse, because forbidden love is slowly stalking them both, complicating everything, and leaving them each more vulnerable than they can afford to be in the face of a danger worse than either of them ever imagined.

Will this pair find strength in their strict discipline and careful practice in time to escape, or will they fall before the twin daggers of a rogue killer and an attraction more deadly than the simple risk of death?

Add to Goodreads | Preorder the Ebook Here | Take a Peek at the First Chapter Here

The hardcover and paperback shall be released on/after the release day! =)

What do you think of this cover and synopsis? Is it a 0 or 10 – let me know!

What are some of YOUR favorite covers? Be it old or new – I’d love to check it out.

Very biased here but I’d rate it a 15 😏.