Tales of Westerford by Darryl Womack

Hi there!

Welcome back to the Friday edition of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers; the place where letting the world know you LIKE BIG BOOKS AND YOU CAN NOT LIE is totally accepted, in fact encouraged, with a smile and a welcoming sweep of arms.

Today, we're closing out the week with a Fantasy tale from the Children's Fiction realm that'll take you back to days of old with knights, dragons, and kings; of course the fact that the subtitle INCLUDES those words is a big clue as to what it contains, but that's neither here nor there for the sake of our discussion.  *ahem*  Anyway, the adventure you are about to embark on will keep you on your toes as danger lurks around many a corner, but it will also remind you what the most important traits of leaders, knights, and all those worth knowing truly are...and none of them are worldly riches.  Ready or not, put on your armor and grab a weapon of choice as we set forth into the pages of today's book of choice...

Tales of Westerford:

Dragons, Knights and Kings

by

Darryl Womack

9781943425297

Elevate Fiction

About the book....

From deep within the ring of fire, burning logs, and smoldering ash, grows a tale of an adventurous boy and a magical discovery.

Nat is a young boy who lives with his family in Sutter, a small village in the Kingdom of Westerford. Like all children his age, Nat loves to play “knights” with his friends. He dreams of one day becoming a knight himself and serving the noble King Edgar. Nat’s other favorite activity is exploring the nearby forest where, one day, he, quite literally, stumbles upon a giant egg.

When the egg finally hatches, so does a series of events that leads to the fulfillment of Nat’s wildest dreams. This is the story of two young friends who take on adventures to save the kingdom. With his best friend, Danby, by his side what could possibly go wrong?

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This is the story of one young man's journey from his given lot in life to discovering his true destiny.  It has shades of Eragon thanks to a particular leathery winged friend (yes, I'm talking about YOU Danby), but that's about the extent of that shadowing for this is a tale that stands on its own two feet.

Nat is a wonderful lad, full of life with a good head on his shoulders and a generous heart.  He embodies the elements that make a man or woman truly rich by being honest, loyal, and brave.  He openly extends his hand in friendship before ever drawing a sword and warmly shares the feelings of his heart with those he truly cares for.  From the moment he found that beautiful little egg and nurtured the soul inside it despite all the ill-natured stories he had been fed, I knew he was a boy/man to watch.  As his relationships extended outside of he and Danby, we are witness to his attributes growing tenfold with the addition of him finding his one true love.  

Now, before you go thinking it's all sunshine and roses or just another story for girl readers, let me tell you...you'd be making false accusations.  There are battles to be fought, curses to be broken, and quests to be completed, leaving a little something for everyone at the turn of the page.  I will admit, at first I wasn't certain I was going to enjoy it quite as much as I did.  You see, I initially found the author's portrayal of the Princess to be rather off putting.  She simply was there, royalty, and did nothing but sew, or chat with friends, or some other mundane task to pass the time.  Pfft!  What kind of Princess is THAT?!  Lucky for me, though the focus of the story doesn't move to her specifically, she finds a role in the events transpiring that put a smile on my face...and that of our lad Nat (very open minded of him too!).

When all was said and done, I really enjoyed my time in the Kingdom of Westerford.  Nat was a gem of a fellow, Charis was a worthy Princess, King Edgar was much more regal than he at first seemed, and Danby was...well Danby was Danby and what else could a friendly dragon be but fun?!  The writing wasn't fancy but the story crafted showed talent without getting way over the heads of the intended audience.  Suffice it to say, my adventure through the pages was a resounding success and one that I would recommend to Children's Fiction fans that are ready for a good old fashioned quest to get the girl, gain a title, and save a kingdom...in no particular order.  Sounds like your kind of read?  I thought it might...now watch for page 30 because when Nat first meets...well, you'll see.

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About the author...

Darryl Womack’s love for story-telling was spurred from family camping trips and his many colorful tales shared around the campfire in the backwoods of California. A high school english teacher by day, Womack is now bringing those vivid campfire fables to life in his new book, Tales of Westerford. When he is not writing, Womack enjoys the outdoors, traveling, mountain biking, reading, and spending time with family and friends. A graduate of Humboldt State University, he currently resides in Redlands, California with his wife of 27 years, Patty. Together they have three sons, Garrett, Kevin, and Christopher.

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ARC for review received of Emily at Elevate Publishing (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is set to hit bookstore shelves, both virtual and non, June 1st, 2016, so mark your calendars or pre order it today from the publisher and get 20% with the special code listed on the site!  One more tantalizing tidbit, there's a GIVEAWAY on GoodReads right now for this very title that ends June 4th, so feel free to click on over for your chance to win!

Until next time...happy reading!