True Winter

Five hundred years ago, a deadly artifact called the Chains of Peter was stolen. Now, the chains have resurfaced in Mobile, Alabama, and the House of David, a secret organization that specializes in securing dangerous artifacts, has sent its most lethal operative to find them.

Judge Eden Dowler is all but certain the wealthy Bachman family is hiding the chains, and he has a win/win plan for securing them. As it happens, the Bachmans’ youngest son, Orion, is Eden’s estranged half-brother. All Eden has to do is convince his brother to join the House of David, and the chains are as good as his. Orion Bachman is the perfect candidate—loyal, intelligent, fit, and eager—and Eden is certain his brother’s healthy upbringing will benefit the House, which usually only recruits broken children.

There’s just one problem. A mysterious counter organization known as Seditio will stop at nothing to keep the House from securing the chains. When Seditio sets its sights on the Bachman family, Eden realizes the stakes have become personal. But what’s the best way to protect Orion? Should Eden train him to fight and kill, or guard Orion’s innocence so he doesn’t become one more broken soul in the House of David?

As the House continues its bloody search for artifacts, Eden begins to question its integrity and the role he plays within it. Unfortunately, Orion is beginning to question everything else, including whether he should have ever put his faith in someone like Eden Dowler.

A really solid debut. Had a historical fiction feel to it with some really good mystery elements. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for book two")

Lovely read. Love how the author created the character's personalities. The plot is amazing. Loved every second of it.

This was such a fun rollercoaster - secret societies and holy relic hunters? Yes, please!!!

In a world where holy relics have supernatural powers, Eden Dowler means to make sure the Chains of St. Peter do not fall into the wrong hands. He works for the House of David, and he believes the Chains are kept by a family that happens to include Eden's half-brother Orion.

The House of David is not the only group looking for the Chains. The more ominously named Seditio, is also full of lethal soldiers ready to kill , torture, and die to get their hands on these artifacts. The blend of supernatural, mystery, and familial trauma never lets up, and I am thrilled that I was able to figure out one of the mysteries pretty early on.

4 stars!

Oh this is what Iv been craving (are book cravings a thing? Well they are now!). Anyhow, this has the action and adventure I want out of my Sci-fi/fantasy reads. I’m tired of all the “romance” I keep buying under false pretenses. This is what I want. Artifacts, treasure, action, obviously a smidge of romance. I want it all! And it is within these pages! What an incredibly fun book. I’m off to read the next one now to see where this story takes us.

This is a once in a blue moon sort of book. Sure, there may have been minor things which I could pick at and criticise but to be honest, I enjoyed it far too much to care!

The storyline follows an organisation known as the House of David consisting of an elite squad trained in how to efficiently retrieve powerful ancient religious artifacts and stop them falling into the wrong hands. The plot follows a member of the House of David, Ethen Dowler, as he battles Sedito, the organisation which oppose them.

I loved the concepts of the mysterious and powerful relics as well as the highly trained House of David operatives. It appealed to me and I found the imagination behind it brilliant!

It was a very fast paced book which was great at gripping the reader (I certainly found it page turning!) as it jumped from one action scene to the next. To be honest, I enjoyed this, it was entertainment at its finest however I could see why some people may believe it takes away from the complexity of the book and might make it less interesting. Having said that, it was refreshing to read a book that was pure entertainment without feeling the need to be more complex with sacrifices to the enjoyability of the read.

Overall I found this book to be highly enjoyable and I loved the imaginative ideas behind it combined with its fast paced nature. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read an entertaining book that grips you without all the fluff of trying to be complex and intellectual for the sake of it. I got this book as a Netgalley review copy and I see that the second one in the series will be released soon, I very much look forward to reading it!

I love it when I find a book that sucks me in and the world around me disappears. This book was amazing, from start to finish. Eden belongs to the House of David, an organization that searches for ancient artifacts with mystical powers. When he is sent on a mission to recover the lost Chains of Peter, he discovers his half-brother Orion. He soon recruits Orion to the cause.

Together they fight against the sinister group called Seditio, a group that is trying to find the artifacts first. But as they work to recover the lost artifacts, Eden begins to question the purposes behind the House of David and his loyalty to it. And did he make a mistake in recruiting his brother to fight for its cause?

The plot was very fast-paced, intense and at times dark and disturbing. But it was oh so good! I loved it and can't wait to start the next book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

I was transported into a new world, it is not very often that I find such an immersive world that hooks me in and this one has done it extremely well. This story is an adventure and it has left me wanting more from this author. There are areas of the tale that are a little disturbing, but not in an off putting way, it adds to the world and the tale.
There is a clean crossing of genres that is done perfectly.

True Winter is one of the best books I've read recently, from the diverse great characters to the religious artefacts and plot twist.

The story is fast paced, Q.K. Petty's writing style pulled me in quickly with the intense action and amazing interactions between friends, enemies and family.
Not shying away from disturbing scenes and writing a villain who stays a villain through it all, it's the found family bonds between broken people that shine.

I adored the broken and quirky characters most of all, my favorite being the main character, Eden.

Overall I will certainly continue this series, it's a refreshing take on religious politics, artefacts, organizations and cults, set in a kind of urban fantasy.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
#TrueWinter #QKPetty #NetGalley