# 1.99 US/86p UK - SPOIL OF WAR: An Arthurian Saga - #1 HF w/4.5 Stars in iTunes



## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Elsbeth of Olmsbury desires nothing beyond helping her father run his dukedom -- until the duke's forces are overwhelmed, his castle torched and Elsbeth seized for the invading king's personal spoil. Expecting the same abuse as the other surviving women of her house, Elsbeth instead finds the king, Leodegrance, treating her with a civility that belies his flagrant desire for her. A desire that will have her his consort in Cameliard once he can convince her rank and duty alone forced his hand against her father.

But Elsbeth is not so easily won. There is the matter of Leodegrance gifting his steward with an unwilling young handmaid from Elsbeth's household. Of his marriage of convenience to his Byzantine queen. And of his plans to subjugate more of Britain's citadels and unite the wild isle under Roman rule.

If Elsbeth can't find her tangled way to forgiveness with the king -- or escape the dark designs and perverse desires of Uther Pendragon, enemy to them both - then a legend of Camelot may never be conceived, never be born, and never change history forever ...

_New York Times_ Bestselling and multi-award-winning romance and women's fiction author *Jennifer Blake * has this to say about _Spoil of War_, a women's historical heavy on the romantic elements:



> _"SPOIL OF WAR is a fascinating account of early Britain; a gripping tale of lust, love and the horrors of ancient warfare. Beautifully written, filled with myriad period details and compelling characters, it takes you deep into the heart of a brutal era -- and into the nature of feminine honor, feminine courage. I was enthralled."_


_Please note: This novel takes place in a harsh era when spoils were often treated as commodities. While the violence toward women and children is period-appropriate and for mature adults only, it is never gratuitous. The story focuses on adaptation, survival and, ultimately, love in the Dark Ages before Arthur was made king._

112,000 words; about 440 pages. You can read the first 10,000 words right now.

*$1.99* at: Amazon US
*86p* at: Amazon UK
*$1.99* at: B&N



Thank you for considering _Spoil of War_ as one of your next e-reads!

All best,
Phoenix Sullivan


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards, Phoenix, and congratulations on your book! 

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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the debrief, Ann! I think I'm going to like it here. I've already been warmly welcomed in the Introductions thread, too.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

I'll be helping Jennifer Blake, renowned author of 60+ romances, launch her newest series of Tudor historicals from Mira on my blog, Tuesday, July 26. Hope you'll drop by!

http://phoenixsullivan.blogspot.com


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Part of a review by Chelsea P that offers a taste of what _Spoil of War _ has to offer:

"I have waited a long time for a new Arthurian saga to grip my heart and enrapture my mind. Enchanted by tales of Guinevere and Lancelot as a child, and utterly enamored with Marion Zimmer Bradley's Morgaine in "The Mists of Avalon", I tore hungrily into Sullivan's tale of the fierce and fiery Elsbeth thinking: could this be it? Could it?

"Yes.

"Spoil of War" is breathtaking. This story contains so many things a lover of Arthurian myth desires: passion and loyalty, vengeance and betrayal, all against the backdrop of a Britain so realistically portrayed it was difficult to believe I wasn't actually there experiencing Elsbeth's emotions alongside her. I did not simply understand her emotions. I felt them; felt her rage, her disillusionment, even her conflicted passions. More than anything I felt her desire to be in control of her own life, and found myself rooting for her unabashedly as she fought to gain that control."

See the rest of the review.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Fun fact: Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of _Mists of Avalon_ was my first editor back in the day when she published several of my stories in her multi-author collections.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

This book was recently given an unfavorable review at a major review site. The reviewer had complaints about how she saw the heroine reacting to having been raped. The reading experience that reviewer had is completely valid -- for her. We all read and process stories differently based on our likes, our experiences and our expectations.

That review, however, propogated some factual misconceptions about the book, the nature of its hero, and its placement in history. A number of people who have not read the book are decrying it based on some erroneous disinformation. This is not a "hero rapes heroine and heroine falls in love with him" story. It is not a story that glorifies pedophilia or where rape is dismissed as easily as one dismisses a bout of the flu.

One reviewer found nothing of redeeming value in the story itself.

Other reviewers have left detailed reviews describing what they found uplifting about the book.

All these reviews are valid in that they reflect the personal experience each reader gained from their reading.

If violence toward women in any context is not something you care to read about, then I urge you not to read this book. In fact, from the first I have included a note on the description page that points out there is violence involving women and children (a 12-year-old girl in a subplot).

If complex situations regarding what choices women who are considered chattel have when faced with violence and seeing how one woman triumphs over those constraints sounds like something you'd be interested in, check out the first 10,000 words and decide for yourself if Elsbeth is someone worth spending time with and rooting for.


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## 41352 (Apr 4, 2011)

Phoenix, I trust you to get historical facts right and am looking forward to reading your novel. I bought it, now I just need to find the time to sit undisturbed and dive into Arthurian legend.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Whether you love it or hate it (and if you go by the reviews, there's no inbetween ), you'll be sure to be talking about it. 

I do urge you to choose something else to read if a bit of grit and realism isn't your cuppa and if you're disturbed by women acting within the constraints of their time to achieve what level of happiness is afforded them. That certainly doesn't mean this novel contains scene after scene of unrelenting violence and despair; the novel is, ultimately, about love and hope. Simply, the sharper the contrast between despair and hope, the sweeter the value of hope in the end.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

While the reviews on Amazon continue to be pretty divisive, the ever-popular Mrs. Giggles gave the book a 76 and had this, in part, to say:

"*Spoil Of War* is, at the end of the day, an intriguing read. It's a big and ambitious epic historical tale, a down-to-earth reinterpretation of the myth behind Uther Pendragon, and I think I actually _like _ this book for the risks it attempts to pull off and the occasional brilliance here and there."

Check out the full review at http://mrsgiggles.com/books/sullivan_spoil.html


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Limited time only! Just 99 cents.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

The *FREE * offer will end very soon! (Likely by this weekend.)

Please do read the cautions in the description about strong content. While the violence toward women and children is situation-appropriate and never gratuitous nor graphic, some readers have responded negatively to it.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

The Free Promotion continues (although a price change has been submitted)! 

Strong caution: The subject matter is not to everyone's taste. If a book that has rape and child molestation - even sensitively and non-gratuitously portrayed - troubles you, this book isn't for you.  

Do note that the ratings at Apple iBooks are much more generous than those on Amazon - 30 reviews at Apple average 4.5 stars (no 1-star reviews at all), with a 5-star text review.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Apple iTunes seems to want to make this a permanent promotion . Until they remove it off the free shelf, Amazon will continue to offer it for free as well.

After a little over 3 weeks of being free at the Apple iTunes store, _Spoil of War_ continues to be the *#1* free download in Historical Fantasy and on the What's Hot list for all of Fantasy as well as Historical Romance.

In the Amazon free store after 2.5 weeks of being free, it's still:
#1 Historical Fantasy
#8 All Fantasy
#12 Historical Romance
#61 All Romance

Let me once again stress that the subject matter will not be to everyone's taste as the reviews on Amazon clearly demonstrate, but that the content is handled sensitively.

Please do note that *30 of 52 *  ratings at Apple are *5 stars*, with another 13 being 4 stars for an overall average of *4.5 stars*.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

While Apple iBooks continues to keep _Spoil of War_ free, Amazon will continue to price match 

In the Apple store, after 1 month, _Spoil of War_ is still the #1 free book in Historical Fantasy and continues to be featured in the What's Hot sections for all of Fantasy and Historical Romance.

Out of 63 ratings on Apple, _Spoil of War _ now has 38 5-stars and 16 4-stars. And of the 3 text reviews that have been left, all are 5-star.

Amazon review ratings continue to be mixed, yet after 3.5 weeks of being free, _Spoil of War_ continues to rank quite favorably in the free store, at #3 in Historical Fantasy, #20 in all of Fantasy, #14 in Historical Romance and #86 in all of Romance (although not a conventional romance, it does have romantic elements).

Over 20,000 readers have now downloaded _Spoil of War_.

Please do be aware that rape and child abuse (of a secondary character) are part of this story, although they _are _ handled sensitively.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

The free promotion has ended in the US. UK readers, though, can still snag a copy for free for a limited time!


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Despite what some of the Amazon reviews may imply, _Spoil of War_ is not erotica. I have no prejudice against erotic fiction, but someone who buys _Spoil _ thinking it _is _ erotica will be disappointed. I'd rank it about a 3 out of 5 on the steam scale. Sensual, yes, but not even spicy.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

The free promo in the UK has ended, but UK readers can still get a copy for only 86p for a limited time!


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

iBook readers have embraced this book: #1 in historical fantasy in the Canadian iTunes store for over a week, and now #1 in Australia, too. Still in the Top 10 in historical fantasy in the US.

Over 22,000 Kindle readers downloaded _Spoil of War _ when it was free. Still just $1.99 in the US. Do read the content warnings before buying. The subject matter is sensitively portrayed (as the iBook readers seem to agree), but some folk will find it objectionable.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

_Spoil of War_ also became the #1 bestseller in historical fantasy in the UK iTunes store this past week. 93 ratings in the US store average 4.5 stars, and it's currently the #4 historical fantasy there.

Amazon reviews are correct in that some of the subject matter is controversial. Apple ratings indicate that many readers don't find the subject matter to be quite so flagrant as others have found it. Still, if matters of rape or child molestation concern you, even if they are not vividly or gratuitously presented, this book is not for you. For all others, this story is ultimately about love and preservation of self and honor in a brutal world.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

_Spoil of War_ continues to be the *#1 historical fantasy * read in the UK and Canada iTunes stores, *#3* in Australia and *#8* in the US.

Over 150 reader ratings across the stores average *4.3 stars*, with *101 5-star ratings*.

Still just $*1.99* in the US.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

On Jan 14, _Spoil of War _ was the *#3* Historical Fantasy in the US iTunes store. It was the *#1 Historical Fantasy* in the UK, Canada and Australia stores.

In the US store, _Spoil of War _ has a *solid 4.5-star rating*. Across all the regional stores, it has *over 100 5-star ratings*.The mixed reviews on Amazon should be a reminder that the story has some difficult subject matter that should be taken into consideration before purchasing.


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## jumbojohnny (Dec 25, 2011)

I will be giving this a whirl very soon, looks good.


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