Fertile Valley 1

Fertile Valley, Book 1

Life doesn't come with guaranteed second chances, so when you get them....

Peter Busch-McGinley is a self-employed handyman in Max City. For the last eight years, life has been a downward spiral that left him nothing to show for his pain. But that's about to change.

Unfortunately, Pete's second chance comes at the cost of his very last family member. A letter from Mineral Village arrives at his apartment; old Grandpa Joe passed away, leaving him his farm and all his savings. Although Pete is filled with regret at not being there at his grandfather's end, he decides to accept his inheritance and start a new life in the village where he spent every summer as a child.

But things aren't what they seem. Pete is approached by the patron deity of the Fertile Valley and Mineral Village—the self-described Harvest Goddess. She reveals his destiny as her chosen one, which obviously throws him for a loop. As shocking as that is, it isn't nearly as surprising as what his childhood friend, Queenie Luna, reveals to him.

He has a daughter.

But that's not all. Pete has to navigate the magical Fertile Valley while pursuing his quest on behalf of the Harvest Goddess, all while honoring the legacy of the grandfather he left behind. It won't be easy, but he's not giving up.

©2024 Virgil Knightley and Annabelle Hawthorne (P)2024 Royal Guard Publishing LLC

Almost couldn't finish....

UGH... why do all authors I seem to come across in this "men's fantasy" genre seem to jump straight into one of the absolute biggest pitfalls you can fall in with this category?

Namely, why use such a lazy trope as "a weak simp of a man somehow overcomes all obstacles just because he basically has a good heart?" Then at any sign of real resistance, weaksauce man constantly gets his ass kicked and needs to be saved by someone else, despite being "a chosen one," a "champion," and buffed by 20% extra speed, strength, and stamina by an old norse goddess of warriors?? How does that even begin to make sense?

This guy gets his ass kicked EVERY TIME, despite all the buffs hes getting from the goddess, and he still chooses to try to talk sense to a guy that is literally incapable of rational thought due to a rage curse. Bad guy has literally been beating his ass repeatedly, with the intent to kill him, kidnapped one of his women at gunpoint, and then even shot the main character and would have killed him had his dog not eventually disarmed the baddie and the goddess HERSELF had not stepped in and cheated the system to save his life... and this weaksauce pansy of a guy has the balls to try and flex his "moral superiority" by spouting some crap about "it not being the bad guys fault" he did all the crazy stuff and almost killed multiple people on purpose.

Pro tip to authors: possibly consider when you write these stories that a very, very high percentage of men and women would not consider a guy like that to be a hero, let alone a champion. If a charachter cant defend or protect those they are responsible for, from expressly WEAKER foes, there absolutely will be an instant disconnect, followed by much groaning and head shaking by readers. It is not mens fantasy to get buffed up only to still get your ass kicked. Most normal, good, peace loving men would NOT hesitate to take a bad guy like that out, if only to end the threat to those around them. Only cowards would continue to try to avoid decisively ending a conflict while those he cared about were in very real danger of being hurt, let alone being killed. To many, as revolting as violence and killing may be to them personally, in a similar circumstance they would do ANYTHING to protect loved ones, even if it meant causing another's death.

Entertaining Polyamorous fun

Goddess blessed is this valley. It will be fun to see how the village thrives.

really good

first I have to congratulate the narrators, they did a awesome job with all the voices, singing and noises, it was a great listening.
this history hit right where I like it, some handy work plus adventure, casual and loving. Great job.

so far so good

I like books read by male and female separately. the woman here has a good singing voice and high enough for to pull off a child's voice. well read.

So good!

Such a great story and the narration is top notch. The different accents and voices are exceptional. Highly recommend this book and looking forward to the second book.