Sorry for being so MIA lately on the blog and Twitter. I've been a bit under the weather and it's taking me longer than I anticipated to get back into reading and blogging, but now that I'm getting back into the swing of things, I'm happy to highlight the second book in A.H. Richardson's series, Jorie and the Gold Key. You can read my review and an excerpt of the first book here.
Jorie and the Gold Key by A.H. Richardson
Publisher: Serano Press
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 247
Published: November 25th, 2015
Source: In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the author.
Why I wanted to read this: Continuation of Jorie and Rufus' adventures. Plus there are dragons. 
In book one of the series, Jorie had just moved into Mortimer Manor with her great Aunt Letty and started a friendship with her next door neighbor, Rufus. The two find a mysterious book leading them to a small lake or "Tarn" which then transported them to Cabrynthian. A world of dragons, shape-shifters and a struggle between The Great One, a Wizard and Lord Fodomalk an evil sorcerer from Shyloxia, who was trying to capture the powers of three magical stones for himself. Jorie and Rufus were tasked with locating the three stones for the Great One so that he could protect them from Lord Fodomalk.
Jorie and the Gold Key takes place shortly after the events of book one, Lord Fodomalk has taken possession of the three magical stones and plans to use their power to unite Cabrnthius and Shyloxia under his rule. However, Jorie is still the Atir or chosen one and despite Lord Fodomalk having the stones, he still fears that she has some power to defeat him. Meanwhile, Jorie has been on a trip with her great Aunt Letty and upon returning to Mortimer Manor learns that Rufus is stuck entertaining Nigel, a friend of his grandfather's grandson. Nigel is quite stuck on himself and isn't quite the exploring type, which complicates things when Jorie and Rufus' are summoned to return to Cabrynthius in order to save the world once again. Despite their reservations, Jorie and Rufus take Nigel with them to Cabrnthius, where he is kidnapped by Lord Fodomalk to try and extract information on Jorie's plans. Things quickly escalate into a rescue and retrieval of the magical stones from Shyloxia.
The first book in the series, Jorie and The Magic Stones, really had that sort of classic feel to it. Two kids exploring around Mortimer Manor, the Tarn and being whisked to another world for an adventure. There was just the right amount of tension to keep it interesting and did I mention there was a baby dragon who acted like a puppy? The second installment has a similar adventurous feel to it. Jorie and Rufus make plans to return to the Cave of Fire with the key they found while exploring it in the first book to determine what it unlocks, and whether or not they can use what is inside to defeat Lord Fodomalk. Nigel at first comes off as snooty and full of himself, but he really grew on me and seemed to round out the trio. Professor Schrinch, Rufus' former teacher, also made an appearance, and I particularly liked how he seemed to turn over a new leaf by trying to help Nigel while they are locked up inside of Shyloxia together. As I said before, the fantasy elements are written well, there is plenty of adventure coupled with humor and the short chapters, making this an ideal read-aloud. Overall, a wonderful friendship story and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
About the Author:
A. H. Richardson was born in London England and is the daughter of famous pianist and composer Clive Richardson. She studied drama and acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a musician, a painter and sculptor, and now an Author.
She published her debut novel Jorie and the Magic Stones in December 2014. At the request of those who loved the first ‘Jorie’ story, Richardson wrote the sequel, Jorie and the Gold Key, and she is currently working on the third book in the series.
She is also the author of Murder in Little Shendon, a thriller murder mystery which takes place in a quaint little village in England after World War Two, and introduces two sleuths, Sir Victor Hazlitt and his sidekick, Beresford Brandon, a noted Shakespearian actor. She has more ‘who-dun-its’ planned for this clever and interesting duo… watch for them!
A. H. Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee, her adopted state, and has three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs. She speaks four languages and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on writing many more books and hopes to delight her readers further with her British twist, which all her books have.
To learn more, go to https://ahrichardson.com/
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