Review: Stray Magic by Kelly Meding

Stray Magic

Author: Kelly Meding

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Strays Book #1

ISBN:  0062847678

ISBN13: 9780062847676

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher

Shiloh Harrison was hoping for a few days off to recover from a particularly nasty assignment, preferably with the help of the talented hands (and, well, the rest of his body too) of her sexy boyfriend, Vincent. But when a group of vampires takes an entire trailer park hostage, there’s nothing to do but make her apologies and get to the scene.

Such is the life of a Federal Marshal in the Paranormal Investigators Unit.

Yet this isn’t like her typical track-and-nab case: something is going on that has vampires scared, and it takes all her strength not to imagine what could frighten such powerful creatures. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have that option. Her boss is MIA, someone is snatching vampires, and there’s a ticking clock that can only end one way: a bloodbath.

Unless she can stop it.

Shiloh was interesting. She's was both likable and easy to understand. I enjoyed learning about Shiloh's unit. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but worked well together.  I guess there is a prequel to STRAY MAGIC in the Carniepunk anthology titled FREAK HOUSE. It is set many years in the past and tells more of Shiloh's story, the world and the relationship between Shiloh and the other members of her team. If I would have known about it before picking this book up, I would have read it. I think some of the information would have made a few things in STRAY MAGIC make more sense.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of both the world and the storyline involved in STRAY MAGIC.  I didn't feel like anything was overly obvious in the story and I really enjoyed the mystery behind everything.

I wasn't crazy about the boyfriend portion of the story. Shiloh talks about being happy with and possibly wanting more with Vincent, but when he was in danger I didn't get that vibe from her. She cared, but it was kinda in the background. I really liked Tennyson though. They had great chemistry and I hope he is back and something blossoms between them in book two.

STRAY MAGIC ended with some things left unfinished. STRAY MOON will be here in November of 2018 and I plan to read it.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

New Releases: 6/17-6/23

Tue. June 19th

 The Anomaly by Michael Rutger
 Curse of the Black Swan (League of the Black Swan #1.5) by Alyssa Day
 The Mermaid by Christina Henry
 Outcasts of Order (The Saga of Recluce #20) by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
 The Privilege of Peace (Peacekeeper #3) by Tanya Huff

 Stray Magic: A Strays Novel (Strays #1) by Kelly Meding
 Vampire's Faith (Dark Protectors #8) by Rebecca Zanetti 
 Witchmark (Witchmark #1) by C.L. Polk

Happy Reading!!

Interview + Giveaway: When Darkness Follows by Athena Daniels

UFI welcomes Author Athena Daniels. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

That’s such a good question! I’m a country girl. I grew up in a very small town in South Australia, that even to this day, doesn’t have a single set of traffic lights. It’s on a long stretch of highway and is one of those ‘blink and you miss it’ towns you drive through on the way to somewhere else. I lived on a farm with lots of animals including sheep, and even had a pet Wedge-tailed eagle.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Now that I’m a writer, reading is a luxury I cherish. I love paperbacks, and where possible choose a real book over kindle as I enjoy the break from a screen. I enjoy spending time with my family and long walks along the beach, collecting shells with my boys.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

Writing is my ‘me time’. I love everything about it, the peace, the solitude. I love the feeling of creating something from nothing.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

I don’t have any routines that I must follow, but I find myself writing my best work during the hours of 4 and 6 a.m. before my boys wake up. When I first started writing, this was the only time I could carve out for ‘me’, and now it has become my most treasured time of the day. I wake up, make myself a strong coffee, light my favorite candle, and write away! I find it’s the time where my mind is the clearest, most focused, as it is not cluttered with the million details of everyday life.


What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?

There are so many! I’m an avid reader, and always have several books on the go at any one time, both fiction and non-fiction. I love reading accounts of true paranormal experiences and enjoy anything mysterious and unexplained. I enjoyed the Karina Halle EIT series, and all of Sylvia Day’s paranormal books. I loved the True Blood series by Charlaine Harris, and of course, the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward.

How would you pitch Beyond the Grave series to someone who has not heard of it before?

In a tagline? Sexy, supernatural thrillers that will send chills down your spine.
The series is a combination of a steamy romance and an edge of your seat paranormal thriller.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that When Darkness Follows is set in?

When Darkness Follows is set in a fictional town north of Perth, Western Australia.

One night, a cancelled gig for her band, Trinity Beat, leaves Rachel and her band members at a loose end and they wind up exploring a haunted ghost ship. Rachel and her friends don’t believe anything will happen. Why would they? Ghosts don’t exist, right? But Rachel and her friends do disturb something that night. Something demonic. Something that lured Rachel to the ship. And now one of her friends is dead, the other is missing, and Rachel’s memory of the night is gone. There’s only one thing she knows for sure: whatever killed her friend has followed her home.

The ghost ship aspect of When Darkness Follows was inspired from a real haunted shipwreck located not far from where I live called, The Alkimos.

Do you have a favorite scene in When Darkness Follows?
 
I enjoy writing the spooky suspense thread throughout the series, but my favorite scenes are the romantic thread between the main couple of each story. I love the tension, the seeming impossibility of their relationship.

Here’s an excerpt from When Darkness Follows: (It’s not a steamy one!)

Daniel stood, brushed the sand off his jeans, and paced down to the water’s edge. She felt the loss of his presence at her side powerfully, like someone had put out a fire, the only source of heat on a blustery winter night. A chill seeped into her veins.
Oh no you don’t. You don’t get to start this conversation then simply walk away.
Leaving her strappy sandals behind, she walked to him. He had his back to her, his arms folded across his chest, and her body ached for him.
Rachel stood at his side, stared out at the ocean, breathed in a deep lungful of salty air. “You have no right to be angry.”
He whipped his head around, his eyes burning brightly. “Don’t I?”
Rachel’s face heated. “No,” she snapped. “It’s not as though we were in a relationship or anything.” He’d promised her casual; his reaction now screamed anything but.
His eyes continued to blaze. The intensity of his gaze made her feel naked, scorched her skin. Emotions she couldn’t read rolled off him in tumultuous waves. He reached out and she involuntarily flinched. His hand froze, then continued forward, taking a strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear.
“You don’t trust me.” His eyes searched her face, a muscle along his jaw twitching. “What have I done to cause that?”
Rachel’s throat tightened painfully.
I don’t know how to be near you and not let you into my heart.
Even now, after seeing him again for such a short time, he had her questioning her resolve.
“Don’t do that,” he growled.
“Don’t do what?” Rachel asked, hugging her arms around her stomach.
“That!” Daniel untucked her arms, ran his hands down to her wrists. His grip was tight, his touch searing her skin. “You stopped returning my calls, refused to see me. You shut me down in the coffee shop earlier, left without an explanation, and you’re shutting me out again now.”
Rachel pulled out of his grip and began walking along the beach. Daniel watched her for a moment, his long stride making it easy for him to catch up. He kept pace beside her as Max ran off ahead, splashing in the waves.
They were silent for a long time before he spoke. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“By this, you mean us.”
“Yes.” She couldn’t meet his eyes.
“I haven’t been a detective for all these years without spotting bullshit when I see it. Your words tell me you don’t want me, but everything else about you tells me that’s a lie.”
Daniel stopped walking and gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. He stared at her long and hard, then pulled her flush against him, his erection pressing into her stomach.
“Do you feel what you do to me? I want you, Rachel, like I’ve never wanted another woman. And I know you want me too.” His voice was deep, rough. It sent a tremor rippling through her. Wanting him wasn’t the problem.
He traced the back of his finger down the heated skin on her cheek as she looked up at him. “Your skin is so beautiful when it’s flushed, so pink.”
His finger trailed across her jaw, down her neck. He lowered his mouth and his teeth grazed the tender skin on the side of her neck. She cried out, desire pooling hot and demanding between her thighs.
It was cruel how much she wanted him. How much her body craved his touch. Her head fell back as his tongue worked its way up her neck, flicking at her skin. He stopped to suck on a particularly sensitive spot. A moan escaped her mouth, and he crushed his lips against hers. Ah hell.
She was going to regret this later, wasn’t she?



What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

I am just finishing my latest novel now, but it is not part of the Beyond the Grave series. It is something quite different. The details, including even the title is under wraps at the moment, but I’ll be making announcements very soon! It’s scheduled for release in November this year.


Thanks so much for having me! I have loved being here. :) I hope that if you get a chance to read When Darkness Follows, you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Athena x

 

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Athena Daniels is the #1 international bestselling author of the award-winning Beyond the Grave paranormal romance series and the romantic thriller Desperate.

In 2016, Athena was nominated for Author of the Year and Best New Author in AusRom Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards.

Her novel Girl Unseen won the Silver Medal in the 2017 Readers’ Favorite® International Book Awards and was awarded a Silver Medal in the 2017 Literary Titan Book Awards. Girl Unseen was an “Official Selection” in the New Apple Literary Awards, and was also nominated for 2017 Book of the Year in AusRom Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards.

The Seer’s Daughter was the solo Medalist Winner in the Suspense/Thriller category of the 2016 New Apple Annual Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing.

The Seer’s Daughter was also a finalist in the 11th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards in Suspense and in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite® International Book Awards. Additionally, The Seer’s Daughter was nominated for 2016 Book of the Year and 2016 Cover of the Year in AusRom Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards.

Girl Unseen and The Seer’s Daughter are both 5-star Top Picks at The Romance Reviews.
Athena has a natural curiosity about the “more” there is in life and holds several qualifications in metaphysics and natural therapies. She is a neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner, life coach, and feng shui specialist.

Athena lives on the northern beaches of sunny Western Australia.

Find Athena and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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 When Darkness Follows
Beyond the Grave #4
Amazon US Amazon AU Amazon UK
Amazon Canada BN iTunes

The only man who can save her, is the one she swore she’d never see again…

Rachel Sommers and her two best friends don’t believe anything will happen when they sneak onto a haunted shipwreck in the middle of the night. Why would they? Ghosts don’t actually exist… right?

But Rachel and her friends disturb something that night. Something demonic. Something that lured Rachel to the ship. And now one of her friends is dead, the other is missing, and Rachel’s memory of the night is gone. There’s only one thing she knows for sure: whatever killed her friend has followed her home.

Over a century ago, an act of bitter jealousy and revenge tainted a crystal ball with an unstoppable evil. And when the deadly object eerily turns up in her bedroom, Rachel’s nightmare really begins.


The only man who can help her, is the one she swore she’d never see again.

Ex-Special Forces detective Daniel Smith takes the case the moment Rachel’s name appears on his screen. Rachel is the only woman he’s ever loved, but despite their explosive chemistry, she’s determined to keep him at a distance.

With Rachel’s life on the line, the disturbing truth about her ancestry and the possessed object she has inherited must be uncovered. But is it already too late? Daniel will risk everything to save the woman he loves, but how can he win this lethal game of cat and mouse against a killer that is not flesh and blood?

Excerpt:

Rachel wrapped her arms around Daniel’s neck and kissed him back with a ferocity that surprised her. All the emotion, the turmoil, of the last two weeks, the last year, moved through her. She couldn’t remember why keeping away from him was so important. Something about self-respect and needing to be more than just an occasional fuck to someone.
Daniel crushed her to his body, his tongue delving inside her mouth, tracing across her teeth. He took control of the kiss, like the man controlled everything else in his life. The heat of his mouth set her blood on fire, and her body submitted to his natural dominance.
He groaned, holding her to him so tightly she couldn’t breathe. But she didn’t need her own oxygen when she could breathe his.
Daniel walked her away from the water to where the sand was dry and still warm from the sun. He fell to the sand, pulling her down on top of him. She laughed in surprise.
His sunglasses fell off his head as he looked up at her. He cupped the back of her neck, guided her head down and kissed her hard. She couldn’t think, couldn’t feel anything but him.
Her soft, white denim skirt slid up her thighs as she spread her legs and sat on his hips. His erection, firmly encased in his jeans, pressed against her lacy white panties. She rubbed against him, needed to, and his eyes flickered closed. He groaned, the sound sending fire racing through her veins.
“I want you so bad.” Daniel’s grip tightened on her hips, the roughness in his tone thrilling her.
This was what was familiar between them. This rawness and this uncontrollable desire.
“Tell me you still want this.”
Rachel nodded.
“I said tell me.”
The bite of authority in the command made her blood race. Her mouth dried, and she swallowed twice before she could speak.
“I want this.”
Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them, emotion swirled heavily in his gaze.
“Tell me you still want me.” His body went rigid as he waited for her answer, and her heart stuttered to a stop.
“I want you,” she said, the truth and a lie all at once. God she wanted him! Right now, in this moment, she wanted him more than her next breath.
Daniel sat up, cradling her in his lap, her legs wrapped around his hips as he kissed her again, long and deep. She thrust her hands in his thick hair, holding him hard as his hands ran up her thighs, his thumbs tracing along the seams of her panties and making her core clench with anticipation.
He lifted the hem of her top, his palm scorching the soft skin on her stomach as he moved to cup her breast. His expression looked pained, his chest rising and falling as his breathing grew labored.
As much pleasure as he gave her, she loved watching how much simply touching her aroused him.
“A year,” Daniel growled. “A whole fucking year.”
She cried out as his fingers found a hardened nipple and squeezed. Pleasure, white-hot and overwhelming, filled her, stole her breath.
His other hand slid the thin fabric of her panties aside, his thumb gently tracing along her slick entrance. Her heart skittered in her chest, her pulse roaring past her ears.
“You need this too,” he said, his voice a low rasp. “Don’t tell me you don’t.”
Tears burned her eyes, and she squeezed her lids closed to hide her reaction to his words. She needed him? Dear God! She fucking craved him.
And then he’d leave…
And she’d be left empty, wanting him. Frustration caused her to cry out at the same time his thumb slipped inside her, and the sound was disguised as pleasure.
Frustration and pleasure: those two extremes described what she had with Daniel perfectly.
Max barked, and they both looked up to see him bounding through the thick sand toward them. He barked again, and Rachel followed his gaze and noticed two people at the top of the sand dunes, making their way to the water.
“Fuck,” Daniel growled.
How like Daniel to always make her feel as though they were the only two people in the world. She pressed her forehead against his, his ragged breath warm across her skin. Before the couple could see them clearly, she rolled off Daniel and tugged her skirt back into place, her body still tingling with the feel of his touch.

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Week in Review: 6/10-6/16

Books Received for Review

Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire

Books I've Read

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
Awaken the Darkness by Dianne Duvall
Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire

Reviews Posted

Hunt the Moon by Kari Cole
Venom in the Vein by Jennifer Estep
Savior of Midnight by Debbie Cassidy

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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Friday- Interview + Giveaway for Dragon’s Rogue by Anastasia Wilde

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

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Networked Blogs

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You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.

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 * I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Interview + Giveaway: Dragon’s Rogue by Anastasia Wilde

UFI welcomes Author Anastasia Wilde. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

Let’s see… I’m a huge fan of pro tennis. Like, I have apps on my phone where I check scores all the time, and I know stats for top players. Don’t even try to talk to me during the finals of a major tournament. Because no.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Down time? I’m a self-published author…what is this thing you call ‘down time’?

Seriously, though, I like to ice skate and I like to draw, but my drawings are usually copied from photos because I suck at drawing things from my imagination. I also loooove road trips, but I haven’t had time to take many in the last couple years.

What is your Favorite part of writing? 

I like revising. I hate loathe and despise writing first drafts, so I just try to get something down as fast as I can, and then I can do the magic part where it turns into a real fleshed-out scene before my eyes. My favorite part of being an author is hearing from readers who love my books! It still blows my mind that I have real readers.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

I would probably be better off if I had routines but I don’t. I usually tell myself I’m going to start writing first thing in the morning and then I let myself get distracted by marketing stuff instead, until I panic and then make myself sit down and do my writing for the day.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?

I read a lot of paranormal romance, and some of my favorite authors are TS Joyce and Zoe Chant. I also love Gail Carriger’s steampunk Victorian urban fantasy, like the Finishing School series and Parasol Protectorate – so fun! Straight-up urban fantasy, one of my favorites is Mark Henwick’s Bite Back series. A whole new take on vampires and werewolves, and a totally kickass female main character.

How would you pitch Dragon’s Rogue and the Wild Dragons series to someone who has not heard of it before?

The evil Dragon Lord Vyrkos is about to rise from captivity in a devastating volcanic eruption. Only the Greystone brothers can stop him—and only if they find the three women prophesied to hold the keys to sealing Vyrkos’ tomb forever.

Dragon’s Rogue is the story of dragon shifter Zane Greystone and his Destined Mate, Blaze McKenna—a powerful witch who holds the first Seal to Vyrkos’ tomb. But only true love can reveal the Seal and unleash its power.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that the Wild Dragons series is set in? 

It’s set in our world, in Portland, Oregon. Except nearby Mount Hood isn’t just a dormant volcano—it’s got an ancient, evil Dragon Lord sleeping under it, who’s about to wake up and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting citizens. There are also witches and dark sorcerers and hellhounds and some scary magic, and dragons watch over the city and everyone in it.

Do you have a favorite scene in Dragon’s Rogue?

There’s a scene where Blaze confronts the Greystone brothers at a party, thinking they’re members of the evil coven that’s hunting her down. Certain hot dragon shifters end up strung up by their wrists, while Blaze tears their shirts off (with magic) looking for their coven tattoos (which they don’t have). There’s romantic moonlight, female badassiness, dragons in tuxes, and eight-pack abs. What’s not to love?

Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about? 

Both the favorite and the hardest were from my previous series, the Bad Blood Shifters. Flynn, the alpha of the crew and hero of Book 5, Bad Blood Alpha, is my favorite. He’s a larger-than-life badass who’s not intimidated by anything or anyone. He also doesn’t give a **** what anyone says or thinks, and says whatever he wants to whoever he wants, so he’s really fun to write. (He also cusses a LOT. Be warned: my books are not a cuss-free zone.)

The hardest was Jasmin, the heroine of Bad Blood Wolf. She’s a tough-as-nails brawler  jaguar (and a cage fighting champion), who’d already appeared as a minor character in a couple of books. It was hard to find a way to write from inside her head—most badass people don’t go around thinking about how badass they are all day (at least, not the ones you want to read about). But showing her softer, more vulnerable side while staying true to the gruff, wild exterior I’d already established was a challenge.


What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

Wild Dragons Book 2, Dragon’s Rebel, is up for pre-order now, so I’m working hard to finish it in time for the release date (July 29). Book 3, Dragon’s Storm, is due out in October. Somewhere in there I’m also planning to go back to a character from my very first book, Fugitive Mate—a healer named Trish. She and another character from Bad Blood Alpha have a date with destiny. That’s all I’m sayin’.
 

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Anastasia Wilde lives in the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest, where sexy shifters may or may not be found hiding among the tall, ancient trees. She loves to write paranormal romances about wild, passionate shifter men and the strong women who are destined to win their hearts. Broken, complicated, devoted, protective—love heals their wounds and smooths their rough edges (but not too much!). When not writing, Anastasia enjoys traveling, nomming on any food involving bacon or melty cheese (ideally both), adding to her magical crystal collection, or relaxing with a glass of wine, watching the sun set behind the mountains.

Find Anastasia and her books

Newsletter / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Dragon's Rogue 
Wild Dragons #1
Amazon

He’s loved her in his dreams for a hundred years. Now he’s finally found her, and he’ll do anything to make her is own…

The evil Dragon Lord Vyrkos is about to rise from captivity in a devastating volcanic eruption. Only the Greystone brothers can stop him—and only if they find the three women who hold the keys to sealing Vyrkos’ tomb forever.

Blaze McKenna is a witch hiding out from her former coven. After stealing their most powerful artifact to keep them from destroying themselves, she’s been preparing for the day when the coven leader will hunt her down and try to take it back.

A battle that only one of them will walk away from.

So when smoking hot dragon shifter Zane Greystone offers to help her fight the coven in return for her handing over one of the Seals to Vyrkos’ tomb, it sounds like the perfect plan—except for two problems.

She doesn’t know where the Seal is.

And the dragon doesn’t just want her help—he wants her heart, body and soul.

Dragon’s Rogue is the first book in Anastasia Wilde’s epic new trilogy, Wild Dragons. Each book features one couple, hot steamy dragon love, HEA, no cliffhangers!

Rated steamy – contains explicit sex but not erotica

 Excerpt 1:

The butler gestured to the terrace doors on the other side of the room. He stepped discreetly back into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Zane took a deep breath, and then walked between the fluttering sheer curtains out onto the terrace. He caught a glimpse of an expanse of starry sky before he turned to meet the woman whose house he'd broken into the night before. The woman from his dream visions.

“Hello,” he said, extending his hand. “Thank you for meeting me. I—”

That was as far as he got. Two silken ropes twined around his wrists and yanked, as if held by invisible hands. Before he could react, he was suspended a few inches off the ground, his arms spread over his head in a Y-shape.

She’d outsmarted him. He was trapped.

Before he could say a word, Blaze made a swift movement with her hands. His shirt ripped open down the front and spread wide, exposing his heart.

Oh, hell, Zane thought. This can’t be good. She must have recognized him from last night.

And she was clearly holding a grudge.

Blaze walked right up to him, ignoring his struggles, and ran her hands over his chest. The heat from her fingers seemed to strike all the way down into his bones.

His exclamation turned into a murmured exhale. “What the hell are you doing to me?”

“Where’s your tattoo?” she demanded.

“My what?”

He had no idea what she was talking about. ‘Thorne?’ he called mentally to his brother. ‘Little help here? I’m on the terrace outside the study.’ He projected a picture of its location. ‘Come from outside. Cloak yourself. We’re having an issue with the lovely Ms. McKenna.’

His brother replied, ‘Saw you leave. Already on my way.’

“Your coven tattoo. Where is it?” Blaze jerked her hand back, walked around behind him, and magically ripped the back of his shirt and jacket as well. He shivered at the sudden touch of the night air on his bare skin.

Or maybe it was her making him shiver.

He felt her fingers on his left shoulder blade, and sucked in his breath involuntarily. Just that small contact sent electricity shooting through his body.

She thought he was a sorcerer. An evil one, if the way he was hanging from his wrists like laundry on a clothesline was anything to go by.

“I’m not in a coven,” he told her.

She came around to face him again. “You must be. You’re too powerful to be solo, and I felt power in the others, too. Stop lying.”

There was a sudden gust of wind, and Zane felt Thorne’s dragon presence just above the terrace. Then his brother shifted mid-air, uncloaked and landed on the terrace behind Blaze, in human form.

‘Watch out, bro.’ he cautioned silently. ‘She has a spell—’

Too late.

The minute Thorne’s feet hit the balcony, more silken ropes sprang to life and he was strung up the same way Zane was. Blaze whipped around and tore Thorne’s shirt open with her magic.

Damn. Beautiful witch: 2, Dragons: 0

Not the heroic first impression he’d intended to make.

Blaze backed up, looking from one to the other. “All right,” she said. “No tattoos, no coven. So spill it. Who are you people, why were you after my artifact, and how much pain do I have to put you through to get it back?”

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Review: Savior of Midnight by Debbie Cassidy

Savior of Midnight

Author: Debbie Cassidy

Release Date: June 14, 2018

Publisher: Self-published

Chronicles of Midnight Book #5

ASIN:  B07BRZNSZY

Genre: Reverse Harem
Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: Author

The fifth and final installment in the Thrilling Urban Fantasy series. Join Serenity as she faces her greatest challenge yet.

A Kick-ass Urban Fantasy with a slow burn reverse harem romance.
 
Angels, Fallen, nephilim and Arthurian legend are given a fresh twist in this thrilling urban Fantasy series. Fans of Lost girl, True blood, and Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series will surely enjoy it. Scroll up to grab your copy today!

SAVIOR OF MIDNIGHT was a decent ending to an enjoyable series.

There were a lot of ups and downs in SAVIOUR OF MIDNIGHT. Some good parts, some bad parts.

I want to talk about the romance. I wanted more out of SAVIOR OF MIDNIGHT in that department. I felt like a lot happened behind the scenes and I would have rather it had happened on page. I kinda felt jipped and seeing as this is a paranormal romance/reverse harem series It would have been nice if that was the focus of things.

The world was great in this series. It is very complex, but I didn't feel lost in it. I enjoyed its many parts and the way they worked in the story. There was plenty of action in previous books and the final book. I felt that the final showdown was a little lackluster after the lead up, but it accomplished the final task.

Overall I am satisfied with how the Chronicles of Midnight series progressed. I am glad I read the series and plan to read more from this author.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Venom in the Veins by Jennifer Estep

Venom in the Veins

Author: Jennifer Estep

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Self-Published

Elemental Assassin Book #17

ASIN:  B07CQ7XBTK

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Author

Blood might be thicker than water, but venom is stronger than just about anything …

It was supposed to be a nice, quiet, simple dinner with friends—but nothing is ever nice, quiet, or simple when you’re Gin Blanco, the Spider, notorious assassin and current queen of the Ashland underworld.

This time around, someone seems to be targeting Stuart Mosley, the president of First Trust bank. Lots of people have grudges against Mosley, but the more I investigate, the more Mosley’s problems seem to be connected to some of my own, especially when it comes to the Circle, the evil, shadowy group that is secretly responsible for much of the crime and corruption in Ashland.

But when another blast from my dark and deadly past as the Spider comes to light, I wonder if I’ll be able to survive this dangerous new enemy, who has a burning thirst for revenge that will only be satisfied with one thing: my death.

I have made no secret that the Elemental Assassins series is one of my must read series. I love Gin, I love the world, I love the characters and I love the storylines. Having said that, I am not as excited about the books as I once was. I still love Gin, the world and the characters, but the storylines need some freshness injected into them. It seems like we are just continuing on the Gin vs old enemies/old enemies children bandwagon and I really want something new.

Although it started on the slower side, VENOM IN THE VEINS was filled with the usual action and mystery that is always involved in a Gin Blanco story. As usual her cast of family and friends help her into and out of trouble as Gin kicks the bad guys butts.

When the sad day comes that Jennifer Estep decides to retire Gin Blanco I really hope we will get one final story that shows her happily ever after because she suffers more than anyone and I just want to see her married with babies at the end of all the pain she endures.

The ending of VENOM IN THE VEINS actually gives me some hope that we will get something new in book 18. We finally get some pretty huge news about who the head of the circle is. I don't want to give away spoilers, but I will say that my heart about dropped thinking that the person was actually someone else. I can't NOT read Gin when she is available so bring on more.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.