Review: Stray Moon by Kelly Meding (@KellyMeding, @HarperVoyagerUS)

Stray Moon

Author: Kelly Meding

Release Date: February 5, 2019

Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse

Strays Book #2

ISBN:   0062847694

ISBN13: 9780062847690

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

Para-Marshal Shiloh Harrison has always been a great number two for the East Coast unit. But after her boss is found dead (having betrayed the paranormals he was sworn to protect), she’s suddenly thrust into a leadership role she isn’t prepared for. And it doesn’t help that she traded away memories of one of her most important team members to save another’s life during her last mission.

Too, she’s in charge of a unit that is mired in bureaucratic red tape, meaning she’s essentially under house arrest. But a West Coast Para-Marshal has astral-projected a warning: werewolves are going missing, and she needs Shiloh’s help. Last time it was vampires. This time it’s werewolves. Half-djinn herself, she knows she can’t just sit around and do nothing while paranormals are getting snatched. Her old boss may have broken his oath, but Shiloh will do anything to serve and protect.

The East Coast unit of the Para-Marshals went through a lot in STRAY MAGIC. Their team is no longer whole, but when they find out that werewolves are going missing Shiloh is determined to help.

There was a ton of mystery going on in STRAY MOON. I enjoyed all of the investigating aspects of the storyline. Shiloh—and her mother— get a pretty big shock when their connection to the bad guy is revealed. I didn't see it coming either.

There really isn't any romance involved in STRAY MOON, but the connection between Shiloh and Jaxon grows as she slowly learns about the connection that they lost when her memories were taken. I'm still really confused about Tennyson. Sometimes I feel like there is a small romantic connection between him and Shiloh and then other times I just feel a sort of sister/brother protection vibe happening. Either way, they work really well together and I hope he continues to want to tag along with her and her team on future adventures.

There was plenty of action, the world building continues to grow the world and the characters continue to entertain and intrigue me. The Strays series will continue to be on my wishlist.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Interview: Dragons of Fate by CR Robertson (@RoxanneRhoads)

UFI welcomes Author CR Robertson. 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?

I write PNR, but in my day job I am a trained geneticist who works in forensics.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Gardening. My dogs love to help me dig the holes for my new plants. I generally find them dragged out later when they decide to reposition them…

What is your Favorite part of writing? 

Losing myself in the characters. They become part of me for a while and I love that part of being a writer, getting into the head of someone completely different.

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

Nope, I sit down with my laptop and write. I don’t have a plot etc. I just write ad go where the characters take me. Sometimes people will email me and ask me what is going to happen to a character and I genuinely don’t know…

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

Cassandra Clare
Maria V Snyder
CM Owens
CS Lewis
Eve Langlais
Annie Nicholas
And lots more that I automatically buy when I see a new release – sorry I couldn’t list you all!!

How would you pitch The Gaian Otherworld to someone who has not heard of it before?

This series is a fast paced adventure following the dragons, who Gaia left to protect this planet when the old gods left. They battle the krakens, who seek to raise the sea levels to claim the world as their own. Each book follows a new hero/heroine as they uncover magical gifts left by the gods to help them enter Olympus.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that The Gaian Otherworld is set in? 

The book moves between the mortal plane (earth), the underrealm (dragon’s lair), and the fae lands where the fae courts come from. I like to play on the idea that our world overlaps other energy dimensions and bring different folklore in to explain it.


Do you have a favorite scene in The Gaian Otherworld?

I loved writing the scene when Evanora finally stepped into her magic power and showed her captor and the corrupt council what true power looks like. She didn’t need to hurt or suppress anyone to establish her dominance because she wielded real power with every step and movement of her body.

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

I loved writing Ethan’s character from The Otherworld Chronicles. He went on the biggest journey and got away with speaking his mind. He would be the character I would have the most fun being friends with in the real world.

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

I have two books left to write in my dragon series, and then my readers are asking me to write one last book in the Otherworld Chronicles because they are demanding Casper gets a book – they encouraged me write Sage’s book as well!! Then I have a new series that I’m thinking about that will involved magical creatures such as reapers…

 

__________________________________

CR Robertson is a paranormal romance writer who lives in Ireland, the most magical country in the world. From an early age, she loved faerytales and mythological stories. She delved into the pages to go on an adventure with the characters, sparking a lifelong love of the literary world and story craft.

The Otherworld Chronicles started when the characters evolved in her head, constantly jumping in to tell their story until one day that nagging voice said, “Why not write their faerytale?” The rest resides in the pages of the Otherworld. Her in-depth knowledge of mythology and faerylore weaves the background for the characters in each of her manuscripts.

It may be cliché, but she has a cottage by the sea on the east coast of Ireland. Gardening is one of her favourite pastimes and is evident in her garden that is overflowing with crystals and seasonal flowers for the birds, butterflies, and her favourite bumblebees. Her dogs enjoy the sleepy seaside town and spend their time playing in the sea.


Find CR and her books

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

__________________________________

Dragons of Fate
The Gaian Otherworld #2
Amazon AmazonUK AmazonAU AmazonCA

Sometimes love is the most powerful and dangerous magic...

The underrealm was in turmoil with revelations of the evil that had taken root there.

It was no longer a safe haven for the Gaians.

Darius was a golden warrior dragon from an ancient clan. Evanora descended from the purple dragons of healing. They were destined to become fated mates four hundred years ago before Evanora was stolen from the heartland of the dragons.

Her dream of escape became the nightmare of reality.

Even in the light the past haunted her present.

Evanora’s soul was broken by her long years in captivity, until Darius started to fit the pieces back together again. Some fragments no long fit, some slotted into a different position, but the woman who emerged was stronger and more powerful than anyone ever imagined – the Gaian enchantress.

Was it too late for their love?

Or would Fate intervene to light their way to the future?

Sometimes love was the most powerful and dangerous magic...

***WARNING*** Includes a deadly hero willing to fight the monsters of this world to claim his fated mate, and a heroine who powerful enough to bring the world to its knees.

Dragons of Destiny is the second in The Gaian Otherworld. It can be read as a stand-alone paranormal romance.

Excerpt #1:

I sauntered out of the room in search of Darius. If he thought he could avoid me, he would need to rethink his strategy. He was in his bedroom with his hip braced against the window frame, staring out at the ocean.
“I thought we agreed you would break the bond and leave,” he snapped without looking around.
“No, I didn’t agree to either of those things, Darius. Just because you are my mate doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do.” I sat on the end of the bed.
His back stiffened at the word mate.
“You can’t stay here.”
“I can stay anywhere you are. We share a blood link.”
That got his attention because he spun around. “I could block access to all my homes...”
I sighed and stood up, letting some of my power loose. His arms were pinned against the wall beside his head, and his feet stuck to the floor. “The problem is, Darius, that you belong to me just as I am yours. I have no intention of going anywhere.”
I stepped against him and watched as he swallowed and glanced away. He could neutralise every feature, but his body betrayed him. I ran my fingers over his chest to his waist, deliberately moving closer to sniff his mating mark on his neck.
“Definitely no nymphs or succubus scents, Darius. You’ll need to try harder if you want to make me jealous.” My breath mingled with his. “We are made from the same energy. If I am unable to stomach the thought of another lover, the same applies to you.”
I pressed myself against him, and felt his automatic reaction to my presence. I nipped his mating mark with my teeth, and his quick inhale of breath made me smile. Tracing the outline of it with my tongue, I held onto his waist as an anchor. My lips kissed a path up his neck, even as he held his head away from me. The tips of my fangs dragged against the artery that pulsed in his neck.
Sexual tension pulsed off him in waves, and my dragoness purred in contentment.
“You belong to me, Darius. Make no mistake, I will annihilate any female you try to take as a lover.” His head spun towards me, and my lips connected with his. I grabbed his head in my hands and poured every emotion that vibrated through my body into my lips.
He had always initiated our previous kisses. I needed to show him that I’d made a choice and he was the winner. I refused to let my past paralyse me anymore. Hecate wanted me to be a worthy heir to her magic. I would not allow anyone to hold me back from my fate.
Darius tried to resist me, but his dragon had other ideas. I felt him shimmer to the surface as his heat increased, gold flecks flashing across his skin. My tongue demanded entry to his mouth, because every breath of his belonged to me and vice versa.
The rest of the world faded into insignificance, my only focus the man in front of me. He struggled against the invisible restraints that held him, his dragon trying to get closer to his mate. I dropped my hands from his face and pressed one last kiss on his lips.
“You are mine, Darius. That is as true now as it was four hundred years ago. You can ignore me and leave a room when I enter it, but it will not change the fact that we belong together.”
I turned and walked towards the door, releasing his restraints.
My lips spread into a smile when I heard him screaming FUCK into the empty room.
Darius had spent his whole life being in charge, but I was the Gaian Enchantress, and I would no longer let my life be stolen away from me. The time had arrived for me to take what was mine.

__________________________________

Promo + Giveaway: Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter (@HunterFaith, @LetsTalkLTP, @AceRocBooks)

Circle of the Moon 
Soulwood #4
Amazon  BN  iBooks  Google Play

Set in the same world as Faith Hunter's New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the fourth Soulwood novel stars Nell Ingram, who channels her power from the earth.


Nell can draw magic from the land around her, and lately she's been using it to help the Psy-Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. Joining the team at PsyLED has allowed her to learn more about her powers and the world she always shunned--and to find true friends.
 
Head agent Rick LaFleur shifts into a panther when the moon calls him, but this time, something has gone wrong. Rick calls Nell from a riverbank--he's naked, with no memory of how he came to be there, and there's a dead black cat, sacrificed in a witch circle and killed by black magic, lying next to him.
 
Then more animals turn up dead, and team rushes to investigate. A blood-witch is out to kill. But when it seems as if their leader is involved in the crime, the bonds that hold the team together could shatter at any moment.

Excerpt #3:

My heart thundered and warmth rushed all through me, a strange and wonderful electric heat that settled low in my belly. Desire. This is what desire feels like.
The cells dinged again, reminding us. Occam cursed and I made a sound that was close to a moan as I eased away. I dropped my head back to the blanket I had spread on the too-long summer grass for our picnic. I breathed out a laugh, the sound only a little frustrated. That was what I told myself. Only a little. Stars were visible around the edges of Occam’s head, his thin hair looking brittle even in the pale light.
“Look!” I said, pointing. A shooting star raced overhead and blinked out. “First one. Make a wish!”
“I’m pert’ near certain that my wish has already been ruined by that text, Nell, sugar,” he said. “You go ahead. Maybe you’ll have better luck.”
I said my quick wish and turned my head to him, knowing he could see better in the dark than I could. I wasn’t human, but my kind of paranormal didn’t have any superpowers like better night vision. My wish was carnal and sinful and full of hope. And also ruined by the text.
Occam rolled off me and we reached for our cells, answering them to see identical texts from PsyLED. Get to HQ ASAP. Trouble, it read. The text was from JoJo, second in command of Unit Eighteen.
“No court in the land would convict me if I killed her,” Occam growled.
I laughed again, remembering the feel of his weight over me, pressing into me. Remembering the shot of excitement that flashed through me like lightning before settling deep inside. Excitement. Not fear. Desire. The physical need I’d read about and—
The cells dinged again, this time from JoJo’s personal cell. It read, If your cells were any closer they’d be making cell-babies. I hate to say stop, because I really hope you two are getting busy, loud and long and satisfying, but I need you at HQ. Both of you. Days off canceled.
Occam pulled me to my feet, still cat-strong, though not so flexible as before the fire. That part of his were-taint abilities hadn’t been affected by the instinctive and peculiar healing I had managed the night he was burned and had died, and my up-line boss nearly so—the night I’d hauled them back from the claws of death. Occam might look a mess yet, he might move slower than before, but he was getting better, bit by bit, every time he shifted into his spotted leopard. That was a natural part of the were-taint gift. I helped where I could, when he shifted on my land, drawing on the power of Soulwood, feeding him the way I did the land when it was injured. If I could see his scarring, see what he needed, maybe I could help more or better. But Occam was stubborn about me seeing the scars on his body. Which was why my secret wish on the shooting star had not yet been fulfilled. Dang cat.
“Gear up,” he said. “I’ll drive.”
“And that means I’ll have no form of transportation back here in the morning.”
“‘At sounds about right.”
I hid a smile in the darkness and let him lead me to my own front porch. And wondered if sounding about right meant he intended to pick up where we left off.

__________________________________

Faith Hunter is the New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock series, the Soulwood series, and the Rogue Mage series, as well as the author of 16 thrillers under pen the names Gary Hunter and Gwen Hunter. She has 40+ books in print.

Faith collects orchids and animal skulls, loves thunder storms, and writes. She likes to cook soup, bake homemade bread, garden, and run Class III whitewater rivers. She edits the occasional anthology and drinks a lot of tea. Some days she’s a lady. Some days she ain't.

Find Faith and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

Tour Wide

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases: 2/10-2/16

Tue. Feb. 12th

 The Blood Spell (Ravenspire #4) by C.J. Redwine
 Bloodwitch (The Witchlands #3) by Susan Dennard 
 Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers #1) by Nicki Pau Preto
 Dukes Are Forever (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #5) by Bec McMaster
 The Revenant Express (Newbury and Hobbes #5) by George Mann
 Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok
 Terminal Uprising (Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse #2) by Jim C. Hines

Happy Reading!!

Promo + Giveaway: For the Power by Debbie Cassidy (@authordcassidy, @XpressoTours)

For the Power
For the Blood #2

Goodreads / Amazon

 Take the journey, find the lock that fits the key and get some damn answers.

Get from point A to point B. Stick to the mapped-out route and take shelter at the pre-planned times. It sounds simple enough, now if only we’d factored in getting attacked by djinn and having to take a detour through The Wilds.

With obstacles at every turn, the last thing the fangs and I need on our arse’s is a new breed of Feral, but it looks like that’s exactly what fate us about to throw at us.

This trip is going to be anything but dull, but with the Fangs as back up, I may just make it to the Bunker in one piece and finally get some answers.

Whoever said road trips were fun can go suck it!

The Vampire Diaries meets The Walking Dead in this Post-Apocalyptic Urban Fantasy with a slow burn Why Choose romance

 EXCERPT:

No. I didn’t. I didn’t want to hear it. “Don’t.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Oh, Eva, we are so past that.” His mouth crushed mine in a punishing kiss. The heat that had been gathering behind my eyes melted to tears.

“No!” I tore my mouth from him. “No. You don’t get to do this. Not now. I can’t. I won’t.”

He kissed me again, hard and desperate and hungry, as if trying to cram a hundred kisses into one. My heart swelled in my chest, and the numbness threatened to retreat. I shoved at his immovable torso, wanting him gone, but in the next heartbeat, I fisted his shirt, pulling him closer.

__________________________________

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head - in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

Find Debbie and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________
Tour Wide

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Week in Review: 2/3-2/9

Books Received for Review

Boundary Broken by Melissa F. Olson

Books I've Read

Variant Lost by Kaydence Snow
Alien Minds by Christina Bauer
Boundary Broken by Melissa F. Olson
Red's Alphas by M.H. Soars

Reviews Posted

For the Power by Debbie Cassidy (@amoscassidy)

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

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

* Monday- Interview: Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik (@jessiemihalik, @harpervoyagerUS)

* Wednesday- Guest Blog + Giveaway: Albion Moon by M.L. Mastran (@MLMastran, @RoxanneRhoads, @champagnebooks)\

*Friday- Interview: Unhuman Light by Chris Stoneheart (@RoxanneRhoads)

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

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

BlogLovin

Networked Blogs

Facebook
Pinterest Board
Amazon
BookBub

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

Twitter

Goodreads

Librarything

Google+

 

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

Interview: Unhuman Light by Chris Stoneheart (@RoxanneRhoads)

UFI welcomes Author Chris Stoneheart. Thanks for Joining us!!

Can you tell us a little bit about the world Unhuman Light is set in?

Shared mythologies in cultures across the world has to mean there’s something to the myths – right? My muse tried to figure out how those not-so-mythological beings might have adapted to live in our modern world, where a huge percentage of humans have a camera phone ready to document anything unnatural. Not that I believe werewolves and vampires are real, but if they were, pretending to be human would be more important than ever in our modern world. Vampires, werewolves, and the members of the various pantheons — what might their lives look like today?

And what about dragons? How were they never real? And what if there were shapeshifter dragons who survived after all of the real ones were killed? How would they survive when their species doesn’t exist anymore?

What is your favorite part of writing?

The actual writing: butt in chair, fingers on keyboard, brain in another dimension.

Before I start a novel, I know the characters inside out, I know the basic conflicts, and I know the general plot. I have an idea of the ending, but I don’t know exactly what will happen on the way to the end. I often don’t know a character is going to say something until I read it on the screen, and then everything shifts, new possibilities open, and my fingers fly across the keys while they try to keep up with my thoughts.


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

I can’t listen to music with words while I write, so I usually write with classical music playing in the background.  I let the dogs out to potty, let them back in, make sure they have food and water, make sure I have plenty to drink, and then I get started. Oh, and I turn the internet off on my laptop. Otherwise all the social media dings will distract me. I use my phone for most research, but it’s easy enough to turn wi-fi back on if I need something more in-depth on my laptop.

I have a small desk and desk chair, but I often write in my recliner on my laptop. That’s it — no special formula other than reduce distractions and get down to it. The book won’t write itself.

What are some of your favorite books or authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal genres?

My absolute favorite series right now is the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. I also enjoy the Kate Daniels series (Ilona Andrews) and anything in the Night Huntress World by Jeaniene Frost.


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

The first three books in Chronicles of the Light will be released during the first half of 2019, and I expect book four won’t be far behind. I hope readers will come along on this adventure with me.


Thank you for having me on the blog today! If readers want to find Unhuman Light, they can go to: https://books2read.com/unhumanlight  
 

__________________________________

Chris Stoneheart lives in a fifty-year-old house smack dab in the middle of The South, with what promises to soon be a full-fledged herd of retired racing greyhounds. Chris read The Hobbit in elementary school, and The Lord of the Rings in middle school, and has been addicted to fantasy ever since. (It’s probably best we don’t talk about what Chris read in high school.)

Chronicles of the Light gives us a world where weredragons, werewolves, werelions, three different species of vampires, and a variety of other mythological beings exist.

ARE YOU STALKING ME? You should be! Come find me!

Find Chris and his books

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

__________________________________

Unhuman Light
Chronicles of the Light #1
Books2Read Amazon Kobo

Bodies keep piling up, but Kaitlin O'Malley refuses to back down, even when threatened by someone once worshipped as a god. Training for a battle between good and evil, she teams up with the Dragon King and a powerful lion, and finds herself protected by a Master Vampire who wants her in his bed.

With a vile enemy ready to destroy her, the men in her life lock her up to keep her safe, but Kaitlin will never let other people fight her battles. She’ll have to break free and venture out on her own, wielding a powerful weapon to protect herself — a weapon her enemies would kill for. To face the enemy alone, Kaitlin must view the world in an Unhuman Light.

In a supernatural battle of magic and strength, can an unlikely human prevail?

__________________________________