Interview & Giveaway: Delilah Dawson

UFI welcomes Delilah Dawson Author of Wicked as They Come. 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 have synesthesia, which means that my senses are crossed. Every number and letter has a distinct color for me, and numbers also have feelings. For example, 5 is a deep azure blue, cold and unfriendly. My favorite number is 22, which is warm, tawny gold, like a lion. I’m also very big on smells, which is why I approached Villainess Soaps for a collaboration (http://villainess.net/wicked/). You can now smell Criminy, Tish, or Tabitha in perfume and soap form. Criminy’s my favorite, of course, and I just about sniff myself unconscious every time I’m wearing it.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

I don’t have that much down time, since I started writing—my obsession and hobby is also my work. I love reading, of course. And I really like having adventures, like traveling, going zip lining, or roller skating with my girlfriends. My all-time favorite thing to do is horseback riding, especially hunter paces, but my current life makes that nearly impossible.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

I love when the idea is starting to come together, when I’m right on the verge of starting a new book. I get utterly obsessed with it—it’s like falling in love.

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

I do my best writing away from home, where there are no responsibilities or dishes or tiny voices calling me. I need coffee, and every book has a playlist. I have a series of favorite cafes I use in the mornings, while my kids are in school—a favorite one for rainy days, a favorite one for hot days, a favorite one for sitting outside in spring. But so long as I have coffee, music, earbuds, and my laptop, I’m ready.

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

I love Charlaine Harris and Gail Carriger for paranormal. And I read a lot of YA, especially Cassandra Clare, Maggie Stiefvater, and Kiersten White. I also liked Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series—but not until book 4.

How would you pitch Wicked as They Come to someone who has not heard of it before?

True Blood meets Victorian England with clockwork monkeys and circus freaks.

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

The world is called Sang, and it mostly runs on blood. The idea is that it’s a parallel universe to Earth, but somewhere along the line, a sort of vampirism got out of control. They don’t have germs or illness, but most of the wild animals are blood drinkers, as are lots of the people. There are also daimons and dragon people and all sorts of magic. Add in steam and clockwork technology, and it contains almost all the things I like in one tidy package. Even unicorns—in later books.

Do you have a favorite scene in Wicked as They Come?

I really like the scene where Tish first walks around the caravan. You get to meet some of the wacky side characters, and Criminy gets to show off his proudest accomplishment while trying to woo Tish. It’s kind of sweet, this dangerous apex predator/magician showing off his lizard boy to win over the girl he likes.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

Criminy is my favorite, without a doubt. He pretty much writes himself. The hardest was probably Elvis, because he’s just a nasty little guy spouting prejudice. It felt yucky, having his words come out of my brain.

It looks like each book in The Blud Series will have different main characters. Will we still be able to see a bit about the main characters in Wicked as They Come in book 2? I have to admit I really loved Tish and Criminy and would love to know what happens next for them.

I’ll admit that I was surprised when the book sold in a 3-book series… and the next two books were supposed to be about someone else. I could write Criminy forever, and I had this long character arc for Tish as her grandmother became a Bludman and was stolen away by a time-traveling witch doctor, and… it didn’t happen.

But they will make cameos. There’s a novella out in October called The Mysterious Madam Morpho that takes place entirely in the caravan and kicks off with a scene of Crim and Tish living together. And if you read the excerpt in the back of Wicked as They Come, you’ll see that the second book, Wicked as She Wants, follows a much-changed, much humbled, much debauched Casper on his quest to find salvation with a strong female lead based on the legend of Princess Anastasia. I’m hopeful that, if the books do well, there could be opportunities for deleted scenes or more novellas, because there are so many adventures that Crim and Tish never got to finish.

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

I have two books in the works right now. One is a clockpunk romance version of Robin Hood, and the other is a YA paranormal set in Savannah. I’ll let y’all know as soon as something sells!

Thanks so very much for the interview, and I hope everyone enjoys Wicked as They Come!

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Delilah S. Dawson is the author of WICKED AS THEY COME, a steampunk paranormal romance and the first in a three-book series from Pocket/Simon & Schuster. She's an Associate Editor at www.CoolMomPicks.com and a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Georgia Romance Writers, and the Artifice Club. She's a big fan of steampunk and cake.

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Find Delilah and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Wicked as They Come
Blud #1
March 27, 2011

 Have you ever heard of a Bludman? They’re rather like you and me—only more fabulous, immortal, and mostly indestructible. (They’re also very good kissers.)

Delilah S. Dawson’s darkly tempting debut drops her unsuspecting heroine into a strange faraway land for a romantic adventure that’s part paranormal, part steampunk . . . and completely irresistible.

When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

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 US ONLY

Interview & Giveaway: Dakota Banks

UFI welcomes Dakota Banks Author of The Mortal Path Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

This or That

Angels or Demons

This one’s easy: demons. The Mortal Path series wouldn’t exist without them, plus I think they’re much more interesting than angels. Why go for a dull set of wings when you can have various hideous forms and breathe fire or rip people apart? Go for the horror, I say—Demons rule, Angels drool. 

Vampires or Shifters

Vampires have this big problem: terrible manners when feeding. All that blood dripping down the chin. It’s due to the passion of one sort or another that they’re experiencing when feeding—it distracts them from basic things like choosing the right spoon. I’d have to go with Shifters.

Left or Right

Not sure if we’re talking politics here or not, so given the choice, let’s stay away from politics. J Left-handedness is also known as sinistrality, from the Latin sinistra, meaning left, which we’ve converted into the word sinister. That describes Left’s reputation. Since ancient times, being left-handed has been considered a sign of the devil at work, clumsiness, or misfortune. By contrast, right-handedness is associated with power, justice, manual skill, and being correct. Since I like the idea of being correct, at least some of the time, my choice is Right. See? It’s self-confirming, too.  

Up or Down

I enjoy riding elevators down from the tops of buildings, especially ones that go really fast, and getting that flip-flop feeling in my stomach. There’s a ride at Disney World called the Tower of Terror. Passengers get into a “rickety” freight elevator and ride up 13 stories. Along the way, the elevator shaft turns pitch black, as in can’t see your hand in front of your face. It shoots to the top, then starts a series of faster-than-the-pull-of-gravity drops with a supposedly broken cable, ending in lurching stops. One time the elevator doors open, and suddenly you can see how really high up you are! I LOVE this ride. My choice is Down. 

Pizza or Pasta

I like pasta, but it tends to get served in dainty portions with a breadstick, so you can admire how attractively it’s served. I don’t need my food to be served attractively, considering how it’s going to end up in a little while. No one ever accused pizza of being attractive. It may smell good, taste good, and be fun to eat with your hands (Ha! Try that with pasta.), but if you snap a photo of it, the reality will never compare to the image in your mind. I choose Pizza, for its humility.  

Coffee or Tea

This one is tough, because I drink both of these. For me, coffee is the utilitarian go-to drink and tea is the esoteric mind-wandering drink. Since I prefer mind-wandering to practicality, it’s Tea.

Coke or Pepsi

I drink Coke Zero. That’s all. If I can’t have that, I’ll take water. I have no explanation for this strange preference.

YA or Adult

I write adult, I read adult, though I made exceptions for Harry Potter and the Hunger Games trilogy. They were enjoyable, but ... Adult is my choice.  

Facebook or Twitter

I love Facebook because it allows me to really communicate with people. Twitter—many of the things I say sound trite to me, and I don’t like the 140 character restriction. It may sound silly, but if I try to say anything meaningful, that restriction forces me to be ungrammatical. I’m a writer, for Pete’s sake! Facebook is The One, for freedom of expression.

Book Signing or Panel Speaking

I’ve always looked at public appearances as opportunities to meet and chat with readers, and to have time to do so in a relaxed atmosphere. Signings don’t fit that bill. First, no matter how well prepared you think the signing venue is, you can have a low turnout. I’ve sat by myself in bookstores in the middle of torrential downpours or even an ice storm, with the store owner embarrassed and saying, “Usually we have a lot more traffic.” Even when the signing goes well, people tend to want their book signed and be off, because they have other shopping/whatever to do. So it’s open the book, ask “Signature or inscription?”, do what’s requested, close the book. And really, I see enough of my book. I don’t need to spend two hours sitting around and looking at ... my book. Panels are very different. If people have paid to attend the conference, a little bad weather isn’t going to discourage them. In every multi-author panel I’ve been on, there have been Q&A sessions. It’s readers’ thoughts hurled at us, and I say that lovingly. I’m not on the panel to sell my books, I’m just relaxed and having a good time. I get to chat with readers after the panel and in the halls. Plus I enjoy being with the other authors on my panels, some of whom are new to me and some are already good friends. So a rousing yes for Panel Speaking! 

Reading or Writing

You don’t actually expect me to answer this, do you? *Sigh* I guess you do. I’m flipping a coin ... it came up Reading. Ok, two out of three. I look at it this way. I love reading for the intensely beautiful words, sentences, and passages that sink into my mind, give me chills, tear my heart out, or engage my empathy. But as a writer, I get to create those words, sentences, and passages that I hope affect others in those ways. That’s like double-dipping, and it’s wonderful. Writing is my choice.

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Find Dakota and her books

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Deliverance 
Mortal Path #3
March 27, 2012

A demon's assassin for centuries, Maliha Crayne has gone rogue, determined to save a life for every one she's destroyed in order to free herself from an eternity of enslavement, damnation, and excruciating torment. But as the powers that sustained her in the past fade, she is wary of trusting those closest to her-especially her lover, Jake. Should Maliha listen to her heart or the alarms going off in her head? Then her closest friends begin to disappear, one by one. Amid her anger, suspicion, and sorrow, she feels her life spiraling out of control.

Worse still, a beautiful, Renaissance murderess is recruiting Maliha as her new assassin. Maliha is turning into a lethal puppet with an evil Immortal pulling the strings, forced to kill innocents or see her missing friends die horribly. Suddenly trapped in a moral no-man's land, Maliha is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't…and time is rapidly running out.

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Deliverance Trailer

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*Open Internationally* 

Review: Croak by Gina Damico

Croak
Author: Gina Damico
Release Date: March 20, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Croak Book #1
ISBN:  0547608322
ISBN13: 9780547608327
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Netgalley/Teen Book Scene

Teenage delinquent Lex's parents ship her off to her uncle's house for the summer, where she discovers a surprising family business as a grim reaper and gets caught up in a mystery, in the first installment of a morbidly hilarious new series.

CROAK is a little town in the middle of no where that cheats tourists out of money, names their establishments after death and oh yeah, all of its residents are grim reapers. Lately Lex has been getting into trouble and her parents send her off with her Uncle Mot for the summer. She quickly realizes that her Uncle is not who she always thought he was and she is following in his footsteps. 

Lex really had no clue as to why she was suddenly getting into so much trouble. Her temper was all over the place, she would hit people for no reason and argue with everyone. When her parents told her she was going to her Uncles for the summer she was angry and a little scared that she was going to have to leave her twin sister behind. Lex quickly fell into her new role as a grim reaper and jumped into new friendships and situations. I enjoyed all the other teen grim reapers and it was interesting to learn about the different roles they played. Everyone but Lex comes from tragedy somehow and that makes Lex a bit different from them. From the beginning she can do things that no one else can and that plays a big role in the events of CROAK.

There was a great amount of humor, complex characters and an interesting town that was fun to navigate. The world building was neat. The Grim's source of travel and power was unique. There were a few slow parts but they in no way took away any of my interest in the story. The events at the end of CROAK were a bit easy to predict. I know it will play a huge role in the events of book 2. I have a few theories on why Lex is how she is that I'm hoping will be revealed quickly so I'm excited to get a hold of SCORCH to see if I'm right. 

I gave it 4/5 stars 

Review: Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson

Wicked as They Come
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Pocket
Blud Book #1
ISBN:   1451657889
ISBN13: 9781451657883
Genre: Steampunk/Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Have you ever heard of a Bludman? They’re rather like you and me—only more fabulous, immortal, and mostly indestructible. (They’re also very good kissers.)

Delilah S. Dawson’s darkly tempting debut drops her unsuspecting heroine into a strange faraway land for a romantic adventure that’s part paranormal, part steampunk . . . and completely irresistible.

When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

Tish falls in love with a locket at an estate sale and ends up taking it home. She gets it open, goes to bed and finds herself dreaming of a man and a world not like her own. 


Tish is a bit broken when it comes to relationships. She previously escaped from an abusive relationship and is content to be on her own taking care of her elderly patients and grandmother. From the start she is attracted to Criminy but refuses to let him close for fear that she will lose herself again. Criminy was a fun character to get to know. He is a gypsy musician and he claims Tish is his soul mate from the start. There relationship slowly builds and Tish finds herself torn between worlds. Sang ended up being one of the more original worlds I have read lately. Everything was well described from the landscape to the different people to the unique and deadly wildlife. We meet a wide array of characters that were well developed and brought their own something to the story. I very much hope that even though each book in the series will revolve around a different budding relationship, that we will be able to follow Tish and Criminy a bit more so that we know what their future holds.

I found WICKED AS THEY COME to be superbly unique and fun to read. The characters were all full of spunk, the plot was nicely paced, and the world was original and easy to fall into. I will definitely be looking for more from debut author Delilah Dawson. 


I gave it 4/5 stars

Winner: Wide Open by Deborah Coates

Thank you to everyone who entered!!
 

Prize: Finished Copy of Wide Open

The Winner chosen by Rafflecopter is.....

Giveaway: How to Be Death by Amber Benson

*Now Available*

How to Be Death
Author: Amber Benson
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Calliope Reaper-Jones Book #4
ISBN:  1937007286
ISBN13: 9781937007287
Genre: Urban Fantasy

All Calliope Reaper-Jones ever wanted out of life was a fabulous job in New York City and a really hot boyfriend. But now, she's the brand-new President of Death, Inc. With the Board of Death breathing down her neck and her dad's copy of How to be Death (A Fully Annotated Guide) unopened, Callie's really feeling the tension. And when the guide book is stolen at a fancy formal dinner, Callie has to figure out how to be the boss--before the powers held within the book get out and destroy humanity forever...

 US Only

New Releases: 3/25-31

Tuesday March 27

Back from the Undead (The Bloodhound Files #5) by D.D. Barant

Bear Meets Girl (Pride, #7) by Shelly Laurenston

Blood on the Bayou (Annabelle Lee, #2) by Stacey Jay

Deliverance (Mortal Path, #3) by Dakota Banks

Fair Coin (Coin, #1) by E.C. Myers

Forgiven (The Demon Trappers, #3) by Jana Oliver

Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test, #2) by Aimee Carter

 Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #10)by J.R. Ward

Sacrificial Magic (Downside Ghosts, #4) by Stacia Kane

Shadow's Fall (Shadow World, #3) by Dianne Sylvan

Sins of the Son (Grigori Legacy #2) by Linda Poitevin

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Spellcaster (Spellbound, #2) by Cara Lynn Shultz

Temptation Rising by A.C. Arthur

The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2) by Amanda Stevens

Wanted: Undead or Alive (Love at Stake, #12) by Kerrelyn Sparks

Wicked as They Come (Blud, #1) by Delilah S. Dawson

Happy Reading!!!!

Review: Shadow's Fall by Dianne Sylvan

Shadow's Fall
Author: Dianne Sylvan
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Shadow World Book #3
ISBN:   1937007383
ISBN13: 9781937007386
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

For three years, Miranda Grey-Solomon has kept her role as Vampire Queen of the South separate from her Grammy-winning music career. But now, her dual lives are starting to collide, threatening everything Miranda and David, her Prime, have worked for.
The entire Signet Council has descended upon Austin for its ten-year summit, bringing with it Prime James Hart of the Northeast, a sworn enemy come to take his revenge on those who defied him. But Miranda and David receive an unexpected offer of help from David's sire, an ancient and powerful vampire with knowledge that may be their salvation-or their doom.

Talk about cliffhangers. Miranda just can not catch a break. SHADOW'S FALL is book 3 in the Shadow World series and I would 100% recommend that you start with book 1 QUEEN OF SHADOWS if you are new to the series. 

Miranda started out as a broken musician and has grown to the be the Vampire Queen of the south with her vampire king and love David beside her. They have had their ups and downs but are very much in love and rule together perfectly. I loved David in QUEEN OF SHADOWS, was really mad at David in SHADOWFLAME and fell back in love with him again in SHADOW'S FALL. Book 3 ended up being one of those books you wanted to yell at the characters and throw the book across the room at some of the awfully stupid decisions that were made and the bullheaded friends that keep things from each other. Having said that I still could not put it down. I had no clue what was going to happen and was completely shocked at the events that took place. We get to see some characters from book 2 that we loved and hated as well as meet new primes that we had not been introduced to.

The ending. I honestly have no words to explain it but........ WHAT??? WHAT??? NOOOOOO..... is what went through my head. There is a lot of unexpected loss in SHADOW'S FALL and I'm not sure how Miranda could possibly get through it. I'm still in shock and not sure what else to say without giving away spoilers. I couldn't imagine not reading book 4 when it comes out.

I gave it 4/5 stars 

Week in Review 3/18-3/24

Books Ive Bought/received

* Plague Town by Dana Fredsti- Publisher

* Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors- Publisher

* Elemental by Emily White- Publisher

* The Vicious Deep by Zoaida Cordova- Publisher




Books I read

Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin
Wicked as they Come by Delilah S Dawson
Protectors Mate by Katie Reus

Reviews posted


Deliverance by Dakota Banks
Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane
White Witch by Trish Milburn
Pure by Jennifer Armentrout

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


* Deborah Coates Author of Wide Open was on UFI Monday with a Interview and Giveaway.

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*If you see something on my books Ive read list that you are dying to know about let me know I'm back logged on reviews and can move it up on the list if I know people are wanting one.

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

Winner: Croak Prize Pack

Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Prize: Croak Prize Pack

The Winner chosen by Rafflecopter is.....

Early Review: Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pure
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Covenant Book #2
ISBN13: 9780983157229
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Publisher

There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

PURE continues the Covenant series. Any fan of the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead will fall right into the world that Jennifer has created for her characters.

Just like HALF-BLOOD, I could not put PURE down. Alex is such a great character to read along with. She keeps everyone on their toes and has a mind of her own that often gets her in big trouble. She has people on her side but also a lot of people against her and out to hurt her. The "love" triangle between Alex, Aiden and Seth continues and I really don't have a preference on who I would rather see her with. They both have their great qualities, reasons for and against a relationship and both men I'm sure would be a great match for her in the long run. Seth and Alex get a bit closer in PURE and aren't at each others throats the whole book which was nice to read. The ending was crazy and unexpected. I wish it was closer to the release of DEITY because my mind was left racing for what comes next.

There was plenty of action in book 2, plenty of heart pounding tension filled and dangerous situations and a loss that wont be forgotten. I have ye to read a book by Jennifer Armentrout that I have not thoroughly enjoyed and I cant wait to get my hands on more.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Winner: Alpha's Mate by Caryn Block

Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Prize: E-Copy of Alpha's Mate

The Winner chosen by Rafflecopter is.....

Review: White Witch by Trish Milburn

White Witch
Author: Trish Milburn
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
The Coven Book #1
ISBN13: 9781611940831
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Witchcraft Is Her Family’s Business.No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. “Jax” Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her—the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

Jax is on the run from her family a group of very powerful Dark Witches. Jax wants nothing more then to live a normal life without using her power for bad things. She comes to realize that she cant hide forever and that she cant but her friends in harms way no matter how normal she wants to be. 

WHITE WITCH was a fast read but there are a few things I had issues with. The beginning felt rushed, there wasn't enough information given when things started happening they just happen and bam your on to the next scene. Even though there were some action moments they to were rushed. It got confusing and I lost where in the moment I was multiple times because it was on fast forward it seemed. The timeline of Jax's relationship with Keller seemed a bit unrealistic at times, again things were rushed and put on fast forward. I really think the story would have benefited from a few more pages added to each chapter. I did enjoy the characters. They were well written and It was easy to get to know them. 

The ending definitely didn't leave the characters in a happy place like most books do. I wish it would have went on a little longer but it did leave me wanting to read the next book so that is a good thing. I wouldn't go out and buy this one but it wouldn't hurt to borrow a copy if you have the chance. 

I gave it 3/5 stars 

Early Review: Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane

Sacrificial Magic
Author: Stacia Kane
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Del Rey
Downside Ghosts Book #4
ISBN:  034552750X
ISBN13: 9780345527509
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Netgalley & Librarything

READING, WRITING, AND RAISING THE DEAD

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.

The emotions in SACRIFICIAL MAGIC are at an all time high. Chess' newest Church case puts her on the other side of town and from the beginning things go wrong. With both her dealer and the rival crime lord pushing her to find answers Chess is determined to solve the case as quickly as possible. Chess' boyfriend Terrible is once again questioning her dealings with Lex and Chess is doing everything possible to be honest with him and to make sure Terrible knows its him she wants to be with. 


Chess goes through a lot of emotional stuff in book 4. She is dealing with the fact that she is in love with Terrible and doesn't know anything about how to be in love and be loved in return. The drugs of course don't help one bit and send her over the edge into hysteria at one point that pretty much tore my emotions up. I want nothing more then for Chess to be able to function without all the drugs in her system all the time. There is one scene in particular towards the end of the book that had my eyes flooding with tears as she has to make a huge decision that could change her life forever. The world that Ms Kane has created in the Downside Ghost series is off the chart amazing. Every time you turn a page something new is revealed and another twist is added to the story. 


The ending of SACRIFICIAL MAGIC promises that there will be way more to come in the series. There is a huge turning point happening and I cant tell where Chess will end up but I'm hoping that her and Terrible continue to hold on to each other and she can find a bit of piece in herself. I have heard people mention that they cant handle all the drugs in the series but I cant imagine the series without Chess being who she is. I will be reading CHASING MAGIC as soon as I possibly can.


I gave it 4/5 stars

Early Review: Deliverance by Dakota Banks

Deliverance
Author: Dakota Banks
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Mortal Path Book #2
ISBN:  0062049984
ISBN13: 9780062049988
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

A demon's assassin for centuries, Maliha Crayne has gone rogue, determined to save a life for every one she's destroyed in order to free herself from an eternity of enslavement, damnation, and excruciating torment. But as the powers that sustained her in the past fade, she is wary of trusting those closest to her-especially her lover, Jake. Should Maliha listen to her heart or the alarms going off in her head? Then her closest friends begin to disappear, one by one. Amid her anger, suspicion, and sorrow, she feels her life spiraling out of control.

Worse still, a beautiful, Renaissance murderess is recruiting Maliha as her new assassin. Maliha is turning into a lethal puppet with an evil Immortal pulling the strings, forced to kill innocents or see her missing friends die horribly. Suddenly trapped in a moral no-man's land, Maliha is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't…and time is rapidly running out.

DELIVERANCE is book 3 in the Mortal Path Series. As with the previous books there is plenty of Action, drama and suspense in Maliha's life as she continues to fight for redemption. One of her closest most loyal friends is kidnapped and Maliha is working against time to please the kidnappers and find him before he is lost forever.

Maliha has a real hard time in DELIVERANCE. She is over thinking everything and double guessing herself, what she wants out of life and her friendships. She doesn't want her friends hurt so she starts pushing them away and trying to deal with everything on her own. Lucky for her her friends aren't about to go anywhere and are as loyal as they come. I honestly always liked Jake so seeing him show his true colors was shocking, I never saw the events with him coming. Wow what a scumbag.

Dakota's books are filled with unique adventures that leave your mind turning. With every book comes more understanding of Maliha's situation and what she might deal with in the future. One thing I would really love is for a drawing of Maliha's scales in the beginning and the end of each book to reflect what they look like before and after the books adventures. Dakota does a great job of describing them but I think a visualization would be awesome. *wink wink* I would recommend starting from book 1 DARK TIMES if your new to the series.

I gave it 4/5 stars

New Releases: 3/18-24

Tuesday March 20

Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann
Croak (Croak, #1) by Gina Damico
Darkest Knight (Knight's Curse #2) by Karen Duvall
Deadly Is the Kiss by Rhyannon Byrd
Loss (Riders of the Apocalypse #3) by Jackie Morse Kessler
Natural Evil (Elder Races, #4.5) by Thea Harrison
Traitor's Son (Raven Duet, #2) by Hilari Bell
The Werewolf's Wife (Harlequin Nocturne) by Michele Hauf

Happy Reading!!

Interview & Giveaway: Deborah Coates

UFI welcomes Deborah Coates Author of Wide Open. 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 will go tracking with my dogs in almost any weather (Maybe not a hurricane. Or a tornado). Ten degrees? Yup. Pouring rain? Sure! There's nothing better than to spend the day outdoors with dogs and tracking buddies. Sometimes it's cold. Sometimes it rains. But laying tracks, running them, trying to figure out what the dog thinks and what it's trying to say, even sitting down somewhere to drink coffee while our tracks age--it's mentally and physically engaging and I would brave snow and sleet and even rain to go outside and do it.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Reading, writing, doing stuff with dogs. This year I discovered audiobooks and it's been delightful because the books and the narrators are great and also because I can listen to them while I'm walking dogs. What could be better than combining reading with exercise and time with dogs. If I could figure out how to work writing in it would be perfect!

What is your Favorite part of writing?

I think my very favorite part is when I type those first few paragraphs of a new story or novel. At that point it feels like it's all clear in my head, like it will translate perfectly to the page, and like nothing can possibly go wrong.

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

I've become, from necessity, very much a 'sit down and write' sort of person. I have a full-time job, I teach obedience classes in the evenings, I train my own dogs (theoretically) and I try to write every day so there isn't a lot of space in there for much extra. That said, I am a master of writing avoidance--cruising the internet, playing word games, reading just one more blog post. Sometimes, when I'm working on a particularly difficult scene, I tell myself--just write 200 words and you can [read that blog post] [play another round of that game] [spend ten minutes picking out new sheets that you don't need and are not actually going to buy]. Bribery works.

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

I'm particularly fond of Urban Fantasy with a strong mystery element. My most recent reads include works by Patricia Briggs and Carrie Vaughn. I have to admit, though, that it's hard for me to read in the same genre I write in. I tend to read tangential things, like mysteries. Lately, I've been particularly enjoying mysteries by Louise Penny and Deborah Crombie, which do some of the things I really like about urban fantasy and paranormal but without, well, the fantasy elements. They have interesting characters in a fascinating setting and, importantly to me, the characters have lives outside the particular mystery they're trying to solve.

How would you pitch Wide Open to someone who has not heard of it before?

Wide Open is the story of a soldier who sees ghosts and who has returned to western South Dakota to find out what happened to her sister. She discovers that lots of things have changed while she's been gone, that there are more ghosts vying for her attention than just her sister's and that the new deputy sheriff may just know more than he's telling.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Wide Open is set in?

Wide Open is set in western South Dakota in Taylor County, a place I invented for the story. I think of it like the safe house in Harry Potter. It doesn't displace any of the counties that are already there, it just slides itself in between them. It's a place of wide open spaces and short grass prairie and long distances between houses and towns and people. It's a place that I think a lot of people aren't familiar with and I approach it like it's a new world that readers are seeing for the first time.

Do you have a favorite scene in Wide Open?

I have a few favorite scenes, but I'll tell you about two of them without, I hope, being too spoilery. There's a scene fairly close to the beginning of the novel when Hallie's sitting in her pickup truck in the very early hours of the morning and she decides to finally make a phone call she's been avoiding. It's a call the chaplain asked her to make before she left Afghanistan to the fiancée of a fellow soldier who died with her when they were on patrol.

The other scene is much later in the novel. Hallie and Boyd are in the parking lot of an abandoned church out on the prairie. Hallie is sitting on the tailgate of her pickup. Boyd is facing her. They have a six-pack of beer, the stars are starting to come out overhead and they're just...talking.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

Hallie is probably my favorite in the sense that her default is always to DO SOMETHING. She's not much for thinking about what she's going to do and she's perfectly willing to accept the consequences of her actions. If I'm writing a scene with Hallie and I get stuck, I will eventually realize--oh, right, Hallie would DO SOMETHING.

I don't know that he was the hardest to write about, but Hallie's father was one of the hardest for me to write so readers would 'get' him. He was always very clear in my head, but he's taciturn and doesn't like people all that much and he can be kind of cranky. But he's not mean and he loves his daughters and he's basically an okay guy. As long as you don't get too mushy or anything.

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

I've written a second book about Hallie and Boyd and South Dakota, which is currently with my editor. I won't say too much about it since it hinges on what happens at the end of Wide Open, but it involves Boyd's past and Hallie's future and a dog that isn't exactly a dog. It's current title is Deep Down, though that's always subject to change.

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I’m a published writer of science fiction and fantasy short stories.  My first novel, Wide Open, will be published by Tor in March, 2012.

I currently live in central Iowa and work at Iowa State University.  I grew up on a sometime dairy farm in western New York.  I went to a couple of different universities and got a couple of different degrees.  I’ve lived in Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Iowa.  I’ve been a farmhand, a factory worker, a statistician, a researcher, an educator and an IT professional.

I have dogs.  I like them lots.

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Find Deborah and her books

Website / Twitter

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Wide Open

March 13, 2012

When Sergeant Hallie Michaels comes back to South Dakota from Afghanistan on ten days' compassionate leave, her sister Dell's ghost is waiting at the airport to greet her.

The sheriff says that Dell's death was suicide, but Hallie doesn't believe it. Something happened or Dell's ghost wouldn't still be hanging around. Friends and family, mourning Dell's loss, think Hallie's letting her grief interfere with her judgment. 

The one person who seems willing to listen is the deputy sheriff, Boyd Davies, who shows up everywhere and helps when he doesn't have to. 

As Hallie asks more questions, she attracts new ghosts, women who disappeared without a trace.  Soon, someone's trying to beat her up, burn down her father's ranch, and stop her investigation.

Hallie's going to need Boyd, her friends, and all the ghosts she can find to defeat an enemy who has an unimaginable ancient power at his command.

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