Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Happy New Year...2019 in Review!



Read 213 books for a total of 61,010 pages

First book of the year I read was Warrior of the World by Jeffe Kennedy
Last book of the year I read was Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

The longest book I read was Hunted by Erica Woods
The shortest book I read was From the Ashes by Lisa Edmonds

The most popular (on Goodreads) book I read was Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
The least popular (on Goodreads) book I read was Devil Forget Me by Karilyn Bentley

Posted a total of 316 blog posts
with
67 of those being reviews

First review of the year was Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet
Last review of the year was Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin


Was there anything about UFI in 2019 that sticks out as your favorite? How many books did you read in 2019?

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Week in Review: 12/22-12/28



Books I've Read

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Re-Read)
One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost (Re-Read)

Reviews Posted

Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin (@McRebecky)

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

* Wednesday- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings....

* Thursday- DNF's of 2019

* Friday- Cover Reveal: Heart of Shadows by Lisa Edmonds (@Edmonds411, @CityOwlPress)

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


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

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

Friday, December 27, 2019

Cover Reveal + Guest Blog: Heart of Shadows by Lisa Edmonds (@Edmonds411, @CityOwlPress)


Heart of Shadows
Alice Worth #5
Add HOS on Goodreads
Mage private investigator Alice Worth must solve the most difficult case of her career: her own.

A magic-induced bloodbath during a Vampire Court gala leaves Alice and her boyfriend, alpha werewolf Sean Maclin, wounded. Alice and her ghost sidekick Malcolm reluctantly agree to investigate the deadly supernatural attack. When they vanish without a trace, Sean, his pack, and the Court form an uneasy alliance to locate them. Days later, Sean finds Alice on the side of the road far from home, with no memory and no magic—and no sign of Malcolm.

For Sean, Alice’s condition means starting over with the woman he loves. For Alice, it’s a chance to escape painful memories of her violent past, but she knows she needs her power back before her enemies learn she’s vulnerable. To find Malcolm and her stolen magic, she and Sean team up with his pack, a white witch, the Court, and a pair of dangerous black witches. Their investigation unearths an ancient vendetta and a shadowy enemy so powerful and ruthless, no one involved—most of all Alice—will ever be the same.
Claim a free preview of of book 1 Heart of Malice
https://www.prolificworks.com/discover/author/22335/lisa_edmonds

Excerpt:

Keep walking.
The highway stretched out in front of me in a seemingly endless track of asphalt lined with fence and trees. In the distance, the tall, dark shadows of mountains loomed on the horizon. The sun blazed overhead in a cloudless sky and the road shimmered in the heat.
My chest felt hollow, as if something had been ripped out by the roots, leaving an aching emptiness. My heartbeat echoed inside my ribcage like reverberations in a deep, dry well. I was incomplete, fractured, broken. I didn’t know how I’d come to be this way or what was missing—only that I’d once been whole but now was not.
A handful of cars and trucks had passed me in the last hour or so. Other than those few signs of life, I might have been the only person in ten square miles. I hadn’t seen any houses, gas stations, or other buildings since I started walking. The only sounds were wind in the grass, the far-off lowing of cattle, and my boots on the pavement.
My legs grew tired again and my feet hurt with every step. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. My pace slowed.
Keep walking and don’t look back.
The command drifted through my head. The voice was familiar, though I couldn’t attach a face or a name to it.
I realized I was walking quickly again. My feet hurt as if my boots were full of razors. My socks squished wetly with every step. I wasn’t sure why since I hadn’t walked through any high water…at least, not that I could remember. The fact I was completely dry otherwise supported that assumption, so my wet socks were a mystery.
As was the small object clutched in my left hand. I vaguely recalled grabbing it and hiding it from someone, but I wasn’t sure when or why. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to drop it beside the road. My hand wouldn’t open and let it go. My fingers cramped from holding it so tightly.
I walked on.
Hours passed. The sun crossed overhead and descended, slipping behind the horizon to my left and plunging the distant mountain peaks in front of me into darkness. The moon was bright enough in the clear sky for me to easily see the road. The pain in my feet was white-hot now, but I couldn’t stop. I dragged myself on, putting one foot in front of the other, with that strange voice replaying endlessly in my ears.
Keep walking and don’t look back.



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My Favorite Urban Fantasy Books of 2019

What a wild ride 2019 has been for book lovers! The best in the urban fantasy genre released thrilling new titles, and a host of debut authors introduced fresh worlds, powerful and resourceful heroines and heroes, spine-chilling villains, and innovative magic for us to enjoy and share with other fans of the genre. Trying to stay caught up on the latest and best urban fantasy has to offer is a full-time job in itself. Thankfully, we have fantastic and dedicated reviewers like Urban Fantasy Investigations to keep us informed about can’t-miss titles.

I don’t have as much time to read for fun these days as I used to—an unfortunate side effect of having a full-time day job as an English professor in addition to writing my Alice Worth series. However, some things you make time for, like reading good books. Like most fans of the genre, I look for a compelling and original world, an interesting magic system, dynamic characters who are real enough to live in my imagination, snappy dialogue, fast pacing, and a good mix of drama and humor. Oh, and of course a fun romance with chemistry that crackles off the page!

In celebration of a fantastic year for urban fantasy, I put together a list of some of my favorite UF books of the year. No spoilers—just quick reviews of books that captured my imagination and made me want to 1-Click Buy the rest of that series (or in some cases, everything else that writer releases). Some authors are rising stars, some are established favorites, and some are debut authors to keep an eye on.

SHATTERED BONDS by Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock series, Book 13)
Easily one of my all-time favorite urban fantasy series for a litany of reasons: a compelling and dynamic heroine; realistic romantic subplots; wonderful representation of Cherokee culture, language, and inherited trauma; villains as fascinating as Jane herself; and intricate plots ranging from the personal to the global. Jane’s journey has been a hell of a ride. Shattered Bonds builds on the shakeups and losses of the previous novel and pushes Jane and her friends into a new chapter in their lives—one filled with unprecedented danger and personal evolution. As this series draws to a close, it promises to end just as strong as it began, and that’s not an easy feat to accomplish.

ARCHANGEL’S WAR by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter series, Book 12)
I’ve read pretty much everything by Ms. Singh, and I have to say this series is my favorite. In my opinion, it represents Ms. Singh’s most innovative world-building, as well as some of her most fascinating characters and storylines. ARCHANGEL’S WAR picks up right where the previous novel, ARCHANGEL’S PROPHECY, left off: with the world on the edge of an apocalypse because of an insane archangel and her allies and our heroes Elena and Raphael struggling to survive the changes caused by shifting cosmic power. I love so much about this series, but if I had to point to one thing it would be the richness of the characters—not just Elena and Raphael, but the supporting cast as well. While the series focuses mainly on Elena and Raphael, other characters get great storylines and even entire books focused on their evolutions and romances. Like Ilona Andrews’s Kate Daniels series, this one will be extremely difficult to say goodbye to, largely because its characters are so alive. What a marvelous world Ms. Singh created in these books, and I would welcome spin-offs set in the same world.

TIDES OF TIME by Luna Joya (The Legacy series, Book 1)
Chaos reigns in witch Cami’s family. She longs for a “normal” life, or as near to one as she can have with her powerful lineage, but her troubled past—not to mention her powerful sisters and mother—drag her back into the unpredictable world of magic and the Craft every time. In this first book in what promises to be a must-read series, Cami agrees to help one of her sisters investigate the death of a 1930s star and fights her attraction to tattooed restaurant owner Sam Corraza, who wants to help her solve the mystery. They can help heal each other’s wounds, if this case doesn’t get them both killed. I was hooked on the first page and couldn’t stop reading until the last line. Sometimes that sentiment is an exaggeration, but not this time. I can’t wait for Book 2!

ISHTAR’S LEGACY by Rachel Sullivan (Wild Women series, Book 3)
The Wild Women trilogy was a revelation for me. The series tagline (“Well-behaved women seldom make history, but they still end up as the monsters of folklore”) made me want to read Book 1 (Freyja’s Daughter), and the first chapter of that book made me sure I wanted to read every book in the series. Faline Frey is a huldra and a bounty hunter, one of many powerful women whose origins and abilities are feared and carefully controlled by Hunters—soldiers tasked with keeping women like Faline in check. When her sister goes missing, Faline fights to unite different groups of Wild Women against their common enemy and save not only her sister, but all the Wild Women. The most powerful, alluring, and dangerous women of folklore come to life from the pages of myth and legend in this fantastic trilogy.

STORM CURSED (Mercy Thompson series, Book 11)
Any list of my favorite urban fantasy books of the year inevitably includes a book by Patricia Briggs, who continues to write at the top of her game in both the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series. Ms. Briggs has created a world for her characters that is both ours and not ours, full of real daily human challenges and fantastical (in all senses of the word) wonders and threats. In this latest installment, coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her mate (alpha werewolf Adam) fight to protect their pack’s territory from all manner of threats, from zombie farm animals to a variety of witches and the ever-present threat of the Fae. Why are these books so damn good? Because the characters are always three-dimensional, the stories are both personal and far-reaching in their implications, the dialogue is witty, and the pacing keeps readers on the edges of their seats.

I would love to review ALL of the amazing urban fantasy books I read this year, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Many thanks to Stacy for letting me share my thoughts on these books. If you’re looking for more awesome UF books, here are others from my “best of the year” list:
THE UNKINDEST TIDE by Seanan McGuire (October Daye series, Book 13)
BRAVE THE TEMPEST by Karen Chance (Cassie Palmer series, Book 9)
WICKED HOUR by Chloe Neill (Heirs of Chicagoland series, Book 2)
WICKED BITE by Jeaniene Frost (Night Rebel series, Book 2)
PEACE, BLOOD, AND UNDERSTANDING by Molly Harper (Half-Moon Hollow series, Book 7)
SHARPEST STING by Jennifer Estep (Elemental Assassin series, Book 18)
SAPPHIRE FLAMES by Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy series, Book 4)
HOW TO KISS AN UNDEAD BRIDE: THE EPILOGUES by Hayley Edwards (Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy series, Book 7)
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Lisa Edmonds was born and raised in Kansas. A graduate of Buhler High School, she studied English and forensic criminology at Wichita State University. After acquiring her Bachelor’s degree, she considered a career in law enforcement as a behavioral analyst before earning a Master's from Wichita State and then a Ph.D. in English from Texas A&M University.

She is currently an associate professor of English at a college in Texas, where she teaches a variety of writing and literature courses.

When not in the classroom, she shares a quiet country home with her husband Bill D’Amico and their cats, and enjoys writing, reading, traveling, spoiling her nephew, and singing karaoke.

Join Lisa's reader community on her website and get a free novella!!

Find Lisa and her books
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Thursday, December 26, 2019

DNF's of 2019



I really hate to give up on books so it isn't often that I mark a book as Did Not Finish (aka DNF). I only marked 2 books as DNF in 2019 and here is why.





I didn't even get through two chapters of REIGN OF DRAGONS. I just couldn't get into the story or the main character enough to continue reading.





I actually liked the start of RUBY FORTRESS, but as soon as Ellana made it to Oz, it lost me. The story started to feel scripted to me and Ellana kept mentioning her career choice at weird moments when it really didn't matter.



I didn't realize HALF-BLOOD was a spin-off when I started reading it. It didn't seem like I would need to know the backstory, but I quickly realized that I was kinda lost without it. I also found the main character a bit annoying with her constant fangirl-ing over just about everyone she met. It felt really immature and turned me off to the overall story. 

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings....


Warm wishes to all! I hope no matter what holiday you are celebrating this month, that it's filled with family, friends, love and joy.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Early Review: Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin (@McRebecky)

Nameless Queen
Release Date: January 7, 2019
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 1524700266
ISBN13: 9781524700263
Genre: YA Fantasy
Review Copy Source: NetGalley

One girl must make a name for herself--or die trying --in this royal fantasy where an unknown peasant becomes the ultimate ruler. But how long can she keep the crown if everyone wants her dead? Perfect for fans of Furyborn, Red Queen, and Everless.

Everyone expected the king's daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me.

It shouldn't even be possible. I'm Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don't even get names. Heck, dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care.

But there's no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don't?

NAMELESS QUEEN fell in the middle for me. I enjoyed the overall storyline and the characters, but it was lacking the depth that I was looking for.

I enjoyed the characters. There was a wide array of characters in NAMELESS QUEEN. I liked that they found stuff in common even with their varied backgrounds and were able to work together to achieve their overall goals. The pacing was good, I never found myself bored.

The world building is very basic. We get small tidbits of things, but no real details. Nothing really shocked me in NAMELESS QUEEN. There was a bit of mystery as how Coin got to be in her new position, but I guessed it before it was revealed.

I don't regret reading NAMELESS QUEEN and would probably read more in this world if the author ever decided to delve further in. 

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Week in Review: 12/15-12/21



Books I've Read

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Re-Read)
One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Re-Read)
At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost (Re-Read)
Destined For an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Re-Read)

Reviews Posted

None this week....

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

* Monday- Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Alpha Erased by Aileen Erin (@aileen_erin, @InkyTheMonster, @XpressoTours)

* Wednesday- Cover Reveal: American Demon by Kim Harrison (@BurningBunnies, @AceRocBooks)

* Thursday- Promo + Giveaway: Kingdom of Darkness and Light Boxed Set (@XpressoTours)

* Friday- Promo + Giveaway: Tranquilli Bloodline Series by Celia Breslin (@CeliaBreslin, @RoxanneRhoads)

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


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

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

Friday, December 20, 2019

Promo + Giveaway: Tranquilli Bloodline Series by Celia Breslin (@CeliaBreslin, @RoxanneRhoads)


Haven
Tranquilli Bloodline #1
Amazon US       Amazon UK      Amazon CA
BN      Apple Books       Kobo        Champagne      GoodReads
San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli works hard, plays hard, and never allows the death of her parents and her twelve-year memory gap to get her down. Her life takes a left turn when a witch attacks her on her twenty-fifth birthday.

Three hauntingly familiar vampires emerge to reveal she possesses a latent power. To protect her from their enemies, they admit to wiping her memories and abandoning her as a child, but now they need her help. As she struggles to evade her new protectors, and even newer enemies, she meets Alexander, an enigmatic, undead musician. Insta-attraction flares, leaving her wanting more.

With evil’s minions hounding her every move, and everything she thought she knew turned on its head, Carina must harness her burgeoning power, unravel her vampire family’s web of deceit, and fight to keep the love of her life...without getting killed in the process.

Excerpt:

Alexander plastered me against the side of his car and slanted his lips over mine. Time stopped. My fucking heart stopped, then thundered so loud in my ears I thought the world exploded around us. This is what I’d missed, what I craved. This man, these lips. I groaned. His tongue swept over my lips demanding entrance and I caved, allowing him in. He growled, a hungry, sexy as sin growl as his tongue plundered my mouth, taking, tasting, demanding ownership all over again. I let him, taking all he had to give.

 Destiny
Tranquilli Bloodline #1
Amazon US        Amazon UK      Amazon CA
BN        Champagne Books       Apple Books
In HAVEN, San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli survives a vicious attack by her vampire family’s longtime archenemies. Several weeks later, as she struggles with PTSD and survivor’s guilt, supervillain Dixon resurfaces and kidnaps two of her best friends. To save them, Carina must comply with the evil bastard’s unusual demands. The kicker? She must tell no one what she is up to.

Meanwhile, she has a new dance club to open for the preternatural community, a fated soul mate acting secretive and distant, and a sexy, new, undead friend who’d love to take Alexander’s place in her heart and bed.

Blackmailed, betrayed, tempted…sometimes destiny has a wicked sense of humor.

Excerpt:


Alexander plastered me against the side of his car and slanted his lips over mine. Time stopped. My fucking heart stopped, then thundered so loud in my ears I thought the world exploded around us. This is what I’d missed, what I craved. This man, these lips. I groaned. His tongue swept over my lips demanding entrance and I caved, allowing him in. He growled, a hungry, sexy as sin growl as his tongue plundered my mouth, taking, tasting, demanding ownership all over again. I let him, taking all he had to give.



Origins
Tranquilli Bloodline #1
Kobo       Amazon      Champagne
In HAVEN & DESTINY, San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli finds love and fights her vampire family’s enemies. Now, in ORIGINS…

En route to reunite with her estranged father in Italy, Carina is kidnapped by a human organization intent on vampire genocide. Beaten, starved, and forced to fight fellow captives, she finally manages to escape. Along the way, she encounters the group’s leaders—their identities shock her to the core.

Once home, Carina warns her family of this new threat, but dear old dad is missing. In his absence, the Tribunal, the governing body for all vampirekind, lies in disarray, with an old enemy making a bid for her father’s throne. What’s worse? The usurper wants her for his queen…and slave.

With a human-vampire war looming on one side and a vampire-vampire battle brewing on the other, Carina will have to rally her troops, take back the throne, and fulfill her destiny as the Chosen One. If not, her whole world will fall, taking everyone she loves with it.

Excerpt:

The car stopped. I couldn’t convince myself to step out. What if this was a freaking, injection-induced hallucination? What if I was still back in the damn prison?
Besnik helped me out.
The mansion’s mammoth double doors eased open. The man illuminated in the doorway chased away the numbness, pumped my heart so hard it might pound right out of my chest. He opened his arms wide, calling me. My lips curled upward in the first true smile I’d cracked since the last time he’d held me in his arms. That man, my man, loved me more than any other on this whole damn planet.
“Alexander.”
I ran to him.
Alexander’s arms closed around me, his hold so tight I could barely catch a breath. Tremors ran through his hard body, again and again.
“Carina,” he croaked, voice sandpaper rough. “Carina.”
Nuzzling his neck, I planted fevered kisses along his tan, heated skin. He’d fed recently to be this warm under my lips. Temptation had me licking his pounding pulse, nipping at the vein. Couldn’t resist it. My fangs slid home.
Energy exploded between us, our mate bond bursting to life and tearing away whatever magical wall had separated us for far too long. My bite, the catalyst, his blood the cure. Awash in the force of our reunion, Alexander staggered then clutched me closer while I pulled out of his neck and laved the rapidly healing holes.
As our power continued to bubble and stitch us back together, he whisked us into the grand entryway, planted my ass on an ornate, antique cabinet, and devoured my mouth like a starving man. His hands roamed everywhere, searching, cataloguing, as if to reassure himself this wasn’t a hallucination, that I was really here, in his arms, relatively unharmed.
The more he kissed me, the more those wonderful, golden threads of our connection resurrected inside me, around me, between us, and I felt like freaking Sleeping Beauty awakened from her magical slumber by a kiss from her fated handsome prince. The silly thought made me giggle against Alexander’s seeking mouth, and then I was crying while my love cupped my face between his hands, wiped away my tears with his thumbs, and pressed tender kisses to my forehead, my cheeks, the tip of my nose…
“Alexander.” I fisted his shirt tight. Please, God, let him be real. “I… I don’t want to wake up.” Please, don’t let this end.
His smoky blue eyes bored into mine, his brown hair spiked in every direction, a bit longer than in my memory. It’s not a dream, baby. You’re here. You’re home.
Oh my God, I can hear you. I swiped some willful bits of hair away from his forehead, touched his full lips, ran my fingers along his strong jaw, taking in the whole handsome, bad-boy package. You’re back in my head. I’d never been happier to have someone inside my mind. Silence was seriously overrated.
And back in your arms.


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Celia’s Vampire Viewing Picks for the Holidays

It’s always time to watch vampire shows in my world. Here are my recs for some fun holiday viewing!

“Amends” - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, S3, Ep10. A brief happy moment for Buffy and Angel. Plus, snow in Southern California.

“Once More With Feeling” S6, Ep7.  Because it’s the best episode ever.

“Bring on the Night” – Buffy, S7, Ep10. Multiple slayers, an uber vamp, and an Xmas tree lot.

“Reunion” – Angel, S2, Ep10. Drusilla and Darla running amok.

 “O Come All Ye Faithful” – The Vampire Diaries, S4, Ep9.  A Winter Wonderland theme-party aaaaand naughty, naughty Klaus.

“Through Your Eyes” – S6, Ep10. Christmas reminiscing and one evil Kai.

“Cold As Ice” – The Vampire Diaries, S7, Ep9. Holiday toy drive and a pesky Phoenix Stone.

“Savior” – The Originals, S3, Ep9. Amid much drama, Klaus and Cami share a kiss.
 

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 Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for werewolves, vampires, and the Fae. Her stories are action-packed and typically include one of the many varieties of romantic entanglements: fated mates, second chance, rescue romance, opposites attract, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and more.

When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family, or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies, as well as everything in the Marvel Universe franchise. Of course!

Find Celia and her books
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Thursday, December 19, 2019

Promo + Giveaway: Kingdom of Darkness and Light Boxed Set (@XpressoTours)


Kingdom of Crowns and Glory
Kingdom of Darkness and Light #1
    Fairytale heroes, but not as you remember them…

    The age old tale of Good versus Evil comes to life in this epic boxset featuring only the heroes from your favorite fairytales.

    Will light triumph over dark? Will the heroes beat the villains?
    Be part of the battle and explore your favourite fairytales from different perspectives, in this one of a kind split fairytale anthology retelling collection.

    This set by USA Today and Amazon Best Selling authors is like nothing you have never read before.

    Paired up with The Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance boxset, you can now read the story from the perspective of both the heroes and villains. Come on a magical journey to see if good does always triumph over evil.

    Stories included are:

    The Little Mermaid Vs The Sea Witch
    Snow White Vs The Evil Queen
    Sleeping Beauty Vs Witch
    Robin Hood Vs Sheriff
    Alice Vs Queen of Hearts
    Princess Vs Rumpelstiltskin
    Peter Pan Vs Hook
    Little Red Vs Wolf

Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance 
Kingdom of Darkness and Light #2
 Fairytale villains, but not as you remember them…

The age old tale of Good versus Evil comes to life in this epic boxset featuring only the evil doers from your favorite fairytales.

Will light triumph over dark? Will the heroes beat the villains?
Be part of the battle and explore your favourite fairytales from different perspectives, in this one of a kind split fairytale anthology retelling collection.

This set by USA Today and Amazon Best Selling authors is like nothing you have never read before.

Paired up with The Kingdom of Crowns and Glory boxset, you can now read the story from the perspective of both the heroes and villains. Come on a magical journey to see if good does always triumph over evil.

Stories included are:

The Sea Witch Vs The Little Mermaid
The Evil Queen VsSnow White
Witch Vs Sleeping Beauty
Sheriff Vs Robin Hood
Queen of Hearts Vs Alice
Rumpelstiltskin Vs Princess
Hook V’s Peter Pan
Wolf Vs Little Red

Excerpts:
Excerpt from Anne Stryker's book, Glacier featured in Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance. A story from the perspective of Rumplestilskin.

“Tell me a story,” she whispered, staring at the globe like her world rested within.

I took a deep breath and gazed at the sky. “A story? Since when do you like those?”

Her lips lifted in a small smile, and mine mirrored the action to match. I spun a recycled tale from fae lore, replacing our heroine’s name with hers—likely sacrilege, but for her growing smile, I didn’t care. She fought dragons and rode through plains upon her faerie steed, bolstering legend and carving her name into the world itself. As the theatrical rendition slipped to a close, her smile had fallen.

It took all my strength not to touch her then, draw her close, and whisper the truth, about everything. But I couldn’t bear to see hatred blister in her gaze, not tonight. Enough would happen tonight. And I couldn’t forfeit everything now.

She pressed the globe against her chest and stared up at the stars. “Thank you, my faerie,” she murmured, and a tear traced down her cheek.

My breath held.

She pinned me with those blue eyes that were an echo of mine. “I wish you were real.”

Excerpt from M.T Finnberg's book Dreams in Bloom, featured in the Kingdom of Crowns and Glory box set. A story from the perspective of Sleeping Beauty.

“We shall sleep off the drinks and leave in the morning. Mind you, if you try to run, Victor Morgenstern, father of witches, you will not get far. Simply meet us at the door at sunrise.”

“Absolutely, my Sire. Will do, my Sire.” Victor shook his head. “Me, hard bargaining, eh? You two are the toughest bargainers I’ve met in my lifetime!”

“Well,” Father said, twirling the foot of his glass absently. “Speaking of reputations, who exactly do you think you have sitting across you? You’re looking at none else but the infamous Getaway King and his Wretched Rachel. Where can you find comparison? You can’t. Have one encounter with my Queen, my Wretched Rachel, and you’ll be speaking of her for the rest of your lowly life. Cross her once, and you’ll know you’ve met your fate.”

There was no smile with that.

I flinched on my plank, as the King gave a sharp snortle and chugged the wine.



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