Week in Review 1/9-1/15

Books Ive Bought/received

I Have had SUPER good book winning Karma lately and a bunch of stuff came this week and mostly all on the same day (Wednesday) It brightened up my mood a tad bit after I found that the snow/ice storm had somehow cracked my car windshield (NOT COOL) :(

*Visions of Magic by Regan Hastings- From publisher for review

*Nightshade by Michelle Rowan- From Publisher for review

*Delirium by Lauren Oliver- ARC- From Shelf Awareness

*Demon Marked by Anna J Evans- ARC- Win from Dear Author  

*Hungry for You by Lynsay Sands- Signed- Win from Nocturne Romance Reads

*Book of Days by James L. Rubart- ARC- Win from LovLivLife Reviews

*Across the Universe- ARC- Win from Frenzy of Noise

*NOW FOR MY BIG WIN, I won a BOX of books from Bradford Literary Agency in a twitter follower contest thing she was having :o I was so excited and here is what Laura sent me.

• Marked by Elisabeth Naughton
• Entwined by Elisabeth Naughton
• Close Encounters by Katherine Allred
• Witch Fury by Anya Bast
• Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden 
• His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone
• His Darkest Embrace by Juliana Stone

Books I read

Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara
Minder by Kate Kaynak
Adversary by Kate Kayanak
Burning Darkness by Jaime Rush
Awakened by P.C. Cast
Across the Universe by Beth Revis


Other reviews posted
Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland
A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang
Killing Rocks by D.D. Barant
Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter




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* I'm participating in my very first blog hop giveaway. Visit here to enter. Ends 1/17

*New Releases for the week 

* You can still help me win a contest, and have a chance to win yourself PLEASE visit here to read how you can :) ENDS 1/25

*Looking for books to swap? Visit my Book Swap page to see what I have.

*WOW look at all the new followers!! How Exciting, thanks for following and I hope you enjoy UFI.

* I have finally added a Facebook page for UFI. You can visit here, or click on the like button on the left side of your screen to join it. All my posts will post there automatically thanks to Networked blogs sync thing.

* I participated in a special project for the Launch of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis.

*Like what you read? Make sure to leave a comment.

Review: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter

Mercy Blade
Author:Faith Hunter
Release Date: January 4, 2011
Publisher: ROC
Jane Yellowrock Book #3
ISBN:  0451463722
ISBN13: 9780451463722
Genre: Urban Fantasy


Jane Yellowrock is a shape-shifting skinwalker − and a vampire killer for hire. But lately she’s found herself taking blood money from the very vampires she used to hunt...

Things are heating up in the Big Easy. Weres have announced their existence tot he world, and revived the bitter tensions that run between them and their old enemies: vampires. As a trusted employee of Leo Pellissier, Blood Master of the City, Jane finds herself caught in the cross fire.

When Jane is attacked by a pack of marauding were-wolves, she is thankful for the help of a mysterious stranger named Girrard. He explains that he used to be Leo’s “Mercy Blade,” a sacred position charged with killing vampires who have gone insane. What Jane doesn’t know is why this powerful assassin left New Orleans − or, more troubling, why he’s now returned. It’s definitely not to make Jane’s life easier..

So has many books with cliffhanger endings lately and MERCY BLADE sure didn't want to be left out. I love how the Jane Yellowrock series is based on real world places and times just with the addition of supernatural beings. I enjoyed the storyline and found that everything was paced perfectly. There is a bunch of sexual tension in MERCY BLADE and I'm dying to know what will come of certain relationships. I enjoyed the investigation techniques and procedures that are followed and seem to stick close to real life. The action was exciting and left me on the edge of my seat. Faith Hunter is wonderful about explaining details and it really brings the story together. It seems like Jane is really close to having what she is revealed and It will be interesting to see what happens after that happens. The next book is already named RAVEN CURSED but has no release date yet that I could find.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

January 14th to 17th

Hosted by Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
& I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

(CLOSED)

Winner will receive

Your choice of ANY 1 book valued Up to $10USD from Book Depository.

*Open to anyone the Book Depository ships FREE to.*

*US residents- I reserve the right to order your book from a US book store*

RULES
1) You MUST Be a Follower!!!
2) It is only open to anyone the Book depository ships to.
3) Fill out the FORM 

Giveaway Ends 1/17 at 11:59pm EST

Winner will have 48 Hours to reply to my email or I will pick another

Winner chosen randomly with the help of random.org

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop

Thank you everyone for stopping by and Follow me if you like what you see!!

Follow Friday 

This weeks question comes from

Annette @ The More You Read, The More You Will Know!

"What makes up your non-human family??"

 

We have NO pets. I have 3 people (2 kids and a Husband) I already take care of and I couldn't imagine adding another. My kids have asked for a dog, fish, and a lizard but we rent and don't want to have to worry about extra deposits and moving with pets. They love playing with other peoples pets.

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question comes from :  Barb who blogs at Sugarbeat's Books:
 

"Why do you read the genre that you do?  What draws you to it?"

I love the imagination, adventure and fantasy that comes along with reading about paranormal creatures and things. Its so easy to get lost in the magical worlds Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance brings. Once I started reading about Vampires, werewolves, etc I just couldn't get enough.

Review: Killing Rocks by D.D. Barant

Killing Rocks
Author:D.D. Barant
Release Date: December 28, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's
Bloodhound Files Book #3
ISBN:  0312942605
ISBN13: 9780312942601
Genre: Urban Fantasy


FBI profiler Jace Valchek's ticket home from the twisted parallel universe where she's been called to duty hinges on the capture of series killer Aristotle Stoker - and an alliance with a sorcerer known as Asher. The problem: Asher has joined forces with some of the most dangerous creatures Jace has ever encountered. The solution: There is none, without Asher's help. Jace's goal seems simple enough - to get her man, like always. But just hours after she arrives in Vegas, she's abducted...and she isn't even sure who the real enemy is. Now Jace has to wonder if she's the predator or the prey in a very dangerous game that could change not only her fate, but the world's...Meanwhile, a serial killer is still on the loose. And time has already run out...

If you enjoy a book full of Action, Were's, Vampires, Golem's and other supernatural beings you will love the Bloodhound Files. Jace was stolen from her world to an alternate world where Humans only make up 1% of the population. D.D. Barants world building is awesome, I can picture everything she explains with no problems at all. I seriously have no idea what else Jace could go through but I cant wait for D.D. Barant to tell me. In KILLING ROCKS Jace is separated from those she is close to and has to solve the problem with the help of someone (actually a few people) that started the book as an enemy(ies). She finds out more about why she was chosen to be brought to where she is and a little more about the person that brought her there. KILLING ROCKS is full of action and is a very fast paced read. If you are looking for romance this isn't the book for you but you wont be disappointing in the storyline or the characters.

I gave it 4/5 Stars

Book Swap

I have updated my Book Swap page........ Let me know if you want to trade :)

Early Review: A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang

A Brush Of Darkness

Author: Allison Pang

Release Date: January 25, 2011

Publisher: Pocket

ISBN:  1439198322

ISBN13: 9781439198322

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher for review

The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.



This was a unique, entertaining Urban Fantasy.. Allison Pang's world is full of imagination and her characters pulled everything together to make every written word believable. 
Abby has no idea what she was getting herself into when she signed her contract as a touchstone, she is seriously undereducated in all things magical and it was fun and entertaining to watch her learn. The story is full of adventure and laughs with a few sexy scenes thrown into the mix. Come on now, it has a talking smart ass Unicorn in it, must I say anything else? The ending leave's things open so you will be excited to know that there will be another book to read in the future.


I gave it a 4/5 stars