Winner: Rebirth by Sophie Littlefield

Thank you to everyone that entered!!

PRIZE: One copy of REBIRTH by Sophie Littlefield

The winner chosen by Random.org is…

Rain Maiden

Congrats!! I have emailed winner who has 48 hours to respond with mailing address or I will pick another.

Review: Shadowflame by Dianne Sylvan

Shadowflame
Author:Dianne Sylvan
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: ACE
The Shadow World Book #2
ISBN:   0441020658
ISBN13: 9780441020652
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Spread throughout the dark corners of our world lies the Shadow World, a society of vampires who feed off the living. In Austin, Texas, one woman must find her place within that world, before she loses everything...

It's been three months since musician Miranda Grey became a vampire and married David Solomon, Prime of the South. As Queen, Miranda must quickly come to terms with her new role and learn how to negotiate the treacherous waters of Signet politics, inevitably making dangerous enemies along the way.

As if complicated vampire politics and a rising music career weren't enough, an enigmatic but powerful force from David's past appears, leaving a wake of chaos and uncertainty for the Pair's fledgling relationship. Miranda begins to realize how little she really knows about her husband. But when an assassin begins targeting her friends and allies, the Pair must track down the killer, even as their lives hang in the balance...

 If you thought QUEEN OF SHADOWS was fantastic you are going to be blown away by SHADOWFLAME. Dianne brings us back to the shadow world a few months after the happenings of book one. Miranda and David are comfortable in their life together, Miranda is still working on her music, everything is going great and then BAM not so much. We get to meet some of the other area primes, some you will love, one you will hate, another you wont know what to think of. Miranda loses more of her humanity and I have to tell you some of the events will have you bawling your eyes out as hard as in book one so have the Kleenex ready. Dianne really knows how to rip your heart out and get you feeling everything the characters are feeling as you read. Having said that, I really hated the situation between David and Devin and felt that nothing was really resolved or came of what happened between them besides a lot of hurt. It made for good reading but I don't see how the future is going to pan out for everyone with this. (sorry to those who have not read this yet and have no clue what Im talking about but it would be a major spoiler to tell you about it). I'm a back to back book reader and this is one of those books that when your done you cant even begin to think about picking up another book. Go out and buy it now, if you have not read Queen of Shadows yet go buy that one too because you wont want to miss them. 


I gave it 4.5/5 stars

Guest Post: Jennifer Estep

UFI welcomes author Jennifer Estep who has a new YA series coming out Mythos Academy. Thanks for Joining us!!

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to thank Stacy for having me on the blog today. Thanks so much, Stacy!

So today, Stacy asked me to list some of my favorite books from the last few years. Where do I start? I’ve always loved to read, but every year, I discover more and more great new books and authors. It seems like I always have at least twenty books in my to-be-read pile with even more that I have my eye on. Yes, my name is Jennifer, and I’m a book addict. LOL. Anyway, here are some of my favorite reads from the last few years:



 Beauty by Robin McKinley: I’m a sucker for retellings of the old Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, and McKinley’s book is just a lovely story about a girl who discovers just how kind and noble a beast can really be.





Beastly by Alex Flinn: This is another retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but the twist is that the story is told from the Beast’s point of view. It’s a really interesting take on the classic story.




The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal: This book focuses on a princess who finds out that she’s not really a princess after all. It’s just a great fantasy book about a girl who has to figure out what her place in the world really is.




The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I heard a lot of folks buzzing about this book when it first came out, so I decided to give it a chance. When I read it, it just blew me away. It was that good.



Graceling by Kristin Cashore: This was another book with a lot of buzz, and it was well- deserved. This is a great epic fantasy adventure with a really strong heroine.





Sugar Daddy and Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas: These wonderful contemporary romances feature smart, strong women and the lives and loves of the wealthy Travis family in Texas.


The James Bond series by Ian Fleming: Is there anyone who saves the world and looks better doing it than James Bond? I don’t think so, and I love these classic spy stories.

The Dortmunder series by Donald E. Westlake: John Dortmunder is a smart thief with an eccentric crew and quite possibly the worst luck in the world, but things always seem to work out for him in the end. These are really funny comic crime capers.

What about you guys? What are some of your favorite reads?

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Jennifer Estep writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more. 

Touch of Frost, the first book in the series, was published today, July 26. First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available now as a 99-cent download. Kiss of Frost, the second book, will hit shelves on Nov. 29. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more information.

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Find Jennifer and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Email

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Touch of Frost
Mythos Academy #1
July 26, 2011

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

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New Releases July 24-30

Tue July 26

 

Black Night (Black Wings #2) by Christina Henry

Bloodlands (Bloodlands Trilogy #1) by Christine Cody and Chris Marie Green

Bound by Moonlight (Moonlight, #4) by Nancy Gideon

Dead Alert (Guardians of the Dark, #2) by Bianca D'Arc

Eye of the Tempest (Jane True, #4) by Nicole Peeler

Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13) by Jim Butcher

Shadow Fall (Shadowchasers, #3) by Seressia Glass

Shadowflame (Shadow World, #2) by Dianne Sylvan

Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld, #12) by Kelley Armstrong

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy, #2) by Kiersten White

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy, #1) by Jennifer Estep

Voice of the Undead (Alex Van Helsing #2) by Jason Henderson

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Wolfsbane (Nightshade, #2) by Andrea Cremer

Please let me know if you see a mistake or find that something is missing =) Happy reading.

Interview & Review: Blood of the Demon by Rosalie Lario

UFI welcomes Rosalie Lario Author of Blood of the Demon. 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?

Although I have a fascination with the supernatural, I’m petrified of scary movies! Whenever I forget that and watch one, I won’t sleep well for weeks. Every little sound the house makes will send me into a fit of terror. The closest I’ll come to scary is something like The Haunted Mansion. (I know, it’s pathetic.)

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Downtime, what’s that? LOL. There hasn’t been much of that lately, but given that I live in the Sunshine state, when I’m not writing I love to be on the water. Frankly, in the summertime, it’s too hot to be outside if you’re not on the water. Boating, swimming, playing at the beach: I count those among my favorite activities.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

Every once in awhile I’ll hit a moment where I feel like I’m getting a glimpse into someone else’s life. I’m so involved in the story that it becomes real to me. That’s the best part.

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

I play a track featuring rain and thunder (with no background music). It’s silly, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’ll play the track even if there’s actual rain and thunder going on outside.

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

I absolutely love the world Jeaniene Frost has built in her Night Huntress series (and all its offshoots). I’ll follow her anywhere she deems to take me. Also Karen Marie Moning, though I’m more a fan of her Highlander series than the newer Fever series.

How would you pitch Blood of the Demon to someone who has not heard of them before?

It’s like Supernatural meets The Mummy with hot, half-demon brothers and lots of steamy romance.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Blood of the Demon is set in?

It’s set in current day New York City (and New Orleans and Egypt). In my world, there are multiple dimensions from which different species of beings derive (demons, shifters, vampires, fae: you name it). Inter-dimensional travel is governed by a political council of elders called the Elden Council. Though most humans don’t know it, New York City contains one of the portals allowing for travel between dimensions, and a lot of the people walking the streets aren’t at all human.

Do you have a favorite scene in Blood of the Demon?

The final battle scene in the Valley of the Kings (Egypt). I actually double-majored in Anthropology and Classical Studies as an undergraduate, so to say I have a fascination with Ancient Egypt would be an understatement. It was so fun to write a scene using the ancient monuments as a backdrop (though, sadly, my demons don’t seem to have too much regard for protecting ancient relics).

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

I fall in love with all of my heroes. It’s so interesting to see what makes them tick. The brothers in my series share a tortured past with an abusive demon father, but it affects them in different ways. That was a lot of fun to explore.

I’d say the hardest character to write about was Brynn. It took me some time to really figure out who she was. Once I did, I fell in love with her loyalty and bravery in the face of all odds.

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

Mark of the Sylph, Book 2 of the DEMONS OF INFERNUM series, releases in September 2011. Look for Book 3 in December 2011, Novella 3 1/2 in January 2012, and Book 4 in July 2012!

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Author Bio: Rosalie Lario practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their home state of Florida, as well as searching out things that go bump in the night.

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Find Rosalie and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Email

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Blood of the Demon
Author:Rosalie Lario
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Demons of Infernum Book #1
ISBN13: 9781937044152
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.

Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List.

And no one wants her more than Keegan’s father.

Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the far deadlier, uncontrollable half—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist.

The beginning of BLOOD OF THE DEMON reminded me a lot of the first book in the Doomsday Brethren series TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS and I really enjoyed that book so I didn't have any issues getting into this one. Brynn always knew she was different so when she was kidnapped by Keegan and his brothers it didn't take her long to believe what they said about her and who she was. The relationship between Keegan and Brynn grows pretty quickly. They feel drawn to each other and possessive of each other instantly. Brynn has her reservations at first of course as she was pretty much kidnapped but Keegan definitely holds out longer and tries hard to push Brynn away while pulling her close. I enjoyed all of Keegan's brothers. It will be fun seeing there stories in books to come. The world that the series is set in is pretty easy to follow and understand. Rosalie does a good job setting it up and explaining it when it needs to be explained. There were a few parts in the book that seemed a little to easy. Whether it was a situation being solved to quickly or maybe a little to unbelievable but the story all together was neat and enjoyable. I think any fans of the multiple character and POV stories will enjoy the first book int he Demons of Infernum series.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Winner: The Heart of War by Lisa Darling

Thank you to everyone that entered!!

PRIZE: One e-copy of The Heart of War by Lisa Darling

The winner chosen by Random.org is…

roro

Congrats!! I have emailed winner who has 48 hours to respond  or I will pick another.

Week in Review 7/17-7/23

Books Ive Bought/received

*Shadowflame by Dianne Sylvan- Purchased at Borders

* Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler- Purchased at Borders

*Power Unbound by Nicole Murphy-Signed- Won

*Secret Ones by Nicole Murphy- Signed- Won



Books I read

Viper Moon by
Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
Eternity by Heather Terrell
Accused by Kate Kaynak
Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler

Reviews posted


Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen
My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland
Night Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer

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

*Sophie Littlefield stopped by on Wednesday and is offering up a signed copy of REBIRTH

* Patricia Eimer, Author of Luck of the Devil stopped in on Saturday with an Interview.

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

* The months of July and August are going to be packed with Guest blogs, Interviews and Giveaways so make sure to stop by often.

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