Guest Blog & Giveaway: Camilla Chafer

UFI welcomes Camilla Chafer Author of Illicit Magic. Thanks for Joining us!! It was Camilla's Birthday yesterday so make sure to wish her a happy birthday =)

Character interview: Evan Hunter

Today, we’ve got Evan Hunter from Illicit Magic here to talk with us. This is his first ever interview and there’s a few things he’d like to say about witches, magic and Stella Mayweather.

Q: So, Evan. Thanks for joining us today.

Evan: You’re welcome. It’s my pleasure to be here. This is a very dramatic looking blog. I’ve already made some notes of books Stella might enjoy.

Q: You played quite a part in Illicit Magic. How do you feel things went down?

Evan: I expected to do my job as her teacher for a few weeks and that was it. Didn’t turn out that way. I think I’m still shell shocked.

Q: That’s very understandable. Let’s talk about Stella. Was she the kind of witch you expected to have to teach?

Evan: She’s not what I expected at all. Really, I had no idea what I was getting into. It was supposed to be a favor for a friend and I thought, hey, why not? But her magic leaked all over the place when we first met and she couldn’t do a thing with it. Frankly, I’m surprised she survived this far alone. Plus, I… *Evan trails off, looks pensive* Fine, I’ll admit it. I thought Stella was beautiful the moment I saw her and it kind of threw me. I’m ashamed to say I may have appeared as rude when we met.

Q: Did your feelings for Stella make teaching her how to use her magic difficult?

Evan: *Runs a hand through his short black hair* My feelings for her were… distracting. I tried to keep it professional but there’s something about Stella that just got under my skin. She’s so determined. I could see how frustrated she got when she couldn’t use her magic as she pleased at first. As she came out of her shell, I saw the real Stella, someone I care for very much.

Q: Did you find a way to help her realize her magic?

Evan: Well… *hesitates* Yes, but… I’d rather not say how.

Q: But you did find a way to help her?

Evan: You’re just going to dig and dig on this one, aren’t you? You’re like Etoile, always trying to take a peek into someone else’s mind. Next question!

Q: Okay, moving on… Why where you asked to help Stella with her magic? After all you’re not a witch, right?

Evan: I believe that’s exactly the reason my old friend Robert Bartholomew, head of the Witches’
Council, engaged my services. I believe he knew Stella had more problems than those damn witch hunters, the Brotherhood. I think he wanted to make sure someone would protect her, and teach her
how to protect herself, someone without connections to the witch community.

Q: How did Stella take the news that you aren’t a witch like her?

Evan: You may recall that Stella didn’t grow up amongst witches so she doesn’t have the same kind of prejudices that some witches harbor. My friend David, who you met in Illicit Magic, is still wary of me and he’s always known what I am. But your question… I wanted Stella to get to know me first. Then she could make a judgment on what she knew about me and not my race. However, I didn’t get a chance to tell her and I regret that. There are a few things I would have changed about our final days at the safe house and that’s one of them.

Q: What’s next for you and Stella?

Evan: I wish I could say we settle down for a long and quiet future together but it’s going to be a bumpy road before we get there. Whatever happens, you can be sure I’ve got her back.

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Hi, I'm Camilla and I'm the author of the Stella Mayweather Series, an urban fantasy/mystery. The series starts with Illicit Magic and a lonely young woman, Stella, who has been caught up in a terrifying witch hunt and is whisked thousands of miles away to what she thinks is safety to learn her craft. The series is a blend of magic, mystery and romance with a splash of humour - and while the girls really do go all out to save themselves, there's always a hunky guy or two on hand to help them out. The series continues with Unruly Magic and Devious Magic, both out now.

I live in London, England, but I try to travel as often as I can – I’ve been all over the US and Europe. In my day job I'm a journalist and editor so I write for magazines, newspapers and websites throughout the world (my favorite assignment was spending a week riding rollercoasters - if you listen carefully you can probably still hear me screaming) but writing fiction has always been my first love.

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Find Camilla and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Illicit Magic
Stella Mayweather #1
May 1, 2011

 More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.

Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.

There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human? There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?

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 International

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Week in Review: 4/8-4/14

Books Ive Bought/received

*Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready- Publisher

* Hex Appeal-Arc- Librarything Early reviewers

* Arise by Tara Hudson- Arc- Publisher/Teen Book Scene


Books I read

Back from the Undead by D.D. Barrant
A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer
Lies & Omens by Lyn Benedict

Reviews posted


Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson
Wings of Desire by Arianna Skye
Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

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

* Monday Linda Poitevin author of The Grigori Legacy series was here with a guest post and giveaway for her new release Sins of the Son.

* Wednesday Author Arianna Skye was here in promotion of her book Wings of Desire.

* Voting is now taking place for the Goodreads Independent Book Blogger Awards. I would love your vote. 


* I went through all my reviews and tagged them with their Genre. Hopefully that will help people looking for reviews in only a specific area. (and hopefully I classified them all right lol there were a lot). Someone also said they would like to view reviews by Author so I will start working on that and have it up soon.


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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.

Review: Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors
Author: Molly Harper
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Pocket
Jane Jameson Book #4
ISBN:   1451641818
ISBN13: 99781451641813
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Just as Jane Jameson’s unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of all things marital, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend Gabriel are coming along smoothly. But the road to wedded bliss gets bumpy when a teenage acquaintance is fatally wounded in front of Jane’s shop and she turns him to save his life. The Council pronounces Jane responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.

Jane’s kitchen at River Oaks barely holds enough Faux Type O to satiate the cute teen’s appetite and maintain Gabriel’s jealous streak at a slow simmer. As if keeping her hyperactive childe from sucking the blood out of the entire neighborhood isn’t enough to deal with, the persnickety ghost of Jane’s newly deceased Grandma Ruthie has declared a war on the fanged residents of River Oaks. Suddenly,
choosing monogrammed cocktail napkins and a cake that she can’t eat seems downright relaxing in comparison.

Tensions inside the house are growing…and outside, a sinister force is aiming a stake straight for the center of Gabriel’s heart. Most brides just have to worry about choosing the right dress, but Jane fears that at this rate, she’ll never make it down the aisle for the wedding all nice girls dream of…

I had never thought to pick up the Jane Jameson series before the publisher contacted me to review NICE GIRLS DON'T BITE THEIR NEIGHBORS. The publicist was nice enough to send me the whole series and once I started reading book 1 I could not put it down until book 4 ended.

Jane is my kind of girl. She doesn't take crap from anyone, she is absolutely laugh out loud hilarious and I never know what will happen next with her. Jane finally accepts Gabriel's proposal and things seem to go smoothly until the teenager that delivers to her store is hit by a car and the only way to save him is for Jane to turn him. I thought Jane's new childe was a great addition to an already hectic house. Jane's Grandma finally kicks the bucket, unfortunately she decides she has the right to Jane's house still and haunts it until Jane has a brilliant plan that finally gets rid of her. I knew Jane couldn't get marries smoothly and thought the whole ending was so Jane Jameson. I have really grown to love all of Jane's friends and even her family throughout the series (Grandma excluded).

NICE GIRLS DON'T BITE THEIR NEIGHBORS was fast paced and The whole series was highly entertaining and I would recommend you go out and buy all the books now. I have not seen anything about a book 5 but I hope that Molly writes more Jane in the future.

I gave it 5/5 stars

Review: Wings of Desire by Arianna Skye

Wings of Desire
Author: Arianna Skye
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: Self Published
Fey Chronicles Book #1
ISBN13: 9781470055356
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Bewitching Book Tours

Not your (grand)mother's fairytale...

Rhiannon Kinsley's life goes from boring to downright crazy when a freak lightning bolt strikes her laptop. To make matters even more bizarre, strange words and symbols flash across the computer screen and she hears a mysterious voice. Time to call the men in white coats! Then Cerne Silverwing, an intriguingly sexy man, appears. He insists she's a faerie princess whose fate will determine his own. What a crock! Now she knows who really needs those white coats.

With the Dark Faerie forces threatening their kingdom, Cerne kidnaps Rhiannon and brings her to Fey, a land where magic knows no bounds. He's performing a duty to save his kingdom and nothing more--a duty that will bring him his wings and the strengthened magic that comes with them. If he doesn't unite with the princess as her consort, those wings will never grow. But this princess grew up in the land of laptops and instant messages, and she's convinced they're both crazy. Despite their differences, the two are thrust together to defeat the whip-wielding Dark Faerie Queen before she takes over their kingdom. Passion and peril aside, will Rhiannon and Cerne discover their true destiny?

I wont rehash what the story is about because the blurb above does a pretty decent job of that so I will just jump into my thoughts.

I found Rhiannon not suspicious enough in some instances and way to suspicious in regards to others. Cerne was a perfect fit for Rhiannon and when they let themselves be together. Their passion was high and came out in each paragraph. There tended to be a lot of tension due to misunderstandings and incomplete information given between Rhiannon and Cerne at all moments throughout the book. There are a lot of graphic sex scenes if your not into that I would pass on this book, they in no way bothered me though. Arianna's Faerie's are definitely Portrayed as nymphos. There is a wide array of characters to get to know. I loved how Arianna portrayed the Faerie realm it wasn't like most fay books and provided some unique new views to read about. There were some points throughout the book where things were slow and wish it would have sped up and others that were rushed when I would have liked it to be slower paced.


I wasn't thrilled about the ending, Rhiannon was very consistent on her want to go back home to visit and I would have liked to see that happen and see how it played out with her new changes. I have not read anything about this being part of a series but I think there is much more story that could be told. WINGS OF DESIRE overall was a easy read with lots of steamy scenes and a good plot to boot. I would read more.


I gave it 3/5 stars

Review: Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Royal Street
Author: Suzanne Johnson
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Tor
Sentinels of New Orleans Book #1
ISBN:  0765327791
ISBN13:  9780765327796
Genre:Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Netgalley/Publisher

As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ's boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond.

Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters.

While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover.

To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo.

ROYAL STREET takes place during and after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Druisilla takes off to safety at her Grandmas house but her mentor Gerald St. Simon goes missing. Now that the borders between her world and the Underworld have crumbled Druisilla becomes the target of a dead pirate as well as a voodoo god. To make matters worse a sexy new partner walks into her life sent by the wizard elders.

Druisilla (DJ) is a junior wizard trying to figure her way through what she is capable of. She tended to jump before thinking, and made bad decisions anyways but I still found it enjoyable to follow her. I loved Alex. He jumps into the book by rescuing DJ from a dead pirate Jean Lafitte and never left. He was always surprising me with what was revealed about him next. There was a great array of characters, we had bar owners, dead legends, pirates, voodoo gods and assassins. The author does a great job of incorporating the events around Hurricane Katrina and using real life descriptions that brought everything into picture. There is a bit of a love triangle between DJ, her bodyguard/partner Alex and his cousin Jake. I have to say it was a bit of an annoyance because all along I could really only see her with Alex so Jake ended up annoying me when he probably wouldn't have otherwise.

Book one is filled with a lot of background and what I would consider build up for book two. The ending is left open but isn't cliffhanger-ish. Overall I enjoyed it and will be reading book 2.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

Guest Post: Arianna Skye

UFI welcomes Arianna Skye Author of Wings of Desire. Thanks for Joining us!!

What Dreams Can Make

They say everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers those dreams. Lately, my sleep has been plagued by dreams—more than usual. And these dreams are strange—like out of this world weird. It took me a while to realize what was happening. It is this incessant nagging that I call a muse. I’ve named him Henry,because a muse so annoying can’t possibly be a woman. And even more infuriating are those long extended vacations he takes without notice, leaving me here to fend all by my lonesome. But he always manages to save the day, in true muse fashion.

Right now Henry doesn’t want me to write only about faeries (Fey Chronicles Series) or Demons (Demons Unleashed series as Sidney Ayers). In one instance, he’s ready to take me out of this world—literally.

Yep, I’ve been having dreams that seem more like Star Wars than Lord of the Rings. Ray guns and space ships and stars exploding. It’s mind-boggling, because I don’t know anything at all about writing futuristic. I did try at one time to write one, but let’s just say there was failure to launch.

And when I’m supposed to be writing Demons, Henry sends me a dream about time- travelling back to ancient Rome. Quite a stretch from Star Wars. Then again, some of the dresses Princess Leia wore looked sort of like a toga—but I digress. Seriously though, out of all the time periods he could choose, he picks Rome? I said I wanted to write a ménage once, maybe he thought I meant orgy. Sorry Henry, I can’t handle more than three people, four at the most. There’s just too many body parts to keep track of. My props to anyone who can, though.

So the muse isn’t always on track with some things, but other times he’s spot on. Heck, apparently even muses are human—nah, not really, but they do think like us at times.

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Find Arianna and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Wings of Desire
February 14, 2012

 Not your (grand)mother's fairytale...

Rhiannon Kinsley's life goes from boring to downright crazy when a freak lightning bolt strikes her laptop. To make matters even more bizarre, strange words and symbols flash across the computer screen and she hears a mysterious voice. Time to call the men in white coats! Then Cerne Silverwing, an intriguingly sexy man, appears. He insists she's a faerie princess whose fate will determine his own. What a crock! Now she knows who really needs those white coats.

With the Dark Faerie forces threatening their kingdom, Cerne kidnaps Rhiannon and brings her to Fey, a land where magic knows no bounds. He's performing a duty to save his kingdom and nothing more--a duty that will bring him his wings and the strengthened magic that comes with them. If he doesn't unite with the princess as her consort, those wings will never grow. But this princess grew up in the land of laptops and instant messages, and she's convinced they're both crazy. Despite their differences, the two are thrust together to defeat the whip-wielding Dark Faerie Queen before she takes over their kingdom. Passion and peril aside, will Rhiannon and Cerne discover their true destiny?

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Independent Book Blogger Awards

Bloggers: Enter your blog now for a chance to win a trip to Book Expo America in New York City! 

Readers: Tell your favorite blogger to enter now. Voting opens Tuesday, April 10, 2012! Come back to vote and send the best blogs to the finals. 

One of my fabulous followers brought this great contest to my attention. The Independent Book Blogger Awards voting starts TODAY. I would be honored if you would take a moment to vote for UFI.

Click here to Vote for UFI!!!
(can also vote by clicking vote on the right side of UFI main page)

There are 4 categories in the IBBA and One Winner from each category will receive a trip to BookExpo America 2012: round trip coach air transportation, three (3) night hotel accommodations, and free admission to Book Expo 

As a Thank you for taking your time to vote for UFI I am having a giveaway.

If the winner is from the US they will receive a box of books- There will be at least 12 books which will include both ARC's and Finished copies.

If the Winner is from outside the US they can pick one book (up to $10) from the Book Depository

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