Guest Post & Giveaway: Alexia Reed

UFI welcomes Alexia Reed Author of Hunting the Shadows. Thanks for Joining us!!

What it Means to be Strong

   There are many breeds of heroines—those created strong and kick-ass from page one and then the others who grow as the story progresses. While I do enjoy a heroine who is kick-ass and can handle herself from the first moment we catch a glimpse of her, I love the ones who are grow to be strong.

   I don’t mean the kind who won’t fight for what she believes in or feels sorry for herself when things get rough for the entire book. I mean someone who isn’t highly trained in fighting or completely secure in standing up for herself but learns to be. Someone who isn’t fine with taking the life of another, even when threatened.

   Characters who grow into themselves, who learn who they are. These are the stories that I love the most.

   With Amy, I went back and forth in the various versions I’d written. In the earlier ones, she was a lot more worldly. She lived a normal life then was dragged into the chaos of the Centre. She knew who she was in those old versions. This didn’t resonate with me. She was fine, but there wasn’t anything that made me connect. So I rewrote her to have been part of the Centre the whole time and at the same time, an outsider.

   I knew Amy wouldn’t have the training the others had. It’s just not realistic. A telepathic-empath with no natural mental shields is never going to be able to walk outside and keep her sanity. I wanted her to be an outcast, to learn as the story progressed with the reader.

   I wanted Amy to keep growing, not just in Hunting the Shadows, but every future book. It could be easy to have her know everything, but I didn’t feel that would be effective.  Being a telepath, she could have easily gone into the head of J.C. and simply ‘known’ everything. I wanted to give her barriers and a reason to grow.

   And when things get rocky, she doesn’t give up. Even when no one will believe her about the killer and she’s sedated, she keeps trying to get through to someone, anyone, psychically. She doesn’t stop fighting, despite her situation.

Do you look for a certain kind of heroine when you read? Who do you feel you connect more to…or want to?

***

Blurb: Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

You can purchase Hunting the Shadows through the Carina Press, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

__________________________________

While in reality Alexia Reed resides in Ontario, she likes to say that she lives in her own little world. A lover of all things scientific and the paranormal, Alexia uses her books as a way to straddle the realms of fact and fiction—and always with a healthy dose of romance thrown in.

When not writing and reading, Alexia paints, and  is the caretaker to two neurotic cats.

__________________________________

Find Alexia and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

Hunting the Shadows
Shadow Ops Project #1
May 7 2012

 Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

__________________________________

International 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner: Sara Grant Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Prize: book related necklace

The Winner chosen by Rafflecopter is.....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Giveaway: The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman

The Last Four Things
Author: Paul Hoffman
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: NAL
The Left Hand of God Book #2
ISBN:  0451235126
ISBN13: 9780451235121
Genre:Fantasy

To the warrior-monks known as the Redeemers, who rule over massive armies of child slaves, "the last four things" represent the culmination of a faithful life. Death. Judgement. Heaven. Hell. The last four things represent eternal bliss-or endless destruction, permanent chaos, and infinite pain.

Perhaps nowhere are the competing ideas of heaven and hell exhibited more clearly than in the dark and tormented soul of Thomas Cale. Betrayed by his beloved but still marked by a child's innocence, possessed of a remarkable aptitude for violence but capable of extreme tenderness, Cale will lead the Redeemers into a battle for nothing less than the fate of the human race. And though his broken heart foretells the bloody trail he will leave in pursuit of a personal peace he can never achieve, a glimmer of hope remains. The question even Cale can't answer: When it comes time to decide the fate of the world, to ensure the extermination of humankind or spare it, what will he choose? To express God's will on the edge of his sword, or to forgive his fellow man-and himself?

 US ONLY

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Blog: Yolanda Sfetsos

UFI welcomes Yolanda Sfetsos Author of A Patch of Darkness. Thanks for Joining us!!

Some of My Book Picks

Hi everyone! Firstly, I'd like to thank Stacy for having me over here today.

I'm a writer from Sydney, Australia. I also happen to be a huge reader. Actually, I would go as far as to say that I'm a bibliophile. I'm not just addicted to reading, but also to buying and collecting books. I buy at least two paperbacks a month—not including the books I’ve already pre-ordered months in advance—and a bunch of Kindle books, too.

I just can't stop. There are too many interesting books out there that I must read. Not to mention that once I get hooked on a series, that’s it.

Like my writing, I read in a variety of genres—urban fantasy, YA, paranormal, horror, sci-fi, mystery, thrillers... I'm not too fussy. If I read the blurb of an upcoming book and it fascinates and/or grabs my attention, more than likely I will add the book to my spreadsheet and pre-order it. Yeah, I'm that hardcore. ;)

Although I read different genres, my most fave has to be urban fantasy. I love it so much because it combines the supernatural, offers the freedom to create a world much like ours but with a few differences, it’s filled with kick-ass heroines and tempting heroes!

Here's a picture of my (mostly) urban fantasy bookshelf:

I know. That's a lot of books, right? The bottom shelf contains my keepers.

These are the series I'm most attached to:

I’ve also recently started the first book/s in several other UF series. Here’s a list of the ones I’ve really, really enjoyed and will look forward to reading more of:

KINDLING THE MOON by Jenn Bennett,

HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne,

DEADTOWN by Nancy Holzner,

NIGHT CHILD by Jes Battis,

DEAD TO ME by Anton Strout,

DEAD, UNDEAD, OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN by J.A. Saare

DOG DAYS by John Levitt,

A BRUSH OF DARKNESS by Allison Pang,

THREE DAYS TO DEAD by Kelly Meding,

BLACK BLADE BLUES by J.A. Pitts,

MIND GAMES by Carolyn Crane,

THE SCENT OF SHADOWS by Vicki Pettersson.

I've also got many books on my to-read pile at Goodreads. With all the writing, revising, and editing I've been doing, I've fallen behind on some of my favourite series. But I'm hoping to catch up this year. Plus, I'm always keen to get started on some new ones. :)

So, I was wondering... do you like to get stuck into more than one series?

Before I go, I thought it might be cool to list some book picks from a few of the characters in my Sierra Fox series...

Sierra Fox: She’s a very busy spook catcher, and is also involved in a lot of other things that take up way too much of her time, so she hardly has any time to read anymore. At the moment she’s re-reading, ‘When the Spirit Remains’ by Claude Spooker, for further research into the parapsychologist. Her favorite books of all time are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. She also likes Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King.

Jonathan Wells: He owns an occult bookstore and is always reading. Mostly he prefers to read occult reference books, or rare texts and volumes. These are some of his favourites: The Demonic: A Reference Book by Unknown Author, Amulets and Demonic Seals by Troyan Slevani. As far as fiction goes, his all-time fave is The Excorcist by William Peter Blatty.

Lavie Grye: Is also a very busy woman, but she likes to sneak in the odd romance novel when she has a spare moment and doesn’t have to read for research. She gets a kick out of reading paranormal romances featuring hot demonic heroes, and is a huge Anne Rice fan. She’s also really enjoying Roger Hocking's Journal at the moment.

Thanks for reading,

Yolanda

__________________________________

Wife. Mother. Writer. Bibliophile. Dreamer. Animal lover. Intrigued by the supernatural. Horror freak. Zombie enthusiast. Movie & music fan. Slave to her muse.

Yolanda lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband, lovely daughter, and cheeky cat.

__________________________________

Find Yolanda and her books

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

__________________________________

A Patch of Darkness
Sierra Fox #1
May 15, 2012

  In a perfect world, Sierra Fox would have stayed away from the Council she left years ago. But in this world—where spirits have the right to walk among the living—it’s her job to round up troublesome spooks and bring them before that very same Council.

Though her desk is piled high with open cases, she can’t resist an anonymous summons to a mysterious late-night meeting with a bunch of other hunters, each of whom seems to have a unique specialty. The news is dire: something is tearing at the fabric of the universe. If the hunters can’t find who or why in time, something’s going to give in a very messy way.

As current cases, family secrets, new clues and her tangled love life slowly wind themselves into an impossible knot, Sierra finds herself the target of a power-sucking duo intent on stealing her mojo. And realizing she holds the key to the last hope of sealing the widening rift.

Product Warnings: Spook catching: may contain traces of ectoplasm and otherworldly nasties. Not recommended for those with allergies to ghosts, demons, and with boyfriends who think your power is theirs. While reading, avoid dark patches and stay to the light.

__________________________________

Review: A Patch of Darkness by Yolanda Sfetsos

A Patch of Darkness
Author: Yolanda Sfetsos
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Sierra Fox Book #1
ISBN13: 6781609286880
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Author

In a perfect world, Sierra Fox would have stayed away from the Council she left years ago. But in this world—where spirits have the right to walk among the living—it’s her job to round up troublesome spooks and bring them before that very same Council.

Though her desk is piled high with open cases, she can’t resist an anonymous summons to a mysterious late-night meeting with a bunch of other hunters, each of whom seems to have a unique specialty. The news is dire: something is tearing at the fabric of the universe. If the hunters can’t find who or why in time, something’s going to give in a very messy way.

As current cases, family secrets, new clues and her tangled love life slowly wind themselves into an impossible knot, Sierra finds herself the target of a power-sucking duo intent on stealing her mojo. And realizing she holds the key to the last hope of sealing the widening rift.

Product Warnings: Spook catching: may contain traces of ectoplasm and otherworldly nasties. Not recommended for those with allergies to ghosts, demons, and with boyfriends who think your power is theirs. While reading, avoid dark patches and stay to the light.

Sierra is a spook catcher and her job and seeing how she does things was definitely the best part of A PATCH OF DARKNESS. The book had a good array of characters and I felt that Yolanda did a good job with their overall development of them. Yolanda plugged in to Sierra's past with the Council a lot and It was nice to see the back story and get a feel for what Sierra had been through. Sierra gets a mysterious note one night and finds herself in a new supernatural hunter type group yet the group really didn't do anything. I thought it was a bit weird to introduce it yet not really have them all work together. Sierra did see some of the others outside the group and a few helped her out but like I said as a group nothing was accomplished.

The whole relationship between Sierra and her boyfriend Jonathan annoyed the heck out of me. I mean how is she still with him at the end? Just don't understand it. She is portrayed as so incredibly strong in everything else about the novel and has dealt with dirt bag men in her past yet she ignores just about every sign that Jonathan is hiding something and just might not be on the up and up and when she finds out she doesn't drop him immediately?

A PATCH OF DARKNESS gave us plenty of action but most of the time while reading I was frustrated or just not that attached to the scene. I think the series has some potential but only if book 2 address' some holes and gives Sierra some better judgment towards her relationship.  

I gave it 2.5/5 stars

New Releases: 5/13-5/19

Tues May 15

As Dead As It Gets (Bad Girls Don't Die #3) by Katie Alender
Immortal Hearts (Vampire Kisses #9) by Ellen Schreiber

Happy Reading!!

Review: Hunting the Shadows by Alexia Reed

Hunting the Shadows
Author: Alexia Reed
Release Date: May 7, 2012
Publisher: Carina
Shadow Ops Project Book #1
ISBN13: 9781426893735
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Author

Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

Both J.C and Amy grew up in a research program. J.C was groomed to fight and has become a top researcher but Amy was hidden away due to her mental abilities and continues to be hidden away and tested on. That all changes when J.C gets sick of the way the test subjects are treated and hatches a plan to free them that does not go as expected. J.C. and Amy are brought together and help each other find the saboteur and killer before its to late. 

The story starts with action and ends with action. I enjoyed both of the main characters but Amy was my favorite out of the two. She has been through a lot in her life hidden away in the mental hospital area of the compound she grew up in not able to be around others without her brain going haywire from the voices. She was alone and scared and latched onto J.Cs mind at the right moment to help him out. She went from a weak girl to a fierce woman with J.C.s help and J.C. was better having Amy in his life as well. J.C was the type of man that fights for his beliefs and the people he cares about. The world that he lives in is a hard way to grow up but he has never known anything else and still doesn't want his subjects to go through what they are going through. I didn't always agree with or like what he did in the book but he was a good man and you cant help but like him. There was an instant connection between the characters upon meeting each other. Their relationship was not easy but it flowed well and was believable. The world that the characters live in was interesting and kept me thinking. The mystery of who the killer was, was pretty good. I didn't feel like I had a grip on who it was throughout the story and I didn't guess who the real killer was until he was revealed. Overall I enjoyed HUNTING THE SHADOWS.


I'm not sure what book 2 will be about but I would assume this is one of those series that follows a different love story in each book but continues the plot throughout. I'm intrigued enough to keep reading more.


I gave it 3.5/5 stars