Monday, December 30, 2013

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner

UFI welcomes Rebekah Turner Author of the Chronicles from the Applecross series. Thanks for Joining us!!


Love Triangles: the Do's and the Dont's
 
Even though it's quite the cliché, especially in urban fantasy and YA, I don't mind a good love triangle myself, if it's done well. The first time I read a series with a good triangle in it was in the early Anita Blake books, between the werewolf Richard and the vampire Jean-Claude. There are other great ones out there, but there are also some clunky fails I've read in the past that make me shudder and pretend to throw my iPad across the room.

When I'm writing, there are certain devices I try to avoid if I want to bring the love triangle element into my story. So ... behold! A list I keep in mind when writing geometry influenced loving:

· Story is king. Your love triangle must to further the plot. Nothing is worse than having no reason for your Love Problem. If it's just some chick who can't decide between two cute guys, then she's just bragging. Fail.

· The triangle is predictable. If I can guess what's going to happen, or there's an obvious choice, then there's no tension. Why would I finish reading? The characters must have their own stakes in the story and also be appealing to the reader. It's a no brainer if one is eeeevil and one is a freaking saint.

· The decision should resonate with a deeper ideal. Make the decision a reflection of the life choices the protagonist is facing. Make the decision they have to make, have character developing elements.

· Don't make your protagonist a whinger. Someone who just goes on and on about it all. See first point about bragging. FAIL.

· Make the choice hard. Kind of relates to my second point. Engage the reader with interesting, three dimensional characters. Each character must offer the protagonist some different, something unique.

Keeping these elements in mind, I think a steamy triangle or even hexagon of mad hot love is always going to be a winner.
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Rebekah lives in sunny Queensland and has worked in the past as a graphic designer. She now does freelance work when her kids are looking the other way. An avid writer since she could scrawl in her dad’s expensive encyclopedias, she has progressed from horsey stories to tales of dark fantasy with lashings of romance and a sprinkling of horror.

Her vices include eating overpriced ice cream, over analyzing 80s action and horror movies and buying stationery she just doesn’t need.

Find Rebekah and her books
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Chaos Bound
Chronicles from the Applecross #2
Amazon
The long-awaited sequel to Chaos Born takes us back into the Applecross, where Lora faces increasing threats to her survival and her chance at love.

Lora Blackgoat — mercenary and smuggler — has only just recovered from the last threat on her life and hasn’t even begun to sort out the mess of having both a nephilim warrior and a reborn hellspawn as potential lovers. Work should be a refuge, but a job finding missing persons puts her in the crosshairs of a violent gang and a merchant with a taste for blood sport.

Reluctantly, Lora turns to the two men in her life for help. Roman — the nephilim — professes to be her soul mate and turns to her when he feels the darkness of nephilim madness descending. But though Lora is drawn to Roman, it is Seth, ex-lover and reborn hellspawn, who Lora must ultimately ask to protect those she loves. Can she trust Seth to save Roman and her adoptive family, or will this be a fatal mistake?
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International 
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Covet Release Day Blast


Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website and follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's December releases:






Beg Me to Slay by Lisa Kessler

He’ll slay her demons, but it may cost her heart…

Four years ago Tegan Ashton was attacked. Determined never to be a victim again, she devotes her life to martial arts and self-defense. When her assailant returns to finish what he started, only one person can help her.

Gabe is a private investigator by day and demon slayer by night. After losing loved ones, he vows to defend people from a threat they don’t realize exists.

The relationship is supposed to be strictly business, but fighting demons together stirs up emotions they never expected. Turns out demon slaying is a breeze compared to facing their scarred pasts and even worse - hearts.




Ashes by Sarah Gilman

Journalist Ambrosia Pellerin accepts an assignment involving the legendary phoenix, expecting, if nothing else, a little entertainment. Instead, she winds up pregnant—by a surprisingly human-looking firebird, Reece Bennu.

As the Phoenix prince, Reece is next in line to the throne and expected to marry a purebred royal. A common human such as Ambrosia is not in the cards. He swears, though, he’ll never be an absentee father.

As Ambrosia’s due date grows closer, so do the soon-to-be parents. But will their tentative love survive the prejudice of Reece’s grandmother, who will stop at nothing to tear the two apart?



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Sunday, December 29, 2013

Week in Review: 12/22-12/28


Books Ive Bought/received

* Fragile Spirits by Mary Lindsey- Publisher

* Salt by Danielle Ellison -eARC- Netgalley

Books I Read

Fragile Spirits by Mary Lindsey
Three by Kristen Simmons
Temptation by Fire by Tiffany Allee
Salt by Danielle Ellison

Reviews Posted

Born in Blood by Alexandra Ivy
Angelbound by Christina Bauer
The Spider by Jennifer Estep
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrew

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

*Monday- Guest blog and Giveaway for Snow White and the Vampire by Marina Myles

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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.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Early Review: Born in Blood by Alexandra Ivy

Born In Blood
Release Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Zebra
The Sentinels Book #1
ISBN:  1420125141
ISBN13: 9781420125146
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source:
In a stunning new paranormal romance series—even edgier than her bestselling Guardians of Eternity books—New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy lures readers into the dark, seductive world of the Sentinels—humans outcast by their hidden abilities, treading the line between life and death, good and evil, pleasure and pain…

Born In Blood

Sergeant Duncan O’Conner has seen it all before. A beautiful erotic dancer is found murdered in her home—no suspect, no motive. But there’s one clue: she’s missing her heart. It’s enough to make the hard-bitten Kansas City cop enlist the help of a necro—one of the dead-channeling freaks who live in the domed city of nearby Valhalla. It’s a long shot, but desperate crimes call for desperate measures.

Unlike the other “high-bloods” in Valhalla, Callie Brown considers her abilities a gift, not a curse. But when she reads the dancer’s final thoughts, she senses a powerful presence blocking her vision. This is no ordinary homicide. This is the work of a legendary necromancer who controls souls. A ravenous force that will put Callie’s skills to the test, O’Conner’s career at risk, and both their hearts on the line…literally.

I can't put my finger on why but I had a hard time getting through BORN IN BLOOD. I am sure typing out my review will make it clear to me. It was one of those books that you want to finish reading but you find yourself skipping over a few parts to get through it faster to find out what happens in the end.

I found Duncan to be a little too pushy at times but he was suitably protective when needed and tolerant of those in Callie's life (except Fane of course). Callie comes off really fragile and quite but hides a strong woman underneath. The two work well together and make a believable couple. The secondary cast of characters seemed to be the ones who kept me reading though. The world building could have used more explanation and it felt like we were always being cut short on information that we needed to finish a scene. The villain of the story just annoyed the heck out of me. I skipped most of his dialog. 

By the end I didn't really feel like I was emotionally invested in the main characters. The events of the story did however bring out emotion in me so I am giving the story a little more star power because of that. I don't think I will go out of my way to pick up book 2 but I will look into who the main characters of the story will be in case that changes my mind.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Friday, December 27, 2013

Review: Angelbound by Christina Bauer

Angelbound
Release Date: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Ink Monster LLC
Angelbound Book #1
ISBN13:  9780989405003
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Netgalley
Eighteen year old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She’s not your every day quasi-demon, half-demon and half-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter heaven or hell, they go up against her, and she hasn’t lost a battle yet.

But as she starts her senior year at Purgatory High, the arena fights aren’t enough to keep her spirits up anymore. When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, she knows that things are changing and it’s not looking good for the quasi-demons. Myla starts to question everything, and doesn’t like the answers she finds. What happened seventeen years ago that turned the quasi-demons into slave labor? Why was her mom always so sad? And why won’t anyone tell her who her father is? Things heat up when Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax, a super sexy half-human and half-angel demon hunter. But what’s a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a demon hunter? It’s a good thing that Myla’s not afraid of breaking a few rules. With a love worth fighting for, Myla’s going to shake up Purgatory.

I will admit it, I wasn't crazy about the blurb for ANGELBOUND and procrastinated when it came to starting it. From the first chapter I was hooked.

Everyone that lives in Purgatory has a purpose. Myla goes to school but she also fights in the arena and happens to be the best fighter they have. Her mom is extremely over protective but Myla loves what she does and has no want to give it up. Myla has never really been interested in boys until she meets Lincoln. They are both drawn to each other but also get on each others nerves. It's pretty comical watching them fight with each other. His whole race is a bit wonky when it comes to the roles or perceived roles of men and woman. I instantly liked Lincolns mom and looked forward to parts where she was present. They story was extremely well written. The author seemed to know when to shell out information to cause the best reaction. The world building was complex. There are a lot of things that made up the world but I never felt lost or overpowered with information.

I am left with so many questions. When will they get to be together? Will she leave Purgatory to be with him? Half time there, half time here? They MUST be together! How do their parents feel now? So many questions, so long of a wait to find the answers. SCALA will be here in May.

I gave it 5/5 stars

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

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Review: The Spider by Jennifer Estep

The Spider
Release Date: December 24, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN:   1451689012
ISBN13: 9781451689013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Edelweiss
The tenth book in the bestselling and “outstanding” (Romantic Times) Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series finally reveals for the first time the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadliest of assassins.

For the first time, the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadly assassin “the Spider” are revealed in full. In a story that pre-dates the other nine books in the series, Gin Blanco goes through her paces to become the most feared assassin in the Ashland.

THE SPIDER brings us back to the beginning of Gin's career. I admit that it was a little weird at times and I know this will sound bad but I really enjoyed watching Gin stumble around and make crazy decisions based on anything but her head. Seeing Fletcher again was nice as well. He is present in other novels but he was front and center for a good chunk of THE SPIDER. You can really get a feel for their connection as well as how he trained Gin.

As for the plot, I enjoyed it. It was a little predictable and I wasn't crazy about all the coincidental run ins involving people who are now in her life but I still enjoyed reading about Gin's adventure and trials as a new assassin trying to find herself. Could I have gone on with the series without reading THE SPIDER? Probably, but I wouldn't want to. Jennifer is a fantastic writer and Gin is a fantastic character that I can not seem to get enough of. I am patiently (OK maybe not so patiently) waiting for POISON PROMISE and I am looking forward to getting back to the present day with Gin and her gang. 

I gave it 4/5 stars

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