Thursday, March 6, 2014

Promo & Giveaway: Nina Croft Double Feature Tour

Death Defying Excerpt #3 

3

“Kill him,” Christian said, his tone soft and deadly.

Ash stepped up to the prone man. Faith held her breath. He wouldn’t kill an injured man in cold blood. Would he? The others had been different. That had been in a fight and they still had to free Tara. Now Tara was safe. Faith opened her mouth to speak, but Carl rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She glanced at his face, and he gave a small, almost imperceptible, shake of his head. He was warning her not to bring attention to herself or she might suffer the same fate.

It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stand by while they killed him.

But the hesitation was too long. Ash leaned down and took the colonel’s head between his hands. Faith saw his expression of terror, and then Ash twisted and the colonel’s neck snapped.

She took a step forward but stopped. There was nothing she could do. The colonel was dead.

The act shocked her more than anything else that night. The ease with which the execution had been carried out told her that this wasn’t the first time Ash had killed. He released his grip on the colonel and the body slumped to the floor. Raising his head, Ash met her gaze for the first time that night. His eyes were dark, expressionless. Then he turned away.

What was he that he could kill so casually?

Maybe it was just as well he hated her now. She didn’t think she would ever forget seeing him kill.

Beside her, Carl was speaking softly onto a cell phone. He pushed it back into his pocket and spoke to the rest of the room. “That’s the cleanup team. They’ve arrived.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Christian said. He scooped Tara up in his arms and she snuggled against his chest. Faith had a brief stab of jealousy. She had never had anyone hold her like that. Now, she never would.

“What do we do with her?” Carl asked, nodding in Faith’s direction.

Christian’s silver gaze crawled over her skin, his expression cold as he considered her.

Faith knew her life hung in the balance her and suddenly, she didn’t care anymore. It was all too much. They could kill her here like they’d done the colonel. It would be over so quickly.

“Ryan will be pissed if you kill her without even giving her a hearing,” Carl pointed out. “And she did tell us where to find Tara.”

She glanced at where Ash stood impassive beside the body. Would he take her life as easily? Would he feel any regrets? His face told her nothing. Finally, Christian shrugged. “Take her back to the Order. But if she set this up, she dies.”
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Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Nina's writing mixes romance with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

If you'd like to find out about new releases then sign up for my New Release Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/rZ5rz

Find Nina and her books
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Bittersweet Darkness
The Order #3
Goodreads Amazon Barnes and Noble
 There are no monsters, only good guys and bad guys. That’s the creed by which Detective Inspector Faith Connolly has always lived.

When Faith discovers that she has a time bomb counting down in her head, she has one goal; to solve the murder case she’s working on—a young girl who was found drained of blood—and in doing so gain closure for a long ago murder never solved. Her investigation brings her in contact with Ash Delacourt. Ash is all black leather, big guns and sexy bad attitude—definitely not one of the good guys.

As payment for a debt, Asmodai AKA Ash Delacourt, finds himself working with the Order of the Shadow Accords. He’s the demon representative on the newly formed Committee for the Integration of Mankind and well…everything else. It’s a chance to be near his daughter, make a new start, and—once he’s met the delectable detective—maybe have a little fun.

There are no monsters. But as Faith’s investigation deepens, her beliefs are eroded and for the first time, she is falling in love—with one of the bad guys. But how can she ever let Ash close when her time is running out…?

Death Defying
Blood Hunter #3
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
 
Part snake, part human, and—some would say all bitch—Captain Tannis of the starship El Cazador has one goal in life—to earn enough credits to pay for the Meridian treatment to achieve the immortality she craves. And one last job will get her there. The assignment: protecting the most powerful man in the Universe.

Being leader of the known universe isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks big time. And after five hundred years, Callum Meridian, founding member of the Collective, is bored out of his mind. But as things are changing, he’s changing—into what, though, he isn’t sure. Callum is determined to discover the truth, and he’s employed the crew of El Cazador to help him do it.

Not everyone agrees with his plan, though. His own people will stop at nothing to prevent the truth coming out, the Church is taking advantage of the confusion and attempting a coup, and even the crew of El Cazador seem close to tossing him out the airlock without a space suit. But defying death has never been more dangerous, sexier, or more fun.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

 
Week One:
2/24/2014- The Gal in the Blue Mask- Review/Interview
2/24/2014- Dear Brighton- Excerpt Bittersweet Darkness #1
2/25/2014- Simply ali- Spotlight
2/25/2014- Dawn's Reading Nook- Interview
2/26/2014- The Book Swarm- Review
2/26/2014- Books & Bells- Review
2/27/2014- Bea's Book Nook- Review
2/27/2014- Toot's Book Reviews- Excerpt Bittersweet Darkness #2
2/28/2014- Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile- Review
2/28/2014- Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my!- Excerpt Bittersweet Darkness #3

Week Two:
3/3/2014- Reading Reality- Review
3/3/2014- Bibliophile Mystery- Excerpt Death Defying #1
3/4/2014- Fab Fantasy Fiction- Review
3/4/2014- kate george – author- Excerpt Death Defying #2
3/5/2014- Picked by Poison- Review
3/5/2014- Fantasy Book Addict- Guest Post
3/6/2014- All Things Romance- Review
3/6/2014- Urban Fantasy Investigations- Excerpt Death Defying #3
3/7/2014- Romantic Reads and Such- Interview
3/7/2014- Imaginary Reads- Guest Post

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Elixir by Anna Abner

UFI welcomes Anna Abner Author of Elixir. Thanks for Joining us!!

Grandma Abner’s Apocalypse Bread 

Pretend it’s the zombie apocalypse and you have only enough electricity in the generator to power the oven. The fresh milk and eggs have been substituted for dehydrated powder. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons yeast 
2/3 cup dry milk with 2 cups water (or the equivalent to 2 cups milk)
4 tablespoons egg crystals with 6 tablespoons water (or the equivalent to 2 eggs)
½ cup warm water
8 tablespoons shortening
7 cups flour
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Directions 

Step One: Mix wet ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Add shortening.

Step Two: Slowly add flour and dry ingredients. Mix well.


Step Three: Knead dough by hand until mixed and soft. Sprinkle extra flour on hands and counter as you knead.

Step Four: Raise the dough in a bowl (covered with a cloth) at room temperature for one hour.

Step Five: Grease inside of 13x9 glass baking dish with shortening.

Step Six: Knead dough again by hand until soft.

Step Seven: Separate dough into about 16 balls and roll smooth by hand, arranging them in greased dish.

Step Eight: Raise the dough in the dish (covered with a cloth) for another hour at room temperature.

Step Nine: Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.


Can be eaten warm or cold. Wrap them up and stuff them into your backpack before you set out on the open road to find other survivors.

 
**When I was writing the Red Plague Trilogy I wanted the survivors to make a food item that was both a little unusual but also reminiscent of home. This is a family recipe that can be found in a 1977 church cookbook of recipes handed down for generations.
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One of my first memories is dangling over the arm of our living room sofa telling myself a post-apocalyptic survival tale in which my mother and I were the last two people on earth. It was so fun, I never stopped telling stories. In high school, I faked being ill so I could stay home to work on a novel about a nanny who falls in love with her boss' bad boy nephew.

As an adult I earned a college degree, got married, and had a child, but I never stopped writing. It only got more fun. I wrote through my lunch breaks at work. I wrote on the treadmill at the gym. Eventually, I had dozens of short stories, novellas, and full-length novels piling up on thumb drives and in plastic tubs.

Now, I'm ready to share my stories with you, starting with The Dark Caster Series and the Red Plague Trilogy. I hope you love reading them as much as I loved writing them!

Find Anna and her books
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Elixir
Red Plague #1

 The red plague has devastated the human race, turning billions of people into zombies with red eyes and an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

The virus sweeps through the population so quickly a possible cure is left to rot. Seventeen-year-old Maya Solomon may be the only survivor who knows where it is. But to reach the lab in Raleigh, North Carolina she will have to outrun the infected boy tracking her every step and cross into a city swarming with monsters.
Excerpt: 
 
A buzzing circular saw woke me five minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. Instant, achy terror consumed me. I scrambled out of bed in my PJs and crouched at the end of the hall, peeking around the corner into the living room beyond the foyer. 

"Dad?" I hissed. 

He stood, hands on hips, in front of our big screen TV staring at local news. 

I sagged against the wall in relief. For a moment I'd thought... But no. We weren't being attacked by red-eyed plague victims. 

Dad hadn't heard me, but around and between his arms I watched the agitated news anchor struggle through her report. 

"If you are in a heavily infected area," the hollow-eyed brunette read off the teleprompter, "you are instructed to shelter in place. Do not attempt to travel. Roads and highways are impassable, particularly in Raleigh and Charlotte. The safest thing for you to do is stay where you are. Lock your doors and windows and wait for further instruction." 

A tiny hiccup of fright escaped my throat, and Dad whipped his head around. His normally slicked back blonde hair was dry and messy as if he hadn't bothered to comb it at all. 

"Maya," he exclaimed, pasting on a friendly smile. But under the positive facade I could tell he was just as terrified as I was. The world was falling to pieces and we both knew it.
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Review: Murder Of Crows by Anne Bishop

Murder Of Crows
Author:Anne Bishop
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Roc
The Others Book #2
ISBN:  0451465261
ISBN13: 9780451465269
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

After winning the trust of the terra indigene residing in the Lakeside Courtyard, Meg Corbyn has had trouble figuring out what it means to live among them. As a human, Meg should be barely tolerated prey, but her abilities as a cassandra sangue make her something more.

The appearance of two addictive drugs has sparked violence between the humans and the Others, resulting in the murders of both species in nearby cities. So when Meg has a dream about blood and black feathers in the snow, Simon Wolfgard—Lakeside's shape-shifting leader—wonders whether their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or of a future threat.

As the urge to speak prophecies strikes Meg more frequently, trouble finds its way inside the Courtyard. Now the Others and the handful of humans residing there must work together to stop the man bent on reclaiming their blood prophet—and stop the danger that threatens to destroy them all.

MURDER OF CROWS was just as awesome as WRITTEN IN RED! It was such a long wait until I got my hands on my very own copy of MURDER OF CROWS but it was beyond worth it. Meg and her friends are back for round 2 as the humans rebel, more people attempt to take Meg, and Crows are poisoned.

The world of The Others was already phenomenal but Anne builds off of it and shows us even more of the world they live in and the politics between the Others and Humans. It's complex yet simple to understand and with so many different characters and rules involved keeping it understandable is always a plus.

Everyone loves Meg. There has not been one character introduced (besides the bad guys that is) that has not loved her and wanted to take care of her. There is something about seeing these scary creatures be so gentle and caring towards her that pulls you in. We learned a lot about what being a cassandra sangue entails in WRITTEN IN RED but book 2 continues to play on that. Meg has to deal with the issues of her addiction to cutting and the additional information we learn is pretty important to the overall storyline of the book. We also get some interaction with a friend of hers that is still being held captive. It was really hard reading but it helps us understand more about what Megs life has been like. My only real complaint (that isn't really a complaint) is that I couldn't take all the hints of the tension and hints of romance, or not, or maybe, or no not really, between Meg and Simon. I just love them and want there to be more between them. YES I know and understand the delay but I still can't help hoping it will happen sooner rather than later with all the hints, talks and frustrations they are putting each other through.

My warning from my review of book 1 stands. Be careful when you pick up MURDER OF CROWS, you might just get stuck between the pages with no way out!! I really can not imagine anyone not loving the world, characters, and storyline that Anne has created with this series. Oh Anne, why can't you write faster, why must I suffer through the wait to book 3?!

I gave it 5/5 stars

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

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Interview: Spirited by Mary Behre

UFI welcomes Mary Behre Author of The Tidewater Series. 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? 

I worked and volunteered for Disaster Services through the American Red Cross for years. Best job, ever! The work was tough, exhausting, had the worst hours (because disasters don’t typically happen during normal business hours), and the most rewarding work experience of my life. The only reason I’m not active now is that I have children at home. The way I work, I can only do one 24/7 job at a time and right now, motherhood is it for me.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time? 

I love spending time with my children and my husband. I’m enjoy reading, tending to my small spring/summer porch garden, crocheting baby blankets, and if I can do all these things Oceanside, that makes it all the better.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

When I’m at my computer and the real world fades away. That’s when the words flow and I have to work to keep up with the action playing in my head.

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

Well, I treat my career like any other job. I have normal business hours that I work, 9-5 Monday-Friday. I cannot write in a vacuum, so I play one short instrumental piece on a constant loop while I work.

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

I have every book in the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands and every book in the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I also love Damon Suede, Kelly St. John, Suzanne Brockmann, and Beverly Barton’s paranormal books.

How would you pitch your Tidewater series to someone who has not heard of it before? 

Humor, suspense and a psychic love-connection…The Tidewater Series.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Tidewater series is set in? 

Tidewater is a fictitious city based on the real Tidewater area in Virginia. The real Tidewater isn’t on a map but it’s generally believed to encompass the cities Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and sometimes Suffolk. In the real Tidewater people move easily (traffic notwithstanding) between the cities all the time. Since beta readers indicated a marked confusion about why people would live in one city, work in another, have brunch in a third, see a play in a fourth, and attend a sporting event in a fifth, it was just easier to make Tidewater its own city in my series, sharing landmarks with the real cities.

The Tidewater series is set in present day. In Tidewater, a small ocean front city, there are a lot of quirky characters, some of whom are endowed with unique crifts (cursed gifts) such as telepathy, psychometry, psychokenesis, pyrokensis and hydrokenesis. In SPIRITED, our heroine, Jules, possesses a form of telepathy that allows her to see, hear, and speak to ghosts.

Do you have a favorite scene in Spirited

The scene in the hallway right after Seth and Jules met for the first time. It cracked me up when I wrote it.

How many books do you have planned for the series? 

As many as the readers and my publisher are willing to read. Tidewater might be a small city but that’s still a lot of stories. J

Which character has been your favorite to write about so far? What about the hardest to write about? 

My favorite character was Sam the homeless war vet. When I sat down to write that first scene with him, it just flowed. His part in the story was only supposed to be one scene but there was so much there, I couldn’t not share it.

The hardest character to write was Seth’s. He did and said things that I didn’t always agree with, but when I tried to change them, the results didn’t ring true. So I let him have his way.

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

Book 2 in the Tidewater series, GUARDED, releases August 5, 2014. This story is centered around Jules’s middle sister, Shelley. She’s a telepathic vet who speaks to animals. When zoo animals start to disappear, she becomes suspicious and contacts her old friend Dev (Seth’s partner from SPIRITED) to help her solve the mystery. Old attraction burns hot but will it go out when Shelley is accused of murder and Dev is forced to choose between his budding relationship and his career?
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Mary Behre is the lone female in a house full of males and the undisputed queen of her domain. She even has the glittery tiara to prove it. She loves stories with humor, ghosts, mysteries and above all else, a good romance. When not writing, she enjoys reading, gluten-free baking, and hanging out at the beach with the most important men in her life, her family.

Her debut paranormal romance, SPIRITED (Tidewater Novel #1) was an award-winning manuscript before it sold to Berkley Sensation. The Tidewater Series is mix of humor, suspense, and a psychic love-connection. The first three stories are about three sisters separated years before in the foster care system. As they search for love, each other, and a way to live with their psychic abilities, they’re tossed into the middle of mysteries that only their unique gifts can help solve.
Mary is represented by the fabulous Nalini Akolekar of Spencerhill Associates.

Find Mary and her books
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Spirited
Tidewater #2
 She’s running from who she is…...

All Jules Scott wants is to live a normal, quiet life—preferably one that doesn’t include ghosts. Jules’s talent for communicating with the dead has brought her nothing but trouble. Despite her best efforts, needy spirits always find her and draw her into their otherworldly drama. When one implicates her in a series of deadly crimes, she may need to entrust her secrets to the person least likely to believe her.…

He’ll do whatever it takes to catch her.

Detective Seth English can’t get distracted from the big case he’s working on, not even by his alluring new neighbor. He doesn’t believe that Jules had anything to do with the string of robberies-turned-murders that he’s investigating, but when she keeps showing up in all the wrong places, his gut tells him she knows more than she’s letting on. To solve his case, he’ll need to expose what the sexy redhead is hiding—no matter how impossible the truth may be….
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New Releases: 3/2-3/8


Tue March 4

Cured (Stung #2) by Bethany Wiggins
 Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper
 Panic by Lauren Oliver
 Spirited (Tidewater #1) by Mary Behre
 Til Death (Fractured Souls #1) by Kate Evangelista 

Happy Reading!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Quicksilver Dreams by Danube Adele

UFI welcomes Danube Adele Author of Quicksilver Dreams. Thanks for Joining us!!

Fans & Authors: It’s a Surprisingly Small Literary World 

When I was in the 5th grade, I had a huge crush on Ricky Shroeder. I was a big fan of “Silver Spoons”, not surprising as I was absolutely the demographic for the show. He had the power to make my ‘tween heart flutter wildly with the twinkle of his blue eyes over a charming, boyish smile. One day I was home sick from school, and I wrote a fan letter. I was all excited. I’d never written one before. I sent it off and was giddy for days. I never heard back. Granted, technology has come a long way since then, become more efficient and widespread, and I’m probably dating myself here, but the feeling of not being really appreciated as a fan stuck with me. I remember feeling let down. Happily, I was pleased to learn that authors don’t roll that way.

As I took my first baby steps into the literary world a few short years ago, I was delighted to discover the amiable relationships authors worked to form with their fans. My expectation was that anyone who was publishing his/her work would be beyond the common person’s reach, just as my earlier experience had taught me. In my mind, I figured they were likely too busy, likely received a number of messages every day, likely couldn’t come out of their imaginations because of deadlines and such and wouldn’t have time for little old me, but to experience just the opposite was not only surprising, but very satisfying in a truly personal way. Facebook posts, newsletter updates, tweets, and websites have all worked to give readers the chance to know their favorite authors just a little more intimately, and from personal experience, I can say that it’s lovely.

The first really wonderful experience was when I discovered Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker’s series. They were the kind of books that were serious page-turners, hard to put down and really just all-out steamy. I so enjoyed the series, was unable to look up for an entire summer from whatever chapter I was on, much to the dismay of my family, that I thought I’d go on her website and just leave a message of thanks for writing such a great series. As a reader, I loved that her work had given me hours of enjoyment, and just wanted to put some positive vibes out into the universe to show my appreciation. I was not expecting a response, but within a short time, I got one. It wasn’t long, but it was a friendly acknowledgement that she was glad I’d taken the time to read her books and was pleased that I’d enjoyed them.

Even as recently as a few weeks ago, I had a fun, incidental run-in with another of my favorite authors. My book, Quicksilver Dreams, the first book of the Dreamwalker series, was released on January 6th, and I was set to do a blog as well as a twitter chat for Harlequin about new adult romance. One of the questions we answered asked us to name a new adult romance novel that we’d read. I referenced Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter. Within a few hours, she retweeted the tweet. It might seem silly, but I was really excited.

I follow a number of my favorite authors on their facebook fan pages, enjoying getting to know their clever wit and wonderful senses of humor, which all comes out in their work and just reinforces why their work is so well received. A fan on Maya Bank’s facebook fan page stated Maya was an automatic buy. What a great compliment. What a great sentiment. By nurturing readers, I think authors can build lifelong fans as well as a mutually appreciative relationship. I’m new to the publishing world, and I hope to gain readers that have not only truly enjoyed my work, but want to come out of the woodwork to say a quick “hi” and get to know me. I look forward to that.

Thanks so much for spending time with me.
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Danube Adele wrote her first romance at the age of seven when she penned the story of her dogs falling in love and having puppies. She’s been dreaming up romantic tales ever since. A lifetime resident of southern California, she spends time playing at the beach, camping in Joshua Tree National Park, and hiking Mammoth Mountain.

Always a lover of adventure, she and her husband took their sons on a cross country road trip to Florida and back in an old VW Westfalia, that had no A/C, in the month of July, and still, it continues to be the best trip they ever took. Extensive travel and trying new things has kept the creative spark alive. Danube lives in Claremont with her biggest fans, her loving husband, amazing and wonderful identical twin sons, and a teddy bear of a Rottweiler.

Her debut novel, Quicksilver Dreams, Book 1 of the Dreamwalker series was officially released January 6, 2014.

Find Danube and her books
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Quicksilver Dreams
Dreamwalkers #1
Carina Press Amazon Barnes and Noble
 My name is Taylor, and damn but my life changed overnight. One moment I was just a regular girl working two jobs to pay my bills, and next thing you know, I'm uncovering secret metal disks at my boss's house. Now I'm reading minds, dream-walking and being saved from bad guys by Mr. Dark and Brooding.

That would be Ryder Langston, my new next-door neighbor. He's sex on legs, but he's also a secret agent from another world—no joke. I believe him now, because he dragged me back here "for my protection" after he discovered someone was trying to assassinate me on Earth. It isn't working out so well.

There's a war going on, one that's been fought for generations. Ryder's having trust issues (not that it's stopping us from falling into bed), and it turns out I'm connected here, if you know what I mean. The target on my back finally makes sense, but there's nowhere left to hide…
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a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Week in Review: 2/23-3/1


Books I've Bought/received

* White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Ecopy- Netgalley

* Darkside Sun by Jocelyn Adams- eARC- Netgalley

Books I've Read

Death Defying by Nina Croft
Shadows of Fate by Angela Dennis
The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Reviews Posted

Bittersweet Darkness by Nina Croft
Before the Devil Knows Your Dead by Patricia Eimer

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

* Monday- Guest Blog and Giveaway for The Werewolves of the West series by Carol Van Atta. February Edge Release blast and Giveaway

* Tuesday- Guest Blog and Giveaway for Before The Devil Knows Your Dead by Patricia Eimer. February Covet Release Blast and Giveaway

* Wednesday- Interview and Giveaway for Labyrinth of Stars by Marjorie M. Liu

* Friday- Guest Blog and Giveaway for Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy

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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.