Thursday, May 8, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Don't Blackmail the Vampire by Tiffany Allee

UFI welcomes Tiffany Allee Author of Don't Blackmail the Vampire. Thanks for Joining us!!

Five More Favorite Vampires 

It’s probably pretty obvious that I have a thing for vampires. I write about them, I read about them, and I watch movies and television shows about them. But no, this post is not to analyze my (slightly obsessive) love of vampires. That’s a rabbit hole it’s probably best not to jump in. :)

Earlier in my Don’t Blackmail the Vampire tour, I created a top ten list of my favorite fanged characters. This was tough, because even with a smidgeon of cheating, it was almost impossible to get my list of favorites down to a mere ten(ish).

Instead of limiting myself, I’ve decided to indulge and list five more favorites, because really, all my favorites belong on the same list. The awesome list. ;)

So without further ado and not really in any order, here are some of my favorite vamps.

1. Kisten (The Hollows books)

Aww…Kisten. Stupid allergies. There’s something in my eye.

2. Bones (Night Huntress books)

Charming and awesome in so many (panty-dropping) ways, I couldn’t leave Bones off an extended list. Especially since I think he was probably the most-missed from the first!

3. Lestat (Vampire Chronicles)

I loved him in the books and in Interview with the Vampire (although probably more so in the books!). Charm in a vampire never fails to err…charm me.

4. Vlad (Night Prince books)

He’s so alpha that there are times I want to kick him hard in the shin, but what a badass.

5. Creepy Kate Daniel’s Vamps (Kate Daniels Books)

Okay, this isn’t a single character—and really, not even a group of characters so much as a force of nature in the Kate Daniel’s world—but I had to include them. The way Ilona Andrews has handled the vampire myth in these books is so cool and original, and I totally dig it.

Who are your favorite vampires?
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CPA-turned-romance-author Tiffany Allee used to battle spreadsheets in Corporate America, and now concentrates on her characters’ battles to find love. Raised in small-town Colorado, Tiffany currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver. She is happily married to a secret romantic who tolerates her crazy mutterings.

She writes about ass-kicking heroines and the strong heroes who love them. Her work includes the suspense-driven From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency series which revolves around a group of paranormal cops solving crimes and finding love, and Don’t Bite the Bridesmaid, a lighthearted paranormal romance (Entangled Publishing)

Find Tiffany and her books
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Don't Blackmail the Vampire
Sons of Kade #2
Rachel Davis will do anything to get her sister out of a bad relationship with her fiancé. Even if it involves a few fibs, a little breaking-and-entering, and blackmailing the fiancé's potential boss, Charles, for his help. So what if the handsome Charles happens to be a vampire?

Charles Wright has found the perfect way to trap the man threatening his brother's wife: cozy up to him, get invited along on the skiing trip, and then search for incriminating evidence. How much better that audacious but gorgeous Rachel is just as eager to nail the bastard. As far as he's concerned, there's nothing wrong with a little blackmail between two consenting adults. Especially when it's time for Rachel to pay up.
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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Review: Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti

Blind Faith
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Forever
Sin Brothers Book #3
ISBN:   1455574481
ISBN13: 9781455574483
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: NetGalley
A betrayal he couldn't forget . . .

For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there's only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he'd never trust again.

A love she couldn't deny . . .

The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He's just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there's an edge to him now that's as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can't refuse. But she has secrets of her own-secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives . . .

OH OH another Sin Brother, here we go. Nate was very much in love with Audrey when he was younger but she broke his heart when she left him. Many years later he plans to use her to help save him and his brothers. Little does he realize that he isn't going to let her escape him this time. Audrey left Nate to save him but she has no want for any other and when he walks back into her life she has a hard time keeping her distance.

I don't know what it is about this series but once you start reading you just cant seem to put the books down. BLIND FAITH was no different. The romance aspect of the story was deep and emotion filled. The action was intense and had me on the edge of my seat, and the way the brothers care for each other and the women they love makes me swoon every time I think of them. In addition to another couple being formed we get a great new addition to the family in the form of an adopted Grandpa. He seriously stole my heart and I can't wait to see him in future books.

There is only one more brother left so I am sad to assume that the series will soon be ending but I have loved the ride so far so I will savor it to the very end. This series is definitely one for the bookshelf.

I gave it 5/5 stars

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

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Release Day Blast: The Warrior by Victoria Scott

Entangled Teen is excited to be announcing the release of Victoria Scott’s, The Warrior, the third and final book in the Dante Walker series, which readers are already raving about!


The Warrior
Dante Walker #3
Amazon /  BN
War between heaven and hell is coming, but Dante Walker makes it look damn good.

Dante’s girlfriend, Charlie, is fated to save the world. And Aspen, the girl who feels like a sister, is an ordained soldier. In order to help both fulfill their destiny and win the war, Dante must complete liberator training at the Hive, rescue Aspen from hell, and uncover a message hidden on an ancient scroll.

Dante is built for battle, but even he can’t handle the nightmares where spiders crawl from Aspen’s eyes, or the look on Charlie’s face that foretells of devastation. To make matters worse, the enemy seizes every opportunity to break inside the Hive and cripple the liberators. But the day of reckoning is fast approaching, and to stand victorious, Dante will have to embrace something inside himself he never has before—faith.
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Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe of the Harvey-Klinger Literary Agency. She’s the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.

Find Victoria and her books
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New Releases: 5/4-5/10


Mon May 5th

 Compelled (Coveted #3) by Shawntelle Madison

Tue May 6th

 A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn
 A Girl Called Fearless: A Novel by Catherine Linka 
 Blind Faith (Sin Brothers #3) by Rebecca Zanetti
 Chantress Alchemy (Chantress Trilogy #2) by Amy Butler Greenfield
 Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga #1) by Jennifer Donnelly
 Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley
 Her Perfect Mate (X-Ops #1) by Paige Tyler
 Turning Tides (Elements #3) by Mia Marshall 
 The Warrior (Dante Walker #3) by Victoria Scott

Happy Reading!
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Monday, May 5, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: A Warlock's Dance by Marina Myles

UFI welcomes Marina Myles Author of The Cursed Princes Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

WHAT MAKES A CLASSIC?
 
To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Who doesn’t love these tried-and-true stories? I certainly do!

I write fairy tale retellings, so it’s no surprise that I go gaga over anything that resembles a classic novel rewritten or a motion picture adaptation of a classic novel. (I LOVED the Leonardo DiCaprio version of The Great Gatsby. And wild horses couldn’t have dragged my eyes away from Gerard Butler in The Phantom of the Opera.)

These actors are uber hot. But what, I wonder, really makes a book or a movie a classic? Is it the storyline? The characters? A resounding social message?

Take Wuthering Heights. Timeless and provocative, the story tells of a rich girl and a poor boy whose love extends beyond the grave. Truth be told, Wuthering Heights wasn’t received well when it debuted. Rather, it was bashed. Written by Emily Brontë and published in 1847, the book was described as “strange…morose…depressing, even immoral”. One critic went as far as calling the novel “that fiend of a book”.


Granted, Wuthering Heights includes scenes of mental and physical cruelty and vivid descriptions of class inequity, but my guess is those shocking subjects are what made people sit up and take notice. Now Emily Brontë’s work is considered sophisticated, intelligent, and haunting. In a word: genius. But why wasn’t the book valued in its time?

Another similar but less elegant example of something being scoffed at initially is the film sensation “Halloween”. A horror movie written and directed by the controversial John Carpenter, it premiered in theaters in 1978. The plot follows Michael Myers, a serial killer who murders his sister, gets locked in an asylum, escapes, and returns to his hometown to stalk teenage babysitters that, we assume, remind him of his sister. At first, the film was panned by movie critics. Subsequently, it bombed at the box office. That is, until John Carpenter added a spine-tingling music score and Roger Ebert gave the film’s innovative camera shots and vacant, motiveless killer an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Then the movie took off. Eventually, it grossed over five-hundred and fifty million dollars and spawned nine sequels.



“Halloween” is considered an American horror classic and rightly so, but in my opinion its nine sequels were silly. (Who came up with the title “Halloween H2O – 20 Years Later”?!) The point is: the film’s sequels weren’t as good as the original. I suppose that’s the challenge every author and director faces when he or she attempts a rewrite, a sequel, or a remake of something that’s been previously acclaimed.

So what’s the magic ingredient that turns a story into one worthy of countless retellings? In other words, what makes a novel or a movie a classic? Everyone has their own theory on the subject and I’m happy to give you mine here. I believe all classics have one thing in common: they were ahead of their time. Perhaps—through decades of change and modernization—that’s what makes them stand the test of time.

What is your favorite version of a story retold?
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Although Marina Myles lives under the sunny skies of Arizona, she would reside in a historic manor house in foggy England if she had her way. Her love of books began as soon as she read her first fairy tale, and grew by leaps and bounds when she discovered Nancy Drew/Agatha Christie mysteries and rich, historical romances.

Dreaming of becoming a published author, she wrote her first ‘gothic’ story at age eleven. She went on to study creative writing at Southern Methodist University— where she received degrees in Communications and English Literature. During her time in Dallas, she had the unique experience of being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

Now with her loyal Maltese close by, she relishes the hours she gets to escape into worlds filled with tortured heroes, strong heroines, and their fiery—but not easily attained—love affairs. She’s busy being a wife (to her Italian-born husband) and a mother (to her two beautiful daughters), but she is never too busy to hear from her amazing readers.

Represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency

Find Marina and her books
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The Warlock's Dance
The Cursed Princes #3
Amazon BN iTunes eKensington

Encore, Please

Giselle Swenov is a radiant opera star whose beauty is second only to her voice. That is, until a jealous enchantress strips away her talent and looks, transforms her into a mute and haggard old woman, and forces her to leave the man of her dreams at the altar on their wedding day. Now there’s only one person able to reverse the spell: Giselle’s warlock ex-fiancé, Lucian Ivanu. 

But three years have passed, and the ever-dashing Lucian seems to have moved on―he’s inherited a vast fortune, forsaken his scandalous powers, and is even set to marry again. Will he recognize his former flame when she shows up at his engagement party and begs for help? Can she recover the powerful magic ring needed to break the curse before it’s too late? Giselle’s plight has a darker twist as she discovers just how far the enchantress’s grasp reaches…
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Review: Don't Blackmail the Vampire by Tiffany Allee




Don't Blackmail the Vampire
Release Date: April 28, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Covet
Sons of Kane Book #2
ASIN:  B00JI0KDXM
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: NetGalley



Rachel Davis will do anything to get her sister out of a bad relationship with her fiancé. Even if it involves a few fibs, a little breaking-and-entering, and blackmailing the fiancé's potential boss, Charles, for his help. So what if the handsome Charles happens to be a vampire?

Charles Wright has found the perfect way to trap the man threatening his brother's wife: cozy up to him, get invited along on the skiing trip, and then search for incriminating evidence. How much better that audacious but gorgeous Rachel is just as eager to nail the bastard. As far as he's concerned, there's nothing wrong with a little blackmail between two consenting adults. Especially when it's time for Rachel to pay up.


DON'T BLACKMAIL THE VAMPIRE is the second book in the Sons of Kane series. I don't think its necessary to read book one DON'T BITE THE BRIDESMAID but characters do carry over so it would be fun to.

Rachel's sister is engaged to a class A: asshole. She will do anything to show her sister what she and everyone else sees. When she meets and finds out a secret about Charles she blackmails him in to helping her achieve her goal. As they put their plans into motion she realizes there is a lot more to Charles than she thought and falls for him pretty quickly. However she is scared of relationships and she pushes him away as much as she pulls him close. Charles is on this little ski trip undercover trying to find out if Brent is the one blackmailing his brothers wife. When he is caught feeding from a human by Rachel, he agrees to help her with her goals of breaking up the not as happy as they seem couple. He is not one for relationships but quickly realizes that what he feels for Rachel is more than anything he has felt before.

I enjoyed Rachel and Charles banter together and I also really liked that they didn't jump right into bed. It was interesting to see how much Rachel wanted to hold herself back yet had feelings hurt when Charles was playing his part in their charades. The author did a really good job of blending in the romance and investigating, scheming aspects of the book. I was really happy with how the situation with Kristen and Brent played out when all was said and done. If you read book 1 you know why.

DON'T BLACKMAIL THE VAMPIRE was a pretty light and fast read. Plenty of up and down feelings, a bit of mystery, and lots of scheming going on. The paranormal aspects are pretty light so I think that this series will attract more than just paranormal fans although we ARE the best fans out there. ;) I am not sure how many books are planned for this series but I am interested in seeing how book 3 will connect to the first 2.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Sunday, May 4, 2014

Week in Review: 4/27-5/3


Books I've Bought/received

* Firebug by Lish McBride-eARC- NetGalley

* Against the Dawn by Amanda Bonilla- eARC- Author

* Compelled by Shawntelle Madison-eARC- NetGalley

* Blackbird by Anna Carey- eARC- Edelweiss

* Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch- Edelweiss

Books I've Read

Blackbird by Anna Carey
Compelled by Shawntelle Madison
Against the Dawn by Amanda Bonilla
Guarded by Mary Behre

Reviews Posted

Angel Kin by Tricia Skinner
Trusting An Angel by Missy Jane
Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins
The Taking by Kim Derting

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

* Monday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Nightmare Ink by Marcella Burnard, Covet April Release Blast, Edge April Release Blast #2

* Tuesday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Midnight: Century of the Vampire by Ami Blackwelder, Guest Blog & Giveaway for Erasing: Shadows by K.D. Rose

* Wednesday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Night Child by Lisa Kessler

* Thursday- Promo & Giveaway for Warrior's Curse by Alexa Egan

* Friday- Interview & Giveaway for Trusting An Angel by Missy Jane

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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.
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