Week in Review: 12/3-12/9

Books Received for Review

Drakon's Past by N.J. Walters
Shadow Hunt by Melissa F. Olson

Books I've Read

The Forgotten Mountain by Heather Lyons
The Lost Codex by Heather Lyons
Dragon Shadow by Alicia Wolfe

Reviews Posted

Spartan Heart by Jennifer Estep
Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter
Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

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

* Friday- Promo + Giveaway for Beyond the Shadows by Amber Lynn Natusch

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* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

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Promo + Giveaway: Beyond the Shadows by Amber Lynn Natusch

Beyond the Shadows
Force of Nature #3
Amazon

Another day, another problem for Piper Jones and her eclectic mix of allies.

And so far, her pack of vampire enforcers, werewolves, and her warlock mentor have come through it all unscathed. But when a rogue assassin starts killing off Knox’s crew, she’s got more to worry about than the faint blue scar on her chest and her failing powers.

Now she must race against time to heal her broken magic, if she wants to save the wolves she’s grown to love.

Also Available On

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Amber Lynn Natusch is the author of the bestselling Caged, as well as the Light and Shadow series with Shannon Morton. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, and speaks sarcasm fluently because of her Canadian roots. She loves to dance and sing in her kitchen—much to the detriment of those near her—but spends most of her time running a practice with her husband, raising two small children, and attempting to write when she can lock herself in the bathroom for ten minutes of peace and quiet. She has many hidden talents, most of which should not be mentioned but include putting her foot in her mouth, acting inappropriately when nervous, swearing like a sailor when provoked, and not listening when she should. She’s obsessed with home renovation shows, should never be caffeinated, and loves snow. Amber has a deep seeded fear of clowns and deep water…especially clowns swimming in deep water.

Find Amber and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Review: Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

Ever the Brave

Author: Erin Summerill

Release Date: December 5, 2017

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Clash of Kingdoms Book #2

ISBN:   0544664469

ISBN13: 9780544664463

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave.
After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she'd like to, and now he's insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.

EVER THE BRAVE surprised me in many ways.

There are a bunch of great characters in this series. They all have great growth and bring something to the storyline. I liked getting into their minds via their different POVs. The villain of the story totally took me by surprise. I didn't see it coming, and it definitely brought another element to the story.

Time to talk romance. I liked Cohen from the start. I enjoyed the progression of his and Britta's romance and thought they fit together and worked together very well. I was extremely worried about the hint of a love triangle when I read the blurb for EVER THE BRAVE—I even put off reading it for a while because I didn't want there to be one. While reading I really wanted to hate King Aodren, but he slowly won his way into my heart. I am very happy with the way everything played out and the final decision Britta made in the end. That is all you will get about that from me.

I really enjoyed the world of Clash of Kingdoms. It's complex yet easy to understand. The pace is slow, but not too slow that I got bored. I'm glad I read this series and look forward to seeing what the author does in the future.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Review: Spartan Heart by Jennifer Estep

Spartan Heart

Author: Jennifer Estep

Release Date: December 5, 2017

Publisher: Self-Published

Mythos Academy: Colorado Book #1

ASIN:  B0776XQKYL

Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Author

New school year, same old problems . . .

At Mythos Academy, everyone knows exactly who I am: Rory Forseti, Spartan girl and the daughter of Reapers.

Even though I fought alongside my cousin Gwen Frost to save the mythological world from Loki and his evil Reapers of Chaos, I’m still the most hated girl at the academy because of all the horrible things my parents did. I had hoped that this school year would be different, but the other kids just won’t let me forget about my parents.

But something strange is going on at the Colorado Academy. First, I run into a Viking guy who dislikes me more than most. Then I notice some odd artifacts in the Library of Antiquities. And worst of all, I start hearing rumors about a new group of Reapers who can summon mythological monsters.

I might be the most hated girl at Mythos Academy, but I’m also the only one who can save it . . .

I enjoyed the Mythos Academy series so I was both excited and a little bit apprehensive to jump into SPARTAN HEART. Excited to revisit the world, but a little nervous that I wouldn't love the new feel with different main characters.

Rory's parents were evil Reapers and none of her classmates will let her forget it. I liked her grit and enjoyed her development. I kinda 'saw' that she was going to get a talking sword and become a champion before it happened. I think I would have liked if her talking weapon was something other than a sword better. It would have made her stick out as different from Gwen and set her apart a little bit. The romance in SPARTAN HEART didn't do that much for me. I didn't dislike it, it just didn't make me swoon. I enjoyed the secondary characters and what they brought to the team that Rory finds herself a part of.

I'm super glad that Gwen and Vic made an appearance, but it was way too small of one. I missed their voice in the rest of the book. I think that if Gwen wasn't brought up in thought so much or spoken about while reliving events that took place so much, I wouldn't have missed her and Vic so much.

I enjoyed reading SPARTAN HEART, but in the end I wasn't left overly excited about reading more. I'm glad that I was able to dip my toe in, but I don't think I will take the plunge with the rest of the spin-off.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

New Releases: 12/3-12/9

Tue. Dec. 5th

 The Black Tide (Outcast #3) by Keri Arthur (
 The Dreamer's Song (Nine Kingdoms #11) by Lynn Kurland

 Ever the Brave (Clash of Kingdoms #2) by Erin Summerill
 The Fall of the Readers (The Forbidden Library #4) by Django Wexler 
 Flame in the Dark (Soulwood #3) by Faith Hunter
 The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden
 Glass Town by Steven Savile
 Heart Sight (Celta's Heartmates #15) by Robin D. Owens
 Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) by James S.A. Corey
 Sea of Strangers (The Ryogan Chronicles #2) by Erica Cameron
 Spartan Heart (Mythos Academy: Colorado #1) by Jennifer Estep
 Undone (Unknown #3) by Wendy Higgins
 The Will to Battle (Terra Ignota #3) by Ada Palmer
 Wolf Hunger (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #7) by Paige Tyler
 Year One (Chronicles of The One #1) by Nora Roberts

Happy Reading!!

Early Review: Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter

Flame in the Dark

Author: Faith Hunter

Release Date: December 5, 2017

Publisher: Ace

Soulwood Book #3

ISBN:  0451473337

ISBN13: 9780451473332

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the third, thrilling Soulwood novel stars Nell Ingram, who draws her powers from deep within the earth.

Nell Ingram has always known she was different. Since she was a child, she’s been able to feel and channel ancient powers from deep within the earth. When she met Jane Yellowrock, her entire life changed, and she was recruited into PsyLED—the Homeland Security division that polices paranormals. But now her newly formed unit is about to take on its toughest case yet.

A powerful senator barely survives an assassination attempt that leaves many others dead—and the house he was visiting burns to the ground. Invisible to security cameras, the assassin literally disappears, and Nell’s team is called in. As they track a killer they know is more—or less—than human, they unravel a web of dark intrigue and malevolent motives that tests them to their limits and beyond.

With so much going on FLAME IN THE DARK takes us even deeper into the world of Soulwood.

FLAME IN THE DARK was not an easy installment for Nell. She has to overcome quite a bit, but evolves with every experience. I always love that Faith Hunter lets us learn about Nell and what she can do right along with her instead of having us play catch up.

Not only is a lot revealed about Nell and what she can do, but the rest of the PsyLED team continues to develop and grow too. I truly enjoy each and every one of them and love learning new things about them. We even get a little bit of progress on a brewing romance in FLAME IN THE DARK.

The storyline is a full one. There are a lot of things happening in FLAME IN THE DARK and although there isn't much downtime, I still found some parts of the book to be a little on the slow side. But even with the slow parts, I still had no problem keeping interested in what was happening. In the future, I would love to see Nell and Jane interacting some more. For now, I will keep my eyes open for book four.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Week in Review: 11/26-12/2

Books Received for Review

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson
Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney

Books I've Read

The Collectors' Society by Heather Lyons
The Hidden Library by Heather Lyons
Seduction by Jaymin Eve

Reviews Posted

Light of the Spirit by Lisa Kessler

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

* Monday- Guest Blog for For Whom The Reap Tolls by Jack Wallen

* Thursday- Promo + Giveaway for Wolf Hunger by Paige Tyler

* Friday- Interview + Giveaway for Fire Born by Rayanne Haines

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

BlogLovin

Networked Blogs

Facebook
Pinterest Board
Amazon

You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.

Twitter

Goodreads

Librarything

Google+

 

 * I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.