Friday, March 4, 2011

Review: Dead on Delivery by Eileen Rendahl

Dead on Delivery
Author:Eileen Rendahl
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Berkley
Messenger Book #2
ISBN:  0425238784
ISBN13: 9780425238783
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher for review


There are two men who have bitten the dust after a delivery from Messenger Melina Markowitz. As she tries to put together the pieces of this puzzle, she discovers that the two victims share common friends, common unexplained absences, and a common crime. Now, dark forces from the local community have been unleashed, drawing Melina into the web of a powerful woman, her voodoo, and her vengeance...

This is a series a came across by accident and dont see very many people who know about it. Hopefully people will see this and get on the Eileen Rendahl  Messenger series band wagon. Book two DEAD ON DELIVERY picks up where DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER left off. Melina is still delivering packages and is now running the Dojo left to her by her late friend and mentor Mae, enjoying her relationship with her cop boyfriend Ted, her roommate Norah is freaking out after book 1 events and will hardly leave the apartment and her ER vampire Dr friend Alex is acting super weird and creepy.


The story is full of mystery, action, twists and turns. Eileen's characters are well developed and easy to like. They all grow a ton throughout the book. Melina has to really open herself up in DEAD ON DELIVERY and start revealing herself to the people she loves as well as accept that she is loved as well. There is a revelation at the end that I can not wait to find out the reaction of. This series is unique with great plots and Inventive situations that will suck you right in.


I gave it 4/5 stars

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Interview and Giveaway: Dianne Duvall

Today UFI is pleased to introduce to you Dianne Duvall author of a new Paranormal Romance Darkness Dawns which is the first book in her new Immortal Guardians series. You can read my review of Darkness Dawns HERE.


Thank you for having me here at Urban Fantasy Investigations! I’ m very pleased to be
here!

* I’ve read your Bio and was wondering what you do to relax when your not writing, or working on one of your other many accomplishments?

Read, read, and read some more. I love romance novels, especially paranormal s, andread them every chance I can get. I also enjoy gardening and find it relaxing . . . much like Sarah, the heroine in Darkness Dawns.

* What is your Favorite part of writing? Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

My favorite part of writing is allowing my imagination to roam freely. I’ m actually very rarely bored, even when performing the most mundane tasks, because I’ m always envisioning future scenes. Usually when I sit down at the computer or with my NEO, I’ ve already completed the next scene in my head. And I do have one routine I follow: I always read back through what I wrote the day before, editing and refining it, before I start adding anything new.

*What are some of you Favorite books or Authors in the Paranormal Genres?

Favorite Authors: Alexandra Ivy, Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, Lyndsy Sands, Alexis Morgan, Maggie Shayne, Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. R. Ward, Christine Feehan, and Lara Adrian to name a few. Favorite Books: Pretty much anything written by these authors, though I am partial to the stories with the tortured heroes.

* According to your Bio you have also written a one-act play, how different or alike
is it to write a play vs a book?


The story arc is the same in both, as well as in screenplays. But plays are far more difficult for me to write. The time and page limits involved are too restrictive. And story can only involve one or two settings that can be recreated on a stage. The number of characters must also be contained, their ages carefully considered because some theaters may not employ child actors. In novels, I have the freedom to explore the main characters’ thoughts through exposition. In plays, I don’ t. The thoughts have to be verbalized for the audience to know them. And even such things as the number of wardrobe changes the actors would have to undergo limit the story. I much prefer to write novels, which is why I’ ve only written the one play :)

* Your Bio also mentions that you design movie posters. Would you share some of
the movie posters you designed? 


The most recent independent film I worked on was a horror feature film entitled Ghosts. This is the poster I designed for it. I’ m actually still working post-production, editing the film, creating the trailer and adding computer-generated effects. I also worked pre- production (casting coordinator) and production (special effects and special effects makeup).

* How would you pitch Darkness Dawns to someone who has never heard of it before?

Logline: Darkness Dawns is the story of Sarah Bingham, a music theory professor who unexpectedly finds herself thrust into a war that erupts between vampires and immortals, then loses her heart to the dark, enigmatic warrior who offers her his protection.

Lengthier Pitch: Darkness Dawns is the first book in my Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series. In it, Music Theory Professor Sarah Bingham wants nothing more than to relax after a long, stressful spring semester. Instead, when insomnia drives her to spend a little time in her garden at dawn, she finds a wounded man staked to the ground, being tortured by two others. Little does she know when she rescues him that Roland Warbrook is far more than a man. Nearly a millennium old, he is an immortal who has acquired a new formidable foe amongst the vampires he hunts, one who has raised an army to defeat him and to destroy the rest of the Immortal Guardians. When Sarah thwarts the vampires by saving Roland, she too becomes targeted by the army and is soon thrust to the forefront of the conflict, aiding the immortals in their quest to defeat the vampires and losing her heart to the dark enigmatic warrior intent on protecting her.

* Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to
write about?


Although I really like Roland (and Seth and David . . .), I’d have to say that Marcus is my favorite simply because he’s been with me longer. Before writing Darkness Dawns, I wrote a time travel romance (which is not yet scheduled for publication) in which Marcus was both a friend of the heroine in the present and the teenaged squire of the hero in thirteenth century England (before his transformation). Knowing him as a cocky, courageous youth in the Middle Ages made me like him as an immortal all the more. The hardest character to write about was Ami because of all that she endured.


* Can you tell us anything about the next book in the Immortal Guardians series?

Night Reigns, the second book in the Immortal Guardians series, is scheduled for release in December. In it, Marcus’ s increasingly erratic behavior draws unwanted concern from his immortal brethren. Cocky on the outside, grieving on the inside, he walks the edge and takes far too many risks. Hoping to divert him from this destructive path, Seth assigns Marcus a new Second (human assistant) . . . one who proves to be immensely distracting and turns his world upside down.

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

I’m now working on the third book in the Immortal Guardian series. A fourth will soon follow. I’ve also written a medieval romance with paranormal elements and a time travel romance (the one I mentioned earlier) that I would love to see picked up for publication. Both revolve around gifted ones and can be considered prequels to Darkness Dawns. And I think readers would enjoy seeing Marcus as a teenaged squire in the thirteenth century and witnessing his backstory firsthand. :)



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Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians, book 1) by Dianne Duvall



In this dazzling, sensual novel, Dianne Duvall beckons readers into a world of vampires, immortals, and humans with extraordinary gifts. . .where passion can last forever, if you're willing to pay the price. . . 
Once, Sarah Bingham's biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she's landed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control. . .

In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible--when it means forfeiting the world she's always known, and the life he would do anything to protect. . .

_______________________________________

Find Dianne and her books

_______________________________________

International
Winner will receive
-One Signed copy of Darkness Dawns


RULES
1)  Leave a comment or question  ON THIS POST for Dianne
2) This giveaway is open to both US and international followers
3) Must leave an email address so I can contact you.

Giveaway Ends 3/10/2011 at 12pm EST
Winner will have 48 Hours to reply to my email with your mailing address or I will pick another
Winner chosen randomly with the help of random.org

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Guest Blog and Giveaway: Alayna Williams

UFI Is pleased to have Alayna Williams author of Dark Oracle and her new Release Rogue Oracle joining us today. Visit Dark Oracle and Rogue Oracle to see my reviews. Scroll down to the end for giveaway after your done reading.

The Tarot's Hanged Man: More than Meets the Eye

by Alayna Williams 

I use Tarot cards a good deal in my writing, to give me ideas about creating characters and develop plot points. Sometimes, I pick cards on purpose that catch my eye, but more often, I deal them out at random. I let my imagination roam over the pictures to generate situations and connections. It's a fun way to work...sometimes the images touch upon an archetype that I can pull into my work.  

One of the cards that captures my imagination is the Hanged Man. This card usually depicts a man hanging by a gallows or tree from his foot. He holds his hands behind his back and wears a serene expression. I've heard various explanations of this over the years, from the idea that the pose was intentional to a misprint or artist's mistake with a reversed printing plate. In our modern decks, he looks back at us, often haloed, seemingly at ease with his suspension.  

The traditional meaning of this card has to do with sacrifice, spiritual transformation, suspension, and a calm before the storm. By dangling from his foot, we can see that the man could easily reach up and free himself from the one rope holding a foot, but he chooses not to. He chooses to stay in this uncomfortable position in the pursuit of enlightenment or a new perspective. From his vantage point, he sees things that we can't. He is literally suspended, in limbo, and seeing things as we do not. 

The Hanged Man has its roots in an old myth about the Norse god Odin. Odin brought knowledge of the magic of rune divination to the world, but he sacrificed a great deal in order to do so. He stabbed himself with his own spear and hung himself from the world tree Yggdrasil, in order to absorb the gallow's tree's power. He hung for nine days and nights, in a twilight state between life and death, his blood nourishing the tree. He drew into himself the power of the underworld, through the tree's roots, and the power of the heavens, scraped by the tree's branches. The knowledge of the runes seeped into him and he fell to the ground on the ninth day, stunned by what he had learned.  

The underlying message of the card is that progress and knowledge require sacrifice and a surrender of control. In a Tarot reading, this can be a very uncomfortable place to be in. In transition. Becoming. But it can be worth it.
__________________________________

Author Bio:

Alayna Williams has an MA in sociology-criminology (research interests: fear of crime and victimology) and a BA in criminology. She has worked in and around criminal justice since 1997. Although she does read Tarot cards, she's never used them in criminal profiling or to locate lost scientists. She recently took up astronomy, but for the most part her primary role in studying constellations and dark matter is to follow her amateur astronomer-husband around central Ohio toting the telescope tripod and various lenses. Like the Pythia in Dark Oracle, she's been known to belly dance. Unlike the Pythia she'd never consider herself a professional

Writing as Laura Bickle, she's the author of EMBERS and SPARKS for Pocket - Juno Books.
Writing as Alayna Williams, she's the author of DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE.

More info on her urban fantasy and general nerdiness is here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/
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ROGUE ORACLE
Delphic Oracle #2
Pocket Juno Books
Mass Market Paperback, $7.99
ISBN 978-1439182819
Feb. 22, 2011

THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FUTURE, THE MORE THERE MAY BE TO FEAR.
  Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around—and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn’t need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards—and Tara’s increasingly ominous dreams—suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationship with the mysterious order known as Delphi’s Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen. . . .


ROGUE ORACLE is available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
__________________________________
Find Alayna and her books
__________________________________








Photobucket

 Visit Bewitching Book Tours to find out where Alayna has been
and where she will be next on her ROGUE ORACLE tour.
__________________________________
(International)

Winner will receive
-1 print copy of Rogue Oracle

RULES
1) Open to US and International followers 
2) Leave a comment or question on this post for Alayna
3) Must leave an email address so I can contact you.


Giveaway Ends 3/9/2011 at 10pm EST
Winner will have 48 Hours to reply to my email with your mailing address or I will pick another
Winner chosen randomly with the help of random.org


Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Review: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Desires of the Dead
Author:Kimberly Derting
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
The Body Finder Book #2
ISBN:   0061779849
ISBN13: 9780061779848
Genre: Young Adult

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. 

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life. 

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

I didnt enjoy it as much as I enjoyed THE BODY FINDER but it was still a fantastic book. As mentioned in another review by All Things Urban Fantasy I missed the serial killer storyline from book 1. There was more tension and panic that made your heart speed up to keep you glued to the pages. Don't get me wrong there was still plenty of action and tension, i just didn't feel the fear as much as in the second book. I would have liked to see Violet do a little more body finding, there wasn't as many chances for it DESIRES OF THE DEAD. I liked the new characters, I think they are going to bring Violet to a whole new level in future books and bring some fantastic storylines. Violet and Jay's relationship is brought to a whole new level and they are still going strong, Kimberly has given them a great connection that is enjoyable to read about. Future books are definitely on my radar.

I gave it 4/5 Stars

New Releases Feb 28-Mar 6





Tuesday March 1


Accidentally Catty (Accidently Friends #5) by Dakota Cassidy
Betrayel (Haunting Emma #2) by Lee Nichols
Blackout (Cal Leandros #6) by Rob Thurman
Blood & Flowers by Penny Blubaugh
The Chaos (Number #2) by Rachel Ward
Clarity by Kim Harrison
Dark Mirror (Dark Passage #1) by M.J. Putney
Deadly Lies (Deadly #3) by Cynthia Eden
Dead on Delivery (Messenger #2) by Eileen Rendahl
Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins
Demon Song (Blood Singer #3) by Cat Adams
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
Fated by Rebecca Zanetti
Hidden Away (KGI #3) by Maya Banks
It Happened One Bite (Regency Vampyre Trilogy #1) by Lydia Dare
Late Eclipses (October Daye #4) by Seanan McGuire
Live Wire (Elite Ops #6) by Lora Leigh
Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgon
Moon Cursed (Night Creatures #10) by Lori Handeland
Never Again (Wizards of Nevermore #1) by Michele Bardsley
River Marked (Mercedes Thompson #6) by Patricia Briggs
Primal Bonds (Shifters Unbound #2) by Jennifer Ashley
Taste Me by Tamara Hogan
The Truth About Vampires by Theresa Meyers
Under Wraps (Underworld Detection Agency #1) by Hannah Jayne

Thurs March 3

Vegas Knights by Matt Forbeck

If you see a mistake or know of another release that is not listed let me know!! Happy Reading 

Monday, February 28, 2011

Review: Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams

Rogue Oracle
Author:Alayna Williams
Release Date: February 22, 2011
Publisher: Pocket
Delphic Oracle Book #2
ISBN: 1439182817
ISBN13: 9781439182819
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Author for Review

Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen...


The Delphic Oracle Novels are so unique. I wasn't sure the whole tarot card oracle storyline would work for me but Alayna Williams does a wonderful job in explaining and laying out all you need to know so that you aren't lost with all the card she pulls.  I loved the police like investigating, some of my favorite novels have that in the story and they are always entertaining and attention grabbing. There is plenty of action and the story comes along at a good pace. The characters are enjoyable to read about and follow along with. Im looking forward to seeing what comes in the future for Alayna and Harry's relationship as well as what is in store for Cassie as she is thrust deeper into getting ready to take of as Pythia.


I gave it a 4/5 Stars

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Week in Review 2/20-2/26

Books Ive Bought/received

*Blood Red Road by Moira Young- ARC- From Shelfawareness

*Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead- Purchased from Borders

*This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost- Purchased from Borders


Books I read

Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams
Dead on Delivery by Eileen Rendahl
This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead

Other reviews posted

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
Etched in Bone by Adrian Phoenix
Demon Song by Cat Adams
Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams

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*Want to know what people are reading? Check out and add to my "What are you reading?" post

*New Releases for the week.

* UFI will have a 2 guests this coming week. Alayna Williams will be joining us with a guest post and giveaway on Wednesday 3/2 and Dianne Duvall will be joining us with a giveaway and Interview on Thursday 3/3. Make sure to stop by to see what they have to say as well ask any questions you might have. For future guests visit here.