Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Ghost Guard by J. Joseph Wright

UFI welcomes J. Joseph Wright Author of Ghost Guard. Thanks for Joining us!!

When I thought up the idea of a ghost special agent, a sort of paranormal James Bond character who uses (among other things) his masculine charms to defend the denizens of the spirit world, of course the first question that came to mind was—what would sex with a ghost be like?

Rever Ott is Ghost Guard’s top agent, a dead man of distinctive taste and ability with a devil-may-care attitude. He’s a one in a billion ghost. Fatally handsome, endowed with supernatural skills beyond almost any other spirit, he has one particular talent that proves quite handy. The art of seduction. Rev has the uncanny ability to get into a woman’s mind, tap into her innermost forbidden desires, and make her fall in love, and lust, with him. Rev uses his sexual talents with supreme confidence and cleverness. But there’s a problem. Sexual encounters take a tremendous amount of energy from a ghost. If a ghost is drained of too much energy, it spells certain doom. Because of this, when Rev has to employ such tactics, it irritates his teammates. Especially Abby Rhodes.

Abby is a young, beautiful, and gifted clairsentient with the ability to see the dead. One of only two living Ghost Guard agents, Abby is running from a past that still haunts her, driven by a desire to protect the innocent and defenseless spirits of the afterlife. She’s also driven by another desire, the desire to be with Rev, although her own stubbornness won’t allow her to admit it.

She takes her job seriously, and that’s why she absolutely hates when Rev goes off script and uses his seductive prowess during missions. She thinks it’s reckless, impractical, and way too risky. She knows what Rev knows. Sex is a dangerous game for a spirit. Expend too much energy and it can mean disaster. Expiration is what they call it. Death for a ghost. And Abby knows Ghost Guard can’t afford to lose Rev. But everyone on the team knows why Abby is really angry. They know the one secret she harbors, the dark and hidden truth behind her rage. She wants Rev. That much is obvious to everyone except Abby and Rev himself.

Sparks fly as Abby fights off Rev’s constant advances, and the sexual tension reaches a fever pitch when an immortal enchantress tries to steal Rev away. Abby knows Rev can fulfill any sexual desire. He can be the lover of every woman’s dreams. Romantic and passionate. Suave and strong. Touching all the right spots and hitting all the right buttons in ways no living man ever can. On the outside she swears she can’t stand his philandering, his casual relationships with other women, and his flippant behavior. On the inside, she’s angry at her own attraction to Rev. Because deep down she really wants the preternaturally carnal experience. Her intrigue has taken over, and she desperately wants to know the answer to the question—what would sex with a ghost be like?
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J. Joseph Wright penciled his first novel in the fourth grade, but, after failing to publish it, toiled away in obscurity until his freshman year in high school. Upon reading and, inexplicably, enjoying one of J.’s witless essays, his English Comp teacher, a man of questionable taste, recommended he write for the school newspaper. Soon J. was regaling the student body with a fantasy horror fiction column, gaining a robust early fan base, albeit from a captive school audience.

After college, J. left a highly lucrative career in public television for an even more lucrative career as an independent author, and now writes Adult Horror, Sci-Fi, Children’s Fantasy, and even some Paranormal Romance. His novel Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear was a Finalist in the Kindle Book Review 2013 Best Indie Book Awards.
Find J. Joseph and his books
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Ghost Guard


IN THE SPIRIT REALM, ONLY ONE FORCE CAN PROTECT THE INNOCENT SOULS OF THE DEAD...

Never before have living agents been teamed up with ghosts on such a level. Never before has a paranormal crew been equipped, trained, and specially assembled to hunt ghost hunters, face angry mobs bent on otherworldly revenge, or do battle against ancient immortals from the stars. Never before has the spirit realm seen anyone like Rever Ott and Abby Rhodes. Only problem is, Rev and Abby don't know whether to fight the enemies of the supernatural, or fight their love for each other.

The cloak and dagger intrigue of James Bond with the supernatural eccentricity of Ghostbusters and the primal darkness of Underworld.
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International 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A few other giveaway's the author wanted you to know about

- There will be a KINDLE FIRE HD Raffle starting on NOVEMBER 8th and running till DECEMBER 8th on his site

-Goodreads Book Giveaway of an Autographed Ghost Guard running till DECEMBER 1st!

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: White Heart of Justice by Jill Archer

White Heart of Justice 
Noon Onyx #3

Since Lucifer claimed victory at Armageddon, demons, angels, and humans have coexisted in uneasy harmony. Those with waning magic are trained to maintain peace and order. But hostilities are never far from erupting…

After years of denying her abilities, Noon Onyx, the first woman in history to wield waning magic, has embraced her power. She’s won the right to compete in the prestigious Laurel Crown Race—an event that will not only earn her the respect of her peers but also, if she wins, the right to control her future.                       

However, Noon’s task is nearly impossible: retrieve the White Heart of Justice, a mythical sword that disappeared hundreds of years ago. The sword is rumored to be hidden in a dangerous region of Halja that she is unlikely to return from. But Noon’s life isn’t the only thing hanging in the balance. The sword holds an awesome power that, in the wrong hands, could reboot the apocalypse—and Noon is the only one who can prevent Armageddon from starting again…
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Jill Archer is the author of the Noon Onyx series, genre-bending fantasy novels about a post-grad magic user and her off-campus adventures. DARK LIGHT OF DAY and FIERY EDGE OF STEEL, the first two books in the series are available now from Penguin/Ace. The third book, WHITE HEART OF JUSTICE, will be released May 27, 2014. Jill lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.


Find Jill and her books
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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Guest Blog: Trancehack by Sonya Clark

UFI welcomes Sonya Clark Author of Trancehack. Thanks for Joining us!!

Future Noir With a Touch of Magic 

Trancehack begins with a mystery. Detective Nate Perez, new in town and unfamiliar with the careful tightrope of life in a zone city, gets his first big case since moving to New Corinth and it’s a doozy. He quickly finds himself tangled in a web of murder, drugs, blackmail, societal pressures, political conspiracy, secrets and lies - and love. He falls hard for a woman the law won’t let him make a life with, captivating witch Calla Vesper.

In 2065, it’s been half a century since the Magic Laws were passed, sending the Magic Born to live in urban zones and denying them basic rights of citizenship. It’s a bleak world for both Magic Born and Normals alike. People deal with it in different ways. There’s a magically enhanced version of ecstasy called nightshade. Arcades where gamers who can’t afford home systems can lose themselves in other worlds for a few hours. There are nightclubs too, like the zone’s infamous dance hall, Sinsuality. Lovers get by on stolen moments and borrowed time, trying to get the most out of the night and dreading the reality revealed by daybreak.

When creating this world, I drew on a love of mystery novels and noir I’ve had for years. Movies like Chinatown, Blade Runner, LA Confidential. The novels of Raymond Chandler, James Ellroy, Michael Connelly. Dark worlds of neon-filled night and forbidden love. Even the Magic Born’s nickname for the zone, FreakTown, was based on one of those movies. I even entertained thoughts of someone paraphrasing the famous line from Chinatown - “Forget it, Nate. It’s Freaktown.” But it didn’t work out.

For me, the perfect fictional world has to include some kind of paranormal element. In the Magic Born series, that element is magic, of course. A few of the witches, Calla among them, are able to use astral projection to enter cyberspace - something called trancehacking. There are other instances in the book of magic combined with technology. I like to think of that combination as witchpunk. It was a fun, exciting way to bring magic both into the future and into the neon-filled city night.
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Sonya Clark grew up a military brat and now lives in Tennessee with her husband and daughter. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a heavy helping of magic and lots of music for inspiration. Learn more at www.sonyaclark.net. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Find Sonya and her books
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Trancehack
Magic Born #1
 It’s 2065. Those born with magic abilities live in government-run zones, without rights or freedoms. Fear of magic created this segregated world and fear keeps it intact.

A high-profile murder brings Detective Nathan Perez to Magic Born Zone 13. He’s had little experience with the Magic Born and isn’t sure what to expect during his first encounter with a witch, but he never thought he’d be so drawn to her.

Trancehacker Calla Vesper uses magic to break into computers and aid the Magic Born underground. She has no interest in helping a cop, even if he is smoking-hot, but money’s tight and Nate offers a tidy amount for help navigating the Zone. Calla’s determined to keep it all business, but sparks start flying before the investigation even gets started.

When Calla’s trancehacking and Nathan’s investigation uncover a conspiracy, Calla becomes a target. Nate can protect her by keeping her role a secret—but then who will protect Nate?
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New Releases: 11/3-11/9


Tue Nov 5

 After Eden (After Eden #1) by Helen Douglas
 Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
 Cracked (Soul Eater #1) by Eliza Crewe
 The Lair (The Farm #2) by Emily McKay
 The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 
 Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes

Happy Reading!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Reflection of the Gods by Lisa Llamrei

UFI welcomes Lisa Llamrei Author of Reflection of the Gods. Thanks for Joining us!!

Top Five Settings in Reflection of the Gods
 
When writing Reflection of the Gods, I had to explore a number of different settings. These are my favorites:


Toronto, Ontario
 
Das’s birthplace, and mine, is North America’s fifth largest city. Das may have left it on an unhappy note, but the city has shaped both his world view and his art. One of the world’s most multicultural cities, there are over a hundred languages spoken, and a variety of cultural festivals each year. It is the third most popular city in the English speaking world for both theatre and movie production. It is the base for The National Ballet Company, The Canadian Opera Company, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. With over 1,600 parks, zoos, skylines, it’s a photographer’s dream.


Hill of Tara
 
The ancient seat of kingship in Ireland, it is the birthplace of Aislinn. The Lia Fàil, or Stone of Destiny, was said to sing when touched by the rightful High King of Ireland. According to legend, it was brought to Ireland by Aislinn’s immortal ancestors, the Tuatha Dé Dannan.



Kilkenny Castle – Kilkenny, Ireland
 
During Aislinn’s human incarnation as Alice Kyteler, Kilkenny Castle is a looming presence. After her arrest for witchcraft, the castle serves as her gaol.
Built in the early thirteenth century, it was continuously occupied for more than seven hundred years. Over the centuries, the building underwent several renovations and additions. But, the façade retains the original thirteenth century shape. From across the river, at the level of the town, it appears much as it did to Aislinn as she tried in vain to escape its shadow.


Kyteler’s Inn – Kilkenny, Ireland
 
While my account of Alice Kyteler’s life is highly fictionalized, it is based on a historical person, who really was a banker (aka usurer) in Kilkenny in the early fourteenth century. Known as the witch of Kilkenny, she really was the first woman ever sentenced to burn as a witch in the British Isles, and she really did escape her prison. The likelihood is that she accomplished this with the help of influential friends and thereafter lived out her life in England, but I prefer the version where she is spirited away by her demon lover. Her former home still stands in the medieval section of Kilkenny, where it now operates as Kyteler’s Inn. And yes, it is included on lists of haunted places in County Kilkenny.


Algonquin Park, Ontario
 
The site of the final conflict of the book, Algonquin Park is larger than Prince Edward Island, or about the size of the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. It’s located in the heart of the Canadian Shield, and offers stunning vistas of largely unspoiled wilderness. Much of it is remote, offering ample space for bands of immortals to wage a war unnoticed by surrounding human communities.
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Lisa Llamrei was born in Toronto. She studied languages at York University. At various times, she has been an actor, professional belly dancer and holistic nutritionist. She presently lives in Durham region with her four daughters, and she works at a school of holistic nutrition. Reflection of the Gods is her first novel.


Find Lisa and her books
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Reflection of the Gods

Amazon   Kobo   Alchera Press
 "This is the story of how my third life began. And how my second life ended. They’re the same thing, you know—endings and beginnings. We’re taught to believe they’re different, but in order for one thing to begin, something else must end."

Newly divorced Das MacDermott longs for a fresh start. As he packs up and prepares to move out of the city, he spots a young woman being held at gunpoint by three men. Despite being outnumbered and unarmed, Das does his best to intervene. Once liberated, the victim seems oddly ungrateful, but on an apparent whim decides to join Das in his new life in rural Ontario. Aislinn, as she is called, returns the favour; with her encouragement and support, his start-up photography business takes off, and more importantly, Das is saved from loneliness and self-doubt.

Das, however, is never quite able to fully dismiss the contrary aspects of Aislinn’s nature, and is strictly forbidden from asking about Aislinn’s past. All seems too good to be true, and indeed it is. Aislinn’s unusual talents and odd behaviour, unbeknownst to Das, come from her demigod status. Aislinn is half-Sidhe, daughter of Fionvarra, Ireland’s fairy king, and a human woman. Sidhe wars have so disrupted the mortal world that Aislinn has joined with other immortals in an effort to permanently separate it from Tir N’a Nog, the fairy realm.

Born in ancient Ireland, Aislinn spends millennia as the plaything of the cruel and narcissistic gods. The pain of being neither human nor Sidhe is offset by her relationship to the Fir Bolg, another race of fair folk who take pity on her lonely state; and the refuge she takes in being Das’s lover and protector. As Das comes to accept the possibility that Aislinn belongs to a supernatural world, he discovers that the two worlds are set to collide in a way that may mean the destruction of all humanity.
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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Week in Review: 10/27-11/2


Books Ive Bought/received

* Galilee Rising by Jennifer Harlow- eARC- Author

* The Sharpest Blade by Sandy Williams- eARC- Netgalley

* Avenger's Heat by Katie Reus-ARC- Publisher

* Bittersweet Magic by Nina Croft- ECopy- Publisher

Books I Read

Avenger's Heat by Katie Reus
Galilee Rising by Jennifer Harlow
The Sharpest Blade by Sandy Williams
Chaos Born by Rebekah Turner
Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
Waking Up Dead by Emma Shortt

Reviews Posted

Darkness Awakened by Katie Reus
Secret Unleashed by Sierra Dean
Archangel's Legion by Nalini Singh

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

* Monday- Promo and Giveaway for Jennifer L. Armentrout's Sentinel Tour

* Tuesday- Guest Blog and Giveaway for Four Weddings and a Werewolf by Kristin Miller.

* Wednesday- Promo and Giveaway for The Sentinel by Holly Martin

* Thursday- Interview with Matthew Quinn Martin for Nightlife.

* Friday- Interview and Giveaway for Darkness Splintered by Keri Arthur

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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, November 2, 2013

Review: Darkness Awakened by Katie Reus

Darkness Awakened
Author: Katie Reus
Release Date: November 3, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Darkness Book #1
ISBN13: 9780989776646
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Author

Years ago he ended things between them to protect her…

As leader of one of the fiercest werewolf packs in the south, Finn Stavros is in full battle mode 24/7. He has no choice—he’s one of the few beings strong enough to fight the Akkadian demons, whose mysterious escape from hell threatens the entire world. With the battle turning bloodier by the second, Finn is ready for anything…until his vampire long lost love shows up on his doorstep in desperate need of his help, sending his heart into a tailspin. He agrees to help her, unaware that she carries a shocking secret that will turn his life upside down.

This time, he’s not letting her go…

Vampire Lyra Marius curses the day she met Finn. The ruthless werewolf promised to love her forever, but he rejected her instead—before she could share her life altering news. Pregnant, kicked out of her coven, and cast aside by the love of her life, Lyra struggled to raise their rare shifter-vampire daughter Vega alone among humans. When the 16-year-old is kidnapped and used to fulfill a frightening prophecy, Lyra swallows her pride and turns to Finn for help. But how long can she fight her feelings for him and keep him from guessing the truth about who Vega really is? As they race against the clock to save their daughter, they must defeat the lethal threat imposed by demons infiltrating the human world and a hell gate that could not only reveal their existence to mankind, but destroy the world in the process.
 
I had to double-check the previous Katie Reus books I have read because the blurb reminded me so much of another book of hers (which I found to be DESTINED MATE, which does get a slight character shout out in DARKNESS AWAKENED). There are of course differences but it definitely had the same feel to it. Vampire Lyra goes to ex lover Finn for help finding her kidnapped daughter. Little does Finn know that her daughter just happens to be his.

There were some pretty predictable parts of the story but overall I enjoyed it. Finn and Lyra had a brief love affair 17 years ago. Finn pushed Lyra away to protect her and has regretted that decision every day since then. Lyra is understandably hesitant to trust Finn again but has no where else to turn when her daughter Vega is kidnapped. Although she is immediately reminded of how it felt to be with him she tried to hold herself back. She lasted longer than I thought she would. Their chemistry is electric from the start. You know right away that they will end up back into each others lives for good. We get some background on the characters but I wish we could have gotten more as I felt like I didn't really know them or why they acted like they did. We meet some interesting secondary characters, setting us up for who might be featured in the future. I am actually excited to learn more about Drake and how he ended up where he did.

DARKNESS AWAKENED was a quick easy read. It had little issues but it has great potential and I would not pass up reading more.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars