Guest Blog & Giveaway: Taken by Felicia Starr

UFI welcomes Felicia Starr Author of Taken. Thanks for Joining us!!

 Top ten television shows right now 

I don’t watch a lot of television but what I do watch I record with the dvd and catch what I can. There are a few other shows I wish I had time to still watch but I will probably be watching these shows well into the summer.

1. The Arrow
2. The Originals
3. White Collar
4. Parks and Recreation
5. Psych
6. The Vampire Diaries
7. Witches of East End
8. Sleepy Hollow
9. Nova
10. Impractical Jokers

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Author Felicia Starr lives five miles from her favorite Jersey Shore destination with her amazingly supportive family. She loves to spend time creating special memories with her husband and two young boys.

Everyone expected her first publication to be a cookbook, but her love for writing has surpassed her love for cooking.

Felicia graduated magna cum laude from Kean University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a post baccalaureate in elementary education. She is a licensed real estate sales person, a certified yoga instructor, and most importantly, a stay-at-home mom.

Find Felicia and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Taken
Breaking the Darkness #1

Opening her eyes to an imposing prison of complete darkness, Kasha is accused of possessing powers and abilities she had no previous knowledge of until the moment she comes face to face with herself while meditating. Haunted by memories strung together by lies and deceit, she soon discovers that maybe her beloved grandmother kept a few secrets she hadn't been aware of. Secrets that could be her salvation… or her undoing.

As she struggles to control her newfound powers, only time will tell if they will be enough to help her decipher who has imprisoned her or what they want from her. She must search for the answers and the freedom she so desperately desires. Could a handsome guy who vows to help her get away prove to be the man of her dreams… or perhaps her worst nightmare?

Not knowing who to trust, she must find a way to escape before she pays the ultimate price and finds herself taken by the darkness.

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Week in Review: 12/8-12/14

Books Ive Bought/received

* Forgotten Sins by Rebecca Zanetti- eARC-Netgalley

* Dragon Awakened by Jaime Rush- eARC- Netgalley

* Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy- eARC- Netgalley

Books I Read

Forgotten Sins by Rebecca Zanetti
Sweet Revenge by Rebecca Zanetti
Dragon Awakened by Jaime Rush
Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy

Reviews Posted

Quick Thought Reviews 
- First Bite by Dani Harper
- Mine To Tarnish by Janeal Falor
- Irresistible Magic by Deanna Chase
Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner
Galilee Rising by Jennifer Harlow
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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Tuesday- Guest Blog and Giveaway for Operation Saving Daniel by Nina Croft. Promo and giveaway for Galilee Rising by Jennifer Harlow.

* Wednesday- Guest Blog for Ribbon of Darkness by Decadent Kane

* Thursday- Guest blog for Immortal Revenge by Mary Abshire

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

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Quick Thought reviews

Sometimes I read a book where I just don't have a lot to say about it. Hence the name quick thought reviews. These will be short and sweet.

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First Bite

Author:Dani Harper

Release Date: October 15, 2013

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Dark Wolf Book #1

ISBN:  1477807594

ISBN13: 9781477807590

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Geneva “Neva” Ross doesn’t want to die. But now that she’s been turned into a werewolf against her will, she’ll do anything to protect her family and friends…even if that means taking her own life.

After witnessing Neva’s leap from a high ledge, Travis Williamson—a Changeling with a dark past—uses his powers to save her life. He feels a connection to the strong-willed woman whose eyes flash that familiar Changeling green. While Neva is hospitalized, Travis risks everything to kidnap her, knowing the approaching full moon will put everyone in jeopardy.

Bickering constantly to hide their growing attraction, Travis and Neva run from the authorities…and from Neva’s sinister sire, Meredith de la Ronde. Meredith delights in creating new shape-shifters and compelling them to do her dark bidding; now Neva must join Meredith’s murderous wolf pack…or die.

Intensely suspenseful with deliciously sexy twists, this paranormal romance—the first in (the title of series)—intertwines sensual passion with an epic, thrilling battle between good and evil.

Neva has no clue what's really happening to her, all she knows is that she is about to change into a monster and that is the last thing she wants. Travis likes to keep to himself and but when he watches Neva jump to her death his wolf pushes him to save her. The romance between the two is OK but it didn't blow me away.

I enjoyed the storyline but the pace was a little off to me and the characters didn't draw me in like I was expecting. I appreciated the little twists and turns the story brought with it. It was a good start to the series but I recommend borrowing before you buy for this one.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

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 Mine to Tarnish

Author:Janeal Falor

Release Date: December 2, 2013

Publisher: Chardonian Press

Mine Book #0.5

ISBN:  149281735X

ISBN13: 9781492817352

Genre: Fantasy

Review Copy Source:Netgalley

Katherine’s place is the same as any woman’s—on the shelf next to the dresses and bolts of cloth. When she’s sold to a warlock, life grows even bleaker. Her new owner is as old and rancid as he is cruel, driving her to do the unthinkable: run.

Nothing prepared her for being on her own. And she’s definitely unprepared for the warlocks hunting her down. But she must stay one step ahead because if caught, the best she can hope for is death.

Although short MINE TO TARNISH had not problem pulling me in and making me feel invested in the characters. The whole world that Janeal introduces us to interested me. The people, the setting, the story of what the woman go through and what some are willing to do to escape their situations. I cant wait to read more.

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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Irresistible Magic

Author:Deanna Chase

Release Date: November 8, 2013

Publisher: Bayou Moon Press

Crescent City Fae Book #2

ISBN13: 9781940299020

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Finding the perfect dress can be hell... especially when a stranger tries to gun you down in broad daylight.

Void agent and magical baker extraordinaire, Willow Rhoswen has been anticipating her first date with Talisen Kavanagh since she was sixteen. After eight years of waiting, there are only two things that can stand in her way--an assassination attempt and a new game-changing drug.

Talisen's invented a new elixir that creates superhumans, ones that can rival vampire strength, and everyone wants it. Including the vampires. With Willow's life on the line, he makes a deal with the devil, while she's forced to accept the always-strings-attached protection from the most notorious vampire organization in New Orleans.

But when Talisen and his drug go missing, Willow will stop at nothing to find him, even if it means working with her vampire-ex, David. With souped-up humans, dangerous vampires, and more questions than answers, Willow has less than twenty-four hours to find him before everything changes forever.

I was so happy with how INFLUENTIAL MAGIC ended that I am sad that I was so disappointing with how IRRESISTIBLE MAGIC ended. The storyline was still interesting but I felt like the relationship aspect of the story totally brought me down. By the end I was asking myself what the point of Talisen and Willow fighting so hard in book 1 was for. The storyline was missing some of the suspense I enjoyed with book 1 as well. Ugh. What a bummer.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Review: Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner

Chaos Bound

Author:Rebekah Turner

Release Date: December 1, 2013

Publisher: Escape Publishing

Chronicles from the Applecross Book #2

ISBN13:  9780857991072

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Netgalley

The long-awaited sequel to Chaos Born takes us back into the Applecross, where Lora faces increasing threats to her survival and her chance at love.

Lora Blackgoat — mercenary and smuggler — has only just recovered from the last threat on her life and hasn’t even begun to sort out the mess of having both a nephilim warrior and a reborn hellspawn as potential lovers. Work should be a refuge, but a job finding missing persons puts her in the crosshairs of a violent gang and a merchant with a taste for blood sport.

Reluctantly, Lora turns to the two men in her life for help. Roman — the nephilim — professes to be her soul mate and turns to her when he feels the darkness of nephilim madness descending. But though Lora is drawn to Roman, it is Seth, ex-lover and reborn hellspawn, who Lora must ultimately ask to protect those she loves. Can she trust Seth to save Roman and her adoptive family, or will this be a fatal mistake?

CHAOS BOUND did a good job of continuing the story that started in CHAOS BORN. I felt like we went in to the story with a good grasp on who Lora is and what she does. The 'powers' that Lora has grown a bit in CHAOS BORN. There was one particular part in the story towards the end that had my mouth dropping open in response to. I really ended up disliking how the men in the story treated Lora. She is so independent and head strong but they are able to make life changing decisions for her and I hated it. 

I would have liked to see more of Roman and his background. I also would have liked to see more of Seth, his background and why he was now who he is. I don't feel like I can make a total opinion of him until I get it. Thankfully the love triangle wasn't dramatic or played out too long. I didn't have a preference on who Lora ultimately ended up with but I am happy with how everything played out. I enjoyed the Griorwolf storyline and the new characters that it introduced.

 I didn't feel that there was any additional world building in CHAOS BOUND which was OK but I wouldn't have minded seeing more of Applecross. The series so far has been pretty interesting and original and brings lots of action and suspense to the table. I am hoping that there are more books planned in the Chronicles of Applecross series because I feel like we still need more and there is more to be said. Anyone else feel that way?

I gave it 3.5/5 stars


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

Guest Blog: Immortal Revenge by Mary Abshire

UFI welcomes Mary Abshire Author of Immortal Revenge. Thanks for Joining us!!

Favorite scenes to write 

Two of my favorite scenes to write are fighting scenes and ones with a lot of dialogue. Both move a story forward quickly. Fighting scenes provide good visuals for readers and dialogue gives a reader a better impression of characters. Dialogue also can help provide details on a back story and be used to build various forms of tension. I love building tension, but I also like creating humor with dialogue.

When I first wrote a fight scene a few years ago I thought it would be difficult. It wasn’t. I visualized the scene and slowed it down in my mind to write it in words. For every action there is a reaction. I wrote my first fight scene in another book and readers continually said it provided a great visual for them. My response? Yay! I did it right. Keep in mind, I’m not an expert but the positive replies boosted my confidence.

In my new novel, Immortal Revenge, my protagonist, Katie, has several fighting scenes. I knew from the beginning she would have a few. She is human and has to fight the bad vampires, which means she has difficult challenges to face. But she is one determined woman. She can kick some ass and speed like crazy. Just ask her best friend and roller skating disco queen, Jules.

The dialogue between Katie and Jules was fun to write. Where Katie is more of a strong-minded person, Jules is more laid back. Except Jules is squeamish and Katie is the opposite. They are alike in some ways but different in many others, which helps these two women form a strong bond. Jules certainly brings light and humor to Katie’s dark and twisted life.

If you’re in the market for a book with action, mystery, suspense and humor, I encourage you to try Immortal Revenge. As a side note, there is some language and violence too.

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When I’m not slaving away at my government job, I’m a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Author. I creates fantastical worlds with vampires, demons, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. Dive into my books and find action, a dash of mystery, and seductive men with passionate hearts.

Books in my urban fantasy series, Project Eve, include: The Awakening and The Quest
Midnight Gardens is my new paranormal romance series and the first book, Welcome to the Neighborhood, has a release date August 5, 2013.

Immortal Revenge is my new urban fantasy novel in The Legacy series. Release date is in November 2013.

Books in my paranormal romance series, The Soul Catcher, include: Claiming the Evil Dead, Catching an Evil Tail, Fighting Evil, and Love Conquers All Evil

Find Mary and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Immortal Revenge 
Legacy #1

 Grief stricken Katie Dillinger is on a mission to claim revenge for the death of her lover. In a race against time to find the murderer, Katie reaches out to Riker, a man listed as her boyfriend’s emergency contact. The cold-hearted man comes to Katie’s aid, but she doesn’t completely trust him. To keep her friends safe, she insists they leave town immediately. But her efforts come too late. A friend disappears and a clear message is left in the wake: surrender or more people will die.

Katie’s world is turned upside down when she discovers Riker has vowed to protect her. She’s involved in a prophecy, one which her lover had been preparing her for before his murder. All the combat training he gave her suddenly makes sense, and as Katie fights to keep her friends alive, she’s forced to prioritize. Revenge now, saving mankind next.

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Guest Blog: Ribbon of Darkness by Decadent Kane

UFI welcomes Decadent Kane Author of Ribbon of Darkness. Thanks for Joining us!!

Top ten sweet pickup lines: 

10) I want to live in your socks so I can be with you every step of the way. 

9) Do you know what my shirt is made of? Boyfriend material. 

8) I was wondering if you had an extra heart mine seems to have been stolen 

7) I must be a snowflake, because I've fallen for you. 

6) Excuse me, I think you have something in your eye. Oh wait, it's just a sparkle. 

5) If a thousand painters worked for a thousand years, they could not create a work of art as beautiful as you. 

4) If stars would fall every time I would think of you, the sky would soon be empty. 

3) Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll give it back. 

2) You're like a dictionary; you add meaning to my life! 

1) You look cold. Want to use me as a blanket?

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I write because it's a part of who I am, something I can't turn away. A feeling of fulfillment and loss all wrapped up in pens and pages. Never neatly and always beckoning.

Writing erotic tales...

     If I had to describe myself, it would be in a word that has infinite meanings with a complexity which falls off the tongue.
     A word made up of many elements, is deceptive in appearance, and creates an illusion from the imagination.
                          My word would be Phantasmagoric.

Find Decadent and her books

Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Ribbon of Darkness
The Trouble With Elves #1
Buy Link

 Before Ribbon had a chance to get used to the idea of being an elf, she ran into Draven who's body jingled her bells. Unfortunately, he's the spy sent to haul her and her family back to the North Pole on Santa's orders.

Draven North has had one task for the last twenty-four years: find the Winters family and bring them home. He wasn't expecting their only daughter to deck his halls. No matter how hot and sassy he found his roguess, he had to take her back before the darkness devoured the Pole and Christmas magic along with it. But was it already too late?

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Guest Blog & Giveaway: Operation Saving Daniel by Nina Croft

UFI welcomes Nina Croft Author of Operation Saving Daniel. Thanks for Joining us!!

Top Ten Paranormal TV Series
 

I watch much more TV in the winter than in the summer. So today, I thought I’d spend some time going through my DVD collection and deciding what I’ll watch next. It seemed a perfect time to put together my top ten paranormal TV shows. 

So here they are in no particular order: 

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I love Buffy. She has such fabulous taste in men. Spike and Angel are two of my favourite vampires. And there are plenty of seasons to keep me busy through the long winter evenings, but if I do run out of Buffy, then there’s… 

2. Angel – which I think I actually like even better than Buffy! 

3. Being Human - A British offering, where a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost share a house and try to be human. Mitchel is another fabulous vampire. 

4. X-files – I loved this series recounting the exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (what a fabulous name!) and Dana Scully while they investigate the X files; really weird unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. 

5. True Blood – Eric - sigh! 

6. Misfits – another British series. In this one, a group of young offenders doing community service are struck by lightning during a storm, and begin to develop superpowers. 

7. Agents of Shield – I’ve just started watching this. I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan so I couldn’t resist, and I’m loving it so far. 

8. Lost – I’m not sure this one qualifies as paranormal, but it was pretty weird and I really enjoyed it. I loved the desert island setting. 

9. Walking Dead – The list couldn’t be complete without a Zombie offering. I love post-apocalypse stories. The end of the world as we know it, add some hot guys, and what more could you want? 

10. Dr Who – I’ve been watching this for as long as I’ve been watching TV and growing up, all I ever wanted to be was the Doctor’s assistant. The show has just had its 50^th anniversary and it keeps getting better and better. 

So what are your favourite paranormal TV shows? Can you make me any suggestions for those long, dark winter nights?

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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 nine-to-five 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 paranormal and science fiction.

Find Nina and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Operation Saving Daniel 
Amazon    BN    Goodreads

 At eighteen, Melissa seduced her best friend Julia's brother only to run away shortly after. While Daniel was her fairytale prince, Lissa didn’t believe in happy ever afters.

Ten years and a near death experience later, Lissa is ready for a husband and family. But a cry for help from Julia puts that dream on hold. Daniel is acting weird and he’s about to marry his long term girlfriend—AKA The Evil One. Someone needs to save him.

Daniel has never stopped loving Lissa. Ten years ago when he gave her a little freedom, he always intended that one day they would be together. Right up until the moment he was bitten by a werewolf. Now, Daniel has to hide what he is. He won’t risk anyone else, especially the woman he loves.

But Lissa is back. Their attraction is stronger than ever and Lissa is nothing if not tenacious.

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