Friday, March 28, 2014

Review: Darkside Sun by Jocelyn Adams

Darkside Sun
Release Date: March 10, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
ISBN:   162266339X
ISBN13: 9781622663392
Genre: New Adult/ Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: NetGalley
Addison Beckett tries hard to pretend she’s normal, but she’s far from it. Since she was six years old, she’s seen the world around her unraveling, as if someone is pulling a thread from a sweater and it’s all slowly coming undone. When she ignores it, it goes away, so that’s what she does.
Enter her arrogant-but-hot professor Asher Green. He knows all about her special brand of crazy. In fact, he might be just as nuts as she is. Asher insists that the dead from a parallel dimension are trying to possess the living in this one. And since Addison seems to be the only one who can see these “wraiths,” she just might be the key to saving the world.
Addison wants nothing to do with Asher or his secret society, The Mortal Machine. But as their animosity grows, she finds it harder and harder to ignore the chemistry between them. And when she discovers that Machine laws forbid her from touching him, she realizes that’s all she wants to do.
Stop the wraiths. Break the rules. Save the world. All in a day’s work.
Normal was overrated, anyway.

The blurb does a really good job of giving a basic rundown of the book. DARKSIDE SUN started out a bit slow and confusing but picked up and I felt straitened out about 1/3 of the way in.

Addison was super stubborn for most of the book but I totally got why. She has no idea why she sees what she sees but when she has the chance to learn she doesn't take it as seriously as I would imagine she should. She is ripped away from her life and has every decision made for her. She is hunted and attacked by those around her yet steps up and learns all she can to protect herself. She falls in love with Asher but he pushes her away. She is dealing with a lot. Asher as you will quickly tell has serious issues. He's a pain in the ass that thinks he knows better than everyone else. He falls hard for Addison but doesn't think they should be together so decides that they won't on his own. He never tells anyone anything, just tells them what to do. Uggh he was annoying, but I still kinda liked him and was rooting for him and Addison once I got to know him and why he acts like he does.

I really enjoyed the storyline but the world building and flow of the story wasn't as strong as I would have liked. The ending is a killer. Pain, frustration, and a huge cliffhanger that makes you want to scream. 

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Giveaway: Lockstep by Karl Schroeder

Lockstep
by Karl Schroeder
When seventeen-year-old Toby McGonigal finds himself lost in space, separated from his family, he expects his next drift into cold sleep to be his last. After all, the planet he’s orbiting is frozen and sunless, and the cities are dead. But when Toby wakes again, he’s surprised to discover a thriving planet, a strange and prosperous galaxy, and something stranger still—that he’s been asleep for 14,000 years.

Welcome to the Lockstep Empire, where civilization is kept alive by careful hibernation. Here cold sleeps can last decades and waking moments mere weeks. Its citizens survive for millennia, traveling asleep on long voyages between worlds. Not only is Lockstep the new center of the galaxy, but Toby is shocked to learn that the Empire is still ruled by its founding family: his own.

Toby’s brother Peter has become a terrible tyrant. Suspicious of the return of his long-lost brother, whose rightful inheritance also controls the lockstep hibernation cycles, Peter sees Toby as a threat to his regime. Now, with the help of a lockstep girl named Corva, Toby must survive the forces of this new Empire, outwit his siblings, and save human civilization.

Karl Schroeder's Lockstep is a grand innovation in hard SF space opera.
__________________________________

Karl Schroeder (born September 4, 1962) is an award-winning Canadian science fiction author. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality and interstellar travel, and have a deeply philosophical streak. One of his concepts, known as thalience, has gained some currency in the artificial intelligence and computer networking communities.

Find Karl and her books
__________________________________
US and Canada only 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveway: Spiritual Discord Series by Brandy Nacole

UFI welcomes Brandy Nacole Author of The Spiritual Discord Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

Creating Evil Characters
 
Not all, but most fiction books have an evil villain. But what makes a good villain? Well, besides the reason they are fighting against the good guys, which is usually about power and taking over the world, I think they also need a good backstory. A villain’s backstory explains so much about why they are doing the things they are doing and what led them there.

In my novel, Broken Faith, the hell hound Falon is the villain. Although he is not the main boss, that would be Lucifer, he’s the one doing the dirty work. But Falon isn’t just following the command of his boss, he’s out for revenge. In the story, bits of Falon’s backstory is told through Kayson and even a little by himself as he searches for Kayson and Sabrina. His backstory allows readers to see who he was, who is now, and gives them ideas about his possible future.

Backstory’s help improve the story, add a twist, as well as add to the complexity of the character’s relationships. Creating evil villains who have no backstory, they just do what they do just because, gives them no meaning. Sometimes it makes you feel for them, hate them more, or make you look around at your own life. It is what gives a villain his depth.

__________________________________

Brandy Nacole resides in Arkansas where her imagination runs wild. Her obsession is reading but her passion is writing. She put her dream of becoming a writer on the back burner and went to college to become a psychologist. Three years after endless classes in a field she only felt half satisfied with, Brandy picked up her pen once again and wrote the outline to Uniquely Unwelcome. She finished out her degree in psychology, but traded her dream of writing for the degree and put psychology on the back burner. Whenever she's not reading or writing, Brandy is spending time with her family and friends, throwing around crazy ideas, teaching , and singing like a rock star at a concert for no one else but herself. She loves plants, but unfortunately is a killer of anything that requires water but can't voice (scream) their needs.

She is the author of The Shadow World Series and The Spiritual Discord Series.

Find Brandy and her books
__________________________________

Broken Faith 
Spiritual Discord #1
Amazon BN Kobo iTunes
"This is it. The moment Heaven and Hell clash. But which unearthly being will win, the fallen angel or Hell's hounds?

Overtaken by fear, I close my eyes."

Kayson is a Fallen Angel who has spent decades running from the Hell Hounds while searching for something that no one else believes can be so, not even God. Kayson is determined to find a Blood Child. But when a hound finds Kayson first, he is sure his end has come.
Falon, Alpha of the Hell Hounds, destroyer of the blood children, and devoted believer in his master’s plan, is bound and determined to drag Kayson back to Hell with him.
Sabrina is a Vampire, a half-breed created from one of Lucifer’s original blood children. After years of hiding, Sabrina’s fate changes when she finds Kayson barely alive. Against her instincts, Sabrina saves him. Now she and Kayson are both marked by the Hell Hounds.
Emma is an ordinary human, whose only problem is making ends meet, and getting over the hurt caused by her untrustworthy brother. Her everyday problems become supernatural ones when she finds Kayson and Sabrina hiding in her parent’s backyard shed.

Kayson, Sabrina and Emma are unlikely allies, thrown together by chance to fight against the most powerful creatures of the underworld in order to follow their world-changing quest. But will the broken faith of one break the faith of all?


__________________________________

__________________________________
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Promo & Giveaway: Vampires need not ... Apply? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Vampires Need Not ... Apply? 
Accidentally Yours #4 
Amazon Barnes and Noble iTunes
Impending apocalypse. Check.

Leaders of the gods' army captured. Check. Check.

Three slightly ticked off women now charged with saving the world while the gods fall apart, the good vampires go on holiday, the bad guys are popping up everywhere. Check. Check. Check.

Help is on the way. Check?

Meet Dr. Antonio Acero, a world-renowned physicist whose life is about to take a turn for the worst. And the bizarre. While on vacation in southern Mexico, Antonio discovers an ancient Mayan tablet. Local legends say it contains magical properties, properties that could put his stalling research on the map. But is this really his lucky break? When Antonio attempts to put the tablet to use, he'll discover that Fate has other plans. And her name is Ixtab.
__________________________________

Excerpt:

New Year’s Day. New York City
               “Save me. Please save me.”
               “Dammit. Where are you?” Thirty-four-year-old Antonio Acero frantically searched the dark, empty, cavernous room, helplessly listening to the woman’s cries.
               “Time is running out. You must work faster,” she wailed.
               “I am doing everything I can,” he called out, his voice bouncing off the bare, smooth walls. “But I can’t get to you. If you just tell me…” Two catlike eyes punched through the darkness, sucking the words from his mind. He wanted to see more of her, to touch her. He felt like he might become the one who needed saving if he did not.
               “Save me. Please save me,” the woman repeated. “Time is running out. I have the answers you need, but you must work faster. Destiny—”
               Antonio catapulted from his deep slumber, dripping in cold sweat. “Puta madre, ” he whispered and flipped on his stainless steel reading lamp. It had been the same damned nightmare every night for the last month. Ever since he’d found that fucking tablet in Mexico. Or had it found him?
Doesn’t matter. It’s what you were looking for, the answer to your prayers.
               “Everything all right, baby?” A silky arm slipped out from beneath the steel-gray satin sheets and rubbed his bare thigh.
               “Uh… yeah. Sure.” He looked down at the mop of brown hair. Her face was as obscure as her name.
Mierda. What was he doing? It didn’t matter how many women he brought home, he couldn’t wash her—the woman in his dreams—from his mind.
               He slid from bed and plucked his discarded tee and boxer briefs from the floor. On his way to the kitchen, he slipped them on and tried not to punch something.
Dammit. The dreams were only getting worse, more vivid, more frantic with every passing night.
               He yanked open the fridge, pushed past the Odwallas and beer, and grabbed the soy milk. He knew this madness didn’t make sense, but what the hell did that matter? The dreams kept coming. Scotch—the good stuff—sex, hypnosis didn’t matter. Every night she came. Every night he woke. Every day he worked and didn’t stop until his mind reached exhaustion. And even then, he couldn’t stop thinking about the tablet.
Or her…
Shit. What was happening to him?
__________________________________

Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she's not busy with kids, hubby, work, and life...or getting sucked into a juicy novel. 

She hopes that someday leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.
Find Mimi and her books
__________________________________

__________________________________
Tour Wide 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: ,

New Releases: 3/23-3/29


Tue March 25
 
 Bite Me (Pride #9) by Shelly Laurenston 
 Code Zero (Joe Ledger #6) by Jonathan Maberry  
 Foamers by Justin Kassab  
 The Midnight Witch by Paula Brackston 
 Six months (Seven #2) by Dannika Dark
 Smasher by Scott Bly
 Wanderers (Wasteland #2) by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan 

Happy Reading!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, March 24, 2014

Covet March Release Blast


Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.


Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's March releases:



Sex and the Single Vamp by Robin Covington

Special $0.99 Introductory Price!

Cici Trent, vampire and media darling, spends her days finding true love for humans and supernaturals (the “Others”) at her dating agency. But someone is trying to sabotage her business and she needs help. Unfortunately, the best man for the job is the one who broke her still-beating heart two hundred fifty-four years ago.


Deacon is a patient vampire. He’s only loved one woman in over three hundred years— CiCi— and she chose another. So when she shows up in his office asking for help, he finally has the chance to lay that demon to rest. He’ll help her, but for a price—a night in his bed.


Adrenaline, mischief, and a little late-night B&E light the passion that even a couple of lifetimes couldn’t put out. But Deacon has a secret and when Cici is suddenly mortal, his deception might be the only way restore her immortality. Can love bridge the gap between a heartbeat and forever?



Love and Other Cosmic Nonsense by A.D. Marrow

Special $0.99 Introductory Price!

Breaking it off with her long-time non-magical boyfriend, Evan, was for his own good. At least that’s what Maggie Owen tells herself. After all, a witch and a human can have no future together. Her vision told her so. But now it seems the universe is exacting revenge for upsetting the balance of what “should be” and her heart is telling her she was wrong.

Evan Jackson can’t believe his bad luck. It’s been a year since Maggie broke his heart, and now his business partner has hired her as their new receptionist. Fine, they need the help. But no way will he let her get close again. He can’t take another heartbreak from the woman he still dreams about, even if it feels like there’s still a magical pull between them.

Being in the same building with Evan is a start, but it’s going to take more than Maggie’s special talents and a wink to get the hard-hearted bad-boy to see that love is really more than just cosmic nonsense and set the universe back into balance.



Also don't miss:


January's releases, Love At Stake and Haunt Me, are on sale for only for a limited time only! If you missed out before, now's your chance to snap them up at just $0.99 each!

(Click on the covers to grab the limited time deals)







a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway


Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: ,

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Week in Review: 3/16-3/22


Books I've Bought/received

* Vampire's Hunger by Cynthia Garner- eARC- NetGalley

* Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z. Martin- eARC- Netgalley

* Frozen Desires by Jessie Donovan- eCopy- Author

* Shift Happens by J.C. McKenzie- Ecopy- Author

* Before the Storm by Claire Ashgrove- eARC- Author

* Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade- eARC- NetGalley

Books I've Read

Deceiving the Witch Next Door by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
Bloodfire by Helen Harper
Blood Magic by Helen Harper
Blodrage by Helen Harper
Blood Politics by Helen Harper
Bloodlust by Helen Harper

Reviews Posted

ARV-3 by Cameo Renae
Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep
The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian

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

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

* Monday- Guest Blog and Giveaway for Dead Awakening by Rebekah R. Garniere

* Thursday- Guest Blog for Wild Card by Jamie Wyman

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

* 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.
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)