Promo: The Penton Legacy Series by Susannah Sandlin

Allegiance
Penton Legacy #4
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From award-winning author Susannah Sandlin comes the fourth book in the smart and steamy Penton Legacy series.

British vampire psychiatrist and former mercenary Cage Reynolds returns to Penton, Alabama, looking for a permanent home. The town has been ravaged by the ongoing vampire war and the shortage of untainted human blood, and now the vampires and humans that make up the Omega Force are trying to rebuild. Cage hopes to help the cause, put down roots in Penton, and resolve his relationship with Melissa Calvert. The last thing he expects is an attraction to Robin Ashton, a trash-talking eagle shape-shifter and new Omega recruit.

Meanwhile, as a dangerous saboteur wreaks havoc in Penton, the ruthless Vampire Tribunal leader Matthias Ludlam has been freed on the eve of his scheduled execution. But by whom? And to what end? As war and chaos rage on, love is the last thing Cage is looking for, but will his attraction to Robin distract him from the danger living among them?

Omega
Penton Legacy #3
 

The bloody war between the Vampire Tribunal and the defiant scathe of Penton, Alabama, rages on, forcing its residents and their bonded humans to retreat into the underground fortress of last resort: Omega.

There, Will Ludlam is charged with the care of Penton’s humans, though he longs to fight alongside his vampire brethren. He knows the risks: as the renegade son of the Tribunal’s vicious leader, Will’s capture could doom the resistance. Yet he is determined to prove his worth to his adopted scathe, to his vengeful father—and to former US Army officer Randa Thomas, his beautiful, reluctant partner.

Randa has little faith that a former member of the vampire elite has what it takes to fight a war. But as their enemies descend upon Omega, Will’s polished charm—and Randa’s guarded heart—finally give way to the warrior within.

 Absolution
Penton Legacy #2

With the vampire world on the brink of civil war over the scarcity of untainted human blood, battle lines are being drawn between the once peaceful vampire and human enclave of Penton, Alabama, and the powerful Vampire Tribunal. Mirren Kincaid once served the tribunal as their most creative and ruthless executioner—a time when he was known as the Slayer. But when assigned a killing he found questionable, Mirren abandoned the tribunal’s political machinations and disappeared—only to resurface two centuries later as the protector and second-in-command of Penton. Now the tribunal wants him back on their side.

To break their rogue agent, they capture Glory Cummings, the descendant of a shaman, and send her to restore Mirren’s bloodthirsty nature. But instead of a monster, Glory sees a man burdened by the weight of his past. Could her magic touch—meant by the tribunal to bring out a violent killer—actually help Mirren break his bonds and discover the love he doesn’t believe he deserves?

 Redemption 
Penton Legacy #1

For vampire Aidan Murphy, life has never been so desperate. The vaccine used to treat a global pandemic has rendered human blood deadly to his kind, leaving them on the brink of starvation and civil war.

In tiny Penton, Alabama, Aidan establishes a peaceful community of vampires and unvaccinated human donors. He dares to hope they can survive—until his estranged brother descends upon Penton and begins killing the humans. Determined to save his town, Aidan kidnaps an unsuspecting human doctor—and finds himself falling in love for the first time in nearly four centuries.

Dr. Krystal Harris thought she was coming to Penton for a job interview, but Aidan Murphy has other plans. Infuriated by his high-handed scheme to imprison her in the small town, Krys can't ignore the attraction between them. But is it love? Or does her dangerous, charismatic captor want only to bend her to his will?

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Susannah Sandlin writes paranormal romance and romantic thrillers from Auburn, Alabama, on top of a career in educational publishing that has thus far spanned five states and six universities—including both Alabama and Auburn, which makes her bilingual. She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, but was also a longtime resident of New Orleans, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football, cheap Mardi Gras trinkets, and fried gator on a stick.

She’s the author of the award-winning Penton Legacy paranormal romance series, a spinoff novel, Storm Force, a standalone novelette, Chenoire, and a new romantic thriller series, The Collectors, beginning with Lovely, Dark, and Deep. Writing as Suzanne Johnson, she also is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series. Her Penton novel, Omega, was nominated for a 2013 Reviewer’s Choice Award in Paranormal Romance from RT Book Reviews magazine. Absolution was the winner of the 2013 Holt Medallion in Paranormal Romance.

Find Susannah and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Guest Blog: Author Brantwijn Serrah

UFI welcomes Author Brantwijn Serrah. Thanks for Joining us!!

*Warning: Guest Blog is R-rated*

This whole thing started with a vampire who refused to be a hero.

Have I been wrong?

Have I been wise

To shut

My eyes and play along?

~Natalie Merchant

Carnival

Readers of Lotus Petals might be surprised to know Rhiannon Donovan was the beginning of everything for me.

Rhiannon used to be the villain of another vampire's story (which may or may not come into play in her next book, but you'll have to read Satin and Steel to find out!). Many, many, many moons ago she was supposed to be a supporting player, a sidekick who stepped in at just the right time to save the hero. Unfortunately for me, Rhiannon decided she wanted to kill the hero instead. Thus, Rhiannon Donovan went from a plucky duckling of a vampire pal to a ruthless, unforgiving monster. I guess she really, really hated the frilly courtly dresses I tried to put her in.

Of course, getting back to Lotus Petals, Rhiannon obviously evolved past that stage in her development as well, and became someone far more complex. She wasn't cut out to be the sidekick, no, never. But she wasn't an irredeemable monster, either (that honor definitely goes to Sölva, her Viking bodyguard). Throughout many stories I realized there was some gem in Rhiannon's character that set her apart from the true villains...something that made for a deeper story. Something that might, eventually, save her.

That gem, of course, was Aijyn.

These two were the beginning of it all. They had a story to tell, and I believed it was a good one. It

took me a long time to find out how to tell it in just the right way...and then, after I finally had it down in its entirety, had fallen in love with them all over again, I faced a huge problem.

Lotus Petals broke the cardinal rule of the romance genre. It failed to meet most publisher's guidelines right out of the gate, and those that didn't outright reject it before I could hit Send on my email submission still didn't want to take the chance on a story like mine.

I can't say which rule it breaks because that gets spoilery. Suffice to say, though, that Rhiannon and Aijyn sat for many, many years on the shelf, a faint gleam in my eye while I searched for a place that would give them their shot.

In the meantime, though, writing Lotus Petals—delving into a world not just of intrigue and adventure but of real, passionate, unflinching erotic love—sparked something in me. I considered myself a writer of horror and supernatural fantasy, but not erotica. And yet, as I penned the sensual moments of Rhiannon awakening a new and wonderful lust in sweet Aijyn, I discovered I really, really liked it.

This is what I mean when I say Rhiannon Donovan (and Aijyn, of course) became the beginning of it all. Their love became my love: a love of passion and eroticism. While I waited for the day they might come out of their shady, rules-breaking corner, I created Foreplay and Fangs, a collection of erotic stories I considered experimental. They made me eager to explore not only sexy stories of romance, but downright dirty stories of greedy and even sometimes dark and dangerous sexuality. I discovered a delight in exploring indulgences, and in writing fairy-tale scenes of making love. I wanted to write as a gay male (he shows up in Rhi's next story, too), and to write of a polyamorous trio (Finn and his Ladies from Goblin Fires). I fell in love with Sadira, a character divulging the deepest, most carnal and most beautiful aspects of sexual slavery and submission to me. She appears in a short story titled To the Victor, and there's a novel about her simmering in my mind.

Part of coming into the world of erotica was coming into the world of societal sexual awareness. Learning about writing erotica also taught me more about LGBT and gender issues. I discovered aspects of lifestyles I'd never understood before, and what I learn excites me. The people—authors and educators, practitioners, bloggers, podcasters—I've run into, talked to, or followed, they excite me, too. It's not just about erotic fiction for me anymore: I feel lucky to have learned so much about the realities of our sexuality, identities, and emotions, from that little spark of curiosity.

It's funny now, to see Lotus Petals becoming a reality too, now. Rhiannon and Aijyn started me on this path, and now, with the book being released in print—that's kind of like a Holy Grail to me!—it feels like I've finally grown to deserve them, and their story, for real.

This all started with a vampire who refused to be who I expected her to be. Her story, of course, followed that example. Her lover, the timid courtesan, broke the mold and challenged demons. Nothing about Lotus Petals wanted to follow the rules.

The best thing Rhiannon ever taught me was damnit, let's break some rules.

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They say you should never meet your heroes, but Brantwijn Serrah says otherwise. At a Los Angeles book signing in 2012, Brantwijn met one of her all-time favorite authors of urban fantasy, Jim Butcher, who couldn't have been kinder or more encouraging to her as an aspiring novelist herself. As it turned out, the book he signed for her that night gave her the first spark of inspiration for Goblin Fires, the story of a goblin Knight hopelessly in love with her princess.

When she isn't visiting the worlds of immortals, demons, dragons and goblins, Brantwijn fills her time with artistic endeavors: sketching, painting, customizing My Little Ponies and sewing plushies for friends. She can't handle coffee unless there's enough cream and sugar to make it a milkshake, but try and sweeten her tea and she will never forgive you. She moonlights as a futon for four lazy cats, loves tabletop role-play games, and can spend hours watching Futurama, Claymore or Buffy the Vampire Slayer while she writes or draws.

In addition to her novels, Brantwijn has had several stories published in anthologies by Breathless Press, including the 2013 Crimson Anthology and 2014 Ravaged Anthology. She's also had a short story published in the Cleiss Press Big Book of Orgasm and the anthology Coming Together Through The Storm. She hopes to have several more tales to tell as time goes on. She has author pages on GoodReads and Amazon, and loves to see reader comments on her work. Her short stories occasionally pop up at Foreplay and Fangs, her blog at http://brantwijn.blogspot.com.

Find Brantwijn and her books

Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Change of Pace
June 6th 2014
Buy Link

Edward Prince was raised a man of privilege and wealth. He's about to find out, though, what it really means to be rich. 

A chance encounter puts Edward Prince face-to-face with his exact double: a coffee barista named Tom. Over macchiatos the men decide to take advantage of a rare opportunity: switching places. Tom will go home to a life of luxury as Edward, while Edward finds himself in Tom's comfortable studio apartment with Tom's girlfriend, Vicki. 

A few days of living Tom's life, however, and Edward finds himself in a troublesome position—he never wants to go back.

 Lotus Petals
The Books of Blood and Fire #1
June 13 2014
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Aijyn, human slave to a ruthless vampire Lord, would never dare do anything to incur his wrath. Then, she fell in love...with his bride. 

Rhiannon Donovan, daughter to the vampire Queen, would rather die than be made a bride to a demon lord. Aijyn, courtesan to the undead Daimyo of Kansai, can think of nothing more horrifying than his promise of eternal life. In the halls of the Blood Lotus Temple, the two women struggle against the chains of their fate, and find a solace in each other that could mean freedom for them both...or cost each of them their lives.

 Phone Home
June 20 2014
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What to do when your honey's traveling but you've just got to have some fun? For Catie and Ryan, good times are only a phone call away... 

Ryan's on a road trip with friends, which means Catie is by herself for a long—and lonely—weekend. When the phone rings just before midnight, though, she can guess what it means: Ry's lonely too, but he's not about to let miles of road stop them from having a hot night together.

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Review: The Queen's Wings by Jamie K. Schmidt

The Queen's Wings

Author:Jamie K. Schmidt

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Edge

The Emerging Queens Book #1

ASIN:   B00K48N6G8

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Long ago, the Cult of Humanity sacrificed the Dragon Queen, crippling the breeding process. But now Carolyn hears the voice of that long dead queen telling her that she holds the key to breaking the spell that will free all the female dragons.

FBI dragon Reed's disdain for humans can't mask the magnetic attraction he has for Carolyn, but when she tells him she's going to shift into a dragon he thinks she's crazy. A female hasn't been hatched, or shape shifted, in over a thousand years.

He's proven wrong after Carolyn shifts and is named the new Queen on the block. A never-ending line of suitors forms, but she only wants Reed. Too bad he doesn't want in on the competition. But when the Cult kidnaps Carolyn to sacrifice her in an effort to make the curse against the female dragons permanent, Reed must face his fears—and feelings, racing to save the woman he realizes he can't live without.

Carolyn is positive that she is turning into a dragon but no one will take her seriously. I loved her determination and devotion to her own cause. With so little female dragons in the world they are treated as broodmares and she is adamant that will not happen to her. Reed is your typical alpha male and it was not love at first site for me when it came to him. He is standoffish and a bit cruel to Carolyn. Pushes her away, pulls her close, kisses someone else in front of her. I really didn't care for him for most of the book. You never know where he stands or his motives. He seemed to redeem himself by the end but at that point I still didn't love him.

There were some moments in the plot that annoyed me. It would be going along smoothly and then develop a hiccup and become a tad slow. I enjoyed the world of the Emerging Queens Series. With the ending I can tell things will change dramatically from the world that was developed in THE QUEEN'S WINGS. The supporting characters were entertaining, I had my favorites and I hope they will be in book 2.

With a great amount of action and mystery, THE QUEEN'S WINGS was a nice start to this new paranormal romance series. I look forward to more.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

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

New Releases: 6/15-6/21

Tue June 17th

 Dark Metropolis (Dark Metropolis #1) by Jaclyn Dolamore

 The Monster Within by Kelly Hashway

 Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

 Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo

 Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter

Thur June 19th

 Souls of the Damned (Kat Redding #5) by E.S. Moore

Happy Reading!

Guest Blog & Giveaway: The Traveler by Melissa Delport

UFI welcomes Melissa Delport Author of The Traveler. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Sexiest Paranormals on TV
 
Being a writer, I rarely get to read anymore. This is a colossal sacrifice, mind you, for someone who used to read 3-5 books a week...*sob*

Initially I felt the loss of my SFF “fix” like a junkie on a detox. Then I discovered a few little TV series that have more than made up for the loss of my fiction fetish. I don’t know why, or how (and I’m certainly not complaining) but there are so many shows now that cater for us SFF fanatics. It’s hard to choose who is more swoon-worthy, but here is my list. Believe me, this was tough...the competition is fierce!

#1: The Vampire Diaries’ Damon Salvatore

Okay, so maybe this one was easy. What you heard just then? That was the sound of a thousand panties dropping. Damon Salvatore has got to be the sexiest thing ever to have happened to TV. Just ask his over 12 million Facebook fans. What I love about Damon, other than his out-of-this-world good looks, is his snarky sense of humour. Here are a few of my favourite ever Damon Quotes:

• “What I don’t get is why she likes you.”- Silas / Damon: “That’s because you haven’t had sex with me.”  
• “If I see something I haven’t seen before I’ll throw a dollar at it.”
• “Dear Diary, a chipmunk asked me my name today. I told him my name was Joe. That lie...will haunt me...for the rest of my life.” 

#2: The Originals’ Elijah Mikaelson

There is not a suit in this world that doesn’t aspire to adorn this Original vampire. Elijah is the epitome of super-human self-control, but he is just as dangerous as his evil hybrid brother, Klaus.

Only in a far more sophisticated way. My favourite Elijah quote:

Rebekah: Who do we have to kill?” 
Elijah: “Probably no-one...alright, potentially everyone.”

#3: Beauty & the Beasts’ Vincent Keller

Vincent Keller, AKA: Sex-on-legs. A far cry form the original Vincent played by Ron Perlman in the 80’s, THIS Vincent is delectable. I must admit, I preferred him with the scar in Season 1, although we are definitely rocking the hero hair in Season 2.

My favourite Vincent quote:

“I am so in love with you” – followed by the ass-grab that almost set my TV on fire!

#4: STAR CROSSED’s Roman

So gorgeous he only needs one name. That body...that body! Roman is a newbie in town, only a few episodes of Star Crossed have been aired, but he had me at episode 1. While I’m not sure about the storyline, I am sure that I will watch this series just to clap eyes on the gorgeous young Atrian once a week!

My favourite Roman quote:

“Barrelling? Me? I’m the picture of stealth...”

#5: The Vampire Diaries’ Stefan Salvatore

Ah, the good Salvatore brother. Is it weird that we find the fact that he feeds on bunnies and squirrels so attractive?

My favourite Stefan Quote:

“I should be upstairs grooming my hero hair.”

#6: The Originals’ Klaus Mikaelson

That hot British accent...tattoos for days...what is not to like about the angry, vicious Klaus. Original, immortal, hybrid...the list is endless. Klaus is so bad, he’s rotten to the core...and don’t we eat it up.

My favourite Klaus Quotes:

“You’re a bit of a mad genius, Elijah..count me in!”
 Genevieve: A century ago I dreamed of what it would be like to know you. Now I'm glad I didn't. I might have been naive enough to fall for you, or fear you, but I learned a lot in death. Trust me, Klaus Mikaelson: it's you who should be scared of me.
Klaus: I will miss the sex (Ouch!!!!!)

# 7: The Tomorrow Peoples’ John Young

Admittedly, I had no idea what John’s surname was until I Googled him for this post. This particular Tomorrow Person is by far my favourite of the lot. Move over, Astrid...John is ours!

 My favourite John quote:

Cara: "Oh my god...that was...."
John: "Long overdue!...What?"
Cara: "I'm just not sure about this whole sleeping together and working together."
John: "I respect your authority in and out of the bedroom."

#8: Supernatural’s Dean Winchester

Who is worried about the gates of hell, when we have Dean the demon hunter to protect us? I was a fan way back when he played the clean faced Eric Brady on Days of our Lives (yes, that was a long time ago!) and nothing has changed. In fact, Jensen Ackles only gets better with age.

My favourite Dean quotes:

Henricksen: You think you're funny?
Dean: I think I'm adorable.
Sam: So let me get this straight. You want to drive all the way to Cicero just to hook up with some random chick?
Dean: She was a yoga teacher. That was the bendiest weekend of my life!
Sam: Kids are the best?
Dean: Yeah, I love kids.
Sam: Name three children that you even know.
(Dean scratches head for while; Sam starts to walk away)
Dean: I'm thinking!

#9: Arrow’s Oliver Queen

Okay, so he’s not technically a supernatural, but with those abs, he should be! Oliver Queen...*sigh*...it took me half a season to warm to this new Arrow, but when I did, oh boy, did I. With bated breath I await the long-anticipated Felicity-Oliver hook-up, but it seems the CW are determined to make us wait.

My favourite Oliver quotes: 

Laurel: You're really cute when you're mopey.
Oliver: I'm not mopey.
Laurel: Mopey's your default Ollie. It's part of your smoldering charm.
Oliver: I do have smoldering charm

#10.The Vampire Diaries’ Jeremy Gilbert

Remember the days when Jeremy Gilbert was a greasy-haired kid who moped around? Me neither J Baby Gilbert grew up around season 3, and suddenly I was paying attention. This vampire hunter is F-I-N-E. Sucks to be Elena – I hear incest is frowned upon.

My favourite Jeremy quote:

“I, on the other hand, am a hunter. Plus...I work out.”

So that is my top 10 supernatural sexy list. What’s yours?

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Wife, mother of 3, businesswoman by day and author by night, Melissa Delport is the author of The Legacy Series and Rainfall. She graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bachelors Degree in English in 2000. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Hillcrest, South Africa.
Her first novel, The Legacy, published in 2013, is the first in The Legacy Series trilogy, and is followed by the sequel The Legion. The final book, The Legend is due out in 2014. She has also written an independent novel entitled Rainfall, a psychological romance, and a science-fiction, action-adventure called The Traveler.
An avid reader herself, Melissa finally decided to stop “watching from the sidelines” and to do what is her passion.
“I was driving home from work when inspiration struck, and a storyline started unravelling in my head. For a few days, it was all I could think about and eventually I realised that the only way to get it out of my head, was to put it all down on paper. I started writing, and that was that.”

Find Melissa and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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The Traveler

Seven years ago, Rachel gave her heart to a dark, intense stranger, who left her broken and alone.

Every day since then Rachel has thought about Dex, her memories refusing to be silenced.

Now, Dex is back, but this time he is not alone. He has brought a formidable army – their sole purpose to conquer. Fate will bring Rachel and Dex back together, but on opposing sides of a war that threatens to obliterate her world.

Pitted against the power of the elements, Rachel and her friends must survive tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and fire, all the while being hunted by a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to pillage her planet.

Fleeing for her life amidst the chaos of a raging, burning city, Rachel realizes man’s only chance of survival lies in the hands of the very person who betrayed her all those years ago.

Earth is destined to fall, but Rachel is determined to save mankind, no matter the sacrifice.

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