Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

The Kiss of Deception

Author:Mary E. Pearson

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Publisher: Henry Holt

The Remnant Chronicles Book #1

ISBN:  0805099239

ISBN13: 9780805099232

Genre: YA Fantasy

Review Copy Source:NetGalley

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

Lia wants nothing to do with her planned marriage. Instead of walking down the isle she flees in her wedding attire with her best friend for a distant village and a new life. Little does she know that her intended followed her to her new life, he's hiding in plain site, and just might have stolen her heart along the way.

THE KISS OF DECEPTION was so much more than I was expecting. Although it is told in more than one POV at times, you mainly follow Princess Lia. Lia is determined to live her life the way she wants instead of being her fathers pawn. She does a really good job of taking care of herself and her friend as they journey to freedom from her old life. I found her to be down to earth and in no way stuffy like you would expect a princess to be.

There is a bit of a love triangle going on in THE KISS OF DECEPTION. We have the Prince who wants to meet the bride who didn't want him. He does not tell Lia who he is and although he wants to hate her, she is nothing like he expected and he finds himself being drawn to her instead. Then we have the Assassin who was sent to kill her. He also doesn't in any way reveal who he is, finds out she is nothing like he expected and then finds himself hesitating when he has the chance to kill her like he was supposed to.  The triangle and romance is done well and I didn't find myself annoyed with it one bit.

THE KISS OF DECEPTION is 489 pages long and a LOT happens in between those pages and it's only the beginning of the story. I found the pace quick and the reading smooth. I was really able to connect with not only Lia but with the Prince, Assassin and best friend as well. I couldn't seem to put the book down and by the end I was completely and utterly exhausted (in a good way). Any fantasy fan should jump aboard The Remnant Chronicles express.

I gave it 5/5 stars

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

New Releases: 7/13/-7/19

Tue July 15

 Awaken (The Soulkeepers #2) by Lori Adams

 Black Rook (Cornerstone Run Trilogy #1) by Kelly Meade

 The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3) by Deborah Harkness 

 Dirty Wings (All Our Pretty Songs #2) by Sarah McCarry

 Full Fathom Five (Craft Sequence #3) by Max Gladstone

 Illusive (Illusive) by Emily Lloyd-Jones

 Knight Avenged (Circle of Seven #2) by Coreene Callahan

Happy Reading!!

Early Review: Black Rook by Kelly Meade

Black Rook

Author: Kelly Meade

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Publisher: InterMix, Penguin Group

Cornerstone Run Trilogy Book #1

ASIN:  B00I8R61LY

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source:Publisher

She never saw this coming…

Brynn Atwood is a low-level Magus whose unpredictable precognitive powers have made her an outcast among her people—and an embarrassment to her highly-regarded father. After a frightening vision in which her father is murdered by a loup garou man, Brynn decides to prove herself by finding the killer, and stopping them at any cost.

Her target is Rook McQueen, the son of a small-town loup garou Alpha. Despite being the youngest of three, Rook is first in line to inherit the role of Alpha, a duty he isn't sure he's capable of fulfilling. When Brynn finally meets Rook, she doesn't expect the attraction that draws her to him—and him to her.

No longer believing him a murderer, Brynn and Rook strike an alliance to find her father's real killer. But when his older brother is targeted by an unknown enemy, Rook will have to choose between his growing feelings for Brynn and his duty as the future Alpha of his community.

Brynn grew up as a low-level magus that never really fit in with the others around her. When she has a vision of her fathers death, he doesn't believe her so she takes it upon herself to try and prevent it. Her investigations brings her to the McQueens and she realizes everything she grew up being told just might not be true.

Brynn is cautious and a little hesitant towards the loup garou at first, but she really does well with being open with them and putting her trust in them. They in return brought her into the fold pretty quickly and treated her more like family than her own. Although there was an immediate attraction and pull towards each other, the romance between Brynn and Rook was slow to develop. Rook is in line to be alpha of his pack but a relationship with someone that's not full loup garou would have him giving up that position. Their connection by the end of the book was nice and strong. 

I really enjoyed the pack dynamics. It was interesting to see how they interacted and live in their small town as well as how they interact and fight with/for others that are in other packs. The reader also gets a really good feel for the secondary characters. I was just as emotionally invested in Rooks brothers and his father by the end of the book as I was in Brynn and Rook.

Although I wish there had been a little more romance in BLACK ROOK the introduction to the Cornerstone Run Trilogy was strong. I already love all the characters that are going to be featured in the next 2 books so I am impatient to see what comes next.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Week in Review: 7/6-7/12

Books I've Bought/received

- Night Unbound by Dianne Duvall- ARC- Author

- Free Agent by J.C. Nelson- Publisher

-Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells- eArC- Publisher via NetGalley

- Stone Cold Lover by Christine Warren- eARC- NetGalley

Books I've Read

Free Agent by J.C. Nelson
So I Married A Werewolf by Kristin Miller
Forbidden Kiss by Shannon Leigh
In Still Darkenss by Dianne Duvall
Night Unbound by Dianne Duvall
Frozen by Melissa De la Cruz
Lailah by Nikki Kelly

Reviews Posted

Reckoning by Kerry Wilkinson
A Vampire's Soul by Carla Susan Smith
Night's End by Yasmine Galenorn

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

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

* Monday- Guest Blog for Taming Fate by Amalia Dillin

* Wednesday- Interview with author K. E. Shade

* Thursday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Wonderfully Wicked by C.J. Burright

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

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Review: Reckoning by Kerry Wilkinson

Reckoning

Author:Kerry Wilkinson

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: St. Martins Griffin

Silver Blackthorn Book #1

ISBN:  1250053536

ISBN13:  9781250053534

Genre: YA Dystopian

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

One girl. One chance. One destiny.

In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver Blackthorne takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor.But these are uncertain times and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be, or do the walls of the castle have something to hide? Trapped in a maze of ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does know is that she must find a way out . . . The heart-stopping first book in a new trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoning is the story of one girl's determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and what she must do to survive against all odds.

I was engrossed in RECKONING from the first chapter. As in most Dystopian books the world of Silver Blackthorn is broken into 4 different classes of society. Then on top of that there is an Offering. A select few are chosen from each class to be an offering for King Victor. No one knows what being an offering entails and no one ever sees an offering again after they are whisked away but it is treated as a privilege and celebrated.

Silver is a easy to understand girl who just turned sixteen and takes the Reckoning to find out where in the world she will fit in. We get to witness her feelings about leaving all that she has known and loved and then watch it all come to a head as she is picked to be an offering. From the time she steps off the train nothing is as she thought it would be and nothing will ever be the same.

The RECKONING is full of danger, mistrust, survival and unlikely friendships. The whole story flowed and flexed in just the right places. The world was well written and developed and the characters made it all the more exciting. I kinda wish I would have waited to read RECKONING because all I want to do after finishing is read more.

I gave it 5/5 stars

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

Review: A Vampire's Soul by Carla Susan Smith

A Vampire's Soul

Author: Carla Susan Smith

Release Date: July 3, 2014

Publisher: eKensington

A Vampire's Promise Book #2

ISBN:  1601832915

ISBN13: 9781601832917

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source:Publisher

INTO THE DARK...

Rowan Harper’s world has been wrenched apart. The man she thought she loved—the man she does love—is a vampire, and not the kind that glitters. Running away isn’t an option. Gabriel isn’t just her lover. She’s bound to him in ways she can’t comprehend, ways that put both of them in desperate danger even as Rowan’s desire for him blazes anew.

The rules of her life before are gone. But she has a power of her own, a power she is remembering in fits and starts even as time races against her. With her life and Gabriel’s very soul on the line, Rowan has to choose who to believe—and who to trust…

A VAMPIRE'S PROMISE left us with a huge cliffhanger. Thankfully we only had to wait a short time to get our hands on A VAMPIRE'S SOUL.

Emotions are running high as everything Rowan thought she knew has been exposed for what it really is. Her pain is deep and her feelings for Rowan are still just as strong as they were before a bomb of information tore at them.

There is plenty of drama, romance, mystery and intrigue. New and old characters are involved throughout book 2. The pace is just as easy flowing and my heart broke and soared at different times. Although I was very happy with the story as a whole the ending left me extremely sad. A new chapter of Rowan's life has been opened but a huge part of her life was closed. Unfortunately I can't go any further into my thoughts without giving things away. I can say that if you liked book 1 you will most definitely be happy with book 2.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Wonderfully Wicked by C.J. Burright

UFI welcomes C.J. Burright Author of Wonderfully Wicked. Thanks for Joining us!!

Hey. I’m Lydon v’al Endrian from Wonderfully Wicked by C.J. Burright. Let’s get one thing straight: I’d rather be brushing a feral cat’s teeth than writing a blog post, but apparently C.J. thinks her time’s more precious than mine. So while she’s performing authorly duties (i.e. eating bonbons and napping on the couch while watching Supernatural reruns), I’m tasked with drudging up something creative from the dungeons of my mind. I’ll try not to scare you. Nah, no promises.

One thing you should know about me—I’m a V’alkara, which means I have the sweet ability not only to invade dreams, but to take pieces of them for myself. Better yet, I can assume the forms I steal, which makes Halloween parties a blast. Who wouldn’t want to be fat Elvis stuffed in a rhinestone jumpsuit for a day? Horrifying. And since my world revolves around the nightmares of my dreamcaster, Kalila (I call her Little Monster. She deserves it, trust me), this is a handful of nightmares I’ve enjoyed with her so far…and their meaning, according to Freud. Kinda.

freedigitalphotos-ChristianMeyn

Spiders. I think the creepy-crawlies can be cuddly, but for some reason they make Kalila a little twitchy. Here’s what Freud says about spiders: "A spider in dreams is a symbol of the mother, but of the phallic mother, of whom we are afraid; so that the fear of spiders expresses dread of mother-incest and horror of the female genitals."
 
What the…? Kalila’s mom went AWOL at birth and I promise you, my Little Monster has no horror relationship with her womanly bits. This is a more believable explanation, from The Huffington Post: "Spiders weave a web -- a beautiful, intricate trap to catch its prey," says Richmond. "As such, spiders are associated with manipulation."

In other words, spiders are a representation of me. No wonder I like them…and she dreams about them. She might deny she likes me, but dreams don’t lie.

freedigitalphotos-GrantCochrane

Death. Kill a girl once in her nightmare, and she won’t let you live it down. And screw Freud—he’ll just say death in a dream means she’s repressing her sexual needs or some other B.S. Instead, I’ll refer back to The Huffington Post, which has a pretty decent series on dreams and their meanings. In case you want to psychoanalyze your deepest, darkest dream desires. Perverts. According to Sumber, dreams about death often indicate "the symbolic ending of something, whether that's a phase, a job or a relationship." In other words, Kalila’s ready to ditch her old life and start a new one with me. I knew she couldn’t resist my charm much longer. And that knife to my shoulder? A love tap.

freedigitalphotos-farconville

Chased by monsters. According to dreammoods.com (Freud has nothing on them), chase dreams stem from avoiding anxiety in real life. Exactly. Kalila isn’t running from me, she’s running from herself. She fears her future. And she should. With the V’alkara brotherhood hunting dreamcasters down, she won’t have it easy. Neither will I.

Sayanora, suckers. Oh, and pick up a copy of Wonderfully Wicked. C.J. needs more bonbons. And if you can’t bring yourself to fork out the dough (tightwads) *cough*, comment for a chance to win a freebie copy plus other stuff—fuzzy socks (who wouldn’t want black fuzzy socks?), chocolate covered coffee beans (Kalila’s an addict), a kitty cat self-defense keychain (meow), and a bookmark. Score.

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C. J. Burright was born and raised in Oregon and loved it so much she never left. While she has worked for years in a law office, she chooses to avoid writing legal thrillers and instead leans toward urban fantasy, paranormal romance, or—since all things medieval and magic fascinate her—fantasy romance. A member of Romance Writers of America and Secretary for the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal special interest chapter, C. J. also has her 4^th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and believes stories should always include a gratuitous fight scene. In what spare time she has, she enjoys working out, reading, gardening, and rooting on the Seattle Mariners with a nice glass of wine. She shares a house with her husband, daughter, and a devoted herd of cats.

Find C.J. Burright and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Wonderfully Wicked
The Wicked #1

 A dreamcaster with the ability to channel creatures from her nightmares, headstrong and cynical Kalila Montgomery longs for a peaceful, picket-fence life… until the man literally of her dreams kidnaps her.

Survival quickly becomes her number one goal, yet a growing attraction to the man in her nightmares is impossible to ignore. While she fears he will kill her, other, more terrifying enemies surround her, and Kalila succumbs to his scheme to escape. She may be his one hope for freedom…

A deadly combination of power, cunning, and cold-hearted charm, Lydon v'al Endrian fears nothing. Feels nothing. Chained to a brotherhood of men with the supernatural ability to invade dreams, he hunts dreamcasters to be harvested for their dreams and killed. His target: Kalila Montgomery. But Kalila awakens an undeniable dark desire and a longing for a freedom long-lost.

To gain everything he craves, Lydon must seduce Kalila before his plot is discovered… a hopeless challenge which, if failed, will earn him a death-sentence. Caught up in a dangerous world of secrets and obsession, doubt and betrayal, Kalila and Lydon face the nightmare of their lives, where love will either deliver them—or destroy them both.

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US ONLY

Comment for a chance to win a freebie copy of Wonderfully Wicked plus other stuff—fuzzy socks (who wouldn’t want black fuzzy socks?), chocolate covered coffee beans (Kalila’s an addict), a kitty cat self-defense keychain (meow), and a bookmark. Score.