Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Hunting in Bruges by E.J. Stevens

It's time for a cover reveal!  Feast your eyes on the cover for HUNTING IN BRUGES, the debut novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.

Keep reading for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Hunting in Bruges (Hunters' Guild #1) by E.J. Stevens.

The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.

Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters' Guild is understaffed, the canals are choked with dead bodies, and there's no shortage of supernatural predators as likely suspects.

On second thought, maybe Bruges isn't so bad after all.

With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters' Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city's scenic canals.  With the help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.

Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions--but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

Hunting in Bruges is the first novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series set in the world of Ivy Granger.

Release Date:  November 11, 2014
Genre:  Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Pre-order on Amazon.
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About the Hunters' Guild Series

The Hunters' Guild series is an urban fantasy series written by E.J. Stevens and set in the world of Ivy Granger.  The series is told in the first-person point-of-view of Jenna Lehane, a Hunter with a troubled past, a proficiency with weapons, and an intolerance for monsters who target the innocent.

About the Author

E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series, the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, and the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series.  When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles.  E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

Hunting in Bruges Cover Reveal Giveaway

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner!

To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends October 7, 2014.

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What do you think of the cover?

New Releases: 9/21-9/27

Mon. Sept. 22nd

 All Bets Are On by Cynthia Cooke

 The Crystal Slipper by Selena Fulton

Tue. Sept. 23rd

 Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

 Daring (Pax Arcana #2) by Elliott James 

 Firebug (Firebug #1) by Lish McBride

 The Gifted Dead (Gifted #1) by Jenna Black

 In a Handful of Dust (Not a Drop to Drink #2) by Mindy McGinnis 

 Rooms by Lauren Oliver

 Survival Colony Nine by Joshua David Bellin

 Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

 Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy #3) by Sarah Rees Brennan

Happy Reading!

Review: All Bets Are On by Cynthia Cooke

All Bets Are On

Author: Cynthia Cooke

Release Date: September 22, 2014

Publisher: Entangled: Covet

ISBN:  1633750981

ISBN13: 9781633750982

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source:NetGalley

A paranormal category romance from Entangled's Covet imprint...

The Prince of Hell needs to get laid. Well, according to his minions, anyway. Now Derek Wescott, ruler of the Eighth Level of Hell, has been set up on an online date. And worse still, his minions are placing bets that Derek won't be able to entice the sweet yet plain Jaclyn Reynolds into bed before midnight. But Derek has no intention of losing the bet. Not now. Not ever.

Jaclyn, on the other hand, is in danger of losing everything. The charity she runs is in trouble, and she is desperate for cash. The moment she sees her absolutely gorgeous—and insanely wealthy—date, she knows she's in way over her head. She also knows his type all too well, and it will be a cold day in Hell before she ever gets into his bed. Yet Derek offers her a friendly wager: he'll give $10,000 to her charity if she can resist him.

The wagers have been set. The game has begun. And Derek will do just about anything to ensure that Jaclyn is completely—and infernally—his...

Opposites attract when Jaclyn and Derek are thrown together in ALL BETS ARE ON. Jaclyn has a thing against attractive men. She doesn't date them and she doesn't think very highly of them. When Derek shows up as her date she wants nothing to do with him. Derek is the Prince of Hell and his minions thinks he needs to get laid and they have bet him that he can't get Jaclyn into bed and he knows he wont lose.

This was an interesting book. When you think Prince of Hell you usually think of someone that is going to corrupt people, but Derek actually punishes corrupt people instead. He's also kinda self absorbed and could use someone to tell him no every once in a while. Jaclyn has a huge chip on her shoulder but she also has a really big heart and soft spot for the children she helps through her charity. When the charity hits trouble, she would do just about anything to help keep it afloat. Derek seems to have the solution and she is determined to stay out of his bed, unfortunately for her (or maybe fortunately) her plan fails pretty quickly. Apart, Derek and Jaclyn don't seem like they would work, but they end up being pretty perfect for each other. Neither really knows the other yet they make assumptions that turn around to bite them in the butt.

I really enjoyed the romance and story behind ALL BETS ARE ON, but I wish the ending would have had more to it. There's so much (events, feelings, side issues) leading up to the ending and there were things I really wanted to know about that were skipped over. It was still a very enjoyable read though so I can't complain too much.  ALL BETS ARE ON was an easy, fast paced, paranormal romance and I would gladly read more in this world if the author decided to write another book.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Week in Review: 9/14-9/20

Books I've Bought/received

-Poison Fruit by Jacqueline Carey - Publisher

- Sunset Rising by S.M. McEachern - eARC- NetGalley

Books I've Read

Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum
Love Me to Death by Marissa Clarke
Hunter's Trail by Melissa F. Olson
Wounded by Shannon Mayer

Reviews Posted

Blackbird by Anna Carey
Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart
High Moon by Jennifer Harlow

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

* Wednesday- Interview for 'Ailani The Last Warrior by A.J. Llewellyn

* Thursday- Interview & Giveaway for Broken Soul by Faith Hunter

*Friday- Guest Blog for A Soul to Take by Emily Taylor

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

BlogLovin

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You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.

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 * I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Review: Blackbird by Anna Carey

Blackbird

Author: Anna Carey

Release Date: September 16, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

Blackbird Duology Book #1

ISBN:  0062299735

ISBN13: 9780062299734

Genre: Young Adult

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

I was excited to read another story from Anna Carey. I didn't realize that BLACKBIRD wasn't a paranormal or urban fantasy book but I still ended up enjoying it for the most apart.  We are introduced to the main character but considering she has no clue who she is, we follow her on her journey to discover what the heck is going on and who she is.

I did end up having some issues with BLACKBIRD as a whole. I wasn't crazy about the story being told in the 2nd person. It's hard to get into and It made it a bit harder for me to connect to the main character. The character development could have used some work. Things happen at a somewhat slow pace in the middle of the book. The main character is always on the run but some points just slow way down. What is with the lack of answers? I think I have more questions after reading BLACKBIRD than I did when I started.

Now for what I really did enjoy. You never quite know what's going on and I found that part of the story extremely captivating. I really want answers to things so that proves that I liked it enough to want to read more.  Ben was interesting. I totally didn't see his role in the story coming. I just FEEL like it will get super better now. I wish the ending events would have happened sooner in the book.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Guest Blog: A Soul to Take by Emily Taylor

Genres

When deciding what genre A Soul to Take fell into, I had quite a bit of difficulty. There were so many genres I could choose from and I found myself tossing up between the big headliners and the sub-genres.

At first I was going with Steampunk. I had originally imagined this world full of quirky devices and clothing, and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at this genre. Except it didn’t turn out like that. Instead of building this world full of steam-powered machinery—wiki’s definition of steampunk—I had this fusion between old and contemporary ways.

I had advance technology casually integrated into everyday life, and yet choose to style the world with Victorian fashion and architecture, with a modern spin. There are also hierarchies in both the human and demon political world, though quite different versions.

So, what do you call this mash-up of a world?
An equally mashed up genre: Urban Paranormal.

So what is this?

Urban means set in a modern ‘city’ environment. This place—like my world and style of writing—is usually dark, and not shy of details. It focuses on the ‘under workings’ of the city, and can also have historical or futuristic elements.

So check. I had Urban.

But was I Fantasy or Paranormal?

Fantasy stories, in my opinion, are classic. They don’t have to be ‘epic’ but must contain magic and/or traditional mythical creatures, or ones you have created in the same style—dragons, elves etc. without any real twists. They also have to be set in a world unlike our own, with exception, but in general. They are also usually written in third person.

Urban Fantasy—kind of like the opposite of epic fantasy-- on the other hand is slightly different and akin to Paranormal. We still have those traditional elements, but have taken them out of a different world, and placed them in one closer to our own. A great example is one of my favorite series, Kate Daniels by Illona Andrews. Her world is similar to our Earth, but different.

Magic and Technology fight against each other in ‘waves’—one minute technology will be working, then it’ll crash as magic takes over for the next wave that could last from minutes to hours. Her world also contains classic mythical creatures such as vampires and werewolves. She even has necromancy! (Am I fan-girling yet? hahah)

So what is the difference between that, and Paranormal?

Two things:
Romance and Magic.

Well, actually three, but bare with me.

Romance: Many believe Urban Fantasy stories follow plots that just happen to have romance. It is the byproduct of the events—not the main theme. While on the other hand Paranormal (aka. Paranormal Romance), is the ‘Happily Ever After’ nine times out of ten. This is usually the end goal.

Magic: Paranormal books don’t have it. What it does have, as Wikipedia kindly explains, is themes from traditional fantasy (the supernatural), science fiction, and/or horror. For an example, if we look at Twilight (just because everyone knows it), the vampires are the supernatural element—but not exactly magic. If we were to suddenly take the vampires out of the world—it’d just be the same as ours. While in contrast, if we take the vampires and other creatures out of Illona Andrew’s world—there is still this awesome, alternating waves of magic and technology bashing it out.
Still with me?

So why did I choose Paranormal for my story?

Well, in truth, it could go either way. Actually the difference between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal is so easily arguable, it often doesn’t matter. Most authors use it interchangeably anyway.

But for me, I go with Paranormal for a few reasons. We have the fact it’s written in first person. So tick there. But my main character’s goal isn’t love… It kind of gets there in the end, but it’s her wanting to save her sister that drives story. So that one could go either way.

Then we have my Demons. They aren’t traditional, let’s put it that way. Instead they are a creation of supernatural forces with “scientific” backing (don’t worry, it’s explained in the book). So while their ‘powers’ could push fantasy—I’m going with paranormal.

And finally, I like horror. I can’t help it. Things just get dark and out of control quickly in my worlds—so heads up.

This is one of the main things I think separates fantasy from paranormal apart from the romance and magic; maybe because it resonates with me. So, that’s the third thing.

Horror: When I think fantasy, I think light. Fantasy can get intense, don’t me wrong—I’m a huge lover—but there is something pure about it, and surreal in its magic. While in contrast, when I think paranormal, I think dark and gritty.


That’s just for me personally though.

So there you have it. I hope you guys aren’t more confused than when we started!
Emily :)

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Besides writing, Emily Taylor currently studies Music Technology at her state’s Conservatorium and recently helped on Respect Cat Production’s feature film, In a Corner, as a Script Advisor.  After great success on InkPop and Figment, A Soul to Take is her first formally published work.

Find Emily and her books

Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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A Soul to Take
Soul Stealers #1

Dying is the least of Elixia’s worries.

The world has changed. Demons are no longer legend, but part of life, integrated into our society . . . or so the Government claims. Things are never that simple, though, and neither side favors the new union. Agent Elixia Albelin knows the dark nature of demons firsthand, and will do everything in her power to protect the innocent from their wrath.

But when a mission from the Agency goes sour, Elixia finds herself in a predicament. Murdered, with her last living family-member kidnapped, her only hope is an offer from the very thing she despises: a demon. It’s no ordinary demon offering the contract, though, and his motive for such a deal is unclear. But if she's to discover the truth and save her sister, she must commit the greatest taboo for an Agent:

Sell her soul.

Now, Marked and shackled to the terms of the contract, she must try to uncover the mystery of her sister's abduction before her new "owner" comes to claim what is his. Her past may hold answers, but what happens when her investigation finds something far more sinister? Something not even the demons can condone?

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Interview & Giveaway: Broken Soul by Faith Hunter

Q&A with Faith Hunter

1.  How did you come up with the plot line for BROKEN SOUL?

The premise of the series is a Cherokee skinwalker, a Paladin-style rogue-vampire hunter. Throughout the series, Jane has been introduced to supernatural sentient beings. But what happens when one attacks her—and current boss, Leo Pellissier—but it’s one that no one can see? A simple question that I just have to answer!

I like to throw things, dangerous things, at my characters and see what happens. It’s a kind of laboratory of torture only it’s inside my head. Yeah. Kinda scary now that I think about it.

2.  How does BROKEN SOUL connect to the short stories you’ve done that fit in between the books?

You noticed! Yes, most of the short stories I write take place in the in-between spaces of books. I love to show what was going on in the between times, the things that make a relationship or doom it. So I wrote Beneath a Bloody Moon and Black Water, showing that things were not yet impossible between them. That there was hope.

But then, Rick screwed up so badly and took off with Paka in one of the books, ruining any hope Jane had that they would find a way to make things work in their bizarre personal, professional, and romantic lives. Yeah. It was kinda awful. Jane’s heart was still open to him when Rick made his massive boo-boo.

The shorts also show the direction he’ll go off in the new series. (Did anyone hear me say a new series? Shhhh. {whispering} With Rick as a major secondary character…)

3.  Which do you find harder to write, shorts or novels?

I get asked this often and the answer keeps changing. Once upon a time I was terrified of the shorter format of stories.  Now that I’m used to them, the shorts give me a break from novels (which can sometimes feel like work) and a chance to recharge my creative energies. In many ways, shorts are much easier simply because they don’t have to be so intensely plotted or so interwoven. But the drawback is that they fit into the reading order of the series and don’t always stand out as must-read entities and so fans who miss the shorts miss the interconnectedness of the plot and the relationships! 
4. You recently edited (and contributed to) the anthology KICKING IT. And you mentioned the shorts Beneath a Bloody Moon and Black Water. Though all are shorts, the format is different. Share with us those differences.

KICKING IT was all about boots. Killer boots. Our working title was, “These Boots Were Made For Stalking!” which became the tag line on the cover. The writing part for me was the easy part, just write one story, set in Jane Yellowrock’s world, but not specifically about her. In case you missed reading it, Jane appears as a secondary character in the story and the readers get to see her from the outside, from other characters’ point of view, which is always fun! But on KICKING IT, I also had to do the editing, which including approving contracts, getting the other writers, and dealing with the agent of record (who also had a story in it!), as well as doing the actual editing of the other stories. It was work! Black Water is all me, in Jane’s world, even though the story is not from her point of view. So, I’d say that overall, Black Water was easier. Certainly less time consuming.  

5. Tell us a little about your next book coming out.

BROKEN SOUL! I adore this book. SO much happens in it! Yes, I know I always say that. But this time it’s totally true. The book blurb is: Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire—but other creatures of the night still need to watch their backs....
 
When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant price—and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath. Leo, however, doesn’t mention how this new job will change Jane’s life or the danger it will bring her and her team.

Jane has more to worry about than some greedy vampires. There’s a vicious creature stalking the streets of New Orleans, and its agenda seems to be ripping Leo and her to pieces. Now Jane just has to figure out how to kill something she can’t even see…

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New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter writes dark urban fantasy and paranormal thrillers, including the Skinwalker series, featuring rogue-vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock, and the Rogue Mage series, a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality series, featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. She has a new series under wraps.


Find Faith and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Broken Soul
Jane Yellowrock #8

 Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire—but other creatures of the night still need to watch their backs....

When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant price—and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath. Leo, however, doesn’t mention how this new job will change Jane’s life or the danger it will bring her and her team.

Jane has more to worry about than some greedy vampires. There’s a vicious creature stalking the streets of New Orleans, and its agenda seems to be ripping Leo and her to pieces. Now Jane just has to figure out how to kill something she can’t even see….

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