Review: Cursed by Fire by Danielle Annett

Cursed by Fire

Author: Danielle Annett

Release Date: January 28, 2015

Publisher: Amazon

Blood & Magic Book #1

ISBN:  0765328089

ISBN13: 9780765328083

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.

Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined.

When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.

I want to start out my review by talking about other reviews saying that CURSED BY FIRE is basically a rip-off of the Kate Daniel Series and Psy/Changeling Series. I have not read the Psy/Changeling series so I can not say if this book is similar in any way, but I have read the Kate Daniels series. Although I won't go into every single detail that are alike (because others have already done that), I have to agree that there are quite a few things in CURSED BY FIRE that have the same feel as the Kate Daniels books/experiences and that makes it hard to write this review.....sigh.

SO, if I had never read the Kate Daniels series I would tell you that I enjoyed the characters, world and plot line of CURSED BY FIRE. I would have told you that I wish it was longer because I didn't feel like we got enough in the 157 pages and I would have loved some more detail. I would have said that the story flowed well and I liked the twists and turns that were thrown at us when we learned about the group that was trying to recruit Ari. I would have said I was extremely disgusted by the Alpha's proclamation at the end and how I hope that Ari finds out quickly and makes him pay for his scheming where she is concerned. Having said all of that, I don't think it really matters what I thought because of the fact that I have read the Kate Daniels series and there are just too many similarities. Because of this I have decided I will NOT be giving my review a star rating.

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

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

We have been dying to bring you the Release Blitz for Jennifer L. Armentrout's THE RETURN! THE RETURN is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Titan Series. Seth is looking to be just as dangerously delicious as we all hoped!!

 

 

THE RETURN Synopsis:

 The Fates are cackling their bony asses off... It's been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody--which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet. Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her. But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all. Because history has once again been flipped to repeat. 

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THE RETURN Excerpt: 

Shaking my head, I pivoted around and walked down the long hall to my dorm room. As I reached the door, the shiver was at the base of my spine again, dancing its way up until it traveled across my shoulders. My heart turned over heavily and I closed my eyes.

Twice in one day.
Oh God.
I’d never felt this more than once in any span of several days.

Swallowing hard, I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob, battling the urge to turn and scan the hall, because I knew no one would be there.

Dragging in a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside the room. My brows flew up, and I forgot about the feeling as I closed the door behind me.

Erin was sprawled on the floor, palms pressed down on a mat, her spandex-covered behind jutting up toward the sky. She turned her head, peering at me from under her armpit.

Her armpit.

“How in the world do you get your neck to bend like that without killing yourself?” I asked.

 “Skills, yo.”

 Erin did yoga and meditation religiously, saying it helped merge her yin and yang together or something. She’d once told me she had a hell of a mean streak, and contorting herself into painful-looking positions helped keep “good vibrations” around her. Which was strange, because I’d never seen Erin lose her temper in the two years I’d known her.

Erin unfolded herself from some kind of downward dog or upward pony and grinned at me. “Check under the bed.”

Curious, I dropped my bag and stepped over her legs. Bending down, I lifted the bedspread and my eyes grew to the size of saucers when I spotted the bottle. I snatched it up and clutched it to my chest as I whipped toward her. “José!”

Her grin spread into a smile. “The best boyfriend ever.”  


  About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.  

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Review: Black Wolf's Revenge by Tera Shanley

Black Wolf's Revenge

Author: Tera Shanley

Release Date: February 17, 2015

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Silver Wolf Clan Book #2

ISBN: 1616505435

ISBN13: 9781616505431

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

He’ll risk it all to bring her home.

Morgan Carter witnessed her sister’s murder, has been turned into a werewolf and is now raising her young niece. Then her fiance, Greyson Crawford, proves he wants to be with her for the wrong reasons, and she knows her life couldn’t be any stranger. Devastated, she retreats to her cozy house in the city with her sister’s little girl, Lana. There, they’ll have normalcy, and maybe eventually, even happiness.

But Morgan’s the only living silver wolf. Her uniqueness—the ability to produce werewolf offspring—means, without Grey’s protection, she’s unknowingly put herself and Lana in deadly danger. Other werewolves want to claim her for their pack, and she’s the easiest, most tempting prey ever.

When they strike, Grey has to find her and rescue her before it’s too late. Not so simple a task; he has only the uncontrollable beast inside him, Wolf, and an unlikely pack of allies he’s forced to rely on. Can he get to her in time? And if he does, can he convince her he’s there for the right reasons, saving them both?

A lot of the events of BLACK WOLF'S REVENGE revolved around the couple avoiding each other which made things a bit slow going. There were a lot of times were the storyline was predictable. There is some action towards the end of the book which did a good job of adding a bit of suspense to get you through to the end. I enjoyed the secondary characters roles this go around, especially Marissas. It was great to learn more about her and see her come out of her shell.

I was really annoyed with both Morgan and Grey in BLACK WOLF'S REVENGE. More so with Morgan if I am going to be honest. I understand she doesn't want someone to marry her just because she need protection, but if she would have calmed down and actually 'heard' what Grey was saying, and realize that he is a man and not good with words instead of assuming, so many things could have been worked out before she put herself and Lana in danger. Could Grey have tried harder to explain things? Sure, but would Morgan really have listened? They were both beyond stubborn.

I see that there are plans for more books, I will most likely read them. I thought that the story COULD have ended with BLACK WOLF'S REVENGE, but I am glad that the characters will have a chance to redeem themselves to me.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

New Releases: 2/15-2/21

Tue. Feb. 17th

 The Bargaining by Carly Anne West

 Bear Attraction (Shifters Unbound #6.5) by Jennifer Ashley

 Black Wolf's Revenge (Silver Wolf Clan #2) by Tera Shanley

 Enchanter's Echo (Mayflower Mages #2) by Anise Rae 

 Lucky Break (Chicagoland Vampires #10.5) by Chloe Neill 

 The Return (Titan #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Unseen (Unborn #2) by Amber Lynn Natusch

Happy Reading!!

Promo & Giveaway: The Immortal Who Loved Me by Lynsay Sands

Click here for Bigger Version

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LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there’s occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus.

Find Lynsay and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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The Immortal Who Loved Me
Argeneau #21
buy link

A few hours ago, Sherry Carne would have sworn that vampires didn’t exist. That’s before rogue immortals rampage through her store, leaving bloody chaos (literally) in their wake. The kicker comes when Sherry learns that one of the vamps on the bad guys’ trail may be her life mate. Her head says it’s impossible. The rest of her takes one look at Basileios Argeneau and has much more interesting ideas.

Whatever Basil expected in a life mate, funny, outspoken Sherry isn’t it. But mind-blowing chemistry and instinct don’t lie. They tell him something else, too—that Sherry’s connection to the immortal world goes deeper than she knows. And that she’s in the kind of danger only Basil can save her from—if she’ll just trust him, now and forever . . .

READ EXCERPT 
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Week in Review: 2/8-2/14

Books Received for Review

- The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston -eARC- NetGalley

- Her Wild Hero by Paige Tyler - eARC- NetGalley

- Infinity Bell by Devon Monk- eARC- NetGalley

- Dark Heir by Faith Hunter- eARC- Publisher via NetGalley

Books I've Read

The Cage by Megan Shepherd
Heir of the Dog by Hailey Edwards
Locked in Stone by Tory Michaels
Cursed by Fire by Daniele Annett
The Apollo Academy by Kimberly P. Chase

Reviews Posted

Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown
Bind the Soul by Annette Marie
Deadly Spells by Jaye Wells
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

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

* Wednesday- Interview & Giveaway for Inherited Damnation Series by Claire Ashgrove

* Friday- Cover Reveal & Giveaway for Birthright by E.J. Stevens

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

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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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Review: Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown

Darkness of Light

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Release Date: April 15, 2013

Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing

Darkness Book #1

ISBN:   098901312X

ISBN13: 9780989013123

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Freak. Witch. Crazy. Schizo.

Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best circumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen to her, and having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.

When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for troubled teens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious. Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets that will not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading her down a path she never imagined possible.

Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledge are power and no one can be trusted. But her survival depends on finding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forced between love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differences between them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. At best, she will not only lose her heart but her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however, there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.

DARKNESS OF LIGHT was nothing like I thought it would be. It took me a while to dive in, but when I did, I had no trouble enjoying the story.

I really enjoyed Embers humor, perseverance and loyalty.  Her uncontrollable 'powers' do a great job of getting her in trouble and thanks to a local cop with a vendetta she is sent to a school for troubled teens. Although I really DID like Ember, there were a few moments where she annoyed me. I found that she got upset over silly things or just acted totally different towards something than she would have in another part of the book. She can never get a straight answer out of anyone around her so I think that might have had a bit to do with it.

Eli is a bad boy. We get little glimpses of his story, but get more questions than answers. The 'relationship' between Ember and Eli was frustrating. It is very hot/cold. One min. he acts like he likes her, the next she is dirt beneath his boot. He is always there to help her when she needs it, but acts like he hates her moments later. There is a lot of sexual tension between the two and when they forget themselves and give in it's pretty darn intense.

There was a great cast of characters in DARKNESS OF LIGHT. The author does a great job setting up the world and slowly revealing the information we need to know.  The story has a few predictable parts, but there are plenty of times you are kept guessing until the last min. I liked DARKNESS OF LIGHT so much that I grabbed copies of the rest of the series right after finishing it and was happy with the series as a whole.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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