Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Promo + Giveaway: Her Fierce Warrior by Paige Tyler

Paige Tyler’s latest X-Ops title, Her Fierce Warrior, comes out this March! To celebrate the release, Paige Tyler stopped by to share with us a fun factoid about one of her X-Ops agents.

X-Ops Factoid: Ivy Halliwell (Her Perfect Mate) has a younger sister who is also a feline shifter. Ivy doesn’t want her “baby” sister in the DCO, but that hasn’t worked out too well.


Her Fierce Warrior
X-Ops #4
March 1, 2016

The woman tensed. As anger and fear ricocheted across her face, her eyes changed from red to green to brown in a dizzying display like nothing he’d ever seen. 

Every instinct in Angelo’s body screamed at him to lunge for his weapon. Instead he set his feet for impact, blocking her slashing claws. Unbelievably, after a few moments of struggling, she went still, all the fight gone… 

Minka isn’t sure she should trust the sexy Special Forces soldier who found her. Subjected to horrors, on the run from scientists set on locking her in a cage, Minka is terrified of the monster she’s becoming…and somehow, Angelo is the only one who can calm the beast inside her and make her feel safe.

But can she trust the way he makes her feel when she’s not even sure she can trust herself?
Buy Links:
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Kobo: http://bit.ly/20ZIiuZ

Excerpt:


“So what did you and Landon do this afternoon?” Minka asked, her soft voice dragging him back to the present.
Angelo looked up to see that Minka had already polished off two fajitas. Damn, the girl could eat. “Landon gave me a tour of the DCO complex. I did some target shooting and blew up a few things. He even let me play with the expensive surveillance toys. I swear, it felt more like a recruiting pitch to get me to work there than anything.”
Minka’s eyes flashed green, her full lips curving slightly. Damn, why the hell had he said it like that? Now she probably thought he was going to come work for the DCO. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t, not after just reenlisting for another five years. The army wasn’t the kind of job where you could walk into the boss’s office and say, “I quit.”
Thinking it would be a good idea to steer the conversation back to safer ground, he reached for another fajita and asked Minka a question instead. “What do you think you’ll work on next with Ivy and Tanner? You going to practice with the claws for a while or move on to something else?”
Angelo felt a little crappy about changing the subject, but if Minka noticed, she didn’t seem to mind. And it wasn’t like he had to fake interest in what she was saying. Anything that involved Minka was important to him. Besides, he didn’t know much about shifters or hybrids, so the whole thing was pretty damn fascinating.
“What do you visualize when you see the beast in your mind?” he asked.
“Before today, I thought of it as a giant, blurry monster.
But after learning that the beast is a cat, that’s how I picture it now.” She smiled. “Not a little house cat, of course. They aren’t scary enough. More like a big cat that roams the mountains.”
“Makes sense,” he said.
Minka set the other half of her fourth fajita on her plate and gave him a curious look. “Would you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
His mouth twitched as he prepared another fajita. He wasn’t used to Minka being so reserved. She usually said whatever was on her mind, regardless of whether it was personal or not.
“Go ahead,” he said.
“The first time we met, I had claws, fangs, glowing red eyes, and I tried to kill you. Since then, I’ve spent most of the time telling you about an imaginary creature that lives inside my head and makes me act like a monster. How are you so calm about that? Most people would have run away already.”
Angelo chuckled. Not exactly the personal question he’d expected, but then again Minka rarely did the expected.
“Well, my mom was full-blooded Cherokee, and I grew up around all kinds of Indian folktales and legends.
My dad was in the army, and whenever he was deployed, Mom would take my sisters and me back to the reservation where she grew up in Oklahoma. I’d stay up half the night listening to the old men tell stories about shape-shifters, animal spirits, skin-walkers, and trickster spirits.” He grinned. “I’m not saying I necessarily believed in all that stuff back then, but after meeting Ivy, Tanner, and the other shifters at the DCO, it just didn’t faze me that much.”
Minka looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re a real American Indian? Like in the movies? With horses and everything?”
He laughed again. The expression of wonder on her face was adorable. “First, I’m only half-Indian. My dad is Mexican, so there’s that. And second, Native Americans are almost nothing like you see in the movies. We don’t all live in tepees and ride horses. In fact, I don’t even own a horse.”
Minka was a little disappointed about the no-horse thing, but she was fascinated with what it was like growing up on an Indian reservation and being surrounded by all those legends. She immediately asked him to tell her some Indian stories. It had been a long time since he’d thought about them, but to make her happy, he dug through his head and tried to remember every tale he’d heard as a kid.


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Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. Paige writes books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines they fall in love with. She lives with her very own military hero (a.k.a. her husband) and their adorable dog on the beautiful Florida coast.

Find Paige and her books
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Monday, February 22, 2016

Review: The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Ravenspire Book #1
ISBN:  0062360248
ISBN13: 9780062360243
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Review Copy Source:  Edelweiss

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.
Snow White is one of my favorite stories, so I was excited to read THE SHADOW QUEEN. Unfortunately although I liked the story, it didn't blow me away and I didn't find myself yearning to read more. To tell the truth, the story didn't stick with me at all after I was done reading. I had to go back and read a recap of the book to jog my memory just to write this review.

Lorelei wants to free her people from the queen that killed her father and stole her throne. She has lost a lot and she is ready to take her throne back. I thought Lorelei was pretty fierce in her mission to kill the evil queen and I had no trouble rooting for her. Kol is now king and he feels the only way to save his kingdom is to enlist the help of the queen of Ravenspire. Little does he know that he will meet the true queen on his journey and have to fight for his life while helping her to get her throne back. Both Lorelai and Kol had some major struggles and I thought they worked in the best way they could to overcome them. Although I could see a bit of a romantic spark their romance didn't jump off the page or make me think they were destined for each other.

The pace was extremely slow at times and things tended to drag a bit in THE SHADOW QUEEN, but I thought the world building was really well done and the supporting characters were well written. I didn't love THE SHADOW QUEEN, but I didn't hate it either. It just was.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Week in Review: 2/14-2/20



Books Received for Review


House of Kings by Keary Taylor
Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Books I've Read

Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas
Hunting for Spring by Katherine McIntyre
Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishlop
Wedding Bells, Magic Spells by Lisa Shearin

Reviews Posted

Shift Work by J.C. McKenzie
Demon Lore by Karilyn Bentley
Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers
Gifted Thief by Helen Harper

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

* Tuesday- Guest Blog + Giveaway for Angelus by Sabrina Benulis

* Thursday- Entangled is turning 5!

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* 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.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Early Review: Shift Work by J.C. McKenzie

Shift Work
Release Date: February 22, 2016
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Carus Book #4
ASIN:  B01A1L5NFE
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Author
Badass Shifter Andy McNeilly is running on empty. The death of a prominent supernatural being has her reeling. The advent of a new street drug has the police knocking on her door for assistance. And a friend needs her unique skills to help investigate a messy murder.

In the interest of paying the bills, paying it forward, and keeping the Supernatural Regulatory Division off her back, Andy once again slips through the dark streets of Vancouver’s seedy underworld. In the process, she uncovers secrets that threaten to derail her love life and her investigation.

Can Andy capture a murderer, solve a mystery, and forgive her lover’s past? Or will the grime of the criminal world swallow her whole?


This is definitely one of those series that you need to start from book one. I think you would be completely lost and not enjoy it much if you tried to jump in anywhere else. The good news is that all the books have been great so far so go pick up your copy of SHIFT HAPPENS today and enjoy the ride.

Andy's personality is a contagious and I always look forward to what she will do next. She is easy to connect with and easy to stand behind. There is still a lot of mystery surrounding everything that being a Carus entails. Something new is revealed in each book, but I feel like there is so much more to uncover and I love finding out that I'm right whenever something new is revealed. I also like that each animal that calls to Andy represents something new that Andy seems to need in her life.

I'm really glad that the love triangle is gone, but I can't help but miss Wick a little bit even though I don't think he was the best choice for Andy. I'm glad though that Andy stuck with her decision in SHIFT WORK. Having said that, Tristan drops a pretty big bomb on Andy and I don't know how that will affect their relationship in the future. I am still not completely sure how I feel about Tristan, but I am warming up to him more and more with each book.

We get some answers, but there is still so many questions. The plot continues to evolve and develop and the characters continue to be interesting. Sign me up for book five when it's ready!

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Review: Demon Lore by Karilyn Bentley

Demon Lore
Release Date: December 15, 2015
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
ASIN:   B00PKY3CC4
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Author
Gin Crawford has enough problems dealing with her empath abilities. Finding out she's the world's newest demon-slayer is the last thing she needs. Unfortunately, when she slips on a mysterious bracelet she is given no other choice. On the plus side, her new gig comes with Tall, Dark and Handsome, a mage who may or may not have her best interests at heart. Thrust into a power-play between good and evil, Gin must choose a side before she becomes the next victim in the ongoing battle.


It took me a little bit to warm up to DEMON LORE, but once I did I had a hard time putting it down and wanted to read book two before I was even done with it.

The characters is what made DEMON LORE so great for me so I want to talk about them. I thought Gin was a little bland at first, but she quickly became a character I could root for. She has a few flaws that I can't personally relate to, but I was defiantly able to connect with her struggles. Once she puts her mind to something she goes full force and I liked that she had no problem sticking up for herself—although it sometimes got her in trouble. Smythe was broody and mysterious. I thought he was pretty bad ass and I liked getting to know him. Speaking of Smythe, I wanted Gin and him to get it on SO SO BAD. I know, she is sort of involved with someone in DEMON LORE, but there was so much attraction and sexual tension that I just couldn't help but want them to do something about it *Fingers crossed*.  

Gin's brother was way too overprotective most of the time, but he was always there for her. Gin's reactions and comments about his girlfriend kinda cracked me up. I can see her brother having a pretty big role in future books with his talents. Sargon remains a complete mystery to me. I can't figure him out and I actually liked him. I probably shouldn't seeing that he is an evil demon and all, but I can't help it. I am very interested in seeing where his storyline takes things in the future.

Not only were the characters enjoyable, but the world and plot were interesting as well. There was a lot of action and I enjoyed watching Gin and Smythe investigate the happenings in DEMON LORE as they got to know each other better. I still had a lot of questions about the people that Gin finds herself working for, but I have faith that more will be revealed in future books. DEMON LORE was a great start to the Demon Huntress series.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Entangled is turning 5!

Like romance? Entangled is celebrating their 5th birthday with some exciting offerings!


Entangled Publishing is turning 5 and we are so excited that we are offering all the books on our latest bestselling imprint, Lovestruck, at a celebratory price of just $.99 each! At prices like these be sure to fill up your reader.

AND that's not all. From 2/1 to 2/21 we are giving away 5 Lovestruck prize packs including 5 different Sephora Minimergency kits, an Amazon gift card and other surprise gift cards. So be sure to stop by each of our amazing blogger hosts below and visit the Lovestruck Facebook page to find out about the fun events and giveaways we will be having in the coming weeks. You will also get sneak peeks inside our different releases so you can pick out your must reads.

Haven't read a Lovestruck yet? Take a peek inside...

Excerpt

Gambling on the Bodyguard by Sarah Ballance

Desire rocketed through him, the intentionally slow pace more brutal than any he’d ever known. He shifted, nudging deeper, feeling her leg slide the length of his. She arched against him, baring her neck, and he claimed the spot with his mouth. Fingernails raked his back, but still he held on. He tried not to think about what she was doing to him. What she allowed him to do to her.

Her body enveloped him, all heat and fire, and he held her with everything he had. Kissed her neck. Nibbled her ear. All the while, driving into her, rocking his hips, pistoning longer, slower, deeper. Breaking a sweat, tasting that she’d done the same.

And kissing her. Dear God, the sweet slide of her tongue with his was enough to leave him undone. He explored every crevice, tasted every part of her, swallowed every whimper. Forced himself to take her deeper, pushing against the bed with one knee, gaining traction. Nudging her across the sheets with his desire to consume her, to so thoroughly become a part of her body that he’d be there forever. He knew the moment she came. Knew she hadn’t been thrown off some cliff to flail, to seek purchase from thin air. That wouldn’t happen, not this time. He gave her something to hold on to while she trembled. Kissed her. Touched her hair, cupped her face. Held on until his own orgasm took over, stealing his sense of self, leaving him shaking and lost.

Lost, with no real desire to be found.

When he went to the bathroom to clean up, he didn’t recognize himself in the mirror. Didn’t recognize what raged inside him.

Didn’t matter.

Just went back to the bed and held her, knowing it had to be enough.

Knowing damn well it’d never even come close.

About the book:

He’ll guard her body all night long…

Ski instructor Ellie Montgomery hits Vegas during a romance convention to meet the man of her dreams…only, the man of her dreams isn’t the cover model she’s there to see. He’s the hot-as-sin bodyguard who catches her sneaking in the back door of a meet-and-greet, and he seems more than ready to do what it takes to prove he’s twice the man her pretty boy crush could ever be.

Jax Mathis couldn’t resist snagging a date with Ellie, but he didn’t count on the attraction being more than physical. They connect on a level he didn’t think possible–and he can’t run fast enough. She makes him want things he thought he’d never have, and maybe, just maybe, they’re within reach. But to have it, he’ll have to face the one mountain he swore he’d never climb…and with no guarantee she’ll be waiting on the other side.


Buy links:



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