Cover Reveal + Giveaway: The Blessed Knights by Mary Tings

The Blessed Knights
October 28, 2016
Pre-Order:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA

Eli, Lucia's half-demon love interest, has been stabbed with a true-cross dagger and captured by Cyrus, master of the possessor demons.

The Chosen Knights must work together once again not only to save Eli, but also to decipher a clue to find the second missing page of Jacques de Molay's journal. Meanwhile, Uncle Davin informs Crossroads Divine Elders of the danger ahead and learns there is much more to fear.

Countless children are being taken from all over the world to be turned into demons.

Michael, one of the Divine Elders, has no choice but to intervene. The Chosen Knights track down Mortem, the demon who is the key to finding Cyrus, and learn they must travel deep into the pit of a Hawaiian volcano.

When they astral travel to the past in search of a clue and follow Jacques de Moley to Roselyn Chapel in medieval Scotland, what they find will rewrite history.

Add THE BLESSED KNIGHTS to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

Teaser of The Angel Knights (Book 1) by Mary Ting:

“Why, look here, Michael. I caught me another dove.” The Fallen grinned triumphantly. “Won’t the master be proud of me that I’ve killed two more?” His tongue glided across his lips at the same time he caressed my face. I grimaced and jerked my head away. “This one is beautiful. I think I’ll have my way with her and then rip out her heart.” He leaned into me, pressing his face to my hair, and touched my cheek with his. I wanted to throw up.

I shivered, mentally blocking out the vision of his words from my mind. Fear would not take me. I had created my situation and it was up to me to get out of it. Knowing I had backup, my courage grew. The Fallen pierced his dark, devious eyes into mine as if he could reach inside my soul. His brows were thick, nose sharp, and his lips so thin they were hardly there. His ghostly pale skin revealed a long scar running from his temple to his chin on his left cheek.

“Please, let her go. You have me,” I stammered.

“Oh, this one is so brave. What a great combination. Maybe I’ll brainwash her and train her to be on our side.” He hissed at me, showing me all of his abnormally sharp teeth. They appeared as if he’d purposely sharpened them.

My team had gotten closer, but where were Uncle Davin and Zach? Knowing we were outnumbered three to one didn’t give me much hope, but I had to remind myself we were stronger than we thought. Father and Uncle Davin were with us, the greatest demon hunters of their time.

“I’m giving you one last warning,” Father stated with authority.

The Fallen laughed again, mocking Father. “You’re giving me a warning? Let me tell you my name so everyone will remember it when they die. I’m called Mortem…meaning death.” Trailing the dagger down Victoria’s neck, he nicked it. Crimson liquid seeped from the wound, creating a red line down the front of her. “Beautiful. I love this color. I can’t wait to see more of it…on her.” Then, with a wicked grin, he plunged the sword into Victoria’s heart.

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International Bestselling, Award-Winning, Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great.

Connect with Mary:
Facebook | Twitter | Website | Amazon | Newsletter |
Instagram | Pintrest | Goodreads

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2 Runner-Ups: Digital Edition of Any Backlist Title from M. Clarke or Mary Ting
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Guest Blog: Cold Hearted: A Yancy Lazarus Novel by James A. Hunter

UFI welcomes Author James A. Hunter. Thanks for Joining us!!

Get a Real Job, Word-Hippy

I’ve been writing for a long time—or at least what feels like a long time, to me—but I’ve only been at this author thing for like two-years now. I’ve been working as a full-time writer, someone who actually makes their living telling absurd stories, for almost a year. Which is incredible. My imaginary friends help pay my mortgage. When I put on my bathrobe on in the morning, my daughter, Lucy, knows it’s time for daddy to go to work. In the basement. Awesome doesn’t even begin to cover it.

With that said, I have a serious problem telling people I’m an author. It came up again this week when I talked to a friend who asked me what I was up to. When I told him I was still writing, his responses? “Seriously. You’re still doing that?” It’s mostly for that reason that very few people (in real life, anyway) know my dark secret.

My immediate family knows what I do and so do a few close friends, but most of the people in my life are left scratching their heads in curiosity over how I manage to pay my bills and provide for my family. I can only assume they think I’m either (A) selling drugs out the back of my mini-van or (B) I’m the secret Nigerian prince from all those awful email scams. Not good either way you look at it.

When they do ask—which is more often than I’d like—I get cagey. Freelance writing, I say. Or, we have some savings (which is true, but which also reinforces the Nigerian scammer theory). I hate telling people what I do for a living, which is weird since I love my job. What can I say, I’m deeply broken.

I guess it really comes down to a couple of issues.

First, if I tell people I write books, then they will insist on reading them, which is awful. Wait, that didn’t come out right. I do want people to read my books, obviously, but mostly I want strangers to read my books. If a stranger reads my book and hates it, it’s no big deal because there’s no previous emotional investment in the relationship. But if a buddy of mine reads my book and hates it, well that sucks—especially if they’re well-intentioned and insist on telling why your books sucks, often in excruciating detail.

That’s the worst thing on the planet. Oh, wait, no it’s not. The worst thing is when they tell you how much it sucks, then go over all the bad reviews your book has on Amazon, before finally proceeding to tell you point by point how they would write your book so that it wouldn’t suck. Yep. That’s the worst. At least when strangers do that kind of thing I can just delete their emails. I can’t, however, delete friendships.

Second, and almost as bad, are all the other terrible things folks unwittingly say when they find out you write professionally. For example, “I would totally write a book if I had the time,” says one smug coffee drinking friend at Starbucks. Now this doesn’t seem so terrible at first, but it does imply a couple of things:

One, I have a colossal amount of free time to kill, which is the only reason I can write books. And, two, the only skill required to write an awesome book is the time to do it. Except that’s not quite right, ’cause writing a book is much more difficult than it appears. Commitment. Passion. Craft. And that’s not counting the business side of things.

Or, they might say something along the lines of: “Hey I have a great book idea—there has literally, in the history of books, never been anything like it—so why don’t you write it and then we can share the profits 50/50?”

Again, this might not seem so bad, but being a generally non-confrontational person, I hate having to tell my friend, “sorry dude, but your idea is not as cool as you think, and even if it’s the absolute bees-knees, I have my own ideas. So hell no, not ever, but thanks.”

And lastly, when you tell people you write for a living, they often respond with one question, just like my well-meaning friend from a week ago: “Seriously?!?!?” Which is generally followed by another question, “so when do you think you’re going to get a real job.” Because yeah, writing is a fake job.

Given, I do work in my bathrobe, and set my own hours, but I work my ass off to turn out books. It’s not like I sit around all day twiddling my thumbs, while the books write themselves. Though man would that be awesome.

Aside from the obvious issues with this statement, however, it’s terrible because I often find myself thinking the same thing. I always feel like I’m tottering on the edge of a cliff—book sales are unpredictable things at best, and any given month might be the month folks finally decide my books aren’t worth buying. And when that happens … well, then what? I keep writing, sure, because it’s what I love doing, but what does that look like? Do I get a “real” job … Do I go back to being a professional dinosaur wrangler? I just don’t know.

Some part of me secretly thinks this is all just an awesome dream and if I shout about it too loudly, I’ll wake up and be forced back into the real world. The real world where I don’t prepare for work by putting on fuzzy-pants and a bathrobe. The real world, where I actually have to wave good-bye to my family when I leave for work.

I hope I never wake up. And someday I also hope to have the confidence to leave my basement and proclaim loudly to the world: “I am an author and I don’t care who knows it,” bathrobe fluttering behind me like a superhero cape.

I’m not there yet, but maybe one day.

What about you? If you are a writer, do you tell your friends and family—and, if yes, what are some of the typical responses you get?

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Hey all, my name is James Hunter and I’m a writer, among other things. So just a little about me: I’m a former Marine Corps Sergeant, combat veteran, and pirate hunter (seriously). I’m also a member of The Royal Order of the Shellback—’cause that’s a real thing. I’ve also been a missionary and international aid worker in Bangkok, Thailand. And, a space-ship captain, can’t forget that.

Okay … the last one is only in my imagination.

Currently, I’m a stay at home Dad—taking care of my two kids—while also writing full time, making up absurd stories that I hope people will continue to buy. When I’m not working, writing, or spending time with family, I occasionally eat and sleep.

Find James and his books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Cold Hearted
Yancy Lazarus #2
Amazon

Yancy Lazarus just wants to be left alone. He wants play his blues music, smoke a few cigarettes, and otherwise leave the supernatural world to fend for itself.

He especially wants to be left alone by the Guild of the Staff—the mage ruling body—where he used to work as a Fix-It man. But when a little kid gets nabbed by an ancient Fae creature from the nether regions of Winter and the Guild refuses to set things right, he just can’t seem to heed good sense and leave things be.

Nothing’s ever easy though. Turns out, the kidnapping is just the tip of one big ol’ iceberg of pain and trouble. It seems some nefarious force is working behind the scenes to try and unhinge the tenuous balance between the supernatural nations and usher in a new world order. So now, if Yancy ever hopes to see the bottom of another beer bottle, he’s gonna have to partner up with an FBI agent—an agent who’s been hunting him for years—in order to bring down a nigh-immortal, douchebag mage from a different era. And to top it off, Yancy’s gonna have to pull it off without his magical powers … Boy, some days just aren’t worth getting out of bed for.

Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE:

Spelunking

The tunnel stretched out before me like the throat of some monstrous serpent, icy blue walls radiating pale witchlight to guide my feet. I shuffled along the winding pathway, trying for speed and failing miserably. There was snow underfoot, but the powder was often interspersed with patches of slick ice, which made the going treacherous as hell. It didn’t help a lick that my feet were so numb I couldn’t feel my toes, even though I had on heavy boots and thermal socks. Every friggin’ step felt like a crapshoot and I wasn’t quite sure how the dice would land.

I heard a howl from somewhere back in the darkness, a warbling noise that echoed and bounced around the narrow tunnel. I glanced back for a moment, which is precisely when my feet skidded out from under me and I went down hard, my ass connecting on the slippery ground below. My hip ached from the tumble, but at least my head landed in a pile of snow instead of on hard ground. I lay there for a moment, staring up at the curved ceiling, simmering in indignation.

Why me? Why couldn’t I ever just keep my head down and mind my own friggin’ business? I felt like kicking my own ass for being such a gullible, softhearted mook. Shit, the least I could do was be a little more selective. Tell people I’d only do them favors if the location was somewhere nice and beautiful … like say, sunny, sandy, not-cold-as-balls Honolulu.

I guess, technically, Thurak-Tir—home to the High Fae of the Winterlands—was a beautiful-ish place, so long as you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind the arctic tundra of Siberia. The buildings are impressive at least: slick spires of frost, carved and sculpted into a thousand wonders; a house fashioned to resemble a frozen waterfall; a palace made of snow and crystalline-rime in the image of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life; a tower in the shape of a serpentine neck, complete with scales, topped by a massive dragon’s head. Under the light of day, the whole city sparkles like a diamond, and at night beautiful slashes of green and gold drift through the air, a semi-permanent Aurora Borealis.  

But it’s also piss-freezing cold and only beautiful in the way a statue is—lifeless, still, too perfect. And the residents are all the same. Bunch of too-good-for-you, cold-hearted pricks. I absolutely hate Thurak-Tir. Give me a warm New Orleans night in a dirty bar with a crowd of shit-faced hobos any day of the week.

Down in the subterranean caverns below the city, where I happened to be trudging around, was even worse. Monsters, spirits, and a whole lot of frigid air. The light of day never penetrated these depths, so the cold … well, the cold seemed both malevolent and alive, like some frostbite-belching yeti.

More yowls and howls, followed by cackling laughter: Ice gnomes—not nearly as cute or cuddly as they sound—closing in, and fast. Time to move.

I scrambled onto my hands and knees, gaining my feet like a clumsy toddler taking his first steps, and shambled away from the chorus of mocking laughter. Creepy little twerps.

If I was going to make it out of this place in one piece, I needed better lighting. Thankfully, I’ve got something a little handier than a flashlight. I can do magic, and not the cheap stuff you see in Vegas with flowers or floating cards or disappearing stagehands. People like me, who can touch the Vis, can do real magic. Although magic isn’t the right word—magic is a Rube word for those not in-the-know. Users just call it the Vis, an old Latin word meaning force or energy. Simply put, there are energies out there, underlying matter, existence, and in fact, all Creation. It just so happens that I can manipulate that energy. Period. End of story.

I paused for a moment, and opened myself to the Vis. Power rolled into me like magma from an active volcano, heat and life and energy filling me up, sending renewed strength into my limbs. I was careful only to draw a little and push the rest away—unchecked, the Vis can be as seductive and dangerous as a beautiful woman with a grudge.

Weaves of fire and air flowed out around me as I shaped that raw force; a soft nimbus of orange light encircled me, granting both better visibility and a small pocket of comforting warmth. Sure, it would make me stand out like a dirty redneck at a posh country club, but there was nothing I could do about that.     

I got moving again, huffing and puffing my way along. More frenzied cries floated toward me from the tunnel twisting away behind. I needed to move faster, but the gloom still hampered my progress, forcing me to slow down and take my time. Even with the combined illumination from my construct and the ghostly witchlight bleeding from the walls, I could only see a few feet out. This was a night place, a dark place that fought the intrusion of light and heat with tooth and nail.

Even going sloth-speed, I almost didn’t see the cliff until my feet were over the edge. I hollered and threw on the brakes in a panic—digging in with my heels and pinwheeling my arms as I fell once more onto my back. I landed with a whuff of expelled air and immediately sprawled out my arms and legs. The greater surface area seemed to slow me down a little, but not enough. My legs skittered over the side, drawing me onward and downward. I clawed at the unyielding ice with numb fingers, my thin winter gloves making it all the more difficult.

I pulled more power, more Vis, into my body, and pushed thin strands of fire out through my fingertips. Small divots blossomed into the ice-covered surface of the floor, little grooves where my digits could find purchase.

Unfortunately my gloves began to smolder from the flame, the leather sending up curls of gray smoke. I ignored the heat—survival was my first priority. I dug in, giving it everything I had, arms and hands straining with the effort.

At last I skidded to a halt, my slide coming to a premature stop though it was a damn close thing. The tension in my arms and hands eased up as I slowly, carefully, pulled my hips and legs back from the drop-off, though my feet still dangled out in the air. Past the drop-off was blackness all the way down with no bottom in sight. Admittedly, the soft glow surrounding my body didn’t do much to diminish the gloom. Hell, the bottom could’ve been ten feet down or ten thousand. Better not to find out by taking a leap.

My heart thudded hard against my ribs. I’m not exactly afraid of heights, mind you, but anyone would be apprehensive about the prospect of careening off a cliff into potentially unending blackness. I took one more glance over the edge and uttered a sigh of relief. Whew. Dodged a bullet there.  

I heard a hoot of mirth just a second before something hard and heavy collided into my back—a wallop right between my aching shoulder blades.

My fingers tore free of their meager holds and over the drop-off I went, manic gnome laughter filling my ears as I fell. I tumbled down and down, flipping through the air like a fumbled football. I caught just a brief glimpse of a short, knobby form peering over the edge, his whole stumpy body shaking as he cackled. Asshole gnomes.

I lashed out with air—great columns of the stuff—directed down to slow my descent. That was a start, but the construct wouldn’t keep me from getting impaled on a giant icicle or busting my guts open on a rocky outcropping.

So next, I pulled in strands of artic cold, weaves of spirit and reinforced bands of fae power, floating through the air like so much dust. A shimmering bubble of green—shifting from emerald to pine to jade and back again—snapped into place with an effort of will, encompassing me in a tight globe of power, exerting a slight pressure on my body. A small safeguard against pointy things and an air pocket to cushion my body from the inevitable impact.

Splash-thud.

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New Releases: 8/7-8/13

Mon. Aug 8th

 Saving Her Angel (Archangels #3) by Missy Jane
 Quantum (Atrophy #2) by Jess Anastasi

Tue. Aug. 9th

 Dead to Rites (Mick Oberon #3) by Ari Marmell
 Eterna and Omega (Eterna Files #2) by Leanna Renee Hieber
 The Guns of Empire (The Shadow Campaigns #4) by Django Wexler
 Julius and the Soulcatcher by Tim Hehir 

Happy Reading!!

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Wicked Passion by Amanda J. Greene

Wicked Passion
Under Realm Assassins #3 

James Stonewoll is an Elite Assassin for the Under Realm Syndicate - an expert hunter and merciless killer. As a former Pirate, he thrives on danger, the more perilous the mission, the better and he can't resist his newest contract: eliminate a rebel shape-shifting magic thief that stalks the border of the Under Realm kidnapping and murdering innocent Others. But never did the centuries old vampire anticipate playing hero to a mythical temptress with luscious curves, tantalizing lips, and hypnotic eyes.
Captured and held prisoner, Katya Moro was trapped in a seemingly endless loop of unimaginable agony as her magic was slowly being torn from her soul. A gasp away from death, she is rescued by a sinful kiss and awakens in the strong arms of a powerful warrior whose roguish smile, sharp fangs, and intense strength unlock the dormant Succubus instincts within her – an all-consuming madness that demands complete surrender.
Gazing down at her, James knew he had to kill her. Dark Magic Wielders, like the beautiful female he’d found, were a grave threat to human society and were not permitted to roam the mortal world. But Katya’s smoky voice and sweet kisses stir a fierce hunger inside him. She is unpredictable, uncontrollable and… wickedly seductive – his perfect kind of dangerous. To keep her safe, James will protect her from the magic thieves that hunt her and his fellow assassins until he can find a way to return Katya to her home in the Under Realm.
Will Katya’s passion be able to conquer the darkness within his soul or will James let her go?

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Amanda J. Greene creates paranormal romance for ravenous readers. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys escaping the rewarding but hectic world of writing by spending time in the sun and sand with her husband and their two dogs.

Amanda is also an associate reviewer on The Book Nympho.

Find Amanda and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Week in Review: 7/31-8/6

Books Received for Review

None this week!

Books I've Read

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
Deja Who by MaryJanice Davidson

Reviews Posted

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Forbidden by Katrina Snow

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

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

* Wednesday- Promo + Giveaway for Haunted by the King of Death by Felicity Heaton

* Friday- Promo for Magic And Mayhem Boxed Set 

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

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

Promo: Magic And Mayhem Boxed Set

The ULTIMATE Fantasy Boxed Set!

Magic And Mayhem Boxed Set
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Blue Bolt Publishing
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Amazon  Kobo  Nook  iBooks

22 NY Times, USA Today and International Bestselling Authors

21 full-length novels of magic, mayhem, mystery, adventure and romance.

Yours for an insanely low price.
Get ready to be swept off into lands filled with magic, mystery, action, adventure and even romance with these 21 full-length fantasy novels! With over one-million words packed with witches, dragons, pirates, shape shifters, mercenaries, gods and more, these stories will introduce you to some of the most memorable characters and exotic worlds that exist in fantasy today. No cliffhangers here -- each book is either a standalone or first in series and all have satisfying endings.
22 of the hottest fantasy authors have banded together to bring you this incredible boxed set, but it’s only available for a limited time! At this incredibly low price, you’re paying a penny per sixty minutes of spellbinding fiction — a bargain that can’t be beat. Grab this collection today before it’s gone for good!

Jasmine Walt 
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Baine Chronicles Series

Dima Zales & Anna Zaires
New York Times Bestselling Authors of The Mind Dimensions Series

Rebecca Hamilton
USA Today Bestselling Author of The Forever Girl Series

Emily Goodwin
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Contagium Series

Margo Bond Collins
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Legally Undead Series

J.A. Cipriano
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Lillim Callina Chronicles

Rabia Gale
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Broken Fairy Tales Series

D.K. Holmberg
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Cloud Warrior Saga

Thea Atkinson
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Witches of Elantium Series

Emma L. Adams
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Alliance Series

S.C. Green
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Engine Ward Series

A.W. Exley
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Artifact Hunters Series

Jack Conner
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Atomic Sea Series

Gwynn White
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Crown of Blood Series

Lindsey Fairleigh
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Echo Trilogy

Susan Stec
USA Today Bestselling Author of the Grateful Undead Series

K. De Long
USA Today Bestselling Author of the Inkubus Series

Tom Shutt
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Brooding City Series

Erin Hayes
Internationally Bestselling Author of The Harker Trilogy

Calinda B
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Blurred Lines Series

Natasha Larry
Internationally Bestselling Author of the Darwin’s Children Series

 

Review: Forbidden by Katrina Snow

Forbidden

Author: Katrina Snow

Release Date: November 7, 2015

Publisher: KL Anderson

ASIN:   B017PT3KA0

Genre: Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Lady Katherine Durant has perfected the art of hiding her Gifts—a valuable skill in a land where any hint of sorcery could lead to the burning stake. But, hiding her Gifts isn’t the same as not using them, and that troublesome difference has led to capture each time she’s run from her uncle.

Now, using a newly-discovered spell, she binds her powers and flees again—this time for her life. Unfortunately, her plan to hide as a maid in a distant kingdom goes awry when she unwittingly gets entered into a festival competition for the hand of a prince—a man with a wicked kiss and a sense of adventure that rivals her own.

All she’s ever hoped for is a quiet existence as a servant, never imagining she could find laughter and belonging and love. And now the mischievous prince has her dreaming of all those things.

With a bounty on her head, sorcerers closing in, and a prince threatening to steal her heart, could it finally be time to stop running? Time to trust? Time to love?

I'm glad I decided to give FORBIDDEN a chance when I saw it on NetGalley, I had no issue enjoying both the world and the characters in this story.

I liked Kate right away. She was brave, determined and easy to connect with. She finds herself in some hard positions, but manages to keep herself on track with her head up. Kate and Bregovi are so great together. You can see the connection between them growing at every turn of the page. There was just something about them together that kept me reading to find out what would happen between them next. I couldn't imagine one without the other so when they were apart all I wanted was to see them back together. Rachel and Sebastian were really cute together too. We don't see their whole romance like we do Kate and Bregovi, but it was a sweet side story.

The story as a whole has a great flow and pace. The world isn't super complex, but it's really easy to picture a scene. I do wish that some of the myth's that were introduced in FORBIDDEN were explored more than they were. 

I have no clue if there will be more books in this world and it seems like the author wrapped up the Kate and Bregovi storyline in FORBIDDEN, but I would love to read more.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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