Review: Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire

Tricks For Free

Author:Seanan McGuire

Release Date: March 6 2018

Publisher: DAW

Incryptid Book #7

ISBN:  0756410401

ISBN13: 9780756410407

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Penance, noun:
1. Punishment for past actions.
2. An attempt to pay for what can’t be bought.
3. See also “exile.”

Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her—including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course.

Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It’s one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire…but for Annie, it’s a place to hide. She’s just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she’s rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time.

Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her—although their help, like everything else, comes with a price.

No plan. Minimal backup. No way out. Annie’s about to get a crash course in the reality behind the pretty facade. If she’s lucky, she’ll survive the experience.

TRICKS FOR TRADE was a bit slow in the beginning. Antimony finds herself isolated after the events of MAGIC FOR NOTHING force her into hiding. On her own she has to find a way to make money so she can eat and sleep somewhere other than the side of the road. Lowryland might not be the circus, but a chance encounter with someone from her past gets her a job there. Unfortunately she might not be as safe there as she expected.

A lot happens in TRICKS FOR TRADE. It's all connected, but a lot of crap falls on Annie's shoulders. Thankfully she doesn't find herself as alone as she expected. I really enjoyed the introduction of the new characters that are now a part of Annie's 'crew'.

One thing that doesn't happen is anything having to do with the Covenant of St. George storyline. Having it so heavy in the last book and not having anything happen with it in TRICKS FOR FREE was a little odd. I also realllllly missed the mice.

I still find her relationship with Sam a little weird. I'm just not in love with 'them' and it makes it hard to really get into those parts of the story.

I can't say that Antimony is my favorite Price sibling, but I still enjoy reading about her adventures. Having said that, I wouldn't be disappointed if there wasn't a lot more books with her as the main character unless something drastic happens. I guess we will see what comes next.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

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

New Releases: 3/4-3/10

Tue. Mar. 6th

 Alpha Unleashed (Grizzlies Gone Wild #4) by Kathy Lyons
 Blood of the Four by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon
 Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega #5) by Patricia Briggs
 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi 
 Dark Alpha's Night (Reaper #5) by Donna Grant
 Dark Tracks (Order of Darkness #4) by Philippa Gregory 
 Feeder by Patrick Weekes
 Genesis (Project Nemesis #2) by Brendan Reichs
 Highland Dragon Master (Dawn of the Highland Dragon #3) by Isabel Cooper
 High Voltage (Fever #10) by Karen Marie Moning

 Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars 0.5) by Audrey Coulthurst
Into the Fire (The Legacy Chronicles #2) by Pittacus Lore
 Lady Henterman's Wardrobe (The Streets of Maradaine #2) by Marshall Ryan Maresca
 Lake Silence (The Others #6) by Anne Bishop 
 Master Assassins (The Fire Sacraments #1) by Robert V.S. Redick 
 Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon 
 Our Dark Stars by Audrey Grey, Krystal Wade
 Pacifica by Kristen Simmons
 Reclaiming Shilo Snow (The Evaporation of Sofi Snow #2) by Mary Weber
 Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi
 Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby 
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
 Tricks for Free (InCryptid #7) by Seanan McGuire
 The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Happy Reading!!

Guest Blog + Giveaway: Witch Creek by Laura Bickle

UFI welcomes Author Laura Bickle. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Dark Mermaid
By Laura Bickle 

I’ve always been a little obsessed with mermaids.

When I was a little girl, my mom gave me a Sea Wees doll for my birthday. I knew instantly that she was a magical creature, both human and something other. She had brown hair and green scales. She floated in my bathtub on a foam lily pad. I took her everywhere with me, from climbing trees to my pillow at night. She heard all my secrets and dreams.

I carried that fascination with me into adulthood. I learned about the mythology of mermaids, of their roles in luring sailors to their deaths, their seductive singing voices. I came to feel that mermaids were complex creatures, that there was a dark side to these sirens that I didn’t see as a child. And I sought an opportunity to write about this idea.

Over the years, I’ve come up with several ideas and discarded them. None of them seemed quite right. I wanted the mermaid I wrote about – my mermaid – to be something more than an idea that sailors projected their fantasies on. Then I began to work on WITCH CREEK, and I knew that this was the story for the mermaid that had been swimming at the edges of my dreams for decades.

Muirren, the dark mermaid of the story, didn’t start out as a water creature. She began life more than a century and a half ago as a mortal woman, a witch and a singer. She allied herself with the alchemist of Temperance, Wyoming, a town built on the gold the alchemist conjured. For a time, they made magic together, raising the dead and chasing salamanders around the parlor. There was a sinister wonder in their relationship, I think, as they both sought the limits of magic in their time.

Inevitably, as with all volatile partnerships, there was a falling out. They fought, chasing each other through the backcountry of what is now Yellowstone National Park. The alchemist was the victor, and he dragged her back to his basement laboratory to become the subject of one of his many alchemical experiments.

Suspended in a glass tank, Muirren was given a mouthful of sharklike teeth, fins, and an appetite for flesh. The alchemist grew bored of her and cast her out. He imprisoned her in an underground river, where she would eventually starve, forgotten.

But Muirren has endured to the present day, eating the unhappy fish that have wandered into her territory. She’s tricked the new owner of the land to release her. For the first time in more than a century, she’s feeling the sun on her skin…and seeking the taste of human flesh. No fisherman or swimmer in the rivers and streams of Yellowstone is safe from her hunger.

Muirenn is a tragic character, possessing both magic and a desire for revenge. There’s a big part of me that’s rooting for her to finally have her day, to break the magic that’s kept her under its evil thumb. But Muirenn has other ideas, and she’s determined to devour anything she touches.

Obsessions are like that, I think. We place them on pedestals and tell them secrets…and they take on a life of their own.

__________________________________

Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology – Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs, also writing contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams.

Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.

Find Laura and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

Witch Creek
Wildlands #2
HarperVoyager Amazon Kindle
BN Books a Million Indiebound

In the backcountry of Yellowstone, evil moves below the surface . . .

Following Nine of Stars comes the next chapter in Laura Bickle's critically acclaimed Wildlands series

As the daughter of an alchemist, Petra Dee has battled supernatural horrors and experienced astonishing wonders. But there’s no magic on earth that can defeat her recent cancer diagnosis, or help find her missing husband, Gabriel. Still, she would bet all her remaining days that the answer to his disappearance lies in the dark subterranean world beneath the Rutherford Ranch on the outskirts of Temperance, Wyoming.

Gabe is being held prisoner by the sheriff and heir to the ranch, Owen Rutherford. Owen is determined to harness the power of the Tree of Life—and he needs Gabe to reveal its magic. Secretly, the sheriff has also made a pact to free a creature of the underground, a flesh-devouring mermaid. Muirenn has vowed to exact vengeance on Gabe, who helped imprison her, but first . . . she's hungry. Once freed, she will swim into Yellowstone—to feed.

With her coyote sidekick Sig, Petra must descend into the underworld to rescue Gabe before it's too late . . . for both of them.

 Excerpt:

Peering through the cattails, she saw a man with a fishing pole, standing on an outcropping. He seemed alone, caught in a bit of reverie, gazing at his line skipping along the surface of the water.
She dipped below the surface of the water, toward the shiver of the fishing line. With green-spotted fingers, she lifted the struggling fish from the hook. The line jerked away.
The man swore.
Muirenn lifted her head above the water.
“Holy shit.” The man stumbled backward. “I didn’t realize you were swimming there . . . I . . .”
His expression changed from embarrassment to curiosity as he looked at her. The pupils of his eyes dilated. “Who . . . are you?”
Muirenn gripped the fish close to her chest, giving a small smile.
The fisherman crouched on the rock, setting his pole beside him. “Wow. You’re uh . . . green? Is that real?”
Muirenn cocked her head and slipped forward a bit in the water. The edge of her tail skimmed above the surface.
“Is that like . . . one of those tails that the girls have at that park in Florida? For a movie or something?” His suntanned brow wrinkled. “No. That’s real,” he decided. “You, um . . . want the fish? You can have it.”
She was within arm’s length of him. She released the squirming fish into the water.
“You wanted to let it go? Look, I . . .”
The man talked too much. She swam closer, tentatively.
The fisherman looked at her, at her dappled skin and the dark rust hair spreading into the water. She wouldn’t ordinarily have been so bold. The weight off her tail was going to her head. She let him take in the black of her eyes, the gills on her throat. He gazed in wonder, and his fingers twitched to a small square piece of plastic on top of his tackle box.
“Can I take your picture? What . . . are you?”
A smile played across her lips, and she spoke to him in a silvery voice. “I’m the Mermaid.”
“Wow. I . . . wow. I’m, uh, Norm. Do I, like, make a wish or something?”
“You can, if you want. I’ll listen.”
She reached up with delicate fingers to touch him. Her fingers brushed the pockets of his fishing vest, playing with wonder over the bits and baubles there meant to lure the attention of fish. The man forgot about his camera and stared, transfixed.
Muirenn reached up for his collar . . .
. . . and dragged him down into the water.
He splashed and flailed. She brought him down—down to the bottom of the creek. It wasn’t so far, but it was far enough for a land dweller. He couldn’t fight her for long. He thrashed until his lungs grew heavy with creek water. He convulsed as the lack of oxygen reached his heart and filtered up to his brain. And then he stopped.
Muirenn grinned, showing row upon row of shark-like teeth. She ripped off his arm and began to chew. It had been so long since she’d had anything but the errant fish that wandered into her realm . . . this was a meal worth waiting for.
The creek ran red.
Red as the idle red-and-white bobber drifting on the surface of the water.

__________________________________
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Week in Review: 2/25-3/3

Books Received for Review

Shadow Keeper by Christine Feehan

Books I've Read

Volatile Bonds by Jaye Wells
The Black Tide by Keri Arthur
Wraith by Helen Harper
Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk

Reviews Posted

None this week...

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

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

* Monday- Guest Blog for Bitter Harvest Series by Ann Gimpel

* Wednesday- Promo + Giveaway for Highland Dragon Master by Isabel Cooper

* Thursday- Interview + Giveaway for Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk

* Friday- Promo + Giveaway for Hooked on a Phoenix by Ashlyn Chase

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

* 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 + Giveaway: Hooked on a Phoenix by Ashlyn Chase

Hooked on a Phoenix
Phoenix Brothers #1
Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo

LOCKED IN A BANK VAULT TOGETHER...
THEY MIGHT REDEFINE THE MEANING OF 'SAFE' SEX

Misty Carlisle works as a bank teller in Boston's financial district. She's had more rotten luck in her life than most, except when her childhood crush shows up to cash his paycheck. Then her heart races and her mouth goes dry.

Gabe Fierro is a firefighter―and a phoenix. Like his brothers, his biggest challenge is finding a woman open-minded enough to accept a shapeshifter into her life. When his boyhood friend asks him to watch over his little sister Misty, he reluctantly agrees. But when the bank where she works gets held up, Gabe does everything he can to protect her. The two of them end up locked in the bank's vault...where things get steamier than either of them ever imagined.

Excerpt:

“Holy shit!” Gabe exclaimed. “Is that Parker?”
Parker whirled around and met his best friend coming up the walk. They gave each other a man hug with many slaps on the back.
“Good to see you! Hey, Julie, I didn’t realize you knew Gabe.”
“I don’t. Well, not really. I thought he was a stripper, and then he ran off before proper introductions could be made.”
Parker’s brows rose.
“Jeez, Julie,” Misty interjected. “It’s not what it sounds like. I was having a party at my apartment for Julie and my friends from high school, and Gabe just showed up to check on me. I thought he was the pizza delivery guy and went into the other room to get my wallet and, well…the girls thought I had arranged something else—which I didn’t, by the way.”
Parker laughed hard. “So, I guess you’re still looking after my little sister, Gabe. Thanks.”
“What are you doing here?” Gabe asked. “Did you get emergency leave when you heard that Misty’s house blew up?”
Parker took a step back. He grabbed Misty’s arm. “Your house blew up? How? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to. It just happened, and there was a lot of other stuff going on.” She realized she’d inadvertently introduced subjects she didn’t want to get into just yet. “Hey, let’s go inside. Why are we all standing in the foyer with the door open? It’s February, for God’s sake.” She grabbed Parker’s hand and tugged him inside.
As soon as Gabe had closed the door, she quickly addressed Parker’s concerns. “It was a gas leak. Gabe saved both me and my landlady. He was in the hospital, knocked unconscious for a while.” There. Put the focus on Gabe. That should buy her a little time.
Parker let go of Misty and clamped his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I knew I could count on you, man. Thank God you were there.”
Gabe offered a weak smile. Maybe he was just being humble, or maybe he didn’t want Parker to know how close they had become. Either way, it was time for another distraction.
“Let’s get out of the chilly hallway.” Misty made a point of shivering.
Julie laughed. “No shit. If my father were here, he would have yelled, ‘Do you want to heat the whole damn neighborhood?’ ten minutes ago. Let’s go into the kitchen where it’s warm. I’ll make some coffee.”
They all tromped into the kitchen and found seats at the round glass table in the corner.
“Nice house, Julie,” Gabe said.
“I’m a squatter. Sort of. My folks are in Germany. My dad got transferred, and they’re looking at houses. Until they buy one, they won’t put this one on the market. I get to live here until the new owners evict me.”
Misty brightened. “Maybe you and I can get a place in the city when they sell this out from under you.”
Parker groaned. “That’s a recipe for disaster.”
“What do you mean?” Gabe asked.
Parker laughed. “When these two get together, you never know who’s going to call you. The towing company, the cops, or—”
Gabe held up his palm. “I don’t need to know the details.” He gave Misty the hairy eyeball.
“Hey, we’re not that bad.” Julie giggled as she filled the coffeepot with water. “At least we’re no
longer underage.”
Parker smiled. “I guess it’s just harmless girl fun.
Nothing to be concerned about. But what does concern me is where are you living now, Misty? Can you get to your job from here—or wherever?”
“The Fierros took me in. I just have to commute from the South End to the North End. It’s nothing the subway and a CharlieCard can’t handle.”
Parker glanced at Gabe. “You’re still at your place near the theater district and Chinatown, right?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Just making sure.”
Misty sensed her brother’s discomfort. Or maybe it was her own worry she was projecting. Parker obviously didn’t want them together. She and Gabe shared a quick glance and looked away.
Julie joined them at the table while the coffee was brewing. “Hmmm… Something is going on here.” She pointed to the other three in turn.
“Oh? Is there something I should know?” Parker asked.
Oh, crap. Julie was always too observant and never could shut the hell up. Misty had to get her brother and Gabe alone and tell them her news soon—before Julie blurted it out at the worst possible moment.
“Julie, can you please give us some time alone?”
Julie straightened and looked offended. “You don’t want me here? I would think you might need my support.”
“No! What I need is for you to disappear for a few minutes.” Misty felt bad as soon as she raised her voice to her friend, but it had to be done. Her well-meaning friend would probably add her two cents and just complicate things.
“Fine.” She sounded hurt as she rose and stomped out of the room. “When the coffee is ready, you can help yourselves.”
“I’m sorry,” Misty called after her.
“No, you’re not, but you might be when I’m not there to help you figure out what you’re going to say.” Julie’s voice trailed off, but it looked as if the guys caught the gist of it.
Misty muttered, “Jesus.”
“What’s she talking about?” Parker asked.
Misty leaned back and crossed her arms. “There’s something I have to tell you. Both of you. I didn’t want to do it here, like this, but it seems like I have no choice now.”
Parker narrowed his eyes. “Spit it out, Misty. What did you do?”
She straightened and glared at her brother. “What makes you think I did something?”
“Whoa. Relax, Parker,” Gabe said. “Misty hasn’t done anything. She’s had some bad news, and if you’ll just shut up, she’ll tell you what it is.”
Gabe was trying to help, probably thinking she had to tell him about the MS. Boy, was he in for a rude shock.

__________________________________

Ashlyn Chase has been a registered nurse for 20 years. During those years, she wrote articles for professional journals and a thesis, but eventually, thank goodness, discovered the joy and freedom of writing fiction.

Ashlyn considers herself lucky. Her degree in behavioral sciences is a combination of psychology and sociology, so she has worked with and studied people most of her life. She never has to write out exhaustive character sketches to understand her characters or predict how they will behave. That doesn't mean they don't surprise her. Sometimes they take her on grand unexpected journeys. For her, it gives "character driven novels" a whole new meaning.

Ashlyn has learned to go with the flow. To enjoy the journey is not only one of her writing goals, but also a challenge in life so she tries to follow where the story takes her. As such, she has lived in 17 different places over the years. At last, she's all settled down and comfy in New England.

Is there a grand design or do we decide our own fates? Perhaps if the powers-that-be have a plot, then they also give us the right to revise it. Ashlyn has certainly made detours on her path, but she thinks she's better for it. She's having fun at any rate and hopes that if she enjoys the journey, so will those around her—including her readers.

Find Ashlyn and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

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Interview + Giveaway: Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk

UFI welcomes Author Lana Pecherczyk. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview? 

I like to draw. I do my own book covers, including illustrations and other art. You’ll see lots of art popping up in my feed when I’m not busy writing.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time? 

What down time? Ha ha ha. I have two young boys, a fly-in-fly-out husband, I volunteer at the Romance Writers of Australia, work part time in a bookstore and do freelance graphic design. But I read and watch my favourite TV shows like Arrow, Flash, anything superhero or paranormal—just like the books I like to read.

What is your Favorite part of writing? 

The aha moment when you come up with a concept or hook that drives the rest of the story and the ideas keep flowing. Usually, this happens to me when I’m listening to music.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write? 

Thanks to another author friend of mine, I now listen to the same set of music every time I sit down to write. What this does is remind my brain of the state of flow it was in the last time it heard the music and put me in that same flow straight away so the words come quicker. I listen to classical or piano music of popular songs.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres? 

Ilona Andrews was the one who started me off with her Kate Daniels series. I also love Nalini Singh’s Archangel series and Darynda Jone’s Charlie Davidson series. I picked a few more of my favourite in the Fall in Love with Urban Fantasy Giveaway I’m hosting at my website http://lanapecherczyk.com/giveaways/soulthing/
 
How would you pitch The Game of Gods Series to someone who has not heard of it before?

Evolution is the Game, Gods are the Players, Humans are the Avatars and Witches are the Glitch.

Roo Urser has the same powers as the enemy and must hide her true nature for fear of being burned at the stake. But when a devilishly handsome hunter comes to down, she learns there are darker things that go bump in the night, and she might be one of them. Soon, staying safe is a constant struggle. Sometimes safe is a never-ending game.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that The Game of Gods series is set in? 

The Game of Gods series is set in an alternate world similar to ours in the not too distant future. Gods download their souls into earthly bodies so they can live a hundred times over and play a game to the death in the shadows of the human world. They didn’t count on witches evolving and the mayhem that ensued. Humans discovered these witches and burned as many as they could until they believed they won. But witches weren’t defeated, only hidden, as were the gods. And this is where my series starts off—a girl who has no idea where her powers cam from but ends up knowing she’s a cross between the powerful gods and the evil witches.  

Do you have a favorite scene in Soul Thing? 

Oh there are so many. The first time Roo meets Cash, the first time she meets the cockney egotistical god-of-the-in-between, or the first time all the pieces of the puzzle start to slot together after a witch attempts to kill her. But one of my favorite by far is when her new powers overwhelm her and she realises this god thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Roo can sense the energy of all living things, and when she’s at a party with hundreds of people dancing, this energy affects her in a very unusual way. It was so much fun to write. I love putting my characters in awkward, funny and dangerous situations.

Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

My favorite is Marc who is the Gamekeeper and the god-of-the-in-between. He was loosely based on a series of gods from different myths that all have a link. I wanted it to seem like these myths were steeped in a single race of beings that had visited our planet thousands of years ago. I researched Hermes, Loki and Thoth. Marc ended up having a larger than life personality that simply took over the page every time he appeared. I loved this character so much that I wrote a short novel (coming out in March titled The Devil Inside) that features a story told from his point of view and the other main hero, Cash. He’s hilarious, clever and socially inept at the same time. A bit like Lucifer from the TV show.

The hardest to write about was the villain. Finding the right sinister motivations and tying it all together so that it fits into the overarching series plot was harder than I anticipated. Hopefully Petra and another villain I won’t mention (spoiler alert) come off evil enough to have you hating them but feeling sorry for them at the same time.

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you? 

I have three more books in The Game of Gods series to come out by May this year. Then after that I’m working on a superhero romance that’s Batman meets The Black-Dagger Brotherhood series and is called The Deadly Seven. It’s based around a disgraced group of vigilantes who each have the power to sense deadly levels of sin before a crime is about to be committed. To avoid falling prey to the sin they fight, they must find a soul-mate who embodies the exact opposite of their sin. Easier said than done when they have to protect a world that has lost faith in them.

__________________________________

Lana Pecherczyk is a freckle-faced writer from Perth, Western Australia. She’s a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Basically if it’s got sexy heroes, thrilling action and a kick-ass heroine, you know she’ll write it because she loves reading it.
When she’s not writing the next great novel, or wrangling the rug rats, or rescuing GI Joe from the jaws of her Kelpie, she fights evil by moonlight, wins love by daylight and never runs from a real fight.

You can find her books on Amazon and other good online retailers.

Find Lana and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

Soul Thing
The Game of Gods #1
Amazon

Evolution is the Game, Witches are the Glitch

After a decade long war, witches have been obliterated, or so the world thinks. A precarious peace settles and, for the small town of Margaret River, life returns to normal, but for Roo, the hard work is just beginning.

Roo works at the local bar, is a little facetious and can’t wait to high-tail it out of there to keep her powers secret. She’s not certain where they came from but the last thing she wants is to be burned at the stake. Hiding in plain sight seems to work until Cash, a darkly handsome hunter, arrives with disaster in his wake. Witches aren’t defeated, only hidden, and there’s one gunning for Roo and her family. The recent war only touched the surface of the preternatural world and with Cash’s help, Roo learns there are worse things that go bump in the night... and she might be one of them.

Soon she must make a choice—risk exposure to save her loved ones, or remain hidden and safe. But sometimes safe isn’t an option. Sometimes safe is a never-ending game.

 Excerpt#1

Sooner or later I had to stop feeling guilty about killing my mother. I had no memory of it, and I was a baby when it happened. As if I could control it. It was time I started thinking of myself.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, I thought as I curled my fingers into fists and punched the air. Now or never. I rounded the corner to the kitchen and planted my feet squarely in front of Aunt Lucy. “I’m moving out,” I blurted.
Aunt Lucy turned, eyes blinking. She wore colorless clothing to match her gray hair, and never used makeup. The only inspiring thing about her appearance was her glass bauble necklace. She pulled her arms out of the sudsy sink and tapped her gloved fingers on the porcelain bowl. The action sent baubles clinking and a tiny waft of lavender perfume floating my way. Deliberately, slowly, she removed her second skin, one finger at a time and then dabbed her hands with a tea towel. Despite her careful charade, thoughts collided behind her steely gaze.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said through gritted teeth.
I took a step back and darted a glance at my sister, Leila, as she sat at the grand table reading the newspaper. The ghost of a smile danced across her delicate features but she covered it with a sip of coffee, then turned the page, pointing to an article in an evasive gesture. “Oh, look at this one,” she said.
Ignoring her, I held up my key. “I’m not being ridiculous. Kitty’s leasing her apartment and I can move as soon as my probation is over. I’m half packed.”
Leila spat coffee everywhere and then grimaced at her accident. She slammed her mug down. “Now, look what you’ve made me do. I wish I had a normal sister.”
I snatched a towel from the rack and mopped up her mess. “Yeah, well I wish my sister didn’t hate my guts for something I can’t control—”
“Uh, uh. We’re not going there.” Aunt Lucy cut me off, raised a finger, and then turned her back on me to help Leila dry her precious clippings. “What did you find today, sweet-heart?”
My jaw dropped. I’d given her monumental news, and she’d turned her back on me.
“Look at this one.” Leila tapped an article. “The Church is recalling their latest safeguard against witch possession. Apparently, there was a faulty part in the device or something. It would be nice for them to get one invention right, don’t you think? And this one, see?” She held up another clipping. “The DNA test used to identify maleficent victims isn’t accurate because there haven’t been enough cases of possession over the last four years to benchmark—you know, since the Purge.”
“Tsk, tsk, such a shame.” Aunt Lucy rubbed Leila’s shoulder affectionately. “Never mind, sweet, it could be a good thing. Only a few possessions in four years isn’t bad. But just in case, we’ll continue to go to church like they told us. It’s worked so far, right? We’ve never seen a witch in town.”
Leila hummed in agreement.
I scowled at them. A woman moving out of home was not to be taken lightly. Witches attacked females—it had something to do with our higher estrogen levels—but like Leila said, since they’d burned half the female population in the Purge, there were few cases of possession. The world had relaxed and being a woman wasn’t so bad anymore.
I waved the key in the air. “Um hello? Did you hear what I said? I’m moving out.”
“You stubborn girl.” Aunt Lucy shook her head at me. “You’ll be labeled a whore, just like your friend. I should never let you have that job at that devil’s playground. It’s caused nothing but problems.” She pulled off her headband and threw it on the counter, releasing her gray hair from its captivity.
Did she just call Kitty a whore? Hang on—did she called me a whore?
“After all, I’ve done for you,” she continued. “I housed you when your father abandoned you, I put up with your criminal ways, I even let you get a job when there’s so much to do here at the vineyard. You’re going to throw it all in my face and leave a week before the food festival.” The tenacity of her words caused a coughing fit, she wheezed and spluttered into a quickly grasped tissue. The sour stench of smoker’s breath hit me moments before her pungent lavender perfume. I flinched and tried not to screw up my face. The bad-girl smoker habit was such a contrast to her drab, gray attire. Seriously, brush your teeth.
With shaky hands, she reached for a glass of water and took a sip. Aunt Lucy ran her boutique vineyard estate with an iron fist, but quit smoking? Impossible. She downed the water in gulps and held up a finger indicating the conversation wasn’t over. When she finished, she busied herself with drying the dishes. The muscles in her shoulders and neck grew rigid as she mulled over her next words. Finally, she picked up a spoon, and waved it at me. “That sin-bin you work at is just a lawsuit waiting to happen.” She opened the cutlery drawer and slammed the spoon in place. “I can’t believe it was allowed to open in the first place.”
Leila snorted in sympathy.
In an effort not to roll my eyes, I stared at the sparkling black and white checked floor. There she goes again, spouting her devil nonsense.
“The Cauldron,” I said, “is not a ‘sin-bin’ or a ‘devil’s playground.’ It’s a legitimate establishment where people can enjoy a drink or a meal, and learn about the history of witches.”
Leila laughed. “You can’t be serious, Roo. It’s a mockery; they poke fun at the myth, not teach the reality.” Her last words came through a clenched jaw and she shuddered.
It was true. The Cauldron was a clichéd, witch-themed bar. It resembled something from Halloween, and served cocktails like ‘The Holy Grail’ and ‘Brew to Forget.’ Taxidermy crows peered down at you as you ate, but it was harmless fun. And I felt at home there.
I shrugged. “If it makes people feel safe and confident they have one up on witches, who cares? I get paid, and all I have to do is serve drinks and look pretty with this thing hanging around my neck.” I flicked my slick UV-liquid filled probation collar. It made me special. “I’m accepted for who I am. Besides, it’s coming off in a few weeks and I’ll be free to do what I want. Everyone with opinions can bite me.”

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Fall in Love with Urban Fantasy Print Book Giveaway 

To celebrate the relaunch of Soul Thing, the first book in the Game of Gods series, I’m hosting a giveaway!

I want you to fall in love with Urban Fantasy as much as I have, so I’m giving away the first in a series from my favorite UF authors – in old school print!

One lucky person will win:

• A total of 11 real (touch them and faun over them on insta) books in total. The joy of starting a new amazing series is priceless!
• A signed copy of Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk (me!).
• Ten of my favorite Urban Fantasy first in a series, print books all with a mythological, gods, or evil spirits theme. These ten books are: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane, First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones, Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead, Witches of the East by Melissa de la Cruz, MoonCalled by Patricia Briggs, Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison, Grave Witch by Kalayna Price, Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh, and Touch the Dark by Karen Chance.

Choose all the bonus options to gain yourself extra entries! Good luck.

LINK: http://lanapecherczyk.com/giveaways/soulthing/

Promo + Giveaway: Highland Dragon Master by Isabel Cooper

Highland Dragon Master
Dawn of the Highland Dragon #3
Amazon / BN / iBooks / Kobo

 Legend claims
When Scotland fell to English rule
The Highland dragons took a vow:
Freedom at any price.

The war for Scottish independence rages on, but it's only a matter of time before England is victorious. Exhausted and battle-weary, Highland dragon Erik MacAlasdair will face unknown seas to seek the Templar stronghold and claim a power so great it could free his beloved homeland forever.

If only that kind of power didn't come with such a terrible price.

Daughter of a mortal woman and an ancient dragon, Toinette has never forgotten the proud Scot who once stole her young heart—she'll gladly fight at his side. But when dark forces leave them stranded on a cursed island, it will take everything they have to defy their fate...and trust the passion that burns within the heart of every dragon.

Excerpt:

“How long has he been with you?” Erik asked as Marcus strode away over the deck.
Toinette hesitated a moment, searching his voice for prying or possessiveness, the sort of quality that would demand a sharp answer. She heard none, only a friendly question. It was a pleasant surprise from a man. “With me alone, these ten years. He sailed with my husband for five years before he died.”
“And he thinks you’re…”
“An adventurous young woman who married an older man. Hardly a creature of myth. He also doesn’t ask inconvenient questions.”
“A good quality in a companion.”
“That it is.” Toinette clasped her hands at the small of her back, lacing her fingers together, and stretched. The surrendering crack of her spine felt good. So did Erik’s eyes on her outthrust breasts.
She’d never been able to be very dishonest with herself. As a boy, Erik had been handsome in a gawky kind of way. He’d grown into himself in the last century, into a long nose and a square jaw, arms that rippled with muscle and thighs that filled his hose nicely. Jaded as Toinette was, she couldn’t stand near him and not feel desire ripple through her.
After Jehan’s death, she’d never taken lovers on board the Hawk, be they crew or customer. Men were too unpredictable, too apt to resent each other’s access to any woman’s bed or to think that their presence there gave them authority. Erik was possibly less dangerous in the second case, but the crew were no less prone to the first.
“What sort of birds are those?” Erik asked, sensing and then breaking the silence before it could become too awkward.
Toinette looked up and out. She spotted white wings, black heads, and a profile she knew well. “Terns. They’ll follow us for a little while, but they don’t go very far from land. Once we get further out into the ocean, we might see porpoises.”
“Do you catch them?”
“No. The men think it’s bad luck. For all I know, they might be right. No sense tempting fate on a voyage like this, is there?”
“Not in the least.” Erik grinned. “I’ve a fair idea of how daft the whole venture makes me sound.”
Toinette glanced back from the water to meet his eyes. “Do you think it’s daft?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Artair doesn’t, and it’s seldom that he’s far wrong.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment too.”
“You’re very quick to seize those.”
Toinette shrugged. “I’ve an eye for a good thing, and I’ll take what I can get.” She turned back to the waves, watching them rise and fall. White foam broke around the Hawk’s prow, and the boat rocked steadily onward. She could feel the wind as if she were the sail herself.
“Almost as good as flying, in its way,” said Erik.
“Oh,” Toinette laughed, “better to my mind. Much of the time, anyway.”
“Truly?” Perhaps remembering how quickly she’d taken to the air at Loch Arach, Erik sounded completely surprised.
“Mm-hmm.” Toinette turned around again, facing into the wind and taking a deep, salt-scented breath. “Flying, you’re above everything. You see it from a distance. It’s you and the stars and the clouds. The birds if you’re staying low enough. Don’t mistake me, there’s a glorious sort of freedom in all of that.”
“But…”
“But on the sea, you’re a part of things. You smell the air, you see the way the water changes from place to place, the difference in what you catch for dinner or the whales in the distance. You get to know the ship too.” She smiled. “I wager I could tell the Hawk beneath my feet even if I were blind. It’s a place to come back to, a thing you make and maintain—and I’d say that’s the mark of souled creatures, though I’m no priest. Craft.”
“Earth and water, not air,” Erik said thoughtfully.
“And not fire, God willing. Rather the opposite of your line.”
“Yours too—or rather your blood,” he amended the statement quickly.
“Ah, well, perhaps it’s the mortal in me. Drawn to what will outlast short-lived men and so forth.” Toinette waved a hand in the air.
“That could be on both counts,” said Erik, looking out to the water. The wind played with his golden hair. He had less to disturb than Toinette did, yet it still ruffled in the breeze, and strands clung to his neck. “The Norsemen carve dragons’ heads on their boats, you know.”
“They might just want to frighten their enemies.”
“We are often things to be feared,” Erik agreed, and his smile was devilish.
Toinette returned it. “Some of us more than others,” she said, “and perhaps for different reasons. Depending on who it is we’re frightening, of course.”
For just a moment, before she went to check on Marcus, she let Erik see the veiled challenge in her eyes.
It would be a long voyage. With no privacy, there was also no danger that either of them would get carried away. And few people were more qualified than Toinette to play with fire.

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Isabel Cooper lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her boyfriend and a houseplant she's managed to keep alive for over a year now—a personal best. By day, she's a mild-mannered editor at a legal publishing company. By night, she's really quite a geek: polyhedral dice, video games, and everything. She only travels through time the normal direction, and has never fought any kind of demon, unless you count younger sisters. She can waltz, though.

Find Isabel and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

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