Friday, September 30, 2016

Interview + Giveaway: Wicked Folk by Jamie McFarlane

UFI welcomes Author Jamie McFarlane. 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 have a guilty pleasure. I enjoy reading paranormal romance novels. I'm grateful for the advent of e-book readers where the people around me can't easily know what I'm reading.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

When I chose to name my publishing company, I settled on the name Fickle Dragon. To those around me the adjective fickle was of no surprise. I am the epitome of idea-of-the-month and have a wide variety of hobbies. Things I commonly return to are; bike riding, wood working and building little metal creatures by tacking random iron objects together with my welder.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

I'm a long form writer, primarily. That is, I prefer writing novels over short stories. There's a moment in the story, about two-thirds of the way through, when I turn the corner. It's the moment when the story turns from building up to working on resolution. I relish that moment and often stop writing for a day or two and reflect on the story to make sure I'm satisfied I've told the story I'm interested in.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
Two years ago, I negotiated my day-job's work hours from forty down to thirty-two. I'm grateful that I work for a company that would allow me to do so. As a result, I permanently have Fridays available for writing. This is the start of my writing week and I wake up on Friday morning at 06:30, feed the animals (cats and dogs), make coffee and breakfast and find my way into my office. My goal is always the same, I'll write a chapter (for me about 3,500 words) that day, no matter what. I then endeavor to write at least one more chapter between Saturday and Sunday and hope to get a run at one more chapter during evening hours.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?
My entry to UF was Butcher's Dresden Files, love that guy. Kim Harrison's Hollows series is amazing. Obviously I can't skip mentioning Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn, Alex Craft, Faith Hunter, Kami Garcia, Charlaine Harris, and many more. Recently I've been reading through Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series.

How would you pitch Witchy World to someone who has not heard of it before?
The Witchy World series follows our unlikely hero and modern day wizard, Felix Slade. Felix knows better than to meddle in the lives of witches, but he's drawn into their lives by visions and an unwillingness to stand idly by as dark forces threaten. It is in Wizard in a Witchy World (book 1) where Felix meets the love of his life, Gabriella, a beautiful witch who finds herself threatened by werewolves. In Wicked Folk, (book 2), a young witch is hunted by a demon and Felix discovers he has few answers for such a powerful being.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Witchy World is set in?

Witchy World is set in current day, where the general population has no idea of the paranormal or fantastic. As the series progresses, we discover that there are clues all around us as to the existence of the paranormal and the fantastic but people mostly ignore them and even excuse the evidence around them.

Felix, our wizard hero, was orphaned at an early age and raised by a witch and her coven. His separation from them was caused by his emerging powers and the danger he then posed to his foster family. Witch World starts up when Felix moves to a new town and attempts to build his own life, on his own.

Do you have a favorite scene in Wicked Folk (Witchy World Book 2)?
Absolutely. The opening scene where Lace, the beautiful young witch from the book's cover, discovers that her magically inept uncle is summoning a demon in the barn. As you can imagine, the demon escapes and it's nothing but trouble from that point forward.

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

Maggie, Felix's shape-shifting sister. She's irreverent and loves to call people out when they most need it.

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

I'm constantly working on new projects and switch between science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy and mystery. I haven't started work on the next Witchy World installment, but you can be assured it's not far off.

If you're interested in trying my science fiction series, Privateer Tales, Rookie Privateer is also free at this time.
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Jamie McFarlane is a graduate of Colorado School of Mines with a Master of Science in Mathematics. An avid reader, tinkerer, woodworker and metal sculptor, Jamie is just as likely to be seen smelting aluminum cans in his garage as he is tacking random, discarded iron objects into a small army of beasties that adorn his home’s landscaping.

Jamie’s writing career began as something of a dare which later turned into a tribute. In his late teens, Jamie was well known as the family story-teller, spinning fanciful yarns about ordinary events, usually with the objective of escaping well-deserved trouble.

One day, his mother, often the target of his mischievous tales, challenged him to commit his words to writing. Jamie promised he would but time passed, as did his beloved mother. In 2014, Jamie made good on his promise and published his first book.

Jamie is the author of a growing library of novels and novellas including the space opera series - Privateer Tales, and the urban fantasy series - Witchy World. Jamie lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Find Jamie and his books
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Wicked Folk 
Witchy World #2
Amazon

Late one night, a teenaged witch witnesses her uncle perform a forbidden ritual to summon a demon. His carelessness results in the demon breaking free and being released into the world. Drawn to the young witch's powers like a shark, the demon is only temporarily thwarted when she manages to escape.

Felix Slade is a wizard living far from the family he grew up with. Recently he's been unable to sleep as night after night a beautiful young witch is stalked by a demon in his dreams. Each night, new details are exposed and Felix is soon convinced that it’s up to him to prevent the woman’s demise. The dreams reach a critical point when Felix’s own family is threatened by the violence he’s sure is yet to come.

With his sister and the woman he loves by his side, Felix rushes to face the greatest challenge he’s encountered yet. There is great darkness inside him and he must choose to embrace or reject it in order to face the demon’s evil.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/_mvC7hUd2Lg

 Excerpt:

Summoned
Faa Farmstead, just outside Eppy Faire, five years ago
Lace Faa stared out at the waning crescent moon through the wavy glass of the old farmhouse window, wishing for even the slightest breeze. The day's heat refused to dissipate from the humid, summer air which clung to her as she tried unsuccessfully to fall asleep. As if on command, a slight puff of wind rustled the sheer curtains of her second floor window, carrying with it the faint sound of chanting. She strained her ears, curiosity piqued, wondering who might be working her family's hidden craft so late at night. Her gaze shifted to the barn across the gravel driveway. A flickering glow between weathered siding exposed the presence of lit candles and a ritual in progress.
She dropped her legs over the side of the bed and placed her feet in just the right spot to keep the weathered floor from creaking. At the age of sixteen, Lace wasn't fully initiated in the subtle magics of her kin, but moving silently had been drilled into her from an early age. She walked carefully, rolling from heel to toe along the unseen joists that supported the floor, avoiding loose boards as she slipped from bedroom to hallway. The hem of her white cotton nightgown thumped quietly, caressing the wooden stair treads as she descended to the kitchen.
For a moment, she paused at the screen door and considered its habit of screeching when opened. Wetting forefinger and thumb in her mouth, she rubbed them on the old, rusted top hinge. Tall and slender, Lace slipped through the door, opening it only a crack. Relief from the heat held in the old house was welcome as she picked her way gingerly across the gravel. Her eyes focused on the flickering light leaking from the ancient barn.
Lace negotiated the piles of junk that had found their final resting place next to the building and carefully placed both hands on the rough siding, leaning forward to look through one of the many cracks in its façade. Her eye came to rest on the edge of a white circle, drawn on the dirt floor only feet from her position. With her limited view, she glimpsed two black candles burning brightly at the tips of what she suspected was a pentagram, although without full view of the circle, she couldn't know for certain.
"Phezore Gesteriph Feoro, I summon you." The bold voice, her uncle Willum Gordon's, resumed chanting in the ancient language Lace believed was only known by her extended family. Her heart thudded in her chest, recognizing the simple ritual - if only from her reading.
"Oh, Willum," she whispered involuntarily before bringing her hand to her mouth.
"Who's there?" Willum asked loudly from within the barn.
Lace stepped back, startled, catching her heel on a piece of long forgotten machinery. She spun, trying to save herself, but in the poor light her knee came in contact with a stack of precariously balanced wooden crates. She lunged from her position, diving away from the collapsing junk, all pretense of stealth abandoned.  The tall door of the barn slid open as she twisted, trying to free her legs.
"Madge?" Willum asked, the low angle of wavering candles illuminating him eerily from behind.
Lace hastily scrawled a rune in the air with her finger, turning away from Willum's position so he wouldn't see the faint sparkling trail as she did. As an initiate of her clan's magic, she'd mastered the one spell that had come easily to her – shadow walk.
Willum stepped from the barn, closing the door behind him. Lace used the noise to her advantage and gained her feet, moving slowly from her original position. Willum turned and stared directly at her, standing stock still – a hunter trying to locate its quarry. Lace froze. She knew him to be cruel when cornered and he would not take kindly to her spying on his ritual. A weak practitioner by family standards, he'd often taken out his frustrations on her. With the provocation of an interrupted ritual, Lace well understood the danger she'd placed herself in.
Willum took a few steps forward, cutting the distance between them in half. Lace breathed slowly, trying to calm her heart, the lack of oxygen demanding deeper breaths. Swiping the air between them, Willum moved toward her. Slowly, she stepped aside, anticipating his movements. Sweat beaded on her forehead as his fingers came within inches of her face.




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Thursday, September 29, 2016

Review: Shadow Silence by Yasmine Galenorn

Shadow Silence
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Jove
ISBN:  0515156256
ISBN13: 9780515156256
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher
New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn invites readers to Whisper Hollow, where spirits walk among the living and the lake never gives up her dead…

Fifteen years ago, I ran away from Whisper Hollow, Washington, a small town on Crescent Lake in the Olympic Peninsula. But truth is, if you were born here, you can never really leave. I'm Kerris Fellwater, and I'm a spirit shaman. It's my responsibility to drive the dead back to their graves, because around Whisper Hollow, people—and secrets—don't always stay buried.

My best friend Peggin finds herself under a curse after she is almost taken by the Lady of the Lake, and the Unliving are determined to drag her back to the hungry waters. As Bryan—my guardian and mate—and I work to break the hex, we uncover a dark and violent mystery from the past. One the Hounds of Cú Chulainn will do anything to guard—even if they must summon a legion of the dead to destroy Whisper Hollow.

AUTUMN THORNS was a fantastic read that quickly had me wanting to read more about the world and the characters of the Whisper Hollow series. I was really excited to get my hands on SHADOW SILENCE and although I really enjoyed it, it didn't wow me as much as I was hoping.

So as I finished SHADOW SILENCE and prepared to write this review I had to sit down and ask myself what was wrong with it. Not a ton, but I quickly pinpointed that the over descriptive explanations and irrelevant additions added to the story killed some of the flow for me. I can't even begin to tell you how many times Kerris mentions that her breasts are big—giant really—and how she has to get special bras and how men in her past just dated her because they had big boob fetishes and oh yeah, her boobs are giant. I got it the first time, I didn't need it repeated and cried over throughout the whole book. The info was injected into situations that it just didn't seem to fit in. On top of that there were a lot of filler things added into SHADOW SILENCE that I could have done without—having to read the steps in which Kerris feeds her cats, washes her hair, etc.

Having gotten that out of the way, I still really enjoyed the characters and the overall storyline. There is a lot of focus on Peggin in SHADOW SILENCE and I enjoyed learning more about her and her relationship with Deev.  Kerris and Bryan's relationship continued to grow as well, but I felt like their relationship aspects of the book were kinda just thrown into the story as a background subject. I will pick up book two when it's time to see if the Whisper Hollow series stays on my must-read list.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

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

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Promo + Giveaway: The Graveyard Shift by Jamie K. Schmidt


The Graveyard Shift
Amazon

Erotic, sexy and sweet tales of vampires, ghosts, mages, shifters and dreamers of dreams. 

In this anthology, you will enter an adult bookstore run by two vampires and partake in the blood letting and sex. See a witch accidentally summon a vampire who gains power through love making, and then go clubbing with an urban vampire. 

But vampires aren't the only supernatural beings in this compelling collection of stories. Ghosts jam with their favorite rock bands. A Grail Maiden helps protect Arthur's cup, and a paralyzed cyber mercenary finds love inside virtual reality.
Excerpt:

DEIRDRE WAS A EUROPEAN PRINCESS whose lineage, no one dared question too closely.  She kept close companionship with Viola, a dark Countess of equal renown and deadly beauty.  In a time where the night was feared, they flourished and fed at all the best parties of the nobility.  
The Princess was as fair and fey as a moonbeam with silver hair and cerulean eyes.  She lived for excess and to play with her new found friends.  
The Countess was the opposite side of the coin.  With raven locks and soulless black eyes, she was a lithe viper who struck quickly and gleaned minions from the throngs of addled noblemen.
But good times always end, even for immortal royalty and when the church's mercenaries, The Prophecy of the Eye, became too interested in the beautiful thralls encircling the Princess and the Countess, the parties suddenly stopped.
This cycle continued for many centuries.  Deirdre and Viola graced Czarist Russia, continued on to Gay Paris and finally to the New World in gin joints and sleazy jazz dives of the Big Easy.  
While America lacked the polished old world charm and the distinct respect for one's betters, it also provided more of everything else, from money and thrills, to gambling and illegal liquor.
Its wide terrain allowed the Princess and the Countess to move from state to state until technology caught up with them and they learned the value of keeping a low profile.  They were able to exploit the innocence of the forties and fifties, but were swept away into a drunken frenzy of Free Love.  
By the late seventies, they reached a rhythm that was blown away by the "Me" generation of the eighties and the cynical creep of the 90's that exposed the world's monsters in vivid detail across television screens and eventually the Internet.
Now in the new millennia, there is nowhere to hide and no other frontiers to explore.  They found out the luxuries of the day could be gone in an instant.  Swiss bank accounts could be seized and the Princess and the Countess could be among the nouveau poor, scraping their living feeding off homeless and runaways.  They have become merchants, biding their time and hoping for another renaissance of excess.
An ignoble end for two from the finest Carpathian bloodlines.  
Perhaps a fitting end some may say, for however pretty the monsters are, they are still creatures of the night— or from hell as the church's mercenaries proclaim.  
The church's vanguards have also migrated from Europe. And like the Princess and the Countess, they have morphed and remade themselves to fit the times.  Always hunting, they are similar to the women they chase, although they would balk to see the comparison.  The church mercenaries seek to destroy magic and any evil that lives outside their doctrine.
Whether their victims deserve their fate or not is irrelevant.  
It was so much easier for both during the simple times, where murder was accepted and random acts of violence and carnage need not be explained for helicopters with news teams or amateur videographers.  They've learned a new dance for the modern world and it is kept to a very fine line.  Like the sword of Damocles, the truce poises hair thin.  It is not a matter of if that strand will break, but when.
And darkness save the innocents caught between.



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USA Today bestselling author, Jamie K. Schmidt, writes erotic contemporary love stories and paranormal romances.  Her steamy, romantic comedy Life’s a Beach reached #65 on USA Today, #2 on Barnes and Noble and #9 on Amazon.  Her Club Inferno series from Random House’s Loveswept line has hit both the Amazon and Barnes and Noble top one hundred lists and the first book in the series, Heat put her on the USA Today bestseller list.  Her dragon paranormal romance series from Entangled Publishing, has been called “fun and quirky” and “endearing.” Partnered with New York Times bestselling author and former porn actress, Jenna Jameson, Jamie’s hardcover debut, SPICE, continues Jenna’s FATE trilogy.

Find Jamie and her books
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Monday, September 26, 2016

Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

Stealing Snow
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Stealing Snow Book #1
ISBN:   1681190761
ISBN13: 9781681190761
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Review Copy Source: NetGalley
Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.

Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything...including Snow's return to the world she once knew.

This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero.

I was able to finish STEALING SNOW, but only because I skipped a lot of it by skimming paragraphs to get to the end.

I can't think of anything in STEALING SNOW that would make me recommend it to someone. I was so completely bored and for some reason, instead of putting it down and marking it DNF (did not finish) I forced myself to keep reading in hopes that it would get better. Unfortunately it never did.

Where was the world building? I was thrown into a world that I didn't know anything about and at the end, I still felt like I knew nothing. I had a hard time picturing where the characters were and when I could picture where they were I felt like something else was introduced before I could get comfortable in knowing the last place. There was a LOT of jumping around going on and I was always left feeling like things were unfinished. Snow jumps from group to group and never really finishes anything with any of them.

The love triangle—or should I say square? — was just another part of STEALING SNOW that I couldn't stand. Snow is in love with Bale, a fellow insane asylum patient, but then he's kidnapped and on her mission to find and save him there is Kai. But wait, it gets better! Here enters the thief. There is a lot of kissing other boys while her 'love' is sitting in a dungeon somewhere or maybe dead. I wasn't feeling any of her feelings at any time in STEALING SNOW. 

I am really surprised I didn't put STEALING SNOW down and was able to make it to the end. I absolutely hate that I was insanely bored with everything about it because I hate writing bad reviews. There was just way too much going on with zero development to fall back on in every part of this book.

I gave it 1/5 stars

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

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Week in Review: 9/18-9/24



Books Received for Review

Of Flame and Light by Cecy Robson
Venom and Vanilla by Shannon Mayer
The Continent by Keira Drake

Books I've Read

Quanta Reset by Lola Dodge
Beast of All by J.C. McKenzie
Witch's Pyre by Josephine Angelini

Reviews Posted

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

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

* Monday- Promo + Giveaway for Pocket Full of Tinder by Jill Archer

* Thursday- Promo + Giveaway for I’m Not Afraid of Wolves by Erin Hayes

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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, September 23, 2016

Review: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Harper Teen
ISBN:  0062385437
ISBN13: 9780062385437
Genre: Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Edelweiss
Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.



Although there were quite a bit of slow points in THREE DARK CROWNS, I enjoyed the overall story line and the characters circumstances were interesting enough to keep me wanting to find out what would become of them.

While I didn't find the characters super interesting on their own, the situations and their stories kept me wanting to read THREE DARK CROWNS. Each sister has different powers/talents/lives, but they all share one thing, their all queens fighting for the crown and they will have to kill two of their sisters to get it. There is a lot of learning about the characters and the different magic they have and the communities they belong to in THREE DARK CROWNS. The problem is, I still don't think we learn enough about the world that they live in and why it's the way it is. Of course each 'group' wants power, but I felt like we never got the whole story and I was left with a lot of questions.

As I stated above, there are a lot of slow points in THREE DARK CROWNS. Maybe now that we know—sorta—the sisters and their different lives, maybe book two will have a faster pace with less down time. I do have an idea of how this series will end, just because it's clear the current way of doing things doesn't seem to be working for this generation of triplets. I will be interested in seeing if my prediction is correct.

I didn't see the twist at the end coming, but it sure does make a few things make more sense and I am actually really interested in reading book two JUST to find out what the fall out from that bomb will be. I think you are either going to love THREE DARK CROWNS or be disappointing with it, I don't think a lot of people will be stuck in the middle like me. If you have the chance to borrow THREE DARK CROWNS from a friend or the library, give it a shot!

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Promo + Giveaway: I’m Not Afraid of Wolves by Erin Hayes



I’m Not Afraid of Wolves 

Erin Hayes
(The Cotton Candy Quintet #4)
Publication date: September 22nd 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Christine would do anything to get away from it all.
After escaping an abusive marriage and heading up a group of brand new performers, she’s tired and in need of a vacation. So when her sister Sara wants her to go camping out in the mountains of Georgia with the girls, she packs her bags for some rest and relaxation. Not even meeting a gorgeous park ranger like Colton Donnelly is going to distract her.
Except Sara didn’t tell her the real reason for the trip: she’s running away from a terrible secret. One that puts all of their lives in danger.
Now the vacation that Christine so desperately needed is ruined, but that’s the least of her worries. She has to use her wits and skills to save them all. Because she soon finds out that werewolves are very real. And they’ll stop at nothing to get their claws into her sister.
EXCERPT:
When the sliding door locked, I turned my gaze onto Sara and watched her, waiting for her to bring up her story. I wanted her to be the one who talked first, if only because I didn’t want to prod her too much if she was traumatized by whatever this was.
But if she was going to try to weasel her way out of talking to me, she had another thing coming.
“Wow,” she murmured softly. “Look at that full moon.”
I picked up a note of fear in her voice. “Yeah,” I said cautiously. “It’s beautiful.”
“I used to think so.” Sara turned around and looked back at me. Her eyes were wide with fright and the rigidity told me something else was going on with her.
Finally, my patience snapped.
“Sara, what’s wrong?”
“You won’t believe me,” she repeated, using the same phrase she used when we were putting food away.
I crossed my arms. “I think you’ll be surprised.”
Sara’s jaw worked. “I think I’m going to need more wine for this.”
I held up my glass. “Just drink mine.” Don’t think I’m letting you back in the kitchen that easily. She’d run away and hide and hoped I’d forget about it. She wanted to talk about it, but she was too afraid to.
She took my glass and downed the rest of it in one chug. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
“Okay,” she said, as if warming herself up for our talk. “Okay.”
“It will be all right,” I told her.
“No, it won’t.” Tears started filling her eyes. “Christine, do you believe in werewolves?”
Beautiful young bride walking on the field of flowers


Author Bio:
Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books.

She works as an advertising copywriter by day, and she's a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, and now San Francisco with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.



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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Review: Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

Magic Binds
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Ace
Kate Daniels Book #9
ISBN:   0425270696
ISBN13: 9780425270691
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher
Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…
I have massive love for Kate Daniels and her squad of friends and family. Every single book in this series has drawn me in and spit me out at the end with a massive craving for the next book. MAGIC BINDS was no different.

Kate and Curran are finally heading down the isle, but like anything else in their lives, they have to get through a lot of shit to get there. The emotions...oh the emotions... the 'feels' in MAGIC BINDS are pretty big and you are going to feel it all at every turn. Kate doesn't hold her punches —or her tongue for that matter—in any situation, big or small and as usual, there are a lot of situations to be had.

We find out a lot of information in MAGIC BINDS. Not only do we get to know more about Roland and his past, but we find out some big things about the mystery that is Christopher. On top of that, there is a lot of happenings going on with the Pack as well as the People. And Julie, when did she grow up? She really has changed a lot since she was introduced and I could seriously see her with her own spin-off series at some point down the road and she is going to be totally badass—she kinda already is. Months after reading MAGIC BINDS and I'm still kinda reeling about all that happened in book nine.

I have been WAITING for the ending that MAGIC BINDS offered, but I was still shocked when it actually came and it left me wanting the next book more than ever before. Gordon and Ilona are fantastic storytellers and they will always have a place of honor on my book shelf. Can't wait until book ten!

I gave it 5/5 stars

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

Monday, September 19, 2016

Promo + Giveaway: Pocket Full of Tinder by Jill Archer


Pocket Full of Tinder
Noon Onyx #4
Noon Onyx is back! In this long-awaited fourth installment, Jill Archer returns readers to the dangerous world of Halja, where demons, angels, and humans coexist in an uneasy state of détente.

Maegester-in-Training Noon Onyx feels like she’s done it all – mastered fiery magic, become an adept fighter, learned the law, killed countless demons, and survived having her heart broken by both love and an arrow, but now she’ll face her greatest challenge yet…

Far to the north lies an outpost famous for its unrest – Rockthorn Gorge. The town’s patron has specifically requested Noon’s help. Her assignment? Help the neophyte demon lord build his fiefdom and keep what’s his. The problem? Lord Aristos – Noon’s new employer – is her erstwhile lover, Ari Carmine, the aforementioned heart breaker. And the number one thing he wants is her.

When Rockthorn Gorge’s viaduct is destroyed by Displodo, an enigmatic bomber, killing a dozen settlers and wounding scores more, Noon sets off early to aid in the search and rescue. Ari is listed among the missing and the suspects are legion. But Noon’s search is just the beginning. Her journey forces Noon to confront not only those she loves, but also enemies hell-bent on destroying them.
Excerpt:


The claw-and-ball had been chewed clean off. It lay on a patch of sunny parquet floor, just to the right of an antique, aubergine wool rug now covered with the splintered remnants of an eleventh century pedestal table and one very large, ghastly looking, somewhat repentant barghest.
Nova’s head rested on her front paws as her gaze shifted warily from me to Miss Bister, Megiddo’s dormater, or house mother.
“Megiddo’s lobby is not a kennel, Miss Onyx. That”—she motioned dismissively toward Nova—“beast can no longer be housed here.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Miss Bister continued speaking, her tone rising only infinitesimally, her back as stiff as Luck’s lance must have been, and her expression just as hard. She pointed toward the previously priceless, three-footed piece of furniture that was now a worthless, two-footed pile of kindling.
“No amount of money – or magic – can fix that, Nouiomo. It’s beyond repair. I warned you. I made an exception to my ‘no pets’ rule because you never cause trouble. You never forget your key; you promptly pick up your deliveries; you change your own light bulbs; you double bag your trash. You leave nothing behind in the bathroom; you don’t monopolize the washing machines; you are exceedingly polite to the lift operator; you don’t sing in the shower.”
I suppressed a sigh. After a year and a half of painstaking efforts, harrowing experiences, and endless hours of education, my worth had just been measured by the fact that I could change a light bulb. I’d mastered fiery magic, become an adept fighter, learned the law, killed countless demons (one regrettably, the others much less so), freed myriad immortals from an accursed, tortured bondage, and survived having my heart nearly destroyed by both love and an arrow, yet none of that meant bupkis next to the fact that I double bagged my trash. And yet…
I couldn’t really argue with Miss Bister either. Everything she’d said was true. And who was I to tell her what she should deem important? I respected that she valued domestic order and antiques. I did too, if not nearly as much as I valued the thing that now threatened our continued access to such. I glared at Nova, who swept one paw over her eyes as if she could hide from me and the evidence of what she’d done.
Barghests are giant hellhounds. They’re bigger than bears, fiercer than rabid raccoons, and uglier than naked mole rats. Their teeth are the size of railroad spikes, their claws as sharp as a sickle, their breath as foul as sewage gas. But they are also affectionate, brave, and loyal. What barghests lack in magic, they make up for in devotion. And even though I was plenty mad at Nova for chewing up Miss Bister’s table, I also knew it wasn’t Nova’s fault.
It was mine – for thinking the lobby of a demon law school dormitory would be a good place to keep her.
“Miss Bister, please,” I said. “I’m truly sorry. I know I can’t replace that exact table. But if you would just allow me to—”
“No,” Miss Bister said simply. “Either the beast goes… Or you do.”
I stared at the small, frail, magicless woman in front of me, trying desperately to think of some way to fix this problem. Wasn’t there something I could do, or say, or offer her that would make amends and convince her not to kick us out?
But all I could think of was how useless some of the things our society valued most were. As Miss Bister had pointed out, neither magic nor money would help. If I was going to repair the table, I’d need to find another way. Which would take time. And that meant I’d need to find somewhere else for us to sleep tonight. Because if the beast was going… I was too.
“Yes, Miss Bister,” I said. “I understand.”
She narrowed her eyes, slightly suspicious of my now gracious defeat since I’d just spent the last half-hour trying to persuade her to accept various forms of reparation. But then she nodded, handed me a couple of paper bin bags, and left.
I slid one bag inside the other and stooped down to pick up the slobbery remains of Nova’s mangled chew toy. When I finished, she came over to me and nudged my arm with her head. She let out a woofy whine.
Was she sorry? She darn well better be!
I gave her a scratch behind the ears.
“Now that you’ve sharpened your teeth on my former dormater’s furniture, are you ready to eat some real food for breakfast?”

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Jill Archer writes dark, genre-bending fantasy from rural Maryland. Her novels include Dark Light of Day, Fiery Edge of Steel, White Heart of Justice, and Pocket Full of Tinder. She loves cats, coffee, books, movies, day tripping, and outdoor adventuring.

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Spooktacular Wide

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