Kicking It Blog Tour & Giveaway

Kicking It
Edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price
ISBN: 9780451419002

Featuring stories by FAITH HUNTER * KALAYNA PRICE * RACHEL CAINE * CHLOE NEILL * ROB THURMAN * SHANNON K. BUTCHER * LUCIENNE DIVER * CHRIS MARIE GREEN * CHRISTINA HENRY

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine has modern-day potions witches Holly and Andrew facing off against a firebrand politician who wears literally killer boots in a Texas-sized rodeo of trouble.

Boot-loving Cadogan vampire Lindsey must team up with off-again, on-again vampire partner Luc when a woman from her past is targeted by supernaturals in New York Times bestselling author Chloe Neill’s all-new adventure.

And New York Times bestselling author Rob Thurman features Trixa Iktomi from her Trickster series dealing with magical vengeance and magical footwear.

Taking kick-ass urban fantasy literally, USA Today bestselling authors Kalayna Price and Faith Hunter bring together the best of the genre to once again prove when you’re fighting supernatural forces, it helps to keep your feet on the ground.

KICKING IT excerpt:
 
The problem was the curls, and the vampire they belonged to. Luc, the Captain of the guards of Cadogan House. I was a guard, which meant he’d been my boss for years. My colleague. My friend. Now, he was my something-more-than-that…. I was still trying to put a name to what “that” was.

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Author Spotlight: Chloe Neill

CHLOE NEILL is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires and Dark Elite novels.

Find Chloe and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Chloe’s next release:

HOWLING FOR YOU, a Jeff and Fallon e-special, will be released on January 7, 2014. The next full-length Chicagoland Vampires novel, WILD THINGS, will be released February 3, 2014.  There are a lot of shifters in the future of the Chicagoland Vampires! 

Since Merit was turned into a vampire, and the protector of Chicago’s Cadogan House, it’s been a wild ride. She and Master vampire Ethan Sullivan have helped make Cadogan’s vampires the strongest in North America, and forged ties with paranormal folk of all breeds and creeds, living or dead…or both. 

But now those alliances are about to be tested. A strange and twisted magic has ripped through the North American Central Pack, and Merit’s closest friends are caught in the crosshairs.  Gabriel Keene, the Pack Apex, looks to Merit and Ethan for help.  But who—or what—could possibly be powerful enough to out-magic a shifter? 

Merit is about to go toe to toe, and cold steel to cold heart, to find out.

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 Tour Wide-US ONLY (no PO Boxes)

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Review: Flamebound by Tessa Adams

Flamebound

Author: Tessa Adams

Release Date: December 3, 2013

Publisher: Signet

Lone Star Witch Book #2

ISBN:  0451415051

ISBN13: 9780451415059

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher

After Xandra’s nasty run in with the Arcadian Council of Witches—where she was almost killed and her boyfriend, Declan, was almost framed for it—her plan is to lay low and figure out why its members would torment the people they are supposed to protect. Declan, temperamental and protective warlock that he is, doesn’t feel so reticent. And when violence erupts again, there’s no stopping him from pursuing revenge…

When a council member is murdered in a fashion that screams dark magic, Declan claims someone else beat him to it. Xandra doesn’t want to believe he could commit such a brutal act, but she knows he has a dark side—one that his former love interest Tsura understands better than she ever will. With Tsura back in town, Xandra doesn’t know whom to trust. And a killer targeting witches and wizards is still at large…

The witches on the council are being murdered and Xandra gets to witness it all compliments of her gift. If that wasn't bad enough she is connecting to a kidnapped child and is rushing to find her before it's to late.

The characters of this series take a lot of hits in FLAMEBOUND. Xandra's gifts start evolving, Declan's need for revenge is at an all time high and Xandra's family is targeted and will never be the same again. It doesn't feel like Xandra and Declan's relationship will ever be easy. They don't trust each other, their personalities clash a lot and they keep things from each other. I hope that changes because they make a great team when they actually work together and they make a hot couple. My favorite part of FLAMEBOUND? The ending. Wow, I was not expecting that. Anyone else see that coming? I was fooled 'til the end.

It took me a few chapters to get into book 2 and I seemed to have forgotten some of the events that happened in SOULBOUND so I had to catch myself up to speed. I constantly felt like the story was missing something or maybe I just wasn't into the story as much as I was in SOULBOUND? There were a few slow parts that might have contributed to the feeling of being unfulfilled? Will I read book 3? Of course. I still love what the author has done with the characters and the world they live in and I am still excited to see what will happen next.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars


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

Guest Blog: Coming Home by Kay Fraser

UFI welcomes Kay Fraser Author of Coming Home. Thanks for Joining us!!

I guess I should start this post off with a disclaimer. I'm definitely not a blogger. I enjoy writing immensely, but I could never really write about myself or my life. Stranger still, I'm a huge techie (I am, by trade and training, an applications developer), and yet, I know nothing about the blogging tools (or shall I say, CMS tools?) out there. What a silly contradiction I am. That being said, when asked to post something as part of this whirlwind blog tour, it would be sufficed to say that I was a bit at a loss. One of the prompts I received was to list what one would find in my 'library', and after a moment of thinking, decided that that was as good a place to start as any.

My 'library' is a wonderful little reflection of me. It's eclectic, and documents the phases of my life. They show fickle changes in taste and mood, I would say. I can see when the collection first started, about two decades ago. Like many writers, I'm a huge bibliophile. At that time, I was big into history. I dove head first into buying books from authors like Sharon Kay Penman, Mary Stewart, and Antonia Fraser. From there, I ventured into historical non-fiction, wanting the learn more about the actual events that inspired all the books I'd been reading. Thinking back, I spent a fortune back then (especially on a non-existent student's salary) buying those nicely bound volumes about the Crusades and the Black Death and such. These were pretty, heavy, hardcover books that took up a lot of space, and at the time, I absolutely loved them. It wasn't until later that I realized what a pain in the ass they were to move when I changed houses.

My historical phase never really died out, I don't think, but it eventually took a backseat to other genres. Of course, I always went back to it, but I did venture quite a bit into romance (although I don't own too many myself since I'm more inclined to borrow them from the library), science fiction/fantasy (from authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Lynn Flewelling, and Terry Goodkind ... (and yes, I can see your eyes rolling on that last one), supernatural/urban fantasy (i.e. Kelley Armstrong), and even non-fiction (i.e. Malcolm Gladwell).

As you can see, my 'library' is all over the board, so when someone asks me what's my favourite, I can't say exactly. I love all the books I buy (which now cover well over two walls of bookshelves), and I would say that all of them shaped my tastes and developed me, all in their own way, as a writer.

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Author Bio: Not knowing what she wanted to be when she grew up, Kay Fraser graduated from university with an eclectic selection of bachelor’s degrees (Biology, Education, and Computing Science). When she isn’t busy working full-time as a systems analyst in the corporate sector, she can be found: pretending to be an amateur foodie by trying new restaurants, appeasing her competitive nature by competing in marathons and triathlons, managing her aggression issues by training for her third degree black belt in taekwondo, and of course, indulging her soft ooey-gooey center by writing stories with a healthy dose of romance. She currently has two M/M romantic short stories (A Fairy’s Tale, and The Other Side of Midnight) published under the pseudonym G.O. Noce.

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Coming Home
Breathless Press

Christopher Whyte never aspired to hold a respected position in the Langholm household. After all, during his youth, he had once been caught trying to pickpocket the former earl of Langholm. Yet somehow, through the magnanimous nature of the family and some unexpected circumstances, he has become valet to the new earl. However, with the new earl's arrival come the bittersweet memories and unwanted emotions that Kit had thought buried long ago. Then, an unexpected offer gives Kit a new perspective on his situation, and he must make a choice: a life of security and stability away from his new master, or one of unrequited love with him? 

Alexander Harrington, the new earl of Langholm, knows he shouldn't have come back. After having fought in the Crimean War, the man he had once been no longer existed. As the Christmas season nears, he is only further reminded of how far removed he is from the idealistic youth he once was and how foreign his home now feels. But it is his new valet, a man he vaguely remembers from childhood, begins to rouse something within him—something sweetly tempting, yet undeniably forbidden. And when the reality of losing Kit becomes all too real, he is forced to confront and beat his past demons. Can a Christmas miracle restore his long lost faith before Kit is lost to him for all time?

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Touch of the Angel by Rosalie Lario

UFI welcomes Rosalie Lario Author of The Demons of Infernum series. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Hero with a Secret

Have you ever read about a hero with a secret? Not just any secret, but a secret so big he’s kept it from everyone he knows for most of his life?

I have to admit, I love it when my heroes or heroines have big secrets. Not only does it give them a layer of depth for their love interest to uncover, but it also keeps me guessing as to what the characters’ true motives are.

In TOUCH OF THE ANGEL, Book 3 in my Demons of Infernum series, my hero has a big -secret. Ronin is a half-demon, and he and his three half-brothers work as interdimensional bounty hunters in New York City. They’ve been inseparable ever since they were brought together by their sadistic demon father when Ronin was nine years old. But even though there’s no one he trusts more than his brothers, there’s something he hasn’t told them about his past. Something that colors every relationship he has…especially the one with Amara, the succubus he met and fell for on the craziest night of his life.

As Ronin will soon discover, Amara has her own secrets. Not only is she a succubus whose touch is deadly, but she’s also enslaved to the incubus Ronin and his brothers are hunting. Once Ronin learns Amara is an unwilling pawn in the incubus’ evil plans, he determines to free her. But in the process, he’ll have to reveal all of himself…not just to her, but to the brothers he’s deceived for so long.

To hear more about Ronin and Amara’s love story, be sure to check out TOUCH OF THE ANGEL.

After months of no work, interdimensional bounty hunter Ronin Meyers jumps at the chance to locate an incubus who’s using succubi as murder weapons. Faced with deportation to hellish Infernum if he fails, Ronin will stop at nothing to take out the incubus and anyone else involved. Even the beautiful succubus who stole his heart—and nearly his life—during the most mind-blowing hour of his existence.

Night after night, Amara and her fellow succubi are forced to extract special abilities from the strongest Otherworlders for their psychotic master’s growing collection. When the gorgeous angel-demon hybrid she believed to be dead captures her, Amara is both stunned and elated.


But the happily-ever-after Amara’s dreamed about will have to wait. Before she and Ronin can find salvation, they must bring down the madman hell-bent on destroying everything—and everyone—they love. And Ronin and Amara are at the top of his list.
  

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Rosalie Lario is the award-winning, paranormal romance author of the Demons of Infernum and the Fallen Warriors series. Rosalie double majored in Anthropology and Classics as an undergraduate student, and briefly considered becoming an archaeologist before realizing they don't actually live the life of Indiana Jones. So what was a classical geek armed with a lot of useless knowledge to do? Become a lawyer, of course!

After attending law school in Florida, she practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn't nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. She never imagined all the mythology she'd learned throughout her undergraduate education might actually come in handy, but it makes perfect fodder for the paranormal romance stories she now dreams up.

When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children in their home state of Florida. You can visit Rosalie at her website: http://www.RosalieLario.com.

Find Rosalie and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Touch of the Angel
Demons of the Infernum #3

Amazon    BN

After months of no work, interdimensional bounty hunter Ronin Meyers jumps at the chance to locate an incubus who’s using succubi as murder weapons. Faced with deportation to hellish Infernum if he fails, Ronin will stop at nothing to take out the incubus and anyone else involved. Even the beautiful succubus who stole his heart—and nearly his life—during the most mind-blowing hour of his existence.

Night after night, Amara and her fellow succubi are forced to extract special abilities from the strongest Otherworlders for their psychotic master’s growing collection. When the gorgeous angel-demon hybrid she believed to be dead captures her, Amara is both stunned and elated.

But the happily-ever-after Amara’s dreamed about will have to wait. Before she and Ronin can find salvation, they must bring down the madman hell-bent on destroying everything—and everyone—they love. And Ronin and Amara are at the top of his list.

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Tour Wide 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases: 12/1-12/7

Sun Dec 1

 Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements 0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Tue Dec 3

The Accidental Werewolf 2 : Something About Harry (Accidentally Friends #8) by Dakota Cassidy

 Alien Research (Katherine "Kitty" Katt #8) by Gini Koch

 Darkwalker (Nicolas Lenoir #1) by E.L. Tettensor

 Flamebound (Lone Star Witch #2) by Tessa Adams 

 Prince of Shadows (Paladin Warriors #3) by Tes Hilaire

 Rain of the Ghosts (Rain Cacique #1) by Greg Weisman

 Sweet Revenge (Sins Brothers #2) by Rebecca Zanetti

 Unclaimed (The Amoveo Legend #5) by Sara Humphreys

Happy Reading!

Review: Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward

Forgotten in Darkness

Author:Zoe Forward

Release Date: September 22, 2013

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Scimitar Magi Book #2

ISBN:  0765328089

ISBN13: 9780765328083

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source:  Author

After an unjustified two-century stint in purgatory, Scimitar Magus Dakar returns to the human realm, renewing his eons-old curse. Either he or the woman he loves must murder the other within days of meeting in each new lifetime. To break the vicious cycle, he must kill her before she strikes her deathblow, something he's never done in the past.

Archaeology grad student Shay McGinnis suffers a near-death attack in pursuit of a piece of Scimitar Magi lore. But did the magnificent warrior who pinned her to the wall injure her or the daemon he fought? In her search for answers, she draws the attention of both an ancient evil sorcerer and the warrior Dakar. The attraction between her and Dakar is instant, and for Shay confusing. She wants to be with him, but intuition equates him with death. Not random death. Hers.

Will this be the lifetime they break the curse before they are murdered by an age-old enemy or worse kill each other yet again?

Many past lives have been spent under a curse that leaves the main characters of FORGOTTEN IN DARKNESS without the one that they love the most. During this life Shay doesn't remember who she is or who Dakar is to her. She does know that she is drawn to him but also fears him at the same time. Dakar has spent the last two centuries in purgatory keeping the one who cursed him and his love trapped. Now they are both free and he needs to keep Shay safe while also trying to break the curse that will leave him dead, again.

I enjoyed both Dakar and Shay. Dakar was dark and mysterious. He came of as brutish but once you got to know him you can't help but see him like Shay saw him all those lifetimes ago. Shay stands up for herself pretty well. She charges head first into danger but also seems vulnerable at times. The chemistry between the two was always pretty good but they both fight against their feelings for each other until the end. There were plenty of twists thrown into the plot involving Shay's parents, her step brother, etc. The action was non-stop and I enjoyed meeting all the other Magi. They truly are a team and work well together.

I was a little hesitant to read FORGOTTEN IN DARKNESS because I didn't read book 1 in the Scimitar Magi series but the author assured me that it could be read as a stand alone and she was right, I didn't feel lost at any point in the book. You could tell that there was continuation of a story that was already told but the book itself seemed to have its own plot that was well in hand by the end of the book. I'm not really one to read backwards so I probably wont be going back to book 1 but I look forward to book 3!

I gave it 4/5 stars


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

Week in Review: 11/24-11/30

Books Ive Bought/received

*Taken by Felicia Starr- eCopy- Author

* Black Arts by Faith Hunter- eARC- Publisher via Netgalley

Books I Read

Black Arts by Faith Hunter
Taken by Felica Starr
Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
Reviews Posted

Realm Walker by Kathleen Collins
Pawn by Aimee Carter
Black Heart by Christina Henry

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

* Monday- Covet Release Day Blast and Giveaway

* Tuesday- Interview with Lisa Casian author of Bloodrose

* Friday- Promo and Giveaway for Born in Chains by Caris Roane

*** I hope everyone had a wonderful Hanukkah and Thanksgiving Holiday! ***

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