Interview & Giveaway: Bad Luck Girl by Sarah Zettel

UFI welcomes Sarah Zettel Author of The American Fairy. 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'm a life-long magic geek. I love reading about magic, writing about magic, seeing movies about magic. I love stage magicians. I grew up on all kinds of fairy tales. I breathed it all in like oxygen, from the Brother's Grimm to The Wizard of Oz to The Lord of the Rings. When people ask where did you get your ideas for American Fairy from, that's where.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?
 
Down time? What's that? In addition to writing, I've got a husband and a 12 year old son which keeps me very busy. But, when there's time, I enjoy reading, music, travel, and camping.

What is your Favorite part of writing? 
 
Unwrapping a brand new shiny idea. That's the most exciting part, the realization that this is something, I could do something with this, something exciting and entertaining...

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
 
I started writing when I was pretty young, twelve or so. So, I learned to write wherever I could find space and quiet. I can still do that, which is a real help when it comes to being able to write in a crowded, busy life.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?
 
Hmmm...let's see. I'm going to broaden this a bit to include horror and fantasy in general. To touch on the classics of the genre, I'd have to go with Ray Bradbury as one of the Greats and of course Stephen King. The author who turned me from a reader to a writer was Ursula K. Le Guin. For more current writers, I'd say Gail Carriger, Ann Aguirre, Holly Black, and Erin Bow (oh, Erin Bow! Plain Kate was one of the best YA fantasies I've ever read!).

How would you pitch The American Fairy Series to someone who has not heard of it before?
 
Fairies in the Dust Bowl.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that The American Fairy Series is set in?
 
The main setting is America in the 1935. It's the height of the Great Depression. Magic is real, but hidden here and the two great "courts," of magical beings, the Seelie and the Unseelie, have entered the human world via thin spots in the shifting fabrics between the worlds. Callie has lived all her life in the Dust Bowl town of Slow Run, Kansas. She believes her father to be a jazz musician and a black man. She's right, but what she doesn't know is he's also a prince of the Unseelie Court who gave up his crown for love. Callie's quest to find the truth about her family and her own powers takes her from the middle of the worst dust storm in US history, to Kansas City, to golden age Hollywood, to the sprawling city of Chicago, and to all the variations on the fairy kingdoms that they hold.

Do you have a favorite scene in Bad Luck Girl ?
 
I'm very fond of the scene with Jack's brothers where Callie absolutely loses it and lashes out with the full force of her powers. It is exciting and satisfying to write a character driven to an extreme, even when you know This Does Not End Well.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?
 
All of them. That's really not me being cute. Once you start digging into the heart of a book, all characters become more difficult. Each one has to make sense withing their own view point, and each one has to fit the larger narrative. It's a constant journey of discovery, and a constant balancing act

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?
 
I have a historical series, Palace of Spies, which is set in the court of King George I. The first book PALACE OF SPIES is out now, and the second book DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS will be out in November.

Thanks for letting me come "chat."

Sarah Zettel

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Sarah Zettel is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author and one of the founding members of Book View Cafe. She has written fourteen novels and a roughly equal number of short stories over the past ten years in addition to practicing tai chi, learning to fiddle, marrying a rocket scientist and raising a rapidly growing son. She is very tired right now.

Find Sarah and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Bad Luck Girl
The American Fairy #3

After rescuing her parents from the Seelie king at Hearst Castle, Callie is caught up in the war between the fairies of the Midnight Throne and the Sunlit Kingdoms. By accident, she discovers that fairies aren't the only magical creatures in the world. There's also Halfers, misfits that are half fairy and half other--laced with strange magic and big-city attitude. As the war heats up, Callie's world falls apart. And even though she's the child of prophecy, she doubts she can save the Halfers, her people, her family, and Jack, let alone herself. The fairies all say Callie is the Bad Luck Girl, and she's starting to believe them.

A strong example of diversity in YA, the American Fairy Trilogy introduces Callie LeRoux, a half-black teen who stars in this evocative story full of American history and fairy tales.

Supports the Common Core State Standards.

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Review: Aces Wild by Amanda Carlson

Aces Wild

Author:Amanda Carlson

Release Date: June 2, 2014

Publisher: Self- Published

Sin City Collectors Book #1

ISBN13:  9780990392804

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: Author

Welcome to Vegas. Home of the Sin City Collectors. The job description is easy: Bring the offending supernatural in to the Boss and don’t ask any questions.

Nevada Hamilton has learned a few things since becoming a Sin City Collector, and staying away from vampires is one of them. After botching her first Collection, the vamp getting away after causing as much damage as possible, she hasn’t been assigned to another one since.

But when she receives her next playing card, she’s in for a surprise. Not only is a vampire her next target, but they’ve paired her up to make sure she gets the job done right. Refusing a Collection is not an option, but when she discovers who she’s working with, making the mission as difficult as possible for her new partner becomes her top priority…

Being a hellhound isn’t enough to protect Jake Troubadour from Nevada Hamilton, no matter how thick his skin is. Finding out he has to work with the beautiful dhampir, after not seeing her for three years, is a low blow—but Jake is a professional. He takes his Collections as seriously as he does running his bar. He’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done, but after that, he’s out. No more chances for the girl who wrecked his bike and scarred his soul so long ago. But even with his heart dead set against it, this hellhound quickly finds he’s not immune to love after all.

What’s Collected in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

Looking for a short paranormal romance? Set in Las Vegas? With both vampires AND shifters? Well your in luck! ACES WILD is the first novel in the new Sin City Collectors Series.

Nevada has done everything possible to forget that one night she had with Jake three years ago. She has kept her distance and is doing fine until he ends up as her new partner for her next collection. Not happy about it she pushes him away while wishing she could hold him close.

The attraction between Nevada and Jake is instant so you don't really understand her hate for him. As you learn a bit more about their past together you get to understanding Nevada a bit more which helps you see through the wall of attitude she puts up. Watching the two get over issues that neither of them could control makes the romance much more believable and enjoyable. Don't worry, romance isn't the only thing going on in ACES WILD, the collection ends up being way more personal than either of the characters could have imagined.

Although ACES WILD is novella length, Carlson does a great job of introducing us to the new world of Sin City Collectors and giving us the back story between her characters. There is a surprising amount of action to be found as the conflict gets pretty heated. ACES WILD was a great start to this new and unique continuity novella series and I look forward to reading the next chapter QUEEN OF HEARTS by Kristin Painter.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Sidekick by Auralee Wallace

UFI welcomes Auralee Wallace Author of Sidekick. Thanks for Joining us!!

Getting Inspired: Re-writing the B-movie
Five movies I absolutely must see…but maybe not in their entireties
 
I love B-movies. I really, really do. I think my debut novel, Sidekick, out June 1^st, demonstrates the flavor of that love. It’s campy. It’s fun. It pushes the boundaries of reality. It’s just like a comic book version of a B-movie, with one big exception: nobody’s top falls off. Recently, I discovered some classic movies that had somehow escaped my notice, so I decided to create a To-Be-Viewed list. The following samples from this list are some of the most fascinating and horrifying examples. Please enjoy responsibly.

Oh! I’ve also thrown in some pretty fabulous movie posters…enjoy.

Before we begin: some of the trailers for the movies listed below can be found on the web, but I’m not sure about the whole legality of that, so I won’t provide the links. All the posters are from movies found in the public domain – which means, if you can find them, you can download them for free. Just don’t blame me if you do.

(Poster One: Gotta love women running away with their tops falling off. Classic. Poster Two: Would you look at all those ladies lying prone in bikinis? They’re just ripe for the leeching.)

1. Faster Pussy Cat Kill Kill (1965)
It seems that everyone has heard about this movie but me. From what I can glean, this film has it all: rogue go-go dancers (yes, you read that right), fast cars speeding through the desert, girls slapping each other…a lot, and when they’re not seducing poor lecherous farmers out of their money, they’re killing men with their bare hands. Really, you had me at hello.

2. Devil Girl From Mars (1954)
I can’t have a B-movie wish-list without an alien flick, and I have to admit the title has a certain panache….and it only gets better from there. You see, on Devil Girl’s planet they had this gender war which the women won. Unfortunately, the males who survived, lost all their sexual prowess. Who knew women’s rights had such unforeseen consequences? So Devil Girl has come to Earth to steal the planet’s most potent men. Get out your ray guns ladies! We need to protect Earth’s sperm!

(Poster One: Oooh, scary skull with bloody fingertips…or is that nail polish? Nail polish isn’t scary. And look! Another woman with her top falling off! I never seem to have that problem, but that’s just me. Poster Number Two: Did you read the captions? I…I have no words.)
 
1. The Big Doll House (1971) Women’s jail in the jungle. Do I really need to say more? Now, I must insist you go search for the trailer immediately – not, however, if you are under the age of 18. It’s quite the experience. In it, you will find mud wrestling, guns pointed at penises, inexplicable sexy-time dancing in jail cells…then…then there is this one scene where a topless woman is lying on some sort of slab while a snake dangles above her face, and yes, the snake looks a whole lot like something else. Someone fetch me my fainting couch. My poor heart can’t take much more.

2. The Wild Women Of Wongo (1958) Now this one really blew my mind. It starts, apparently, with Mother Nature getting experimental. She creates one island with brutish, ugly men and beautiful women, and another island with brutish, ugly women and handsome men. The two islands don’t know of each other’s existence until an attack from ape men on the handsome man island forces a messenger to cast off in search of help. As you can imagine all hell then breaks loose. Also, in the mix, is an angry crocodile god…to which I say, sure, why not?

(Poster One: Women trapped in spider webs. Hahaha. Terrible. Poster Two: What is that hand doing to her head? Whatever it is, it doesn’t look pleasant)

1. The Barbarians (1987) Now, women are not the only victims of ridiculous sexualized representations in the movies. So, for the men, may I offer this little…or, ehem, excuse me….big offering of cinematic goodness. You don’t have to view the trailer for this. Really, the poster is more than enough. So big. So twin-y. So homoerotic. Summary: the twins are part of a peaceful tribe of entertainers until one day, they are attacked by this sorcerer dude who kidnaps their queen, and…oh screw it, does it really matter? Just check out the poster.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this sampling of B-movie wonders! Next time, we’ll make popcorn.

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Auralee Wallace has played many roles in her life, including college professor, balloon seller, and collections agent. She is now living her dream of writing humorous women’s fiction. When this semi-natural blonde mother of three children (and psychiatric nurse to two rescue cats) isn’t writing or playing soccer, she can be found watching soap operas with lurid fascination and warring with a family of peregrine falcons for the rights to her backyard.

Find Auralee and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Sidekick

Bremy St James, daughter of billionaire Atticus St James, has been cut off from the family fortune and is struggling to survive in a world that no longer holds its breath every time she buys a new outfit. To make matters worse, her twin sister is keeping secrets, loan sharks are circling, and the man of her dreams — a newspaper reporter — is on assignment to bring down everyone with the last name St James.

Things are certainly looking bleak for the down-and-out socialite until a good deed throws her into the path of the city’s top crime-fighter, Dark Ryder. Suddenly, Bremy has a new goal: apprentice to a superhero, and start her own crime-fighting career.

Ryder has no need for a sidekick, but it turns out the city needs Bremy’s help. Atticus St James is planning the crime of the century, and Bremy may be the only one able to get close enough to her father to stop him.

Now all she needs to do is figure out this superhero thing in less than a month, keep her identity secret from the man who could very well be The One, and save the city from total annihilation.

Well, no one ever said being a superhero would be easy...

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New Releases: 6/8-6/14

Mon June 9th

 Stone Song (Cold Iron #3) by D.L. McDermott

Tues June 10th

 Born of Deception (Born of Illusion #2) by Teri Brown

 Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

 The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey 

 Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1) by Michelle Krys Joe Shine 

 I Become Shadow by Joe Shine 

 Jaguar's Kiss (Lone Pine Pride #1) by Vivi Andrews 

 The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

 Push (The Game #2) by Eve Silver

 The Strange Maid (The United States of Asgard #2) by Tessa Gratton

 Wings (Black City #3) by Elizabeth Richards

 

Happy Reading!

Guest Blog & Giveaway: A Vampire's Promise by Carla Susan Smith

UFI welcomes Carla Smith Author of A Vampire's Promise. Thanks for Joining us!!

Favorite paranormal authors …      

            As a writer I know Golden Rule # 1 is to write every day. Something that, despite my best efforts, I am not always able to execute. It would be so much easier if I didn’t have to deal with those little interruptions that are a part of … well, life. Things like making dinner, doing laundry, or making sure an old dog with dodgy bowels makes it outside in time. There are days when just thinking about opening my laptop is the full sum of my creative productivity.
               
            Same goes for Golden Rule # 2, which is to read. All writers need to read, especially their own genre. While it’s highly doubtful that J.R. Ward or Sherrilyn Kenyon are rushing out to see what new and inventive plot line yours truly has come up with, I fantasize that one day my novels will make it on their “must read” list.

            In the meantime. here are some of my “must read” paranormal authors. 

            I don’t think you can write anything about vampires, and not include J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. These boys definitely know how to party and in case anyone is interested, my favorite is Rhage. I find his open-mouth-insert-foot manner kind of endearing. And that tat on his back is a definite jaw-dropper.

            Now although her series isn’t primarily about a vampire, there is a character who definitely believes he’s one in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever books. But to be honest I spent so much time trying to decide who was hotter, the death-by-sex Fae prince, V’lane, or the not-so-human Jerricho Barrons, everyone else kind of faded into the background.

            Of course Anne Rice is famous for her Interview with the Vampire (and by the way I thought Antonio Banderas stole the movie with his portrayal of Armand - eat your heart our Brad Pitt!), but she also wrote a truly fabulous book called The Witching Hour that I can read over and over again. And no bookshelf should be without Erica Hayes’ Shadowfae Chronicles. They’re a great must-read. Similarly Susan Squires’ Companion series has a fantastic symbiotic relationship between vampire and host which I found very original.

            While I’ve never read The Vampire Diaries, I do like the Night World books written by L. J. Smith, and it would be remiss of me not to mention both the Twilight series as well as the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Both wildly successful, and responsible for bringing vampires screaming back into the mainstream. Thank you to both authors.

            For fantasy it doesn’t get any better than George R. R. Martin with his A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones), and Anne Bishop wrote a great series called The Black Jewels (don’t tell me the demon-dead don’t have vampire inclinations). For anyone who hasn’t read these books, I would definitely advise reading the first three in order, because then you won’t be going ‘WTF?’ at events referenced in later novels.

            And by the way both Annes have now ventured into the land of werewolves. The Wolf Gift Chronicles (Anne Rice) and The Others (Anne Bishop) are two very different and unique takes on the subject of our furry shape-shifting friends.  

            But my absolute favorite author of all time doesn‘t actually write romance novels. Not that there aren’t romantic elements in his books, but for sheer absolute how-the-hell-does-he-come-up-with-this-stuff?, you can’t beat Stephen King. The guy can take the washing instructions from a pair of pants and make them scary. Now that’s genius. Oh, but he did write about vampires. A little gem called Salem’s Lot.

            Absolutely Brilliant.  

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Carla Susan Smith owes her love of literature to her mother, who, after catching her pre-teen daughter reading by flashlight beneath the bed covers, calmly replaced the romance book she had “borrowed” with one that was far less risqué, and much more appropriate! Though she was encouraged to include different genres in her reading tastes, romance - paranormal romance in particular - has always been her first love.

Born and raised in England, she now calls South Carolina home, where she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, awesome son, and a canine critique group (if tails aren’t wagging then the story isn’t working!) When not writing, she can usually be found in the kitchen trying out any recipe that calls for rhubarb, working on her latest tapestry project or playing catch-up with her reading list.

Find Carla and her books

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

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A Vampire's Promise
Amazon Kensington iTunes BN

Trust Your Instincts
Rowan Harper is nothing but a smart-mouthed bookstore clerk with a crappy love life on the night she walks into Rosie's Bar. Most of the drama in her life is borrowed from her best friend's adventures. But when she meets Gabriel--tall and movie star gorgeous--everything changes. Never mind that she turns down the drink he offers, or that he brims with secrets she can't begin to guess at. He ignites a desire in her she never suspected--and shows a fascination with her she can't explain.
He has no family, no job, no bank account;he knows where she lives and her favorite flower. An aura of mystery cloaks him, even as Rowan grasps for facts, even as she fears an answer that could destroy her happiness. Gabriel can guide her through a wonderland of new sensations. But only if Rowan trusts him enough to follow. . .

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Week in Review: 6/1-6/7

Books I've Bought/received

* Wickedly Dangerous by Deborah Blake- ARC- Publisher

* Black Rook by Kelly Meade- eARC- Publisher 

* Fire Rising by Donna Grant- ecopy- NetGalley

* Shadow of Temptation by Jessie Donovan- eARC- Author

* Black by Catherine Winters- eARC- Author

* Mirror X by Karri Thompson- eARC- NetGalley

Books I've Read

Past My Defenses by Wendy Sparrow
Black Rook by Kelly Meade
Fire Rising by Donna Grant
Wickedly Dangerous by Deborah Blake
Dirty Little Misery by Tracey Martin

Reviews Posted

Quick Thought Reviews
- Shiver of Light by Laurell K Hamilton
- Compelled by Shawntelle Madison
- In the End by Demitria Lunetta
- Darkest Flame by Donna Grant
- Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett

Love Potions by Michelle M. Pillow

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

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

* Monday- Covet Release Blast for Love Potion by Michelle Pillow

* Wednesday- Interview for To Wish Upon a Roman by Ishabelle Torry, Promo for Enslaved By the Others by Jess Haines

* Thursday- Promo & Giveaway for  Queen's Wings by Jamie Schmidt

* Friday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Mortal Enchantment by Stacey O'Neale

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

* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

BlogLovin

Networked Blogs

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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.

Quick Thought Reviews

Sometimes I read a book where I just don't have a lot to say about it. Hence the name quick thought reviews. These will be short and sweet.

Shiver of Light

Author:Laurell K Hamilton

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Publisher: Berkley

Merry Gentry Book #9

ISBN:  0425255662

ISBN13: 9780425255667

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source:Publisher

I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. Legal name Meredith Gentry, because “Princess” looks so pretentious on a driver’s license. I was the first faerie princess born on American soil, but I wouldn't be the only one for much longer...

Merry Gentry, ex–private detective, now full-time princess, knew she was descended from fertility goddesses, but when she learned she was about to have triplets, she began to understand what that might mean. Infertility has plagued the high ranks of faerie for centuries. Now nobles of both courts of faerie are coming to court Merry and her men, at their home in exile in the Western Lands of Los Angeles, because they will do anything to have babies of their own.

Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, is a more dangerous problem. He tried to seduce Merry and, failing that, raped her. He’s using the human courts to sue for visitation rights, claiming that one of the babies is his. And though Merry knows she was already pregnant when he took her, she can’t prove it.

To save herself and her babies from Taranis she will use the most dangerous powers in all of faerie: a god of death, a warrior known as the Darkness, the Killing Frost, and a king of nightmares. They are her lovers, and her dearest loves, and they will face down the might of the high courts of faerie—while trying to keep the war from spreading to innocent humans in Los Angeles, who are in danger of becoming collateral damage.

*Sigh* Like with her Anita series, the constant off topic or inappropriate rambling tends to get to you. For example, Frost gets hurt and Meredith is worried about him. Something happens with Mistral and the weather so Meredith kisses him to calm him down. THEN all of a sudden she HAS to tell him that she cant have 'intercourse' with him because she just had the babies (which she has already said like 20 times in the last couple chapters) and goes on to say she can do 'oral and hand' on all her men. Then people start talking about who will get to go first, who will give it up and wait, etc etc... Oh yeah Frost is hurt, she lets him rest in bed and goes to the extra room with the lucky two winners. Laurell also tends to go into detail about inconsequential matters or things she just went into detail about in a chapter or two before. It becomes repetitive and ruins the flow of the story.

I wish I could say the storyline made up for this but the fact is that sex, talking about the views on bi/gay men and their polyamorous lifestyle is pretty much the only thing happening in SHIVER OF LIGHT. Huh, I guess I had more to say about this than I thought.

I gave it 2/5 stars

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

Author: Shawntelle Madison

Release Date: May 5, 2014

Publisher: Self-Published

Coveted Book #3

ISBN:  0988798530

ISBN13: 9780988798533

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

 For the past five years, Natalya Stravinsky has dreamed of two things: to rejoin the South Toms River werewolf pack and to be reunited with Thorn Grantham. Fate may have brought the pack back into her life, but unless she journeys to Russia to save Thorn, the love she’s found may be lost again. For a stubborn werewolf like Natalya, no distance is too far, no magic spell too complex to master, because one way or another she will find a way to have everything she has ever wanted.

Beautiful cover! I really enjoyed the previous books in the Coveted Series. After KEPT I was excited to see what would happen now that Natalya and Thorn were finally together. Unfortunately a good bit of COMPELLED took place with them apart and when they were together it was away from the pack and while Thorn was deathly ill.

Overall there was a lot of character growth and Natalya did a lot of self learning but I missed her family and friends and I was really hoping to have them more involved in clan life now that the happy couple was finally together.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Author: Demitria Lunetta

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Publisher: Harper Teen

In The After Book #2

ISBN:  0062105485

ISBN13: 9780062105486

Genre: Young Adult/ Dystopian

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

 The thrilling conclusion to In the After, the survival story of Amy and Baby, set in a near future where Earth has been overrun by vicious, predatory creatures.

It’s been three months since Amy escaped New Hope, and she’s been surviving on her own, like she did in the After. Until one day, her former fellow Guardian’s voice rings out in her earpiece. And in a desperate tone, Kay utters the four words Amy had hoped she would never hear: Dr. Reynolds has Baby.

Now it’s a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. In order to save Baby, Amy must make her way to Fort Black, a prison-turned-survivor-colony, where she will need to find Ken, Kay’s brother. He alone holds the key to Baby’s survival.

One small slip-up on this quest could spark a downward spiral that would not only cost Baby and Amy their lives, but threaten the very survival of the people in the After.

IN THE AFTER truly blew me away and I was impatiently waiting for the release of IN THE END. The second book didn't blow me away like the first but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There is a bit of a different feel to the book now that she is again on her own but surrounded by people in Fort Black. She gains new allies and eventual makes her way back to New Hope but the road their is not pleasant or easy.

Great writing, plenty of action and danger and lots of new people brought this story full circle.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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Darkest Flame

Author:Donna Grant

Release Date: April 29, 2014

Publisher: St. Martins

Dark Kings Book #1

ISBN:  1250041368

ISBN13: 9781250041364

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source:NetGalley

 The Dark Kings have fought for centuries to preserve their dragon magic. But one of the most powerful warriors of his kind will be put to the ultimate test. Is he strong enough to resist his greatest temptations? Or will he be forced to surrender - body and soul?

Her beauty is a weapon

Denae Lacroix is a beautiful MI5 agent on a deadly mission. Sent to the Scottish Highlands to spy on the mysterious Dreagan Industries, she discovers too late that she’s been set up - as human bait. She is an irresistible lure for a man who has not seen or touched a woman for centuries. He is a man with a destiny - and a desire - that could destroy them both...

His passion is a curse...

It’s been twelve hundred years since Kellan has walked among humans - and there’s no denying the erotically charged attraction he feels for Denae. But as a Dragon King, he is sworn to protect his secrets. Yet the closer he gets to this smart, ravishing woman, the more her life is in danger. All it takes is one reckless kiss to unleash a flood of desire, the fury of dragons…and the fiercest enemy of all.

I had no clue that there were a few short stories that took place before DARKEST FLAME so when things started to get a tad bit confusing a couple chapters in I took the chance to stop reading and check those out first. I'm sure you could get away with skipping them but it will make the world and characters make more sense.

I enjoyed learning about Kellan and Denae and watching them BOTH come out from behind their walls as they fell in love. I look forward to watching the next couples story as the series continues. Characters from the Dark Warriors series make an appearance as well so that was a nice little surprise.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Author:Jenn Bennett

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Publisher: Pocket

Arcadia Bell Book #4

ISBN:  1451695128

ISBN13: 9781451695120

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Complicated does not begin to describe Arcadia Bell's life right now: unnatural magical power, another brush with death, and a murderous mother who's not only overbearing but determined to take permanent possession of Cady's body.

Forced to delve deep into the mystery surrounding her own birth, Cady must uncover which evil spell her parents cast during her conception…and how to reverse it. Fast.

As she and her lover Lon embark on a dangerous journey through her magical past, Lon's teenage son Jupe sneaks off for his own investigation. Each family secret they uncover is darker than the last, and Cady, who has worn many identities—Moonchild, mage, fugitive—is about to add one more to the list.

If you are anything like me you were DYING to read BANISHING THE DARK after the cliffhanger ending in BINDING THE SHADOWS. I really enjoyed some of the twists thrown into the final book of the series and I also loves reading Jupe's POV.

This series was everything I hoped for and more than I expected. Nothing is left unsaid, nothing is left hanging, and Cady finally has a life she can be 100% happy with. Great ending to an adventure filled series.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

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