Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Review: The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston

The Unleashing
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Kensington
Call of Crows Book #1
ISBN:   1617735051
ISBN13: 9781617735059
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: NetGalley
WINGING IT

Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.

In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life—but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.

But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.

Kera Watson saves a girl, but ends up being murdered in the process. She takes an offer and ends up as a Crow. Along with her dog, Brodie, she begins a new life. I have to say that Brodie was probably one of my favorite parts of THE UNLEASHING, darn cool dog. Kera doesn't sit by and take ANYTHING. She is snarky, independent, and set in her military ways. She has a really hard time fitting in with her fellow crows, but does find her niche eventually.

Kera and Vig fit together well. Their romance is pretty fast, but not unbelievable. I do wish we would have started off the book getting to know Vig before Kera died and became a Crow. I felt like I was missing something at some points in the book.

Although THE UNLEASHING was enjoyable, I had a few issues that made it hard to fully get into the story. First off, there is a LOT of information to be learned. Tons of mythology, roles of different groups, people (OMG are there a lot of people).... It was a lot and I seriously couldn't recall half of it by the time I finished the book. Another issue I had was that I didn't fully understand the 'evil people' of the book. There wasn't a lot of information about them and the resolution was fast so I was just left thinking "huh?".

If you're into mythology I think you will enjoy THE UNLEASHING. If not, I would pass because it's a huge part of the book. It can be confusing at times, but if you stick with it, it will get clearer. Laurenston created a neat world and although there were a LOT of characters to meet I am hoping that now that we have met them, that part will calm down in future books.

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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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Promo & Giveaway: The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott

The Shattered Court
A Novel of the Four Arts #1
First in a new fantasy series from the author of the Novels of the Half-Light City.

Entangled in a court ruled by tradition and intrigue, a young witch must come to terms with newfound power and desire—and a choice between loyalty and survival.…

The royal witches of Anglion have bowed to tradition for centuries. If a woman of royal blood manifests powers, she is immediately bound by rites of marriage. She will serve her lord by practicing the tamer magics of the earth—ensuring good harvests and predicting the weather. Any magic more dangerous is forbidden.

Lady Sophia Kendall, thirty-second in line to the throne, is only days away from finding out if she will be blessed—or perhaps cursed—with magic. When a vicious attack by Anglion’s ancient enemies leaves the kingdom in chaos, Sophia is forced to flee the court. Her protector by happenstance is Lieutenant Cameron Mackenzie, a member of the royal guard, raised all his life to be fiercely loyal to the Crown.

Then Sophia’s powers manifest stronger than she ever imagined they would, and Cameron and she are inextricably linked in the process. As a witch unbound by marriage rites, Sophia is not only a threat to the established order of her country, but is also a weapon for those who seek to destroy it. Faced with old secrets and new truths, she must decide if she will fight for her country or succumb to the delicious temptation of power.…
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M.J. Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily, she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate, and fabric


Find M.J. and her books
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US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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New Releases: 3/29-4/4


Tue. March 31st

 Etherworld (Elusion #2) by Claudia Gabel, Cheryl Klam 
 Hard as a Rock (Gargoyles #3) by Christine Warren 
 Storm Warned (Grim #3) by Dani Harper 
 Twist (Loop #2) by Karen Akins

Happy Reading!
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Monday, March 30, 2015

Promo: Being Emerald by Sylvia Ryan


*This is part of a bigger book tour, visit UFI on 3/18 and 3/27 to read about the other books and authors


Being Emerald
New Atlanta #3
Amazon.
 Brave, beautiful, and not easily controlled—even within a dictatorship—Laila Lewis has finally attained the prestige of an Emerald designation. Now only one thing is keeping her from her life’s goal of retrieving the Declaration of Independence and other priceless artifacts from the wild unknown of the Onyx Zone: the six weeks of training necessary to ensure her survival outside the city walls. But she won’t be going it alone.

After a year as a designated Emerald, rugged, sensual ex-cop Rock Rodgers is finally prepared to leave New Atlanta for good. Six weeks of training is the only thing standing between him and his next mission: to disappear into the freedom of the Onyx Zone where the long-armed rule of the Gov can’t reach him. But when the chemistry between him and Laila reaches a boiling point, with captivity just one false move away, will he have to escape on his own—or risk everything for a woman more tempting than freedom.

CONTENT WARNING: Contains explicit sexual language and content, and elements of BDSM that may be objectionable to some readers.
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Sylvia Ryan lives the life of an ordinary wife, mother and professional existing in Midwest Suburbia. She reads voraciously and loves to lose herself and fall head-over-heels for the alpha males in the novels she reads. When she gets the chance to shed the prim and proper persona of average wife and mother, her secret identity, Sylvia Ryan, emerges. This alter ego strives to write original ideas in extraordinary settings for her readers to remember long after the book has been read. Her dream is to transform her racy thoughts and naughty nature into tangible works of erotic fantasy for others’ secret identities to enjoy.

Ryan is the author of five novels, including Being Amber, Being Sapphire, and the soon-to-be-released Being Emerald of the New Atlanta series.

Find Sylvia and her books
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Sunday, March 29, 2015

Week in Review: 3/22-3/28



Books Received for Review

- Pirate's Alley by Suzanne Johnson- eARC- Bewitching Book Tours

Books I've Read

Alter of Reality by Mara Valderran
Total Surrender by Rebecca Zanetti
The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott
Witches be Burned by Stacey Kennedy
Pirate's Alley by Suzanne Johnson

Reviews Posted

Dark Alchemy by Laura Bickle
Locked in Stone by Tory Micheals
Recurve by Shannon Mayer

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

* Monday- Interview for Reaper Madness by Nessie Strange

* Tuesday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Dark Alchemy by Laura Bickle

* Friday- Promo for Thane's Redemption by Nina Crespo

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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.
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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Review: Dark Alchemy by Laura Bickle

Dark Alchemy
Author: Laura Bickle
Release Date: March 24, 2015
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse
ISBN:   0062389866
ISBN13: 9780062389862
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

Some secrets are better left buried …

Geologist Petra Dee arrives in Wyoming looking for clues to her father's disappearance years before. What she finds instead is Temperance, a dying Western town with a gold rush past and a meth-infested present. But under the town's dust and quiet, an old power is shifting. When bodies start turning up - desiccated and twisted skeletons that Petra can't scientifically explain - her investigations land her in the middle of a covert war between the town's most powerful interests. Petra's father wasn't the only one searching for the alchemical secrets of Temperance, and those still looking are now ready to kill. Armed with nothing but shaky alliances, a pair of antique guns, and a relic she doesn't understand, the only thing Petra knows for sure is that she and her coyote sidekick are going to have to move fast, or die next.

Although I did end up enjoying DARK ALCHEMY for the most part, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be. I found some things in the story just plain odd and I had a hard time connecting to the main secondary character, Gabriel, who's story had a lot to do with the book as a whole.

Petra was easier to connect to and understand. Her reasons for being in Temperance and her past struggles were well explained. She knows what she needs and she fights to get it. The surprising addition of Sig, her familiar was fun. He was a crafty little coyote and I found myself looking forward to hearing what he was doing. I do wish we would have gotten more scenes with Petra doing her geology thing. There was plenty of action and danger involved which helped the story move along.

DARK ALCHEMY had a very unique storyline with a nice pace with a slightly hard to understand world if you're not paying total attention to the story. If you're looking for a bit of a different Urban Fantasy, it might be for you.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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Friday, March 27, 2015

Promo: Thane's Redemption by Nina Crespo


*This is part of a bigger book tour, visit UFI on 3/18 and 3/30 to read about the other books and authors.


Thane's Redemption
The Song #1
Amazon

 The one night she'll want to remember, she'll be forced to forget.

It's been almost a year since Celine's fiancé's death and she's still struggling to move on. But when she meets Thane, the super hot lead singer of Thane’s Redemption, she finds her desire reawakening, and her heart opening. Soon one kiss leads them straight into a night of heated passion…

Thane’s unexpected connection with Celine only leaves him wanting more of her—but his life makes it impossible. For Thane's Redemption is just a cover for a deeper secret: A former Army Ranger presumed dead, Thane is really a time-traveling, covert operative charged with saving the world from disaster. Each jump through time forces those around him to forget he ever existed—and Celine would be no exception. But can time work in their favor to give them a second chance at love? Or will a choice Thane makes in the future put Celine in mortal danger?
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Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing.

Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel.

Curiosity about people and places, including what’s beyond the stars, fuels her writer’s imagination. Let Nina’s sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after.

Find Nina and her books
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