Week in Review: 6/14-6/20

Books Received for Review

- Illicit by Madeline Pryce- eCopy- Publisher

Books I've Read

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh
The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent
Dying to Date by Victoria Davies

Reviews Posted

Pure Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Endgame by C.J. Daugherty

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

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

* Monday-  Guest Blog + Giveaway for Hunting for Witches by Lana Pecherczyk

* Tuesday- Guest Blog  for Jude Magdalyn Series by L.M. Pruitt

* Thursday- Promo + Giveaway for Dark and Damaged Blog Barrage

* Saturday- Promo + Giveaway for The Six by Mark Alpert

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

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

BlogLovin

Networked Blogs

Facebook
Pinterest Board
Tsu

You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.

Twitter

Goodreads

Librarything

Google+

 

 * I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Promo & Giveaway: The Six by Mark Alpert

The Six
Sourcebooks Fire  
July 7, 2015

Adam’s muscular dystrophy has taken his motility, his friends, and in a few short years, it will take his life. He takes solace in playing video games he’s programmed to reflect the life that he used to have. Virtual reality is the one realm where he can be the hero, and it’s where he chooses to spend his time, until an entity called Sigma tries to kill him.

A dangerously advanced artificial intelligence program created by Adam’s computer-genius father, Sigma has escaped its cyber prison and is threatening global destruction and domination. But Adam’s father has a plan. He will stop Sigma by using the technology he developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.

Adam’s consciousness is uploaded into the body of a weaponized robot, along with a group of five other gifted teens who are terminally ill. Together, they must learn how to manipulate their new mechanical forms and prepare for combat before Sigma destroys humanity. Adam can finally play the hero for real, but will his new body be worth the sacrifice of his human existence?

This innovative and thought-provoking young adult debut, from the critically acclaimed author of adult thrillers Final Theory and The Omega Theory, questions what it means to be human and whether we are destined to be defined by our physical bodies or our intellect.   

Amazon | Apple| B&N | BAM | !ndigo |  IndieBound | Kindle |  Nook

Advance Praise for Mark Alpert
 
“Adam is an unusual hero—and he faces a frightening question: Computers can’t kill—CAN they? I’m still shaken by the answer. Will the near-future really be this terrifying?” —R.L. Stine, bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
 
“An exciting action story chock-full of characters you’ll love. The Six is full of big ideas, big questions, real science, and things that will make you think and wonder and lie awake late at night.” —Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series 
 
“The Six are introduced as terminally-ill teens, but there’s plenty of high-speed action in which they engage. Their physical disabilities and limitations through disease are forgotten as the teens’ hearts, minds, and personalities shine through...questions of principle, power, and possibility keep this look at our modern, hardwired existence fresh and fascinating.” STARRED Booklist
 
“Alpert's exploration of neuromorphic electronics raises interesting questions about ethics, technology, and human nature…a haunting ending scene will leave readers pondering the line between progress and loss. A thought-provoking clash between humanity and machinery.”- Kirkus Reviews
 
“A well-researched, hardcore science-fiction joyride, great for fans of first-person shooter video games like Halo and Destiny. Highly recommended” –School Library Journal
 
“Do not just read The Six; make your friends read it too.” –VOYA Magazine

Excerpt:

Shannon rears back in her seat as if she’s been slapped. “And where are you going to store the copies of our brains?” Her voice is furious. “In a supercomputer? A big electronic prison?”

Dad doesn’t take offense. He answers her calmly. “The scanning process converts human intelligence to a digital form, allowing it to run on any neuromorphic computer that has enough memory and processing power. But in the initial stage right after the transfer, we believe it’s important to connect the intelligence to a machine that can move around and sense the outside world. A human intelligence is accustomed to controlling a body, so if we want to preserve its sanity, we’d better give it something to control. Here, let me show you.”

He puts the vial of nanoprobes back in his pocket and pulls out something else, a small remote--control device. He points it at the doorway beside the stage, and a moment later I hear a loud clanking. The noise startles the soldiers standing by the doorway. They step backward, flattening themselves against the wall. Then a seven--foot--tall robot emerges from the doorway and brushes past them.

The robot strides across the stage. It has two arms and two legs, but otherwise it isn’t very humanlike. It has no head or neck. Its torso is shaped like a giant bullet, with the rounded end on top. Its legs angle downward from the base of its torso and rest on oval steel--plate footpads that clang against the floor.

The machine marches briskly past the podium and stops in front of my dad, who presses a button on his remote control. This command extends the robot’s arms, which telescope to a full length of six feet. They look like multi--jointed tentacles. The machine’s hands, though, resemble human hands, with dexterous mechanical fingers and thumbs.

Dad presses another button, and the robot’s rounded top starts to turn like a turret. “The cameras and acoustic sensors are up here,” Dad says, pointing at the top end. “But the neuromorphic electronics are deep inside the torso, encased in armor plating. These robots were originally designed for the war in Afghanistan, so they’re pretty sturdy.” He raps his knuckles against the torso. “All in all, it’s an excellent platform for a newly transferred intelligence, but really it’s just the beginning. The whole point of the Pioneer Project is to bridge the gap between man and machine, and that means the human intelligences must explore their new environment. The Pioneers will have to learn how to use their new capabilities, and that includes transferring their intelligences from one machine to another.”

His voice grows louder again, full of enthusiasm. “Once the Pioneers have mastered these tasks, our hope is that they’ll be able to establish a connection with Sigma. If all goes well, they’ll start communicating with the AI before it launches any of the Russian missiles. And then the toughest challenge will begin. At the same time that the humans are learning how to be machines, they’ll have to teach Sigma how to be human.”

__________________________________

Mark Alpert is a former editor at Scientific American, and the author of several adult thrillers. He’s been praised by Douglas Preston as the “heir to Michael Crichton.” Visit Mark online at markalpert.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

__________________________________

Tour Wide/US and Canada

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Pure Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Pure Blooded

Author: Amanda Carlson

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Publisher: Orbit

Jessica McClain Book #5

ISBN:  0316404357

ISBN13: 9780316404358

Genre: Urban Fanasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher/NetGalley

Jessica arrives back from the Underworld to find her father embroiled in a battle against the Made wolves. She and her crew drop everything to join them.

Once she arrives, the threat is after her. Jessica is lured into danger when her adversary takes something precious from her. With help from an unlikely source, Jessica goes up against her creator in a battle that will decide the path of everyone involved. She must war against a new set of foes, ones who could not only steal her power, but could take her soul as well.

I was VERY hesitant to read PURE BLOODED because RED BLOODED really threw me off the Jessica McClain train.

I can not begin to tell you how happy I am that PURE BLOODED took place outside of the Underworld. I truly never want to have to read about that place again. I loved the twists and turns involving Jessica's neighbor. Who would have thought? I am glad she has another powerful person in her corner. There was a great deal of action in PURE BLOODED, but I don't feel that any of the Jessica McClain series books ever lacked that. There wasn't a whole lot of romance between Jessica and Rourke going on, but he is right along with her for most of the book. I was happy that the whole group was back together as well, it's weird when they are all separated.

Although I am not totally back on the Jessica McClain train, I need another good read in the series to put me back there, I am more excited to read book 6 than I was to read PURE BLOODED so that's a positive check in the series corner.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

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

Promo & Giveaway: Dark and Damaged Blog Barrage

Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance Boxed Set is now available worldwide for a special introductory price of only $0.99!

This ebook boxed set features all-new, never-before-published hot paranormal romances by eight New York Times and USA Today best-selling romance authors. Tortured alpha-male bad boys will ignite your darkest, most secret desires in these stories about vampires, shifters, dragons, fallen angels, werewolves, demons, psychic warriors and ghosts.

Here’s more about this fantastic eight book boxed set, including an excerpt from one of the stories.

Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/dark-and-damaged/

GoodReads

Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance By Jennifer Ashley, Caris Roane, Erin Kellison, Felicity Heaton, Erin Quinn, Laurie London, Bonnie Vanak and Colleen Gleason

LION EYES by Jennifer Ashley
Bree has just decided to give up trying to be a Shifter groupie when a lion Shifter slams into her truck and tells her to drive. Seamus is on the run from hunters, other Shifters, and who knows who else. All Bree knows is that he’s compelling, needs her help, and most intriguing of all, wears no Collar...

BLOOD FLAME by Caris Roane
Vampire Officer Connor of the Crescent Border Patrol tries to suppress his desire for the powerful witch, Iris Meldeere. Because the woman possesses the ability to kill him with the tips of her fingers, how can he possibly fall in love with her? When a double homicide throws them together, he soon finds his deepest fantasies fulfilled as Iris succumbs to his seductions. But as they battle together to stay alive, and love begins to consume them both, will the witch be able to forgive the dark secrets of his past …

HER SINFUL ANGEL by Felicity Heaton
Cast out of Heaven and now the king of Hell, Lucifer is a powerful fallen angel warrior with a heart as cold as ice and soul as black as the bottomless pit. For millennia, he has ruled his realm with an iron fist as he plots the demise of his ancient enemies. When one of those enemies dumps an unconscious mortal female in the courtyard of his fortress and leaves her there, Lucifer finds himself entranced by the beguiling beauty and tempted beyond all reason. But is the enchanting Nina an innocent pawn in the eternal game or part of a plot against him?

TEMPTED BY FIRE by Erin Kellison
A powerful dragon shifter has waited six hundred years to avenge the loss of his family, but the beautiful mediator sent to prevent violence among the Bloodkin doesn’t want to be his key to discovering the murderer—in fact, she wants nothing to do with dragons at all...

REBEL’S DESIRE by Laurie London
A jaded Iron Guild warrior cares about nothing except battling a ruthless enemy, but when a beautiful woman literally runs into his arms, he realizes she holds the key to his success. As passion ignites, he must decide whether to sacrifice the woman he’s falling for or dare to trust his heart again.

THE RESURRECTION OF SAM SLOAN by Erin Quinn
Trapped in the body of a human, the Reaper is about to fall in love with a woman he was never meant to have… When a reaper is trapped in Maggie’s estranged husband’s body, she knows only that the man with her husband’s eyes feels like a stranger… a compelling, seductive stranger who touches her in ways her treacherous husband never could. She wants to trust him, but what about the ghost who haunts their home, implicating him in a gruesome murder…

REDEMPTION by Bonnie Vanak
A cursed alpha wolf promises to free an enslaved Mage if she mates with him so he can sire an heir, not realizing she can destroy the dark secret keeping his pack alive.

RAGING DAWN by Colleen Gleason
After the vampires Max Denton hunts brutally murder his wife, he is nearly destroyed himself and spends the next ten years living a life of violence and revenge. But when sensitive information about his young daughter falls into the hands of the vampires, Max is forced to team up with the woman whose father ultimately caused the death of his wife. Savina Eleaisa has secrets of her own, and she’s determined to do whatever it takes to clear her father’s name: even if it involves seducing the most dangerous of vampires--with or without the help of the arrogant, brooding Max Denton.

Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/dark-and-damaged/

EXCERPT FROM THE RESURRECTION OF SAM SLOAN BY ERIN QUINN

“It’s not a game, Maggie.”
She shook her head, but her gaze had fixed on his mouth and the Reaper took the chance before she changed her mind. Her lips were soft and silky. Against his, they felt like nothing he’d imagined and everything he’d imagined. There were no memories of this in Sam’s banks and he was glad for that. He wanted this experience for his own. Sensations shot through him in sharp, hot waves, a torrent of passion and lightning.
She made a soft sound of surrender in her throat, murmured something that sounds like, I’m a fool, and then her arms twined around his neck and she kissed him back.
The feel of her; the smell of her, the sweet intoxicating scent . . . All of it filled him, pushed out the vestiges of the man Sam had been, overwhelmed the foundation of the Reaper inside, and forced them both into the moment that was now. Here. Her. Him.
Maggie tugged at his shirt, pulling it free of his jeans, then took his hand, leading him up the stairs and into the bedroom she’d banned him from. The door closed behind them. She locked it.
“I want you so much that that I can hardly breathe,” he said, that hint of accent that only appeared at rare times adding a husky rasp to his voice. “I’ve been thinking about this since I opened my eyes. Since I came to life.”
There were more words he should say, feelings begging for a voice, but the swamp of emotion made speaking an impossible feat.
He took her face in his hands, kissing her like this life that he’d never expected to have depended on the breath he stole from her. She tugged at his shirt once more and he stepped back only long enough to strip it off.
Her eyes molten, her pulse beating away at her throat, she stared at his bare chest with a hunger that threatened to consume him. His hands were big and clumsy as he gently pulled her shirt over her head when he wanted to rip it off. He dropped it on the floor and simply stared at the perfection he’d unveiled. Her skin was as smooth as alabaster, flawlessly beautiful. A bra the same shade as her skin held her breasts in an embrace of lace and satin. He touched one gently, groaning at the weight, the softness. He bent his head and covered it with his mouth, sucking the hard nipple, letting the lace rasp against his tongue, acting on instinct he didn’t question.
“Take it off,” he asked, his voice so deep it throbbed against the quiet.
She arched back, hands meeting between her shoulder blades as she unfastened the bra and shrugged it off. The stretchy pants came next without him even asking. She stood before him in dainty pearlescent panties and his body went up in flames.
He’d never imagined that just looking at someone could make him feel so many things. He wanted to take; he wanted to give. He wanted to stroke, to bite, to kiss, to lick . . . to worship.
He lifted her up and turned her, laying her out on the bed so he could follow her down to the soft mattress. Her body yielded to his and the perfection in the feeling wrenched another groan from him. She was beautiful, inside and out. He kissed her deeply, trying to slow his racing his heart. Trying to experience each second, but everything came at him at once. The sensations, the passion, the desire to please her.
He had her in bed, where he’d wanted her from the start, and he needed her like he’d never needed anything before. She was gloriously naked and in his arms, where he felt she’d always belonged. But fear suddenly crept in. He’d never done this before and though he’d managed to toe the line between human and Reaper, he knew in a deep place that had been growing since the moment he’d opened his eyes, the time had come.
Reaper or human? He couldn’t be both.
One came without the heavy burden of emotion, of mortality, of humanity.
The other came with Maggie.

Grab the boxed set for just $0.99 to read this story and seven others…

Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/dark-and-damaged/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Endgame by C.J. Daugherty

Endgame

Author: C.J. Daugherty

Release Date: June 4, 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Night School Book #5

ISBN13: 9781910751060

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Broken. Scattered. But not defeated.

The spy is gone but the cost has been high - the rebels at Cimmeria Academy have lost their leader and Carter West is missing. Nathaniel can taste victory. But Allie and the other survivors aren't done yet. First they have to get Carter back. Then they plan to make Nathaniel pay.

One way or another - the game must end.

Endgame is the thrilling fifth and final book in the internationally bestselling Night School series.

RESISTANCE ended on a killer cliffhanger, so jumping into ENDGAME as soon as I received it was a given. I try not to write too much in my reviews of last books in a series because everything seems to be a spoiler so this will be short.

The Night School series has been a fun series to follow. There was lots of action, suspense, and danger. There were interesting characters that continued to grow with each book. A conflict that kept you engaged from the start and plenty of situations that made you want to jump in-between the pages and help Allie, Carter, Sylvain and friends fight the good fight.

ENDGAME had pretty much everything you have come to expect from the series from previous books. The situations were dangerous, the characters were fierce and the ending was bittersweet.

I think ENDGAME ended the series on a nice note. The major storyline was resolved and I felt that it was resolved in a way that made sense and made the good guys come out ahead in the end. I wish we could have gotten a few years down the road epilogue, but that is just something I like to see at the end of a series. If you are looking for a great new young adult series to read, you should run out and pick up this series for yourself.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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

Guest Blog: Jude Magdalyn Series by L.M. Pruitt

The Art of Letting Go 

When I first made the decision to seriously perused writing as a career, I was determined to create a character I would want to hang out with—someone who would, in real life, be a friend. The end result was Jude Magdalyn, in all her snarky and contradictory glory. Over the last five years, four/five books, and roughly 300,000 words (give or take), I’ve gotten to know her fairly well.

She’s not perfect. Not even close. People tend to either love or hate her, with very few people falling in between. I can understand why. She’s sarcastic to the point of bitchiness. She can be whiny, sometimes with little or no provocation. Her sense of humor can sometimes be more than a little dry and flat. And like every other human, she makes mistakes—small ones, big ones, huge ones.

As I said, she’s far from perfect.

But she’s loyal, sometimes to the point of foolishness. She has an enormous heart and an even more enormous capacity to love. She’s able to forgive, even when it’s not in her best interest. And she’s willing to admit she’s wrong, even if doing so makes her look weak.

Again, I’ve gotten to know her pretty well—maybe too well.

As I mentioned earlier, Jude is more than a little contradictory. Knowing her so well makes it more than a little difficult to write about her. She doesn’t want to share her secrets any longer.

I’ve tried to force the issue. The result has been shorter and shorter books.

So, as much as Jude Magdalyn will always be my first writing love—it’s time to let her go.

This doesn’t mean I’ll never write another word about her. It just means I’ll treasure each one I do write, even if I’m cursing a blue streak at the same time.

It’s been said the mark of a good friendship is the ability to go long periods of time without talking and still being able to pick up right where you left off.

So when I say goodbye to Jude, I know it’s not forever—it just for now. And the next time we speak will be just as awesome as the first.
__________________________________

Shades of Vengeance
Jude Magdalyn #5
Amazon

In moments of pain, we seek revenge.--Ami Ayalon

My home is compromised.

My children are gone.

My husband is dead

Every inch of my life is in ruins.

The only thing I have left is vengeance.

And no matter what it takes--no matter what took must be used--no matter the cost--I will have it. 

Excerpt:

“This life isn’t salvation, Jude.” St. Germaine leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Look at Williams. He is gnawing on your wrist like some sort of savage animal, doing his very best to drain you dry.” He glanced over my shoulder, his features hardening. “He is going to kill you if something isn’t done very soon.”

“And Theo is going to die if you keep standing there, trying to talk me out of this decision.” I finally took that deep breath the Comte had recommended and pulled out the big guns. “You promised Madame Henries. You promised me. Please, please, please do this.”

The Comte stared at me for so long I began to wonder if he’d turned to stone. Finally, he sighed, stepping back and raking a hand through his hair, disheveling the carefully coifed locks. “Fine. Fine. Danie, go to my wine cellar, it’s directly off the kitchen. Bring back two—no, three bottles.”

“Do you really think you should be drinking right before you do something this major?” Lies didn’t sound confrontational or condemning. If anything, she sounded curious. “I’m assuming this is going to be more than a little taxing, otherwise everybody would do it, so wouldn’t you want to have a clear head?”

“My head is quite clear, child.” St. Germaine snorted, somehow managing to make the rude nose sound ridiculously elegant. “Because the process is, as you said, taxing, I’m going to need more than a little bit of sustenance to get through this evening. The wine is fortified with blood.” He shot me a disgruntled look. “Is nobody teaching the children their history these days?”

“I’ll make sure to integrate you into my daughters’ education.” I shifted my gaze to Williams, watching him suckle on my wrist like a baby at a breast—one more thing Hart and Elizabeth had taken away from me. I’d be damned if I let them take away the person I’d spent my entire life waiting for. “Williams, can you hear me?”

He didn’t answer.

I took a deep breath and dug my nails in to his cheek.

He hissed and jerked away.

I bit back a scream as I felt my wrist rip open, blood spurting high in the air. “Oh, fuck. Someone go get Bridget, now. Hurry, hurry, hurry.”

“I’m sorry.” Williams’ voice sounded rusty from disuse but I was still able to detect a note of repentance. “I’m sorry, the hunger was just too much. I tried, truly, but--.”

“You can apologize for your lapse in mental judgment later.” St. Germaine once again sounded bored and urbane and I turned just in time to watch him perch on the edge of the bed. He glanced over at me, his face shifting in to concerned lines. “I must ask again. Are you certain--?”

“Do it.” I flinched when someone pressed a bandage to my gushing wrist but didn’t break eye contact with the Comte. I slipped my hand in to Theo’s, squeezing it tight. “Save him, please.”

St. Germaine sighed. Bent over Theo. And sank his fangs into Theo’s neck.

__________________________________

Shades of Loss
Jude Magdalyn #4
Amazon

We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal. Tennessee Williams

Fact--Hart is back from the not-quite-dead.
Fact--His ultimate goal is my death.
Fact--He'll use anything--and anyone--to help him reach that goal.

The only way to save myself--my family--the entire Covenant--is to find the answer to one simple question.

Who is the traitor?

__________________________________

Shades of Blood
Jude Magdalyn #3
Amazon

If it's not one thing, it's another.

Felipe, one of New Orleans's most infamous--and crazy--vampires is back in town. And to say he's unhappy is an understatement.

Duprees and Williams have to track down Felipe, fast, before he claims any more victims. If that means making a deal with the Devil--otherwise known as St. Germaine--and using an untrained dhampir, so be it.

If that wasn't enough, I've also got rebellious teenagers, feuding couples, and a suddenly full social calendar.

The more things change....

Excerpt:

“I’m going to kill her.” I didn’t throw the phone across the room like I wanted to, but instead, set it down gently on the coffee table. I took a deep breath and held it for a long moment before releasing it. “I’ll just have to owe Williams another favor.”

“That would put you at owing him three times, which is three times too many.” Theo slid the phone out of my reach. I’d already thrown two phones this month, so I didn’t begrudge him the action. “What exactly did Danie do this time?”

It’d been almost a month since Williams had shown up in the foyer and left his niece—Hart’s daughter—in my care. Not that I really wanted her here or that she wanted to be here. Things were just getting back to normal after the terror of Halloween, after darting around the city trying to find Hart’s other psychopathic

brother. Having Hart’s daughter under my roof made me more than a little uneasy, even though he was still at the bottom of the Mississippi.

I’d argued with Williams. Danie had argued with Williams. Even Mickeal, Williams’s second-in-command and currently stationed at the Crossroads, had argued with Williams. He refused to budge. And my conscience wouldn’t let me throw her out without a definite place to go.

So Danie stayed. And did her best to make all our lives a living hell.

“Shoplifting. Again.” I drummed my fingers over my stomach, then stopped when one of the bumps kicked a little. Theo and I still called them the bumps, even though it was starting to look like I’d swallowed a small beach ball. At the rate I was going, I’d be as big as a cow by the time I delivered in May. “Down at that tourist shop.”

“Which one? There’s only half a million or so.” Theo made a little circle motion with his finger and I gave him my back. I always seemed to have a knot between my shoulder blades these days. Whether it was from Danie or from the bumps, I couldn’t begin to guess.

“Voodoo Blues. The owner recognized her, so instead of calling the police, he let her go and called me. I’ll send Elizabeth down tomorrow to take care of it.”

“Have you ever thought about letting her get picked up by the police? Seeing if having the law come down on her would actually make her see how stupid she’s being?” Theo pressed a kiss against my bare shoulder. I shrugged half-heartedly, tapping my fingers on my knee.

“Maybe it would work. Or maybe she’d go nuts on them and then we’d have a serious problem.” Restless now, I stood up to pace in front of the fireplace. It was just now ten p.m. and most of the house had been up long enough to start getting into trouble. Any minute now, someone was going to knock on the parlor door and tell me they needed help with something.

I wasn’t psychic. It had happened often enough that it was a given.

__________________________________

Shades of Desire 
Jude Magdalyn #2
Amazon

All I wanted was a little peace and quiet.

Instead, I've got dead Covenant members and a steady stream of letters from the new guy in town. His beverage of choice? A 2002 Merlot, with a shot or two of powerful virgin blood.

On top of that, I'm breaking in a new police liaison, failing at playing matchmaker, and fighting nausea like it's a full time job.

Did I forget to mention that I've also got enough girls living at the Crossroads to start my own boarding school?

Peace and quiet? Out the window.

--Jude Magdalyn Henries

Excerpt:

“If someone doesn’t get me a lemon in the next five minutes, everyone will suffer. A lot.”

“Jude, I love you. Which is why I can say you’re being just a little overdramatic.” One look at my face and Theo changed his tune. “But then again, you could say pregnancy is dramatic and you’re just getting into the groove.”

“Nice save.” I tried to sit up again. Halfway through the upward movement greasy waves of nausea rolled over me and I eased back down onto the pillow. Strands of black hair clung to my sweaty face and I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. “Not as nice as that lemon would be right now, but nice.”

“Elizabeth will be here in a moment. No doubt she’ll have a lemon. And tea. And toast.” Theo turned over to face me, laying one hand over my still mostly flat stomach. If you looked close, you could see the smallest of bumps.

I know, because I checked. Every other day or so.

If anybody told me three months ago, that the week before Halloween, I’d be lying in bed with a man who absolutely adored me—even the crazy parts—I’d have asked them what the hell they were smoking. If they’d thrown in being pregnant, I would have punched them in their jaw. Then gone to the store and bought a dozen pregnancy tests and prayed for them all to be negative.

But that was before the Covenant.

In two weeks, I’d gone from being an orphan raised by nuns, to the latest in a long line of only daughters. Women charged with the protection and well-being of hundreds of people with unique powers. Some made flame burn for hours, while others called the wind to knock you flat on your ass. They were a group of people who came together over two-hundred years ago, bound by a prophecy. One with no past, lost in the present, will bring in the future, through gifts of both this world and the next.

And lucky me, I’d passed the job interview.

I’d sent Hart to a muddy, watery grave-literally. Unless something went crazy wrong, he’d stay under the Mississippi until the Final Judgment. Williams ruled the vampires of the city now and kept his distance as much as possible.

And I, Jude Magdalyn Henries, led the Covenant. Maybe I wasn’t terrific at it. But Gillian would be proud.

All things considered, I think I came out with a pretty good deal.

__________________________________

Shades of Gray 
Jude Magdalyn #1
Amazon

Jude Magdalyn Henries lives what many would call an unconventional life. Orphaned at birth, raised by nuns, a teenage runaway living on the streets... she now earns a living at odd jobs, including one as a fake tarot card reader. Very little about Jude's life appears normal, by any scale. When she accepts a gig to do a private reading, unconventional takes on an entirely new meaning.

Life as she knows it ends when she's thrust into a world she never knew existed-one filled with magic, vampires, and her beloved New Orleans on the verge of an underground war.

To make matters worse, she's got two men in her life vying for attention, Williams and Theo. Both call to a different part of her, but one scares her just a little bit. Can she step up to the challenges set before her and make the right choices for the "greater"greater good"?

__________________________________

L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She knows this because she's killed bamboo. Twice.  She is the author of the Winged series, the Plaisir Coupable series, Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and Taken: A Frankie Post Novel.

Find L.M. Pruitt and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

New Releases: 6/14-6/20

Tue. June 16th

 Pure Blooded (Jessica McClain #5) by Amanda Carlson

Happy Reading!