Review: Biting Bad by Chloe Neill

Biting Bad

Author:Chloe Neill

Release Date: August 6, 2013

Publisher: NAL

Chicagoland Vampires Book #8

ISBN:  0451415183

ISBN13: 99780451415189

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

 
Merit is BACK! Ahh I love this series. The Cadogan House is doing well for themselves but the GP still makes moves against them. Their allies have some tough choices in BITING BAD but that does not keep Cadogan from coming to their rescue when they are attacked. I think it is great that even with the GP continuously coming down on them they always seem to come out on top!

I love every little think about Merit and Ethan's relationship. They try really hard to be a normal couple and do pull it off every once in a while but they truly have come a long way from who they were in book 1. It is so refreshing getting thorough a book without Ethan pushing Merit away.  On another thought, am I the only one who keeps waiting for Merit to get pregnant? I just KNOW it has to happen at some point, right?

I enjoyed watching Merit and Mallory move closer together as friends. Their relationship will never be the same but I think they are making great progress. I think it is great that Merit and Jonah are still great Red Guard partners. They talk easily with each other and they work great together.
 
The action as usual is at every turn and the characters keep you coming back for more. I thought the character growth in BITING BAD was great and I look forward to seeing where everything takes the series next. We end on another cliffhanger, what else? February can not come soon enough. Enjoyed every minute of book 8.

I gave it 5/5 stars

New Releases: 8/4-8/10

Tue Aug 6

Biting Bad (Chicagoland Vampires, #8) by Chloe Neill

Box Office Poison (Linnet Ellery, #2) by Phillipa Bornikova

Breath of Iron (Clockwork Agents, #3) by Cross, Kate

Codex Born (Magic Ex Libris, #2) by Jim Hines

Control by Kim Curran

Dead Sexy Dragon (Dragon Heat, #1) by Lolita Lopez

Elegy (Watersong, #4) by Amanda Hocking

The Fairest of Them All by Turgeon, Carolyn
Guardian Demon (The Guardians, #8) by Meljean Brook

Infinityglass (Hourglass, #3) by Myra McEntire

Jaguar Fever (Heart of the Jaguar, #2) by Terry Spear

Possession (Greywalker, #8) by Kat Richardson

Skies of Gold (The Ether Chronicles, #5) by Zoe Archer

Storm Warrior (Grim, #1) by Dani Harper

A Tale of Two Centuries (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, #2) by Rachel Harris

Tall, Dark, and Vampire (Dead in the City, #1) by Sara Humphreys

Terminated (Revivalist, #3) by Rachel Caine

Time Crossed (Time Thief, #1.5) by Katie MacAlister

Undead and Unsure (Undead, #12) by MaryJanice Davidson

Under A Spell (Underworld Detection Agency, #5) by Hannah Jayne

The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears (The Goblin Wars, #3) by Kersten Hamilton

Thur Aug 8

Charmed Vengeance (The Aether Chronicles, #2) by Suzanne Lazear

Death Takes a Holiday (A F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation, #3 by Jennifer Harlow

Happy Reading!

Guest Blog & Giveaway: The Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline Battisti

UFI welcomes Jacqueline Battisti Author of The Guardian of Bastet. Thanks for Joining us!!

My name is Jacqueline M. Battisti and I am the author of The Guardian of Bastet. I am a stay at home mother with young children who also writes when time and the children allow. I have always loved romance, fantasy and paranormal books, devouring them as soon as I could find them at the book store. I even collect a few authors that are my absolute favorites and reread their books when I’m stuck and need a break from my own musings. They inspire me to keep going.

The Guardian of Bastet has evolved over time with many incarnations. My main character, Trinity Morrigan-Caine was originally named Misty. But after a few chapters, the imagine she projected in my head said, snarky stripper. It took me a while to discover my characters true name. Trinity. Like the trinity of Mother, Maid and Crone of womanhood. She is a cat shifter, a witch and then the Guardian of Bastet. Three roles she must grow into and accept just like her name.

The Guardian of Bastet is the beginning of Trinity’s story. Here is the official blurb:

Cat-shifter Trinity Morrigan-Caine has discovered a demon is killing supernaturals. Magically challenged, she has every intention of letting handsome Alpha werewolf Gordon Barnes handle it. But after a dying vampire gifts Trinity a mystical amulet, she is drawn into the fray as the legendary Guardian of Bastet, a warrior born when the need arises.
Though Trinity initially rejects the role, she warms to the idea when Gordon agrees to train her—and their passion for each other grows as he teaches her to embrace her animal instincts.

As she begins to accept her destiny and believe in her growing powers, Trinity realizes the danger is even closer to home than she ever imagined—and she and Gordon are going to have to face the demon in a fight to the death...

I am currently working on the sequel to the Guardian of Bastet. It was the reason I left a couple of loose ends in this one. I’m just as excited to see where Trinity’s escapades lead. I hope you are too after reading The Guardian of Bastet.

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Jacqueline Battisti was raised in Little Falls, New York where she met and married her high school sweetheart. They have two children and live near Rochester, New York where she is a stay at home mom and writer of the paranormal and urban fantasy of her vivid imagination.

Her first novel, The Guardian of Bastet, was published by Carina Press August 20, 2012. She is currently working on a sequel as well as a dystopian paranormal.

Her life has taken her from the trials and tribulations of working as an administrative assistant at various companies, back to college as an adult student, and then into the adventurous world of motherhood.

Jacqueline began writing seriously in 2007 after attempting NaNoWriMo for the first time. It was the first time she had disciplined herself to finish a novel. From there, her supportive critique group was formed and attended, and then she attended RT Booklovers Convention in 2009. Jacqueline attended their aspiring authors workshops and met with many talented writers who inspired her to continue writing.

Flash forward to today: Jacqueline has two children who are very outgoing and keep her on her toes. Cub Scouts, Daisy Scouts, play dates, school activities for the kids...then writing, reading current authors, following blogs, facebook, household chores, gardening and exhaustion for mom. Add in a new puppy, two furry feline children and fish and you have the craziness that is the Battisti household.

Find Jacqueline and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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The Guardian of Bastet

Amazon  Barnes & Noble

Carina Press.com   Harlequin.com  Audible.com

Cat-shifter Trinity Morrigan-Caine has discovered a demon is killing supernaturals. Magically challenged, she has every intention of letting handsome Alpha werewolf Gordon Barnes handle it. But after a dying vampire gifts Trinity a mystical amulet, she is drawn into the fray as the legendary Guardian of Bastet, a warrior born when the need arises.

Though Trinity initially rejects the role, she warms to the idea when Gordon agrees to train her—and their passion for each other grows as he teaches her to embrace her animal instincts.

As she begins to accept her destiny and believe in her growing powers, Trinity realizes the danger is even closer to home than she ever imagined—and she and Gordon are going to have to face the demon in a fight to the death..

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Tour Wide 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Week In Review: 7/28-8/3

Books Ive Bought/received

* Secret Unleashed by Sierra Dean- eARC- Author

* Countdown by Michelle Rowen- eARC- Netgalley

Books I Read

Terminated by Rachel Caine
Secret Unleashed by Sierra Dean
Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Reviews Posted

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep


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

* Monday-  Guest Blog and Giveaway for Haven by Celia Breslen

* Tuesday Guest Blog and Giveaway for Lexia by Rachel M. Raithby

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

Giveaway: Mist by Susan Krinard

Mist

(Mist #1)

Centuries ago, all was lost in the Last Battle when the Norse gods and goddesses went to war. The elves, the giants, and the gods and goddesses themselves were all destroyed, leaving the Valkyrie Mist one of the only survivors.

Or so she thought.

When a snowy winter descends upon modern-day San Francisco in June, Mist’s quiet existence starts to feel all too familiar. In quick succession, Mist is attacked by a frost giant in a public park and runs into an elf disguised as a homeless person on the streets…and then the man Mist believed was her mortal boyfriend reveals himself to be the trickster god, Loki, alive and well after all these years.

Loki has big plans for the modern world, and he’s been hanging around Mist for access to a staff that once belonged to the great god Odin. Mist is certain of one thing: Loki must be stopped if there is to be any hope for Earth. But the fight is even bigger than she knows….

Because Loki wasn’t the only god to survive.

US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Magic Rises

Author: Ilona Andrews

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Publisher: Ace

Kate Daniels Book #6

ISBN:  1937007588

ISBN13: 9781937007584

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

Whew what a ride. I'm exhausted. MAGIC RISES takes place far away from Atlanta and the pack. With some trusted pack members, Kate and Curran set out to arbitrate a dispute with another pack and keep a pregnant shifter safe. They know it won't be easy but they never would have guessed what was really going on. No matter what they have to see it through as it will net them the medicine to save the pack children in the future.

With non stop danger and action at every turn this author team really knows how to keep you on your toes. I just can't get enough of these characters and their world! I wish the books came out quicker but I guess making magic takes time. Lets talk Kate and Curran because anything else would start giving away spoilers. They are so stinking exciting together. Their love and romance is nothing like any other characters I have read about. They are frustrating, they butt heads, they make stupid decisions but that just does not matter. They are always there for each other and they fit together perfectly. There are some hard times for them in MAGIC RISING and watching Kate struggle with her confidence and feelings was hard. She handled things so much better than I could have and I liked the way it all played out.

The plot development in book 6 is crazy. A lot happens and things will never be the same but the ride is never smooth when Kate is involved. The game has changed and I have no clue what could possibly follow this. I really missed the rest of the gang, but I enjoyed the story as much as all the previous novels in the series. *Imagine me ringing the dinner bell* Come and get it!

I gave it 5/5 stars

Review: Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

Midnight Frost

Author:Jennifer Estep

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Publisher: K-Teen

Mythos Academy Book #5

ISBN:  0758281498

ISBN13: 9780758281494

Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Author

Here we go again …

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead.

As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there …

It is no secret that I love anything Jennifer puts out.  I dive right into every book of hers the moment it hits my inbox. Gwen has not had an easy time since her Moms death and the moment the world of Mythos Academy was revealed to her. She has been to the brink of death and back, she has made and lost friends. She is Nike's Champion and non of her struggles are going to end anytime soon. Luckily she has great allies to help her on her journey. 

MIDNIGHT FROST brings us outside the Mythos Academy walls. Gwen and her friends must find a rare flower that only grows in one spot, at one time so that they can save someone close to their hearts from the poison that was meant for Gwen. Book 5 had a bit of a different feel to it. There was plenty of action moments but not as much as earlier books. There is a lot of focus on Gwen and her role as Nike's Champion, her feelings, her family and friendships, etc. There is a lot of growth on Gwen's part and it is not all easy. Since it is not that big of a shock, Logan does come back which brings feelings out from both sides. As always I loved watching all the characters work together towards their common goal. Their protectiveness towards Gwen is always awesome to witness.

As the series progresses I find myself wanting the next book more and more. I look forward to seeing what Gwen and her allies will accomplish next. 

I gave it 4/5 stars