Guest Blog & Giveaway: The Kasadya Series by Karen Swart

UFI welcomes Karen Swart Author of The Kasadya Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

My Top Ten Fictional Villain Characters by Karen Swart
In no specific order

• Loki - Movie -Yeah, I just love this guy. I mean his twisted, but really entertaining. 

• Dimitri the strigoi - Vampire Academy - For some unexplained reason I actually enjoyed Dimitir

when he went all bad vampire. He kept Roza busy for a while .lol 

• Lothaire - Immortals After Dark - Ooh sexy as hell and a bad boy. I think he was just

misunderstood through the most part of IAD. 

• Xcor - BDB- Okay yes the dude have some issues, but just look how he just melts around Layla. 

• Ryodan - Fever Series - Now this guys have issues. In some way I like him but in many ways I

wish Dany just wacked some manners into him. Can’t wait for Burned, I really hope she dishes

out some payback. 

• Christian Mackeltar -Fever Series - Again, I just think the guy is misunderstood, but I am really

hoping he crushes Ryodan. And now an Unseelie prince, he is really creepy. 

• V'lane - Fever Series - Did not see this one coming, was a huge surprise in the end. 

• Adam Black - Highlander Series - For the most part in the Highlander series this guy just totally

messed with everyone, and then he got some payback. 

• Ballen - Kasadya Hellhound Series - Yeah my own character, but for the first two books I really

didn’t enjoy writing about him and then in the end he just kind of persuaded me to give him

another chance.

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I am a complete book addict, and really proud of it. My entire world is made of books. From reading to writing to blogging to helping other authors. A day without my world of books would be impossible. I am a mother of three, two boys and a little princess. Happily married for 8 years with my high school sweetheart. I live in South Africa, just on the rims of the Kalahari Desert in a small town with one shop and friendly faces.


Find Karen and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Hellhound Awakened
Kasadya #1
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords

In a constant battle between good and evil, evil is dominating the battle field and leading mankind to its destruction. With our Creator's intervention a creature destined to conquer and destroy is created. He gives mankind hellhounds to fight back and reclaim freedom.

Join seventeen year old Kasadya Levourne as she fights against evil to protect us. With each step she faces destruction, and yet she has the talent to give it back tenfold. Stubborn and hardheaded she makes her mark in the fallen world and starts a battle none can escape. Not even her trainer, the very attractive Chax de Luca, was prepared for her presence.

Will evil prevail? Or will Kas and her fallen friends succeed in protecting us against it?

Hold on to your seats, this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Hellhound Twisted
Kasadya #2
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble

She fought against all odds and became the warrior she was meant to be … or so she thought. In a world where the rules have changed, can she embrace her destiny and become the hellhound she was meant to be?

Kasadya is back in Exsilium and finds her world a little different. Her half-breed fallen friends join her, and they are ordered to complete their apprentice training in order to obtain the right to be guardians. She must learn that her own fate cannot be denied and that others are set to follow. But most of all, she must learn that to trust is the greatest battle of all.

The tables are turned and Kasadya is put to the test. Will she be able to prevent her own death, or that of a friend? Or will her actions call forth the destruction of Earth and Exsilium?

For a Phoenix to rise, it must first die. —Chax De Luca

Hellhound Born
Kasadya #3
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble

In a world filled with evil, the Fallen prepare for the ultimate battle against the demon world!

Kasadya is ordered to unleash her crazed born transformation to complete her divinity. But there is a chance that her born will be uncontrollable, and she will be destroyed. There is just one person that can save her; her charm, her destined mate. Left without a choice, she must surrender, and place her life in his hands.

In a race against time, the Fallen must stand together and fight the evil threatening to invade earth. If her divinity was in reach, victory would be theirs. That is until she starts having visions of the final battle, and her true destiny is revealed. She just found her love and place in the Fallen world; will she be able, and willing, to sacrifice it all?

Hellhound Defined
Kasadya #4
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble

For centuries his only reason for existence was to destroy evil. But when he finally found his mate, that all changed for the deadly Chax De Luca. When the hellhound Kasadya captured his heart, he surrended it to her, thinking he’d finally found what he’d been looking for. Little did he know that his mate would sacrifice herself to save them all.

His fury is legend. His wrath, merciless. His love for his mate, undeniable. He’s going to hell to retrieve his heart, and if that means that he must destroy hell itself, then so be it.

Kasadya awakes to a world in peril, her mate forever changed, and a war filled with evil creatures intending to enter Earth’s realm and destroy all that she holds dear. Can she complete her divinity in time to save her loved ones and mankind? Will she have to choose? Or will all be lost in the final battle?

The final battle is here, and with it, secrets are revealed and worlds are changed forever.

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Tour Wide

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Week in Review: 9/28-10/4

Books I've Bought/received

- Trace of Magic by Diana Pharaoh Francis- eCopy- NetGalley

- Wickedly Wonderful- Deborah Blake- eARC- Publisher

- Protecting His Witch by Zoe Forward- eARC- Author

Books I've Read

Protecting His Witch by Zoe Forward
Meridian Six by Jaye Wells
Trace of Magic by Diana Pharaoh Francis
Armageddon by Christina Bauer
Firebug by Lish McBride
Poison Fruit by Jacqueline Carey
Reckoning by S.J. Harper

Reviews Posted

Burning Desire by Donna Grant
Predator & Prey by James D. Horton
Chained by Night by Larissa Ione

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

* Wednesday- Guest Blog for Divinity by Michelle L. Johnson

* Thursday- Interview for Bad Dreams: A Blood and Fire Short by Brantwijn Serrah

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

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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.

Review: Burning Desire by Donna Grant

Burning Desire

Author: Donna Grant

Release Date: September 30, 2014

Publisher: St. Martins

Dark Kings Book #3

ISBN:   1250060702

ISBN13: 9781250060709

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

The Dark Kings have fought for centuries to preserve their dragon magic. But can one warrior resist the greatest temptation of all?

A DESIRE THIS POWERFUL

In his quest to destroy the Dark Fae—his nemesis—the Dragon King known as Kiril goes to Ireland as a spy. When a gorgeous, mysterious woman tries to seduce him, Kiril instantly sees through her glamour to the Dark Fae beneath. Shara isn’t just any Dark; she’s from one of the most powerful bloodlines—and despite the dangers, Kiril can’t stay away from her. He’s enthralled by her smile, enslaved by the undeniable passion…

IS A WAR WORTH FIGHTING FOR

Shara has one chance to make things right with her family—and to prove her worth. It seemed like such an easy mission…until she actually meets Kiril. His charm, his sexual magnetism is too much for her to ignore. Shara knows that falling into Kiril’s arms can bring her nothing but trouble. Yet she discovers an inner strength she didn’t know she had…and an attraction that knows no bounds. But is her desire for Kiril worth the risk of eternal doom for them both?

BURNING DESIRE wasn't my favorite book of the series. I can't decide if it was the couple or the storyline that didn't fully do it for me. I'm going to say it was a combination and try to explain why.

BURNING DESIRE follows Kiril as he meets his mate Shara. As we know, Kiril is a Dragon King and is undercover in Ireland trying to find out information about the Dark Fae and what they are up to. Shara is a Dark Fae, but not your normal Dark Fae. After spending 600 years locked up for disappoint her family she is ready to earn their respect. She must seduce the Dragon King and help capture him. The only problem is she can't quite help falling for him. Kiril instantly knows that Shara is a Dark Fae and what she is there to do, but he plays along anyways because he's drawn to her. He doesn't instantly trust him, but he is drawn to her and he can't help wanting to get to know her better, or maybe he really just wants to get her into bed and doesn't care? You decide. I don't know, I liked them together and all but their relationship didn't draw me in like the other couples of the series.

Since Kiril is in Ireland and the other Dragon Kings are in Scotland we don't get as much of them as we usually do. I missed having them and the rest of the girls around. Maybe that is what is holding me back from totally loving BURNING DESIRE. We see way more of Ulrik in book 3 than we have and I have to say I really don't like him. I was starting to think he wasn't involved in the Dragon Kings troubles, but it is now very obvious he is. 

Overall I just didn't feel like much was accomplished in BURNING DESIRE.  Sure there was action and bad guys, but it wasn't as exciting to me as previous installments. Hopefully book 4 will get grab my attention more.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

Interview: Bad Dreams: A Blood and Fire Short by Brantwijn Serrah

UFI welcomes Author Brantwijn Serrah. 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 am an avid convention attendee and a little bit of an autograph hound. But I usually collect signatures on unique items instead of photographs: I have created fan art for The Dresden Files signed by Jim Butcher, and for Torchwood signed by John Barrowman. I have custom My Little Ponies of Invader Zim and Gir, both signed by the show creator and voice actors, a custom Weird Al pony signed by the man himself, custom Hermes from Futurama, Penny from Dr. Horrible, and—my personal pride and joy—I have a custom My Little Pony Demona, signed by Marina Sirtis.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

It's probably no surprise I like to create Custom My Little Ponies.

What is your Favorite part of writing? 

The characters. I love it when they really take off and start exhibiting their own personalities, tone, and habits. I sometimes envision this big, wide, old-west style saloon in my head where my mains hang out after hours and talk about their lives (and fight over whose story gets my attention next).

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write? 

If I have a case of writer's block, I pause to listen to an audiobook or some usic, or I draw. Sometimes if the writing is there but its stubborn or sluggish, I find myself retreating to my fortress of solitude (a.k.a. my master bedroom, where I cuddle with my cat, turn off the lights and lie on my stomach to clack away on my laptop). That helps me focus in a bit.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres? 

Jim Butcher is probably my favorite in the genre, followed by Kresley Cole. Stephen King is an old favorite from my high school and college days. I'm picking up a lot more Indie authors lately, too, and I'm quite fond of Rebekah Lewis, Torie James and Decadent Kane, as series writers.

How would you pitch Bad Dreams to someone who has not heard of it before?

The story is a delicious twisted erotic short about a woman suddenly unable to sleep, because each night a dark stranger appears to her, to feast on her greediest, most sinful desires.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Bad Dreams is set in? 

Bad Dreams is a short story within my Blood and Fire series (it is a stand-alone, however, so readers can read it with or without knowing any of the other books or characters).

The Blood and Fire world provides the setting for most—though not all—of my vampire, werewolf and demon stories, including Bad Dreams and my full-length novel, Lotus Petals. The defining characteristic of this world is the existence of The Blood Circle: a collection of five demon races, led by their respective Councilmen, in service to a king called the Drogh Lord. Demons in this world worship strength, and demons who are born into it—literally born, as in, from a demon womb—represent a lower caste shunned by others of their kind.

Do you have a favorite scene in Bad Dreams?

I've suffered "sleep paralysis", an occurrence described in this book, and tried to channel much of what I felt and learned about it into the story. My favorite part comes where Priya, the main character, gives in to the dream entirely, willingly embracing the experience.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about? 

It was a lot of fun to conceptualize and write about the unnamed stranger preying on Priya. The character does have a name and he appears in some of my other stories, but for Bad Dreams, he's exactly that: a bad dream. I enjoyed imagining how he would appear to his human prey, and how he would appeal to her deepest greeds.

As for the hardest...I think Priya's husband, who plays an exceptionally small role anyway, was most hard to connect with.

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you? 

At the end of October I've got a book coming out which I am very excited to released! The book is His Cemetery Doll, taking place in post-World War II Europe, and following the story of a graveyard keeper haunted by an intruder to his cemetery: a life-like, beautiful living doll.

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When she isn't visiting the worlds of immortals, demons, dragons and goblins, Brantwijn fills her time with artistic endeavors: sketching, painting, customizing My Little Ponies and sewing plushies for friends. She can't handle coffee unless there's enough cream and sugar to make it a milkshake, but try and sweeten her tea and she will never forgive you. She moonlights as a futon for four lazy cats, loves tabletop role-play games, and can spend hours watching Futurama, Claymore or Buffy the Vampire Slayer while she writes or draws.

In addition to her novels, Brantwijn has had several stories published in anthologies by Breathless Press, including the 2013 Crimson Anthology and 2014 Ravaged Anthology. She's also had a short story published in the Cleiss Press Big Book of Orgasm and the anthology Coming Together Through The Storm. She hopes to have several more tales to tell as time goes on. She has author pages on GoodReads and Amazon, and loves to see reader comments on her work. Her short stories occasionally pop up at Foreplay and Fangs, her blog at http://brantwijn.blogspot.com.

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Bad Dreams
A Blood and Fire Short
Buy Link

Priya can't sleep, but that's not the worst of her troubles. She's starting to hallucinate, and every night she's seeing a very wicked male...

The doctor calls it "sleep paralysis." Her husband doesn't realize anything's wrong. But night after night, Priya finds herself stuck between sleep and waking, perfectly aware and perfectly helpless, as a looming dark creature hovers over her. He promises pleasure so sinful, Priya can't resist. Bound in his coils, she's starting to lose herself...

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Excerpt:

Dreary and exhausted, Priya couldn't find the energy to do anything besides plod off to bed. She crawled under the covers on her belly, praying there would be no delirious, dark imaginings when she closed her eyes.

Then—seemingly immediately—the paralysis took her. It replaced her weary, aching fatigue with a rabid, feverish, and animal need. Her body thrilled in madly constrained helplessness; she flushed hot under the weight of gleaming, glinting eyes.

She found it difficult to breathe. A heavy, winding coil, serpentine, wrapped around her throat, and more twisted around her wrists, pinning them behind her back. Priya wanted to scream, her higher brain waking into a red panic. Deeper inside, though, like a naughty child set loose to misbehave, the primal Priya, the visceral, hungry, and joyous Priya needed it, fighting to move if only so she could squirm happily against her restraints.

The fear and the pleasure were hard to separate. The world of the dream flooded her mind, dark and vague. Her thoughts and will were tugged down and down, while the shadows of her bedroom swam above her.

A body lay on top of hers, felt more than seen. Those silvery eyes locked with hers, like a hypnotist entrancing her as prey, a python with a bird. Her nakedness was all she could think about, vulnerable and open to the thing pinning her down. As the strange presence caressed her, she remembered...she'd wanted this. She'd asked Ron to blindfold and bind her, and now she was bound quite tightly, powerless as the demanding malevolence took everything he hungered for.

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Guest Blog: Divinity by Michelle L. Johnson

UFI welcomes Michelle L. Johnson Author of Divinity. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Divinity Necklace
A Guest Post by Michelle L. Johnson

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the significance of the necklace, since I’ve offered it on a few giveaways and some of the readers are talking about it. I can tell you why it’s in there, what purpose it serves, and the basic history and properties of the stone. I’m not sure I can answer what drew me to include it other than I’ve had an apache tear stone that I carried with me everywhere, and because I knew about the stone, I could see how it could fit into the story, both short term and long term.

At some point within the pages of DIVINITY, Alex gives Julia a necklace. They’d seen the apache tear stone together while in a gem store and were both touched by the story of the naming of the stone.

The stones are named for an Apache story of tribe members being pursued by the Calvary. The Apache men fought bravely, but were outnumbered. To avoid the fate of capture and torture at the hands of their enemies, they jumped off a cliff to their deaths. The distraught women of the tribe wept tears of grief that, upon falling to the earth, transformed into the obsidian pebbles. It was believed that those tears were made into stone so that the people will never forget what happened.

Apache tear stones are said to help the emotional body to heal, particularly with grief. Alex knew this when he had the necklace made for Julia, and delivers it at a time when she needs it most. It is, of course, also a bit of a foreshadowing of things to come in future novels as well… but let’s not spoil things! The stones are also said to be good for raising the ability to sense danger or risky situations. This is a talent Julia comes by honestly, but the stone could enhance that power.

It is interesting to note that the Archangels are all well aware of crystals and stones and their properties. For example, Raphael, known for her abilities as a healer, wears jade pins in her hair to enhance her power. Jade is a powerful stone, known for its healing properties.

There is another stone introduced in the book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. It is a beautiful stone, however, and in addition to what Julia uses it for, it is said to be a good vessel for sending unconditional love.

I’ve given away some Divinity necklaces, as shortly after Spence City picked up the book I found a woman on Etsy who makes them. She’s even agreed to call them Divinity Necklaces, and adds a wing pendant to each. Her name is Brenda, she’s a delight to order from, and her Etsy shop is Rockin’ Crystals.

Here’s a link to the necklace for anyone who’d like to check it out: http://goo.gl/kTaAPQ
 
I do have more planned for the Divine world in the way of stones and alternative ideas to blend with those already established. I can’t wait to see what stones the other angels favor… and why. With them, there’s always a “why.”

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Michelle L. Johnson is the author of DIVINITY, a supernatural urban fantasy, and the author of THE FOOTLOOSE KILLER, a mystery. She's also a literary agent, a coffee lover beyond reason, and has a fascination with the workings of the human mind.

Her key influences have been Stephen King, Anne Rice, and C.S. Lewis, but is inspired by every author to put pen to paper.

Michelle lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her muse and her rambunctious Cocker Spaniel, Sammy.

Find Michelle and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Divinity
Amazon  BN  Kobo  iTunes

When Julia climbs into a flaming car to save a trapped child, she's left wondering why either of them survived. Then she learns that her father is the Archangel Gabriel, and that she is half human, half Archangel.   

With guidance from Michael, the most powerful Archangel, Julia sets out to discover her own history and explore her angelic powers. But her journey is cut short when an evil force, invisible to human and angel alike, tears her world apart.   

Now Julia must fight through her despair, harness her newfound gifts, and risk her very soul to stop the A'nwel and protect the family she never knew she had.   

What she doesn't know is that Archangels have secrets too.

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Review: Predator & Prey by James D. Horton

Predator & Prey

Author: James D. Horton, Miranda Horton

Release Date: July 23, 2014

Publisher: KDP

Predator & Prey Book #1

ASIN:  B00M26F8IY

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: Publisher

Lily works the night shift at a radio station, taking calls from forlorn and damaged souls who can't sleep. She knows their pain and they find solace in her comforting words. The city is ruthless; nameless creatures roam the streets and prey on the lost and innocent.

As she leaves work one night at the crest of dawn, Lily comes face-to-face with depravity. She is a survivor at heart, but she is unfairly outnumbered and surrenders to her fate. From the shadows an ally emerges, the mysterious and alluring, Wolf. After coming to Lily's aid, he takes her to shelter.

The immediate danger has passed, but the incident is far from over. Wolf tells Lily she is not prey, and sets off into the night with her by his side to set a wrong right. What she sees when entering the dark heart of the city will change her existence forever. Has Wolf taken on a force too big? Will Lily survive the night?

PREDATOR & PREY started off pretty strong and then kinda lost me towards the end. Note that there are only 31 pages so things move at a VERY fast pace. I think that was my problem. I just didn't buy the relationship between Lily and Wolf. Lily comes off as a pretty strong, independant young woman in the beginning and then she kinda falls off her horse and acts like she's OK with a man owning her? Maybe I read a little too much into the situation towards the end? There just wasn't enough explanation or getting to know each other for me to enjoy the story more than I did.

I'm being kinda generous in my rating of this book because I DO think that there is promise between the couple, but there really needs to be some more character/relationship building to pull off me reading past the next chapter of the story.

I gave it 3/5 stars

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

New Releases: 9/28-10/4

Mon. Sept 29

The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall (Dark Seductions #1) by Lauren Smith

 Storm (Salt #2) by Danielle Ellison

 Twisted (Eternal Guardians #7) by Elisabeth Naughton

Tue. Sept. 30

 The Betrayed (Krewe of Hunters #14) by Heather Graham

 The Bloodbound by Erin Lindsey

 Burning Desire (Dark Kings #3) by Donna Grant

 Chained by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampire #2) by Larissa Ione

 Dead Zone (Blackout #2) by Robison Wells 

 Incarnate (The Spellmason Chronicles #3) by Anton Strout 

 Invisible (The Twixt #2) by Dawn Metcalf 

Priestess Dreaming (Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon #16) by Yasmine Galenorn 

 The Queen of Zombie Hearts (White Rabbit Chronicles #3) by Gena Showalter

 Sacrifice (Elemental #5) by Brigid Kemmerer

 Summer Moon (Celtic Wolves #2) by Jan DeLima

 Winterspell (Winterspell #1) by Claire Legrand

Happy Reading!