Book Giveaway & Toni's Review of Fever by Joan Swan ***4.5 Stars***

When Dr. Alyssa Foster is taken hostage by a prison inmate, she knows she's in deep trouble. Not just because Teague Creek is desperate for freedom, but because the moment his fingers brush against her skin, Alyssa feels a razor-sharp pang of need...

A man with a life sentence has nothing to lose. At least Teague doesn't, until his escape plan develops a fatal flaw: Alyssa. On the run from both the law and deadly undercover operatives, he can only give her lies, but every heated kiss tells him the fire between them could be just as devastating as the flames that changed him forever... 

Read an excerpt

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I’m going to start this review a bit differently. A lot of people don’t give this book a chance because of racial slurs and downright ugly language. Yes, this book has those factors in it, but it is not the book. The individual who talks like that doesn’t last long. This is NOT his story. It’s an unpleasant reality that there are people out there that still think and talk like this, but like I said…It is a reality. I have to give kudos to the author for not sugar coating the truth no matter how objectionable it is.

Teague had it all once upon a time. A loving wife, a beautiful child and a career he enjoyed immensely. One tragic event changed his life forever, unbeknown to him. From that moment on, his life took a downhill plummet. He has lost nearly everything and now he has nothing left to lose. Determined to take back the one thing that is most precious in his life; he takes a chance and breaks out of prison. Now all he has to do is reach his final goal and to hell with everyone in his way.

Dr. Alyssa Foster is having a really tough day. Exhausted and beat, she has no idea she just entered a storm. Now she is being held captive by two men; one who does nothing but hate her for living and the other that confuses her all the way down to her toes. No matter what, she must survive. She has too much to live for and she has worked too hard to let these men ruin her life.

Things don’t look promising for these escapees. If they are not fighting among themselves, they have gangs, the police and an unknown entity after them. They are running out of time and things are not looking better but worse.

This is one high octane ride! Fever is sexy, dark, mysterious and kick-butt. I loved the chemistry between Teague and Alyssa. She is one smart cookie and she doesn’t take any crap. Their adventure is definitely a roller coaster ride from start to finish.

In her blurb about herself, Ms. Swan mentions that she writes romance suspense with a paranormal twist. I would agree. While this story is NOT a paranormal romance, it does have a different element/feel to it. I would have to compare it to Spiderman, if you will. Parker got bit by the radioactive spider and now he has these amazing abilities. I know it’s kind of geekish of me to compare it like that, but that is the best comparison that I could come up with. So there is no supernatural in this book, just the unnatural. This is romance with a little extra edge. It works - trust me!

Heck, if you don’t pick up the book for the cover alone, I would have to question your sanity, just kidding. Fever really is a great read. Full of suspense and action, but tender loving moments that steamed up my glasses. If Ms. Swan is making this a series, I’m on board and will be in line for the next installment. I loved her voice and she knows how to write hot sexy romance with clever dialog. These are all bonuses in my view. Great job and well done!!

Thanks for reading!! - Toni

Book Giveaway!!

I have an extra copy from the publisher and I'm going to give it away to a lucky poster.

Since I had a geek moment in the review, I think I will ask a geeky question or two.  So to qualify for the giveaway please answer one or both of the following questions, along with your email address so I can contact the winner:

Who is your favorite super/action hero and WHY?
If you could have a secret ability, what would it be and WHY?

This giveaway will close on April 8th at 11:59pm.  Open to US & Canada only. 

Good luck and I can't wait to see your responses!

Random Sequence Generator

Here is your sequence:

2

Winner is: Wolf_girl 

I hope you enjoy this cover oops, I mean book! ~Toni

Toni's Review of My Lord Vampire by Alexandra Ivy ***3.5 Stars***

THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2003 UNDER AUTHOR NAME DEBBIE RALEIGH

In the first of a mesmerizing trilogy, Alexandra Ivy, author of the Guardians of Eternity series, introduces the Immortal Rogues—three vampires duty-bound to protect their own kind even as they fall prey to mortal desires. . .

Centuries have passed since Gideon Ravel dwelled among humans. Now he must infiltrate the cream of London society to earn the trust of one woman. Simone, Lady Gilbert, possesses an amulet of unimaginable power, and no concept of the threat that surrounds her. The ton's gossip prepared him for her beauty and wit. But he is blindsided by her barely disguised sensuality and his growing need to possess her. . . 

None of the idle aristocrats who vie for Simone's attentions know about her past. To them, she is the sophisticated, worldly widow known as the "Wicked Temptress." The truth would ruin her, and she has never been tempted to reveal it until now. Yet beneath Gideon's bold, black-eyed stare is a hunger that demands satisfaction and complete surrender. . .and a secret far more dangerous than her own. . .

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This is a sweet story with a little bite.

Vampires left the human realm almost two hundred years ago for the Veil. The Veil is a place where vampires can live in peace. In the Veil, they have no fear of being hunted and they are no longer slaves to their primal hungers. Now traitors are threatening their calm existence. Gideon must cross back over to the human realm to find a maiden who has unknowingly been entrusted with a portion of the medallion that protects the Veil. He must not let the medallion fall into their hands, at all costs.

Gideon is an ideal vampire; confident, arrogant and sexy. He starts his quest with a conceit that gets blown out of the water. Vampires believe they are more intellectual and have a sense of superiority. Gideon brings that persona with him when he returns to the human realm. While he continues with his supremacy view of himself throughout most of the novel you can see Simone chipping away at his perceptions.

Simone, Simone, Simone…What to say about her? She had a quiet strength, but there were many times I wished she would grow a spine and stand up for herself. I will concede though, that considering the period that the novel takes place in, she was much stronger than most. Ms. Ivy didn’t fall into the trap of making her a woman of that era, stronger than they really were. But like I said my modern self had troubles with that simply because of my makeup and had nothing really to do with the book.

Gideon and Simone’s romance is hot, but in a sweet way. This book does not have explicit sex scenes, but their attraction is well described. I found myself pleasantly surprised. While the plot was not “grab your britches” enthralling, it was a nice change of pace. It had moments of greatness and I can’t wait for Lucien and Sebastian’s tales.

If you are trying to figure out what the hype is all about, in regards to paranormal novels, My Lord Vampire might be a good starter book for you. It had more of a historical feeling to it, so you are not inundated with alternate realities and monsters. Ms. Ivy didn’t saturate the novel with vampire lore, but I do have to say that I wish she would have explained her vision of vampires more. She has developed a unique universe and I hope to learn a bit more about it in the next book.

The next novel: My Lord Eternity is scheduled to be release late 2012 and I can’t wait to see what is in store next for these Immortal Rogues.

Thanks for reading!  - Toni

GUEST AUTHOR POST & GIVEAWAY - Romancing the Wolf by Terry Spear

Romancing the Wolf

By Terry Spear

Wolves don’t need to be romanced. Did you know that? They don’t need to be wined and dined and given Valentine’s Day cards, or taken on honeymoons, or…

At least that’s what Meara says when Finn tells her he’s not a romantic kind of guy. But you see, there’s romance and there’s ROMANCE.

Which would you prefer? A man who takes you out dancing and out to dinners, but when he wrecks the car and breaks your ankle, he leaves you sitting in the hospital waiting to see a doctor, alone, because…he felt so badly about it? True story, my mother’s when she was in her twenties and the guy was her fiancé. End of relationship. What would happen if after they married, she got pregnant, she wondered. He’d run off after dumping her at the hospital because he felt so badly that he caused it and she was in pain again?

So definitely, there’s got to be more to a relationship then just the dating scene. The guy can’t run off and leave the heroine at the first sign of danger.

Shooting starts, Finn tackles Meara to the floor, loses his towel, and his naked body is pressed against her clothed one. Meets criteria of protecting heroine?

Check.

He has to be willing to take risks for the heroine. They’re being tailed, he’s thinking her clothing is bugged, he gives her much more than a once over…searching for the bugs, and she’s thinking he’d better find one or else. Wolfishly heroic?

Check.

She’s hungry, he fixes her a steak on the grill, moonlit night on the beach, but it doesn’t stop there…he makes her s’mores, because she has a love for all that chocolaty marshmallowy graham cracker delight, and he loves to see her enjoy them. It’s not about him and what he’d love, but about her and what she’d love. Sitting in a crowded restaurant isn’t half as romantic as this getaway with him, while danger lurks everywhere. Romantic?

Check.

Wolves are territorial. It doesn’t matter if some other wolf might be trying to help Finn out with protecting Meara. There are wolf rules that need to be honored. You don’t break into a safe house and fix yourself a cup of coffee, but it’s more than that. It’s the fact that Bjornolf (pronounced Bee-your-nulf), might be scoping out your she-wolf, and that’s not going to be allowed. Bjornolf doesn’t even know what hit him, Finn’s so fast to react and set the rules. Some wolves are too stubborn to take a hint though. Protective?

Check.

Finn had arrived to protect both Hunter and Meara from the threat to the SEAL team after having contacted the other members of their team. But Meara’s the only one who’s on her own, and fearing she’ll be targeted to get to her brother, Finn is determined to see her safe. Even though he’s way over qualified for a wolf-sitting job. Loyal?

Check.

Bedtime can be a whole ‘nother experience. Things are getting way too hot between Meara and Finn, when they both know this isn’t a good idea, so she opts to sleep on the couch. He doesn’t want her that far away when he’s supposed to be protecting her. She places pillows between them. There’s not enough room for him on the bed. The pillows go on the floor. Decisive when decisions are important?

Check.

Okay, so alpha wolves are hot and live by different rules in our society, but who wouldn’t want to be romanced by a SEAL like Finn??? Sure, you might not get a Valentine’s Day card, and he might balk about a honeymoon, but the showers you share can make up for it all… SEALs LOVE the water.

Hope you enjoyed a romp with a SEAL-wolf, who, by his own admission, doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body, but his actions tell a whole different story.

Yum.

Terry Spear

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terry Spear has written over a dozen paranormal romance novels and two medieval Highland historical romances. An award-winning author, Terry’s Heart of the Wolf  was named a Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year in 2008. A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry Spear is a librarian by day and spends every spare moment writing paranormal romance as well as historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas, where she is working on new paranormal romances! For more information, please visit http://www.terryspear.com/.

You can also visit Terry at:

Facebook

www.terryspear.com

Myspace

Terry's Blog

Twitter

The new exciting addition to Terry's Heart of the Wolf series is A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing

Available NOW!!!!

With the ultimate alpha male hero-werewolf Finn Emerson, Navy SEAL-bestselling author Terry Spear ratchets up the heat in the new installment in her hugely popular paranormal romance series. 

Meara Greymere is in charge of the cabin rentals on the rugged Oregon coastline, so her brother and his mate could take a delayed honeymoon. But while Hunter is away, the she-wolf intends to play—she just has to convince the right alpha male to rent one of the cabins, and she’ll take it from there. But when Finn Emerson arrives with every intention of pretending to be her lover, she's not going to take this lying down. She knows he'll tell her brother what she's up to and put an end to her game.

Finn Emerson is an ex-Navy SEAL, formerly one of Hunter Greymere’s team members, and now he's trying to track down a gray wolf, who's already made an attempt on one of their team member's lives. Finn believes Hunter will be targeted next, only to discover Hunter is off with his mate on a honeymoon, and he fears Hunter’s sister is in grave danger. But the former SEAL soon learns protecting the unpredictable sexy she-wolf is a mission and a half and protecting her isn’t all he wants to do.

Heart of the Wolf Series
Shown in reading order
Printable List of all of Terry's Books

GIVEAWAY!!

We are so excited here at Paranormal Addicts!!  Sourcebooks is offering TWO copies of A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing for this giveaway.  So that means there will be Two lucky winners!!

Paranormal Addicts would like to thank Terry Spear and Sourcebooks for being so generous with their time and prizes.  Please checkout their websites, they both have great books to offer!

To enter:  Answer this question:  How do you like to be romanced?

To earn additional entries:  These are not mandatory, but do increase your odds of winning.

• Become a Fan on Terry's Goodread page
• Follow Paranormal Addicts Facebook Page
• Follow Paranormal Addicts on Twitter
• "Like" this blog post
• Twitter about this contest daily

Toni's Review of Curses! A F**ked Up Fairy Tale by JA Kazimer ***5 Stars***

I’m no hero. In fact, up until a couple of days ago, I was the villain. Kidnapped maidens, scared kids, stole magic tchotchkes—until I got into a little scrape with the union. Now I’m cursed with the worst fate in New Never City—no matter what I do, I gotta be nice.

So when a head-case princess named Asia barges into my apartment and asks me to find out who whacked her stepsister, Cinderella, I have no choice but to help her. And I’m more than willing to head back to her parents’ castle and do some investigating if it means I can get into her black leather cat suit. Except this twisted sister has a family nutty enough to send the Biggest Baddest Wolf running for the hills—and a freaky little curse of her own...

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First off you really need to watch this skit from Saturday Night Live - The Real Housewives of Disney.  I got this clip off Kazimer's website and let me just say that it really sums up this tale and what you can look forward to with this series.

Also there is a great blog about what is going on in the kingdom, check out:  The New Never News

This has been one of the best stories that I have read in a long time.  If you like your fairytales with butterflies and charming princes this story is not for you.  Welcome to the dark side of fairytales!

Cinderella has just been murdered and her ugly stepsister, Asia, wants to know why.  Things are not what they appear though and she hires RJ to find out what really happened to Cinderella.  To start things off, Asia doesn’t know that RJ is not who she thinks he is.  He is a villain on medical leave.  But what is a villain to do when he is broke and a hot sexy woman asks for your help and all he wants to do is help her get out of her skintight outfit? Help the poor girl, of course.  Their investigation takes them from one end of the kingdom to the other.  No one can be trusted, because everyone is a suspect.

I was snorting and laughing so hard while I was reading that I may have actually had an accident.  This story is so demented and twisted that only the truly sick of minds will appreciate it.  Well that is not true; anyone with a solid sense of humor will devour it, but be prepared to be shocked and awestruck.

Kazimer is a brilliant writer who took a simple sweet tale and made it her own.  Her sense of humor is almost scary at times and you wonder if she was sober when she wrote Curses.  Someone asked me what I was reading and I told them it was a story about fairytales on crack or a really bad acid trip.  They laughed and of course asked for the title. 

Curses is definitely an adult read and I’m so excited that she is continuing with the F**ked Up Fairytale series.  She has dumped my views of classic fairytales on their collective butts and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for me.  There are countless characters that you loved as a child, but told in such an innovative light that you soon forget how they once were and embrace the new, and in some cases improved characters. 

Curses! A F**ked Up Fairytale is a breath of fresh air; well not really, it is more like a hallucinogenic haze, but if you want the trip of your life – take a really deep breathe because trust me this is one trippy ride.

Thanks for reading! - Toni

Toni's Review of Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck ***3.5 Stars***

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights…

Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl “hires” him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him—and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he’s got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There’s also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon’s greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him…

*******************

Monsters need not apply!  Deacon Chalk lost everything the night his entire family was killed by your kind.  Now with nothing left to lose, he lives to hunt you.  He is a bounty hunter with a little extra, and that little extra is going to take you down.

Deacon is one big strong scary looking man.  Humans and monsters alike fear him.  He is a no nonsense man that protects the innocent.  After losing his family, he changed completely.  He closed his tattoo parlor and opened a strip club.  It’s not your normal strip club either.  All employees have been touched by the evil of monsters and now they are a family.  Brought together by circumstances that was out of their control.  Deacon may be the head of this ragtag group, but he works alone.  

Now there is a new force in town; one that even has the monsters looking over their shoulders.  From the first strike to the last, Deacon will not stop until it has been destroyed.  Even if it the last thing he ever does.

This is urban fantasy that takes no prisoners.  The monsters are evil and must be stopped, PERIOD, and Deacon is the perfect hero to do it.  Blood and Bullets is a story told in Deacon’s point of view.  He has a very strong personality and voice, but you can feel his pain and commitment coming through.  This is a man with a mission and you best stay the heck out of his way.  My favorite line in the book is; “And vampires never sparkle unless they just ate a stripper.”  I literally cracked up.  It was just perfect.

I enjoyed reading about Deacon and his kick-butt crew.  These characters live in an ugly world, but they have each other and will die to protect it.  The action is intense and messy.  I like to get down and dirty and Blood and Bullets is just the book to take me there. 

I liked the gritty and dark feeling to the story and the razor sharp edge.  While Mr. Tuck was repetitive at times in regards to explanations of guns, cars and such; I still found the overall story well written and exciting.  Now that the world building is done, he can blow us away with his dark take of the underworld.

Blood and Bullets is a great start to a new series.  I can see great potential in this series and I can’t wait for the next installment.

Thanks for reading! - Toni

GUEST BLOG - April Fifer & Danielle Hylton-Outland

Paranormal Addicts welcomes Authors April & Danielle!!

Author Bio’s


Danielle Hylton-Outland was raised in Virginia. She grew up having a huge appetite for daydreaming; always wanting to live in the spectacular worlds she created in her mind. She now lives with her husband and dog where she is pursuing a degree in literature. Danielle is a strong animal activist. She is currently co-writing the second book in the Flesh Series, "Flesh and Flames".

April Fifer grew up in a small town in Virginia, where it was common practice believing that dreams could only be found in stories. At the age of seven she was diagnosed with dyslexia. She was told that she would struggle through life and would never pick up a book to read for pleasure. Although school was hard, she was able to find her way with the help of two teachers who taught her self-discovery. Ignoring what she was taught growing up, she turned it around and found that your dreams could become stories.

Contact Information:

 Author's Website

Twitter

Blog

Facebook

Buy "Flesh and Feathers" Today

RELEASE DATE:  March 31st 


Azaleigh's life is simple until, by chance, she meets Kale.  Charming and handsome Az is immediately drawn to him. But long kept secrets lurk in the hearts of those Az holds most dear, and dangerous plans are unfolding around her.  As her life begins to crumble and Kale disappears, Gage, charismatic and striking, arrives, providing a calm port in an increasingly violent storm.  But with every narrow escape from a far from human bounty hunter after her life, Az begins to unravel a secret with the power to change her forever.  In an increasingly hostile world of Angel and Fallen, Azaleigh must navigate her own path, chose her own side, and ultimately protect her heart.  Faced with two gorgeous men, an enemy she doesn’t know, and a future she cannot understand, Az must make the choice: the man she loves, or the man she cannot live without.

Excerpt

We arrived at the lounge, which was tucked away and hidden from the city. It was easily the most romantic and seductive place I had ever been. A live band played a soft, slow ballad as we were seated.

We ate dinner, and the conversations were short; neither of us divulged too much information. Yet, it was an intriguing encounter I didn't want to end.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked. I assumed the hardwood square in the center of the room was set up as a dance floor, but no one was on it.

"No one's really dancing," I said, hoping this would discourage him from asking again.

He pulled me to my feet, and in that instant an alluring sound began to play, and the words crooned were so tempting I gave in. Kale led me to the floor and pressed his body to mine. My head barely met the middle of his chest, and I gazed up at him, transfixed by his eyes. The words of the song overwhelmed me with each provocative verse, as though they were meant for only me. Kale emanated an essence that threatened to consume my body. I closed my eyes.  His left hand, pressed against the small of my back moving me slowly and gently in sync with him. He used his right hand to trail a finger from the corner of my eye and down my cheek to my chin and then my collarbone, expanding his whole palm over my shoulder. I felt tiny and fragile but safe and secure. "You're beautiful," he said, astonishing me.

I opened my eyes, and saw all of the shades of blue that made his eyes so brilliant. They twisted and interlocked, creating the most vibrant color. He leaned towards me, and my legs grew weak. He held my gaze, and I wanted so badly to look away; this was not something I was ready for.

Finally, his lips were within an inch of mine. I forced my eyes closed as he whispered, "Azaleigh." He pressed his lips zealously to mine. With each supple kiss a surge of heat rushed through me. His hands reached up, cupping my jaw on each side, holding me in place. His last kiss gently pulled at my top lip and softly let go. He lingered inches from my face. I stood there with my eyes closed, too petrified to open them. His thumb brush across my cheek reassuringly. I couldn't speak. I was afraid my words would dissolve the moment and I would never get the magic back. But like all great things, the end was inevitable.

"It's getting late. I should take you home." His words broke the silence I had dared not to break myself.

Paranormal Addicts would like to thank April and Danielle for stopping by. 

  

GUEST AUTHOR POST & GIVEAWAY- Dakota Banks

PNA welcomes Author Dakota Banks! 

Thank you for stopping by and to get this started, here is a clip of her new release, Deliverance scheduled for release on March 27th!

  

I want to thank Chelsea for inviting me to Paranormal Addicts to chat with all of her fabulous followers. Much appreciated, Chelsea, and I thought I’d mention that every time I visit your blog, I have trouble pulling my eyes away from the shiny hottie in your banner. Where on Earth did you find him?

I write urban fantasy, a sub-genre that barely existed twenty-five years ago. The most common and highly used definition of it is found in John Clute and John Grant’s Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997): “Texts where fantasy and the mundane world interact, intersect, and interweave throughout a tale which is significantly about a real city.”

 In the late 1980s, some fantasy authors began to set their stories of magic and supernatural beings in big cities in contemporary times. Mercedes Lackey (Witchworld and Diana Tregarde Investigations series) and Charles de Lint (Jack, the Giant Killer, Drink Down the Moon) were pioneers of this type of fiction, where fairies and magic interacted with the real world, like fairytales being told for a modern audience.

A decade later, a new, grittier type of urban fantasy began to show up, not based on fairy tales as much as on horror or mystery stories. What happened then? Buffy happened! Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on TV showing that strong women and the supernatural are a great mix. In books, Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels took readers where they wanted to go. Urban fantasy has exploded in popularity since then—TV and movies are feeding the frenzy, and vice versa. Then, as bright as a solar flare, YA urban fantasy lit up the sky, and is now extremely popular with teens.

Why? What’s so addictive about urban fantasy? Here are a dozen ideas.

1. The feeling that the characters in the books could be walking around among us, unrecognized. Our imaginations love this one. That man who moved into 4C—who’s to say he’s not a werewolf? I've had some bosses I suspected were witches. Really. More than other types of fantasy, urban fantasy lets us generalize the world in the book to the world around us—because it is our world, just with a twist or two. 
2. Sex. 
3. Good and evil loom large. The good characters may have faults and the bad characters may have some redeeming qualities, but generally the contrast between good and evil is stronger than we see in real life. That means things can be less confusing than all the moral question marks that swirl around us daily. 
4. Many of the lead characters are alpha females, doing things aggressively and physically, options that may not be available to us in our real lives. It’s nice to see someone carrying the baton, if only between the pages of a book. 
5. Sex. 
6. A mystery or problem to be solved on a large scale, something that affects the whole world or a good part of it. This is one of the things that puts the thrill in thrillers, and urban fantasy has it. 
7. In YA stories, the lead character usually discovers she can find romance and friends along with her supernatural power. What’s more enticing to teens? 
8. Romance, perhaps a forbidden romance with someone who isn't human. 
9. Many urban fantasies are written in first person, giving the reader an eye-to-eye view of the good, the bad, and the ugly—no arm’s length between the reader and all the good stuff. 
10. In UF, a character can be part human, part supernatural. It’s exciting for the reader to think he or she might have a supernatural part that hasn't revealed itself yet. 
11. Sex. 
12. In some cases, the main character’s love interest is what we’d call a “bad boy,” who is walking the line between good and evil. This is a safe way to walk on the wild side and have a dangerous bad boy in your life without the down side that comes in reality. 

What are some reasons that you think UF is popular? 

Thank you Dakota for sharing this post.  Please take a few moments and check out her site, friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.  She has a blog, a newsletter, great mythology information and looks like additional contests from time to time.  We all LOVE contests.  So check her out today.





Website 
Blog 
Goodreads 

Here is what some people had to say about Mortal Path:

"As a heroine, Maliha is one of the best. She is intelligent and talented, has a great sense of humor, and knows how to take care of herself. Maliha is easy to sympathize with... To top it all off, Maliha faces the challenge of opening her heart to a man for the first time since her husband turned his back on her in the 17th century. Grade A."
- ECLECTIC BOOK LOVER 

"Dark Time ... is an inventive and engaging novel. The idea behind the book is clever and original."
- THE NOVEL BOOKWORM 

"Dark Time is an explosive combination of Dark Angel (James Cameron) and Xena, the Warrior Princess. I would recommend this book to sci-fi, paranormal, urban, or any other type of fan. Dark Time is a must read! ... Dakota Banks can bank on the fact that her books are going to go all the way to number one."
- CHERYLS BOOK NOOK

Growing up in a 19th-century funeral home might have set the tone for Dakota Banks's life. In her debut fiction, she proves the point by conjuring up an infernal tale about a burned-at-the-stake witch who refuses to let bygones be bygones. Two hundred years of savage carnage later, the demonically inclined Susannah Layton, now known as Maliha, decides that she wants to retire, but unless she can perform some good deeds quickly, she will be consigned to the very hottest parts of hell.













A demon's enslaved executioner—a ravager of lives and souls—Maliha Crayne has been reborn, willing to sacrifice her immortality for a chance at freedom . . . and salvation. Now she has an opportunity to prevent the death of thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—to make up for the countless lives she has obliterated over the centuries. To do so, she must locate and destroy an evil cabal of madmen in possession of a weapon of unspeakable power—and survive the immortal assassins who are now after her blood. But it means reverting to the old ways and surrendering once more to the darkness. And if Maliha dies before the mission is accomplished, the hell she once knew will seem like a picnic compared to the eternal torments awaiting her.

RELEASE DATE:  March 27th

A demon's assassin for centuries, Maliha Crayne has gone rogue, determined to save a life for every one she's destroyed in order to free herself from an eternity of enslavement, damnation, and excruciating torment. But as the powers that sustained her in the past fade, she is wary of trusting those closest to her-especially her lover, Jake. Should Maliha listen to her heart or the alarms going off in her head? Then her closest friends begin to disappear, one by one. Amid her anger, suspicion, and sorrow, she feels her life spiraling out of control.


Worse still, a beautiful, Renaissance murderess is recruiting Maliha as her new assassin. Maliha is turning into a lethal puppet with an evil Immortal pulling the strings, forced to kill innocents or see her missing friends die horribly. Suddenly trapped in a moral no-man's land, Maliha is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't…and time is rapidly running out.

Paranormal Addicts would like to thank Dakota again for stopping by.  She is most graciously offering a wonderful giveaway package.

The giveaway is a Mortal Path Swag Bag (shown below) containing a tote bag, 3 signed books, pens, bookmarks, magnets, and a calculator.

It’s open internationally.  Yes, you read that right.  The whole world can enter, MWAHAHAHA!!

WOW!!!

A few easy steps and this amazing package might be yours!

It sure would be spectacular if you checked out her website, liked her Facebook page, etc.  Since we can't really track them, it won't be required.  From the reviews alone this woman is HAWT!!  You may want to keep track of what she has going on!

To enter:  Answer Dakota's question she asked:  What are some reasons that you think UF is popular?

To earn additional entries:  These are not mandatory, but do increase your odds of winning.

• Become a Fan on Dakota's Goodread page
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Now how can you beat that!!!

~* 5 Stars for Hunted by Rebecca Zanetti *~

Ready Or Not Moira Dunne is a witch--the quantum physics kind. Time and space are her playthings. Which might explain why her one-night stand from a hundred years ago has turned up to "claim" her--and request her family's assistance with the war he's brewing. But the more she learns about Connlan Kayrs, the more she comes to think this is normal behavior for him. . . There's Nowhere To Hide When Conn and Moira tumbled on the moonlit grass, Conn hadn't meant to mark her as his mate for all time. She was only twenty! But it wasn't easy to wait for her. It was even harder to forget her. So when he finally returns for his wicked-hot witch, he's ready to let the sparks flying. Even if he burns up in flames. . .  




Let me start by saying this is the first book I’ve ever read by Rebecca Zanetti, though I believe this is book number 3 in the series.


I’ll admit in the first third of this book, I was a little bit lost because I hadn’t read any of the previous books, but that’s my fault and not the authors. There’s a lot of info to take in about this paranormal world Rebecca has created. If this is your first book and you’re a bit lost, don’t give up because it gets really good. In this book we've got Conn and Moira as our main characters.

Moira is a feisty redheaded witch who’s the Seventh (seventh daughter of a seventh witch). Because of that, she’s got a lot of power, more than a regular witch and she will one day rule the Council of the Coven Nine because of that power. In a night of passion, one hundred years ago, Moira shares an electric night with Conn. During sex Conn ends up marking her with the mating mark, not on purpose but just the way things work. Considering how powerful Moira is meant to be, her family is more than a little bit upset and her dad wants Conn’s head on a nice spike, adorning the front yard. Conn signs a treaty with her family, promising to stay away from her for a century, so that she can train to be the Seventh. It also takes a century for a witch to come into her power and learn how to use that power.

Conn stayed away from her for the full century and then flies to Ireland because he wants to take her home with him now. Moira doesn’t want to leave and Conn is suspicious that there is more things going on than Moira is telling. In the beginning, when Moria can’t get Conn to leave, she throws a plasma ball at him. This plasma ball is formed by her and her magic and can only be controlled by her since she’s the one who created it. Conn catches this plasma ball in the air and while Moira gapes at him, he throws it back at her. It seems that the mating mark did more than give them matching tattoos. The mark also gives them each other’s abilities. Conn can now work magic and Moira is adapt at hand to hand combat, knives, guns, etc. just like Conn is. 


There are several other factions going on in this book. We’ve got witches, vampires, demons, shifters and Kurjans (<~~~pasty-white bloodsucking monsters). Besides all the factions, there are a lot of things happening and it’s a pretty fast paced book. We've got things like the Virus-27, created by the Kurjans to attack vampire mates and change them back to human form. Council members are getting sucked into violent traveling portals and no one knows how these portals are even possible.


Rebecca takes you on an action-packed journey, that will leave your head spinning and wondering how you could have been so oblivious to what’s really going on. When you find out about a certain murder in this book, you’ll be just as shocked as I was. Hunted is a scrumptious paranormal fantasy that will keep you up all night.


5 Stars by Paranormal Addicts

~* 5 Stars for King of the Isles by Debbie Mazzuca *~

She'll find him a bride if it's the last thing she does. And it very well might be. Evangeline may be powerfully persuasive in her way, but convincing the notoriously wild Highland king Lachlan MacLeod to strengthen his alliances with a strategic marriage seems to be asking the impossible.


Stubborn and proud, Lachlan seems determined to go against her will, even if it means endangering the people he's sworn to protect and the enchanted isle that has already seen so much discord. Yet the battle-scarred Highlander cannot ignore his sultry advisor for long. When his mentor is kidnapped, forcing him to ride into combat alongside the beautiful Evangeline, he must choose between her safety and his own independence. It's a choice he makes in an instant. . .but once wed to the woman he could not resist, he'll soon find that his heart is in even greater danger than his kingdom. . .


This is the 2nd book I’ve picked up by Debbie, though it’s the third book in the series. I started with book 2, and then read this one and even though I haven’t read the first book, I didn’t get lost in the story at all, so they can be read as stand-alone books as well.


In this book we learn more about Evangeline and the new Highland King Lachlan MacLeod. Evangeline is the advisor to the new King, but trying to get him to stop his drinking and womanizing ways is almost impossible. Evageline is pretty pissed because she’s trying to keep her people safe and he’s off doing whatever he wants, when he should be focused on the protection of his people. She feels he doesn’t care about his people at all, and he thinks she nags and worries too much.


Lachlan’s mentor gets kidnapped and Evageline and Lachlan, with a few trusted others, go to save him. Lachlan and Evagline butt heads the entire way, but neither can ignore the passion that ignites in them, when they are together.


I really enjoy this series because its historical, have Fae in it, magic of all kinds and Debbie gives excellent descriptions where you feel like you’re part of the story. Another favorite of mine is the details she gives some of the side characters, I’m hoping she’ll either include some of them in this series, or do a spin-off of this series at some point.


If you love Highlanders, Fae, Magic, and dynamic explosions between the main characters, then you’ll love this entire series. I’m a huge fan of Paranormal books, but sometimes I need a break from the typical vampire/werewolf book and this series definitely does that for me.


Book 1: Lord of the Isles
Book 2: Warrior of the Isles
Book 3: King of the Isles

My review for Warrior of the Isles:

 Rated 5 Stars by Paranormal Addicts

~*4 Stars for Nightshift by Kate Douglas, Crystal Jordan, and Lynn LaFleur *~

 “Dream Catcher" by Kate Douglas

She comes to him at night in dreams of carnal pleasure. Real or imagined, Mac doesn't know and doesn't care. For his body throbs with a need that only his mystery lover can satisfy. . .

“Taken Between" by Crystal Jordan

Kira lives to protect her queen, but the king's brother is the one who commands her desire. She longs for him with a feral sexuality and ferocious passion she can barely control. . .

“The Right Number" by Lynn LaFleur

Jay may have dialed the wrong number but the right woman answers. She is the mate he's been looking for all his life. And when he hears the sexy purr of her voice, it arouses the hungry wolf inside. .


I haven’t read an anthology in a while because most of the time the short stories feel rushed and the characters are thrown together without any story. I’m happy to say that was not the case with any of the 3 stories included in this book.

Dream Catcher by Kate Douglas

The first story is Dream Catcher by Kate Douglas. In this story we meet Mac Dugan and Zianne. Mac is a gorgeous guy who’s also a bit nerdy and writes software. He was a grad student, writing software, going for a grant when all his research goes missing and his nemesis Phil Bennett turned in Mac’s work, but with his own handwriting. Bennette lies and says the work is his and basically gets Mac kicked out of the program, grant, and scholarship. Mac wants to fight it since there are some suspicious circumstances, like the girl he slept with a few nights ago, now hanging out with Phil. Then there’s Phil’s uncle being the Dean of the department. Along for the ride in this story, is Mac’s best gay guy friend Dink, who’s quite the character himself.

Zianne basically appears out of Mac’s fantasy/dream and gives him a hand in the shower but Mac is drunk during that shower and thinks he imagined her. So, what happens in this tale of a nerdy gorgeous dude, his gay friend, and a gorgeous fantasy woman?

Taken Between by Crystal Jordan

In this story we are introduced to Kira and Max Delacourt.

Kirea is a fox-shifter, a Between (shape-shifter). Kira is the daughter of a Butler and works for the Between King and his fiancée. Kira is the second in command for the King’s guards and soon to be head of the future Queen’s Guard. Kira protects the King and Queen from death threats, because before the former King died, he told the humans in the world about the Betweens. That left his son King Elan to try and protect the rights of Between all around the world.

Max is the King’s brother and also the head of the King’s Guard. Max is under the impression that Kira is in love with his King (brother), something Kira hasn’t bothered to correct in years.

Kira has never bothered going for Max because he outranks her, not only in the Guard, but also as her Prince. Max has never gone for Kira because he’s always believed Kira wanted his brother. Kira decides to seduce him and inform him, it’s never been about his brother. They have a steamy one night stand, which makes things a bit awkward for them later on.

I wonder, what will happen with this forbidden fruit story? Will Kira and Max find happiness or will their romance come crashing apart?

The Right Number by Lynn LaFleur

Jamieson aka Jay owns a company JEMATAR with his cousin Troy. Troy has left out of town on a planned vacation and Jay is left trying to figure things out, since this is normally Troy’s job.

Part of Jay and Troy’s business is buying investment properties. Jay starts calling around Dallas instead of San Francisco and he ends up coming across a wrong number. When he talks to this woman, his wolf sits up and pays attention and even though its over the phone, he’s convinced she’s his mate. Problem is even though she flirts with him a little, she refuses to give him her name or “correct” number and hangs up on him.

The woman, whose name is Veronica St. James has the same reaction as Jay, because she’s a wolf too. She works with her brothers in their own family business St. James Security.

They both start looking for the other one and Jay manages to find her number. The two start talking on the phone and then decide to meet later on. When they meet, its explosive, and their wolves really like each other.

There are some questionable circumstances later on, where someone is trying to kill Jay and Troy suspects the St. James Security and thinks Roni is a spy. The question is, is she really a spy from her company trying to hack Jay’s company? Or is something more sinister going on?

Rated 4 Stars by Paranormal Addicts

~*5 Stars for Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston *~

He's big, burly, and way smarter than your average shapeshifting bear. He's also about to get trapped by own his game. . . 


Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she-tiger with a skill set that's turning Crush's lone-bear world upside down--and bringing his passion out of hibernation. . .


As a member of an elite feline protection unit, Marcella Malone has no problem body-dropping anyone who hunts her kind. But Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she's joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who's got her entire species in his ruthless sights. It sure isn't because Crush's stubborn and contrary attitude is rubbing Cella in all the right ways. . .

This is the 2^nd book I’ve read by Shelly Laurenston and I really enjoyed this one more than the last one I read by Shelly.


In this book we get to know Marcella Malone better. She goes by Cella to her friends and family. In the other book I read with Cella in it, she seemed to be a pretty mean character who just liked to start trouble. In this book we get to see another side of Cella, where she has an incredible sense of humor, is somewhat softer when not on the ice, and has more friends and family than you would think.


We are introduced to Lou Crushek at the same time. He’s a bear and he’s a pretty easy going guy until he wakes up naked in bed with Cella. He swears off parties and jello-shots since he has no idea how he landed naked in a bed with Cella. Basically Cella was drunk too and there was nowhere to sleep at her friend’s house and she didn’t want to sleep with the yippy coyote shape-shifters so she crawled into bed with Crush.

Cella is one busy girl. She’s a mom, has a job at KZS and is a full time hockey player for the Carnivores. She’s got a beautiful, smart daughter on a good path. She enjoys her job at KZS and she’s scary and vicious as the enforcer for the Carnivores.


Lou aka “Crush” is an easygoing cop. He’s getting moved out of his current job to another one. Even though he’ll make more money and get better benefits, he’s not happy with all the changes. His Polar bear tendencies make any change a really big deal to him. Between KZS and the crazy Cella, his world is being rocked and he doesn’t know top from bottom.


Cella aks Crush to play her pretend boyfriend because her crazy aunts are trying to hook her up with one of her cousins. Crush gets talked into it, even though he doesn’t really want to pretend to be her boyfriend, since he thinks she’s a bit insane. But, by the time he thinks of backing out of it, its too late and her entire family thinks he’s her boyfriend. After sitting in the box seat during one of Cella’s games with her dad, and hearing about how he basically used to bust people’s kneecaps and hurting them majorly because he was good at, Crush decides he’ll stick with the story, since he obviously doesn’t want to be one of those with the broken kneecaps.


I’ve really enjoyed the two books I’ve read by Shelly and I’m going to go find the other books in the series and start over from the beginning. If you like Paranormal Shifter Romance books with some unexpected humor you’ll really love Bear Meets Girl.

Please check out my other review I did from the series:

Rated 5 Stars by Paranormal Addicts