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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

36 New Book Releases in Speculative Fiction for May 31

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Book Review: Blood Lust (The Sentinels #3) by Alexandra Ivy

Blood Lust (The Sentinels #3)
by Alexandra Ivy
May 31st 2016
Paperback, 352 pages
Blessed and cursed by their hidden abilities, the Sentinels have no choice but to live, and love, on the edge of humanity…

The Sentinel assassin, Bas, is facing the greatest challenge of his outcast existence. His young daughter, Molly, has been kidnapped. But her disappearance has brought the return of her mother, Myst, whom Bas has never forgotten--or forgiven.

Haunted by a vision that she's destined to create a weapon that will destroy thousands, Myst was never impulsive--until she met the irresistibly handsome Bas. But with the Brotherhood, the enemy of the high-bloods hunting for her, Myst had to stay on the run, to keep her child, and the world, safe. Now, with the most important thing in both their lives at stake, she and Bas must embark on a treacherous journey to save Molly, to confront the truth of Myst's fate--and to face their fierce desire for one another.


Okay, so if you’ve been keeping up with The Sentinals series then you know that Bas is a high blood who doesn’t follow the rules; he makes them. His onetime hookup with a woman known as Myst resulted in a daughter named Molly that Bas had to raise alone after Myst dropped her on his doorstep as an infant. Now Myst has returned to spend time with their daughter and hopefully avoid the vision she’s been haunted by, a vision that says she will create a weapon that will destroy the world.

Okay, so Bas was the leader of a shadow society of high bloods who don’t want to follow the rules that were created to keep them and the humans safe. That has disaster written all over it right? Well yeah, almost from the start Blood Lust dropped me into total chaos with Bas and Myst reuniting and reluctantly calling a truce to their hostilities in order to deal with a bigger problem and in the process they get their hands all over each other again, cause you know, one time wasn’t enough for these two.

I loved the tension between these two so much because it was so well done. There was tons of unfinished business between them, yet they had to prioritize their needs against their daughter’s. Bas wasn’t used to having someone like Myst stand up to him because, hello High Blood Assassin, but it was entertaining to watch them clash. Bas needed to be put in his place because as sexy as this guy was, he was arrogant and dismissive of anyone that wasn’t him or his daughter. Of course part of Bas’ charm was his dry sense of humor that would pop up at unusual times.

Myst didn’t exactly lack in the humor department either. She was more than capable of matching Bas’ sarcasm with a few snarky responses that sometimes caught him off guard. I’m so glad that Alexandra Ivy paired the very alpha Bas with the iron willed Myst because he would have stomped all over a lesser female. Where Bas was the physical strength, Myst was the intellectual strength and I loved that balance between them. That’s not to say Myst was a slouch at fighting because she wasn’t, she just had different methods. She was definitely one of those characters who made the best out of a bad situation but she’s been a loner for most of her life so connecting with others was new to her and I loved watching her learn that there were people she could count on.

There’s always something going on in an Ivy book and Blood Lust was no exception. The main story is of course Bas and Myst’s journey to find out how to stop her vision from coming true but there’s also the accompanying story (and budding… something) of Lana, otherwise known as the Mave, aka the leader of the high bloods and Wolfe, the leader of the Sentinals. He seems to be the only one not intimidated by her power and there’s an attraction between them for sure.

Really though, I loved how Bas went from despicable in the previous book, to reluctant and totally likable hero in this one. Ivy took his one positive quality which was his love for his daughter and used it as a stepping stone towards redeeming this dangerous, selfish, and cold character and I loved every step of the way. Bas and Myst weren’t the easiest couple but they are one of the most fun. The push and pull between them and the fun of watching them find their feet while co-parenting their daughter was worth the wait.

Sheep Rating: 4 sheep




Adria Reyes


About Alexandra: 
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Alexandra Ivy is the New York Times bestselling author of the Guardians of Eternity series, the Immortal Rogues series and the Sentinels.

Alexandra graduated from Truman University with a degree in theatre before deciding she preferred to bring her characters to life on paper rather than stage. She currently lives in Missouri with her extraordinarily patient husband and teenage sons.

Release Day: The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter +excerpt + giveaway

TheDarkestTorment - RWB banner    The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, returns with THE DARKEST TORMENT, the eagerly anticipated twelfth novel in her Lords of the Underworld series, available now! Grab your copy today!
   
TheDarkestTorment - cover
Get your copy of THE DARKEST TORMENT here!
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with her most explosive Lords of the Underworld tale to date, about a fierce warrior on the brink of sanity who will stop at nothing to claim the exquisite human with the power to soothe the beast inside him… 
Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he’s back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he’s unable to withstand the touch of another…and he’s quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride—just not his own.
Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she’s taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she’s plunged into a war between two evils—with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them…and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.
But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she’ll have to teach him to love…or lose him forever.

Excerpt:
Katarina wasn’t afraid of Baden. Not anymore.

He took a step to the side, intending to move around her. Oh, no. She flattened her hands on his shoulders, keeping him in place.

“I want to know what’s wrong with you.” She said. “Tell me.”

He snapped his teeth at her in a show of dominance. “You think you want to know my problem. You’re wrong.”

Her tone dry, she said, “I’m so glad you know my mind better than I do.”

“Very well. I need sex.” He threw the words at her as if they were weapons. “Badly.”

Whoa. Blindside!

Heart pounding, she jerked her hands away from him. “Sex...from me?”

“Yesss.” A hiss. “Only from you.”

Only. Amazing how one little word could send pleasure soaring through her, warming her. “You told me never to touch you.” Which she’d just done, she realized. My bad.

“I’ve changed my mind.” His gaze dropped, lingered on her lips.

Burning her... “But you and I...we’re a different species.” As if that mattered to her body. Gimme!


He took a step closer, invading her personal space. “We’ll fit, I promise you.”


Tristo hrmenych! The raspy quality of his voice, all smoke and gravel...she shivered with longing. Must resist his allure.

But...but...why? Before she’d committed to Peter, she’d dated around, had made out in movie theaters, cars and on couches. She’d liked kissing and touching and “riding the belt buckle,” as her friends had called it. Then, after committing to Peter, she’d gifted him with her virginity. At first, he hadn’t known what to do with her—he’d been just as inexperienced—and she’d left each encounter disappointed. When finally she’d gathered the courage to tell him what she wanted, he’d satisfied her well.

She missed sex. But connection...intimacy...she thought she missed those more.

The dogs barked, jolting her from her thoughts. They’d cleaned their food bowls, and now wanted to play. She clasped Baden’s hand to lead him out of the kennel. He jerked away, severing contact.

One action. Tons of hurt.

“I’m allowed to touch you and you want to have sex with me, but you’re still disgusted by me.” She stomped outside the kennel, done with him. “Well, I’m leaving. Good riddance! Your do-what-I-say-or-else attitude was annoying, anyway.”

He darted in front of her, stopping her. Breath caught in her throat as sunlight streamed over him, paying his chiseled features absolute tribute, making his bronzed skin glimmer.

So beautiful. Too beautiful.

“I’m not disgusted by you. You need me. I’ve come to accept it,” he admitted, looking away from her. “But being skin-to-skin with another is painful for me. We’ll have to proceed carefully. And you’ll get over your annoyance.”

Another order! She would show him the error of his ways.
Lords of the Underworld Series banner

And don’t miss the previous titles in the Lords of the Underworld Series!
     

Author pic- Gena Showalter


About the Author:
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Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series–Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles–and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader’s Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she’s appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black–if you ask her about it, she’ll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Cover Reveal: Dancing with Flames (Dragon’s Breath Series Book Two) by Susan Illene+ giveaway

Dancing with Flames (Dragon’s Breath Series Book Two)
by Susan Illene
Genre: Dark Fantasy/New Adult/
Post-apocalyptic
June 24th, 2016
Cover Artist: Jeff Brown and Claudia McKinney
Four months ago, fire breathing dragons invaded Earth from an alternate dimension, wreaking havoc on modern civilization. Bailey Monzac has been training to kill them ever since discovering she was impervious to their flames, but when some of the beasts begin targeting children, she can’t hold back any longer and must hunt them down.

Her ally, Aidan, would help, except the shape-shifter has his own troubles. His clan is battling for territory against the pure dragons and his father—their leader—is dying. As the shifters fight for the pendragon position, fierce rivalry takes over. Aidan’s own brothers aren’t above blackmail and murder if it will get them to the top. He must stay one step ahead if he is to survive and keep his clan safe from the pure dragons who threaten them all.

Bailey and Aidan may be natural-born enemies, but working together might be the only thing that saves them from the danger that lies ahead.


Book one


About the Author:
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Susan Illene served in the US Army for eleven years and worked as a human resources specialist and an Arabic linguist. She served two deployments to Iraq, and after leaving the army, she studied history at the University of Oklahoma. She and her husband currently live in Oklahoma with two high-maintenance cats doing their best to help her write her books.

Tour giveaway 
1 winner will get the following prize pack-
*Pewter figurine of a dragon reading a book
*1 signed copy of the first novel in the series, Stalked by Flames
*Coffee Mug
*Bookmarks
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jane Godman guest post: Fae princess travel tips when visiting the mortal world (Otherworld Renegade book tour) + giveaway

What would a Fae princess pack for a trip to the mortal world?

Hello, I’m Jane Godman, author of the Otherworld Series. Otherworld is a magical realm existing just beyond mortal sight. The Otherworld Series tells the stories of the compelling heroes who fight to protect this beautiful place from the battles threatening to tear it apart.

In my latest release, Otherworld Renegade, Tanzi, a Fae princess, is forced to flee her Otherworld home and travel to the mortal realm. In hindsight, there are a few things she could have done to prepare for the journey. This is her advice for all any other Fae princesses out there who might be planning a similar trip in the near future.

1. Take flat shoes. I didn’t, and it was the biggest mistake I could have made! I had to leave Otherworld in a desperate hurry, of course, which didn’t help. In fact, I was dressed for a state dinner with the heads of all the Otherworld dynasties. The designer heels I was wearing when I left the palace that had been my home for my entire life might have been pretty, but, believe me, they were not the sort of thing you want to wear when you are fleeing for your life. My advice? Comfortable flats or sneakers. The sort of thing you can run in.

2. Take your favorite products with you. Mortals know nothing about getting zombie entrails out of your hair. You’d think they’d never been in that situation. My hairdresser would die if he knew what I had to do. I ended up washing all the zombie gunk out in a lake! The situation did have its compensations. I had to ask Lorcan Malone for help and he is very easy on the eye.

3. Find out something about the geography of the mortal realm before you go. Who knew it was such a big place? I used the portal that took me direct to a city called Barcelona. I was looking for a man called Lorcan Malone because he said he’d help me if ever I needed him. When I started asking people if they knew him, they all looked at me as if I was mad. Turns out there are about one and a half million people living there! Plus any number of tourists. And I was looking for one man in that vast crowd. No wonder I struggled to find him.

4. Do your research into mortal etiquette. They have these things called “manners” and they really like them. They like waiting in lines. They call it a “queue” and they get really mad if you go in front of them. They start talking about “taking turns” and stuff like that.

5. Mortals don’t always mean what they say. Swing a cat? If they say that, take my advice and don’t do it. It doesn’t go down well. Turns out they’re actually quite fond of felines.

6. Mortal food is okay. But remember the fae rule… if you share food with a mortal, they belong to you. They have a lot of food that is designed for sharing. Pizza, fries, chips. You really don’t want to claim most of these people, so just be careful about the food sharing rule. It could land you in a lot of trouble! Of course, it can be useful as well. If you see someone you want, you can make them yours without them knowing! Proceed with caution, that’s my advice about all things mortal.


I hope that was a useful introduction to the mortal realm for anyone considering a visit. The key is to plan in advance and be prepared (unlike me!). Mortals are a strange lot, but a visit to their world can be rewarding. Have fun!

Otherworld Renegade (Otherworld Series Book Two) 
by Jane Godman
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne
May 1st 2016
ISBN: 9780373009695
ASIN: B015CJXYMO
Number of pages: 304
Word Count: 80 000
Cover Artist: Harlequin
Claiming her felt like his destiny…but could prove to be his ultimate undoing.

Desperate to flee a horrific arranged marriage, Princess Tanzi turned to the only man who could help. Lorcan Malone, infamous necromancer, had vowed to come to her aid whenever she needed him. And even as they traveled from the mortal world into the fantastical Otherworld, Tanzi knew her true need ran deeper than just a rescue.

She was his enemy's daughter. A renegade like Lorcan had no business craving a Fae princess, one intended for a greater calling. Yet he was powerless to resist the pull to do more than protect Tanzi…


Excerpt:

“Trust me, Tanzi. If you need me, I will know.”

Those words, spoken by Lorcan Malone in the heat of battle, must have been a bit of Irish blarney. He probably didn’t even remember who she was, let alone recall their strange encounter on that fateful day. So why, in this moment—when she was in more trouble than she could ever have imagined possible—was she suddenly experiencing a fierce longing for the bad-boy necromancer with the twinkling blue eyes?

It’s called clutching at straws, she told herself. It’s what you’re doing right now instead of facing reality and finding your own way out of this madness.

“What are you thinking, my daughter?” Moncoya, exiled King of the Faeries, watched her face.

“I’m thinking that defeat has unhinged you. That you have finally done what others have whispered of for years and taken leave of your senses.” Never before had Tanzi spoken so boldly to him. Defiance was the trait her twin sister, Vashti, proudly exhibited. Tanzi had always been the acquiescent one. Until now. There were some things she could not bow down and agree to. This was one of them.

Moncoya’s perfect features hardened with fury. His blue eyes, so like her own with their sidhe ring of fire encircling the iris, lit with a brighter inner blaze. His fingers tightened on the arm of his chair so that his knuckles gleamed white in stark contrast to the black polish that decorated his perfectly manicured nails. Tanzi braced herself. His retribution would be swift and merciless. She couldn’t hope to match him in strength, but she might be able to outrun him.

The outcome hung in the balance for seconds that stretched into minutes. Then Moncoya laughed. It was a brittle, mirthless sound that set Tanzi’s teeth buzzing. She knew that laugh well. It had never boded well in her childhood. She didn’t imagine things had changed. Unexpectedly, he relaxed back into his seat.

“My child, you are overwhelmed by the honor I have arranged for you. I should have foreseen this.” He rose, draping a deceptively casual arm about her shoulders. “Walk with me a while.”

They stepped through a set of double doors straight onto a sand-and-shingle beach. The entire island, known locally as the Silver Isle, seemed to be made up of sand. Even the ocher-hued cliffs looked ready to crumble into grit at the touch of a fingertip. Ferns, wild fennel and coarse bamboo grasses clung determinedly to soil that was a combination of granule and dust. Tanzi thought of her father’s palace, of the precisely laid-out gardens leading down to the elegant lake. She glanced back over her shoulder at the beachside villa they had just left. Sea breezes and salt water had taken their toll on its elegance so that it had a faded charm she doubted her father would acknowledge. In comparison with the soaring, white marble palace she had called “home” for all her life, it was a shack. Moncoya was as out of place here as a diamond in a dung heap.

“You made sure no one followed you?” Moncoya withdrew his arm from about her shoulders as they walked along the water’s edge. Secrecy surrounded this hiding place. If he was discovered, he faced trial and inevitable execution.

“Of course.” Tanzi was offended at the question. Would he have asked Vashti the same thing? She doubted it. Yet we both trained with the Valkyrie. We are equally astute when it comes to warfare and subterfuge. It came back to the same weary argument. The same reason Tanzi had been summoned to be the recipient of his latest piece of “good news” instead of her twin. Moncoya viewed Vashti as the son he had never had. Tanzi’s only value to her father was as a pawn in the marriage stakes. Not this marriage, father. The sacrifice you are asking of me is too great.

“Tell me what has been happening at the palace in my absence.” Three months had passed since the cataclysmic battle that had forced Moncoya into hiding. It felt like three years.

“There is a peacekeeping council known as the Alliance in place. Each of the Otherworld dynasties has representation on it. The Alliance itself is led by Merlin Caledonius.”

Moncoya’s expression hardened further at the name. “That half-blood cur will pay dearly for his part in this.”

Merlin, the greatest sorcerer the world had ever known, was Moncoya’s half brother and the man who had brought about his exile. Cal, as he preferred to be called these days, had widened the existing gulf of hatred between the two men further by falling in love with and marrying the woman Moncoya had hoped to make his queen.

Tanzi paused, looking out across the turquoise waters toward the horizon. She drew a deep breath. “My father, you wrong him. He is man of conscience who is doing a fine job of uniting the dynasties…” Moncoya’s growl of rage told her she had gone too far.

“Am I, the greatest leader Otherworld has ever known, to be forced into hiding while he lives in luxury in my royal palace? Am I to endure the knowledge that he has stolen the necromancer star, the woman I chose as my own, from under my nose? Must I kick my heels in this backwater while you, my own daughter, take the seat that should be mine at this pathetic council table—” He broke off, his voice ragged. When he spoke again, his tone was softer, the words a caress. “But you know nothing of these things, my child. It is wrong of these men to ask you to involve yourself in their political machinations. They seek to trick you.”

Tanzi bit her lip. How could she explain it to him when he insisted on viewing her as a helpless dupe? Being part of the Alliance had brought her new life. Oh, she had been regarded with suspicion initially by many of the council members. She was Moncoya’s daughter, after all. They saw her as the spoiled brat sidhe princess who had been his consort—his puppet—in the past. Together with Vashti, she had blindly carried out his wishes. But things had changed three months ago on that battlefield. She had changed.

A pair of laughing Irish eyes came into her mind once more and she determinedly dismissed them. Cal and his wife, Stella, treated her as their equal, and with their help she was learning how to be the voice and conscience of her people. She was developing an understanding of compassion and democracy. Tanzi cast a sidelong glance at her father. She was learning that there was a way to rule other than Moncoya’s iron-fisted style.

“Let us leave this talk of the mongrel sorcerer for another day. I look forward to dealing with him when the time comes. This marriage I have arranged for you is the highest distinction ever to be bestowed upon a woman. Through this union, I will not only be able to come out of this undignified hiding and return to my palace, I will be the undisputed ruler of all Otherworld.” Moncoya’s lips thinned into a smile. “There will be no need for their puny Alliance when that day dawns.”

“And what of me, Father? While you become all powerful, what will I become?”

He paused then, perhaps considering for the first time the true implications of what he was asking of her. Such was his arrogance, she might have known he would not allow her feelings to influence him for long. “You will be revered above all others.”

She shook her head. “I will not do it.”

His face was set. The silken note in his voice made the threat even more menacing. “You have no choice.”

“By all the angels, Father, you cannot intend to force me into this!”

Moncoya’s lips smiled but Tanzi’s heart quailed at the look in his eyes. “Given the bridegroom I have chosen for you, might I suggest you refrain from speaking of angels in the future?”

About the Author:
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Jane Godman writes in a variety of romance genres including paranormal, gothic and romantic suspense. Her Otherworld series is published by Harlequin Nocturne and she has a new series coming out soon with Harlequin Romantic Suspense. 2017 will see the publication of a new paranormal series for SMP Swerve.

Jane lives in England and loves to travel to European cities, which are steeped in history and romance—Venice, Dubrovnik and Vienna are among her favorites. Jane is married to a lovely man and is mom to two grown-up children.

Tour giveaway 
10 signed print copies


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