Excerpt: Rift in the Soul (A Soulwood Novel Book 6) by Faith Hunter + giveaway

Rift in the Soul (A Soulwood Novel Book 6)
by Faith Hunter
March 5, 2024
ASIN: ‎ B0BHD9SMF7
Publisher: ‎ Ace
Print length ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Paranormal & Fantasy Romance
Nell Ingram and her team face a dire, supernatural evil in this newest thrilling paranormal procedural in the New York Times bestselling Soulwood series.

Nell Ingram draws her powers from deep in the earth, and uses them to help Psy-LED, the Psychometric Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. When a local vampire calls to report a dead body on her compound, Nell knows she and her team have to be ready for anything.

But the dead body is just the beginning of a mystery that involves supernaturals of all kinds, including some of the most powerful vampires in the country. As Nell gets closer to the truth, she begins to understand that the perpetrator is tracking her too—and that there is something personal about this crime. Something with roots that go almost as deep as those in Soulwood.

Praise for Faith Hunter's Soulwood Series
"Hunter's brand of supernatural is equal parts exciting, engaging and entertaining...Filled with high-stakes tension, Hunter's storytelling is vivid and descriptive with edgy, sharp dialogue laced with humor."- RT Book Reviews

"Nell's coming into her own as an independent woman…Hunter's many fans will be delighted with her strong new heroine."- Publishers Weekly

“I love Nell and her PsyLED team and would happily read about their adventures for years.”- Vampire Book Club 

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Excerpt two
Regional Director Ayatas FireWind, the man I had taken to calling my boss-boss, gave me a small nod, telling me to go ahead. They had my back. Rick LaFleur, Special Agent in Charge of PsyLED Unit Eighteen, glanced at the house and back to me, his black eyes telling me to be careful. Even had there been no mention of a body, the two bosses would have come as my backup because, as Rick said when the call came in, “Weird shit is happening in the vamp world.”

I looked back at the potted tree strapped into the passenger seat of my newish car and contemplated bringing the tree with me. Instead, I closed the car door I had left open, shutting off the interior lights. Full dark fell on us. Ming’s property seemed ominous in the fog and darkness. Her people hadn’t turned on the security and landscape lights, which was a little odd. The mist from the river swirled higher and closer, more dense. I locked the car with the small fob.

I reseated my Glock 20, not that I expected to need it here. Ming had requested my presence, personally, to report a dead body, and when the new Master of the City of Knoxville wanted to report a crime, Unit Eighteen listened. Thanks to her, I was lead on this interview, and should Ming be bringing a case to the unit, and not vampire politics, it was possible that I would be lead on my very first case. Rick was betting it was vampire politics, but either way, anytime there were vampires, there was danger.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ Copyright Faith Hunter

About the Author:
​Website
Faith Hunter, urban fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. Hunter fell in love with reading in fifth grade, and best loved SciFi, fantasy, and gothic mystery. She decided to become a writer in high school, when a teacher told her she had talent. Now, she writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for RV travel, Japanese maples, orchids, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.

Author of series: Skinwalker (feat. Jane Yellowrock, urban fantasy), Rogue Mage (Thorn St. Croix, urban fantasy), Junkyard Cats (Shining Smith, dystopian-esque Scifi), and Soulwood (Nell Ingram, paranormal procedural where an escapee from a cult, a solitary woman with deadly magic of her own, is hired to help PsyLED: a paranormal division of Homeland Security; find a missing child. Find out more about the author here: www.FaithHunter.net

Giveaway

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New Release: Of Claws and Fangs: Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood by Faith Hunter + excerpt

OF CLAWS AND FANGS (Ace Trade Paperback Original; May 3, 2022), a thrilling new fantasy anthology from New York Times bestselling author, Faith Hunter. A stunning collection of stories set in the same fan-favorite world as Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock novels, OF CLAWS AND FANGS is perfect for fans of urban fantasy and readers of Patricia Briggs and Charlaine Harris.

Collected for the first time in OF CLAWS AND FANGS are eighteen gripping stories featuring shape-shifting vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock, as well as her friends and allies. The world of Jane Yellowrock has captivated fans for more than a decade. With these stories, take a deeper look at Jane herself, along with the vampires, witches, found family, and one very special mountain lion that have made the series sing.

Of Claws and Fangs: Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood
by Faith Hunter
May 3, 2022
Ace Trade Paperback
New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter presents a stunning collection of stories from the world of shape-shifting vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock and beyond.

Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios”* and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.

With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.

Amazon-Barnes & Noble-Books-a-Million-IndieBound-The Book Depository-Kobo-Google Books-Apple Books

Praise for the Jane Yellowrock novels

"Hunter delivers the fast pace, high stakes, and flawlessly crafted fight scenes fans expect."—Publishers Weekly

"Jane Yellowrock is smart, sexy, and ruthless."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison

"Dark Queen hits just the right balance between completely unexpected and long-expected payoff. A fast-paced and twisty adventure, fans of Jane Yellowrock will not be disappointed."—All Things Urban Fantasy

"Readers eager for the next book in Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series may want to give Faith Hunter a try."—Library Journal

"Hunter's very professionally executed, tasty blend of dark fantasy, mystery, and romance should please fans of all three genres."—Booklist

Excerpt
Leo lifted his cuff and checked the time on his Versace Reve Chrono, though he knew, almost to the second, when the sun would rise. His kind always did. “I’ll be only a moment. Security will wait outside.”

George opened his mouth to protest. George was always protesting something. Leo lifted his finger, silencing his primo. “I will speak to Marcoise alone. You may cover the outer exits. You may not enter. The cleaning crew will be working and, as former military, they will be armed. I will calm them. I will not have a bloodbath in my club.”

George hesitated, clearly thinking about the numbers of potential victims and hostages. “Derek Lee’s company is new,” George said. “I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge, or of his biases.”

He did not need to add Many have refused to work for the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans.

He raked through his hair with his long fingers, worried.

“Alone,” Leo insisted, and tapped on the window. The chauffeur opened his door. “Thank you, Alfonse,” Leo said. He was always polite to the help.

Into the night, he exited with all the grace of his kind, part ballerina, part snake, part spider, all predator. The night smelled of humans and blood. Saliva filled his mouth, hunger riding him. The girl earlier had been a tasty diversion, her body a delight as she used it to seal his promise, but this . . . this was the hunt. There was nothing like it, and even civilized Mithrans such as himself knew the desire, the overriding craving for shadowing and stalking prey.

Leo leaped to the door, his speed creating a pop of sound as the air around him was displaced. He keyed open the lock and entered. His men, left behind, rushed to guard the entrance and provide the protection his kind seldom needed. He slipped inside, into the shadows. Standing behind a brick pillar, he watched the cleaning crew, scenting them. The men were all dressed alike, in one-­piece gray uniforms; they were healthy, their blood touched with alcohol and marijuana. He had known it for centuries as hemp, MJ, ganja, and by a hundred other names and grades and varieties.

He took in a slow breath and parsed the chemicals in their blood. The marijuana smelled . . . odd. Impure. He watched as a small man, no more than five feet, five inches tall, lifted a bucket and then, oddly, dropped it. The pail landed with a clatter and splash of water on the concrete floor, and the man stood, hunched over, staring at the mess as if mesmerized. Certainly confused.

Leo sniffed again. There was something mixed with the marijuana, some chemical he did not recognize. The small man took a breath, a faint gasp of sound. He fell.

Leo held still, as only undeath allowed. The other men rushed to help. Another fell, his head bouncing on the floor. A third dropped. And another. Only Derek was still standing, the boss of the crew. Leo had hired Derek Lee’s fledgling company because of his service in the military, though the man was destined for far more. Derek pulled a weapon and backed to the bar, the brass rail at his spine, analyzing the room, the short hallways.

Leo said, “You did not partake of the smoke offered to the others.”

Derek swung his weapon toward the column hiding Leo. “Who’s there?”

“Leo Pellissier, Master of the City. The smoke? The weed?”

“Owner of the Royal Mojo. Fanghead. And no, to the weed,” Derek said, his weapon steady on the brick pillar. “One of the guys brought it. Said his brother had gotten a deal on the streets.”

“Mmmm. And a gift is always a good thing?”

“No.”

“And what shall you do to the man who injured your cohorts?”

“Better you don’t know.” Derek’s voice was harsh, unyielding.

Leo chuckled. “There is more here than meets the eyes.”

“No shit, dude. I got free weed, four downed boys, and the Master of the City hiding behind a brick column. How ’bout you come out. Make nice-­nice wid me.”

“How about we take down whoever is waiting for us in the office? I smell six. One is a Mithran, one is female and bleeding, one is a dead human.”

“My men?”

“They are breathing. I will offer them healing blood if they are not awake before dawn.”

Derek considered. “You take the fanghead. I’ll take the others.”

Leo stepped from behind the column, hands where they could be seen.

“You seem certain that you can contain the humans,” he said. “Three against one?”

“This trap wasn’t for me. Makes sense it was for you. I’m supposed to be down and out so they won’t be expecting me.”

About the Author: 

website-FB-twitter

FB fan group

yellowrocksecurities.com

www.gwenhunter.com

Faith Hunter is the award-winning New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock, Soulwood, Rogue Mage, and Junkyard Cats series. In addition, she has edited several anthologies and co-authored the Rogue Mage RPG. She is the co-author and author of 16 thrillers under pen names Gary Hunter and Gwen Hunter. Altogether she has 40+ books and dozens of short stories in print and is juggling multiple projects.

She sold her first book in 1989 and hasn’t stopped writing since.

Faith collects orchids and animal skulls, loves thunderstorms, and writes. She likes to cook soup, bake bread, garden, and kayak Class II & III whitewater rivers. She edits the occasional anthology and drinks a lot of tea. Some days she’s a lady. Some days she ain't.

Excerpt: Of Claws and Fangs: Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood by Faith Hunter + giveaway

Of Claws and Fangs: Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood

by Faith Hunter

May 3, 2022

Ace Trade Paperback

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter presents a stunning collection of stories from the world of shape-shifting vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock and beyond.

Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios”* and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.

With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.

Amazon-Barnes & Noble-Books-a-Million-IndieBound-The Book Depository-Kobo-Google Books-Apple Books

Excerpt
Leo lifted his cuff and checked the time on his Versace Reve Chrono, though he knew, almost to the second, when the sun would rise. His kind always did. “I’ll be only a moment. Security will wait outside.”

George opened his mouth to protest. George was always protesting something. Leo lifted his finger, silencing his primo. “I will speak to Marcoise alone. You may cover the outer exits. You may not enter. The cleaning crew will be working and, as former military, they will be armed. I will calm them. I will not have a bloodbath in my club.”

George hesitated, clearly thinking about the numbers of potential victims and hostages. “Derek Lee’s company is new,” George said. “I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge, or of his biases.”

He did not need to add Many have refused to work for the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans.

He raked through his hair with his long fingers, worried.

“Alone,” Leo insisted, and tapped on the window. The chauffeur opened his door. “Thank you, Alfonse,” Leo said. He was always polite to the help.

Into the night, he exited with all the grace of his kind, part ballerina, part snake, part spider, all predator. The night smelled of humans and blood. Saliva filled his mouth, hunger riding him. The girl earlier had been a tasty diversion, her body a delight as she used it to seal his promise, but this . . . this was the hunt. There was nothing like it, and even civilized Mithrans such as himself knew the desire, the overriding craving for shadowing and stalking prey.

Leo leaped to the door, his speed creating a pop of sound as the air around him was displaced. He keyed open the lock and entered. His men, left behind, rushed to guard the entrance and provide the protection his kind seldom needed. He slipped inside, into the shadows. Standing behind a brick pillar, he watched the cleaning crew, scenting them. The men were all dressed alike, in one-­piece gray uniforms; they were healthy, their blood touched with alcohol and marijuana. He had known it for centuries as hemp, MJ, ganja, and by a hundred other names and grades and varieties.

He took in a slow breath and parsed the chemicals in their blood. The marijuana smelled . . . odd. Impure. He watched as a small man, no more than five feet, five inches tall, lifted a bucket and then, oddly, dropped it. The pail landed with a clatter and splash of water on the concrete floor, and the man stood, hunched over, staring at the mess as if mesmerized. Certainly confused.

Leo sniffed again. There was something mixed with the marijuana, some chemical he did not recognize. The small man took a breath, a faint gasp of sound. He fell.

Leo held still, as only undeath allowed. The other men rushed to help. Another fell, his head bouncing on the floor. A third dropped. And another. Only Derek was still standing, the boss of the crew. Leo had hired Derek Lee’s fledgling company because of his service in the military, though the man was destined for far more. Derek pulled a weapon and backed to the bar, the brass rail at his spine, analyzing the room, the short hallways.

Leo said, “You did not partake of the smoke offered to the others.”

Derek swung his weapon toward the column hiding Leo. “Who’s there?”

“Leo Pellissier, Master of the City. The smoke? The weed?”

“Owner of the Royal Mojo. Fanghead. And no, to the weed,” Derek said, his weapon steady on the brick pillar. “One of the guys brought it. Said his brother had gotten a deal on the streets.”

“Mmmm. And a gift is always a good thing?”

“No.”

“And what shall you do to the man who injured your cohorts?”

“Better you don’t know.” Derek’s voice was harsh, unyielding.

Leo chuckled. “There is more here than meets the eyes.”

“No shit, dude. I got free weed, four downed boys, and the Master of the City hiding behind a brick column. How ’bout you come out. Make nice-­nice wid me.”

“How about we take down whoever is waiting for us in the office? I smell six. One is a Mithran, one is female and bleeding, one is a dead human.”

“My men?”

“They are breathing. I will offer them healing blood if they are not awake before dawn.”

Derek considered. “You take the fanghead. I’ll take the others.”

Leo stepped from behind the column, hands where they could be seen.

“You seem certain that you can contain the humans,” he said. “Three against one?”

“This trap wasn’t for me. Makes sense it was for you. I’m supposed to be down and out so they won’t be expecting me.”

About the Author: 

website-FB-twitter

FB fan group

yellowrocksecurities.com

www.gwenhunter.com

Faith Hunter is the award-winning New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock, Soulwood, Rogue Mage, and Junkyard Cats series. In addition, she has edited several anthologies and co-authored the Rogue Mage RPG. She is the co-author and author of 16 thrillers under pen names Gary Hunter and Gwen Hunter. Altogether she has 40+ books and dozens of short stories in print and is juggling multiple projects.

She sold her first book in 1989 and hasn’t stopped writing since.

Faith collects orchids and animal skulls, loves thunderstorms, and writes. She likes to cook soup, bake bread, garden, and kayak Class II & III whitewater rivers. She edits the occasional anthology and drinks a lot of tea. Some days she’s a lady. Some days she ain't.

Tour-wide Giveaway!

There’s a tour-wide giveaway open to US residents

2 winners will receive a limited-edition leather Soulwood bracelet

1 winner will receive their choice of a $50 gift card from Amazon or Barnes & Noble

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Exclusive Cover Reveal: Circle of the Moon (Soulwood #4) by Faith Hunter

Set in the same world as Faith Hunter's New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the fourth Soulwood novel stars Nell Ingram, who channels her power from the earth.

Nell can draw magic from the land around her, and lately she's been using it to help the Psy-Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. Joining the team at PsyLED has allowed her to learn more about her powers and the world she always shunned--and to find true friends.

Head agent Rick LaFleur shifts into a panther when the moon calls him, but this time, something has gone wrong. Rick calls Nell from a riverbank--he's naked, with no memory of how he came to be there, and there's a dead black cat, sacrificed in a witch circle and killed by black magic, lying next to him.

Then more animals turn up dead, and team rushes to investigate. A blood-witch is out to kill. But when it seems as if their leader is involved in the crime, the bonds that hold the team together could shatter at any moment.

Faith Hunter
Jane Yellowrock Series
Rogue Mage Series
Soulwood Series

About the Author:

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Yellowrock Securities  
Gwen Hunter
New York Times and USAToday bestselling fantasy author Faith Hunter was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. Altogether she has 40+ books in print under the names Gary Hunter, Gwen Hunter, and Faith Hunter. As Faith, she writes two contemporary Urban Fantasy series: the Jane Yellowrock series, featuring a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires, and the Soulwood series, featuring earth magic user Nell Ingram. Her Rogue Mage novels are a dark, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. The role playing game based on the series, is ROGUE MAGE, RPG.

Excerpt Part 1: Flame in the Dark (Soulwood #3) by Faith Hunter + giveaway

Flame in the Dark (Soulwood #3)
by Faith Hunter
Publisher: Ace/Roc
December 5, 2017
Mass Market Paperback $7.99
352 pages
ISBN: 978-0451473332
Nell Ingram has always known she was different. Since she was a child, she’s been able to feel and channel ancient powers from deep within the earth. When she met Jane Yellowrock, her entire life changed, and she was recruited into PsyLED—the Homeland Security division that polices paranormals. But now her newly formed unit is about to take on its toughest case yet.

A powerful senator barely survives an assassination attempt that leaves many others dead—and the house he was visiting burns to the ground. Invisible to security cameras, the assassin literally disappears, and Nell’s team is called in. As they track a killer they know is more—or less—than human, they unravel a web of dark intrigue and malevolent motives that tests them to their limits and beyond.

Excerpt FLAME IN THE DARK - Part One

I spread my blanket out and sat next to the oak. I cupped my hands around the base of the tree, so that the outer pads of my hands touched the ground, my fingers on the bark. Sinking into the tree, I felt along the pathways up and down it, the starchy sugars and oils and organic molecules that spoke of life. The ruined limbs were at the outer edges where the thing had brushed by it, touching it with the death in its body. I could trim them back but it wouldn’t help. The roots were damaged in ways I couldn’t even understand. I tried pushing life into them, tried to heal the small tree. But it was ruined. It was dead. I sat back on my backside.

I understood why people cut down healthy trees. I understood the concept of trees as crops and building materials, of trees as being removed for habitations and business buildings. But killing for the sake of killing—even trees—was an alien concept to me. And this creature—the shooter—was a killer. A killer by nature, perhaps? A killer by his cellular composition. It appeared that he killed just as he it breathed, by body chemistry, or by instinct, by predisposition and reflex. I knew it but I couldn’t prove it. I didn’t know what the shooter was. But the death of the tree made me weep.I wiped my cheeks, feeling the chapped skin. I didn’t question why I cried more over a baby tree than I did over the woman the shooter had killed. Surely the woman with the gray eyes deserved a greater grief. I would have to look at my own biases, but later, when I had time, after this long night was over. I stood, gathered up my blanket, and continued after the killer. I followed the death of plants through the woods, ignoring the scratches of nearby limbs, the vines and shoots and roots set to trip me, reaching down to the roots, trying to support them all, to the end of the cove, where I stopped. The destruction led directly into the water. 

About the Author:

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Yellowrock Securities  
Gwen Hunter
New York Times and USAToday bestselling fantasy author Faith Hunter was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. Altogether she has 40+ books in print under the names Gary Hunter, Gwen Hunter, and Faith Hunter. As Faith, she writes two contemporary Urban Fantasy series: the Jane Yellowrock series, featuring a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires, and the Soulwood series, featuring earth magic user Nell Ingram. Her Rogue Mage novels are a dark, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. The role playing game based on the series, is ROGUE MAGE, RPG.

Link with all tour stops:

http://bit.ly/2zxgpmQ

GIVEAWAY!

The tour giveaway is for 3 sets of the 1st 2 Soulwood books ( BLOOD OF THE EARTH and CURSE ON THE LAND ) and one $50 Amazon gift card (US residents only)!

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Exclusive Title Reveal of Soulwood Book Three by Faith Hunter

A little bird (actually more of a doggie) passed the new title info to me.

The next Soulwood novel will be titled:

FLAME IN THE DARK (SOULWOOD #3)

by Faith Hunter

There is no cover or release date yet. Based on the first two covers, it is going to be gorgeous! As soon as I find out I'll be sure to pass it along. In the meantime, check out my reviews of book 1 & 2.

Review: Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1)

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Review: Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2) 

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Book Review: Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2) by Faith Hunter (Spoiler-free) + giveaway

Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2)

by Faith Hunter
November 1st 2016 by Roc
352 pages
Set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Timesbestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the second Soulwood novel tells the story of a woman whose power comes from deep within the earth...

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...

After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more.

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Book two picks up after Nell has finished Spook School. She's just gotten home when the team is put on a case that could have dire consequences for the paranormal community's fragile relationship with humans. Nell also has her own problems in her land. The dark presence from book one is still there, but something else has started to grow. And if that wasn't enough crazy for the gang...the full moon is here and half their team will be going furry, including their leader Rick who has he own set of problems.

There is so much—plot-wise— going on in this book. I'm amazed Hunter could keep it all straight! The paranormal mystery Nell and friends need to solve is full of twists and proof Hunter's imagination is a scary place indeed. Nell and the reader learn more about her powers and that of her land. I can't talk about the plot because...spoilers!

This isn't an easy read. You have to pay attention to keep up, there is a lot going on and skimming any part might leave you lost. If you prefer books more like a hearty beef stew than a salad then you will enjoy this.

There is some fun humor too:
"Gear up how?" T. Laine asked.
"As in weapons and unis and the psy-meter 2.0. As in any magical tricks, trinkets and magic wand. Take a frigging Quidditch broom if you got one. Soul says someone is flying."

"What happened to the bulldozer?" I asked.
"We think the tree ate it."

Review: Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1)

4.5 "slime" Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:

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Faith Hunter, fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. She writes three Urban Fantasy series: the Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires. The Soulwood series, featuring earth magic user Nell Ingram. And the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. (There is a role playing game based on the series, ROGUE MAGE.)

Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she writes action-adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. As Faith and Gwen, she has 30+ books in print in 29 countries.

Hunter writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for travel, jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.

Book Review: Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1) by Faith Hunter (spoiler free)

Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1)

by Faith Hunter
August 2nd 2016 by Roc
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, an all-new series starring Nell Ingram, who wields powers as old as the earth.

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her.

Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville.

Nell has a team—and a mission. But to find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out.

Blood of the Earth is the debut from Faith Hunter's new urban fantasy series Soulwood. It revolves around Nell Ingram...and there is no way to sum up this character in a few words...she is complicatedly delicious. I finished the book days ago, but wasn't quite sure how convey the essence of the story in a way for you to understand. So after days of thinking on it I came up with:

If some books are kind of like eating Jello Brand cheesecake (light and fluffy and sweet)...then Blood of the Earth would be like eating NY cheesecake (dense, heavy and filling)

Yup, that's the best I could come up with <G>. But you get my point...I hope. Anyway, this story is a combination of mystery, crime solving and the supernatural. It has a dark edge, but there is some humor too (Nell's reaction to eating her first Krispy Kream donut and piece of pizza). Nell's character, just like any supernatural character, is hyper-sensory (is that even a word?). Every sense is engage and Faith conveys this to the reader. In the beginning I felt the sensory descriptions were over done, but it evened out quickly.

Nell...I really like this character. She is part Sherlock Holmes, yet part naive, and also too wise for her age...you have to read it to understand. At the beginning of the story Nell has no idea what she is, but she is intimately (and kind of in a creepy way) connected to the earth, especially her woods. She is unsure if her connection is good or evil. By the end of the book Nell does find out exactly what she is and will need to figure out how to use it.

There is a great supporting cast of other characters that Nell lets into her life. Each complex  and with backstories just waiting to be told. My favorite is Tandy. He is an empath and part of the PsyLED team Nell ends up working with. I love how Faith portrays what the life of an empath is like. It was easy to connect with this character and you just want to protect this little cinnamon roll from the world.

As with any first book in a new series, when there is so much world building, you get overloaded with information, but I have no doubt this will smooth out and it didn't keep me from enjoying this story.

4.5 "feed me!" Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:

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Faith Hunter, fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. She writes three Urban Fantasy series: the Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires. The Soulwood series, featuring earth magic user Nell Ingram. And the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. (There is a role playing game based on the series, ROGUE MAGE.)

Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she writes action-adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. As Faith and Gwen, she has 30+ books in print in 29 countries.

Hunter writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for travel, jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.

Cover Reveal: Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2) by Faith Hunter

Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2)
by Faith Hunter
November 1st 2016 by Roc
352 pages
Set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the second Soulwood novel tells the story of a woman whose power comes from deep within the earth...

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...

After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more…

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Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1)

Releases: August 2, 2016

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About the Author:

website-fb-twitter-blog

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter writes dark urban fantasy and paranormal urban thrillers.

Her long-running, bestselling, Skinwalker series features Jane Yellowrock, a hunter of rogue-vampires. Her Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy series features Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality. She has a new paranormal crime solving series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram, who can siphon away the magic of others, to be released in late 2015.

Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she has written action adventure, mysteries, thrillers, women’s fiction, a medical thriller series, and even historical religious fiction. As Gwen, she is a winner of the WH Smith Literary Award for Fresh Talent in 1995 in the UK, and won a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in 2008. Under all her pen names, she has over 30 books in print in 29 countries.

Faith Hunter writes full-time, and is a workaholic with a passion for jewelry making, white-water kayaking, travel, all which appear in and are used in her novels. She gave up cooking for lent one year and the oven stayed turned off for so long that it refused to come back on and had to be replaced, but she is having a hankering for homemade bread, and is considering getting back to baking in her remodeled kitchen. Occasionally, she remembers to sleep. The jewelry she makes and wears is often given as promo items to fans who come to her signings, and is used as prizes in contests. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast. (The poms don’t whitewater. The pampered dogs stay in the RV in lazy, air-conditioned comfort!)

Faith is a founding member of MagicalWords, a writing forum at www.magicalwords.net geared to helping writers of fantasy and other genres.

Cover Reveal: Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1) by Faith Hunter

Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1)
by Faith HunterPaperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: October 6th 2015

by Roc

Set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, an all-new series starring Nell Ingram, who wields powers as old as the earth.

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her.

Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville.

Nell has a team—and a mission. But to find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out.

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About the Author:

website-fb-twitter-blog

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter writes dark urban fantasy and paranormal urban thrillers.

Her long-running, bestselling, Skinwalker series features Jane Yellowrock, a hunter of rogue-vampires. Her Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy series features Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality. She has a new paranormal crime solving series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram, who can siphon away the magic of others, to be released in late 2015.

Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she has written action adventure, mysteries, thrillers, women’s fiction, a medical thriller series, and even historical religious fiction. As Gwen, she is a winner of the WH Smith Literary Award for Fresh Talent in 1995 in the UK, and won a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in 2008. Under all her pen names, she has over 30 books in print in 29 countries.

Faith Hunter writes full-time, and is a workaholic with a passion for jewelry making, white-water kayaking, travel, all which appear in and are used in her novels. She gave up cooking for lent one year and the oven stayed turned off for so long that it refused to come back on and had to be replaced, but she is having a hankering for homemade bread, and is considering getting back to baking in her remodeled kitchen. Occasionally, she remembers to sleep. The jewelry she makes and wears is often given as promo items to fans who come to her signings, and is used as prizes in contests. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast. (The poms don’t whitewater. The pampered dogs stay in the RV in lazy, air-conditioned comfort!)

Faith is a founding member of MagicalWords, a writing forum at www.magicalwords.net geared to helping writers of fantasy and other genres.