Frayed by Blakely Chorpenning

Synopsis

Fray loves being a semi-pro fighter and free spirit. However, when a deadly faction begins abducting supernatural teens in the Blue Hills of North Carolina for excruciating experiments, she quickly learns there is more to life than glitzy opponents and late night trysts. Fray and a crew of unlikely allies must rescue the children before they are dissected alive. Being a leopard shapeshifter helps. Confronting personal prejudice and traversing feelings for a tempestuous ex do not mix. But Fray is willing to go all the way to stop her world from changing. That is, until the ultimate sacrifice forces her to realize just how overdue change is. 

Her most shocking discovery: Everyone’s human. At least a little…

Review:

I am normally not a person who really falls in love with novellas. And the reason for that is I always want more, I start to like the characters or I want to learn more about the world, and novellas just aren't enough time for authors to really do that. But this novella may be my exception to that rule, because I really enjoyed this book, I just wish it was longer. 

I'm going to start with the one thing that bugged me in the novella, and then go on to the good things about it. There is a scene about 3/4 of the way through the book, where all the action takes place. And this is the most important part of the action, but the problem I had was Fray jumps into the action, and I almost felt like their was like 3 pages or so missing of build up. It was like Fray arrived on the scene got in trouble and then started searching around, within such a short period of time and it didn't feel believable. 

Other than that the book is great. I love Fray, she is truly a badass, but she is by no means the perfect girl. She almost reminds me Faythe in Rachel Vincent's shifters series. And not just because they are both shifters, but because they are both women who fight for those who can't fight for themselves. They are the reluctant leaders, the ones who don't want the power, but can't help but to step up and do the right thing when it is put in front of them. 

This novella deals with someone that I think all readers can identify with, which I think is the reason why this novella is one I enjoyed more, because I connected with the story. No one wants to think about what horrible things people could do to children, and in this book it is children who are targeted. It gets everyone's blood boiling not just the characters in the book, but I think it will do the same thing for the readers as well. 

The characters are also really well written for such a short period of space. I feel like Fray was given the opportunity to grow and she did. I feel like Blaire was a good strong leader type, who I want to see more of in the future. Darien was the older brother we all would expect when you have a little sister. And there is a whole cast of room mates that bring more interesting situations to the book. But the one character I think that was the most striking, I can't really tell you much about without ruining the novella. But I will say it's one of the children, they say children are resilient and that is especially true for this girl, and she has more strength than she even realizes. 

Overall this was a great book to read, and I am really looking forward to the sequel, I want to know what happened next. I want to know how the shifter community is going to react, are they going to come together or are they going to be torn apart. And what is going to happen to Fray. There is so much I want to know. And when you read a book that leaves you wanting more, you know it was a good book. So check it out. 

Dianna Hardy Guest Post

Today we are joined by Dianna Hardy who wrote a book I reviewed a while back for the first book in her The Witching Pen series, which I really enjoyed. So I hope you enjoy Dianna Hardy's guest post as well as look forward to the review of her second book which will be coming up later.

Different Characters, Different Lives

Dianna Hardy

Thank you so much, Kate, for having me on your blog today :)

Those that have read my (small, but growing number of) books may have come to realise that I don't like to write the same kind of characters over and over again. When writing romance, I think this can be tricky, because part of what readers want about romance is consistency; a lot of readers like a certain kind of romance, and will stick to the same author because they know what they're getting.

I don't do that (lol – sorry!). Each book I write, or each couple I write, will be different from the previous that you've read, and as a result, the sexual and emotional relationship between them will be different too. So romance readers, beware, that with me, you'll be getting something you may not expect every time.

In The Witching Pen Novellas, we have three couples evolving throughout the series. Karl and Elena are the sweet ones. Their relationship is built on a lifelong love, affection and trust, and together they form a strong foundation from which the other characters can bounce off.

Then there's Pueblo and Amy. They're troubled, to a certain extent; both of them with difficult histories, and they've been thrown together, pretty much by accident (although, there's actually no such thing as an accident in my world). Love with these two is not necessarily easy, and it's not black and white, but all shades of grey and every colour from one end of the spectrum to the other. Their relationship will continue to evolve throughout all the books – it has to. There's no neatly wrapping things up for them in one book, and life doesn't always work that way anyway…

Finally, we have Gwain and Mary. Now I can't write too much about them due to spoilers (their story's yet to be told), but they are the 'intense' ones. It's all or nothing for them. For them, love is life and death, and a disturbing concoction of agony and peace. There's a very Scorpionic energy about them, and most readers will probably find their relationship the hardest to relate to. Nevertheless, they are the way they are (yes, I'm serious – they didn't want to be written any other way)…

The conclusion of The Witching Pen Novellas (resulting in book three, The Demon Bride, released in the summer), will catapult all these characters into the spin-off novel, The Last Angel, in which they will all continue to evolve, although the spin-off novel will be more action / plot focused and less relationship-based – in this sense, it may fall into urban fantasy (possibly urban fantasy romance) rather than a romance specifically.

This blog post, is really to give you a glimpse into how I write relationships, and how I like to write as a writer in general. Nope – you won't find 'samey' from me, but (I hope) a surprise each time, which you may or may not find pleasant … but as a reader, that's what I look for in an author – someone who can surprise me – maybe it comes from my great love of horror novels growing up (everyone likes to be surprised when reading horror, right? It's that 'make me jump' factor.) I went back to the author that could give me something unexpected in every book, my favourites being James Herbert and Richard Laymon.

I'd love to know what you think as readers. Do you go back to an author because you know exactly what to expect (and with regards to what? POV? The romance? The action? The characters' personalities?) or because you know you're going to get something a little different?

Thanks so much for stopping by and chatting :)

For more information on all of my work, please visit DiannaHardy.comor for The Witching Pen Novellas, please see TheWitchingPen.co.uk (there's also a very cool book trailer here).

Read UF Reviews' review of The Witching Pen.

See the series on Amazon US

See the series on Amazon UK

Blind Sight Aniela Dawson by Eliabeth Hawthorne

Synopsis:

A blind girl drawing is abnormal even on the magical island of Edaion where leaves brush themselves into piles in the middle of the night. As an immigrant, Leocardo is not biased by accepted rules of magic and determines that Odette’s drawings are premonitions. Aniela grew up with magic and knows premonitions are impossible. She determines Odette is a medium channeling voiceless spirits. 

In this volume: While Aniela tries to escape a lifestyle where obligations take priority over friendships, she befriends Odette, a blind girl with the ability to draw. Almost immediately, concerns and questions arise as Aniela suspects that Odette’s gift is far stronger than any seen before. In the middle of family turmoil and a complicated romantic relationship with Odette’s brother, Aniela faces the realization that helping her comatose friend means disobeying her mother, something she has never done before.

Review:

I was asked to participate in the blog tour promoting both of the Blind Sight books, one written from Aniela's point of view and the other from Leocardo's. I think what interested me most about these two books is that it is essentially the same story only told from two different perspectives. And I have come to understand how different things can seem when they are scene from someone else's point of view. Another thing that was really interesting is that it wasn't done by just one author, who conceptualized the story and the characters and then wrote the book from two different perspectives. It was done with two separate authors, which I can imagine would be much more difficult, because you would have to make sure their are no inconsistencies as well as making sure the characters, while being written by two separate people, are still recognizable as the same people in both of the books. It is for those reasons why I found this book interesting, and agreed to review both of the books. 

From the minute I opened the book I started to think I was really going to like Aniela, but that I wasn't going to like her sister, and that was my initial impression from the prologue alone. Prologues for me either give way to much away or just seem so ambiguous that I wish they hadn't been included at all. But the prologue in this book, was enough for me to wonder what was going to happen next when Aniela was older, as well as wonder about what was going to happen to her family. 

The writing flowed really well throughout the book, and made it very easy to read. Although I do have to say for me the beginning of the book did start a bit slow, but that happens sometimes. And overall it didn't detract from the overall writing or plot of the book, so it is easily overlooked. I think the writing was done in such a way that it appeals to all kinds of readers. It doesn't necessarily have the feel of a YA book, but I could see how people who read YA would like this book. There is no gratuitous sex or cussing, so the book could be read by really all populations of readers. I always find it impressive when an author can appeal to a wide variety of audiences with one piece of work. 

As for Aniela as a character, she is both intricate and interesting. She is born a princess of a magical island, and one thing I always find interesting when you have royalty in the mix is how that person juggles the responsibility of power with what they want as individuals. Over the course of the book you really get to see her "come of age" if you will, and figure out her place in the world. The book starts with her being a young four year old, to really becoming a young woman. 

What I really like is how Aniela really becomes involved in the Odette story line, and trying to find out what is happening to her. I like the premise of Odette, that she is a blind girl that can still essentially "see" just in visions that she draws. It's such an interesting concept, and the twist even more on it that they leave her vulnerable makes it all the more interesting and intriguing. 

Overall I would say I enjoyed reading the book. I look forward to reading Leocardo's point of view, and see how different the world looks through another person's eyes. I would recommend this book to people who like YA books, as well as people who like Urban Fantasy, although it is a bit of different kind of UF. So if you are looking for something new and different this might be the way to go for you. 

My Boyfriend Merlin by Priya Ardis

Synopsis:

If you can't trust your boyfriend, who can you trust?

In this modern retelling of the Sword and the Stone, 17-year-old nice girl Arriane, aka Ryan, DuLac just found out her badass biker boyfriend,Matt, is a little older than he was letting on. By a few eons.

In fact, he is really Merlin--the Merlin, King Arthur's Merlin, the greatest wizard who ever lived. But Ryan's not impressed. Tired of being a pushed around relationship loser, she'd rather kick his legendary behind.

Sure, the world has been crazy ever since the sword and the stone fell out of the sky like a meteor. And Ryan's a bit freaked about the scary shadow-dragon trying to burn her alive. And now, Matt--er, Merlin--needs her and her brother to leave home because they are Candidates to pull the sword.

But despite gruesome gargoyles, a new world of magic, and the guy driving her crazy, Ryan knows that family is everything. Will Merlin sacrifice hers to save the world? Will she be able to stop him?

Review:

I don't normally enjoy a lot of YA, I feel like the author often dumbs down the quality of the writing for YA. I have always been a strong believer that you can use big words and strong concepts in YA, because that's how young adults learn, and why dictionaries were invented. So when I find a YA story I enjoy that is saying something. 

I really enjoyed really My Boyfriend Merlin, especially since I was a little worried about it. The title made me believe it was going to be all about teen angst and "oh I like this boy". But it really wasn't, it had a true plot, and characters that were organic and true to themselves. 

The first reason I like this book is it deal with Arthurian legend, and I personally think that is such a fun topic. It's both historical and fantasy. There is the element of history that I love, but the fact that it was so long ago lets the author and well people in general have their own take on what really happened; which is why I think a lot of books have been written about Arthur since his time. But there is that element of fantasy, in a time of wizards and magics, where all things were possible, a place like Camelot is what inspires people. So the book already had all that going for it. 

The writing was really good, and I never felt talked down to as a reader. Yes the romance was toned down, and there weren't people running around screaming cuss words at every chance, but hey you don't need cuss words to get your point across, nor do you need sex to create an intimate relationship between two characters. I will say there were a few typos at the end (I think 3), but it didn't bug me. 

I liked Ryan. The book starts off action packed so you really get to know her in a dramatic way from the beginning. Ryan experiences a trauma very early on in the book, and as a reader, you really have no other choice but to feel for her. Not only that but you are right there along side her with her emotions. You understand her want to fight for revenge, or to make sure nothing like that happens again. You understand her will to stand up for herself, to make sure she is as trained as she can be. But she also isn't so completely amazing feat of nature. She is just a person who like anyone has to work at being good at something, so she gets her butt kicked along the way. It makes her all the more believable and likable. 

I also enjoyed the brother dynamic between Matt and Vane. And I enjoyed them both as characters. When I read the description of the book I really believed I would get behind Matt as a character and he would be the one I liked but he wasn't. It was Vane, even on the surface, how he appeared to be so callous, I knew there was something more to him, something I was missing. So I wanted to find out what that something was going to be. It was fun to get to know him, and watching the little fleeting moments when he would let his guard down. 

Overall, this was a really good YA book. I think people who only read adult books and staunchly refuse to read YA would be doing themselves a disservice by disregarding this book. It is a fun read, and it bring the past to the present and looks to the future. And let's face it who does like a book that does that?

The Merzetti Effect by Norah Wilson

Synopsis:

Delano Bowen has been a medical doctor for a very long time. More than 170 years, in fact. For much of that time, he’s been searching for a way to reverse the curse foisted on him by a vampress who sought to own him. With the emergence of medical technology, he now also aims to develop a vaccine to protect the vulnerable from predation by rogue vampires. After a century of searching, he thinks he's found the key to his vaccine – a surviving descendent of the Merzetti family. The Merzettis were virtually hunted to extinction over the years by rogue vampires who feared the anti-vampirism properties in their blood. 

A foundling, nurse Ainsley Crawford has no idea that she carries a genetic gift, and Delano aims to keep it that way. He manipulates events to ensure her unwitting cooperation. But when Delano's arch enemy Radak Janecek mounts an all-out assault to destroy Delano and the fruits of his research, Delano is forced to draw Ainsley even closer to protect her. Ainsley sees no reason why that attraction shouldn't be consummated, but Delano knows succumbing to it is not just ill-advised; it could literally be the death of him.

Review: 

This book most definitely falls into the paranormal romance category. The problem I have with a lot of paranormal romances is that the author focuses so much on the romance aspect of the book they somehow forget to deal with the actual plot of the book, like it's some kind of afterthought. I really appreciate this book all the more because the plot was so well fleshed out, and the romance, while being a big element to the book had a place in the book. The romance wasn't just there for romance sake, it actually helped move the plot along and even played a big role. 

Delano is an interesting character. He does a lot of rather questionable things, especially in the beginning of the book with it comes to Ainsley, but he does them for the right reasons. He is not a bad guy, he is just a guy who feels like he has no other options and must do whatever it takes for the greater good of the world. 

Part of the reason I think I like Delano and the book in general is because it's written rather intelligently. In fact all the characters in the book are educated or just in general talented in other ways. They explain what being a vampire is in a scientific way, as a gene mutation, that could be reversed if they could only figure out a way to do so. Basically being a vampire is like having a disease, and diseases can be cured, it just takes time and research, and testing. 

Which is where Ainsley comes in. They (the men in the book) mention several times that she is one of the most resilient people that they have met, and truly she is. While she does have freak outs a couple times throughout the book, she looks at things as logically as she can, and she ultimately decides to do what her heart tells her is the right thing to do. That being said, she always felt rather organic, she didn't panic when she found out vampires, but she did panic when she thought she could have been turned. She looks at things in a medical perspective, as well she should since after all she is a nurse. 

Eli is a character I really like as well. He is a Delano's right hand man, he is basically a guy who does it all. But mostly he is the security guy. It's clear from the book that he has scene war, and he has had to overcome that past. But it has also allowed him to be good as his job, which is often making sure that Delano and the work he is doing is protected, and of course Ainsley too once she comes into the group. 

The romance in the book was pretty well written. There was no overly cheesy lines in the book, although there was a time or two where the author opted for the clinical word and it almost sounded out of place within the intimate scenes. But overall the scenes were well written. And not only that, but the sex in the book actually plays a big part in moving the plot forward. I wish I could explain how, but it would give way to much of the book away, so I'll just say the sex is necessary and well written. 

I would recommend this book especially to those of you who like paranormal romance, but I also believe that urban fantasy readers would also like this book as well. Overall I thought it was an interesting book, and well written, I would read more by this author. 

Larry Peterson Guest Post

When I wrote The Priest & The Peaches, I did not anticipate it being classified as historical fiction. The story takes place in the mid 1960s and I grew up in the '50s and '60s. I always thought of "historic" as being way before my time, not during my time. The first thing I had to do  was make sure I was not dead yet. I calmed down when my own left hand smacked me in my head and I heard myself say, "Oh man, get over it." I realized I was still breathing and I got over it.

The point is, I am far from being an authority on writing historical fiction. Since I actually experienced the point in time I was writing about much of my needed research was already categorized inside my head. All I had to do was begin opening dormant files that I had forgotten about. The writing helped me to open them. Somethings I did have to research such as clothing styles, hair styles, prices, automobiles and things like that. Otherwise, I had it easy being historical.

I do love history and there may very well be a historical work in my future. It may even have to do with the early Peach family going back to when their American journey began at Ellis Island. Here is what I can tell you. If you truly want to write historical fiction you must travel back in time (books, internet, letters, photos, etc) will help you get there. You have to "see" the streets, "smell" the odors, "talk" to the people and understand the culture of the time you are visiting. I might recommend as not only a learning tool but also an excellent read the book, Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires by Molly Roe and published by Tribute Books. It takes you back to the 1860s to the coal mining country of Pennsylvania. It captures beautifully the people, streets, homes, and lives including hopes and dreams of the folks living during those days. If you want a good example of historical fiction, check it out.

The Priest and the Peaches Book Summary

Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Larry Peterson's blog:

http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com

Larry Peterson's Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/larrytpbx

Larry Peterson's Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/slipperywillie

Larry Peterson's Bio:

Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other. 

Atticus for the Undead by John Abramowitz

Synopsis: 

The next chapter in the struggle for equal rights begins!

Hunter Gamble is an idealistic young attorney in a very special area of the practice: arcane defense. Funded by enigmatic billionaire Charles McClain and aided by shy-but-energetic research attorney Kirsten Harper, he's making the world a better place -- one vampire, zombie, or werewolf client at a time. After all, they deserve their day in court too, right?

When a young zombie walks into Hunter's office accused of murder (by brain-eating), Hunter's idealism is tested as never before as he struggles to secure the man's freedom. To do so, he must square off against a savvy and ambitious district attorney, contend with a judge who is deeply biased against arcanes, and stand up to a human-supremacist group which will stop at nothing -- not even Hunter's own death -- to see his client convicted.

Review:

This is one of those books that I get a request to read and review, and then get totally bummed out that I have to wait to read it until it comes up on my list for review. So I have basically been sitting on this book for months, seeing it on my kindle every time I go to read another book, and trying desperately to resist the urge to take a little sneak peak. There are a lot of things I like about this book, I like that it involves all types of paranormals, but at the same time, it focuses on zombies. I haven't read a lot of books having to do with zombies, I think this is my second one in total. But then it brings my favorite element, it's written about a lawyer who defends the "arcanes" (the political correct name in the book). I love the law, in fact I had such a love affair of the law that I starting teaching Supreme Court law to high school students. 

Needless to say the book didn't disappoint. I am one of those people who wake up like 8 times a night, so while I started reading this book right before bed, I only got a couple of chapters in, next thing I knew I was waking up at 2am and reading a couple more before going back to sleep. I even got up early to finish reading the book, which if you knew me you would know that is a big accomplishment, I hate getting up early. 

The writing is fantastic. It's funny because it doesn't seem like a book that would involve a lot of action like a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal do. There isn't some kind of major life or death battle, the main character Hunter didn't spend his time picking up a battle axe to fight for Arcane rights. But even though Hunters action has a lot to do with his actions as a lawyer it doesn't make the book any less fun to read. In fact the reason I say the writing is so good is because even without the "action" of most of the books in this genre have, this book is still a page turner. 

You can't help but like Hunter. He is an everyday normal guy with the skills to help people who are being persecuted. He fights for civil rights, just on a paranormal level. He cares about his job and he cares about his clients. He is genuinely a good guy. Kristen is such a great character too. She is the research assistant for Hunter, and she is every bit the home body who thrives on research. She also harbors the cutest little crush on Hunter as well. 

You meet other characters along the way, including Sabrina and Sam, both people who Hunter represented in cases brought against them. Although Sam is the case of the zombie eating the brains that the synopsis teases about. Those characters are equally as enjoyable to read. 

Moreover I enjoyed the trial, there were surprises along the way, moments where you thought you knew how the case was going to turn out, and then moments when you had no idea. And then of course that brings me to the ending, which of course I want to talk about but can't because I don't want to give anything away. What I will say is that the ending is anything but what you would expect. And that if this book ends up having a sequel I would be very interested to see where it goes from here. 

Overall, I am going to say this is a great book. I loved reading it. I could easily see how not just people who like all things paranormal could enjoy this book, but also how people who like reading book about crime/law would like it too. Or people who have an interest in civil rights, because you have to admit this is a whole new spin on civil rights. At any rate I recommend this book, and I think you should definitely go out and buy it.