Romantic Fantasy Giveaway & Spotlight!

Hi there. I'm super excited to feature this Romantic Fantasy Starter Kit giveaway, because it includes several of my favorite romantic fantasy series! Click HERE for the link to enter. 

You have a chance to win six first-in-series:

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews 

Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop

Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega #1) by Patricia Briggs

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven

Wild Hunger (Chicagoland Vampires #1) by Chloe Neil

Today I'm spotlighting one of the books in the giveaway: Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven!

PHOENIX UNBOUND by GRACE DRAVEN

Ace Trade Paperback | September 25, 2018

A woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.

But this year is different. 

Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. Unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.

To protect her family and village, she will abandon everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.

Praise for Phoenix Unbound:

New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews sums up the book:

 “Fierce and captivating, PHOENIX UNBOUND is the story of a gladiator and a fire witch fighting for their freedom against an empire that wants them enslaved.  With impossible odds, breathtaking battles, terrifying magic, and an unlikely love, this book is a must read. Grace Draven is a master of romantic heroic fantasy.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace Draven is a Louisiana native living in Texas with her husband, kids and a big, doofus dog. She is the winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice for Best Fantasy Romance of 2016 and a USA Today Bestselling author. Find out more about Grace Draven online at gracedraven.com.

Love Psy-Changeling, Kate Daniels, The Others, and Alpha & Omega series! Awesome giveaway, right?!  Click HERE for a chance to win all six books (listed above). Good luck!

Review& Giveaway: Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Publisher: Ace
My rating:  4.5 Stars
Pages: 336
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD | Kobo

 

Mercenary Kate Daniels must risk all to protect everything she holds dear in this epic, can't-miss entry in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series.

Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She's made friends and enemies. She's found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.

Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate's doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.

Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.

For her child.

For Atlanta.

For the world. 

My Thoughts:

Magic Triumphs!  Wow! I closed the book thinking wow, I can’t believe this is the last book! But after being disappointed by the ending of another favorite series (I’m looking at you Iron Druid!) I was soooo happy Magic Triumphs does not disappoint!  So much to love here!  Conlan!  Too cute!!!  Hugh, Julie, Derek, and of course, Curran! That’s not to say that I’m not sad that the series is over, but I do have hopes of spin-offs with Hugh, Julie, Derek and though I thought I’d never say this, Kate’s morally ambiguous Aunt Erra!  

As with the previous books Magic Triumphs has its own mystery/conflict, along with the continuing story arc of Roland (Kate’s father) and his mission to kill or subject Kate to his will.  Kate must put aside all her other investigations when a whole neighborhood just disappears, 200 residents just gone.  What’s left over is sickening and extremely disturbing and you know things will only get worse. As if that wasn’t bad enough word comes in that Roland is gathering his troops, getting ready to invade.  Is Kate and her allies ready for this final battle?

Kate is the star of the show, always facing insurmountable odds and coming out on top with crafty thinking, sheer determination, and a shit-ton of power! I love that she always finds humor and snark even in the most desperate situations.  Her friends defend and stick with her because she inspires love and loyalty.  Curran comes a close second, as Kate’s husband and mate, he’s fierce in his devotion and love for her, and he is one sexy-beast!  Curran is a scary power in his own right, not a force to be reckoned with.  These two together have taken on sooo much over the course of the series, but in this book everything has come to a head. 

If you haven’t read the Kate Daniels series this is seriously the time to pick it up! All the books are out now, and this is one of my all-time favorite series out there! Epic battles, a wealth of amazing secondary characters, snarky, fun humor, and bizarre but cute animals!  Start at the beginning and hang on.  Each book only gets better!

Connect with Ilona Andrews:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

The lovely people of Ace have generously provided a copy of Magic Bites (the first book of the Kate Daniels series) to one lucky reader.  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  Good luck!

Review & Giveaway: Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant #1) by Ilona Andrews
Publication date: June 26th 2018
Publisher: NYLA
My rating:  5 Stars
Pages: 406
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?

As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both. 

My Thoughts:

As the description points out, Hugh was Roland’s warrior, but has been cast out, cut off from Roland’s magic and when we first meet Hugh here, he’s in bad shape.  Hurting as he was Hugh didn’t fully grasp his Iron Dogs were loyal to him, not Roland.  Now that they’re being hunted down, and murdered Hugh must get himself together, get his Iron Dogs back in fighting shape to meet the threat. 

Elara and Hugh have things each other need to survive, Elara has a castle, food, and supplies Hugh’s Iron Dogs’ desperately need, and Elara needs protection for the people in her keep.  To make their alliance believable they decide to marry. They hate each other on sight, Elara has already heard the rumors of Hugh and expects him to be a terrible man, and Hugh views Elara a cold harpy.  This is a marriage of convenience, but of course I was hoping for it to turn into more! Love-to-hate relationships are so much fun and loved every verbal sparring match between these two!  Really made things heat up! 

Hugh was quite a despicable character in the previous books, so when I first heard there would be a book centering on him I wondered if I could ever view him as the “hero” or like him.  Shouldn’t have worried because Ilona Andrews pulled it off splendidly!  You don’t have to do this because there’s enough information to get the picture, but I did go back and skim through some of the events in Magic Rises (book 6) and Magic Breaks (book 7) to remember exactly what happened with Hugh, Kate, The Pack, and Roland.  Some of his actions seemed unforgivable, but we were only looking at them through Kate’s eyes.  Here we get Hugh’s motivations, and some important insight about Roland’s influence on Hugh here in Iron and Magic.  It made ALL the difference in my opinion of Hugh and I ended up rooting for the guy!

Elara is likeable right off the bat, she’s completely loyal and protective of her people, strong and intelligent in her actions.  Elara is also a person (?) of powerful magic, but she’s a mystery and I look forward to finding out more about her in the coming books.

The fight/battle scenes were exciting, full of danger, and action, and easy to follow.  I was surprised and thrilled by what’s revealed about Hugh, his skills and powers. Elara is a bit of an enigma, not sure what she is yet, but I have some ideas.  When she steps into a fight you take notice, and I was stunned by a certain villain’s reaction to her in the end!

Iron and Magic was fast paced and riveting!  We get Ilona Andrews at their best, and what they’re known for as writers: exciting action, multi-faceted, compelling characters, interesting mythology, and of course my favorite: romance!  I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

 

Connect with Ilona Andrews:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

I'm giving away a Hardcover Copy of Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) by Ilona Andrews which features Hugh quite prominently.  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  

Review: Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega #5) by Patricia Briggs
Publication date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Ace
My rating: 5 Stars
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD | Kobo

Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other--one that lurks too close to home...

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok's pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf--but can't stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills--his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker--to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn...

My Thoughts:

Charles and Anna are holding down the fort in Aspen Creek, while Bran, the Marrok is off on vacation. The story takes off quickly when one of the “wildling’s” (old wolves that are no longer safe to associate around Pack on a regular basis) mate calls for help. Anna and Charles go to investigate and find a lot more than they bargained for.  There’s a lethal threat, assisted by a traitor in the Pack, and Anna and Charles must figure out if the traitor is one of the “wildlings”, or a closer Pack member.  Either way, they must warn all the “wildlings” of the danger, and so begins the thrill ride!

Got some surprising insight on Bran (never suspected that!), and his abilities, which clarified something he was able to pull off in Silence Fallen (the previous book in the Mercy Thompson series).  Anna’s abilities as an Omega wolf get more awesome as the series progresses. Especially as she investigates and understands her power more. 

As usual, Charles and Anna face the conflicts and danger as a united front, lending power or support to each other whenever needed. Theirs is a mature romance, without unnecessary drama, or petty jealousies. There’s plenty of love and passion between the two of them, when they’re not battling for their lives, that is!

A big betrayal, Pack dynamics, Asil and Sage, and a slightly different view of Leah all factor in, as well, in this exciting installment of the Alpha & Omega series. There’s never all dull moment, even when the action is a bit on hold, because trying to discover the culprit behind the attacks kept me guessing!  Alpha & Omega continues to be one of my all-time favorite urban fantasy series’, so of course I gobbled Burn Bright up!  Even though the mystery wraps up here, I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book!

Connect with Patricia Briggs:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads