Re-Reading, Book Series, and Reviews to Come

There are some books and series that I go back to and re-read over and over — because I love them, because new releases in the series come out and I want to refresh my memory of the overarching storyline and world, and sometimes just because it’s been a really long time since I’ve read them. Re-reading not only pleases my mind, heart and soul by allowing me to revisit old friends, but when you’re as voracious a reader as I am, re-reading is also a money-saver too.

I’ve mentioned many times here on the blog, and on social media, that when new releases come out in a series I will most often re-read the whole series in the days before to put my mind back into the story. Some of the series I read have become so long though I have had to resort to reading only the previous 4-6 books before a new release. With the upcoming new release in Christine Feehan’s Dark series on September 1^st (Dark Song, book 34), I decided it was well past time to revisit the earliest stories in the series and so I’ve begun a series re-read. To be perfectly frank, the Dark series is one of my all-time favourite vampire series but because of the length of the series it has been more than 10 years since I sat down and began again at the beginning.

 

Since it’s been so long since I’ve read some of the books – I’m pretty sure I haven’t read any of the first 20ish books in nearly 10 years – it’s almost like reading them for the first time again. Years ago, more than ten years ago in fact, I wrote a series of reviews for (approximately) the first dozen or so books in the series, with a plan for the rest of the books which had been published at that time. Not all of those reviews even managed to make it on to the blog. So… I’m going to attempt to do it all again! 

 

The coming Feehan’s Dark Carpathians review series will start at the beginning of the series, with Dark Prince, and will move through the entire series of books. It’s going to take time – after all with the September 1, 2020 release there are 34 books to read and write about – but while every single book may not get it’s own individual post, all 34 books will be reviewed and discussed. Those early books I’ve previously reviewed will get new reviews, though I may quote old ones or simply include a link back to them. (I just re-read the Dark Prince review that made it to the blog and scanned the others too… some of them could use some major editing, while changes to the site over 10 years and dead links have made them all sort of painful to look at.) 

I invite everyone to read along with me. Start with Dark Prince and go from there. Check out the reviews when they come along – they will all be tagged with “Feehan’s Dark Carpathians” on the blog so you can search and find them easily. On social media I’ll be using the hashtag #FeehansDarkCarpathians so that posts and discussions will be searchable. 

 

And on Facebook you can join my (brand-new) reading and book discussions group: LD Ferris’s Book Club. I’m launching it to coincide with Feehan’s Dark Carpathians for anyone who wants to read-a-long and discuss the books (and reviews) as we go. After that we’ll try to have a monthly ‘book club book’ to read and discuss, as well as offering a place where anyone can post book recommendations and reviews. At least that’s the plan for now.

 

So at this point, I guess it’s time for me to focus on reading and reviewing. I have already finished reading book 1, so the review of Dark Prince and the first true post of the new Feehan’s Dark Carpathian’s review series will be coming shortly!

The BIG SURPRISE...

This morning I shared my interview with Indie Author Sonia Taylor Brock with all of you. At the end of that post I included a link to a surprise that she and I have for you too. Now it’s time to share that surprise with you a little less sneakily.

See the thing is I’ve been reading the books of The Swamp Witch series over the past week or so and have really been enjoying them; the characters are colorful and the stories are interesting. So I thought to myself why not give one of them away to someone and introduce somebody new to the Swamp Witch world. Only Sonia decided to take things a step (or three, or four) further… 

From January 12-18 you can enter to win ALL 4 BOOKS OF THE SWAMP WITCH SERIES PLUS SOME SWAG!!! As always there are multiple ways to get your name in the hat and win, but you must leave a comment on one of the Sonia Taylor Brock blog posts…

Author Interview

Giveaway Launch (this post)

Book Review

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So what are you waiting for? 

Enter now and you could be the winner of this awesome prize pack!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Chats & Fun Surprises!

Every once in a while, you stumble upon a book (or series of books) that looks intriguing enough, interesting enough, and just fun enough that you can’t help but dive in head first – even when you’re already waist deep and sinking in everything else you’re already doing, reading and involved in. That’s sort of how this post, and tomorrow’s, came to be. If you’ve played around on this blog by checking out the other pages/tabs across the top, you may have noticed that I have a review request form that authors, their PA’s or even readers can fill out in the hopes of having me read a specific book to review and/or talk about here on Ups, Downs, Ins & Outs. And sometimes a book that is requested captivates me just enough that I can’t wait to do something, anything with it… That’s where today comes in.

Today I’m sharing with you the interview I did with Indie Author Sonia Taylor Brock, writer of The Swamp Witch series. And pssssst… if you stick around to the end, Sonia and I have a BIG SURPRISE for you all too!

THE INTERVIEW

[centered/italicized = LDF; normal = STB]

Why (or how) did you decide to be a writer?

I have always dabbled in writing, but concentrated on my art for many years.  [Then] I was given really good advice from another writer that helped me take the plunge.  He told me to write what I know and write what I like to read.  I knew exactly what that should be.  Once the inspiration started, I haven’t been able to shut it off.

Featured Book of the Day: BLOODRUNNER DRAGON

BLOODRUNNER DRAGON 

by T.S. Joyce

Book 1 – Harper’s Mountains Series

http://amzn.to/1ZCCs1b

Harper Keller is a shifter on borrowed time. After failing to find her treasure, her inner dragon is desperate to find anything to connect with. When a plea for help comes through from an old flame, she puts her life on hold to track him down. But when she finds Wyatt, it's obvious time has changed him. He isn't the sweet and steady boy she grew up with anymore, but is now a dominant, rip-roaring grizzly shifter with alpha bloodlines and a mountain of secrets. He's dug himself into a deep hole, and is surrounded by danger from all sides, and now Harper has a big decision to make. Save herself, or spend her final days saving the man who is laying claim to her heart. 

Wyatt James is on a mission to save the girl he left behind. He isn't the man everyone thought he would be, and has been hiding from the people he cares about, including Harper. If she sees him now, she won't recognize the monster he's become, but if Wyatt wants a shot at saving her, he has to make his move. Drawing an ailing Bloodrunner Dragon in close will attract the predators though, so he has to be ready for anything. And as the danger that shadows his life grows thicker, he will have to risk everything he's built to protect the dragon he loves.

I’m simply a sucker for a good, sexy shifter story. 

Get your own copy of BLOODRUNNER DRAGON today and see if these shifters are hot enough for you!

DAILY FEATURED BOOK - A Tale of Two Dragons

A TALE OF TWO DRAGONS 

by G.A. Aiken

Dragon Kin Series – Novella

http://amzn.to/1TGpayY

Braith of the Darkness likes going through life unnoticed. Not an easy task for a She-dragon of royal descent. But the evil plots of her father are turning her quiet, boring life upside down, and she has now become the enemy of the most vicious queen her kind has ever known. But for once, Braith won't have to fight alone. Not when the warrior dragon of her dreams is willing to risk everything to save her neck.

 
Addolgar the Cheerful wishes he could say he's helping the pretty royal strictly for honorable reasons--but he'd be lying. It's not his fault, though! He didn't tell Braith of the Darkness to have the most delicious tail he's ever seen! Yet before Addolgar can get his very strong claws on that tail, heads are going to roll. Just hopefully not theirs. . .

 

Get your copy of A TALE OF TWO DRAGONS and begin an adventure that you would never have seen coming.

Reading Recommendations With Daily Featured Books

Here we are again rounding up the books featured on our social media sites this week and putting them all in one place, one list... Just for you.

It's basically been a week of paranormal romance and fantasy.

Hope you enjoy and happy reading!

FIRE BOUND by Christine Feehan

Book 5 - Sea Haven, Sisters of the Heart Series 

Flame-haired Lissa Piner is a skilled glass blower whose delicate gift conceals a burning inner strength that can destroy as exquisitely as it can create. Commissioned to design chandeliers for a string of luxury hotels, her remarkable skills have taken her to Italy. But Lissa’s real mission there is a secret. For her entire life has been a lie, leading to a chance to avenge a terrible wrong.

Enlisted as her bodyguard is Casmir Prakenskii, a trained assassin living off the grid. In Lissa, he sees a kindred spirit—something unexpected and wicked, mysterious and sensual. But more than desire is about to bring them together: because both of their pasts cry out for revenge. And for two people with this many secrets, this much passion, and this many enemies, someone is bound to get burned.

Released this Tuesday, FIRE BOUND takes us back to Sea Haven - filled with magic, mystery and love that's soul deep. Get your copy and fall in love! 

PREY by Chloe Cole

Book 1 – Montana Wolves Series

When a gorgeous stranger rescues her from a vicious wolf attack, curvy nature photographer Amalie Baptista can’t seem to fight the attraction to her savior. What she doesn't know is that giving in to him could mean giving up life as she knows it...
Alpha male Liam Albrecht is breaking every rule for the curvy, captivating Amalie, risking his place within the pack and his own life to protect her. As discord among the clans reaches a fever pitch, he must find a way to save her from the monsters among them.

Enter Cole’s world of wolf-shifters and more in PREY today for FREE!

NATHAN’S HEART by Minx Malone

Book 1 – Brotherhood of Bandits, Mating Fever Series

Nathan Drake cares about only one thing. Money. As a recovery agent (cough thief) he'll take any job that gets him the green. His brothers don't call him Heartless for nothing. But a heart doesn't keep food on the table. Living on the outskirts of dragon shifter society has taught him that. Whether it's drugs, jewels or weapons, he'll recover whatever the client wants, for his cut of the loot of course.
Until the night a storm pushes him off course and he’s forced to take his cargo back to his den. Locked inside fighting the mating fever he discovers the crate isn’t filled with diamonds or jewels at all. Instead it contains the one thing he can’t ignore.
A girl.

In this world where dragon-shifters are known to exist, rumors swirl widely, an unworthy dragon king rules and the rightful heir is almost ready to step up. Discover the Bandits and feel the fevers heat in NATHAN’S HEART today.

IAN’S FALL by Minx Malone

Book 2 – Brotherhood of Bandits, Mating Fever Series

When Ian Drake is shot down after visiting dragon territory, his only thought is to warn his brothers of the coming danger. Attacked with some kind of chemical weapon, he is unable to shift into his dragon form. For the first time in years, the protector finds himself vulnerable and his salvation comes in a form he’d never expect.
A woman.
Morgan Hall is not beautiful or charming but armed with her knowledge of herbs and her healing touch, she’s vital to her small community in the Virginia mountains. She leads a quiet life but one filled with purpose. Nothing exciting ever happens to her and she’s okay with that.
Until a dragon crashes into her backyard.

The Drake brother’s stories continue in IAN’S FALL (picking up right where book 1 of the series finished off)… Get your copy today and have fun with these dragon-shifters.

GAVIN’S CURSE by Minx Malone

Book 3 – Brotherhood of Bandits, Mating Fever Series

Gavin Drake has spent years mourning the mate he lost far too young. After a lifetime of searching he’s finally discovered how to break the mate bond. Despite the risks, he’s determined to test it on himself, figuring nothing could be worse than continuing to live without the other half of his soul. Until he takes the serum and discovers that there is something far worse.
Discovering that his mate is alive and has chosen not to be with him.
Kia Warren has spent her entire life at the mercy of her madman of a father, subject to his experiments and hidden away from the world. Her only solace has been in the imaginary love of her dreams that she is starting to suspect is very real…

The last of the Drake brother’s has his day and we find out how he fares in GAVIN’S CURSE – get your copy today!

Saturdays with Princess

 

THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann

Book 1 – The Unwanteds Series

When Alex finds out he is Unwanted, he expects to die. That is the way of the people of Quill. Each year, all the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds get more schooling and train to join the Quillitary. Necessaries keep the farms running. Unwanteds are set for elimination.

It’s hard for Alex to leave behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted, but he makes peace with his fate—until he discovers that instead of a “death farm,” what awaits him is a magical place called Artimé. There, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds are encouraged to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation.

But it’s a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be divided between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle.

Another wonderfully imaginative book that parents, children and teens can share and enjoy together or on their own. Get your own copy of the THE UNWANTEDS today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And there we have it. This week's featured books. Please note that the Ups & Downs Shop will be completely updated once this post is live and as always you can find ALL the books that have been featured. But please remember that some of the sales and free books are offered for a limited time only - the books will remain as featured but the initial sales/freebies may have expired.

Next week the books of the day will begin to be shared daily here on the blog - I'm changing this because of the way that FB policies have changed so that I can continue to promote and share books to you all. 

I hope you've had a great weekend... Keep on reading!

Here's What We've Been Featuring

Everybody hits a reading slump every once in a while. Whether you can't find a book that really interests you, or you're simply looking for something different than what you've been reading - maybe we've got something here to wet your (reading) appetites... 

As always the Featured Books of the Day are added to our Facebook and other social media pages daily throughout the week and then on the weekend we post the complied list of titles and book info here on the blog. All the books we've featured are also added to the Ups & Downs Shop each week and the store is now up-to-date. 

I hope you'll find something to read from our lists. And as always - enjoy!

This Reader Recommends...

I don't know about anyone else but I am always looking for the next book to read. Whether it's something new, new-to-me, or an old favorite, I am constantly scrolling through reading lists, recommended new releases and looking through my own digital and hard-copy libraries…  So this week, to get myself back into a book blogging mindset after a couple months of hard times (wondering WTF? See here.) I’m sharing with you some of my reading recommendations. Some will be books that I’ve read and loved for years – my all-time favorites. Others will be ones that I’ve read, loved, and/or reviewed in more recent times. And finally some will be new and (possibly) up-coming releases that I’ve heard wonderful things about.

Here we go…

What's the BIG SECRET???

Geri & Shelly’s
Secret Reveal

Oct 30th

Title:  Hybrids

WrittenBy:  Shelly Morgan & Geri Glenn

ReleaseDate:  February 26, 2016

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

CoverDesign:  Wicked By Design

Their mother was the Angel of Protection. Their father was a soldier of the Underground. No one ever thought a demon could love an angel, but when their parents met, it was love at first sight. They fought their attraction until it was too much to take. When God, and the Devil himself, found out about the pregnancy, they fled to protect themselves and their unborn child. But when the pain of labor was over, instead of one baby, there were two; hybrid twins.

Cyrus and Joey are fraternal twins and the product of this forbidden love between ultimate good, and ultimate evil. When their parents are slain immediately following their birth, the twins are given refuge inside of a convent by a kind, but no-nonsense, priest with a penchant for slaying demons. The priest trained the twins from a young age to kill off an entire race that they themselves descend from.

Now, nineteen years later, Cy and Joey leave the convent forthe first time to investigate a series of rapes and murder happening at a college campus hours from the only place they’ve ever known or called home.Trying to navigate in this new world of school, parties, and the allure of the opposite sex, the twins quickly learn that being human isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. As they struggle with the feelings that come with falling in love, they both fight a battle from deep within. Will their love be enough? Will their own personal vendettas pull them in the wrong direction? But the question that plagues them most – are they good, or evil?

Shelly Morgan

Shelly is an Iowan girl. She now resides in the town she was born and raised in. Having three children, it’s hard for her to have any down time, but when she finds it, you can find her holed up somewhere reading her next steamy book in a long list of books in her virtual library or writing her next story.

She is the author of the Forsaken Sinners MC series, with her first book being released in February of 2015. Eventhough this is an MC series, she has plenty more ideas, so look out for more than just biker novels from her in the future.

Shelly became fast friends with Geri before she even released her first book, but through their friendship they both decided to delve into the jar of Paranormal. It’s been a lot of work, but such a ride so far, she’s actually sad to see it end. But she knows that with the end of this book, it’s not the end of the journey, it’s just the beginning. She hopes you enjoy it as much as she and Geri enjoyed writing it.

 

 

Geri Glenn

Geri is a Canadian girl, born and raised.  She’s a military wife, mother of two and devourer of words.  She can often be found reading a good book, magazine or any shampoo bottle within reach.

She is the author of the Kings of Korruption MC series, with her first book being released in August of 2015.  A sucker for any type of alpha male, Geri refuses to be tied to one genre. 
 

Writing this book with Shelly has been a welcome challenge and a ton of fun. She hopes you love Cyrus and Joey as much as she and Shelly do!

 

 

 

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