Of Claws and Fangs: Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

 About OF CLAWS AND FANGS:

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.

Preorder links:

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Books-a-Million

IndieBound - The Book Depository

Kobo - Google Books - Apple Books

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Excerpt:

Shiloh and the Brick

First appeared as a serial short in 2016 for the release of Blood in Her Veins. In the timeline, Jane is an Enforcer for Leo Pellissier.

“Yes. You are going, Shiloh Everhart Stone,” Molly said, enunciating every word with pitiless determination. “You and your blood-servants. You do not have the control you need, as evidenced by your reaction yesterday.”

A man had pinched Shiloh at a bar-and-grill near dawn, and she had come within a hairsbreadth of biting him. Unasked. And when her blood-servant stopped her, she nearly set the woman’s hair on fair with an inflammatur witch working. Shiloh was a major incident waiting to happen. The girl whirled to me. “Are you going to let her do this to me, Enforcer?” Shiloh demanded.

Ohhh. Nice move with the Enforcer title. Too bad I’d seen it coming. And too bad she used it. Making me choose between witches and vamps sounded good on the surface, but calling me Enforcer decreased her possible avenues of argument and backed her into a corner she hadn’t seen yet.

I shrugged. “You’re a witch, as powerful as anything I’ve ever seen.” I crossed the fingers hidden behind me. I had seen Angie Baby. So . . . liar, liar, pants on fire. “And a vamp. And you lost control. Therefore, yeah. I’m letting your aunt and uncle send you to witch training camp.”

“This is so not fair,” Shiloh spat.

“Thanks, Jane,” Molly said, her tone nowhere near calm and reasonable. Behind her, Big Evan smiled, the expression barely visible behind his full red beard. Molly shoved her own bouncy red curls out of her face and scowled at her niece, her words still strident. “You need formal schooling. It’s not an option. No witch in New Orleans can take you on to train, not with the work taking place putting together the Witch Conclave. The Charlotte coven accepted you as a student for six weeks and assured us of your safety. You. Need. Training.”

“I’m not going.” Shiloh stamped her foot.

I curled my lips under to keep from laughing aloud. I had never seen a vamp stamp their foot.

“And you can’t make me. Right, Enforcer?”

That’s what happened when you got three redheaded people, two of them witches, and one a witch-vamp, all in the same room with a Cherokee skinwalker. Trying to get them to work together to solve our problem had been difficult. Actually, impossible, so far.

I’m Jane Yellowrock. I was on my own, hunting and staking rogue vamps when I was Shiloh’s age. Now I’m the Enforcer to the MOC of NOLA and, with my partners, I run Yellowrock Securities, Inc., chasing and fighting “things that go bump in the night.” I can do tough. But I’d rather fight a ten-foot alligator with my bare human hands—buck naked—than deal with a teenager.

“No. They can’t,” I said, and I thought poisoned darts would shoot from Molly’s eyes. I grinned and stood, pulling my cell. “And I can’t.” On the cell’s face, I tapped the name Leo Pellissier, my boss and the Master of the City of New Orleans. I handed the girl the cell. “But he can.”

“I’m not talking to him,” Shiloh said, her eyes bleeding scarlet, her pupils dilating vamp-black.

I just laughed, the sound a little catty, a little mean, and shook my head. “Take the phone before he answers or I’ll stick you under my arm and carry you to vamp HQ and watch him convince you. It won’t be pretty.”

Shiloh ripped the cell out of my hand and said, “What?” A moment later she scowled and added, “Sir. What, sir? It’s Shiloh, sir.” She turned away and hunched her shoulders. I smiled at Molly and her husband Evan. It was a fake smile but it was all I had left, and it was nicer than the one I had shown Shiloh.

Molly’s niece had disappeared at age fifteen, a runaway. That same year, she had reappeared in New Orleans, in a teen shelter, just in time to be swept up by the Damours, witch-vampires who were looking for witch children to use in black-magic, blood-magic sacrifices for a big-ass spell to . . . never mind. It’s convoluted. But I could still feel the chill in my bones from the day I discovered she had been taken. Soon after, Shiloh had been turned and used by vamps to accomplish their own ends.

Except for running away to New Orleans—and look how badly that gone—Shiloh had never made a single decision in her own life. She had lived every moment at the behest of others, and she had suffered trauma. Her mother had commited murder and killed her father. Witches had abandoned the girl. Vamps had used and abused her. Her remaining family hadn’t known what to do with a witch-vamp.

All that made me want to let her go, let her make this decision with her own life, let her face the consequences on her own. If she was the only one to face repercussions, I’d likely let her go. But that wasn’t going to happen. If Shiloh Everhart Stone let a witch working explode, or bit a tourist, or, God help us, both, it would create major reverberations throughout the witch and vamp worlds. The whole country might face the results with her. And there wasn’t enough of me to protect everyone.

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About Faith Hunter:

 Faith Hunter is the award-winning New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of several series: Jane Yellowrock, Soulwood, Rogue Mage, and Junkyard Cats. In addition, she has edited multiple anthologies and coauthored the Rogue Mage RPG. She is the coauthor 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 thunder storms, and writes. She drinks a lot of tea. She likes to kayak Class II & III whitewater rivers. Some days she’s a lady. Some days she ain't.

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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

Enter the giveaway here

Check out all the tour stops at LTP

Skinwalker - Book Review (repost)

 

Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock #1) by Faith Hunter

What is it about:
Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. Back from hiatus, she’s hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katies’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.

Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission—or else the next skin she’ll need to save just may be her own…

What did I think of it:
A very promising start of a series. Jane is a cool, intriguing character who knows how to kick ass. Her Cherokee skinwalker ability is really cool and used to the fullest for the story in my opinion. I also love the setting and the over all world building. Talk about scheming, creepy vampires! There's two points of view in this book and I must confess it took me some time to get used to the voice of the second character, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. The story is intense and full of action and there's lots of cool, interesting characters, I'm already looking forward to learning more about some of them in future books.

Why should you read it:
It's got a kick-ass skinwalker and scheming vampires.

Teaser Tuesdays - Death and the Girl He Loves

 

"Pfft, you did," he said as though I'd insulted him.

"Yes, and I don't know how. If you do this, Malak will kill you."

(page 55, Death and the Girl He Loves by Darynda Jones)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Symbiont - Book Review

Symbiont (Parasitology #2)

by Mira Grant

What is it about:

THE ENEMY IS INSIDE US.

The SymboGen designed tapeworms were created to relieve humanity of disease and sickness. But the implants in the majority of the world's population began attacking their hosts turning them into a ravenous horde.

Now those who do not appear to be afflicted are being gathered for quarantine as panic spreads, but Sal and her companions must discover how the tapeworms are taking over their hosts, what their eventual goal is, and how they can be stopped. 

What did I think of it:

This book is mostly a really cool read.

It takes off where the last book ended. Sal discovers things about herself she will has to comes to terms with, and she'll have to pick sides in what looks like a looming war. And then there's the sleepwalkers: people who turn into a kind of zombies due to their tapeworm implants.

I was invested and eager to see where things would lead. I love both Sal and her boyfriend Nathan, and cheered them on. There are really cool and interesting things happening, and there's some nail-biting action along the way.

Near the end I felt that the developments were a bit unbelievable though. I just couldn't get why certain people acted like they acted. It seemed to go against their nature. This made that the last part of the book started to drag a bit for me as I wasn't as invested as before.

The ending however made up for the dragging bits before though, and now i'm eager to see how things will end in the last book of this trilogy. So you bet I'll try to read it soon.

 Why should you read it:

It's a cool Near Future read.

buy from amazon

An Affair with a Spare - Book Review by Voodoo Bride (repost)

 

An Affair with a Spare (The Survivors #3)
by Shana Galen

What is it about:
Rafe Beaumont, fifth son of an earl, uses his irresistible charm with the ladies to glean dangerous war secrets. Now he's putting those skills to the ultimate test: capturing an elusive assassin by seducing his daughter. The problem? She's entirely immune to Rafe's flattery.

Never before has Collette Fortier met a man as attractive as Rafe. But her father's life is at stake, and succumbing to Rafe would be disastrous. But when Rafe turns the tables on her, offering support and friendship instead of a fleeting affair, Collette finds herself tempted in ways she never could have imagined...

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
This book sounded fun, so even though I haven't read the previous books I decided to give it a try. And luckily as with most Historical Romances it can be read as a standalone.

I really liked Collette and wanted her to succeed. She is surrounded by strangers and on a secret mission, her only ally is more of a jailer than someone she can trust. Rafe seems to be a bit shallow at first, he is so used to women falling at his feet, that he says some really vapid things. When he has to change tactics when Collette doesn't swoon like he expects, he starts to get more likeable and he actually goes through a bit of a change as a person.

Once the two begin to give in to their attraction they will have to decide if they trust each other and will share their secrets. This leads to a more adventurous storyline that had me worry about how things would end for both of them.

All in all this is a very enjoyable and fun read, just like the other books by Galen I've read. I most certainly will read more of her books when I'm in the mood for Historical Romance.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun Historical Romance.


Buy from bookdepository

Salvaged - Book Review (repost)

 

Salvaged
by Madeleine Roux

What is it about:
In this dark science fiction thriller, a young woman must confront her past so the human race will have a future.

Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, the bioengineering job she's come to hate, and her messed-up life. She's run all the way to outer space, where she's taken a position as a "space janitor," cleaning up ill-fated research expeditions. But no matter how far she goes, Rosalyn can't escape herself. After too many mistakes on the job, she's given one last chance: take care of salvaging the Brigantine, a research vessel that has gone dark, with all crew aboard thought dead.

But the Brigantine's crew are very much alive--if not entirely human. Now Rosalyn is trapped on board, alone with a crew infected by a mysterious parasitic alien. The captain, Edison Aries, seems to still maintain some control over himself and the crew, but he won't be able to keep fighting much longer. Rosalyn and Edison must find a way to stop the parasite's onslaught...or it may take over the entire human race.

What did I think of it:
This is a very entertaining read.

I had heard it's scary and creepy, and although there was indeed a nice creep factor at times, it wasn't all that scary to me. But I have to warn you: It seems I'm not easily scared by books.

The viewpoint switches between several characters, and at times this is a strength, but it also reduced the suspense for me. I think this book could have been stronger with less viewpoints. Still I was interested from the start and flew through the book to see where the story would lead to.

I must say my favorite character wasn't Rosalyn or Edison, but rather one of the other crew members aboard the Brigantine. I felt myself rooting for that character and it made me more invested in Rosalyn finding a solution. The ending is not a cliffhanger, but does leave room for Roux to create a sequel.

All in all this is a fun and entertaining read. I'll most definitely keep an eye out for more by Roux.

Why should you read it:
It's a very entertaining SF thriller.


buy from bookdepository

Parasite - Book Review (repost)

 

Parasite (Parasitology #1)
by Mira Grant

What is it about:
A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

What did I think of it:
I wasn't a fan of Feed, the first book in the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant, but I love everything I've read from her under her Seanan McGuire penname. So I decided to give Parasite and try.

And it is so cool!

Sal is the first person to be saved from death by the SymboGen parasite and is still under observation six years later to see how she copes after her near death experience. She and her boyfriend Nathan get caught up in strange events involving the parasitic implants and they go hunting for the truth.

I loved Sal. She has amnesia since her accident and is trying to rebuild her life. Her parents however are afraid to let her go especially as she's not the same anymore. I loved reading how Sal tries to find her own way in life and how she copes when she and Nathan try to get to the bottom of the strange illness that seems to target people with a parasitic implant. I also really liked Nathan. He stands by Sal's side when she needs him and trusts her judgement where her parents do not.

Slowly things get worse and time seems to be running out. I was totally hooked and couldn't stop reading. I had to know what Sal and Nathan would uncover. Who was to be trusted, what was going on exactly, and would Sal and Nathan manage to uncover the truth in time. Some things in this book were quite obvious in my opinion, but I didn't mind one bit. Even knowing some things they might uncover I was totally rooting for them.

The worldbuilding is very realistic. I could easily belief a parasite like that could be engineered. I was at times seriously icked out by the descriptions and events. All in all a really cool read. You bet I'll get hold of the next book in this series.

Why should you read it:
It's a really cool and disturbing read.