Title: Dragon Bound Author: Thea Harrison Series: Elder Races #1 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal Romance Excerpt: Yes Source: Purchased Reviewed by: Julia Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Berkley; May 3, 2011 ISBN-10: 0425241505 ISBN-13: 978-0425241509 Sexual Content: Several sex scenes, one scene of magical coercion. Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.

---

Description

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races.

Review

In DRAGON BOUND, Thea Harrison has melded the animal alter-egos of her Wyr hero and heroine with their human behaviors to create one of the most delightful paranormal romances I’ve read in a very long time.  While Dragos Cuelebre, the one and only dragon, may be too Alpha for some, I was a big fan of this eons old creature turned "boyfriend". Add interesting mythology, snappy dialogue, and smoking chemistry, and it’s no surprise that I couldn't bear put this book down.

Harrison does a fantastic job writing Dragos, her paragraph describing his birth with the Big Bang and early memories of sailing on solar flares is one of my favorites, and really drives home how ancient and alien he is.  Dragos is a wicked old dragon, and anything but politically correct.  Autocratic, high-handed, and a perilously close to a sociopath, Harrison manages to write a charming and sexy love story for this man without ever deviating from his true nature.  His dialog had me laughing out loud, and my copy of DRAGON BOUND has more highlighted quotes than any other book that I own.  True to type, Dragos is the ultimate adapter, and I share Pia's weakness for his crafty, charming ways. I enjoyed watching the ultimate predator and the ultimate herbivore dance with each other and fall in love.

Dragos and Pia have a very elemental relationship that ties in beautifully with their intrinsic animal natures.  So much of their chemistry and interaction is tied up in Pia’s secret Wyr form, I found the story more plausible and even more enjoyable the second time around.  I look forward to reading STORM’S HEART, the newest of the Elder Races series which was released this week, as soon as I can find the time to pull it out of my TBR pile.  And I know I’ll be back to revisit DRAGON BOUND whenever I need some laughter and chemistry to brighten my day.

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
N/A	Babbling About Books – A- On a Book Bender –  A+ Sara’s Urban Fantasy Blog – 4/5

*This title will be released on October 11, 2011*

Title: Eyes to See Author: Joseph Nassise Series: Jeremiah Hunt #1 Cover Art: Cliff Nielsen  Genre: Urban Fantasy Excerpt: No Source: Author Reviewed by: Julia Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Tor Books; October 11, 2011 ISBN-10: 076532718X ISBN-13: 978-0765327185 Sexual Content: None. Rating: Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

---

Description

In an urban fantasy that charts daring new territory in the field, Jeremiah Hunt has been broken by a malevolent force that has taken his young daughter and everything else of value in his life: his marriage, his career, his reputation. Desperate to reclaim what he has lost, Hunt finally turns to the supernatural for justice.

Abandoning all hope for a normal life, he enters the world of ghosts and even more dangerous entities from beyond the grave. Sacrificing his normal sight so that he can see the souls of the dead and the powers that stalk his worst nightmares, Hunt embarks upon a strange new career—a pariah among the living; a scourge among the dead; doomed to walk between the light of day and the deepest darkness beyond night.

His love for his departed daughter sustains him when all is most hopeless, but Hunt is cursed by something more evil than he can possibly imagine. As he descends into the maelstrom of his terrifying quest, he discovers that even his deepest fears are but prelude to yet darker deeds by a powerful entity from beyond the grave…that will not let him go until it has used him for its own nefarious purposes.

Review

The whys and wherefores of Jeremiah Hunt's world are fascinating, a mix of grim reality and arcane practicality.  As the chapters switch between the past and present, Hunt's growth from comfortable academic to iron-hard, isolated mystic unfolds page by page.  While I loved all of the chapters from Hunt's perspective, I could have done without the present-tense chapters from other characters' points of view.  They never reached Hunt's level of charisma and interest, and I found myself anxious to get back to our hero.

Hunt's personal magnetism is well established from page one. Riding along on an exorcism provides a front row seat for how ghosts and magic interact in his world, and so much action mixed with exposition gives the reader a lot of information in an interesting way.  I was captivated by this meticulously imagined ghost world, though I enjoyed Hunt's expertise more than the flashbacks of how he had come by it.

If I could have spent the whole book in the first half of Hunt's point of view, this book would be one of my favorites.  Unfortunately, while the world building never lost it's magic, by the last few chapters the plot comes un-spooled.  The exposition that was so interesting from a magical theory perspective becomes less natural when it's plot threads are being tied off one after another in haphazard fait accompli.  I enjoyed so much of EYES TO SEE, it was disappointing to have the ending feel so rushed and underdeveloped.  If nothing else, however, Nassise has piqued my interest in his other books, in hopes of finding more of those elements that were so captivating.

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
N/A	N/A

Giveaway provided by St. Martin’s Press (via Zeitghost Media)

One copy of RETRIBUTION by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Available now from St. Martin’s Press

Description:

Harm no human...

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

Read an excerpt

Order from

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US/CA addresses only

2. Leave a comment & a way to contact you unless it’s listed in your profile

3. Winners will be announced on August 11th

4. See our Giveaway Policy if you have any questions

---

Interested in offering a giveaway on All Things Urban Fantasy?  Contact us.

Giveaway provided by Berkeley Trade

Two copies of REAL VAMPIRES DON’T WEAR SIZE SIX by Gerry Bartlett

Available now from Berkley Trade

Description:

For a vampire, losing weight can be hellish-from the national bestselling author of Real Vampires Hate Their Thighs.

After Glory St. Clair kicked out the demon that had set up shop in her body, she had a serious fallout with longtime lover Jeremy Blade. But before Glory can win him back, she has some issues of the hellish variety to deal with.

When Lucifer himself offers Glory the ultimate temptation-work for the devil and he'll make her a size six-the curvy vampire's not sure if she can resist. But what Glory does know is that somehow, she's going to get back the man she loves and show everyone that real vampires always have more to love.

Read an excerpt

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US only

2. Leave a comment that includes a way to contact you if you win

3. Winners will be chosen on August 12th

4. See our Giveaway Policy if you have any questions

---

Interested in offering a giveaway on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME

Remember when we took part in the Nine Paths to Chloe King game earlier this summer to gear up for the new ABC Family show, The Nine Lives of Chloe King?  I hope you all took advantage of the numerous free gifts (jewelry, t-shirts etc) that we unlocked while playing. 

Because we completed all nine paths, I got to submit a question for cast member Alyssa Diaz (she plays Jasmine on the show):

And here is her video response:

 

So have you been watching the show?  It took a few episodes for me to get hooked, but I’ve been watching each week and it’s turning out to be exactly the kind of fun show that’s perfect for summer.  I’m a big fan of the impossible romance between Chloe and Brian.  I mean the poor girl can’t even kiss him because he’ll die…talk about a romantic obstacle to overcome.  You can catch it on Tuesday nights at 9/8c on ABC Family.