Cover Reveal: "Wrong Ways Down" by Stacia Kane

It’s a thin line between right and wrong. It’s an even thinner one between wrong and dead…

Terrible has always been on the wrong side of the law, living up to the only name anyone ever gave him. As the chief enforcer for Downside’s most powerful criminal, it’s his job to collect debts and protection money by any means necessary. And he’s very good at his job.

But part of that job is also to keep Bump’s various employees safe. So when a street dealer is found dead and a prostitute is brutally attacked, Terrible immediately starts using his fists to hunt down the ones responsible.

He’s determined to find and destroy them. They’re determined to use his desire for the woman he secretly loves to break him.

Lots of great releases today!

Wicked Nights by Gena Showalter

Book #1 in the "Lords of the Underworld" spin-off, "Angels of the
Dark."  [Currently reading... and loving it!]

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

Book #1 in the "Night Huntress" spin-off, "A Night Prince."

Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

Book #5 in the "Downside Ghosts" series (aka. Chess Putnam series).
[5 Star Review]

Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Book #6 in the "Soul Screamers" series.

When Darkness Hungers by J.K. Beck

Book #5 in the "Shadow Keepers" series.

Tempest's Fury (UK cover) by Nicole Peeler

Book #5 in the "Jane True" series.

Darkness Devours by Keri Arthur

Book #3 in the "Dark Angels" series.

Bound by Erica O'Rourke

Book #3 in "The Torn Trilogy."

A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young

Book #2 in "A Need So Beautiful."

Changeling by Kelly Meding

Book #2 in the "Metawars" series.

Blackhearted Betrayal by Kasey MacKenzie

Book #3 in the "Shades of Fury" series.

Tarnished by Karina Cooper

Book #1 in "The St. Croix Chronicles."

Angel Betrayed by Cynthia Eden

Book #2 in "The Fallen" series.

Amazing Authors Reveal Their Favorite Series

Have you always wondered what your favorite authors are reading in their down time?  I asked a few amazing authors this question and also which of their series are their favorite to write.  Here's what they had to say.

Gena Showalter:

My absolute favorite series is Barefoot Bay by Roxanne St. Claire.  It’s set in Mimosa Key, a fictional island off the Gulf coast of Florida. These books center around four female friends who met in college and remain close, all in their thirties.  The books are romances at the core, but they deal with universal issues so many real life people face.

This brand new and utterly amazing contemporary series begins with Barefoot in the Sand and gives readers everything they want with a summer getaway book -- a sizzling cougar romance chock full of heartache and heat (meow!), it’s set in a tropical paradise (yes, please!), and has the promise of a whole cast of characters you'll want to visit again and again.  You don’t want to miss it!  I can’t tell you how excited I am for the next one, Barefoot in the Rain.  (And by “excited” I mean I’m foaming at the mouth for it!)

As for my own, my favorite series to write is, hands down, White Rabbit Chronicles—plus Otherworld Assassins and Angels of the Dark. LOL.  Wow, choosing is difficult, because each world brings something different to the writing table.  But okay, all right, I can do this.  If I have to pick one and only one I’ll go with… Angels of the Dark.  I had such fun creating the Army of Disgrace, the “Sent Ones” in danger of falling.  These winged warriors are rough and tough and they have been tasked with defending humanity at any cost—and watching their ice cold leader melt over a human female who spent the last four years in an institution for the criminally insane was quite fun.  Plus, I’m currently working on the second book in the series, Beauty Awakened, and it’s such a heart-wrenching tale of forgiveness and redemption, that I’m all aflutter over it.  So, yes, that’s my answer and I’m sticking to it.  Until tomorrow…        -Gena Showalter

Gena's upcoming release Wicked Nights will be released June 26th!  You can view the trailer in our previous post here.  I am so excited for this release as I'm a huge fan of Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series!






Rachel Vincent:

Rachel devoured The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, which first sparked her interest in writing YA.  Her current favorite series to write is the Soul Screamers Series.

Before I Wake is due to be released June 26th, 2012.  This is the 6th book in her Souls Screamers series.







Kristen Callihan:

Let's see... Favorite series... Recently, I've been totally glomming (is that a word? Anyway) on Stacia Kane's Downside series. It's dark, gritty, Chess is a mess, her relationship with Terrible is tempestuous, and it's totally addicting! lol     -Kristen Callihan

Her upcoming novel Moonglow will be released July 31st.  The first novel in this series was great and I'm excited to read the latest installment.  You can read my review for the first book, Firelight, here.

Darynda Jones:

I love JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. That has to be my very favorite. I also love Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series and Jacqueline Frank's Nightwalkers series. And, yeah, I could go on and on. LOL. And I guess I enjoy writing the Charley Davidson series the most because Charley is just so much fun. I love that she is ADD and I can bounce her thoughts all over the place. Sometimes she's hard to rein in. hahaha.           -Darynda Jones

Her latest release, Third Grave Dead Ahead, is currently available.  I have heard great things about this series!

Ilona Andrews:

As far as Urban Fantasy, for me the Sookie Stackhouse books are my favorite.  Also, Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series.  Non Urban Fantasy would be the Spenser books by the late Robert B. Parker and almost anything written by David Gemmell.  For Ilona, it would be Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter and the Psy Changling series, also Meljean Brook's Iron Duke books.  I know for a fact, however that she loves Loretta Chase books.  - Gordon

The upcoming novel Gunmetal Magic is the next novel in The World of Kate Daniels.  It is scheduled to be released July 31st.

Crista McHugh:

Crista is a self-proclaimed "huge fantasy geek."  Her favorite series are Lord of the Rings, Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce,  Cleopatra's Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Raine Benares by Lisa Shearin.

A Soul for Chaos, the second book in the Soulbearer Trilogy, is due to be released in December 2012.  I really enjoyed the first book in the series, A Soul for Trouble.  You can check out my review here.

Review: "Chasing Magic" by Stacia Kane

***Minor spoilers if you have not read the series up to this point***


Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.


As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

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     I love each book in this series more than the last one.  Stacia Kane has outdone herself as usual with Chasing Magic.  Chess and Terrible have certainly not had an easy road and this book is no exception.  They both have such a troubled past and that coupled with all of their current job and relationship woes are making it hard to get that happily ever after that we're all hoping for.  At least they start out in a much better place at the beginning of the book than they have been in through-out the series.  Lex is his usual self and is trying to cause more issues between Chess and Terrible.  In previous books I at least thought Lex's heart was in the right place but I seriously dislike him now!  As is typical with most of the books in this series, Stacia Kane has proceeded to attempt to rip my heart out, especially in one particular scene.  You do see a big change in Chess and how far she has grown however.  Terrible's love and understanding has really come along leaps and bounds over the past couple of books.

" Warmth spread through her chest and up to her face, warmth that had nothing to do with pills or booze or anything else.  It was trust heating her up from the inside, making her feel like a real live person."

     I felt like this one was a little different as Chess is not working on a church case but instead on the all important drug supply in the area.  She's also, finally, trying to balance her drug addiction a little.  Knowing that she wants to live for Terrible is helping her to be a little less self-destructive.  Chess seems to be really trying to keep the drug use to just what is "necessary."  Terrible has not, so far, asked her to stop so hopefully she will come to the conclusion on her own that she needs to.  One of my favorite things in Chasing Magic is that it focuses a lot more on Chess and Terrible's relationship.

     Terrible shows his vulnerable side more than once.  This is huge for someone who is used to showing no emotion in his job as an enforcer.  Since he has done little else with his life, I wondered if he would ever be able to get there with Chess.  After Chess's horrible betrayal I almost could have forgiven Terrible for giving up on her.  Although, then we might not have gotten one particularly steamy scene in this book.

      If you haven't started this series yet, get on it!  If you like dark, edgy, urban fantasy with a side of tortured romance this is the series for you.  Stacia Kane has an incredible ability to convey fantasy in such a way that I have a vivid mental image of everything in Downside including the characters in a way that many authors strive to accomplish I'm sure.  I know it's makes the series that much more intense for me.

The latest installment in the Downside Ghosts (Chess Putnam) series, Chasing Magic, will be released June 26th, 2012.  Need a little Downside fix while waiting?  The prequel, Finding Magic, just came out June 4th and is available on Amazon right now for only $.99!  If you haven't started this series yet you can check out my review of the first book Unholy Ghosts.

Pre-order "Finding Magic"

Finding Magic is available to pre-order on Amazon now!  It will be released June 4th, 2012.  As a huge fan of Stacia Kane's Downside Ghost series, I can't wait to get a look at how Chess's early days with the Church were.  It also includes a special preview of the upcoming book, Chasing Magic... which by the way was amazing!  I will post a review of Chasing Magic closer to the release date but I will say that it was right on par with the last 2 books, which were my favorite ones of the series so far.

When eighteen-year-old Chess Putnam is offered the chance to train with a special team of investigators known as the Black Squad, she feels torn. She’s never been a team player and hates how one male Inquisitor condescends to “the new kid.” But at her first bloody crime scene, she gets a taste for investigation—and is hooked on the high. Though the seasoned Inquisitors consider the series of ghost murders random events, Chess starts to detect a pattern. Is a psycho killer summoning ghosts from the City of Eternity and using them as murder weapons? As Chess gets closer to the dark truth, she puts herself in grave danger and risks losing everything she’s fought so hard for.  Pre-order Now!

Upcoming novella by Stacia Kane

Stacia Kane has been working on writing a prequel type novella for Chess Putnam as part of the Downside Ghosts series.  It will focus on Chess while she was going through her Church training.  It will be titled "Finding Magic" and is expected to be released June 4th, 2012.  So far no cover art has been released, but there is an excerpt posted on Stacia Kane's website that you can view here.