Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter (spotlight, excerpt and GIVEAWAYS!)

SHILOH AND THE BRICK  (Copyright held by Faith Hunter)

Part Four

I dove for Molly and wrapped her in my arms, making a cage of my limbs as I spun across the floor and under a table, taking the weight and force of the rolling dive onto my body, on elbows and knees and spine. My braid, down and loose, caught under us and I yanked it free. “Stay put.” I growled at her. My Beast was close to the surface, her cat-voice rough and coarse. 

From the back of the house I heard the sound of a shotgun breach closing. The blood-servants were on the way. That left the missile up to me. I tossed my braid and shifted my roll to the thing that had been thrown inside. 

Glass was still flying through the room as Beast shoved me across the floor. Seeing it as I reached out for it. A brick. With a note tied on. For freaking crap’s sake.

I grabbed the brick and checked it with more senses—touch (no explosives), smell (no explosives), sight (no explosives). Just a brick with a note, folded over, a name on the outside. Tied with a neat bow of twine. I stood, seeing a hedge of thorns witch ward lifting around the house. Evan had whistled it up in seconds flat. Pretty nifty, that. 

The blood-servants stood at the doorway, a man with a shotgun leveled at me. The others with knives and a nine-millimeter and a tiny .380. All aimed at me. I set the brick down on the floor and stood. Held up my hands, trying for innocent, but that was hard for a six-foot-tall Cherokee chick so weaponed up that I looked like a walking arsenal. “Not me,” I said. And then I chuffed, cat-like laughter. “I come in peace.”

The man gave his shotgun to the blood-servant nearest, and walked, slowly, to where Shiloh cowered, vamped-out, inch-long needle fangs and sharp-as-steel talons out. She hissed at me as her witch powers gathered around her. Okay. This was bad.

To my side, Evan Trueblood was already whistling up a defensive spell to stop his niece. 

Blood in Her Veins

Roc Trade Paperback 

$16.00 

560 pages 

Release: February 2, 2016 

ISBN: 978045147576

In the brand-new “Cat Fight,” the witches and vampires of Bayou, Oiseau, are a war over a magical talisman, and Jane must figure out how to keep the artifact out of the hands of the Master of New Orleans. And in the never-before-published “Bound No More,” Jane welcomes a visit from Molly and her daughter, Angie, who is about to prove she’s the most powerful witch in Everhart history…

From the Big Easy to the bad bayou, from the open road to a vampire’s lair — with Jane Yellowrock, it’s always a given…have stakes, will travel.

Purchase links 

Amazon

B&N

IndieBound

The Book Depository

BAM

iBooks

(Shadow Rites, book 11 in the Jane Yellowrock series, is coming out in April 2016. Pre-order now!)

Faith Hunter

Faith Hunter, fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. She writes three Urban Fantasy series:  the Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires. The Soulwood series, featuring earth magic user Nell Ingram. And the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. (There is a role playing game based on the series, ROGUE MAGE.)

Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she writes action-adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. As Faith and Gwen, she has 30+ books in print in 29 countries.

Hunter writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for travel, jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.

Find Faith online at www.faithhunter.net, her blog, on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads; also www.yellowrocksecurities.com, and www.gwenhunter.com.

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GIVEAWAYS


The publisher is giving away one print copy, US only, no PO Boxes please.  Giveaway ends Monday February 8th at 11:59PM PST.  Please enter by leaving a comment about your favorite character in this series along with a valid e-mail address.  Winner will be chosen using a randomizer from among valid entries.  Failure to respond to an e-mail announcing the win within 48 hours will result in another name being drawn.

Faith Hunter has a $25 Starbucks gift card for ONE commenter who comments on all the blogs who're hosting the story parts. Blog tour schedule is here



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My review:

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Blood in Her Veins: Nineteen Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter is a collection of paranormal urban fantasy short stories and novellas. Ranging from the early 19^th century to more modern times, these tales give an overview of the progression of Jane the skinwalker’s life and development of her powers in snapshots that tie together the stories portrayed in the books of this series.  There are glimpses of the beings that have had profound influences on her journey, including her ups and downs at forming connections with others who are acceptable to both her and Beast, particularly the Everhart family.  Some of the folks who have ostensibly been secondary characters get their own time in the spotlight, particularly one very precocious witch-child who threatens to turn the world on its ear, just the way she upsets all of the plans of the adults around her.  There is a plethora of details about vampires, the problem of were-taint, the struggle to form a useful council to deal with vampire-witch relations, and the ever-evolving details about the mysterious Anzu.  Also introduced is a character (Nell) who is about to star in her own series who has indeed been “Off the Grid”.

One of the joys of reading stories by this author is the sheer immensity of details that she provides, with lots of unexpected twists and turns.  I’m always hungry after reading about the delicious meals they are consuming (although I draw the line at cold oatmeal and probably at the fried gator, lol) which add such realism to the stories.  I was grateful that there were little pockets of peace described while the various characters consumed their edibles, because the stories provide an experience that is like a strobe-lit picture of Jane’s evolution over the years, jampacked with pivotal struggles.

I fear that this book has plenty of spoilers for those who haven’t been keeping up with the series, but it is a great overview.  Those who are squeamish should be forewarned that there is plenty of violence and death depicted (and ew, leaving a piece of one’s liver on a branch!), and it is awe-inspiring to watch the way the author provides such depth and texture to change the one views the paranormal creatures populating this series.  There are moments of levity to give one a quick respite from the occasionally very heart-wrenching struggles, but one never forgets what a kickass combination this motorcycle-riding female is, nor how unique and powerful a relationship she and Beast have.  This is an enthralling and exciting collection of tales that is sure to delight fans of the series and seduce plenty of new readers into falling under the spell of this fantastic author.

A copy of this collection was provided to me for review.