Cover Art Coverage: 11 new titles!

*Cover Art may not be final*

Click author names to visit their webpages & click titles to pre-order from The Book Depository or Goodreads if it isn’t available for pre-order.  And don’t forget to get your cover nominations in soon for the 2010 Urban Fantasy Cover Art Awards.

Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood # 9 Date/Publisher: March 29th 2011 by NAL Hardcover Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Smexy Books Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: This is one of the biggie series that I have yet to start.  Yet being the operative word.   I’ll be read book one soon, but I have to say this is my favorite cover in the bunch.  Her glowing eyes and the fact that she’s doing the biting…love it.

Description:

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

Previous Book in the Series:

And here is the planned paperback cover: March 29th 2011 by Piatkus Books:

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Series: N/A Date/Publisher: May 10th 2011 by Walker Books for Young Readers Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: /- LA FEMME READERS –/ Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Mermaid Barbie come to life!  This is just beautiful beyond words

Description:
A contemporary paranormal romance out just in time to ride the wave of the newest creature craze: mermaids!

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

Previous Book in the Series:

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Nightspell by LeahCypess

Series:Mistwood #2 Date/Publisher: May 31st 2011 by HarperCollins Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Ellz Readz Author Comments: The Greenwillow catalog went live today, so I finally get to share the cover of NIGHTSPELL, Mistwood’s companion novel! Isn't it gorgeous? My Thoughts: I’m sort of underwhelmed. I like the idea of the castle and the girl overhead, but I probably would pass this by in a bookstore.

Description:

A stand-alone companion novel to the much-acclaimed MISTWOOD. When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own. In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

Previous Book in the Series:

Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler

Series: Kissed by an Angel #2 Date/Publisher: March 8th 2011 by Simon Pulse Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Revealed Cover Of Evercrossed Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: I do like the hyper color of the rose, but it doesn’t stand out to me.

Description:

It’s been a year since Ivy’s boyfriend, Tristan, died. They’ve both moved on—Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy to sweet, dependable Will. Now Ivy’s heading to Cape Cod, hoping to leave the horror of last summer behind. She wants nothing more than to lie on the beach, sip lemonade, and hang out with her friends.
But then a car crash ends Ivy’s life.
As she floats to the beyond, looking down on the life she’s left behind, Tristan breathes life back into her with a passionate kiss. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by Will and her family, but all she can think about is the love that she lost.
But memories aren’t all that’s come back from the past. And this time, Ivy’s not sure love will be enough to save her.

Previous Book in the Series:

Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

Series: N/A Date/Publisher: January 18th 2011 by St. Martin's Griffin Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Michelle's Book Blog Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Check out some of the titles on the bottom…very cool

Description:

Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison’s blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.

Previous Book in the Series:

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Under Wraps by Hannah Jayne

Series: Underworld Detection Agency Chronicles #1 Date/Publisher:March 1st 2011 by Kensington Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Michelle's Book Blog Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: This is how I love my UF covers to look: the urban background with the tough/hot chick front and center armed with a wicked looking weapon.  Perfect!

Description:

Sick of wrongful-death lawsuits every time a full moon comes around?
Call the Underworld Detection Agency.
As a human immune to magic, Sophie Lawson can help everyone from banshee to zombie transition into normal, everyday San Francisco life. With a handsome werewolf as her UDA boss and a fashionista vampire for a roommate, Sophie knows everything there is to know about the undead, the unseen, and the uncanny…
Until a rash of gruesome murders has demons and mortals running for cover, and Sophie finds herself playing sidekick to detective Parker Hayes. Dodging raging bloodsuckers, bad-tempered fairies, and love-struck trolls is one thing. But when Sophie discovers Parker isn’t what he seems, she’s got only one chance to figure out whom to trust. Because an evil hiding in plain sight is closing in…and about to make one wisecracking human its means to ultimate power…

Previous Book in the Series:

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The Hunt of the Unicorn by C.C. Humphreys

Series: N/A Date/Publisher: March 8th 2011 by Knopf Books for Young Readers Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: /- LA FEMME READERS –/ Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: This reminds me of The Last Unicorn…lush and gorgeous.

Description:

Elayne thinks the old family story that one of her ancestors stepped through a tapestry into a world of mythical beasts makes a great fireside tale. But she lives in the real world. In New York City. And she's outgrown that kind of fantasy.
Until she finds herself in front of a unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters museum and sees her initials woven into the fabric. And hears a unicorn calling to her. And slips and falls—into that other world.
Suddenly the line between fantasy and reality isn't so clear. But the danger is real enough. Almost before she can think, Elayne is attacked by a ferocious beast, rescued by a unicorn, and taken prisoner by a tyrant king. Each of them seems to have an idea about her—that she's a hero, a villain, dinner!
But Elayne has a few ideas of her own. She wants to overthrow the king; she wants to tame the unicorn. She wants to go home! And she's willing to become both hero and villain to do it.

Previous Book in the Series:

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Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen

Series: Jillian Conrad #2 Date/Publisher: July 5th 2011 by Berkley Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Michelle Rowen Author Comments: I am really LOVING this cover so much — it’s perfect for the book. The art department at Penguin is truly talented! I think I’m on a cover roll!! My Thoughts: I remember thinking the model for NIGHTSHADE looked too young, this one is near perfect…and I’d scalp her for her hair.

Description:

From Author:

BLOODLUST is the second book about Jillian Conrad, a woman who’s injected with a formula that turns her blood poisonous to vampires. It comes out July 5, 2011 from Berkley Sensation, following both NIGHTSHADE, the first book, and “Bleeding Heart,” a novella in the PRIMAL anthology, which both come out in unison on February 1st. I’m going to hold off on posting the back cover copy for BLOODLUST for a bit longer since, while fantastic, it has a bit of a spoiler for the first book in it.

Previous Book in the Series:

The Watchers by Inara Scott

Series: Delcroix Academy #2 Date/Publisher: August 2nd 2011 by Hyperion Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Tales of Whimsy Author Comments: It’s amazing, isn’t it?! I know! I think so too! In fact, I think it’s even better than the cover for the Candidates, and I really love that cover. It’s just so so shivery and lovely and atmospheric. Don’t you think? My Thoughts: Wonderful continuation of the ‘brand’ and I agree that it’s even better than the 1st book.

Description:

Dancia's back at Delcroix, but this year, everything's different. Dancia's Talented, and her powers have earned her an invitation to join Delcroix's real raison d'etre --the Program.  Dancia's wanted to use her powers to help people all her life -- and now Delcroix is going to give her the training she needs to use her Talent for good.  At least...that’s what the school says she’ll learn to do with her powers. Her cuter-than-cute boyfriend Cam insists that it's true, and so do all the other students. But there's still a little voice inside her head that wonders -- if the Program's so great, why did her almost-only-a-friend- Jack run away rather than join? And why would the school be getting attacked by angry ex-students?  Dancia's a loyal student...and a loyal girlfriend.  But if finding out what's really going on means talking to Jack, well -- it's a risk she just might have to take

Previous Book in the Series:

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

Series: N/A Date/Publisher: March 3rd 2011 by Crown Publishing Group Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Bloody Bookaholic Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Luminous skin and the muted silvery color palette.  Love it!

Description:

The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart... It is a cold day at the end of the world when a young woman, a princess in hiding, looks out across a Northern sea and sees something she could not have seen. It looks...it can't be. It looks like a mermaid's tail. And, as she looks more closely, she sees that the mermaid is dragging a drowning sailor in her arms. Because, only hours before, another princess, the daughter of the sea queen, has decided to risk everything and take a look at the world above the sea: the world of mortals. And there she finds a storm, a shipwreck, a sailor, and sets in train events which will change both women's worlds for ever

Previous Book in the Series:

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Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Series: Lost Voices #1 Date/Publisher:July 4th 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Bloody Bookaholic Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: I’m betting this one’s about zombies…beautiful underwater zombies.  [goes to read description] ….oh.

Description:

What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help?
Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.
Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?
Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Previous Book in the Series:

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And my picks for Best & Worst…

Best Cover: UNDER WRAPS by Michelle Rowen

Worst Cover: EVERCROSSED by Elizabeth Chandler

So any new to you covers? Any contenders for Best Sneak Peek Cover 2011

? Which are your Best & Worst picks?