Cover Art Coverage: 20 New Titles!

  

Death Magic by Eileen Wilks 

Description: DEATH MAGIC opens with Special Agent Lily Yu in Washington, D.C. with her fiancé--lupi prince Rule Turner—to testify before a Senate subcommittee about her role in the magical collapse of a mountain last month.  She is not there to tell them about the strange legacy she carries from that event—or about the arcane bond between her and Rule--or what her boss in Unit Twleve of the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division is really up to.  She sure won’t tell them that the lupi are at war with an Old One who wants to remake humanity in her own image. More… The cover art for DEATH MAGIC just arrived in my email inbox, and isn't it striking? -Eileen Wilks

Series: World of the Lupi #8 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Berkley Sensation Release Date: November 2011 Source: Author’s Blog
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
This series has gone through some serious changes, from soft focus to drawn, to an almost photorealistic urban fantasy look.  I’m not a fan of the floating wolf head in the background, but I love Lily ready for action in the foreground.	I do love this, but it is almost lazily similar to the previous cover in this series.

 

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     Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber 

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Description: The shadows deepen on the gaslit streets of New York City in the year 1880. Curses and spirits, demons and rituals, blood and faith, love and danger; such is the stuff of Magic Most Foul. Find your voice... or else. Behold my beauteous cover! 11/11 from Sourcebooks Fire... -Leanna Renee Hieber

Series: Magic Most Foul #1 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Release Date: November 8, 2011 Source: Author’s Blog
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
I love the staging of this cover, the model poised either to climb out of the picture frame or about to disappear into it.	I think she’s climbing into it.  Either way, I love the deep purple tones and the romantic quality.

 

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     Awakenings by Edward Lazellari 

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Description: Cal MacDonnell is a happily married New York City cop with a loving family. Seth Raincrest is a washed-up photographer who has alienated even his closest friends. The two have nothing in common—except that they both suffer from retrograde amnesia. It’s as if they just appeared out of thin air thirteen years ago, and nothing has been able to restore their memories. Now their forgotten past has caught up to them with a vengeance. Cal's and Seth’s lives are turned upside down as they are stalked by otherworldly beings who know about the men's past lives. But these creatures aren't here to help; they're intent on killing anyone who gets in their way. In the balance hangs the life of a child who might someday restore a broken empire to peace and prosperity. More… No Author Comments.

Series: N/A Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates Release Date: August 30, 2011 Source: Literary Escapism
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Is this Chris McGrath?  The aura is so deliciously otherworldly.	Gotta be Chris McGrath.  He has a patent on gritty.  Love this.

 

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      The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater 

Description: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shiver and Linger comes a brand new, heartstopping novel. With her trademark lyricism, Maggie Stiefvater turns to a new world, where a pair are swept up in a daring, dangerous race across a cliff--with more than just their lives at stake should they lose. So, I still can't tell you anything about it (I'm aware this is like the longest, slowest reveal ever. It is like the American Idol of book reveals), but I am happy that I can finally share the U.S. cover of THE SCORPIO RACES (coming October 18th). -Maggie Stiefvater

Series: N/A Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Scholastic Press Release Date: October 18, 2011 Source: Author’s Blog
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
I started my love affair with fiction as “a girl who loves horse”, I watched Francis Ford Coppola’s THE BLACK STALLION umpteen million times in my happy childhood, and this cover brings back all my happy, horsey, childhood feelings.  I can’t wait for this one!	I’m embarrassingly excited about the prospect of a new Maggie Stiefvater book.  It looks like a thrilling romantic adventure. Cannot wait!

 

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     Darkest Highlander by Donna Grant 

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Description: N/A   Aren’t the colors stunning?! And once again they’ve faded the title font, which I think is just really neat. But above all else, look at the hunk they used! -Donna Grant

Series:  Dark Sword #6 Artist: N/A Goodreads: N/A	Publisher: N/A Release Date: N/A Source: Author’s Blog
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
For a bare-chested highlander cover, I do like this one.  The shadow on his chest looks a little bit like a tie, which just adds an extra layer of delight in my book.  Business casual highlander, whoo-ah!	The blue light stuff looks odd, like a spider web or something sticky.  Not a fan.

 

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Code of the Wolf by Susan Krinard 

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Description: N/A   No Author Comment.

Series: Historical Werewolf #8 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Harlequin Release Date: July 19, 2011 Source: Wicked Scribes
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Love how crisp and in focus his eye is, and the sinuous curve of scrollwork in the background.  Simple, but well done (and infinitely better than all covers that have come before in this series).	Wow. Very intense.  The vivid yellow eye and the angle of his cheek bone adds another level of primitiveness to him.

 

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        The Real Werewives of Vampire County edited by Alexandra ivy 

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Description: Drama. Scandal. Secrets. And a whole lot of supernatural goings-on. I’m Pureblood Were, And Proud Of It… “Where Darkness Lives” by Alexandra Ivy No one’s more surprised than Sophia when she’s struck by an unfamiliar maternal urge to move near her daughters. But instead of being greeted by a welcome committee, she’s targeted by kidnappers…and saddled with a gorgeous bodyguard on a mission to protect—and seduce… More…   No Author Comment.

Series: N/A Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Kensington Release Date: October 25, 2011 Source: Wicked Scribes
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
A little creepy, a lot of parody.  The woman on the right does not have enough visual oomph to balance all the text on the left, strategically placed cupcakes not withstanding.	Ditto on everything you said, but Jess Haines has a story in this so I’m looking forward to it.

 

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     Devishly Hot by Kathy Love 

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Description: N/A   No Author Comment.

Series: N/A Artist: N/A Goodreads: N/A	Publisher: Brava Release Date: October 25, 2011 Source: Wicked Scribes
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Very contemporary romance.  A bit too cutesy for me.	This looks like the poster for a failed Katherine Heigl romantic comedy.

 

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      Beauty Dates the Beast by Jessica Sims 

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Description: What self-respecting Alliance shapeshifter wants to go on a date with an icky, smelly human? Answer: None of them. So why is Bathsheba Ward suddenly the most popular girl in town…? Bathsheba Ward works for Midnight Liaisons, a dating agency that caters to the paranormal Alliance. The clientele ranges from vampires, shifters of every imaginable kind, and the occasional werewolf. Sirens? Harpies? Nymphs? Were-bears? They’ve got them.   Rule number one of Midnight Liaisons? Humans aren’t worthy of dating the clientèle.   More… No Author Comment.

Series: Midnight Liasons #1 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Pocket Star Release Date: October 25, 2011 Source: Wicked Scribes
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
In this instance, the bright eye doesn’t work for me.  The bulk of the thumbs down belongs to the heroine, she looks a little too young not to unbalance such a sultry cover.  I’m definitely not the target audience for “Baby-face Dates the Beast.”	This reminds me a little of the Bound By Blood cover from Laurie London.  I love that he’s looking at us rather than her.

 

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     The Bite Before Christmas by Lynsay Sands & Jeaniene Frost 

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Description: N/A   No Author Comment.

Series: N/A Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: William Morrow Release Date: October 25, 2011 Source: Wicked Scribes
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Oh come on, could you get more creepy pale?!	Yep. There are vampires and then there are albinos.  This guy appears to be both.

 

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      Envy by Gregg Olsen 

Description: Murder is such a dirty word… New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch. Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka "Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic "twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits. More…   No Author Comment.

Series: Empty Coffins #1 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Splinter Release Date: September 6, 2011 Source: la femme readers
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Very Brittany Murphy in “Don’t Say a World,” everything about this book has a wonderful menace.	Very creepy cool.  I love the green coloring and the gothic vibe.

 

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     Phoenix by Eden Maguire 

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Description: Darina is in denial. Even after all she’s been through, the Beautiful Dead can’t be real. They must be a figment of her grief-stricken imagination. But visions of Phoenix and Hunter prove otherwise and soon she’s drawn back to Foxton, to the barn, to Phoenix - where they have, what may just be, their final reunion. It’s the moment they’ve been dreading - time to solve Phoenix’s mystery. Everything has been building to this but Darina knows that revealing the true circumstances of Phoenix’s death will lead to their final parting. With this impossible mixture of emotions, Darina begins to unscramble the facts, but she’s up against mounting obstacles: the distraction of Hunter’s personal mystery, Phoenix’s returning father, threats of gang violence and conspiracies to blur and block the truth. More…   No Author Comment.

Series: Beautiful Dead #4 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Release Date: October 1, 2010 Source: la femme readers
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
There is something about this cover that is just… off.  Facial expressions?  Uprooted plants?  Hillbilly wings?  Perhaps the combination of so many incongruous elements just… bugs me.	The wings look like sloppy photo shop additions.  Overall it’s a miss.

 

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     Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh 

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Description: Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.… As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.  More…   No Author Comment.

Series: Royal House of Shadows #4 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Harlequin Release Date: September 20, 2011 Source: Wicked Scribes
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Oh boy, I’m glad to see that the “I’m a pretty pony” series has improved with time.I think Jessica Andersen’s LORD OF THE WOLFYN has my favorite chest, but the peek-a-book cloaking of the LORD OF THE ABYSS above is nice as well.	…this whole series of covers is just skirting the cheese line too much for me.

 

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      Enemy Mine by Karin Harlow 

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Description: He can love her, but he has to kill her first. Lovers from opposite worlds reunite in Karin Harlow’s explosive, erotic new L.O.S.T adventure. . . . While tracking uranium-spinning centrifuges in Kyrgyzstan, L.O.S.T. operative Nikko Cruz is ambushed and left for dead. Which means he must be hallucinating when the only woman he ever loved—the woman he was sentenced to death for killing—comes to his rescue. More…   No Author Comments.

Series: L.O.S.T. #2 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Pocket Star Release Date: August 30th, 2011 Source: LovLivLife Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
This cover combines several cliché elements of a vampire cover, but this cover model’s facial expression sells it.  A little cheesy, but more sexy.	I’m going with a little sexy, but more cheesy.

 

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      Goddess of Troy by P. C. Cast 

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Description: N/A   No Author Comment.

Series: Goddess Summoning Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Piatkus Books Release Date: September 1, 2011 Source: LovLivLife Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
I love the painted feel of this series early covers, but this and the last three have wandered into general Urban Fantasy territory.  I feel like the cover above is indistinguishable from the House of the Night series.	I really like all the various title and detail graphics.  The blue/black colors work nicely too.

 

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      The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams 

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Description: Lila Gray is just a human—at least that’s her mantra when she accidentally topples a building or bends a paranoid local's gun into modern art. That she can sense and control the minds around her doesn’t prove anything, either. Unwilling to put others at risk, she hides in the wilderness from the beautiful creature who hunts her, one who sees her as his ultimate prize. Alone, the egocentric Glass Man can kill with a thought. Mated with Lila, he's a supernatural weapon prepared to annihilate the humans he loathes. More…   No Author Comments.

Series: A Lila Gray Novel #1 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing Release Date: October 15, 2011 Source: LovLivLife Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Lisa Kudrow does UF!  Above and beyond the Phoebe similarities for the cover model, The snowy grass in the background is lovely.	I’m not picking up on the Kudrow resemblance quite as much as Julia, but the icy effect looks great.

 

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      True Shot by Joyce Lamb 

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Description: Samantha Trudeau has spent the past ten years using her intense psychic abilities to put bad guys behind bars. She's always believed she’s one of the good guys, until fellow spy and best friend Zoe reveals a shocking secret about who they've really been working for. When Zoe's gunned down, Sam goes on the run, because now her employer is coming after her. With no one to turn to for help, she flees to the only place she thinks she’ll be safe. Journalist Mac Hunter has had a rough year. At the insistence of his good friends, sisters Charlie and Alex Trudeau, he’s going to crash at their family cabin for some much-needed rest and relaxation. But when he arrives he’s stunned to find the third Trudeau sister, Sam, wounded and unconscious on the cabin floor. Things go from bizarre to dangerous when men with guns show up. More…   No Author Comment.

Series: True Trilogy #3 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Berkley Release Date: December 6, 2011 Source: LovLivLife Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
Love the posture and the gun, a little worried by the outfit… I’m hoping the text will explain.	I would never guess this was a paranormal book from the cover.  I would have appreciated some kind of little visible cue.

 

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     Betrayal by Amy Meredith 

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Description: A hot new boyfriend. Prom just round the corner. And not a demon in sight ...Things have never been better for Eve Evergold, Deepdene's kick-ass witch. But when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. An evil far greater than Eve has ever known is at work in Deepdene - and it's hell-bent on turning her closest friends against her. This time, it looks like Eve is going to have to face her demons alone...   No Author Comment.

Series: Dark Touch #4 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Non Basic Stock Line Release Date: June 2, 2011 Source: Tynga’s Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
I love this cover, I feel like it hearkens back to the eerie eyes and lips of the first cover.  I think I prefer the bird beauty mark to the thorns, but still, very eerie and lovely.	Yes, this look is getting very popular in YA covers, but I haven’t reached my saturation point yet.

 

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     Body of Sin by Eve Silver 

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Description: Once the favorite son of the Lord of the Underworld, Lokan Krayl held enviable privileges and powers. Powers that led to a devastating betrayal—murder. Resurrected by his immortal brothers, Lokan is still trapped in purgatory. He has no way to contact his family. He has no answers. In order to find the truth about his death and who killed him, he must escape his prison. And there's only one way out: through the twelve gates of his eternal enemy, Osiris. But Lokan has help. Bryn Carr, the woman who duped him once before, is his beautiful yet unwanted guide. She's been sent by his brothers to aid him. She's his last hope. Lokan must place his fate—and that of the mortal and immortal worlds—in the hands of the one woman he can never trust.   No Author Comments.

Series: Otherkin #4 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: HQN Release Date: August 23, 2011 Source: LovLivLife Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
While I like the detail on the author’s name, I feel like the color washes out any of the drama in the cover model.  All I see is the color transition on the title, and that seems rather blah.	Oh, I like the title color too, but I really like his pose and the fact that they let a guy wear a complete shirt finally.

 

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     First Kill by Heather Brewer 

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Description: You've heard Vlad's side of the story . . . now, it’s Joss’s turn. With over a million copies already in print, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is still sinking its fangs into new readers every day. Now, bestselling author Heather Brewer brings us the other side of the story, from the perspective of Vlad’s former friend turned mortal enemy: vampire slayer Joss Macmillan. In five books that can be read alongside Vlad Tod or entirely on their own, Joss discovers his powers as the youngest, strongest slayer in history. And just in time, too: with all the vampires running rampant, he’s going to need all the help he can get. This action-packed series will quench the thirst of even the hungriest veteran minions.   Welcome, my Minion Horde, to the world of Joss McMillan, to his series – The Slayer Chronicles, and to the first book of five. The title is FIRST KILL. And this is its cover. – Heather Brewer

Series: The Slayer Chronicles #1 Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Dutton Juvenile Release Date: September 20, 2011 Source: LovLivLife Reviews
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
I love the concept and the execution of this cover.  For a spin off told from Tod’s archenemy, keeping the same aesthetic but moving the vampire smile from t-shirt to ominous background is fabulous.	Me too.  The concept is so unique and identifiable to this series.  This spin-off has a more mature, sexier look too which I’m loving.

 

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And our picks for Best & Worst…
We both agree this week:

Best	Worst

Which are your Best and Worst?