Editors’ Note: Our apologies to anyone viewing the RSS feed, you probably saw a half-finished version of this post come through first. The “Publish” and the “Hyperlink” icons on Windows Live Writer look very much a like when it’s late at night…
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Description: Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment. Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List. And no one wants her more than Keegan’s father. Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the far deadlier, uncontrollable half—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This cover doesn’t grab my attention, but it doesn’t bug me either. | I like the flame detail where the colors merge, but otherwise it’s nothing special |
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| Not Yet Available for Pre-Order. |
Description: Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is. But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her. However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This cover has a lot of “fantasy” in it, I like the tree branches across a full moon. | I love this. The gothic quality and the scissors/scalpel detail in the series name is awesome. |
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Description: Protecting humans is the Bringers’ duty. Sending demons to the Shadow World is their pleasure. In one night, Ravyn’s life plunges from barely tolerable to deadly. Forced to flee the only home she’s ever known, Ravyn stumbles headlong into the clutches of a powerful demon intent on stealing her powers. Unfortunately for him, she has no intention of cooperating. When Rhys realizes the woman he rescued from the Demon Bane is no mere human, his obligation as a Bringer dictates he protect and train her in the ways of his people. But he’s unprepared for the intense desire he feels for the fiery Ravyn. To surrender to his need may mean her death. As the Demon Bane threat escalates, igniting terror and chaos across the realm, Rhys and Ravyn must embark on a perilous journey to unite the last of the Bringers–and explore a passion too powerful to ignore.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Not going to like, played a little “chick or dude” with the shoulder on this cover (hey, she could have been a topless, competitive swimmer!). In the end, I like the background more than the back with a Photoshopped tattoo. | I did the exact same thing! Not a fan. |
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Description: Being the youngest daughter of the Devil isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The days of teenage rebellion and vows of chastity made just to tick off her father are over, and now all Faith Bettincourt wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her demonically-downsized sister, a ditzy succubus roommate, and dear old Dad himself, Faith’s plans for a relaxing vacation spent watching reruns go up in flames.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I like covers with an element of “graphic novel” to their artwork, but this is too cartoony for me. | I’m never a fan of this style, but I really don’t like it here. |
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Description: Seventeen-year-old Dylan Kennedy always knew something was different about him, but until his mother abandoned him in the middle of Oregon with grandparents he’s never met, he had no idea what. When Dylan sees a girl in white in the woods behind his grandparents’ farm, he knows he’s seen her before…in his dreams. He’s felt her fear. Heard her insistence that only he can save her world from an evil lord who uses magic and fear to feed his greed for power. Unable to shake the unearthly pull to Kera, Dylan takes her hand. Either he’s completely insane or he’s about to have the adventure of his life, because where they’re going is full of creatures he’s only read about in horror stories. Worse, the human blood in his veins has Dylan marked for death…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Duckface! Hard to see under all of his creamy, airbrushed goodness, but there’s some definite pout to those lips. Too pubescent for me to find attractive in *that* way, but I like to composition of the cover. Definitely creates the impression of a solid YA series. | I don’t love the model either, but all the others details are great. |
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Not Yet Available For Pre-Order. |
Description: He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her… Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life. She’s haunted by dreams of her own death… After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand. They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries… Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Well, that’s the most realistic happy trail I’ve seen on a cover in awhile. And really, that’s all there is to comment on this cover… I applaud the hair. One thumb up! | Blah. I’ve seen this cover a million times. |
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as far as I know, [this is] a prototype… his hair’s too blond. – JR Ward
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| So gorgeous and tormented and skinny, I would have thought this was pre-trans John Matthew. Can’t wait to read Tohrment’s story, the man deserves a break. | So apparently this is not the finished cover, but I’m betting it’s pretty close. I like that he’s gaunt too given the character of Tohr. |
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Description: When the FBI request a pack consultant on a serial killer case they're following in Boston, Anna and Charles are sent in. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves – all of them were.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| While I like the continuity of style, I feel like the posture of Anna and Charles on the last cover was so evocative… this just looks staged and flat. This is really only a thumb down because of how much I‘ve loved the other covers in this series. | Dan always does beautiful work for these covers, but I’m not blown away. I actually prefer the earlier version he posted on his blog |
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Love the underwater lighting as it complements her transition from fish to woman. Very pretty mermaid. | I love mermaids so I tend to be a bit biased when they are on covers, but this is simple and beautiful. I agree the underwater lighting is perfect. |
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| There is no way that skinny neck and Bieber face goes with that bad-ass, tatted-up bicep, and I found that initial impression hard to get past. | You killed me with the Justin Bieber line. That’s all I can see now. |
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Description: Master illusionist Lorenzo wants nothing to do with the Pyr. His dragon nature is just another secret to hide and another detail to juggle, like ensuring that each of his Las Vegas magic shows is a true spectacle. Until he feels the burn of his firestorm and his whole world shifts....
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Looks hot in there, I’d probably unbutton my shirt, too. We really need to find a neutral hand… | I’m leaning towards nuetral too, but more pos than neg, so…I do appreciate the continuity within the series. |
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Description: A sharp L.A. crime writer takes a bite out of zombie fiction with his thrilling new novel. Joe Sunday has been a Los Angeles low-life for years, but his life gets a whole lot lower when he is killed by the rival of his crime boss—only to return as a zombie. His only hope is to find and steal a talisman that he learns can grant immortality. But, unfortunately for Joe, every other undead thug and crime boss in Los Angeles is looking for the same thing. With illustrations by well-known comics artist Sean Phillips throughout, this unique book will appeal to fans of graphic novels as well as fans of zombie fiction
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Love this cover, gritty and pulpy, tells a lot with this one frame. I wonder if Sean Phillips did the cover art as well as interior illustrations? | I thought this was a Sci-Fi book before I read the description, and a dated one at that. |
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Description: A novel about werewolves, ghouls, and cowboys, all fighting for their piece of the American frontier. The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Federal Penitentiary. They were the ones who tore the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg for Lincoln, thus ending the Civil War. Now they’ve headed West—to join the legions of other ghouls… Armed with an arsenal of weapons, the deadliest being Marshal Angel Coffin, notorious ghoulhunter Uriah Zane must stop the hordes of shapeshifting creatures pushing west. Together, Zane and Coffin must stop the werebeasts from attaining final dominion over the earth—with humans as their servants...
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Those scratch marks on the muzzle look a little slap dash, but I love the elements they chose for this book. Snarling beast, golden eye picking up the title, and nestled in the shadows of his fur, a full moon and a mysterious rider. Looks like Kitty isn’t the only one who thinks Sherman might have been a werewolf, but I’m not sure how I feel about the werewolf as “monster”. Is that back? | I really like the man on horseback against the moon. The wolf and scratches are a bit much though. |
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Description: For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back—at least not all the time. Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal, and leaving Maria alone. Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she’s been telling about her life have become lies she’s also telling herself…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| My first thought was that this cover is oddly photographic for Sharon Shinn, definitely something new. I almost missed the beast under Maria, looks more like Curran than a wolf. | I really like the realistic quality. And the wolf below totally made me think of The Neverending Story. |
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And our picks for Best & Worst…
| Best | Worst |
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Ward Against Death is my fav out of the bunch. Im not really into the new J.R.Ward cover the model looks real young .
ReplyDeleteI am really digging Dust of the Damned.
ReplyDeleteI really love Fair Game. Dan Dos Santos always does the best covers!
ReplyDeleteRain - People seem pretty split on the new JR Ward. We'll have to wait and see if the final version changes.
ReplyDeleteBigferret - Have you read his other books?
Syephanie - Dan is the man. Did you look at his post linked above?
@Rain - That model does look so long, I thought it was John Matthew!
ReplyDelete@Ferret - I hope the story is as good. All I could think was "Cowboys & Aliens" is going to be a tough act to follow...
@Stephanie & Abigail - I love his concept sketches, a lot more drama and movement. I feel bad about the thumbs down, it's apparent I hold Dan to a higher standard (I mean, really, thumbs up on BLOOD OF THE DEMON?!). Hopefully the man gets some copy based renumeration, as then the four copies of this book that I will most likely buy, give away, and then buy again will make up for my double standard.