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Description: Dark Companion, a contemporary Gothic with a mild fantasy/paranormal element, pays homage to Jane Eyre and other classic Gothic novels. Small, plain Jane Williams, a high-achieving foster girl, jumps at the chance to escape her violent neighborhood when she is offered a full-scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy for Girls. She's even given living quarters, the old groundskeeper's cottage in a grove of birches. The classes are amazing, the campus is lovely, and the other students are bright and inquisitive. The headmistress's family -- including her handsome sons -- is especially friendly. It all seems too good to be true. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about another scholarship girl who mysteriously left the school. What price is Jane willing to pay to get the security and safety she's always wanted?
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I agree with the author on this one, this cover photo is nice. The leaf motif in the title and below looks good, though the photo itself still looks a little “naked.” I imagine “mood Photoshopping” will occur prior to finalizing the cover. | I’m not in love with the title font—it’s a little cutesy—but the girl is lovely and just the right amount haunting. Looking forward to this one. |
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Description: *Spoilers Below* Gin Blanco never thought she’d need a vacation from being an assassin. But a few weeks ago, she killed Mab Monroe, her nemesis and the most powerful Fire elemental in Ashland. Now, all the city’s lowlifes are trying to make a name for themselves by taking out the Spider. So she heads south to a swanky beach town, along with her baby sister, Bria, for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when an old friend of Bria’s is threatened by a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic, it looks like Gin will have to dig the silverstone knives out of her suitcase after all. But this time, her special powers might not be enough to prevent her from coming home in a pine box… “Estep has truly hit the jackpot with this outstanding series!” —Romantic Times, 4 1/2 stars, on Web of Lies
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Wow, talk about spoilers. I guess this book’s description answers my question about where or not there’s “Life after Mab” for Gin… at least it’s good news. Gin looks young and at ease on this cover, and the blue of her shirt reminds me of Superman. I’m a big fan of that heroic imagery. | Tony Mauro continues to outdo himself with the series. I really love the green & blue colors and the almost relaxed position that Gin is in. |
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Description: Fight Back Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. Things change drastically when Billy learns that years ago, he’d been tricked by Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse. Now it’s Billy’s turn to wield Pestilence’s Bow and spread sickness through the world. He uses his new power to lash out at his tormentors…and accidentally causes an outbreak of disease. Horrified by his actions, he wants nothing more than to be rid of the Bow. For that to happen, Billy must track down the previous White Rider, who is hiding in a place where even Death cannot go. Billy’s search takes him across the centuries: from ancient Phrygia, where a man called King Mita agrees to wear the White Rider’s Crown, to a mighty forest, where Pestilence plans to cheat Death; More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| A much lighter background than the prior covers, it still is a nice continuation of the theme. | This one lacks the impact of the first two. The colors are too monochromatic and even the crown image lacks punch. |
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Description: Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest... ...and no one knows that better than Sammy Divine, High Prince of Darkness. Once an angel, now cast down, Sammy's out to prove he's not the only angel who can be led into temptation... Hope Henderson's sister has disappeared without a trace, and Hope will do anything to find her--even make a deal with the Devil. An ancient text holds the key to unspeakable power, and it's the Archangel Gabriel's job to make sure it stays hidden, even if he has to become human to do it. Lives, love and the fate of the world hang in the balance, as Hope and Gabriel learn that when passion's involved, it may be impossible to withstand a devil named desire.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Not sure why the crotch of Gabriel’s pants aren’t actually on his crotch (but rather somewhere to the right of it), but even if he could put on his clothes correctly, I’m not a fan of the “my muscles are so big I can’t put my arms down” pose. I’m disappointed that this book is focusing on Gabriel rather than the Prince of Darkness himself, but I’ll take whatever glimpses of Sammy I can get. | I was fine with this until you pointed out the crotch issue…the title spacing just emphasizes the off center pants. And does he have the Batman signal on his belt buckle? |
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Description: The Coven of the Unbinding never forgets what's theirs.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| There’s no beating the t-shirt lift of BLOOD OF THE WICKED, but the hands in this cover tell a story as well. I’m not a fan of her facial expression, but it’s not a deal breaker. | Nope. Not a fan. His position looks like he’s holding her up but about to drop her. |
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Description: The fifth in the exciting urban fantasy series featuring Persephone Alcmedi, a modern-day witch with a sexy werewolf boyfriend. Persephone Alcmedi has helped her werewolf lover Johnny unlock his powers. Now she must come to the aid of Menessos, the vampire overlord she has secretly marked. Beset by a trio of truth-seeking vampire sisters so dangerous their own kind keep them confined in stone, he now needs her more than ever...and she realizes her need for him. Seph has magical promises to fulfill for the weres, multiple mundane family challenges to meet, vampire politics to confront, both the supernatural males in her life to balance, a dragon to deal with...and then a government investigator shows up to complicate matters.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| When next to the other covers of this series, this one fits, but on it’s own the colors, background, and her clothes remind me of a old school “space opera” Sci-Fi cover. | I had the same initial thought that it felt SF. This is also the closest we’ve seen Persephone and there is something about her face that feels off. |
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Description: Impoverished aristocrat Isabella Vernaducci will defy death itself to rescue her imprisoned brother. She'll even brave the haunted, accursed lair of the lion--the menacing palazzo of legendary, lethal Don Nicolai DeMarco. Rumor says the powerful don can command the heavens, that the beasts below do his bidding...and that he is doomed to destroy the woman he takes as his wife. But Isabella meets a man whose growl is velvet, purring heat, whose eyes hold dark, all-consuming desire. And when the don commands her to become his bride, she goes willingly into his muscled arms, praying she'll save his tortured soul...not sacrifice her life. Historical Romance Book Club Selection.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I like the new cover, it has much more of a paranormal vibe than the prior one. The lion overlay next to the cover model’s face is ok (mainly because it’s subtle enough that I didn’t notice it at first). Anyone think this cover model is channeling a little Alcide? Saw Joe Manganiello at DragonCon this weekend, perhaps just have him burned into my retinas from all the staring… and the drooling… | Yes, it is an improvement over the now dated original, but the lion looks more like a teddy bear to me. |
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Description: Even a vampire has to face her inner demons… Kat Redding is the very thing she hunts: a vampire, thirsting for blood, capable of killing any creature unlucky enough to get in her path. The difference is, Kat kills her own kind in order to protect human Purebloods. She’s good at what she does. Good enough to earn the nickname Lady Death—and the enmity of every bloodthirsty being around. But now a vampire Count is intent on merging his House with a werewolf cult to create a force of terrifying power. Kat can’t allow that to happen. Even if it means taking on a den of weres and a vampire more ruthless than any she’s encountered before. She has the weapons, the skill, and a few allies. But that may not be enough to eliminate the Count before her own dark nature rises to the surface—and costs her whatever is left of her humanity…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Ferocious, I love it! The rain and moon set a great mood, and the cover model channels the best of Kate Beckinsale’s UNDERWORLD. | This looks and sounds almost exactly like Underworld, but I’m a fan of the movies, so I’m intrigued. |
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I like the branches of his tattoo on the shoulder, and the gold color scheme. | The whole composition is very good. The colors, the text, the shadows. Best of the series IMO. |
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Description: The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I prefer the hardback cover, the new paperback cover plays up romance in a completely generic way. | The original was so unique and eye catching. I do like the romantic nature of the new cover, but I ‘m skeptical that the same story could be represented accurately by two such distinct covers. I’m betting the romance isn’t as central as the new look promises. |
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Description: It’s a long way from Baltimore to Oklahoma Territory. But Zora Stewart will go any distance to put the tragic events of her sixteenth summer behind her. So this city girl heads to the tiny frontier town of West Glory to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. When another Baltimorean shows up in West Glory, Zora couldn’t be more surprised. Theo de la Croix made the long trip out west hoping to court Zora, whom he has long admired from afar.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I can see how this one matches the first cover, but this one is too generic for me. The drama and darkness of the first cover was plausible for a Paranormal YA, but if you see this one alone it could be any historical or western romance. | The first three words I thought of when I saw this were: Pretty. Prairie. Sad. That seems to be in line with the description, so thumbs up from me. |
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Description: Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish. What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I love this image, it looks like a crystal sculpture and a photo negative combined. Definitely flows and brings water to mind. | I love the colors too. And that image is striking. |
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Description:
MEET the Drakes: A darkly romantic, irresistibly alluring family of royal vampire blood.
READ Alyxandra Harvey's Ruling Passion: a haunting, humorous saga, now gathered into one juicy volume! "A refreshing take of the familiar teenage vampire drama . . . Harvey builds an engaging world of vampire cultures balanced wit a smart mix of darknewss and humor."-Publishers Weekly A fabulous and fast-paced read! The action is superb . . . this is the perfect escape read." -Romantic Times Bind up contains:
Hearts at Stake Blood Feud Out for Blood Previously published separately as The Drake Chronicles
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I like this omnibus cover, using a photo of actual models fits with previous covers, and I love the intimacy of this particular image. Her smile and his whisper are wonderful. | There is a sweet intimate in this cover, isn’t there? It is romantic but still YA. Nice job. |
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Description: In Book Two of L. A. Weatherly’s wildly romantic, action-packed trilogy, the angels are back with a vengeance . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I like lighting and the composition, but her left foot is kind of hanging out there next to the title. Not enough to ruin the cover for me, but it does give the impression that the title is exploding out of her skirt. | I love the title detail. The fire is somehow soft looking. So cool. |
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Description: For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds. The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric-who may or may not betray them.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I like the colors on this cover, though the title seems a little lonely. This cover model’s expression reminds me of Bellatrix. | The model is a bit bizarre stuck up in that corner, but I like the title font and the pattern of the background. |
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Description: Avery and Ben are just beginning to explore the depth of the bond that links them. Their ability to sense each others’ feelings and Avery’s mysterious connection to the forest mean that their love is unlike any other. But even such a perfect bond can be strained by jealousy, and when Hope, a gorgeous girl from Ben’s old life, arrives in town, Avery can’t help but feel threatened. And in more ways than one—because someone is trying to kill her, again. Also new in town are a pair of Hunters—men who know about werewolves and who seek only to destroy what they can’t understand. Hope is connected to the Hunters somehow, but by the time Avery figures out her secret, it’s too late—and someone will pay with their life. With the glowing, emotional language that made Low Red Moon such an irresistible read, Moonrise ups the romantic stakes with a heart-tugging sacrifice that testifies to the power of love.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| These two images don’t come together for a cohesive cover, I much prefer the cover for book one. | If they would ditch the model, this would get a thumbs up from me. |
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| I love the lace across the bottom of this cover, it looks like the model’s sleeve at first glance. | I’m intrigued by the little spider on her forearm. Is it a tattoo? A detail on the title? |
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Description: A choice between love and survival . . . Lucy's family is excited to spend the summer in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her minister father is pleased to preside over such a prestigious congregation, and his social-climbing wife is ecstatic at the chance to find a rich husband for her daughter. Yet Lucy wants nothing to do with the Bar Harbor social scene; she's simply excited to spend the summer by the sea, watching the waves from her favorite spot on the cliff. Despite having never gone swimming, Lucy feels an intense connection to the ocean, and meets a handsome ship-builder who shows Lucy a world she's never known, yet somehow always longed for. More…
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Much like THE SPRINGSWEET, this one doesn’t look paranormal to me at all. | No, it lacks a paranormal feel, but is does have that melancholy vibe that I liked from the previous covers. |
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Not Yet Available for Pre-Order. |
Description: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| The hair over her face and the spray of blood are two chilling little details that take this cover from general YA to Paranormal YA. | The blood splatter is a perfect nod to the zombies in the story, but the hair on her face is oddly unsettling, like her face underneath is gone. |
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Description: For three years, Miranda Grey-Solomon has kept her role as vampire Queen of the South separate from her Grammy-winning music career. But now, her dual lives are starting to collide, threatening everything Miranda and David, her Prime, have worked for. To make matters worse, the entire Signet Council has descended upon Austin for its ten-year summit, bringing with it Prime James Hart of the Northeast, a sworn enemy come to take his revenge on those who defied him. As Hart’s machinations lead to outbreaks of violence across the South, Miranda and David receive an unexpected offer of help from David’s sire, an ancient and powerful vampire with knowledge that may be their salvation – or their doom.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| Love this cover, a wonderful addition to the series. I love the fire and her hair, Miranda looks so kick-ass. | SHADOWFLAME is still my cover pick for this series, but Gene Mollica as done an amazing job with them all. |
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And our picks for Best & Worst…
| Best | Worst |
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Which are your Best and Worst?
You two are funny, I'm still laughing over the crotch.. bat man belt buckle dude. Thanks for the post..good times.
ReplyDeleteHi, Abigail and Julia! Thanks for posting my cover. I agree that the font isn't right for the mood of the book and it will be switched out to something more somber. The final cover will also have some metallic and gloss effects to add depth. Wonderful post -- I love looking at all the great upcoming covers!
ReplyDeleteSince the Shadow's Fall cover reminded me of Miranda I'm kind of wondering now. In a fight, who would win? Miranda or Merit from the Chicagoland series? They both have a thing for swords with names and whatnot.
ReplyDelete