This is the biggest cover art post we’ve had in awhile, and there are some treats on both ends of the Good/Bad spectrum today.  I spent a fair amount of time staring at Katie MacAlister’s TALE OF TWO VAMPIRES cover, as well as Jeannine Garsee’s THE UNQUIET (as a sucker for both hot men and visual tricks).  I saw my very first Amish/Vampire crossover book, which you can just bet is going to be closely followed by me reading my first Amish/Vampire book, and at least one old-school-romance cover surprised an audible “woof” out of me when the page loaded.  As a special treat, at the very end of the post we have our dearly departed ATUF girl’s video debut in S. M. Reine’s “Making of an Indie Book Cover”. Enjoy!

 

 

Both Abigail and I are big fans of Erin Kellison’s Shadow series.   Abigail called SHADOW BOUND “a shockingly good read” and SHADOWMAN (available now from Kensington Books) contained one of my favorite couples of the year, Shadowman and Layla (which made it twice as exciting to see a little glimpse of Shadowman in action below, as a part of the Resurrection Mary ghost story). The Shadow series intertwines convincing romance with a continuing plot line that I loved, as our staid human world comes under magical attack.  Though each book could work on it’s own (romantically), you’re going to want to read them all.  One lucky reader will get the chance to, as Erin Kellison is giving away a complete set of the Shadow series: SHADOW BOUND, SHADOW FALL, and SHADOWMAN. See details below.

Click to see the Spooky Legends Master List with links to all the previous posts and giveaways

Shadowman on “Resurrection Mary”
by
Erin Kellison

First of all, a huge thank you to Abigail for inviting me to participate in Spooky Legends. I love scary stories and write a bit on the dark side myself. Leave a comment below for a chance to win a set of my Shadow series books, Shadow Bound, Shadow Fall, and Shadowman. Most people, including my character, Shadowman, know the story of Resurrection Mary. In fact, he’s met her…

*This title will be released on September 6, 2011*

Title: Shadowman Author: Erin Kellison Series: Shadow #3 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Urban Fantasy Excerpt: Yes Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Julia Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Zebra; September 6, 2011 ISBN-10: 142011896X ISBN-13: 978-1420118964 Sexual Content: Several sex scenes. Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.

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Title: Shadow Touch Author: Erin Kellison Series: Shadow 2.5 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Urban Fantasy Excerpt: No Source: Author Reviewed by: Julia Format: ebook File Size: 308 KB Publisher: Zebra Books (June 1, 2011) ISBN 10: 1-4201-2395-5 ISBN 13: 978-142012395-1 Buy from Amazon.com  Sexual Content: Kissing and lewd conduct Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list

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Description

MAGIC

It is bleeding into our world, bringing with it banshees, wraiths, fae from the twisting forests of Twilight. But Ellie’s problem is a very different kind of phenomenon...

SHADOW

It ought to be attached to her; instead it has a life of its own. And her dark mirror image is a wild thing, willfully seducing the very man Ellie hoped could help.

SCIENCE

Cam has devoted his career to exploring the boundaries between this world and the Hereafter. But nothing could prepare him for the mischief and mayhem of a soul split in two.

SURRENDER

Who will give in first:  the man struggling to unite two halves of one fascinating female; the shadow fighting for freedom to experience the thrill of every emotion; or the woman who is about to discover her own deepest desires?

Review

Even a casual survey of dreams reveals how dark and twisty the human psyche  can be, and in SHADOW TOUCH, Erin Kellison puts a new spin on the "went to school naked" nightmare.  Ellie was born without the ability to hide her impulses, her reactions, or even her naked body, as her animated shadow struts along next to her, baring their secrets to the world.

SHADOW TOUCH revealed just enough about Ellie and her shadow to make me eager to seek them out in future books, and also piqued my interest about where the Shadow series began.  This was my first experience with the series, and Kellison gives enough detail to orient and tantalize without bogging down the action.

It is this deft touch that makes SHADOW TOUCH a good read for both established fans and those of us who have been missing out.  By combining the introduction of new characters as well as glimpses of familiar favorites, Kellison has created a novella with a little something for everyone. The next book in the Shadow series is titled SHADOWMAN and will be published on September 6, 2011.

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
Shadow Bound 4/5 Shadow Fall	Smexy Books a GREAT read Bitten by Books

Welcome to Erin Kellison & Laurie London today for the 5th stop in their DarkTour! I was an instant fan of both Laurie’s Sweetblood series and Erin’s Shadow series when I read their debuts last year (read my 4/5 review of SHADOW BOUND by Erin Kellison HERE & my 4/5 review of BONDED BY BLOOD by Laurie London HERE), and can’t wait to dive back into their series with new novellas, both available now, HIDDEN BY BLOOD (read review) and SHADOW TOUCH (review to come).  There is also a fabulous DarkTour Prize Pack giveaway too.  See details below  

The Importance of Setting

by
Erin Kellison & Laurie London

Hi, everyone! Welcome to DarkTour! We’re authors Laurie London (that’s me) and Erin Kellison (that’s her) talking about our Sweetblood and Shadow series. Because we have e-novellas coming out on the same day (Hidden By Blood by Laurie and Shadow Touch by Erin), we thought it’d be fun to hit the blogosphere together. Stay tuned, because we’re giving away a lot of cool stuff at the bottom of this post.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, not only does it rain a lot, but the weather can be depressingly dark. (This is Laurie talking. Erin lives in Arizona and can’t relate to the lack of sun. *Laurie sticks tongue out at Erin*) Many people, myself included, suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. The way our environment affects us, both physically and emotionally, is strangely fascinating to me, which is probably why setting is an important element in my books.

The majority of the scenes in the Sweetblood world take place here in the Northwest (although there’s a creepy scene from the upcoming Embraced By Blood set in San Diego). And if I can work in an abandoned structure, I’m in writing nirvana!

In my e-novella, Hidden By Blood, the story opens with Finn McKentry, a former Army Ranger, who is being held captive in an abandoned hunting cabin, deep in the woods. He’s a sweetblood, a human whose rare blood, called Sweet, is addictive to vampires and every few days, his captor comes to harvest more. Brenna Stewart is visiting a nearby estate to receive an award that will allow her to continue her medico training. Not one to enjoy crowds and stuffy affairs, she wanders out to the barn to look at all the horses and then this happens:

A movement through a gap in the hedges caught her attention. A horse perhaps? She glanced around but didn’t see any horse fencing in this part of the estate. Could it have been a deer?

It wasn’t as if she was in any hurry to get back, so she decided to investigate. Crickets chirped in the darkness as she passed through the narrow opening in the thick hedge. Just beyond it, moonlight illuminated a small field, but no deer or horse came into view. She was about to turn back to the barn when a faint breeze brought a familiar scent to her nostrils.

She hesitated.

That can’t be right.

She sniffed again, and a knot of panic tightened like a noose around her internal organs.

It was a tantalizing scent. One very familiar to vampires.

Her gums ached as the tips of her fangs emerged. She twisted a strand of her hair and took a few deep yoga breaths. In through her nose and out through her mouth.

It was human blood she smelled. But not just any human blood. Sweet.

And a lot of it.

When I read a good book, I often close my eyes and envision myself as a character in that story world. That’s one of the reasons I became a fan of Erin’s Shadow series. Her lush descriptions of setting pulled me in and made me feel like the character experiencing it.

To read Finn and Brenna’s story, check out Hidden By Blood at Amazon Barnes & Noble or FREE for a limited time at Harlequin eBook Store

HIDDEN BY BLOOD description:

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—Guardians who safeguard humanity and Darkbloods, rogues who will stop at nothing to satisfy their craving for the sweetest of human blood.

Now, former Army Ranger Finn McKentry finds himself imprisoned as a blood slave, forced to submit to an enemy more powerful than any he’s encountered before.  Only Brenna Stewart, the woman he’d loved and lost, can set him free—but the secret she harbors might lead them down the most dangerous path of all…

About Laurie London:

A graduate of Western Washington University with a BA in Business Administration and a former tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company, Laurie London now writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children. When not writing, she can be found running, reading, or riding and showing her horse. Someday she hopes to qualify for the Quarter Horse World Show – that is, if her horse doesn’t get hurt again. Visit Laurie online: Website|Blog|Facebook |Twitter

Want to read more from Laurie?

 

Hello, readers! It’s me, Erin. When I read Laurie’s scene above, I could sense the mystery and danger of the moment. I thought it was so cool how the reception, during which Brenna receives her scholarship, is such an elegant counterpoint to the brutality she discovers just off the grounds.  And the rest of the novella only gets better.

In my Shadow series, settings range from NYC to Arizona, but the locus of all the fun is the Segue Institute, located in the West Virginia Appalachian Mountains. Segue was once the turn-of-the-century Fulton Holiday Hotel. In 1918, the flu pandemic swept through the hotel, though Fulton staff tried to keep the sick confined to the west wing. The dead haunt it now. The hotel soon went derelict, and then, decades later, it was picked up by Thorne Industries. When Adam Thorne’s brother turned into a wraith, Adam renovated the remote hotel and turned it into a high-tech paranormal research center, Segue, with the aim of finding a cure.

Segue includes an auxiliary site, which is an underground holding facility for wraiths. The main building is dedicated to research levels and housing the scientists and staff who work tirelessly to understand the science and magic at work in paranormal phenomena.  Extensive grounds surround the area—the vestiges of an old garden, as well as wide fields that stretch to the surrounding tree line, and beyond that, the gated, guarded wall.

It’s to Segue that Shadow Touch’s main character, Ellie Russo, goes with her own unusual problem. Her shadow, wild, passionate, elemental, is separate from her flesh and blood body. Ellie has lived in seclusion trying to control her dark half, but her shadow only grows stronger. With little choice left, Ellie seeks help from Dr. Cameron Kalamos at Segue. And she’s not leaving until she gets it. Here’s a snippet from her arrival:

Ellie Russo halted her Camry at the massive gate to the Segue Institute. Two guards in some kind of body armor, their hands resting on automatic rifles strapped to their chests, took position in front of the car. Her tingle of anxiety grew to a full burn of near panic. She was officially here. The thick metal and concrete gate was twenty feet high, cutting into the heavy white fog of the morning. It extended off to both sides of the road, running along the perimeter of the grounds within. Segue was a fortress, a high-security prison.  It was also her only hope for a normal life.

“Not even this place can hold me,” said her shadow from the passenger seat next to her.

“We’ll see about that,” Ellie replied.

The Segue Institute is a lot of fun to write about—its history is rich and its research dangerous. The release of Shadow Touch is also the soft launch of a Segue website. (My husband, so sweet and nerdy, is a programmer. He’s channeled his enthusiasm for my series into creating this website. Thank you, honey!) Content will expand over the summer as the release for my next book, Shadowman, approaches.  Check it out at www.segueinstitute.com. There are three “easter eggs” hidden on the site. Find one, and I’ll send you an arc of Shadowman.

To check out Cam and Ellie’s story, find Shadow Touch here:  Amazon Barnes & Noble

SHADOW TOUCH description:

Magic

It is bleeding into our world, bringing with it banshees, wraiths, fae from the twisting forests of Twilight. But Ellie’s problem is a very different kind of phenomenon…

Shadow

It ought to be attached to her; instead it has a life of its own. And her dark mirror image is a wild thing, willfully seducing the very man Ellie hoped could help.

Science

Cam has devoted his career to exploring the boundaries between this world and the Hereafter. But nothing could prepare him for the mischief and mayhem of a soul split in two.

Surrender

Who will give in first: the man struggling to unite two halves of one fascinating female; the shadow fighting for freedom to experience the thrill of every emotion; or the woman who is about to discover her own deepest desires?

About Erin Kellison:

Stories have always been a central part of Erin Kellison's life. She attempted her first book in sixth grade, a dark fantasy adventure, and still has those early hand-written chapters. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature, and went on for a masters in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on oral storytelling. When she had children, nothing scared her anymore, so her focus shifted to writing fiction. She lives in Arizona with her two beautiful daughters and husband, and she will have a dog (breed undetermined) when her youngest turns five. Visit Erin online: Website|Blog|Facebook|Twitter

Want to read more from Erin?

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One winner will receive: BONDED BY BLOOD (book 1 in Laurie’s Sweetblood series), SHADOW BOUND(book 1 in Erin’s Shadow series) & DARKNESS UNKNOWN by Alexis Morgan *Plus* bookmarks and romance trading cards from both series.

 

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open Internationally
2. Leave a comment answering “What are some of your favorite settings...fictional or real?”
3. Winner will be randomly chosen on June 16th

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Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME

*Cover Art may not be final*
Click author names to visit their webpages  and the book’s title to pre-order from The Book Depository or Goodreads if it isn’t available for pre-order.

Shadowman by Erin Kellison

Series: Shadow #3 Date/Publisher: September 2011 by Kensington Books Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Erin Kellison on Dark Central Station Author Comments:  “…I received my cover for my September 2011 release, Shadowman!  It’s the third in my Shadow series, though each book was written to stand alone. The first two books, Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall, were released through Dorchester Publishing and will be rereleased through them in trade paperback in August and September.”   My Thoughts: I like the heat of flowers from the bottom meeting the cool birches in the background, it draws the eye so powerfully to the cover model right in between.

Description:

GHOSTS
They haunt the halls of the Segue Institute, terrifying the living, refusing to cross over.  But one soul is driven by a very different force.

LOVE
It survives even death.  And Kathleen O’Brien swore she would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.

SHADOWMAN
He broke every rule to have her in life; now he will defy the angels to find her in death.

THE GATE
Forging it is his single hope of being reunited with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters the world.  Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil hunts her too.  Pursued through realms of bright fantasy and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken. . .

Previous Book in the Series:

As You Wish by Gabi Stevens

Series: Time of Transition #2 Date/Publisher: April 2011 by Tor Books Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Author’s blog Author Comments:  “Big, long, awe-filled sigh.” My Thoughts: While bare skin, tattoos and claw marks aren’t unusual on UF covers, I like how this one is done.  The cover model has a hint of androgyny about him, setting him apart from the pack.

Description:

Regina Scott, known as Reggie, has made a successful life for herself despite her lack of magical powers. She is content to live out her life as a Groundling until the outgoing fairy godmothers tell her she’s the second new replacement. In the space of a few days, she faces a curse, a plot to overthrow the Arcani world, and an entirely too enthusiastic mother. And she doesn’t know which will be the most difficult to deal with. Can Reggie balance trust, magic, and danger and still find the happiness she deserves?

Previous Book in the Series:

Wilder’s Mate by Moira Rogers

Series: Bloodhounds #1 Date/Publisher: March 1, 2011 by Samhain Publishing Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Fiction Vixen Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Love it, love it, love it!  The color palette and duster hint at Old West, and the gears worked into the series motif (and the background) give subtle steam-punk hints.  Can’t wait for this one.

Description:
Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America's frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication--keeping his hands off the man's pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira's only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn't going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel's life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn't worth saving. Besides, if there's one thing she's learned, it's that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they're fighting to save.

Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

 

Previous Book in the Series:

N/A

Bloodborn by Karen Kincy

Series: Other #2 Date/Publisher: September 2011 by Flux Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Kate at The Neverending Shelf Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: There’s something very Gothic in this composition, making Brock’s eyes and the moon in the background all the more powerful.  Another beautiful cover for this series.

Description:
It isn’t working. The doctor said it would, but it isn’t, even though I keep taking the pills, and I keep seeing Dad sneak into the bathroom and count how many are left. As if I would stop taking them. As if I would let myself become a beast.

Brock Koeman lost his brother to werewolves. Now he’s in danger of losing himself. Bitten by a werewolf at sixteen, he fights the transformation, taking the excruciating pain as a punishment for his mistakes. With the help of a risky drug called Lycanthrox, he’s managed to stay human for two full moons. But he knows he can’t last much longer.

Hungry for revenge, Brock vows to kill the silver wolf who bit him. But Brock’s ex, the fiery Cynthia Lopez, still cares about him enough not to let him do anything suicidally dangerous—never mind that Cyn gets her thrills from danger herself. Together again, the heat between them rekindles, but Brock feels like a beast beside her beauty. He can’t stay with her; he can’t ignore the werewolves howling outside his window. When he hunts down the pack, Cyn doesn’t sit on the sidelines. She’s right beside him as they get taken hostage and start running with the werewolves, the police hot on their tails. Brock has to get a grip on who he truly is—before the wolf within kills him, or someone else does.

 

Previous Book in the Series:

The Monster’s Corner by Christopher Golden

Series: Anthology Date/Publisher: October 2011 by St. Martin’s Press Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Mihai at Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Utterly gruesome, the way the figures on the cover are arranged hints at both wings and further horrors.  Given the subject matter, very well done.

Description:

- “The Awkward Age” by David Liss

- “Saint John” by Jonathan Maberry

- “Rue” by Lauren Groff

- “Succumb” by John McIlveen

- “Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass” by Kevin J. Anderson

- “Rattler and the Mothman” by Sharyn McCrumb

- “Big Man” by David Moody

- “Rakshasi” by Kelley Armstrong

- “Breeding the Demons” by Nate Kenyon

- “Siren Song” by Dana Stabenow

- “Less of a Girl” by Chelsea Cain

- “The Cruel Thief of Rosy Infants” by Tom Piccirilli

- “The Screaming Room” by Sarah Pinborough

- “Wicked Be” by Heather Graham

- “Specimen 313” by Jeff Strand

- “The Lake” by Tananarive Due

- “The Other One” by Michael Marshall Smith

- “And You Still Wonder Why Our First Impulse is to Kill You: An Alphabetized Faux-Manifesto transcribed, edited, and annotated (under duress and protest)” by Gary A. Braunbeck

- “Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert” by Simon R. Green

 

Previous Anthologies edited by Christopher Golden:

Rush of Darkness
by Rhyannon Byrd

Series: Primal Instinct #7 Date/Publisher: April 2011 by HQN Books Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Kaleigha at Wicked Scribes Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Wow.  The male cover model totally steals the show on this one, I’m going to start reading this series just for the expression on his face and the placement of his hand.

Description:
Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine—a powerful psychic as well as vampire desperately needed a savior. But the last one she expected was the green-eyed soldier who’d once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she’s tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.

But their goals—find the Kraven who held Raine captive and destroy him—are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies closer together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they’re finding harder and harder to deny....

Previous Book in the Series:

Drink, Slay, Love
by Sarah Beth Durst

Series: N/A Date/Publisher: September 13th, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Author’s Blog Author Comments: "I am deliriously in love with it [the cover art], and I can't wait to share it with you. So without further ado... (Please pat your hands on your lap so we have drum roll sound effects. Also, imagine a red velvet curtain raising up. And maybe a few trumpets.) ... the cover art for DRINK, SLAY, LOVE!” My Thoughts: I totally agree with her on this one, beautiful cover art.  Now whether or not that’s enough to get me past the association with EAT, PRAY, LOVE, I really can’t say…

Description:
What happens when a vampire is stabbed through the heart by a were-unicorn? She suddenly develops a very inconvenient conscience. Oops.

Previous Book in the Series:

N/A

Shadow Walker by Allyson James

Series: Stormwalker #3 Date/Publisher: June 2011 by Berkley Sensation Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Kaleigha at Wicked Scribes Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: From the expression on the cover model’s face, I would have expected a different finger to be in the air.  I love the sass they’ve managed to put into this cover.

Description:
Racing her motorcycle down a lonely winter highway, Stormwalker Janet Begay feels the ground collapse beneath her feet. After tumbling two hundred feet into an underground cavern, she manages to escape with help from her sexy dragon-shifter boyfriend, Mick—but not before they disturb some dark forces.

As Janet contends with a hotel inspector intent on putting her out of business, as well as her grandmother, who’s taken up residence, Mick’s behavior becomes strange and erratic, until he is a clear danger to Janet and her friends. Janet’s drag-queen, attitude-ridden magic mirror insists that Mick has been “touched by shadows,” and the Stormwalker realizes that someone is out to enslave her dragon. Now she must free Mick before he kills her…

Previous Book in the Series:

And my picks for Best & Worst…

Best Cover	Worst Cover

So any new to you covers? Which are your Best & Worst picks?