27 March 2010

Hot Off The Press: New UF Releases for April

I was supposed to post this yesterday and just completely forgot. Better late than never, right?

It’s the last Friday of the month which means it’s time to check out what we’re going to be reading next month in HOT OFF THE PRESS!  Adult titles first, YA titles second.  To clarify, I’m using Urban Fantasy as an umbrella term to include books that combine paranormal elements with modern characters in contemporary settings (Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal YA, Contemporary Fantasy, even a little Paranormal Steampunk etc.) All titles below link to Amazon.com

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Check out which of these authors are stopping by this month:

Is your book coming out soon? Contact me to schedule your visit

April –Adult Titles

Her Vampire Husband (Hqn) Wicked Games #3

by Michele Hauf - April 1, 2010

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  • Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (April 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373774990
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373774999
 
 
Book Description

She may resist his bite, but she can't resist his charms…

Werewolf princess Blu Masterson won't allow her seductive vampire husband to consummate their marriage with his bite, marking her forever. Alone in a secluded estate with her sworn enemy, Blu curses the marriage arranged to bring their rival nations together, especially since Creed Saint-Pierre calls out to her most feral desires.

When Blu uncovers her pack's secret plot to destroy the vampire nation—and Creed—she is forced to confront her growing feelings for her sexy undead husband. Will she choose the only life she's ever known or accept his vampire bite?


Hell Fire (Corine Solomon, Book 2)

by Ann Aguirre April 6, 2010

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Roc; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451463242
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451463241
 
 
Book Description

The second in the thrilling national bestselling series
As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck-Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift".
But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents-and it can only be satisfied with death...


Demonkeepers: A Novel of the Final Prophecy

by Jessica Andersen - April 6, 2010

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Signet; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451229576
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451229571
 
 
Book Description

According to Mayan doomsday prophecy, 12/21/12 marks the end of the world in a global cataclysm that can only be prevented by the Nightkeepers, magical warriors enlisted to fight the rise of the underworld demons. To fulfill the final prophecy the Nightkeepers must find their mates, but when Lucius and Jade are charged with rescuing the Mayan sun god, they try to ignore their growing attraction. Unless they can confront their own demons and accept that love isn't a weakness, even destiny might not be able to save them...


Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)

by Jim Butcher - April 6, 2010

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Roc Hardcover (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 045146317X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451463173
 
 
Book Description

The new novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series.
Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden's lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.
Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry's not fighting to save the world...
He's fighting to save his child.


A Witch In Time (A Bewitching Mystery)

by Madelyn Alt - April 6, 2010

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425232611
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425232613
 
 
Book Description

The latest in the "quirky, enchanting, mystical, and addictive" (Annette Blair) series by national bestselling author Madelyn Alt.
Stony Mill, Indiana's newest witch, Maggie O'Neill, has been attached at the hip to the smoking-hot Marcus Quinn. Things couldn't get any better- until her sister Mel gives birth to not one, but two babies...
Maggie's visiting Mel in the hospital when a whispered conversation in a cafeteria sends chills down her spine. She can't make out what they're saying, but Maggie knows malice when she hears it. The next night, death visits the hospital...twice. Nobody bats an eye, but Maggie knows something sinister is haunting the hospital. Now she'll need help if she's going to tie two murders to one killer.


Lion's Heat (Breeds)

by Lora Leigh - April 6, 2010

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425233804
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425233801
 
 
Book Description

The mating urge cannot be ignored...
Bad boy Jonas Wyatt knows it is fate that Rachel becomes his mate. He can sense it. He can also sense her reluctance. But she has little power over the mating heat of the Breeds. It is Jonas's destiny to claim her. And nothing will stop him from having his way.


Tales of the Otherworld

by Kelley Armstrong - April 13, 2010

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (April 13, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553807889
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553807882
 
 
Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong has bewitched audiences with her Otherworld series of supernatural thrillers. Now, in this new collection of shorter fiction, some of Armstrong’s most tantalizing lead characters appear alongside her unforgettable supporting players, who step out of the shadows and into the light.

Have you ever wondered how lone wolf Clayton Danvers finally got bitten by the last thing he ever expected: love? Or how the hot-blooded bad-girl witch Eve Levine managed to ensnare the cold, ruthless corporate sorcerer Kristof Nast in one of the Otherworld’s most unlikely pairings? Would you like to be a fly on the wall at the wedding of Lucas Cortez and Paige Winterbourne as their eminently practical plans are upended by their well-meaning friends? Or tag along with Lucas and Paige as they investigate a gruesome crime that looks to be the work of a rogue vampire?

Now devotees of the Otherworld can share these special moments with some of their favorite characters—as well as discovering deeper insights into the lives of some of the lesser-known players. But even readers new to the

Otherworld universe will find much to love in these seven tales of friendship, adventure, and enduring romance. For when the superhuman men and women of the Otherworld set their minds to a task, they do so with fierce passion and an undivided sense of purpose that make them, in the end, very much human.


Amazon Queen (Amazons, Book 2)

by Lori Devoti – April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1439167729
  • ISBN-13: 978-1439167724
 
 
Book Description

Being an Amazon ruler just became a royal pain.Amazon queen Zery Kostovska has never questioned tribe traditions. After all, these rules have kept the tribe strong for millennia and enabled them to live undetected, even in modern-day America. Zery is tough, fair, commanding—the perfect Amazon leader.At least, she was. A new high priestess with a penchant for secrecy and technology is threatening Zery’s rule. Plus, with the discovery of the Amazon sons, males with the same skills as their female counterparts, even Zery can’t deny that the tribe must change. But how? Some want to cooperate with the sons. Others believe brutal new leadership is needed—and are willing to kill to make it happen.Once, Zery’s word was law. Now, she has no idea who to trust, especially with one powerful Amazon son making her question all her instincts. For Zery, tribe comes first, but the battle drawing near is unlike any she’s faced before . . . and losing might cost her both the tribe and her life.


A Breath of Magic (Magic Series #3)

by Tracy Madison – April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Leisure Books; Reprint edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0505528363
  • ISBN-13: 978-0505528360
 
 
Book Description

Waiting to exhale

Chloe Nichols is holding her breath. All her life, finding true happiness with a family has seemed as easy as...well, snagging a bubble off the wind—a bubble that her current boyfriend seems dead set on bursting. Yes, every time Chloe mentions her one true desire, Kyle shoots down her hopes. But he hasn’t reckoned with the awesome power of Gypsy magic, or with loyal kith and kin. One way or another, Chloe’s going to get her happily-ever-after. One could sometimes be found after you’d convinced a man he loves you, right? All Fate needs is a little puff in the right direction...


Chaos Bites (The Phoenix Chronicles #4)

by Lori Handeland April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312366035
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312366032

 

 
Book Description

It’s not the end of the world—yet. But Doomsday once again lies in wait for demon-slayer Elizabeth Phoenix. Several weeks ago she had no choice but to kill a man she loved. Sawyer was a witch and shape-shifter, a sorcerer of incredible strength. And now he’s started to invade her dreams…in the most dangerous and sensuous ways imaginable.

Through her nighttime visits with Sawyer, Liz has acquired a new set of paranormal powers. She has also received a special new gift in the form of Sawyer’s baby. Now nothing is as it seems as Liz combs through the chaos of her new life while trying to outrun death at every turn. She’s going to need all the help she can get—even if that means dealing with her embittered ex-lover Jimmy Sanducci. He may be the only one left she can trust…since every other demon on earth is hell-bent on her destruction.


Ghosts & Echoes (Shadows Inquiries #2)

by Lyn Benedict - April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Ace; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 044101870X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0441018703

 

 
Book Description

Sylvie is back from vacation, and all she wants out of life right now is for the Magicus Mundi to leave her alone for a bit. No dead things, no mayhem, no life-and-death struggles. Just because Sylvie managed to take some time off doesn't mean that the Magicus Mundi has to follow her example, though, and it's been piling things up on her doorstep while she was away.

Still, she can pick and choose her cases, right? Solving a string of burglaries sounds perfect--mind-numbingly boring and mundane. Until you throw in Sylvie's missing sister, a generous helping of necromancy, and a Chicago cop possessed by a disturbingly familiar spirit.

As the Rolling Stones sang, "You can't always get what you want."


Into the Dark

by Gena Showalter- April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HQN Books; Reprint edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373774516
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373774517
 
 
Book Description

"New York Times" and "USA Today"-bestselling author Showalter delivers an ultra-sexy anthology containing three darkly sensual otherworldly tales and a brand-new Lords of the Underworld guide. This collection includes the novellas "The Darkest Fire, The Amazon's Curse," and "The Darkest Prison."


Teeth of Beasts (Skinners)

by Marcus Pelegrimas- April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Eos; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061463078
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061463075
 
 
Book Description

Horrible things move through the shadows of our world—bloodsuckers, Full Bloods and mongrel beasts, shapeshifters and minor freaks. For centuries creature hunters known as Skinners have protected humankind. But who protects the Skinners . . . from madness?

Unbeknownst to the human population, a pestilence is raging through an unseen community of low-level monstrosities. What seems, at first glance, a boon for the mortal cause has horrific connotations—as the Skinner team of Cole Warnecki and Paige Strobel races across the Midwest to uncover the shocking secret of the “Mud Flu.” For a nightmare of destruction and blood sacrifice is looming—one born of an unholy meeting nearly two centuries ago—that will pit man against beast, and Skinner against Skinner.


Touch of Surrender (Primal Instinct #5)

by Rhyannon Byrd – April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373774648
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373774647
 
 
Book Description

THEIR LOVE IS THEIR DESTINY. . .

With his auburn hair and lean build, Kierland Scott looks more man than Lycan. But his wolf instincts are aroused by the gray-eyed Morgan Cantrell. Not because of her beauty, but because of her long-ago betrayal, a fateful choice that made their love impossible. Now, however, the two Watchmen must team up, leaving the placid Lake Country for the forests of Scandinavia. To rescue Kierland’s brother, they must track a vampire—and use their combined shape-shifting sensitivities in a battle that will take them beyond death. As the two learn to seek together, they begin to understand the history that has driven them apart. But they will have to overcome death itself, if their shared passion is to have a chance.

Wild Fire (Leopard)

by Christine Feehan- April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Jove; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0515147907
  • ISBN-13: 978-0515147902
 
 
Book Description

The heat of passion--and danger--rises like jungle fire in the all-new novel of the leopard people by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan…

Called on a dangerous assignment, leopard shifter Conner Vega returns to the Panama rainforest of his homeland, looking every bit the civilized male. But as a member of the most lethal of the shifter tribes, he doesn’t have a civilized bone in his body. He carries the scent of a wild animal in its prime, he bears the soul-crushing sins of past kills--and he’s branded by the scars of shame inflicted by the woman he betrayed.

Isabeau Chandler’s a Borneo shifter who’s never forgiven Conner--or forgotten him. The mating urge is still with her, and when she crosses Connor’s path, passions run like wild fire. But as Connor’s mission draws Isabeau closer, another betrayal lies waiting in the shadows--and it’s the most perilous and intimate one of all.


Lover Mine: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood

by J. R. Ward – April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 528 pages
  • Publisher: NAL Hardcover; 1st edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451229851
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451229854
 
 
Book Description

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.

Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.


 Feed 

by Mira Grant  (Seanan McGuire)- April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316081051
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316081054
Book Description

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.
NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.


Marked (Eternal Guardians)

by Elisabeth Naughton - April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Dorchester Love Spell; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0505528223
  • ISBN-13: 978-0505528223
 
 
Book Description

As unrest in the Underworld threatens, seven immortal warriors descended from the greatest heroes in all of Ancient Greece may just be mankind’s last hope.

THERON – Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

April– YA Titles

 The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, Book 3)

by Kelley Armstrong - April 6, 2010

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  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061662836
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061662836
 
Book Description

My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is one thing I'm not.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

As far away from normal as it gets.


The Clearing

by Heather Davis - April 12, 2010

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Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 228 pages
  • Publisher: Graphia; Original edition (April 12, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0547263678
  • ISBN-13: 978-0547263670
 
Book Description

In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

     Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae’s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

     Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist—Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she’s starting to fall for him.

     But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it’s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known—but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

     In The Clearing, author Heather Davis crafts a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny—a perfect book to slip into and hide away for awhile.


Radiant Shadows

by Melissa Marr - April 20, 2010

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  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins (April 20, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061659223
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061659225
 
Book Description

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.


Burned (House of Night Novels)

by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast - April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312606168
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312606169
 
Book Description

When friends stop trusting each other, Darkness is there to fan the flames….

Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her.  But how?  He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates.  And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…

Enter  BFF Stevie Rae.  She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own.  The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences.  Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good.  The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world.

In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it).  She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not.  Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance.

Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned.


Guardian of the Dead

by Karen Healey- April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 031604430X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316044301
 
Book Description

"You're Ellie Spencer."
I opened my mouth, just as he added, "And your eyes are opening."

Seventeen-year-old Ellie Spencer is just like any other teenager at her boarding school. She hangs out with her best friend Kevin, she obsesses over Mark, a cute and mysterious bad boy, and her biggest worry is her paper deadline.
But then everything changes. The news headlines are all abuzz about a local string of serial killings that all share the same morbid trademark: the victims were discovered with their eyes missing. Then a beautiful yet eerie woman enters Ellie's circle of friends and develops an unhealthy fascination with Kevin, and a crazed old man grabs Ellie in a public square and shoves a tattered Bible into her hands, exclaiming, "You need it. It will save your soul." Soon, Ellie finds herself plunged into a haunting world of vengeful fairies, Maori mythology, romance, betrayal, and an epic battle for immortality.


Thief Eyes

by Janni Simner - April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375866701
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375866708
 
Book Description

The latest YA fantasy book from Bones of Faerie author Janni Lee Simner!
After her mother mysteriously disappears, sixteen-year-old Haley convinces her father to take her to Iceland, where her mother was last seen. There, amidst the ancient fissures and crevices of that volcanic island, Haley meets gorgeous Ari, a boy with a dangerous side who appoints himself her protector.
When Haley picks up a silver coin that entangles her in a spell cast by her ancestor Hallgerd, she discovers that Hallgerd's spell and her mother's disappearance are connected to a chain of events that could unleash terrifying powers and consume the world. Haley must find a way to contain the growing fires of the spell—and her growing attraction to Ari.
Janni Lee Simner brings the fierce romance and violent passions of Iceland's medieval sagas into this twenty-first-century novel, with spellbinding results.


WEREling

by Steve Feasey - April 27, 2010

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Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 031259612X
 
 
Book Description

Fourteen-year-old Trey Laporte is not a kid anymore. Not after the day he wakes up in agony—retina-splitting, vomit-inducing agony. His clothes are torn. His room is trashed.
Enter Lucien Charron, the mysterious, long-lost “uncle” with freakish fire-flecked eyes and skin that blisters in the sun. Suddenly, Trey finds himself living in a luxury penthouse at the heart of a strange and sinister empire built on the powers of the Netherworld—vampires, demons, sorcerers, and djinn. 
And there is a girl—Alexa Charron—who is half vampire, half human, and insanely pretty, with powers all of her own. Trey is falling for her. 
Trey is training night and day to control the newly discovered power lurking inside him. Now, demons are closing in on every side, and the most psychopathic bloodsucker to rock the Netherworld wants to destroy him. Above all,  he  must face one terrifying question:
Is he a boy . . . or is he a beast?


Whisper 

by Phoebe Kitanidis - April 27, 2010

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  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061799254
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061799259
 
 
Book Description

I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…
Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.


Please CONTACT ME if I missed your title and I will update this post.
*Release dates are subject to change

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Book Description

Right now, I’m a redhead. I’ve been blonde and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled color change usually means relocating in the middle of the night. So far, I’m doing well here. Nobody knows what I’m running from. And I’d like to keep it that way…

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her “gift”. Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine’s gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…


Review:
BLUE DIABLO is the first book in Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon series.  The first half of this book is absolutely amazing.  I loved Corine, with her vulnerable yet tough bravado.  I loved the history between Corine and her ex Chance, who was not at all your typical alpha hero (though still every inch an alpha).  But most of all I loved Ann Aguirre’s writing.  It was earthy and smart, full of texture.  Every one of my senses was engaged.   If you’ve ever been to Mexico, you’ll appreciate the authentic flavor that will absolutely convince you that you’ve spend the weekend south of the border.

The second half of the was not quite as amazing.  There were a few nearly pointless scenes (the séance) where a teeny tiny piece of evidence was gleaned that could have been obtained in other (much less complicated) ways.  Also a bit too much procrastination when it came to the final showdown. Corine and Chance kept visiting the same locations over and over again when one visit would have sufficed. 

Don’t get me wrong, BLUE DIABLO was still an excellent book and the start of what promises to be a topnotch urban fantasy series.  Chance has a line early on in the book where he says he doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but he does believe in that ‘Click. Recognition.’  That’s kind of how I feel about BLUE DIABLO.  There is something here that just clicked.  Maybe it wasn’t love at first site, but I think I waited all of 5 minutes before pre-ordering Hell Fire (Corine Solomon, book 2) which releases on April 6, 2010.

Sexual Content: References to sex, vague descriptions of sex, a non graphic rape scene (extremely brief), references to rape and sex trafficking. 

My Rating (out of 5):
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Click HERE to read an excerpt of BLUE DIABLO


Product Details

  • image Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Roc; 1 edition (April 7, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451462645
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451462640

26 March 2010

Review: Must Love Hellhounds by Meljean Brook

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Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris and Nalini Singh and national bestselling authors Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brook, tales of man's worst friend...

In these hound-eat-hound worlds, anything goes... and everything bites.
Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell. Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non- lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment. Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he's following-in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns. Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind- and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.
These four novellas by today's hottest paranormal authors will have hellhound lovers everywhere howling.

*Note* I’ll be reviewing each story in this anthology in separate posts.


"Blind Spot" by Meljean Brook

The job was simple: find her boss’s niece, bring her home safely, and hand out a whole lot of pain to whoever had abducted her. But Maggie hadn’t counted on her boss’s nephew, the hellhound who loved to make her life difficult, or her own past rearing its complicated and ugly head.-Book Description from MeljeanBrook.com

Review:
"Blind Spot” by Meljean Brook takes place in the world of her Guardian Series.  It is not necessary to have read all the previous books in this series to enjoy “Blind Spot” as each story focuses primarily on a different couple. However, if you want to read the series chronologically, the order would be:

  1. HOT SPELL (anthology) – The Guardians, Prequel Novella
  2. DEMON ANGEL – The Guardians, Book 1
  3. WILD THING (anthology) – The Guardians, Book 1.5
  4. DEMON MOON – The Guardians, Book 2
  5. DEMON NIGHT – The Guardians, Book 3
  6. FIRST BLOOD (anthology) – The Guardians, Book 3.5
  7. DEMON BOUND – The Guardians, Book 4
  8. DEMON FORGED – The Guardians, Book 5
  9. MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS (anthology) – The Guardians, Book 5.5

Note to my readers: Although MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS will be published a month before DEMON FORGED, the story in the anthology takes place after the events of DEMON FORGED, and “Blind Spot” contains minor spoilers for Irena and Alejandro’s story. I have done my best to keep those spoilers to a minimum, however… –Meljean Brook

Ex CIA operative Maggie Wren (who appeared briefly in Demon Forged) has been working as a ‘butler’ for the vampire Colin Ames-Beaumont (from Demon Moon) when she is sent to rescue his kidnapped niece, Katherine, along with the aid of his nephew, Blake.  While not a vampire like his uncle, Blake, though blind,  has his own talents that include being able to see through anyone else's eyes.  Given the title of this anthology, I’ll give you one guess what kind of breed his seeing eye dog is.

Despite having roughly the same amount of pages as the other authors in this anthology, Meljean delivers the best romance of the bunch in “Blind Spot.” It drives me nuts in a story when character’s stop for ‘sex breaks’ during life or death situations (for example rescuing your sister from her demon kidnapper).  Fortunately, while there is a satisfying amount of romantic tension here, both characters have enough self control to put Katherine’s life ahead of their own attraction.

I really only had one problem with this story.  I would imagine that growing up together, Katherine and Blake would have learned the most effective ways of communicating with each other, given their unique abilities.  And I have to think that sign language would have occurred to someone by now.  I mean how hard would it be to look at your own hands and even just spell out a message alphabetically? 

This was my first time reading Meljean Brooks and I’m now going to have to add myself to her throngs of fans. Her writing, pacing, characters, and world are simply delicious.  The next Guardian book, Demon Blood is due out July 6, 2010.

Sexual Content: References to sex.

My Rating (out of 5):

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Click HERE to read an excerpt of Blind Spot


Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade; X edition (September 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425229599
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425229590
  • Cover art: Don Sipley

    Disagree with my review?  Email me your review for this or any other book I reviewed and I might use it for 2nd Opinion Review

    25 March 2010

    Throwdown Thursday: Hell Fire vs. On The Edge

    Throwdown Thursday is a weekly thing [hosted by The Neverending Shelf] where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!

    Last week’s Throwdown asked: Are flowers the tattoos of the Paranormal YA genre? I didn’t exactly pit two things against each other very clearly with that one, but I did think it was a notable trend that deserved a post.  So instead of the normal results, I’m going to share my favorite comment from the post:

     Danielle87 said...

    It is a tad patronizing that PR departments seem to think that young women will see flowers on book cover and experience some sort of girly/magpie attack: "ooooohhhhhhh.... SHINY! Must buy!"
    But I guess for every genre a lot of research is put into what attracts its readers to the cover - so there is probably statistical proof out there that girls buy books with flowers on them. How degrading.

    I think the covers in that post are all very striking and while I wouldn’t suffer from an ”oooooooohhhhhhh….SHINY! Must buy!” attack, I’ll admit I would probably have a “What a lovely cover design.  I’m going to read the back and then make an informed decision about whether or not to buy this book” episode.  That’s different, right? Now if there was a pony trend in YA covers…yes, patronizing and degrading…unless the ponies were super pretty. 


    So I finally started reading Ann Aguirre’s BLUE DIABLO (Corine Solomon, book 1) after letting it sit on my shelf for more months then I care to admit.  The description sounded really good too, not to mention the blurb from Patricia Briggs.  But it ended up getting buried under newer titles…until now. My friend Rebecca from Dirty Sexy Books raved about Ann’s GRIMSPACE, so I knew it was past time I read this talented author. 

    So, I added GRIMSPACE to my wishlist, started BLUE DIABLO, and now I’m having to tear myself away from it to finish this post (and the petty part of me hates each and every one of you for keeping me from it—not to mention Rebecca for letting me go this long without reading Ann Aguirre), it’s that good.  So, I thought I could spotlight the next Corine Solomon book, HELL FIRE, which comes out on April 6, 2010, and at the same time highlight another—much smaller—trend: girl leaning against a red vehicle. ON THE EDGE (another excellent book. I gave it 4/5 bats) has the jump on this mini-trend, but which do you like better?

    Hell Fire vs. On The Edge

     image image

    Hell Fire (Corine Solomon, #2) by Ann Aguirre

    Book Description

    The second in the thrilling national bestselling series
    As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck-Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift".
    But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents-and it can only be satisfied with death...

    Product Details

    • Paperback: 336 pages
    • Publisher: Roc; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
    • Language: English
    • ISBN-10: 0451463242
    • ISBN-13: 978-0451463241

    On the Edge (The Edge, #1) by Ilona Andrews

    Book Description

    Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

    Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

    But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .

    Product Details

    • Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
    • Publisher: Ace; Original edition (September 29, 2009)
    • Language: English
    • ISBN-10: 0441017800
    • ISBN-13: 978-0441017805

    24 March 2010

    “Mercy is not just another cookie-cutter tough-chick urban fantasy heroine; she's got a lot of style and substance and an intriguing backstory. . . Highly recommended.”

    Library Journal

     

    #1 New York Times Bestseller Patricia Brigg’s will be on tour in April for her next hardcover SILVER BORNE (Ace; on-sale March 30, 2010). Briggs will be signing books and meeting with readers! Please see below for dates.

     

     

    The phenomenal Patricia Briggs will be coming (hopefully) to a city near you next month for the release of the newest Mercy Thompson book, SILVER BORNE.  The Mercy Thompson series is, in my opinion, the hands down best urban fantasy series to date, and if you haven’t read them, go now!  Sadly Patricia will not be making an Arizona stop on her tour, but I plan on living vicariously through those of you who live in the fortunate cities below:

    March 30th in SEATTLE

    UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE@ 7 PM

    4326 University Way NE 

    Seattle, WA  98105 

     

    March 31st in PORTLAND

    POWELL'S BOOKS @ 7 PM

    Cedar Hills Crossing

    3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd 

    Beaverton, OR  97005 

     

    April 6th in LOS ANGELES

    BARNES AND NOBLE #2743 @ 7 PM

    7881 Edinger Ave. 

    Huntington Beach, CA  92647 

     

    April 7th in SAN DIEGO

    MYSTERIOUS GALAXY @ 7 PM

    7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd: Ste 302

    San Diego, CA  92111 

     

    April 9th in HOUSTON

    MURDER BY THE BOOK @ 6:30 PM

    2342 Bissonnet St 

    Houston, TX  77005 

     

    April 10th in MINNEAPOLIS

    UNCLE HUGO'S SCIENCE FICTION BOOKSTORE @ 1 PM

    2864 Chicago Avenue South 

    Minneapolis, MN  55407 

     

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