This is an early surprise, but the cover for J.R. Ward‘s next Black Dagger Brotherhood book, The King, made its debut today. The King, which will be released on March 25th, will be a return to the story of Wrath and Beth.
There has been a bit of a design change for this one. What are you thinking about this one? I liked the design for the first books in the series, but this one isn’t bad, either.
Christine Feehan has announced that she is working on a Dark trilogy (well, two Dark books, a Sisters of the Heart book, and then the third Dark book). The most anticipated of those stories is Skyler and Dimitri’s long awaited Dark Wolf, and now the pre-order link and blurb have been upped on Amazon.
Synopsis…
Skyler Daratrazanoff always recognized the miracle that was Dimitri Tirunul, a man beyond any dream that had ever engaged her nights. But she was human. Vulnerable. He was Carpathian. Nearly immortal. She was nineteen. He was an ancient. Yet she held half his soul, the light to his darkness. Without her, he would not survive. Caught between the two warring species, Dimitri has spent centuries hunting the undead to keep his people free, and humans safe. He had survived honorably when others had chosen to give up their souls. But now, marked for extermination by the Lycans, Dimitri found himself alone, and fearing for his life. But salvation was coming…
No Lycan would ever suspect someone like Skyler to dare mount a secret rescue operation. A teenage girl. A human of untested abilities. But she had something no one else had. She was predestined for Dimitri—as he was for her. And there was nothing stronger for Skyler than her desire to see her life-dream come true. Whatever the risk.
I have to say, that has an angle I didn’t see coming, and I like it. It would be great to see Skyler move out of the victim role and into the heroine one. Dark Wolf hits the shelves next January 7th.
Well, there wasn’t anything that I could call my pick of the week for today’s post, so Cover Lover time it is. I hit the usual sources for these puppies – Amazon and Goodreads. But this first one is thanks to All Things Urban Fantasy. They recently had the exclusive cover reveal for the next Jane Yellowrock book from Faith Hunter, called Black Arts. It will be released on January 7th.
Sticking with the same color scheme is Crimson Veil, the 15th book in Yasmine Galenorn‘s Otherworld series, which will be released on January 28th.
The third book in Cecy Robson‘s Weird Girls series, Cursed by Destiny, will be released on January 7th. I have been meaning to pick up the first book, but it totally slipped my mind.
It looks like there is a second M.L. Brennan Generation V novel in the works. Iron Night will be released on January 7th.
The last of the adult covers comes from author Isabel Cooper. Legend of the Highland Dragon is a December 3rd release.
Next up is a few new young adult covers. Lauren Destefano’s new Internment Chronicles series starts up this October 1st with the release of Perfect Ruin.
Looks like another “Perfect” book. Perfect Lies, the second book in Kiersten White‘s new Mind Games series, will be released on February 18th.
And finally, we have Evertrue, the third and final book in Brodi Ashton‘s Everneath series. I finished the first book not long ago, and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. This one will be released on January 21st.
Hm, there wasn’t really any stand-outs for me from this batch. They are all pretty solid, but nothing dramatic or different. I do have to say that Evertrue is pretty, but seems to lack the little details that make it have a finished look. It lacks the impact of the first book in the series because of it, at least for me. The one I was most surprised by was Perfect Ruin. I think it is a pretty cover, but it very much gives me a children’s book vibe rather than a young adult one. Maybe it looks more dramatic in person, though. What are your thoughts? Anything grab your attention?
Since there isn’t actually any new series starting up this week for a New Series Alert post, it looks like it will be a preview of what is coming up this week in e-books instead. Entangled Covet released a new title today from Susannah Scott called Luck of the Dragon.
Synopsis…
Luciana de Luca has a PhD in sass and gemology–and a problem. Her twin brother’s gambling debts have gotten out of hand, and a mob enforcer is blackmailing her to rob the latest, greatest mega-casino on the Strip. Although Lucy has worked her whole life to get away from her family’s grifter past, to save her brother, she dons three-inch heels and a sluts-r-us dress and struts into Alec’s Gerald’s casino, determined to put her long-forgotten thieving ways to the test again.
Coming on the 20th is a new entry in Rebecca Zanetti‘s Dark Protectors series, this one called Twisted.
Synopsis…
Maggie is a wolf shifter who was captured and experimented on by the Kurjans. Now that a cure has finally been found for shifters (although not for vampire mates or witches), she can concentrate on creating a new life for herself and finally accepting that her memories are gone forever. Most memories, that is. Sometimes in the hazy world between dreams and dawn, she hears a Scottish voice, dark and deep, that sounds suspiciously like wolf-shifter Terrent Vilks. A man she happened to anger by kidnapping a few years back. Hey, it was for a good cause.
Terrent Vilks knows more than he’s let on for the past several years. After digging for answers, he knows exactly why the demons want Maggie dead. And he remembers his past with Maggie…very well. She is finally where he wants her. Now all he has to do is discover what exactly the Kurjans did to her, beat the demons into so much submission they leave her alone, and get her to fall in love with him. Again. Good thing he’s used to wrangling monsters.
And this final one is from the ongoing Bane Chronicles from Cassandra Clare and company. This month’s release is called Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale.
Synopsis…
When immortal warlock Magnus Bane attends preliminary peace talks between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders in Victorian London, he is charmed by two very different people: the vampire Camille Belcourt and the young Shadowhunter, Edmund Herondale. Will winning hearts mean choosing sides?
This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.
Has anyone tried out any of the Entangled: Covet titles yet? I keep meaning to grab Jennifer Armentrout’s Obsession, but I am a bit miffed that it was changed to an e-only release. I still am holding out hope for a print release somewhere down the line, though (says the person who is still waiting for the print version of Shadows).
I never, ever thought I would get to say this, but it is finished. Almost 30 stories, nearly 200 pages of notes, and just under 30,000 words, but I finally got the Character Guide for Lora Leigh‘s The Breeds series done. I will update linkage and stuff after work tonight, but for anyone who is interested, it can be found in the Lora Leigh section in the drop down menu above, or by clicking the link below.
I have to add that this was a difficult one to do. Not just sheer volume, but there are numerous mistakes in the stories themselves. Physical descriptions, names, and back-stories can change from book to book, or sometimes even within the same book. When that happened, I went with either the character’s own story (like Mercury in Mercury’s War. His entire backstory changed in his own book, so I went with that), or when that character has not yet had their story told, I went with the latest info available. Hope you like.
Thanks one again to Doug Meeks, who sent over his take on Diana Rowland‘s White Trash Zombie Apocalypse, which will be released on July 2nd.
What Doug said…
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse
By
Diana RowlandSummary:
Our favorite white trash zombie, Angel Crawford, has enough problems of her own, what with dealing with her alcoholic, deadbeat dad, issues with her not-quite boyfriend, the zombie mafia, industrial espionage and evil corporations. Oh, and it’s raining, and won’t let up.
But things get even crazier when a zombie movie starts filming in town, and Angel begins to suspect that it’s not just the plot of the movie that’s rotten. Soon she’s fighting her way through mud, blood, bullets and intrigue, even as zombies, both real and fake, prowl the streets.
Angel’s been through more than her share of crap, but this time she’s in way over her head. She’ll need plenty of brainpower to fit all the pieces—and body parts—together in order to save herself, her town, and quite possibly the human race.
NOTE: This is the third book in the series, the reading order is:
My Life As A White Trash Zombie Book 1
Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues Book 2
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse Book 3 (Release Date 2 July 2013)Review:
Where do I start for this third installment of the life of Angel? Angel is still trying to have something that resembles a normal life even if she is a zombie (well adjusted as she is) but life just isn’t going to let that happen just yet.
The fact that there is a zombie movie being filmed in her town is just a complication in some of the things that are going to happen. Add to it that fact that it rains almost the whole book which gives a whole new level of stress to everything and just adds to the “life sucks and then you die” type of atmosphere in much of this novel.
The story starts off interweaving a bit of the previous story of how Angel got to be a zombie which is good if this is the first book of the series you have read although you have missed some very good novels if you don’t read them all (preferably in order) .
It doesn’t take long before Angel starts to attract trouble (did I mention people trying to kill/capture her) and so we have the “zombie mafia”, corporate intrigue, a bit of a science fiction flavor and less we forget there seems to be the beginning of more than one love interest. Curious to see where that one is going to go since Marcus the seemingly permanent love interest previously seems to have some competition.
As with previous books in this series the mystery/thriller to solve is the prime mover in this novel and it is done well, a bit multi-layered but not done to the point of confusion.
If I have any complaints about this book it would be that my violent revenge junkie was not fed that well, since I am usually rooting for the hero/heroine to put all the bad guys 6 feet under. Trust me there are some violent encounters in this story but I felt cheated out of some of the more satisfying examples of revenge but the above mentioned “multi-layered” plot does not really allow that … at least not yet.
I do like to be surprised and I got that, along with some additional interrelationship with her Dad which I predict you will enjoy. I can’t say much more on that one without selling the farm.
Reviewer’s Note: many people (including me) really do not like the covers since they do not reflect the story or the character of Angel but only serve to give an untrue picture in line with the title. The author with a large publisher has little control over these things.
Bottom Line: I loved it, kept me interested and someplace around the 50% mark it became a “I can’t put it down” story that kept me up late and losing sleep so I could finish it. Her confusing relationship with her Dad presents a bit more “humanity” to this zombie story it would not otherwise have and gives it some added emotional depth. 5 Stars for a great story and a well written one.
This is a series that has been on my radar for a while – probably because of the covers, I must admit. What is your take on the White Trash series?
Just over a year ago, author Coreene Callahan started her Dragonfury series with a trilogy that included Fury of Fire, Fury of Ice, and Fury of Seduction. Word was that there was at least three more stories planned, and now both the cover and the blurb for the fourth book, Fury of Desire, have been made public. This one will be released on October 15th.
Of all of the warriors in the Nightfury pack, none is more complicated or more damaged than Wick. Emotionally scarred from a childhood of slavery and torture, Wick can barely stand the touch of another person. But all bets are off when he meets newcomer J.J. Solares. When J.J. is unjustly imprisoned, Wick agrees to help rescue and return her to the family fold. But Wick lives a life of self-imposed isolation, even among his beloved brothers in arms. Venturing into the world to seek justice for J.J. may be more than he can bear.
Meanwhile J.J. fights for her life at the hands of brutal prison guard Griggs. When she winds up in the hospital she sees no hope for things getting better. But events take a dramatic turn when she and Wick encounter each other. The connection they share is unlike anything either has felt before. J.J. believes she is hallucinating when she sees the majestic dark-haired god sweep in to save her, and Wick is shaken to his core by the attraction he feels for J.J. For the first time in his life, he finds himself wanting to get close to a woman.
After J.J.’s rescue, the two retire to Wick’s mountain home, where J.J. recovers from physical injury while attempting to help Wick recover from his emotional ones. But neither is out of harm’s way yet. And when they find themselves in the center of a Dragonkind war, they are forced to make the ultimate choice between surrendering to their fears or each other’s love.
This series was a pleasant surprise. It has a very, very strong Black Dagger Brotherhood vibe going on, in both tone and language, but it turns out that I liked it. I have hopes that Wyck’s story will be as enjoyable as the first three. What did you think of the Dragonfury books?
New day, a few new covers. It looks like there are quite a few making the rounds, but I only found four that caught my eye. This first one is for the upcoming St. Croix Chronicles novella by Karina Cooper called The Mysterious Case of Mr. Strangeway. It is due out on August 5th.
Dark Heat is a print compilation of the three Dark Kings e-novellas from Donna Grant, which is due out on December 31st.
This next one looks like fun. Bitter Spirits is the first book in the new Roaring Twenties series from Jenn Bennett, which will be released on January 7th.
And last but not least is the cover for the next Chicagoland Vampires book from Chloe Neill, Wild Things. Love the consistency in these covers…and wolfie in the background, too. Look for it next February.
So, I survived my marathon work weekend, ready to return and start a’ postin’. First up, the Monday New Series Alert post. Yep, all ready to dive in. And…there is one. New series, that is. Looks like I won’t be overdoing things.
Like I said, there is one new series starting up this week, and it comes from the land of Young Adult. Eve Silver‘s Rush is the first book of her new series called The Game.
Synopsis…
So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?
When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.
I really liked the cover for this one, but I think I am going to do a wait-and-see on it. I did just finally splurge and order three other YA books that I have had my eye on for a while, so I don’t want to push my luck.
The debate rages on. And on. And on.
Whenever a book is adapted for either the television or movie screen, there is this strange thing that happens – usually logical, rational and sane people go absolutely nuts over casting choices. Everyone when they read has their own visual interpretation of the characters on the page, and so of course it is impossible to cast the perfect actor that will make everyone happy. There was an outcry when Jennifer Lawrence was cast as The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen – she was too blonde and not skinny enough. Ditto when Josh Hutcherson was cast as Peeta Malark – too short. Too young. Too boyish. Too not Peeta. Of course now, the first movie down and the second on the horizon, it is hard to picture anyone else playing Katniss and Peeta. It seems like the debates never happened.
Right now, there are three major adaptations in varying stages of production (TMI, Divergent, and Vampire Academy), and I am very happy to say I am a fan of all three series (and have read all the books). Things have been pretty quiet on the Vampire Academy front, but it seems that two of them have fans divided by the casting choices – but for different reasons. First up is City of Bones from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. There was a collective gasp from the fandom when Alex Pettyfer was not cast as Jace Wayland (Herondale. Lightwood. Valentine. Morgenstern? You know who I mean). Did I think Alex Pettyfer had the right look for Jace? Yep. Did I think he was the best actor for the role? Nope.
I was very surprised by the outrage many fans expressed when they found out Jamie Campbell Bower had won the role, however – things got loud, and personal, with many saying that Jamie was too ugly/skinny/strange to play Jace. I didn’t like that, and I thought it crossed the line. Questioning a casting choice is one thing, but insulting the actor is quite another. Jamie wasn’t my first choice, but I have steadily been warming up to him in the role from all of the interviews and clips I have seen. And for the most part, others seem to be much more accepting of him, as well. One of the things I am most impressed by is the fact that Jamie acknowledged the controversy, admitted that he found it both difficult and sometimes painful to deal with – and that it made him work even harder to prove everyone wrong. I liked that, and I respect him for it.
So, while the Jace controversy seems to be dying down, another one is making the rounds. This one is directed at the casting of Theo James as Four in Veronica Roth‘s Divergent series. The main argument I have seen is that as good looking as he is, as talented as he is – Theo James is just too old. Four is written as an 18 year old, and Theo is in fact 28 (and looks 28, for that matter). I have to say, though, that I am on the other side of this one, since I was thrilled that they skewed older with the actor. I can’t see a teenage boy having the presence and the quiet strength and determination needed to play Four, and as I was reading Divergent I always read him as a few years older than written anyways. Maybe it is because I am a couple of decades past my teenage years (er, and the target audience), but this was a definite win for me. I would actually be less excited if things had worked out the other way.
Where do you stand? Yes or no on Jamie and Theo? Does the “wrong” casting choice change your opinion of seeing the movie, or do you go with the flow and hope for the best?
