From the Author Pages…

Updating time once again…

• While the very, very long delayed Alejandro’s Sorceress is apparently going to make it to e-release sometime next week, it looks like Alyssa Day is also going to be re-releasing her previous novellas in e-format as well.  Wild Hearts in Atlantis (originally published in the Wild Thing anthology) will be released on October 2nd, and Shifter’s Lady (from the anthology Shifter) will follow on November 6th.
• Originally scheduled for a mid-January release, looks like Jennifer Estep‘s third Mythos Academy book, Crimson Frost, is up at Amazon for preorder for December 24th.
• Looks like Lara Adrian is getting in on the e-book re-release thing, too.  Written under the name Tina St. John, Lara has recently released the Dragon Chalice series in e-format (Heart of the Hunter, Heart of the Flame, Heart of the Dove).  Turns out they will also be coming in trade paperback format, as well.  Details to come.
• There will be a compilation book from Sherrilyn Kenyon featuring all of the short stories written for St. Martin’s Press.  Dark Bites will feature Fear the Darkness (first time in print), and an all new short story starring Acheron.  This one will be out on November 5th.
• oh, and the blurb for the upcoming Elder Races novella from Thea Harrison, Devil’s Gate, is now out.  I am still iffy about a medusa lead – snakes ain’t my thing – but who knows?

Synopsis…

When it comes to love between a medusa and a Vampyre, it’s every man, woman, and snake for themselves.

As a coroner, medusa Seremela Telemar has always felt more comfortable chatting over a dead body than over drinks. But when her wild niece, Vetta, runs off to Devil’s Gate, a lawless town that has sprung up overnight in a modern-day gold rush, she knows she has to extricate her before the rebellious girl gets into real trouble. Though she’s confident in her head snakes’ ability to defend her against attackers, Seremela is still a bit nervous about braving this modern-day Wild West by herself.

Vampyre Duncan Turner is not about to let his new co-worker go into that chaos alone. His Vampyric power and lawyer smarts make him the perfect ally, and the fact that he already had his eye on Seremela for more…personal reasons, doesn’t hurt matters. Any romantic thoughts pull up short, however, when they arrive at Devil’s Gate and learn Vetta is set to hang by morning.

In order to save Vetta and themselves, Seremela and Duncan are going to have to fight fire with force and magic with fangs. And pray they make it out of Devil’s Gate alive.

 

Random stuff…

Meh, not much going on.  No new series this week, so didn’t do that post.   Nothing that catches my eye being released, so no pick of the week, either.  I spent two weeks getting though Tes Hilaire‘s Deliver Me From Darkness, not sure if that was because I was in a slump, or because I had three books staring at me that I wanted to read more, but for some reason I just couldn’t get engaged in this one.  It had everything I like, but I just couldn’t get involved enough in the story to enjoy it, and had a hard time making myself finish it.  I did dive immediately into Patricia Brigg‘s Fair Game afterward, and read almost half the book in one sitting.  I feel so sad for Charles, but I do love seeing Anna come into her own.

There has been another change of plans for Kresley Cole‘s Dacian’s spin off, Shadow’s Claim.  It’s September release date was pushed back to mid-December, but has been moved once again to November 27th.  Also, looks like Kresley is firing up to start another IAD book, but she is being coy about who it will feature (can I hope Thronos and Lanthe?).  The cover for her upcoming Poison Princess will be released soon, so keep an eye out.

Cynthia Eden is writing another Bound book (her e-book novellas series, which are great reads).  Most of those particular stories have been inspired by fairytales, and looks like this time around it is Sleeping Beauty meets vampires and werewolves.  I do love these stories, and I have high hopes that they will head to print format one day.

Richelle Mead is hard at work on next year’s third Bloodlines novel, but no title has been announced yet.  From the sounds of things, though, Adrian is getting himself into all sorts of trouble.

Alyssa Day‘s much, much pushed back novella from the Warriors of Poseidon series, Alejandro’s Sorceress,  is supposed to be finally released this week – but I still can’t seem to track down any links.  For those of you who are interested, there is an excerpt available on her site HERE.

Still working on an update for the look of the site, but let’s just say that there is a nasty steep learning curve for CSS.  And since I am barely computer literate, it is…interesting.  On the plus side, I do love a challenge.

Upcoming E-books

Ok.  I have bored all with my refusal to get into the whole e-book thing on a couple of different occasions.  I was feeling pretty smug about the whole thing, too, clinging to my beloved paper-and-ink books with the shiny covers.  And then sometime in the last couple of days I started to notice something that rocked the boat a bit – a few series that I follow faithfully are releasing new stories that will be available ONLY in e-format.  Huh.  That sucks.

Coming up on December 5th is A Taste of Midnight from Lara Adrian‘s Midnight Breeds series.

A shimmering holiday gala lights up an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands, but beautiful widowed Breedmate Danika MacConn feels alone in the crowd. Even among the friends and festivity of the Darkhaven celebration, she can’t forget her lost love, a fallen warrior of the Order. Her brief return to her mate’s homeland has become treacherous after rejecting the advances of a dangerous Edinburgh crime boss with a taste for blood sport. As Danika seeks to expose the vampire and his dark trade, she discovers an unexpected ally in his forbidding, enigmatic henchman, Brannoc, a man who exudes heat, danger, and dark menace—and seems somehow achingly familiar. Bran has his own reasons for wanting to keep Dani out of his employer’s business . . . and his own secrets he means to keep buried. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a woman who tempts the wildest part of his Breed nature—especially when that woman is Danika MacConn, the one woman capable of bringing him to his knees.

Now, for this next one, you have to head over to Samhain Publishing.  It will be releasing an Elder Races story from Thea Harrison on December 13th, called True Colors.

Meeting your soulmate? Great. Preventing your possible murder? Even better.

Alice Clark, a Wyr and schoolteacher, has had two friends murdered in as many days, and she’s just found the body of a third. She arrives at the scene only minutes before Gideon Riehl, a wolf Wyr and current detective in the Wyr Division of Violent Crime—and, as Alice oh-so-inconveniently recognizes at first sight, her mate.

But the sudden connection Riehl and Alice feel is complicated when the murders are linked to a serial killer who last struck seven years ago, killing seven people in seven days. They have just one night before the killer strikes again. And every sign points to Alice as the next victim.

Shannon K. Butcher will be releasing an e-book from her Sentinal Wars series early next year called Bound By Vengeance.  There is a pretty nifty cover, but no other info available as yet.

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Now, this next one confuses me.  Alyssa Day is supposed to be releasing a Warriors of Poseidon story in December – but there is no trace of a link as to where you can download Alejandro’s Sorceress.  And there is no info, cover blurb, nada.  Just a cover.   Strange.  And it is due out in a couple of weeks…

Now, that is not to say that I am against the e-books – I’m not.  Authors like Kresley Cole, Ilona Andrews and Jeaniene Frost are all going back and re-releasing their novellas in e-format, and I think it is great.  I would just like there to be a print option for us paper-lovers.  I don’t even mind buying an anthology just for one story – I do it all the time.   A while back, I read an interview with Christine Feehan somewhere where she talked about how print runs for romance books are down since people are buying more e-format stories, but that not printing books is forcing people to go in an electronic direction.  It seems like a catch 22, and still leaves me wondering if I just might have to take the plunge one day, after all…

Penguin e-Specials

This is me, sighing.  I am so behind the times.  Turns out that Penguin Publishing has something called e-Specials, and several popular paranormal series have entries in it.  I had no clue.  Not sure if everyone else is ahead of me (er, probably), but I decided to list a few that might appeal…

• Katie MacAlister has a story called Unleashed, and it is part of her Dark Ones series.
• Red Blooded is a Gods of Midnight e-novella from Deidre Knight.
• Never actually heard much about these, but Sunny has a story called Mona Lisa Three, and it is part of her Monere series.
• This one may also be available in a print version anthology, (if I am not completely nuts), but Magic Mourns from Ilona Andrews is also available in the e-special format.
• From Virginia Kantra comes a Children of the Earth story, called Midsummer Night’s Magic.
• Wild About You is a new series from Vicki Lewis Thompson, and it features a short called Werewolf in Greenwich Village.
• I have been looking forward to the new Heather Killough-Walden Lost Angels series, and I believe Always, Angel is a prequel story.
• Moon Dance is the name of the Mageverse novella from Angela Knight.
• From the world of Deborah Cooke‘s Dragonfire series comes Harmonia’s Kiss.
• Eternal Embers is set in the Dragon’s Heat world, written by Tessa Adams.

There were a couple that were unrelated to the Penguin published ones above…

• Charley Davidson returns in the short For I Have Sinned, written by Darynda Jones.
• Early Girl Gets the Blood Wolf is a story by Michele Bardsley, part of her Broken Heart series.
• Alyssa Day will have a Warriors of Poseidon novella coming out in October called Alejandro’s Sorceress, but I can’t seem to find any info about it other than on her official site.
• and the upcoming Eternal Wolf Clan trilogy from Stephanie Tyler will get a prequel in the form of Dire Warning.  Again, no links available as yet.

I am not quite sure how adding the e-books to the new release pages will go, since there are just so darn many of them, and the suckers are proving slippery to track down with any sort of finesse.  It is sort of hit and miss, actually, unless I just haven’t managed to perfect my technique as yet.  What I will be doing is adding the e-books to the reading lists for any of the series already featured here, like the ones listed above.  Might take a while to get them all added, but should be straight forward enough to find.  It is a start, anyways.

Cover Lover – 2 New Titles

Only two this time before I go pass out for the night.  I guess this one has been confirmed for the cover for Heart of Atlantis in the Warriors of Poseidon series.  Alyssa Day posted it on her Facebook page as a done deal.  Hm, still with tiger-Jack featured prominently.  Still not quite sure what Alaric is grabbing at.  I am getting the feeling (and only a feeling) that this might be the end of the series.  With the new series starting in 2012, and both Jack and Alaric on the front, it has got me wondering.   Oh, well.  This one will be out on February 7th.

And next up is the first book from a new series starting next year that I am looking forward to.  Katie Reus will debut the first book from her Moon Shifter series, Alpha Instinct, next February 7th, as well.

Review: Vampire In Atlantis

I don’t usually do reviews here, but since I am moving a bit away from my Goodreads postings, I thought I would give one a shot.  This is for book 7 in Alyssa Day‘s Warriors of Poseidon series, Vampire In Atlantis.  There are spoilers below…

Show.  Don’t tell.

I read those words once upon a time, in the blog or website or some-such of an author I can’t remember now.  Show.  Don’t tell.  I snickered a bit, but I really didn’t understand what that meant until I read Vampire In Atlantis from Alyssa Day.

Now, I have to confess that while I am a faithful follower of this series, it is one that has a somewhat unique place in my reading habits.  The Warriors of Poseidon, along with Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breeds series, just don’t stay with me for some reason.  I read a book from either series, usually enjoy the story, and then promptly forget it.  I can never remember anything about the previous books, the bigger storyline, nothing.  I remember some of the characters, but that is about it.  But still I keep reading, keep enjoying…and keep forgetting.  So I went into this one wondering who Daniel was, and why that name sounded familiar.  But, to summarize…

This is the story of Daniel, the ally of the Warriors of Poseidon and uber-vamp, and Serai, the Atlantean maiden held in a sort of suspended animation for 11,000 years.  After being kept apart for thousands of years, they are reunited at the most perilous of times – in the midst of war, upheaval and chaos.  Both of them are racing against time to save not only those dear to them, but their very lives.  The only ones they can count on are each other, since even the Gods themselves seem to be working against them.

There is nothing Daniel will not due for Serai.  Nothing.  Even though he feels that he is so much less than she deserves, the lowest of creatures, he will use any and all weapons at his disposal to keep her safe.  Serai, for her part, is on a quest to save not only her own life, but that of those she loves.  In fact, Atlantis itself is at stake, and while she is still weak and growing weaker, she is determined to fulfill her destiny.  Serai carries her own guilt where Daniel is concerned, and having him back in her life is a gift she never expected.  As they together fight to find one of the missing jewels from Poseidon’s Trident, old feelings come back stronger than ever for both of them, even though everything seems to be trying to pull them apart.

All of that sounds great.  And on the surface, it is just my thing.  The problem is what I said above – Show.  Don’t tell.  Alyssa Day tells us how strong the love Daniel and Serai has is.  She tells us how fierce and strong and powerful their bond is.  The problem is, she never showed it.  I felt absolutely nothing between the two main characters for most of the book, and when it did come it was just too late.  Daniel said all of the right things – vowed to kill any who touched her, maim any who threatened her, save her no matter what the cost, but I still didn’t feel it.  Serai, for her part, was basically just annoying.  She reminded me of a heroine from a Victorian melodrama…swooning and weak one moment, plucky and courageous the next.  She committed the cardinal sin of being boring, which is a hard one to come back from.  Daniel deserved so, so much better than a heroine we are told is perfect, but who falls far short.

On top of Serai dragging not only the story, but Daniel down, there is also the fact that every single other character is more interesting than the heroine is.  Quinn, Melody, Alaric, Jack, the whole gang in their few scenes manage to be more engaging than Serai could pull off in an entire book. I felt the attraction between Nicolas and Ivy and Melody and Reisen much, much  more than I ever did between Daniel and Serai.  And that is not good.

And then there were the “whoa there” moments.  The snotty talking portal chick?  Huh.  Nicholas the sorta bad guy with Ivy the sorta bad girl turned ok going to go take over ruling the vamps?  Uh, ok.  That was fast.  Reisen suddenly getting two big, strong, healthy and active hands where he only had one and a stump the page before?  Different.  And does anyone remember Denal the missing?  Nope, doesn’t seem like it.  But I think the killer for me was the appearance of Poseidon, God of the Caps button.  I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT A GOD IS TALKING, BUT MAN THE CAPS FOR POSEIDON AND HIS SNARK JUST GOT ON MY LAST NERVE.

I wanted this one to be like the others in the series before – a quick, easy read, enjoyed while I was reading it and then promptly forgotten.  But I will be remembering this one, just for the wrong reasons.

My rating: C

Pick of the Week

Well, I am a bit limited this week.  Even though there are quite a few new releases, I only really follow one of the series, and for some reason that ones tends to…get away from me, I guess you could say.  I enjoy Alyssa Day‘s Warriors of Poseidon series, but tend to forget a lot of the series details between one book and the next.  It is the same thing with Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series – I enjoy the books, but can’t seem to keep the storyline in my head between stories.  Anyhow, this week I am most looking forward to Vampire In Atlantis.  Now I just have to remember who Daniel is…

Synopsis…

Daniel, vampire and ally of the Warriors of Poseidon, has fought on the side of humanity—even against his fellow creatures of the night—for more than 11,000 years.  But the crushing weight of futility and the reality of always being starkly, utterly alone has forced him to finally give into despair. He took the first step into the sunlight that would destroy him—and instead walked into Atlantis.

Eleven thousand years ago, Serai was one of a group who agreed to be placed into magical stasis to ensure the future of the Atlantean race. When a dark sorceress steals the gemstone that protects her sleeping sisters, she awakens to a vastly changed world—and the one man she could never, ever forget. And with an ancient evil tracking their every step, the long-lost lovers must battle both the darkest of magic and the treacheries of their own hearts.

After this one, Alaric’s story (hopefully with Quinn) is up next in Heart of Atlantis, and that should be followed by Shifter in Atlantis featuring Jack.

Random Updates

Hard to believe that details are coming out about the 2012 releases…

• Kimberly Frost will be starting a new series, Etherlin, early next January with the release of All That Bleeds.
• Number seven for Deborah Cooke‘s Dragonfire series will be called Flashfire, due out on January 3rd.
• Haunted Warrior is the January 3rd release from Allie McKay, featuring her time traveling Highlanders.
• Looks like Alaric’s story, Heart of Atlantis, will be out on January 3rd.  It is the eighth book in Alyssa Day‘s Warriors of Poseidon series.
• Anya Bast rounds out her Dark Magick series next January with the release of Midnight Enchantment.
• Looks like Spirit Bound, the postponed Sea Haven book from Christine Feehan, will be out on December 27th.  Which means that my Ghostwalkers book will be pushed back until probably next April.  That sucks, hard.
• L.J. McDonald‘s third Sylph book, Queen of the Sylphs, will be coming out on September 15th.
• Raven Cursed is the next Jane Yellowrock book from Faith Hunter, due out on January 3rd.
• and looks like Marjorie M. Liu will be putting out another book this December 27th, called The Mortal Bone.

Spotlight on…Alyssa Day

Not sure how “new” this is, but it is new to me.   Alyssa Day‘s next release, the June 7th Vampire In Atlantis, now has an official synopsis…

The most unexpected of all allies to Poseidon’s warriors has proven to be the fiercest—Daniel, a vampire and Night Guild mage. But even the strongest alliance can be destroyed when an 11,000 year-old desire is reborn…

A vampire’s oath, a maiden’s quest…

Daniel, vampire and ally of the Warriors of Poseidon, has fought on the side of humanity—even against his fellow creatures of the night—for more than 11,000 years.  But the crushing weight of futility and the reality of always being starkly, utterly alone has forced him to finally give into despair. He took the first step into the sunlight that would destroy him—and instead walked into Atlantis.

And the blackest of magic that could consume them both…

Eleven thousand years ago, Serai was one of a group who agreed to be placed into magical stasis to ensure the future of the Atlantean race. When a dark sorceress steals the gemstone that protects her sleeping sisters, she awakens to a vastly changed world—and the one man she could never, ever forget. And with an ancient evil tracking their every step, the long-lost lovers must battle both the darkest of magic and the treacheries of their own hearts.

Also, there has been a bit of a change of plans in the release schedule which many people will be thrilled with.  Originally, following Vampire In Atlantis, Alyssa Day was to release Shifter In Atlantis.  This one was Jack the Tiger shifter’s story.  Well, looks like Jack has been bumped back in favor of…Alaric.  Yep, we are FINALLY getting Alaric’s book.  It will be called Heart of Atlantis, but no word yet on release date.  Hopefully, this will then be followed by Jack’s book, which I am looking forward to.

Cover Lover – Vampire In Atlantis

June 7th is the release date of the next Warriors of Poseidon book from Alyssa Day, this one called Vampire in Atlantis.  This is a vast improvement over the red-washed previous book, which didn’t work for me.