Spotlight on…Angela Knight

Everyone has those authors that they keep meaning to read, have on their TBR piles, but can just never seem to get to.  One of mine is Angela Knight.  I have enjoyed the little bit of hers that I have read, but just can’t get to the rest (and there is a lot to get to).  On a random check-up on her site and blog, I found out that this is a big year for Angela Knight.

It appears that Master of Darkness, the 9th Mageverse book, was actually the series finale.  I was surprised to find that the series had ended, since it seems there was very little fanfare about it.  The Mageverse series revolves around King Arthur’s Knights, who are actually vampires that fight on the side of good.  They live in a magical world parallel to our own called the Mageverse, but enter our world to help mankind.

Also finishing up is the Time Hunters series.  The final story, Enforcer, will be released in the Unbound anthology on March 5th.  The Time Hunters series was a spin-off of Angela’s book Jane’s Warlord, and focused on the time-traveling agents of the Temporal Enforcement Agency.

But even though both established series are wrapping up, there is also a new one to look forward to.  Starting next August, Angela will be releasing a new trilogy called The Familiars.  The first book doesn’t have an official title as yet, but some details about the new series have been released…

          Branwyn Donovan, a war photographer, and her twin sister, Aislyn, a political blogger, work for their brother, Conal, who runs a media empire that’s fast overtaking Fox News in the ratings.

But they’re not your typical TV talking heads. All three are Changelings: the half-breed children of Siobhan Donovan, a beautiful Sidhe rebel who fled the Mageverse centuries ago after a failed attempt to assassinate a despotic fairy king.

Siobhan brought three Familiars with her — shape-shifting creatures of great age and magical ability. Feathered serpent Finvarra, cat creature Danu and hawk shifter Essus dispense magical assistance, sarcasm and frequent doses of guilt to Branwyn, Aislyn, and Conal.

As the trilogy begins, the Familiars discover three other Changelings living on Mortal Earth. Gabriel Taggart is a former Navy SEAL and half-Sidhe warrior, while police detective Kevin Morland has no idea he has magical blood. Meanwhile Changeling Julia Vance has been dodging fairy assassins for years. The Familiars decide all three would make perfect mates for Branwyn, Aislyn and Conal.

But even as the Familiars start their magical matchmaking, the Changelings clash with deadly enemies determined to kill them all.

What did you think of the ending of both the Mageverse and the Time Hunters series?  Are you looking forward to the new Familiars?  It does sound like a spin-off more than a stand alone, but I will be checking them out.

Cover Lover – 4 New Titles

Wow, what a totally crap last few days to find anything new to post.  Seems like just a bad time of year for covers and release info, but hopefully that will turn around next month.  There are just four little covers to show this time…

This first one is from Alexandra Ivy and her re-released Immortal Rogues series.  My Lord Immortality is the third and final book, due out on December 31st.

Not sure I am feeling this one.  Tracy Deebs has released the cover for Doomed, a high-tech Pandora’s box tale, which is due out on January 8th.

Over on her blog, Angie Fox has released the cover for the second book in her Monster M*A*S*H series (which I had never heard of before).  Immortally Embraced will be released on February 26th.

And finally, this is the cover for Unbound.  It is the Angela Knight, Jennifer Ashley, Jean Johnson and Hanna Martine anthology due out on March 5th (there is also another anthology of the same name that came out in 2009 that featured Jeaniene Frost and Kim Harrison, but this is an all new release).

Random Updates…

A little bit of this…a little bit of that.

• There will be a fourth book in the Dark Dynasties series from Kendra Leigh Castle.  Immortal Craving will be released on January 29th.
• The Underworld Detection Agency Chronicles series from Hannah Jayne will also have a fourth book released.  Under the Gun is due out on February 5th.
• March 26th is the release date for Jennifer Estep‘s Deadly Sting, part of her Elemental Assassin series.
• The third book from Sandra Hill‘s Deadly Angels series will be called Kiss of Temptation, and it is also due out on March 26th.
• Jenna Black‘s third Nikki Black book, Rogue Descendant, will be released on April 30th.
• April 30th is also the release date for Delilah S. Dawson‘s second Blud novel, Wicked as She Wants.
• Sinner’s Heart from Zoe Archer will be hitting the shelves on April 2nd.
• The second book from Julie Kagawa‘s Blood of Eden series, The Eternity Cure, is due out next May.
• August 2013 will see the start up of a new series from Angela Knight called Familiar.  No other details available as yet.
• The oft-delayed Warriors of Poseidon novella, Alejandro’s Sorceress, is now completely MIA.  Seems like Alyssa Day decided to do a total re-write and start basically from scratch, so new release details are sketchy.
• Also, there has been a change in the scheduled Beginnings of Magic by Ilona Andrews.  Instead of being compilation of the first two Kate Daniels books, it will now be a special edition re-print of Magic Bites.  The cover copy says “This special edition includes in-depth information about the world of Kate Daniels, with descriptions of its characters and factions. Explore Kate’s Atlanta like never before with answers to FAQ and a quiz to find your place there. And don’t miss the prequel story “A Questionable Client,” as well as scenes of events in Magic Bites from Curran’s point of view.”  It is now called Magic Bites: A Special Edition of the First Kate Daniels Novel.

Cover Lover – 3 New Titles

Another three for the list.  I have never actually added any of the Maggie Shayne books, for what reason I can’t really say, so Mark of the Witch is the first.  This one is due out on September 18th.

I stopped reading Jessica Andersen‘s Final Prophecy series a few books back, but I have to say that they have pretty covers.  This one, for the final book, is no exception.  Spellfire is due out on November 6th.  And while I am a straight chick, I think the gal on the cover is one of the prettiest cover models I have come across.

The final cover is from Angela Knight and her Mageverse series.  Master of Darkness is due out on August 7th.

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.

New Release Info…

In the process of updating the current release dates, I came across a bit more info to be added to the site.

• Allison Pang will release her second Abby Sinclair book, A Sliver of Shadow, on February 28th.
• The fourth book in the Immortals of Annwyn series from Sophie Renwick will be called Bound in Velvet.  Look for it on June 5th of next year.
• Deadly Descendant will be the second book in the Descendants series from Jenna Black, due out on April 24th.
• The Paranormal Scene Investigations series from Laura Anne Gilman will continue this November with the release of the third book, Tricks of the Trade.
• Black Dawn is the title of the 12th Rachel Caine Morganville Vampires book, and it should be out on May 1st.
• This is a long one to list.  Hannah Jayne will release the third book in her Underworld Detective Agency series next May 1st, called Under Suspicion.
• Next up from C.E. Murphy is Raven Calls, part of her Walker Papers series.  It should be out on February 21st.
• From the Phantom Corps series from Lauren Dane comes Captivated.  It is a May 1st release.
• Number four from Lyn Benedict‘s Shadows & Inquiries series will be called Lies & Omens, out on April 24th.
• Charlaine Harris‘ monster hit Sookie Stackhouse series continues next May with the release of the 12th book, Deadlocked.
• The new Devil’s Bargain series from Terri Garey will continue with the release of book two, A Devil Named Desire, next January 31st.
• Angela Knight‘s next Mageverse book will be called Master of Darkness, and is scheduled for next August.
• Reaper’s Revenge, the second book in Sarah McCarty‘s Shadow Reapers series, will be released next July.
• And Alexis Morgan seems to be trying something a bit different.  Next July, she will be releasing My Lady Mage, what appears to be the first book in a new series called The River of the Damned.
• A Hunger So Wild is the title for the second book in Sylvia Day‘s new Renegade Angels series.  It is a late July release.
• Also next July will be the release of Night Forbidden, the 5th book in the Envy Chronicles from author Joss Ware.
• WVMP Radio, the series from Jeri Smith-Ready, continues next October with the release of the 4th book called Lust for Life.
• Karen Chance will also be releasing a new one next October.  Fury’s Kiss is part of her Midnight’s Daughter series, featuring heroine Dorina Basarab.
• Jacquelyn Frank‘s next Three Worlds novel has been pushed back to a late September release.  Official title is TBA.
• The third Alex Craft book from Kalayna Price will be called Grave Memory, and it should be on the shelves sometime next July.
• Next up for Amanda Bonilla‘s Shaede Assassin series is Blood Before Sunrise, scheduled for next July.
• and finally, there is a bit of info coming out for the next Age of Steam book from Devon Monk.  It will be called The Swift, and should be out next July.

More Random Updates…

Just a few more general updates.  Nothing earth shattering, just some odds and ends I stumbled across…

• The as of now titled Jeaniene Frost book #9,the  first book in the Night Huntress spin-off series featuring Vlad, now has a release date of March 27th.  It will be the first of at least two books in the Night Prince series from Jeaniene Frost.
• Lynn Viehl will return to her Darkyn series with the release of Nightborn, due out on March 6th.
• Some of the older works of Alexandra Ivy, written under the name of Debbie Raleigh, will be re-released in the coming year.  The first is called My Lord Vampire, due out  on March 6th.
• The next book in Angela Knight‘s Mageverse series will be called Master of Darkness.  No release date available as yet.
• Darkness Awakening is the tentative title for the second book in the upcoming Devyn Quinn Vampire Armageddon series.  Book one, Darkness Descending, comes out in early August.
• Sometime in 2012, the second book of the upcoming Rachel Vincent Unbound series will be released, this one titled Shadow Bound.  It will follow Blood Bound, due out at the end of August.
• The first book of the Vampire Academy spin off series from Richelle Mead, Bloodlines,  hasn’t been released yet, but there now a title for the second book.  The Golden Lily will continue the story of the Alchemist Sydney, and hopefully Adrian.  Ah, Adrian.
• I know there are a lot of fans of the Meljean Brook Iron Seas series, and it looks like it will continue on through at least 2013.  Riveted, book three, will be out late 2012, and be followed by two more the following year.
• Books 4, 5, and 6 of L.J. McDonald‘s Sylph series are looking for a publisher, and apparently a deal is close to being finalized.  No word on release dates yet for them, titled The Sylph Hunter, War of the Sylphs, and Door to the Sylphs.
• Keri Arthur‘s upcoming Dark Angels series will now have at least three titles.  Darkness Devours is the tentative title of the third book, scheduled for early 2012.
• Untouched is the second title in the re-release of the Amoveo series from Sara Humphreys.  Book one, Unleashed, is due out in October.
• and Zoe Archer‘s Hellraisers books now have titles.  Devil’s Kiss, due out this December, will be followed by Demon’s Bride and Sinner’s Heart in 2012.

Cover Lover – 4 New Titles

Only three to up this go round, at least.  The first one is from Megan Hart and her Order of Solace series.  Vice and Virtue is scheduled for release on September 6th.  I don’t get the whole paranormal-ly vibe from this one…more like pirates and wenches.

The second cover is from Angela Knight‘s Mageverse series.  Master of Shadows is her latest release, scheduled for August 2nd.

Just found this one.  Next up from Lynn Viehl‘s Kyndred series is Nightshine.  This one is to be released on November 1st.

And finally, this one is from Christine Cody (aka Chris Marie Green).  It is the first book of her new Bloodlands series, also called Bloodlands.  This one should be available on July 26th, and books two and three will follow in August and September.

Random Updates

It has been a busy couple of days trying to update for next summer’s new releases, and the to-do list just got a bit longer…

• Thea Harrison will debut a new series next year, called the Elder Races series.  Book one will be called Dragon Bound, and has a release date of May 3rd, while the second is called Storm’s Heart, and is due out August 2nd.
• MaryJanice Davidson‘s next Queen Betsy novel, called Undead and Undermined, will be out in hardcover on July 5th.
• Bloodlust, the second book in Michelle Rowen‘s new Nightshade series, now has a release date of July 5th.
• August, September and October of 2011 will see the release of a new trilogy from Chris Marie Green.  From what I can gather, the first book of this series is called Bloodlands.
• Angela Knight will continue her Mageverse series with Master of Shadows, due out on August 2nd.
• Heart Search is the next book for Robin D. Owens, due out on August 2nd.  This is part of her Celta’s Heartmates series.
• Also August 2nd is the release of the Angie Fox, Kathy Love and Lexi George anthology So I Married a Demon Slayer.
• Erin Kellison‘s third Shadow book will be hitting the shelves next September 6th, this one called Shadow Man.
• Mind Games, the sequel to the recent Taylor Keating book Game Over, now has a release date of May 24th.

Cover Lover – Master of Smoke

January 4th, 2011 is the release date for Angela Knight‘s next Mageverse book, this one called Master of Smoke.  I have a few of hers to be read, and this reminds me to get off my butt and read them…