This Week in E-Reading Goodness…

I have been trying to be good and keep up with the constant stream of e-books released, but I still haven’t figured out a way to stay on top of the game. Some of them aren’t bad, but then others just sort of…appear. Like Cynthia Eden’s new one. And Alexandra Ivy’s, too. I have been keeping an eye out for both of them, and then they are just here. Makes it hard to keep track of the suckers. But enough for the whining. This is what I have found for this week in e-books and novellas.

Jennifer Ashley‘s Shifters Unbound is a series I really enjoy, and this week’s Lone Wolf is story #4.6.

Synopsis…

Ellison Rowe, a Lupine Shifter, makes it his goal to protect Maria, once held captive by ferals, from male Shifters looking for mates. He likes Maria’s resilience and fire, but she’s been broken, and Ellison wants more than anything to heal her.

When a new danger threatens Shiftertown’s cubs, Maria partners with Ellison to stop a cold-blooded criminal.

Shifters Unbound reading list HERE.

Werewolves Be Damned is the title of the first book in Stacey Kennedy‘s new Magic and Mayhem series. From what I understand, this one is supposed to be released in print format sometime in June, as well.

Synopsis…

Nexi Jones—part witch, part guardian, and wannabe kick-ass warrior—can’t throw a punch or conjure the simplest magic. But that doesn’t stop her from hunting the werewolves who slaughtered her human family. She’ll have her revenge, but only if Kyden, the elite guardian, would get the hell out of her way.

Kyden can’t decide if Nexi wants to get herself killed or if she just has no clue what she’s doing. But her father made it clear: keep Nexi safe…or else. Of course, the more Nexi runs toward revenge, the more she needs Kyden’s aid, and as she grows into her power and confidence, so does his desire to protect her. The only problem? She’d rather he dropped dead.

But when a vampire paints a bull’s-eye on Nexi’s back, she’s hard-pressed to deny Kyden and the help he’s offering. Even if it means getting her revenge will be a little bit harder. At least it will still be as sweet.

These next few were actually released earlier in the month, but since I missed them I will give a belated shout-out here. April 2nd was the release date for the second book in Elizabeth Hunter‘s Elemental World series, Blood and Sand. This one is also heading for a print release I believe sometime in May.

Synopsis…

Dead women are showing up in the desert east of San Diego, and no one understands why. When the story comes to the attention of reporter Natalie Ellis, she can’t help but make comparisons to the tragic deaths she’d investigated years ago. Are these women the victims of a serial killer, or something even more insidious?

Bodies may be piling up in his sire’s territory, but water vampire and feared enforcer, Baojia, is stuck entertaining the rich and clueless at a club in San Diego. He’s taken his exile with all the grace he could muster, but his patience is starting to thin.

Sparks fly when mortal and immortal are thrown together, and Natalie comes face to face with a reality that was lurking in the corners of her life. Pursuing the truth could cost Baojia everything, including the mortal woman who has earned his grudging respect.

Cynthia Eden‘s Bound series is one that I make a point of reading even though there is no print versions available, and on April 11th she released the latest title, Bound in Death. Great short story.

Synopsis…

She can’t remember him…

He can never forget her.

For over two hundred years, alpha werewolf Alerac O’Neill has been searching for his mate, Keira McDonough, a woman who was taken from him and imprisoned by a dark vampire master. He’s hunted for her, endlessly, using vampire blood to extend his life. He has become a vicious predator, feared by all the supernaturals. His hold on reality seems to slip more each day because he is consumed by her.

Only…the woman he discovers in a small Miami bar isn’t the Keira that he remembers. In fact, this woman doesn’t remember anything. She calls herself Jane Smith, and she has no memory at all of Alerac—or of her own past.

Now that she’s been found, Alerac knows that his enemies are going to start closing in on her. Jane may try to act human, but she’s not. She’s a pureblood vampire princess, incredibly powerful and incredibly valuable. His enemies want to use her, her enemies want to destroy her, and Alerac—he just wants her.

If he can’t make her remember him, then Alerac has to seduce Jane into loving him once again. Because now that he’s found her, he’ll fight hell—and every sadistic vampire that stalks the night—in order to keep her safe at his side.

Some bonds go deeper than the flesh. Some go beyond life. Beyond death.

Jane will soon learn that a werewolf’s claiming…is forever.

Also on April 11th, Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright released the second book in their Bayou Heat series, Bayon/Jean-Baptiste.

Synopsis…

The fight continues in the Wildlands. Facing extinction, the Pantera have been given a miracle. A child. The first one in over fifty years. But even as they prepare to celebrate, the enemy strikes, putting at risk the fragile female who carries the hope of their people.

BAYON
Charming, drop-dead gorgeous Hunter Bayon is thirsting for revenge on the enemies who slipped into the Wildlands and attacked Ashe and her vulnerable child. Pledging to track down the cowards, Bayon goes on the hunt, pursuing the humans to a nearby town. But searching their shabby hideaway, he makes a discovery that shocks him to his very soul and might very well destroy the heart of the Pantera.

JEAN-BAPTISTE
Tattooed and pierced, sexy Nurturer Jean-Baptiste has been living in utter isolation. His cat is out of control, and the only thing that soothes the beast is a rare mineral he keeps inking into his skin. Until he meets her: Genevieve Burel. The beautiful and buttoned-up female puma is unlike anyone he’s ever met. She makes his cat purr, and he knows he must possess her, mate with her. But the secret she’s keeping might threaten not only their unbridled passion for one another, but the very future of the Pantera race.

I know there are probably a ton that I missed, but what did you find new in the world of e-reading this week? I am really determined to try and be more up on e-releases, hopefully I can get into the swing of keeping track of them and have a weekly feature post. That is the goal, anyways, so if there are any you can think of feel free to let me know.

Cover Lover – 3 New Titles

Just a quick drive-by post to up a few covers I found over on Goodreads. Two have a “purple darkness” theme going on, and one is a re-vamp (uh, no pun intended). Dianne Duvall‘s next Immortal Guardians book, Darkness Rises, will be released on October 1st. I have heard such good things about this series, and yes, it is still on Mount TBR. One day…

And this next one is from Keri Arthur. The second book of her re-released Nikki and Michael series, Hearts in Darkness, will be coming out on August 27th.

And finally, this e-book from Cynthia Eden is actually a re-release of the story she contributed to the Entangled anthology. Her contribution was called A Bit of Bite, and the stand-alone re-release will be available for no charge very shortly. Amazon isn’t showing a listing for it as yet, but apparently it will be up very soon.

I am actually kind of liking the purple thing going on – a little different, anyways. Hard color to pull off with a guy on the front, though. Any of these you are waiting for?

Cover Lover – 5 New Titles

After spending the last couple of days setting up my laptop to temporarily handle my computer needs (and was there ever a lot to set up), I stumbled across a few new covers. I just finished The Indigo Spell last night, and that made me even more excited to find the cover for Richelle Mead‘s fourth Bloodlines book, The Fiery Heart. I wonder if there will be any tattoos added (even though Sydney’s has been on the cheek we can’t see on the previous covers)? The Fiery Heart is scheduled for release on November 19th.

This next one is from Cynthia Eden‘s e-format Bound series. Bound in Death is tentatively scheduled for an April release.

Hannah Jayne‘s Underworld Detection Agency Chronicles will continue with the August 6th release of Under a Spell.

I actually haven’t seen too much info around about this next one yet. Melissa Marr will be releasing what I believe is an adult title, The Arrivals, on July 2nd.

And finally, this last one is more of a redo than a debut. Jennifer L. Armentrout (writing as J. Lynn) will release an adult title, Unchained, on September 24th. This is actually the second cover for this title, which was pushed back several months from its original release date.

 

Cover Lover – 7 New Titles

Meh, maybe I should have said new-ish for the titles.  This is sort of a mixed bag post, to say the least.  This first one is from a favorite of mine, Cynthia Eden.  Avenging Angel is the fourth (and apparently final) book in her Fallen series, and it is due out on May 28th.

This next cover is from the Noon Onyx series by Jill Archer.  Fiery Edge of Steel is the title of the second book, and it will be available on May 28th, as well.  I get a real video-game vibe from this one.

I have been seeing this next one popping up everywhere lately.  Carniepunk is an anthology featuring a number of top writers, including Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, and Rob Thurman.  It will be released on July 30th.

Well, I have to admit that this cover for Darynda Jones‘ Fifth Grave Past the Light isn’t quite what I expected.  Maybe it is because I loved the reaper outfits on the previous covers, but this one doesn’t live up to the rest of the series for me.  In fact, it actually gives me a young adult vibe.  Anyways, it will be hitting the shelves on July 9th.

On the young adult side of things, Replica is a new one coming from Jenna Black on July 16th.  I am not sure as yet if this is a stand alone title, or the first book in a series.

Melissa West‘s first book, Gravity, has only recently been released, but the cover for the second book is now out.  Hover will be hitting the shelves next August 6th.

And this final one is from Aprilynne Pike.  She is starting up a new series called Earthbound next July, with the first book also being called Earthbound.

Did any of these ones catch your eye?  Are you a bit disappointed in the Fifth Grave cover like I am (I do so love those reaper outfits), or do you think it is a nice change is style?

From the Author Pages…

Since I have quite a few separate pages for different authors, I don’t get to keep them constantly updated as I would like.  I have decided to work on them every couple of weeks, or when I get a few new things to add.  This is what I found over the last few days…

• The pre-order links are up at Amazon for Alexandra Ivy‘s 10th Guardians of Eternity series, Darkness Avenged.  This one is Santiago and Nefri’s story, and it will be released on June 4th.  Also, there is a quick little blurb available for her contribution to the upcoming anthology, Predatory.  This is where she introduces her new Sentinels series in a novella titled Out of Control (a page has also been added for the new series).

          Ph.D student Angela Locke has a crush on her sexy professor, Dr. Nikolo Bartrev.  When she learns he is actually a Sentinel with extraordinary powers, she joins forces with him to catch a psychopath.  But soon, their hottest pursuit is of each other…

• While it looks like Alyssa Day‘s Alejandro’s Sorceress is still up in the air, next week will finally be the release of Alaric’s story, Heart of Atlantis.  She is also turning her attention to a new series called The League of the Black Swan.  I have added a page for this new series in her section (with the covers for both The Cursed and Enthralled), and it turns out that her contribution in the Enthralled anthology will also be from this new world.  So, it looks like we will get two Black Swan stories in two months (Enthralled was actually pushed back from a May 7th release to July 2nd).
• This is me, sighing.  It seems that Cynthia Eden has started up a whole new e-book series – and I had no clue.  That is my pet peeve about e-books…all of a sudden, they are just there.  Little publicity or fanfare, they just seem to appear, and that makes them a bugger to try and keep track of.  Anyways, the new series is called Purgatory, and the first story is called The Wolf Within…

FBI Special Agent Duncan McGuire spends his days–and his nights–tracking real-life monsters. Most humans aren’t aware of the vampires and werewolves that walk among them. They don’t realize the danger that they face, but Duncan knows about the horror that waits in the darkness. He hunts the monsters, and he protects the innocent. Duncan just never expects to become a monster. But after a brutal werewolf attack, Duncan begins to change…and soon he will be one of the very beasts that he has hunted.

Dr. Holly Young is supposed to help Duncan during his transition. It’s her job to keep him sane so that Duncan can continue working with the FBI’s Para Unit. But as Duncan’s beast grows stronger, the passion that she and Duncan have held carefully in check pushes to the surface. The desire that is raging between them could be a very dangerous thing…because Holly isn’t exactly human, not any longer.

As the monsters circle in, determined to take out all of the agents working at the Para Unit, Holly and Duncan will have to use their own supernatural strengths in order to survive. But as they give up more of their humanity and embrace the beasts within them both, they realize that the passion between them isn’t safe, it isn’t controllable, and their dark need may just be an obsession that could destroy them both.

• Also on the Cynthia Eden front, the pre-order links are up at Amazon for her fourth (and final) Fallen book, Avenging Angel.  Looks like this one is due out on May 28th.
• I am pretty sure everyone has already seen this except me, but the blurb for the next Gena Showalter Lords of the Underworld book, The Darkest Craving, has been released.  This one is scheduled for July 30th.

          Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price.

Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.

• Still on Gena Showalter, her second White Rabbit Chronicles book, called Through the Zombie Glass, will be out next September.  It will be followed by the second Otherworld Assassin book, title as yet unknown.
• This is sort of a good news/bad news situation.  The bad news is that Kresley Cole‘s next Immortals After Dark book, MacRieve, has been pushed back from the middle of May to July 2nd.  The good news is that a small blurb has been released…

           Uilleam MacRieve, a centuries-old Lykae warrior, was captured, caged, and experimented on by a shadowy human order, along with other immortals. During a prison break that devolved into one of the bloodiest massacres in recent history, he escapes. But the aftermath of his unspeakable torture preys on his damaged mind, while the wolf inside him roars for vengeance and carnage. In the days leading up to the full moon, can MacRieve rein in his beast, even when he encounters his mate—a vexingly impossible female unlike anything he’d ever dreamed for himself?

• There aren’t many details as yet, but it appears that the Enthralled anthology featuring Lora Leigh will indeed contain a Breed story.  This is the first sign I have seen of any new Breed books, but we will still have to wait until July 2nd for it.
• Still another good news/bad news addition.  Shannon K. Butcher‘s next Sentinal  Wars book, Falling Blind, also has been pushed back a month.  It will now be released on April 2nd of next year.  But, once again, at least we have the blurb to keep us warm…

       A beautiful, independent Theronai, Rory Rainey knows that her attempts to be a warrior are futile—unless she can stop the demonic visions that torment her. Determined to be free, Rory sets out to find the mysterious guardian who can cure her, before she loses her sight—or her life. But Rory’s journey brings its own dangers when she is attacked by a pack of Synestryn sent by the demon lord Raygh.

Cornered and desperate, Rory narrowly escapes with the help of a sword-wielding stranger. Cain knows that Rory needs his protection to survive, just as he knows that her power is compatible with his own. And when Rory binds herself to Cain, the warrior knows he will do anything to keep her safe from the threat of the demon lord that pursues her…. 

Cover Lover – 7 New Titles

As always, most of these came from a combination of Amazon.com and Goodreads.  This first one I thought was a real beauty.  Phoenix is the second book of Elizabeth Richard‘s Black City series, and it should be out next June.

I was really surprised to see that another favorite of mine is taking the plunge into young adult.  Cynthia Eden hopes to release The Better To Bite quite soon, so I am assuming that it must be an e-book (but don’t quote me on that).

This is the cover for the second book in Rachel McClellan‘s Fractured Light series.  Fractured Soul will be released on February 12th.

Anita Clenny starts a new series this December called The Relic Seekers.  Book one is Guardians of Stone.

This one…scares me a bit.  Huh.  Piper Maitland‘s Hunting Daylight is the follow up to Acquainted With the Night, and it will be released on February 5th.

This next one is a compilation of Gena Showalter‘s two previously released Mysteria stories, repackaged as Magic at Midnight.  Look for it on February 5th.

I thought this next one was pretty.  The Elite, which is due out next spring, is the second book of the Selection series from Kiera Cass.  This one is in the process of being made into a series for the CW network.

Actually, there are a couple of these that I really liked.  Looks like things are shaping up for cover releases, which is great.

 

Pick of the Week…

I was torn this week, since three favorites have books coming out that I was/am looking forward to.  First off, there is the Shelly Laurenston – Cynthia Eden duology, Howl for It, which I got early and quite enjoyed (the Laurenston story is from The Pride world, and Eden’s is set in the same Others universe as all of her stories are).  Both were good shifter stories, but I think this week my heart belongs to Alexandra Ivy.  Fear the Darkness is Caine and Cassie’s story, which has been building up for a while.  I think, if I was going to do my own Reader Recommendation post, I would do one on the Guardians of Eternity series.  Hell, I might anyways, since I am a reader first.

Synopsis…

Her visions lead her to danger.

Beautiful Cassandra is a Were, a prophet both vulnerable and defiant, blessed with visions that portend the fate of the world.  A rare and delicate creature, Cassie must be protected at all costs. Enter Caine, a powerful cur turned pureblooded Were whose recent tangles with a demon lord have left him in serious need of redemption. Caine is duty-bound to keep Cassie out of danger—and that means resisting his potent urge to seduce her…

And only he can save her.

As Cassie’s mysterious visions lead them in and out of danger, Caine believes he has found his true mate, the woman with whom he is bound for all eternity. Cassie is both charmed and frightened by Caine’s magnetism, and unsure if he–or her feelings for him–can be trusted. But Cassie can’t afford to doubt Cain now. A deadly enemy bent on destruction is closer than they realize—and only they can keep chaos from ruling the world…

–Guardians of Eternity reading list HERE.

Is this one you have been looking forward to, or did something else really grab your attention this week?

 

From the Author Pages

While updating the author pages last night, there are a couple of tidbits that came my way…

• There has been a slight change in title for the fifth Charley Davidson book from Darynda Jones.  Looks like Fifth Grave Off the Beaten Path will now be called Fifth Grave Past the Light.
• Cynthia Eden has a new e-book novella release that I had no idea about.  Bleed for Me has the potential to expand into a new series called Loved by Gods, if the interest is there.
• This isn’t so much an update as a personal plea – please, please don’t let the heroine of Kresley Cole‘s MacRieve (Uilleam’s story) be that hideously repulsive Doctor that had the hots for Aiden on the Island.  I get the vibe that she didn’t really die, and she needs to.  Stat.
• I like reading Ilona Andrews‘ blog.  They tend to say things as they are, good or bad.  For a while, it seemed like The Edge series was ending with the release of Steel’s Edge on November 27th.  Looks like it might get a second coming at some point down the line, but for now they will be  focusing pretty exclusively on Kate and Kate World books for the next year and a half (not that that can be called a bad thing.  At all).   So, the schedule from next year on will look something like Kate Daniels #6, Kate Daniels World #2 (Jim and Dali), Kate Daniels #7.  If there is demand for Andrea and Raphael’s story to continue (and of course there will be), it will probably fall after Kate #7.  They are also not locked into ending Kate Daniels at #7 books, so there is the potential for even more books, story permitting.  All of this is great news, but I was surprised that there was no firm plans for a Gunmetal Magic sequel.
• and finally, the pre-order links for Gena Showalter‘s second Angels of the Dark book, Beauty Awakened, are up on Amazon – along with the blurb…

          His name is Koldo. He is scarred, powerful, his control legendary-and he lives only for vengeance, determined to punish the angel who viciously removed his wings. But if he yields to the forces of hatred, he will be kicked from the  heavens, eternally damned. 

She is his last hope. Nicola Lane was born with a defective heart, yet this fragile human shows surprising strength as demons stalk her every move, determined to end her. She is the key to Koldo’s deliverance…and his downfall. Though he fights duty, destiny and his first addictive taste of desire, his toughest battle will be the one for Nicola’s life-even if he has to sacrifice his own….

Beauty Awakened will be released on February 26th.

Pick of the Week

This is really, really hard.  My real pick of the week is Jeaniene Frost‘s Once Burned, but I already featured that in the New Series Alert post below.  Ditto for Wicked Nights from Gena Showalter, which would be my second choice.  So, I am going with door number 3, and choosing Angel Betrayed by Cynthia Eden as my official pick of the week (even though Vlad truly holds my heart)…

Synopsis…

Sammael – call him Sam – was an angel once. An angel of death. But the dispassionate, watch-from-above thing just wasn’t working for him when it meant watching evil torture innocent souls day in and day out. It might have cost him his wings, but these days, he gets to apply the direct method on the bad guys. Problem is, what’s making his life difficult is a bad girl…

Seline O’Shaw needs protection, and with the hounds of hell on her tail, she’s not going to quibble too hard about where she gets it. Sam’s virtue is questionable, but he’s smoking hot, massively powerful, and owes her a favor. So what if she’s getting a little case of angel lust? There are some damn deadly sins after her hide…

The Fallen author page can be found HERE.

I have been adding the book trailers to the last few picks of the week, but Angel Betrayed doesn’t have one.  So, instead, I thought I would add the unedited excerpt found on Cynthia Eden’s official site…

          “So you need protection.” His stare narrowed on her. “What, exactly, does that mean?” He paused. “Do you need a guard? Someone to watch over you? Or…” His left hand rose. His fingers curved under her cheek and his thumb brushed over her lips. Her breath caught, and her heart raced in her chest. “Do you want me to kill someone for you, Seline?”

Killing would be easy for him.  Sometimes, she worried it might become too easy for her. “I-I don’t know what do to.  I’ve been hiding, and I thought I was safe, but they found me.”

“They?”  His right hand still cradled her thigh and seemed to scorch her flesh.

“His friends. They know what I did, and they aren’t the kind of men you can just walk away from.”  She let fear seep into her voice. The better to sound weak. Such a lie. “They’re dangerous, Sam, and they’ve got a lot of power.”

His gaze searched hers.  Then his mouth dipped close to hers.  Seline stopped breathing.  He was going to kiss her and her hormones would go wild. Control. She had to stay in—

He didn’t kiss her. He smiled. And dammit, she’d actually been pressing up on her toes to get closer to him.

Heat stained her cheeks. I don’t blush. But she was—or rather, she’d started blushing since she met Sam.  He made her too uncomfortable.

“What makes you think I’m the kind of man who offers protection?”

She didn’t think he’d give her protection. She wasn’t a fool. He wasn’t the protecting kind.

He was the killing kind.

She wet her lips and felt the tension mount in his body. “I know what you are.” Half-truth. She knew what he wasn’t. She was still working on the rest.  Out of a thousand possibilities, she’d narrowed down the choices to a top five list—and nothing on that list was good.

“And what’s that?”

Now this was the dangerous part. If she’d calculated wrong, he could attack her.  Good thing she wasn’t very easy to kill. “You’re not human.” This she knew with absolute certainty. Demons didn’t play guard bitch to humans.  The food chain didn’t work that way.

No change of expression crossed his face.  But his head came closer to hers and his lips—why would that cruel edge be sexy?—pressed against her mouth.  She expected the kiss to be hard and rough. What else? But when his mouth took hers, it was just…a taste.

His tongue licked her lips and stroked inside her mouth.  Slow. Easy. As if he were sampling her.

Her tongue slipped to meet his. To taste.  To want.

Sam.

When he pulled back, she had to fight to keep her hands off him.  Or rather, she had to fight not to yank the guy back and take a lot more from him.  Dangerous.

His gaze studied her a moment, and she barely dared to breathe. “I’m not human,” he finally agreed, his voice a deep rumble. “But neither are you, sweetheart. Neither are you.”

From the Author Pages

Every week, I try and update the author pages with whatever new info or covers have come out, etc.  I thought I might just summarize what I did this past week in a post.

• Alexandra Ivy‘s next Guardians of Eternity book, Fear the Darkness, will be out a couple of weeks earlier than planned.  It is now an August 28th release.  Also, on her official blog, there is a small excerpt from the first book of the new series she is starting up called The Sentinels.
• There has been some question about what is up with the very slow release schedule of C.L. Wilson.  Well, turns out that illness forced a delay to her schedule, but things are still on the go for The Winter King, and then Bel and Galen’s Tairen Soul books.
• There will be another Bound novella from Cynthia Eden.  Bound by the Night will be released next week, but the cover and blurb have been upped HERE.
• Ilona Andrews is re-releasing Magic Dreams, the short story originally published in last years Hexed anthology, in e-format on June 26th.
• From what I can tell, it looks like Jacquelyn Frank will be releasing the first book of a Nightwalkers spin-off series on October 30th.  Forbidden is part of the Bodywalkers series.  Amazon still lists it as Seduce Me in Shadows, but the write up is correct.
• Jeaniene Frost is also re-releasing a previous anthology in e-format.  Night’s Darkest Embrace was originally in Haunted by Your Touch, and was set in the new world of Nocturna.  It should be out on November 13th.
• The future of the Midnight Breed series from Lara Adrian was sort of up in the air, but it appears that now a bit of info is starting to come out about book 11.  Edge of Dawn will be out later this year, and will feature a now grown-up Mira.
• oh, and I did a bit of a switch around.  I deleted the author section for Rhyannon Byrd, but I also created a new one for Cassandra Clare, which can be found HERE.