Cover Lover – 6 New Titles

First, I should apologize ahead of time. I am in the middle of a string of deadly long shifts at work, so I am not sure I will be posting much between now and Monday. I will keep an eye out to see if anything exciting happens, but I will probably just be doing the work/home/sleep/work thing for the next few days.

On the plus side, there are a few new covers floating around. This first one is a biggie – Reaver is the finale of both the Demonica and the Lords of Deliverance series from Larissa Ione, and it is due out on December 17th.

I thought, incorrectly it seems, that Thea Harrison was done with the e-novellas for the Elder Races series for a while, so I was surprised when Goodreads showed this cover for The Wicked. It will be released on July 2nd.

These next two are from Jaime Rush‘s upcoming Dragon series called The Hidden.  Book one is called Dragon Awakened, and it has a release date of December 17th.

And book number two is called Magic Possessed. Look for it on January 28th of next year.

On the young adult side of things, there are a couple of new covers as well. Waterfell is the first book of a new series by Amalia Howard called The Aquarathi. It is due out on October 29th.

And this final one is from Jodi Meadows. Infinite is the third and final book in her Incarnate series, which is due out in early 2014.

Reaver wasn’t what I was expecting, for some reason. Maybe the pink? I find myself very interested in the Jaime Rush Dragon books, and while I have seen her work around for a while it will be my first try. Which ones caught your eye?

New Series Alerts…

This is a huge new series week. Almost too many, actually (I do wish that these things could get spread out a bit more over the month, since there are weeks now where there is pretty much nothing going on). It looks like for this post, we have seven, count’em seven, to highlight.

This first one is a historical paranormal romance (which I am seeing more of lately) from author Brooklyn Ann.  Bite Me, Your Grace is the first book of the Bite series.

Synopsis…

England’s “vampire craze” causes much vexation for the Lord Vampire of London, Ian Ashton. To save his reputation, Ian enlists aspiring authoress Angelica Winthrop without realizing she has hidden plans of her own.

Angelica Winthrop’s life goal is to ruin her reputation, avoid marriage, and become a gothic authoress like her idol, Mary Shelley. To find inspiration for her new story, she breaks into the home of Ian Ashton, Duke of Burnrath, not knowing she will be coming up against the Lord Vampire of London. Romance sparks and reputations are at stake. But who knows the real difference between fact and fiction?

–Bite reading list HERE.

Ashlyn Chase‘s first Flirting With Fangs book comes out this week, and it is called Flirting Under a Full Moon. It sounds like a fun one.

Synopsis…

If Brandee Hanson ever wants to go from waitress to photographer, she’ll have to take some once-in-a-lifetime shots. But when she catches the gorgeous private investigator Nick Wolfensen on camera—transforming into a werewolf—she is thrown into a world of vampires, shapeshifters, and other paranormal misfits.

In order to keep his secret and stay clear of the supernatural council, Nick will have to convince Brandee not to release the photo. Fortunately, he was looking for an excuse to spend more time with the beautiful waitress anyway.

–Flirting With Fangs reading list HERE.

This next one is tricky. I am a huge fan of Thea Harrison‘s Elder Races series, but for some reason I find myself wary of Rising Darkness. Not sure why I am, but it is the first of at least two books in her Game of Shadows series.

Synopsis…

In the hospital ER where she works, Mary is used to chaos. But lately, every aspect of her life seems adrift. She’s feeling disconnected from herself. Voices appear in her head. And the vivid, disturbing dreams she’s had all her life are becoming more intense. Then she meets Michael. He’s handsome, enigmatic, and knows more than he can say. In his company, she slowly remembers the truth about herself…

Thousands of years ago, there were eight of them. The one called the Deceiver came to destroy the world, and the seven came to stop him. Reincarnated over and over, they carry on—and Mary finds herself drawn into the battle once again. And the more she learns, the more she realizes that Michael will go to any lengths to destroy the Deceiver.

Then she remembers who killed her during her last life, 900 years ago…Michael.

–Game of Shadows reading list HERE.

I only stumbled across this one quite recently, but it gave me an adult Throne of Glass vibe. Amy Raby‘s Assassin’s Gambit is the first book of her Hearts and Thrones series.

Synopsis…

Vitala Salonius, champion of the warlike game of Caturanga, is as deadly as she is beautiful. She’s a trained assassin for the resistance, and her true play is for ultimate power. Using her charm and wit, she plans to seduce her way into the emperor’s bed and deal him one final, fatal blow, sparking a battle of succession that could change the face of the empire.

As the ruler of a country on the brink of war and the son of a deposed emperor, Lucien must constantly be wary of an attempt on his life. But he’s drawn to the stunning Caturanga player visiting the palace. Vitala may be able to distract him from his woes for a while—and fulfill other needs, as well.

Lucien’s quick mind and considerable skills awaken unexpected desires in Vitala, weakening her resolve to finish her mission. An assassin cannot fall for her prey, but Vitala’s gut is telling her to protect this sexy, sensitive man. Now she must decide where her heart and loyalties lie and navigate the dangerous war of politics before her gambit causes her to lose both Lucien and her heart for good.

–Hearts and Thrones reading list HERE.

Another tricky one for me personally is the new one from Shana Abe. I have read her Drakon books, and I would love one, be bored with the next, really like the next one and then loathe the characters in the next one. Makes it very hit or miss, and this series is a young adult spin-off from that world. This is Lora Jones’ story, and it is called The Sweetest Dark.

Synopsis…

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

–Lora Jones reading list HERE.

This one recently underwent a name change. Originally, Victoria Scott‘s new series was to be called Dante Valentine, but now it seems the character’s name has changed to Dante Walker, which works much better, I think. Book one is called The Collector.

Synopsis…

He makes good girls…bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

–Dante Walker reading list HERE.

And this last one is also one that I only found out about a couple of weeks ago. Cecily White‘s Prophecy Girl is the first book of the Angel Academy series, and it has been generating some major buzz around.

Synopsis…

Amelie Bennett. . . . Ending the world, one prophecy at a time.

I was born to slay Crossworld demons. Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.

Then he shows up.

Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right?

Wrong.

Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Getting it done without falling in love. . . that might take a miracle.

–Angel Academy reading list HERE.

And just as a heads-up, there are a couple of e-novellas being released this week as well. Delilah S. Dawson‘s The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance (Blud #1.6), Meljean Brook‘s Tethered (Iron Seas #2.5), Laura Wright‘s Eternal Beauty (Mark of the Vampire #4.5), and C.C. Hunter‘s Saved at Sunrise (Shadow Falls #4.5) are all available for digital download this week.

Cover Lover – Kinked

Thea Harrison‘s Elder Races series has become one of my favorite PNR worlds, and usually I would be thrilled when I find a new cover for it. But this cover seems to sum up my feelings about the next book…”meh”. Quentin intrigued me from his very first appearance, but Aryal turned me off big time in the last story and left me feeling a bit less than excited about the next book. Hopefully my interest in Quentin and his mysterious back story will make up for my Aryal annoyance when Kinked is released on November 5th.

*Edit – I actually found a better, clearer version of the cover, so this is the updated picture. Much, much better than the first one I posted. This one I am happy with.

What do you think about this cover? Are you excited to get this one, or do you go into it with mixed feelings like I am?

Singh and Harrison Cover Blurbs…

The author pages have been updated again (heh – twice this month), and there were a couple of new additions. I did a page for the new Larissa Ione series MoonBound Vampire Clan, updated some cover art, and found a couple of new blurbs I hadn’t seen before for upcoming books from both Nalini Singh and Thea Harrison. First up is Nalini’s Archangel’s Legion, which is due out on October 29th.

          Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force.

Vampires are dying impossibly of disease.

Guild hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels.

Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York…and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same…

And this one is from Thea Harrison‘s Kinked. I must say, not sure how much I am looking forward to this one. I loved Quentin, but Aryal turned me off big time in the last book. She was a flat out bitch, and not the fun kind. I had enjoyed her in all of the previous books, but my opinion changed big time in Lord’s Fall. Quentin deserves better. Kinked will be released on November 5th.

        As a harpy, Sentinel Aryal is accustomed to dealing with hate, but Sentinel Quentin Caeravorn manages to inspire in her a burning ire unlike anything she’s ever known. Aryal believes the new Sentinel to be a criminal, and vows to take him out as soon as the opportunity arises. But the harpy’s incessant wrath has pushed Quentin to the limit, and forces him to make a deadly vow of his own.

To put an end to the conflict, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, sends them on a reconnaissance mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur. Forced to work together, Aryal and Quentin’s mutual antagonism escalates. Each fight draws forth more passion—culminating in an explosively sexual confrontation. But when their quest reveals real danger, Aryal and Quentin must resolve their differences in ways beyond the physical, before the entire Wyr is threatened.

Covers for both will probably be making the rounds soon, too.

Titles, Tidbits and Magic Rises Cover…

So, as of my writing this post, it is 18 hours, 30 minutes and 14…13…12…seconds until Nalini Singh reveals the title and cover of Psy Changeling #12 (which in my world is referred to as The Ghost’s Book). I was so fixated on that, that a couple of other equally exciting things (at least exciting for me) sort of snuck up on me.

• Nalini also revealed the title for her next Guild Hunter book, which will return to Raphael and Elena. It will be called Archangel’s Legion, and it is due out on October 29th.
• And from Thea Harrison comes the title of her next Elder Races book. I believe it is Aryial’s (and probably Quentin’s) story, and it will be called…Kinked. Kinked? Ok.  didn’t see that one coming, but it is due out on November 5th. I wasn’t a huge fan of Aryial in the last book, so I go into this one thinking that Quentin could do so, so much better.

And finally, the cover for Ilona Andrew‘s much, much anticipated next Kate Daniels novel, Magic Rises, which will be released on July 30th.

This and That…

As always, in the process of updating the new release pages, I found a few more books that are on the horizon.

• The second book of Coreene Callahan‘s new Knight Avenged series has been pushed way back to April 8th of next year.
• November 5th will see the next Bound by Magick book from Lauren Dane, called Burning Wild.
• November 5th is also the date for a Thea Harrison Elder Races book, a Meljean Brook Iron Seas book, and Nalini Singh‘s next Guild Hunter book (featuring Raphael and Elena).  All have titles TBA.
• Author Lauren Kate‘s Fallen series (supposedly being optioned for a movie) is finished, so it looks like she is turning her attention to a new series, called Teardrop.  The first book, also called Teardrop, will be hitting the shelves on October 22nd.
• October 1st is the release date for Caris Roane‘s next Ascension novel, Born in Chains.
• Rather than info, this is more like lack of info.  Christine Feehan was recently asked what she would be working on next, and she said that after the long delayed Leopard’s Prey she was in fact without a contract.  She was not sure what would be coming, or when we would get it.  If I remember correctly, this same situation came up last year with Ms. Feehan, which just seems so strange to me.
• The next H&W Investigations book from Jess Haines, Forsaken by the Others, will be released on July 30th.
• Hannah Jayne‘s next Underworld Detection Agency novel, Under a Spell, will be out on August 13th.
• To Kiss a Dragon is the title of the next G.A. Aiken Dragon Kin book, and it is scheduled for release on October 1st.  No clue who this one is about, and if ever there was a series that needed a character guide, this is it.
• The pre-order links are up for Keri Arthur‘s 6th Dark Angels book, Darkness Splintered.  It will be out on November 5th.
• A couple of weeks ago, word came out that Devon Monk was starting an Allie Beckstrom spin-off series called Broken Magic.  Well, the pre-order links for the first book, Hell Bent, are up now.  It is due out on November 5th.
• October 1st is the release date for the next Cassie Palmer book from author Karen Chance, called Tempt the Stars.

Anything there you are looking forward to, or are you giving most of them a pass?  It looks like there is a ton coming out on November 5th, for some odd reason, so might have to save up for that weeks’ order.

A Couple of Book Deals…

It seems like a lot of my favorites are in the process of branching out from their established, long standing series.  Thea Harrison starts up her Game of Shadows series next April, Richelle Mead‘s Age of X hits the shelves next June, and Alexandra Ivy‘s The Sentinels will be in full swing by 2014.  Looks like there are a couple of more to add to the list, too.

• Jeanine Frost made the big announcement today that she will be starting a new series called Realmwalker.  This one will be an older YA or New Adult offering (I had never heard the term New Adult before).  According to Jeaniene, the series will focus on a “young woman who discovers she’s the last member of an ancient line with an unwanted destiny; and that her only ally, a mysterious young man is destined to betray her… and doom the world.”  Jeaniene gives a little backstory about the new series, saying that the idea has been brewing for years.  There will be no change in schedule for the Night Huntress and Night Prince books, with Night Huntress ending at book 9 and Night Prince ending at book 3.  There is still the potential for a return to the Night Huntress world, with another vampire stepping up *coughIancough* when the other two stories have completed their arcs.  Looks like a bit of a wait for Realmwalker, though, since it is looking like a 2014 release.  You can see the full announcement on Jeaniene’s site HERE.
• Now, this second one is a bit different.  Last week, news broke that Cassandra Clare has signed on to do a new project.  Well, sort of, since it is still set in the Shadowhunters world.    According to reports, Cassandra has agreed to do a series spinoff that “involves two coauthors, an e-only component, and a profit share.”  This new episodic series will feature Magnus Bane, and will be released digitally month by month, and will then later be published all together in print format.  This one will be called The Bane Chronicles, and will be 10 stories in all, with digital release starting this coming February.  Each story will be from 8000 to 10000 words, with some of the stories being penned by Cassandra Clare, some by Sarah Rees Brennan (Unspoken), and some by Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes).  The stories will build up to the release of the City of Bones movie on August 23rd, 2013, with the print version coming sometime in 2014.

And since I have been trying to find a way to work this into a post, here is a still from the upcoming Mortal Instruments movie that I saw over on Page to Premier Network.

I was thrilled when I read the Jeaniene Frost news, especially when I saw that it was not going to push the publication schedule back for her existing works (hello, Kresley Cole and one a year IAD books…).  Call me greedy, but a gal (er, or guy) needs their fix.  I find that the Cassandra Clare news is a bit more…involved.  I have been seeing much complaint from those who wish that she would wrap up the Shadowhunters, not expand.  The original Mortal Instruments went from three books to six.  Then came the three books of the Infernal Devices.  Then came word of a third trilogy called the Dark Artifices starting up in 2015.  Now, that is not to say that I didn’t enjoy all that I have read so far because I have.  But sometimes it is good to try something else (see Jeanine Frost, expanding outside her very popular world).  New worlds and new ideas mean new readers, which is never a bad thing.

So, where do you stand on this seemingly sudden diversification trend hitting so many big time favorite (at least favorite of mine) authors?  Personally, the only recent one that for whatever reason didn’t grab me was Darynda Jones’ YA Darklight series, and the only one I am not eagerly anticipating is Thea Harrison’s upcoming Game of Shadows.  Not sure why, but I can’t seem to rev myself up for it at all.  Oh, and was anyone else as in the dark as me about the “New Adult” genre?

Cover Lover – 9 New Titles

I have been a bit slack on the cover department lately, and I nabbed these first five from All Things Urban Fantasy‘s Cover Post.  The cover for Kady Cross‘s third Steampunk Chronicles book, The Girl with the Iron Touch, just came out.  The book will be available on May 21st.

This next one is the first book from the Hex Hall Spin-off series from Rachel Hawkins.  School Spirits will be released on May 14th.

Still from ATUF comes this third cover.  Star Cursed is the second book in the Cahill Witch Chronicles from Jessica Spotswood, and it will be released on June 18th.

Kendare Blake will be starting a new series next September with the release of the first book, Antigoddess.

Good Lord…holy crap-awful photoshopping!  This one is from Jaime Rush and her Offspring series, called The End of Darkness.  It is scheduled for release in January, according to Goodreads.  This is not the cover you want to wrap up your series with, that is for sure.

This next one is from my favorite hit-or-miss author, Christine Warren.  Hungry Like a Wolf will be the last of her re-written Others books, bringing the series up to date.  Look for this one on June 25th.

This next one from Amanda Ashley reminds me of the old historical romances I used to read years ago.  As Twilight Falls will be released on May 7th.

Rising Darkness is the tile of the first book in a new series from Thea Harrison.  It will be available on April 2nd.

And this final one is from Shannon K. Butcher‘s Sentinel Wars series.  Falling Blind will be released next April 2nd.

My favorite from this batch is Falling Blind.  I was hoping that this would be Grace and…damn, can’t remember his name.  Tor?  Something like that.  Anyways, I was hoping that this was their story, but Shannon is good about building up a story over the course of a couple of books.  Which one are you most looking forward to?

Random Updates…

Wow, hard to believe, but this is actually post number 1001.  Way back on August 11th, 2009 I started with a Cover Lover post that featured Nalini Singh‘s Archangel’s Kiss.  I think I checked every five minutes for the next few days to see if anyone had actually viewed it…such a nerd.  So, forward a few years, and things haven’t really changed.  Things have expanded a bit, and the look has changed a few times, but other than that things are pretty much still the same (and I am still a nerd).

On the site side of things, I have updated all of the Series Reading List pages, so all of the book lists are as up-to-date as I could get them.  I took the opportunity to finally work on the long neglected Completed Series List page, as well.  There are some that I think are finished that I didn’t add, since I couldn’t find official word that they were in fact over.  I will be keeping an eye on them, but if you see any that I missed feel free to give me a shout.  Also, WordPress decided to play with the way that the code for linking to a specific spot on a page was worded, which meant that all of those “Blah Blah reading list HERE” links no longer worked.  I do believe that I got that dealt with as well (each one had to be redone individually, so I hope I didn’t miss any).

On the Character Guide front, I added one a couple weeks back for Kresley Cole‘s Arcana Chronicles (speaking of which, it looks like book two, Endless Knight, will not be out until next October).  I also got Thea Harrison‘s Elder Races guide up to date and added the info for Lord’s Fall, and I am almost done the rough copy for the last two Darynda Jones Charley Davidson books.  That one should be FINALLY updated by the middle of this week.  That just leaves me Archangel’s Storm and a Mythos Academy book to get caught up.  Yay.

There are a few newbies to add to the New Release pages, as well…

• It looks like Linda Poitevin will release another Grigori Legacy book in 2013, this one called Sins of the Righteous.
• Also due next year is the third book in Adrian Phoenix‘s Hoodoo series, Black Moon Mojo.
• The second book in Jamie Quaid‘s new Saturn’s Daughter series, Damn Him to Hell, will be released on June 25th.
• There will be another Anna Strong book from Jeanne C. Stein coming out on August 27th.  Right now, the title is TBA.
• Awaken the Damned is the title of the third League of Guardians book from Juliana Stone, and it will be released on June 25th.
• Alpha Pack book number four from J.D. Tyler, Hunter’s Heart, will be released on September 3rd.
• You will be able to get a new Kitty Norville book from Carrie Vaughn on July 30th.  This new one will be called Kitty in the Underworld.
• Looks like there is also another Lupi book from Eileen Wilks in the works, as well.  Ritual Magic, Lupi #10, will be out next on August 6th.
• Eternal Sin is the title of the 6th Mark of the Vampire book from Laura Wright.  Look for it next November.

Pick of the Week…

There are a couple of really great books (er, or I think they are probably really great books.  Here’s hoping.) coming out today, but I had no problem choosing my pick of the week.  The busy, busy Jennifer L. Armentrout‘s Deity, the third of her five Covenant books, was a clear winner for me.  They are great young adult that doesn’t read like YA at all.  And I think it is the first series in history that has a love triangle that works for me, since there is no way at this point in the series I could even begin to pick between Seth and Aiden.

Synopsis…

History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.

Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

The Covenant series page is HERE.

And, if you are interested, this is the official trailer for Deity.  There isn’t really much to it, mostly a bunch of singing, but I love trailers so I thought what the hell.

 

What is your pick of the week?  Are you diving into the last book of Jessica Andersen‘s Final Prophecy series, or the new Allie Beckstrom?  I know I can’t wait to get my hands on Lord’s Fall from Thea Harrison, either, so it is looking like a good week for reading (and not doing much else).