This and That…and a Couple of Other Things

Once again, it seems I am doing a post that covers a bit of this and a bit of that. Where to begin?

• Oh, yeah. The official blurb is out for Sapphire Flames from Ilona Andrews. I am not ashamed to admit that I have checked every single day for the blurb and the cover since I first saw the book listing. Every one. It is going to be a long, long wait until it is released on August 27th.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrew comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society…

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.

But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

• Nora Roberts‘ third Chronicles of the One book will be called The Rise of Magicks, and it will be out next November 26th.
• Oh, and G.A. Aiken is starting up another new series. The Blacksmith Queen is the first book of The Scarred Earth Saga, and it will be released on August 27th. Here’s the blurb…

When a prophesy brings war to the Land of the Black Hills, Keeley Smythe must join forces with a clan of mountain warriors who are really centaurs in a thrilling new fantasy romance series from New York Times bestselling author G.A. Aiken. 

The Old King Is Dead
 
With the demise of the Old King, there’s a prophesy that a queen will ascend to the throne of the Black Hills. Bad news for the king’s sons, who are prepared to defend their birthright against all comers. But for blacksmith Keeley Smythe, war is great for business. Until it looks like the chosen queen will be Beatrix, her younger sister. Now it’s all Keeley can do to protect her family from the enraged royals.

Luckily, Keeley doesn’t have to fight alone. Because thundering to her aid comes a clan of kilt-wearing mountain warriors called the Amichai. Not the most socially adept group, but soldiers have never bothered Keeley, and rough, gruff Caid, actually seems to respect her. A good thing because the fierce warrior will be by her side for a much longer ride than any prophesy ever envisioned …

• And, there has been a bit of a push-back on the next Mercy Thompson book from Patricia Briggs. Storm Cursed was originally scheduled for a March 5th release, but the new date is May 7th. I’m not actually mad about that, since there are already a crap-ton of great March books and I like to spread out the happy-happy.

I feel like I am forgetting something, but I am sure it will come to me the moment I publish this post. That is pretty much how things roll. I am of course drooling for Sapphire Flames, but I’m a bit iffy on the new Aiken series. Not that I’m not looking forward to it, but I was hoping for another Dragon Kin book and with a new series, I don’t know when (or if) that will happen. But it does sound interesting, though.

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Cover Lover – Storm Cursed

Hey everyone. How was the North American folks’ long weekend? I was actually off work, and spent the entire, glorious time…cleaning. Not living the dream, but it had to be done (and I am happy afterwards). But as a reward for my good behavior, there is a cover to post. Storm Cursed is the next Mercy Thompson book from Patricia Briggs, and it has a release date of March 5th. Just a side note, but that is totally a different Mercy model, am I right?

Synopsis…

In this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves…

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.

And a coyote shapeshifter.

And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.

But we are pack, and we have given our word.

We will die to keep it.

Amazon.uk a while back had listed an untitled Moira spin-off book, but that disappeared without a trace. Has anyone heard any word of this, since it has been rumored for a couple of years now? I even went back and re-read their novella to get a refresher, and I very much liked their story.

Bookish Bucket List

It’s funny how things change. Over the last few years, I have done pretty massive purges of my books (both read and unread), to the point that I couldn’t even begin to guess how many hundreds I have gotten rid of (probably around 1000, or pretty close to it). I was going over my bookshelves the other day, looking at what I had left, and it made me realize that I don’t really have a ton of stories left on my reading bucket list – or books that I want to read before I die.

My beloved Cainsville series from Kelley Armstrong has wrapped. We finally got the Dani O’Malley/Ryodan story I had been waiting for for what felt like forever in the Fever series. I would’ve legit offed someone to get my hands on books two and three of the Hidden Legacy series a even a few days earlier. Another person (or two) would gladly have been sacrificed if it brought me closer to Heart of Obsidian. And any book that featured the Ghostwalkers was automatically on the list. I am talking about those books that I honestly was nuts about getting my hands on. But now, while I have several books I am very much looking forward to, I don’t have any that inspire that same kid-at-christmas feeling as I used to have. And I miss it.

Well, there are still a few that I would consider to be on my bucket list (and a few of them are already in the works). Jeanine Frost‘s next book will feature Ian, who has been on my wish-list since he was first introduced in the Night Huntress series. And William from the Lords of the Underworld will get his story in 2019 (and then I can pull the plug on the Lords). I have heard rumors that Ilona Andrews will be writing Roman’s book sometime after Hugh’s trilogy (another must read), but I still am whining about more Derek and Julie books, too.

At this point, the top 10 characters I would love to have stories about would look something like this (in no particular order):

1) Illium – Guild Hunter

2) Aodhan – Guild Hunter

3) Malachi – Psy/Changelings

4) Alexei – Psy/Changelings

5) Janvier – GhostWalkers

6) Dane – The Breeds

7) Ben – Mercy Thompson World

8) Roman – Kate Daniels World

9) Derek – Kate Daniels World

10) Lor – Fever Series

What does your bucket list look like? What were your original stories that you couldn’t wait to get your hands on?

The Others Arc II – Lake Silence

March is like the mega-load month for great, anticipated books for me. Last week, there were three of my top reads for the ENTIRE YEAR released on the same damn day. Karen Marie Moning‘s High Voltage was great, and I really enjoyed Patricia Briggs‘ Burn Bright, too. But for me the big surprise was just how much I liked Lake Silence.

It isn’t like I didn’t think I would like it, but when Anne Bishop said she was wrapping things up with Meg and Simon and the gang in the Lakeside Courtyard to focus on new stories, I was a bit…meh. I was hoping for maybe a Vlad spin-off, or even Henry, but a totally new set of characters didn’t really get me excited. Glad I was so wrong.

I loved Lake Silence – just as much as the first five books. I bonded pretty quickly to the new cast of characters, and I really enjoyed the storyline. Usually a book without a pretty strongly defined romance (or romantic potential) doesn’t really click for me, but this one did. I can honestly say that I didn’t even miss the Lakeside crew after about the second chapter, and that is saying a lot.

Now the problem is that the next book is supposed to be set in Bennett, so does that mean we won’t get any more stories about Vicki, Julian and Wayne? Not to mention Ilya and Natasha, who were complete scene stealers. That would just be wrong, on so many levels.

What did you think of this new spin on The Others? Were you happy with it, or did you still miss the originals?

Pick of the Week

Yeah, this really shouldn’t be hard. But what happens when you have not one, not two, but three monster releases coming out on the same day? There are other great books as well, but I am talking about the wait-a-whole-year, read in one sitting books that you have counted down the days for. For me, the big three are Burn Bright from Patricia Briggs, Lake Silence from Anne Bishop, and High Voltage from Karen Marie Moning.

But for me, High Voltage just managed to edge past the other two books to become my pick of the week. In a way, I think that part of my excitement is that Mac and Barrons’ POV in the Fever world finally seems to be over, and we now get to focus on Dani/Jada. I liked Mac, sure, but I thought her story needed to wrap up a couple of years ago, and I was a bit disappointed when the original plan to focus on Dani got pushed back. Until now. And more Dani means more Ryodan, which is what makes it my win.

Synopsis…

There is no action without consequence…

Dani O’Malley was nine years old when the delusional, sadistic Rowena transformed her into a ruthless killer. Years later, she’s tough, hardened, yet achingly vulnerable and fiercely compassionate, living alone by her own exacting code. Despite the scars on her body, driven by deeper ones carved into her soul, no one is more committed to protecting Dublin. By day, she ensures the safety of those she rescues, by night she hunts evil, dispensing justice swiftly and without mercy, determined to give those she cares for the peace she has never known.

There is no power without price…

When the Faerie Queen used the dangerously powerful Song of Making to heal the world from the damage done by the Hoar Frost King, catastrophic magic seeped deep into the earth, giving rise to horrifying, unforeseen consequences–and now deadly enemies plot in the darkness, preparing to enslave the human race and unleash an ancient reign of hell on Earth.

There is no future without sacrifice…

With the lethal, immortal Ryodan at her side, armed with the epic Sword of Light, Dani once again battles to save the world but her past comes back to haunt her with a vengeance, demanding an unspeakable price for the power she needs to save the human race and no one—not even Ryodan who’d move the very stars for her—can save her this time…

So, your turn. Which one of the too many to be true great books is your favorite for the week? Do you have a hard time trying to decide which one to read first? One sitting or do you try to make it last, since it is a year until the next one?

This and That

I don’t know if I have enough info to do a full “this and that” updating post, but then it might be nice to have something that is under a million rambling words, right?

• Let’s start with site stuff. You might notice that I did pull some of the character guides that were either obsolete or very out of date with no hope of being updated. That said, I did keep a copy of them all and I can email any of them to anyone who needs them. That includes The Chronicles of Nick, White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, and The Midnight Breed guides. Just send me an email if you need any of them.
• Christine Feehan‘s release schedule has been updated a bit to include dates for the next Leopard People and Torpedo Ink books. Leopard’s Run will be released on October 30th, and Torpedo Ink #2 will be out on January 3rd.
• There is a little teaser synopsis for Gena Showalter‘s new Gods of War series up on Amazon. The first book is called Shadow and Ice, and it will be released on October 30th…

“After being trapped in an ice prison for centuries, a group of otherworldly immortals have finally broken free. In a bid to rule the earth, their fight to the death resumes, and the whole world becomes a gladiator arena. But this time, these savage warriors will risk more than their lives and the survival of their realms; they’ll also risk their hearts.”

• Ilona Andrews had a competition over on their blog to pick the name of the newest Innkeeper Chronicles story featuring Maud and Arland. The winning title was Sweep of the Blade. They also did an interesting Q&A session over there, as well. If you pour over the questions, there is some good news (they are in talks with Avon for more Hidden Legacy books) and some not so great news (it doesn’t seem like there will be any more Derek-and-Julie stories). But I will take what I can get.
• Shades of Wicked from Jeanine Frost has gone up for pre-order on Amazon, which makes it a real thing in my world. It is also showing a hardcover release, which is news to me, but I will keep an eye out for more info.
• I had mentioned in a previous post that J.R. Ward will be starting a new contemporary series early next year that will feature firefighters. Turns out the title of the first book will be Consumed.
• The next Argeneau Vampires book from Lynsay Sands will be called Vampires Like It Hot, and it will be released on September 25th.
• October 30th is shaping up to be a pretty epic release day. According to Amazon.com, Nalini Singh‘s next Guild Hunter book is due out then, as well, and it will be called Archangel’s Prophecy. No clue on whose story it is as yet, though.
• Mercy Thompson #11 from Patricia Briggs will be called Storm Cursed, and it will be released next March. I had seen a listing somewhere showing the Tom and Moira spin-off book as a September 2017 release, but I can’t find it now. I don’t think I was dreaming it, but who knows at this point?
• I’m really hoping this is a misprint, but it looks like we might have quite a wait for the next Elder Races story from Thea Harrison. Lionheart is showing a December 2018 release. I haven’t come across anything else in progress, either. Have you heard what Thea has on the go? Is there another story due out before Lionheart? If not, that is an 18 month period between releases, which seems odd to me.
• And finally, the second Lowtown book from Lindsay J. Pryor now has a title. Rogue will be released on November 22nd.

Yeah, I had more than enough for the post. Have you heard of anything coming up in the PNR/UF world? Any new releases you are really anticipating?

 

Cover Lover – Burn Bright

I have been looking every day for the last few weeks to find the cover for Burn Bright, the next long-awaited Alpha and Omega book from Patricia Briggs. As much as I enjoy anything set in the Mercy-verse, I am particularly looking forward to this one for some reason. Honestly, I would love to get a character guide done before it comes out on March 6th, but that just isn’t going to happen. Maybe before the 2019 release?

As much as I am looking forward to the book, I am not so big on the cover. It is the first one of the series that made me stop and go…eh. Maybe it is just because all of the Mercy books are so pretty, but this one doesn’t quit stack up for me. Not horrible by any means, but just not quite what I was hoping for.

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf—but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills—his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker—to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…

Where does this fall on your most anticipated list for next year?

Reading Wrap Up

I swear, I have been trying to make the reading wrap up a regular Sunday feature, but it just seems that I keep missing the mark. On the bright side, though, I did get both Silence Fallen from Patricia Briggs and Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop done. With varying degrees of success.

Silence Fallen was up first, and I really liked it. I enjoyed seeing Mercy on her own, fighting her own battles (and winning), but I liked seeing Adam without Mercy even more. I don’t remember any other books in the series where Adam played such a large role – or was seen more as pack Alpha than Mercy’s mate. I liked seeing that side of him, and I liked how much faith he had in Mercy to get herself out of whatever situations were thrown at her. And Bran? So didn’t see that coming. It was definitely a winner for me.

I know that there is a Tom and Moira book in the works, and next March is the fifth Alpha and Omega release, but I would be so happy to see stories for Bran, Ben, Honey. I know it might be too much of a good thing, but I always find myself wanting more of them.

And I am just finishing up Etched in Bone. Unfortunately, though, I can’t quite tell how I feel about it. Is it good? Yep. Is it end of the story arc, resolve everything good? I don’t think so. There was a pretty good sized chunk of story in the middle of the book where I was just waiting for…it. Something. The set up for the big finale. The progression of Simon and Meg. Hell, someone to get killed. And it didn’t happen. It was still a good book, and the ending kicked the drama up, but I guess I expected more of a finale for this arc. More of a “last book” feeling.

Ok, that wraps things up for me. What have you been up to? I am sure most of you already picked up both of these – what did you think?

Pick of the Week

Sometimes the pick of the week is an absolute no-brainer. Sometimes, there just isn’t one. This week, though, has two great releases that both deserve it, so I am going to go with the one not named book of the month for March. Patricia Briggs might only write one book a year, but it is always one to look forward to, and this week’s Silence Fallen is no exception.

Synopsis…

Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe…

Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise…

Yep, this one sounds like it will be right up my alley. Throw in a bunch of Ben, and I will be a happy camper. Let the countdown begin for next March’s Alpha and Omega release, Burn Bright.

Cover Lover and Other Stuff

Recently, Chloe Neill uploaded the cover for her upcoming third Devil’s Isle book, The Hunt, and that made me realize that I haven’t read the first one yet. What did you think of this newest Neill series? I honestly haven’t heard much about it, but maybe it got lost in the shuffle of wrapping up the Chicagoland Vampires series or something. I still have time to check out the first couple of books, though, before this one is released on September 26th.

When bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered that Claire Connolly was a Sensitive and infected with magic, he should have turned her in to be locked up in the prison district known as Devil’s Isle. Instead, he helped her learn to control her power and introduced her to an underground group of Paranormals and humans who know the truth about the war and those who fought it.

Now the weight of Liam’s own secrets has forced him into hiding. When a government agent is killed and Claire discovers that Liam is the prime suspect, she races to find him before the government can. But she’ll discover proving his innocence is no simple matter. Their enemies are drawing closer, and time is running out.

On a couple of completely random and unrelated side notes, it looks like the Shadow’s Seduction novella from Kresley Cole has been pushed back again, but only by a couple of weeks. It was first supposed to be released in January I believe, then early February, then on Valentine’s Day. It looks like the newest date is now February 28th. The sad thing is, I have pretty much no interest in picking it up, but I need it to keep the Character Guide updated. Meh.

And it looks like the next Alpha and Omega book from Patricia Briggs now officially has a title. Burn Bright will be released in March 2018, which is a long wait. But we all know it will be so worth it.