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.

Sad News

I am so very sorry to say that I just saw where Mike Briggs, husband of Patricia Briggs, passed away this week. He was a constant presence on their blog and Facebook page, and also helped with doing research for Patricia’s books. If you would like to send condolence cards, they can be mailed to P.O. Box 5394, Benton City, WA, 99320.

Spotlight Wednesday – Annie Bellet

On one of my random internet searches, I came across and article over on the Barnes and Noble Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog called ” 12 Highly Bingeable Urban Fantasy Series”. Any list that has Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Anne Bishop and Faith Hunter on it catches my attention. While there were several series mentioned that I knew, it was a completely unknown one that caught my eye and made me think of doing an author spotlight post.

Author Annie Bellet has an ongoing, seven book series (with the eighth due in December) called The Twenty-Sided Sorceress, which gets its start with the first long-novella length story, Justice Calling.

Synopsis…

Gamer. Nerd. Sorceress.

Jade Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde, Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine. Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures she’s finally safe.

As long as she doesn’t use her magic.

When dark powers threaten her friends’ lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer shows up. He’s the shifter world’s judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her friends, and stop the villain, she’ll have to use her wits… and her sorceress powers.

Except Jade knows that as soon as she does, a far deadlier nemesis awaits.

If you are interested in checking this one out, it can be found on Amazon.com for free by clicking HERE.

There is a print bind-up of the first four books called Level Grind, and one for the next three called Boss Fight.

Other books in the series:

About the author: Annie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh. Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series. Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.

Cover Lover – Silence Fallen

It seems like every few days one of my much-anticipated releases has their cover reveal, and today’s book is Silence Fallen from Patricia Briggs. I already did the blurb reveal a while back, but might as well do it again, right? This one is dark and beautiful, and has a release date of March 7th.

In the #1 New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson novels, the coyote shapeshifter has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy’s bond with the pack and her mate is broken, she’ll learn what it truly means to be alone…

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…”

This is one of my favorite covers of the whole series. Some of the previous Mercy covers, while all pretty, showed a little bit more of Mercy than I sometimes thought went with the character. Mercy never struck me as the plunging neckline and midriff baring type of gal, so this suits my version more. And I like the dark, intense vibe, too. So, are you a yes or a no on this one?

A Future Pick of the Week

Well, since this week’s pick of the week is so much a forgone conclusion it is laughable, I thought we could take a peek at the recently released blurb for a future pick of the week instead. Silence Fallen, from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, just had the back cover copy come out, and it sounds pretty intense…

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…

Well, now we just have to wait until next March 7th to get our hands on this. Let the countdown begin.

From the Author Pages

Updating time again, and there are a couple of things to mention from the author pages…

• The fifth (and I believe final) book in Anne Bishop‘s The Others series now has a name. Etched in Bone will be released next March.
• And next March will also see the last Chicagoland Vampires book from Chloe Neill, which will be called Blade Bound.
• Jeaniene Frost‘s third Broken Destiny book will be called The Brightest Flame, and it will be out next July.
• There will be an Elemental Assassin novella from Jennifer Estep released this December, and it will be called Nice Guys Bite.
• Nihcki sent over word that the second Black Dagger Legacy book from J.R. Ward, Blood Vow, will feature Axe and Elise. It has a release date of December 6th.
• Probably coming as a shock to no one at all, Lora Leigh‘s next Breeds book has gotten a quite hefty push-back. Originally due for release on October 6th, it looks like Wake a Sleeping Tiger won’t hit the shelves until next March.
• Ooooh, the official blurb for Nalini Singh‘s next Guild Hunters book, Archangel’s Heart, is now out. And wow…

One of the most vicious archangels in the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory.

Accompanying her archangelic lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, guild hunter-turned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within—truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is…

Nothing will ever be the same again.

• And finally, the title for the next Mercy Thompson book from Patricia Briggs has been announced, and it looks like the 10th book will be called Silence Fallen.

So, that wraps things up for today’s post. Are you looking forward to any of these (duh)? Have you got any new info to share?

Reading Wrap Up

Things have been pretty quiet around here for the last few days, mostly because there just wasn’t a lot to mention. I figure this is as good a time as any to share what we all have been reading, since it has been almost a month since my last wrap up post.

To be honest, I haven’t seemed to be able to get much done these last couple of weeks. I did manage to read Midnight Marked from Chloe Neill, which is the second-to-last full book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. It took me longer to finish than I thought it would, though. I do enjoy the books, but they don’t quite grab me like I wish they would. I have no problem putting them down and leaving them for a couple of days, which I did quite a few times on this one. I guess what I am trying to spit out is that like the rest of the books in the series, it was a good read, but it didn’t wow me, either.

I have two new releases on the go as I type, and those are Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs, and Lady Midnight from Cassandra Clare. For some reason, I am not totally feeling Lady Midnight, though. Maybe it is because I am reading it for the character guide, so it is more a fact-finding mission than a leisurely read, but I am not involved with parts of it. It isn’t bad, at all, but I am not really connecting with Emma or her story, which sucks since she is the main character. But surprisingly, Julian is a stand-out, which I didn’t expect. I figured he would be second fiddle to Emma, but that isn’t the case at all. And his story-arc is quite compelling. I am still slogging along on this one, but it is slow going.

Fire Touched is another story. I am at the half-way point, and it is flying by. These stories are once a year treats, so I do try and savor them, but it is hard to not just devour them in one sitting. I find myself forgetting a few of the background characters, though, which is a little annoying. Definitely time for a re-read of the series.

And on the subjects of re-reads, I got a few more novellas done for the Dragon Kin series by G.A. Aiken, along with another crack at the second In Death book from J.D. Robb, all of which I liked just as much the second time around. To my eternal shame, I still haven’t read Marked in Flesh – I know, I know. Like I said, ashamed. But it will be up after I finish Fire Touched. Too many books, too little time.

What have you been reading? What was your take on some of the big releases of March?

Pick of the Week – and a Bit of Drama

There were three monster books for me this week. THREE. Marked in Flesh, which is the book of the month for March, Lady Midnight, which I already mentioned in the New Series Alerts post yesterday, and Fire Touched. So, that make Fire Touched my pick of the week (the other two have gotten enough time already). Plus, Patricia Briggs only puts out one book a year, and that makes it a cause for celebration.

Synopsis…

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

Apparently, Amazon.com might’ve temporarily screwed up on this one. It seems that there was not only a problem with pre-orders being cancelled, but with pricing guarantees, as well. Of course, that leads to not only angry fans venting to the authors, but people leaving 1 star reviews on Amazon, both of which I just don’t get. Patricia Briggs did her part in writing the book, so if there are issues with the selling people should contact Amazon directly. And the 1 star review thing is a monster pet peeve of mine. I know it is disappointing when you want something and can’t get it, but lowering the rating of a book over anything other than content just doesn’t work for me. On the other hand, I am also annoyed by the slew of 5 star ratings on Goodreads for books that aren’t out yet, so maybe I am just bitchy?

Anyways, I hope you got your copy of Fire Touched without trouble. Now we just have to wait a year for the next Alpha and Omega book.