New Releases: Horror, Paranormal Romance, Steampunk Romance, Urban Fantasy & YA for the week of March 30, 2010

Do you hear that? Yeah, that echoing sound. Why, yes – it's the sound of my empty wallet.

This past weekend, I think I checked and double checked my pre-order list to make sure I ordered the books I wanted off on this list. What are you looking forward to today? I have many but my biggest is SILVER BORNE by Patricia Briggs. When it gets here, we’re going to spend some quality alone time together. The “Do Not Disturb” sign will be hung out. (^_^)


March 30, 2010

Never Cry Werewolf by L. A. Banks

Never Cry Werewolf by L. A. Banks
Crimson Moon #5
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

The last fight between the werewolf clans spilled onto the streets of New Orleans—and now the whole city’s on red alert. Martial law has gone into effect. Mediums, ghost hunters, and other supernatural pundits have taken over the media, swarming the Big Easy to expose the hard truth about lycanthropes. And to make matters worse, a beastly killer is clawing up humans…

Secret government operative Sasha Trudeau doesn’t like what she’s seeing—a series of brutal and bloody slayings that appear to be wolf-like attacks. It might be the work of a copy cat killer—vampire or Unseelie or some other enemy of the Seelie clan. But while Sasha races to find suspects and motives, the panic level is rising—and the city’s human population is clamoring for an all-out wolf hunt…

- Reviewed By:


Death Blows by DD Barant

Death Blows by DD Barant
The Bloodhound Files #2
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

FBI profiler Jace Valchek was pulled into this parallel realm to hunt for Aristotle Stoker, a human serial killer who preys on vampires and werewolves. Now she works for the National Security Agency of the Unnatural States of America—and her boss is a vampire.

At a bizarre crime scene, Jace finds a bloodsucker murdered by magic, fried to the bone and dressed in the costume of the comic book hero the Flash—a character who isn’t supposed to exist here. Comic books have been outlawed for their powers, including crossover spells like the one that transported Jace to this world. Soon, she’s following a trail of dead bodies into the sinister underworld of black-market comics—where a deranged madman gives new meaning to the term “super-villain”…

- Reviewed By:


Master of None by Sonya Bateman

Master of None by Sonya Bateman
Book #1
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

ONE UNLUCKY THIEF. ONE UNLIKELY GENIE. ONE VERY ODD COUPLE.Gavyn Donatti is the world’s unluckiest thief. Just ask all the partners he’s lost over the years. And when he misplaces an irreplaceable item he was hired to steal for his ruthless employer, Trevor—well, his latest bungle just might be his last. But then his luck finally turns: right when Trevor’s thugs have him cornered, a djinn, otherwise known as a genie, appears to save him.Unfortunately, this genie—who goes by the very non-magical name of “Ian”—is more Hellboy than dream girl. An overgrown and extremely surly man who seems to hate Donatti on the spot, he may call Donatti master, but he isn’t interested in granting three wishes. He informs Donatti that he is bound to help the thief fulfill his life’s purpose, and then he will be free. The problem is that neither Donatti nor Ian has any idea what exactly that purpose is.At first Donatti’s too concerned with his own survival to look a gift genie in the mouth, but when his ex-girlfriend Jazz and her young son get drawn into the crossfire, the stakes skyrocket. And when Ian reveals that he has an agenda of his own—with both Donatti and the murderous Trevor at the center of it—Donatti will have to become the man he never knew he could be, or the entire world could pay the price. . . .

- Reviewed By:


Embers by Laura Bickle

Embers by Laura Bickle
Lantern Series #1
Urban Fantasy
Amazon | B&N

Summary:

Truth burns.Unemployment, despair, anger—visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit’s unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya—who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern—suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya—with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team—can stop it.Anya’s accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she’s risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced.

Embers.

- Reviewed By:


Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Mercy Thompson Series #5
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

- Reviewed By:


Touch of Seduction by Rhyannon Byrd

Touch of Seduction by Rhyannon Byrd
Primal Instinct #4
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Sold into slavery as a child to a cruel taskmaster, tiger-shifter Aiden Shrader trusts no one. Not even his own kind. Yet as a member of the Watchmen—the organization of shape-shifters who keep watch over the ancient nonhuman races—Aiden is fiercely protective of the helpless. Never more so than when he's asked to guard a little girl with witches' blood—and her beautiful human aunt. A woman who arouses all of Aiden's primal urges…urges he must resist.

To small-town schoolteacher Olivia Harcourt, the massive tiger-shifter with the glowing amber eyes is as much a dark mystery as the enemy stalking her. Yet Aiden is her only hope of surviving. Until their intense passion unleashes her own inner tigress with a ferocity that will make the evil Casus rue the day they messed with her family…and will take Aiden by seductive surprise.

- Reviewed By:


Changeless by Gail Carriger

Changeless by Gail Carriger
The Parasol Protectorate #2
Steampunk Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

- Reviewed By:


Key to Justice by Talia Gryphon

Key to Justice by Talia Gryphon
Gillian Key, ParaDoc #4
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Psychologist to the paranormal Gillian Key has a new patient. He is a vampire who calls himself Csangal, but he is also a creature hiding his true motives-and his true identity: Dracula.

- Reviewed By:


Forbidden Passion by Rita Herron

Forbidden Passion by Rita Herron
The Demonborn #3
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

SHE SEES HIM IN HER DREAMS...
Fueled by her family's murder years ago, Dr. Marlena Bender has devoted her life to understanding violent criminals. But when a serial killer in this small Southern town starts taking the lives of women in diabolical ways--leaving trophies of his kills on Marlena's doorstep--it all hits too close to home. Terrified, Marlena turns to the only man she can trust...the man who saved her life.

BUT HIS SECRET IS HER WORST NIGHTMARE.
Sheriff Dante Valtrez would move heaven and earth to keep Marlena safe, but he's not the savior she thinks he is. A dark legacy runs through his blood and a dangerous secret lies within him. Now a fierce, hot, ruthless desire draws Dante and Marlena together--as a demonic force from his past threatens to rip them apart, destroying everything they hold dear.

- Reviewed By:


Beyond the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

Beyond the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
Guardians of Eternity #6
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Salvatore Giuliani is not a happy werewolf. It's his duty as leader to track down the pureblood females who can keep his people from extinction. But the moment he catches scent of Harley, a pureblood held by a pack of mangy curs, his savage need for her obliterates all other instincts. And the only thing worse than being captured is finding that beautiful, independent Harley defiantly refuses to become his mate. Harley has been taught to distrust all Weres, especially their arrogant king. She won't be used for breeding or bonded against her will, not even to a man who makes every nerve tingle with awareness. Yet Salvatore is her key to saving the family she never knew she had - if she dares to succumb to his dark, predatory desire, and face a vicious enemy sworn to destroy them both...

- Reviewed By:


Can’t Teach an Old Demon New Tricks by Cara Lockwood

Can’t Teach an Old Demon New Tricks by Cara Lockwood
Sequel to Every Demon Has His Day
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Get an east Texas girl good and mad,and there’s going to be hell to pay!Rachel Farnsworth doesn’t believe in the paranormal—she can find plenty of evil forces right in Dogwood County, like the Mega-Mart that’s driving her family’s hardware store into the ground. Then there’s her own little hell-raiser—a rowdy toddler who can turn his birthday candles into a blazing inferno with just one breath. But when her marriage goes up in smoke, Rachel discovers her husband, Kevin, isn’t just a deadbeat, he’s also a demon (a sloth demon, no less, which explains why he never helped around the house) with a renegade bounty hunter—a fallen angel named Sam—chasing down a powerful secret Kevin has kept for a millennium or two. Sam’s downfall was a beautiful mortal woman . . . and now, the heavenly attraction zinging between them has down-to-earth Rachel believing in celestial magic. But will it be enough to save her and her son from the dark forces Kevin has unwittingly unleashed on Dogwood County?

- Reviewed By:


The Shattered Sylph by L. J. McDonald

The Shattered Sylph by L. J. McDonald
Sylphs #2
Fantasy Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary from Goodreads:

Years after Eferem and the battle on the Cliffs, Ril is a free Sylph, living with the man he still calls his master in Sylph Valley. Only Ril doesn't care about his freedom. Instead he's a broken creature, crippled in that final battle and, in his own mind, useless.

However, when Leon's oldest daughter Lizzy is kidnapped by slavers and taken halfway across the world, Ril is the only one who can track her. Together, he and Leon follow to a world alien to both of them, following a bond Ril's not willing to admit to, even in the depths of his own heart.

- Reviewed By:


Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead

Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead
Georgina Kincaid # 5
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals--all child's play to a succubus like her.

Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend's wedding is a different story. Georgina isn't sure which is worse--that Seth is marrying another woman, or that Georgina has to run all over Seattle trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Georgina's roommate, Roman, is cluttering her apartment with sexual tension. Then there's Simone, the new succubus in town, who's intent on corrupting Seth.

But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that's visiting her thoughts, trying to draw her into a dark, otherworldly realm. Sooner or later, Georgina knows she'll be too weak to resist. And when that happens, she'll discover who she can trust, who she can't--and that Hell is far from the worst place to spend eternity. . .

- Reviewed By:


Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil by Barbara Monajem

Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil by Barbara Monajem
Bayou Gavotte Series #1
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary from Dorchester Publishing:

Bayou Gavotte, Louisiana, has a post office, a city hall, and an active PTA. It has magnolias and passion vine. It also has fetish clubs. And vampires.

A FLOWERING HUNGER… AND A TASTE OF VIOLENCE TO COME Being irresistible sucks: Ophelia Beliveau learned that at puberty. When her friends developed breasts, she sprouted fangs as well. The effect on boys was even more dangerous.

Ophelia’s peril has only increased. As a woman, there’s been only one solution. But she can’t avoid men forever. Solitude satisfies no craving, and now her self-imposed exile must end. A vandal has destroyed her garden. A web of blackmail and murder is being woven across town, with her at its heart. And then there’s Gideon O’Toole, a detective sworn to uncover more secrets than she thirsts to bare….

- Reviewed By:


Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien
YA Dystopia
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

- Reviewed By:


In The Darkest Night by Patti O’Shea

In The Darkest Night by Patti O’Shea
Light Warriors #4
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Fleeing from both her dark heritage and the magical council she attempted to steal from, Farran’s greatest fear is to be sent back to the father she has utterly betrayed. Yet when a demon attempts to capture her, Farran knows she cannot stay hidden. She must find help.

Kel Andrews is a magical troubleshooter with troubles of his own. Recovering from being kidnapped and tortured by darksiders, Kel has been removed from active duty by the magical council. When the mysterious Farran collapses on his doorstep, begging for help, Kel feels compelled to assist her in any way possible.

As danger—both demonic and human—closes in on them from every side, Kel and Farran must learn to trust each other as they battle the monsters that are determined to keep them apart.

- Reviewed By:


His Darkest Hunger by Julia Stone

His Darkest Hunger by Julia Stone
Jaguar Warrior #1
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Jaxon Castille: jaguar shifter, warrior, assassin. He has long hungered for the chance to make his former lover, Libby Jamieson, pay for her deadly betrayal. After three long years he's finally found her. The hunt is over . . .

But the Libby that he finds is not what he expected. She has no memory of their tumultuous affair, of her treachery, of anything beyond her own name. A shadowy and deadly clan has marked them both for death, and in an instant, he game changes: the hunter has become the hunted.

On the run, with the ghosts of their past between them and a dark, desperate hunger quickly reclaiming their bodies and souls, Libby and Jaxon must discover the truth behind the dark forces working against them. Together, they must grab hold of a destiny that has the power to either heal them or destroy them.

But the truth is far more shattering than anyone could imagine . . .

- Reviewed By:


Blood Pressure by Terence Taylor

Blood Pressure by Terence Taylor
A Vampire’s Testament #2
Horror
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

The secret war between vampires and humans escalates and the world will never be the same again…

Christopher Jude Miller – fully grown and still human – has returned to New York to seek answers about his past.  It is there he meets Joie, a young woman connected to his past, and falls into a twisted love triangle. He and Joie also realize that the magical forces that made both their lives possible have unexpected side effects, as they discover that united they have abilities neither knew of before - including the power to cure vampires.

Created after the incidents that brought in the National Guard to contain the vampire zombie plague on the Lower East Side, Clean Slate Global is a covert ops organization formed to rid the world of vampires, run by ex-deputy mayor Jonathan Richmond.  But Richmond unleashes an ancient evil with darker motives.  It plots to use Christopher and Joie’s power to eliminate all vampires from the Earth…with the exception of its own new and improved indestructible army of the undead.

- Reviewed By:


The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells
Sabina Kane #2
Urban Fantasy
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary:

Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, the leader of the vampire race, just tried to kill her. When she arrives in New York to meet the mage side of her family, the reunion takes the fun out of dysfunctional.

On top of that, the Hekate Council wants to use her as a pawn in the brewing war against the vampires. Her mission will take her into the bowels of New York's Black Light district, entangles her in mage politics, and challenges her beliefs about the race she was raised to distrust. And Sabina thought vampires were bloodthirsty.

- Reviewed By:


Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams

Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams
Paranormal Romance
Amazon.com | B&N

Summary from Dorchester Publishing:

NO SAFE HARBOR
With her badass rain boots, her faithful dog, and the ability to predict the monster tsunamis that have reduced the US to a series of islands, Kathryn O’Malley isn’t afraid of much. Cut off from all society, she takes to the airwaves as Tsunami Blue, hoping to save something of humanity as the world around her crumbles. But Blue should be afraid—because her message reaches the wrong ears.

Now she’s the target of ruthless pirates known as Runners who want to use her special talents for their own profiteering—as soon as they can find her. Blue’s only shot at survival lies with the naked stranger who washes up on her rocky beach. A man who might just be working for Runners himself. Torn between suspicion and attraction, the two will have to navigate a surging tide of danger and deceit if they hope to stay alive.

- Reviewed By:


April 1, 2010

Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf

Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf
Wicked Games #3
Paranormal Romance
Amazon | B&N

Summary:

She may resist his bite, but she can't resist his charms…

Werewolf princess Blu Masterson won't allow her seductive vampire husband to consummate their marriage with his bite, marking her forever. Alone in a secluded estate with her sworn enemy, Blu curses the marriage arranged to bring their rival nations together, especially since Creed Saint-Pierre calls out to her most feral desires.

When Blu uncovers her pack's secret plot to destroy the vampire nation—and Creed—she is forced to confront her growing feelings for her sexy undead husband. Will she choose the only life she's ever known or accept his vampire bite?

- Reviewed By:


If you have a book review for any of the new releases listed here, link it in comments and I will be happy to add it to this post. Or if I missed a new book release, please let me know so I can add it also.

-- Summaries are from Amazon.com unless otherwise stated.


A Few Giveaways:

For more giveaways visit All Things Urban Fantasy.

12 comments:

Kelsey said...

Thanks for the heads up on the new releases. I've added several to my list of books to be read!

Blodeuedd said...

Carriger :D I do want that book

Leslee said...

Hi!
I reviewed Death Blows by DD Barant for Night Owl Reviews. Here's the link:
http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=5821

Thanks!
Leslee

Leontine said...

Oh, I need to order me Touch of Seduction by Rhyannon Byrd. I've got the first three books too, which I still need to read of course, but that never stops me from buying more lol And i sympathize with that echoing sound Donna...I'm counting the days, 2 more to go before CC is back in the black and I can spend some more money ;)

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

OMG.. thanks for the heads up in all kinda of directions and with that list up there.. I will be broke faster than I know, lol.

Have a great day!

Chris said...

Ack! What a crazy week of releases!

Thanks for the mention!

VampFanGirl said...

Yowzaa! Look at all those awesome releases. I've already felt the pain in my wallet over this release day but it was sooooooo worth it!

Hugs, VFG

Laura Bickle said...

Thanks for the shout-out on EMBERS! Hope you enjoy!

Donna said...

Kesley - Great! Glad you found something here. :)

B - A lot folks do. I haven't read Soulless yet. Maybe soon.

Leslee - Thanks for the heads up, I've added your link.

Leontine - I delete the email receipts before my hubby could see them. LOL!

Cecile - We'll all be broke this week. But busy!

Chris - You're welcome! Love these kinds of release weeks. :D

VFG - I agree 110% with that.

Laura - You're welcome! Very happy to do it. My copy of EMBERS arrives tomorrow. :)

Smokinhotbooks said...

I'm buying Changeless today!!! I made my B&N CS rep go into the back and unwrap the new Alexandra Ivy book, did i feel guilty? Ah no.

PS Seth in Succubus Shadows is getting married?! WTH! He and Georgina are meant 4 one another *sobs*

Patti (@TheLoveJunkee) said...

Amazing release list! Must have Silver Borne and Succubus Shadows now!!!

Erotic Horizon said...

Another book filled week..

Briggs, Bateman and Mcdonald - Auto buy for me....

Have add a few others to the list..

E.H>

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