Books for December

Yes, this post is late, but on purpose this time!  There just haven’t been many December new releases that I’m interested in, so I’ve been holding off in the hope that I’d come across a few more.  Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case, so here’s the list of December releases on my radar – I will admit I’m fairly lukewarm on a few.

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Sarah A Hoyt‘s DARKSHIP RENEGADES (SF): This is a follow-up to DARKSHIP THIEVES, an impulse borrow from my library a couple of years back and one I ended up liking very much.  I’m glad a sequel has finally been released, but my memory of the first book is somewhat hazy.  Also, this is published by Baen, so in theory, you should be able to purchase the e-version at both the Baen ebookstore or Amazon following their announcement last week.  I can see the price is now $8.99, as opposed to the original $6, so I’m assuming that’s gone through…

After rescuing her star pilot husband and discovering the dark secret of her own past on Earth, Athena Hera Sinistra returns to space habitat Eden to start life anew. Not happening. Thena and Kit are placed under arrest for the crime of coming back alive. The only escape from a death sentence: return to Earth and bring back the lost method for creating the Powertrees, the energy source of both Eden and Earth whose technological origins have been lost to war. But that mission is secondary to a greater imperative. Above all else, Thena must not get caught. If she does, then suicide is to be the only option.

With the odds heavily stacked against not only success, but survival, Thena comes to understand what her cynical accusers do not: it is not merely one woman’s life on the line anymore. For it’s on Earth where the adventure truly begins. Thena realizes that what is truly at stake is the fate of Eden and Earth alike, the continuance of the darkship fleet–and freedom for all in the Solar system–and beyond.

Out now (excerpt)

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ELEMENTAL MAGIC, edited by Mercedes Lackey (fantasy): December normally signals a new Valdemar anthology, but not this year – it’s the turn of Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series.  It’s the same concept as the Valdemar anthology – various authors (the usual suspects, plus a few others) contribute short stories set in Lackey’s world.  I always end up buying the Valdemar anthology, which tends to be a mixed bag (i.e. a couple I really like and the rest ranging from decent to mediocre), but then again, I have a soft spot for Valdemar stories in general.  I’m not as fond of her Elemental Masters books, but I suspect I’ll also end up buying this one.

Among Mercedes Lackey’s many novels, few are as critically acclaimed and beloved as those about the Elemental Masters. The novels in this series are loosely based on classic fairy tales, and take place in a fantasy version of turn-of-the-century London, where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Now other authors join Mercedes Lackey to add their own special touches to this delightful alternate history, in a world where magic is always just around the corner…

Out now

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Carina Press also has their Christmas (holiday?) anthologies out this month – the previous ones I’ve read have been good value for money, so I keep an eye out for them.  This year, their three anthology themes are contemporary romance (ROMANCING THE HOLIDAY), erotic romance (RED HOT HOLIDAY), and SF romance A GALACTIC HOLIDAY.  I’ve already bought the latter two based on generally positive reviews (and am especially excited about the SF one), and will probably get the contemporary one at some point.

Out now

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Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway‘s A LADY MOST WILLING (historical romance): This is a follow-up to the previous collaboration between the same authors, which I haven’t read yet, but I’m guessing these three authors should have put together a pretty fun and Christmassy read.

During their annual Christmas pilgrimage to Scotland to visit their aged uncle in his decrepit castle, the Comte de Rocheforte and his cousin, Earl of Oakley, are presented with unique gifts: their uncle has raided an English lord’s Christmas party and kidnapped four lovely would-be brides for his heirs to choose from… as well as one very angry duke, Lord Bretton. As snow isolates the castle, and as hours grow into days, the most honourable intentions give away to temptations as surprising as they are irresistible.

Out Dec 26 (excerpt)

My Auto-buy Authors: The 2012 Romance Edition

Auto-buy Authors definition: You don’t have to know anything about their latest book, you just buy.  As soon as the release hits the shelves.

My auto-buy authors have changed a lot over the years, partly as my genre preferences have changed, but also because the internet has opened my eyes to numerous new-to-me authors out there.  You can probably guess at my list from either my monthly new releases posts (they’re always on there!) or my sidebar with authors I’ve blogged about, but I thought it would be interesting to pull both past and present together in a single post.  And then I decided to break it down by genre, else it would be a bit of an epic post.

So first up, romance.

Historical romance

There was a time when historicals made up the majority of my reading, now it is very rare that I run out to buy one on the day of release.  So the authors I still buy: Eloisa James (true fangirl here), Jo Beverley (primarily for her Georgian settings), Julia Quinn, possibly Lisa Kleypas (if she ever returns to historicals).

Old favourites who I’ve stopped buying: Amanda Quick, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood , Mary Jo Putney, Stephanie Laurens. Their recent releases (recent being relative here) feel as though they’ve lost the magic that their early books had.

Authors who have sadly passed away: Georgette Heyer – I’ve all her books, both romances and mysteries; Elizabeth Mansfield – I’ve a lot of her books and her backlist is being released in e-format (yay!); Eva Ibbotson, though I don’t think of her as “traditional” historical romance

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Contemporary romance

It’s not a genre that I read a lot, but if you include category romances in this subgenre, Kelly Hunter was my 2011 discovery.  And I used to read Lynne Graham as my guilty pleasure, but either my tastes have changed or her writing has.   Oh, Suzanne Brockmann – though does it count as an auto-buy if you only like certain series?  Her new paranormal/suspense series is not working for me.

I used to love Jayne Ann Krentz and Linda Howard.  Past tense being the operative word – I liked JAK’s straight contemps, but her recent releases with paranormal themes just leave me cold.  And it’s been years since I’ve loved a new Howard.  Who else?  I follow Erin McCarthy’s stockcar racing series, but don’t read all her books, so I wouldn’t really count her as an autobuy author.

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M/M romance

Josh Lanyon.  I’ve only started reading m/m romance in the past few years, but he is one of my all-time favourite authors regardless of genre.  Other auto-buy authors?  KA Mitchell. Harper Fox. Jordan Castillo Price.

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Paranormal romance

Ummm… it’s a lot more series-specific here.  Nalini Singh‘s Psy-Changeling books. Meljean Brook‘s Iron Seas series – I abandoned her Guardians series a couple of books in (okay, one and a half books in) and have yet to go back.  Though seeing I’ve really liked her steampunk romance book, I should give it another go.  Ilona Andrews for their Edge series (I classify the Kate Daniels books as UF).

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Fantasy romance

Drawing a blank here.  I think I lean more towards romantic fantasy, which I’ll save for the fantasy post (which I suspect will be longer).  There is Elizabeth Vaughan, but I wouldn’t call her an auto-buy author.

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YA romance

I’ve loved both of Stephanie Perkins‘ books, so I’m guessing she probably counts as an auto-buy now.  I enjoy Sarah Dessen’s books though they do come across as a bit same-y after a while, and the one Jennifer Echols book I’ve read, but I don’t think that qualifies them as auto-buys for me.  This is probably the subgenre I read least.

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I think that’s it for romance – how do your auto-buys compare to mine?

A Short Reading Month

Picking up where we left off, here are books I read in August last year.   And I only read four during the ENTIRE month.  Huh.  It also looks to have been a bit of a romance month.

As always, reviews were posted on Goodreads originally, but with additional comments in italics this time around.

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Regency Sting by Elizabeth Mansfield (regency romance)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really like Elizabeth Mansfield’s historicals – she gives good romance within the length constraints dictated by categories. This was a traditional regency with an American heir being the main plot point. It was a decent read – I liked the relationship between the h/h and how the story eventually played out. Yes, it was a bit predictable and the secondary romance didn’t do anything for me, but overall, I enjoyed this.

And the rating of three stars probably holds true, i.e. I liked.  Or in other words, I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but only have a vague memory of the plot and characters eight months later.

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Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (historical romance)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, it’s a Julia Quinn so it has to be a fun read – it delivered on that front, her trademark Quinn humour made me smile. I liked revisiting the Bridgertons (it’s been too long!) and loved seeing the Smythe-Smiths from another angle. However, I struggled somewhat trying to remember the h/h a couple of weeks later. Fun and frothy, but not necessarily memorable.

Julia Quinn is still an auto-buy author for me, but I don’t rush out to buy her books on the first day of release any more.  Her Bridgerton books are still my favourites. 

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Life Lessons by Kaje Harper (m/m romance)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A slightly convoluted murder mystery with a rather unbelievable villain. However, while the story started slowly, it built up to an ending that had me buying the next book, Breaking Cover, to find out what happens next.

This was my first Kaje Harper, and I suspect I picked this up based on a rec on a review site somewhere.  I liked it, but it was the second book (below) that sealed the deal.

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Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper (m/m romance)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The setup reminded me slightly of Josh Lanyon‘s Adrien English series – and comparisons against the AE series always leave the other books looking slightly lacking. Having said that, I thought the suspense was balanced well against the romance elements in this book. Generally, the relationship was more angst-y than the prequel Life Lessons, which is always a plus for me!

I did like this book, and have added Kaje Harper to my list of authors to read.

I think there’ll be another book in this series coming out soon – I hope so, as this is shaping up to be a good romantic suspense type of series.  Then again, my weak spot is relationships that develop over the course of several books, as opposed to insta-love + HEA in one book.

Books for May

I can’t believe it’s May already – on the other hand, yay for the May releases finally arriving!

Ilona Andrews‘ “Magic Slays” (urban fantasy): Well.  Insert inarticulate gurgling noises here.  Yeah, I’m madly excited about this one, could you tell?  I love this UF series, it’s up there with hmmm… Seanan McGuire‘s Toby Daye and Patricia Briggs‘ Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega books for me.  Have you read the Curran POV for the last scenes in “Magic Bleeds” on the authors’ blog, by the way?  It’s whetted my appetite very nicely for this.

Blurb:

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price…

Out May 31 (excerpt)

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Nalini Singh‘s “Kiss of Snow” (paranormal romance): Second set of inarticulate gurgling noises.  And if you’re going “Huh?”, you obviously haven’t been reading the Psy/Changeling books.  We finally get Sienna and Hawke’s story, and I cannot wait to see how their romance plays out – they have pretty much stolen all the scenes where they’ve made an appearance in previous books.

Blurb:

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules-and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home-and the alpha who is its heartbeat.

Out May 31 (excerpt)

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Charlaine Harris‘ “Dead Reckoning” (urban fantasy): It’s the eleventh book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and well, I’m still reading.  IMO, the last three or so books have been slightly uneven, but there’s something about Sookie’s world that reels me in.  I am loving the quirky and charming US cover art as always, and will probably go out of my way to get my hands on this edition – I don’t think I have yet bought any of the UK editions (which feature the “True Blood” cast).  Also, did Ms Harris say she was wrapping up the series soon, or did I just make that up?

Blurb:

With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit – and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can’t ‘read’ vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his ‘child’ Pam well – and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human – and that there is a new Queen on the board . .

Out May 3 (excerpt)

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Julia Quinn‘s “Just Like Heaven” (historical romance): A new Julia Quinn is always something to look forward to, and I admit that part of me is happy she’s returning to her Bridgertons world.  Or okay, officially this is the start of The Smythe-Smith Quartet.  I was going to have a moan about the UK version (cover on the right) being out later, and then realised it was only a couple of days (May 31 v. June 2 for the UK edition) – yeah, need some sleep.

(Cute) blurb:

HONORIA SMYTHE-SMITH IS:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed “Bug” as a child
C) NOT in love with her older brother’s best friend
D) All of the above

MARCUS HOLROYD IS:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) NOT in love with his best friend’s younger sister
D) All of the above

TOGETHER THEY:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever AND world’s worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love.

It’s Julia Quinn at her best, so you KNOW the answer is…

D) All of the above

Out May 31 (excerpt)

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And my maybes for May – Kevin Hearne‘s “Hounded”, which I heard of when Nath added it to her wishlist, and Thea Harrison‘s “Dragon Bound”, which has had the romance blogosphere buzzing.

2010: Recap of My Reading Year Part 2

Continuing my month-by-month recap of 2010 (the first third of the year covered here):

May

Amongst the ten books I read in May was the excellent “Magic Bleeds” by Ilona Andrews.   This series has grown in leaps and bounds – I remember not being impressed by the first book way back when, but am rather glad I persevered.  I think if I had to name my top three UF series, it would be this one, together with Patricia Briggs‘ Mercy books and Seanan McGuire‘s Toby Daye series.

Nothing else stands out during May.  Scanning the titles I’ve jotted down show that I ranked all the rest as “Glad I read”, which is pretty much what it says – I’m glad I read the book, it wasn’t a waste of time (or money!) but it’s not one that really stood out for me.

Oh, I’ve experimented with a new grading system this year (it was a very quiet experiment and I don’t think I mentioned it anywhere!), moving on from letter grades (A, B, C, etc) to a statement-based one (“Glad I read”, “Wish I’d passed”, and so on).  This was because I never really used the full extent of the letter-based grading scale, and wanted to try something more meaningful as opposed to marking everything a B grade (obviously I’ve just moved on to “Glad I read” instead).

Seriously, I’ve found this more useful, but I’m thinking of moving to the equivalent of 1 to 5 stars in the New Year because I’ve started a Goodreads account (err… one review and one friend – hi Estara! – at last count, so don’t all rush over at once).  We’ll see – I don’t shout very loudly about what grades I give books and it took me a couple of years to actually change my grading system, so it’ll probably continue being rather unobtrusive here on the blog…

June

After that slight detour into my grading system, back to books read… I read ten books this month, unusually two re-reads amongst them, though very different ones - Louisa May Alcott‘s “Eight Cousins” and Sharon Lee & Steve Miller‘s “Conflict of Honors”.

“Eight Cousins” was inspired by Angie’s review of its sequel “Rose in Bloom”, and it was fascinating to re-read this as an adult – it is very much a product of its times (1875), for example, when talking about what a woman’s role should be, but at the same time, surprisingly modern in its views on, say, fresh air and exercise.

“Conflict of Honors”, on the other hand, is very much a comfort read for me, and re-reading this book straight after the authors’ latest release “Mouse & Dragon” gave me a slightly different perspective – I’ve always loved how the authors somehow manage to combine space opera with a fantasy of manners, but this time around, having just read the prequel, the events just prior to the start of this book (avoiding spoilers!) felt more immediate and hard-hitting, so there was more of an emotional impact.

New-to-me author – I read Meg Burden‘s “Northlander”, again based on an Angie rec, which turned out to be the type of coming-of-age YA fantasy that presses all the right buttons for me.  Loved.

Oh, and I think I may have finally kicked my Laurell K Hamilton‘s Anita Blake habit this month as well.

July

There were some good ones in the nine books I read this month.  I remember very much enjoying Julia Quinn‘s “What Happened in London”, even though I actually had to go and look up the book to try and remember what the plot was about.  Ahem.  I do recall liking it very much at the time, and thinking it had her trademark Quinn humour.

I loved Sarah Rees Brennan‘s “The Demon’s Covenant”, so much so it was one of the very few books I actually blogged about this year – bearing in mind how much I blogged this year, you know I really really liked it if I posted about it.  Oh, and I enjoyed Kelley Armstrong‘s latest Otherworld novel, “Walking the Witch”, though points deducted for yet another blasted cliffhanger ending.  Seriously.  I have stopped reading series before because of cliffhanger endings – I completely detest them.

August

Wrapping up a post that turned out to be slightly longer than anticipated – I read another nine books in August, including my first books from Carina Press, which has been an excellent addition to the epublishing scene.  I loved both Josh Lanyon‘s “Fair Game” and new-to-me author Harper Fox‘s “Life After Joe” – Josh Lanyon was already an autobuy m/m romance author, and Harper Fox’s lyrical writing and fantastic sense of place makes her another one for me.

I also got around to reading my second Steve Kluger, “My Most Excellent Year”, which was just as good as the first – a very feel-good book.

And I finally read Suzanne Collins‘ Hunger Games trilogy, all three in a month – it didn’t exactly disappoint, but I’m not entirely sure it lived up to all the hype.  On the other hand, what book could?  I ended up liking the middle book, “Catching Fire”, best, but all three were very good summer reading.

So that was the middle third of 2010 – final four months next…

Books for December

See, a timely post! Here are the new releases I’m planning to buy this month and then indulge in over the Christmas holidays:

Juliet Marillier‘s “Seer of Sevenwaters” (fantasy): I only discovered Juliet Marillier a couple of years ago, but her Sevenwaters books sit firmly on my keeper shelves.  So a new Sevenwaters book  is always a cause for celebration – the only fly in the ointment is that there is no UK release.  Why??!!!  Not happy, people.  The silver lining is that because of this, I pre-ordered the US edition from The Book Depository and just received an email saying it’s on the way.

The blurb from the author’s website (Sibeal’s story!):

Sibeal has always known that she is destined for a spiritual life, and is committed to it with all her heart. Before making her final vows, she travels to the northern island of Inis Eala to spend the summer with her sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh.

But Sibeal has barely set foot on the island when a freak storm out at sea sinks a ship before her eyes. In spite of frantic rescue efforts, only three survivors are fished alive from the water, and one of them, a man Sibeal names Ardal, clings to life by the merest thread.

As Ardal fights for his life, the island community discovers that there is something unusual about the three shipwrecked strangers. The beautiful Svala is mute and disturbed. Stalwart warrior Knut seems ashamed of his grieving wife. And Ardal has a secret he can’t remember … or won’t tell. When the astonishing truth comes out, Sibeal finds herself drawn into a perilous quest. At its end, she will face a decision that may break her heart.

Out Dec 7 (excerpt)

LB Gregg, ZA Maxfield, Josh Lanyon, and Harper Fox‘s “His for the Holidays” (m/m romance): This anthology from Carina Press is sounding like a very good one.  Each writer brings something different to the table, IMO – I love the slightly offbeat sense of humour in LB Gregg’s writing, the angst that Harper Fox excels in, and oh, pretty much all aspects of Josh Lanyon’s writing.  And ZA Maxfield is on my to-try list, so this anthology really ticks all the boxes.

Hope brightens a bleak Edinburgh December. A man gets a second chance with his high school crush. A decade-long game of cat and mouse comes to a passionate conclusion. And Santa Claus drives a red muscle car. Heat up your holidays with this collection of four festive tales from some of the top talent in the male/male genre.

Out Dec 6 (book page at Carina Press)

Richelle Mead‘s “Last Sacrifice” (YA urban fantasy): The last book in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series,  though there will be a spin-off series in the same world.  I like these books, but haven’t fallen in love with the series – I’m not sure why.  Ms Mead has a massive fanbase for these books though, so I’m probably in a minority.  Having said that, I do find the VA series pretty addictive reading, and I will be getting this because I want to know what happens in the end.  Also, the UK cover?  Meh.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.

Out Dec 7 (excerpt)

Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway‘s “The Lady Most Likely…” (historical romance): Julia Quinn and Eloisa James are amongst the very few historical romance authors that remain autobuys for me (I probably have read some Connie Brockway before, but none of her books comes to mind immediately).  I’m never quite sure how a collaboration between different authors will turn out – sometimes it works, sometimes not – but I’ll still be getting this.  I’m also not sure exactly how this book is structured; the authors refer to it as “a novel in three parts” – does this mean three linked but separate stories, one story with three acts… anyone know?

From Ms James’ website:

Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, needs a wife, so his sister hands him a list of delectable damsels and promises to invite them—and a few other gentlemen—to her country house for what is sure to be the event of the season. Hugh will have time to woo whichever lady he most desires… Unless someone else snatches her first.

Out Dec 28 (excerpt)

Mercedes Lackey‘s “Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar” (fantasy): I don’t know why I always feel as though I have to justify my addiction to the Valdemar stories (she says, embarrassedly).  I think a new collection of Valdemar stories has been released at this time of the year for the past few years, so yay for more Heralds, white Companions, and all that.

Blurb from Amazon:

In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Valdemar was the beginning of a fantasy masterwork series that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now readers can take a journey to the world of Valdemar-including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr-each adding their own special touches.

Out Dec 7

“Love and Rockets” edited by Martin H Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes (SF romance): I was in two minds about whether to put up the cover or not, because DAW appears to have decided to enter this one into the “Worst Cover of the Year” award.  I like the monthly themed DAW anthologies, but I have no idea why their covers are so hit or miss.  There have been some rather striking ones, but equally some that make me think no one was that bothered, and some truly awful ones.  Cover aside, this is an SF-romance crossover anthology, which is a genre I’m quite keen on, so I’m hoping I come across some new-to-me authors in this one. I can’t find a list of contributors, though I know Lois McMaster Bujold has written an introduction.  Here is the table of contents, courtesy of contributor Steven H Silver.

Blurb from Amazon:

Space…the final frontier. Or is it? Many say there’s no frontier more forbidding than a romantic relationship between a man and a woman. But what if one’s a human, and the other’s an alien? Here is an original collection of space opera stories where authors take love (unrequited or not), on a spaceship, space station, or planetary colony, and add enough drama, confusion and mayhem to ensure that the path to true love-or short-term infatuation-is seldom free of obstacles.

Out Dec 7

Books for May

Yes, I know there’s only about a week left in May, but gosh, I feel as though I’ve been playing catch-up for the whole month.  Especially today, when I didn’t actually hit Snooze on my alarm clock this morning.  Yep, I turned it right off.  I did make it into work at a reasonable time (ahem), but I’m now going to be incredibly paranoid about hitting the right button in the mornings!

 

Anyway, here’s the list of May releases on my radar:

Richelle Mead’s “Spirit Bound” (YA urban fantasy): Fifth in her incredibly popular Vampire Academy series.  It’s like the new Twilight.  Well, not quite, but the impression I get is that she has a massive fanbase.  I’m getting this book, because I want to know what happens next, but I think her Georgina Kincaid books win out for me.  She’s a pretty prolific writer (I mean, three series on the go), rather impressive.

Out now (excerpt here)

 

Kelley Armstrong’s “The Reckoning” (YA urban fantasy): Final book in her Darkest Powers trilogy, though she is going to write a spin-off trilogy, IIRC.  I have this one already, but I haven’t read it yet.

Out now (excerpt here)

 

Charlaine Harris’s “Dead in the Family” (urban fantasy): Latest in her Sookie Stackhouse series, how many books is it now?  I’m probably going to buy, but I haven’t had the urge to run out and get it on release date. 

I’m hoping that’s not the UK cover, though it is what came up on Amazon UK.  I know some people think the US covers are a bit cute-sy, but I love them.  Especially the glittery bits

 

Out now (excerpt here – PDF)

 

And then two historical romances that I want to get, but I still have the previous book sitting in my TBR pile, which means I really shouldn’t: Julia Quinn’s “Ten Things I Love About You” (out May 25) and Lisa Kleypas’s “Married By Morning” (also out May 25). 

Ack.  I may actually even be two books behind in the Kleypas series.  Sigh.  I think I may have to wave the white flag at my TBR pile.  The good news is that I love the UK covers for both of these, and the UK release dates are June and October respectively.  I never thought I would be glad for a later UK release date.

Books for July

Halfway through July and my sidebar is still displaying “May Books I Want”.  I feel slightly embarrassed.  I may even update it later today.

Anyway, here are the July books I want.  Rather unusually, there are three historical romances to start off:

Mary Jo Putney’s “Loving a Lost Lord” (historical romance):  A straight historical romance from Mary Jo Putney. *happy dance*  Her Fallen Angels series was one of the first historical romance books I read, together with Julie Garwood, Amanda Quick, et al., but it’s been quite a while since I last read one of her books.  According to Ms Putney’s website, LaLL is the start of a new Regency historical series as well, so fingers crossed it’s a good one.

Excerpt here (out now)

 

Eloisa James’ “A Duke of My Own” (historical romance):  The last of her Desperate Duchesses series, this is Villiers’ story.  While this series has been slightly uneven at times, it has definitely been my favourite historical romance series over the past year or so.  I’m hoping her next series will be just as good – I can’t wait to find out what she chooses to write next.

Excerpt here (out July 28)

 

Julia Quinn’s “What Happens in London” (historical romance):  This is loosely tied to her “The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever” book, but pretty much a stand-alone, from what I gather.  A Quinn book never fails to make me smile, and I’ve been hearing pretty good things about this one.

Excerpt here (out now)

 

 

And moving on to urban fantasy and paranormal romance:

Jenna Black’s “Speak of the Devil” (urban fantasy): Fourth in her Morgan Kingsley series, Morgan being a demon exorcist.  I was almost ready to stop after the second book, but the third one redeemed this series IMO, so I’m now excited about the fourth.

Excerpt here (out July 28)

 

 

Nalini Singh’s “Branded by Fire” (paranormal romance): Part of her Psy-Changeling series, this is Riley and Mercy’s story.  This is one of the few paranormal romance series I read, as Ms Singh manages to combine really strong world-building with wonderful romance.  I have no idea why I haven’t bought this one yet.  Must go get.  Now.

Excerpt here (out now)

 

Linda Howard’s “Burn” (romantic suspense):  I really really wish Linda Howard had a website.  And I wish Piatkus Books would publish the UK version closer to the US release date – Amazon is currently showing October.  Oh well, it is a Linda Howard so I will buy.  I’m hoping it’s not as outdoor-survival-focused as her recent ones.

No excerpt (out now in US)

 

 

Suzanne Brockmann’s “Hot Pursuit” (romantic suspense):  The latest in her Troubleshooters series, this is a Sam and Alyssa book, IIRC.  There was a whole lot of controversy around her January release earlier this year, but I haven’t heard much about this one.  Or maybe I just haven’t been hanging out in the right places.

Excerpt here (out July 28)

 

 

And finally, the anthology “Strange Brew” is already sitting on my bedside table.  Edited by PN Elrod, it has short stories by Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Karen Chance, and Charlaine Harris, amongst others.  My thoughts so far?  The Briggs story didn’t really grab me until the last few pages,  Jim Butcher’s contribution is a nice Harry Dresden interlude, the Karen Chance one is very representative of her non-stop action writing (I really liked it), and the Charlaine Harris story is slightly disturbing (set in her Sookie Stackhouse universe but no Sookie).

Books for September

A couple of books I missed off my August post were Elizabeth Peters’ “The Laughter of Dead Kings” (mystery) and Richelle Mead’s “Storm Born” (urban fantasy).  Ms Peters’ book is a September release in the UK, and I could have sworn the Mead book had a September date too.  Ah, well.

 

Moving on to books actually due for release in September:

Nalini Singh’s “Hostage for Pleasure” (paranormal romance):  The fifth novel in her Psy-Changeling series, the hero of this one is Dorian – the one Changeling who can’t shift into animal form.  Hmm… why do I have a strong suspicion this is going to change in this book?  I love this series – IMO, it’s one of the few paranormal romance series out there that gets the balance between the world-building and the romance just right.  Cover-wise… not too excited, the sunset background makes it look like a tropical romance.

Excerpt here (out Sept 2)

 

Josh Lanyon’s “Death of a Pirate King” (m/m mystery):  After reading the Dear Author review, I bought the first three books in this series, and became completely and utterly hooked.  Highly highly recommend this series.  Will Jake finally get his act together?  Will Adrian decide to cut his losses?  Oh, the angst.  And yeah, the mystery bits are good too.

Excerpt here (out Sept 16 – I think!)

 

 

Julia Quinn’s “Mr Cavendish, I Presume” (historical romance):  The first book in this duology, “The Lost Duke of Wyndham”, was an entertaining read (on the light side, admittedly).  To me, Thomas was by far the more interesting character, so I can’t wait to find out what he was doing off-stage.  Or off-page.

According to a post on her bulletin board, there’s an extract available on this site, but you’ve to sign up and to be honest, it sounds like a bit of a palaver to read an extract that will probably be posted on her website at some point soon! 

Anyway, blurb here (out Sept 30)

 

Richelle Mead‘s “Succubus Dreams” (urban fantasy):  Third in her Georgina Kincaid series.  I was a bit on the fence when I read the second book; I thought the plot was slightly questionable and the romance not that realistic.  But I do like the world Ms Mead has created and I’m very curious about where she’s going to take Georgina and Seth’s relationship.  Speaking of the second book, it had two titles – it was “Succubus on Top” or “Succubus Nights” depending on where you live.  I’m confused, did they think the US title was too racy for the UK?

I’m not that keen on the cover – the model looks a bit too hard-faced.

Excerpt here (out Sept 30)

 

Lisa Kleypas’ “Seduce Me at Sunrise” (historical romance):  Second in the spin-off series from the Wallflowers books.  It’s a rather successful series, with yet another related book “A Wallflower Christmas” (I’m guessing it’s a Christmas gift hardcover book) coming out err… in October [aside: Selfridges has opened its Christmas Hall.  It’s still summer, people (just)!].  Ms Kleypas can do as many spin-offs as she likes – I love her Wallflower world, and her historicals are an auto-buy for me.

Oooh, I thought her US cover was nice, but I’ve just seen the UK one.  Love.

Excerpt here (out Sept 30)

 

Maybe books this month include “Duainfey” (fantasy) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.  From Ms Lee’s LJ:

In addition to being the first original novel Lee and Miller have done with Baen Books, Duainfey is also something of an artistic departure for us. It is a dark romantic fantasy, set in a Regency-like society, with Fey. Think a cross between Laurell K. Hamilton’s early Merry Gentry books, and Jane Eyre

Interesting, eh?  I love their Liaden series, so am probably going to give it a go, even though this sounds completely different.  Excerpt here (out now, I believe, and if you read ebooks, Baen has a fantastic pricing policy for hardcovers – it’s $6 on their site).

Laura Lee Gurkhe’s “Secret Desires of a Gentleman” (historical romance) is also a maybe for me, mainly because I still haven’t read the second book in this series (“The Wicked Ways of a Duke”).  I loved the first though (“And Then He Kissed Me”), and there’s really no reason why I haven’t read the second.  Excerpt here (out Sept 30).

Books for May

Okay, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to post covers properly for this post.  I’m not liking the WordPress upgrade much. (ETA: No, I still can’t insert pictures directly - this is driving me mad!)

Anyway, May books I’m looking forward to:

Charlaine Harris‘ “From Dead to Worse” (urban fantasy) – I’ve been a big fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series since Day 1, so definitely am getting the 8th book in the series.  But OMG.  Look at the UK cover (left).  Is that Sookie to you?  Yes, she’s blonde and if I think about it, I can’t pick out anything that contradicts the books.  But I guess I’m just not used to actually seeing Sookie as a “real” person – err… that would be as opposed to the cartoon-like characters on the US covers. 

Excerpt here (out May 6).

 

Julia Quinn‘s “The Lost Duke of Wyndham” (historical romance) – A brand-new Julia Quinn!  And I mean properly new (that is, not a rewritten older book).  The sequel to this is out in September, btw, and apparently is the story of the existing Duke of Wyndham.  The one who could be replaced by the hero of this book.  I’m looking forward to seeing how she handles this story.  The cover’s interesting – it’s mimicking the look of a TV/movie book adaptation.

Excerpt here (out May 27).

 

Stephenie Meyer‘s “The Host” (SF) - Ms Meyer’s first grown-up book.  I’m thinking lots of teen readers who loved “Twilight” will be picking this one up.  I really have no idea how this one will be received.  Heh – just went over to her website, and the tagline is “science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction”.  I like SF, but SF thrillers aren’t quite my thing.  I’m planning on getting this as I loved Ms Meyer’s writing and “Twilight” (though by the third book, Bella was really starting to grate on me).  I haven’t been looking for reviews on this, but I’m surprised I haven’t happened across any by accident yet.  I’ve seen quite a few ARCs of these on auction sites.

Excerpt here (out May 6).

 

Laurell K Hamilton‘s “Blood Noir” (urban fantasy) – I’m such a sucker for Anita Blake books – this is the 16th, I think?  The last one (“The Harlequin”) started out promisingly but sort of fizzled out halfway.  I’m hoping this one is better.  The UK cover is more consistent with previous books in the series (for some reason, the model reminds me of Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Raider movies – err that would be Lara Croft then).  The US cover, as has been mentioned elsewhere, is a radical departure from previous covers. 

Excerpt here (out May 27)

 

Tanya Huff‘s “Blood Bank” (urban fantasy) – This is a collection of the Vicky Nelson/Henry Fitzroy short stories, previously published in an omnibus version together with “Blood Debt”.  Vicky’s a PI and Henry’s a vampire – I know you’re thinking standard urban fantasy, but the first of these books was published back in 1991, so way before the current UF trend.  I suspect I’ve probably read some of these short stories already, but still…

No excerpts (out May 6).

 

That is pretty much it for this month.  I’m most excited about the Charlaine Harris book.  I’ll also probably get the Jes Battis book I mentioned in my post below.  Amanda Quick also has a new book out (“The Third Circle”), but it’s hardcover and I still haven’t gotten hold of her last release “The River Knows”.