Short Reviews

Another lot of older reviews, this time from November 2011 – I (almost) finished a historical romance series, read my first Sarah Mayberry, and well, other books in various ongoing series (yes, no real theme here). As always, these are cross-posted from Goodreads, with additional comments added in italics.

************

Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas (historical romance)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I forget why I abandoned Lisa Kleypas’s Hathaways series midway – I’m glad I returned to it though, as this was really good. I like the feel-good family element to this series, and having Harry be the proprietor of a hotel meant the setting was slightly unusual for a historical. I loved the humour, and Harry and Poppy’s relationship just worked for me. There was a bit of an obvious set-up for the next book – which I already had in my TBR pile, so I didn’t mind.

It had been a while since I’ve read a Lisa Kleypas historical, and I always wonder why I’ve left her books languishing in my TBR for so long.  I read the first book in the Hathaways series way back when, and bought the second book, but never got around to reading it.  And then I couldn’t find it, but refused to buy another copy.  Hence the skipping ahead to this book, the third in the series.

************

Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas (historical romance)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this straight after Tempt Me at Twilight, so it was slightly strange seeing Leo in the role of hero at first, instead of the protective brother. While the plot and setting was not as unique as in the previous book, the romance was just as satisfying. Though it would have been perhaps more interesting if Cat hadn’t been revealed as hiding behind a governess disguise – why does the heroine always have to be a beauty?

And this was the fourth in the Hathaways series – nothing groundbreaking romance-wise, but I enjoyed it regardless (or maybe because of that).

************

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas (historical romance)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was dying to read this after the excerpt in the previous book, Married By Morning, which had Beatrix starting a correspondence under false pretences with the world-weary soldier on the battlefield (all for the very best of reasons, of course) – you just knew that there would be tears.

It was a good read, though it didn’t quite meet my (very) high expectations. I loved the correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher, and I am a sucker for a wounded hero. I think the PTSD was slightly skimmed over though.

All in all, I’m glad I finished the Hathaways series, and I loved seeing the whole family together one more time – with the hint of changing times ahead.

Now this one wasn’t in my TBR pile and I had to go and track it down just because of the excerpt in the previous book.  With the exception of the second book (which I did find the other day), I’ve now finished Lisa Kleypas’ Hathaways series.  I much prefer her historicals to her current contemporary/magical realism books – I wonder if she’ll ever go back to historicals? 

************

Red Glove by Holly Black (YA urban fantasy)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really like this twisty and imaginative world of Holly Black’s and this didn’t suffer from the “middle book in trilogy” syndrome. I think we got to know Cassel and Lila a lot better – I’m looking forward to the final book now.

I’ll post about it eventually (ahem), but I’ve now finished this trilogy.  As a whole, I liked it, but the books don’t have me rushing out to read the rest of Holly Black’s backlist (though I have heard very good things about her Modern Faerie Tale books).  I don’t know – perhaps it’s because there’s been quite a large gap between me reading each book and my overall experience suffered somewhat?

************

Death Magic by Eileen Wilks (urban fantasy)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like how we get more and more reveals as this series progresses, giving you hints that Eileen Wilks is building up to something big. Having said that, while this was a good read, it wasn’t a standout one for me – I’m still looking forward to the next Lupi book though.

Eileen Wilks is an autobuy author for me – this was the eighth book in her Lupi series.  As you can tell, it wasn’t my favourite of her books, but I love this series as a whole.

************

The Wild Ways by Tanya Huff (urban fantasy)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book, but didn’t connect as much with Charlie and her story as I did with Allie in the previous book, The Enchantment Emporium. The eventual ending was great, but the fantastical elements of the world itself didn’t really capture my imagination this time around. I would have loved to have seen more of the family as well (loved the very teenage cousin Jack!).

All in all though, I hope Tanya Huff continues with this series – I want more of the Gale family.

The first Gale book caught me by surprise (in a good way), and I was hoping for more of the same in this book – it didn’t work quite as well as the first, but Tanya Huff is on my list of autobuy authors by now.

************

The Vintage Vendetta by Ellen Crosby (mystery)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After a bit of a break, I’ve returned to this series again – I tend to wait for the paperback release for these books.

I liked this – a tad too much re-capping throughout perhaps, but good mystery plot. The wine-making backdrop is interesting as always, and this time around, there’s some Washington DC politics thrown into the mix.

I guess the fact I wait for the paperback release of these books is pretty telling – they’re enjoyable mysteries, but I don’t get enough emotional payoff to want to pay hardcover prices for them.  I still would rec them for those on the lookout for cosy-type mysteries.

************

Her Best Friend by Sarah Mayberry (contemporary romance)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Sarah Mayberry’s books, and they’re not unjustified. Talk about packing a punch – the friends-to-lovers theme is explored in-depth here and in a believable manner. I liked – I’ll need to explore her backlist more now.

I’ve always enjoyed the friends-to-lovers plotline and really loved what Sarah Mayberry did with it in this one.

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

*

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.

*

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.

*

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).

*

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.

*

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.

*

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

Books for February

Compared to the one new January release I wanted, there are a few more new releases this month that I’m planning to get…

*

Jo Beverley‘s A SCANDALOUS COUNTESS (historical romance): Jo Beverley remains on my auto-buy list – despite me not falling in love with her more recent releases, they’re still solid readable historicals.  And they’re not wallpaper historicals by any means – she has a knack for bringing the time period to life in her books.

Back cover blurb:

Georgia, Countess of Maybury has it all, but then her husband is killed in a duel and she loses her homes, most of her possessions, and her reputation as well. Innocent of all charges, she returns to the beau monde determined to regain all through a second brilliant marriage, but a scarred ex-naval officer threatens to tempt her in a different direction…

Out Feb 7 (excerpt)

*
BRAVE NEW LOVE, edited by Paula Guran (YA dystopian romance): An anthology of 15 stories from a mix of authors I recognise (and love) and some new-to-me names.  I’m probably most excited about the Diana Peterfreund contribution, but there are a couple of other authors in there that I’m keen to read too.

ETA: Diana Peterfreund makes a good point about other reasons why this anthology should be standing out from the crowd (apart from the excellent line-up, of course ).  Some of you may remember the uproar last year when an editor of a YA anthology asked Jessica Verday to rewrite her short story featuring a same-sex romance, and change the m/m relationship to a m/f one (FYI Ms Verday has since released her original story as a standalone e-book).  

BRAVE NEW WORLD, while not the anthology in question, had the same editor and was pulled from the schedule.  From Diana Peterfreund’s blog:

“… what ended up happening was that the anthology lost half its line up and the editor was removed from the project. We got a new editor, and a new line-up (an AMAZING line up, if I say so myself), and the publisher pledged to donate the proceeds to a homeless shelter for LGBT youth.  The new anthology includes several LGBT stories. I’ve read them, they’re great.”

Which is really rather cool and while NOT the reason why I’ll be getting this anthology (that would be for the stories), is the reason why I bought the UK edition today (yep, it’s already out here in the UK).

Back cover blurb:

Young love has always had its challenges, but even so, the world falling apart at its seams is a pretty big obstacle. This stellar collection of YA dystopian tales explores survival of the fittest in terms of love, passion, and humanity. When the survival of the human race is at stake, what will it take for the bond between two people to hold strong together?

Featuring some of the most well known and best-selling names of the dystopian genre, as well as the hottest up-and-coming authors, this anthology includes works from Jeanne DuPrau (City of Ember), Kiera Cass (The Selection), William Sleator (Interstellar Pig), Jesse Karp (Those That Wake), Diana Peterfreund (Secret Society Girl), Carrie Vaughn (The Kitty Norville Series), and Carrie Ryan (New York Times bestseller The Forest of Hands and Teeth).

Out Feb 14

*

Lisa Kleypas‘s RAINSHADOW ROAD (contemporary romance): I’m guessing I’m not the only person looking forward to this release.  It’s been a while since a new Kleypas made an appearance, and while I was not blown away by the first in this series (the novella CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOUR), I’m willing to give this series another go because hey, that was a novella.

However, I’ve heard that this can be classified as magical realism though, and that gives me a slight pause for thought because (a) I’ve never quite figured out what is magical realism exactly (I know Sarah Addison Allen‘s books are often mentioned in this category – but (confession time) I’ve never read any of her books despite the glowing reviews) and (b) if magical realism means random woo-woo elements (like Jayne Ann Krentz’s Arcane Society books), well, I may just go away and sulk in a corner.  I’m reserving judgement until I’ve read this one though!

Back cover blurb:

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington. She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal: her fiancé Kevin has left her. His new lover is Lucy’s own sister. Lucy’s bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life. Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy’s parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to “romance” Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.

Out Feb 28 (excerpt)

*

Lisa Lutz‘s TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS (mystery): And the best is saved for last!  I am madly excited about this one  as I’ve loved the previous books in this series.  I’m wondering where Lisa Lutz takes Izzy this time around – and if they’re anything like the previous books, I’m expecting hilarious times.  Also, all the covers of the series have been redesigned – while I liked the previous covers (especially the UK ones), I think the new graphics are really clever and suit the story better.

(Rather long) back cover blurb:

For the first time in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. As always, the Spellman clan has yet to settle into any kind of status quo. Mom, Olivia, has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities, seemingly without motive. Dad, Albert, has a secret. Her brother and sister, David and Rae, are at war, but neither will reveal the source of the conflict. And Izzy’s niece, Sydney, keeps saying banana even though she hates bananas. That’s not to say that Izzy isn’t without her own troubles. Henry Stone keeps wanting “to talk,” a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry’s mother. While domestic disturbances abound, there is one source of sanity in the Spellman household: Demetrius Merriweather, now employee of the month for 18 months straight (the entire tenure of his employment).

Things aren’t any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, parents hire the firm to follow their daughter. Rae is assigned the case, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. A socialite has Isabel follow her husband, despite a conspicuous lack of suspicion. A man in a sweater vest hires the firm to follow his sister, who turns out to be the socialite. Isabel wants to get to the bottom of all this, but her father erects a Chinese wall to protect the clients’ wishes. As the questions pile up, Izzy won’t stop hunting for the answers-even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.

Once again, it’s up to her to pull the Spellmans back from the brink.

Out Feb 28 (excerpt)

More Lisa Kleypas Covers

I posted about Lisa Kleypas’ Hathaway UK and US covers recently, and was going to continue with her contemporaries, except I’ve just seen the UK cover of “Love in the Afternoon” and the re-issued Wallflowers covers, and had to add them.

 

I included the first four covers in the Hathaway series, but left out the fifth book because I couldn’t find the UK cover. 

Well, here are both the “Love in the Afternoon” covers – no contest for me, I love the UK one (left)!  The colours really pop, and the style is pretty consistent with the last three in the series (we’ll put the UK cover of the first book to one side, shall we?).  So yes, total win.

 

As for the Wallflower books, here you go:

US covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think?  I like how both US and UK covers work the “seasons” theme, but the UK ones appeal to me more.  I’m loving the vibrant colours of the summer cover and the mistiness of autumn.  I can’t find the UK cover of the fourth book, but I would imagine (and hope) it’s in the same style of the previous three.

 

And finally, before I forget, the contemporaries:

US covers – the first two are similar (and bright!), while the third has the same fonts but different design:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK covers – and I am slightly confused, as there appear to be two sets, which I hadn’t realised before…

Original set:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first two being rather women’s fiction (and even signalling a post-war setting, or it that just me?), and the third err… quite different.  I liked the first, though I believe it is a stock photo, as I recall having seen another very similar cover.  The first two certainly don’t scream contemporary romance, even if they do appeal to me – I like the image and the clean look.  Just doesn’t do the stories justice, IMO.  The third now, a bit too M&B for me, especially with the male/baby cover.

 

Latest UK ones, possibly mass market paperbacks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very different, huh?  A lot more contemporary, definitely romance for the first and the third, though the second still says women’s fiction to me.

 

Your thoughts?

Lisa Kleypas – The Covers

I mentioned in a previous post that I really liked the recent covers that Lisa Kleypas’s UK publisher, Piatkus, were using, and I thought it would be fun to do one of those posts that form the mainstay of cover discussions – US versus UK.

 

Taking her current historical series, The Hathaways, here are the US covers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’re lovely covers and certainly shout “historical romance”, but IMO, wouldn’t stand out in the Romance section.  The first three have a level of cohesiveness that indicate they’re part of the same series.  Granted, not massively strong, but if you put them side-by-side, they have similarities – (headless) female model, a lovely lush evening gown, with a one-colour theme. 

For the fourth, St Martin’s Press seems to have decided to go with a different cover style – no models, instead, the title is on an invitation-style card, with flowers in the background (the cover for the next book in the series is also in the same style).

 

What about the UK covers?  Here you go:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The differences between the UK and US markets have never been clearer…

This time around, the first book is the odd one out.  “Mine Till Midnight” has a much more subdued colour palette compared to the other three, and it’s rather restrained, which I’m not sure conveys the right feeling for a Kleypas romance.  I recall comparing this to the US cover when it first came out, and wanting the US version. 

So, not a winner for me, and the cover art department may have agreed, because the second cover is very different.  I liked this one, not least because it shows the model engrossed in a book.  And oh, I actually saw the same picture on another recent book, but for the life of me, can’t remember which one.  All I recall was that it was a completely different genre, which amused me (yes, I’m easily amused) and that they tweaked the colours.  Any ideas, anyone?

And then for the third and the fourth books, finally some consistency.  And I like, I really do.  The ornate dresses, the rich colour schemes, the lace and gloves, they work for me.  I’m hoping they use this style for the next one, “Love in the Afternoon”, but I can’t find a cover online.

I was going to cover Ms Kleypas’s contemporaries as well, but this has been longer than I expected and that’ll have to wait for another post.

What do you think of these and which are your favourites?

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.

2009: Recap of My Reading Year Part II

Continuing my January to June recap, here’s the second half of my 2009 in books:

 

July

I finally got around to reading Megan Whalen Turner’s “The Thief” and yes, kicked myself in the what-took-me-so-long kind of way.  Because this series is an indisputable gem, so cleverly written and populated with wonderful characters.

I hit double-digits in terms of books read this month, a whole eleven books, most of which were good.  On the not-so-good side, I think I gave up on Janet Evanovich’s Plum books.  Or at least buying the hardcover.

 

 

August

Another Patricia Briggs book, this time “Hunting Ground” in her Anna and Charles series, was the standout book of the month for me.

I also loved Robin McKinley’s “The Hero and the Crown” (YA fantasy, and a beautifully-told coming-of-age story), which I picked up thanks to a rec from Angie, and heaved a huge sigh as I turned over the final page of Megan Whalen Turner’s “King of Attolia”.  Ah, Gen.

And with eleven books read this month, this quarter was looking good.

 

September

Wait for it… I read a massive 21 books.  Yes, I was on holiday.

 Lisa Kleypas’s contemporary romances “Blue-Eyed Devil” and “Smooth-Talking Stranger” impressed me with the way she dealt with serious issues while keeping the romance firmly at the centre of the story – her contemporaries are now autobuys for me.

I also got around to reading Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Barrows’ “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” – it made me laugh and cry (at different times, before you ask).  A proper feel-good book.

And I also enjoyed Lisa Lutz’s “Curse of the Spellmans” (mystery, funny with heart), Ellen Crosby’s “The Merlot Murders” (mystery, loved the winemaking focus), and Mary Kay Andrews’ “Savannah Blues” (contemporary romance, filled with Southern charm and lots of humour).

 

October

So after the wonder that was September, I read seven books in October.  But they were mostly good.  I loved Sharon Shinn’s “Quatrain” (fantasy anthology) because her writing is beautiful and it was like revisiting old friends.

I finished my mini-glom of Joanne Dobson’s Karen Pelletier books (mystery) – I very much enjoyed the small-town college setting and the literature element of the mysteries.  And I really liked Ilona Andrews’ “On the Edge”  (paranormal romance, which felt almost like a frontier-set historical romance) and Ellen Emerson White’s “The President’s Daughter” (YA, and read thanks to another rec from Angie – no prizes for guessing who was responsible for quite a bit of my book spending this year).

 

November

A measly four books read (I think this was payback for September).  I made time to read Juliet Mariller’s “Heart’s Blood” (fantasy), and it was very much worth it.  Not quite as magical as her Sevenwaters world perhaps, but a very good read.

And really, that’s all I can say about November, which saw my number of blog posts also fall to a dismal three during the month.

 

 

December

Rounding off the year with 17 books read, I read and raved about Kristin Cashore’s “Fire” (fantasy) and Josh Lanyon’s “The Dark Tide” (mystery / m/m romance) in the final days of 2009.

But before that, I also loved Eloisa James’ “A Duke of Her Own” (historical romance), which wowed me with the very sexy and steamy chemistry between the hero and the heroine.  Unusually standalone for an Eloisa James book as well.

And technically a 2010 release, except I read it this side of the new year (just), I adored Karen Chance’s “Death’s Mistress” (urban fantasy), which was packed full of action and humour, and sneaked into my list of top reads for the year.

 

And that brought my total number of books read over the year to 115, which, while 40 fewer than what I read during 2008, had some truly excellent books.

One more post with lists and numbers, and that’ll be it for 2009, I promise!

Books for September

September is an excellent month for new releases – books I want:

Diana Gabaldon‘s “An Echo in the Bone” (umm… I’m going to say historical fantasy): I can’t believe that we are finally getting the next book in Ms Gabaldon’s Outlander series.  It’s been way too long since the last one (and no, I’m not doing a re-read of the previous books – that would probably take me all year).  I signed up for the special offer Orion, her UK publishers, are running, i.e. pre-order the UK hardcover to be released January 2010, and they’ll send you a free trade paperback version when it is released in the US on 22 September.  I mean, it’s a win-win offer.

Back cover blurb:

Jamie Fraser, former Jacobite and reluctant rebel, is already certain of three things about the American rebellion: The Americans will win, fighting on the side of victory is no guarantee of survival, and he’d rather die than have to face his illegitimate son–a young lieutenant in the British army–across the barrel of a gun.

Claire Randall knows that the Americans will win, too, but not what the ultimate price may be. That price won’t include Jamie’s life or his happiness, though–not if she has anything to say about it.

Meanwhile, in the relative safety of the twentieth century, Jamie and Claire’s daughter, Brianna, and her husband, Roger MacKenzie, have resettled in a historic Scottish home where, across a chasm of two centuries, the unfolding drama of Brianna’s parents’ story comes to life through Claire’s letters. The fragile pages reveal Claire’s love for battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and their flight from North Carolina to the high seas, where they encounter privateers and ocean battles–as Brianna and Roger search for clues not only to Claire’s fate but to their own. Because the future of the MacKenzie family in the Highlands is mysteriously, irrevocably, and intimately entwined with life and death in war-torn colonial America.

Out Sept 22 (excerpts here)

..

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller‘s “Fledgling” (SF): I’m a big fan of their Liaden books, and I bought and read this on the day it came out (if you read ebooks,  the e-version is only $6 on Baen’s Webscription site).  You may recall “Fledgling” was first released as as a web serial, with the authors trying a “storyteller’s bowl” type experiment, and publishing their rough draft as they wrote. Baen then bought the novel, which was fantastic news, especially for us fans dying for another Liaden installment.

I really enjoyed “Fledgling” and I think they’ve missed a trick by not marketing this book to the YA audience as well.  Theo Waitley is an engaging character; in fact, if she wasn’t so easy to like, I’d be tempted to call her a Mary-Sue.  But Theo is likeable, and it was satisfying to see her grow into herself, the world-building is strong and intriguing, and I admit it, I loved finally being able to find out what Jen Sar a.k.a. Daav had been doing in his long self-imposed exile.

There’s a sequel, “Saltation”, which is still online, but I expect it to be taken down pretty soon as the book will be published in Spring 2010.

Back cover blurb:

Theo Waitley has lived all her young life on Delgado, a Safe World that is home to one of the galaxy’s premier institutions of higher learning. Both Theo’s mother, Kamele, and Kamele’s onagrata Jen Sar Kiladi, are professors at the university, and they all live comfortably together, just like they have for all of Theo’s life, in Jen Sar’s house at the outskirts of town.

Suddenly, though, Theo’s life changes. Kamele leaves Jen Sar and moves herself and Theo back into faculty housing, which is not what Theo is used to. Once settled back inside the Wall, Kamele becomes embroiled in faculty politics, and is appointed sub-chair of her department. Meanwhile, Theo, who has a notation in her file indicating that she is “physically challenged” has a series of misadventures, including pulling her best friend down on the belt-ride to class, and hurting a team mate during a scavage game.

With notes piling up in her file, Theo only wants to go “home,” to the house in the suburbs, and have everything just like it used to be.

Then, Kamele uncovers evidence of possible dishonest scholarship inside of her department. In order to clear the department, she and a team of senior professors must go off-world to perform a forensic document search. Theo hopes this will mean that she’ll be left in the care of the man she calls “Father,” Professor Kiladi, and is horrified to learn that Kamele means to bring Theo with her!

Out now (excerpt here)

..

“Must Love Hellhounds” (urban fantasy) is an anthology with Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, and Nalini Singh. How perfect is that?

Blurb:

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer’s realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris’s “The Britlingens Go to Hell”.  Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non- lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh’s “Angels’ Judgment”.  Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he’s following-in Ilona Andrews’s “Magic Mourns”.  Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind- and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook’s “Blind Spot”.

Out now (excerpts here and here for Meljean Brook’s and Nalini Singh’s contributions respectively)

..

Also out Sept 29 is the first in Ilona Andrews‘ new series, “On the Edge” (paranormal romance, I think).  Their Kate Daniels series is right up there with Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson books as my favourite UF series, so I’m very excited about this one. 

Lisa Kleypas‘s “Tempt Me at Twilight” (historical romance), the third book in her Hathaway sisters series, is out Sept 22.  She is one of the few historical (and contemporary!) authors on my auto-buy list.

And finally Ann Aguirre‘s “Doubleblind” (urban fantasy) is out Sept 29.  I’ve enjoyed the first two Jax books and am looking forward to the third.

Books for October

Books I’m planning on getting this month:

Karen Chance’s “Midnight’s Daughter” (urban fantasy):  I’m a big fan of Ms Chance’s Cassie Palmer series, and this title is the first in a new-but-related series and is set after the third Cassie book (“Embrace the Night”).  Dorina Basarab is a dhampir (human-vampire mix, apparently) who occasionally has psychotic episodes.  Err… I have to say if I read that backcover blurb while browsing, I would put that book straight back on the shelf.  But this is Karen Chance and therefore I want. 

The cover is the UK one – same basic picture as the US version, but closer-up and with different fonts… they’ve cropped out the gun she’s holding in her left hand on the US cover.

Excerpt here (out Oct 7)

 

“Wolfsbane and Mistletoe” (urban fantasy):  Anthology with, hmmm… wild guess here, but I’m thinking all of the stories will feature werewolves.  I’ve never really liked anthologies (I’m not a short story person), but with authors including Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, and Charlaine Harris, it becomes a must-get.

Out Oct 7

 

 

Katie MacAlister’s “Up in Smoke” (paranormal romance):  Second in her Silver Dragons series.  I was getting a bit bored with Ms MacAlister’s Aisling Grey books, and to be honest, wasn’t expecting much from her spin-off Silver Dragons series.  But the first one (“Playing with Fire”) was a fun read, and I want to know what’s next in store for May and Gabriel.

Excerpt here (out Oct 7)

 

 

Lisa Kleypas’ “A Wallflower Christmas” (historical romance): Ms Kleypas revisits the world of the Wallflowers in this Christmas novel.  Her Wallflowers series is probably my favourite of all her books, so I’m excited about reading more about this world.  Even though it’s a hardcover release.  And 224 pages long.  Hmmm… this seems to be a St Martin’s Press speciality, I think they also release Janet Evanovich’s “between-the-numbers” Plum books for hardcover prices, and they come in at less than 200 pages.  Sigh.  I will probably shell out for this though.

Excerpt here (out Oct 14)

 

And then the maybe books:

Mercedes Lackey’s “Foundation”, the start of a new series in her Valdemar world, and which I blogged about here – if it is released in ebook format, I will probably cave in and get it.

“The Magical Christmas Cat” is another anthology, this time featuring a story by Nalini Singh, hence me considering it.  I’m not that excited about the other authors featuring in this book (Lora Leigh, Eric McCarthy, Linda Winstead Jones), but I may cave for the DarkRiver story.

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).