Book Birthdays: New Titles This Week (26)

, by KT


I keep a Google calendar of all the books releasing each week that are on my radar. With all of the many books I am excited about it is so easy to lose track of when things come out. Since I'm already doing this research for myself, I thought you guys might like it if I shared.


Releasing 3/4 - 3/10
 

A Touch Menacing by Leah Clifford
A Touch Trilogy #3
 
Eden is dying. For real, this time.

She is crumbling to ash, and an unnatural plague is ravaging mortals and immortals alike. With both Heaven and Hell out to destroy her, Eden can no longer tell the difference between good and evil.

Friends become enemies. And enemies are everywhere.

But don't underestimate Eden. She'll fight for her life, for the lives of those she loves, and for every life she has ever touched.

She'll fight for revenge. For redemption. For—just maybe—the chance to be mortal again.

Everything began with forbidden love.

What will be sacrificed at the bitter end?

The dramatic conclusion to Leah Clifford's dark, alluring trilogy of life, death, and epic love.




Crave the Darkness by Amanda Bonilla
Shade Assassin #3
 
Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya—a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries—stands in their way.

It doesn’t help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone—or something—is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya’s would-be assassin.

As she probes into Anya’s past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets—and a connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them…



Death, Doom and Detention by Darynda Jones
Darklight #2
 
The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.

Goodbye normal.

Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?




Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Mercy Thompson #7
 
Mercy Thompson returns in the seventh novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.



The Last Grave by Debbie Viguie
Witch Hunt #2
 
Samantha Ryan—homicide detective by choice, witch hunter by necessity—has left Salem for San Francisco, hoping a move will help her forget the horrors of her past. But she’s about to discover that witches tempted by the dark side are everywhere....
Samantha is doing whatever she can to forget her terrible childhood in a coven destroyed by its members’ greed and lust for power. Now she’s a San Francisco detective struggling to fight her own desire to turn to magic. But as she discovers, escaping who you are isn’t easy.

Her latest case seems straightforward enough—the murder of a local historian named Winona Lightfoot. But strange clues take Samantha to the Santa Cruz Mountains, a place teeming with witches and black magic. As she works to uncover the connection between Winona and this coven, an earthquake rocks the Bay Area. That’s when Samantha has a premonition: Something is coming. Something evil.

To survive—and save everyone around her—she will have to tackle her greatest fear, and hope she isn’t the next one put into a deep, dark grave....




Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
Let the Sky Fall #1
 
A broken past and a divided future can’t stop the electric connection of two teens in this “charged and romantic” (Becca Fitzpatrick), lush novel.

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.



Mating Instinct by Katie Reus
Moon Shifter #3
 
As the beast within struggles to break free, he must learn to be what she needs...

Surviving for centuries, powerful lupine shifter Jayce Kazan managed to stay away from humans until he met Kat Saburova and was consumed by the need to protect her. But while Jayce shared his passion with the human seer, he refused to make her his bondmate—a refusal that caused the end of their relationship.

A year later, an attack that left Kat near death has resulted in another lupine shifter turning her. Furious that he wasn’t the one to save her, Jayce is determined to show Kat that he is the one she should rely on. But the newly turned shifter is still traumatized and worried that she’ll hurt those she loves, unless she can learn to control her inner wolf.

And as Jayce struggles to protect Kat from her own worst instincts and convince her to rekindle their love, the extremists who almost killed her are looking to finish the job…




Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Delirium #3
 
They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancĂ©e of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.



Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
Spellcaster #1
 
When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.




Written in Red by Anne Bishop
The Others #1
 
No one creates realms like New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans.As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.


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Death and Kisses $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

, by KT


Death and Kisses

“My only thought was for Aden. I ran to him, kicking up water and called out his name. He turned and my heart skidded, crumbled and dropped to my feet. Not Aden, but Brad. Then where was . . .?

I looked down to where Brad’s gaze had been focused, down, down, in the murky water towards the center of the pond. No. Noooo! I shouldn’t be able to see him through the stirred-up sediment, but I did. Pascual was drowning Aden just as he had drowned Brad.”

One night changed Kasey’s life forever. The star football player drowned and everyone at school blames her. And oh, yeah, since that night, she can see ghosts. Not that she’s afraid of them. Much. She’s more concerned with staying under the radar as the school’s once-popular, now outcast loner freak. Until the boy she supposedly killed shows up wanting revenge.

Regardless of Kasey’s outcast status, the hot new guy in school, Aden, wants to help her figure out how to get the angry ghost to leave her alone. So what if he also wants to contact his dead brother? And why are all the ghosts suddenly following Aden around?


Purchase



Author Clover Autrey 

Clover Autrey’s books have been referred to as “Romance in the Safety Zone.” The pages are chock full of adventure, attraction, fantasy and love, safe enough to read with your daughter or your grandmother, yet not so sweet it will put you in a sugar coma.

Inspired by her love of Louis L'Amour heroes, Clover (yeah, that's her real name), packed up and moved to Texas where she found a real live Texan of her own. She's been there ever since where she and Pat (who else would a Clover marry but a Patrick?), and their three boys, listen to the coyotes howl at the trains each evening.




Links


Praise for Clover Autrey
~Great Expectations Finalist 2012~

Ms. Autrey is a dynamic storyteller. I was enthralled from the very first page. ~~ Dark Angel Reviews

You will find yourself rooting that these two brave characters are able to find a way through every obstacle thrown in their way. ~~ TwoLips Reviews

…has excitement and danger, intrigue and adventure. The love that grows is but one facet of this story… ~~ The Romance Studio

It really left me speechless, it was so wonderful. Not only is it unlike anything you’ll ever read, but it really pulls you through so many emotions as you read it. ~~Rogues and Romance





BookBlast $100 Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/17/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It's Monday What Are You Reading (137)

, by KT


It's Monday! What Are You Reading, is hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.






Reviews for the past week:


Mating Instinct by Katie Reus (Early Review)
The Last Grave by Debbie Viguie (Early Review)


Kirsten's Book of the Week:


Blood Oranges by Caitlin R Kiernan (Review)

Other Posts:

Book Birthdays featured 9 new releases on my radar

With All My Soul was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

This week's Bargain Books & Kindle Deals

Let's Talk: Do you need romance in your books?

Upcoming List:

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (Early Review)
Deadly Sting by Jennifer Estep (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: TBD


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Early Review: The Last Grave by Debbie Viguie

, by KT

The Last Grave by Debbie Viguie
Witch Hunt #2

Samantha Ryan—homicide detective by choice, witch hunter by necessity—has left Salem for San Francisco, hoping a move will help her forget the horrors of her past. But she’s about to discover that witches tempted by the dark side are everywhere....

Samantha is doing whatever she can to forget her terrible childhood in a coven destroyed by its members’ greed and lust for power. Now she’s a San Francisco detective struggling to fight her own desire to turn to magic. But as she discovers, escaping who you are isn’t easy.

Her latest case seems straightforward enough—the murder of a local historian named Winona Lightfoot. But strange clues take Samantha to the Santa Cruz Mountains, a place teeming with witches and black magic. As she works to uncover the connection between Winona and this coven, an earthquake rocks the Bay Area. That’s when Samantha has a premonition: Something is coming. Something evil.

To survive—and save everyone around her—she will have to tackle her greatest fear, and hope she isn’t the next one put into a deep, dark grave....

Samantha Ryan had long ago denied her witch nature as the magic too easily turns to the dark side. Yet when an evil coven tried to take over Salem, she was forced into using magic once again. She prevailed, but now has to live with the fallout as her former colleagues at the Boston PD cannot accept her for who she is. So, she's traveled to San Francisco to get a fresh start and once again escape her past. But leaving magic behind just isn't in the cards for Samantha as a dark coven starts wreaking havoc as earthquakes plague the area. Samantha knows it's only a matter of time before the destruction causes a death toll unlike they've ever seen before. So she'll once again have to embrace the darker side of herself if she's to have any hope of stopping the evil she can sense on the horizon.

I really love Samantha's character. She's just so damaged, terribly powerful, and rather confused, yet she also has an iron will plus a determination to keep from slipping back into a path of evil. In THE LAST GRAVE she's still struggling with herself and the seductiveness of magic. Yet, I think she's started taking steps in the right direction as she's trying to accept that magic is part of her life, it just doesn't have to be an evil part. As long as she can resist letting it consume her, she can use her powers for good, which in the long run will be healthier than trying to cut herself off completely. She's already tried that once, and as soon as magical danger hit, she was almost defenseless. So, embracing the magic is definitely the best path for her. That's not to say that path will be an easy one, as several times in THE LAST GRAVE, her will was thoroughly tested, and she did falter. But what makes her truly admirable is that with each setback she picks herself up and gets right back on the path towards completely denying evil. That's a true test of strength in my opinion; the ability to overcome failures, and Samantha more than proves her worth.

I'm not usually one to read horror novels as I do not like to be scared. At all. In fact I'm a big baby about it. So I have to admit that I was a little bit hesitant to read THE LAST GRAVE as the first book definitely brought the creepy and I wasn't sure if my nerves could handle it a second time. However once I started reading THE LAST GRAVE it became obvious that I wasn't going to be quite as scared out of my wits. That's not to say that the story was any less compelling or gripping, I just wasn't quite so terrified this time around. Perhaps that is because I've seen Samantha survive the first coven or it could be because she's starting to use more magic, and therefore more powerful, so I wasn't quite so scared for her. But whatever the reason, I have to say that I was glad for this reprieve in the scariness as it allowed me to really enjoy the plot without my nerves being an utter wreck.

Intermixed in with the main plot was "The Last Grave" sideline, which honestly took up as much of my attention as the main evil Samantha was facing. I just had this sense that "The Last Grave" part was going to play a larger part in the grand scheme of things, so I was rather preoccupied with finding out what it meant. Despite all of my ruminations, when it was finally revealed, I was caught completely off guard. It definitely will be a game changer and because of that, I am simply desperate to get my hands on the next installment. I still really cant wrap my head around what this means for Samantha, but I have a feeling the creepy factor will be ratcheted up yet another notch. Which of course, worries my inner scared little girl, but it also makes me eagerly anticipate the ride. But getting back to book at hand, I'm very impressed with this latest installment. An incredibly thrilling ride full of suspense and danger, THE LAST GRAVE is not to be missed!

(Received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley)

Rating:






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Other Reviews:
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Previous Books:
  1.  The Thirteenth Sacrifice

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Let's Talk With Smash & Kt (18)

, by KT

Welcome to the Let’s Talk weekly discussion meme!

Originally hosted by Melissa from i swim for oceans, Smash & Kt took her original inspiration, and made it their own, expanding it to more than just books. Let’s get personal (but respectfully so) and learn more about one another!  Each week, a different question will be posted along with a place to link up your posts and visit other people’s responses.This meme is definitely meant to bring out conversation and meet new people. So, Let's Talk!  
We'd love to hear any ideas you have for questions. Submit them Here

This week's question:

Do you need romance in your books to read them? If not, what else “hooks” you? (Thank you, Rachel/Parajunkee!)

Yes and no, although it's definitely more on the "yes" side of the scale. Honestly I love romantic tension and the friction it causes. I can read straight Urban Fantasies, but I'm always scouting for the potential love interests. So, you would think Paranormal Romances would be my favorite reads, but that isn't the case. Sure I enjoy them, but I kinda hate how you have to get to "know" new characters with each installment. I just don't think this allows for the kind of character growth that really draws me into a series. So this is why you'll notice a trend with my favorite series as they all have a higher romantic element, or at least a very strong sexual tension:

And even with only putting the first book of the series up there, that's a pretty long list. But a good one ;)



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