Anticipated October Releases

 

This is a mixed batch and quite long, so I am dividing them into genres. In publishing several of these would be classified as November releases, but I put them here since I cannot wait to read them. Plus several of them will probably be available earlier. 🙂

 

Contemporary Romance/ Erotic Romance:

 

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When Cade Winslow and Merrick Sullivan find Elle hiding in the cabinet of a gun store, they know they can’t just walk away from the fragile woman with no memory of who she is or who tried to kill her. Merrick is training for the title shot in the heavyweight division as a mixed martial artist and can’t afford distractions, but neither can he turn his back on the woman who tugs at his heartstrings.

 

Elle feels safe with her two protectors, and the longer she spends with them, the more she realizes that she has no desire to remember her past. Not when it could compromise her future with Cade and Merrick.

Cade has his own set of concerns when it comes to Elle, and it quickly becomes clear to the two men that for the first time in their friendship, a woman is coming between them. But what if they just kept her there? Between them. Where she belongs.

 

Maya Banks used to be an Autobuy for me, but her historical romances have too many inaccuracies and I don’t like Romantic Suspense. But, I love her Menages and I have had this book on my wishlist since I first heard of them.

 

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Charity Sanderson had been Beau Parrish’s lover for months, but she knew it was only a matter of time before their affair ended. She needed a man she could count on to be there, and Beau never took anything seriously. But, she loved him too much to walk away. Beau loved Charity more than his own life, but knew she didn’t believe that. Every time he spoke about a future together, she got skittish, and so he’d had to back off for fear of losing her completely. The vulnerability in her eyes tugged at him, the love shining in them that she didn’t think he could see. He couldn’t go on living a lie. After giving her an ultimatum he walked out, hoping she would love him too much to let it end between them.

 

Her accident changes everything. It forces her to see that the man she never thought he could be has been there the entire time.

Despite the issues I have with them, I like Leah Brooke’s Desire novels. Oh, and technically this is already out but since it is exclusive to Bookstrand the first month, I post it for October.

 

Mystery:

17571198In this second Gin & Tonic mystery, the stakes are raised when someone connected to an embezzlement scheme Ginny Mallard and Teddy Tonica are investigating is murdered.When someone from the local animal shelter approaches her about finding grant funds that have gone missing, Ginny Mallard convinces her bartender friend Teddy Tonica to help her investigate once again. They soon discover that something is disturbing the animals at the shelter at night…and then a dead body shows up.

With the help of Ginny’s Shar-Pei puppy and Tonica’s tabby cat, this unconventional crime-solving team has to figure out what’s going on before the shelter—and more people—lose everything..

 

 Collared was one of the better mysteries I read last year, and I am looking forward to read Fixed when it is out :). Maybe I’ll get it signed at WFC too.

 

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy:

 

BloodOfAnAncient72smBeri O’Dell, Book 2

Beri O’Dell is on a mission. She has to rip back into a hell dimension fast, but needs two things first—the blood of an ancient and a fix for her friend Blythe’s magic, which careened out of control after the battle with the Dweller.

Finding ancient blood isn’t easy when the old ones are rare and unwilling to donate. She needs to find Blythe’s former mentor…except the woman has lost her mind and joined a traveling band of singing witches.

That’s not the only magical monkey on her back. Nikolos is imprisoned, and after a screwed-up spell lets her witness the horror that has become his life, her fear for him grows by the day. Now there’s another problem—a powerful being unleashed during the battle with the Dweller likes her gluttonous new existence, and will kill anyone who threatens it.

But Beri has a few tricks up her costumed sleeve, even if it means mining the darkness of her soul to set everything right…and get Nikolos back in her arms.

I liked the first book in the series, and I think the reason that I didn’t love it was primarily because I was a bit tired of Urban Fantasy. But I’ll definitely buy this one.

 

15808767Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force.

Vampires are dying impossibly of disease.

Guild hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels.

Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York…and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same

 

It is finally here! Whee! Yes, I love Nalini Singh’s novels. Why do you ask?

 

Steampunk:

 

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When a bomb goes off at 221B Baker Street, Evelina Cooper is thrown into her Uncle Sherlock’s world of mystery and murder. But just when she thought it was safe to return to the ballroom, old, new, and even dead enemies are clamoring for a place on her dance card.

Before Evelina’s even unpacked her gowns for a country house party, an indiscretion puts her in the power of the ruthless Gold King, who recruits her as his spy. He knows her disreputable past and exiles her to the rank alleyways of Whitechapel with orders to unmask his foe.

As danger mounts, Evelina struggles between hiding her illegal magic and succumbing to the darker aspects of her power. One path keeps her secure; the other keeps her alive. For rebellion is brewing, a sorcerer wants her soul, and no one can protect her in the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper

 

I am not a Sherlock Holmes fan, but this series intrigues me a lot with their mix of mystery and steampunk elements. The first book was just released, but I didn’t feature it in last month’s post, purely because I forgot about it.

 

Cover Spotlight: Beyond Jealousy by Kit Rocha

I love Kit Rocha’s novels. They are sexy and gritty.  And the redesigned covers fits the whole series to the T.  ( Much better than the original ones, IMO.)  Anyway, here is the cover for Beyond Jealousy, it is out sometime next year.

 

 

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Friday Bargains: All about Erotic Romance

I have planned to write this post all month, but for a number of reasons I have pushed it to next week. But here it is!

Carina Press offers two Erotic Romances for free this month ( well, technically it is three, but I cannot find the coupon for the Jodie Griffin novel).

First out is Love letters Vol 1. This is free all month, without a coupon. Just add it your cart at Carina Press webpage. Bond of Trust by Lynda Aicher is free with the coupon BONFR913 at Carina Press.

 

 

I cheered when I found out that Ellora’s Cave offers Lynne Connolly’s In the Mood for free at a number of stores. I really liked the first book in the Rose and Richard series, and I have meant to pick up more of her books.  So I am definitely downloading this one. 🙂

 

 

Never Enough by Lauren Dane is 2.99 at Amazon and BN now. I really like Lauren Dane’s novels and I have planned to pick up her Brown sibling series. Although I guess I should read Tart first, since I still haven’t read it.

 

Probably not technically Erotic Romance, but Shameless by Jennifer Blake is free at Amazon right now, and it sounds interesting!

 

Review: Farewell to Summer by Lazette Gifford

Devlin has arrived on Summer where she expects to do nothing more than keep watch over Cha and Dancer. However, even before the two arrive, she’s found trouble of a different kind. Even though the people of Summer are leaving as the world begins a long, inhospitable descent into winter, there’s still time for deceit, lies and murder.

She has other news for Cha and Dancer as well, and she’s not really certain how well they’ll like her new plans.

 

 

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5 Fantasy and Urban Fantasy authors you should read

The theme for the latest Mind Meld is Up and coming authors in the last 5 years, which is a great topic, and I plan to read some of the authors on it. Except when I read it, I thought: What about the midlisters, or the new authors that are writing good books but are published by small presses? So here is my list, of authors that should be among the up and coming authors. And if you have read my blog for awhile, none of them should come as any surprise. 🙂

James Hetley/ James Burton:

James Hetley/ James Burton is one of those authors I feel that everyone should read. I picked up his books years ago, and I was hooked from the start. His books should be in every readers library, especially now that Urban Fantasy is so popular. The characters are intriguing, the settings have a unique feeling, and the plots are filled with unexpected twists.

Kari Sperring:

I love Kari Sperring’s Fantasy novels.They are set in an fascinating world that is unique, yet are familiar enough that the reader connect to the world. The characters are fascinating, and a refreshing change from the characters in most fantasy novels. They aren’t necessarily fastpaced, but they are paced so that they slowly pulls you in, and when you finish the book you are craving the next one.

Lazette Gifford:

I am Fantasy lover, and it was through Fantasy I first discovered Lazette Gifford. Her fantasy novels are good, but it isn’t her fantasy novels that I buy in bulk. It is the Science Fiction, since I love all the care and details that she puts into her worlds. From the landscape, to the cultures she creates. The characters is interesting, and the plots are fast paced and well written.

      Misty Massey:

Misty Massey is one of those authors that hook you with one book, and then you are waiting impatiently for the next one. I have only read Mad Kestrel once, which was years ago, but I can still remember the intriguing world, the chase across the seas, the unexpected plot twists, and the characters that were fascinating.

 

Chrysoula Tzavelas:

I am a diehard Chrysoula Tzavelas fan. Anything with her name on it, I buy it. Which is an impressive feat, considering that she has only released two books, with a third coming in November. Her Urban Fantasy novels are a refreshing change from the Urban Fantasy novels that I normally read. ( And having read Infinity Key, I can say it rocks. If it is possible, I plan to coordinate my review with the Kickstarter.)

A request for help

 

I switched from Blogger to WordPress at beginning of August. And I don’t regret the move. Nope. I love the freedom of WordPress.

Except I have been thinking of exactly how many reads this blog.  I had 190 (!) followers in Blogger, that mostly read me through RSS

readers, which is totally cool with me.  But in WordPress, I only know of the 30 readers that uses Bloglovin. The rest is uncertain. Which leads me to this post.

If you read this through a RSS feed, can you please click on the link so that you reaches my blog ?  Just so that I get a rough idea of

how many readers I have. :).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Series Review: Princess of Hell by Eve Langlais

Note: Blurb and cover is for the first book in the series, purely to avoid spoilers.

LDCoverHi, I’m Muriel, the only white sheep in a sea of black ones, and a virgin to boot. I am determined to wait for love, but my dad, more commonly known as Lucifer, just wants me to stop being an embarrassment. I’m hoping the hunk that I met in my bar will turn out to be the one–just looking at him makes my insides melt like marshmallows over the coals of hell, but trusting is hard when it seems everyone I get close to ends up trying to kill me.

Not only am I dealing with an extreme case of lust, there’s a new threat in hell, one my dad says to ignore. Something easier said than done since it seems everywhere I turn demons are trying to kill me. But I’m okay with that, because one thing I’ve learned being a princess of hell is that sometimes I have to grab a demon by the horns and slap it around a bit.

A rebellion in hell, demon assassins and scorching kisses, could my life get any more interesting?

 

 

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What Bookstores can do to survive

 

I meant for this to go live weeks ago, if not months but I never posted it. But here it is, and it especially vital after Amazon’s announcement that they are launching Kindle Matchbook.

A good Integration with the online store

No bookstore can keep every title in a series. While most stores offer to order it for you, there are ways it could be improved. For example, a major Swedish bookstore chain used to have that you could order a book from their online store, and then pick it up in store 3 days later. And pay at pick up. It was a really neat way to buy books. Unfortunately, they removed it. Sigh.

 

 Offer discounts on or bundle e-books/ audiobooks when buying trade or hardcover

Now a days, most bookstores also sell e-books and audiobooks. Either because they are running an e-book store themselves, or because they are partnering with Kobo, or another e-book store. This means it would be really easy for them to offer a bundle of e-book/ audiobook and print, for a good price.  There are some publishers that are taking steps in this direction.  Angry Robot have just announced that they are extending their clone files project to the US, and Candlemark & Gleam offers the e-book version for free if you buy the print version from their webpage.

 

Give customers a reason to visit your store:

This might sound like a no brainer, but I think many bookstores forget about it.  For example, I haven’t been in  the bookstore in my local mall that often. Why? Since the book prices higher than the chains, because their store looks as if they are closing any week. But, I would love to if they gave the impression that they were service minded, and devoted to selling books. How? I will not say lowering the prices, since they are independent, but restructure the store. Focus on books, focus on making it welcoming to the customers.

 

 

 

An open letter to GoodReads

Yesterday Goodreads updated their review  guidelines, and started to enforce them directly.

While I am not affected directly by the new guidelines, since my reviews are short, and focused on the book, I am worried by the direction Goodreads have taken.

After all the drama recently, and Amazon buying them, it doesn’t feel as if their focus are on readers anymore. A part of me can understand why they felt the need to start curating reviews and shelves more. But I really don’t like the heavy-handed way they did it. It is not OK to delete shelves and reviews without warning.

The result, for me personally, is that I will not post reviews on Goodreads for the foreseeable future. I am not deleting my account, or the reviews that I have posted, since I feel that it is important that they are still available to readers.