March Book Releases

1st
Cursed- Lisa Childs
Raintree: Oracle- Linda Winstead Jones
The One You Want- Gena Showalter

3rd
Shifter Mates- Jennifer Ashley
Figure of Speech- Dana Marie Bell
Vision In Silver- Anne Bishop
His to Take- Shayla Black
Dead Heat- Patricia Briggs
Rising Fire- Terri Brisbin
Binding Ties- Shannon K. Butcher
Arrows of Desire- Lynne Connolly
Mad For Love- Lynne Connolly (pbk)
Kin- Lili St. Crow
Death Marked- Leah Cypress
Long Shadows- Cecilia Dominic (pbk)
Stolen Desire- Tina Donahue (pbk)
The Danger of Destiny- Leigh Evans
Sorceress- Claudia Gray
Downbeat- Mary Hughes (pbk)
Vampires Never Cry Wolf- Sara Humphreys
Razorhurst- Justine Larbalestier
Phoenix Inheritance- Corrina Lawson
Pocket Apocalypse- Seanan McGuire
Of Silk and Steam- Bec McMaster
Infinity Bell- Devon Monk
Dark Debt- Chloe Neill
Dorothy Must Die Stories- Danielle Paige
Vicious- Olivia Rivard (pbk)
The Winner's Crime- Marie Rutkoski
Claimed by the Rogue- Hope Tarr (pbk)
Darker Than Desire- Shiloh Walker
Immortal- J.R. Ward (pbk)

10th
The Exile- C.T. Adams
The Doll Collection- Anthology
The Dickens Mirror- Ilsa J. Bick
The God Collector- Catherine Butzen
Burning Kingdoms- Lauren DeStefano
Freeing the Beast- Tina Donahue
Don't Deny Me- Megan Hart
Shadow Scale- Rachel Hartman
Tether- Anna Jarzab
Hex- Rhiannon Lassiter
Ghosts- Rhiannon Lassiter
Shadows- Rhiannon Lassiter
Red- Alyxandra Harvey
Infinite- Jodi Meadows (pbk)
The Orphan Queen- Jodi Meadows
Vanishing Girls- Lauren Oliver

11th
Harry's Sacrifice- Bianca D'Arc

17th
Dark Detectives- Anthology
Bite Me- Robyn Bachar
The Lost Herondale- Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman
Prudence- Gail Garriager
Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story- David Levithan
Ash- Shani Petroff & Manley
The Witch of Painted Sorrows- M.J. Rose
Witches- Ednah Walters
The Others, The Complete Collection- Christine Warren
Wicked Safari- Lisa Whitefern

19th
Healed by the Dragon Pt. 1- Jessie Donovan
The Darkling Lord- Shona Husk

24th
Angel- Lola Dodge
The Door in the Moon- Catherine Fisher
Half Wild- Sally Green
The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire- Molly Harper
Icefall- Gillian Philip
Forever Ink- Carrie Ann Ryan
Southern Fried Wiccan- S.P. Sipal

27th
Claimed- Tarah Scott

31st
The Diamond Conspiracy- Philippa Ballantine & Tee Morris
Voyage of the Basilisk- Marie Brennan
The Cemetery Boys- Heather Brewer
Cursed by Ice- Jacquelyn Frank
The Outlandish Companion- Diana Gabaldon
Etherworld- Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
Night's Blaze- Donna Grant
Storm Warned- Dani Harper
Midnight Crossed- Charlaine Harris (pbk)
Firestorm- Nancy Holzner
The Slayer- Brenda Huber
Darkness Eternal- Alexandra Ivy
Illusion- Sherrilyn Kenyon (pbk)Instinct- Sherrilyn Kenyon
Son of No One- Sherrilyn Kenyon (pbk)
The Unleashed- Shelly Laurenston
Her Highland Fling- Jennifer McQuiston
Fall of Night- Joseph Nassise
King- Ellen Oh
Dorothy Must Die- Danielle Paige (pbk)
The Wicked Will Rise- Danielle Paige
Kingdom Keepers: The Return- Ridley Pearson
The Scandalous Secret of Abigai MacGrego- Paula Quinn
Separation Zone- Mandy M. Roth
Devil's Moon- Amanda Scott
Spark- Jessica Sorensen
The Shadows- J.R. Ward
Hard as a Rock- Christine Warren
Total Surrender- Rebecca Zanetti

Waiting On Wednesday [71]: Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine. A feature showcasing upcoming releases that are eagerly anticipated.

Title: Instinct 

Series: Chronicles of Nick
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release Date: March 31, 2015

Book Description:

Dark-Hunters, Daimons, zombies, demons, shapeshifters— another day in the life of Nick Gautier– and those are just his friends. But now that he’s accepted the demon that lives inside him, he must learn to control it and temper the very emotions that threaten the lives of everyone he cares for. Something that’s hard to do while trying to stay off the menus of those who want his head on a platter. And no one wants him more than the dark gods who created his race. Now that they know where he is, they will stop at nothing to reclaim him. And without knowing it, Nick has just embraced the one person he should never have trusted. The one person who will hand him over to his enemies to get back the life they lost.

Nick has finally accepted his fate, now he must learn to defy his destiny, and the dark, deadly forces that will stop at nothing to destroy everyone he loves so that they can again return to the world of man and own it.

Chronicles of Nick:
Infinity
Invincible
Infamous
Inferno
Illusion
Instinct
Invision - 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books/TV/Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each Tuesday features a different topic and you post your top ten list related to the topic.

This weeks topic is Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books/TV/Movies.

1. Hermione Granger
Harry Potter series (tv/movies)

2. Brienne of Tarth
Game of Thrones (tv)

3. Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie Stackhouse series (books)

4. Simi
Dark-Hunters (books)

5. Peggy Carter
Captain America & Agent Carter (tv/movies)

6. Buffy Summers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv)

7. Mercy Thompson
Mercy Thompson series (books)

8. Black Widow aka Natasha Romanov
The Avengers (movies)

9. Michonne
The Walking Dead (tv)

10. River Tam
Firefly/Serenity (tv/movies)

[Review]: The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden

Title: The Casquette Girls
Author: Alys Arden
Genre: Young Adult/Southern Gothic
Release Date: October 31, 2013

Summary:  Seven girls tied by time. Five powers that bind... One curse to lock the horrors away. One attic to keep the monsters at bay.

After the Storm of the Century rips apart New Orleans, Adele Le Moyne and her father are among the first to return to the city following the mandatory evacuation. Adele wants nothing more than for life to return to normal, but with the silent city resembling a mold-infested war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal will have to be redefined.

Events too unnatural – even for New Orleans – lead Adele to an attic that has been sealed for three hundred years, and the chaos she unleashes threatens not only her life but everyone she knows.

Caught suddenly in a hurricane of eighteenth-century myths and monsters, Adele must quickly untangle a web of magic that links the climbing murder rate back to her own ancestors. But who can you trust in a city where everyone has a secret, and where keeping them can be a matter of life and death – unless, that is, you’re immortal

Thoughts: I came across this book on Facebook. I had recently read about the casquette girls who traveled from France to New Orleans in 1728, so this was an instant buy for me. I loved, loved The Casquette Girls, once I started I couldn't put it down. The history, mysteries and the legends pull you in. Adele and her family history was intoxicating, I look forward to reading more. The Casquette Girls is gritty, spooky and magical. I can't explain it but when I read a book where New Orleans is the setting this is the type of story/book I hope to find. If you love New Orleans or just love reading about it and the history this is a must read.

Score: 5 Stars

Author Website:
http://alysarden.tumblr.com/
http://www.thecasquettegirls.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheCasquetteGirls

The Casquette Girls series:
The Casquette Girls
The Romeo Catchers - TBA

Book Haul [114]

What did you get this week? Leave your links in the comments to your Book Hauls, IMM, Stacking the Shelves etc... and I'll check them out. Happy Reading!

Here is what I got this last week:

Review:
Her Wild Hero- Paige Tyler

Thank you Sourcebooks.

Library:
The Maze Runner- James Dashner

Bought:
Under the Tuscan Sun- Frances Mayes

Free eBooks:
Kade's Dark Embrace- Kym Grosso
Valentine- Samantha Young

 February's Loot Crate Theme is: Play.

What I'm Reading 2|18|15

 What I'm Currently Reading:

What I Just Finished Reading:

Not sure what I'll read next....

[AudioBook Review]: Ghost Killer By Robin D. Owens

Title: Ghost Killer
Author: Robin D. Owens
Narrator: Coleen Marlo
Genre: Ghost Seer
Release Date: February 3, 2015

I received this audiobook from Audible.com, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:  Something wicked this way comes…

When her aunt died, level-headed accountant Clare Cermak inherited a fortune—as well as a phantom dog and the power to help ghosts move on. Her new gift led her to Zach Slade, a sexy private investigator with a unique psychic gift of his own, and the man who’s slowly opening her heart. But as they work toward building a future together, a sinister threat emerges.

An evil ghost is ravaging Creede, Colorado, threatening to devour the spirit of an innocent boy. Inexperienced in facing such a powerful ghost—and knowing her spirit, too, could be ripped away—Clare still can't refuse to help. With Zach’s support she uncovers the ghost’s identity, and the ancestral weapon required to slay it. But does Clare dare to use that weapon before the ghost destroys the man she loves—and her own spirit?

Thoughts: This is the third book in the Ghost Seer series and my first time reading the series, actually my first time reading the author. Usually I'm a stickler for reading books in order, but I've been wanting to read Robin D. Owens for a while now.  This was a great read. Sexy (although the word "dick" was mentioned way too much) and lots of action and mystery. Clare Cermak is quite an interesting character, her life has changed fast in such a short time, she handles it quite well.  I loved her ghostly dog Enzo.  Definitely pick this one up! If you enjoy the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris, you'll love Owens's Clare Cermak.

I would say Ghost Killer can be read as a stand-one. The author explains the back story, so you're never lost.

Ghost Killer is narrated by Coleen Marlo.  A pleasant listening experience. Enzo's voice was especially fun to listen to.

Score: 4 Stars

Author Website: http://robindowens.com/

Ghost Seer Series:
Ghost Seer
Ghost Layer
Ghost Killer

Winner: Rebel Queen + Bangles

and the winner is...

fredamans 

Congrats! Please send your mailing information here: 

annasbookblog@gmail.com 

You have 5 days to claim your prizes.



If you still want a signature for your books, Michelle is offering
signed bookplates.  http://www.michellemoran.com/rebelqueenbookplate.html

Book Haul [113]

What did you get this week? Leave your links in the comments to your Book Hauls, IMM, Stacking the Shelves etc... and I'll check them out. Happy Reading!

Here is what I got this last week:

Review:
The Master- Kresley Cole

Thank you to Simon & Schuster.

Paperback Swap:
Julie & Julia- Julie Powell

Bought:
The Professional- Kresley Cole
The Ruby Circle- Richelle Mead

Funko Pop Haul

Baymax, Nick Fury, Magneto, Cyclops, Mystique & Storm


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 

Winner: Dog with a Bone

and the winner is...

erin

 

Congrats! Please send your mailing information here: 

annasbookblog@gmail.com 

You have 5 days to claim your prizes.

Cover Discovery

 Release Date: March 3, 2015

Release Date: March 24, 2015

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Release Date: June 9, 2015

Release Date: September 22, 2015

[Mini-Review]: If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I watched If I Stay when it came out on DVD. I enjoyed it and knew with that last scene I had to read the books.

If I Stay
By Gayle Forman
4 Stars

Description: In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make.

Thoughts: If I Stay was absolutely wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. I loved all the characters. Mia and Adam's journey was an exciting one. But I also loved Mia's parents too. They had such an amazing relationship with their kids.  If you do end up reading this book, I must warn you... you won't be able to resist reading book two to find out what happens to Mia & Adam.

Where She Went
By Gayle Forman
4 Stars

Description: It's been three years since the devastating accident... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Thoughts: This sequel is done in Adam's point of view. It takes place three years after the events in If I Stay.  I wasn't a fan of Adam's POV at first, but he grows on you.  In this one I really connected with what Adam. The heartache and dysfunction he goes through.  Things are very up and down in this one, you really don't know how things will go, but I loved it just the same.  I would like to see Where She Went made into a movie, but I haven't heard anything about it.

Gayle Forman
Website | Facebook

For those wondering there are some difference between the book
and the movie, but nothing too damaging.

Guest Blog & Giveaway with Michelle Moran

JANAM KUNDLIS
Michelle Moran
          With every book I write, I discover something about the culture I’m researching which completely blows me away, often because it’s so unusual and something I’ve never encountered before. In the case of my book, REBEL QUEEN, set in India during the British invasion, the concept of Janam Kundlis struck a chord with me, particularly since Janam Kundlis very nearly played a role in my own life and my marriage to my husband, who is Indian.
          Also known as an astrological chart, a Janam Kundli is made by a priest for each child in India. No one is sure when the concept of a Janam Kundli came to be, but as Vedic astrology is several thousand years old, it’s not surprising that my protagonist’s Janam Kundli would have looked similar to my husband’s,­ even though they were born more than a hundred years apart. A person’s Janam Kundli includes the details of their birth–time, date, planetary alignments. It also includes other things which aren’t so common in the West, such as that person’s probable future career and who they were in their most recent past life (in my husband’s case, a yogi!).
          Reading a person’s natal chart is serious business. Once a person’s Janam Kundli is created,  they will keep that document with them for life, producing it when it’s time for marriage. Even today, Janam Kundlis are used to make prospective matches between brides and grooms throughout India, where the majority of marriages are arranged. And woe betide anyone whose Janam Kundli declares them to be a manglik, or a bad­luck person. If that’s the case, as it was for the famous Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, one of two options are available. You can either marry another manglik, thus canceling out your bad- luck status, or you can hire a priest to conduct a variety of ceremonies that will make it possible to marry someone who isn’t a manglik like yourself. This last option, however, is only available if the non­manglik person’s family finds the risk acceptable. In Aishwarya Rai’s case, her in­laws obviously felt the “risk” was worth it, and in 2007 she married a tree before she married her husband, thereby canceling out her bad­luck in this way.
          Why a tree? Well, this was something I very nearly discovered myself when my own Janam Kundli was made. Apparently, like Aishwarya Rai, I too am probably a manglik, meaning marriage for me would most likely end in the divorce or death of my spouse. I say probably because my Janam Kundli was done online. The effect, however, was very nearly the same. Major discussions took place as to whether I would need to marry a tree before the wedding could proceed, or whether my Janam Kundli should be discounted since I am not, after all, Indian, and my Janam Kundli hadn’t “officially” been made by a priest.
          In the end, it was decided that my husband should take the risk and go for it. I never had to marry a tree or even choose among a variety of clay urns for my groom. Either option, apparently, is acceptable, as it’s believed that a person’s manglik dosh can be canceled out if the manglik person’s bad luck is spent on the first marriage. Thus, the bride first marries a clay urn or a tree, then either breaks the clay urn or chops down her tree­husband in order to become a “widow” (in some places, the tree is allowed to survive). After this, the second marriage is ready to proceed without a hitch.
          There are varying interpretations of this ceremony, and even though it didn’t end up affecting me, a person’s Janam Kundli can alter their destiny, just as I describe in the beginning of REBEL QUEEN. It’s cultural gems like these which make researching historical fiction such a pleasure, and it’s these type of details which I try to include in each of my books. As a writer, my hope is that they pique the reader’s interest along the way, and as a reader, they are the sort of facts which help ground me in another place and time.

Rebel Queen

By Michelle Moran

March 3, 2015

When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the mid-nineteenth century, it expects a quick and easy conquest. India is fractured and divided into kingdoms, each independent and wary of one another, seemingly no match for the might of the English. But when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, the British army is met with a surprising challenge.

Instead of surrendering, Queen Lakshmi raises two armies—one male and one female—and rides into battle, determined to protect her country and her people. Although her soldiers may not appear at first to be formidable against superior British weaponry and training, Lakshmi refuses to back down from the empire determined to take away the land she loves.

Told from the unexpected perspective of Sita—Queen Lakshmi’s most favored companion and most trusted soldier in the all-female army—Rebel Queen shines a light on a time and place rarely explored in historical fiction. In the tradition of her bestselling novel, Nefertiti, and through her strong, independent heroines fighting to make their way in a male dominated world, Michelle Moran brings nineteenth-century India to rich, vibrant life.

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBook

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | GoodReads


GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Michelle I have a signed hardcover copy of Rebel Queen plus a pair of bangles from India. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to everyone. The winner will be announced on February 16th.

Book Haul [112]

Review:
Ghost Killer- Robin D. Owens

Thank you to Audible.com.

Library:
Where She Went- Gayle Forman

Bought:
Bound By Flames- Jeaniene Frost
Burned- Karen Marie Moning

 January's Loot Crate - Theme: Rewind

Guest Blog & Giveaway with Hailey Edwards

GODDESS COMPLEX

Of all the fae, in all the lore, the Morrigan is almost guaranteed a mention. Or perhaps I am sensitized to her appearances and that’s what makes my ears/eyes perk when I see a reference to her.

The Morrigan was considered a goddess of battle and strife. She is most often associated with war and death. Her most common appearance is that of a large, black crow. Those are the most basic threads that characterize her. From there…the imagination of the person telling the story is the only limit to her power.

My favorite personification of the Morrigan is probably how she appears in the series, The Iron Druid Chronicles. There is so much rich lore in that series. If you haven’t checked it out yet, what are you waiting for?

When I decided to start a new series featuring fae, the Morrigan was my first choice as a villainess.  Except, she isn’t evil. She just is. Balance is a theme throughout the series, and she is just as unchanging as the heroine (and the heroine’s father). While her actions may be cruel, you would have about as much luck blaming ice for you slipping on it as the Morrigan for committing an immoral act.

But as fascinating as she is, I wanted a potential love interest for my heroine, Thierry. So I created sons for the Morrigan that don’t exist in mythology. Raven and Rook are their names, and it has been fun twisting them (and their mother) to suit the Black Dog world.

I’m so excited for everyone to meet the brothers in the next installment of the series, Heir of the Dog, which releases on January 30th.

GIVEAWAY

How about you? What is your favorite type of fae?

Tell me in the comments & your email address, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win an ebook copy of Dog with a Bone, the first book in the Black Dog series.The winner will be announced on February 13th.

Heir of the Dog
Black Dog #2
By Hailey Edwards

Out Now!

Faerie teeters on the brink of war, and the mortal realm swells with fae refugees desperate to escape the bloodshed. As a half-blooded fae, Marshal Thierry Thackeray has a stake in the outcome of both realms and isn’t afraid to knock a few heads together if it keeps the peace.

When her father goes missing, the only hope of negotiating a truce between the light and dark fae vanishes with him. Eager to avoid another Thousand Years War, the Faerie High Court reaches out to the one person they believe can replace him—the daughter who shares his curse.




Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes &Noble | iBook | Kobo

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

What I'm Reading 2|4|15

What I'm Currently Reading:

What I Just Finished Reading:

What I'm Reading Next:

January Reading List

Her Secret Agent- Paige Tyler [3/5]
ARV-3- Cameo Renae [3/5]
The Second Lie- Anna Richland [4/5]
If I Stay- Gayle Forman [4/5]
Mad Madame LaLaurie- Victoria Cosner Love & Lorelei Shannon [3/5]
Echoes of Scotland Street- Samantha Young [5/5]
Nightmares & Fairy Tales #3: 1140 Rue Royale- Serena Valentino [3/5]
Dead of Winter- Kresley Cole [3/5]
Blue Lily,Lily Blue- Maggie Stiefvater [4/5]
Doctor Who: Nothing O'Clock- Neil Gaiman [3/5]
Revenant- Larissa Ione [4/5]
The Last American Vampire- Seth Grahame-Smith [4/5]
Where She Went- Gayle Forman [4/5]