Wow & Cover Art: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Patricia Briggs has displayed her next Mercy Thompson series cover, Silver Borne, on her web site.

This author has gotten lucky with her covers. Each one keeps getting better and better. Although, they aren’t exactly the same in every aspect but they are true to Mercy’s character.

Silver Borne is slated to release March 30, 2010. Patricia also announced that Ace, the publisher, “has contracted for a total of seven Mercy novels, and it's possible the series could go even longer.”

There’s no summary for this installment yet but I can assume it’ll be just as great as all the previous books in this series.

I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

My Reviews for this series:

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs

 

 Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3) by Patricia Briggs

 Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) by Patricia Briggs

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Cover Art: Shift (Werecats, Book 5) by Rachel Vincent

Take a look at this beauty!

Shift is Rachel’s 5th Werecats or Shifters series book. I believe the release date is March 2010.

It follows a very tragic and very emotional Prey. You can read my review of each book in this series.

Stray (Shifters, Book 1): My Review
Rogue (Shifters, Book 2): My Review
Pride (Shifters, Book 3): My Review
Prey (Shifters, Book 4): My Review

I can NOT wait to read this. Prey was superb and so much happened that I can not wait to see how it is all resolved. After Shift there’s one last book, Alpha, which I can assume someone is crowned Alpha.

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WINNER: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Eyes Like Stars (Theatre Illuminata, Act I) by Lisa Mantchev
Feiwel & Friends (July 7, 2009)
368 pages
$11.55 (Amazon.com, 07/10/09)


The contest for Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev was a success! 93 valid entries! 1 Winner!

The Winner is.......

Paradox!

Paradox, I have your email and will be contacting you for your mailing address!

Read my review of ELS.

Here's a blurb about the book (Amazon.com):

All her world’s a stage.
Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
That is, until now.
Enter Stage Right
NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.
COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE’S sidekicks.
ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie’s weakness. The symbol of impending doom.
BERTIE. Our heroine.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.
Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.
Open Curtain

Read the first chapter on the Théâtre Illuminata.

Connect with Lisa:

Website
Théâtre Illuminata
LiveJournal Blog
Twitter
Facebook
MySpace
Feiwel & Friends

Deltay of Lucid Conspiracy made a very cute trailer for ELS. Check it out:

Thanks for entering my contest! Remember you can still order it from Amazon.com!

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Contest: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Eyes Like Stars (Theatre Illuminata, Act I) by Lisa Mantchev
Feiwel & Friends (July 7, 2009)
368 pages
$11.55 (Amazon.com, 07/10/09)

I know I'm a little late in celebrating the release of Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev but I can't just let it pass without giving it it's well deserved glory spot!

ELS was an amazing read. You can see my review here. It was so unique and the originality was one of the best I've ever read. The cover alone deserves to be mentioned. It's one of the prettiest I've ever seen. Even thought the artist did an amazing job you have to give props to Lisa too. Without her amazing ability to write and describe her characters this amazing cover would not exist.

Here's a blurb about the book (Amazon.com):

All her world’s a stage.
Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
That is, until now.
Enter Stage Right
NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.
COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE’S sidekicks.
ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie’s weakness. The symbol of impending doom.
BERTIE. Our heroine.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.
Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.
Open Curtain

Read the first chapter on the Théâtre Illuminata.

Connect with Lisa:

Website
Théâtre Illuminata
LiveJournal Blog
Twitter
Facebook
MySpace
Feiwel & Friends

Deltay of Lucid Conspiracy made a very cute trailer for ELS. Check it out:

Contest!

I'm going to offer a copy of Eyes Like Stars to one contestant. I'll place the order on Amazon.com and have it shipped directly to the winner.

How to Enter:

IMPORTANT! Each entry MUST be a separate comment! Otherwise you forfeit your additional entries! I will be using a random number generator to pick the winner!

1. Post a comment! Any comment will do! Include your email to ensure you receive your winnings!
   
2. Follow my blog! Already follow? Awesome! Let me know!
3. Post this contest on the web! Anywhere is acceptable. Leave the link in your comment. One link per comment. If you Twitter it, @ me! @junklekennedy
   

So that's at least 3 (three) entries available for you to win a copy of ELS by Lisa Mantchev.

• Entries will be accepted until Midnight, July 17th (one week)
• Entries are open to US & Canada only, sorry. NO P.O. Boxes.
• The winner will be randomly selected via random.org based on the comment number automatically generated when you comment. Random comments WILL be deleted. Sorry.
• The winner will be announced on July 18th (or soon thereafter)
• The winner will have 3 days to email me their shipping info or they will forfeit their winners and a new winner will be selected. Include your email in your comment and I'll email you if you win.

Enter away! Good luck!

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Cover Art: Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, Book 3) by Jocelynn Drake

Jocelynn exposed the cover for her upcoming release of Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, Book 3).

Here's the cover blurb:

"The dawn brinks new terror for the creatures of the night...

Those off her race fear Mira for the lethal fire she bends to her will -- a power unique among nightwalkers, both a gift ... and a curse.

The naturi despise Mira for what she is -- as they prepare the final sacrifice that will destroy the barriers between the worlds. And once the naturi are unchained, blood, chaos, and horror will reign supreme on Earth.

Mira can trust only Danaus, the more-than-mortal vampire slayer, though he is sworn to destroy her kind. And now, as the day approaches when titanic forces will duel under cover of darkness, destiny draws them toward an apocalyptic confrontation at Machu Picchu. But all is not lost. for a wild card has been dealt to them: a rogue enemy princess who can change the balance of power and turn the dread tide."

Dawnbreaker is releasing September 29, 2009.

Check out my reviews for the first two books:
Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1)
Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2)

Didn't read Nightwalker? Check out the excerpt and then order it!

Check out Jocelynn's sites:
Blog
Website
MySpace

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FREE Kindle Book: Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning

Amazing!

Get the first book of this amazing series for FREE for the Kindle!



Darkfever is book 1 of the Fever series. Book 4 is releasing August 18th, Dreamfever, which was my WoW a few weeks ago. This series is really good! Read my review of the previous 3 books. I think it'll be safe to read this series now that there are nearly 4 books out. I hear there are only 5 books total so that means there's a happy ending in sight!

Darkfever (Book 1)
Bloodfever (Book 2)
Faefever (Book 3)
Dreamfever (Book 4)

Visit Karen's site to get more detailed info on her books! There are excerpts for the books.

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WoW My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent - eBook available

The prequel to My Soul to Lose is available via ebook download today.

My Soul to Take releases on August 1, check back here a week before the release for a contribution from Rachel!

To tide you over until then you can order the prequel and get a peek into Kaylee's world with My Soul to Lose.

Download from:

Amazon.com ($2.39)
Harlequin ($2.69)
BooksOnBoard.com ($2.25)
Fictionwise.com ($2.69 reg, or $2.29 Club)

I've ordered it from Amazon.com because I own a Kindle as well as an iPhone. :) If you don't have the Kindle iPhone app, you need to check it out. :)

I'll do my review as soon as I've read it.

Today is Happy Release Day for Rachel twice! Prey releases today. Check out my Contest to win a copy of Prey.

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I Want: Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Tempest Rising (Jane True) by Nicole Peeler
Orbit (October 27, 2009)
368 pages
$7.99 (Amazon.com, 06/27/09)

Okay, so this book isn't releasing until October 27 but I received the ARC this week and I just finished Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (it was amazing) but I'm starting Tempest Rising RIGHT NOW! I haven't read any of it yet but I will once this post is posted.

I first heard about this upcoming release from the Orbit blog. The cover is what sucked me in and then I read the synopsis and then I found the author's site and now I'm hooked and oh so excited to finally have my hands on this beautiful book! Thanks Nicole for sending this to me so quickly and on your road trip at that!


Here's the copy from the back of the ARC:

Living in small town Rocakabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society.

During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world with supernatural creatures that are terrifying, beautiful, and deadly--all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never--ever--rub the genie's lamp.

If you love Sookie Stackhouse, then you'll want to dive into Nicole Peeler's enchanting debut novel.

"A fascinating, fast-paced, sexy storm of a book." --Rachel Caine

Cover design by Laurn Panepinto
Cover illustrations by Sharon Tancredi

I loved the Sookie Stackhouse series, and I'm loving the HBO series which is based on the books, and I'm positive this book will not disappoint. I hope to write up my review soon after finishing it. Sometimes I like to think on it before I write my review but I don't think I'll do that this time.

I did flip through the book when it arrived and I noticed that each chapter has an image of the Celtic Tree of Life, which is awesome! I recently received a modified version of the Tree as a tattoo on my arm.

The book's Tree of Life (but it looks shiney in the book):

My Tattoo:

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Tree of Life gets incorporated in the story.

In the mean time feel free to connect with Nicole and Orbit.

Nicole's blog
Twitter
Orbit Books

So what do you think? Love the cover? Some have had negative thoughts about it looking too anime and that the girl looks too young. Personally, I think it FREAKING ROCKS! I don't care if she looks too young. It's beautiful. And it sold me the book, so there. :P

You can pre-order Tempest Rising from Amazon.com!

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WoW & Cover Art: Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast

Ohh, pretty!

Here's the synopsis from Anya's website:

When you’re a half incubus, your reputation precedes you…

All eyes are on Gabriel Mac Braire the day he makes his first appearance in the Seelie Court, including those of Aislinn Finvarra. Despite deep bitterness over her last failed relationship, Aislinn cannot help but be curious about the half incubus who is known to possess dark magick, both lethal and sexual in nature. Rumors abound of the women who have become enslaved to his irresistible charms.

So when the Summer Queen of the fae orders Aislinn herself to act as his guide in the court, she is understandably on guard. She’s fallen under the spell of far less persuasive men before. In addition, Gabriel might be more than he seems and his true mission is far from innocent.

This time, Aislinn must protect not only her heart, but her very life…

Look for this January 2010!

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Cover Art: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

I recently posted about The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. The sample chapter is available and now she has released her cover art!



Read the first chapter on her website as a sneak peek. It is really good! I was upset that I couldn't read any more. :( I have already added it to my Goodreads "to-read" list.

So go check out the first chapter! Come back and let me know what you think!

Didn't you just love it?! Pre-order it on Amazon.com! It's scheduled to release on December 22, 2009.

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Sneak Peek: Soulless by Gail Carriger

I'm reading this right NOW!

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger
September 29, 2009
Orbit
373 pages (ARC edition)

It is just delightful. It's so Mary Poppins meets paranormal it's comical.

And I just love saying Miss Tarabotti. :)

Description from Amazon.com:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.
First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both
Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking
all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there?
From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire
-- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and
werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With
unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing,
everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what
is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless
ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain
embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle
tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

What a sneak peek?!

Page 16:

The earl gave her generous curves a rude once-over, observed that Miss Tarabotti was nicely padded in exactly the right places, and refused to be suckered into becoming sympathetic. He maintained his frown. "I suspect that is precisely what the vampire was thinking when he found you without a chaperone. An unmarried female alone in a room in this enlightened day and age! Why, if the moon had been full, even I would have attacked you!"

Alexa gave him the once-over and reached for her brass parasol. "My dear sir, I should like to see you try."

Isn't it just amazing?! Loving it! And I'm only on Chapter 2.

Connect with Gail Carriger:
Website
LiveJournal
Twitter
Blogger
Facebook
Facebook (The Parasol Protectorate)

Pre-order it from Amazon.com.

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Contest: Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

CONTEST IS CLOSED!


Win Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri!

I'm currently reading an ARC of Another Faust that I received from Candlewick Press. I ended up with an extra copy somehow. It was shipped to me twice. I've decided to share this with my followers!

Don't you just love this cover?! It's beautiful and it's spot on where the characters are concerned.

Here's a blurb on Another Faust from the authors' website:

One night, across four cities, five children disappear. Years later, five enigmatic teenagers appear at an exclusive New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess, Madame Vileroy. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust children to the elite Marlowe School, where their presence brings unexplainable misfortune.
Using a series of “gifts” given to them by Madame Vileroy, the children are able to soar to suspicious heights at Marlowe. The gifts seem child-like in their simplicity. The governess teaches them to cheat, steal, hide, and lie; ‘harmless’ she calls them, though they are much more. For the vicious over-achiever, reading an unsuspecting mind is simply to cheat. For the reclusive pariah, the gift of stopping time is just another way to hide. And who but an aspiring writer can weave a convincing lie?
Soon, Madame Vileroy’s gifts become darker and more complex. Living in a gray home designed to cultivate and corrupt them, they are enveloped in the side effects of their own addictions. They live cursed lives, making deals with the devil as they claw their way toward their goals….that is until two of them begin to uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. A modern retelling of an ancient dilemma, Another Faust recreates the story of the Faustian bargain. Set in present-day New York, but spanning the centuries, it is a chilling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

How To Enter:

IMPORTANT! Each entry MUST be a separate comment! Otherwise you forfeit your additional entries! I will be using a random number generator to pick the winner!

1. Post a comment! Any comment will do!
2. Follow my blog! Already follow? Awesome! Let me know!
3. Post this contest on your blog and post the link back here! Sidebars are fine.
4. Visit Daniel & Dina's website and post a comment on any of their blog entries, come back here and report that you've commented! A great entry to check out is their trailer post!
   

So, that's 4 (four) entries available for you to win an ARC of Another Faust!

• Entries will be accepted until midnight, July 4, Eastern Standard Time.
• Entries are open to US mailing addresses only. Sorry, no P.O. Boxes.
• The winner will be randomly selected via random.org based on the comment number automatically generated when you comment.
• The winner will be announced July 5.
• The winner will have 3 days to email me their shipping info or they will forfeit their winnings and a new winner will be selected. Include your email in your comment and I'll email you if you win.
  

Enter away! Good luck!

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BEA 2009 Wrap Up

Yeah, I've been hording my BEA wrap-up from you!

Lets start at the beginning:

Friday my car was in the shop getting some repairs. I got a call mid-day Friday letting me know it would NOT be ready to pick up until Monday. I'm supposed to leave for NYC Saturday morning at 4:00 AM! I rushed to find a rental car. It wasn't a big issue but it did increase my BEA budget significantly ($108). Not too crazy but I wasn't expecting to spend more than $100 on the entire trip.

Friday night was crazy. I wanted to go to bed no later than 9:00 pm. I went to bed at 12:00 am! I then got up at 3:30 am, showered and started on my 4 hour trip to NYC. It took me 5 hours to get to NYC! My stomach was a mess. I'm assuming lack of sleep, nerves, and just plain excitement had everything to do with it. I made several stops along the way, only ran into one accident on the interstate and only made one wrong turn in the city.

I paid $50 for parking right across the street from the Javits, which was awesome cause I unloaded my heavy ass bag full of books mid-day into the car! :) The parking was scary though. The lot was sooo small! The guy sardined the cars onto the lot and I about had a heart attack because it was a rental car he was parking so close together with the other cars! Geesh! All was well though. The guy was a sweetheart.

When I first arrived I picked up my badge and the lovely BEA Bible. I ventured into the exhibit hall and sighed in relief. I made it. I was here on personal/blog business and I was going to have fun and grab some amazing books! I referred to my "to-do" list and set out to conquer my conquests.

My first stop was the Penguin booth to grab a signed copy of Fire by Kristin Cashore. The signing was being held in the "traditional" area, which was downstairs in the children's section. I got in line and left with a signed copy of Fire! :) (NOTICE: It's not in my picture because I've lent it to my good friend Kevin, who lent me Graceling.)

After that I browsed the children's exhibits and then headed upstairs until it was time to go to the Harlequin booth to pick up two amazing books by two of my most favorite authors! Rachel Vincent and Gena Showalter! They were both signing at the same time at the Harlequin booth. So I had to pick who's line to get in first! Such a dilemma because I hated to pick! But it really was easy because, I'm like, obsessed with Rachel Vincent and all of her books are just amazing, Gena's are too but Gena's books have never hit me as hard as Rachel's. When an author brings me to tears they are forever going to be at the top of my favorites list and the first author I'm going to read when it comes down to picking. So, there I was in line to get a signed copy of My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent. I knew she would recognize me once I showed her my badge. And I was right. It was such a pleasure to meet her in person. I only wish I could have "talked" with her or had my picture taken with her. I also picked up a very cool white MSTT t-shirt. I wore it while I read it. :) I finished MSTT in one day and will be posting my review one week before it's release day in coordination with Rachel and a giveaway. So stay tuned! :)

After I grabbed my copy of MSTT I jumped in Gena's line. She too knew who I was. I only stalk my favorite authors. ;) It was great to grab a copy of Intertwined by Gena Showalter. I really want to read it and will probably make it my next couple of books to read. (I really need to read Witch Fury by Anya Bast! She was so kind to send me a copy before it's release date but I put it aside. Sorry Anya! :() Anyhow, I'm super excited about Intertwined.

Those two books were my must haves of BEA. I spent the next hour or so browsing the booths. I grabbed a few other books before my scheduled "blogger signing" at the NetGalley-Firebrand booth.

The signing was great. I meet a few fellow bloggers and publishers as well as some authors. My time was scheduled with Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Sarah Wendell, who got a ton of people to come see her, which only benefited me! :) Thanks Sarah! A few pictures were taken during that time. One shows the amazing "trading cards" that were created, printed and available for us to "sign" for our visitors by Glatfelter Paper, Melissa Klug @PermanentPaper.

And here's a picture of Sarah and I (I didn't know it was being taken, obviously).

The signing was fun and I thank Mr. Fran Toolan @ftoolan for the opportunity to have a presence at BEA! Connect with Follow the Reader #followreader on their blog.

After the signing I continued to browse the booths. I soon meet up with an online friend and aspiring author, Lacey. Lacey and I meet years ago on, strangely, an online multi-player shoot'em up game Counter-Strike, which I still play. She was a blast to send a few hours with. We walked the children's section mostly, because that's her specialty. She's currently working on a young adult novel. Check out her website, which I just LOVE! Thanks Lacey for meeting up with me. It was a pleasure to meet you in person! :)

I ventured over to the Blogger Panel. I didn't stay very long because it was 2:00 and I hadn't eaten yet. It was cool to see the panel of bloggers representin' us bloggers. I'm proud that we are being recognized as a legitimate and very influential marketing tool. We do deserve some recognition and praise for our hard work to get the word out about the books and authors. I ended up spending $13 for a very crappy Chinese lunch. :(

The very last thing I wanted to accomplish before leaving BEA was obtaining a copy of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I did and I was sooo excited! I read Shiver right after My Soul to Take and I've already posted my review of it too.

I left shortly after obtaining Shiver.

Overall, BEA was a blast. I got everything BUT Another Faust while at BEA. I requested a copy of Another Faust from Dina, one of the authors, via email when I got back home. I ended up with two copies some how. So, I'm going to have a contest for my extra copy this week.

Books From BEA:

Fire by Kristin Cashore
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
Pushing Past the Night by Mario Calabresi
Dreaming Anatasia by Joy Preble
The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
If I Were You by L. Ron Hubbard
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Emperor's Mercy by Henry Zoo

False Gods by Graham McNeill

Not from BEA:
Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

I'll be posting the contest for my extra copy of Another Faust very soon!

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