July 2008 Releases

In case you missed them, check June 2008 Releases. I accidentally forgot to list some titles, unless they were on the May page. Anyway, those extra books are below, as well as the July 2008 Releases. For titles even further in the future, check my Reading Wishlist.

Mike Carey
The Devil You Know (Felix Castor, Book 1)
Hachette (US: 1st June 2008)
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Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stamping ground. It may seem like a good ghostbuster can charge what he likes and enjoy a hell of a lifestyle – but there’s a risk: Sooner or later he’s going to take on a spirit that’s too strong for him. While trying to back out of this ill-conceived career, Castor accepts a seemingly simple ghost-hunting case at a museum in the shadowy heart of London – just to pay the bills, you understand. But what should have been a perfectly straightforward exorcism is rapidly turning into the Who Can Kill Castor First Show, with demons and ghosts all keen to claim the big prize. That’s OK: Castor knows how to deal with the dead. It’s the living who piss him off…

Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, Maggie Shayne & Kathryn Smith
Weddings from Hell
HarperCollins (US: 1st June 2008)
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Some marriages are made in heaven… Some are not. What happens when “the happiest day of your life” turns into a nightmare? Forget the drunken best man or the bridesmaid dresses from the ’80s…none of these wedding day disasters can compare to a cursed bride determined to make it down the aisle, or a vampire who is about to disrupt your wedding. Join New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Jeaniene Frost, USA Today bestseller Kathryn Smith, as well as Terri Garey in four unforgettable tales of unholy matrimony…where the grooms are dark, dangerous, and mostly dead, and to love and cherish till death takes on a whole new meaning.

Vicki Pettersson
The Touch of Twilight (Signs of the Zodiac, Book 3)
HarperCollins (UK: 2nd June 2008)
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Joanna Archer has won the trust of the Light Zodiac, and issued a challenge to the Shadows, but in doing so has made herself and those she loves a target. The shadows are stalking her human lover who believes Joanna to be dead. She is powerless to help him, for in doing so she will have to reveal her identity and put the entire city in peril.

Stephenie Meyer
New Moon (Twilight, Book 2)
Hachette (UK: 4th June 2008)
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For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of an evil vampire but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realise their troubles may just be beginning…

Lilith Saintcrow
Night Shift (Jill Kismet, Book 1)
Hachette (US: 24th June 2008; UK: 3rd July 2008)
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Jill Kismet is a dealer in dark things and demon slayer, and it’s her job to patrol the nightside. In the cold pre-dawn, Jill is called in to assess the aftermath of a particularly savage cop-killing. Under the haunted eyes of the forensic techs, Jill picks up the stench of hellbreed and something else – something dangerous and tainted. But this makes no sense as hellbreed always work alone, distrusted even by their own kind. Jill’s a Hunter, trained by the best, but she’s in over her head. Welcome to the night shift…

Kelley Armstrong
The Summoning (The Darkest Powers, Book 1)
HarperCollins (US: 1st July 2008); Hachette (UK: 3rd July 2008)
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My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don’t even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost – and the ghost saw me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens. Yet the home isn’t what it seems. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House…before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

Elizabeth Bear
Ink & Steel
Penguin (US: 1st July 2008)
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Kit Marley, playwright and spy in the service of Queen Elizabeth, has been murdered. His true gift to Her Majesty was his way with words, crafting plays infused with a subtle magic that maintained her rule. He performed this task on behalf of the Prometheus Club, a secret society of nobles engaged in battle against sorcerers determined to destroy England. Assuming Marley’s role is William Shakespeare – but he is unable to create the magic needed to hold the Queen’s enemies at bay. Resurrected by enchantment in Faerie, Marley is England’s only hope. But before he can assist Will in the art of magic, he must uncover the traitor among the Prometheans responsible for his death…

Holly Black
Ironside (Tithe, Book 2)
Simon & Schuster (US: 1st July 2008)
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In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben’s coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing – her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can’t see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn’t exist: a faerie who can tell a lie. Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth – that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother’s shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben’s throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Jennifer Estep
Karma Girl (Bigtime, Book 1)
Penguin (US: 1st July 2008)
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Bigtime, New York, is not big enough for both Carmen Cole and the superheroes and ubervillains who stalk its streets. An intrepid reporter, Carmen’s dedicated her life to unmasking the spandexwearers, all because her fiancé turned out to be a superhero, and a cheating one at that – sleeping with none other than his nubile nemesis. Exposing the true identities of the nation’s caped crusaders and their archenemies has catapulted Carmen from her sleepy southern hometown to the front pages of the country’s biggest newspaper, The Exposé. Hobnobbing with millionaires and famished fashionistas is all in a day’s work for a woman on the trail of the Fearless Five and Terrible Triad. But when Carmen gets the scoop of her career, her life comes crashing down around her. And even Bigtime’s sexiest superhero, Striker, may not be able to save her.

Yasmine Galenorn
Dragon Wytch (Sisters of the Moon, Book 4)
Penguin (US: 1st July 2008)
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We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy – and sexy – operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But being half-human, half-Fae short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she’s stressed. Menolly’s a vampire who’s still getting the hang of being undead. And me? I’m Camille, a wicked-good witch, trying to juggle faulty magic, gorgeous men, and the demonic war in which we’re embroiled. Sometimes, it’s hard to know just who we can trust… The Equinox is coming, and mayhem rules. A crown-prince unicorn offers us a legendary gift, but it vanishes. Goblins and trolls swarm the streets of Seattle. And now Smoky, the sexiest dragon alive, decides to stake his claim – on me. Overshadowing it all, the third spirit seal surfaces and Shadow Wing’s after it. But I’ve discovered a secret that could change everything. A new power is rising – a dangerous force from the past – one that intends to restore balance to the worlds…whether we like it or not.

Eve Kenin
Hidden (Northern Waste, Book 2)
Dorchester (US: 1st July 2008)
Review
Interview
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Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too – including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.

Melissa Marr
Wicked Lovely
HarperCollins (UK: 1st July 2008)
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Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world, and would blind her if they knew of her Sight. Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer. Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention. But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King and has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost… Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working any more, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Melissa Marr
Ink Exchange
HarperCollins (UK: 1st July 2008)
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After suffering a terrible trauma at the hands of her brother’s dealer friends, Leslie becomes obsessed with the idea of getting a tattoo – it’s the one thing that will allow her to reclaim her body, renew her self-confidence. And when Rabbit, her local tattoo artist, shows her a secret book of his own designs, she finds one of them irresistible. Soon, her back is adorned with a pair of mysterious eyes, framed by black wings. Leslie feels good – more than good. Nothing bad can touch her. But what she doesn’t know is that her new tattoo binds her tightly to the faery whose symbol she chose: Irial, the exquisitely dangerous king of the Dark Court…

Justine Musk
Lord of Bones
Penguin (US: 1st July 2008)
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Jess and Ramsey stopped a demon from bringing about the apocalypse. But a gate was opened and more demons have come to Earth – inhabiting human bodies. Now, these demon hybrids are paving the way for the arrival of the Soulbreaker, known as Lord of Bones…

Patricia Briggs
Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)
Hachette (UK: 3rd July 2008)
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Mechanic Mercy Thompson is woken at 3am by a vampire calling in a favour. He has to deliver a message to a fellow undead and needs a witness that won’t be noticed – and Mercy’s shapeshifting abilities make her the perfect candidate. But the assignment turns into a bloodbath and Mercy attracts the attention of not just a powerful vampire, but the even more powerful demon possessing him. She can count on the supernatural community for protection – and alpha werewolf Adam would like her to rely on him in other ways too – but when it comes to being proactive, she’s on her own.

Ekaterina Sedia
The Alchemy of Stone
Prime (US: 4th July 2008)
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Mattie, an intelligent automaton skilled in the use of alchemy, finds herself caught in the middle of a conflict between gargoyles, the Mechanics, and the Alchemists. With the old order quickly giving way to the new, Mattie discovers powerful and dangerous secrets – secrets that can completely alter the balance of power in the city of Ayona. However, this doesn’t sit well with Loharri, the Mechanic who created Mattie and still has the key to her heart…literally.

Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, Book 2)
Walker (UK: 7th July 2008)
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With her mother in a coma and her father hell-bent on destroying the world, Clary is dragged deeper into New York’s terrifying underworld of werewolves, demons and the mysterious Shadowhunters. Discovering the truth about her past was only the beginning, now Clary must save the world from her own father the rogue Shadowhunter Valentine. With two of the Mortal Instruments at his command, Valentine is assembling an army of demons to wage war on the council of Shadowhunters and destroy them once and for all. As the battle begins, Clary must face her darkest fears and come to terms with her feelings for a boy she wishes wasn’t her brother.

L. A. Banks
The Shadows (Vampire Huntress Legends, Book 11)
St. Martin’s (US: 8th July 2008)
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Trisha Telep (ed.)
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
Running Press (US: 8th July 2008); Robinson (UK: 28th July 2008)
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Paranormal romance is a supernatural force to be reckoned with. Packed with a menagerie of werewolves, shape-shifters, and assorted demons, its undisputed king is none other than our favorite centuries-old bloodsucker-the vampire. Let the biggest and brightest names in the paranormal romance business show you the bewildering array of complex vampire codes of conduct, dark ritual, and dating practices, as they chat up the locals and engage in the most erotic encounters you will sink your teeth into this side of un-Death. These ain’t your mother’s vampires! In a quickly expanding genre, here are 30 short stories of hot blood and inhuman passions.

Charlaine Harris
Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly, Book 2)
Penguin (US: 10th July 2008)
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While in Memphis, psychic Harper Connelly senses – and finds – two bodies in a grave. One of a man centuries – dead. The other, a girl, recently deceased. Harper’s investigation yields another surprise: the next morning, a third body is found – in the very same grave.

Cynthia Leitich Smith
Tantalize
Candlewick (US: 22nd July 2008)
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Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses – or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything?

Mike Carey
Vicious Circle (Felix Castor, Book 2)
Hachette (UK: 28th July 2008)
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Castor has reluctantly returned to exorcism after the case of the Bonnington Archive ghost convinced him that he really can do some good with his abilities (‘good’, of course, being a relative term when dealing with the undead). But his friend, Rafi, is still possessed; the succubus, Ajulutsikael (Juliet to her friends), still technically has a contract on him; and he’s still – let’s not beat around the bush – dirt poor. Doing some consulting for the local constabulary helps pay the bills, but Castor needs a big, private job to really fill the hole in his overdraft. That’s what he needs. What he gets, good fortune and Castor not being on speaking terms, is a seemingly insignificant ‘missing ghost’ case that inexorably drags himself and his loved ones into the middle of a horrific plot to raise one of Hell’s fiercest demons. When Satanists, sacrifice farms, stolen spirits and possessed churches all appear on the same police report, the name of Felix Castor can’t be too far behind…

Jenna Black
The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, Book 2)
Random House (US: 29th July 2008); Hachette (UK: 7th August 2008)
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The beautiful. The bad. The possessed. Some people worship them. Some people fear them. And some people – like Morgan Kingsley – go up against them toe-to-toe, flesh to flesh, and power against power. An exorcist by trade, Morgan is one of the few humans with an aura stronger than her possessor, even though her demon can tease her body senseless. She’s also a woman who has just discovered a shocking truth: everything she once believed about her past, her identity, may have been a lie. With a family secret exploding around her and a full-scale demon war igniting, Morgan is a key player in an unsettled world. Then a rogue sociopathic demon enters her life with a bang. His name is The Hunter. And since she is the prey, Morgan has only one choice: to hunt The Hunter down – no matter what heartbreaking truths she uncovers along the way…

Marie Brennan
Warrior [Doppelganger] (Warrior and Witch, Book 1)
Hachette (US: 29th July 2008; UK: August 2008)
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When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives? Mirage, a bounty hunter, lives by her wits and lethal fighting skills. She always gets her mark. But her new mission will take her into the shadowy world of witches, where her strength may be no match against magic. Miryo is a witch who has just failed her initiation test. She now knows that there is someone in the world who looks like her, who is her: Mirage. To control her powers and become a full witch, Miryo has only one choice: to hunt the hunter and destroy her.

Marie Brennan
Witch [Warrior and Witch] (Warrior and Witch, Book 2)
Hachette (US: 29th July 2008; UK: August 2008)
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When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. Until now… Mirei’s extraordinary magic makes her the most powerful witch alive. By some, she is hailed as a miracle, while others proclaim her to be an evil abomination…and vow to destroy those who champion her. Now the different factions of witches engage in a bloody war, with magic, treachery, and murder. But both sides may be fighting for nothing. For the power that the rebel witches fear, the magic that Mirei alone possesses, is killing her.

Patricia Briggs
Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)
Penguin (US: 29th July 2008); Hachette (UK: 9th October 2008)
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Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member – and as his mate.

Jocelynn Drake
Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1)
HarperCollins (US: 29th July 2008);
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For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker – an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed…and may be all that prevents her doom. The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt…or be hunted.

Jackie Kessler
Hotter than Hell (Hell on Earth, Book 3)
Kensington (US: 29th July 2008)
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Daunuan was never the ambitious type. There’s so much to love about his job just the way it is – mind-blowing sexual prowess, the power to seduce any human, excellent dental plan. But now Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus – a position other demons would give their left horn for. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for heaven into a damnable act of lust. Should take, oh, seven minutes, tops. Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She’s cute. Funny. Smart. Unfathomably resistant to his charms. He can’t understand it. But Daun has centuries of seduction to his credit. He’s the best there is. Sooner or later he’ll transform this polar icecap of a female into a pool of molten desire, and every instinct tells him she’ll be worth the effort. Meanwhile, he has to deal with a plague of rogue demons Hell-bent on taking him down, sent by an unknown enemy with a serious grudge. And one other problem: the dawning realization that he’s falling in love – that unholiest of four-letter words – with the woman he’s about to doom for all eternity…

Marjorie M. Liu
The Wild Road (Dirk and Steele)
Dorchester (US: 29th July 2008)
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Lannes Hannelore is one of a dying race born to protect mankind against demonic forces. And while those who look upon him see a beautiful man, this illusion is nothing but a prison. His existence is one of pure isolation, hiding in plain sight, with brief solace found in simple pleasures: stretching his wings on a stormy night, long late drives on empty highways, the deep soul of sad songs. But when Lannes finds a young woman covered in blood – desperate and alone, with no memory or past – he will be drawn into a mystery that makes him question all he knows. And though it goes against his nature and everything he fears, Lannes will risk his heart, his secrets, and his very soul, in order to save someone who could be the love of his life…or the end of it.

Jenna Maclaine
Wages of Sin (Cin Craven, Book 1)
St. Martin’s(29th July 2008)
Guest Blog
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Dulcinea Craven descends from a long line of witches, and she has just inherited wild, untrained magical powers that she has no idea how to control. Now a ruthless vampire and an age-old demon are determined to enslave Cin and steal her power for their own. Her only hope is The Righteous, a band of warrior vampires who slay the rogue undead. Among them is Michael, a fierce swordsman who inflames Cin’s most primal hungers. Showing her a sensual pleasure beyond anything in the mortal realm, she must choose between the human existence she has always known, and immortality as a vampire – a new life filled with forbidden urges, dark yearning, and unearthly passions…

Michelle Maddox
Countdown
Dorchester (US: 29th July 2008)
Review
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THREE. Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die. TWO. The man she’s been partnered with – her only ally in this nightmare – is a convicted mass murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And stranger still, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him? ONE. No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Mike Carey
Dead Men’s Boots (Felix Castor, Book 3)
Hachette (UK: July 2008)
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Before he died, Castor’s fellow exorcist John Gittings made several calls asking for help and if Castor had answered them, John might still be alive. So when a smooth-talking lawyer comes out of nowhere to claim the remains, Castor owes it to John’s unhappy ghost and even more unhappy widow to help out. If only life were that simple. A brutal murder in King’s Cross bears all the hallmarks of an American serial killer supposedly forty years dead, and it takes more good sense than Castor possesses not to get involved. He’s also fighting a legal battle over the body – if not the soul – of his possessed friend, Rafi, and can’t shake the feeling that his three problems are related. With the help of the succubus Juliet, paranoid zombie data-fence Nicky Heath and a little judicious digging, Castor just might have a chance of fitting the pieces together before someone drops him down a lift shaft or rips his throat out. Or not…