July 2009 Releases

Done ordering June 2009 Releases? Now for July 2009 Releases. As usual, US = USA; UK = UK; CA = Canada; AU = Australia. If the dates are wrong, blame the publishers, from where I got the information. The Book Depository in the UK has free worldwide shipping, so they are my new affiliate for your purchasing. For a list of future titles and release dates, check Reading Wishlist.

Behind the cut, July 2009 Releases…

Kim Harrison
White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7)
HarperCollins (AU: 1st July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
The demon, Algaliarept, although banished back into the everafter has infected others of his kind with his interest in a witch who can channel demon magic. Rachel soon finds herself with not one but three hellions on her tail; and one of them is even crazier and more dangerous than all the fairy assassins, weres and vampires on the planet.

Kim Harrison
Once Dead, Twice Shy (Madison Avery, Book 1)
HarperTeen (AU: 1st July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Madison’s prom was killer – literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper – yeah, that kind of reaper – intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away. Now she’s stuck on Earth – dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course. With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe…), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her. Well, if she believed in that stuff.

Megan Hart
Deeper
Harlequin Spice (US: 1st July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Twenty years ago she had her whole life spread out before her. She was Bess Walsh, a fresh-scrubbed, middle-class student ready to conquer the design world. And she was taken. Absolutely and completely. But not by Andy, her well-groomed, intellectual boyfriend who had hinted more than once about a ring. No. During that hot summer as a waitress and living on the beach, she met Nick, the moody, dark-haired, local bad boy. He was, to put it mildly, not someone she could take home to Daddy. Instead, Nick became her dirty little secret – a fervent sexual accomplice who knew how to ignite an all-consuming obsession she had no idea she carried deep within her. Bess had always wondered what happened to Nick after that summer, after their promise to meet again. And now, back at the beach house and taking a break from responsibility, from marriage, from life, she discovers his heartbreaking fate – and why he never came back for her. Suddenly Nick’s name is on her lips…his hands on her thighs…dark hair and eyes called back from the swirling grey of purgatory’s depths. Dead, alive, or something in between, they can’t stop their hunger. She wouldn’t dare.

Rachel Vincent
Prey (Shifters, Book 4)
Harlequin Mira (US: 1st July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Sometimes playing cat and mouse is no game…Play? Right. My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father’s authority is in question and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven’t laid eyes on Marc’s gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother and an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don’t exactly have time to fantasise about ever seeing him again. Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

Alexander Gordon Smith
Solitary (Furnace, Book 2)
Faber Children’s (UK: 2nd July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
We thought we’d made it, we thought we were free. But we should have known there was no way out of Furnace. All we did was slip deeper into the guts of the prison: into solitary confinement, where the real nightmares live – the warden, the Wheezers, and something much, much worse. The clock’s ticking. Because if we don’t escape soon they will turn us into freaks – like them. Forever.

Sophie McKenzie
The Set-Up (Medusa Project, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster Children’s (UK: 6th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Fourteen years ago, scientist William Fox implanted four babies with the Medusa gene – a gene for psychic abilities. But Fox died and the babies were hidden away for years. Now the children are teenagers – and unaware that their psychic powers are about to kick in. Cocky, charismatic Nico thinks his emerging telekinetic abilities will bring him money, power and the girl of his dreams. He’s about to find out just how wrong he is…

P. N. Elrod (ed.)
Strange Brew (Anthology)
St Martin’s Griffin (US: 7th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
In Charlaine Harris’ “Bacon”, a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother – and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher’s “Last Call”, wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers – the ones who dare to mess with his favorite beer.

Kat Richardson
Poltergeist (Greywalker, Book 2)
Penguin Roc (US & CA: 7th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Harper Blaine is a Greywalker – walking the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. She’s been hired by a university research group that’s attempting to create an artificial poltergeist. But when one of the group’s members is found killed, Harper must determine whether the killer is the ghost itself, or someone all too human…

Rachel Caine
Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, Book 5)
Allison & Busby (UK: 10th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn’t the only threat. Violent black clouds promise a storm of devastating proportions. As student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against the elements – both natural and unnatural – the unexpected happens: Morganville’s vampires begin to vanish one by one. Discovering why leads Claire to one last choice: swear allegiance to Bishop…or die.

Dakota Banks
Dark Time (Mortal Path, Book 1)
HarperCollins Eos (CA: 17th July 2009; US: 28th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Susannah Layhem, a healer unjustly accused of witchcraft in the 17th century, is ripped from her husband’s arms and thrown in jail. Abandoned by her husband and friends, she’s tied to a stake and set afire. Her raging bitterness draws one of seven ancient Sumerian demons. The demon Rabishu pulls her from the flames, and she signs a contract to live forever – if she does his evil work. Susannah becomes the Black Ghost, an Ageless assassin gifted with otherworldly skills and superbly trained in martial arts. She obeys Rabishu’s orders and remains a beautiful young woman. Then she’s given an assignment she can’t bear to carry out. She chooses the mortal path instead, and emerges from three centuries of reluctant service as the demon’s slave. Now Maliha Crayne, she discovers the fine print of her contract. If she saves as many lives as she’s taken, she’ll ascend to a paradise straight out of Sumerian legend. If she fails, she faces eternal torment at Rabishu’s hands. The ticking clock? Every time she saves a life, she ages. The deck is stacked against her. She’s got her own agenda, though. Payback time – killing Rabishu and his kin before he gets his punishing claws on her. Intimately tangled with Maliha’s yearning for personal redemption is her thrilling quest to stop a villain from selling America’s security to the highest bidder. For both goals, she will need to relearn what it means to be mortal, to reach out in friendship, and to dare to believe she can love again.

Jeaniene Frost
Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, Book 4)
HarperCollins Avon (CA: 17th July 2009; US: 28th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they’ve fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it’s time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She’s having visions of a vampire named Gregor who’s more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn’t know about. Gregor believes Cat is his and he won’t stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor’s hold over her. She’ll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she’s ever faced…even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

Trisha Telep (ed.)
The Eternal Kiss (Anthology)
Perseus Running Press Kids (US: 27th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including: Holly Black, Libba Bray, Melissa De La Cruz, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine, Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié, Cecil Castellucci, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Sarah Rees Brennan, Lili St. Crow, Karen Mahoney, and Dina James.

Jenna Black
Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, Book 4)
Random House Dell (US & CA: 28th July 2009); Hachette Piatkus (UK: 30th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Morgan Kingsley, America’s most successful exorcist, is paying the price for an exorcism gone wrong. The victim’s family is suing the daylights out of her, the Exorcism Board has suspended her, and now she’s living on a diet of ramen noodles and bad coffee. But Morgan has a few good men at her side. One is her current boyfriend, nice-guy legal eagle Brian, who’s suddenly starting to reveal his inner bad boy. The other is Philly cop Adam White, who’s trying to help Morgan find out who sent her a little present – a severed human hand – and why someone seems determined to destroy her. As her stalker turns more violent, leaving dead bodies in his wake, Morgan turns to the dark side of her life: a group of demons steeped in secrets, sinful eroticism, and otherworldly family feuds, including one sexy beast who shares Morgan’s body – and some X-rated fantasies. Soon Morgan must choose between her friends, her enemies, and her libido: to escape a mad demon determined to destroy her completely.

Mark Del Franco
Skin Deep (Laura Blackstone, Book 1)
Penguin Ace (US & CA: 28th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Being an undercover agent has its occupational hazards, but Laura Blackstone makes it look easy. As a spy for a fey intelligence agency, she uses her magical abilities to create disguises that are skin deepglamours that must never be compromised. But when Laura’s worlds collide she’ll have more to worry about than retiring an identity; she may just lose her life.

Stacia Kane
Demon Inside (Megan Chase, Book 2)
Simon & Schuster Pocket (US & CA: 28th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
It’s been three months since psychologist Megan Chase made the stunning discovery that the world is filled with demons, and once more the situation is too hot to handle. Ironically, Megan – the only person in the world without a little personal demon sitting on her shoulder – has become the leader of a demon “family,” but now some unknown arcane power is offing her demons in a particularly unpleasant fashion. And while her demon lover Greyson Dante is still driving her wild with desire, he’s also acting strangely evasive. Then there’s the truth about Megan’s past – the truth she’s never known. Caught between personal problems and personal demons, Megan is having one hell of a hard time. Will the help of her Cockney guard demons and her witch friend Tera be enough so that Megan can finally resolve the past, survive the present, and face the future?

Richelle Mead
Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, Book 2)
Kensington Zebra (US: 28th July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she’s also become queen of the Thorn Land. It’s hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one – except Eugenie – seems willing to find out why. Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren’t making things any easier. Her boyfriend Kiyo is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty – even if it means facing the darkest – and deadliest – side of her nature…

D. B. Reynolds
Jabril (Vampires in America, Book 2)
ImaJinn (US: 31st July 2009)
Cynthia Leighton is going to Texas. Cyn’s a private investigator with a reputation as someone who can get the job done and doesn’t mind working at night…with vampires. Jabril Karim is a vampire lord, one of only eight in all of North America, those few powerful vampires who literally hold the power of life and death over their followers. In Texas, Cyn will discover a whole new level of evil. Jabril wants her to find and return to him his runaway “ward” – a wealthy and orphaned seventeen-year-old girl who has escaped his clutches. But Cyn would rather die than surrender anyone to the vile vampire lord, much less a teenaged girl. Her search for the runaway will take her through the streets of Houston and back to L.A., right into the arms of Raphael who stands accused of a series of murders he didn’t commit. Cyn sets out to track down the real killer before her missing girl becomes his next victim, not knowing that the vicious Jabril Karim has set his own sights on Cyn herself.

Kelley Armstrong
The Awakening (Darkest Powers, Book 2)
Hachette Orbit (AU: July 2009)
Buy (Worldwide)
Chloe Saunders used to be a normal teenage girl – or so she thought. Then she learned the shocking truth – she is a walking science experiment. Genetically altered at birth by a sinister group of scientists known as the Edison Group, Chloe is an aberration – a powerful necromancer who can see ghosts and even raise the dead, often with terrifying consequences. Even worse, her growing powers have made her a threat to the surviving members of the Edison Group, who have decided it’s time to end their experiment – permanently…Now Chloe is running for her life with three other supernatural teenagers – a charming sorcerer, a troubled werewolf and a temperamental young witch. Together they have a chance for freedom – but can Chloe trust her new friends?