5 New Covers (Altebrando, Frost, Hoover, Jones, McGarry)

Now Available for US Pre-Order

Kylie Chan: BLACK JADE: 28th June 2016: Buy (US)
Sara Wilson Etienne: UNWORTHY: 7th June 2016: Buy (US)
Margaret Fortune: NOVA (mass market paperback): 7th June 2016: Buy (US)
Jeaniene Frost: THE SWEETEST BURN: 29th March 2016: Buy (US)
Darynda Jones: THE CURSE OF TENTH GRAVE: 28th June 2016: Buy (US)
Justine Larbalestier: RAZORHURST (paperback): 21st June 2016: Buy (US)
Kathleen Peacock: WILLOWGROVE (paperback): 31st May 2016: Buy (US)
Leah Rhyne: HEARTLESS: 10th May 2016: Buy (US)
Anna Schumacher: CHILDREN OF THE EARTH (paperback): 7th June 2016: Buy (US)
Megan Shepherd: THE CAGE (paperback): 24th May 2016: Buy (US)
Megan Shepherd: THE HUNT: 24th May 2016: Buy (US)
Leslie Tentler: BEFORE THE STORM: 20th October 2015: Buy (US)
Laura Tims: PLEASE DON’T TELL: 24th May 2016: Buy (US)
Danielle Vega: SURVIVE THE NIGHT (paperback): 24th May 2016: Buy (US)

Now Available for US Pre-Order

Mario Acevedo: RESCUE FROM PLANET PLEASURE (paperback): 3rd May 2015: Buy (US)
Karen Bao: DOVE EXILED: 23rd February 2016: Buy (US)
Meg Cabot: REMEMBRANCE: 2nd February 2016: Buy (US)
Kylie Chan: THE GRAVITY ENGINE (paperback): 1st May 2015: Buy (US)
Liz Coley: EMBEDDED: 1st June 2015: Buy (US)
Rinda Elliott: RAISONNE CURSE: 14th July 2015: Buy (US)
Jeaniene Frost: THE SWEETEST BURN: 29th December 2015: Buy (US)
Karen Ann Hopkins: RACHEL’S DECEPTION: 8th May 2015: Buy (US)
Stacey Jay: PRINCESS OF THORNS (paperback): 9th February 2016: Buy (US)
Stacia Kane: untitled story: 16th February 2016: Buy (US)
Caitlin Kittredge: GRIM TIDINGS: 22nd March 2016: Buy (US)
Justine Larbalestier: RAZORHUST (paperback): 16th February 2016: Buy (US)
Parker Peevyhouse: WHERE FUTURES END: 9th February 2016: Buy (US)

[REVIEW] The Beautiful Ashes – Jeaniene Frost

Jeaniene Frost
The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny, Book 1)
Harlequin HQN (US: 26th August 2014; UK & AU: 1st September 2014)
Buy (US Kindle Edition) Buy (US Trade Paperback) Buy (US Mass Market Paperback) Buy (UK Kindle Edition) Buy (UK Trade Paperback) Buy (UK Mass Market Paperback) Buy (CA Kindle Edition) Buy (CA Trade Paperback) Buy (CA Mass Market Paperback) Buy (Worldwide Trade Paperback) Buy (Worldwide Mass Market Paperback)

The cover summary is rather vague, so it’s hard to share anything about the plot in case it’s considered a spoiler. But I will tell you this:

BONDAGE LIZARD PARTY.

(It’s true – look it up.)

If you weren’t interested in the novel before, you may be now thanks to those three words. And The Beautiful Ashes‘s world-building is intriguing enough, which is why I read the entire book properly instead of “skimming” (only reading the dialogue).

However (and it’s a big “however”), the characterisation is seriously dodgy. Minus Zach, because he’s cool, but the two main characters are rather problematic. Adrian is the kind of “Alphahole” for which New Adult has been unfortunately stereotyped, so he’ll be familiar to readers. In one scene he grabs Ivy Jenkins by the throat, and threatens to choke her until she falls unconscious. Adrian is Ivy’s love interest, by the way. And no, that scene wasn’t air-play, or consensual.

As for Ivy…to her credit, many times throughout the story she acknowledges her own stupidity. But that doesn’t stop her from making stupid decisions repeatedly. And she’s shallow, freely admitting that her interactions with Adrian would be a lot less friendly/sexual if Adrian wasn’t so good looking. Ivy is really freaking annoying, so I’m not sure what Adrian sees in her, but Adrian is only subjected to Ivy’s speech – not her thoughts, which all seem to centre on Adrian, despite the fact that she only meets him because she’s looking for her missing sister, who is often far from her mind.

While the novel does get good VERY late on, The Beautiful Ashes is more of a hot mess than anything else.

Now Available for US Pre-Order

Maree Anderson: FREAKS UNDER FIRE: 31st March 2015: Buy (US)
J. C. Carleson: PLACEBO JUNKIES: 27th October 2015: Buy (US)
Cassandra Rose Clarke: OUR LADY OF THE ICE (hardcover): 27th October 2015: Buy (US)
Ally Condie: ATLANTIA (paperback): 20th October 2015: Buy (US)
Jeaniene Frost: THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES (mass market paperback): 29th September 2015: Buy (US)
Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher: NEVER NEVER PART TWO: 17th May 2015: Buy (US)
Kelly Keaton: HEART OF STONE: 17th February 2015: Buy (US)
Tiffany Reisz: THE QUEEN: 27th October 2015: Buy (US)
Maggie Stiefvater: THE RAVEN KING: 29th September 2015: Buy (US)
Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, & Tessa Gratton: THE ANATOMY OF CURIOSITY: 1st October 2015: Buy (US)

26th August 2014 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Lenore Appelhans
Chasing Before (Memory Chronicles, Book 2)
Simon & Schuster (US & CA: 26th August 2014), Usborne (UK: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
It’s been four months since Felicia saved Level 2 from the Morati, the corrupted angels who trapped her and her boyfriend, Neil, in the afterlife. Now, she and Neil are finally ready to move on to the mysterious Level 3, an afterlife training facility where humans pick a career to pursue until they supposedly retire to the next level. Shortly after arriving, Felicia learns some shocking truths about her life that make her question everything. Neil wants to focus on the future, but Felicia insists on looking for answers about her past. Just when Felicia thinks things can’t get any more complicated, deadly explosions begin to rock Level 3, and Julian – her charming former love who might still be aligned with the Morati – reappears. Felicia has a choice: Will she do everything in her power to expose the Morati and end the destruction of Level 3, even if it means never knowing who she really is? Or will she chase after the desires of her heart and risk losing her past humanity, her present afterlife, and a future with Neil?

Jeaniene Frost
The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny, Book 1)
Harlequin HQN (US: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse – her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who’s bound by an ancient legacy to betray her. Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn’t mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn’t: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between…

Em Garner
Mercy Mode (Contaminated, Book 2)
Random House Egmont (US & CA: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Seventeen-year-old Velvet, her little sister, Opal, their mom, who is recovering from the Contamination, and Velvet’s sweet boyfriend, Dillon, are attempting to build a new life amid the rationing and regulations of the post-outbreak nation. But the outbreak isn’t over: more people turning into “Connies,” more madness erupting, more killings occurring. And what they are being told is not the truth; the truth is far darker and more threatening.

Darynda Jones
Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charley Davidson, Book 6)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Most girls might think twice before getting engaged to someone like Reyes Farrow – but Charley Davidson is not most girls. She’s a paranormal private eye and grim reaper-in-training who’s known to be a bit of a hell-raiser, especially after a few shots of caffeine. Her beloved Reyes may be the only begotten son of evil, but he’s dark and sultry and deeply sexy and everything Charley could hope for. Really. But when the FBI file on Reyes’ childhood happens to land into her lap, she can’t help herself: She opens it…and then the real fun begins. First, Charley finds a naked corpse riding shotgun in her car. Then, a man loses his soul in a card game. Throw in a Deaf boy who sees dead people, a woman running from mobsters, and a very suspicious Reyes, and things can’t get any worse for Charley. Unless, of course, the Twelve Beasts of Hell are unleashed…

Amy Christine Parker
Astray (Gated, Book 2)
Random House (US & CA: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Lyla is caught between two worlds: the isolated Community that she grew up in and the outside world that she’s navigating for the very first time. The outsiders call the Community a cult, but Pioneer miraculously survived a shooting that should have killed him. Are the faithful members right to stay true to his message? Is this just a test of faith? One thing is for sure: the Community will do anything to bring Lyla back to the fold. Trapped in a spider’s web of deception, will Lyla detect the sticky threads tightening around her before it’s too late? She’ll have to unravel the mystery of what Pioneer and the Community are truly up to if she wants to survive.

Madeleine Roux
Sanctum (Asylum, Book 2)
HarperCollins (US & CA: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Dan, Abby, and Jordan remain traumatised by the summer they shared in the Brookline asylum. Much as they’d love to move on, someone is determined to keep the terror alive, sending the teens photos of an old-timey carnival, with no note and no name. Forsaking their plan never to go back, the teens return to New Hampshire College under the guise of a weekend for prospective students, and there they realise that the carnival from the photos is not only real, it’s here on campus, apparently for the first time in many years. Sneaking away from sample classes and college parties, Dan and his friends lead a tour of their own – one through the abandoned houses and hidden places of the surrounding town. Camford is hiding a terrible past, and the influence of the asylum runs deeper than Dan ever imagined.

Jennifer Rush
Betrayed (Altered, Book 2.5) [novella]
Hachette (US, UK & AU: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
After leaving Anna, Sam, Cas, and Nick behind, Trev is on his own and under the watchful eye of the Branch once more. But where do Trev’s loyalties really lie? Riley, Trev’s overseer, is determined to find out. On Riley’s command, Trev sets off on a mission to a small Wisconsin suburb. His order: locate and kill a seemingly innocent teen named Charlie. Trev soon learns, though, not everything is as it seems in this quiet town – most of all Charlie.

Holly Schindler
Feral
HarperCollins Teen (US & CA: 26th August 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words float through Claire Cain’s head as she lies broken and barely alive after a brutal beating. And they continue to haunt her months later, in the terrifying nightmares that plague her. So when her father takes a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out of Chicago will offer her a new start. But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire quickly realises something is wrong – the town is brimming with hidden dangers and overrun by feral cats. And her fears are confirmed when a popular high school girl, Serena Sims, is found dead in the icy woods behind the school. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it – for she was the one who found Serena, battered and bruised, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. Now Claire vows to learn the truth about what happened, but the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to discovering a frightening reality about herself – and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley…

September 2014 Releases

Done with August 2014 Releases? Here are September 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

August 2014 Releases

Done with July 2014 Releases? Here are August 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

7 New Covers (Brust & White, Cantor, Fitzpatrick, Frost, Grant, Hopkins, Reilly)

28th January 2014 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Jessica Brody
Unremembered (Unremembered, Book 2)
Macmillan Square Fish (US: 28th January 20014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage – alive – is making headlines across the globe. Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world. Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them. Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

Jeaniene Frost
Up from the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 7)
HarperCollins Avon (US & CA: 28th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband, Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war… A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives – and those of everyone they hold dear – will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

Karen Ann Hopkins
Forever (Temptation, Book 3)
Harlequin Teen (US: 28th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
All I want is my happily-ever-after. That’s all I’ve wanted since meeting Noah Miller. From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I’m carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there’s a storm on the horizon, and it’s sure to cause serious devastation. If we can get through this, we’ll finally be Rose and Noah – a family, forever. But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off.

Veronica Rossi
Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, Book 3)
HarperCollins (US & CA: 28th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do – and they are just as determined to stay together. Within the confines of a cave they’re using as a makeshift refuge, they struggle to reconcile their people, Dwellers and Outsiders, who are united only in their hatred of their desperate situation. Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. Then Roar arrives in a grief-stricken fury, endangering all with his need for revenge. Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble an unlikely team for an impossible rescue mission. Cinder isn’t just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival – he’s also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

Megan Shepherd
Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman’s Daughter, Book 2)
HarperCollins (US & UK: 28th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father’s island – and the secrets she left behind. Now back in London, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy – though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her. As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three claw-like slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also made it off the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again. As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer – Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.