Reading Wishlist has been updated with new release dates and titles. Done with May 2009 Releases? Now it’s time for June 2009 Releases. All covers, summaries and info were found on the websites of the authors, publishers and Amazon – so don’t shoot methe messenger 😉 US = USA. UK = UK. CA = Canada. AU = Australia. It’s all behind the cut…
Anya Bast
Witch Fury (Elemental Witches, Book 4)
Penguin Berkley (US & CA: 2nd June 2009)
Cover art by Tony Mauro
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Sarafina Connell is having the worst week of her life. It takes an even darker turn when an infamous playboy kidnaps her and reveals a world she never knew existed…It’s a world where magick is real, and where Sarafina is given a chance to join a secret cabal that is bent on gaining absolute power. They could use a woman like her – a witch with an untapped gift for creating fire. But she isn’t about to get in league with the devil. Rescued from her captors, Sarafina is introduced to a coven that is duty-bound to fight the forces of darkness. She’s pleased that her savior is the imposingly seductive Theo – until the trust between them goes up in flames. However, as the war between good and evil is waged, Sarafina and Theo realize they have no choice but to unite in the battle for supremacy – that’s getting hotter by the minute.
Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, Book 6)
Penguin Signet (US & CA: 2nd June 2009)
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In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace – until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He’s kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants – the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?
Laurell K. Hamilton
Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Book 17)
Penguin Berkley (US & CA: 2nd June 2009); Hachette Headline (AU: June 2009)
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Anita Blake’s reputation has taken some hits. Not on the work front, where she has the highest kill count of all the legal vampire executioners in the country, but on the personal front. No one seems to trust a woman who sleeps with the monsters. Still, when a vampire serial killer sends her a head from Las Vegas, Anita has to warn Sin City’s local authorities what they’re dealing with. Only it’s worse than she thought. Several officers and one executioner have been slain – paranormal style…Anita heads to Las Vegas, where she’s joined by three other federal marshals, including the ruthless Edward hiding behind his mild-mannered persona. It’s a good thing Edward always has her back, because, when she gets close to the bodies, Anita senses tiger too strongly to ignore it. The were-tigers are very powerful in Las Vegas, which means the odds of her rubbing someone important the wrong way just got a lot higher…
Caitlin Kittredge
Street Magic (Black London, Book 1)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 2nd June 2009)
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Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes – or so she thought. Now a detective, Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self. But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey. Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget – and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…
Cheyenne McCray
Demons Not Included (Night Tracker, Book 1)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 2nd June 2009)
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Meet Nyx. This half-human, half–Drow private eye investigates paranormal crimes by day and is an elite Tracker of demons by night. She prefers working solo – and playing rough. So when a terrifying force starts murdering innocent humans and paranorms, and leaving strange demonic symbols burned into their buildings, it’s a case Nyx takes very personally…Meanwhile, Nyx’s fellow Trackers are being killed one by one – and a sexy new Tracker named Torin is shadowing her every move. Torin has powers Nyx can’t read, and sometimes she wonders whose side he’s on. Nyx’s instincts tell her something’s brewing in the city’s meanest supernatural streets, and that it’s ready to unleash hell on Earth. Who can she trust? Now it’s five minutes to permanent midnight…and Nyx’s last chance means risking everything – even her own life.
Kat Richardson
Greywalker (Greywalker, Book 1)
Penguin Roc (US: 2nd June 2009)
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Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until a two-bit perp’s savage assault left her dead for two minutes. When she comes to in the hospital, she sees things that can only be described as weird – shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring. But Harper’s not crazy. Her “death” has made her a Greywalker – able to move between the human world and the mysterious cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift is about to drag her into that strange new realm – whether she likes it or not.
Neal Shusterman
Unwind
Simon & Schuster Children’s (US & CA: 2nd June 2009)
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In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would “unwind” them. Connor’s parents want to be rid of him because he’s a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev’s unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family’s strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can’t be harmed – but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
Jordan Summers
Scarlet (Dead World, Book 2)
Macmillan Tor (US: 2nd June 2009)
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If you’re not afraid of the big bad wolf…you should be. Welcome to the near-future where prejudice is no longer tied to the color of your skin, but the purity of your blood. To be accused of taint is tantamount to a death sentence. Thrust into a world of creatures Gina ‘Red’ Santiago never knew existed, she does her best to fit in while trying to come to grips with the fact that she’s a werewolf. The transition from International Police Tactical Team officer to unpaid recruiter is not an easy one, especially when her new boyfriend, Morgan, is an alpha werewolf, the local sheriff of Nuria – and her new boss. Morgan Hunter is doing his best to ease Red into her new life. She’s only beginning to understand the ‘Others’ and the power that they yield. That’s why he hasn’t mentioned that he’s claimed her as his mate. Well, that and the fact he’s not exactly sure how she’d take the news. There are some things even an alpha werewolf fears. Their newfound happiness is about to be shattered by a past Morgan thought was long buried. Someone doesn’t want them to succeed at recruiting ‘Others’ for a rival tactical team. They will do whatever it takes to prevent a team from forming, even if that means killing off the new recruits and tearing the couple apart. Now along with trying to hold their relationship together, Red and Morgan must stop the killer before they strike again. If they survive, there is that little problem of a blood war looming on the horizon. Looks like it’s going to be a long, hot summer.
Richelle Mead
Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, Book 4)
Random House Bantam (UK: 4th June 2009)
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Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus…which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she’s been so wicked that Seattle’s über-demon, Jerome, decides to “outsource” Georgina to a rival – and have her spy for him in the process. Being exiled to the frozen north – okay, Vancouver – and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there’s nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth – nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who’s been playing them – or all hell will break loose…
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Project 17
Hyperion (US: 9th June 2009)
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High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients’ personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view. On the eve of the hospital’s demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it’s an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents’ diner. For the others, it’s a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.
Vicki Pettersson
City of Souls (Signs of the Zodiac, Book 4)
HarperCollins Eos (CA: 19th June 2009; US: 30th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
In Sin City, a little girl suffers from a strange and terrible malady. If she dies, the Light will die along with her. Joanna Archer has survived countless otherworldly terrors, and has found her rightful place among the agents battling the all-pervasive evil of Shadow…even as she struggles against the darkness within herself. A war is raging for the endangered soul of Las Vegas, one that catapults Joanna into a new world hidden from mortal sight in search of a cure to a devastating sickness. In this lethally seductive alternate dimension, the lines blur between good and evil, loyalty and treachery, and here lies the last hope for the Light. But Joanna’s price of admission is a piece of her own soul – and the odds of her escaping are slim…to none.
Diana Rowland
Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 1)
Random House Bantam (US & CA: 23rd June 2009)
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Cop and conjurer of demons, she’s a woman in danger of losing control – to a power that could kill…Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives – and souls – of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore. Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head…
Marjorie M. Liu
Darkness Calls (Hunter Kiss, Book 2)
Penguin Ace (US & CA: 30th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Nomad born and bred, demon hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied upon herself to fight the darkness that surrounds her, the predators – human, zombie, and otherwise – who threaten the earth. But one man has penetrated her lonely life: Grant, the last of his kind. With music he is able to control any living creature…including demons. And now his life is in danger. Haunted by the past, determined to change the future, Maxine soon understands that to save Grant, she has only one choice – to lose control, and release her own powers of darkness…
Christine Warren, Marjorie M. Liu, Caitlin Kittredge & Jenna Maclaine
Huntress (Anthology)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 30th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Christine Warren: Devil’s Bargain – Supernatural bounty hunter Lilli Corbin made a pact with the Prince of Hell: She agreed to recover a book of prophecies. When she learns it could trigger the apocalypse, Lilli is forced to make the ultimate choice: save her soul, or the man she loves? Marjorie M. Liu: The Robber Bride – Welcome to a post-apocalyptic world where women are fed on for their life forces. Now it’s up to Maggie, one of the last female survivors, to hunt down and destroy an army of darkness…Caitlin Kittredge: Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go – Ava is a demon slayer who needs help from mage Jack Winter to reach the demon underworld – a place of dark seduction…and, maybe, one of no return. Jenna Maclaine: Sin Slayer – London 1889. Jack the Ripper is killing off the city’s vampire population, and now it’s up to Cin Craven to hunt him down – and save the infected Michael, the love of her undead life.
Kelley Armstrong
Made to Be Broken (Nadia Stafford, Book 2)
Hachette Sphere (AU: June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (CA)
To the outside world Nadia Stafford is a smart, good-looking, law-abiding citizen. Well, two out of three’s not bad…An ex-cop with a legal code all her own, Nadia has a secret life as a world-class assassin. She works only for one New York crime family, who pay her handsomely to bump off traitors. But when a troubled teenager and her baby vanish in the woods near her home, Nadia’s old detective instincts – and the memory of a past loss – compel her to investigate. With her enigmatic mentor Jack to support her, Nadia unearths sinister clues that point to an increasingly dark and deadly mystery. As her obsession over the case deepens, Nadia realises that the only way she can right the wrongs of the present is to face her own painful ghosts – or die trying. And so she sets off on the trail of a young woman no one else cares about – and a killer who is bound to strike again…
On Monday 12th August 2013, Penguin Teen Australia hosted #PTALive at their Melbourne headquarters. Among other things, it was to launch their new website. (NOTE: Feedly, my current blog reader, isn’t recognising this URL – or any variations of it. So if anyone finds a compatible RSS feed that will work with Feedly, please let me know.)
There was a shout-out to bloggers in general, and my site was one of twelve to be visually specified. Yeah, that surprised me, too. And seeing my name among the others really made me stand out, not necessarily in a good way, because I don’t have branding or a specially made banner. My entire blog is much like that.
Guest authors interviewed were Will Kostakis (author of The First Third) and Jennifer Kloester (author of The Cinderella Moment). Not entirely sure why, but Jen reminded me of American author Jackie Morse Kessler (also known as simply Jackie Kessler). Maybe because of their initials, and they both write YA fiction and practice martial arts. Also, they’re contracted to the same US publisher (Month9Books)… 😉
Anyhoo, it was reported that Melbourne’s #PTALive had the most attenders, beating the other events around the country. Batmanians, unite! 🙂 Also, surprising to learn that Vampire Academy’s biggest market is Australia. Would’ve just assumed the US was. But Australia has a lot of scary fangirl to give, apparently 😉
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PENGUIN BOOKS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO (YA & ADULT)
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