Cover Love: ICED by Karen Marie Moning

Karen Marie Moning posted the cover for her next release, ICED, on her Facebook page. She also included a quote from the book.

[Dani] I figure the folks that are the most interesting get to go to heaven. I mean, if I was God, that’s who I’d want there with me. I also figure being eternally happy would be eternally boring so I try not to be too interesting, even though it’s hard for me. I’d rather be a superhero in hell than an angel in heaven. What the feck would I do all day if I wasn’t kicking demon ass?

ICED is scheduled for release October 30, 2012. The full title is ICED: A Dani O'Malley Novel. Those of you who read the Fever series are familiar with Dani, who more or less disappeared at the end of Shadowfever. Now she's coming back and I find myself looking forward to reading more about Dani and what has happened to Dublin and the characters from the Fever series. I don't think anyone who read the Fever series is surprised with the spin-off series. There were still a lot of loose-ends at the end of Shadowfever. Now we get this new generation of heroines and heroes and I find I'm starting to really look forward to the release. I do hope we catch up with Mac and Barrons but keep Dani, Christian and Ryodan as the main focus. I've always liked Dani's character and after reading the teasers Ms. Moning has posted on her Facebook page, I'm excited to get back into the Fever world!

What about all of you? Do any of you plan to continue with the spin-off series?

Cover Love : Thief of Shadows

Elizabeth Hoyt has posted the cover for the fourth book, Thief of Shadows, in her wonderful Maiden Lane series.
























Isn't it gorgeous! Love the colors and of course the beautiful stepback. This is one of my favorite series and I can't wait to read Thief of Shadows! Previous delightfully good books in the series are: Wicked Intentions, Notorious Pleasures and the most recent release, Scandalous Desires.

Here's the blurb but if you haven't read the previous books in the series (do it now!) then don't read any further because there are SPOILERS AHEAD.



A MASKED MAN . . .
Winter Makepeace lives a double life. By day he’s the stoic headmaster of a home for foundling children. But the night brings out a darker side of Winter. As the moon rises, so does the Ghost of St. Giles—protector, judge, fugitive. When the Ghost, beaten and wounded, is rescued by a beautiful aristocrat, Winter has no idea that his two worlds are about to collide.

A DANGEROUS WOMAN . . .
Lady Isabel Beckinhall enjoys nothing more than a challenge. Yet when she’s asked to tutor the Home’s dour manager in the ways of society—flirtation, double entendres, and scandalous liaisons—Isabel can’t help wondering why his eyes seem so familiar—and his lips so tempting.

A PASSION NEITHER COULD DENY
During the day Isabel and Winter engage in a battle of wills. At night their passions are revealed . . . But when little girls start disappearing from St. Giles, Winter must avenge them. For that he might have to sacrifice everything—the Home, Isabel . . . and his life.

Thief of Shadows is set for release July 2012.

Cover Love & Free Novella...

Julie Kagawa, author of the oh so wonderful Iron Fey Young Adult series has posted the cover for the next book, The Iron Knight, For those of you that read this series, you know this is Ash's book and I'm really looking forward to getting his POV.



Personally, I think all the covers in this series are beautiful and this is another winner. They all convey that feeling of something magical.

But that's not all. She has also published a free e-novella, Summer's Crossing, that is from Puck's POV so you know it will be fun. You can download the free e-novella at Harlequin's site.



Books in this series ~

The Iron King
Winter's Passage (novella)
The Iron Daughter
The Iron Queen
Summer's Crossing (novella)
The Iron Knight (October 25, 2011)

Cover Love: Rob Thurman's Blackout

I was alone, and I was lost. I didn’t know where I was; I didn’t know who I was. It doesn’t get more lost than that. Knowing what I knew and not knowing anything else at all, why would I want to be in the darkness where monsters hide? Because killers hide there, too…

Half-human Cal Leandros has always walked a bloody line between keeping his mortal soul free and clear (sort of) and unleashing the horror of his otherworldly heritage. The one thing that’s always saved him is the memory of his brother, Niko, his friends, and those he loves.

Until now.

Cal wakes up on a beach littered with the recently slaughtered remains of a variety of hideous creatures that were obviously looking for trouble. The fact that he was the one doing the slaughtering doesn’t bother him. The fact that he feels like a natural-born killer doesn’t either. What bothers him is that Cal doesn’t remember Cal anymore…

And he’s not sure he cares.

Another Chris McGrath cover of goodness. Seriously love his work! And that blurb - oh, no. What's Cal without Niko? It's like Sam without Dean. Not good at all. We've still got another seven months to go. Blackout release is set for March 2011. Plenty of time for some re-reading of those fabulous Leandros brothers. :)

Cover Love ~ Whisper Kiss

One man’s mission ignites one woman’s fire…

Niall Talbot has volunteered to hunt down and destroy all the remaining shadow dragons—who were weakened by the destruction of the Dragon’s Blood Elixir—before they can wreak more havoc. Among them is his dead twin brother, making Niall’s mission not only dangerous but personal.

Tattoo artist Rox believes the world is a canvas to be made more beautiful. An unconventional spirit who isn’t afraid of anything, she doesn’t even flinch when a shape-shifting dragon warrior suddenly appears on her doorstep. And as a woman who follows her heart in matters of passion, she makes the perfect mate for a firestorm with Niall.

Whisper Kiss is book 5 in Deborah Cooke's Dragonfire series. It's due for release on August 3. The blurb doesn't really grab me. I can't help but wonder why the heroine easily accepts a shape-shifting dragon. Hmmm... could be she's met one before? That could be interesting.

I still need to read book 4, Winter Kiss. And while I like the series I wouldn't say I'm exactly impatient to read it. I am looking forward to Rafferty's book, due out next year. He's the dragon shape shifter that caught my interest from the beginning. :)

Reviews for the first two books Kiss of Fire and Kiss of Fury.

Cover Love ~ Mockingjay

Scholastic has released the cover for the third book in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. I loved the first book, The Hunger Games, have book 2 Catching Fire in the tbr pile and it looks like I've got until August 24 to read it before Mockingjay comes out. Scholastic is keeping a lid on what will happen in Mockingjay. No synopsis yet. You can go here to see what they have to say about what you won't find in Mockingjay.

The cover looks pale in comparison to the first two but I think it's one of those that will look much better in person. Go here if you want to read my review of The Hunger Games. Per the little blurb on USA Today, Suzanne Collins is finishing her screenplay for The Hunger Games. I think it would/could make a great movie. What do you think?

Cover Love ~ Bring On the Night...

Cover for the next release, book 3 from Jeri Smith-Ready's WVMP Radio series. That is one big, shiny blade. I wonder why we never get to see Ciara's whole face? Anyway, this is a fun series. You can read my review of Wicked Game, book 1. No reveiw yet for Bad to the Bone, book 2. It's on Mt. TBR Pile. Here's the blurb from the author's website. ~

What's Blood Got to Do With It?

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree!

But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps?

Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious, fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.

Release date for Bring on the Night is July 27.

Cover Love ~ Elizabeth Hoyt...

Elizabeth Hoyt has posted the cover, stepback and excerpt for her next book, Wicked Intentions. The cover is different from her usual covers, more subtle. But she still has that gorgeous stepback!

You can read the excerpt here. Wicked Intentions is due out this August. First off I like that it's set in 1737. There's plenty of Regency and Victorian set romances so it's nice to have a different time period. Second, the excerpt grabbed my interest. Both the heroine and the hero have potential. I just hope the heroine doesn't cave too quickly to what ever Lord Caire has up his sleeve.

Mucho Cover Love ~ Mind Games

Big Congrats to CJ aka author Carolyn Crane. She has posted the cover of Mind Games, the first novel in her new trilogy. Many of you know Carolyn from her eclectic blog The Thrillionth Page. I gotta say I'm really liking this cover. The female isn't showing any skin (for once) but still looking badass and sexy as hell. Love the blade - hope it's featured on each cover. Quote from Ann Aguirre - score! Mind Games is due for release March 23, 2010.

The very brief synopsis, per CJ (more to come) ~

...in a nutshell, Mind Games is the first in an urban fantasy trilogy about a hypochondriac who joins a psychological hit squad. It takes place in a fantastical Milwaukee/Chicago. (Specifically, the Milwaukee/Chicago of my childhood imagination. I lived in suburbs of both cities as a young child.)

No word yet from Miss Doreen or Little CJ on the cover. Since no reference is made concerning cowboys or ménages, Miss Doreen should be fine with the cover. Little CJ... well, that kid could cover snark the Bible so it's pretty much anybodys guess what she'll have to say. I say, I can't wait to read Mind Games!

Cover Love ~ Pleasure of a Dark Prince

From the author's website ~

Coming January 19, 2010!

New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her—and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED. . . .

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia’s greatest weakness—her wanton desire for him. . . .

Kresley Cole has posted the cover of her next full length novel in the IAD series. So, what do you think of the cover? I'm not feeling a whole lot a cover love here. I like the colors and he has sexy lips. He looks like his hands are tied - more bondage for the hero maybe? I think I'm one of the few that actually liked the first three covers in this series that featured both the hero and the heroine. One of the reasons I liked those covers is because they were different which is probably the same reason they were changed. I am however looking forward to Garreth and Lucia's story. I've found them an interesting couple since we first met them. I certainly hope I'll like it better than Kiss of a Demon King. Yeah, I'm one of the few that wasn't crazy about that one. Possibly the only one. :)

Her upcoming release is the duology Deep Kiss of Winter with Gena Showalter. Cole's story features Murdoch Wroth, vampire and Danii, the Valkyrie. Release date is October 13.

ETA: Per Kresley Cole's facbook page, Amazon is offering a free download of The Warlord Wants Forever here. It's a novella and the first story in the IAD series. It was originally released in the anthology Playing Easy to Get.

Cover Love ~ Silver Borne

From Patricia Briggs Website ~

This will be the fifth Mercy Thompson novel. I may be premature putting it up, but a number of people write wanting to know if Bone Crossed was the last in the series. Happily, ACE has contracted for a total of seven Mercy novels, and it's possible the series could go even longer.

Another awesome cover by Dan Dos Santos. Thanks to Orannia over at Walkabout for the heads up. This is definitely one of my favorite UF series. I do hope we get more than seven Mercy books. It's one of those series that I could read for a very long time. It does amaze me how big the author's name gets as the sales increase. :) Silver Borne is set for release in hardcover on March 30, 2010.

Cover Love ~ Fire

US cover~ UK cover~
YA author Kristin Cashore has been doubly blessed by the cover gods with her upcoming release of Fire. Usually when I see a comparison of US and UK book covers I have a definite preference. And it's not always the US version. For these two, it's a close call but given the choice I would take the UK version. I like them both but the colors and the pose of the heroine on the UK cover grab my attention and pull me in more. What do you think?

Fire synopsis from author's blog:

Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.

Wondering what makes it a companion book/prequel? Fire takes place 30-some years before Graceling and has one cross-over character with Graceling, a small boy with strange two-colored eyes who comes from no-one-knows-where, and who has a peculiar ability that Graceling readers will find familiar and disturbing...

Kristin Cashore's follow up novel Fire, is due for release 5 October. Perfect birthday gift for my daughter Abby who really enjoyed Cashore's Graceling novel. If you're interesting in seeing Graceling's covers head on over to Kristin Cashore's blog where she talks about moving and what she's currently working on.

Cover Love ~ Shadowlight

PBW has posted the cover for the first book in her new Kyndred series. It's called Shadowlight and has a release day of November 3rd. Here's a link to an online excerpt.

The cover is pretty but also similar to many of the covers out there (glances to Daring Time cover on right and Hard and Fast cover in post below). Her name is huge ~ guess that's the trend after an author hits the NY Times list. I do like the colors. And that tattoo has me wondering if it extends to his back and what other tattoos he might have.

As a fan of her Darkyn series I'm looking forward to reading this new series. Judging by the excerpt, is a crossover set in the same universe with some of the Darkyn characters making appearances. I'm all for guest appearances if it's Lucan and Samantha, my favorite couple from that series.

Cover Love ~ On The Edge

Next Tuesday Ilona Andrews' book Magic Strikes (loved it!) hits the shelves, then no Kate and Curran *sigh* until next year. But readers do have a new series from Andrews to look forward to. The Edge series begins with On The Edge, releasing September 29. The new series features Rose who is an Edger and can travel between the two different worlds. The burb explains it better than I can...

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .

Part of the first chapter of On The Edge is available to read online here. I like it and since I love the writing in the Kate Daniels series I have very high hopes for the new series.

And the cover ~ overall I like it, my only minor problem is the guy. A little on the big side. But love the colors and a gun toting heroine works for me. For some reason, makes me think of Supernatural. *shrugs* Don't know why.

Cover Love ~ Blaze of Memory

You've probably seen this one already, Nalini posted on her blog a few days ago. But in case someone missed it, thought I posted it here.

This is the second Psy/Changeling book scheduled to be released this year. First we get Mercy and Riley's book, Branded by Fire on July 7 then we get Dev's book Blaze of Memory on November 3. We still don't know who Dev's heroine is, I'm guessing that's why he's the only one on the cover maybe? Devraj Santos first showed up in Mine to Posses. He was Tally's boss and is the director of the Shine Foundation. If you haven't read Mine to Possess yet and don't want any spoilers then STOP READING NOW.

If you do want to find out more about Dev, here he is explaining to some of the Pack members what happened when Silence was initially implemented:

..."In short, a hundred or so years ago, when Silence was voted into being, people who disagreed began to search for a way out. It had to be done in secret because dissidents had already begun to disappear."

When no one interrupted, he continued, "In the end, the only solution the rebels could come up with was to drop out en masse and attempt to link to each other in the seconds before psychic death. They hoped their gamble would lead to the spontaneous creation of a new psychic network. If it didn't , the defectors were prepared to die." The ruthless lines of Dev's face lit from within. "But they didn't. And the ShadowNet was born." Mine to Possess, pages 311-312

Dev, it turns out, is one of the Forgotten. He's a descendant of one of the rebels that created the ShadowNet. I'm looking forward to reading more about the Forgotten and their world. I'm curious to see who is part of that world and if there are any familiar faces from past books.

So what do you think of the cover? It didn't really grab me the way the other covers did. It's not that I don't like it but it looks like it should be on a romantic suspense novel rather than a PNR. Maybe I'm just shallow and want him shirtless. :)

Cover Love ~ Darkness Calls

I stumbled across the cover for Marjorie M. Liu's next book in her Hunter Kiss series. I like the shades of golds and the way the light shines down on Maxine. Love the tats! As a lover of all things sharp and shiny I covet the sword she's holding. Yep, nothing like a kick-ass heroine on the cover to set the tone. Looking forward to this one. Release for Darkness Calls, the second full length novel in the Hunter Kiss series is June 30.

Here's the brief blurb from the author's website:

They are the obsidian shadows of my flesh - tattoos with minds, hearts, and dreams. By day, they protect me. But when night calls to them, they leave my body, dissolving into their true form - as demons…

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…

Cover Love ~ Bad to the Bone

Jeri Smith-Ready has posted her cover for Bad to the Bone, the sequel to Wicked Game.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Turn On. Tune In. Drop Dead.

If you’re just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs—including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister—who really sink their teeth into the music of their ‘Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks…

A puppy vamp folks. How cool is that? I like the colors on the cover and the pup... well, he definitely looks like he could pull off some major vamp-a-tude. If that doesn't grab your interest Smith-Ready has posted the first chapter of Bad to the Bone on her site. Yep, I'll be reading this one. Love those vamp DJs! Release date of May 19.

And if you haven't read the first book, Wicked Game, you can read my review of it here. Smith-Ready is also the very talented author of the Aspects of Crow trilogy (which I still need to read) as well as the novel Requiem for the Devil which I haven't read either but has been on my Amazon wish list for some time.

Cover Love ~ Dreamfever

It's a long way off before the release date of August 25, 2009 but the cover is simply gorgeous! Mac looks like she'll be kicking some Unseelie ass. And the colors are amazing. This has that popular Urban Fantasy cover look ~ showing the back of the heroine. Although it's usually more of a close up and tats are involved. Still, I'm loving it. How about you?

And here's a little teaser KMM sent out for Dreamfever:

I am a kite in a tornado but I have a long string. There is tension in my line. Somewhere, someone is holding onto the other end and, although it cannot spare me this storm, it will not let me be lost while I regain my strength.

It is enough.

I will survive.

Cover Love ~ Branded by Fire

Posted on Nalini Singh's blog. So, what do you think? Like it? Don't like it? What I like is the fact that both heroine and hero are on the cover. I'm glad that Mercy wasn't left off. I'd say it's one of my favorites of the series. Release date of July 2009.

Cover Love ~ Nalini Singh

Isn't it gorgeous! This is the cover for Nalini Singh's new series due out next year. You can read info and an excerpt for Angels' Blood, first book in her Guild Series due out March 2009. It sounds wonderful and I can't wait to read more of Nalini's books.