New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 3rd Quarter 2018

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

So last quarter I was thinking that as I got more used to the job, I would find a better balance and have more time for reading.

Yeah, not so much.  What I have found is that this job cycles from crazy to insane when an election is drawing near.  I probably should have figured that out but apparently I'm either an optimist or deluded (probably the later LOL).  I'm really enjoying it but it has definitely proven to be a lot more than I originally bargained on and my reading has greatly suffered.  Add in two deaths in my immediate family in a two week span of time, end of school year craziness, and volunteer work craziness and well, I'm lucky to read a few pages a day.  I haven't finished a book club book since February and have had almost no personal reading time.  With the primary election cycle just about done, I'm hoping to get some things caught up and balanced a little bit better before school and the general election craziness starts up but I'm thinking that my goal of reading 100 books this year is looking like a pipe dream unless I find a whole lot more short stories and comics.  LOL

None of this means that I haven't been keeping an eye on books that I want to read (and in some cases adding them to my growing To Read pile) so here's what is currently on my radar:


Yasmine Galenorn has been very prolific since going independent with several new series going all at the same time and I have not been able to keep up with them but the second book in the Wild Hunt series, Oak and Thorns, is coming out.  I haven't had a chance to read the first book in the series yet but the series looks interesting with this one hitting political intrigue, shadow magic, a serial killer, and the King of Thorns.

Release date - July 2

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik is not part of an actual series except that it's another her reimagined fairy tales, this time Rumpelstiltskin.  I really enjoyed Uprooted which is her version of Beauty and the Beast and I can't wait to see what she does with this one.

Release date - July 10

Next up is the third book in the Custard Protocols by Gail Carriger.  Competence sees Miss Primrose going from Singapore to Peru to pursue some of life's most challenging questions such as "Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?"  I have not yet read the other books in this series but I've loved the other series set in this universe and am looking forward to getting to these.

Release date - July 17

Also coming out this day is Seanan McGuire's second book in her Ghost Roads series, The Girl in the Green Silk Gown.  Rose Marshall has been dead for 60 years now and still looking for her killer.  She's been an avenging killer in her own right but still she wants the one that got away, the one that made a deal with the Crossroads that won't let him die...Bobby Cross.  But now Bobby is back in the picture and will it be one that Rose can continue to haunt?

Release date - July 17

Another double release for the end of July starts with Portents by Kelley Armstrong.  While the Cainsville series is technically over (although I still need to read the last two books), Ms. Armstrong is doing like she did with her Otherworld series and giving us other tales set in the world.  Some have been previously released and I've read before, others seem to have been previously released and I haven't heard of, and at least one is new for this collection.

Release date - July 31

We also get a new Dorina Basarab book in Shadow's Bane by Karen Chance.  I have enjoyed Dory's stories much more than the Cassie Palmer ones lately and it's been a long time since we got a new one and I'm really looking forward to it.  Dory is now the newest member of the Vampire Senate and as their war with the Fae is heating up, she is finding out that the slavers who may have her friend's relative may be up to something far worse than arranging death matches.

Release date - July 31

Only one book is on my radar for August but it's a huge one as Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews is said to be the conclusion to the Kate Daniels series.  The Witch Oracle's visions are becoming more intense and then Kate receives a delivery from an ancient enemy who has almost destroyed her family before.  To save Curran, her child, her friends, her city, Kate must team up with the most unlikely of allies even knowing she may not survive because otherwise everything she loves will die.

Release date - August 28

I get to go from one favorite series to another as we get the next installment for October Daye the next week.  Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire does not promise to be sweetness and light for October though since Jazz and Tybalt are still trying to recover from their ordeal at the hands of October's mother.  Toby is also hurt as she can't just snap her fingers and make things better for her family so the universe has given her a distraction in the form of kidnapping her human daughter, Gillian, but we know that nothing in Toby's life is simple or easy and this case will prove no exception.

Release date - September 4

Closing out this quarter's books is Time Convert by Deborah Harkness.  Set in the world of her All Soul's trilogy, this bounces us between Matthew's conversion of Marcus to a vampire during the American Revolution and then Marcus's conversion of Phoebe in modern times and how will some things change, some things will remain the same. 

Release date - September 25

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 3rd Quarter 2017

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

I'm still falling behind on my reading goals for this year.  But then again, I feel like I'm behind with everything these days so I guess that's not a surprise.  I'm hoping to be able to find time to get more reading in this summer to maybe start gaining some ground on my To Read list. *crossing fingers*

Grave Ransom by Kalayna Price starts off the quarter.  I'm really happy that whatever caused the long break between books 3 and 4 seems to be resolved and we have a new one so soon.  I like the magic/Fae stuff in this world a lot so it's nice to be able to return.

Release Date - July 4


Two are coming out later in July. Buried Heart by Kate Elliot is the conclusion to the Court of Fives trilogy.  War is coming and Jessamy must try to bring the two sides of her country together to save those she loves.

Release Date - July 25

Also coming that day is Wildfire by Ilona Andrews, the third book in the Hidden Legacy series.  Book two was delayed and I haven't read it yet so I need to catch up on what is going on between Rogan and Nevada since it looks like things are getting more interesting between the two of them with this book.

Release Date - July 25


Only a week later and there are another two books out that are on my radar.  The Urban Enemies anthology collects stories from 17 authors including some of my faves like Seanan McGuire and Kelley Armstrong and lets them tell tales from one of their villains points of view. Since villains rarely see themselves as such, it should be interesting to see how each of these see themselves.

Release Date - August 1


I'm less excited about this one.  Ride the Storm by Karen Chance is the latest in the Cassie Palmer series and I just didn't enjoy the last one very much.  I feel like we are in some sort of static bubble where nothing really happens or changes with the plot or the characters. I've been hoping for the last couple of books to see things move forward and it looks like this might finally be doing that.  Here's hoping.

Release Date - August 1


Rituals by Kelley Armstrong is the final book in the Cainsville series which I have been really enjoying but am unfortunately a book behind in.  Need to hurry up and fix that because I'm dying to see how all this resolves!

Release Date - August 15

September starts off with what I'm sure will be a good laugh with White Trash Zombie Unchained by Diana Rowland.  These books have amazed me with the fact that they are so much fun but at the same time, the character growth and development is phenomenal!  Not what I would ever have expected from a zombie series, let alone one titled as White Trash Zombie.

Release Date - September 5

The Brightest Fell by Seanan McGuire finishes out the 3rd quarter and I can't wait to see what trouble Toby gets into this time.  With her mother demanding that she find her long lost sister, I mean really, what could possibly go wrong?

Release Date - September 5

1:120 Zombie's Bite by Karen Chance

Dory feels like she has finally lucked out with this contract for a Vampire Senate.  It's taken her awhile but she has finally tracked down her mark to New Orleans but before she can get a fix on him, he's in her room and killing himself.  Now she has to figure out why and what is going on before his master finds her and kills her.  Things just got a lot less easy...

This takes place before the Dorina books.  I've found that I like her stories better than the Cassandra Palmer ones and this was no exception.  I just generally like Dory better and I hope that Ms. Chance plays more with her moving forward.


Page count: 90p/90p ytd/275,565p lifetime

New Release I'm Looking Forward To: 2nd Quarter 2016

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

So far this year has been going ok although not stellar in the reading department.  Heavy classics for English 12  plus all the other school reading has definitely been slowing down my personal reading time but I feel like I'm basically keeping up with it.  This quarter isn't too heavy on new releases which is good because it's super crazy with family stuff which is definitely going to be cutting into my reading time.

First up is Waylaid by Kim Harrison.  This is a kindle only book but is the first crossover between Ms. Harrison's wildly popular Hollows series heroine, Rachel Morgan, and her new Drafter, Peri Reed.  It looks promising.

Release date: April 4

The very next day sees two new books out. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire which looks to be a stand alone where children slip through shadows into magical lands that only sometimes spit them out again.  Nancy was one but now she has found her way back and the darkness is not far behind.

Release date: April 5

So a new one from Seanan McGuire and then the newest installment in the Jane Yellowrock series, Shadow Rites by Faith Hunter.  Jane is working hard to keep the precarious peace between the city's vampires and witches but then her house is magically attacked and finding the culprits leads to something that could tip everything over.

Release date: April 5

Then there is a nice long break before Earthbound by Yasmine Galenorn comes out.  This is a novella in her Otherworld series that tells of when the sisters first came Earthside.  No pre-order link currently up but this came from her blog.

Release date: May 24

The next one is also by Yasmine Galenorn and is the start of a new self-published series that she plans to put out in ebook and limited trade paperback called Fury Rising.  It follows Kaeleen Donovon who is a bounty hunter for the Furies and oath bound to help balance things when called for.

Release date: June 14

The quarter ends with Rise by Mira Grant, a collection of all 8 previously published short stories and novellas in the Newsflesh universe along with 2 never before published works.  Seriously?!  I can't wait!

Release date: June 21

So during a very chaotic time in the school year there won't be too many new books coming out to tempt me away from what I should be doing which means maybe I can make some headway in the to-read pile before it grows again.

5:120 Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance

The 3rd book in the Midnight's Daughter series.  Dory has been continuing her work for the Senate, now as part of the task force looking into the portals that are bringing things in illegally from Faerie.  During her investigation however, her partner was killed and she blacked out.  Now the Senate needs to know what she saw and Mircea tells her the truth that he separated her vampire self to save her mind when she was young but the barrier is breaking down and her vampire half is very strong.  Now they must find a way to meld things together or Dory could be lost to Dorina forever. Add in the original mystery and the new zombie vampires that are attacking the Senate's offices and pretty much everything is going to hell in a handbasket for Dory.

There was so much going on in this book that it was absolutely insane and almost impossible to put down because I kept wanting to know where things were going from there.  I've seen many people say that they prefer the Dory books to the Cassie Palmer ones and now that I've read them I can see why.  Dory is just so freaking kicka$$.  Unfortunately it's been a few years since the last one and there is still no word as to when the next one will be coming out.


Page count: 536p/1,908p ytd/252,203p lifetime

1:120 Death's Mistress by Karen Chance

The 2nd book in the Dorina Basarab series.  Dory's roommate Claire has returned from Fairie due to threats against her son and the rune of power that should be his having been stolen. The Senate has Dory under contract and this time, she's to bring back the vampire's head but not kill him.  However, Louis-Cesare is not only after Ray as well but trying to get his progeny, Christine, back.  All trails lead back to the Senator who has Christine but when he turns up dead, things start getting a lot more complicated with Louis-Cesare's bid to leave the European Senate to compete for a spot in the North American Senate but there is so much more going on than anyone realizes.

This one goes all over the place and it's hard to put down because then it's a jigsaw puzzle trying to put it all back together again.  Everything does fit perfectly at the end but it's a wild ride getting there.


Page count: 422p/422p ytd/250,717p lifetime

134:120 Midnight's Daughter by Karen Chance

The first in the Dorina Basarab series set in the same world with Cassie Palmer but focusing on different characters.  Dorina is the daughter of Mircea and a human when he was first turned, so as such she is a dhampir, half human/half vampire.  Prone to uncontrollable rages and hated by both groups few damphirs have long lives.  In Dorina's case, her father has done what he can to protect her once he was able and for her own part, she has done her best to utilize her rages to take down demons and vampires who were not behaving. This has been her life but now her father has a task for her. Her uncle, Dracula (yes, that one), has escaped prison and needs to be stopped.  He thinks she can do it, she thinks he's nuts but doesn't see how she has a choice. With the help of another uncle's scion, Louis-Cesare, she is bound to give it her all.

I'd heard good things about this series with some people liking it more than the Cassie Palmer series which I find entertaining.  I admit to being unhappy with the latest Cassie Palmer so decided to give this one a try.  It was a bit harder to get into but well worth it.  I'm happy I have the next book in the series waiting for me on my bookcase.


Page count: 373p/34,209p ytd/249,125p lifetime

126:120 Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

The 7th book in the Cassie Palmer series.  Cassie is determined to save Pritkin from the curse he incurred on her behalf but it has been far from easy since she has to keep hoping back in time to try and find him before the curse hits so she and Rossier can be there when it does so Rossier can cast the counterspell.  So far, luck has not been with them and now their last chance is to jump back in time 1500 years which Cassie knows she can't possibly do until Rhea tells her of a special Pythia potion.  Now Cassie is obsessed with getting her hands on it but that is proving just as hard as catching Pritkin at the right moment.

This book has been longer than usual in the making and I really wish I could say it was worth the wait.  I wish I could, but I can't.  I found the plot overblown, the messes Cassie gets into and how she gets thwarted constantly are normal but there were even more instances of it this time, and now even the previous Pythia's are getting in on the "let's find and mess things up for Cassie" bandwagon which was really the only new thing.  There were no real answers although it was nice for Cassie to get a few clues on how to maybe start bringing the different factions of magic together but honestly, the book was overly long, boring, and drawn out to get only that tiny little bit of payoff after 500 pages.  It's a shame because normally I really enjoy this series but this one was a struggle for me to get through.

Page count: 514p/32,485p ytd/247,401p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 4th Quarter 2015

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Still running behind in a few series.  I've gotten a few under control but still quite a few that have gotten away from me.  *sigh*  Eventually I'll get caught up on those but it doesn't matter, I'll still be buying in my current series plus other things that catch my eye.  I'm thankful that this quarter is fairly light though since the 12th grade English is definitely on the heavier side.

Appropriately enough, October starts off with White Trash Zombie Gone Wild by Diana Rowland, the 5th book in the series.  When we last left Angel, she was becoming a true member of the zombie mofia.  There have been a lot of changes for her, mostly for the good, since she became a zombie but all of that is in jeopardy as she uncovers a plot to expose zombies to the public. Can she and undead friends put a stop to it or are they in serious danger of losing their heads?

Release Date: October 6


Yasmine Galenorn has a new series coming out as well with Autumn Thorns. Meet Kerris Fellwater, a former resident of Whisper Hollow, who ran away 15 years ago but can no longer ignore the signs that it's time for her to return and replace her grandmother as the spirit shaman of the town where the dead don't always rest easy.

Release Date: October 27

So speaking of series I really need to get caught up with, Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger is the fourth book in the Finishing School series and I've yet to even read the first book. That being the case, I really can't say much about this one except I am going to get to this series sooner rather than later!!!

Release Date: November 3

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance was significantly delayed but after two years with no Cassie, she's back! This time she is searching through time searching for Pritkin, with his dad in tow, to save him, hopefully without pissing off too many more demons or creating time paradoxes that are too awful.

Release Date: November 3

Amazingly enough, Chimera by Mira Grant is the last book in that trilogy and the last book I'm really looking forward to this year.  The implanted tapeworms are awake and taking over the human race. Sal and her family must come to terms with themselves and their nature if they are to have any chance of saving themselves.  I will admit, I found the last book a bit slow but am hopeful that this one where things have to wrap up will be better.

Release Date: November 24

72:120 Inked by Chance, Liu, Galenorn, & Wilkes

A collection of urban fantasy novellas with tattoos figuring heavily into the story.

Skin Deep by Karen Chance ~ A story that takes place in the world of Cassie Palmer.  Lia is a war mage who has been sidelined due to injury but now she has a magical ward that has taken up residence on her skin which she has no idea how to remove or what it does.  She can't be bothered with that when she finds out that her boyfriend, the werewolf Cyrus, has been kidnapped by someone who is skinning and killing werewolves of no importance.  She is his only chance to find and rescue him so all the other worries will have to wait.

I've enjoyed the Cassie Palmer series but I just couldn't get into this one.  After doing some digging, apparently this is one in a series of novellas about these characters which might explain why I kept feeling very lost, like there was a lot of backstory that I didn't know and should.

Armor of Roses by Marjorie M. Liu ~ Maxine has just found a dying man near her car who was looking for her with a letter from her grandmother.  He is part of a band of children that her grandmother rescued from a very bad woman during WWII but when Maxine starts looking into things, she finds that traveling back in time to work with her grandmother is the only way to try and set things right in her time.

This was my first introduction to this series and while I did feel like there was backstory that I wasn't privy to, I didn't feel like I was missing anything necessary to understanding the basic motivations of the characters or their abilities.  It was definitely interesting enough that I am glad I have some of the books on my shelf to read, probably sooner rather than later.

Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn ~ Camille D'Artigo is on a crap assignment for the YIA to find and take down a rapist and murderer.  However, because her boss wants her to fail she is being given bad intel so when she stumbles upon a dark elf who knows where her suspect is and is willing to help her take him down, she immediately jumps upon the opportunity.  The fact that there are almost immediate sparks whenever they touch doesn't hurt but neither are prepared for just what those sparks really mean.

I love Ms. Galenorn's Otherworld series and have read this story before but wasn't upset to read it again.  Camille and Trillian are a fabulous couple.

Human Nature by Eileen Wilks~ FBI Agent Lily Yu would not normally get called out for the murder of a werewolf in CA except that she is there to support her mate, Cyrus, who has asked her to see if there is anything suspicious about the death.  She pulls a few strings and finds that there was a new tattoo on the victim's throat, right where it was slit, that hadn't been there just a few hours before.  Certainly seems like something to investigate further, especially with a Humans First leader living in town.

This was also my first venture into this world and while there was definitely a lot of backstory and other characters were mentioned as not being present for some reason which wasn't really explained, the basics of the world and the main characters of this story were which is really what matters.  I'm not rushing out to buy her books based on this one novella but I could see them ending up on my shelf at some point.

Page count: 437p/17,470p ytd/232,404p lifetime

New Releases I'm looking Forward To: 4th Quarter 2014

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

I am so far behind my reading from last quarter that I'm going quite crazy looking at all these beautiful books on my bookshelf!  I really need to just hole myself up for a few weeks with them and tell the world to take care of itself so I can get caught up.  Unfortunately, the last time I tried that, the kids found me within 15min and ruined that plan.  I don't foresee it going any better any time soon so I will just have to try and figure something else out.

First up is Broken Soul by Faith Hunter, the newest book in the Jane Yellowrock series.  The European Delegation is coming and Leo knows that they want his territory so he is hiring Jane to deal with the security but there is more going on than she can guess and a vicious creature stalking the streets that she must also contend with.  This is such a great series and Jane is such a kick-ass character!

Release Date: October 7

Poison Fruit by Jacqueline Carey is the third book in the Agents of Hel series.  I wish I could say more about this book but I haven't even read the first book in the series yet.  I loved her Kushiel and Namaah series and have heard that this series is fantastic as well but I'm still trying to find time to work it in.

Release Date: October 7

Ilona Andrews has a new series starting up with Burn for Me. A detective is being sent on a suicide mission to bring in a top-level magic user but she is not the only one who is searching for him and the other person is just as dangerous but in a much different way...

Release Date: October 28

Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong sees many of the more obscure and hard to find short stories gathered in one collection.  I know I likely have several of them but there were a few I wasn't able to get so I'm happy to have the chance to read them.  I miss this world and am always happy to have any chance to dip into it with something new.

Release Date: October 28

The Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance is always fun and I'm happy to see that Reap the Wind is going to center more on Pritkin than Mircea and the relationship with his father as Cassie drags him along on a search through time to find his son's soul.

Release Date: November 4

Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger is the third in her Finishing School steampunk series.  Unfortunately this is another series that I'm desperately trying to find time to read but haven't had a chance to yet.  Really want to get it read before she starts her new series next year.

Release Date: November 4

Gin thought that life would get easier after she killed Mab Monroe, but as she finds out in Black Widow by Jennifer Estep Mab's daughter is so much worse than her mother.  M.M. Monroe doesn't go for the direct attacks like Mab but is instead working to wrap Gin and her friends in a tangled web that will destroy all that she cares about.

Release Date: November 25

What was originally a duology by Mira Grant has become a trilogy and Symbiont is the second book.  The first one was incredible blend of possible science with a cautionary tale of what can happen when humans take things too far without fully understanding the consequences of their actions.  I can't wait to see what happens in this one now that the consequences are coming home to roost.

Release Date: November 25

The Dark Angels series by Keri Arthur concludes with Darkness Falls.  This series has been a bit slow going so I'm a bit pleased that hopefully with several things to tie up that this one will actually move a bit better.  Risa just needs to find the third and final key to the gates of Hell and keep Director Hunter from getting a hold of them and putting an end to life as we know it.

Release Date: December 2

Carrie Vaughn is finally doing a spin-off of her popular Kitty series with Low Midnight which follows Cormac on a quest to solve the mystery of a coded diary that could spell serious trouble for Kitty.  We will apparently learn more about Cormac's past which will be nice since he's always been the "mystery man" in the series.

Release Date: December 30

So yeah, 10 new books coming out for the 4th Quarter and I've still got 8 from last quarter still sitting in my to-read pile a few of those as well as a few of these have other books I need to read before them because I'm behind in the series (or just haven't even started it).  So yeah, needing a lot more reading time here!

Happy Reading!