New Releases ~ week of 02/27/2017

A Ghostly Mortality by Tonya Kappes (#6 Ghostly Southern Mystery)

Ally's Mad Mystery by Jessica Brody (#3 Disney Descendants: School of Secrets)
April Fools' Fiasco by Ron Roy (#9 A to Z Mysteries Super Edition)
Avenged by Lynn Carthage (#3 Arnaud Legacy)
Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke (#21 Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
Bane and Shadow by Jon Skovron (#2 Empire of Storms Trilogy)
Besieged by A. J. Tata (#3 Chayton Mahegan)
Bone Box by Faye Kellerman (#24 Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus)
Broken Glass by V. C. Andrews (#2 Mirrored Sisters)
Call Back by Denise Grover Swank (#3 Magnolia Steele Mystery)
Catch and Release by Laura Drewry (#3 Fishing for Trouble)

Dead in the Water by Annelise Ryan (#8 Mattie Winston)
Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake (#1 Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery)
Expecting to Die by Lisa Jackson (#7 Montana "To Die")
Fatality by Firelight by Lynn Cahoon (#2 Cat Latimer Mystery)
Fields of Fire by Marko Kloos (#5 Frontlines)
For His Eyes Only by Lexi Blake (#13 Masters and Mercenaries)
Freedom Lost by Arthur T. Bradley (#9 The Survivalist)
Game Changer by Jami Davenport (#7 Seattle Sockeyes)
Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell by Codi Gary (#7 Rock Canyon Romance)
Into The Fire by Jeaniene Frost (#4 Night Prince)
Jordan Reclaimed by Scarlett Cole (#1 Preload)

Kneaded to Death by Winnie Archer (#1 Bread Shop Mystery)
Lifeblood by Gena Showalter (#2 Everlife)
Long Time Gone by Mary Connealy (#3 The Cimarron Legacy)
Love Taker by Erin McCarthy (#3 Nashville Nights)
Lyrinian Blade by K. N. Lee (#3 The Chronicles of Koa)
Monahan's Massacre by William W Johnstone, J A Johnstone (#1 Trail West)
More Than a Marriage by Amy Lillard (#3 Quilting Circle)
Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor (#2 Irish Village Mystery)
No Darker Place by Debra Webb (#1 Shades of Death)
Off the Ice by Julie Cross (#1 Juniper Falls)
One Blood Ruby by Melissa Marr (#2 Seven Black Diamonds)
Passion Favors The Bold by Theresa Romain (#2 Royal Reward Duo)
Passion Restored by Carrie Ann Ryan (#2 Gallagher Brothers)

Purrable Lion by Marissa Dobson (#5 Crimson Hollow)
Rebel Flight by Mindy Klasky (#1 Darkbeast Chronicles)
Reign of Error by Christy Barritt (#2 Worst Detective Ever)
Renegade's Pride by B J Daniels (#1 Cahill Ranch)
Shadow's Seduction by Kresley Cole (#17 The Immortals After Dark #2 The Dacians)
Sinful Scottish Laird by Julia London (#2 Highland Grooms)
Starlight Bridge by Debbie Mason (#2 Harmony Harbor)
Starting Over on Blackberry Lane by Sheila Roberts (#10 Life in Icicle Falls)
Take Me Back by Rosalind James (#4 Paradise, Idaho)
The Art of Vanishing by Cynthia Kuhn (#2 Lila Maclean Mystery)
The Fifth Element by Jørgen Brekke (#3 Odd Singsaker)
The Game Begins by Victoria Danann (#1 R. Caine High School)
The Lioness Is the Hunter by Loren D Estleman (#26 Amos Walker)
The Width of the World by David Baldacci (#3 Vega Jane)
The Wrong Dead Guy by Richard Kadrey (#2 Another Coop Heist)
Thunderbird by Chuck Wendig (#4 Miriam Black)
Wait for It by M. O'Keefe (#4 Everything I Left Unsaid)
When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day (#3 Country Store Mystery)
Wilde Thing by Jannine Gallant (#3 Born to Be Wilde)

Armchair BEA 2016 ~ Aesthetic Concerns - Books & Blogs

Armchair BEA home

Welcome to day 2 of Armchair BEA. To find out more click the link above.
Today is all about aesthetics! The first part of this topic is concerned specifically with the books, the second with our blogs.

Books: I've found lately that I judge books by the cover a lot more than I used to. If I'm turned off by the cover I won't even read what it is about. This also comes into play with styles/genres. If it looks like a contemporary novel I tend to skip over it. I've been coming across more uf/fantasy (especially YA) that have more contemporary cover. An example is Melissa Marr's Seven Black Diamonds

Nothing about this cover say Faerie. Not only that but a war between the fae and humans. If it hadn't been for the author's name I wouldn't have read the blurb to see what it was about.

These are a couple of examples of what I think of when looking for UF or Fantasy.

Blog: I don't know if it is because this is more of a hobby for me or not but I don't really brand my blog. The only thing I really do is use the same pic across social media sites but that is about it.
My reviews tend to change as I do. Sometimes I want something simple and others a more detailed review. Lately, I've been featuring books more than reviewing them. I find it easier to talk about why I picked a book to read rather than what I liked or disliked about the same book.

New Releases ~ week of 02/29/2016

A Churn for the Worse by Laura Bradford (#5 Amish Mystery)

A Covert Affair by Katie Reus (#6 Deadly Ops)
A Fatal Inheritance by Cora Harrison (#13 Burren Mysteries)
A Murderous Mind by Jane Adams (#11 Naomi Blake)
A Reckless Desire by Isabella Bradford (#3 Breconridge Brothers)
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (#1 Charlotte Holmes)
A Treasure Concealed by Tracie Peterson (#1 Sapphire Brides)
All They Ever Wanted by Tracy Solheim (#2 Second Chances)
And Then There Were Nuns by Kylie Logan (#4 League of Literary Ladies)
Backhand Smash by J M Gregson (#19 Inspector Peach)
Behind Chocolate Bars by Kathy Aarons (#3 Chocolate Covered Mystery)
Behold the Man by Bodie Thoene (#3 Jerusalem Chronicles)
Between a Book and a Hard Place by Denise Swanson (#5 Devereaux Dime

Store Mystery)
Blood Passage by Heather Demetrios (#2 Dark Caravan Cycle)
Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie (#1 Burning Glass)
Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire (#5 Incryptid)
Charmed by Jen Calonita (#2 Fairy Tale Reform School)
Come On Closer by Kendra Leigh Castle (#4 Harvest Cove Series)
Dark Wolf Unbound by Stephanie Rowe (#2 Heart of the Shifter)
Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs (#17 Tea Shop Mysteries)
Draw Me Close by Nicole Michaels (#3 Hearts and Crafts)
Exposed by Jasinda Wilder (#2 Madame X)
Favorite Obsession by Nancy Corrigan (#3 Royal Pride)
Fight to the Finish by Jeanette Murray (#3 First to Fight)

Finders Reapers by Anna Staniszewski (#2 Switched at First Kiss)
Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park (#1 Wing & Claw)
Fury of Surrender by Coreene Callahan (#6 Dragonfury)
Gash by Sam Crescent (#13 Skulls)
Gone Again by James Grippando (#12 Jack Swyteck)
Happily Bedded Bliss by Tracy Anne Warren (#2 The Rakes of Cavendish Square)
Her Fierce Warrior by Paige Tyler (#4 X-OPS)
His Secretary's Surprise Fiancé by Catherine Mann (#2 Bayou Billionaires)
His to Keep by Terri L Austin (#4 Beauty and the Brit)
How to Handle a Scandal by Emily Greenwood (#2 Scandalous Sisters)
Imperative by Steve White, Charles E Gannon (#7 Starfire)

In Vino Veritas by Peter Turnbull (#5 Harry Vicary)
Kernel of Truth by Kristi Abbott (#1 Popcorn Shop Mystery)
Love by Association by Tara Taylor Quinn (#7 Where Secrets are Safe)
Midnight Bites: Stories of the Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine (#16 Morganville Vampires)
Midnight Lily by Mia Sheridan (#9 Sign of Love)
Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill (#12 Chicagoland Vampires)
Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize by Emily Brightwell (#36 Mrs Jeffries)
One Cowboy too Many by Carolyn Brown (#3 Burnt Boot)
Out of the Dying Pan by Linda S. Reilly (#2 Deep Fried Mystery)
Pegasus Down by Philip Donlay (#6 Donovan Nash)
Promise Me the Stars by Norah Wilson (#3 The Standish Clan)

Ripe for Murder by Carlene O'Neil (#2 Cypress Cove)
Rocked by Love by Christine Warren (#4 Gargoyles)
Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr (#1 Seven Black Diamonds)
Skin Like Silver by Chris Nickson (#3 DI Tom Harper Mystery)
Take the Monkey and Run by Laura Morrigan (#4 Call of the Wilde Mystery)
Tall, Dark, Billionaire Texan by Mandy Baxter (#4 Billionaire's Club: Texas)
The Bursar's Wife by E G Rodford (#1 George Kocharyan Mystery)
The Considerate Killer by Lene Kaaberbol (#4 Nina Borg Mysteries)
The Duke's Accidental Wife by Erica Ridley (#6 Dukes of War)
The English Son by Wanda E Brunstetter (#1 Amish Millionaire)
The Gangster by Clive Cussler, Justin Scott (#9 Isaac Bell)
The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne M Valente (#5 Fairyland)

The Harp and the Ravenvine by Ted Sanders (#2 The Keepers)
The Incubus Job by Diana Pharaoh Francis (#1 Mission: Magic)
The Last Girl by Joe Hart (#? The Dominion Trilogy)
The Mermaid Murders by Josh Lanyon (#1 Art of Murder)
The Ninth Life by Clea Simon (#1 Blackie and Care Mystery)
The Preacher's Lady by Lori Copeland (#1 Sugar Maple Hearts)
The Road to Hell by David Weber (#3 New Multiverse)
The Seals Rebel Librarian by Anne Calhoun (#2 An Alpha Ops)
Time of Fog and Fire by Rhys Bowen (#16 Molly Murphy)
Wedding Night With the Earl by Amelia Grey (#4 The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels Trilogy)
Wedding Takedown by Geri Krotow (#2 Silver Valley P.D.)
What's Left Behind by Gail Bowen (#16 Joanne Kilbourn)
When Falcons Fall by C S Harris (#11 Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery)
Wicked Places by Lily Harper Hart (#4 An Ivy Morgan Mystery)
Wolf Pack by Crissy Smith (#5 Shifter Chronicles)

Can't Wait Books 2016

Starting off the New Year looking forward. These are just some of the books I cannot wait to read this year.

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (The Dark Artifices #1)
Goodreads
expected release date: March 8, 2016
**I haven't really kept up to date on her Shadow Hunter's but something about the book blurb just caught my attention. May end up waiting to see what people who have actually read it say.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Goodreads
expected release date: January 5, 2016
**This is the one I've seen on every year end/looking forward blog I've read the past couple of weeks. I always worry when there is so much hype but really hoping this one lives up to it all.

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
Goodreads
expected release date: February 23, 2016
**I've been waiting for this book since the day I finished A Darker Shade of Magic. Loved just about everything about book 1 and cannot wait to go back to Kell, Rhy, and Lila's world.

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs
Goodreads
expected release date: March 8, 2016
**A world I have loved since the first. Whether it is this series or Alpha and Omega they always seem to end way too soon.

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (The Others #4)
Goodreads
expected release date: March 8, 2016
**Another Author/Series that is always on my favorites list. I love the world of The Others just as much as I loved her Black Jewels world.

Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr
Goodreads
expected release date: March 1, 2016
**Almost passed by this one without reading what it was about. The cover looks more like a contemporary read than a fantasy that takes place in faerie.

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Goodreads
expected release date: May 3, 2016
**I'm a sucker for all things Rick Riordan writes.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Goodreads
expected release date: January 5, 2015
**Another that I've seen everywhere. Also, I love witches.

New Releases ~ week of 5/12/2014

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack (#1 Rusk University)

Any Other Name by Craig Johnson (#10 Walt Longmire Mysteries)
Avoiding Alpha by Aileen Erin (#2 Alpha Girl)
Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (#1 Maeveara Trilogy)
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn (#1 Broken Hearts & Revenge)
Dungeon Games by Lexi Blake (#6.5 Masters and Mercenaries #5 1001 Dark Nights)
Edge of the Enforcer by Cherise Sinclair (#4 Masters of the Mountain)
Enigma by Moira Rogers (#6 Southern Arcana)
Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas (#6 Barker and Llewelyn)
Full Assault Mode by Dalton Fury (#3 Delta Force)
Hangman by Stephan Talty (#2 Absalom Kearney)

Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell (#1 Mick Oberon)
Hunt the Jackal by Don Mann (#4 SEAL Team Six)
Inked Armor by Helena Hunting (#2 Clipped Wings)
Is a Flower Girl by Wanda Coven (#11 Heidi Heckelbeck)
Long For Me by Shiloh Walker (#0.7 Secrets & Shadows)
Obsidian Curse by Barbra Annino (#5 Stacy Justice Mysteries)
Odin's Ravens by Kelley Armstrong (#2 Blackwell Pages)
Of Neptune by Anna Banks (#3 Of Poseidon)
On Scope by Jack Coughlin (#7 Sniper)
Part of Me by A C Arthur (#2 Shadow Shifters: Damaged Hearts)
Raging Star by Moira Young (#3 Dustlands)
Rebel by Amy Tintera (#2 Reboot)
Rebellion by Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson (#2 Starbounders)

Renegade by Debra Driza (#3 MILA 2.0)
Scala by Christina Bauer (#2 Angelbound)
The A-Word by Joy Preble (#2 Sweet Dead Life)
The Corsican Caper by Peter Mayle (#3 Sam Levitt)
The Dead Disco Raccoon by Michael Rex (#3 Icky Ricky)
The Dominion Key by Lee Bacon (#3 Joshua Dread)
The Hydra Protocol by David Wellington (#2 Jim Chapel Mission)
The Kraken Project by Douglas Preston (#4 Wyman Ford)
The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan (#2 Dispossessed)
The Philly Fake by David A Kelly (#9 Ballpark Mysteries)

The Prodigal Son by Kimberla Lawson Roby (#11 Reverend Curtis Black)
The Skin Collector by Jeffery Deaver (#11 Lincoln Rhyme)
What a Girl Wants by Maya Rodale (#3 Bad Boy Billionaire's)
Wild Storm by Richard Castle (#5 Derrick Storm)
Wild Ways by Tina Wainscott (#3 Justiss Alliance
)

Book Review ~ Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls 
by Melissa Marr
published by HarperCollins
genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Summary (Goodreads): In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

My Thoughts: This is one of my favorite books read in 2012. I was drawn into it right from the beginning and was not ready for it to end when I finished.
I found two new characters that I loved. Both Kaleb and Zevi had something about them that just grabbed on and didn't let go. I loved their relationship and how their loyalty to each other/their pack came first. I also liked when Zevi stood up for himself . Aya was another great character that I can see flipping in the future or becoming stronger with the allies she made in this story. Mallory didn't bother me but she seemed to be a rather secondary character even though she was the main focus of this book. She may become stronger now that she has a purpose and knows what she is and what has been happening since she was born.
The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me was it felt incomplete. It was a great build up of characters and world but there wasn't a resolution to anything. We know where the characters are going and have a feeling for who's the good guys vs bad guys, which was enough to make this enjoyable.

Rating: 4

NBUs Art, Eats, & What Other

This is a new feature I started where I can talk about just about anything, including books. I will be sharing art/artists that I enjoy as well as some of my favorite recipes. The what other is just that, what ever other thing I can think of to talk about.

Art

Mirabella
by Rachel Anderson

Eats
Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
I got this recipe from my Aunt (I don't know where she got it).

1 box of yellow cake mix, (replace water with juice from pineapples) prepare using directions on the box.
Mix 1/3 cup of brown sugar with 2 tbsp of melted butter. Place small amount in each cupcake wrapper.
Place pineapple in wrapper then scoop batter on top. Place cherry on top of cupcake mixture.
Bake per directions on cake box.



What Other

Book Trailer for Melissa Marr's Carnival of Souls

Coming Soon ... Book Trailers

... To a shelf near you (or already there). These are a few book trailers that either caught my attention or are for books I'm really looking forward to.

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake



Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr (this is actually video from the author talking about the book)




The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

Library
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr
Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2) by Jennifer Estep
The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

NetGalley
*Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the following books
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross (Harlequin Teen)
Artemis Fowl & The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer (Disney Hyperion ~ They are releasing the current books on netGalley leading up to The Last Guardian coming out in July. I thought I would give them a try)

So what did you get this week? Happy Reading!