New Releases April 17-23 & Reader's Choice Contest

There’s not a huge list of releases this week (OMG just wait until next week), but still some good ones here. Personally, I’m looking forward to The Vampire Dimitri, because Colleen Gleason seduced me with her Regency-era vampires in The Vampire Voss a few weeks back. The Restorer looks awesome, and The Goddess Test is getting a lot of buzz in the YA community. See what’s coming…and enter the Reader’s Choice contest at the end!

The Beholder

by Connie Hall (April 19, Harlequin)

When murders at the hands of a mutant shifter start occurring in a rural community, Nina Rainwater knows she must put an end to it. But tell that to her arrogant abductor, who will stop at nothing to protect his family. For Kane, a seniph, believes the killer is his estranged brother. And though his quest could mean his own demise, he must first stop a prying beauty capable of destroying more than just his composure.

Bewere the Night

Anthology edited by Ekaterina Sedia (April 19, Prime)

Kitsune. Werewolves. Crane wives. Selkies. Every culture has stories of such strange creatures—animals turning into humans, humans shapeshifting into animals. Sometimes seductive, sometimes bloodthirsty, but always unpredictable like nature itself, these beings are manifestations of our secret hearts, our desire to belong to both worlds: one tame and civilized, the other unfettered and full of wild impulse. Stories include both reprints and originals from authors that include Cherie Priest and Holly Black.

The Coven’s Daughter

by Lucy Jago (April 19, Hyperion)

It’s spring again in the village of Montacute, and people want nothing more than to celebrate the season with maypole dances, festivals, and visits from the nobility.  The festivities are dampened, though, when a young boy turns up dead outside the village. Then they learn that three other boys have also disappeared lately. To the parson, this tragedy is a perfect excuse to kick off the only thing guaranteed to get his spring-giddy parishioners back to church―a witch hunt. Cecily may have occasional visions, but that doesn’t make her a witch. Or does it? Witchcraft, politics and religious ambition combine in this novel set in the Somerset of the 1500s.

Defiance

by Lili Saintcrow (April 19, Razorbill)

Now that 16-year-old Dru’s worst fears have come true and Sergej has kidnapped her best friend Graves, she'll have to go on a suicidal rescue mission to bring him back in one piece….That is, if she can put all of Christophe’s training to good use, defeat her mother’s traitor, Anna, once and for all, and manage to survive another day. Fourth in the Strange Angels series.

Eona

by Alison Goodman (April 19, Viking Juvenile)

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power―and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered.

Forever Vampire

by Michele Hauf (April 19, HQN)

Vail the Unwanted is a pureblood vampire. But raised in Faery, he has neither home nor peace, and when his aid is sought in the recovery of a priceless diamond gown, his price is information. Specifically, the whereabouts of his accursed father. His goal is revenge, and the supernaturally sexy Lyric, the icy blond vampiress with whom he must work, is a distraction he can't afford. Outwardly as cold as the diamond dress in which she was kidnapped, Lyric has her own secrets. Desperate to break free from her criminal family, she aligns herself with the brooding Vail. Together, they seek justice while each secretly works for freedom and a fresh start.

Ghost Stalker

by Jenna Kernan (April 19, Nocturne)

When wounded wolf Skinwalker Nick Chien comes under the care of Jessie Healy, she knows it's her duty as a Dreamwalker to kill him. But there's something about the handsome stranger that stays her hand. A tense truce forms as they realize they must work together to defeat a common—and deadly—enemy. The Ruler of Ghost, Nagi, is building a Spirit army designed to destroy all.

The Goddess Test

by Aimee Carter (April 19, Harlequin Teen)

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Mercy Burns

by Keri Arthur (April 19, Dell)

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test. Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? Second in the Myth and Magic series.

The Restorer

by Amanda Stevens (April 19, Mira)

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims—lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next. First in a new series.

The River of Shadows

by Robert V.S. Redick (April 19, Del Rey)

In the sequel to Robert V. S. Redick’s epic fantasy novels The Red Wolf Conspiracy and The Ruling Sea, the crew of the vast, ancient ship Chathrand have reached the shores of the legendary southern empire of Bali Adro. Many have died in the crossing, but nothing has prepared them for the radically altered face of humanity in the south. They have little time to recover from the shock, however. For with landfall, the battle between the rebels and centuries-old sorcerer Arunis enters its final phase. At stake is control of the Nilstone, a cursed relic that promises unlimited power to whoever unlocks the secrets of its use—but death to those who fail.

Skeleton Crew

by Cameron Haley (April 19, Luna)

Bodies are hitting the pavement in L.A. like they always do, but this time they're getting right back up, death be damned. My mobbed-up outfit of magicians may be the strongest in the city, but even they aren't immune to the living dead. And I've yet to develop a resistance to Adan Rashan. If I don't team up with the boss's son, we won't just be at each other's throats over control of the outfit. We'll be craving hearts and brains, as well. Because as long as this nasty spirit from the Between is stopping souls from finding peace, I'm facing the biggest supernatural crisis to ever hit the City of Angels. Second in the Underworld Cycle series.

Soft Apocalypse

by Will McIntosh (April 19, Night Shade)

What happens when resources become scarce and society starts to crumble? As the competition for resources pulls America's previous stable society apart, the "New Normal" is a Soft Apocalypse. This is how our world ends; with a whimper instead of a bang.

Twilight Prophecy

by Maggie Shayne (April 19, Mira)

According to ancient prophecy, there's only one chance to avert the complete annihilation of the Undead. Twins James William and Brigit Poe, part human, part vampire, believe they are that chance. In truth, the key lies with the reclusive—and mortal—scholar Lucy Lanfair. As Armageddon approaches, antivampire sentiment fuels a war neither side can win, driving James to abandon his moral code and draw Lucy into a deadly battle she wants no part of. But Lucy soon realizes that she holds this powerful immortal's soul in her hands and that it's her destiny not only to stop a war but to save him from his inner darkness. If she fails, his race will die—and so will her heart. Is the power of love strong enough to save the world? Number 17 in the Wings in the Night series.

The Vampire Dimitri

by Colleen Gleason (April 19, Mira)

Dimitri, also known as the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed—and bewitched—the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day. Miss Woodmore's family has a rather…complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women's intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except passion. In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitri come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation and fiercest desire. Second in the Regency Draculia series, following last month’s The Vampire Voss.

See anything you want? I can tell you already that reviews/giveaways of The Restorer, Vampire Dimitri, and The Goddess Test are coming up on the blog in the next week or so. So…reader’s choice―you tell me. As always, four entries possible and please include your e-mail: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. Now….go!