New Releases May 1-7 & Reader's Choice Contest

Remember last week’s ridiculously long list of new releases? Well, guess what?  This week is even more ginormous! So, like last week, I’ll pick two Reader’s Choice winners. See what’s coming…and enter the contest at the end! Yep, even for Sookie :-)

Almost Final Curtain, by Tate Hallaway

(May 3, NAL)

Ever since high school student Anastasija Parker discovered she was vampire royalty, her life has been sort of crazy. The half-vampire- half-witch just wants some normalcy, and trying out for the spring musical seems like the perfect fix.  But when the ancient talisman that stands between vampire freedom and slavery to witches is stolen, Ana has to skip rehearsal and track down the dangerous artifact before someone uses it to make this year's curtain call her last. Second in the Vampire Princess of St. Paul series.

Always the Vampire, by Nancy Haddock

(May 3, Berkley Trade)

Cesca Marinelli has been slacking on her duties as a vampire princess, but she will be the best maid of honor ever for Maggie's Victorian wedding. However, when her mostly-human honey, Saber, falls ill due to a magical construct called the Void, she knows she'll have to go beyond the call of bridesmaid duty. Third in the Oldest City Vampire series.

America Pacifica, by Anna North

(May 1, Little, Brown)

Eighteen-year-old Darcy lives on the island of America Pacifica--one of the last inhabitable places on earth, after North America has succumbed to a second ice age. To Darcy, America Pacifica is simply home--the only one she's ever known. It's only when her mother doesn't come home one night that Darcy begins to learn about her past as a former "Mainlander," and her mother's role in the flight from frozen California to America Pacifica.

Ascension, by Sable Grace

(May 1, Avon)

The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed -- vampyre, demons, shape shifters -- and mankind fight their last battle for survival. Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen... and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort... Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. First in a new Dark Breed series.

Awaken the Highland Warrior, by Anita Clenney

(May 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Historian Bree Kirkland has always been in love with the past, but when she accidentally wakes an ancient Scottish warrior who's spent the past 150 years sleeping in her backyard, her present is suddenly fraught with danger. Faelan has awakened from the time vault hungry and horny. He grieves for his lost family, wondering who sent the woman to wake him. If she's a demon, Faelan will have to kill her. If she's innocent, she's unleashed the gates of hell in her backyard.

Blood Law, by Karin Tabke

(May 3, Berkley Trade)

As undisputed Alpha, Rafael must choose a life mate to preserve the dominance of his Lycan pack. He never suspected, his mate would be a human, the same wounded, girl-woman he seduces from the brink of death. Falon is a dangerous combination of Lycan and Slayer—beings bred to destroy his kind. The primal heat between them is irresistible, yet surrendering to it could destroy them both…for a vengeful foe stands ready in the shadows to fulfill what is rightfully his by Blood Law. First in a new Blood Moon trilogy.

Burn Down the Sky, by James Jaros

(May 1, Harper Voyager)

In the parched ruins of what once was civilization, one commodity is far more valuable than all others combined: female children. When well-armed marauders roll in at dusk to brutally attack a fiercely defended compound of survivors, Jessie is unable to halt the slaughter—and she can do nothing to prevent the ruthless abduction of innocents, including her youngest child.

The Cellar, by A.J. Whitten

(May 2, Graphia)

Meredith Willis is suspicious of Adrien, the new guy next door. When she dares to sneak a look into the windows of his house, she sees something in the cellar that makes her believe that Adrien might be more than just a creep—he may be an actual monster. But her sister, Heather, doesn’t share Meredith’s repulsion. Heather believes Adrien is the only guy who really understands her. Can Meredith convince her sister that she’s dating the living dead before it’s too late for both of them?

Chosen by Blood, by Virna DePaul

(May 3, Berkley)

Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and otherborn—humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA-still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills. First in a new Para-Ops series.

The Council of Shadows, by S.M. Stirling

(May 3, Roc)

Adrian Brézé defied his own dark heritage as a near-purebred Shadowspawn for years, until his power-hungry sister Adrienne kidnapped his human lover Ellen. Now, Adrienne is dead, and the Council of Shadows is gathering its strength. To stop the Council from launching an apocalypse, Adrian and Ellen must ally with the Brotherhood, a resistance group dedicated to breaking the Council's hold on humankind...by any means necessary. Second in the Shadowspawn series.

Darkfire Kiss, by Deborah Cooke

(May 6, Signet)

Rafferty Powell has resolved to destroy his hated arch-nemesis, Magnus Montmorency. The pair have exchanged challenge coins, and their next battle will be their last. But Rafferty never expected to meet a woman whose desire for Magnus's end matches his own-and whose soul sparks the firestorm within him. Sixth in the Dragonfire series.

Dead is Not an Option, by Marlene Perez

(May 2, Graphia)

It’s springtime of senior year, and psychic sleuth Daisy Giordano is preparing to say goodbye to Nightshade High. But no college acceptance letters have arrived yet, and she’s beginning to worry about where she’ll end up come fall. There’s a vamps-versus-shifters war going on in Nightshade, too. Can the paranormal community in Nightshade finally find peace? Fifth in the Dead Is series.

Dead Reckoning, by Charlaine Harris

(May 3, Ace)

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit, and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well, and she realizes that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Eleventh in the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampires series.

Demon Hunting in Dixie, by Lexi George

(May 1, Kensington)

Addy Corwin is a florist with an attitude. A bad attitude, or so her mama says, 'cause she's not looking for a man. Mama's wrong. Addy has looked. There's just not much to choose from in Hannah, her small Alabama hometown. Until Brand Dalvahni shows up, a supernaturally sexy, breathtakingly well-built hunk of a warrior from—well, not from around here, that's for sure. Mama thinks he might be European or maybe even a Yankee. Brand says he's from another dimension.

The Discovery, by Marley Gibson

(May 2, Graphia)

After some time off, Kendall’s ready to begin ghost hunting again. But her life is still in flux. She misses Patrick, her new love. She needs to find a photographer to replace Taylor. Plus, she may have discovered who her real father is, but to be sure, she has to convince his family she’s not a fake. And then there’s a certain doll that seems to be out to get her and her friends. Fifth in the Ghost Huntress series.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

(May 3, Katherine Tegen)

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all 16-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. First in the Divergent series.

Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison

(May 3, Berkley)

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races. First in the Elder Races series.

Enemy Games, by Marcella Burnard

(May 3, Berkley Trade)

Kidnapped while combating a devastating plague, Jayleia Durante fights to resist the attractive Major Damen Sindrivik, an officer from a rival government’s spy corps. But with her spymaster father missing, and mercenaries hot on her trail, Jayleia must join forces with the magnetic, charming and manipulative spy. She must see past her desire and remember that his single-minded agenda is for the protection of the empire - not her or her people.

Everfound, by Neal Shusterman

(May 3, Simon & Schuster Children’s)

While Mary lies in a glass coffin aboard a ghost train heading west, her minions are awaiting her re-awakening by bringing lots of new souls into Everlost to serve her. Meanwhile Jackin’ Jill has met Jix, a fur-jacker—a skin jacker who can take over the bodies of animals, most notably jaguars. Jix serves a Mayan god who collects Everlost coins, and has his own agenda. Third in the Skinjacker trilogy.

Extremis, by Steve White and

Charles E. Gannon (May 3, Baen)

Once before, the sentient races in the known part of the galaxy—humans, Orions, Ophiuchi and Gorm—had united to defeat alien invaders. Decades later, the member planets of the alliance had grown complacent—until a huge fleet of ships, each ship larger than a city, arrived, fleeing the loss of their home planet when their star went nova. They have traveled for centuries, slower than light, and now they have arrived at the world they intend to make their new home. They regard the fact that the planet is already colonized by humans as a mere inconvenience. Sixth in the Starfire series.

Hard Bitten, by Chloe Neill

(May 3, NAL Trade)

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals, and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else. Fourth in the Chicagoland Vampires series.

Hard Magic, by Larry Correia

(May 3, Baen)

Jake Sullivan is a war hero, a private eye—and an ex-con. He’s free because he has a magical talent, being able to alter the force of gravity in himself and objects in his vicinity, and the Bureau of Investigation calls on him when they need his help in apprehending criminals with their own magical talents. But the last operation he was sent along to help with went completely wrong, and Delilah Jones, the woman the G-men were after, who just happened to be an old friend of Jake’s in happier times, had a lot of magical muscle with her, too much muscle for the cops to handle, even with Jake’s help. First in the Grimnoir Chronicles series.