New Releases June 1-4 & Reader's Choice Contest

So many releases this week, we're doing it twice! Here are the June 1-4 releases in spec fiction―science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and YA paranormal. See what strikes your fancy…and win your choice in the contest. As always, open internationally. Check back on Monday for another Reader’s Choice contest!

Ashes, Ashes, by Jo Treggiari 

(June 1, Scholastic)

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares. Epidemics, floods, droughts. For 16-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99 percent of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly joins his band of survivors, yet a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. 

Degrees of Freedom, by Simon Morden 

(June 1, Orbit)

All roads lead back to Samuil Petrovitch: Michael, the complex AI trapped under the remains of Oshicora tower; Maddy, who’s left him; Sonja, who’s playing a complicated game; the CIA, who wants to save America; the New Machine Jihad, which Petrovitch thought he killed already; and the Armageddonists, who want to blow everything up. Again. Everybody wants something from Petrovitch, while he only wants to be free. Third in the Samuil Petrovitch series. 

Demons Prefer Blondes, by Sidney Ayers 

(June 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Hairstylist Lucia Gregory has serious problems. Who knew opening an antique chest would cause mirrors to implode and shampoo bowls to erupt like geysers. But that’s the least of her worries. Overnight, she turns into a sexpot. Men, including her gay coworkers, throw themselves at her feet. Only one man is immune—Rafael Deleon, a broodingly sexy man who’s the demon protector of Limbo. He’s sent to retrieve the chest before it’s opened, but he’s too late and all hell breaks loose. Literally. 

The Eternal Sea, by Angie Frazier 

(June 1, Scholastic)

Camille has everything she wants. She’s escaped the men who wanted her dead, and now she is ready to build a new life with Oscar, her one true love. But things are not to be so simple. Oscar is acting strangely, and before they can even board a ship from Australia back home to San Francisco, Camille learns the journey is not over. If she does not follow the magic of the curse of Umandu, her life and Ocar's could be in grave danger. Second in the Everlasting series.

Heart of the Highland Wolf, by Terry Spear 

(June 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Ian McNeill, laird of Argent Castle, finds his capital squandered through unwise investments and the wolf clan's ancestral home in danger of being forfeit for nonpayment of taxes. When a movie producer contacts him with the notion of using his castle as a set, Ian has no choice but to agree. But when one American werewolf romance author, Julia Wildthorn, slips into the castle under the guise of being with the movie company, she and Ian tangle. Seventh in the Heart of the Wolf series. 

Stone and Shadows, by Elizabeth Aston Edmondson 

(June 1, Sourcebooks)

This haunting tale from women’s fiction author Elizabeth Aston follows two cursed families in a saga of romance, black magic and music set in an ancient Abbey where the lines between the past 500 years and the present are blurred. The handsome, compelling owner of Beauregard Abbey, Nicholas Beauregard, must help Zuleika Rathbone as she traces the path of a murderous ancestor, rousing an unimaginable evil centered around a mystical violin.

The Vampire Stalker, 

by Allison van Diepen (June 1, Point)

Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he is Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

Virgin, by Cheryl Brooks 

(June 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Zetithians have a feline gene that gives the males remarkable sexual prowess. Refugee Dax is no exception, but as a virgin, he has no idea how to use his skills. His fumbling attempts at romance fail to tempt the beautiful Ava, but he is determined to learn the art of love. Let the seduction begin. Seventh in the Cat Star Chronicles series. 

The Deadliest Bite, by Jennifer Rardin 

(June 2, Orbit)

I have two choices. Carve Brude's name into Hell's bile-encrusted gates, or lose my soul. After an assassination attempt on Vayl, I find myself pulled into a tangled web that takes the gang to Romania. So how will I save a ghost, rescue a demon, and cheat the Great Taker out of a soul he's slavering for while defeating my nastiest foe yet so that Vayl can, at last, cherish a few precious years with his sons? With careful planning, major violence, and one (hopefully) final trip to Hell. The final book in the Jaz Parks series. Author Jennifer Rardin died on Sept. 20, 2010. 

Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey 

(June 2, Orbit)

Welcome to the future. Humanity has colonized the solar system, but the stars remain out of reach. Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they learn a secret they never wanted. A secret someone is willing to kill for, and kill on an unfathomable scale. War is brewing in the system unless Jim can find out who left the ship and why. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. 

Mistification, by Kaaron Warren 

(June 2, Angry Robot)

Marvo is a stage magician whose magic is real. The magicians have always been with us, since the beginning of civilisation. They fill our heads with the mist, keeping us from witnessing the stark reality of existence. But are things so bad that Marvo will bring it down on all of us, forever? As Marvo begins to understand those around him and his place in the world, he discovers his powers can be put to good or to evil. He only has to choose. U.S. release. 

Sword of Fire and Sea, by Erin Hoffman 

(June 2, Pyr)

Three generations ago Captain Vidarian Rulorat's great-grandfather gave up an imperial commission to commit social catastrophe by marrying a fire priestess. For love, he unwittingly doomed his family to generations of a rare genetic disease that follows families who cross elemental boundaries. Now Vidarian, the last surviving member of the Rulorat family, struggles to uphold his family legacy, chained to a task as a result of the bride price his great-grandfather paid: the Breakwater Agreement. First in the Chaos Knight series. 

What sounds good to you this week? I've been reading a lot of dystopian work lately, so Ashes, Ashes is calling my name. Although looking at the size of my TBR pile, the dystopia might have happened before I get to it! Tell me your pick, and one of your wishes will come true. As always, international. And as always, four possible entries: 1 for comment, 1 for blog follow, 1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and 1 for Tweeting or Retweeting the contest. Go therefore and tweet!