Reader's Choice! Win One of Oct. 1-7 New Releases (Part 1)

Holy book release, Batman. There are fifty (!) new titles coming out this week, so you know what that means? It’s time for a double Reader’s Choice contest. I’ll list the first half of the titles today, and will give away your choice of new release. Then, come back Friday, when you can enter for a chance to win one of the second half of the list. (Tomorrow and Thursday, I’ll be introducing you to a couple of really interesting authors and giving you a chance to win their books.)

As always, Reader’s Choice is an international giveaway, so take a deep breath, get out your list-making supplies, and dig in for Part 1.

Releasing October 1

The Goblin King, by Shona Husk

(Oct. 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Cursed by a Druid millennia ago, Roan lives a bleak existence in the Shadowlands, desperately trying to retain his soul and not succumb to the goblin horde. When a beautiful human summons him to grant a wish, he sees a glimmer of hope. But will she ever agree to be his queen? PNR

Mr. Darcy’s Bite,

by Mary Lydon Simonsen (Oct. 1, Sourcebooks Landmark)

This paranormal Jane Austen sequel by author Mary Lydon Simonson explores Mr. Darcy as the leader of a secret world of werewolves threatened with extinction. Elizabeth comes to realize that she loves him in both his incarnations, and all his servants protect his secret. But then Elizabeth must confront a shocking danger to her beloved with every full moon, when Darcy is alone and exposed to those who hate wolves. PNR

RELEASING OCTOBER 3

Palace of the Damned, by Darren Shan

(Oct. 3, Little, Brown)

After failing his mentor and killing the entire crew of a ship in a bout of revenge for the death of his assistant, Larten is bereft with guilt. He no longer has the drive to live the vampiric life and hides out in Paris, masquerading as a human. There, he finds some happiness, even falling in love with a girl. But the darkness inside him is too great for humanity, and he is forced to make a choice: hide in the shadows of the human world, or take his place among the vampire clan and protect those weaker than himself. But enemies are waiting, traps are laid, and Larten’s path is bound to be strewn with bodies. Third in the Larten Crepsley series. YA

RELEASING OCTOBER 4

Forbidden Embers, by Tessa Adams

(Oct. 4, NAL)

Desperate to save his clan from deadly biological warfare, Dragonstar sentry Logan Kelly infiltrates the dangerous Wyvermoon clan by posing as a rogue dragon. But his plan is compromised when he falls for Cecily, the Wyvermoon queen. Third in the Dragon’s Heat series. PNR

Blood Lite III: Aftertaste, ed. by Kevin J. Anderson

(Oct. 4, Simon and Schuster)

The third book in bestselling anthology series from the Horror Writers Association, edited by HWA founding member Kevin J. Anderson, the story collection features fun and gore from Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Heather Graham, L.A. Banks, Kelley, Armstrong, Christopher Golden, and more. (Note: I can’t find a cover available for this, which makes me wonder if it’s really coming out tomorrow as expected.) UF

Firestorm: Destroyermen, by Taylor Anderson

(Oct. 4, Roc)

Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker find themselves caught between the nation they swore to defend and the allies they promised to protect. For even as the Allies and the Empire of New Britain Isles stand united against the attacks of both the savage Grik and the tenacious Japanese, the "Holy Dominion"—a warped mixture of human cultures whose lust for power overshadows even the Grik—is threatening to destroy them both with a devastating weapon neither can withstand. SF

Angels of Darkness, by Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh,

Meljean Brook and Sharon Shinn (Oct. 4, Berkley)

They soar through the night, unearthly creatures of legends and lore. Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance explore the rapture of the heavens above, and the darkness below in four all-new stories of angels and guardians, and good and evil. PNR

Carnelians, by Catherine Asaro

(Oct. 4, Baen)

The leaders of the Eubian empire and Skolian Imperialate have survived political intrigue, military coups and murder attempts as they worked to forge a peace treaty. Now comes the hard part—making the treaty a reality. Assassins are poised on both sides. Their mission: eliminate the leaders for the "crime" of striving to end half a millennia of hatred. And as the main players in the peace process attempt to navigate the Byzantine convolutions surrounding the negotiations, an explosive pop anthem, Carnelians Finale, sweeps across three civilizations, its message inflaming passions. Fourth in the Saga of the Skolian Empire series. F

Better off Undead, by D.D. Barant

(Oct. 4, St. Martin’s)

Dark magic, unknown enemies, monsters of every stripe—FBI profiler Jace Valchek has seen it all. In this bizarre parallel universe, shapeshifting werewolves and bloodthirsty vampires don’t even warrant a raised eyebrow. That is, until Jace has to face what life might look like as one of them. It starts off as just another run-of-the-mill assignment: to track down the rogue don of a mafia werewolf family before he upsets the delicate balance of the underworld. But Jace wasn’t counting on being bitten—and soon she’s fighting the growing wolf inside her with a startling antidote—vampirism. Fourth in the Bloodhound Files series. UF

The Night Strangers, by Chris Bohjalian

(Oct. 4, Crown)

In a dusty corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire, a door has long been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts. The home’s new owners hope to rebuild their lives after Chip, an airline pilot, has to ditch his 70-seat regional jet in Lake Champlain. The body count? Thirty-nine. What follows is a story with a palpable sense of place, an unerring sense of the demons that drive us, and characters we care about. The difference this time? Some of those characters are dead. UF

The Traitor’s Daughter, by Paula Brandon

(Oct. 4, Spectra)

On the Veiled Isles, ominous signs are apparent to those with the talent to read them. Unaware of the cataclysmic events to come, Jianna Belandor, the privileged daughter of a powerful Faerlonnish overlord, has only one concern: the journey to meet her prospective husband. But revolution is stirring as her own conquered people rise up against their oppressors, and Jianna is kidnapped and held captive at a rebel stronghold. As plague and chaos grip the land, Jianna is pushed to the limits of her courage and resourcefulness, while virulent enemies discover that alliance is their only hope to save the human race. First in a new series. F

Inferno’s Kiss, by Monica Burns

(Oct. 4, Berkley)

Dante Condellaire, heir to the Sicari Lords, knows that being a leader means sacrifice. For Dante, it's relinquishing all erotic pleasures. But he never expected his willpower to be tested so fiercely by Cleopatra Vorenus, expert assassin of the Order, and daughter of the man he is positioned to succeed. Third in the Order of the Sicari series. PNR

Eve, by Anna Carey

(Oct. 4, HarperTeen)

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her girls’ school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. SF-YA

Magebane, by Lee Arthur Chane

(Oct. 4, DAW)

Four centures ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change. F

Deadly Pursuit, by Nina Croft

(Oct. 4, Entangled)

Breaking assassin Jonathon Decker out of a maximum security prison on Trakis One seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, pursued across space by the two most powerful factions in the universe, the crew of El Cazador are having second thoughts. They'd like to give him back. Unfortunately, that no longer seems an option. Jon is used to working alone. Now, he's stuck on the space cruiser El Cazador until he can work out just what he's supposed to know that puts him on everybody's most-wanted-dead list. He s not happy that the crew includes a runaway priestess with designs on his virtue, such as it is. Jon likes women, but he gave up the role of protector a long time ago, and Alexia, High Priestess of the Church of Everlasting Life, is an accident waiting to happen. PNR

Wolf at the Door, by MaryJanice Davidson

(Oct. 4, Berkley)

Rachel, a werewolf/accountant, is asked to keep one eye on Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor and the other peeled for a rogue werewolf who’s itching to start a war. But her attention is mostly on a sexy, mysterious stranger she wishes she could trust. A Wyndham Werewolf novel. PNR

A Touch of Crimson, by Sylvia Day

(Oct. 4, Signet)

Adrian Mitchell is a powerful angel leading an elite Special Ops unit of Seraphim. His task is to punish the Fallen-angels who have become vampires—and command a restless pack of indentured lycans. But Adrian has suffered his own punishment for becoming involved with mortals—losing the woman he loves again and again. Now, after two hundred years, he has found her soul inhabiting a new body, with no memory of him. And this time, he won't let her go. First in the Renegade Angels series. PNR

Chosen by Fate, by Virna DePaul

(Oct. 4, Berkley)

Although he keeps company with a vampire and a were, human shaman Caleb O'Flare can definitely hold his own. But neither his psychic ability nor his healing powers can help his sexy-as-hell teammate, Wraith—a ghost with no memory of her human existence, who cannot experience touch without pain. No wraith has managed to exist past its tenth year, so her time is about to run out. She wants only two things before accepting her fate: to learn her human identity, and experience one night with Caleb. Second in the Para-Ops series. PNR

Necropolis, by Michael Dempsey

(Oct. 4, Night Shade)

Fifty years ago, before being shot in a “random” crime, Paul Donner was an NYPD detective with a drinking problem and a marriage on the rocks. Now, revived by of the Shift, a process that reanimates dead DNA, Donner searches for those responsible for the destruction of his life. His quest for retribution leads him to the heart of the mystery surrounding the Shift’s origin and up against those who would use it to control a terrified nation. SF

The Vengeful Dead, by J.N. Duncan

(Oct. 4, Kensington)

Jackie Rutledge just cannot put her past to rest. Her Bureau partner is dead, but not gone. And her sanity is becoming as fragile as her career. Worst of all, a wrenching journey into Deadworld has given her unwanted new abilities—and exhuming memories she hoped to keep buried. Now a merciless force capable of possessing humans is on a killing spree, destroying the guilty and innocent alike. Second in the Jackie Rutledge series. UF

The Sacred Band, by David Anthony Durham

(Oct. 4, Doubleday)

With the first two books in the Acacia Trilogy, David Anthony Durham created a world in turmoil, where the surviving children of a royal dynasty are on a quest to realize their fates. As The Sacred Band begins, Queen Corinn strides the world as a result of her mastery of spells found in the ancient Book of Elenet. Her brother Dariel has been sent on a perilous mission to the Other Lands, while sister Mena confronts an invasion of the feared race of the Auldek. Their trajectories will converge in a series of world-shaping, earth-shattering battles. F

The Carrier of the Mark, by Leigh Fallon

(Oct. 4, HarperTeen)

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she’s surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís. But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction. YA

Silence, by Becca Fitzpatrick

(Oct. 4, Simon & Schuster)

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever. YA

The Twilight of Lake Woebegotton,

by Harrison Geillor (Oct. 4, Night Shade)

When Bonnie Grayduck relocates from sunny Santa Cruz, Calif., to the small town of Lake Woebegotten, Minn., to live with her estranged father, chief of the local two-man police department, she thinks she'’s leaving her troubles behind. But she soon becomes fascinated by another student—the brooding, beautiful Edwin Scullen, whose reclusive family hides a terrible secret. (Psst: they’re actually vampires. But they’re the kind who don’t eat people, so it’s okay.) But while Bonnie seems to her friends and family to be an ordinary, slightly clumsy girl, she’s not. This is a love story about monsters—and the vampire isn’t the monster. UF

Darkfall, by Janice Hardy

(Oct. 4, Balzer + Bray)

War has come. Nya’s the one who brought it. And the people love her for it. With Baseer in shambles and Geveg now an impenetrable military stronghold, Nya and the Underground have fled to a safer location—without Tali. Nya is guilt-ridden over leaving her sister behind and vows to find her, but with the rebellion in full swing and refugees flooding the Three Territories, she fears she never will. The Duke, desperate to reclaim the throne as his own, has rallied his powerful army. And they are on the move, destroying anyone who gets in the way. Third in the Healing Wars series. YA

See anything you want? So…International Reader’s Choice―you tell me. Just a note: if you like a title but it isn’t the first in a series, you can always request the first in that series instead. 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!