New Releases May 23-31 & Reader's Choice Cont*st

Not as huge a list today as I expected after last Monday’s big release week, but some interesting titles here spread across all the speculative genres, including the new title in Mike Shevdon's Courts of the Feyre series. Take a look-see, and pick the one you’d most like to win!

When Passion Lies (Shadow Keepers, Book 4), by J.K. Beck (May 29, Bantam)

FBI agent Alexis Martin knows that vampires exist—because one of them killed her sister. Assigned to investigate a series of bizarre homicides in Los Angeles, Alexis believes the murders are the work of rogue vampires—perhaps even the monster responsible for her sister’s death. Now she finally has a chance for retribution. Even better, Alexis receives unexpected help from a sexy stranger as hungry for rogue blood as she is.Serge is a centuries-old bad boy who stays off the grid—keeping his secrets, his hunger, and his heart safe from exposure. But the truth about what he is, and what he’s done, may banish him to the dark confines of his own private hell—and destroy the beginnings of their love.

Seeker of Shadows (Moonlight, Book 6), by Nancy Gideon (May 29, Pocket)

His town. Susanna Duchamps came to New Orleans to settle a debt and to temporarily escape the controlled constraints of her life among the Chosen. What she finds is an opportunity to make miraculous strides with her research into Shifter genetics . . . and an unexpected, but never forgotten, man from her complicated past. Her rules. Shifter club owner Jacques LaRoche is fiercely protective of his freedom. Stripped of his memories of a former life, he longs for the mate he lost . . . until the enticingly familiar presence of a mysterious stranger from the north ignites a primal, nearly uncontrollable need to release the untamed beast inside him. Their last chance. Susanna dares not tell Jacques it was she who sacrificed his past and her future years ago, to protect him and the secret she carried. But her arrival in New Orleans comes with consequences. When a bloody confrontation erupts between their enemy clans, will she betray her lover once again—or throw her own life on the line so they can finish what they started? Concluding novel in this series.

A Blood Seduction, by Pamela Palmer (May 29, Avon)

Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see—and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can’t do is forget about her—any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission—his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red.

Darkness Becomes Her (Offspring, Book 6), by Jaime Rush (May 29, Avon)

Lachlan and Jessie are two people who don’t play well with others. But they’re going to have to learn to, and quickly. Because they are the only two people in the world who can save each other.

Bleeding Out (OSI, Book 5), by Jes Battis (May 29, Ace)

While on leave from the Occult Special Investigations squad, Tess Corday is busy grappling with her own personal mysteries. She’s searching for the truth about her demonic heritage, dealing with the effects her unauthorized drug investigation are having on her relationship with her undead boyfriend—and now there’s a murder. This is not the vacation Tess was hoping for.

Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, Book 3), by Jennifer Estep (May 29, Kensington) 

I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. Young Adult.

Cursed (Alex Verus, Book 2), by Benedict Jacka (May 29, Ace)

Since his second sight made him infamous for defeating powerful dark mages, Alex has been keeping his head down. But now he’s discovered the resurgence of a forbidden ritual. Someone is harvesting the life-force of magical creatures—destroying them in the process. And draining humans is next on the agenda. Hired to investigate, Alex realizes that not everyone on the Council wants him delving any deeper. Struggling to distinguish ally from enemy, he finds himself the target of those who would risk their own sanity for power.U.S. release.

Darkness Before Dawn, by J.A. London (May 29, HarperTeen)

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters. Young Adult.

All Spell Breaks Loose (Raine Benares, Book 6), by Lisa Shearin (May 29, Ace)

My name is Raine Benares—and it sucks to be me. The Saghred, a soul-stealing stone that has given me unlimited power, has been stolen by a goblin prince, and with it went my magic. The Saghred is in the goblin capital of Regor, in the hands of Sarad Nukpana, who’s on the verge of becoming the most powerful mage ever—just as soon as I’m dead.Because Sarad can’t use the stone while I’m alive. Incentive enough to plan a little trip to Regor with a small band of good friends, not-so-good friends, and outright enemies. All we need to do is destroy the Saghred, kill Sarad, and put a renegade prince on the throne. Did I mention I’ll be doing this without magic?

Strangeness and Charm (The Courts of the Feyre, Book 3), byMike Shevdon (May 29, Angry Robot)

Alex has been saved from the fate that awaited her in Bedlam, but in freeing her, Niall has released others of their kind into the population—half-breed fey who have been mistreated, abused and tortured by the institution that was supposed to help them. Now, as Warder, he must find them and persuade them to swap their newfound liberty for security in the courts. But is the price of sanctuary to swap one cage for another?

Blood Lite III: Aftertaste, edited by Kevin J. Anderson (May 29, Pocket)

The third book in the anthology series from the Horror Writers Association — a frightfest of stories from authors as Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Heather Graham, L.A. Banks, Kelley Armstrong, and many more. Horror fiction explores the dark side of human nature, often pushing the limits of violence, graphic gore, and extreme emotions. Blood Lite III: Aftertastecontinues to put the fun back into dark fiction, featuring a wide range of humorous and highly entertaining horror-filled tales. Edited by Horror Writers Association founding member and award-winning author Kevin J. Anderson.

The Janus Affair (A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 2), by Philippa Ballantine & Tee Morris (May 29, Harper Voyager)

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain’s latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance, with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown. The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure. And though their foe be fiendishly clever, Miss Braun still has a number of useful and unusual devices hidden beneath her petticoats.

The Providence Rider (Matthew Corbett, Book 4), by Robert McCammon (May 31, Subterranean)

The Providence Riderbegins in the winter of 1703, with Matthew still haunted by his lethal encounter with notorious mass murderer Tyranthus Slaughter. When an unexplained series of explosions rocks his Manhattan neighborhood, Matthew finds himself forced to confront a new and unexpected problem. Someone is trying — and trying very hard — to get his attention. That someone is a shadowy figure from out of Matthew’s past: the elusive Dr. Fell. The doctor, it turns out, has a problem of his own, one that requires the exclusive services of Matthew Corbett.The ensuing narrative moves from the emerging metropolis of New York City to Pendulum Island in the remote Bermudas. In the course of his journey, Matthew encounters a truly Dickensian assortment of memorable, often grotesque, antagonists.

Harmony, by Keith Brooke (May 29, Solaris)

The aliens are here, all around us. They always have been. And now, one by one, they’re destroying our cities. Dodge Mercer deals in identities, which is fine until the day he deals the wrong identity and clan war breaks out. Hope Burren has no identity and no past, but she does have a multitude of voices filling her head. In a world where nothing is as it seems, where humans are segregated and aliens can sing realities and tear worlds apart, Dodge and Hope lead a ragged band of survivors on a search for sanctuary in what may be the only hope for humankind.

Weird Space: The Devil’s Nebula, by Eric Brown (May 29, Abaddon)A new space-opera series begins with the release of The Devil’s Nebula. Brown introduces readers to the human smugglers, veterans and ne’er-do-wells who are part of the Expansion, and their uneasy neighbours, the Vetch Empire. When an evil race threatens not only the Expansion, but the Vetch too—an evil from another dimension which infests humans and Vetch alike and bends individuals to do their bidding—only cooperation between them means the difference between a chance of survival and no chance at all. First in a new shared-world series.

Year’s Best SF 17, edited by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer (May 29, Harper Voyager)

A collection of science fiction offerings from Elizabeth Bear, Gregory Benford, Neil Gaiman, Nancy Kress, Michael Swanwick, Ken MacLeod, Ken Liu, Mercurio Rivera, Nnedi Okorafor, Karl Schroeder, Paul Park, Charlie Jane Anders, Judith Moffett, Madeline Ashby, Robert Reed, Karen Heuler, Tony Ballantyne, Bruce Sterling, Pat MacEwan, Gwyneth Jones, Genevieve Valentine. Yoon Ha Lee, and Carolyn Ives Gilman. (Cover Not Found)

Going Interstellar, edited by Les Johnson and Jack McDevitt (May 29, Baen)

Essays by space scientists and engineers teamed with a collection of tales by an assortment of award-winning authors all taking on new methods of star travel. Some humans may be content staying in one place, but many of us are curious about what’s beyond the next village, the next ocean, the next horizon. Are there others like us out there? How will we reach them?  Others are concerned with the survival of the species. It may be that we have to get out of Dodge before the lights go out on Earth. How can we accomplish this? Wonderful questions.  Now get ready for some answers. Authors include Ben Bova, Mike Resnick, Jack McDevitt, Michael Bishop, Sarah Hoyt and more.

Night’s Engines (The Nightbound Land, Book 2), by Trent Jamieson (May 29, Angry Robot)

The conclusion of the Nightbound Land duology. The Roil has not yet been defeated – and the Roil extends its grip on Shale, following the commands of the Dreaming Cities.Wars will be fought. Doomsday weapons employed. And night will fall.

Toxicity, by Andy Remic (May 29, Solaris)

Welcome to Manna, the utopian galaxy where all races exist in harmony. Manna is a place of wisdom, technology and art. On the edge of the galaxy, hides TOX1C, a reprocessing planet run by The Company and dealing with all Manna’s waste; there’s no poison The Company will not “recycle.” Jenni Xi, ECO Terrorist, is fighting a cleanup war against The Company. Svoolzard Koolimax, poet, swashbuckler, bon viveur, is Guest of Honour on a Masters Cruise when a violent attack leaves his Cruiser crashed. Horace is a torture model Anarchy Android, known simply as The Dentist. Horace works for The Company. Soon, he will meet Jenni and Svool—and the fate of Manna will change forever.

No Going Back (Jon & Lobo Series), by Mark L. Van Name (May 29, Baen)

Jon and Lobo are back—and everything is about to change. If they both survive. Haunted by memories of children he could not save, Jon Moore is so increasingly self-destructive that even his best friend, the hyper-intelligent Predator-Class Assault Vehicle, Lobo, is worried. When Jon risks meeting a woman from his distant past and undertakes a high-stakes mission, Lobo fears this will be their last. The job is illegal. They have to take on one of the oldest, most powerful men alive. Two different security forces are tracking them. And Jon is falling in love.

Casket of Souls (Nightrunner, Book 6), by Lynn Flewelling (May 29, Spectra)

More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before. Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhíminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface.And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.

Now…what do you want to read? Leave a comment and tell me, and I’ll draw one name to win his or her choice. International, as always. And if the book is in a series you haven’t started, you can always pick the first one in the series instead.

As always, four entries possible: +1 for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. This contest is international. Contests end at midnight CDT U.S., and winners are announced on Sunday’s blog. It’s the responsibility of the winner to contact me with their mailing info. Books unclaimed after a month will go into a general giveaway pile.

Now….go!