New Releases July 24-31 & Reader's Choice C*ntest

Remember the last couple of slow, lazy weeks? Not many books to choose from? Well, that’s over. Get ready. In fact, this list is so loaded (uh, hello--Kate Daniels, Kitty, Sands...Does everything have to come out at once?) I will run it two weeks. So a pick this week, and another pick next week.

First, the commercial messages. My alter-ego Susannah Sandlin is over at The SeraphineMuse as the Redemption Virtual Tour continues. And, yep, another chance to enter the giveaways, including a $50 Amazon gift card! Stop by and say howdy. Also, I'm over at the Star-CrossedRomance Blog, trying to get a conversation started about parnormal romance book covers. Come over and weigh in! 

Now…Reader’s Choice! As always, leave a comment telling me the book here you’d most like to win, and maybe random.org will make your wishes come true. International? Of course!

Now, here we go….

Night Forbidden (Envy Chronicles, Book 5), by Joss Ware (July 31, Avon)
The world is ash, destroyed, and now controlled by Strangers. Survivors live in constant peril. But in the heart of Envy, resistance grows. Somehow Bruno “Fence” Washington survived the apocalypse—emerging from a Sedona cave into a strange and terrible new world fifty years later. Now, scouring the ruined earth for answers about the malevolent Strangers, the former extreme sportsman encounters Ana, an Amazonian beauty who grew up in the ocean. Together they face a new evil rising up from the roiling waters to blanket the world in unending night.

The Lady is a Vamp (Argeneau, Book 17), by Lynsay Sands (July 31, Avon)
When Jeanne Louise Argeneau left work, she never thought she’d end up tied down by a good-looking mortal. More attracted than annoyed, she quickly realizes there is more to her abductor than meets the eye. Paul Jones has need of a vampire and only Jeanne Louise will do. He just has to convince this beauty of a vampire to help him.

When Temptation Burns (Shadow Keepers, Book 6), by J.K. Beck (July 31, 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. A new breed of vampire that feeds off other shadowers, Serge finds sweet torture in Alexis’s arms.

Alex Van Helsing: The Triumph of Death, by Jason Henderson (July 24, HarperTeen)
Within months of discovering he’s next in a long line of vampire hunters, Alex Van Helsing has already defeated two powerful vampire leaders. Not bad for a fourteen-year-old. But when a newly risen vampire queen threatens the fate of the world, Alex faces his deadliest challenge yet. Teaming up with a motorcycle-riding witch, Alex jets between Switzerland, the UK, and Spain in a frantic race to prevent the queen from unleashing a curse that will plunge the world into darkness. Young adult.

Endlessly (Paranormalcy, Book 3), by Kiersten White (July 24, HarperTeen)
Try as she might, Evie can’t seem to escape her not-so-normal past. And what was supposed to be a blissfully normal school break is ruined when a massive group of paranormals shows up at her house, claiming that Evie is the only one who can protect them from a mysterious, perilous fate. The deadly war between the faerie courts looms ever closer. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its future rests solely in Evie’s hands. Young adult.

Something Strange and Deadly, by Susan Dennard (July 24, HarperTeen)
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—The Dead are rising in Philadelphia. And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor from her brother. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. Young adult.

Technomancer, by B.V. Larson (July 24, 47North)
When Quentin Draith wakes up in a private sanatorium, he has no memory of who he is or how he received the injuries riddling his body. All he knows is that he has to get out, away from the drugs being pumped into him and back to the real world to search for answers. His first question: How did his friend Tony’s internal organs fill with sand, killing him in a Las Vegas car crash?After a narrow escape, he tracks down the basic facts: he is an investigator and blogger specializing in the supernatural—which is a good thing, because Quentin’s life is getting stranger by the minute. First in a new series.

Thirteen (Women of the Otherworld, Book 13), by Kelley Armstrong (July 24, Dutton)
It’s been more than ten years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it’s all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a conclusion. A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

All Seeing Eye, by Rob Thurman (July 31, Pocket)
Picking up a small pink shoe from the grass forever changed young Jackson Lee’s life. Not only did its presence mean that his sister Tessa was murdered and stuffed in the deep, black water of a narrow well, but the shoe itself told him so. Tessa’s death triggers an even more horrific family massacre that throws Jack’s life into a tailspin. The years quickly take him from state homes to the streets to grifting in a seedy carnival, until he finally becomes the cynical All Seeing Eye, psychic-for-hire. With his troubled past behind him, Jackson has found a semblance of peace, until the government blackmails him.

Blood and Feathers, by Lou Morgan (July 31, Solaris)
The war between the angels and the Fallen is escalating; the age-old balance is tipping, and innocent civilians are getting caught in the crossfire. If the balance is to be restored, the angels must act—or risk the Fallen taking control forever. That’s where Alice comes in. Hunted by the Fallen and guided by a disgraced angel with a drinking problem, Alice will learn the truth about her own history and why the angels want to send her to hell.

Darklands (Deadtown, Book 4), by Nancy Holzner (July 31, Ace)
They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border, but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human. Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.

Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, Book 5.5), by Ilona Andrews (July 31, Ace)
After being kicked out of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea Nash’s whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend, Kate Daniels. When several shapeshifters working for Andrea’s former lover Raphael Medrano, the male alpha of Clan Bouda, die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. As her search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, Andrea knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a backseat to saving the world.

Kitty Steals the Show (Kitty Norville, Book 10), by Carrie Vaughn (July 31, Tor)
Kitty has been tapped as the keynote speaker for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, taking place in London. The conference brings together scientists, activists, protestors, and supernatural beings from all over the world. Master vampires from dozens of cities have also gathered in London for a conference of their own. With the help of the Master of London, Kitty gets more of a glimpse into the Long Game—a centuries-old power struggle among vampires—than she ever has before. Kitty has the help of some old allies, and meets some new ones, such as Caleb, the alpha werewolf of the British Isles.

Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan, Book 4), by Kelly Gay (July 31, Pocket)
After filling out mountains of paperwork, Detective Charlie Madigan sets out for a death-defying trip into heavenly Elysia to rescue her partner Hank and bring the siren home. Of course, she doesn’t expect to leave behind an all out siren revolution or return home to find that crime boss Grigori Tennin has begun a massive search for the divine being, Ahkneri. Tennin’s tactics set off a chain reaction that puts Charlie in the crosshairs of the shadowy creature known as Death and awakens Ahkneri from her long sleep.

Sin’s Dark Caress (Dark Brethren), by Tracey O’Hara (July 31, Harper Voyager)
An ancient darkness has risen from the. Forensic witch Bianca Sin has never seen anything like it: homeless teenage girls torn to pieces by dark magic in the cold shadows of the city. More terrifying still is the symbol written in blood on an alley wall—the unmistakable seal of the Dark Brethren. Teaming up with NYPD homicide detective Lancelot McManus and an elite task force headed by the shapeshifter Oberon DuPrie, Bianca knows her worse fears have finally come to pass. A new war of annihilation is looming that will plunge the worlds of vampire, shapeshifter, and human into chaos. For the ultimate evil is no longer approaching. It’s here.

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, by Molly Harper (July 31, Pocket)
Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow’s only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she’d like. Running all their daylight errands—from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled O neg—gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vampire life. Her rules are strict; relationships with vamps are strictly business. But then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and only Iris can help. Cal - who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris allowed herself to think that way - offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place until he figures out who wants him permanently dead.

The Unspoken (Krewe of Hunters, Book 7), by Heather Graham (July 31, Mira)
1898: Bound for Chicago, the freighter Jerry McGuen goes down in Lake Michigan, taking with it every man aboard. But what other fate could befall a vessel carrying the ill-gotten sarcophagus of an Egyptian sorcerer? Because a curse unspoken is no less deadly. Now: A veteran diver and “ghost ship” expert is exploring the legendary wreck for a documentary. He dies inexplicably inside the freighter’s main saloon. Then another diver is killed and panicked rumors rise like bubbles from the lake: ancient demons have awakened below.

Imaginarium 2012: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing (Anthology) (July 24, ChiZine)
Features works by Kelley Armstrong, Cory Doctorow, Steven Erikson, Gemma Files, Silvia Monro-Garcia, David Nickle, Geoff Ryman, Peter Watts, Rio Youers, and more.

Carry the Flame, by James Jaros (July 31, Harper Voyager)
Having survived the terror of the Alliance and the single-minded fanaticism of its hideous religion, a caravan of survivors moves quickly into the Great American Desert, the wastes of what once was America’s heartland. With her daughters at her side—recently rescued Ananda and her daring older sister, Bliss—Jessie hopes to find sanctuary in the Arctic, now rumored to be temperate. But their enemies are powerful and relentless, and will not rest until they possess the caravan’s most precious treasures: their prepubescent female children, a stolen tanker filled with fuel and a pair of frightened twins.

Coup D’Etat (The War That Came Early, Book 4), by Harry Turtledove (July 31, Del Rey)
In the winter of 1941, as the Germans, with England and France on their side, slam deep into Russia, Stalin’s terrible machine fights for its life. The war between Germany and Russia is rocked by men with the courage to aim their guns in a new direction. England is the first to be shaken. Following the suspicious death of Winston Churchill, a small cabal begins to imagine the. With civil liberties hanging by a thread, a conspiracy forms against the powers that be. Meanwhile, in America, a woman who has met Hitler face-to-face urges her countrymen to wake up to his evil.

Cuttlefish, by Dave Freer (July 24, Pyr)
Fourteen-year-old Clara’s mother has notes that may lead to synthetic ammonia to save the 1950s-era world from global warming. The two of them find themselves aboard the submarine Cuttlefishon the run from the Russians, the British and possibly the Americans.

An Officer’s Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why, Book 2), by Jean Johnson (July 31, Ace)
Promoted in the field for courage and leadership under fire, Ia is now poised to become an officer in the Space Force Navy—once she undertakes her Academy training. But on a trip back home to Sanctuary, she finds the heavyworld colony being torn apart by religious conflict. Now Ia must prepare her family and followers to secure the galaxy’s survival. Her plan is to command a Blockade Patrol ship. Her goal, to save as many lives as she can. But at the Academy, she discovers an unexpected challenge: the one man who could disrupt those plans. The man whose future she cannot foresee.

Chimera (The Subterrene War, Book 3), by T.C. McCarthy (July 31, Orbit)
Escaped Germline soldiers need to be cleaned up, and Stan Resnick is the best man for the job. Operatives from China and Unified Korea are gathering escaped or stolen Russian and American genetics, and there are reports of new biological nightmares: half-human things, bred to live their entire lives encased in powered armor suits. Stan fights to keep himself alive and out of prison while he attempts to capture a genetic, one who will be able to tell them everything they need to know about this new threat, the one called “Project Sunshine.”

vN, by Madeline Ashby (July 31, Angry Robot)
Amy Peterson is a self-replicating humanoid robot known as a VonNeumann. For the past five years, she has been grown slowly as part of a mixed organic/synthetic family. She knows very little about her android mother’s past, so when her grandmother arrives and attacks her mother, Amy wastes no time: she eats her alive. Now she carries her malfunctioning granny as a partition on her memory drive, and she’s learning impossible things about her clade’s history—like the fact that she alone can kill humans without fail-safing. First in a new series.

Blood of the Emperor (The Annals of Drakis, Book 3), by Tracy Hickman (July 31) 
It appears that an ancient prophecy is about to be fulfilled as the human named Drakis — formerly one of countless warrior-slaves to the elves of the Rhonas Empire — returns from his quest in the North. Flying into the rebel camp with his surviving companions on the backs of the legendary dragons that were once humankind’s most powerful allies, Drakis is hailed as the champion of all the slave races. But it is not a prophecy that drives Drakis in his war against the elves and their emperor. Rather it is his burning desire for revenge against the cruel ruler whom Drakis believes has stolen any chance he has for finding peace.

Exile (The Outcast Chronicles, Book 2), by Rowena Cory Daniells(July 31, Solaris)
King Chald has banished the mystics. Their leader, Imoshen, hopes to find a new home for her people but first they must reach port. Fearing they will be waylaid, robbed and murdered, Imoshen offers a reward for living mystics. When he arrives in port, Tobazim discovers the mystics’ ships have been stolen and merchants are charging exorbitant prices for supplies. Meanwhile, Ronnyn and his family are kidnapped by fishermen eager for the reward. Whether the ships are ready or not, on the first day of winter all the mystics must leave. Those who remain behind will be hunted down and executed. Time is running out for Imoshen, Tobazim and the children.

The Crown of the Usurper (Crown of the Blood, Book 3), by Gav Thorpe (July 31, Angry Robot)
Ullsaard rules the known world. All are subject to his will. Yet even as another king bows before him, there are those who would wrench his empire from beneath him. He must risk losing the lands he has conquered to confront a foe far more powerful than any he has faced before. As alliances shift and old enemies return, will he save the empire he has given his life to, or let it fall to ruin?

The Wanderers (Veiled Isles, Book 3), by Paula Brandon (July 31, Spectra) 
Falaste Rione is imprisoned, sentenced to death. And even though the magical balance of the Source is slipping and the fabric of reality itself has begun to tear, Jianna Belandor can think only of freeing the man she loves. But to do so, she must join a revolution she once despised and risk reunion with a husband she has ample reason to fear. Meanwhile, undead creatures terrorize the land, slaves of the Overmind, a relentless consciousness determined to bring everything that lives under its sway. All that stands in the way is a motley group of arcanists whose combined powers will barely suffice to restore balance to the Source.

Holy cow…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. If there’s a new release in another genre this week you’d like to read, leave that in your comment. If I’ve missed a speculative fiction release, leave it in the comments and I’ll add it in—it’s eligible for giveaway.

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 to any place Book Depository has free shipping. Contests end at midnight CDT U.S. on Saturday, 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!