New Releases August 19-26 and Reader's Choice C*ntest

Funny how all the heavy release weeks are the first and last weeks of the month. Which lets us catch our breaths for a couple of weeks. In other words, this is a light week. Next week? Not so much, so get ready!

Now…Reader’s Choice time. 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! As long as Book Depository delivers to your country, please do enter.

Now, here we go…. 

Savage Redemption, by Alexis Morgan (August 21, Harlequin)

Just when he’s getting his life back on track, the woman responsible for ruining it arrives in jeopardy-on his doorstep. When gunfire erupts just outside the gates of the O’Day estate, chief of security Conlan Shea is first on the scene. With bared fangs, the half vampire, half human gently turns the wounded victim over only to find himself staring into the exquisite turquoise eyes of the woman who ripped his heart out three years ago. 

Shifter’s Destiny, by Anna Leonard (August 21, Harlequin)

Nothing can stop a shape-shifter from fulfilling his legacy except a beguiling yet forbidden young woman on a quest to save her sister. There are some boundaries mustangs must never cross-even for true love. Libby wasn’t looking for anything but escape when she took her little sister and fled the malevolent cult they once called family. When a horse appears to carry them from danger, she sees only a ride, and not the horn set in its forehead. 

Ghost Key, by Trish J. Macgregor (August 21, Tor)

Dominica and her tribe of hungry ghosts were driven from Esperanza, that magical city high in the Andes, but they were not all destroyed. As a last devastating blow against Tess Livingston, Dominica seized Tess’s niece Maddie as a host, and fled to the United States. The evil bruja has settled in a small resort town in Florida and is cementing her power over a new tribe of unquiet dead. But she will not be able to take over Cedar Key, not without arousing the suspicion of the U.S. government. And not without attracting the attention of Wayra, her oldest lover and most bitter enemy. 

Widow’s Web (Elemental Assassin #7), by Jennifer Estep (August 21, Pocket)

Once an assassin, always an assassin. So much for being plain old Gin Blanco. With every lowlife in Ashland gunning for me, I don’t need another problem, but a new one has come to town. Salina might seem like a sweet Southern belle, but she’s really a dangerous enemy whose water elemental magic can go head-to-head with my own Ice and Stone power. Salina also has an intimate history with my lover, Owen Grayson, and now that she’s back in town, she thinks he’s hers for the taking. 

Hidden Things: A Novel, by Doyce Testerman (August 21, Harper Voyager)

A phone call from a soon-to-be-deceased ex-boyfriend launches a young woman on a bizarre road trip to a dark supernatural world hidden beneath America’s heartland. Among the hidden things are goblins, dragons, a road-weary clown, and creatures that have never been categorized, joining a smart, tough, courageous female protagonist on a wild cross-country thrill ride. 

Such Wicked Intent (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #2), by Kenneth Oppel (August 21, Simon & Schuster)

When does obsession become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will never dabble in the dark sciences again, just as he vows he will no longer covet Elizabeth, his brother’s betrothed. If only these things were not so tempting. When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor’s twin, Konrad, and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite possibilities where power and passion reign.   

The Manual of Aeronautics: An Illustrated Guide to the Leviathan Series (Leviathan), by Scott Westerfeld and Keith Thompson (August 21, Simon Pulse)

An illustrated guide to the inner workings of the Darwinist and Clanker powers.  This guid draws back the curtain and reveals the inner depths of the fascinating alternative world of Darwinist beasties and Clanker walkers, weapons, transport and uniforms that Deryn and Alek encounter throughout their around-the-world adventures. 

Fate of Worlds:  Return from the Ringworld, by Larry Niven andEdward M. Lerner (August 21, Tor)

For decades, the spacefaring species of Known Space have battled over the largest artifact—and grandest prize—in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. But without warning the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. Something must justify the blood and treasure that have been spent. But the crises converging upon the trillion Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds go far beyond even the onrushing armadas. 

The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies Trilogy #3), by Pittacus Lore(August 21, HarperCollins)

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I’d been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive. Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we’re looking for the others, including John. But so are they. 

The Unincorporated Future (Unincorporated Man #4), by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin (August 21, Tor)

Sandra O’Toole is the president of the Outer Alliance, which stretches from the asteroid belt to the Oort Cloud beyond Pluto. Resurrected following the death of Justin Cord, the unincorporated man, O’Toole has become a powerful political figure and a Machiavellian leader determined to win the Civil War against the inner planets at almost any cost. 

Black Bottle, by Anthony Huso (August 21, Tor)

Tabloids sold in the Duchy of Stonehold claim that the High King, Caliph Howl, has been raised from the dead. His consort, Sena Iilool, both blamed and celebrated for this act, finds that a macabre cult has sprung up around her. As this news spreads, Stonehold—long considered unimportant—comes to the attention of the emperors in the southern countries. They have learned that the seed of Sena’s immense power lies in an occult book, and they are eager to claim it for their own. 

Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2), by Shannon Hale (August 21, Bloomsbury USA)

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting until she learns that they have some frightening plans. Young Adult.  

A Guile of Dragons, by James Enge (August 24, Pyr)

Before history began, the dwarves of Thrymhaiam fought against the dragons as the Longest War raged in the deep roads beneath the Northhold. Now the dragons have returned, allied with the dead kings of Cor and backed by the masked gods of Fate and Chaos. The dwarves are cut off from the Graith of Guardians in the south. Their defenders are taken prisoner or corrupted by dragonspells. The weight of guarding the Northhold now rests on the crooked shoulders of a traitor’s son, Morlock syr Theorn. 

Reaper (Lightbringer #2), by K.D. McEntire (August 24, Pyr)

After the death of her mother, Wendy learns that she is part of a powerful and ancient family of Reapers. She has only a matter of days to unravel the mysteries her mother left behind and to convince her wary family to accept her as one of their own. Young Adult.

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. 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 ships. 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!