New Releases Nov. 5-11 and Reader's Choice C*ntest

A busy-ish week in new releases as we start the march toward the holidays. I am SO not ready for holidays. Can we postpone them this year? Maybe until March? I might be ready for Thanksgiving by March. Maybe Christmas in June?

What do you want to read? As always, leave a comment telling me the book you’d most like to win (or the first in its series), and maybe random.org will make your wishes come true. If the book is part of a series, you can request the first book in the series. Your choice of print or digital unless otherwise stated. International? Of course! As long as Book Depository delivers to your country, please enter.

Here we go…. 

Darkness Hunts: A Dark Angels Novel (Dark Angels #4), by Keri Arthur (November 6, Signet Select)

Risa Jones, half-Aedh/half-werewolf, can enter the realm between life and death. She can speak to the dying and the dead, and she can see the reapers, collectors of souls. What she cannot yet see is the identity of a stranger murdering women and draining their blood. Risa must summon her gifts to find him. The killer knows who she is. He tells her his victims are infected by darkness and he’s fated to destroy them. Fascinated by Risa, he engages her in a sinister game: the chance to save the life of his next victim by deciphering his series of clues. She enlists the help of the reaper Azriel. As an attraction between them grows, so does the fear that the stranger’s motives are only part of a larger, more dangerous stratagem, one that that has lured Risa and Azriel into the dark.

Dire Wants (Eternal Wolf Clan #2), by Stephanie Tyler (November 6, Signet)

The supernatural world is rising up against the human one. The weretrappers want control, and only the immortal Dire wolves stand in the way of total destruction. Stray, a Dire, and his long-lost brother, Killian, emerge as the leaders of their pack. To keep themselves and the humans safe, the Dires need a witch as powerful as Seb, who betrayed the Dires to work for the weretrappers. They find what they are looking for in Kate. Stray senses Kate’s abilities as a witch and recruits her to help the Dires, all the while knowing she is so powerful they will need to kill her once she helps defeat the weretrappers. Stray doesn’t expect the powerful connection that he feels with Kate. They cannot hide their feelings for each other, and what once was taboo now seems inevitable.

Enslaved (Eternal Guardians #5), by Elisabeth Naughton (November 6, Sourcebooks)

She calls to him. Come to me. You can’t resist. But Gryphon will not allow himself to be ruled by the insidious whispers in his head. And there’s only one way to stop them: kill Atalanta, the goddess who enslaved him. But with so much darkness inside, he can’t be sure what’s real anymore. Even the Eternal Guardians, those who protect the human realms and the gods, want to exile him….Finding Malea is like a miracle. Somehow he doesn’t feel the pull of the dark when she’s near. And he’s determined to keep her as near as possible, whether she wants him close or not. But she’s a temptation that will test every bit of control he has left. One that may ultimately have the power to send him back to the Underworld...or free him from his chains for good. 

Spellfire (Nightkeepers #8), by Jessica Andersen (November 6, Signet)

Imprisoned and tortured by the demoness who tricked him into betraying the Nightkeepers and the woman he loves, Rabbit must endure excruciating pain to protect the diminished Skywatch army as the end-time approaches. He hasn’t just lost his credibility, he’s lost his magic. Myrinne is far from the woman Rabbit once knew, she’s got magic now and she’s strong enough to help the Nightkeepers. She’s not prepared to handle the fiercely driven man he’s become or the dangerous feelings that spark between them. With the barrier ready to fall and a xombi outbreak in the human world, Rabbit and Myrinne must forge a new partnership amid dangerous instability and the threat of an undead army. It will be up to Rabbit to master his ferocious magic, or all will be lost. 

The Fangover, by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love (November 6, Berkley Trade)

When her brother Johnny dies, Stella Malone’s grief lands her in the buff arms of The Impalers’ bass player. A tipsy argument leads to her getting stuck in bat form at the wake. The rest of the hungover Impalers are in no shape to help her. Wyatt doesn’t have a clue what happened last night, either, nor does he know that Stella is the bat currently dive-bombing his head. There is a priest passed out in the bathtub and an alcoholic parrot squawking about a chapel of love. Which might explain the ring on Berto Cortez’s finger. How did a night of rock ’n’ roll debauchery result in him turning sexy washboard player Katie Lambert into a vampire and then marrying her? These four friends turned amnesiac couples have only one choice: hit the famed Bourbon Street for some answers. 

Untamed (The Amoveo Legend #3), by Sara Humphreys(November 6, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

The Amoveo are an ancient race who’ve lived secretly among humans for thousands of years. They are beautiful and incredibly strong but their race is extremely fragile, each has until the age of 30 to find their soul mate, before their bodies start to die a slow, painful death. Layla Nickelsen has spent her life running from a mate she didn’t choose, until William Fleury finally confronts her. Normally stoic and unemotional, William finds himself befuddled by Layla: his growing feelings for her and his driving need to protect her. And Layla has to admit that William might be everything she’s always wanted after all. 

Wolfishly Yours (Westfield Wolves #6), by Lydia Dare (November 6, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Grayson Hadley is in his own special hell-being treated like a wayward pup by the tutor employed to turn him into a true gentleman. So when he meets a hot-blooded American beauty with the mark of a Lycan, he’s only too glad to slip his leash…Accustomed to running wild in the swamps of Louisiana, Miss Liviana Mayeux is shipped off to her grandfather’s in London to learn a thing or two about polite society. At first she scoffs at the English Lycans’ apparent tameness. Little does Livi realize how very close she is to unleashing the passion that lies just beneath the surface.... 

Bitter Blood (The Morganville Vampires #13), by Rachel Caine(November 6, NAL)

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news, or worse. 

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2), by Laini Taylor (November 6, Little, Brown Books)

Young Adult. Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is, and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life. While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? 

Lord’s Fall (Elder Races #5), by Thea Harrison (November 6, Berkley)

Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr, Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners, in more places than just the bedroom. In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear. 

Magic for a Price (Allie Beckstrom #9), by Devon Monk(November 6, Roc)

With Portland about to descend into chaos, Allie needs to find a way to purify the wells of tainted magic beneath the city. But the only options left to her are grim: attempt to close down magic forever, or follow her father’s plan to set magic into the right hands, even though she’s learned to never trust his word. Now, Allie will have to make a choice and face the darkness of her own deepest fears, before time runs out for them all. 

Polterheist (Esther Diamond #5), by Laura Resnick (November 6, DAW)

Struggling actress Esther Diamond’s latest Manhattan misadventure leads her into the twisted realm of greedy heirs battling over a retail empire, a series of heists pulled off by invisible thieves, and inanimate objects that grow fangs and fly through the air to attack a poor actress who’s just trying to earn enough money to pay her rent. As an ancient Evil prepares to unleash hell on a night when darkness prevails and dimensional barriers crumble, Esther Diamond battles to save her friends from deadly peril, protect her city from demonic disaster, and collect her paycheck in time to make rent. 

Still Life with Shape-shifter (Shifting Circle #2), by Sharon Shinn (November 6, Ace)

Melanie Landon and her half-sister share a unique bond. For her entire life, Melanie has hidden the fact that Ann is a shape-shifter. Melanie is determined to keep Ann’s secret and protect her from a world that wouldn’t understand. For months, Melanie hasn’t seen or heard from Ann. When a man shows up saying he’s there about her sister, Melanie fears the worst. Brody Westerbrook doesn’t have information about Ann. A freelance writer, Brody intends to include Ann in a book he’s writing about the existence of shape-shifters. While Melanie is immediately drawn to the stranger on her doorstep, she denies his claims, knowing that trusting him isn’t an option. When Ann finally appears looking thin and sick, Melanie realizes exposure is the least of their worries. 

Flash Point, by Nancy Kress (November 8, Viking Juvenile)

Young Adult. Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she’s right to have them. TLN’s Who Knows People, Baby—You? has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life, on and off camera. 

Bronze Summer: The Northland Trilogy (Northland #2), byStephen Baxter (November 6, Roc)

Centuries have passed. The wall that Ana’s people built has long outlasted her and history has been changed. The British Isles are still one with the European mainland and Doggerland has become a vibrant and rich land. So rich that it has drawn the attention of the Greeks. An invasion is mounted and soon Greek Biremes are grinding ashore on a coastline we never knew and the world will be changed forever. U.S. release. 

Divide and Conquer (Infinity Ring #2), by Carrie Ryan (November 6, Scholastic)

Young Adult. Dak, Sera, and Riq might be in over their heads when they attempt to stop a Viking invasion! Hundreds of ships carrying thousands of warriors are laying siege to medieval Paris. The Parisians are holding their own, but the stalemate can only last so long. And that’s bad news, especially since Dak has been captured, forced to work alongside the Vikings while Sera and Riq defend Paris from within. No matter which side wins, the kids lose. 

Her Sky Cowboy (The Glorious Victorious Darcys #1), by Beth Ciotta (November 6, Signet)

Amelia Darcy has no interest in marrying well. Her heart belongs to the sky and the dirigibles that swoop over Victorian England. But when her father, an eccentric inventor, dies, the Darcy siblings are left with not a penny to their names. Their only hope is to embark on a contest to discover an invention of historical importance. Armed with only her father’s stories of a forgotten da Vinci workshop, a mechanically enhanced falcon, and an Italian cook, Amelia takes flight for Florence, Italy. Her quest is altered when her kitecycle crashes into the air ship of ex-Air Marshal Tucker Gentry. Challenged by a devious sky pirate and their own sizzling attraction, Amelia and Tuck are dragged into an international conspiracy that could change the course of history, again. 

Revenant Eve (Dobrenica #3), by Sherwood Smith (November 6, DAW)

Kim is happily planning her wedding when she finds herself pulled two centuries back in time. It’s 1795, the rise of Napoleon, and Kim is now a guardian spirit for a twelve-year-old kid who will either become Kim’s ancestor, or the timeline will alter and Kim will vanish, along with Dobrenica. The child called Aurelie de Mascarenhas must get to Dobrenica, or more than the Dsaret family will vanish. From Jamaica to England to the Paris of the early 1800s, Kim and Aurelie travel, sharing adventures and learning more about Vrajhus, the Blessing, and the Nasdrafus than is known in Dobrenica’s modern times. Along the way to wedding bells or annihilation, Kim makes a shocking discovery. 

The Dragon Men (Clockwork Empire #3), by Steven Harper(November 6, Roc)

Gavin Ennock has everything a man could desire, except time. As the clockwork plague consumes his body and mind, it drives him increasingly mad and fractures his relationship with his fiancée, Alice, Lady Michaels. Their only hope is that the Dragon Men of China can cure him. But a power-mad general has seized the Chinese throne in a determined offensive to conquer Asia, Britain, and indeed, the entire world. He has closed the country’s borders to all foreigners. The former ruling dynasty, however, is scheming to return the rightful heir to power. Their designs will draw Gavin and Alice down a treacherous path strewn with intrigue and power struggles. One wrong step will seal Gavin’s fate and determine the future of the world. 

The Lazarus Machine (Tweed and Nightingale Adventures #1), by Paul Crilley November 6, Pyr)

An alternate 1895, a world where Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace perfected the Difference engine. Steam and Tesla-powered computers are everywhere. Automatons powered by human souls venture out into the sprawling London streets. It is in this claustrophobic, paranoid city that seventeen-year-old Sebastian Tweed and his conman father struggle to eke out a living. A murderous, masked gang has moved into London, spreading terror through the criminal ranks. A single name comes to be uttered in fearful whispers. Professor Moriarty. When Tweed’s father is kidnapped by Moriarty, he is forced to team up with information broker Octavia Nightingale to track him down. But he soon realizes that his father’s disappearance is just a tiny piece of a political conspiracy. 

Hair Side, Flesh Side, by Helen Marshall (November 7, ChiZine)

A child receives the body of Saint Lucia of Syracuse for her seventh birthday. A rebelling angel rewrites the Book of Judgement to protect the woman he loves. A young woman discovers the lost manuscript of Jane Austen written on the inside of her skin. A 747 populated by a dying pantheon makes the extraordinary journey to the beginning of the universe. Lyrical and tender, quirky and cutting, Helen Marshall’s debut collection weaves the fantastic and the horrific alongside the touchingly human in fifteen modern parables about history, memory, and cost of creating art.

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version, by Philip Pullman (November 8, Viking Adult)

Two hundred years ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales. Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment, witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White,” Philip Pullman recasts the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm. From much-loved stories like “Cinderella” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Rapunzel” and “Hansel and Gretel” to lesser-known treasures like “Briar-Rose,” “Thousandfurs,” and “The Girl with No Hands,” Pullman retells his fifty favorites. 

A Cosmic Christmas, edited by Hank Davis (November 6, Baen)

A Cosmic Christmas presents twelve stories of Christmas in very unusual circumstances, ranging from vampires to robots, from the hills of Appalachia to a high orbit space station, all celebrating the holiday in their own, offbeat ways. Larry Correia sends his popular tough guy detective and magicwielder, Jake Sullivan, on a special case. Mark L. Van Name’s Lobo drops his usual cynical pose when challenged bya troubled family at Christmas time. Catherine Asaro tells of a romantic weekend that turns into a mystery in a futuristic high-tech house. Mercedes Lackey delivers a ghost story with a not-so-friendly visitation from the beyond, and George O. Smith is on hand with an episode from his classic Venus Equilateral series. 

Apollo’s Outcasts, by Allen Steele (November 6, Pyr)

Jamey Barlowe has been crippled since childhood, the result of being born on the Moon. He lives his life in a wheelchair. Jamey’s father sends him, along with five other kids, back to the Moon to escape a political coup d’etat that has occurred in the United States. One of the other five refugees is more than she appears. Their destination is the mining colony, Apollo. Jamey will have to learn a whole new way to live, one that entails walking for the first time in his life. Jamey is determined to make it as a member of Lunar Search and Rescue, also known as the Rangers. Soon Jamey is front and center in a political and military struggle stretching from the Earth to the Moon. 

Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance (Vorkosigan Saga #15), by Lois McMaster Bujold (November 6, Baen)

Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor’s life as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. When an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractiveyoung woman, Ivan’s chivalrous nature takes over. Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on planet Jackson’s Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. It’s a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barayarran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej’s homeworld. 

Swords of Waar, by Nathan Long (November 6, Night Shade)

Jane Carver, a hell-raising, redheaded biker chick from Coral Gables, Florida, had found a new life and love on Waar, a savage planet of fearsome creatures and swashbuckling warriors. Until the planet’s high priests sent her back to Earth against her will. But nobody keeps Jane from her man, even if he happens to be a purple-skinned alien nobleman. Against all odds, she returns to Waar, only to find herself accused of kidnapping the Emperor’s beautiful daughter. Allying herself with a band of notorious sky-pirates, Jane sets out to clear her name and rescue the princess, but that means uncovering the secret origins of the Gods of Waar, and picking a fight with the Wargod himself. Good thing Jane is always up for a scrap. 

The Cassandra Project, by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick(November 6, Ace)

Jerry Culpepper could never have been accused of being idealistic. Doing public relations, even for politicians, was strictly business. Until he was hired as NASA’s public affairs director and discovered a client he could believe in. Proud of the agency’s history, he was thrilled to be a part of its future. Public disinterest and budget cuts changed that future. A half century after the first moon landing, Jerry feels like the only one with stars, and unexplored planets and solar systems, in his eyes. Then a fifty-year-old secret about the Apollo XI mission is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in the biggest controversy of the twenty-first century. One that will test his ability, and his willingness, to spin the truth about a conspiracy of reality-altering proportions. 

The Creative Fire (Ruby’s Song #1), by Brenda Cooper (November 6, Pyr)

Ruby Martin expects to spend her days repairing robots and avoiding the dangerous peacekeeping forces that roam the corridors of the generation ship The Creative Fire. Her best friend has been raped and killed and the ship is falling apart around her. Everything changes when a ship-wide accident reveals secrets she and her friends had only imagined. Now, she has to fight for her freedom. Her weapons are a fabulous voice, a quick mind, a deep stubbornness, and a passion for freedom. Complicating it all are an unreliable A.I. and an enigmatic man she met and kissed exactly once, and one of them may hold the key to her success. If Ruby can’t transform from a rebellious teen to the leader of a revolution, she and all her friends will lose all say in their future, and nothing will ever change. 

Silhouette: A Peacer Novel, by Dave Swavely (November 13, Thomas Dunne Books)

A post-quake San Francisco is ruled by a corporation called the Bay Area Security Service. Its founder, Saul Rabin, is revered by many as the savior of the city, but by others he is feared and loathed as a fascist tyrant. Because of the cutting-edge antigravity technology being developed by his company, this controversial figure is about to become the most powerful man in the world. To his protégé, Michael Ares, the old man is a mysterious benefactor whom he respects and admires. When Michael’s daughter and best friend are brutally murdered, he follows a trail of evidence that leads dangerously close to home. A future world of aerocars, net glasses, and neural cyberware provides the backdrop for this tale of good and evil, revenge and love, infamy and destiny. 

Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters #6), by Juliet Marillier(November 6, Roc)

Maeve, daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, was badly burned as a child and carries the legacy of that fire in her crippled hands. After ten years, she’s returning home with a special gift for gentling difficult animals. But while her body’s scars have healed, her spirit remains fragile. Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son, married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish. When Maeve finds the body of one of the missing men, she and her brother Finbar embark on a journey that may bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign. Maeve may open the door to a future she has not dared to believe possible. 

Phoenix Rising, by Ryk E. Spoor (November 6, Baen)

Kyri is a highborn young woman whose life is shattered by the murder of her kin.  As Kyri flees her beloved land Evanwyl, she knows that she is her family’s only hope for justice, and Evanwyl’s only chance to escape a growing shadow of corruption and destruction.  Kyri’s quest is to find a legendary, ancient weapon smith, take up the sword and armor of a new order of warrior-defenders, and bring the power of justice and vengeance to the evil and corruption that has darkened her native land.  

Rapture (Bel Dame Apocrypha #3), by Kameron Hurley(November 6, Night Shade)

After years in exile, Nyxnissa so Dasheem is back in action in service to the bel dames, a sisterhood of elite government assassins. The end of a centuries-long holy war between her country, Nasheen, and neighboring Chenja has flooded the streets of Nasheen with unemployed, and unemployable, soldiers whose frustrations have brought the nation to the brink of civil war. Somebody has kidnapped a key politician whose death could trigger a bloody government takeover. With aliens in the sky and revolution on the ground, Nyx assembles a team of mad magicians, torturers,and mutant shape-shifters for a journey across a flesh-eating desert in search of a man she’s not supposed to kill. Trouble is, killing is the only thing Nyx is good at. And she already left this man to die. 

The Silvered, by Tanya Huff (November 6, DAW)

The Empire has declared war on the small, were-ruled kingdom of Aydori, capturing five women of the Mage-Pack, including the wife of the were Pack-leader. With the Pack off defending the border, it falls to Mirian Maylin and Tomas Hagen, she a low-level mage, he younger brother to the Pack-leader, to save them. Together the two set out on the kidnappers’ trail, racing into the heart of enemy territory. With every step the odds against them surviving and succeeding soar. 

The Woodcutter, by Kate Danley (November 6, 47North)

Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity. The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt. He finds that one murdered maiden is not the only mystery afoot. One of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a mansion appears where it shouldn’t, a pixie dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is the malevolent, power-hungry queen. She will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae, unless the Woodcutter can outmaneuver her and save the gentle souls of the Wood. 

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty, by Jane Yolen (November 8, Philomel)

Young Adult. Gorse is the thirteenth and youngest in a family of fairies tied to the evil king’s land and made to do his bidding. Because of an oath made to the king’s great-great-ever-so-many-times-great-grandfather, if they try to leave or disobey the royals, they will burst into a thousand stars. When accident-prone Gorse falls ill just as the family is bid to bless the new princess, a fairytale starts to unfold. Sick as she is, Gorse races to the castle with the last piece of magic the family has left—a piece of the Thread of Life. But that is when accident, mayhem, and magic combine to drive Gorse’s story into the unthinkable, threatening the baby, the kingdom, and all.  

Five entries possible: +1 for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow, +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest, +1 for a Facebook follow. 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!