December New Releases

I remember back in October Nath and I were discussing upcoming books. We were both bemoaning the fact that December didn't seem to have that many releases. Fortunately, that is no longer the case and there is lots to look forward to! Let's hope we all get giftcards for Christmas so we can spoil ourselves a bit.


December 1

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis
published by Grand Central Publishing

Breaking rules and breaking hearts

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe's colorful past keep her from a love that lasts . . . and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Lucky Harbor #3

Ames: I still haven't read the other two books in this series but I'm going to soon because this one sounds good. I like when the hero is in law enforcement. :P

Monroe: Already bought it! WOOP!

Nath: This time, I'm resisting!!


Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
published by Sourcebooks Fire

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Genre: Young Adult
Series: n/a

Ames: I've already read this one for Netgalley and I thought it was super cute! I really recommend it if you want something a little bit different in your contemporary YA. A female football player!

Monroe: This one DOES sound super cute! Im not normally one for Tom Boy kinda gals but I see this one turning out great!

Nath: This book really caught my attention. First, I think the cover is awesome, but the story is also really interesting. A girl playing quarterback in a high school team? Definitively unusual premise and something that made me wanted to read Catching Jordan :)


December 5

Men Under the Mistletoe by Josh Lanyon, Harper Fox, Ava March and KA Mitchell
published by Carina Press

A man receives the gift of pleasure at the hands of two expert lovers. Boyhood sweethearts get a second chance at romance. Two very proper gentlemen indulge their forbidden desires. And a Christmas tree farmer has an epiphany. It may be cold outside but these four holiday novellas will warm you up.

Genre: M/M Romance
Series: n/a

Ames: Carina Press put out a Christmas anthology last year and it was really good. I'm really looking forward to this because all those authors are super talented.


December 6

Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James
published by Avon Impulse

It could only happen in a fairy tale.

Lady Lucy Towerton:
Plain and tall. (According to the lady herself.)
Titled and irreproachably proper. (According to her fiancé.)

Until, overnight, she becomes

Lady Lucy Towerton:
Heiress. (Thanks to an aged aunt’s bequest.)
Belle of the ball. (So say the fortune hunters of the ton.)

In charge of her own destiny (finally!), Lucy breaks her engagement and makes up her mind never to be proper again…

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: connected to the Happily Ever After series

Ames: I loooove Eloisa James. That is all.

Monroe: OOOOOOOOooooo I WANT!!! Love a girl that takes charge and changes her life!

Nath: Ohh, sounds interesting!


The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols
published by Simon Pulse

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: n/a

Ames: Simon Pulse is doing something different with this book. The e-book is coming out first. The print edition of this book comes out in February 2012. I'm definitely getting this one. Jennifer Echols is an auto-buy author for me.

Nath: Definitively interesting strategy. I thought this was a novella... but it seems like a full-length novel? I think I'm going to pick this one. I've been in the mood for YA contemporary lately :)


A Placed Called Home by Jo Goodman
published by Zebra

When Thea Wyndham and Mitchell Baker learn they've been named joint guardians for their late friends' three children, they're little more than acquaintances. Barely polite acquaintances, at that. Something about Mitch's forthright intensity has always left ad exec Thea feeling off-balance, while Mitch makes no secret of his disdain when Thea offers him financial assistance if he'll take sole guardianship. Thea is far from heartless. She's just plain terrified of her new parenting responsibilities. Both she and Mitch are romantically involved with other people. Yet the more time they spend together, the less certain she is of her loyalties. There are complications and mis-steps, tears and laughter - lots of it. And somehow, through it all, the dawning realization that the last place she thought she'd find herself could be just where she belongs.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: n/a

Ames: This blurb reminds me somewhat of that Katherine Heigl movie, Life As We Know It. I think this sounds cute.

Monroe: I was JUST thinking that! lol I think this one will be a winner!

Nath: I'm definitively picking this one up as it's contemporary :) I wonder if it's Ms Goodman's first contemporary romance...


Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch
published by DAW

Alien Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt is expecting her first baby. But the alien attacks are getting more dangerous, and now Kitty and her Alpha Centaurion husband, Jeff, have to find out who's behind the conspiracy to kill Kitty's secret agent mom and what caused Kitty's transformation into a superhuman-and they've got to do it all before the baby shower...

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Katherine "Kitty" Katt #4

Ames: I've only read the first one in this series but I loved it so. I definitely need to catch up!

Nath: Hmmmm, I still haven't read the last book in the series, Alien in the Family, so I think I'll wait before picking this one up. I like the humor, but I don't. There's something missing in my opinion.


Daybreak by Ellen Connor
published by Berkley Sensation

It's been twelve years since the Change, and Penelope Sheehan is one of the few still practicing magic for the good of humanity in this dark, dangerous world. But she needs the help of a shapeshifter named Tru, whom she knew when he was a troubled boy. But Tru is a creature of instinct and impulse, living only to satisfy his senses- ignoring the scarred heart nobody has ever reached. Fighting alongside the last holdouts of humanity, they will unleash a passion that tempts them to risk everything for love. But if they succeed, Tru and Pen hold the power to brighten the Dark Age for all time.

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Dark Age Dawning #3

Ames: I know the first few books have gotten some positive buzz around blogland. Which is why I have them in my tbr pile. I'll be keeping an eye out for this one.

Monroe: Haven't read these books but they sound good!

Nath: I still have the first one in my TBR pile ^_^; Going to wait till I read that one first LOL.


December 20

Touch of Power by Maria Snyder
published by Mira

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

Genre: Fantasy Young Adult
Series: Healing #1

Nath: Yay, a new series by Ms Snyder!! I'm really looking forward to this book :) I love Ms Snyder writing and I'm excited for this release. I do wish she'll go back to the Study world eventually, but not with Opal ^_^; By the way, I wished we had a Canadian cover... The US one is okay, but the UK and Australian ones are better in my opinion.


December 27

Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke
published by Avon

What happens when a woman is determined to marry the wrong man? When she just won’t listen to reason and rushes forward with wedding plans? When she just doesn’t care that she’s marrying a fortune hunting scoundrel who doesn’t love her? What’s her exasperated family supposed to do about it? Hire a different scoundrel to talk her out of it, of course.

American heiress Annabel Wheaton knows what she wants and love isn’t it. Born in a Mississippi backwater, with a twang as wide as the Delta, she wants respect to go with the millions her daddy found in a Klondike gold mine. But respect isn’t easy to come by in the closed Knickerbocker society of New York, and when the fortune-hunting Earl of Rumsford shows up, it seems like he’s just the ticket to make all Annabel’s dreams come true. When he proposes marriage, she happily agrees. That’s when the trouble starts.

Christian Du Quesne has always been trouble—a rake, a gambler, and when he was younger, a fortune hunter. He married once for the sake of the decaying family coffers, but he won’t do it again. When his older brother, the Duke of Scarborough, dies without issue, Christian become the duke and inherits a whole new pile of family debt with no way to pay it. When Annabel’s family hires him to show Annabel just what she’d be getting by marrying into Britain’s aristocratic class, he knows he’s the perfect person to talk her out of matrimony. Problem is, he only has four days to do it. Can he cause enough trouble in those four days to get her to call off the wedding?

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Abandoned at the Altar #3

Ames: I've really enjoyed this series so far and this one sounds good.

Monroe: Yet another series I havent read but sounds good!

Nath: Wooohooo! Finally, can't believe it's been almost a year since Scandal of the Year was released! I'm a bit bummed because this book seems a bit disconnected from the first two in the series. I mean, I really can't remember the hero ^_^; I know he's Aidan's best friend and he did a brief appearance at one point, but that's it... In any case, I'm really looking forward to this one, especially for the time period :)


The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros
published by Simon & Schuster

Ashton Burke is a legendary adventurer who has spent the past ten years roaming the globe to forget the girl he left behind. His devil-may-care life is interrupted when he's hired to rescue his brother's kidnapped fiancée from a sultan's harem. Too late, he discovers she is none other than Clarinda Cardew, the very same girl who made off with his jaded heart a decade ago.

The last thing Clarinda wants is to be trapped in a palace of sensual delights with the man whose irresistible kisses still haunt her sleepless nights. Although he vows he is only doing his job, Clarinda quickly realizes that allowing Ashton to rescue her may put her yearning heart in even greater peril. In a journey that takes them from the delicious intrigues of a sultan's court to the glittering ballrooms of London, Ashton and Clarinda resume the steps of their dangerous dance only to discover the most seductive pleasure of all may be love itself.

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: n/a

Ames: This one has me intrigued.

Nath: Ms Medeiros' books are hit and miss with me. I'm not a fan of sultans and harems... so I'm going to wait for the reviews before making a decision.

How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long
published by Avon

The Scandal Sheets call him Lord Ice...

Ruthless, cold, precise, Julian Spenser, Marquess Dryden, tolerates only the finest—in clothes, in horseflesh, in mistresses. And now he’s found the perfect bride, the one whose dowry will restore his family’s shattered legacy and bring him peace at last: the exquisite heiress Lisbeth Redmond.

She's not afraid to play with fire...

But one unforgettable encounter with Lisbeth’s paid companion, Phoebe Vale, and the Marquess is undone: this quiet girl with the wicked smile and a wit to match is the first person to see through the icy façade to the fiery man beneath. But their irresistible attraction is a torment as sweet as it is dangerous: for surrendering to their desire could mean losing everything else they ever wanted.

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Pennyroyal Green #6

Ames: *sigh* Another series I'm behind in BUT I really enjoy Julie Anne's writing so yeah, looking forward to this one. LOL


The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James
published by Avon

He is a duke in search of a perfect bride. She is a lady—but a long way from perfect.

Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can’t he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper, albeit intoxicating, flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear.

Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion…Until, in his darkest hour, Tarquin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love.

To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul...

Unless it’s already too late.

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Happily Ever Afters #3

Ames: Eloisa has quickly become a favorite historical author for me. In the last two years I've been savouring her books and although When Beauty Tamed the Beast wasn't my favorite of hers, I still look forward to each new release. This one is no exception. Also, that cover is nice.

Nath: Ms James' books are a bit hit and miss for me. It took me a while before I picked up When Beauty Tamed the Beast and then, after that, I had to kick myself LOL. So this time, I'm definitively picking The Duke is Mine early. Also, it seems to be based on The Princess and the Pea fairy tail. I think that's a fun one :)


The Social Climber by Candice Hern
Self-published

Jane is the daughter of a simple merchant and has unexpectedly come into a large fortune. She dreams of being a real lady, and has employed Lady Davenport and Mrs. Mulberry, widowed sisters with financial difficulties, to introduce her into Society. And they have engaged their nephew, George Kendrick, a famous arbiter of fashion, to help them turn a vulgar sow's ear into a silk purse. Jane has just been thoroughly humiliated to learn that all the expensive clothes and jewels she has decked herself out in are all wrong. She has been told she should not be so obvious in displaying her new-found wealth.

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: n/a

Ames: I enjoy Candice's writing and she's been putting out her older books as e-books. Yay for us! This is a brand new book though and sounds cute.


Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith
published by Greenwillow Books

Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her.

Genre: Young Adult
Series: n/a

Ames: I looove books like this, where the good girl is drawn to the bad boy. Bad boys are just YA versions of historical rakes. LOL

Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
published by Mira

Romance under construction...

Sick of running into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts a job at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high road right out of town. Now she’s got Paul Haggerty’s business running like a well-oiled machine. In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance to hire an extra set of hands.

Just like Leslie, Conner Danson has been burned by love. But if Leslie was disappointed by her relationship going bad, Conner was decimated. He’s got no time for women…although he spends an awful lot of time pretending not to notice Leslie. And she’s pretty busy “ignoring” the chemistry between them.

According to Conner and Leslie, they have only one thing in common—they’re done with love. But everyone in Virgin River can see that things are heating up at Haggerty Construction. And as far as Paul Haggerty can tell, the best thing he can do is hang on to his hard hat and watch the sparks fly!

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Virgin River #17!

Nath: And off we're starting a new Virgin River trilogy! :) Are you ready? :) I'm most probably going to pick up Hidden Summit, just to get a feel of the new trilogy. It sounds like a nice contemporary romance.


Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead

published by Bantam Books

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld...

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice...

Genre: Fantasy
Series: Dark Swan #4

Monroe: Im SO READY for this book! I love Dorian *sigh*


December 31

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong
published by Subterranean Press

Hiking through the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire – what’s not to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas?

Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan, something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Pack responsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to deal with – just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario’s Algonquin Park.

Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door…while the town is buzzing about a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. And there’s the missing little girl...

With all the signs pointing to a rogue mutt with a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate. But are they the hunters – or the hunted?

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Otherworld Stories #10.4

Nath: Wooohoooo, I can't wait for Hidden!! I admit I haven't read the last two books in Women of the Otherworld series... but Hidden, that's a completely different story!! I can't wait to see Elena, Clay and the kids again :)