I'm not really one for holiday themed books, so I was glad to see only one Christmas-y book, the Mary Balogh. And I'm actually looking forward to reading it. Strange!
Did we miss any books that you're looking forward to?
November 5
An Infamous Marriage by Susanna Fraser
Northumberland, 1815Genre: Historical Romance
At long last, Britain is at peace, and General Jack Armstrong is coming home to the wife he barely knows. Wed for mutual convenience, their union unconsummated, the couple has exchanged only cold, dutiful letters. With no more wars to fight, Jack is ready to attempt a peace treaty of his own.
Elizabeth Armstrong is on the warpath. She never expected fidelity from the husband she knew for only a week, but his scandalous exploits have made her the object of pity for years. Now that he's back, she has no intention of sharing her bed with him—or providing him with an heir—unless he can earn her forgiveness. No matter what feelings he ignites within her...
Jack is not expecting a spirited, confident woman in place of the meek girl he left behind. As his desire intensifies, he wants much more than a marriage in name only. But winning his wife's love may be the greatest battle he's faced yet.
Series: n/a
Nath: Ohhh, this book sounds really interesting! I remember there was quite a buzz about Ms Fraser's books last year and so, she was on my list of authors to try. Of course, I didn't... guess I need to remedy that ASAP! :)
Ames: I did read her first book and bought the second. I really enjoyed Susanna's writing and this one sounds good! I love this story line.
November 6
Published by Berkley
In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them...Genre: Paranormal Romance
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...
Series: Elder Races, Book #5
Nath: I enjoyed Dragon Bound and I find Ms Harrison's idea of re-visiting Dragos and Pia after their HEA ending intriguing :) However, what convinced me was the excerpt of Lord's Fall that I read at the end of Oracle's Moon. Gotta say, it sounds good!
Monroe: I really like this series so I cant wait for this one to come out!
Ames: I recently just read Storm's Heart....so I'm slowly catching up! But I am looking forward to more Pia and Dragos!!!!!
Monroe: I really like this series so I cant wait for this one to come out!
Ames: I recently just read Storm's Heart....so I'm slowly catching up! But I am looking forward to more Pia and Dragos!!!!!
The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts
The Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother are breathing new life into the town of Boonsboro, Maryland, by restoring its historic hotel. And they’re finding their own lives revamped by love. This is Ryder’s story... Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out — with a tough-as-nails outside and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He’s surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except apparently Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro. And though the Inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope’s experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome — and embarrassing — appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs up Ryder’s emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him...Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Boonsboro Inn, Book #3
Nath: I really enjoy Ms Roberts' contemporary romance :) The Boonsboro Inn trilogy is not her best, but still satisfying. Looking forward to see how she's going to wrap everything up. I like Ryder's surly attitude and his interactions with Hope so far have been quite interesting LOL. Gotta say though, I don't like the cover of The Perfect Hope. The colors are too blend :(
Ames: I'm buying this series up for my mom, but I haven't been feeling compelled to read them. I think I'm still just stuck on The Witness. LOL
Published by Berkley
After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.Genre: Contemporary Romance
Holly Reid learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.
For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time.
Series: Animal Magnetism, Book #3
Nath: I'm skipping this one. I haven't enjoyed the two previous books and based on the blurb and reviews I've seen, this one won't do it for me. However, I wanted to say the dog was cute :P
Monroe: As always Nath and I are opposites...I love Jill and I REALLY love this series! Im counting down the days!
Ames: I love Jill too and this series with the animals is icing on the best freaking cake ever. I do like cake. :P
Tart by Lauren Dane
Juliet Lamprey is having the time of her life running her successful bakery, TART, when Gideon Carter comes back into her life. Returning home to help his grandfather run the family farm, Gideon is back for good. When they meet again, the spark between them is immediate, and it isn’t long before the former childhood friends play catch up—in bed.Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
That’s not good news for local lawyer Cal Whaley. Though the sexually open but strictly monogamous Cal has loved Jules for a long time, he’s hardly ever taken it further than friendship. When he sees her start to fall for Gideon, he knows he has to make his move or risk losing her forever.
Who would have anticipated that all three of them would connect on such an intimate level? The trio’s scalding liaisons take them places they’ve never dreamed. But such an intensely passionate and unusual relationship comes with equally as complicated emotions, and when Jules must suddenly leave town, she wonders if she’ll have a choice to make when she returns…
Series: Delicious, Book #2
Monroe: YUMMY COVER!
Ames: OMG OMG OMG I have been super anxious to get this one. I felt like October would NEVER end. Of course I pre-ordered this forever ago and now it's just a waiting game with the mailbox. LOL The mailbox always holds my packages hostages. It's in cahoots with the devil. Anyway, I can't wait to read this!
Published by Berkley
Losing control is just the beginning...Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
“What would you do if the sexiest man in the world was bent on bringing you unbearable pleasure again and again? Joy Hightower wasn’t sure she could survive the experience…or live without it."
It’s not often you’re hired to paint a body tattoo—and what a body—on a total stranger at a Hollywood film set. A reserved and careful art teacher, Joy would never forget it. In a rare fit of raw desire she gave herself completely, knowing she’d never see him again, or ever repeat such a shameless, naked impulse.
Little did she know, the man with whom she shared that lightning bolt of lust was star Everett Hughes. For Everett, women and sex came as easily as fame. But how could he hope to convince the guarded Joy that beneath the hard body and sexy façade of celebrity was a real man who wanted only one, real woman?
In the heat of an intoxicating affair, Everett endeavors to break down her barriers, gain her trust, and expose himself as the real deal. But can Joy do the same, and reveal to him the vulnerable woman who longs to be loved, wanted, and desired forever?
Series: One Night of Passion, Book #1
Ames: I know I didn't care for Beth's serial Because You Are Mine, but I do like her full length novels and I've seen some positive reviews of this book already. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Come Fly with Me by Addison Fox
How do you say no to a man at thirty thousand feet?Genre: Contemporary Romance
When Grier Thompson is called to Indigo, Alaska, to deal with the estate of her estranged late father, the last things she expects to find are a hotly contested will, a hostile half sister who has never known Grier exists, or an entire town that doesn’t take kindly to this stranger.
Except maybe for Mick O’Shaughnessy.
An Indigo native, Mick has all he wants in life: a soft flannel shirt, a nice cottage, and a thriving airline charter business. Could this simple life get any better? One look at Grier and Mick discovers the answer is a resounding yes. She thinks so too—and if it weren’t for her family baggage, maybe she could relax and enjoy herself before it’s time to return to real life.
But then an unexpected visitor from Grier’s past unsettles the community just when the residents are finally starting to warm to her. By the time Mick comes out of the clouds to realize he’s fallen head over heels in love, it might just be too late to win Grier’s heart.
Series: Alaskan Nights, Book #2
Nath: This book is on my radar. I read the prequel, Baby, It's Cold Outside, last year and it was okay. So I'm going to be looking for reviews and if Come Fly with Me can focus on the H/H, then perhaps I'll pick it up :)
Countess so Shameless by Liana LeFeyPublished by Montlake Romance
No one can compete for Lady Mélisande’s coveted affections like the Italian rogue she met five years prior during a visit to Versailles. Her encounter with Lord Alessandro Orsini awakened a passion so fierce that the mere memory of it still ignites her senses. So when the celebrated rake resurfaces in London, Mélisande succumbs to temptation and shamelessly proposes an affair for the Season.Genre: Historical Romance
Alessandro has never forgotten the girl he met in Versailles—his perfect match. Though the fiercely independent lady has sworn off marriage, it doesn’t stop him from vowing to make her his wife. While seducing her body, he wages tender warfare on her heart’s defenses. But a bitter rival also burns to possess Mélisande, and luck has provided the means to bend her to his will: a scandalous secret that could ruin her. The price of his silence is nothing less than her hand in marriage, forcing Mélisande to choose between the desires of her heart and everything else she holds dear.
Series: Scandal in London, Book #1
Ames: I like historical novels where the heroine is independent and doesn't care to marry. Of course you know she will give into the lusty hero eventually, but that power struggle is what makes that plot so interesting. This one definitely caught my eye.
November 8
Did You Miss Me? by Karen Rose
Best be nimble, best be quick, I'm right here and you're my pick...The last thing Ford Elkhart remembers is walking his girlfriend back to her university dormitory. Now he's lying tied and gagged on a cold, dark floor, with only one chance to escape before he ends up like the bones surrounding him... Assistant State's Attorney Daphne Montgomery is devastated by her son's disappearance, and is immediately convinced that his kidnapping is connected to the white supremacist she's just had jailed for murder. FBI Special Agent Joseph Carter isn't so sure - especially when he learns that Ford's girlfriend is also missing. Is Ford's abduction payback for Daphne's courtroom victory? Or is he a pawn in an even more dangerous game?Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Baltimore, Book #3 - but loosely connected to all her other books
Nath: I can't wait for Did You Miss Me?!!!!! Similarly to Ms Rose's last couple of books, Did You Miss Me? is being released as a hardcover in the UK first... and I already have my copy pre-ordered :) If I remember correctly, the American release will be in paperback and is expected for February. Anyway, I was surprised that the main characters were going to be Ford and Daphne. I was actually expecting Clay and Stevie, but hey, if it means that Ms Rose is planning more books in Baltimore, I sure won't complain!! :) Especially it if means there might be another release not too far off in 2013. Yes, I know, I'm greedy. But what can I say? Ms Rose's romantic suspense books are among the best! :)
Ames: This release has caught me by surprise...not that it should since I haven't read KR in forever. BUT maybe I'll start back up with this one! Karen is an auto-buy author for me.
November 19
Published by Carina Press
A second shot at first love.Genre: Contemporary Romance
After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he's forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren's son...
The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan's door every day to work off his crime.
With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can't deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?
Series: The Kowalskis, Book #5
Nath: Hmmm, I've been on a contemporary romance kick lately, but I'm not convinced about All He Ever Desired. In All He Ever Needed, I wasn't impressed by Ryan and one of my least favorite element in contemporary romance is teenagers with single parents. I don't mind about cute babies and toddlers, but teenagers? Plus, seems like the ex is still around? However, Brie said she enjoyed this one... so perhaps.
Ames: Since her debut, I've been hearing good things about Shannon's books. I haven't read her other books yet but this one sounds interesting. I like reading about the one that got away.
November 27
Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews
The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny...Genre: Fantasy
Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.
Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...
Series: The Edge, Book #4
Nath: Honestly, I keep telling myself that I'll give up on this series, because I think it's not as good as Ms Andrews' Kate Daniels series. However, I always find myself picking the next book up because of the characters and the blurb. This one sounds interesting and I want to read more of Richard, the leader of the Mar clan. Also, I think this might be the last book... so might as well, right?
Published by Jove
Within the FBI, there exists a team of psychics whose powers cannot be denied. But these agents are feared—by a cabal of conspirators with only one weapon: to blind the psychics to the evils all around them.Genre: Fantasy
Months ago Sarah Gallagher woke from a coma with psychic abilities she couldn’t control. They changed her life and cost her the man she loved. And now, someone is playing games with Sarah’s mind.
It begins with Sarah’s home being destroyed by fire—an act of arson that draws novelist Tucker Mackenzie into Sarah’s confidence. But he has other reasons for pursuing a woman who can see what others can’t. So does a mysterious enemy intent on eliminating Sarah, and everyone she cares about. Because it’s only a matter of time before her visions lead her and Tucker to a secret many will kill to hide. Only then will they begin to discover the scope of a terrifying conspiracy so deep and complex they can trust almost no one.
Series: Bishop Files, Book #1
Nath: You know how big a fan I am of Ms Hooper right? So two new books in one year... Yep, I am over the moon LOL, especially since The First Prophet seems to be the beginning of a spin-off series from the FBI SCU series. Can't wait to get my hand on it!!
*Warning: Spoilers in the blurb of Cold Days. To read the blurb, please highlight*
Cold Days by Jim Butcher
HARRY DRESDEN LIVES!!!Genre: Urban Fantasy
After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard.
He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill.
Guess which Mab wants first?
Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday.
Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own...
His soul.
Series: The Dresden Files, Book #14
Nath: It's finally here! Well okay, not yet, but soon, Cold Days is coming out soon! I've really been looking forward to this new installment. I can't wait to see where M. Butcher will lead us and what new doors Harry will open! Just can't wait!
Published by Random House Publishing (Dell)
In a pair of classic Regency-era Christmas romance novels from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh, the holidays herald the greatest gift of all: unexpected, all-consuming love.Genre: Historical Romance
A Christmas Bride
The very wealthy Edgar Downes has promised his aging father to finally take a bride—specifically, to wed a titled lady by Christmas. London is full of pretty, proper, and eligible misses, but it’s the widow Helena, Lady Stapleton, in a shocking red dress, who captures Edgar’s attention. Helena is intrigued by the seductive stranger—but he’s simply not in her class. Marriage, of course, would never do. But in a season of miracles, something wondrous is about to happen.
Christmas Beau
Not even the warm, forgiving Christmas spirit can stop the Marquess of Denbigh from settling his score with Judith Easton: The beautiful young widow injured Denbigh’s pride years ago by jilting him for another man. Now that Judith is free from a nightmare marriage, the handsome marquess has her in his sights—and wants her in his arms. But to trust the tender words on his lips, Judith must not only see past the hardness of his heart, but learn once again to trust her own heart’s desire.
Series: n/a
Nath: I enjoy Ms Balogh's oldies and her Christmas books are usually quite enjoyable, so I'll be picking this one up for sure :)
Ames: Me too!! I am so glad they're re-releasing all her good oldies. I wonder when The Notorious Rake is going to make it's reprint debut?
Gold Fire by Starr Ambrose
Reformed wild-woman Zoe Larkin meets her match in saloon-owner Jase Garrett in this lighthearted, steamy romance set in a picturesque mountain resort town.Genre: Contemporary romance
Welcome to Barringer’s Pass, Colorado—a mountain paradise with a long memory. The Larkin sisters have tried for years to make the town forget the wild ways of their youths, but Alpine Sky Resort assistant manager Zoe Larkin can still feel the judgment, despite her guarded manner and sensible skirts. Her big chance to be taken seriously as a business woman comes in the form of a land deal: all she has to do is persuade the owner of the rundown Rusty Wire saloon to sell so the Alpine Sky can build a golf course on the land.
Jase Garrett made a name for himself as a world-class competitive skiier and won four Olympic medals. But the tragic death of his best friend nine years ago threw him off course, and the Rusty Wire is both his sanctuary and his hideaway, so he will never sell. No matter what.
Zoe goes back to the drawing board with a little assistance from her very attractive boss. But when Jase is the victim of arson, Zoe becomes the number one suspect. Has she sunk to new lows to gain a promotion? Or is she the victim, too?
Zoe and Jase must work together—very closely together—to clear her name, save the Rusty Wire, and see if the sparks fly as well in the bedroom as they do at the negotiating table.
Series: Larkin Sisters, Book #2
Nath: I'm not sure whether I'll pick up Gold Fire or not, but it's on my radar. I DNFed Silver Sparks because I hate all the bad rumors surrounding the Larkin sisters. They were so unfair and just frustrating. That's why I'm hesitant about Gold Fire... but an Olympic champion (well I'm assuming one of the medals was gold :P) as a hero, Ms Ambrose got me there :P
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Sigh, I have a feeling I'll be hitting my TBR pile during this month and I might be climbing the walls and curtains in anticipation of new releases mid-way through November ^_^; It's been a while since there's been so little new releases... Any one that we missed and could add?
