Sunday, April 29, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (4/29/2012)

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1      Calico Joe by John Grisham

2      Guilty Wives by James Patterson

     The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark

4      Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

5      The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

6      Scare Bleu by Christopher Moore

7      Betrayal by Danielle Steel

8      Stay Close by Harlan Coben

9      The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith

10   
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

11    The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler


12    The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

13    Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward


14    Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

15    Kill Shot by Vince Flynn
 
16    The Cove by Ron Rash


***************************   
NON-FICTION BEST SELLERS

1      Drift by Rachel Maddow

2      Mrs Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill

 
3     The Big Miss by Hank Haney

4      Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

5      Trickle Down Tyranny by Michael Savage

 
6      A Natural Woman by Carole King

7      The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

8      Wild by Cheryl Strayed

9      American Sniper by Chris Kyle

10    Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

11    Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly

12    Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

13    Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs
 
14    Rebuild the Dream by Van Jones

15    Quiet by Susan Cain


16    Imperfect by Jim Abbott




Note: Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Relax With One of These Interesting Reads

Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost
Southern Witch Series #2

Welcome to Duvall, Texas, where new witch Tammy Jo Trask has just unleashed an accidental Armageddon…Oops.

Tammy Jo’s misfiring magic has attracted the unwanted attention of WAM, the World Association of Magic. Now, a wand-wielding wizard and a menacing fire warlock have come to Duvall to train her for a dangerous mandatory challenge. But is there more to their arrival than they claim?

When a curse leads to a toxic spill of pixie dust, the town comes unglued and the doors between the human and faery worlds begin to open. To rescue the town and to face the impossible magical test, Tammy needs the help of incredibly handsome Bryn Lyons, but WAM has declared him totally off-limits. To avoid deadly consequences, Tammy probably ought to follow the rules this time.

On the other hand, rebellion is an old Texas tradition


The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly

Paul was led into a life of crime by his boyhood protector, a bully named Daniel; but one night, what started as a petty theft turned into a grisly murder. Now, at nineteen, Paul must bear witness against his friend to avoid prison. Louisa's own dark secrets led her to flee a desperate infatuation gone wrong many years before. Now she spends her days steeped in history, renovating the grounds of a crumbling Elizabethan garden. But her fragile peace is shattered when she meets Paul; he's the spitting image of the one person she never thought she'd see again.

These two, scarred and solitary, begin a secret affair. Louisa starts to believe she can again find the happiness she had given up on. But neither of them can outrun his violent past.


A story of secrets and guilt set among the ruins of a sixteenth- century English garden, The Dark Rose explores the extremes of obsessive love and loyalty, devotion and desperation. Like Kelly's critically acclaimed debut novel, The Poison Tree, this fantastically creepy, atmospheric novel thrills until the final shocking moments.


Fallen by Traci L Slatton

As chaos descends on a crippled Earth, survivors are tormented by strange psychic gifts. In this time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test. One woman with mysterious healing power guides seven children to safety. Charismatic Arthur offers her a haven. Slowly Emma falls for him. But at the moment of their sweetest love, his devastating secret is revealed, and they are lost to each other. 

Will Emma stay with him?

The first in a romantic trilogy set during the end times.


Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black

When it comes to pleasing her twin sister, Megan O'Connor is an easy touch. She'll do just about anything to gain Kristen's approval, including trading places with her. After all, Kristen's plan promises to get Megan out of a dead-end job and make them both rich. It will be a nice reward for a little genealogical investigation--something that couldn't have happened without the help of Kristen's new LDS acquaintances. And who could blame the twins for using a tiny bit of deceit to manipulate an inheritance out of someone as demanding as their estranged Aunt Evelyn?

All Megan has to do is pretend to be Kristen, move into Evelyn's house, and take care of the wealthy old woman until her failing health kills her. It shouldn't take too long. It shouldn't be too difficult. Megan's the nice one. Except for the lie, the task is a natural fit. Everything would be perfect if she could just ignore the guilt--a feeling that only grows stronger as she spends more time with the new friends Kristen arranged for her.


But soon Megan discovers that there is more to worry about. She's living in a house of illusions where she isn't the only one playing a part. Someone has developed a new plotline that ends with a death scene--and in this version, the victim won't die of natural causes.


Beneath the surface of the sleepy New England town of Britteridge, deceit weaves a deadly web where turnabout is anything but fair play. 


Halfway Hexed by Kimberly Frost
Southern Witch Series #3

First, there are the local residents who form a scripture-spouting posse and kidnap Tammy to "defend" Duvall, Texas, against witchcraft. Next, someone saddles her with a secret package chock full of dangerous visions, just as the president of WAM-the World Association of Magic- arrives with his entourage to investigate her. And who worse to examine Tammy's entanglement with off-limits and drop-dead gorgeous wizard Bryn Lyons than his ex-girlfriend? Not to mention that the clash between the locals and the magical visitors leads to a series of unnatural disasters that may doom them all.

While the fate of the town hangs in the balance, one thing's certain: this would-be witch is ready to rumble, Texas style.


Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
Chicagoland Vampires Series #4

Chicago is beset by supernatural tensions, and Merit-vampire protector of a safe haven called Cadogan house-is worried that the humans will be reaching for their pitchforks any minute. It doesn't help that yet another vampire rave is broken up by the mayor, and a new inhibition- reducing drug is circulating through the community.

It's up to Merit to put her house in order-literally. And if that takes getting a little blood on her hands, so be it.


A Matter of Trust by Robin Pilcher

When Claire Barclay receives news that her beloved stepfather has had a stroke, she’s more than a little shaken. Leo is her last real relative, and his own children rarely check up on the old man. Claire and her husband, Art, leave New York and fly back to Scotland to care for him during the summer. Their visit makes clear that Leo is no longer capable of living on his own, but he is determined to stay in his beloved old house. Art comes up with the idea of turning the place into a conference center, thinking they could purchase the place from Leo and build him a cottage on the property. 
 
But the situation is much more complicated than it seems. Claire’s old flame, Jonas Fairwether, has become Leo’s caretaker and trusted confidant. Though Claire distrusts Jonas’s motives, Leo chooses to take his advice to put the house up for public auction rather than sell directly to Art and Claire. Claire is immediately suspicious, and even more so when she finds out that another application has been submitted to develop the property. Does Jonas Fairwether want to knock down the Leo’s house and build a development? It looks like whoever is behind the plan is being driven by financial gain, but there may be an even stronger motive.


Otherwise by Jennifer B White

Reluctantly, Delilah Gray has returned to her childhood home—a ramshackle cottage where her compulsive, hoarding grandmother, Meema, raised her. Meema’s ghostly manifestations refuse to let Delilah clean the filthy house, or to stay there peacefully. And that’s just the beginning of Delilah’s problems.

Lonely, angry, and hiding a painful secret, she tries to find a place for herself in a town that she once discovered was “in-between”—a portal to the worlds of the supernatural. Upon her arrival, Delilah unwittingly gets caught in the middle of important business between The Keeper, whose job it is to keep souls on the physical plane, and The Sender who helps speed the dead on their afterlife journey.

When Delilah discovers that she is connected to Lily Defoe, a woman who leapt to her death many years ago, and to a man who refers to himself as The Gravedigger for Lost Souls, she realizes there is more to her homecoming than she anticipated. Who she is, and who she’s been, crosses the boundaries of life and death. Nothing—not the people she meets, not this very moment in time, not even the tragic death of her daughter—is what it appears to be. Not only does Delilah have her own “soul searching” to do, but she must work with some of Green Lake’s oddest characters to uncover the mysteries of several unsolved deaths that have never been forgotten.

While strange and supernatural occurrences threaten Delilah’s already fragile emotional state, she still has a crucial choice to make that will change everything. She comes to understand that there are some things that are worse than death. There is Otherwise—to be confined to a twilight state between the spiritual and the physical worlds.

OTHERWISE is a chilling tale about lonely spirits, protective forces, and departed loved ones who are never really gone—and a woman who, after wanting to die, finds a reason to live and to love again. Only to discover what it is to be Otherwise.



Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

For anyone who has ever worked in an office, hating everything and everyone in it, yet fell apart when it was time to leave -- this book is for you. Heartbreaking, yet hysterically funny, Then We Came to the End is the definitive novel about the contemporary American workplace.

With an irresistibly casual writing style, Ferris makes readers a part of his fictional advertising agency from the moment we open the book. Through numerous impromptu conversations, colleagues come alive. We learn that Larry and Amber have had an affair, and that Amber is pregnant. We know that Chris Yop is panicking because he exchanged his office chair without permission, and that Joe Pope is universally despised because he got promoted and now everyone has to listen to him. No one likes Karen Woo because she's always trying to seem smarter than everyone else. And the head boss, Lynn, has cancer, but she doesn't want anyone to know. We understand that the agency is in trouble, and that the unstable Tom Mota is being laid off. We realize that anyone could be next. And we're dying to know what's going to happen.

By the time readers finish the book, they'll swear that Ferris has spent time in their own offices. And they'll thank him for capturing so knowingly what makes it so horrible, and what makes it our own.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Mystery...Paranormal...and All Things Young Adult

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Darkest Powers Trilogy #2

Chloe Saunders is on the run
and raising hell. Literally.


Chloe Saunders is not your average supernatural teenager. Genetically altered at birth by a sinister team of scientists, she can barely control her terrifying powers. Now the tean that created her has decided it's time to end the experiment. Permanently.

Now Chloe is running for her life along with a charming sorcerer, a troubled werewolf and a temperamental young witch. Together they have a chance for freedom - but can Chloe trust her new friends?'


Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson

All fifteen year-old Oliver Travers wanted to do when he woke up Thursday morning was squeeze in a little underwear gymnastics before school, until his mom called him downstairs to tell him he had received a Deathday Letter, which sort of ruined the mood.

Content to spend his last day of life at school (where the girls are), Oliver's best friends Shane Grimsley and Veronica (Ronnie) Dittrich convince him to burn his books and ditch school to, you know, have a little actual fun before he kicks the bucket.

In a world where only taxes, Deathday Letters, and teenage boy's hormones are certainties, Oliver, Shane and Ronnie embark upon a bus ride that takes them from the post office, to a house filled with college-aged anti-Deathday Letter activists (and Dave Matthews fans), and nearly to prison. And as the end draws near Oliver learns that living is way tougher than dying…and that kissing is wetter than he'd expected.


Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
Fallen Angel Series #1


Heaven-sent?
Ellie was never particularly good at talking to boys--oranyone other than her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth.Then she met Michael.

Michael is handsome, charming, sweet. And totallyinto Ellie. It's no wonder she is instantly drawn to him.But Michael has a secret. And he knows Ellie is hidingsomething, too. They've both discovered they have powersbeyond their imagining. Powers that are "otherworldly."

Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what theyare, and how they got this way . . . together. But the truth hasrepercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they findthemselves center stage in an ancient conflict that threatensto destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clearwhether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.

In this electrifying novel, Heather Terrell spins agripping supernatural tale about true love, destiny, and thebattle of good versus evil.


Meridian by Amber Kizer
Fenestra Series #1

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.


Raven by Allison Van Diepen

She wants him...

Zin dances with fire in every step; speaks with a honey sweet voice; and sees with eyes that can peer into your soul. Nicole's friendship with him is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life. It's no wonder why Nicole is madly in love with him. But she can't understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his soul reaching out for hers.

Zin is like no man Nicole has ever met, and he carries with him a very old secret. When Nicole uncovers the truth, her love may be the only thing that can save him from it.


The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
Darkest Powers Trilogy #3


Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them.

As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...


The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Darkest Powers Trilogy #1

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, and meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…


Sweep: Seeker -- Origins -- Eclipse by Cate Tiernan
Volume #4
Wicca Series #10, #11 and #12

The fourth Sweep collection! Morgan Rowlands had thought her foes were defeated, but demons from the past still haunt her and her beloved, Hunter. Their magick is strong, but the darkness that torments them threatens to overwhelm even their love. Yet there is another, whose magick could save, or could destroy. And caught in the middle of the darkness and light, Morgan realizes that only together can they face the danger that threatens to destroy not just her soul mate, but everything and everyone she loves. 

For the dark wave is coming . . . and it is unstoppable.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Heartwarming Reads

A Soldier Comes Home by Cindi Myers

No one is waiting for him when Captain Ray Hughes returns from his tour of duty. With his soon-to-be ex-wife gone, it's just him and his little boy now creating their own version of a family. Although he faces a lot of uncertainty, Ray is determined to raise his son the best way he knows how.
Chrissie Evans is a complication Ray didn't expect. Almost against his will, he's drawn into a relationship with his widowed neighbor. Chrissie is everything he could desire in a woman and he wants a future with her. But can he promise her what she needs to hear?



His Perfect Woman by Kay Stockham

Melissa York is a big surprise. Despite all she's been through, she's tough, bold and beautiful. But can the town's most-sought-after bachelor persuade the survivor who thinks she's damaged goods that when he looks at her he sees his perfect wife? Small-town practice would be heaven if it weren't for the women hounding Dr. Bryan Booker. Tired of playing games and dodging passes, the handsome doctor is resigned to staying single. Until he's guilted into hiring a new office assistant, and she makes him consider changing his mind.

Marriage by Necessity by Marissa Carroll

Cottonwood Lake was so calm, it looked like glass

So why did Nate feel as if he was at the center of an out-of-control storm? Sarah. Here on his doorstep. The last person he'd ever expected to see was his ex-wife—with a child, no less. And then to hear her say those four incredible words, "Will you marry me?"

But Sarah has to have a life-threatening operation and there's no one to care for little Matty but her. And that's why Nate grudgingly agrees to go along with her plan. Against his better judgment.
After all, what happens if Sarah survives?
 
Million to One by Darlene Gardner

When your life changes in the blink of an eye…

Kaylee Carter may have just found her birth mother—and the sense of belonging that's been missing all her life. But Sofia Donatelli's stepson, Tony, is suspicious. He thinks Kaylee's just another parasite who's come to sponge off his stepmother since she struck it rich in the state lottery.

Still, whether or not Sofia is related by blood, Kaylee and her son form a bond with her that is stronger than biology. Now, if only Kaylee could convince Tony she's not after money but love—a love that has grown to include him.
But the odds are stacked against them….


Montana Secrets by Kay Stockham

As a physical therapist, Grace Korbit has had some tough cases, but returning to her hometown to care for Seth Rowland will be the most difficult job she's ever had. When she left ten years ago, Grace was running from the secrets in her past. And from Seth.

After a riding accident left him in a wheelchair, Seth holed up in his room, shutting out the world. He doesn't want help from anyone. Especially Grace, considering she left him without an explanation ten years ago.
But what Seth doesn't know is that Grace had a really good reason for leaving....


Not Without Her Son by Kay David

Julia Vandamme's nightmare began after she said, I do.

Her only comfort is her sweet little boy, and she's stayed in her marriage just for him. Jonathan Cruz is their one chance for escape, but before she and her son can know freedom, Julia has to learn to trust Cruz. But how can she, when she's not convinced he's the man he claims to be?

To save a friend. To protect a child. To end an evil. Most of us could not bring ourselves to do the unthinkable—even if it was for the greater good. The Operatives do whatever it takes. Because of them, we don't have to.

On Angel Wings by Roz Denny Fox

As a member of Montana's Angel Fleet, Mick Callen has airlifted injured climbers before. But this time is different--because he's more than a little attracted to one of the women he's rescued. However, Hana Egan's situation is complicated; not only is she badly hurt, she's "pregnant." 


Hana has no father for her baby, and although she's afraid to give up her independence, Mick wants to take care of her. Theirs might not be the most conventional route to love and family, but he flies her to Los Angeles, where Hana can recuperate and where her son will be born. "A baby in December... "


Party of Three by Joan Kilby

Ally Cummings may be the only "normal" one in her family, but her love life is anything but. No sooner does she find a stable, secure, predictable guy than she wants out. She's through with romance until she can figure out what kind of man is right for her.

Certainly not her new tenant, Ben Gillard, who is the exact opposite of everything Ally's looking for. Suits him just fine. He's sworn off a social life so he can be a full-time dad to his twelve-year-old-son, Danny. And he doesn't need any more women "organizing" his life, especially not the uptight and prim Ally.
It's agreed—platonic friends is as far as this will go. Except it's not just his skill with a sauté pan that's creating the sizzle between them….


Sharing Spaces by Nadia Nichols

Senna McCallum was never close to her grandfather, so when he leaves her his new business — a rustic Labrador fishing retreat — she's shocked, to say the least. Especially when she discovers there's a catch: he owns only half the business. The other half belongs to a man named Jack Hanson. — All Senna wants to do is get in, sell her share and get out. 

But it isn't quite that easy. For one thing, Jack's not the old man she assumed he was. He's thirtysomething, handsome and stubborn. For another, Senna finds herself increasingly drawn to Jack's way of life. As they work to make the fishing lodge a success, she begins to wonder if she wants to be more than just his business partner.

When Love Comes Home by Arlene James

Paige Ellis's prayers had been answered Kidnapped by her ex-husband, Paige's son had finally come home. But their reunion was not the loving one she'd envisioned: her sweet little boy had turned into a resentful, surly teen. Desperate for help, she turned to the one man who'd rather not get involved.

Attorney Grady Jones was clueless about women. Yet client Paige Ellis seemed not to notice. Her gentle beauty and strong faith touched the emptiness inside of him and brought him back to life--and to love. But threats from Paige's ex could destroy their newfound happiness.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Thrilling Young Adult Audiobooks

Enclave by Ann Aguirre
(Razorland Series # 1)

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.


Glow by Kathleen Ryan
(Sky Chasers Series # 1)

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Thrilling Reads You Shouldn't Miss


A Cold Day in Hell by Stella Cameron
Bayou Books #9

'Tis the season to be wary...


Christmas is coming and all is far from calm in Pointe Judah, Louisiana. Newcomer Christian DeAngelo--Angel to his friends--is at his wit's end trying to manage Sonny, the hotheaded nineteen-year-old everyone believes is his nephew.

In fact, Sonny is the orphaned son of a notorious mob boss, a protected witness...and Angel's responsibility.
Angel has been commiserating with Eileen Moggeridge, whose lonely son Aaron has latched on to Sonny and gotten into deeper trouble than ever. But nothing could prepare Angel and Eileen for the boys' latest crisis: as they are horsing around in the swamp one afternoon, a shot rings out. Aaron is hit, but was the bullet meant for Sonny?

Suddenly, goodwill toward men is in short supply and Angel doesn't know who's more dangerous: the hoodoo mystic with an eerie hold over the boys, the hit man roaming the bayou or Eileen's volatile ex-husband, Chuck. 


Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag
Oak Knoll Series #1

California, 1985-Four children and young teacher Anne Navarre make a gruesome discovery: a partially buried female body, her eyes and mouth glued shut. A serial killer is at large, and the very bonds that hold their idyllic town together are about to be tested. Tasked with finding the killer, FBI investigator Vince Leone employs a new and controversial FBI technique called "profiling", which plunges him into the lives of the four children-and the young teacher whose need to uncover the truth is as intense as his own. 

But as new victims are found, Vince and Anne find themselves circling the same small group of local suspects, blissfully unaware that someone very near to them is a murderous psychopath...

Destined For an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Night Huntress Series #4

Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger...
Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.



The Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryn Kennedy
The Elven Lords Series #1

In a magical land ruled by ruthless Elven lords, the Fire Lord's son, Dominic Raikes, plays a deadly game to conceal his growing might from his malevolent father—until his arranged bride awakens in him passions he thought he had buried forever.

Lady Cassandra has been raised in outward purity and innocence, while secretly being trained as an assassin. Her mission is to bring down the Elven Lord and his champion son. But when she gets to court, she discovers that nothing is what it seems, least of all the man she married.

But beneath the gilded castles lies an unspeakable evil, greater than either Dominic or Cassandra had ever fathomed, and without each other they may not survive.



The Good Liar by Laura Caldwell


Kate Livingston and Liza Kingsley have been best friends since their childhood in the suburbs of Chicago. They know everything about each other. Or do they?

When Liza sets up the newly divorced Kate with Michael Waller, an elegant man sixteen years her senior, neither woman expects Kate to fall for him so soon. The relationship is a whirlwind that enthralls Kate...and frightens Liza. Because Liza knows she may have introduced Kate to more than her dream man; she may have unwittingly introduced her to a dangerous world of secrets.

And yet Kate marries Michael and follows him to a French-Canadian town called St. Marabel, where she begins to suspect that Michael isn't exactly who he seems. As each new suspicion arises, Kate finds herself investigating her husband, but what she doesn't know is that she's about to steer her friendship with Liza on a collision course that will race from the U.S. to Russia and from Canada to Brazil, and the betrayals she uncovers could cause the end of all of them.


Hardball by Sara Paretsky
V.I. Warshawski Series #13

Chicago's unique brand of ball is sixteen-inch slow pitch, played in leagues all over the city for more than a century. But in politics, in business, and in law enforcement, the game is hardball.

When V. I. Warshawski is asked to find a man who's been missing for four decades, a search that she figured would be futile becomes lethal. Old skeletons from the city's racially charged history, as well as haunting family secrets-her own and those of the elderly sisters who hired her-rise up to brush her back from the plate with a vengeance. A young cousin whom she's never met arrives from Kansas City to work on a political campaign; a nun who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. dies without revealing crucial evidence; and on the city's South Side, people spit when she shows up. Afraid to learn that her adored father might have been a bent cop, V. I. still takes the investigation all the way to its frightening end.


Indigo Blue by Catherine Anderson
Comanche Series #3

Torn between the white and Comanche worlds of her parents, Indigo Wolf has grown up estranged from townspeople of Wolf's Landing, Oregon. No decent woman calls her a friend, and no man understands her strange, elusive spirit --- until rugged Jake Rand comes to town.

Jake offers to act as foreman of the family mine after a series of mysterious accidents have left Indigo's father seriously injured. But Jake's real motives are as secret as his true identity, and as personal as his growing attraction to Indigo. When Indigo and Jake are unfairly compromised, Indigo's sense of betrayal hardens into a wariness of Jake's tenderness and suspicion of his intentions. 


Will Jake's patient efforts to win over the outwardly rebellious, inwardly vulnerable Indigo be enough to break through her loving heart? Or will a devious villain's attempt to sabotage the mine also endangered their future together?

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell Series #5

THE SIXTH MAN Edgar Roy-an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered. It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. 

In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted.

You Can Run by Carlene Thompson


Penny Conley is still recovering from the untimely death of her husband. But she and her five-year-old daughter, Willow, seem to be thriving in their West Virginia suburb. Penny works for esteemed archeologist Simon Van Etton, who is like family to her—even Simon’s great niece, Diana, has become one of Penny’s closest friends. So when a distraught Penny calls Diana late one night, Diana is the one who comes running. But just as Diana arrives, the house explodes…leaving Penny in a coma, though sparing Willow any harm.

As Diana and Simon try to figure out what happened—and why—two shocking discoveries are made: First, investigators find a bomb in Penny’s basement. Then, new facts about  Penny’s dark past come to light. Determined to find the truth about her friend and protect Willow, Diana keeps digging for clues. But someone is following her every move—and is willing to kill to make sure that Penny’s secrets stay dead and buried…

Monday, April 23, 2012

Enter the World of Paranormal Romance

Bound By Blood by Amanda Ashley
Bound Series #2

A VAMPIRES LOVE IS ETERNAL.

Zack Ravenscroft loves women-all women-and they love him. The irresistibly seductive owner of the hottest casino in Vegas, Zack has tasted every wicked pleasure Sin City can offer. But never in his six hundred years as a vampire has he seen a morsel as delectable as Kaitlyn Sherrad, the mysterious young newcomer in town. Zack knows nothing about her-except that he craves her.

Kaitlyn is half vampire, half human-and all woman. As the cherished daughter of the Carpathian Coven's master, she has been given every luxury a girl could desire. Now her only need is for a prince. But though she's ready to gamble her heart on Zack, a powerful enemy stalks their every move...watches their every kiss...and waits to destroy their undying love.


Bound By Night by Amanda Ashley
Bound Series #1

A VAMPIRE’S KISS IS FOREVER…

Once featured in a horror movie, the crumbling Wolfram estate is said to be haunted by ghosts, witches, and worse. But Elena doesn’t believe a word of it—until she spends the night and wakes up in the arms of a compelling stranger…

Tall, dark, and disturbingly handsome, Drake is the most beautiful man Elena has ever seen. For centuries, he has lived alone, and Elena is the first woman to enter his lair—and survive. And Drake is the first man to touch her heart and soul. By the time she discovers who he really is—and what he craves—it’s too late. Blood lust has turned to love, and Elena is deeply under Drake’s spell. But forever comes at a price for each of them.



Blood of the Wicked by Karina Cooper
Dark Mission Series #1

When the world went straight to hell, humanity needed a scapegoat to judge, to blame . . . to burn.

As an independent witch living off the grid, Jessie Leigh has spent her life running, trying to blend in among the faceless drudges in the rebuilt city. She thought she was finally safe, but now she's been found in a New Seattle strip club—by a hard-eyed man on a mission to destroy her kind.

A soldier of the Holy Order, Silas Smith believes in the cause: trawling the fringes of society for the murderous witches who threaten what's left of the world. Forced into a twisting web of half-truths and lies, he has to stay close to the most sensuous and electrifying woman he has ever seen and manipulate her into leading him tot he witch he has to kill: her brother. Silas doesn't know that Jessie's his enemy, only that he wants her, needs her, even as he lies to her... and must protect her until his final breath.


Dark Awakening by Kendra Leigh Castle
Dark Dynasties Series #1

For centuries, shapeshifting vampire Tynan MacGillivray has prowled the night as an outcast, valued only for his ferocious hunting skills. When a feud among the immortals escalates into all-out war, he is ordered by his ruthless queen to locate a Seer - a human woman with a special gift - who can secure victory for their clan. Ty's search leads him to a quiet New England town, but once he has the Seer in his grasp, her touch awakens within him a hunger like he's never known...

Lily Quinn has always been different. Since childhood, she's had vivid nightmares and an eerie sixth sense. When a sexy, silver-eyed stranger demands her help, Lily plunges into a new world of danger and sensuality. With Ty, she discovers sizzling passions she cannot deny and powers she cannot control. Soon, it is clear that Lily is much more than a Seer - she holds the key to ancient secrets and unthinkable destruction. But will a vampire's vow of eternal protection stop these evil forces...or unleash her dark destiny?


Dark Nights, Dark Dreams by Savannah Russe 
Sisterhood of the Sight Series #1

Introducing the Sisterhood of the Sight. The first in an all-new series featuring sexy paranormal romance, government secrets, and female special-ops with very special talents. 

Government agent Susan Chase always kept her psychic abilities a secret. Now her secret is out and the C.I.A. needs her help. A highly classified all- female team of paranormal agents, Susan and her squad are now entrusted with the government's most unusual and dangerous assignments.

The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter
Lords of the Underworld Series #5

For weeks, the immortal warrior Aeron has sensed an invisible female presence. An angel-demon-assassin has been sent to kill him. Or has she? Olivia claims she fell from the heavens, giving up immortality because she couldn't bear to harm him. But trusting - and falling for - Olivia will endanger them all. So how has this mortal with the huge blue eyes already unleashed Aeron's darkest passion?

With an enemy hot on his trail and his faithful demon companion determined to remove Olivia from his life, Aeron is trapped between duty and consuming desire. Worse still, a new executioner has been sent to do the job Olivia wouldn't.


Deep Kiss of Winter by Gena Showalter

**Includes--Immortals After Dark #8 and Alien Huntress #4.5


#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR KRESLEY COLE delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time . . . and a Valkyrie aching for his touch.
Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela—the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can’t be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Can they conquer an agony of frustration and slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR GENA SHOWALTER puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted . . . and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.
With only skin-to-skin contact, Aleaha Love can change her appearance, assume any identity. Now she’s an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she is held captive when dangerously seductive Breean, a golden-skinned, iron-willed commander, threatens her new life—and for the first time, Aleaha wants only to be herself.



Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost 
Night Huntress Series #1

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side... and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.


Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong
Otherworld Stories #1

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong has captivated readers with her spellbinding Women of the Otherworld series. Now, for the first time, in this collection of four tales she gives center stage to the men who love these sexy, supernatural women—the men who live on the other side of humanity…the wild side.

As a curious six-year-old, Clayton didn’t resist the bite—he asked for it. But surviving as a lone child-werewolf was more than he could manage—until Jeremy came along and taught him how to straddle the human-werewolf worlds, gave him a home…and introduced him to the Pack. So begins this tantalizing volume, featuring three of the most intriguing members of the American Pack—a hierarchical founding family where bloodlines mean everything and each day presents a new, thrilling, and often deadly challenge. For as Clayton grows from a wild child to a clever teen who tests his beloved mentor at every turn, he must learn not only to control his animal instincts but to navigate Pack politics—including showing his brutal archnemesis, Malcolm, who the real Alpha is....

From the nature of fear, weakness, and courage, to the triumph of belonging and the complications of love and loyalty, these mesmerizing tales reveal the trials of a werewolf coming-of-age, and lay bare the hearts and minds of the men strong enough for the women of the Otherworld—and adept enough to take on two worlds.



Naked Dragon by Annette Blair
Works Like Magick Series #1



The Works like Magick Employment Agency has a reputation for perfectly matching clients with magical temps. So when McKenna Greylock requests a handyman, the gorgeous Bastian Dragonelli arrives to repair her B&B- and fire up her bedroom. 


Savage Nature by Christine Feehan
Leopard People Series #5


Danger lurks in the shadows and desire shimmers in the sultry heat as leopard shifter Drake Donovan is sent to a Louisiana bayou to investigate a murder. He's ready for anything except the insatiable hunger that rocks him when he meets Saria Boudreaux, a woman with a compelling motive-and ability-to distract him from the task at hand...

Soul Song by Marjorie M Liu
Dirk and Steele Series #6

A Deadly Harmony

Against her will, Kitala Bell foresees the future. But only deaths, and only violent.

Kitala's own future is in peril. From the ocean's depths rises an impossible blend of fantasy and danger, a creature whose voice is seduction incarnate, whose song can manipulate lives the way Kitala herself manipulates the strings of her violin... even to the point of breaking. He is a prince of the sea, and enigma- a captive stretched to the limit of his endurance by a woman intent on using him for the purest evil. And when survival requires he and Kitala form a closer partnership than either has ever known, the price of their bond will threaten not just their lives, but the essence of their very souls.


Warrior Ascended by Addison Fox
Sons of the Zodiac Series #1

Charming, proud, and impulsive, Leo Warrior Brody Talbot is fighting what may be his final battle. Enyo, the Goddess of War, plans to fulfill an ancient prophecy to destroy humanity by harnessing the dark power of the Summoning Stones of Egypt. There's only one person who knows enough about the stones to help Brody stop her-beautiful museum curator Ava Harrison.

Never in all his centuries has Brody met a woman who enthralls him like Ava. But, bound to protect her, he struggles to deny his passion as they are drawn into a dark and dangerous final reckoning between good and evil.