This month has some great new fantasy book releases by known entities like Jeri Smith-Ready (Bad to the Bone), Laura Anne Gilman (Blood From Stone), Devon Monk (Magic in the Blood), and Phaedra Weldon (Wraith) as well as titles by authors whose books I’ve not read before:

-Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
-Last Vampire Standing by Nancy Haddock
-Witch Way to the Mall by Esther Friesner
-A Flash of Hex by Jess Battis
-Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti

So sit back, grab a glass of lemonade, and enjoy!

Sleepers Awake by Patrick McNulty
In this dark fantasy, a militia of ghostly bounty hunters is employed by the mysterious Ministry of the Wraith to find and destroy “sleepers”—evil, violent creatures from an invisible world. Bishop Kane, one of the vigilante wraiths, is sent on a mission to the small Alaska town where he was killed nearly 30 years ago. His prey is the wife of the of the town sheriff, who is also Kane’s daughter, a daughter he thought was dead and who was the cause of his death. The sheriff foils the assassination attempt against his wife, and learns the terrible truth about her identity and the evil she unwittingly harbors. As cataclysmic events unfold, ever increasing numbers of citizens die and are transformed into wolf-like monsters. When darkness falls, a menacing army of spectral beasts emerges from the shadows led by the woman both men have loved, and whom both men have vowed to kill before the next sunset. To protect the huddled and terrified townspeople, he must pay the ultimate price.

Blood From Stone (Retrievers Book 6) by Laura Anne Gilman
Wren Valere’s job is driving her crazy. She’s still Manhattan’s most sought-after Retriever, but after last year’s deadly confrontation with the Silence, all this magic-user wants is a break. With her apartment going co-op and her relationship with the demon P.B. putting stress on her romance with partner Sergei, is Wren finally ready to settle down to a more stable existence?

Not likely. Because when you’re good, trouble always finds you. Wren’s next assignment puts her on the wrong side of a child-snatcher—and a collision course with her past. But to save a friend—and protect her future—Wren must pull off the most important Retrieval of her life…and for once magic isn’t on her side.

Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Opal LaZelle is a special effects make-up artist, transforming actors into fantastical and grotesque creatures. Unknown to the casts and crews of the films she works on, Opal is gifted in the art of magic—and she applies more than make-up when altering an actor’s features.

Her latest job requires turning Corvus Weather into a dark god of the forest. But when Corvus’s performance becomes too convincing—on set and off—Opal realizes he’s not acting. Something has taken possession of Corvus. Something sinister tied to the town’s past, with the ability to absorb the very essence of life. Something Opal doesn’t have enough power to confront, much less drive from the man she has fallen in love with.

Last Vampire Standing by Nancy Haddock
Second in the delightful series featuring a vampire princess in the Sunshine State, adjusting to life, undeath, and that brutal Floridian sun.

228-year-old Francesca Marinelli thought her past was dead—then a stranger from the Atlanta vampire nest crashes her home looking for sanctuary. A budding stand-up comic, Jo-Jo’s running from an undead superior eager to drive a stake through the heart of his dream job. But Jo-Jo’s bad jokes aren’t the only dark clouds on the horizon. A psychotic vampire with a murderous agenda has followed Jo-Jo to Florida, putting everyone close to Francesca in danger.

Magic in the Blood (Allie Beckstrom) by Devon Monk
Working as a Hound—tracing illegal spells back to their casters—has taken its toll on Allison Beckstrom. But even though magic has given her migraines and stolen her recent memory, Allie isn’t about to quit. Then the police’s magic enforcement division asks her to consult on a missing persons case. But what seems to be a straightforward job turns out to be anything but, as Allie finds herself drawn into the underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic. Note: I read this new fantasy book a few weeks ago and loved it. Stay tuned for a review.

Wraith (Zoe Martinique, Book 1) by Phaedra Weldon
Part paranormal whodunit, part urban fantasy, Weldon’s lively debut introduces Zoë Martinique, a professional snoop based in Atlanta, Ga., with the ability to project herself out of body and spy on illicit activities. Things get complicated after Zoë becomes an astral witness to murder, and the killer, who can not only see her but also touch her, leaves her branded with a red hand print and a shock of white hair that just keeps getting thicker. Zoë teams up with sexy cop Daniel Frasier, who thinks infamous televangelist Theodore Rollins is somehow behind the murder, but Zoë’s also pretty sure that the dead man’s boss, Koba Hirokumi, president of Visitar Inc., knows a lot more than he’s telling. Before long, what began as an apparent case of industrial espionage turns into a battle against evil from another dimension. Weldon keeps Zoë and her readers off balance with brisk pacing and brain-wrenching plot twists, drawing the story to a satisfying close while leaving enough loose ends to set up Zoë’s next adventure.

Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready
TURN ON. TUNE IN. DROP DEAD.

If you’re just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock’n'Roll.” Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs — including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister — who really sink their teeth into the music of their “Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive — without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails — what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks…. Note: I just ordered this one.

Witch Way to the Mall by Esther Friesner
Move over, urban fantasy—here comes suburban fantasy. What self-respecting witch, vampire, or werewolf would be caught dead—or undead—anywhere but the Big City, you may ask? Look, let’s give the uncanny crew a little credit for intelligence: If they had the smarts to see the advantage in packing up and moving into the cities, why wouldn’t they have the smarts to move out of said cities if it looked like they could get a better quality-of-life/death elsewhere? (Tough enough going about your otherworldly business and evading the occasional mob wielding halogen torches and designer pitchforks, but have you ever seen city real estate prices?)

So let’s welcome our first group of supernatural suburbanites, the witches. Their powers are awesome, their methods of coping with the lumps, bumps, and idiosyncrasies of Suburbia are ingenious, and they always bring the loveliest gingerbread to the PTA bake sale. But whatever you do, don’t try telling them that life in a non-city setting is bland, banal and boring, or you might get turned into . . . ribbit!

Stories of suburban sorcery by Harry Turtledove, Sarah A. Hoyt, Jan and S.M. Stirling, K. D. Wentworth, and more—including Esther Friesner herself. Note: this sounds like a fun new fantasy book that I just added to my shopping cart.

A Flash of Hex by Jess Battis
After a series of brutal murders, Occult Special Investigator Tess Corday is convinced the identity of the killer is locked in her own head. The only question is—how many rules is she willing to break to get to the truth?

Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti
It’s been ten years since Melanippe Saka left the Amazon tribe in order to create a normal life for her daughter, Harmony. True, running a tattoo parlor in Madison, Wisconsin, while living with your Amazon warrior mother and priestess grandmother is not everyone’s idea of normal, but Mel thinks she’s succeeded at blending in as human.

Turns out she’s wrong. Someone knows all about her, someone who’s targeting young Amazon girls, and no way is Mel going to let Harmony become tangled in this deadly web. With her mother love in overdrive, Mel quite a force…even when she’s facing a barrage of distractions — including a persistent detective whose interest in Mel goes beyond professional, a sexy tattoo artist with secrets of his own, and a seriously angry Amazon queen who views Mel as a prime suspect. To find answers, Mel will have to do the one thing she swore she’d never do: embrace her powers and admit that you can take the girl out of the tribe…but you can’t take the tribe out of the girl.

Audio Books

Haunted by Kelley Armstrong, Narrated by Laural Merlington Smart-mouthed Eve Levine, a witch with a reputation for breaking the rules, may be dead, but as she proves in this overstuffed paranormal romance (a follow-up to Industrial Magic), she can still raise hell in the hereafter—which, in this case, is a curiously ordinary dimension in which ghosts like Eve and her also deceased former lover, a sorcerer named Kris, can bicker, have sex and use their paranormal powers. The Fates, three elusive sisters, are the rulers of this otherworldly dimension, and they have a job for Eve. If she can defeat a demonic Nix who’s wreaking havoc in the human realm by inducing people to kill, she’ll earn her wings—literally. The catch: she can’t capture the Nix without the powers that angelhood affords. Eve surmounts this hurdle by teaming up with a hunky and humanlike angel named Trsiel, but her quest, which is fraught with obstacles as well as distractions, is lengthy and quite challenging. Those who appreciate heroines with a good measure of spunk, sass and strong-arm savvy will find this a fun read. Read our review of Haunted by Kelley Armstrong.

Hex and the City by Simon R. Green and Marc Vietor Lady Luck has hired John Taylor to investigate the origins of the Nightside–the dark heart of London where it’s always 3 A.M. But when he starts to uncover facts about his long-vanished mother, the Nightside–and all of existence– could be snuffed out.

Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong, Narrated by Laural MerlingtonSet in a supernatural but credible underworld of industrial baron sorcerers and psychologically crippled witches, the fourth novel in Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series (after Dime Store Magic) follows young renegade witch Paige Winterbourne as she pitches a group of uptight business-suited witches to join her alternative coven, which she claims will re-empower the new generation. It’s a task made nearly impossible by Paige’s romantic association with sorcerer/lawyer Lucas Cortez; in Armstrong’s world, witches and sorcerers are bitter enemies. Lucas aims to bring down the mafia-like cabal to which he’s heir apparent, but this goal and Paige’s are put on the back burner when someone starts murdering the children of rival cabal leaders. In their hunt for the killer, Paige and Lucas must rely on a number of unpromising allies: a vicious aging vampire, a TV celebrity necromancer and the ghost mom of an adolescent witch who may be the murderer’s next victim. As in the author’s first book, Bitten (which introduced the world’s only female werewolf, Elena, who also figures in this plot), breakneck action is tempered by deep psychological insights, intense sensuality and considerable humor. Check out our mini-review of Industrial Magic.