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stormbornbyrichellemead_largeThe opening scene in Storm Born is one of the most unique I’ve read in a while. Eugenie Markham, a female shaman who makes her living banishing evil spirits that have crossed over from the Otherworld to our world, has been asked to exorcise a haunted sneaker. Yes you heard right, a haunted sneaker.  Here’s an excerpt:

“Look, Miss . . . Odile . . . or whatever. I’m not crazy. That shoe is haunted. It’s evil. you’ve gotta do something, okay? I’ve got a marathon coming up, and until this started happening, these were my lucky shoes.  And they’re not cheap, you know.  They’re an investment.”

It sounded crazy to me - which was saying something - but there was no harm in checking. I reached into my coat pocket, the one without ammunition.  I’d seen weirder things than a haunted shoe, but not many. Sending some of my will into the wand, I tapped it against the shoe and spoke in a sing-song voice.

“Come out, come out, whoever you are.”

“Go away, bitch.”

Great, a shoe with attitude.

Too bad most of her cases aren’t that easy; unfortunately for Eugenie, her next one takes her into the Otherworld, a place inhabited by the gentry, magical fairy beings notorious for their dislike of humankind (don’t think small creatures with wings though; the gentry look just like humans). Eugenie hates the gentry and often sends them to the Underworld if needed. She’s been taught to loathe them since childhood and as such avoids crossing over whenever possible but her new case her to make the journey into their world.

She’s looking for a young girl recently abducted by the gentry, who are also known for stealing adolescent human girls for white slavery and prostitution purposes. Fortunately Eugenie doesn’t have to make the trip alone; she summons the 3 spirits bound to her for protection. It’s through them that she learns that the young girl, Jasmine, has been taken by Aeson, a powerful gentry king. At the advice of one of her spirits she approaches Dorian, a rival of Aeson’s, asking him to accompany her on her mission to rescue Jasmine. Dorian refuses to join her but does offer the help of one of his guides. He then proceed to tell her a story about a powerful ruler called the Storm King who had the ability to control the weather. He tells her of a prophecy in which the Storm King’s daughter will have a child that will rule over both humankind and the Otherworld. Imagine her surprise to learn that she is that daughter and that her child will become the prophesied ruler. Eugenie refuse to accept the prophesy because it puts her in direct conflict with what she’s been taught. Her heritage, her upbringing, and her entire childhood would be reduced to mere lies if Dorian’s tale were true.

Eugenie soon takes her leave of Dorian and takes her run at Aeson but is unsuccessful in part because Jasmine flatly refuses to leave. Eugenie herself is only able to flee Aeson’s minions just in the nick of time.

Back in the human world Eugenie’s next and most important task is to discuss Dorian’s story with her parents. If what he told her is true, they have some splainin’ to do.

The backdrop for Richelle Mead’s book is a social commentary on prejudice and misguided hatred but it primarily takes a back seat to the action-packed storyline.

Eugenie eventually learns the truth about her past which forces her to once again seek Dorian’s assistance, but this time she wants him to help her control her newly discovered powers. The exchanges between Dorian and Eugenie provide many of the comedic elements in the book. Dorian is, at his core, a wise and very powerful gentry king but he’s also incredibly bored with his life in the Otherworld and therefore welcomes the opportunity to travel to the human world to give Eugenie her lessons and ogle human women. He also does his share of propositioning Eugenie but she never really takes him seriously. Eugenie’s romantic interest is Kiyo, a gorgeous kitsune (shapeshifter) who saves Eugenie’s life on more than one occasion. Kiyo’s help is integral to Eugenie’s survival because someone from the Otherworld doesn’t want the prophesy to come true and is gunning for Eugenie. Additionally, some of the Otherworld beings have determined that they can increase their powers by fathering her next child. As such she spends a lot of time fighting for her life and battling creatures wanting to mate with her.

All of this leads up to an incredible climax rife with surprises and suspense.

In some ways this book reminds me of a modern day Elizabethan court piece; there’s intrigue, romance, betrayal, and characters jockeying for power. Mead manages to balance these elements by writing believable characterizations and fleshing out a very detailed fantasy setting. As a matter of fact, she does a great job with world building. The Otherworld she creates is as varied as our world but it’s also magical, frightening, and fascinating. The book ends with an unanswered mystery that I can’t wait to read more about. I’ve got my ideas but there are lots of possibilities so I’ll have see how good I am at predictions!

All of this makes for a thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable, and captivating read.

This is the first book in the Dark Swan series and a great addition to the urban fantasy genre. Richelle, get the second book finished!


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The following fantasy books are being released this month. With new releases by authors like C.E. Murphy, Lilith Saintcrow, Chris Marie Green, Justina Robson, L.A. Banks, and Richelle Mead, you can’t go wrong. There’s something here for everyone!


Sept. 1, 2008 Hands of Flame (The Negotiator Book 3)
by C.E. Murphy

War has erupted among the five Old Races, and Margrit is responsible for the death that caused it. Now New York City’s most unusual lawyer finds herself facing her toughest negotiation yet. And with her gargoyle lover, Alban, taken prisoner, Margrit’s only allies—a dragon bitter about his fall, a vampire determined to hold his standing at any cost and a mortal detective with no idea what he’s up against—have demands of their own.

Determined to rescue Alban and torn between conflicting loyalties as the battle seeps into the human world, Margrit soon realizes the only way out is through the fire.

See my review of C.E. Murphy’s urban fantasy book, Heart of Stone (The Negotiator Book 1).


Sept. 1, 2008 Haunting the Nightside (Nightside Omnibus Book 2)
by Simon R. Green

This is a popular urban fantasy book series by Simon R. Green, a great urban fantasy writer.


Sept. 1, 2008 Hungry for More
by Diana Holquist

Chef James LaChance has no time for the gorgeous Gypsy who appears at his restaurant with a mysterious agenda. Amy Burns is a Gypsy with a gift: she can name a person’s One True Love. To keep her mystical power, she can never fall in love herself–a price she’s more than willing to pay. Until she meets the sexy chef whose talents in the kitchen are only surpassed by his talents in the bedroom. But is any man worth giving up the only gift she’s ever had? As desire leads to passion, Amy must choose between her destiny and the man who loves her…


Sept. 1, 2008 Hunter’s Prayer
by Lilith Saintcrow

Another night on the Nightside…An ancient evil looms over Santa Luz. Prostitutes are showing up dead and eviscerated. And Jill Kismet just might be able to get her revenge against an old enemy.

There’s just one problem. Someone wants Jill dead–again. And if they have to open up Hell itself to kill her, they will.

I love the books in this urban fantasy series by Lilith Saintcrow!


Sept. 1, 2008 Insatiable Desire
by Rita Herron

FBI agent Vincent Valtrez, the son of a devil and an angel, is a Dark Lord with the potential for great good or great evil. His dead father, Zion, is about to be named the new leader of Hell’s legions, and Pan, god of fear, wants to harvest Vincent’s soul and win Zion’s approval. He lures Vincent back to his hometown by targeting psychic Clarissa King, for whom Vincent has long felt an attraction. Herron manages to stke a balance between the romance bubbling between Vincent and Clarissa and the horror of Pan’s actions. Vincent displays enough self-loathing to make him an interestingly brooding hero, and readers will enjoy the chase after Pan’s earthly agents and Vincent’s struggle with his figurative and literal demons, right up to the obligatory cliffhanger ending.


Sept. 2, 2008 Medlocks (The Barathrum Evado Trophy)
by Dave Berenato

The Barkers arent your normal family living in Wisconsin. With eight kids including a set of quintuplets, a pair of twins, and one single born, they couldnt count themselves as the typical American family. But in Medlocks: the Barathrum Evado Trophy, their lives change forever one summer when they wake up with miraculous superpowers. Shortly after they are told that they must attend an academy in another solar system called Medlocks. While they discover their parents dark secrets, they also learn about a villain trying to stop them from solving the mystery of The Barathrum Evado Trophy. Grab onto the roller coaster ride where young author Dave Berenato takes you down a path of cliffhangers and unexpected twists in Medlocks: the Barathrum Evado Trophy.


Sept. 2, 2008 Moon in the Mirror (A Tess Noncoire Adventure)
by P.R. Frost

Frost’s lively sequel to Hounding the Moon (2006) finds Tess Noncoiré, fantasy writer and Warrior of the Celestial Blade, literally haunted by the ghost of her dead husband, Dill, and on the run from the vengeful widow of a Windago demon. Tess doesn’t need more trouble, but she gets it anyway when WindScribe, a member of her aunt MoonFeather’s coven, reappears—unaged, naked and hounded by garden gnomes with teeth—after vanishing 28 years before. This is an enjoyable, slightly screwball fantasy adventure leavened with touches of soap opera.


Sept. 2, 2008 Vampires
by John Steakley

Vampires is about a tightly knit group of professional vampire killers. They may say they’re in it for the money, but their death-defying bravado are as intense as those in any soldier-hero epic. The irrepressible, foul-mouthed, hard-drinkin’ Jack Crow–decked out in high-tech chain mail and wielding a fearsome crossbow–is the leader of the bunch. He’s the sort of man who screams obscenities at the pope, and then (after a lot of booze) weeps in the pontiff’s lap over the horrors he’s witnessed.

Vampires is a gaudy, action-packed novel. The men are men, the women are vulnerable, and the vampires are mean, ugly monsters. Unless you don’t like that sort of thing, you’ll love it.

I personally love reading vampire books like this.


Sept. 2, 2008 Break of Dawn
by Chris Marie Green

Hollywood can really suck…
After facing off against the lethal Vampire Killer, Hollywood stuntwoman Dawn Madison and her friends are reeling. But for Dawn, the pain is much more personal. She’s learned more about her missing father and long-dead mother than she ever wanted to, and her conflicted feelings about both her enigmatic, never-seen boss, Jonah, and P.I. Matt Lonigan are only making things worse.

To save her father Dawn must enter the Vampire Underground, where she will encounter an unthinkable betrayal, and where the question of who is truly good and who is truly evil will become a matter of life, death—and undeath.

See my review of Night Rising (Vampire Babylon Book 1), a great introduction to this urban fantasy series.


Sept. 2, 2008 Daughter of Hounds
by Caitlin R. Kiernan

This book features psychic sensitive Deacon Silvey and his supernaturally scarred family and friends is a hell-raising dark fantasy replete with ghouls, changelings and eerie intimations of a macabre otherworld. Deacon’s adolescent daughter, Emmie, finds herself increasingly subject to weird presentiments and uncanny encounters that suggest she’s more fey than mortal. The complex plot springs abundant surprises involving forgotten cradle exchanges, mistaken identities and unexpected betrayals on its juggernaut roll to a memorable finale. Though more talky than Kiernan’s usual, the story still manages an effective mix of atmosphere and action and resolves most of the major subplots.


Sept. 16 , 2008 The Bride of Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula Book 3)
by Marta Acosta

Milagro De Los Santos is having serious problems planning her wedding to fabulous Oswald Grant, M.D. Her future in-laws loathe her, her dog just died, and Oswald’s family has a genetic anomaly that makes them crave blood. Then her extravagant best friend hijacks the role of wedding coordinator, and the secretive Vampire Council assigns conniving Cornelia Ducharme to guide the couple through the ancient vampire marriage rituals.

To top it all off, Milagro’s career is on the skids. She’s reduced to ghost-writing the memoirs of a loony little man who claims to be a shapeshifter. And why does Cornelia’s decadent, way too attractive brother, Ian, always show up whenever Milagro is away from Oswald? When a series of accidents interferes with wedding plans, Oswald worries that Milagro is cracking under the pressure. Is she just paranoid, or is a hidden enemy trying to make sure Milagro doesn’t wed the undead?


Sept. 23, 2008 Going Under (Quantum Gravity Book 3)
by Justina Robson

Lila Black is off with the faeries . . .

Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015 things have been different; the dimensions have fused and suddenly our world is accessible to elves, demons, ghosts and elementals and their worlds are open to us. Things have been different for Special Agent Lila Black too: tortured and magic-scarred by elves, rebuilt by humans into a half-robot, part-AI, nuclear-fueled walking arsenal, and carrying the essence of a dead elfin necromancer in her chest, sometimes she has trouble figuring out who she is.

And a mission to the world of the fae may not help her work it out.

See my review of Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity Book 1), the first book in the Lila Black urban fantasy series.


Sept. 30, 2008 One Bite With a Stranger (The Others Book 6)
by Christine Warren

When Regina’s friends insist on setting her up a “Fantasy Fix” to help her get over her cheating ex, she dreams up some kinky out-of-this-world encounters that they could never possibly bring to life. But the next thing Regina knows, her friends have got her laced into a shiny black corset, tight leather pants, and a sexy pair of stilettos. It’s time for some downtown vampire-fantasy fun. . . .

The Vampire Ball in Manhattan’s East Village isn’t really Dmitri Vidâme’s idea of a good time, but as a member of the Council that governs the Others, he has to keep an eye on all the young vamps who prey on the pretenders. After he feasts his dark eyes on fiery Regina at the bar, he knows that he must have her. But for the first time Dmitri meets a woman who is more than a match for his indomitable will. And he may be the fantasy Regina hoped for… until she—and her feisty friends—discover her sexy new lover’s bloodsucking secret.


Sept. 30, 2008 Pandemonium
by Daryl Gregory

Sasha Trudeau considers herself a soldier first and a werewolf second. But while her secret government-sanctioned task-force faces its greatest challenge so far, Sasha faces something much more primal: the undeniable pull of the moon—and her own desires.

With rogue wolves savaging both the human and paranormal worlds, Sasha’s team of elite operatives has one job: destroy the rogues and isolate the deadly toxin that’s poisoned their blood. But the challenge is far more complicated than Sasha could have imagined. Soon she is thrust into a full-scale supernatural war for supremacy—and the only man left who Sasha can turn to might be the biggest danger to her of all. . .and in more ways than one.

I love L.A. Banks’ sexy urban fantasy books!


Sept. 30, 2008 Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid Book 3)
by Richelle Mead

Some days, a girl just can’t catch a break … especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there’s her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It’s not just that they can’t have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge.

Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Now Georgina faces a double challenge-rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again.

See my review of Storm Born, another great book by Richelle Mead.


See also: Best Selling Urban Fantasy Books for 2008

Hot New Releases: Best Fantasy Books for August 2008


Best Selling Fantasy Books for 2008

Categories : New Fantasy Books
Comments (7)

The following fantasy books are being released this month, August 2008. Several of these books are written by very popular fantasy book writers and are sure to be good.


August 2, 2008

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga Book 4)
by Stephenie Meyer

This is the last book in the incredibly popular Twilight Saga series.


August 3, 2008 Seaborn
by Chris Howard

Corina Lairsey goes from one bad relationship to the next. However this new guy has taken a few liberties that Corina can’t possibly allow - he’s taken control of her body. As Corina struggles to get rid of him he starts selling off pieces of her life in order to gain additional power. What follows is an adventurous race against time and a to-the-death battle of wills.


August 4, 2008 The Last Angel
by Kayla Steele

An angel is found murdered on the streets of Sunset Boulevard. To the media gossip mongers, it’s the biggest story ever. To the Hunters, an underground monster-fighting hit-squad, it’s just another case of ‘whodunnit’. To Kayla Steele, their youngest and newest member, it means a last, desperate chance to bring her murdered fiancé back from the dead . . .


August 5, 2008 Storm Born (Dark Swan Book 1)
by Richelle Mead

I’d seen weirder things than a haunted shoe, but not many. Sending some of my will into the wand, I tapped it against the shoe and spoke in a sing-song voice.

“Come out, come out, whoever you are.”

“Go away, bitch.”

Great, a shoe with attitude.

Fantasy Girl: I just bought this one - check out my Storm Born review!


August 5, 2008 Enchantment Place
by Denise Little

To say that the stores in Enchantment Place are unique is an understatement. They cater to customers that are looking for specialty items.

Here are seventeen shopping trips you’ll never forget, from a store that sells the highest quality familiars…to the non-magical daughter of a magic-filled family who is left to mind the family jewelry store though she has no means to defeat an enchanting thief…to a woman running a Wiccan supply store who is suddenly faced with an IRS audit…


August 5, 2008 Necking
by Chris Salvatore

Gia Felice has a Rolodex full of vampires, werewolves, witches, and aliens - not to mention the livestock suppliers, undead-friendly hotels, and sleazy bars that cater to her clients’ more carnal needs. Sometimes being the premier book publicist to the underworld can suck - literally. Especially if you’re human. Especially if you’ve got the hots for irresistible Johnny and his sly half smile that shows just a little fang!”


August 5, 2008 Gale Force (Weather Warden, Book 7)
by Rachel Caine

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is on vacation when her Djinn lover, David, asks Joanne to marry him. She’s thrilled to say yes, even if some others may be less than happy about it. Unfortunately, Joanne’s pre-marital bliss is ended by a devastating earthquake in Florida. And she can’t ask David and his kind for assistance. Because the cause of the quake is unlike anything Joanne has ever encountered—and a power even the Djinn cannot perceive.”


August 5, 2008 Underground (Greywalker, Book Three)
by Kat Richardson

Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until she died—for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker—walking the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm.

The local homeless are turning up dead and mutilated, and zombies have been seen roaming the underground—the city buried beneath modern Seattle. But the killer is no mere murderer—it is a creature of ancient legend. And Harper must deal with both the living and the dead to stop the monster and its master…unless they stop her first.”


August 5, 2008 Kiss of Fury (Dragon Fire Book 3)
by Deborah Cooke

Alexandra Madison has discovered an invention that could change the world. When her partner is murdered and their lab destroyed, Alex knows she has to rebuild her prototype in time…

Donovan Shea knows the Madison project is of dire importance to the ongoing Pyr/Slayer war. So when he sees Alex being followed by a Slayer, he reacts and defends her, never imagining that she’s his destined mate…

As Slayers close in on their prey, Donovan knows he’ll surrender his life to protect Alex—and lose his heart to possess her…


August 12, 2008 Bitten to Death (Jaz Parks, Book 4)
by Jennifer Rardin

Jaz Parks here. My latest mission has taken me to the ancient Greek city of Patras; but instead of soaking up its splendor, I’m here to infiltrate a Vampere Trust. Only two vamps have ever escaped the tightly bound communities and lived to tell the tale: Edward “The Raptor”Samos, the most reviled criminal mastermind in recent memory, and Vayl, the CIA’s number one assassin who also happens to be my boss.


August 26, 2008 The Gypsy Morph (The Genesis of Shannara, Book 3)
by Terry Brooks

August 26, 2008 Hunter’s Prayer
by Lilith Saintcrow

Another night on the Nightside…An ancient evil looms over Santa Luz. Prostitutes are showing up dead and eviscerated. And Jill Kismet just might be able to get her revenge against an old enemy. There’s just one problem. Someone wants Jill dead–again. And if they have to open up Hell itself to kill her, they will.

Fantasy Girl: I have every Lilith Saintcrow urban fantasy book in publication and they’re all fantastic!


August 26, 2008 Legacy (Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles, Book 4)
by Jeanne C. Stein

The sinister vampire who transformed her is dead, and Anna is entitled to his vast fortune. But a predatory werewolf comes forward, claiming the inheritance as her own—and she’ll kill to get what she wants most: blood and money.

Fantasy Girl: I have every book in the Anna Strong urban fantasy vampire series and highly recommend them!

Reviews:
Book 2: Blood Drive
Book 3: The Watcher


August 26, 2008 Pandemonium
by Daryl Gregory

A demon had possessed a man, and O’Hare security had sealed off the concourse between the gates and baggage claim. Reactions varied from exasperation to excitement. It was another travel delay, but at least it was an interesting delay.
We couldn’t go back: we’d just come through security, and more travelers were filling in behind us. There was nothing to do but wait for the demon to finish its business.

Fantasy Girl: I’ve added this one to my shopping cart!


August 26, 2008 Pure Blood
by Caitlin Kittredge

In the shadows of Nocturne City, witches lurk and demons prowl, and homicide detective Luna Wilder must keep the peace—while living life as a werewolf. Now bodies are turning up all over town, the brutal murders linked by a cryptic message: We see with empty eyes…

To make matters worse for Luna, she can’t get wolfishly handsome Dmitri Sandovsky out of her mind . . .


See also: Best Selling Urban Fantasy Books for 2008

Best Selling Fantasy Books for 2008

Categories : New Fantasy Books
Comments (2)

In this, the 3rd book in the Julie Kenner soccer mom urban fantasy series, our heroine, Kate Connor is back attempting to keep her town, San Diablo, California safe from body swapping demons.

It appears as if the town is being overrun with newly made demons that are targeting Kate, her teenage daughter Allie, and Allie’s hunky teacher, David. If you read California Demon you know that Allie was kidnapped by a demon (in a human body) that had endeared himself to the family. Because of that ordeal Allie now knows that her mother does more than just bake cookies (badly) and take care of the house. No, Allie is fully aware of the fact that her mother slays demons, sending them back to their place of origin (which would be, um, hell) and freeing the newly dead human body they’d inhabit.

Unfortunately Allie has decided she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a Hunter. This makes for some interesting exchanges between mother and daughter:

“No, you’re not going out with me hunting demons tonight.”

“But Mom!”

“No, and that’s final.”

“Whatever!”

Okay, I totally made up that scene but you get the picture. My point is that Allie is a typical American teenager who sometimes does the exact opposite of what her parents tell her. This can potentially put her in harm’s way because it appears as if the local demon population is targeting her. However, as we discover in the book, she’s a pretty smart young lady.

Which brings me to the main mystery in the book: the demons are attacking Kate, Allie, and David, but they’re not going for the kill shot. Instead they’re attempting to extract information about a stone in which one of their fire-and-brimstone leaders has been imprisoned. They think one of them knows where the stone is hidden. Kenner does a nice job keeping us in the dark about the stone while the 3 main characters race against time to find it before the bad guys do.

I’ve read the first 2 books in this urban fantasy series and I’m happy to report that Kate is growing as a character. In some of the earlier books we saw more of the domestic side of her, primarily because she was trying so hard to keep her hunter persona secret from all of her family and friends. In this book she’s forced to share her secret with some of those around her - that’s probably why there’s more character development in this book. Kenner downplays the “soccer mom” aspect of Kate’s life and focuses more on the well-trained, smart, and calculating kick butt demon slayer persona. It’s a good move.

As in previous books Kate’s husband Stuart is totally in the dark about her secret life. In the earlier books I was exasperated with his character because he seemed to be too preoccupied with building his political career and not plugged in to what his wife was going through. In this book he’s still clueless but we get to see a different side of him which makes him much more endearing. I still think he too easily accepts the explanations Kate gives him about her bruises and injuries, but I think that’s what makes this fantasy series so effective and different. It doesn’t take place in an urban city, there’s no sophisticated team of hunters with modern day weapons, and the heroine doesn’t have magical powers. It’s all about a woman who uses intuition, common sense, and training to rid her little part of the world of evil.

To be honest it’s actually interesting (and sometimes funny) seeing Kate try to kill a body snatching demon just in the nick of time because she hears Stuart approaching. I used to wish he’d walk in on her while she’s in slayer mode, but now I like the fact that there are people close to her that have no clue about her alternate life.

David, Allie’s high school teacher, is still somewhat of a mystery to Kate. In the previous book she started suspecting that David was hiding something - and that he wasn’t exactly who/what he appeared to be. Specifically, Kate thinks he might be a reincarnation of her slain husband Eric, who was also a demon slayer. That mystery continues in this book and adds a level of suspense and uncertainty that keeps the storyline interesting. All I’ll say about this issue is that deception, lies, and betrayal are key themes in David and Kate’s relationship. You’ll be shocked to discover the truth. Kenner does a great job with the plotline throughout the book and even if you’ve not read the previous installments you’ll appreciate the book’s climax.

If you’re looking for something different from your average Hunter/Slayer type urban fantasy book pick up one of the books in the series. Two of the books in the series are now on sale at Amazon:

   
  On Sale for $7.99   On Sale for $4.99            $11.20

Give the series a spin - I think you’ll like it.

Comments (2)

Here’s the list of fantasy books that will be released in July 2008. There are some good pickins here based on the reviews I’ve read!


July 1, 2008 Dragon Wytch (Sisters of the Moon, Book 4)
by Yasmine Galenorn

The D’Artigo sisters are half-human, half-Fae operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Camille is doing her best to juggle magic, men, and the demonic war into which they’ve been thrust—until she discovers a secret that could change all their lives.


July 1, 2008 Deja Demon
by Julie Kenner

Keeping the local kiddos in line will take all of Kate’s skills as a mother and demon hunter, just when she’ll need them the most. The High Demon Goramesh has returned to San Diablo—this time with a full-blown army of the undead and a powerful demonic ally. Once again, it’s up to Kate to save the world. Good thing she can multi-task…

Fantasy Girl: this is Book 4 in the Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series. Kate Connor is a Level 4 demon hunter working for a secret arm of the Vatican. She tries to juggle her normal daily “soccer mom” life while preventing things that go bump in the night from overtaking her town. These books are always hilarious and contain just the right mixture of adventure and fun.


July 8, 2008 The Shadows (Vampire Huntress Legends)
by L.A. Banks

Yonnie and Val, a strange combination of a daywalker and an angel hybrid, have joined Damali and Carlos’s team. And the two new Council Level vamps, Elizabeth Bathory and Lucrezia Borgia, are still in recovery from their last mission. This time, Damali and Carlos must address serious human casualties and collateral damage…all while the vampire councilman, Nuit rebuilds Blood Music to become more than a record label, but a media brainwashing empire for the dark lord.


July 8, 2008 Jhegaala
by Steven Brust

Fresh from the collapse of his marriage, and with the criminal Jhereg organization out to eliminate him, Vlad decides to hide out among his relatives in faraway Fenario. All he knows about them is that their family name is Merss and that they live in a papermaking industrial town called Burz. At first Burz isn’t such a bad place, but the longer he stays the stranger it becomes. No one will tell him where to find his relatives. Even stranger, when he mentions the name Merss, people think he’s threatening them. And the witches’ coven that every Fenarian town and city should have is nowhere in evidence.


July 29, 2008 Nightwalker (The First Dark Days Novel)
by Jocelynn Drake

For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.

The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted.

Fantasy Girl: this sounds like the type of fantasy books I like to read.


July 29, 2008 The Devil You Know
by Jenna Black

The beautiful. The bad. The possessed. Some people worship them. Some people fear them. And some people—like Morgan Kingsley—go up against them toe-to-toe, flesh to flesh, and power against power. An exorcist by trade, Morgan is one of the few humans with an aura stronger than her possessor, even though her demon can tease her body senseless. She’s also a woman who has just discovered a shocking truth: everything she once believed about her past, her identity, may have been a lie.


July 29, 2008 Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega Book 1)
by Patricia Briggs

“Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member—and as his mate.”

Fantasy Girl: I’m really excited about this new series by Patricia Briggs!


See also:   Hot New Releases: Best Urban Fantasy Books for June 2008

Categories : New Fantasy Books
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