Crazy Release day ACTION! Plus international contest

I feel like I've been under a holiday snowdrift, and here I pop my little head up and there are awesome new books everywhere! Yes, in this metaphor, I am some sort of woodland animal, I guess. A marmoset, perhaps. Is that a woodland animal? Guess what? I'm too lazy even to look it up on wikipedia. Anyway, some of my favorite authors/friends are releasing books today!! Comment to win one of these fine books. Instructions below.

Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler
Oh, Miss Nicole Peeler and her awesome cabinet of wonders that is the Tempest Series. I am so addicted to this world and these characters, sometimes I just think about them when I'm walking around in my regular life. From what I understand, this is an OMG installment and the best one yet to boot.

From Publisher's Weekly's total rave:
Peeler seamlessly blends snarky pop culture references with emotionally harrowing topics in the third Jane True supernatural adventure....Jane is sure to endear herself to new readers with her charm, sass, and vulnerability, while longtime fans will be thrilled by her magical and emotional growth.

The blurb:

After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl - at least while throwing fireballs. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news . . . news that will rock Jane's world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females — supernatural, halfling, and human — Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires. And she's not sure which she finds more frightening.

Contest Alert! BE SURE to check out Nicole's big contest, vlog, and more about the book at her author site.

Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland
Our saucy and fun ex-cop Diana Rowland totally owns the whole demon CSI thing. This series is awesome! I thought that before I even knew Diana. I love the new cover style, too.

Le blerb:
Homicide detective Kara Gillian has a special talent: she can sense the "arcane" in our world, and there's quite a bit of it, even in Beaulac, Louisiana. She's also a summoner of demons, and works on a task force that deals with supernatural crimes. Her partners are attractive and smart FBI agents, but they're not summoners, and they're not telling Kara why they are on this special force with her.

To make things worse, Kara has pledged herself to one of the most powerful of demons-a Demon Lord-who helped save her partner's life, but now expects things in return. Meanwhile, she's trying to solve a string of murders that are somehow tied together by money, sex, rock music and...mud. But how can she concentrate on the case when she's not even sure who-or what-her partners are?
Read the chapter one excerpt here!

Skin Heat by Ava Gray (aka Ann Aguirre)

I love this series for how risky it is, and how inventive it is, and I think it contains some of Gray's/Aguirre's best work. Smart, solid, tight writing, and a unique niche that's a little paranormal, a little romantic suspense.

Also, these books are full of morally dubious, gray-area characters and you know I love that.  Start with the fabulous Skin Games. Learn more on Gray's website.

The blurb:

Veterinarian Geneva Harper finds herself irresistibly drawn to Zeke Noble, the mysterious young man to whom wild is second nature. When a killer threatens Neva, Zeke's need to protect her is as fierce as his desire to claim her as his mate.

My Immortal Assassin by Carolyn Jewel
A top pick from Book Page, and it got 4.5 stars from Romantic Times! This is another series I love - besides being hugely compelling, Carolyn Jewel writes some of the best heroines. I love her heroines.

From RT: "The lines in the war between Magekind and Fiends continue to blur in the next installment of Jewel's exhilarating My Immortal series. The protagonists in this drama have both suffered terribly, giving them a common ground and enemy. Jewel provides her fans with a terrific tale that has action aplenty and drama to spare. Great stuff!"

The blurb:
Revenge. It's all Grayson Spencer wants. Christophe dit Menart, a human with dark magical powers, destroyed the life she loved. She wants the pleasure of killing him, no matter the cost to her. If not for Durian, a dangerously sexy demon fiend charged with keeping Christophe alive, she would have succeeded, too. Now, she's certain all hope is gone. But he has a plan and an offer she can't resist...

Durian has spent his life as a trained and sanctioned assassin. His duty: to enforce the laws against demons harming humans. He's always prided himself on staying out of the fray, carrying out his orders and honoring his fealty to his warlord, but never getting attached. Never until Grayson, a spunky and determined woman clearly gifted with magic herself. He convinces her to swear fealty to him so he can protect her and teach her to use her magic to taste the revenge she so desperately wants.

They're soon bound together in a forbidden desire--a dangerous passion that calls into question Durian's oath of loyalty to his warlord. When he refuses to return her to Christophe, his disobedience threatens to inflame the tumultuous war between demons and the magekind. Can they--and their love--survive?
Read Chapter one here. More on Carolyn Jewel's site.

And now for something completely different, two books that are not UF, PNR or anything of the sort!  

by Andrew Shaffer
A crazy little number by Shaffer, aka Evil Wylie. Yes, philosophers manage to be far more interesting and imaginative in their romantic screw-ups than actors and athletes ever could be. This is a fun, fascinating, highly readable release.

I just really love the whole human interest angle of history - check the excerpts and you'll see why this is an awesome subject for a book. In addition to a fine addition to the Crane library, this baby's going to make a great gift for some of my friends.

From Publisher's Weekly: “Shaffer’s jaunty compendium of highbrow heartbreak provides proof positive that even the most brilliant of minds can fall afoul of Cupid—and offers some measure of hope to the lovelorn.”
You can get excerpts here. Shaffer's website is here.

Merit Badges by Kevin Fenton
I'm so excited about this book, which has won the AWP award, and is getting great buzz. And it's not just because Kevin is a longtime friend of mine - this book is seriously awesome.

Merit Badges is the kind of book that evokes time and place so precisely that it's LOL funny, yet stunningly poignant all at once. The time and place in question here is small town Minnesota, starting in the 1970's - a time when high schools had "plastic pod chairs in the concourse" and stoner kids got into fights set to the Allman Brothers - and going on up to 2000 or so. At one point, one of my favorite characters says: "The weather was like me, only more so. The weather needed some counseling. The weather had to think about the consequences of its actions."

The characters are vivid and achingly true, sometimes in a touching and highly entertaining way (like the one guy who models himself on the dad from Leave it to Beaver). This tale of their aspirations, their loves, their disappointments is hugely compelling. It leaves a reader with a wonderful, thoughtful feeling about life.

I'm getting this book for the FREAKS in my life who don't like UF or PNR or historicals. LOL. Actually, I would highly recommend it for somebody who enjoys Nick Hornby, or Kazuo Ishiguro. And three of the four main characters are boys, so this is a great guy book. I can't say enough good about it.

Facebook page for Merit Badges here. More on Fenton's site here.

CONTEST PART: Comment for a chance to win one of these fine books anywhere Book Depository will ship.

You don't have to decide what book you want in your comment, just comment. In a week, next Tuesday morning, when I'm having my morning shot of whiskey and foot massage, I'll randomly choose TWO winners and email them, and they'll get to pick one of these books as a gift from Carolyn Crane.