Mondo release roundup with an exciting contest

Wow, a whole slew of exciting new releases right now from my author faves & friends!! Okay, I'm listing them in alphabetical order, and I'm giving TWO of them away (two winners will get to pick one each). Franky, I don't know how I'd choose.

**Contest UPDATE 3/5/11 - Via the magic of random.org, winners have been chosen and emailed...congrats to: as always ♥ Carol &  Rex Robot! Can't wait to see what you pick!

Never Again by Michelle Bardsley (Wizards of Nevermore #1)

I loved this tale of lost characters finding each other in a super-quirky kind of paranormal Mayberry. 

Blurb: Welcome to Nevermore, Texas, population 503, where witches and wizards live side by side with humans, and where witch Lucy Rackmore is in trouble. Ever since her former lover snuffed out her magical abilities, everyone in town is looking to settle a score with her family. And Lucy's only hope for survival may be her ex-brother-in-law-whom her sister betrayed and nearly killed.

"4.5 Stars! Top Pick! "This edgy and sexy series provides more evidence of Bardsley's supreme storytelling chops!" ~ RT Book Reviews

Excerpt and more at Michele Bardsley's site. 

Accidentally Catty by Dakota Cassidy (The Accidental Series book #5)

Oh funny, fabulous, Dakota! I love the sound of this plot. Even the blurb is hilarious.

Blurb: Katie Woods never thought she'd be forty-one, divorced, and thrust back into the dating world. To start fresh, Katie uproots her veterinary practice to upstate New York-not exactly the hottest dating scene on the planet. But when an unconscious cougar appears at her clinic, Katie's newly single life gets a much needed jolt of the supernatural kind.

After Katie examines the cougar and leaves him caged overnight, she's shocked to find a big strapping specimen of young, hot man in its place. And when the scratch she got during the exam results in some unnatural side effects, Katie has more to deal with then her animal attraction to a much younger guy-she has to figure how to stop herself from becoming a cougar of the four-legged variety.

More at lovely miss tiara's website

Taste Me by Tamara Hogan (Underbelly Chronicles, book #1)

My hometown pal smashes out of the gates with an amazing debut!

Blurb: Ever since their tempestuous fling years ago, incubus Lukas Sebastiani has known that siren Scarlett Fontaine was meant to be his. But when you're a sex demon with an insatiable desire, relationships are way more than complicated...

Rock star Scarlett Fontaine desperately needs a break after a grueling tour. But with murder and mayhem surrounding her band, and the one man she never thought to see again put to the task of protecting her, life is going to be anything but peaceful...

Every encounter between them creates more turmoil-and heat-until Scarlett pushes Lukas to the boiling point, and unleashes forces that go way beyond anything she can hope to control...

"Utterly stimulating...sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll the paranormal way. Every tense moment is steamy, passionate foreplay heading toward a fiery resolution." ~Dark Divas Reviews  

"Wow! This hip, sensual tale about a supernatural rock scene sizzles with forbidden heat and danger. A full-blast start to an addictive new series!" ~Carolyn Crane

More at Tamara Hogan's site 

A Lot Like Love by Julie James 

I tell myself I will save this one for a rainy day, but who am I kidding? I will ravish and devour this thing the instant I get it.  

Blurb: THE FBI WANTS HER COOPERATION.

As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city’s top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there’s only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother’s release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

AGENT MCCALL JUST WANTS HER.


As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This “date” with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they’re both determined to pull off even if they can’t be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick’s investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they’re a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. . .

Check out excerpts, contest, etc here! 

Hell to Pay by Jackie Kessler (Hell on Earth #4)

The final installment to a sexy, wild, and wonderful series! Hell's Belles (#1) was one of my first UF loves. So psyched for this wrap-up, and it's just $2.99 in a bold self-pubbing experiment.

Blurb: In this fourth and final Hell on Earth novel, everything changes.

After turning her back on Hell and becoming human, the former demon Jezebel - now the mortal dancer Jesse Harris - is ready to settle down with her true love, Paul Hamilton, and make with the Happily Ever After. But that's not in the cards. Jesse is accidentally wielding her former Hellish power - with devastating results. Another former succubus has targeted Paul. Someone is killing the dancers at Jesse's club. And the King of Hell is leading the world to the brink of Armageddon. All in all, it's not looking good for Jesse, or for anyone she loves. And there's going to be hell to pay.

Read about the Hell on Earth series here. 

Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and probably lots of other places...$2.99!

Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead (Dark Swan #3)

Richelle is unstoppable these days. Not that I want to stop her, considering she is at her full powers of writerly awesomeness. 

Blurb: 

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land's queen, she's fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear. . .

Visit Richelle here. 

Dead Waters by Anton Strout (Simon Canderous #4) 

Anton Strout with his fresh, fun take on urban fantasy in this series. I love the sound of this whodunnit installment.

Blurb: 

Simon Canderous, of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, is used to fighting vampires and zombies. But the strange murder of a professor has everyone stumped. And it's making some people crazy. Literally.

“Simon Canderous is a reformed thief and a psychometrist. By turns despondent over his luck with the ladies (not always living) and his struggle with the hierarchy of his mysterious department (not always truthful), Simon’s life veers from crisis to crisis. Following Simon’s adventures is like being the pinball in an especially antic game, but it’s well worth the wear and tear.”

- Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series 

Check out Anton online here

Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells (Sabine Kane #3)

This whole New Orleans installment sounds excellent. And, who is this Guguhl character that everybody is wild about? I'm psyched to start this series, but for the 99% of the population that is already on it, here is the hotly awaited THREE! 

Blurb:

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. Her sister has been kidnapped by her grandmother, the Dark Races are on the brink of war, and a mysterious order is manipulating everyone behind the scenes.

Working on information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks–a sexy mage named Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, a Mischief demon–head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and–perhaps most frightening of all–humans.

But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won’t be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about most, she must save herself from the ghosts of her past.

"From the opening page, the story hurtles along at full throttle. Yet it is not without its funny moments, like the evolution of "Team Awesome." A seriously wild ride! 4.5 Star Top Pick!" ~Romantic Times Book Reviews  

Read all about it here 

ANTHOLOGIES!

AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR 

Anton Strout, Jackie Kessler and a ton of other awesome authors have stories in this.

Blurb:

Science fiction and fantasy readers have long shown an affinity for a good "bar story". Now some of today's most inventive scriveners have decided to tell their own tall tales-from an alewife's attempt to transfer the gods' curse to Gilgamesh, to Odin's decision to introduce Vikings to the Ur-Bar, from the Holy Roman Emperor's barroom bargain, to a demon hunter who may just have met his match in the ultimate magic bar, to a bouncer who discovers you should never let anyone in after hours in a world terrorized by zombies.

Those who Fight Monsters

Heads up: Jackie has a Jezebel story in this! I really like the cover, too. 

Blurb:

Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives, is your one-stop-shop for Urban Fantasy’s finest anthology of the supernatural. 14 sleuths are gathered together for the first time in all-original tales of unusual cases which require services that go far beyond mere deduction!




Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them (featuring Jeanne Stein, Jackie Kessler, Sharon Shinn and others!)

How much am I looking forward to this? Oh so much. It comes out March 15th. 

Blurb: In Whedonistas, a host of award-winning female writers and fans come together to celebrate the works of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog). 


By discussing the impact of Whedon's work, their involvement with his shows' fandoms and why they adore the worlds he's created, these essayists aim to misbehave in Whedon's rich, fantastical worlds. Essay topics include Sharon Shinn ("Samaria" series) and Emma Bull (Territory) elaborating on the perfection of Firefly, Jeanne Stein (the Anna Strong Chronicles) revealing Buffy's influence on Anna Strong, and Nancy Holder (October Rain, The Watcher's Guide) relating on-the-set tales of Spike menacing her baby daughter while Riley made her hot chocolate.Other contributors include Seanan McGuire (October Daye series), Elizabeth Bear (Chill), Catherynne M. Valente (Palimpsest), Maria Lima (Blood Lines), Jackie Kessler (Black and White), Mariah Huehner (IDW Comics), Sarah Monette (Corambis), and Lyda Morehouse (AngeLINK Series). Also featured is an exclusive interview with television writer and producer Jane Espenson.

THE CONTEST: 

I'm going to pick two commenters on Saturday when I sit down to the computer. I will then email those commenters and they will each get to choose any one of these books to try. As you see, it will be a very complex operation. 

RULES: Just leave a comment (you don't have to choose which book you'd prefer in the comment - you can wait and decide when I email you!) But, do leave your email if I can't get it by clicking your name. Ideally you will leave a comment here on my blog, but since I only just added this bit of instruction, I'll round up GR and FB comments, too.

INTERNATIONAL entries are welcome...anywhere Book Depository ships.
That's all!

**Contest UPDATE 3/5/11 - Via the magic of random.org, winners have been chosen and emailed...congrats to: as always ♥ Carol &  Rex Robot! Can't wait to see what you pick!