Squee-Worthy Books, A Free Fae eBook & A Haunted Mansion

This week I came across some great sounding books that I had to add to my pile. A few are out already but some are up and coming that I had to shout about. So, if you're out looking for something to read, these are some recent books in the paranormal realm to get your fix.

Moonshine: A Novel by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, Moonshine blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets.

Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss.

What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request — not to mention attempting to resist (often unsuccessfully) his dark, inhuman charm.

Release Date: February 16th, 2010

Rae's Thoughts: The Jazz Age? Vampires? I'm running not walking to this one! I love the 30s & 40s style, music, cars and setting. Not enough historicals are set around that time so when I find one, I soup it up like crazy. Add in my fave paranormal creatures and I'm ready to go!

Racing the Dark by Alaya Dawn Johnson

A brilliant new novel from a 25-year-old debut author, Racing the Dark is set in a land of volcanoes and earthquakes, plagues and typhoons, of island nations bound by fear of the spirits they imprisoned to control their volatile environment. Lana, a teenaged girl on a nameless backwater island, finds an ominous blood-red jewel that marks her as someone with power, setting in motion events that drive her away from her family and into an apprenticeship with a mysterious one-armed witch. Lana begins to learn the spells and incantations, each of which requires some form of sacrifice from the person who employs it. As Lana becomes more powerful, she is deceived into a sacrifice she is unwilling to make — the life of her own mother. When Lana dares to use a dark, ancient spell to save her mother's life, she is set onto a path toward becoming a creature beyond her wildest imaginings. This is an unforgettable coming-of-age story set in a world where wielding the power of magic requires understanding the true meaning of sacrifice.

Release Date: Available now

Rae's Thoughts: Aside from the gorgeous cover, the awesome blurb definitely caught my eye. I love fantasy novels that take place outside of the normal European settings and themes. Again there aren't enough of these and I'm finding a lot of great titles like these in the YA section. Alaya Dawn Johnson is an author I found out about via Justine Larbalestier's recent post about race barriers in the publishing industry (awesome reading and worth a look). I checked out her books and was immediately hooked. I have a feeling this will be an author to watch.

Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole & Gena Showalter

Kresley Cole:
A brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time...

Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden--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.
A Valkyrie aching to be touched...

Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?


Gena Showalter:
Aleaha Love can be anyone. With only skin to skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. The newest identity switch has made her an AIR agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only, she becomes the captured. Breean, dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, is an iron-willed ruler who threatens her new life. Because for once, she only wants to be herself . . .


Release Date: Now available in Hardcover

Rae's Thoughts: Cole and Showalter fans probably know this already but the powerhouse duology featuring two of the biggest stars in paranormal romance was released yesterday. Cole's offering is #8 in her Immortals After Dark series and Showalters is #5 in her Alien Huntress series. This is just a mini heads up in case you missed it. ;-)

And for those looking for some free reads:

Juno Books is offering us faerie fans a creepy October freebie. Click the pic to open the PDF or right click and safe to your hard drive.




Last, but not least, check out the amazingly awesome Haunted House Halloween Contest maze sponsored by Romance Junkies. You can win some goodie bags, books and prizes through the various "rooms" and picture links. I took a quick stroll and love how they've set this up. I hope to grab some bootie on the way. Check it out!

Til next time!

Rae ;-)