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Reviews of books in a series, with a focus on urban fantasy.
Other genres include mystery, paranormal romance, and crime thrillers.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Partial Review: Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

 

There are no spoilers in this post about the book being reviewed. However, if you are not caught up with the Dresden series prior to Side Jobs, then you probably don't want to continue reading. If you've read to the end of Changes though, then you're fine.


I've been looking forward to the release of Side Jobs since I finished Changes. We were told that Aftermath, a story within the Side Jobs anthology, would begin a few hours after the conclusion of Changes.

And that was correct. Aftermath does indeed begin a few hours after the events at the end of Changes. Unfortunately, it gives us no clues about what happens to Dresden next.

I loved the story though - hearing things from Karrin Murphy's point of view was a nice change.

I'll do a complete review of Side Jobs when I've read the rest of the book. I really enjoyed Aftermath, but I'm disappointed that we'll have to wait until April when Ghost Story  is released to find out what happens to Harry Dresden. We know that Jim Butcher has planned for somewhere around 20 books, so I have to believe that Harry will find a way to survive. Or be brought back to life. Mab owns him now, she's not going to let him die.

Or that's what I keep telling myself.

.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Cover: Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh


Nalini Singh has posted the cover for Kiss of Snow, which will be Hawk's book. Finally.

Next up is Play of Passion, due out November 2nd. And then we finally get to see Hawk happy in July when Kiss of Snow is released.

Nalini Singh has put up Chapter 1 of Play of Passion, which will be Indigo and Drew's story.

If you aren't familiar with Nalini Singh's Psy/Changelings series then you should know that I give the series a 10 of 10, and that I love the world-building. The Changelings may be similar to other shapeshifters, but there is nothing else I've read that is similar to the Psy. The series is technically Paranormal Romance instead of Urban Fantasy. Each book is a HEA for a different couple. But the story arcs that lead from book to book could challenge any Urban Fantasy series for depth of worldbuilding.

Here are the books in the Psy/Changelings series:



Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh



  1. Slave to Sensation
  2. Visions of Heat
  3. Caressed By Ice
  4. Mine to Possess
  5. Hostage to Pleasure
  6. Branded by Fire
  7. Blaze of Memory
  8. Bonds of Justice
  9. Play of Passion (11/2/10)
  10. Kiss of Snow (July 2011)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

* Anxiously Awaiting as of late October 2010

I've marked the new finds in red, in case you're just looking for the new stuff. I've also put an (e) next to the books that have an excerpt out, clicking the (e) will take you to my listing of excerpts.

I'm pretty excited about Side Jobs, Play of Passion, and Magic at the Gate.  

I want to be excited about Blood Rock, but I still don't see it up on Amazon and it's been five months since the author's blog has been updated. We were told a while back that Blood Rock would be out in the fall, but now that it's the fall there is still no firm date. That doesn't bode well. I loved Frost Moon and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

10/26/10 Haunted by Your Touch (Anth) by Shayla Black, Jeaniene Frost, Sharie Kohler, etc.
10/26/10 Side Jobs (Anthology of Dresden short stories) by Jim Butcher
11/02/10 Marked By The Moon (Nightcreatures #9) by Lori Handeland (e
11/02/10 Play of Passion (Psy/Changeling #9, Indigo's Book) by Nalini Singh (e)
11/02/10 Magic at the Gate (Allie Beckstrom Book 5) by Devon Monk (e)
Fall/2010 Blood Rock (Dakota Frost / Skindancer series book two) by Anthony Francis (e)
11/30/10 Vicious Grace (Black Sun's Daughter Book 3) by M.L.N. Hanover
11/30/10 Silver Zombie (Delilah Street #4) by Carole Nelson Douglas
11/30/10 Counterfeit Magic (Women of the Otherworld Novella) by Kelley Armstrong
11/30/10 Killing the Cobra-Chinatown Trollop (Felix Gomez-Comic), Mario Acevedo, Alberto Dose
12/28/10 My Fair Succubi (Succubus Diaries Bk 3) by Jill Myles (e
12/28/10 Killing Rocks (Bloodhound Files Bk 3) by DD Barant
01/03/11 Tempest's Legacy (Jane True Book 3) by Nicole Peeler 
01/04/11 Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock, Book 3) by Faith Hunter (e)
01/04/11 Home for a Spell (Bewitching Mystery, Book 7) by Madelyn Alt
01/25/11 Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter Book 3) Nalini Singh
01/25/11 River Marked (Mercy Thompson, Book 6) by Patricia Briggs
02/01/11 Invincible (Chronicles of Nick Volume 2) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
02/15/11 Dreams of a Dark Warrior  (Immortals After Dark Series) by Kresley Cole
02/22/11 This Side of the Grave (Cat and Bones #5, Night Huntress series) by Jeaniene Frost
02/22/11 Pale Demon (The Hollows Rachel Morgan, Book 9) by Kim Harrison
03/01/11 Blackout (Cal Leandros, Book 6) by Rob Thurman
03/01/11 Moon Cursed (Nightcreature Novels, Book 10) by Lori Handeland
03/01/11 Late Eclipses (October Daye, Book 4) by Seanan McGuire
03/15/11 Steel  by Carrie Vaughn
03/??/11 Demons at the Gates (Phoenix Chronicles, Book 5) by Lori Handeland
Spring/11 Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) by Ilona Andrews (e)
04/05/11 Ghost Story (Dresden Files, Book 13) by Jim Butcher
04/05/11 Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom Book 5) by Devon Monk
04/26/11 Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, Book 4) by Jennifer Estep (e)
04/26/11 Mercy Burns (Myth & Magic Bk 2) by Keri Arthur
05/??/11 Shadow Fall (Shadowchaser book 3) by Seressia Glass (e)
05/??/11 Dead Reckoning or Dead Letters (Sookie Stackhouse Bk 11) by Charlaine Harris
Smmr/11 Spell Bound (Savannah) (Women/Otherworld Bk 12) Kelley Armstrong
Smmr/11 Eye of the Tempest (Jane True Book 4) by Nicole Peeler
Smmr/11 Unnamed (Stephanie Plum #17) by Janet Evanovich 
Smmr/11 The Renfield Syndrom (Rhiannon's Law series book 2) by J.A. Saare (e)
06/??/11 Darkness Unbound  (Dark Angel series - new Risa books) by Keri Arthur (e)
06/09/11 Hit List (Anita Blake book 20) by Laurell K. Hamilton  
06/11/11 Kitty's Big Trouble (Kitty Norville Book Nine) by Carrie Vaughn
07/01/11 Kiss of Snow (Psy/Changeling #10, Hawke's book) by Nalini Singh
07/??/11 Crave the Moon (Nightcreature Novels, Book 11) by Lori Handeland
07/??/11 Eye Spy (Abby Cooper #9) by Victoria Laurie 
07/??/11 Vampire Instinct  (Vampire Queen Book 7) by Joey W. Hill (e)
08/??/11 Redemption (Dark Hunters #20) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
FALL/11 Alpha and Omega series, Book 3 Patricia Briggs
Late/11  Vampire Queen's Return (Vampire Queen Book 8) by Joey W. Hill
Late/11 Unnamed (Justine Jones Disillusionist Book 3) by Carolyn Crane 
09/11/11 The Brightest Fell (October Daye, Book 5) by Seanan McGuire
10/01/11 Alpha (Dark Hunters, Daria's story) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
10/??/11 Unnamed Elemental Assassin, Book 5 by Jennifer Estep 
??/??/11 Liquid Fire (Dakota Frost / Skindancer series book3 ) by Anthony Francis (e)
??/??/??  Darkness Rising (Dark Angel series - new Risa book #2) by Keri Arthur
??/??/12 Unnamed Jaime story (Women/Otherworld Bk 13) Kelley Armstrong
09/01/12 Daemon's Angel (Dark Hunters) by Sherrilyn Kenyon 
??/??/?? Virtual Virgin (Delilah Street #5) by Carole Nelson Douglas
??/??/11 Supernaturals on Vacation (Anthology) 

Not all of the series I keep up with have another book listed as coming out. The authors have stated there will be more, but to my knowledge they haven't said when, or given a title name. I've listed those series below.
* Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton (taking a year off)
* Diesel/Unmentionables series by Janet Evanovich
* Master of None series by Sonya Bateman

Below are series I follow, but it is unclear whether there will be more books in the series:
* Bronwyn the Witch series by Candace Havens
* Nadia Stafford series by Kelley Armstrong
* Nature of Desire series by Joey W. Hill

* Daughters of Arianne series by Joey W. Hill
* Felix Gomez series Mario Acevedo
* Spellman series by Lisa Lutz 
* Anya Kalinczyk / Embers series by Laura Bickle
* Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay
* Caruthers Sisters series by Candace Havens
* Nikki Heat series by Richard Castle
* The Edge series by Ilona Andrews


You can read an excerpt of many of these books, to see my list of excerpts please go here

If someone wants to send me an ARC of one of the books on my Anxiously Awaiting list, I will read it within a day or two of it arriving (assuming I'm home and I'm not sick or anything), and will get a blog post up of it as soon as I've finished reading it. You may send me a digital version at chained lightning at g mail dot com, or to send a hard copy you may contact me at that email address to ask for a shipping address. If you have an ARC you would like to send that is not on my Anxiously Awaiting list I will attempt to read and review it in a timely manner but it may not be placed topmost in my TBR pile. Feel free to email me to see if I'd be interested in reading something, as well. I've found a few authors this way that I may not have read had I not received a review copy from the publisher. And now I'm hooked on a few of those series, just waiting for the next book.

Friday, October 15, 2010

* Excerpts, First Chapters, and Sneak Peeks

Some of the books on my Anxiously Awaiting list have excerpts available at the author's or publisher's websites.

I would love to have an ARC for any of the books on this list, or on my Anxiously Awaiting list. See my Review Policy for more information about sending books for review.


Simon and Schuster have a page up for  Vicious Grace (Black Sun's Daughter Book 3) by M.L.N. Hanover, but so far just a blurb. 11/30


McMillan has a page up for Killing Rocks (Bloodhound Files Bk 3) by DD Barant, but so far just a blurb. 12/28

Nicole Peeler has a page up for  Tempest's Legacy (Jane True Book 3), but so far just a blurb. 12/29

Nalini Singh has a page up for Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter Book 3), for now just the back cover blurb - 01/25/11

Sherrilyn Kenyon has a page up for Invincible (Chronicles of Nick Volume 2), with a note that an excerpt will be up in the middle of 2010. (release date 02/01/11)

Jeaniene Frost has a page up for This Side of the Grave (Cat and Bones #5, Night Huntress series) with the beautiful cover and a blurb. 02/22/11

Kresley Cole has a page up for Dreams of a Dark Warrior  (Immortals After Dark Series) with a blurb - 02/15/11

Seanan McGuire has a page up for Late Eclipses (October Daye, Book 4) with a blurb - 03/01/11

Rob Thurman has a page up with cover art and blurb for Blackout, the sixth Cal Leandros Book 3/1/11

Sherrilyn Kenyon has a page up for Redemption (Dark Hunters #20), with an blurb but no excerpt yet.  August/2011

In case you haven't read them yet, there are also some excerpts up for books released in 2009, and so far in 2010: