New Releases: November 5-11, 2012

Her Sky Cowboy (The Glorious Victorious Darcys, #1)
by Beth Ciotta
Genre: steampunk romance
Release date: November 6, 2012 by Signet Eclipse

Description:

Amelia Darcy has no interest in marrying well. Her heart belongs to the sky and the dirigibles of brass and steel that swoop over Victorian England. But when her father, an eccentric inventor, dies, the Darcy siblings are left with scrap metal—and not a penny to their names. Their only hope to save the family name and fortune is to embark on a contest to discover an invention of historical importance in honor of Queen Victoria.

Armed with only her father’s stories of a forgotten da Vinci workshop, a mechanically enhanced falcon, and an Italian cook, Amelia takes flight for Florence, Italy. But her quest is altered when her kitecycle crashes into the air ship of ex–Air Marshal—and scandalous dime novel hero—Tucker Gentry. Challenged by political …

New Releases: Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2012

Iced (Dani O’Malley Trilogy, #1)
by Karen Marie Moning
Genre: urban fantasy
Release date: October 30, 2012 by Delacorte Press

Description:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans …

ARC Review: The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

Format Read: e-book provided by publisher via NetGalley
Length: 304 pages
Genre: urban fantasy
Series: The Shadow Reader, #2
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Ace Books
Formats Available: mass-market paperback, e-book
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Author’s Website

Book Blurb:

McKenzie Lewis has a gift. It allows her access to a world few have seen, and even fewer can comprehend. It’s her secret. And it exists in the shadows… 

McKenzie was a normal college student, save for one little twist: she’s a shadow reader, someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our world and the Realm. It’s a gift for which she has been called insane, one for which she has risked family and friends—and one that has now plunged her into a brutal civil war between the fae.

With the reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped …

New Releases: October 22-28, 2012

After Moonrise
by P.C. Cast and Gena Showalter
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: October 23, 2012 by Harlequin HQN

Description:

Join two of the biggest names in paranormal romance on a breathtaking journey to a world where ghosts live on and love never dies…

POSSESSED
by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author P.C. Cast

Being a psychic detective who can channel only negative emotions makes Kent Raef good at catching murderers, but bad at maintaining relationships. Then Lauren Wilcox arrives with a most intriguing case: her twin sister has been murdered and is communing with Lauren’s spirit-and sharing her body. Raef’s the only one who can track the killer and free the spirit. But soon he begins to wonder just which twin he wants to save…and why…

HAUNTED
by New York Times Bestselling Author Gena Showalter

Artist Aurora Harper is convinced she’s witnessed a crime-a murder so brutal she’s repressed the …

Character Interview: Aren from The Shattered Dark + Giveaway

Greetings, book lovers! I have to admit, I’m particularly excited about today’s interview. Why is that? Well, because I get to talk about the world of Sandy Williams’s Shadow Reader series. The first book, The Shadow Reader, was an awesome debut novel that very rightfully garnered wide acclaim. (Check out my review of The Shadow Reader) The sequel, The Shattered Dark, is (fortunately!) going to be released on October 30, 2012.

However, I’m not interviewing Sandy Williams today, no no. As fantastic as that would be, I instead have the great honor of chatting with Aren, one of the major figures in the Shadow Reader series. If you’re not already familiar with Aren, here’s what’s you should know about him: he’s a warrior of the fae Realm, having fought for years in the resistance against the fae king Atroth…and later, those that would see the king’s oppressive ideals persist. Aside …

New Releases: October 15-21, 2012

Angel’s Ink (The Asylum’s Tales, #1)
by Jocelynn Drake
Genre: urban fantasy
Release date: October 16, 2012 by Harper Voyager

Description:

Buyer beware . . .

Looking for a tattoo—and maybe a little something extra: a burst of good luck, a dollop of true love, or even a hex on an ex? Head to the quiet and mysterious Gage, the best skin artist in town. Using unique potions—a blend of extraordinary ingredients and special inks—to etch the right symbol, he can fulfill any heart’s desire. But in a place like Low Town, where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires happily walk among humanity, everything has its price.

No one knows that better than Gage. Turning his back on his own kind, he left the magical Ivory Tower where cruel witches and warlocks rule, a decision that cost him the right to practice magic. And if he disobeys, his punishment—execution—will …

New Releases: October 8-14, 2012

Skies of Steel (The Ether Chronicles, #3)
by Zoe Archer
Genre: paranormal romance, steampunk
Release date: October 9, 2012 by Avon Impulse

Description:

In the world of The Ether Chronicles, the Mechanical War rages on, and appearances are almost always deceiving . . . 

The prim professor
Daphne Carlisle may be a scholar, but she’s far more comfortable out in the field than lost in a stack of books. Still, when her parents are kidnapped by a notorious warlord, she knows she’ll need more than quick thinking if she is to reach them in time. Daphne’s only hope for getting across enemy territory is an airship powered and navigated by Mikhail Denisov, a rogue Man O’ War who is as seductive as he is untrustworthy.

The jaded mercenary
Mikhail will do anything for the right price, and he’s certain he has this mission—and Daphne—figured out: a simple job and a beautiful …

Interview with Natalie Anderson + Giveaway

Natalie Anderson, author of Melt

You’ve got to give props to the storyteller who can take you from the chilliest parts of the earth to the biggest summertime festivities…and have it all be sizzling. ^_^ Today, it gives me absolute pleasure to welcome author Natalie Anderson back to BLI. During the her last visit, we got a chance to talk about her release Melt, which was all about a steamy romance that took place in the icy plains of Antarctica. This time, Natalie tells us about her fictional foray into the Summer Olympic Games that took place most recently in London…for which she had not just one, or two, but three winning tales to tell. (Stay tuned after the interview for a chance to win the bronze, the silver, AND the gold–stories, that is!)

————

Alisha: Welcome back to BLI, Natalie!

Natalie: Thank you so much–it’s great to be back …

New Releases: October 1-7, 2012

Iron Skin (Iron Skin, #1)
by Tina Connely
Genre: paranormal historical romance, steampunk
Release date: October 2, 2012 by Tor

Description:

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a “delicate situation”—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio…and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane …

Wishlist: The Tickle my Funny Bone Edition

Laughter is awesome, cathartic. To me, it’s not exactly the same thing as happiness, though the two do intersect to a great degree (the former can be a manifestation of the latter). You can be sad, afraid, angry, solemn, and still laugh. Nervous laughter, frustrated laughter, hysterical laughter, subtle laughter, amused laughter. Since laughter can incite a measure of happiness, even if momentary, I love to find it in the stories I read. Sometimes a good, dark and broody story is perfect for curling up on a rainy day…but not today. Having things to laugh about feel like a great propect right about now. Goodness knows that these days, we can all stand to have moments of laughter. Below are just a few books, in nonfiction and fiction, that I wish to read as soon as possible–either once I get the time, or once the book is released. It’s …