Unknown is the second book in author Rachel Caine’s Outcast series which is a spin-off of her Weather Warden series. The book starts right where Undone left off, with the former Djinn Cassiel working with Weather Warden Luis Rocha to track down the rogue Djinn Pearl who is behind all the kidnapped Warden children. Pearl captured Luis’s niece Ibby and, with Cassiel’s help, must try and rescue these kids before the insane Djinn can use them in her diabolical plans.

The pair are pretty much on their own as most of the Weather Wardens are dealing with the events that are happening in the Weather Warden series. Cassiel is learning more and more how to be human, while trying to decide whether to follow through with what the Djinn want of her to regain her full powers back. (more…)

I am still a little heartbroken that the Weather Warden series, one of the best I have ever read, is done. Rachel Caine keeps the universe alive, though, in the Outcast Season novels. Unseen is the third in this new series that focuses on the Earth Warden Luis Rocha and the former Djinn, Cassiel.

Even though Luis and Cassiel saved his niece, Ibby, from the clutches of evil Djinn Pearl, our heroes are not safe. With Ibby’s powers unlocked at such an early age she will need more guidance than either one of them can provide. Fire Wardens can become the most powerful of the wardens, but they also must have the most control so they do not hurt the general public. (more…)

Blood Magic is the sixth book in author Eileen Wilks’s Lupi series. It follows the adventures of FBI Special Agent Lily Yu and her now fiancé Rule Turner. After the ordeal both went through in last book, you would think they would get a little peace and quite to plan their wedding. But where would the fun in reading about that? Folks around San Diego are seeing their worst fears, and with Lily and Rule involved, it would have to entail magic. At the start of the story, Lily’s ancient grandmother disappears, and after an attack on Cullen Seabourne, it’s a race to find out who is behind this before they destroy San Diego.
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We are already to book seven in the wonderful Lupi series by Eileen Wilks. Our heroine Lily Yu never seems to get a break, and now that she is officially engaged to Rule Turner things will not get any easier. More than ever Lily is faced with conflicting events that come between her being an FBI agent and a mate to the leader of the Nokolai Clan.
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Xombies was first released in August 2004. Since then, zombie fiction has come into a golden era, so Ace has reissued writer Walter Greatshell story and renamed it Xombies: Apocalypse Blues. They are referred to as xombies due to the female X chromosome. All women menstruating turned on January first of the New Year, and their bites turned others into xombies. They refer to the mutation as Agent X, and most of the world’s population has fallen to this plague.
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Shady Lady is the third installment in Ann Aguirre’s urban fantasy series. The book starts off with our heroine, Corine, back running her shop in Mexico. The action kicks into gear when the character of Kell Ferguson comes to warn her that her actions in the previous two books is coming to bite her in the butt.

Corine, Kell, and Corine’s ward, Shannon, go on the run, while trying to find a solution that does not end up with Corine dead. The Montoya cartel is pulling out all the stops to hunt Corine down using warlocks and other practioners as assassins. Kell really shines, and even though we have not seen him since book one, the way he is written makes it so you want him in every book from here on out. (more…)

Heartland is the second book in the Codex of Souls series by author Mark Teppo. It starts off soon after the events in Lightbreaker. The scene switches though from Seattle to the country of France where the most powerful magic users are based. The leader of La Societe Lumineuse has just died and without a successor; it is a free-for-all grab for power.
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A long time ago, Kendrick the alpha wolf, along with Adrian the vampire, Kadar the Dragon, Abaran the Demon, and Ronan the Sidhe, died on the battlefield fighting against the demons trying to invade our world. They were betrayed by their allies the witches. The warrior goddess Inanna granted them immortal life and made them the Shadow Guardians. They are sworn to protect the world against the five shadow realms, demon, dragon, sidhe, vampire, and werewolf.
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Time Travelers Never Die is the latest book from Nebula Award winning author Jack McDeVitt. Even in his seventies, Jack McDeVitt is one of the premiere science fiction writers today. In the last few years, he has mostly focused on his Academy series that began with The Engines of God (1994). I’ve been a huge fan of his work ever since I read Eternity Road (1998) while in college.
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Noble Heart is the second book in Linda J. Parisi’s Nobility Series. The second book focuses on Alexi Valentin, the brother of Nicholai who was featured in the first book. Alexi is a magician in Las Vegas and a member of the Nobility, a secret race that gets their power from the sun. He is performing a show when he meets Elena Kyrinova who has come from Alberta, (more…)

In the second book of Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon series, we find our heroine returning to her hometown fourteen years after the death of her mother. After helping her ex-boyfriend Chance in Blue Diablo save his mother, they head to Kilmer, Georgia, in an attempt to find what really happened to Corine’s mother all those years ago.
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Ghost of a Chance is the first book in author Simon R. Green’s Ghost Finder series. It follows the adventures of Josiah Charles Chance, Happy Jack Palmer, and Melody Chambers. All three work for the mysterious Carnacki Institute located in Buckingham Palace. The institute was founded in 1587 by Queen Elizabeth I and runs independently of the government. (more…)

Football meets zombies in the debut novel from author Ryan Brown. As a sports enthusiast, I was intrigued by the concept of Play Dead. Zombie fiction is everywhere these days, and I have to say this is the first time I’ve seen sports and zombies mixed together.
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Dracula by Bram Stoker is one of the first adult books I can remember reading. Both it and the Bela Lugosi film are close to my heart. I wouldn’t enjoy vampire fiction if it wasn’t for these source materials. There have been many takes on the mythos of Dracula in both book and film since 1897 when the novel was released. Even Mina has gotten the spotlight in such stories as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen back in 1999.
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Shannon Mayes works nine to five reading over book submissions for Sensual Phrase Publishing. She currently is living in a rural area where her nearest neighbor is a mile away. On her way home, Shannon’s car breaks down, and she decides to walk the rest of the way. Shannon becomes surrounded by six wolves; with nowhere to run, she fears the worst. An instance later, though, the wolves take human shape. The leader turns out to be an old childhood friend Ethan.
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Christina Kelly delivers a riveting modern day vampire tale in her debut novel, The Eternal Kiss. The story is told through the eyes of three principle characters all deeply in love with each other. The author manages to balance all three characters’ different perspectives into a chilling story of boy meets girl, girl meets other boy and all three must face off against an evil hell bent on destroying them all. (more…)

I will admit that I’m a huge comic book nerd and loved Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s comic 30 Days of Night when it came out back in 2002. 30 Days of Night: Light of Day is the fourth novel but the first Jeff Mariotte has written without Steve Niles.
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In the ninth Sookie Stackhouse novel, Mrs. Harris has our favorite barmaid, Sookie, attempting to stay afloat while trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy in a world filled with the supernatural. She is still neck-deep in the coup that ousted the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, plus the weres have decided now is the time to reveal themselves to the real world. (more…)

Phoebe has been by Adam Layman’s side every day since he rose from the dead after being shot and killed by Pete Mattinsburg. She doesn’t understand why it is taking so long for Adam to recover. Unlike other differently biotic persons that rose immediately after death, Adam is more like the Romero zombies. Phoebe’s best friend, Margi, has been spending time with the fully-recovered Colette. (more…)

The young all across the United States are getting back up from their graves. Nobody knows the cause, and not all teenagers come back. The phenomenon is only happening in the United States. Oakville High School in Connecticut has the highest population of the living-impaired attending. The living-impaired students vary based on how long it took them to come back. Some can hardly speak or walk, while others can pass for the truly living. For the most part, these kids that have risen from the grave are feared by most and even hated by others.
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