Advance Booktempting!
Hellooo!
I’m on holiday (at home) and very enjoying a recharge. But I know that I cannot leave you without telling you about some great books on my horizon
Out Now
The Councillor by EJ Beaton - from Daw £18.99 hardback "£10.99 Kindle eBook
When the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen’s closest friend, is appointed Councillor. Publically, Lysande must choose the next monarch from amongst the city-rulers vying for the throne. Privately, she seeks to discover which ruler murdered the queen, suspecting the use of magic.
Resourceful, analytical, and quiet, Lysande appears to embody the motto she was raised with: everything in its place. Yet while she hides her drug addiction from her new associates, she cannot hide her growing interest in power. She becomes locked in a game of strategy with the city-rulers – especially the erudite prince Luca Fontaine, who seems to shift between ally and rival.
Further from home, an old enemy is stirring: the magic-wielding White Queen is on the move again, and her alliance with a traitor among the royal milieu poses a danger not just to the peace of the realm, but to the survival of everything that Lysande cares about.
In a world where the low-born keep their heads down, Lysande must learn to fight an enemy who wears many guises… even as she wages her own battle between ambition and restraint.
Machiavellian and intrigue - you have my attention!!
Later by Stephen King - from Titan Books £8.99 paperback £3.32 Kindle eBook
SOMETIMES GROWING UP MEANS FACING YOUR DEMONS
The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
I’ve realy enjoyed the Hard Case Crime tales that King produces they are more yarns than doorstoppers and they veer between crime and mystery so this sounds up my street
The Conductors by Nicole Glover - From Cornerstone£3.99 Kindle eBook
Meet Hetty Rhodes, a former conductor on the Underground Railroad who now uses her magic to solve crimes in her community in a post-Civil War world.
As an escaped slave, Hetty Rhodes helped dozens of people find their own freedom north using her wits and her magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, still fight for their people by solving the murders and mysteries that the white authorities won't touch.
When they discover one of their friends brutally murdered in an alley, Hetty and Benjy mourn his loss by setting off to find answers. But the mystery of his death soon brings up more questions, more secrets, more hurt. To solve his death, they will have to not only face the ugly truths about the world but the ones about each other.
For this I blame Breaking the Glass Slipper which I did a great job of sellign me this in an author interview. Sounds fab!!
The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston - Out from Angry Robot £9.99 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook
In an isolated mountain community, sometimes a child is born with two hearts. This child is called a striga and is considered a demon who must be abandoned on the edge of the forest. The child s mother must then decide to leave with her infant, or stay and try to forget.
Nineteen year-old striga, Salka, and her mother, Miriat, made the choice to leave and live a life of deprivation and squalor in an isolated village. The striga tribe share the human belief that to follow the impulses of their other hearts is dangerous, inviting unspoken horrors and bringing ruin onto them all.
Salka, a headstrong and independent young woman, finds herself in a life threatening situation that forces her to explore the depths of her true nature and test the bonds between mother and child...
Hearing good things about this book which uses East European folk lore as a starting point
Out Very Soon
Redder Days by Sue Rainsford - Out 11/3 from Doubleday
Twins Anna and Adam live in an abandoned commune in a volatile landscape where they prepare for the world-ending event they believe is imminent. Adam keeps watch by day, Anna by night. They meet at dawn and dusk.
Their only companion is Koan, the commune's former leader, who still exerts a malignant control over their daily rituals. But when one of the previous inhabitants returns, everything Anna and Adam thought they knew to be true is thrown into question.
Dazzling, unsettling and incredibly moving, Redder Days is a stunning exploration of the consequences of corrupted power, the emotional impact of abandonment, and the endurance of humanity in the most desperate of situations.
This sounded a very interesting slice of horror. Expect a review very soon!
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley - Out March 18th from Solaris £15.99 hardcover £5.99 Kindle eBook
This is a place where we can be alone, together.
Skyward Inn, within the high walls of the Western Protectorate, is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita. But safety from what?
Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded; Innkeepers Jem and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars. Their peace is disturbed when a visitor known to Isley comes to the Inn asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future.
Did humanity really win the war?
One of my favourite authors; space and questions on humanity - need I say more?
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward - Out 18/3 from Viper £12.99 hardback £4.74 Kindle eBook
This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.
All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies.
You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. But you're wrong. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it's not what you think...
This dark thriller with a twist of horror from an author I’ve anted to read a novel by after enjoying so many short stories in various collections. This sounds a great place to start!
Blood Moon by Catherine Lundoff - Out 15/3 from Queen of Swords Publishing - £11.99 paperback £3.60 Kindle eBook
The Return of the Menopausal Werewolves.
The Wolf's Point werewolf pack, born from the magic that calls small groups of middle-aged women to embrace their inner and outer wolves, has been protecting the town for generations. Now Becca Thornton and the Pack have their hands (and paws) full of all the trouble they can handle. Plus a bit extra. Pack member Erin Adams just found a dead body in the trunk of her car and confessed to murder. But no one's sure who the victim is and Erin can't remember what happened. Did Erin fall off the wagon and murder a former foe? She doesn't trust herself and Becca's beginning to have her doubts.
If that wasn't enough, Becca's ex-husband sold their old house and their new neighbors are clearly up to something. Can the Pack solve the mystery and clear Erin's name before the next full moon? Or do the town's new residents have other plans?
Big fan of both QoS publishing and Catherine’s work so will be catching up on this series very soon
As always if you have something to tempt us with use the comments below!
