Preview and Cover Reveal: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye....

Thanks to Diana from The Lovely Getaway! I learned about this from her.

I've read Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder (click for review) and I'll soon be reading Desires of the Dead. I wasn't thoroughly impressed with The Body Finder, and I'm hoping for a better experience in Desires of the Dead. I can't wait to find out what happens to Violet in Desires of the Dead, and The Last Echo!

The Last Echo will be released April 17, 2012

Cover Love and Preview: Awake at Dawn by C. C. Hunter

As I mentioned earlier, I loved C. C. Hunter's Born at Midnight! As I was looking at the sequel, Awake at Dawn, I fell even more in love with this cover! Check it out:

Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities.  But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold. 

To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away.  When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point.  Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...

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The cover is just amazing with Kylie standing in front of Shadow Falls. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for blues and turquoises like this. The waterfall is just breathtaking!! *Gush*

I can't wait to see the next installment in Kylie's life. Hunter does a nice job with her characterization, and truth be told, I can't wait for Lucas to come back! He was my favorite out of Derek and Lucas, the two boys vying for Kylie's attention. Can't wait for this one!

Awake at Dawn comes out on October 11, 2011

Preview: Soul Theif by Jana Oliver

Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them…

Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad.  With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.

But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever…

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At the end of The Demon Trapper's Daughter, Jana Oliver included the first chapters of the second novel in the series Soul Theif, although it didn't have a title when I last checked. And after having read The Demon Trapper's Daughter, I can't wait to read the sequel. Hopefully, this book will be better than the prequel, and it will have Riley as more of a grown-up rather than a whiny and emotional teen. I also hope to see more of the goings on around Riley, like the witches and necromancers, rather than all demon trappers.

Preview: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

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Having just read Tera's cute novel Oh. My. Gods., I was curious as to what Sweet Venom was about, since the summary I was given was very vague. And the summary on Tera's web page sounds so awesome! Three descendants of Medusa that must fight monsters? Sounds like fun! This comes out October 4, 2011

Preview: Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

Even the love of her boyfriend, Xavier Woods, and her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can't keep the angel Bethany Church from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, Jake Thorn bargains for Beth's release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly her loved ones as well. Can be be trusted in his wager? And what does Jake have Xavier believing about Beth's fate that may result in an act of betrayal that will leave Bethany--and readers--wondering if Xav is so good after all?

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Haven't read the first book of this, Halo, but I've been waiting to see the cover for the second book as I loved the cover of the first. This reminds me so much of the myth of Persephone and Hades. Persephone gets carried away by Hades, ends up in Hell, etc. etc. The first book sounded very cool and the second sounds like she's going to add cliff-hangers....

Again, thanks to Midnight Bloom Reads for alerting me on this!!

Preview: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

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I have never read Firelight (the first book) but it sounds amazing and I really want to read it. The first cover was gorgeous, and this one had kept the beauty going. So pretty. This is released September 26, 2011.

Preview: Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

When Jessica Packwood found out she was a Romanian vampire princess, she had the shock of her teenage life. Turns out that was the easy part. Now, married to Prince Lucius Vladescu, she has to claim her throne and convince a vampire nation she’s fit to be their queen. But Jess can’t even order a decent meal from her castle’s Romanian staff, let alone deal with devious undead subjects who would love to see her fail.

And when Lucius is accused of murdering a vampire Elder and imprisoned without the blood he needs, Jessica finds herself alone, fighting for both their survivals.

Desperate to clear her husband’s name and win his release, Jess enlists the help of her best friend Mindy Stankowicz and Lucius’s mysterious Italian cousin, Raniero Lovatu. But both of them are keeping some dark secrets. Can Jess figure out who to trust – and how to rise to power – before she loses everything, including the vampire she loves?

Full of romance, mystery, and danger, the highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side shows that sometimes a princess has to earn her “happily ever after” – with a sharpened stake in hand.
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I loved Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (see my review here)! As I mentioned, it was cute, hilarious, and a one-of-a-kind vampire read. I didn't think there would be a sequel! I can't wait to read it! This comes out January 9, 2012 (They just had to take their time, didn't they?)