After a busy spring, paranormal romantics are obviously busy with Fifty Shades of Vacation this summer, so we found only eleven new offerings this month available in both print and digital. But Alexis Morgan kicks off a magical new series, and there are new series books from Stephanie Julian, Kylie Griffin, Amanda Bonilla, Sylvia Day, Tera Lynn Childs, Joss Ware, and J.K. Beck. And Lynsay Sands keeps vamp-lovers happy with the seventeenth outing of her Argeneau vampires.
Fiction Affliction details releases in science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and “genre-benders.” Keep track of them all here.
WEEK ONE
Goddess in the Middle (Forgotten Goddesses, Book 3), by Stephanie Julian (July 1, Sourcebooks/Casablanca)
Amity, the Goddess of Health, works as a medical anesthetist, using her remaining goddess powers to help people heal their spirits. Her profession soon brings two masculine Etruscan werewolves, Remy and Rom, into her life. The two werewolves have been searching for a woman powerful enough to handle both of them, but until they meet Amity they’ve never met a woman strong enough. Together they must use the power generated by their love to kill a vicious demon and keep him locked away forever, or risk losing everything.
A Sinister Sense, by Allison Kingsley (July 3, Berkley)
Visions of the future and turning into people’s thoughts come naturally to Clara Quinn thanks to her inherited Quinn Sense. Unfortunately, it offers no insight into her love life—or lack thereof—especially where hardware store owner Rick Sanders is concerned. Clara offers Rick a home for his troublesome dog, Tatters. But Tatters is the least of Rick’s problems when a dead body is discovered in the back of his truck. The victim was seen in the hardware store—and bludgeoned to death with a hammer stolen from there. Clara believes Rick is innocent, but she’s not sure whether that belief comes from the Quinn Sense in her head or simply from a desire in her heart.
Alliance Forged (Light Blade, Book 2), by Kylie Griffin (July 3, Berkley)
Varian, leader of the Na’Chi, a hybrid race of gifted warriors, is cursed with the darker impulses of his demon heritage. Controlling the part of himself that craves the high of the battle is a struggle he’s afraid he’ll lose—until he meets Kymora Tayn, a priestess driven to serve her deity. While he’s unwilling to trust anyone outside his people, he finds himself drawn to Kymora’s strength and passionate nature, and discovers she has the power to calm the darkness inside him. When the Na’Reish raid human territory for blood-slaves and kick start a war, the key to the survival of both races—Na’Chi and human— is an alliance.
Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin, Book 2), by Amanda Bonilla (July 3, Signet)
For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore. Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything.
A Hunger So Wild (Renegade Angels, Book 2), by Sylvia Day (July 3, Signet)
Elijah Reynolds is the most dominant of lycans, a rare Alpha whose skill on the hunt is surpassed only by his primal sexuality. When the lycans revolt due to the iron fist of angelic rule, he steps into command, becoming both enemy and coveted ally in the conflict between vampires and angels.Vashti is the second most powerful vampire in the world, a lethal beauty with a path of devastation in her wake. Tasked with proposing an alliance between vampires and the lycans who killed her mate, Vash approaches Elijah, whose need to avenge a friend demands Vash’s death even as his passion demands her surrender. Soon, their enmity erodes beneath an all-consuming desire. Elijah has never encountered a woman whose warrior spirit and fierce sexual appetite rivals his own, while Vash is faced with the one man strong enough to be her equal. But as war looms, each must decide where their loyalty lies—with their own kind or with the enemy lover they can no longer live without.
Just for Fins (Fins, Book 3), by Tera Lynn Childs (July 3, Katherine Tegen)
When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land—with gorgeous human Quince by her side—Lily’s not sure shehas the fins to lead a kingdom. Even her maddeningly pretentious cousin Dosinia seems to know more about ruling than she does. But Lily has to dive in deep to keep her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name only, whose kingdom is suffering in the changing ocean climate. Young adult.
Liquid Lies, by Hannah Martine (July 3, Berkley)
Magic is corporate America’s best-kept secret, and Gwen Carroway is superior at selling it …Gwen possesses the unique ability to pick up any language in an instant—a power that will globally expand the profitable family business. As dutiful future leader of her race of water elementals, she’ll do anything to protect her people’s secrets and bloodlines—including enter an arranged marriage. Inside, however, she yearns for forbidden human men.Reed is a mercenary addicted to the money and adrenaline rush of his work. After he inadvertently saves Gwen’s life, he ignites her taboo desire for men without magic—and with bodies of gods. Just as things heat up, Reed discovers that Gwen is exactly who he’s been hired to kidnap. First in a new series.
My Lady Mage (Warriors of the Mist, Book 1), by Alexis Morgan (July 3, Signet)
It is whispered in Agathia that the legendary warriors of the mist—cursed by the gods—can be summoned only when a champion is needed and the cause is just. Gideon, their captain, knows this to be the one path that will lead his men to redemption. Years have passed since anyone has journeyed to the river’s edge, but times are desperate. Oppressed by a cruel guardian whose dark magic threatens to destroy her people, the beautiful and courageous Merewen calls upon the bespelled warriors. In Gideon she finds more than a champion, and in his arms, more than protection.
WEEKS TWO AND THREE
No releases
WEEK FOUR
Night Forbidden (Envy Chronicles, Book 5), by Joss Ware (July 31, Avon)
The world is ash, destroyed, and now controlled by Strangers. Survivors live in constant peril. But in the heart of Envy, resistance grows. Somehow Bruno “Fence” Washington survived the apocalypse—emerging from a Sedona cave into a strange and terrible new world fifty years later. Now, scouring the ruined earth for answers about the malevolent Strangers, the former extreme sportsman encounters Ana, an Amazonian beauty who grew up in the ocean. Together they face a new evil rising up from the roiling waters to blanket the world in unending night.
The Lady is a Vamp (Argeneau, Book 17), by Lynsay Sands (July 31, Avon)
When Jeanne Louise Argeneau left work, she never thought she’d end up tied down by a good-looking mortal. More attracted than annoyed, she quickly realizes there is more to her abductor than meets the eye. Paul Jones has need of a vampire and only Jeanne Louise will do. He just has to convince this beauty of a vampire to help him.
When Temptation Burns (Shadow Keepers, Book 6), by J.K. Beck (July 31, Bantam)
FBI agent Alexis Martin knows that vampires exist because one of them killed her sister. Assigned to investigate a series of bizarre homicides in Los Angeles, Alexis believes the murders are the work of rogue vampires—perhaps even the monster responsible for her sister’s death. Now she finally has a chance for retribution. Even better, Alexis receives unexpected help from a sexy stranger as hungry for rogue blood as she is. Serge is a centuries-old bad boy who stays off the grid—keeping his secrets, his hunger, and his heart safe from exposure. A new breed of vampire that feeds off other shadowers, Serge finds sweet torture in Alexis’s arms.
Author Suzanne Johnson is a book geek with a fondness for a good dystopia. Royal Street, the first in her Sentinels of New Orleans series, is set in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. Find Suzanne on Twitter and Facebook.
