Rumors that weres and vamps hibernate in the height of summer must be true, with a paltry (for this genre) seventeen new releases in August. There are additions to popular series, however, from, among others, Kate Cross (Clockwork Agents) Angie Fox (Monster M*A*S*H) Robin D. Owens (Celta’s Heartmates) Moira Rogers (Southern Arcana) Terry Spear (Heart of the Jaguar) Michelle Sagara (Chronicles of Elantra) and Kerrelyn Sparks (Love at Stake).
Fiction Affliction details releases in science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and “genre-benders.” Keep track of them all here.
Note: All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher.
WEEK ONE
Breath of Iron (Clockwork Agents #3)—Kate Cross (August 6, Signet)
As chief surgeon for the Wardens, Evelyn Stone fears her own life is on the line when she is kidnapped by a band of pirates, only to discover that the airship captain is Gavin “Mac” MacRae, her former lover. The man whose life she once saved. The man she abandoned. Mac made his mark as both a pirate and a pilot. But his true allegiance isn’t known. So when he asks Evie for help with a wounded woman onboard, he tells Evie that the woman is his wife, even if his feelings for Evie have never waned. As the days pass, however, the unease between Evie and Mac gives way to the old comfort they used to have. Yet, their newly ignited romance is complicated by conflicting loyalties and desires, and a betrayal that may cost them both their love and their lives.
Heart Fortune (Celta’s Heartmates #12)—Robin D. Owens (August 6, Berkley Trade)
Jace Bayrum has always been a loner. Jace cares little for family ties or matters of the heart. On the other hand Glyssa Licorice, Jace’s former fling and true mate, is both loving and loyal. She is determined to track down her HeartMate and have him claim her. After hearing that Jace has been involved in an accident, Glyssa sets out to find him, departing for the excavation site of the lost starship Lugh’s Spear. Though her goal is to help Jace and finesse him into recognizing her as his mate, the excavation itself draws her in. Working side-by-side, Jace and Glyssa’s electric connection from years before sparks once more. She intrigues him, and Jace begins to realize that a HeartMate can make a difference. One as magnetic as Glyssa could be exactly what he has been searching for.
Illicit Desire (Outlawed Realm #2)—Tina Donahue (August 6, Samhain)
Once a sex slave marked for termination, Lukan was miraculously liberated from E4’s Pleasure Palace, where E2’s fine, upstanding rulers secretly indulge their cravings for every imaginable vice. He left his heart behind with Arez. Desperate to have her back in his arms, he embarks on a dangerous mission to deliver his untamed temptress from the certain death she does not know awaits her. Within her velvet cage Arez knew only carnal submission and loneliness, until Lukan. But he has disappeared, and she senses something different in the way the supreme ruler is using her. Then he is there to sweep her from this twilight dimension to another. To reach the last portal Lukan and Arez must first outwit an army of predators that hunt them. Human, subhuman and monsters.
Impulse (Southern Arcana #5)—Moira Rogers (August 6, Samhain)
Sera Sinclaire is a New Orleans rarity: a submissive coyote trapped in a town overrun by dominant shapeshifters. She lacks the willpower to deny the alphas-in-shining-armor who need her soothing presence. The only shifter she doesn’t want to push away is Julio Mendoza, a wolf so dominant he’s earned a place on the Southeast council. When an obsessive ex endangers Sera, instinct drives him to get her out of town. Watching her come to life outside the city makes him feel like he’s finally done something right. Lighthearted flirting becomes a dangerous game of seduction. Sera’s ex isn’t the only one who’d disapprove of their relationship. There are wolves who would kill to get Sera out of Julio’s life, starting with his own blood kin.
Jaguar Fever (Heart of the Jaguar #2)—Terry Spear (August 6, Sourcebooks Casablanca)
Jaguar shifter Maya Anderson learns about a secret jaguar society through underground social networking sites. She wanted to discover others like her, but now she’s got more trouble than she bargained for, including one hot jaguar shifter who’s set his sights on her. Wade Patterson has learned that Maya is a shifter, and available. But how does he get to know her when he left such a bad first impression? When he learns Maya has gone to a watering hole for jaguar shifters to meet up, he quickly follows after, hoping she is wily enough to hold her own.
Orion Rising (Orion #1 & #2)—Cathryn Cade (August 6, Samhain)
Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bryght—Tryon, an alpha male tyger, unexpectedly undergoes his mating shift on board ship instead of his home planet. With an eco-saboteur somewhere aboard, there couldn’t be a worse time for him to lose his mind. For the sake of duty, novice interpreter Calla enters Jag’s lair. And finds herself a woman born to enchant a powerful beast. Her Commander—As commander of the Orion’s second voyage, self-control is Steve Craig’s mantra. Women are off limits, especially the ones among Serpentian Guard. Tessa’s training didn’t prepare her innocent heart for the likes of the iron-willed captain. A future for any of them becomes iffy when they discover there’s a saboteur on board. One that could be lurking within the ranks of the Serpentian Guard.
Shadow of the Wolf (Heart’s Desire #1)—Dana Marie Bell (August 6, Samhain)
Christopher Beckett is from an ancient line of wizards, but with one aspect that sets him apart. His wolf. That wolf is howling for a mate. Chris casts the spell all the Becketts have used to call their mates to them. His wish list is short: She must be of a lineage as old as his own. And she must accept his wolf. When his mate appears, he realizes his list should have been one item longer. Alannah Evans, a powerful witch of the Evans Coven, has no problem with Chris’s wolf. It’s the wizard part that sticks in her magical craw. Witches and wizards have always been at odds. Chris will not be denied, and gradually she finds herself trusting him. When it becomes clear an old enemy has targeted them both for death, Chris charges into a duel that could cost him his life. Or worse: Lana.
Shadow Rising (The Shadow Slayers #2)—Cassi Carver (August 6, Samhain)
When Kara Reed learns her bondmate, Julian, is truly dead, and that Gavin has skipped town, she figures things have hit rock bottom. A string of bizarre accidents has her doubting those closest to her. The demon-king’s brand carved into her best friend Abbey’s stomach is deteriorating by the day. A powerful coven of witches issues Kara an ultimatum: Bring them the blood of a true fallen angel, the only thing that will heal Abbey, or die. The only fallen angel she’s seen lately is the disoriented black-wing who attacked her scouts. One who looks suspiciously like Julian. Caught between a coven of vengeful witches and a murderous dead lover, Kara may need the help of the one man she swore never to trust again: Gavin.
Silver Mine (Takhini Wolves #2)—Vivian Arend (August 6, Samhain)
Life in isolation is the safest place for Chase Johnson, a crossbreed who doesn’t know which form he’ll assume next, cougar or wolf. Once a year, his unelected position as spokesman for the Yukon outcasts forces him to visit civilization. This time he runs across someone unexpected. It’s taken years for Shelley Bradley to gather the courage to return to her home pack. She’s determined to make a place for herself as the Whitehorse locals’ new vet/doctor. There’s definite electricity between her and Chase. Ignoring him seems best. When he shows up at her office with a wound that won’t heal, she’s stuck, yet drawn to solve this medical mystery. Time is of the essence. If a cure can’t be found before his human and cougar succumb to his injury, he, and others like him, will die.
Stone of Ascension (Energen #2)—Lynda Aicher (August 6, Samhain)
Amber Morningstar ventures to New York City to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Dragon, but the night ends in devastation, leaving her the unwilling owner of a mysterious stone. Her mystical heritage has put her on a collision course with a new reality: shape-shifting dragons, energy-wielding Races, and a sexy protector. Exiled among the humans for a crime he didn’t commit, Damianos Aeros has waited a thousand years for his chance to return to his people. Amber is that chance. She is the Marked One, his one opportunity for redemption. As the battle over Earth’s energy intensifies, Amber and Damian struggle to resist the power drawing them together. Trust the energy, and each other, or let the world plummet into ruin.
Tall, Dark and Vampire (Dead in the City #1)—Sara Humphreys (August 6, Sourcebooks Casablanca)
The last person Olivia Hollingsworth expected to see at her Greenwich Village vampire club was her one true love, Doug Paxton, whom she believed to be dead for centuries. Olivia thought she had moved on, but when Doug reappears, her heart knows she’d rather die than lose him again. Ever since Doug can remember, a red-haired siren has haunted his dreams. He never thought she could be real until he goes to investigate a murder at Olivia’s night club. However, as the bodies keep piling up at her feet, he must fight to prove her innocence, even if it costs him his life.
WEEKS TWO AND THREE
No new releases.
WEEK FOUR
Cast in Sorrow (Chronicles of Elantra #9)—Michelle Sagara (August 27, Harlequin)
The Barrani would be happy to see her die. So Kaylin Neya is a bit surprised by her safe arrival in the West March. Especially when enemies new and old surround her and those she would call friends are equally dangerous. And then the real trouble starts. Kaylin’s assignment is to be a “harmoniste”—one who helps tell the truth behind a Barrani Recitation. But in a land where words are more effective than weapons, Kaylin’s duties are deadly. With the wrong phrase she could tear a people further asunder. And with the right ones…?well, then she might be able to heal a blight on a race…If only she understood the story.
Heavy Metal (Goddesses Rising #2)—Natalie J. Damschroder (August 27, Entangled Select)
The world is not what Riley Kordek imagined. On the run from those who’ve targeted her, all Riley wants is a chance to figure out her new ability to bend metal’s energy. When a guy who knows more than he should helps her escape her attackers, she thinks she might’ve found someone who can lead her to the answers she needs. Three years ago, Sam Remington walked away from his employer and the woman he loved. When Sam takes Riley to the Society for Goddess Education and Defense, the stakes rise beyond what either of them could have imagined. Falling for Sam would be far too easy for Riley, and far too painful. Riley uncovers a plot with disastrous ramifications not only for her, but for Sam, and the people he loves, and potentially every goddess in the country.
Hell and Hellsbane (Hellsbane #3)—Paige Cuccaro (August 27, Entangled)
Someone’s killing angels and turning the half human, half angel illorum warriors against their angelic supporters. If the supernatural baddy behind the attacks isn’t stopped soon, Heaven itself could fall victim. The Council of Seven has called in the best they’ve got to find the killers, and no one’s more surprised than Emma Jane Hellsbane when it’s her phone that rings….But when her own angelic mentor—and off-limits hottie—Eli is targeted, Emma takes it personally. With Emma hot on the trail of the growing army of assassins, though, hackles start to rise around her. Everyone wants to know if she’s in it to protect all angels…or just one in particular.
Immortally Ever After (Monster M*A*S*H #3)—Angie Fox (August 27, St. Martin’s)
The cease-fire between the battling immortals doesn’t last long. In the blink of an eye, human surgeon Dr. Petra Robichaud is back on the frontlines, and starring in yet another of the oracle’s prophesies. As the only healer who can talk to the dead, Petra doesn’t have much choice about her role, even when her breathtaking ex-lover shows up at exactly the wrong time. Petra may have moved on when Commander Galen left her, but she never forgot him, and the passionate moments they shared. Seeing him again is a distraction she really doesn’t need with both armies honing new weapons, and wounded all over her M*A*S*H unit. It’s now or never for the demi-god Galen to become Petra’s mate, but with the fate of humanity at stake, will their desire be worth the cost?
Must Love Fangs (Midnight Liaisons #3)—Jessica Sims (August 27, Pocket Books)
Marie Bellavance has known for years that she’s going to die of the same incurable disease her mother did. That’s why she never dated and doesn’t allow anyone to get close to her. As an employee of the paranormal dating agency Midnight Liaisons, she has a chance: if she can find someone to turn her into a supernatural creature, she’ll be cured. Were-cougar Joshua Russell has wanted standoffish Marie for his own, but she’s been off limits as a human. When he catches her sneaking away from a vampire date gone wrong, he steps in and offers his own services. As a vampire bodyguard, he’s able to tell her which men will be the perfect ones to date. He’s secretly got a better plan in mind: if she wants to date the supernatural, a handsome were-cougar would be the best choice of all.
The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake #14)—Kerrelyn Sparks (August 27, Avon)
Dougal Kincaid has something to prove. After being injured in a battle with the Malcontents, he’s ready for active duty protecting unsuspecting mortals from these villainous vampires who want to rule the world. But first he has to get control of himself, because just the sight of a certain lovely doctor has his injured hand doing some peculiar things. Vampires? Vampires?! As a scientist, Leah is having trouble believing that these immortal creatures exist. But there they are, standing in front of her, asking for help in solving a genetic puzzle that can save mankind. There’s even one in a sexy kilt! Just one look into Dougal’s gorgeous green eyes sets her pulse racing. But can she trust him, and the overwhelming desire that refuses to be ignored?
Author Suzanne Johnson is a book geek with a fondness for a good dystopia. Her Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series is launching its third book, Elysian Fields, on August 13. You can find Suzanne on Facebook and on her daily book blog, Preternatura.
