Molly Harper
A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses
Pocket / May 28, 2013 / $7.99 print, $7.59 digital

Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.

Complication One: The artifacts are lost somewhere in vampire Jane Jameson’s occult bookshop. Complication Two: Her new neighbor Jed Trudeau keeps turning up half-naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially since Jed’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard. Can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses is Molly Harper’s latest trip to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky—home to vampires, werewolves and now witches, oh my! Well, maybe just one witch; Nola Leary has come all the way from the very small village of Kilcairy, Ireland, to find Gilbert Wainwright, former lover of her grandmother, although she really doesn’t want to think about that too much. The secret Nana Fee has been keeping all these years is that Gilbert Wainwright is Nola’s grandfather. While Mr. Wainwright might have left Ireland without knowing his passionate encounters with Fiona led to more than just happy memories, Fiona did entrusted him with the McGavock witches’ mystical treasures for safekeeping.

[Mystical treasures, you say?...]

Acheron and Styxx, twin brothers not of blood but bonded together by the will of the Gods. Not since Caine and Abel has there been a story of two brothers whose relationship is such a tangle of jealously, pain, and rage. In Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series, Acheron is the leader of the Dark-Hunters. His history goes back over 11,000 years and begins in the Atlantean pantheon. It was foretold to the Atlantean Goddess of Destruction Apollymi that the birth of her son, Apostolos (Acheron), would herald the destruction of the Atlantean Pantheon and bring about the death of all their Gods. So the Gods ordered Apollymi to kill her unborn son. To save him, Apollymi removed him from her womb and put him into the womb of the Queen Aara, Queen of Didymos.

Apollymi twinned him to the son of the King and Queen and tied his life force to that of their own son so they would not destroy him upon his birth.

The boys were born identical to each other, except for one inescapable difference—where Styxx’s eyes are blue, Acheron has the silver swirling eyes of a God, and it was from the moment they opened their eyes that their lives of turmoil began.

“What happened?” I asked.

He looked away.

Kneeling in front of him, I gently brushed the blond hair away from his swollen cheek. “Tell me.”

“She hugged Styxx.”

I knew without asking who she was. He’d been with our mother. I’d never understood how she could be so loving to me and Styxx and yet so cruel to Acheron. “And?”

“I wanted a hug, too.”

Then I saw it. The telltale sign of a boy who wanted nothing more than his mother’s love. —Acheron

[But Styxx's is life is far from perfect too...]

What is New Adult? “New Adult fiction bridges the gap between Young Adult and Adult genres. It typically features protagonists between ages 18 and 26,” and “characters who are at a stage of figuring out who they really are—and all that goes with it.” Many of the New Adult books focus around college campuses and the individuals who at currently trapped in that period between childhood and adulthood, stretching their wings for the first time, yet still unsure of themselves.

Although the target audience of New Adult is 18 to 30, and I am…no longer checking that survey box, I have found myself quite intrigued by this new genre of contemporary fiction. The world has changed since I was college-aged, and as a mom of two young girls, the New Adult books are opening my eyes that the world of dating that they will enter—hopefully a long, long, long time from now—which is very different from when I first met my husband.

One underlying truth in many of these stories is that the antagonist in the story turns out to be a well-meaning, or not-so-well-meaning, parent. In this uncertain period between childhood and adulthood, it is not just the children trying to navigate the uncertain future. Many parents have a hard time allowing their “little girls” and “little boys” the freedom of making those adult choices which could affect their whole future. In demanding that child act in the role of the parent, or worse, in a misguided attempt to save their children from learning a hard lesson, these parents are stunting their child’s ability to make those choices for themselves.

[Be free, be free!...]

Heather Snow
Sweet Madness
Signet / April 2, 2013 / $7.99 print/digital

Ever since her husband’s sudden and tragic death, Lady Penelope Bridgeman has committed herself to studying the maladies of the mind, particularly treating traumatized soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars. It is this expertise that brings the Marquess of Bromwich’s family to her door.

Gabriel Devereaux’s unexpected and unpredictable episodes are unlike any Penelope has studied. The once proud soldier has been left shaken and withdrawn, but she manages to build a fragile trust between them. Strangely, Gabriel seems completely lucid when not in the grips of his mania, and in the calm between bouts, she is surprised by how much she is drawn to him.

Despite his own growing feelings, Gabriel knows that he is fit for no one, and is determined to keep Penelope away from his descent into madness. But even though she knows firsthand the folly of loving a broken man, Penelope cannot stop herself from trying to save him, no matter the cost.

Sweet Madness is a book that will make you think as well as feel. With today’s modern medicines, we forget that not too long ago doctors didn’t know how to help people suffering from simple mental imbalances and they were confined to institutions. Nowadays doctors easily diagnose mental conditions and treat them with medications.

[Not how they handled it back then...]

More and more frequently, authors give their readers a little treat by writing a short story between novels so that a minor secondary character in their series can get a little HEA. They are a gift to us from the author and I know I should simply accept this present and say thank you.

Yet there is a delicate art to writing a story that has just the right combination of well-written, enjoyable characters that can engage us for a short period of time. From time to time I have read a short story that is so enjoyable that I find myself actually angry when it ends abruptly because there was just so much further the author could have taken us, yet they leave the story half told or with so many unanswered questions.

[But not always!...]

Katie Reus
Mating Instinct
Signet / March 5, 2013 / $7.99 print & digital

Surviving for centuries, powerful lupine shifter Jayce Kazan managed to stay away from humans until he met Kat Saburova and was consumed by the need to protect her. But while Jayce shared his passion with the human seer, he refused to make her his bondmate—a refusal that caused the end of their relationship.

A year later, an attack that left Kat near death has resulted in another lupine shifter turning her. Furious that he wasn’t the one to save her, Jayce is determined to show Kat that he is the one she should rely on. But the newly turned shifter is still traumatized and worried that she’ll hurt those she loves, unless she can learn to control her inner wolf.

And as Jayce struggles to protect Kat from her own worst instincts and convince her to rekindle their love, the extremists who almost killed her are looking to finish the job.

Mating Instinct is the third novel in Katie Reus's Moon Shifter series, which features a complicated and compelling relationship.

When Kat Saburova was still human, all she wanted was to have a life with Jayce. She thought if he changed her and made her a shifter, they could become bondmates and have the rest of their lives together. Jayce Kazan is the scarred enforcer for the Counsel and his visage usually causes human and shifter alike to cringe in fear, but for Kat he was always her puppy.

[But they've got more than puppy love going on...]

J. D. Robb
Calculated in Death
Putnam / February 26, 2013 / $27.95 print, $14.99 digital

On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn't seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait.

As 2060 is coming to an end in J.D. Robb's Calculated in Death, the holidays are around the corner and the city is gearing up for the premier of The Icove Agenda, but none of that is enough to stop murder. Lt. Eve Dallas has worked over a decade as a police officer and has more than her fair share of senseless killing. During her years in Homicide, she has outmaneuvered and outwitted many murders in the past, but how can you outthink a murderer whose actions just don’t make sense?

[No, but really, how can you?...]

Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, Kim Falconer
Vampires Gone Wild
Avon Impulse / February 12, 2013 / $2.99 digital 

Vampires Gone Wild brings together four paranormal romance novellas by Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, and Kim Falconer, authors and bloggers at Supernatural Underground.

Kerrelyn Sparks's demure Pamela and sexy vampire sidekick battle the Malcontents in “V is for Vampwoman.” Kim Falconer's aqueous San Francisco vampires in “Blood and Water” want nothing from “landers” — unless it's dinner, but that's until Stellan meets Angelina. Pamela Palmer carries readers to Vamp City in “A Forever Love” where trapped Lukas pines for his lost love. When she appears, Lukas will fight to keep her alive. It's been a hundred years since Valiance has dated; all is great until they're attacked, but quiet Esme will shock Valiance in Amanda Arista's “First Dates Are from Hell.”

Sometimes vampires bring death and destruction—and sometimes they just want to sparkle in the sunlight. In the anthology Vampires Gone Wild, these vampires just want to relax, let their hair down, and maybe meet a nice girl.  Vampires can do a nice normal date, right?...or maybe not.

[Either way, it's sure to be interesting...]

Juliana Gray
A Duke Never Yields
Berkley / February 5, 2013 / $7.99 print & digital

Impatient with the strictures of polite British society, Miss Abigail Harewood has decided to live life on her own terms—and the first thing she requires is a lover. When the commanding Duke of Wallingford arrives on the doorstep of her leased holiday castle, she thinks she’s found the perfect candidate: handsome, dashing, and experienced in the art of love.

But tempting Wallingford into her bed proves more difficult than she imagined. Restless and dissatisfied with his debauched life in London, the formerly rakish duke is determined to spend a year chaste. But as Abigail tries her best to seduce him, Wallingford finds his resolve crumbling in the face of her irresistible charm…and her alluring secrets.

At the advanced age of 23, Abigail Harewood knew what she wanted. She wanted a lover, an experienced lover to bring her to the heights of ecstasy. She knew that they would have a wonderful passion-filled affair until such time, after the shedding a few tears, they would go their separate ways. She has taken a great deal of care to plan out exactly how it should go.

[You know what they say about best laid plans...]

Anne Gracie
The Autumn Bride
Berkley / February 5, 2013 / $7.99 print,digital

Governess Abigail Chantry will do anything to save her sister and two dearest friends from destitution, even if it means breaking into an empty mansion in the hope of finding something to sell. Instead of treasures, though, she finds the owner, Lady Beatrice Davenham, bedridden and neglected. Appalled, Abby rousts Lady Beatrice's predatory servants and—with Lady Beatrice's eager cooperation—the four young ladies become her “nieces,” neatly eliminating the threat of disaster for all concerned!

It's the perfect situation, until Lady Beatrice’s dashing and arrogant nephew, Max, Lord Davenham, returns from the Orient—and discovers an impostor running his household…

A romantic entanglement was never the plan for these stubborn, passionate opponents—but falling in love may be as inevitable as the falling of autumn leaves.

The Autumn Bride is the first book in Anne Gracie's Chance sisters' series. There is nothing more enjoyable then a beautifully written, sweet romance where you watch two people fall in love—and The Autumn Bride is precisely that. Abby and Max have a passionately confrontational beginning, and turn those passions into an ardent love affair.

[Can you feel the love tonight, because we can!...]

Lauren Dane
Going Under
Berkley / February 5, 2013 / $7.99 print & digital

In the wake of the Magister’s rampage, chaos rules. Left reeling, the Others and the humans scramble to create a some sort of unity in the face of growing unrest and violence from anti-Other hate groups federation—and ruthless PR guru Molly Ryan is the witch who can do it. She grew up in the human world but there’s nothing left for her there. She’s lost her PR firm, her friends and she’s decided to put all her fight toward aiding the Others in this dark, new reality. If there’s anything left for her there, she’s going to fight for it. But Gage Garrity, one of the few Others who survived the massacre, fears that the crusade will expose Molly to greater dangers than ever before.

Now, together, with magick on their side, they’re on the road in a desperate struggle to unite a torn world. From state houses to television news to legislative conference rooms across the country, they’re fighting the good fight. And it’s bringing out a passion in both of them they never expected—one as volatile, intense, and all-consuming as their relentless battle for world unity. A battle that could be their undoing.

If everything in your world changed overnight, would you react with fear—or attempt to embrace the change? Lauren Dane left us reeling after the events of Chaos Burning—although the Magister and his dark plans were defeated, he has left all of the Others—witches, werewolves, and vampires alike—recovering  in the aftermath. The Others have lost so many: friends, siblings, parents, spouses, children. This should be the time to mourn their losses, but there is no time for grieving.

[There never seems to be...]

Paula Brackston
The Winter Witch
Thomas Dunne / $24.99 print/ $11.99 digital / January 29, 2013

In her small Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana. She has never spoken, and her silence as well as the magic she can't quite control make her a mystery. Concerned for her safety, her mother quickly arranges a marriage with Cai Jenkins, a widower from the far hills who knows nothing of the rumours that swirl around her. After their wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving, but she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the rugged mountains that surround it, while slowly Cai himself begins to win her heart. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana, even at the expense of those closest to her. Forced to defend her home, her love, and herself from all comers, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.

In Paula Brackston’s second novel, The Winter Witch, she brings us the little witch who lives her life in silence, but who has a heart that shouts as loud as a lion’s roar.

[Beware a woman's roar...]

Cynthia Eden
Alpha One
Harlequin / January 2, 2013 / $5.25 print, $4.34 digital

“Julie's missing. You have to get her back.”The minute he got the message, undercover agent Logan Quinn sprang into action. Getting Juliana James out of Mexico alive was the Elite Ops covert agent's only priority. But once the senator's daughter was safely back in their Mississippi hometown, Logan had a new mission: to get another chance with the woman he couldn't lose again.

Juliana had never forgotten the day, ten years ago, when Logan left her heart in pieces. Now he was back in her life, sworn to protect her from the ruthless weapons dealer who wanted her dead. As passion blindsided her—and she was once again thrust into danger—Julie realized how much she'd risk for one more day in Logan's arms.

In her newest suspense series, Cynthia Eden introduces the Shadow Agents of the EOD (Elite Operations Division), an elite team from different branches of the armed forces who don’t exist on paper, but have been brought together to do the job others can’t, which includes hostage recovery.  The EOD have spilled blood on many missions, both their enemies' and their own, but this time it’s personal.

[And when it's personal...watch out!...]

Cecy Robson
Sealed with a Curse
Signet / December 31, 2012 / $7.99 print & digital

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, weird…

The Wird sisters are content to avoid the local vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region—until one of them blows up a vampire in self-defense. Everyone knows vampires aren't aggressive, and killing one is punishable by death. But soon more bloodlust-fueled attacks occur, and the community wonders: are the vampires of Tahoe cursed with a plague?

Celia reluctantly agrees to help Misha, the handsome leader of an infected vampire family. But Aric, the head of the werewolf pack determined to destroy Misha's family to keep the region safe, warns Celia to stay out of the fight. Caught between two hot alphas, Celia must find a way to please everyone, save everyone, and oh yeah, not lose her heart to the wrong guy—or die a miserable death. Because now that the evil behind the plague knows who Celia is, it’s coming for her and her sisters. This Wird girl has never had it so tough.

Cecy Robson’s debut novel, Sealed with a Curse, focuses on Celia Wird and her sisters, brutally nicknamed “the weird sisters” since school.  The sisters were cursed at birth, but that curse became a gift…sort of.  Celia can shift into a tiger, always ready to protect her younger sisters.  Taran harnesses the power of fire.  Shayna can turn any metal into a blade and any wood into a weapon.  Little sister, Emme, has the ability to heal her sisters.  She can also use The Force…I mean, she can move things with her mind.  Together, these sisters are formidable, but they have been trying all their lives to stay under the supernatural radar, not wanting their odd presence known to be the weres, vampires, and witches that live nearby.  

[Understandably...]

May old friends be forgot? We don't think so! We're celebrating our favorite reads with five days of the Best of 2012. We asked our bloggers for their favorite reads of 2012, with one stipulation, they had to be new to them and not necessarily new to 2012. We know we got a few recommendations to add to our to be read piles!

Don't miss out on the shopping list for these great recommendations once you finish reading and check out the recommendations from Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, and Day Five too! Click here to view the shopping list for Day One!

Megan Frampton:

A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
This appeared to be a totally artificial set-up—woman has one month to conceive a child following her husband’s death so the child, not the evil nephew, will inherit the estate. And it is, but it’s also got two rich, deeply flawed, difficult-to-love characters in the hero and heroine. I was blown away by Grant’s textured language and the resonance of historical details.

[Plus more great recommendations!]

Leigh Evans
The Trouble with Fate
St. Martin's / December 24, 2012 / $7.99 print & digital

My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…

Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again…

When you are running from an angry Alpha Werewolf, remember to bring your magical amulet and your temperamental ex-love to keep you company. In her debut novel, Leigh Evans spins a tale of Fae, Weres, and a giant dose of fate. 

[Sounds like a wild ride...]

Maya Banks
Shades of Gray
Berkley / December 31, 2012 /  $7.99 print & digital

P.J. and Cole were sharpshooting rivals on the same KGI team and enjoyed a spirited, uncomplicated camaraderie. Until the night they gave in to their desires and suddenly took their relationship one step further. In the aftermath of their one night stand, they’re called up on a mission that goes terribly wrong, and P.J. walks away from KGI, determined not to drag her teammates into the murky shadows she’s poised to delve into.

Six months later, Cole hasn’t given up his search for P.J., and he’s determined to bring her back home where she belongs. Bent on vengeance, P.J. is on a mission that will plunge her into a serpentine game of payback and make her question everything she’s ever believed in. Cole—and the rest of their team—refuse to let her go it alone. Even if it means sacrificing their loyalty to KGI and their very lives.

Maya Banks’s KGI series has taken us to some dark places where evil lurks—from the jungles of Columbia to the mountains of Afghanistan. In her latest release, Shades of Gray, she takes us into the world of the rich and powerful. KGI is brought in to assist in bringing down a human slavery ring involving children. KGI will do anything to save these children from being sold, including sending in one of their own undercover, but something goes horribly, horribly wrong.

[Already I'm feeling tense...]

Lynn Viehl
Nightbred
Signet / December 4, 2012 / $7.99 print & digital

Jamys Durand has survived being made an immortal Darkyn, horrific torture, and years of grueling warrior training. But he has no future to offer Chris, the mortal woman he loves, without his own territory. When he learns of a lost Templar treasure, Jamys vows to possess it and win his lady’s heart.

No one knows Chris Lang wants to be a tresora so she can live with Jamys, her secret love. Her superiors offer to make her dream come true, but only if she finds the lost treasure before Jamys can. Working together, Chris and Jamys track the jewels through a shadowy maze of priceless artifacts, decadent secrets, and one ruthless opponent who can possess an immortal’s mind…and will stop at nothing to have Chris.

In Nightbred, Lynn Viehl finally gives us the long awaited story of Jamys Durand. As opposed to most supernatural stories which feature bulky warriors frozen at their peak of maturity, Jamys faced death and was made a Darkyn at the young age of 17, just on the cusp of adulthood. Jamys is a 700 year old Darkyn, but his youthful appearance has been a hindrance all his existence. 

[I could see how that'd be a problem...]

Kerrelyn Sparks
Wild About You
Avon / November 27, 2012 /  $7.99 print, $5.99 digital

It's not every day that Elsa Bjornberg feels delicate, not when she hosts a home renovation show where she can effortlessly demolish a kitchen. But from the moment she meets Howard Barr, this bear of a man makes her feel like a woman. And the way he looks at her, as if she were a pot of honey he'd like to lick...

Howard is not like most men. For one thing, he's a shapeshifter. And he always thought his celebrity crush would never amount to anything more than drooling at Elsa on TV. When his meddling vampire employer gets involved, the star is suddenly within his grasp—and within a hair of her life. For an ancient curse forbids their newfound love, and Howard is suddenly torn between his desire for her and his desire to keep her alive.

Kerrelyn Sparks has included many shifters in her Love at Stakes vampire series, werewolves, were-panthers, were-tigers, but none is more cuddly and complex than the were-bear Howard Barr. Howard is quiet and shy, he generally keeps to himself as bears usually do, and he loves his donuts, but as a Kodiak grizzly bear, Howard is definitely one were-bear you want on your side during a fight.

[Sugar AND spice—nice!...]