Seventeen new paranormal romance titles promote the love of all things finned, fanged, and furry this month, including new series additions from, among others, Lara Adrian (Midnight Breed), Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark), Terry Spear (Heart of the Wolf), Mimi Jean Pamfiloff (Accidentally Yours), Kristen Callihan (Darkest London), Cynthia Eden (Phoenix Fire), Janet Chapman (Spellbound Falls), and Jessica Sims (Midnight Liaisons).
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
Crave the Night (Midnight Breed #12)—Lara Adrian (August 5, Delacorte)
Nathan is one of the most lethal Breed vampires in existence. A key member of the Order, an elite group of warriors charged with protecting both mortals and vampires. Now he must pursue a powerful, hidden enemy. Nathan’s hard discipline and training are no match for the pull he feels toward a woman he has no right to desire. Jordana lives a life of privilege as a member of a prominent Breed family in Boston. Jordana wants for nothing, until she crosses paths with a dark, intense warrior from the Order. She tries to deny her deep feelings for Nathan, but Jordana cannot resist the craving to be near him. Getting close to Nathan will thrust Jordana into a treacherous new world, forcing her to risk all she has and all she knows about herself and her past. Loving this seductive man could be the most dangerous temptation of all.
Dark Skye (Immortals After Dark #14)—Kresley Cole (August 5, Gallery)
As a boy, Thronos, Lord of Skye Hall, loved Lanthe, a Sorceri girl who made him question everything about his Vrekener clan. When the two got caught in the middle of their families’ war, tragedy struck, leaving Thronos and Lanthe bitter enemies. Lanthe searches for love and acceptance with all the wrong immortal suitors. She’s never forgotten Thronos, the silver-eyed boy who protected her until she was ripped from the shelter of his arms. Now he’s a notorious warlord with a blood vendetta against Lanthe, hunting her relentlessly. Will Thronos and Lanthe succumb to the brutal chaos that threatens everything they cherish? Or will the fragile bond they formed so long ago spark a passion strong enough to withstand even the darkest doubts?
Guarded (Tidewater #2)—Mary Behre (August 5, Berkley)
Veterinarian Shelley Morgan has always preferred animals to humans, and not simply because she can communicate with them psychically. Animals have never broken her heart. After six months in her new town, some of her favorite four-legged companions begin disappearing from the local zoo. Shelley decides to investigate, unknowingly delving into a deadly mystery. Although his bear-like physique has been an advantage in the Tidewater Police Department, Dev Jones’s size often intimidates people. Only Shelley has seen past his massive build to the intelligent man inside, but that was years ago. She contacts him requesting his help to solve a series of animal kidnappings. The thefts escalate to murder and all the evidence points to Shelley as the killer, and Dev faces a difficult choice: forsake his career or risk losing the woman he’s grown to love.
Hero of a Highland Wolf (Heart of the Wolf #14)—Terry Spear (August 5, Sourcebooks Casablanca)
Colleen Playfair has never been to Scotland, but when she discovers she must spend a year and a day overseas learning to manage her newly inherited estate, she’s ready for the challenge. She even has some ideas for improvements, if she can get past the sexy werewolf who seems convinced he’s the one in charge. Grant MacQuarrie and his clan have been managing Farraige Castle for three centuries. The last thing he wants is a meddling American heiress trying to change the way things have always been done. He’s more than willing to fight the she-wolf every step of the way. If that means taking the lass to bed, well, all the better. Locked in a battle of wills, caught in an attraction they can’t escape, Colleen and Grant must find a way to work together, or face losing it all.
Kissed by the Wave (The Forbidden Realm #1)—Serena Gilley (August 5, Forever Yours)
Aliya is a mermaid with an obsession. Though contact with humans is strictly forbidden, she can’t seem to stay away from the incredibly handsome Devin, who visits her lake night after night. Deciding that her longing for Devin is worth the risk, she goes to him. As their lust for each other deepens, Aliya grows to need his touch as much as she needs water. Devin believed Aliya was a perfect fantasy his mind created, until the breathtaking mermaid swims to shore. Courtesy of a magical wish, Aliya is newly human, and she and Devin give in to their passion again and again. But Aliya’s mortal form is only temporary. If they don’t have the strength to part ways when the time comes, their illicit love could rock the balance between the realms forever.
WEEK TWO
Dirty Little Misery (Miss Misery #2)—Tracey Martin (August 12, Samhain)
Thanks to her satyr-like power, Jessica Moore was denied her dream to join the Gryphons, the magical law-enforcement officers protecting humanity from the pred races. After the Gryphons tried to arrest her for murders she didn’t commit, Jess is no longer interested. Now that they know what she can do, they want Jess on their side. Nine people are dead. The cause? Exhaustion. The activity? Never-ending sex. Someone sold them tainted F, an illegal aphrodisiac made by satyrs. It strains her relationship with Lucen, the one satyr she counts as a friend. As Jess delves into the satyr business world, she unravels a scheme more sinister than dirty drugs, and her relationship with Lucen unravels right along with it. Only the truth will save their friendship. But not before it turns Jess into an ambitious killer’s next target. (Digital)
WEEK THREE
No new releases
WEEK FOUR
Accidentally…Over? (Accidentally Yours #5)—Mimi Jean Pamfiloff (August 26, Forever)
When it comes to Máax, the God of Truth, there’s more to him than meets the eye. Maáx is invisible. Which is why, after seventy-thousand years, he’s still unable to find a mate. Ashli Rosewood was never meant to die. Her death might be the reason the gods are now faced with stopping the doomsday right around the corner. Cue Máax, charged with saving Ashli. With a little help from an ancient Mayan tablet, Máax will travel back in time and set things right. Máax has one challenge. He’s invisible. Every time he gets near Ashli, he spooks her into harm’s way. Meaning, she dies, and he has to start all over again. What will Máax do when he begins to suspect that not only is Ashli the key to stopping the apocalypse, but she may be “the one” he’s been waiting for. How will he save the woman the Universe insists on killing and who wants nothing to do with him?
Deliverance (Defiance #3)—C.J. Redwine (August 26, Balzer + Bray)
Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan is unable to leave Lankenshire. Each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One. Rachel learns a secret that changes everything, and realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option. Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. Securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Logan may be the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One. As Rowansmark bears down and alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the odds against them?
Evernight (Darkest London #5)—Kristen Callihan (August 26, Forever)
Will Thorne is living a nightmare, his sanity slowly being drained away by a force he can’t control. His talents have made him the perfect assassin for hire. But as he loses his grip on reality, there is no calming him, until he finds his next target: the mysterious Holly Evernight. Holly cannot fathom who would put a contract on her life, yet the moment she touches Will, the connection between them is elemental, undeniable, and she’s the only one who can tame his bouts of madness. But other assassins are coming for Holly. Will must transform from killer to protector and find the man who wants Holly dead, or his only chance for redemption will be lost.
Ghost House (The Ghost House Saga #1)—Alexandra Adornetto (August 26, HarlequinTeen)
After the loss of her mother, Chloe Kennedy starts seeing the ghosts that haunted her as a young girl again. Spending time at her grandmother’s country estate is her chance to get away from her grief and the spirits that haunt her. Until she meets a mysterious stranger. Alexander Reade is 157 years dead, with secrets darker than the lake surrounding Grange Hall and a lifelike presence that draws Chloe more strongly than any ghost before. The bond between them awakens the vengeful spirit of Alexander’s past love, Isobel. She will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens to take him from her. Chloe must push her developing abilities to their most dangerous limits, even if it means losing Alex forever, and giving the hungry dead a chance to claim her for their own.
Playing With Fire (Phoenix Fire #3)—Cynthia Eden (August 26, Brava)
Cassie Armstrong has plenty to atone for. The daughter of the most immoral researcher ever to pick up a scalpel, she’s determined to use her own brilliance in genetics to repair the damage her family has done to the paranormals. Especially Dante, the first of the phoenixes, the one they call the Immortal. He’s been haunting her dreams since she was a little girl, and she’s been trying to ease his pain for almost as long. If only he remembered any of it. Dante doesn’t know what Cassie’s story is. He almost doesn’t care. The minute he sees her, all he can think is mine. There’s more to the pretty little doctor than meets the eye. And Dante isn’t the only one to notice. He can’t trust her, but he can’t stay away, and if he wants to learn her secrets, he’s going to have to fight to keep them both alive.
Stone Cold Lover (Gargoyles #2)—Christine Warren (August 26, St. Martin’s)
A prominent art restorer, Felicity is more than game to help a friend track down an obscure statue in Montreal. But when “Fil” finds it, she’s taken by surprise at how drawn she is to this statue. Attracted to it in a way a girl shouldn’t lust for a stone gargoyle, she revists it at night, longing to feel its embrace. Little does Fil know, her desire for this stone cold beast is about to heat up a notch. Locked in stone for centuries, Spar has slept, waiting for when a human would need him. When he is awoken, Spar is taken aback to find that a human female needs his help. A very sexy woman who’s about to be the victim of a cultist attack. Saving and leaving her should be no problem. But as more questions arise, Spar knows that he cannot rest until Fil is safe in his arms.
The Highlander Next Door (Spellbound Falls #6)—Janet Chapman (August 26, Jove)
Birch Callahan has seen the trouble men can cause. After witnessing her mother’s four marriages, Birch now runs a women’s shelter and doesn’t want a man in her life. But there’s something about her neighbor, Niall MacKeage. Birch can’t figure out how the cop can be so big and gruff and yet so insightful and compassionate, and sexy. Or how she’s falling for a man who acts like someone from the twelfth century. Niall knows that Birch is attracted to him, even if she seems to distrust all men. Yet he also knows she has a secret, something that drives her to place herself in harm’s way for the women of her shelter. Niall would gladly rush to Birch’s side to protect her from harm, but with their secrets standing between them, he’ll have to reveal his own truth if he wants to keep her.
The Hot Zone (Rainshadow #3)—Jayne Castle (August 26, Jove)
Halloween, with its tricks and treats, is a dust bunny’s dream come true. Just ask Lyle, Sedona Snow’s faithful sidekick. But for Sedona, it’s a nightmare. Though her new job managing a small hotel and tavern on Rainshadow is helping her move on from her tragic past, a bizarre disaster down in the catacombs has brought a pack of rowdy ghost hunters to her inn. And now, Sedona’s ex has arrived on the island, claiming he wants to get back together, just as a newcomer appears to have a strong interest in her. Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss in town. He has his own agenda when it comes to Sedona, but even the best-laid plans are no match for the passion that springs up on Rainshadow.
Unborn (Unborn #1)—Amber Lynn Natusch (August 26, 47North)
Khara has spent centuries discovering everything about the Underworld, except her place in it. But when she’s ripped from her home, solving the riddle of her origins becomes more important than ever. With evil stalking her through the dark alleys of Detroit, she finds salvation from an unlikely source: a group of immortal warriors sworn to protect the city. Khara needs their help to unravel the tangled secrets of who and what she is, secrets many seem willing to kill for. But time is running out, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer necessity binds her to an arrogant fallen angel. Can their shaky alliance withstand that which threatens her, or will her soul fall victim to the unholy forces that hunt her, those that seek the Unborn?
Wanted: Wild Thing (Midnight Liaisons #4)—Jessica Sims (August 26, Pocket Books)
Ryder is hiding a dark secret from her coworkers at Midnight Liaisons. Every time she’s sexually attracted to a man, her dragon side breaks through. Not exactly man-bait! But she needs to lose her virginity before her twenty-fifth birthday, or she’ll become a dragon forever. Her solution? Big, hunky Hugh, the appointed guardian of her chastity. He’s clearly hot for her, but he has powerful reasons to resist Ryder. Can temptation, and love, possibly find a way?
Battle Angel (Immortal City #3)—Scott Speer (August 28, Razorbill)
With Maddy torn between two loves, Guardian Jackson and heroic pilot Tom, and Angels and humans on the brink of an epic war, the Immortal City is more vulnerable than ever. When demons descend upon Angel City with the intent to destroy, the humans don’t stand a fighting chance without the Angels on their side. Will Jacks find the strength and forgiveness to enter the fray and fight the demons as a stronger-than-ever Battle Angel? Has the damage been so great that the Guardians will set off for the next place, abandoning Angel City in its darkest hour? It all comes down to love-wrecked half-Angel Maddy and the strength of her bond with Jackson in this game-changing, thrice-as-sultry series finale that blends beautiful themes of redemption and renewal with heart-pounding action scenes and jaw-dropping twists.
Suzanne Johnson is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series and, as Susannah Sandlin, author of the Penton Legacy paranormal romance series and The Collectors suspense series. You can find Suzanne on Facebook and on her daily blog ,Preternatura.
