Ready for romance in December? Read slowly. There might be only eight new releases, but look from reader favorites from, among others, J.R. Ward, Thea Harrison, Kresley Cole, Ryannon Byrd, and Eve Langlais.
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
Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy #1), by J.R. Ward, (December 1, Signet)
Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself, be herself. The schooling is difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life. That’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated, and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power, on the field, and off.
Otherworld Protector (Otherworld #1), by Jane Godman, (December 1, Harlequin Nocturne)
When Stella Fallon journeys to Spain for a dream job, she never suspects that a cataclysmic confrontation is looming. Or that she is the last in an ancient line of dark sorcerers. For her new employer, an electronics billionaire, is actually a Faerie King desperate to harness Stella’s powers so he can rule the Otherworld. The only one who can protect Stella is a man she once thought her guardian angel. Cal becomes human, but his centuries-old secret could destroy her trust. Still, the pair cannot deny their white-hot attraction as they seek refuge in a cave to prepare for a battle of epic magnitude.
Shadow’s End (Elder Races #9), by Thea Harrison, (December 1, Berkley)
For Beluviel, consort to the Elven High Lord, and Graydon, gryphon and First Sentinel of the Wyr, even the slightest desire for each other is forbidden. But two hundred years ago, after a desperate play to save Beluviel’s stepson left them indebted to the cruel Djinn Malphas, they found their fates inexorably linked together, and the hunger between them growing too strong to ignore. Two centuries later, with their debt to Malphas coming due, Beluviel and Graydon realize that, if they are to stand any chance of saving their souls, they must once again work together, this time more closely than ever before. But every moment they spend with each other brings them nearer to losing something even more vital, their hearts.
Sweet Ruin (Immortals after Dark #16), by Kresley Cole, (December 1, Gallery)
Growing up, Josephine didn’t know who or what she was, just that she was “bad,” an outcast with strange powers. Protecting her baby brother Thaddeus became her entire life. The day he was taken away began Jo’s transition from angry girl, to would-be superhero, to enchanting villain. Archer Rune the Baneblood never fails to eliminate his target. In his sights: the oldest living Valkyrie. Before he can strike, he encounters a vampiric creature whose beauty mesmerizes him. With one bite, she steals his forbidden blood, and jeopardizes the secrets of his brethren. Rune knows he must not trust Josephine, yet he’s unable to turn her away. When Jo betrays the identity of the one man she will die to protect, she and Rune become locked in a treacherous battle of wills that pits ultimate loyalty against unbridled lust.
The Warrior Vampire (Last True Vampire #2), by Kate Baxter, (December 1, St. Martin’s)
Naya Morales is no ordinary mortal. Born with a shaman’s power, she has devoted her life to tracking down stolen magic, and punishing those who take it. But one fateful night, she follows the alluring call of a sensual magic that is too glorious to be true, and finds herself face to face with a stunningly handsome thief who is too magnificent to resist. From the moment he sees her, Ronan knows Naya is his mate. Driven by a deep, almost mystical connection, he aches for her body, hungers for her blood, and swears their souls are anchored together. Naya refuses to believe the words of a vampire, or risk the wrath of her tribe. But when she tries to make Ronan her prisoner, neither chains of silver nor fires of hell can help her escape the truth: she is the one who’s been captured.
Wild Wolf Claiming (Bloodrunners #8), by Rhyannon Byrd, (December 1, Harlequin Nocturne)
Werewolf Elliot Connors had come to the sleepy town of Charity to stop a madman from claiming his next victims for his macabre collection of sex slaves. After saving Skye Hewitt from being kidnapped, Elliot desires the diner waitress more than his next breath. All his senses scream that Skye is his life-mate. But his past has taught him well that nothing worth having ever comes easy. Now things are about to get bloody, dangerous, and wild. (ebook only)
Croc’s Return (Bitten Point #1), by Eve Langlais, (December 3)
Take one deadly bite and, bam, a man’s life is changed forever, or so Caleb discovers when a loss of control leads to him joining the military and leaving everything behind. Time goes by … years spent silent and alone. Until it’s time to come back, a scarred veteran. Perhaps it’s not too late to right some wrongs. Kiss a certain pair of sweet lips one more time. If only Renny would let him. It doesn’t take Caleb long to realize Renny’s just the thing this croc needs to bring him back to life. What if he loses control again? Too bad, he can’t stay away, especially not when he discovers her secret. Add in a strange creature stalking the townsfolk and there is no way he’s leaving her alone. Years ago it just about killed him to leave, but Caleb’s a changed man now. A darker kind of animal, and this retired soldier is ready to kill so he can stay. Welcome to Bitten Point, where the swamp doesn’t just keep its secrets, it sometimes eats them.
WEEKS TWO AND THREE
No new releases.
WEEK FOUR
Between a Vamp and a Hard Place (Midnight Liaisons #5), by Jessica Sims, (December 29, Pocket)
Lindsey Hughes loves antiques and couldn’t be happier to make a living in the estate sale business. When her assistant buys an entire estate without her approval, Lindsey is forced to clean up the mess herself. Lindsey travels to the newly purchased, house in Venice, Italy, and discovers more than she bargained for. She finds a secret staircase behind a wall that leads to a strange coffin, with an even stranger inhabitant. Vampire Rand FitzWulf has been in his coffin for 600 years. Now that he’s awake, he’s ravenous, and there’s a delicious-smelling woman with a rare blood type in his basement. Lindsey has more to offer than blood: she agrees to travel throughout Europe with Rand to help him get revenge. As the unlikely pair grows closer, will the billionaire vampire be overtaken by his thirst for blood, or his thirst for love?
Suzanne Johnson is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series and writes paranormal fantasy and suspense as Susannah Sandlin. You can find Suzanne on Facebook and on her website.
