New releases 5/13/14

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill

The Son by Jo Nesbo

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri

A Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas

Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston

Bone Dust White by Karin Salvalaggio

Motherless Child by Glen Hirshberg

Defenders by Will McIntosh

House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter

The Kraken Project by Douglas Preston

The Hydra Protocol by David Wellington

The Forbidden by F. R. Tallis

Jack of Spies by David Downing

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore by Walter Mosley

Return to the Beach House by Georgia Bockoven

Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden

The Skin Collector by Jeffery Deaver

Of Neptune by Anna Banks

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Raging Star by Moira Young

The A-Word by Joy Preble

New on DVD:
That Awkward Moment
Her
I, Frankenstein
Stalingrad

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates
Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

Wolf by Mo Hayder

Yes! It's time for another Mo Hayder post. I look forward to each and every new release by this author with twisted glee and anticipation!

DI Jack Caffery's brother has been missing for decades. In his time as a cop, he has never stopped looking for clues to his brother's fate. When the Walking Man finds a dog sporting the message "Help Us" he asks Jack to step in, promising in exchange to reveal something key in that long ago disappearance. But uncovering the identity of the person behind the message is just part of an increasingly odd and twisted crime. And as Jack investigates, time is surely running out for the family in danger. 

There's not much that matches my excitement in being able to spend an afternoon absorbed in a new book by one of my favorite authors. Mo Hayder's phenomenal plots (really, I'm not joking. They're phenomenal. I've said it before but pieces are in place multiple books ahead of time and it's only in coming across the meaning of those pieces that you then remember where you saw it first!), impeccable attention to detail (those pieces again), and truly creepy way of bringing it all together and all to life keep me coming back for more. And she honestly never disappoints.

It's hard to find something new to say in reviewing a long running series. Especially when I'm trying valiantly, I feel, to keep my fan girl gushing in check while also not giving too much away about the series or the particular installment. This is the seventh book to feature Caffery and while many of them can be read on their own, there are obviously ties to the previous books throughout the series. Jack's brother has been a long running element, one that plays a big role in the character's development. The Walking Man is another key player who has been in the series for a number of titles now - in fact the books featuring him are a sub series the author refers to as the Walking Man Series.

If you do happen to be new to Hayder - and if you haven't read her before I do highly, highly recommend her, but with a warning: the books are quite violent and quite disturbing. If you're sensitive to those things this is not the series for you. Anywho, if you're new to her here's the series list in order as reference:

Birdman
The Treatment
Ritual - Walking Man 1
Skin - Walking Man 2
Gone - Walking Man 3
Poppet - Walking Man 4
Wolf - Walking Man 5

Treat yourself and start from the beginning!

The Book of You by Claire Kendal

Morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Claire Kendal's The Book of You.

Clarissa doesn't want Rafe's attention. She doesn't want his affection. She certainly doesn't want his gifts. And yet Rafe will not leave Clarissa be. He's everywhere - waiting for her outside her apartment, following her around... he always seems to know exactly where to find her. In spite of her insistence that he leave her alone, Rafe persists in pursuing Clarissa. And now Clarissa is scared. All of the statistics show that things will get worse but how is Clarissa to protect herself when even the police claim no crime has been committed. A seven week stint on a jury case offers her some relief, but when the case turns out to be too close to home Clarissa realizes just how precarious her safety really is.

This is yet another book I've really been excited about getting to, in part because it's a debut. I love discovering new authors and this one sounded particularly intriguing. Plus, British psychological suspense is almost always a good choice for me.

The Book of You is told in two parts - one through journal entries written by Clarissa, outlining Rafe's behavior. These are interspersed throughout the day to day narrative of the trial (and generally outline Rafe's stalking of the day). So The Book of You really is the book of you - Rafe - as told by Clarissa. The point of her journal is to catalog all of her run ins with him as evidence to hopefully make a case against him.

Kendal does an excellent job bringing Clarissa's fears and frustrations convincingly to life here. In fact, I found it quite hard not to get too emotionally tied into the story. Claire attempts to call the police and is told that unless a crime has occurred there's nothing they can do to help. As Rafe's stalking escalates not only does she become more frightened and frustrated but I as the reader did as well. It makes The Book of You a pretty disturbing read to be quite honest.

The Book of You does remind me just a bit of Elizabeth Haynes's Into the Darkest Corner, enough so I feel comfortable saying that if you enjoyed her debut you should definitely give Claire Kendal's book a read. 

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. For updates on Claire Kendal and her work you can like her over on Facebook.

Casebook by Mona Simpson

Hi, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Mona Simpson's latest, Casebook.

I have found quite often that my disappointment in a book can be directly tied to misguided expectations. To further explain, with regards to this title in particular, I give you the description from Goodreads:

Miles Adler-Rich, helped by his friend Hector, spies and listens in on his separating parents. Both boys are in thrall to Miles's unsuspecting mother, Irene, who is "pretty for a mathematician." They rifle through her dresser drawers and strip-mine her computer diary, finding that all leads pull them straight into her bedroom, and into questions about a stranger from Washington, D.C., who weaves in and out of their lives. Their amateur detective work starts innocently but soon takes them to the far reaches of adult privacy as they acquire knowledge that will affect the family's well-being, prosperity, and sanity. Once burdened with this powerful information, the boys struggle to deal with the existence of evil, and proceed to concoct hilarious modes of revenge on their villains and eventually, haltingly, learn to offer animal comfort to those harmed and to create an imaginative path to their own salvation.

It's actually an innocent enough description: having read it, I can now see that it's totally honest and not all that misleading. And yet, my expectation at the outset was that this book would be more based in mystery than it really was.

In reality, this is more a story about a boy coming to grips with adulthood. In Miles, Simpson has created a charming and witty narrator whose story is quite amusing. The premise that this is a book he and Hector have written after the fact (complete with the occasional end note in conversation between the two) is amusing but perhaps not used enough to be thoroughly convincing. In other words it's an element the book could have lived without but had it been used more I think it would have made Casebook much improved (and given more of an opportunity to connect with Hector as a character as well).

All in all this was a book that just didn't completely draw me in in part because I kept waiting for the mystery to begin.

And yet, even had I been prepared for more of a coming-of-age story, Casebook would still have ended in disappointment for me. In spite of all the positive notes (great character development in Miles and those around him, hilarious boyish hijinks, and the wonderful way Simpson illustrates adult behavior through the eyes of a young boy) the ending fell completely flat.

There are many things to love about this book, especially if you aren't the apparently mystery manic person I am - seeing hints of intrigue around every corner - but I came THIS close to abandoning it multiple times before finally stumbling my way across the finish line. Meh.

Rating: 3/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. For the latest on Mona Simpson you can like her over on Facebook.

Irenicon by Aidan Harte - excerpt

2014 has been a truly spectacular year with regards to new releases - and we're not even halfway through! My own list of titles I've been looking forward to is so overwhelmingly massive that my TBR is literally overflowing. One of the many titles that's been patiently waiting my attention is Aidan Harte's debut, Irenicon, first in a new fantasy series that has its basis in Italian history.

Here's a bit about the book from Goodreads:

The river Irenicon was blasted through the middle of Rasenna in 1347 and now it is a permanent reminder to the feuding factions that nothing can stand in the way of the Concordian Empire. The artificial river, created overnight by Concordian engineers using the Wave, runs uphill. But the Wave is both weapon and mystery; not even the Concordians know how the river became conscious - and hostile. But times are changing. Concordian engineer Captain Giovanni is ordered to bridge the Irenicon - not to reunite the sundered city, but to aid Concord's mighty armies, for the engineers have their sights set firmly on world domination and Rasenna is in their way. Sofia Scaglieri will soon be seventeen, when she will become Contessa of Rasenna, but her inheritance is tainted: she can see no way of stopping the ancient culture of vendetta which divides her city. What she can't understand is why Giovanni is trying so hard to stop the feuding, or why he is prepared to risk his life, not just with her people, but also with the lethal water spirits - the buio - that infest the Irenicon. Times are changing. And only the young Contessa and the enemy engineer Giovanni understand they have to change too, if they are to survive the coming devastation - for Concord is about to unleash the Wave again...

Irenicon is out now from Quercus's Jo Fletcher Books and I've got a little excerpt here for your reading pleasure!

CHAPTER 1 

“Valerius?”

Madonna! Where was he?

If the boy got hurt, the Doc would mount her head on a stick next to the Bardini banner. Valerius might be a handful, but the little stronzo was their only Contract this year. Besides, a dead Concordian would imperil all Rasenna. Sofia’s dark eyes flashed with anger, and she swore again: in her haste she had forgotten her banner. Being unarmed in Rasenna used to be merely careless. These days it was suicidal. 

Valerius ran down the sloping streets with his head in the air, pursued by his shadow made strangely large by the blood-washed light. Smashed roof slates crunched underfoot like leaves in an autumn forest. He followed the trail of the topside battle as it moved downhill toward the river, focusing on the jagged red slash of evening where the towers leaned toward each other across the emptiness. 

The Concordian had the pale blond curls, the soft skin, and, when he tried, the disarming innocence of a cherub. Now, scowling, he resembled something fallen and impious. Sofia, only five years older than Valerius, watched him like his mother. He had endured this ordeal since his arrival last Assumption, but to return to Concord unblooded? Ridiculous. 

The hunt was practically the whole point of a year in Rasenna— that was what his father had paid for, not endless drills and lectures on banner technique. So when this chance came to sneak out, Valerius took it, vowing to get the general’s money’s worth. Two households in combat: what a story! This was Rasenna’s real meat: raids and rogue bandieratori. He wasn’t in real danger; this was still Bardini territory. Sofia wouldn’t be far away. 

He couldn’t see the individuals leaping between rooftops, just the banners they wielded. Bardini black outnumbered Morello gold six to four, and the Morello were retreating—noisily. These boys weren’t bandieratori; they were like him, just bored students looking for fun. So it was an unofficial raid, then; the gonfaloniere would never sanction such a pointless attack. 

Valerius followed through one backstreet after another, concerned only with keeping up. A black flag vanished behind a corner. He turned it himself and saw nothing but swallows listlessly drifting on air rising from the empty streets. 

No Morello, thankfully. No Bardini either. Valerius stopped to listen. The wall he leaned against was built around the ghost of an Etruscan arch, the gaps between its massive blocks stuffed with crude clay bricks bulging like an old man’s teeth. 

He could hear the river now but not the battle. He had been in Rasenna long enough to know that most raids ended “wet.” How could so many raiders disperse so swiftly? It began to dawn on him that Bardini flags need not be wielded by Bardini. 

How could Sofia be so irresponsible? He was the Bardini Contract, the Bardini’s only Concordian student, and that made him an obvious target for the Morellos; he should be protected at all times. The general would hear of this. 

“Keep calm, Concordian,” he rebuked himself, just as the general would have. He knew northern streets pretty well after a year, didn’t he? Not like a Rasenneisi, not as lice know the cracks, but well enough. He looked for clues to his location. That ceramic Madonna, perched in a street-corner niche and drenched in blue-white glaze, that would orientate a Rasenneisi. The ghastly things all looked the same. The superstitions of Rasenna were not the answer; he would rely on Concordian logic. The raiders had led him down and south. If he followed the slope up, he would eventually reach the shadow of Tower Bardini and safety. 

He turned around. Now that he had a plan, it was easier to fight the urge to run for it. Yes: he was impressed with his courage, even if he did keep glancing overhead. If only his footsteps wouldn’t echo so. 

At last, something familiar: the unmistakable drunken tilt of Tower Ghiberti—the Bardini workshop was close after all. Valerius’s relieved laughter trailed off when a rooftop shadow moved. Another silhouette emerged on the neighboring row. And another. Lining the tower tops, above and ahead of him. He counted seven, eight, nine—a decina—but forced himself to keep walking. Whoever they were, they were interested in him alone. It was not a flattering sort of attention. 

Behind him someone landed on the ground, and he was torn between two bad choices, to turn defiantly or to run. 

“Walk.”

“Sofia! What are you doing?”

“Exceeding my brief. Doc said babysit. He didn’t mention stopping you from getting yourself killed.”

“I wouldn’t be in danger if—”

“I said keep walking!”

He whipped his head around to continue the argument but went suddenly mute. Anger enhanced the Contessa’s beauty. Her dark eyes were wide and bright; her olive skin glowed like fire about to burn. She looked fabulous just before a fight. 

“What do we do?” Valerius asked, his confidence returning. 

Her wide-shouldered jacket was a bold red, in contrast with the earthy colors favored by most bandieratori. She was not tall, but she held her head proudly. Below her large brow and sharp Scaligeri nose were the smiling lips that graced statues of cruel old Etruscans. 

But she was not smiling now, and her pointed chin jutted forward. “You’ll do as I say. I’m going to help these gentlemen get home. Give me your banner.” 

“I don’t have it,” Valerius whispered, losing hope again. 

“Madonna. This is going to be embarrassing. I’m not exactly in peak condition.” 

Valerius looked down at the sling on her arm. Without a single banner, against a decina, even Sofia...

“What do we do?”

“When I say run, run—Run!” 

I don't know about you but I am always on the lookout for new, epic fantasy - especially considering the long wait in new installments from some of my favorite series. The blend of history and what I hear is fabulous world building in Harte's book piqued my interest when I first heard of the release and I've been just dying to get to it! 

(Note: if you live in the UK, all three titles in the Wave Trilogy are out now.)

On the Rocks by Erin Duffy

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Erin Duffy's latest, On the Rocks.

After dating for ten years, Ben and Abby are finally getting married. Or that's what Abby thought. Just six months from the date of the ceremony Ben abruptly calls the whole thing off - on Facebook. Mortified and heartbroken, Abby commits to drowning her sorrows in Ben & Jerry's until her best friend offers another option: a three month summer house rental in Newport, Rhode Island. Abby reluctantly agrees and also decides to give dating another shot. But dating is a lot different than Abby remembers it.   

I'll be honest, after Duffy's hilarious debut (Bond Girl) I really didn't know what to expect with On the Rocks. If you don't know, Bond Girl is set on Wall Street, and the premise of On the Rocks is wholly different.

Not that I had any real reason to worry. On the Rocks is hilarious! I'll admit that it's been an awfully long time since I dated but Abby's experiences very strangely mirror some of my own. I'm pretty sure that doesn't make me unique but does prove that dating is kind of horrible (and I'm so glad I don't have to do it anymore!).

Duffy's ability to spin a yarn that will have you rolling on the floor with laughter is something I really admire in her books. But the On the Rocks isn't all hijinks and hilarity (just in large part) it's also warm and sweet. Abby and her friends are pretty typical of my age group, so in them I see my own friends and others around me. Pair that with the obvious sympathy I have for Abby's character and you have the perfect mix for an enjoyable summer read in my opinion.

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to visit the official TLC tour page here. For more on Erin Duffy you can like her over on Facebook.

The Quick by Lauren Owen + a giveaway

Morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for one of my most anticipated reads of 2014, The Quick by Lauren Owen! And I'm lucky enough to be able to offer up a copy to one of you - be sure to read to the bottom to enter.

James Norbury has dreams of being a writer and has decided the best way to begin is to live in London. With his sister, Charlotte, back home caring for their ailing aunt, James economizes by renting rooms with a fellow Oxford grad. While the two begin on odd footing, they quickly become friends and a whole new world is opened up to James. It's a world of high society and social gatherings, something James is ill equipped for and not altogether comfortable with. But then something bizarre and tragic occurs and James is thrown even further from everything he knows. 

Then James fails to return home in the wake of their aunt's death, leaving Charlotte both confused and concerned. With no connections in the city, her only option is to travel there herself and find out what's happened. The truth is both odd and terrifying. 

Whew. This one is hard to sum up adequately! It's a Victorian vampire tale, and a gothically charged one at that. Lauren Owen's debut is very much in the vein of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian in terms of pacing and tone so if you weren't a fan of that one, The Quick likely won't be your cup of tea. I, however, completely adored The Historian and was delighted to find that The Quick was the same kind of read.

The slower pacing is utterly fantastic - though I was prepared for that and did set aside time to really dive in and get lost in the book. And boy did I! I read much of it in one afternoon, relishing each and every page while enjoying the nice warm weather we were having.

The vampire lore was somewhat unique - the London club and their enemy factor, the rules they all must follow (and the frightening discovery by one Doctor Knife that changes everything), and while there's a whole slew of characters to become attached to in a variety of ways, James and Charlotte really steal the show!

The Quick was everything I'd hoped it would be and so much more. If you're a fan of the gothic style and a slower pacing, I definitely encourage you to pick this one up. Do be warned, it is definitely one you won't want to put down until you're done!

Rating: 5/5

Note: The Quick officially hits shelves June 17.

To see more stops on the tour be sure to visit the official TLC tour page here.

And now for the giveaway, to enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, June 2. US only and no PO boxes please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway