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Nell’s Gossip and Book Hunt 3/25/18
Welcome to my Sunday book hunt and author gossip. Keep coming back for updates on book releases and news from favorite authors.
Whew! It’s been a week! All sorts of news piled on my desk this week. I have new releases to tell you about and a cover reveal and even updates on a series I love. I should get right to it then.
Okay, first out of the chute today is Adam J. Wright. You will have known him from the Harbinger, P.I. series. If you don’t, you should go look him up. His books are in print and audio.
What I’m here to tell you about is the new release of Harbinger, P.I. #5! Here are the deets:
Title: Shadow Land
Author: Adam J.Wright
Series: Harbinger, P.I. book #5
Released: March 12, 2018
Publisher’s Description: When a child goes missing, his mother asks me to help. After all, she believes he was taken by a monster and that’s my field of expertise. The search leads to the storm drains of Dearmont; not a good place to be when you’ve seen as many horror movies as I have.
Turns out the monstrous kidnapper is also responsible for the mysterious disappearance of a patient from a psychiatric hospital nearby. And as I investigate further, I’m pushed into the waiting arms of an old nemesis.
Missing children, fishy creatures, and icy curses are all in a day’s work for Harbinger P.I. But when Mister Scary shows up, the hardest job is staying alive.
New release for Jenn Stark!! It looks like it’s the last in the Immortal Vegas series, which I’m sad about. This series is a rockin’ ride. The last book is called Wilde Fire. The characters are ones that a person cannot put away after finishing the story. Here’s the new release info:
Title:Wilde Fire
Author: Jenn Stark
Series:Immortal Vegas #10
Release date: April 18, 2018
Publisher’s Descripton: The war on magic is here, and Mistress of the House of Swords Sara Wilde has done everything she can to prepare. The Arcana Council has recalled its most powerful members to hold the line, and the Houses of Magic are frantically strengthening their defenses. Then the first volley hits: a plague of demons freed to ravage the earth. Scrambling, Sara discovers that the war will be fought not on one front, but three–while new threats emerge at a breakneck pace.
All the magic in the world may not be enough to save it.
From an ancient coven in Chicago to the sunbaked streets of Vegas to the frozen ice fields of Antarctica, Sara rallies her closest friends and fiercest enemies to protect the earth from the gods and monsters raining down from the dark side of the veil. To succeed, Sara must confront the truths she’s been avoiding her whole life, and take on forces that have kept the Connecteds powerless for far too long. But is she willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?
When it comes to Armageddon, where there’s smoke there’s always Wilde Fire.
Now, folks, if that looks like fun listen to this:
While Wilde Fire marks the close of the first cycle of Wilde books, I plan to launch another series of books with many of the same characters in Fall, 2018 ~ Jenn Stark
Ok, now I’m really excited that Jenn Stark is starting a new series in the fall, HOWEVER, on May 15, 2018, she’s releasing another new series that I’m already standing in line waiting for at my book store.
I mean, look at that!! 6 books guaranteed in the series. That is outstanding. I only have details on the first book, Demon Unbound, but seriously, I would think that if Jenn Stark gave us deets on the whole series, our brains would probably explode.
Title: Demon Unbound
Author: Jenn Stark
Series: Demon Enforcers, Book 1
Release date: May 18, 2018
Publisher’s Description: None of us is without Sin…
After serving untold millennia as the leader of a demon special ops team with a brutal reputation for efficiency, Warrick of the Syx has seen it all, done it all, killed it all. Penance for his own damnation? Sure. But with the world running black with blood and magic, his skills are definitely in high demand.
This time, though…there’s a catch. And her name is Maria Santos. Beautiful, badass, and out for blood, Maria’s wrestling with her own dark secrets. The kind of secrets that call to Warrick’s twisted soul. A call he knows better than to answer.
Unfortunately, the dangerously tempting undercover cop is Warrick’s only ticket into the lockdown hellhole where a particularly vicious demon faction is boiling over, ready to unleash a new Armageddon on earth. If he wants to get at them, he’s going to have to take Maria with him.
But the second she gets caught in the crossfire between Warrick and the scum of eternity, well…
Hell hath no fury like a Demon Unbound.
James A. Hunter has created a new series that takes place in Yancy Lazarus time. I am looking forward to checking it out.
Title: Two Faced
Author: James A. Hunter
Series: Legend of the Treesinger #1
Released: March 22, 2018
Publisher’s Description: Ancient Demons. A Terrible Curse. Only one woman can save the day … though she’s not really a woman at all.
Winona Treesinger is a Bigfoot—and no, she doesn’t just have large feet. She’s literally an eight-foot tall walking myth, and the last great princess of the People of the Forest.
All she and her people want is to dwell in the deep places of the forest, well away from mankind and the destruction they bring to the land and the world. But when Winona hears about a string of grisly murders in the nearby city of Missoula, she knows in her gut it’s the work of an ancient evil, driven away from their lands long ago.
Against the wishes of her Father, Chief Chankoowashtay, Winona must leave the forest and venture into the world of men, disguised as a frail human, in order to set the balance straight and stop the killings. And with the help of a handsome, slick-talking city detective named Chris Fuller, she might be able to do it. But if Chris finds out what she really is, stopping the creature might be the least of her worries.
Here’s the last new release announcement for today:
Title: Outbreak
Author: Melissa Olson
Series: Nightshades #3
Release date: June 5, 2018
Publisher’s Description: The Chicago field office of the Bureau of Preternatural Investigation is facing its deadliest challenge, yet—internal investigation! Alex and Lindy are on the hook, and on the run.
But when all of the BPI’s captive vampires are broken free from their maximum security prison, and Hector finally steps out of the shadows, Alex must use every trick to stay ahead of both the BPI and the world’s most dangerous shade.
Confrontation is inevitable. Success is not.
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Nell’s Gossip and Book Hunt 1/28/18
Welcome to my Sunday book hunt and author gossip. Keep coming back for updates on book releases and news from favorite authors.
There are a lot of things I want to share with you today.
James A. Hunter has a new audiobook series coming your way. It was introduced on Audible at the beginning of this month.
Title: The Artificier
By: S. R. Witt, James Hunter
Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead
Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 01-05-18
Language: English
Publisher: Shadow Alley Press Inc.
Genre: LitRPG
Description: October, 2042
In two weeks, the world will die, murdered by a nine-mile-wide, extinction-level asteroid.
And Robert Osmark—billionaire and savvy tech-genius—couldn’t be readier for the fiery apocalypse.
Unlike the shortsighted masses, he’s been diligently preparing for this day from the moment the asteroid first appeared. Through his relentless efforts, digital salvation now awaits anyone bold enough to take the leap and permanently transition into the brand-new, ultra-immersive, fantasy-based VRMMORPG, Viridian Gate Online. And Robert Osmark will lead this new world he has created.
But even with every advantage skewed in his favor, Osmark faces powerful opposition. A rogue faction of global elites led by US Senator Sizemore isn’t content to merely survive the apocalypse. They have their sights set much higher, and are recruiting dangerous allies, undercutting Robert’s efforts at every turn, and hiring VGO’s most deadly assassins to get what they want. To win, Osmark will need to viciously crush all opposition before his plans turn to ash.
While this book is released in audio, it’s also in print. If audio is not your game, don’t worry, James A. Hunter has thought of you too.
Next up is: Jennifer Estep
If you’ve not tried the series Elemental Assassin, you really should think about it. I know, the heroine is an assassin and that 
may turn a person off of the story just like that. But, give Gin a chance. Here’s what Jennifer has to say:
Assassins might not be the most sympathetic characters or the easiest to identify with, but I think they are some of the most fascinating. Plus, I wanted to write a really smart, strong, tough female character, which I think that I’ve done with Gin Blanco.
Jennifer has introduced the next Elemental Assassin book. It’s #17 in the series and it’s called: Venom in Her Veins.
Venom in Her Veins — Elemental Assassin #17 —Spring 2018 (no cover available at this time)
Gin and the gang will be back with a new adventure.
As of right now, after this book, there will be two more books in my Elemental Assassin series.
Also, starting with Venom in Her Veins, I will be self-publishing the series. I am hoping to release the book in spring 2018, but we’ll see what happens.
Note: The title of this book has been changed from Cold Sting to Venom in Her Veins.
NEXT: Lara Adrian
For us romance lovers, Lara Adrian has released Claimed in Shadows on January 23, 2018. This is one series I haven’t tried although I want to. You know, my TBR list is really, really long! 😉 Anyway, those that have a penchant for Vampire romances, check it out!
Title: Claimed in Shadows
Author: Lara Adrian
Series: Midnight Breed #15
Released: January 23, 2018
Description: In this pulse-pounding new Midnight Breed vampire romance novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Lara Adrian, passion explodes between a daywalking member of the Order and a fiery female warrior whose shadowy past will test the bonds of both duty and desire.
As the son of a formidable Breed warrior, Aric Chase has been devoted to the Order all his life. With his training completed, all he needs is one successful mission before he can join the fight to destroy the Order’s chief nemesis, Opus Nostrum. His rare ability to daywalk lands Aric an assignment in Montreal, where he learns he’s to be teamed with another new recruit, a beautiful, but tough-as-nails Breedmate named Kaya Laurent.
Independent and driven, Kaya wants nothing more than to become a full-fledged member of the Order. Having grown up in squalor and neglect on the streets of Montreal, she longs for the close-knit family she’s found during her training to be a warrior. Eager to prove herself, she is thrilled to be given the chance at a key operation—even if she must share the mission with an arrogant, far-too-seductive Breed male who’s practically Order royalty.
Their unwanted partnership soon erupts into a desire neither of them can resist. But when Kaya’s past reaches out from the shadows to call her back, she must decide between protecting a dark alliance that could shatter her dreams of joining the team and a truth that could not only forfeit Aric’s faith in her, but bring the enemy right to the Order’s door.
the titles of SPI’s best seer, Mac Frasier’s personal files that are upcoming:SPI Files #7: The Solstice Countdown
SPI Files #8: The Pandora Predicament
SPI Files #9: The Demon Directive
Obviously, there are no descriptions or covers yet. Stay tuned.
Check in tomorrow for the cover reveal and description of Ken Lange‘s new book, Dust Walkers. This is book #2 in the Vigiles Urbani series.
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Savage Prophet (audio) by James A. Hunter
To listen or not to listen – there is no question about it. The audio of Savage Prophet is definitely one to listen.
Title: Savage Prophet
Author: James A. Hunter
Series: Yancy Lazarus, Book 04
Publish Date: September 19, 2017
Genre: Urban fantasy
Narrator: Charlie Kevin
Cover: Lou Harper Designs
Source: Purchased
Publisher’s Description: Legions of murderous undead, Haitian voodoo, and a 5,000-year-old serpent god.
Yeah, ’cause that’s exactly what Yancy Lazarus needs in his life: more complications. As if being the Hand of Fate and the newly appointed guardian over one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse wasn’t headache enough.
All Yancy wants is an easy life on the open road – chock-full of ribs, beer, cigarettes, and smoky bars blaring with gritty blues music – but that just isn’t in the cards. Nope, not anymore. He’s been charged with saving the world, and now that he’s got a no-shit demon riding shotgun in his head, he’s sorta committed to the cause.
If Yancy can’t sort through this colossal heap of bullshit, he’s coffin bound. But, he’s not dead yet. In fact, he even has a lead.
Turns out one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse – the pale Rider, Death – is slumming around in one of Yancy’s old haunts. In order to corner this new threat, though, Yancy’s gonna have to face some deadly supernatural nightmares from his distant past. And, to make matters worse, he’s not the only one trailing the Pale Rider. A powerful new mage with some serious magical chops is also aiming to find the Fourth Seal and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. Even if it means hurting those closest to Yancy…like FBI Agent Nicole Ferraro.
Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel. In other words…spoilers. *BEWARE*
Nervous Nellie says…
“He could rot in that damn hole until the world imploded or mankind was finally eradicated by an army of tyrannical, laser-wielding monkeys riding cyborg dinosaurs. Or whatever. Though personally, I’ve got my money on the crazy monkey-dinosaur apocalypse thing.”
This book has graphic violence (to those who deserve it-except Yancy of course), no sex, a little bit of a cliffhanger (not bad), and a fabulous narrator.
Sometimes when I buy an audiobook I really hope that the narrator is invested in the characters enough to make the book come to life. I’ve listened to books where the accent the narrator uses to portray some characters muddies the listening experience so much that the dialogue is not understandable. This narrator does no such thing. As a matter of fact, if I listened closely (which I did) I figured out the identity of the person behind the secret brown robe. Charlie Kevin did such an amazing job of portraying Yancy Lazarus that I now hear Charlie’s voice in my head when I read Yancy’s words. That normally doesn’t happen unless the voice of the narrator and the character mesh.
James A. Hunter does an especially great job of writing…again. This series is a series that I can’t wait for the next release. Most of the time the heroes are threatened to be harmed but in the nick of time gets out of the jam. Not Yancy. Mr. Hunter, I think, enjoys putting Yancy through his paces and most of the time gets the raw end of the deal. Now, don’t get me wrong, Yancy does get his share of breaks but more often than not the danger outweighs any sort of a break he gets.
In this story, I felt like there is not one more thing that Yancy could possibly handle before he has a total breakdown. I totally understood his baser instinct of self-preservation and the idea of ‘just walking away’. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Yancy stuck with his destiny even though he knew it may be his final end. Oh – <spoiler> it’s not his final end yet. Thank goodness Brimstone Blues is released so I could move on to the next book without too much anxiety. I will really hate to see the end of this series.
Mr. Hunter is in negotiation for the audio of Brimstone Blues and it’ll possibly be released after the new year. Woot!!
Our reviews in this series…
- Strange Magic, 01
- Cold Hearted, 02
- Flashback: Siren Song, 02.5
- Wendigo Rising, 03
- Flashback: The Morrigan, 03.5
- Savage Prophet, 04
- “Valentine Blues” in Full Metal Magic, 04.5
- Brimstone Blues, 05 (forthcoming)
- Mudman (same universe, different series)
Other recommendations…
If you like cranky urban fantasy detectives, check out the Dresden Files, Sandman Slim, or Alex Rains.
Nell’s Gossip and Book Hunt 9/10/2017
Welcome to my Sunday book hunt and author gossip. Keep coming back for updates on book releases and news from favorite authors.
- Everybody loves a good giveaway, right? Well, here is an AWESOME giveaway. All these books are right up my alley and I’d love if I could read each one.
The authors that are involved are as follows:
- James A. Hunter
eden Hudson
Pippa DaCosta
R.R. Virdi
Domino Finn
Kevin J. Anderson
J.A. Pitts
Michael Scott-Earle
- A new and thrilling addition to the Eve and Roarke series by J.D. Robb. Okay, it’s not the Eve and Roarke series, it’s the In Death series, but it might as well be Eve and Roarke.
Title: Secrets in Death
Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #45
Release date: September 5, 2017
Publisher’s description: The chic Manhattan nightspot Du Vin is not the kind of place Eve Dallas would usually patronize, and it’s not the kind of bar where a lot of blood gets spilled. But that’s exactly what happens one cold February evening.
The mortally wounded woman is Larinda Mars, a self-described “social information reporter,” or as most people would call it, a professional gossip. As it turns out, she was keeping the most shocking stories quiet, for profitable use in her side business as a blackmailer. Setting her sights on rich, prominent marks, she’d find out what they most wanted to keep hidden and then bleed them dry. Now someone’s done the same to her, literally—with a knife to the brachial artery.
- After I finish Secrets in Death, I’ll be ready for the next episode called Dark in Death.
Title: Dark in Death
Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #46
Release date: January 30, 2017
Publisher’s description: There’s always a reason for murder. But when a young actress is killed in a swift and violent attack at a cinema screening, that reason is hard to fathom – even for Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team.
It’s only when bestselling crime writer Blaine DeLano arrives at the precinct that the shocking truth is revealed. Someone is recreating the murder scenes from her latest series, book by book. With six more novels left in the series, Eve now knows how the killer will strike next. But why has DeLano been targeted? Could her abusive husband be involved?
As fiction is transformed into bloody reality, Eve will need all her skill and experience to solve this unique case. Luckily for her, husband Roarke happens to be a fan of DeLano’s work. And he’s more than happy to work side by side with his gorgeous and brilliant wife – no matter how dark things become…
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Mudman by James A. Hunter
Can a golem made for vengeance ever find redemption and peace? Not when life keeps throwing him curve balls like this!
Title: Mudman
Author: James A. Hunter
Series: The Golem Chronicles Book 1
Publish Date: March 8, 2016
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Provided by the author
Publisher’s Description: Levi Adams is a soft-spoken, middle-aged Mennonite man—at least he tries to be when he’s not murdering people.
Levi’s a golem, a Mudman, crafted from the muck, mire, and corpses of a World War II concentration camp—killing is just a part of his DNA. He doesn’t like it, but unfortunately, he’s been saddled with a divine commission to dole out judgment on those who shed innocent blood. After seventy years as a cold-blooded murder machine, however, Levi’s trying to change his grisly nature. And the AA meetings and church services are helping. A little. But when he runs across a wounded girl, Sally Ryder, during one of his “hunting expeditions,” he realizes self-help may have to go on the back burner.
Someone is attempting to revive a pre-Babylonian murder god, and the road to rebirth is paved with dead bodies. Lots and lots of them.
Now, Levi must protect Ryder—the key to an unspeakable resurrection—and defeat a Nazi mage from Levi’s murky past. But the shadowy mage holds a terrible secret about the Mudman’s unorthodox birth, one offering insight into Levi’s morbid compulsion for bloodshed. It’s a secret Levi would pay anything to uncover: maybe even Ryder’s life. If Levi isn’t careful, he may end up turning into the monster he always imagined himself to be.
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Nervous Nellie says…
“Holy shit,” Chuck said, standing in slack-jawed wonderment at the building scarring the horizon with its presence. “Don’t tell me we goin’ in there, ’cause I ain’t fixin’ to do it. That place is a straight-up horror movie set, and everyone knows the black dude gets it first in a horror flick.”
First of all, this is an urban fantasy adventure. No sex and no cliffhanger. The bad guys are vanquished…for now. There is lots of death and dismemberment, but when in Levi’s world, it takes a lot to survive.
The cover says it all. The MudMan is a new kind of hero. From his beginnings, Levi was made for revenge. Somewhere along the way, he developed a sentience. He doesn’t want to kill, so he tries to make himself abandon instinct and move toward a cleaner way of living. That takes strength and a lot of determination.
Levi has an enormous amount of humility. He doesn’t present himself as a savior, he’s just doing the right thing. He’s uncovering a nasty plot of a recurring enemy in the Yancy Lazarus world, Hogg. Levi is very serious but the author threw Chuck in the mix to add levity. Chuck MacLeti, the leprechaun, quickly attracted my attention from the first fist bump (don’t worry Yancy, my heart still belongs to you..) The situation is dire and something has to be done. Levi could leave the problem for someone else, but he teams up to take down the bad guys. He saves who he can from the horrible experimentation that is reminiscent of the people that were used together to create him. It’s not a funny story. It’s not a fluffy story, but it’s a darn good action adventure story with an unsuspecting superhero. Levi is a great character with plodding intensity and fierce reputation. I would like to see more from his world, his exploits and his fight to maintain his focus.
Invested Ivana says…
Being a fan of Hunter’s Yancy Lazarus series, I was both sad and excited to see a new book from Hunter with a different protagonist. Lucky for me, Mudman is set in the same world as Yancy Lazarus, and even includes some familiar names and places. Though it doesn’t have the same snark as I’m used to from Hunter, Mudman is a fantastic book. Levi is more the quiet straight man while Yancy is the wise-cracking smart-ass, but that doesn’t mean Mudman is devoid of humor; it just comes from the other characters.
Levi’s origins are so interesting — he’s a vengeance golem made out of the agony and fury of WWII Jews slaughtered in concentration camps. He’s built to see the evil in men’s souls and meet out justice and vengeance upon them. After many, many years of this, Levi reaches a higher level of self-awareness, realizing that he doesn’t want to be just a killer. To help control his compulsion to kill, he turns to traditional addiction therapies and to the Mennonite church. He acknowledges that he can’t totally control his urge to kill, and so aims himself at otherworld creatures instead of humans. Levi’s current adventure makes him a more than a killer; it makes him a protector. And that’s something he sees as worthwhile.
Though the author wrote Mudman as a standalone, he has said that if the response is good enough, he might turn it into a series. I can easily see Levi and Yancy working a case together–Levi playing the straight man to Yancy’s smartassery. That would be a hoot to read.
If you’re a fan of Yancy, be sure to give Levi a try. He’s different, but the story is so good, you won’t want to miss it. If you are new to James A. Hunter’s world, Mudman is a great introduction. In either case, be sure to pick up this book. Did I mention YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT? Though the badge says 4, I’m giving this book a 4.5.
Other reviews…
Mudman publishes today, so watch Amazon, Goodreads, and your favorite sources for more reviews.
If you like this book…
…you should definitely try James Hunter’s Yancy Lazarus series if you haven’t already. Thomas Sneigoski and Christopher Golden’s Menagerie series has a golem character. Here’s a list from Goodreads of other books featuring golems.
One Book Two 