Shalador's Lady

You all know how much I love Anne Bishop's Black Jewels world. Shalador's Lady was no exception. I had the chance to read it early and pretty much inhaled it. It's now out, so go forth and check out the yummy book goodness.

(If you haven't read the series previously, I would strongly suggest beginning with the very first book, Daughter of the Blood. Trust me, you'll enjoy the world so much more.)

Also, Dear Author is currently running an Ace/Roc Giveaway, which includes copies of Shalador's Lady as well as books by several other awesome authors, so don't forget to enter!

Friday Book Club

I managed to get my paws on an advanced copy of Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop (out in March) - if you've heard me talk about the Black Jewels world before, you'll know exactly how loud I screamed when I got it. I stayed up until all hours last night reading it. It's amazing, fantastic!

If you haven't tried this series, go forth now and pick up the first book: Daughter of the Blood. Trust me, you'll adore it.

Okay, your turn. What have you been reading and loving this week?

Countdown to Branded By Fire: 1 day to go!

Winners! The random numbers have rolled and the lucky folks are:

Ginny - The Scot and I by Elizabeth Thornton
CrazyCommaMomma - Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop

Congrats! Please email me your addresses (nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com).

________

Mercy and Riley release tomorrow! (Or the day after if you're in another timezone ;-)) If you'd like to have a glimpse behind the scenes of Branded By Fire, I've written a special letter to readers that you can read by following the link!

How are your party feet? Ready to keep on dancing? Today's cyber launch giveaways are a copy of Elizabeth Thornton's The Scot and I, and a copy of Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop. (As regular blog readers know, I'm a huge, huge fan of Anne Bishop's Black Jewels books, and I attempt to pass on the addiction wherever possible. Daughter of the Blood is the first book.)

Entry rules are the same as Monday. Leave your answer to the day's burning question and you're in. Bring a friend and I'll give you another entry. And don't forget to note if you've already got one of the books.

Today's burning question: Which book or series do you love so much that you're constantly trying to get other people to read them? Or conversely, has a friend convinced you to read something that you never would have on your own?

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop

If you haven't read Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy, run to your nearest bookstore! It's dark, intense and utterly fantastic. In case it's not clear *g* I have no objectivity here - I'm a total fan, and I just love returning to the Black Jewels world - seeing familiar characters, learning what's going on in the world itself.

The Shadow Queen introduces us to a new queen, Cassidy, and a new circle of secondary characters, but we still get to see Daemon, Jaenelle, Lucivar and the others.

This book takes a deeper look at the consequences of what happens at the end of the trilogy, so if you haven't read the series, I'd recommend starting with the very first book (Daughter of the Blood).

After hearing buzz that there was going to be a sequel to The Shadow Queen, I contacted Anne Bishop and learned that Shalador's Lady is set for a March 2010 release.

There are no big spoilers, but just in case, I've whited out the info below for those of you who haven't yet read The Shadow Queen. Select the text to make it visible (with your mouse, or by holding down the shift key plus the down arrow).

In Shalador's Lady:

"Cassidy has to face a rival Queen from her past in order to give Dena Nehele any hope of a future. So Cassidy, Gray, and Theran will be back, along with the SaDiablo family. And there will be Scelties. ::grin::"

I can't wait for this next book!

I know many of you also love this series. What are your favorite parts? Favorite characters?

Must Haves

Thanks for all the book recs everyone - I have a feeling that's a thread I'll keep coming back to pick up more reads :)

How about we talk about future releases today?

Here's another book I'm adding to my "can't wait" list - the new Ghost Hunter book! Comes out August 26!

I love this series.

The blurb:

Everything is different underground. Just ask the residents of Harmony, a futuristic world where alien catacombs can lead you astray—and where psychic senses spark out-of-this-world passion...

Reporter Sierra McIntyre's stories on Crystal City's ghost hunters—and their mysterious guild—have earned her tabloid a bit of respect. And they've allowed her to clothe her dust bunny companion Elvis in rock-and-roll style. It helps that she has mega-rez intuition to fall back on...

Especially when she interviews Ghost Hunter Guild Boss John Fontana about the disappearances of retired, homeless hunters. She doesn't want to trust the physically and psychically powerful man, but her senses—and Elvis—give her the green light. To uncover the conspiracy within his own organization, Fontana proposes...marriage. And though it's purely a business arrangement, there is nothing pure about the attraction that sizzles between them...

And just for fun, a few more books I'm wanting to get my paws on (no pun intended *g*).



And that's just for starters! I've also got a couple of fabulous ARCs that I'll be chatting about later. But now, tell me - what's on your "must have" list? :)

Adding to the TBR :)

I know many of you are fans of Anne Bishop's Black Jewels world, so I thought this might be of interest - there's going to be a new Black Jewels book in March 2009!! It's called The Shadow Queen and you can read the backcover copy on Anne Bishop's website. I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

How about you all? What're you looking forward to? Any interesting book release info to share?

Dreams Made Flesh - Anne Bishop

I loved, loved, LOVED Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy, so when I found this collection of novellas, I was over the moon!

If you haven't read the Black Jewels trilogy, you really, really, really have to. It's dark and sensual, romantic and addictive.

Also, if you haven't read the trilogy, this blog post contains *spoilers*, so be warned.

There are four novellas in this book.

1. Weaver of Dreams is a short story that explores the origin of the Jewels of power.

2. The Prince of Ebon Rih is about Lucivar and Marian.

3. Zuulaman gives you a dark look into Saetan's past.

4. Kaeleer's Heart tells the story of what happens after Queen of the Darkness, the last book in the trilogy.

I loved this collection to pieces. It just felt like a flawless addition to the trilogy. I always wanted to know what happened to Janelle and Daemon after Queen of the Darkness, and Kaeleer's Heart answers that in the best of ways. And since the wild, dangerous Lucivar was one of my favorite characters in the books, getting to see his story made me jump up and down like a little girl. The other two stories are shorter, but just as intriguing, as they give enticing glimpses into different facets of the world of the series.

Given how much I love these books, I was incredibly excited to hear that Ms. Bishop is writing a new book set in the world of the Black Jewels. Tangled Webs is releasing March next year. Guess who'll be first in line to grab a copy? :-)

As you can see from my very mature and reasoned post above *cough*, I was delighted to find such a wonderful edition to a much-loved series. Are there any series or books that you'd like to see another chapter of?