Most Anticipated New Releases of July 2013

The following list is comprised of books my friends, family, and I are most looking forward to reading in July. It also consists of books by popular authors and others I've heard a lot of hype about. I am not flawless and sometimes I'll accidentally leave one or more books off the list that I shouldn't. Let me know if one of your favorites is missing. Sometimes my search techniques just don't work as well as I wish they did.

If you'd like to read a book's description, just click on the cover photo, you'll be magically transferred to Goodreads. Remember a book a day keeps the boredom at bay! Happy reading.

P.S. Sorry for the late posting. I got sick and as a result got a little behind on things..

 

1st - Keeper of the Dawn by Heather Graham
1st - What the Paparazzi Didn't See (Harlequin Kiss) by Nicola Marsh
2nd - The Arrivals: A Novel by Melissa Marr
2nd - Beginnings: Worlds of Honor 6 by David Weber
2nd - Blurred (Kissed by Death) by Tara Fuller
2nd - Cold Copper: The Age of Steam by Devon Monk
2nd - Crazy in the Blood (Latter-Day Olympians) by Lucienne Diver
2nd - A Cursed Embrace: A Weird Girls Novel by Cecy Robson
2nd - A Custom-fit Crime by Melissa Bourbon
2nd - Deadly Forecast: A Psychic Eye Mystery by Victoria Laurie
2nd - Deep Midnight by Heather Graham
2nd - Dire Desires: A Novel of the Eternal Wolf Clan by Stephanie Tyler
2nd - Dyeing Wishes by Molly Macrae
2nd - Elisha Barber: (Book One of the Dark Apostle) by E.C. Ambrose
2nd - Enthralled by Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook and Lucy Monroe
2nd - Final Sentence by Daryl Wood Gerber
2nd - Grace Takes Off by Julie Hyzy
2nd - Guardian (The Protectors Series) by Nancy Northcott
2nd - Hot Summer Nights by Jaci Burton, Jessica Clare, Erin McCarthy and Carly Phillips
2nd - Hungry Like a Wolf by Christine Warren
2nd - MacRieve (Immortals After Dark) by Kresley Cole
2nd - I Dream of Danger: A Ghost Ops Novel by Lisa Marie Rice
2nd - Less Than a Gentleman by Kerrelyn Sparks
2nd - Lost in Love by Shiloh Walker
2nd - Midnight's Captive (Dark Warriors) by Donna Grant
2nd - A Midsummer Night's Scream by R.L. Stine FYI, this is a YA book
2nd - Not the Killing Type (A Booktown Mystery) by Lorna Barrett
2nd - One Dead Cookie by Virginia Lowell
2nd - The Outcast Prince by Shona Husk
2nd - Perfect Mate by Mina Carter
2nd - Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders (The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin, Book One) by Richard Ellis Preston Jr.
2nd - A Spy to Die For by Kris DeLake
2nd - Tarnished and Torn (Witchcraft Mystery #5) by Juliet Blackwell
2nd - This Strange and Familiar Place (So Close to You #2) by Rachel Carter
2nd - Thieves' Quarry (Thieftaker Chronicles) by D. B. Jackson
2nd - The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
2nd - Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne
2nd - Unseen by Karin Slaughter Release Date: July
2nd - Vicious Moon: A Novel of the Earth Witches by Lee Roland
2nd - Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes
2nd - Vortex (Insignia) by S. J. Kincaid
2nd - Warrior's Moon (A Children of the Moon Novel) by Lucy Monroe
2nd - Werewolf in Alaska by Vicki Lewis Thompson
2nd - White Trash Zombie Apocalypse by Diana Rowland
3rd - Waking Storms (The Lost Voices Trilogy) by Sarah Porter


8th - Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
9th - Big Girl Panties: A Novel by Stephanie Evanovich
9th - Blood and Feathers: Rebellion by Lou Morgan
9th - The Executioner's Heart (Newbury & Hobbes) by George Mann
9th - Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson #5) by Darynda Jones
9th - Finding Colin Firth by Mia March
9th - The Glass God (Magicals Anonymous) by Kate Griffin
9th - Gone with the Win: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries) by Mary Daheim
9th - Half Lives by Sara Grant
9th - Life's a Witch by Brittany Geragotelis
9th - Raven Flight: A Shadowfell novel by Juliet Marillier
9th - Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
9th - Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
9th - Quarantine #2: The Saints by Lex Thomas
9th - Who Needs Magic? by Kathy McCullough
9th - Zom-B Angels by Darren Shan



15th - Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian
15th - The Hero's Lot (The Staff and the Sword) by Patrick W. Carr
16th - Belladonna (Secrets of the Eternal Rose) by Fiona Paul
16th - Replica by Jenna Black
16th - The Melancholy of Mechagirl by Catherynne M. Valente
16th - Mist by Susan Krinard
18th - Charm by Sarah Pinborough



23rd - Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
23rd - Carniepunk (Anthology) by Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Kevin Hearne and Seanan McGuire
23rd - Contaminated by Em Garner
23rd - Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly #2) by Susan Dennard
23rd - Shadows of Glass by Kassy Tayler
23rd - To Sin with a Viking (Harlequin Historical) by Michelle Willingham
23rd - Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell



29th - The Monsters in Your Neighborhood by Jesse Petersen
30th - All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry
30th - Blood Warrior: Dragon Kings Book Two (The Dragon Kings) by Lindsey Piper
30th - Dancing With the Devil: Nikki and Michael Book 1 by Keri Arthur
30th - The Darkest Craving (Hqn) by Gena Showalter
30th - The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough
30th - The Devil of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney
30th - Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike
30th - Flirting with Texas (Deep in the Heart of Texas) by Katie Lane
30th - Harbinger (A Book of the Order) by Philippa Ballantine
30th - Hellfire (Theirs Not to Reason Why) by Jean Johnson
30th - The Highlander's Desire by Margo Maguire
30th - How to Lose a Bride in One Night: Forgotten Princesses by Sophie Jordan
30th - Indelible (The Twixt) by Dawn Metcalf
30th - Kill City Blues: A Sandman Slim Novel by Richard Kadrey
30th - Kitty in the Underworld: Kitty Norville Series, Book 12 by Carrie Vaughn
30th - Last Blood (House of Comarré) by Kristen Painter
30th - Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden
30th - Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6) by Ilona Andrews
30th - Midnight Frost (The Mythos Academy #5) by Jennifer Estep
30th - My Notorious Gentleman (Inferno Club) by Gaelen Foley 

30th - The Night Is Alive (Krewe of Hunters) by Heather Graham
30th - Pile of Bones (A NOVEL OF THE PARALLEL PARKS) by Bailey Cunningham
30th - Revenge: The Faces of Evil Series: Book 5 by Debra Webb
30th - Rise of the Gryphon (Belador) by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love
30th - The Thing About Weres: A Mystwalker Novel by Leigh Evans

Do you read a lot of  newly released books throughout the year? Join Nothing but Reading Challenges' (a Goodreads Online Book Club) 2013 New Releases Reading Challenge and keep track of the new releases for 2013 you've read. To get to the challenge, CLICK HERE

Early Review of Big Girl Panties: A Novel by Stephanie Evanovich

• Title: Big Girl Panties: A Novel
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (July 9, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0062224840
• ISBN-13: 978-0062224842

Notes: I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book from the publisher.

Sometimes in life it seems a girl just can't catch a break. Holly Brennan has had a streak of bad luck. Her family wasn't exactly the most loving and pretty much ignored her as she was growing up. When her husband asked her to marry him, he promised to whisk her away and always be there for her, she couldn't have been happier. Well, forever turned into 8 years when, at age 32, he was diagnosed with cancer. If you've ever watched a loved one wither away to a ghost of what they once were from the disease, you know it's not an easy thing to witness. Being his soul caretaker, per his request, was not easy either. The whole experience took it's toll on Holly. During that devastating time, Holly turned to food for comfort. In her words, "it seemed like food was the one thing I could always count on being there."

Now setting off on a plane for home, she'd felt the need to explain and, in a way, apologize for invading the space of the man she'd be seated adjacent to for the next few hours. The seats were not made to accommodate a full figured woman comfortably and when she'd been bumped from first class to coach, she'd been too embarrassed to buy two seats. What she soon learns is the gorgeous man seated next to her is a professional personal trainer to athletes, and he is about to change her life in more ways than one...

Logan Montgomery by all accounts was the perfect man. He looked perfect. He acted perfect. He dated famous models who oozed perfection. Perfection, after all, was his bread and butter. He was a personal trainer to some of sports most famous athletes, and part of his persona was to project a perfect image himself. After all, who would hire a trainer who couldn't keep himself in shape? But underneath that perfect facade lurked a flawed man afraid to make a commitment. A man who had never let a woman get under his skin. After hearing Holly's story, he decides to take her under his wing. His initial thought was she was not his type, but as he's about to find out sometimes perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and Holly is about to shatter his view of it.

I truly enjoyed this book. It has a depth to it that intrigued me. We live in a society that exudes and craves perfection. Models sometimes look half starved, actresses are spied on in the hopes they are hiding cellulite and the tabloids can exploit it. Heck, even Beyonce's midriff has been the subject of constant scrutiny as people try to figure out if the young married singer is expecting. A roll of fat or a baggy dress can set rumors flying. I loved it when Jennifer Love Hewitt wrote on her website, "I’ve sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women’s bodies are constantly scrutinized. To set the record straight, I’m not upset for me, but for all the girls out there that are struggling with their body image.” This said after pictures of her in a bikini spouted comments that  she was fat at a size 2.

Logan Montgomery is caught up in the center of that psuedo perfect world. He feels that not only does he have to look perfect, but the woman who hangs on his arm needs to look perfect as well. Over the years he's dated cookie cutter images of women who projected outer perfection, but little else. He's never had a long term commitment and hasn't really desired one. As he gets to know Holly,  he starts seeing her for who she is and that forces him to take a closer look at himself. She is very different from the women he's dated in the past. His thoughts on perfection are about to be put into question. I confess, at first I didn't really like Logan. While he seemed to have a good heart, he seemed a little shallow, conceited and self centered. It wasn't until the end that I really began to like him. I felt he grew as a person as the story progressed, and at the end, finally stood up to the plate and realized what a jerk he'd been.

Holly is a spitfire of a woman. She's the type who might get down, but never out. A year and a half ago her husband died, and she was devastated. She turned to food for comfort and packed on the pounds. She was never considered a small woman, but she realized what she was doing to herself as it happened. She's extremely conscientious  about her weight gain, but has done nothing to stop or reverse it. Logan offers her a way to do that and she takes it. While trying to get her life on track she starts to reevaluate what she will do with the rest of her life and decides its time to once again walk among the living. While for the most part, she's a fairly well put together person, Logan sort of throws her for a loop. He wasn't something she'd ever expected.

Logan's best friends, Chase and Amanda, were a fun couple. While the two played with a  submission/dominance relationship, I felt they were pretty mild in that measure. They added a nice dimension to the story in that they were torn about whether Logan and Holly made sense as a couple. They also added an additional comedic edge as well. The awful advice Chase gave Logan and Holly's responses to that bad advice when Logan tried to implement it were quite funny. Chase was by far my favorite secondary character. The contrast between the two couples was a nice touch that worked very well.

Overall, I gave this book 3 1/2 roses out of 5 roses. This was a nice debut for Stephanie Evanovich and look forward to reading many more of her novels. I really liked Holly and how she had a strong sense of self worth. While I thought her method of putting Logan in his place was a bit extreme, I have to admit it made me shake my head and laugh. Plus, I loved Logan's response to it and that it didn't frighten him away. The one thing I  wish the author would have explored a little deeper was what exactly made Logan shy away from a solid relationship? Why wasn't he willing to get into a deep and meaningful relationship sooner? It felt like there was something that must have happened in his past that we weren't privy to, but perhaps he just didn't see himself as the type to settle down until later in life? I wish we knew a little more. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a FAN rating--the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice.

Stephanie Evanovich on her book 'Big Girl Panties':

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

• Title: The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle)
• Classification: Young Adult
• Genre: Paranormal
• Format: Hardcover; 592 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (September 18, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 9780316126113
• ISBN-13: 978-0316126113
• ASIN: 031612611X
• Notes:  Library Loan
• 
  

Underneath the seemingly quiet town of Henrietta, Virginia, exists something powerful. Something which has remained undetected and dormant for hundreds of years that could grant the one who wakes it one wish. Two individuals are on a quest to find it. One is looking for the ley line, the other for a King lost many years ago. One seeks power. One seeks to return a favor or perhaps to verify that what happened years ago truly did. Their paths will cross and only one will come out alive.

Amidst the plotting and searching, a girl will become entangled within their fates. A girl with the ability to enhance a person's or place's magical powers. A girl who's paternal parentage will come into question. A girl who is predicted to kill her true love with a mere kiss...Perhaps love's first kiss? A girl who looks eerily like the one depicted on the Page of Cups. A card which keeps being drawn when the two individuals fortunes are being read. Coincidence or something more?

This was such a fun books. I always enjoy Ms. Stiefvater's books and this one was no exception. Four very different boys who are all friends are on a quest to find a lost King. A girl, who is new to the group, may be the key to finding him. While she effortlessly appears to assimilate into the group, she will undoubtedly create a little friction and tension between two of the boys, as we discover that, while she's attracted to one, another may be her true love, and it's been deemed that this will be the year she'll meet her true love.

Gansey is the leader of the pack, and the one who binds the others together. It is his quest to find Glendower, the lost King who supposedly disappeared without a trace hundreds of years ago. We don't find out the real reason for this quest until later in the book, so we don't know if he's just a bored rich kid who is indulging himself with a little archaeological mystery or if he's a bit eccentric.

Ronan is a rebel apparently without a cause. He seems mad at the world and is reportedly different from the boy he was prior to his father's death. Gansey once stated, "he was afraid most people didn't know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves." Ronan has a sharp edge to him. His father was murdered and the will forbade Ronan and his brothers from returning to their childhood home or having anything to do with their mother who has been comatose since their father's death. There is something mysterious about Ronan and he is a puzzle, but we won't be able to piece him together until the second book which is mainly about Ronan. It's Gansey's hope that, unlike Humpty Dumpty, this fractured individual will be able to be put back together again.

Adam is a the only one of the boys who isn't a trust fund baby. He's actually from Henrietta and has paid his way through the elite high school by working three jobs in the hopes of bettering his circumstances. When Blue asks him where he lives he states:
"A place made for leaving."

 "That's not really an answer." 
"It's not really a place.”

Adam comes from an abusive home. He's proud and refuses help from Gansey because he wants to make his own way, which is admirable, but may be foolish.

Noah is another mysterious individual. Said to be so extremely shy, quiet, and awkward that at times he seems invisible to others. He also has the uncanny ability to find things. Of the three friends Adam has, Noah was the one he worried most that Blue would not get along with, but amazingly she seems to coax Noah from his shell.

Blue is a proud Henrietta native and has always hated the overly rich, privileged, and pretentious Aglionby boys. Aglionby being the school which Gansey and his motley crew all hail from. Blue and Gansey get off on the wrong foot, but Adam, with his sweet and rather humble disposition manages to draw her into the tight knit group. That ends up being a boon for their quest as they discover that all Blue's relatives have psychic abilities. While Blue has no psychic abilities of her own, she does possess knowledge and information that they can use. Plus, she has the uncanny ability of being able to amplify any powers a person or place has.

In a way, this book reminds me of a coming of age story with a bit of a fairy tale mixed in. It's toward the end of the school year, and the following one might possibly be the last these friends are all together. After graduation, its very likely this group will disband and go their separate ways as they move on to college and other endeavors.  Glendower's story has a bit of a sleeping beauty type feel to it. He is reportedly a long lost king who slumbers waiting to be awaken. Gansey believes the king rests somewhere within the protection of the ley lines. Ley lines are sort of like fault lines of magical power which individuals can tap into and exist in various places around the world and connect spiritual places. I feel the quest to find Glendower will either end up bringing these friends closer together or tear them apart. I'm hoping for the former.

Why is the book called The Raven Boys? Well, the school mascot for Aglionby is a Raven. Therefore, Blue and others in the town of Henriette tend to call boys from the school Raven Boys.

I'd like to note that I liked the cover for this one. Here's the reason why--In the book there is a passage that says, "Ronan's smile cut his face, but he looked kinder than Blue had ever seen him, like the raven in his hand was his heart, finally laid bare." Now look at the cover. An artist who actually knew something about the book! Oh, in case you have another version, the one I'm talking about is the white one with a raven on it sporting a red area which I'm guessing represent a heart on it in it's chest. In addition, encircling the words The Raven Boys is the symbol for the ley line. I love it when the cover actually has something to do with the actual book. Below is the cover I'm talking about (in case Amazon changes it):

Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. I enjoyed learning why Gansey is so obsessed with finding Glendower. I liked how diverse the cast of characters are and their quest not just for Glendower, but their quest to discover something more. To be part of something more. I loved the drama and mystery surrounding Barrington Whelk, the former Aglionby student turned teacher, as the author slowly revealed what happened to him years ago and how it relates to Gansey and his group today. I enjoyed the paranormal element introduced by the Blue's psychic relatives with their Tarot card readings along with the prediction that Blue will kill her true love with a kiss. Again it added a fairy tale type element to the story. The only thing that seemed a little off was the fact that a sacrifice made by one of the characters was never truly explained. It was implied there would be consequences because of it, but the subject was dropped as if never mentioned, and I found that rather odd. Hence, that is why I didn't give this story  5 roses. 

Pictures of what chainsaw may have looked like:
Baby Ravens:

 
Notes to keep you in the know:
In case you were wondering, Glendower was a real person: "Owain Glyndŵr or Owain Glyn Dŵr, (1349/1359? - 1416) was the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru). He instigated a fierce and long-running but ultimately unsuccessful revolt against the English rule of Wales. (...) On 16 September 1400, Glyndŵr instigated the Welsh Revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England. Although initially successful and rapidly gaining control of large areas of Wales, the uprising suffered from key weaknesses - particularly a lack of artillery, which made capturing defended fortresses difficult, and ships, which made their coastlands vulnerable - and was eventually overborne by the superior resources of the English. Glyndŵr was driven from his last strongholds in 1408/1409 and the last documented sighting of him was in 1412. He refused to accept a pardon and despite large rewards being offered, was never betrayed to the English. As a result, his ultimate fate remains a mystery." (wikipedia)

Order of series: