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In My Mailbox (3) / Mailbox Monday (10)

March 13, 2011 42 Comments

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Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. (Library books don’t count, but eBooks & audiobooks do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here). This month it is hosted by I’m Booking It.

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

In My Mailbox

This week, I received way too many books in my mailbox. First of all, it was Read an eBook week, so I downloaded a lot of free eBooks, which are currently not featured here. Secondly, it was the annual Bargain Book Market, and since I bought approximately 35 books…Well, next week I’ll include a picture of all the books I bought, but believe me when I tell you, you’ll be shocked.

 

The first 4 novels were provided by the wonderful author, Laura Bickle, who also writes under the pseudonym Alayna Williams. Because she was so happy with my review for Rogue Oracle, and because she is a kind and wonderful person, she sent me a printed copy of all her novels: Embers, Sparks, Dark Oracle and Rogue Oracle. Please go visit her website. She’s a really friendly and generous person, and a wonderful author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Rogue Oracle, and I’m certain that I’ll enjoy reading her other novels as well! Thank you so much, Alayna!

Title: Embers (Anya Kalinczyk #1)
Author: Laura Bickle
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Truth burns.Unemployment, despair, anger—visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit’s unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya—who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern—suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya—with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team—can stop it.Anya’s accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she’s risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced.

Title: Sparks (Anya Kalinczyk #2)
Author: Laura Bickle
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department—while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell—but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion.
After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remains—or, more precisely, a lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victims—and she is sure this was no naturally occurring blaze. Soon she’s unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroit’s poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants more—she’s collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparky’s freshly hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city

Title: Dark Oracle (Oracle #1)
Author: Alayna Williams
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Oracles

As a criminal profiler, Tara used science and her intuitive skill at Tarot card divination to track down the dangerous and depraved, including the serial killer who left her scarred from head to toe. Since that savage attack, Tara has been a recluse. But now an ancient secret society known as Delphi’s Daughters has asked for her help in locating missing scientist Lowell Magnusson. And Tara, armed with her Tarot deck, her .38, and a stack of misgivings, agrees to try.
Tara immediately senses there is far more at stake than one man’s life. At his government lab in the New Mexico desert, Magnusson had developed groundbreaking technology with terrifying potential. Working alongside the brusque but charismatic agent Harry Li, Tara discovers that Magnusson’s daughter, Cassie, has knowledge that makes her a target too. The more Tara sees into the future, the more there is to fear. She knows she has to protect Cassie. But there may be no way to protect herself—from the enemies circling around her, or from the long-buried powers stirring to life within…

Title: Rogue Oracle (Oracle #2)
Author: Alayna Williams
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Oracles

Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around—and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn’t need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards—and Tara’s increasingly ominous dreams—suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationship with the mysterious order known as Delphi’s Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen…

Title: The Summoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #1)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy
Review copy purchased by me in the local bookstore.

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.
At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

Title: Glimmer
Author: Vivi Anna
Genre: Fantasy, Faeries
Review copy provided by Bewitching Book Tours.

Although Nina Decker’s father is one hundred percent human, her mother is not. She belongs to an ancient and rare race of people called the fae. But these fae are not those written about in fairytales, with pretty gossamer wings and fairy dust, no they are sinister, malevolent and unkind, dwelling in another realm called Nightfall. More prone to destroy than to create. Abandoned at the age of ten, to be raised by her father, Nina has never forgiven her mother for that or for ruining her father. A man of only sixty, he appears to be closer to eighty with a frail body and mind. He’s been fae-struck and is slowly fading away to nothing. This is one of the reasons why Nina has never gotten too close to any one man. She doesn’t want to seal his fate like her father’s has been.
But she can’t deny her fiery connection to Severin Saint Morgan, a sexy as hell werewolf and the alpha of the Vancouver wolf pack. He’s an Australian immigrant working at the university as an associate professor, and the publicized face of the werewolf species. He makes her blood boil with desire and makes her tremble with fear. But its only when her mother reappears with startling revelations about an upcoming war between the fae and the werewolves that Nina realizes that she may be a pawn for both sides.

Title: Catching An Evil Tail (The Soul Catcher Series)
Author: Mary Abshire
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adult, Romance
Review copy provided by Bewitching Book Tours.

Half-demon Jessie Garrett wants to live a normal life among her friends and keep her soul catching ability a secret, but supernatural creatures keep popping up in her world. Adding to her struggles, her vampire lover remains out of the country, and when he offers no valuable explanation as to why he hasn’t returned, she wonders if she should move on without him.
As if Jessie doesn’t have enough worries on her mind, the demon yearning to seduce her shows up at her home. She longs to liberate herself from the debt she owes him, and when he asks for her help, she jumps at the chance to make a new deal with him—one that will guarantee her freedom. The only catch? She has to send the soul of a werewolf to hell.
Love, trust, and loyalty are on the line. Torn between her feelings for her vampire boyfriend, a hot Alpha wolf, and a demon vowing to protect her, Jessie must figure out her heart’s true desires.

Title: The Restorer (The Graveyard Queen #1)
Author: Amanda Stevens
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Review copy provided by MIRA Books.

My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Title: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimée Carter
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Review copy provided by HarlequinTEEN.

Every girl who has taken the test has died.
Now it’s Kate’s turn.
It’s always been just Kate and her mom–and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld–and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he’s crazy–until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.
If she fails…

Title: Twilight’s Ashes
Author: Auler Ivis
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Review copy provided by BohlsenPr.

The year is 635,039 A.D., and the world has descended into an ice age. Human beings no longer rule the Earth. Instead, a post-human race of creatures has emerged from the chaos, and they are hell-bent on destroying “prehistoric man” in order to take control of the planet. Against them stands nothing but a prophecy, foretelling the victorious arrival of the Seventh Shepherd.
Jebden Gale is an unlikely hero. Living in an isolated village deep within the new ice sheet, he has a special ability to connect with a higher power. Although he despises his relationship with the gods, Jebden appears to be chosen by them for greatness. Could he possibly be the Seventh Shepherd?
Time is short. The godless post-human hordes sweep the world, destroying surviving human enclaves one by one while their dying race waits for a sign. In order to strengthen Jebden, the gods must forge a partnership among the few remaining humans with the ability to guide their chosen one. But will Jebden realize his destiny in time, or will his weakness mean the end of the human race?

Title: Mayhem’s Fountain
Author: J.A. Bove
Genre: Fantasy, Atlantis
Review copy provided by BohlsenPr.

For the last five months, pirate Captain Cornelius Mayhem has been waiting for a sign from the Eye of Atlantis, an artifact stolen from the Atlanteans. When the sign finally arrives, it shows a treasure trove of more gold than his ship, the Crystal Eye, can carry. He gathers members of his loyal crew and embarks on an excursion to locate this treasure.
Meanwhile, Atlantis’s Prince Eramus is bent on revenge; he bribes uplander Bully the Red, a nemeses of Mayhem, to help exact vengeance. Eramus is angry that his father, King Zale, allowed the pirate to leave the land without punishment—especially after killing many Atlanteans and stealing the Eye of Atlantis, the country’s most treasured possession. Even more infuriating to Eramus is the fact that that his sister, Adonia, who aided Mayhem in his quest, is able to remain in Atlantis without repercussion.
What Mayhem thinks is an unbelievable opportunity to acquire riches is actually a dangerous game of intrigue and payback that will bring him to a final reckoning with his past and with the legendary fountain of youth.
Melding fantasy, action, and adventure, Mayhem’s Fountain presents a seventeenth-century tale of romance, mythology, piracy, and fortune hunting.

Title: Wings of Evil
Author: J.R. Tomlin
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy
Review copy provided by the author.

The Priests have always warned that the First Ones are dangerous and to be feared. When Liada finds Tali, she realizes something important, something terrible–the Priests have been lying. The little elemental creature is alone, injured, helpless… and she is a First One.
Liada’s life depends on keeping her new friend secret. But the Priests soon are hunting them, and they are on the run from the Priests’ winged Quag–hunters and killers of First Ones. As they flee into an adjacent empire, she meets a mystery man who becomes her only ally. But are his goals really the same as hers? Can she trust this man who fights by her side, or could he be even more dangerous than her enemies? All of their lives hang in the balance.
Filed Under: Features, In My Mailbox Tagged With: , ,

Comments

  1. Alison says
    March 13, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    Fab books! I’m really excited for Goddess Test. I’ve heard great things about it.
    My IMM

    Reply
  2. Christy @ReaderBee says
    March 13, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    What an awesome mailbox!!! The Goddess Test is great, and I The Summoning is part of my favorite series!
    Happy Reading!

    Reply
  3. Kristina says
    March 13, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    Thanks for visiting my IMM! Great books this week, they all look really interesting. I haven’t heard of most of them, but will probably try a few out. Thanks!
    How good does The Goddess Test look? I received that one this week too!I can’t wait to read it.
    New follower 🙂
    Kristina
    http://ladybugstorytime.blogspot.com

    Reply
  4. Zakiya LadyWings says
    March 13, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    I want to read The Summoning. Tons of great books this week. I hope you enjoy all of your new books! My IMM is here. Happy Reading!,
    Zakiya LadyWings
    Butterfly Feet Walking on Life
    For the L♥ve of Reading

    Reply
  5. Alissa says
    March 13, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    The Goddess Test seems to be a favorite for a lot of people. Hope you like! :]

    Reply
  6. Ashley says
    March 13, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    I think I need to read some Kelley Armstrong eventually, seeing as she’s an Ontario author. Most people seem to really love her stuff.
    Nice books this week! =)

    Reply
  7. Missie says
    March 13, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Whoa! Your mailbox is loaded with awesome! I’ve been hearing great things about The Goddess Test. Can’t wait to read it myself.
    Hope you have fun with your fab books.

    Reply
  8. A.J. says
    March 13, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    Hope you like The Summoning! I heard The Goddess Test was good as well. Can’t wait to read that one. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Melissa S. says
    March 13, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    Thanks for stopping by my IMM!! I haven’t read any of the books on your list yet, but I have added a few more to my TBR now:) I’ve been meaning to read The Summoning and the rest of that series, just haven’t gotten around to it yet:(

    Reply
  10. Candace says
    March 13, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    Laura Bickle/Alayna Williams’ books sound really good! Especially the Laura Bickle ones. I definitely need to get my hands on them!
    I have The Goddess Test and can’t wait to read it!
    Great week of books!

    Reply
  11. Mandi says
    March 13, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    The Goddess Test looks amazing! I have heard quite a bit about it. I can’t wait to read your review. Happy reading.

    Reply
  12. Gina @ My Precious says
    March 13, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    Wow! I love the way you lay out your IMM post. It beautiful. Unbelievable how many great book you received this week. Enjoy!
    PS: Thanks for the visit to my blog.

    Reply
  13. pk reeves says
    March 13, 2011 at 4:59 pm

    Holy smokes! What is this??? All the books I should pine for are here… sighs… I envy you for you for your The Restorer. Mutual envy bouts between you and I 🙂

    Reply
  14. Mrs. Q: Book Addict says
    March 13, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    Wow, that’s a lot of books this week! Enjoy them all. They all look interesting. Most are new to me.

    Reply
  15. LovLivLife Reviews says
    March 13, 2011 at 5:24 pm

    Wicked lovely books this week. I see so many that I would love to read!!! And what a sweet author to send you her books for review.
    Enjoy all your titles this week, I know I would.
    Aloha!=)

    Reply
  16. Briana @ Bree's Books says
    March 13, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    Awesome books! The Goddess Test looks so great!
    Hope you enjoy them all! 🙂

    Reply
  17. Orchid says
    March 13, 2011 at 6:08 pm

    Interesting list of books you got this week. My friends say that The Summoning is a great read (hope you like it).
    Happy reading. ^_^

    Reply
  18. Jennifer says
    March 13, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    Great IMM this week. I’ve been curious about the Oracle series for a while now. Looking forward to reading your reviews. Enjoy all of your amazing reads.
    Happy Reading!
    Jennifer @Book Noise

    Reply
  19. Midnyte Reader says
    March 13, 2011 at 7:35 pm

    Wowsa! You’ve really hit the jackpot. The Laura Bickle books look very interesting. I’m going to check them out.

    Reply
  20. Carrie at In the Hammock Blog says
    March 13, 2011 at 7:36 pm

    i have rogue oracle but i haven’t gotten to read it yet. enjoy!

    Reply
  21. Literary Cravings says
    March 13, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    Hey thanks for stopping by my blog!!! Can’t wait to read The Goddess Test too!! And the Restorer looks like an interesting read as well. Have a great weekend!!!!

    Reply
  22. Pamela Kaye says
    March 13, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Great selection! I loved the series by Kelly Armstrong, well really anything she writes! Happy reading!

    Reply
  23. Jessica Lawlor says
    March 13, 2011 at 11:09 pm

    Lots of books this week! I got The Goddess Test last week and can’t wait to read it!

    Reply
  24. Jessica Rabbit says
    March 13, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    Wow! That was really nice of her to send you all four books. The others all look awesome too, hope you enjoy them all. And next week if you tell me you bought appx. 35 books for less than $5 I’ll puke. lol. And maybe punch my brother in his baby maker. 😉
    Hope you enjoy all of your goodies.

    Reply
  25. Chelsey @ Starry Sky Books says
    March 14, 2011 at 3:05 am

    Great haul this week! I also have Glimmer, looks like it’ll be a fast read. Happy reading this week!

    Reply
  26. -k says
    March 14, 2011 at 4:26 am

    Kelley Armstrong is a fantastic author – if you haven’t checked out her Women of the Underworld series (adult, not YA), it’s amazing – and I can’t wait to read The Goddess Test myself even after less than great reviews on Goodreads.
    Enjoy all the books that you got this week and happy reading!

    Reply
  27. Nic @ Irresistible Reads says
    March 14, 2011 at 11:12 am

    Great stack of books. Happy reading 🙂

    Reply
  28. Elysium says
    March 14, 2011 at 11:26 am

    The Restorer sounds good and I love the cover! Enjoy!

    Reply
  29. RAnn says
    March 14, 2011 at 11:48 am

    Plenty of new books. Enjoy! Thanks for visiting.

    Reply
  30. kaye says
    March 14, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    Wow, what a mailbox! you’re going to be happily reading for a while with all those books. Mayhem’s Fountain really caught my eye.

    Reply
  31. bermudaonion (Kathy) says
    March 14, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    Your mailbox was busy last week! Enjoy your new treasures!

    Reply
  32. Queen N says
    March 14, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Wow, you’ve got a lot of books last week 🙂 you’ll be really busy to read them all :P..but it’s such a joy to just look at all the books too isn’t it ? 🙂
    Thank you for leaving a comment on my IMM yesterday!
    Happy Reading
    Q N

    Reply
  33. Mary says
    March 14, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    Wow, you found some good books in your mailbox. Enjoy!

    Reply
  34. Mystica says
    March 14, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    That is quite a haul. Enjoy your books.

    Reply
  35. Sharon says
    March 14, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    These books almost all sound like something I’d like to read, thanks! Some of them are going on my wish list right now.

    Reply
  36. Jamie says
    March 14, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    Wow, busy week! Looks like you got a TON of awesome books. I can personally tell you that The Goddess Test is amazing! Thanks for dropping by my blog! New follower now.

    Reply
  37. Zia says
    March 14, 2011 at 7:45 pm

    I really enjoy Rogue Oracle myself. Happy reading this week.

    Reply
  38. Wendi B - Wendi's Book Corner - Rainy Day Reads in Seattle says
    March 14, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    Ohhh – so many good books. The Restorer sounds really interesting. I’ll have to see if I can find a contact at MIRA!
    Here’s my Mailbox! ~ Wendi

    Reply
  39. Jess - A Book Hoarder says
    March 15, 2011 at 3:50 am

    Holy mother! You have a ton of books here! I have wanted to read The Summoning for some time and now I am curious about Twilight’s Ashes.

    Reply
  40. Stephanie says
    March 15, 2011 at 4:29 am

    Wow, so many books!! I’m jealous. I’m looking forward to getting to some of these myself — especially The Goddess Test. Happy reading!

    Reply
  41. Leslie says
    March 15, 2011 at 6:09 am

    That’s a lot of books… but I do the same thing when I go to the used book sale at the library. That is coming up this weekend and I’m tempted to just stay away because I don’t have room for any more books!

    Reply

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