Massive Summer Giveaway Winners!

I am really pleased to announce the winners of my massive summer giveaway. Thanks to the hundreds of people who entered, and I hope the winners really enjoy the books coming their way!

Set 1

Jo Jones

Set 2

Holly Green

Set 3

Catherine Owen

Set 4

Asha Hartland

Set 5

Clare Finning

Set 6

Liz Fullam

I have emailed all the winners.

Big congratulations to them, and commiserations to all those who didn't win.

Sharing the Love - Mega Summer Giveaway

Okay, a few things have caused this post to come into being.

1) I had major happy awesome news tonight - it *may* not come to fruition, hence I can't talk about it publically - but rest assured that it is AMAZING!

2) I've gotta do something to cheer me up from the bad weather blues. Seriously, July! WTF?

3) I realised, during a fun little book sort (yes, I sort my books for fun, so sue me) that I have a massive number of books that have either been read, or I have duplicates, or, or, or....

Observe the big pile of sorted books:

So I am sharing the love with a BIG SUMMER GIVEAWAY.

Here are the rules:

1 - Fill out the form below
2 - Because I'm feeling happy and fuzzy, this is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway
3 - You can pick more than one set of books to put your name in the hat, but I will make it so that you can't win more than one set - if you see what I mean :-/
4 - This GIVEAWAY will close prompt at midnight Friday 29th July

I think that is everything, but shoot me any questions in the comments below.

It just remains to show you what you could win *grins*

Set 1

His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
A Cavern of Black Ice - J V Jones
Spellwright - Blake Charlton
White Tiger - Kylie Chan

Set 2

The Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven - Robin Hobb

Set 3

The Winter Ghosts - Kate Mosse
The Passage - Justin Cronin
The Prestige - Christopher Priest
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote

Set 4

Rot and Ruin - Jonathan Maberry
Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard
Halo - Alexandra Adornetto

Set 5

Exit Strategy - Kelley Armstrong
The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries Volume 1 - Charlaine Harris
Made to be Broken - Kelley Armstrong

Set 6

The Technician - Neal Asher
Count Zero - William Gibson
Veteran - Gavin Smith
Nova War - William Gibson

If all has gone as planned, there should be a form below this last bit of words that you need to fill out in order to enter *grins*

Good luck!

Books I Adopted This Week

This is going to be an absolutely bumper edition, because it is actually three weeks worth of books received (for review, competition wins, and books I have brought myself). I will do my usual analysis of the titles received into Floor to Ceiling Books HQ this week, and then a list of everything else - with all links going to Amazon.co.uk for my Amazon Associates.

Without further ado...

Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx by James Rollins

An ancient and priceless ruby - the Eye of Ra - has been found beneath the Egyptian sands in the Valley of the Kings. Legend has it the jewel holds immense power, but it has fallen into the wrong hands - which means trouble for Jake and Kady Ransom, and a new action-packed adventure as the pair are catapulted into an ancient land of shifting sands, dark magic and dangerous enemies ...Can Jake and Kady survive and outwit the Skull King himself?

Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx will be published by Orion on 7th July 2011.

I'm unsure about this one on two counts - firstly, it is the second in a series, so necessitates me buying the first because I can't bear diving into a series late. The second reason is that I believe James Rollins also writes under the pseudonym James Clemens and I have a distinct hate relationship with his writing thanks to the Wi'tch series...

Always on my Mind by Colette Caddle

Old flames, new temptations ...With only a few weeks to go until her Dublin wedding, Molly Jackson is happily anticipating married life with Declan, her boyfriend of four years. Her sister Laura has all the arrangements firmly in hand, from the designer dresses to the prestigious venue; and if Molly would have been happier with something a little more low-key, she can hardly complain. She's got everything she ever wanted: her perfect job, as an agony aunt for online magazine Teenage Kix; Declan, the love of her life; and, in Belle, Oliver, Rory and Laura, a loving and warm, if slightly eccentric family. Then Declan drops his bombshell: he has to go abroad, on business. The wedding must be postponed. Hurt, and reeling from the shock, Molly is seeing Declan off at the airport when she bumps into Luke Fortune. Luke, her childhood sweetheart, left the country when they were both eighteen. It's been almost twelve years, and Molly thought she had moved on. But, seeing Luke again, she realises that she has a window of opportunity, while Declan is away, to put a few of the ghosts in her past to rest.

Always on my Mind will be published by Simon & Schuster on 7th July 2011.

I've not read any Colette Caddle, which is a surprise since I've tried most of the Irish authors writing in the chick lit arena. I am keen to give this a try - and, I have to say, the sudden burst of English summer weather only makes me more eager to sit and read it on a lazy afternoon in the garden!

The Fear Institute by Jonathan L Howard

Beyond the wall of sleep lie the Dreamlands, a whole world formed by dreams, but not a dream itself. For countless millennia, it has been explored only by those with a certain detachment from the mundane realities of our own world, its strange seas navigated, and its vast mountains climbed by philosophers, and mystics, and poets.

Well, those halcyon days are over, beatniks.

Johannes Cabal is coming.

Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, is employed by the mysterious Fear Institute to lead an expedition into the Dreamlands, an expedition whose goal is nothing less than to hunt and destroy the dread Phobic Animus, the font of terrors, the very source of all the world’s fear. They will enter exotic lands where magic is common and monsters abound, see wonders, and suffer dreadful hardships. Cabal will encounter witches, vile abominations, and far too many zebras.

And, when they finally come close to their goal, Cabal will have to face his own nightmares, but for a man who communes easily with devils and the dead, there is surely nothing left to fear.

Is there?

The Fear Institute will be published by Headline on 1st September 2011.

OH BOY! Did I jump around when this tumbled out of the envelope! I LOVE the Johannes Cabal novels and have been waiting with baited breath for the third. I sincerely hope that this lives up to my insanely high expectations. If you haven't started out on your Johannes Cabal journey yet, then go now and buy!

Whisper of Scandal by Nicola Cornick

London, May 1811. Widow Lady Joanna Ware has no desire to wed again but that doesn't stop the flurry of suitors knocking on her door. Desperate to thwart another proposal, Joanna brazenly kisses Arctic explorer Alex, Lord Grant. Unable to deny the blazing attraction that flares, Joanna knows she's just set the gossip mill turning.

Whisper of Scandal was published by MIRA books on 17th June 2011.

This one is a little disappointing, but only because I have won a copy of Whisper of Scandal from Book Chick City, so it's now a duplicate. However, the fact that I entered the competition for it shows that I am keen to try some historical romance!

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

When Alton's ageing, blind uncle asks him to attend bridge games with him, he agrees. After all, it's better than a crappy summer job in the local shopping mall, and Alton's mother thinks it might secure their way to a good inheritance sometime in the future. But, like all apparently casual choices in any of Louis Sachar's wonderful books, this choice soon turns out to be a lot more complex than Alton could ever have imagined. As his relationship with his uncle develops, and he meets the very attractive Toni, deeply buried secrets are uncovered and a romance that spans decades is finally brought to conclusion. Alton's mother is in for a surprise!

The Cardturner will be published by Bloomsbury on 9th August 2011.

This one sounds beautifully sweet and heart-warming. Although it was a surprise to me and not one I'd even heard of before receiving it, I would very much like to give it a try.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Sixteen-year-old American girl Rory has just arrived at boarding school in London when a Jack the Ripper copycat-killer begins terrorising the city. All the hallmarks of his infamous murders are frighteningly present, but there are few clues to the killer's identity. "Rippermania" grabs hold of modern-day London, and the police are stumped with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. In an unknown city with few friends to turn to, Rory makes a chilling discovery! Could the copycat murderer really be Jack the Ripper back from the grave?

The Name of the Star will be published by Harper Collins on 29th September 2011.

Jack the Ripper! Again! I have seen a number of books recently that turn to the Jack the Ripper mythos - hell, I recently finished editing one - and I'm wondering why sometimes these trends arise. Regardless, the description sounds amazing and I will be reading this in September.

Path of the Seer by Gav Thorpe

The ancient eldar are a mysterious race and each devotes their life to a chosen path that will guide their actions and decide their fate. Thirianna abandons her simple existence to embark upon the mysterious Path of the Seer. She will tread a dark and dangerous road that leads her to the otherrealm of the warp, where daemons are made flesh and nightmares are manifest, for only there can she realise her psychic abilities. After unleashing her powers in battle and communing with the spirits of her craft world, Thirianna turns her skills to discerning the future amidst the myriad strands of fate. Her visions reveal a great threat descending on Alaitoc, and both the living and the dead will march to war to defend it.

Path of the Seer will be published by Black Library on 1st September 2011.

I read Path of the Warrior, the first novel in this sequence, and I wasn't terribly impressed. However, I do like reading about the Eldar, so I have no doubt that at some point I will find myself picking this one up.

Defenders of Ulthuan by Graham McNeill

This is a story of war, betrayal and redemption that explores the magical world of the elves. Two brothers fight for the love of the same woman against a backdrop of war as the dark elves launch a massive invasion of the elf homeland, Ulthuan. Can the high elves drive back their evil kin before the forces of magic are unleashed and rip the world apart?

Defenders of Ulthuan will be published by Black Library on 1st September 2011.

This one looks to be a re-release of a novel previously published in 2007? I didn't read it then, but I want to read it now. I like Graham McNeill's writing (am currently reading Fulgrim!) and I want to read more Warhammer fantasy, so this seems ideal. Plus, y'know, High Elves were my first WHF army *grins*

Sons of Ellyrion by Graham McNeill

Ulthuan is a land at the verge of destruction. At Lothern, a fell army marches against the elven defenders of Prince Imrik and Prince Tyrion. In Averlorn, two brothers fight for forgiveness and their right to defend their people. But at Tor Elyr, the conflict will be lost and won. The druchii army, led by Morathi and Issyk Kul, battles the gathered might of the high elves in a vast, destructive conflict. But Morathi has even grander plans than this – to destroy the vortex that holds Ulthuan together, plunging the island into a nightmare domain of Chaos. The noble elves must overcome their dark cousins, or else face the end of their race.

Sons of Ellyrion will be published by Black Library on 1st September 2011.

Sons of Ellyrion is the sequel to Defenders of Ulthuan, and...err...see above!

Echo City by Tim Lebbon

Surrounded by a vast, toxic desert, the inhabitants of labyrinthine Echo City believe there is no other life in their world. Some like it that way, so when a stranger arrives he is anathema to powerful interest groups. But Peer Nadawa found the stranger and she is determined to keep him and the freedom he represents alive. A political exile herself, she calls on her ex-lover Gorham, now leader of their anti-establishment network. Then they recruit the Baker, whose macabre genetic experiments seem close to sorcery. However, while factions prepare for war, an ancient peril is stirring. In the city's depths something deadly is rising, and it will soon reach the levels where men dwell.

Echo City will be published by Orbit on 7th July 2011.

I had no real interest in Echo City UNTIL I checked out the cover and saw the quote from Steven Erikson. Who is A GOD. So.... yes please on this one!

Hell Ship by Philip Palmer

The Hell Ship hurtles through space. Inside the ship are thousands of slaves, each the last of their race. The Hell Ship and its infernal crew destroyed their homes, slaughtered their families and imprisoned them forever. One champion refuses to succumb. Sharrock, reduced from hero to captive in one blow, has sworn vengeance. Although Sai-as, head of the alien slave horde, will ruthlessly enforce the status quo. But help is close. Jak has followed the Ship for years and their battles have left Jak broken, a mind in a starship's body, focussed only on destroying the Ship. Together, can hunter and slave end this interstellar nightmare?

Hell Ship will be published by Orbit on 7th July 2011.

Poor Philip Palmer. Each time a novel of his gets published, I am sent it and I always thinks 'ooh, I must get around to reading that' and then somehow it gets pushed down the pile. It's definitely time for me to try a Palmer book!

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard PI. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. But he's forgotten his own golden rule: magic - it can get a guy killed. Which didn't help when he clashed with unknown assailants with his murder in mind. And though Harry's continued existence is now in some doubt, this doesn't mean he can rest in peace. Trapped in a realm that's not quite here, yet not quite anywhere else, Harry learns that three of his loved ones are in danger. Only by discovering his assailant's identity can he save his friends, bring criminal elements to justice, and move on himself. It would just be easier if he knew who was at risk. And had a (working) crystal ball. And access to magic. Instead, he is unable to interact with the physical world - invisible to all but a select magical few. He's also not the only silent presence roaming Chicago's alleys. Hell, he put some there himself. Now, they're looking for payback.

Ghost Story will be published by Orbit on 28th July 2011.

I've read up to book four in the Dresden series and really loved all of them - with Ghost Story coming soon (and hotly anticipated!) I think I need to catch up. Liz from My Favourite Books mentioned a summer challenge to get up to speed and I might well take her up on that.

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

'He's not mine, is he?' That's the question I fear the most. You see, I have a secret. My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but by one of the most famous rock stars that ever lived. And he doesn't even know it. One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their son Barney. But they're living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out - because as Barney reaches his first birthday, Meg can no longer deny that her son is growing to look more and more like his rock star father every day, and less and less like Christian, and sooner or later, the world is going to realise...

Baby Be Mine will be published by Simon & Schuster on 21st July 2011.

Oh, this one is HUGE. I love Paige Toon's work, and everyone who knows chick lit has marked out their calendars with this release date. I feel hugely privileged to receive this one early, and will enjoy reading it soon.

So the above were all those books received this week.

Here are those received for review over the previous two weeks to that:

Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk
Snapshot by Craig Robertson
The Look of Love by Judy Astley
Taboo by Casey Hill
The Falling Machine by Andrew P. Mayer
Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees
Hereward by James Wilde
Dead of Veridon by Tim Akers
Sympathy for the Devil by Justin Gustainis
Lost Temple by Tom Harper
The Lazarus Vault by Tom Harper
The Book of Secrets by Tom Harper
Dragon's Time by Anne & Todd McCaffrey
The Quarry by Johan Theorin
Exile by Rebecca Lim
Far From Home by Na'ima B Robert
Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn
Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
Wolf Blood by N M Browne
Gamerunner by B R Collins
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Concrete Grove by Gary McMahon
Dangerous Waters by Juliet E McKenna
Heartless by Gail Carriger
The Lovers by Vendela Vida
The Key to Creation by Kevin J Anderson
Egypt by Nick Drake

Here are the books I have bought myself:

Summer Holiday by Penny Smith
To My Best Friends by Sam Baker
Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain
About Last Night by Adele Parks
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
Passion by Lauren Kate
The Map of Time by Felix J Palma
Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Re:Wired by Alex Keller
Matched by Ally Condie
Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
The Single Girl's To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk
There Goes The Bride by Holly McQueen

Phew! That's your lot!

Although.... now I think about it, I've not touched the books received to my Kindle... Maybe that'll be another post *grins*

Which of the above look most exciting to you?

Books I Adopted This Week

Here we go with another wonderful week of books received. And, I have to say, there is not a single book here that I don't want to read! Thanks to all the publishers involved: Black Library, Headline, Bloomsbury, Gollancz, Hodder & Stoughton, Tor, William Heinemann, Transworld Ireland, Bantam Press and Simon & Schuster. You're all awesome!

1) The Book of Transformations - Mark Charan Newton

A new and corrupt Emperor seeks to rebuild the ancient structures of Villjamur to give the people of the city hope in the face of great upheaval and an oppressing ice age. But when a stranger called Shalev arrives, empowering a militant underground movement, crime and terror becomes rampant. The Inquisition is always one step behind, and military resources are spread thinly across the Empire. So Emperor Urtica calls upon cultists to help construct a group to eliminate those involved with the uprising, and calm the populace. But there's more to The Villjamur Knights than just phenomenal skills and abilities - each have a secret that, if exposed, could destroy everything they represent. Investigator Fulcrom of the Villjamur Inquisition is given the unenviable task of managing the Knights', but his own skills are tested when a mysterious priest, who has travelled from beyond the fringes of the Empire, seeks his help. The priest's existence threatens the church, and his quest promises to unweave the fabric of the world. And in a distant corner of the Empire, the enigmatic cultist Dartun Sur steps back into this world, having witnessed horrors beyond his imagination. Broken, altered, he and the remnants of his cultist order are heading back to Villjamur. And all eyes turn to the Sanctuary City, for Villjamur's ancient legends are about to be shattered...

The Book of Transformations was published by Tor on 3rd June 2011.

The third novel in Newton's Legends of the Red Sun series and I'm going to sound like a broken record when I say that I haven't read the previous two novels *sighs* Thing is, on the one hand, Mark was one of the first authors to welcome me to the blogosphere and to encourage my reviews. On the other hand, he is a definite advocator of the weird fantasy revolution, and I'm not sure that is absolutely my bag. So I'm hesitant at starting the series - but it has received some wonderful reviews from bloggers I trust. Probably time I started!

2) The House by the Sea - Santa Montefiore

Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea just outside her small village. She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens, and imagine that one day she'll escape her meagre existence and live there. One day, Dante, the son of the villa's powerful industrialist owner, invites her inside. From that moment on Floriana knows that her destiny is there, with him. But as they grow up they cross an unseen line, jeopardising the very thing they hold most dear. Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England's Devon coast has fallen on hard times. Its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist-in-residence to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. Rafael Santoro is charismatic and wise, and soon begins to pacify the discord in her family. However, Rafa is not who he seems. He has his own agenda. Whether to destroy, to seduce, or to heal, it is certain to affect them all.

The House by the Sea will be published by Simon & Schuster on 21st July 2011.

In the summer I adore reading sprawling family sagas - they suit the long lazy summer afternoons. I haven't read any novels by Santa Montefiore before, but I've always loved the covers in a shallow way! I'm going to save this one for my holiday later on this year, I think, and really savour it while I drink cocktails!

3) The Watchers - Jon Steele

Lausanne, Switzerland. In the cathedral tower lives a strange boy with a limp who talks to the bells. In a luxury penthouse lives a high-class prostitute who's in mortal danger. And in a low-rent hotel lives a private investigator who has no idea how he got there. Jay Harper finds himself in Switzerland on the trail of a missing Olympic athlete. A hard drinker, he can barely remember how he got home last night, let alone why he accepted this job. When he meets the stunning but aloof Katherine in a hotel bar, he quickly realises that he's not the only one in town who's for hire. She's a high-class hooker who can't believe her luck. Which is about to change. For the worse. In the meantime, Marc Rochat spends his time in the belfry talking to the statues, his cat and the occasional ghost. His job is to watch over Lausanne at night and to wait for the angel his mother told him he'd one day have to save. When he sees Katherine, he thinks his moment has come. Which indeed it has. But not in a good way...

The Watchers was published by Bantam Press on 9th June 2011.

Sort of like John Connolly, right? A thriller with supernatural elements? This one has been receiving a huge push on the run up to publication - so it could either be like The Passage (very successful and critically acclaimed) or The Left Hand of God (really NOT good). I'm hoping for the former.

4) Blackout - Connie Willis

BLACKOUT is the opening movement of a vast, absorbing two-volume novel that may well prove to be Connie Willis' masterpiece. Like her multi-award winning THE DOOMSDAY BOOK, this stunning new work marries the intricate mechanics of time travel to the gritty - and dangerous - realities of human history. The narrative opens in Oxford, England in 2060, where a trio of time traveling scholars prepares to depart for various corners of the Second World War. Their mission: to observe, from a safe vantage point, the day-to-day nature of life during this critical historical moment. As the action ranges from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the manor houses of rural England to the quotidian horrors of London during the Blitz, the objective nature of their roles gradually changes. Cut off from the safety net of the future and caught up in the chaotic events that make up history, they are forced to participate, in unexpected ways, in the defining events of the era.

Blackout was published by Gollancz on 1st June 2011.

Ooh! Seen lots about this from other bloggers! I was so desperate to read it, and jumped around a little bit when it arrived in the post. I think this is going to be one of those massively talked about books, and I can't wait to start it.

5) A Long, Long Sleep - Anna Sheehan

Rosalinda Fitzroy had been asleep for 62 years when she was woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically-induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose - hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire - is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes - or be left without any future at all.

A Long, Long Sleep will be published by Gollancz on 18th August 2011.

Wow, this one came out of nowhere... Such a stunning cover, and a fantastic mash-up of Sleeping Beauty and dystopian future. It's not even been on my radar, and I'm really surprised I haven't heard anything about it. Gollancz seem to be slipping this out almost apologetically, and I think there should be a fanfare! Really excited about it.

6) The Straight Razor Cure - Daniel Polansky

Welcome to Low Town. Here, the criminal is king. The streets are filled with the screeching of fish hags, the cries of swindled merchants, the inviting murmurs of working girls. Here, people can disappear, and the lacklustre efforts of the guard ensure they are never found. Warden is an ex-soldier who has seen the worst men have to offer; now a narcotics dealer with a rich, bloody past and a way of inviting danger. You'd struggle to find someone with a soul as dark and troubled as his. But then a missing child, murdered and horribly mutilated, is discovered in an alley. And then another. With a mind as sharp as a blade and an old but powerful friend in the city, he's the only man with a hope of finding the killer. If the killer doesn't find him first.

The Straight Razor Cure will be published by Hodder & Stoughton on 18th August 2011.

I've got a funny feeling that The Straight Razor Cure has been published elsewhere as Low Town. I've seen some bloggers receive copies of Low Town, and I think they've come from the States. Anyhow, it looks GREAT! And that cover is going to look tremendous on the shelves (although there is a *ahem* hooded man on the cover *grins*).

7) Red Glove - Holly Black

The Sopranos meets Six Feet Under - a wonderfully dark, supernatural vision of modern day America. Cassel has discovered the dark secret of his past, the secret that set him apart from his family. Now he must take his new knowledge and his new powers out into the world. A dark and twisting contemporary fantasy set in a beautifully rendered, subtly different world this is a wonderfully nuanced and involving fantasy, at once melancholy, ironic and terrifying. It is perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman.

Red Glove will be published by Gollancz on 16th June 2011.

Ready for that broken record again? Not read White Cat. Wanted to, but didn't manage to fit it in last year. The sterling reviews make me think I ought to *smiles*

8) The Traitor's Gate - Sarah Silverwood

It's Christmas-time, and Finmere Tingewick Smith (Fin to his friends) is back in Orrery House, with Christopher, one of his two best friends. They're there for the Initiation of the new Knights of Nowhere. The boys have tried to find some normalcy after their recent adventures, but they're badly missing Joe. He's stuck in the Nowhere, guarding two of the Five Eternal Stories that weave all the worlds together; they're held inside his own body. In the Somewhere, Christmas is a time of glad tidings and gifts and goodwill, Christmas trees, carols and the celebration of good things. But there is no Christmas in the Nowhere, and in both worlds, things are not as settled as they look, for Justin Arnold-Mather is getting ready to make his move. In the Nowhere, something is moving through the streets, attacking people - random victims - and leaving them mad and disfigured. And in Orrery House, a tiny crack has appeared in the Prophecy table. The Prophecy is coming alive. The battle lines will be drawn between even the closest of friends, for the fight is on. The Dark King is rising.

The Traitor's Gate was published by Gollancz on 2nd June 2011.

Rather than tell you I didn't read the first novel in this series (yes, it's true), I'd rather raise the issue I have with the cover. I don't know if it's just me but it looks a little bit.... unfinished. Like, a proof copy cover rather than the final version. Anyone else think that?

9) Tiger's Quest - Colleen Houck

Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest-this time with Ren's dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger's Curse. Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, TIGER'S QUEST brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.

Tiger's Curse was published by Hodder Children's on 9th June 2011.

Ha! I'm changing the tune. Yes, I haven't read the first, but it did only arrive a couple of weeks ago *grins* I have a week off work in the not too distant future and I will be reading both back to back. Also? GLORIOUS cover!

10) The Borrower - Rebecca Makkai

Lucy Hull, a young children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, finds herself both kidnapper and kidnapped when her favourite patron, ten-year-old Ian Drake, runs away from home. The precocious Ian is addicted to reading, but needs Lucy's help to smuggle books past his overbearing mother, who had enrolled Ian in weekly anti-gay classes.

Lucy, a rebel at heart beneath her librarian's exterior, stumbles into a moral dilemma when she finds Ian camped out in the library after hours with a backpack of provisions and an escape plan. Desperate to save him from the Drakes, Lucy allows herself to be hijacked by Ian. The odd pair embark on an improvised road trip from Missouri to Vermont, with ferrets and an inconvenient boyfriend thrown in their path. Along the way, Lucy struggles to make peace with her Russian immigrant father and his fugitive past, and is forced to use his shady connections to escape discovery.

The Borrower will be published by William Heinemann on 7th July 2011.

What a lovely sounding book! I do enjoy it when books are a big feature of stories. Although... does anyone else think of The Borrowers when they see the title? I can't get past that right now...

11) A Serpent Uncoiled - Simon Spurrier

Hmm, no cover image available right now, will try to chase one up from Headline.

Dan Shaper's sins are a sickness. Working as a fixer in London's criminal underworld has brought him to the edge of breakdown, and the drugs don't bury the nightmares like they used to. He needs to straighten-up and rebuild his life, but instead gets the attention of his old gangland masters and a job-offer from George Glass: an eccentric old man convinced he's secretly an ancient Messiah. Normally Shaper would recoil from Glass's senile brand of New Age salvation, but the case is as tantalising as it is lucrative: A missing mobster. A bizarre spiritualist society. Three accidental deaths, unconnected but for a chilling forensic detail. And a note: "You're on a list." Adrift amidst liars and thugs, Shaper must push his capsizing mind beyond its limits: stalked not only by a unique and terrifying murderer, but by the ghosts of his own brutal past.

A Serpent Uncoiled will be published by Headline on 4th August 2011.

Apparently, this one is an utterly unique take on the classic private eye novel, which is intriguing. It's difficult these days to find any novel that is utterly unique! It looks like a snappy read anyhow and I'll be pleased to dip into it.

12) David - Mary Hoffman

Michelangelo's statue of David is renowned all over the world. Thousands flock to Florence to admire the artistry behind this Renaissance masterpiece, and to admire the beauty of the human form captured in the marble. But the identity of the model for this statue that has been so revered for over five hundred years has been lost ...In this epic story Mary Hoffman uses her persuasive narrative skills to imagine the story of Gabriele, an eighteen-year-old who, by becoming Michelangelo's model, finds himself drawn into a world of spies, politicking, sabotage and murder. Set against the backdrop of Florence, this is a rich, colourful and thrilling tale.

David will be published by Bloomsbury on 4th July 2011.

I'm really glad to be a stop on the blog tour for David that is coming over the next month or so (you can see a little button on my sidebar that takes you to the blog tour schedule), and I'm thrilled to have received my copy of David so that I can start reading. It looks brilliant, and Mary Hoffman is a massively talented author.

13) Champagne Secrets - Amanda Brunker

Eva the Diva is back! And she's going undercover...After capturing a bust up on an airplane between a group of footballers' wives on her camera phone, Eva is offered the chance of a lifetime - a new job as an undercover TV reporter. Her exciting new career means moving herself and little daughter Daisy to London and keeping the exact nature of her work secret from her colleagues at the TV production company. Even the new man in her life doesn't know what she's up to...It's not all high glamour in the big city though - a single mum in a new town needs support, so Eva moves in with her aunt's large brood, where the rough and tumble of family life is a stark contrast to the celebrity restaurants and nightclubs she visits in her quest to uncover all sorts of WAG drama. But as the intrigue deepens and Eva is forced to tell more and more lies to hold her cover, will her secret prove to be her downfall? And will there ever be a real Mr Right? One things for sure, there'll be lots of naughty fun and games along the way...

Champagne Secrets was published by Transworld Ireland on 24th June 2010.

Since this isn't a new release I'm a little mystified as to why I was sent it. I do love me a bonkbuster, but I'm not keen on Eva the Diva (just too cutesy for me) and this is the third in the series, I believe, so I reckon this will be down the list for me...

14) and 15) Nagash the Sorcerer and Nagash the Unbroken - Mike Lee

These came through as the result of a very cheeky request by myself *blushes*. Nagash Immortal was sent to me by Black Library, which is the third in the trilogy, so I asked the lovely Andy Smillie whether he'd send me the first two. He kindly obliged *grin*

So, that was my lot this week. Any you're interested in reading? What did you get this week?

Books I Adopted This Week

Okay! So today's post includes 7 books sent through for review and a massive 18 purchased by moi! Mieneke (A Fantastical Librarian) came over to the UK this weekend and I ended up having a splurge. Time for another book buying embargo, I'm reckoning.....

Books sent for review include:

1) City of Ruins - Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Boss, a loner, loved to dive derelict spacecraft adrift in the blackness of space...

But one day, she found a ship that would change everything—an ancient Dignity Vessel—and aboard the ship, the mysterious and dangerous Stealth Tech. Now, years after discovering that first ship, Boss has put together a large company that finds Dignity Vessels and finds "loose" stealth technology.

Following a hunch, Boss and her team come to investigate the city of Vaycehn, where fourteen archeologists have died exploring the endless caves below the city. Mysterious "death holes" explode into the city itself for no apparent reason, and Boss believes stealth tech is involved. As Boss searches for the answer to the mystery of the death holes, she will uncover the answer to her Dignity Vessel quest as well—and one more thing, something so important that it will change her life—and the universe—forever.

City of Ruins was published by Pyr on 24th May 2011.

I have Diving into the Wreck and was always interested in reading it, after some great reviews by reviewers I trust. As usual, it was one of those novels that past me by and I now need to catch up on.

2) Imperial Glory - Richard Williams

Tired and broken by war, the men of the Brimlock Eleventh Imperial Guard are a force on the verge of collapse. Having been stretched across the galaxy by their loyalty to the Emperor, they are presented with one final battle that will allow them reward they all seek: to colonise the distant world of Vorr and live out the rest of their days in peace. All that stands in their way is a force of savages - a plague of feral orks that has spread across the planet. But can the Brimlock's battered bodies and minds hold up to this greenskin invasion?

Imperial Glory will be published by Black Library on 4th August 2011.

Imperial Guard versus Orks? Yes please! I've not seen Richard Williams' name on a Black Library novel before, so shall be very interested in seeing what he does with his slice of the Warhammer 40K universe.

3) Nagash Immortal - Mike Lee

In the tunnels of Nagashizzar, a new threat to the realm of the undead is rising. Nagash must call upon all his reserves of power to defeat the skaven assault and continue his unholy reign. But when Nagash realises he can use his enemy for his own nefarious needs, an uneasy alliance is struck and a vast, nightmarish army is formed. The necromancer launches his final attack on the lands of Nehekhara, sweeping all before him. Only one man dare stand in his way - Alcadizzar, a peerless warrior and the leader of a defiant force. Their confrontation will not just decide the fate of Nehekhara, but of all the Old World.

Nagash Immortal will be published by Black Library on 4th August 2011.

Beautiful cover - but... third in a trilogy. I am going to try and get my hands on the first two, since I hate diving into a trilogy or series partway through.

4) Witches of the East - Melissa de la Cruz

Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp love their sleepy life in the East Hamptons. A new engagement, promotion at work, a happy home - its all going perfectly. And, to top it off, no one's come close to discovering the secret of what they can really do in hundreds of years. But throw a few accidental love potions in the mix the Beauchamp girls are going to need more than a broomstick to clean up this mess...

Witches of the East will be published by Sphere on 21st June 2011.

Haha, the description of this novel is "Sex and the City meets Witches of Eastwick - and I'm afraid I'm sold *giggles* It just seems so funny and sexy and something light to get my teeth into on a summer's day. I'm slightly hesitant because I didn't enjoy Blue Bloods so much by the same author, but this book is for an adult audience and so I'm happy to try her writing again.

5) Chasers - James Phelan

Jesse is on a school trip in New York when his subway carriage is rocked by an explosion. When he and three friends crawl out of the wreckage they discover a city in chaos. Streets are deserted. Buildings are in ruins. And the only other survivors are infected with a virus that turns them into horrifying predators...

Chasers was published by Atom Books on 2nd June 2011.

Oooh! Zombies, right? Or something akin to them? Atom is branching out from strictly paranormal romance style novels aka Twilight with books like Chasers, and I, for one, welcome the new approach and the different styles.

6) Envy - Gregg Olsen

This new 'Young Adult fiction' series stars Hayley and Taylor Ryan, crime solving (as long as mum doesn't know), butt-kicking (when they have to) and otherwise normal 15 year-old twin girls. Each novel takes place in Port Gamble, Washington, otherwise known as 'Empty Coffin', so dubbed thanks to an old town legend. Each novel in the series is based on a ripped-from-the-headlines news story with fictionalised characters, real crime-solving techniques and a bit of twin 'senses' thrown in. Told in a non-linear narrative that flashes back and forth in time and bit-by-bit revealing a secret past that even Hayley and Taylor don't know about, each novel tells a satisfying true crime inspired tale as well as peeling back another layer of the overall series arc for the reader at the same time that the main characters discover it.

Envy will be published by new imprint Splinter on 7th September 2011.

Creepy cover, hey? I'm not too sure about the twin senses thing, but I like the idea of taking real news headlines and creating a story out of them. This could be good or it could be awful, but I'm intrigued enough to try.

7) The Necklace of the Gods - Alison Goodman

Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. Now she is Eona, thrust into the role of her country's saviour. But Eona has an even more dangerous secret - she cannot control her power. When she tries to bond with her Mirror Dragon, the anguish of the ten spirit beasts whose Dragoneyes were murdered surges through her. The result: a killing force that destroys everything before it. On the run from High Lord Sethon's army, Eona and her friends must help the Pearl Emperor, Kygo, wrest back his throne. Everyone is relying on Eona's power. Can she face her own darkness within, and drive a dangerous bargain with an old enemy? A wrong move could obliterate them all.

The Necklace of the Gods was published by Bantam Press on 26th May 2011.

I'm dense, I admit it, but it took Liz telling me yesterday that The Two Pearls of Wisdom and The Necklace of the Gods are the UK editions of Eon and Eona (from the US), which I have been looking to get hold of after some great reviews from people like The Book Smugglers. So, yay for me having the books already! But boo for not making that much clearer.

Now, here is a picture of all the books I bought yesterday *grins*

I won't be going through them all individually, but here is a list of them all (with all links going to Amazon):

Magic's Pawn - Mercedes Lackey
How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf - Molly Harper
The Exiled Queen - Cinda Williams Chima
Fall of Giants - Ken Follett
Bordertown - Various
Harbour - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
A Dance to the Music of Time: Volume 1 - Anthony Powell
The Horse Girl - Mary Finn
Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling - D M Cornish
One Seriously Messed-Up Week: in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite - Tom Clempson
Mechanique - Genevieve Valentine
Promises to Keep - Charles de Lint
Green - Jay Lake
The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan
The Profession - Steven Pressfield

Oh dear Gods, I simply don't know which to read first!

Which are you coveting right now? Have you read any of the above - what did you think? Which should I read first?