Book Birthdays

 Before I even begin, a HUGE congratulations to Rachel Caine for receiving Romantic Times Magazine’s February Seal of Excellence.  According to RT (link here, though I’m not sure you can view if you’re not a subscriber), “Each month the RT editors select one book that is not only compelling, but pushes the boundaries of genre fiction. This book stands out from all the others reviewed that month, in the magazine issue and on the website. February 2014’s RT Seal of Excellence — the editors’ pick for best book of the month — is awarded to Rachel Caine‘s Romeo & Juliet retelling, Prince of Shadows.”  So awesome!

I’m also pleased to wish happy book birthdays to Susan Krinard, Christie Golden and Chloe Neill!

SHADOWMASTER by award-winning and bestselling author Susan Krinard

Third novel in Susan Krinard’s acclaimed Nightsiders series (starting with DAYSIDER and NIGHTMASTER)

Humans and vampires stand on the brink of war in this gripping series by New York Times bestselling author Susan Krinard

In the crumbling outpost of San Francisco, a fragile truce is threatened by an assassination plot. Half-dhampir agent Phoenix Stryker has the beauty, brains—and blood—to infiltrate the vampires’ secret society and save the city. But once she’s in, she finds that her target, the assassin Drakon, is not the monster she expected. Handsome, honorable and irresistibly attractive, Drakon will stop at nothing to save his people—and protect the woman he needs even more than the blood that keeps him alive. Now the key to the world’s survival may lie in their dangerous alliance….

SOME GIRLS BITE (first in the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series) by Chloe Neill

This is the mass market reprint (read new, lower price!) of the book that started it all!  There are two days left to get into the giveaway Chloe Neill is hosting in celebration!

They killed me. They healed me. They changed me.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world. When a rogue vampire attacked me, I was lucky he only got a sip. Another bloodsucker scared him off and decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Now I’ve traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed,
four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude—and servitude. Right…

But someone’s out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

Assassin’s Creed: BLACKBEARD: THE LOST JOURNAL by Christie Golden (Author) and Ubisoft (Creator)

Few moments in history have proven as timelessly fascinating as the lawless Golden Age of Piracy, which was largely played out in the Caribbean of the 16th and early 17th centuries. In this time of rebellion, fortune, intrigue, and adventure, Blackbeard stands as one of the most fearsome captains to have ever sailed the seas. Now, as the latest historical figure to take center stage in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Blackbeard joins the ranks of Edward Kenway — father of Haytham Kenway and grandfather of Connor — as they navigate troubled island waters and carve out their destinies. Thoughtfully crafted to resemble an authentic pirate artifact, this illustrated journal delivers a unique insider’s view into the world of the game through fascinating entries that provide a firsthand account of the day-to-day lives of the characters. This one-of-a-kind graphic novel — featuring beautifully etched illustrations and portraits, wanted posters, detailed ship’s logs and maps, newspaper clippings, Letters of Marque, and more — brings the bold worlds of Blackbeard and Kenway strikingly to life.