Waiting on Wednesday (7): Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Out of Sight, Out of Time
(Gallagher Girls #5)
Ally Carter
Hyperion
Expected publication: March 20, 2012

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

I kicked off my summer reading with the first book in the Gallagher Girls series, I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You and I was immediately drawn into Ms. Carter’s writing style.  I sped through the four books that had been published and yearned for more of Ally’s writing and THAT turned me to Heist Society.  I just couldn’t get enough of her writing!  I can’t wait to read Out of Sight. 

Boarding school for girl spies.  Need I say more?  Not to mention hot spy-boy, Zach.  (What IS IT about boys named Zach ladies?)  I am starting to believe that it is quite possible that naming a boy Zach means hot, mysterious, charm-the-pants-off-the-heroine main squeeze material. (It’s true.  Ask anyone from #TeamKilt.) 

If you haven’t tried out the Gallagher Girl series, I suggest you give it a try.

Waiting on Wednesday (6): Indelible by Lani Woodland

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Indelible

The Yara Silva Trilogy #2

Lani Woodland

Pendrell Publishing

September 27,2011

Yara is beginning to understand just how much her life will change now that her Waker abilities have emerged. She has come to terms with the fact that seeing ghosts is part of her life, but she isn't ready to let being a Waker dictate her choices. All she wants is a ghost-free senior year with her boyfriend, Brent, and her best friend, Cherie. But Yara soon discovers that there are more dark secrets in her school's history than just the curse she broke. While an angry ghost makes Yara question everything she thought she knew about spirits, she and Brent learn that there are long reaching consequences to last year's adventures. As new enemies emerge and old ghosts resurface, Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time she has to contend with the living as well as the dead. -Amazon.com*

During the August YA Author Scavenger Hunt, I was introduced to the first book in the series, Intrinsical, and was immediately intrigued with this story.  It is NOT your average ghost story.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the first installment and enjoyed the plot twists I never saw coming. It was a quick read because I couldn't put it down.  before I get to review-y about the first book, let me just end by saying that I really am looking forward to this next installment to see what feats Yara will have to endure this time around.

"As new enemies emerge and old ghosts resurface, Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time she has to contend with the living as well as the dead."

Pretty intense!  What are book are you waiting on to read?

*I normally try to use Goodreads.com for book descriptions.  However, they have the wrong summary listed and so I used Amazon.com instead.  This is in no way an advertisement or endorsement for their company. 

Waiting on Wednesday (5): Carrier of the Mark by

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Carrier of the Mark

Leigh Fallon

Harper Teen

Expected publication October 4, 2011

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction. -Goodreads.com

Look at that cover:  It's gorgeous!  I know, I know.  Don't judge a book by its cover -- and I'm not.  However, that blue color just draws me in.  Immediately I am wondering, "Who is this girl and what is her story?"

Just by the description alone I am intrigued.  Fate, romance, and Ireland.  I love books set in foreign locales.  I have always wanted to go to Ireland and I like living vicariously through characters since it may be a long time before I make it to the Emerald Isle myself.  

I haven't read any ARC reviews because I am looking forward to reading it for myself.  

Waiting on Wednesday (4): The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Merchant's Daughter

Melanie Dickerson

Zondervan

Expected publication on November 29, 2011

An unthinkable danger.  An unexpected choice.  Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly.  Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.  

Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf.  As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger.  Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart. -Goodreads.com

As you might be able to guess, this is a new spin on the age-old tale of Beauty and the Beast.  But wait -- before you groan and say, "Oh not again,"  hear me out.

Has it been done before?  Yes.  

Do we know how the story will end?  Of course. 

Do we know how the characters will make it to their happily-ever-after? Not really.  It changes according to the storyteller.

Am I tired of reading retellings?  No way!

I am a hopeless romantic and fairy tales are some of the greatest stories out there.  There's no denying that there have been many re-tellings of famous fairy tales throughout the centuries and Beauty & the Beast has not escaped that at all.  Books, television series, movies, Broadway shows; this story has seen it all.  Like the sappy romantic I am, I love it all.  

Knowing that the Titanic sinks didn't stop you from going to see Kate & Leo's movie did it?  Heck no!  

Knowing that Beauty and her Beast live happily-ever-after won't stop me from reading this book.  I love seeing old stories through new eyes and I expect I will enjoy The Merchant's Daughter.

If you like fairy tale revamps, I suggest you check out Melanie's other work, The Healer's Apprentice (a new look on Sleeping Beauty), or the many works of the fabulous Robin McKinley.

Waiting on Wednesday (3): Where You Are by Tammara Webber

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Where You Are (sequel to Between the Lines)
Tammara Webber
self-published
Release approximately scheduled for October 2011

*Slight Spoiler Summary from Goodreads- If you plan on reading the first book, Beware!* Highlight to read.

Graham Douglas doesn’t do romantic relationships, but he was knocked for a loop when he met Emma Pierce on the set of his last film. As they grew closer, he did everything in his power to keep from falling for the girl being pursued by superstar Reid Alexander. Back home in New York, his life is once again under control, until Emma appears and shows him how not over her he is.

Emma Pierce is forsaking an up-and-coming Hollywood career to embark on a life she’s only dreamed of—the life of a regular girl. After spending months burying her feelings for the two night-and-day guys who vied for her heart while filming her last movie, a twist of fate puts her in a coffee shop in the middle of Manhattan with the one she still misses.

Brooke Cameron was a fresh-faced Texas girl when she arrived in LA. Now she’s a beach sitcom star turned conceited heiress on the big screen. Having just survived three months on location with her ex—Hollywood’s reigning Golden Boy—she’s older and wiser and has set her sights on close friend Graham. The only thing standing in her way is the girl he can’t forget.

Reid Alexander can sum up his life in one word: boring. Between film projects, there’s little going on outside of a few upcoming interviews and the premiere for the film he finished last fall. The next-to-last thing he expects is to get a second chance with Emma, the girl who rejected him. The last thing he expects is for his still-bitter-ex to be the one to offer it to him on a platter.

Author Recommendation: Mature Young Adults (language, drinking, sexual situations) -Goodreads.com


What else can I say but that October cannot come fast enough for me so I can read this book!  Between the Lines surprised and enchanted me.  I am certain I can expect the same from Where You Are.  I fell in love with Emma & Graham's relationship.  Graham, in my opinion, was a good influence on Emma.  Cannot wait to see Emma develop even more and see where their relationship takes them.  I am also curious about the other relationships between the casts and am interested in knowing what happens in the lives of Reid and Brooke.  Now that the movie finished shooting and they have to go to the premier, I wonder what conflicts will arise now that we know all the history (good & bad) that went on Between the Lines.  (That was such a great title!)  Tammara just posted recently on her Facebook page  an update on where she is in the writing process.  Not sure if the book will make it out by October (Goodreads still has it listed for sometime that month) but I know it will be worth that wait so I'll just wait on pins and needles 'til then.

Waiting on Wednesday (2): Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Blood Spirits (sequel to Coronets and Steel)

Sherwood Smith

DAW Publisher

September 6, 2011

Everyone's favorite sword-wielding California girl returns-from the author of Coronets and Steel.


With the man she loves set to marry a look-alike princess, Kim Murray returns to California from the magical country of Dobrenica to heal her broken heart. But family politics soon have her leaving for London, where she is forced into a duel with a Dobrenican nobleman. He reveals that her great sacrifice, leaving Alec, was a disaster. To fix her mistake, Kim returns to Dobrenica, but what she finds there is far more shocking and dangerous than she ever imagined. Not just politics and personalities but ghosts and magic, murder and mystery, await her as she struggles to understand the many faces of love. Once again Kim has to take sword in hand as she tries to make peace and learn the truth. Only, whose truth? -Amazon.com

This book is one that I have been waiting on for approximately six months.  I simply adore Sherwood Smith's work and have never been disappointed with anything I have read that she has penned.  Give me a take-charge-butt-kicking heroine, castles, magic, battles, intrigue, mystery, and the complex heroes that almost seem broody.  The throw in a spattering of romance and I'm sold.  Sherwood's books just deliver!  Coronets and Steel was so amazing that I could not put it down.  I expect no less from Blood Spirits.  

September looks to be a huge month in new releases but I can tell you where I'll be on the 6th; curled up on my comfy couch digging into one of my most waited for books this year.


What book are you eagerly anticipating?

Waiting on Wednesday (1): Soul Thief by Jana Oliver

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am terribly new at this.  As you can see this is my absolutely first official book blog post!  If you happen across this site and have any pointers, tips, or see that I have made a faux pas, please feel free to comment!  Now I give you my Waiting on Wednesday pick!
(Yes, I know it's says Thursday on my stamp.  I'm living in the future.  No, really.  In Japan.)

Soul Thief (Demon Trapper's  #2)

Jana Oliver

St Martin's Griffin

US release, August 30, 2011

Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them…

Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad. With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.

But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever…
-Goodreads.com

This book that is scheduled to come out within the next few weeks here in the US has been on my radar since I bought the first book in the series, The Demon Trapper's Daughter (Demon Trapper's #1) on March 28, 2011.

Riley is not a sit-at-home-heroine and she is most certainly not the damsel in distress and that is what I absolutely love about her.  She is strong and confident and so determined to find and keep her place in the guild and to survive as best as she can.  What I identify with Riley is that she doesn't look to others to solve her problems for her and can be very stubborn and not ask for help when she needs it most.  I look forward to her continuing adventures in this next installment. *

As an aside, can I just say two words? Denver. Beck.  Angsty, moody, self-sufficient Demon trapper extraordinaire and he's a military Vet.  *swoon*

Eagerly awaiting Aug. 30!

*Horribly unfair for the US release to be after the UK and overseas, but I'm SURE it's worth waiting for!