In My Mailbox (#29)

Goodreads Summary:

Some doors are better left closed…In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.

A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She’s been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago. Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying…

The Midnight Mayor

Kate Griffin (Orbit)

Publication Date: 18 March 2010

Paperback: 410 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Goodreads Summary:

It’s said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the Tower will crumble and the kingdom will fall. As it happens, that’s not so far from the truth…

One by one, the magical wards that guard the city are falling: the London Wall defiled with cryptic graffiti, the ravens found dead at the Tower, the London Stone destroyed. This is not good news. This array of supernatural defenses – a mix of international tourist attractions and forgotten urban legends – formed a formidable magical shield. Protection for the City of London against… well, that’s the question, isn’t it? What could be so dangerous as to threaten an entire city?

Against his better judgment, resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift is about to find out. And if he’s lucky, he might just live long enough to do something about it…

Mr Monster

Dan Wells (Headline)

Publication Date: March 2010

Paperback: 278 pages

Genre: Horror

Goodreads Summary:

John Wayne Cleaver has always known he has a dark side but he’s fought hard to oppress it and live a normal life — separating John from Mr Monster to survive. But after confronting and destroying the vicious killer that was terrorizing his town, his inner monster is getting stronger and harder to contain. And now more bodies are being discovered… With the police failing to catch Clayton County’s second serial killer John is going to have to use his secret knowledge of the first demon-killer to trap the second…but will he be able to avoid suspicion falling on him, and, in the face of extreme horrors, will he be able to restrain Mr Monster?

Mirror, Mirror

Gregory Maguire (Headline Review)

Publication Date: 12 Feb 2010

Paperback: 327 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Summary:

The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vicente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm — and the world comes to Montefiore.

In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia — decadent children of a wicked pope — no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vicente on a years-long quest, he leaves Bianca under the care — so to speak — of Lucrezia.

She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but in the dark forest salvation can be found as well. A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, Mirror Mirror gives fresh life to the classic story of Snow White — and has a truth and beauty all its own.

This Is Not A Game

Walter Jon Williams (Orbit)

Publication Date: 18 March 2010

Paperback: 460 pages

Genre: Techno-Thriller

Amazon Summary:

Once upon a time, there were four of them. And though each was good at a number of things, all of them were very good at games …But when one of them is gunned down in a parking lot, the survivors become players in a very different kind of game – one that is played for the highest stake of all. Now they must draw on all their resources – not least millions of online gamers – to track down the killer. Imagine a game with no boundaries. Waiting in a parking lot, sitting at your computer, walking down the street – you could be called at any moment, and you’d better be ready. This is not a game. This is a novel that will blow your mind.

Pleasure of A Dark Prince

Kresley Cole (Pocket Books)

Publication Date: 4 March 2010

Paperback: 431 pages

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Summary:

Can the beast seduce a beauty and make her love him…?

A promise of pleasure …from a brutal warrior determined to protect her.

Never far from her bow, Lucia the Huntress is as mysterious as she is beautiful. But the secrets she harbors could destroy her-and those she loves-and every day brings more danger. It isn’t safe for her to be with Garreth MacRieve, yet whenever she sees the fierce werewolf with his smoldering eyes, she finds herself surrendering to his kiss.

An uncontrollable need… that can only be sated with her touch.

From the shadows, Garreth, prince of the Lykae, has long watched over Lucia, the lovely little Valkyrie who alternately maddens him and inflames his lust. He aches to claim the seductive creature as his own and keep her safe from harm, but first he must convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do that he’ll exploit Lucia’s greatest weakness-her desire for him.

Masquerade

Melissa de la Cruz (Atom)

Publication Date: 4 March 2010

Paperback: 304 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Tags: Vampire, Young Adult

Summary:

Schuyler Van Alen is starting to get more comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, but she still has many unanswered questions. A trip to Italy in search of her grandfather only serves to make things more confusing. What secrets are the leaders of The Committee hiding? Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the famous Four Hundred Ball. In true Blue Blood fashion, the ball is totally fab, complete with masks, and hidden behind this masquerade is a revelation that will change the course of a young vampire’s destiny.

Turn Coat

Jim Butcher (Orbit)

Publication Date: 18 March 2010

Paperback: 530 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Summary:

Harry Dresden, PI and practitioner of magic, has always tried to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. But good intentions aside, his past misdeeds haven’t gone down well. And this places him in an awkward position.

Morgan, formerly his chief Council persecutor, has been wrongly accused of treason and there’s only one, rather final, punishment for that crime. So Morgan wants someone with a knack for backing the underdog, however much that someone wants to stay below the radar. Soon, Harry is working to clear the less-than-agreeable Morgan’s name, hiding him from Wardens and bounty hunters and seeking the identity of the true turncoat. A single mistake may mean that heads – quite literally – could roll. And one of them might be his.

Arson

Estevan Vega (Tate Publishing)

Publication Date: 4 May 2010

Paperback: 333 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Summary:

Before now, three things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl-who feels more normal behind a mask than inside her own skin-moves in next door, Arson hopes to find something he’s never had: purpose. Using what he fears the most about himself, Arson must face his consuming past and confront the nightmare that is present as he walks the fine line between boy and monster. Dark, moody, and breathtakingly relevant, Arson, the chilling chronicle of an isolated boy with unimaginable ability, is sure to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation.

Rock Chicks

Ronni Cooper (Sphere)

Publication Date: 10 June 2010

ARC: 450 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Summary:

The groupie - Coco LaBiba has the beauty, she has the money, but she just needs sex, music and fame to get high. She won’t give up her wild ways for anyone – except the one guy she can never have.

The wife Marny Rammer - pretty, quiet, devoted wife of the band’s lead singer. But there’s a price to pay when superstardom comes knocking on your husband’s door, and for Marny it comes in a dangerous pile of fine white powder…

The manager Lori Wyatt - the girl from the sticks turned kick-ass band manager who can play any man at their own game – business, or pleasure – and who will do anything she can to sky-rocket her boys to the top. Anything.

How To Be Married

Polly Williams (Headline Review)

Publication Date:4 March 2010

Paperback: 376 pages

Genre: Chick-Lit

Summary:

Sadie Drew thinks she must be the world’s worst wife. She only needs to walk into a room to make it untidy. She wears flannel pyjamas in bed. Furry things breed in her fridge. But she’s a busy working mother not a wifebot and husband Tom loves her as she is. Until he gets a hot new job and things change. There are alpha-wives to entertain. Nuclear rows. Unsettling secrets. And the smell of another woman’s perfume on his suit. Sadie risks losing everything if she can’t transform herself into the perfect wife…

**As this book is not a genre I would review on BCC, it is now on it’s way to Chrissie’s Corner for review!**

Getting Over Mr Right

Chrissie Manby (Hodder & Stroughton)

Publication Date: 24 June 2010

ARC: 296 pages

Genre: Chick-Lit