January 2009 new releases

Two more days before the new year!! Anyone excited? I have to admit, I am :) I think that 2007 was a great reading year for me and in comparison, 2008 paled a little. Don't get me wrong, there were some good books, but not as many wowzers... Also, the last few months were stingy on romance releases... However, from what I can see at the moment, there are lots of books waiting for me in 2009! I mean, from January to April? Wowzers warning!!!

Since New Year is bound to be busy, I'm going to make a post about the upcoming releases that I'm looking forward to today instead of on January 2nd.

So here we go for January 2009 :D A great kick-off for the coming reading year :D


Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie
(HQN Books/Jan. 01 - Hardcover format)

Tess Newhart knows her ex-boyfriend Nick Jamieson isn't the right guy for her. He's caviar and champagne; she's take-out Chinese pot stickers. He's an uptight Republican lawyer; she was raised in a commune and thinks Cinderella is politically incorrect. He wants to get ahead in business; she just wants…him—only not the social-climbing Nick, but the sweet, caring, unbuttoned-down Nick.

And Nick wants her, too, but there's no way Tess is about to play second fiddle to his obsession to make partner.

Yet somehow she finds herself agreeing to play his fiancée for a weekend business trip that could make or break Nick's career. And while he's wrapped up in convincing Tess that he needs her in his respectable world, Tess is doing her best to keep her left-wing opinions to herself and her hands off Nick.

*Warning: This is a re-print!!!

This book was the first ever Jennifer Crusie I ever read and as a result, it holds a special place in my heart :D One of my favorite :) For the past few years, Ms Crusie Silhouette books have been re-printed by HQN books in hardcover format, one every year... and well, to me, this is like a collectible LOL :)

I sure hope they won't stop here though and re-print Trust Me on This as well as The Cinderella Deal.


Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl
(HQN Books - Jan. 01)

Molly Jenkins has one naughty little secret: her job as a bestselling erotic fiction author. Until her inspiration runs dry—thanks to a creepy ex—and it's time to skip town and move back to tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado.

One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve...

This book has been getting a little buzz around blogland already... partly because there's lots of different opinions. Anyway, it caught my attention because I thought the cover was cute and the story sounded interesting and it's a contemporary. Will I regret it? I don't know...


Dawn Keepers by Jessica Andersen
(Signet - Jan. 06)

The countdown to the end of days has begun and only the Nightkeepers can stop the annihilation of all mankind...

Though a Nightkeeper, Nate Blackhawk refuses to allow others to control his fate. The gods have even tried to influence his love life, sending him visions of Alexis Gray, a sleek blonde who is everything he's ever wanted in a woman.

The two warriors can't deny their attraction. But a frightening vision leads Nate to distance himself in spite of the intense passion he feels. Thrown together once more, they must reassemble seven Mayan artifacts that hold the key to preventing the end of the world.

This is the second book of The Final Prophecy series. I wasn't wowed by Nightkeepers, but intrigued enough to get the second book. I have to admit that I liked Nate in the first book :D


Seduced at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro
(Berkley - Jan. 06)

The Ladies Literary Society of London gathers again for a ghost story...

Lady Julianne Bradley has always longed for wild adventure. Unfortunately, the man with whom she wishes to share her fervor can never be hers. Tormented by her desire, she's preparing for a suitable marriage when ghostly occurrences straight out of her latest read start happening and to protect Julianne, her father hires the very man her heart cries out for.

Third book in The Ladies Literary Society of London. I've read Sleepless at Midnight and Confessions at Midnight and enjoyed them... so I'm looking forward to this third installment. Of course, I would have preferred Emily's story more... but her story is not far away, coming out in April...

By the way, Ms D'Alessandro has changed publishing house. I don't really mind/care... however, I preferred the Avon's covers.


Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
(Pocket - Jan. 20)

HIS OBSESSION...

Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions: the evil beauty who surrenders her body, but not her heart.

HER DOWNFALL...

Rydstrom Woede: the ruthless warrior who vows to keep her at all costs.

THEY WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO WANT EACH OTHER THIS MUCH...

With each smoldering encounter, their shared hunger only increases. If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice for her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to save his sorceress?

Another installment in a series, this time The Immortals After Dark. From his previous appearances, I really like Rydstrom... but then, with the glimpse we caught in the last book and his heroine... I'm not too sure anymore. However, I will give this book a try.


and finally...

Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong
(Random House of Canada/Jan. 29 - Hardcover format)

As a curious child, Clayton didn’t resist the bite — he asked for it. But surviving as a lone child werewolf was more than he could manage — until Jeremy came along and taught him how to straddle the human-werewolf worlds, gave him a home…and introduced him to the Pack. So begins this volume, featuring three of the most intriguing members of the American Pack — a hierarchical founding family where bloodlines mean everything, and each day presents a new, thrilling, and often deadly challenge. For as Clayton grows from a wild child to a clever teen who tests his beloved mentor at every turn, he must learn not only to control his animal instincts, but to navigate Pack politics—including showing his brutal arch nemesis, Malcolm, who the real Alpha is...

This is actually a compilation of online novellas that Ms Armstrong has written and posted online. Don't rush to her website, they have been removed. I have read and loved them and I'm super happy that they are being published :) Although they are novellas, some of them are actually quite long :) Anyway, this is going to be a great book, so again, I'm really happy :) And all the proceeds are for charity... so a good action :D

ps. What do you think of the cover? The red one is the US version and the blue/purple one, Canada's.... I think I like the Canadian one better.


Honorable mention:

Smart Girls Think Twice by Cathy Linz
(Berkley - Jan. 06)

Sociologist Emma Riley’s new research project depends on a sexy bartender who wants nothing to do with her project—and certainly nothing to do with Emma. Too bad she’s way too smart to ever take no for an answer.

All right, this is not much of a synopsis, plus this author's previous books were meh to me. Still, cover is not bad and story could be good :D I'm giving this a chance - as in, I'm going to pick up this from the shelf, read the back blurb or at least, the last few pages and get a vibe :)