"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Exposed (Madame X #2)
Author: Jasinda Wilder
Publisher: Berkley, 304 Pages (March 1st, 2016)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Jasinda Wilder presents the second darkly seductive novel starring the mysterious Madame X.

Everything Madame X has ever known is contained within the four walls of the penthouse owned by her lover, her keeper, the man who controls her every move and dominates her desires. While Caleb owns her body, someone else has touched her soul. X’s awakening at the hands of Logan’s raw, honest masculinity has led her down a new path, one that is as exciting as it is terrifying.

But Caleb’s need to own her completely knows no bounds, and he isn’t about to let her go. Not without a fight that could destroy them all…

Title: Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson #9)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace, 352 Pages (March 8th, 2016)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: Mercy Thompson has been hailed as “a heroine who continues to grow and yet always remains true to herself.”* Now she’s back, and she’ll soon discover that when the fae stalk the human world, it’s the children who suffer...

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

*covers are always subject to change.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Racing the Sun
Author: Karina Halle
Publisher: Atria Books, 336 Pages (July 28th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky comes a new adult novel about a young woman who becomes a nanny in Capri and falls for her charges’ bad-boy brother.

It’s time for twenty-four-year-old Amber MacLean to face the music. After a frivolous six months of backpacking through New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia, she finds herself broke on the Mediterranean without enough money for a plane ticket home to California. There are worse places to be stuck than the gorgeous coastline of southern Italy, but the only job she manages to secure involves teaching English to two of the brattiest children she’s ever met.

It doesn’t help that the children are under the care of their brooding older brother, Italian ex-motorcycle racer Desiderio Larosa. Darkly handsome and oh-so-mysterious, Derio tests Amber’s patience and will at every turn—not to mention her hormones.

But when her position as teacher turns into one as full-time nanny at the crumbling old villa, Amber finds herself growing closer to the enigmatic recluse and soon has to choose between the safety of her life back in the States and the uncertainty of Derio’s closely guarded heart.

Title: What You Left Behind
Author: Jessica Verdi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 320 Pages (August 4th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?

Title: Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels #8)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace, 400 Pages (August 4th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: In the latest Kate Daniels novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews, magic is coming and going in waves in post-Shift Atlanta—and each crest leaves danger in its wake…

After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters.

So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity—too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild’s unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don’t realize is that the odd jobs they’ve been working are all connected.

An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece… 

*covers are always subject to change.

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet. Often when a title is released here in the US, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the UK.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Red Glove by Holly Black is...UK!!!!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: Cry wolf
Series: Alpha and Omega #1
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: US - Ace Books , 320 Pages, (July 29th 2008), UK - Orbit , 307 Pages, (Sept 1st 2009)
Add to Goodreads: USA Version | UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: Now Briggs begins an extraordinary new series set in Mercy Thompson's world—but with rules of its own.

INTRODUCING THE ALPHA AND OMEGA NOVELS...

Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member—and as his mate.

About Patricia:

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.

Find Patricia Online: Website | Twitter:Mercy's Garage | Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa First off I love Patricia Briggs and this series. I am always excited when I hear a new Alpha and Omega book has a release date. I just can't get enough of these characters!!! And for me this week it's easy to choose a favorite. I LOVE the US cover. It fits with the story and characters so well and gave me a pretty solid start to base the characters off of.

I hadn't see the UK cover until now and while I like it, I think the US has so much more to it and something you just can't look away from. So, for this week, my vote goes to the US cover? Which do YOU like best? Place your vote below and don't forget to enter to win our giveaway below!

Michelle This is an easy pick for me this week. While I  do own the UK version of this book, the USA one wins hands down. I love how detailed it is and I think this one represents Anna and Charles better then the UK one does. I also like how we can see a few wolves in the shadows in the background, and that also ties in so well with this world in general. It's a USA win for me this week

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs NOW!

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GIVEAWAY!!!

Now it's time for the giveaway. We have a copy of Cry Wolf and Hunting Ground to giveaway for ONE winner. These are the UK copies, and although they have been read, they are in perfect condition. To be in with a chance of winning these two amazing books, enter the international giveaway in the rafflecopter form below. 

* Be sure to follow the giveaway policies for Much Loved Books & A Life Bound By Books
* Giveaway is international and runs from midnight on 7th July 2014 (BST) to midday on 20th July 2014 (BST)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet. Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US. So, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Everything for Us (Bad Boys, #3) By: M. Leighton is.... the US COVER!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: Moon Called
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: US - Ace , 288 Pages, (January 31st 2006), UK - Orbit, 316 Pages, (June 2008)
Add to Goodreads: USA Version | UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

About Patricia:

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.

Find Patricia Online: Website | Twitter: Mercy's Garage | Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa This weeks cover for Book Wars is a pretty easy choice for me. I've been a fan of this series almost from the beginning and over the years we've had a chance to learn more about how the covers for the US copies come about. I loved watching how the painting comes alive and the stages they go through until the finished product.

It's this alone that I LOVE the US covers. I mean, they are pretty amazing and how it's a painting is just, WOW!

This week, hands down goes to the US cover. How about you? Which would you vote for? Make sure to cast your vote below.

Michelle This week is hard as I really don't have a favourite cover out of these. I love the silhouette style for the UK cover, how we see Mercy and a few graves in the background, but I also love how we get to see Mercy's tattoos on the USA cover. If these were next to each other on a shelf however, I would pick up the USA version, so USA gets my vote today.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Moon Called NOW!

create online surveys

Title: Fair Game (Alpha & Omega, #3)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace, 293 Pages (March 6th, 2012)
From: The Publisher
Format: Hardback
Add to: Goodreads
NOTE: This is an Adult Title.

Synopsis: They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

Review: 5 Stars - Fair Game, the third book in the Alpha and Omega series by author Patricia Briggs has been a highly anticipated book since the turn of the last page in Hunting Ground. It didn’t disappoint! 

Charles and Anna have been through a lot in what feels like such a short period of time. And in the third installment I found myself asking if they’d ever really get a break? Charles is his father, Bran the Marrok’s assassin. And with the human world finding out there are more things living among them, Bran has to force a stricter policy when it comes to keeping all the werewolves in check. It’s a hard job for one person to do, but his father has no choice and he knows that Charles is good at his job because of the years he’s been doing it. What Bran doesn’t know the damage it’s causing his otherwise strong son. 

Anna knows there’s something wrong with Charles. He’s been distancing himself for a long time now and she knows it’s at the hands of the tasks of his job. She just doesn’t understand the full extent of the problem. The wedge that’s being pushed between them is getting bigger and bigger and if she doesn’t do something she’s scared she’s going to lose Charles forever.

Bran finally gets the picture and sends the two to Chicago to help the local pack and government try to figure out who’s killing werewolves and fey and he’s hoping that the same time it’ll help to heal his son and repair the damage he has caused.

Anna and Charles have one of those relationships that feels real, with real struggles and issues. They might be werewolves, but their human side comes through and they feel like a normal couple. Briggs has a knack for writing her otherworldly characters in such a fascinating way and you can’t help but grow attached to them. It’s thanks to this fantastic writing and story lines that I’ve become invested in the lives of Anna and Charles. These two know each other and Briggs has found a way that it often feels as though they are dancing on the page as they work through their issues and come to each other’s aid. 

As always Briggs also knows how to bring the action and let me tell you, there was no lacking on that throughout the story. The addition to the FBI and the whole tech side of this one was amazingly interesting!

All in all, I am a HUGE fan of Briggs and her writing. Her story telling and characters are a breath of fresh air in the adult supernatural and paranormal genre. From the first novella right through the now third book in the series, Briggs knows just how to keep her readers read and wanting more. If you haven’t picked up this series, you should defiantly give it a try. Start with either the novella in On the Prowl to find out just how Charles and Anna meet, or pick up the first book in the series – Cry Wolf and you’ll see just why I have so much love for this amazing author and series. Happy reading.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Patricia Briggs will be out and about on tour to help celebrate the 3rd book in her Alpha & Omega series - FAIR GAME!

Title: Fair Game (Alpha & Omega, #3)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace, 304 Pages (March 6th, 2012)
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Patricia Briggs, the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, "always enchants her readers." (Lynn Viehl, "New York Times" bestselling author) Now her Alpha and Omega series-set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion- brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society where fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey... 

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles. 

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

Love this series and Patricia Briggs as much as I do? Want a chance to meet her? Well, now's your chance! Here's the dates for her tour.

Tour Dates:

Tuesday, March  6^th @ 7 PM

HASTINGS

1425 GEORGE WASHINGTON WAY

Richland, WA  99354

Wednesday, March  7^th @ 12 NOON

SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP

117 Cherry Street

Seattle, WA  98104

UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE @ 7 PM w/ Kim Harrison

4326 University Way NE

Seattle, WA  98105

Thursday, March  8^th @ 7:30 PM

TATTERED COVER, LODO

1628 16th Street

Denver, CO  80202

Friday, March  9^th @ 7 PM

BARNES & NOBLE

4751 West 117th Street

Leawood, KS  66211

Saturday, March 10^th @ 3 PM

BARNES & NOBLE

14709 US Hwy 31 North

Carmel, IN  46032

Monday, March 12^th @ 7 PM

BOOKS-A-MILLION

430 Gorham Rd.

South Portland, ME  04106

Tuesday, March 13^th @ 5 PM

THE BRATTLE THEATRE

Books sold by Harvard Coop

40 Brattle Street

Harvard Square

Cambridge, MA  02138

 

Wednesday, March 14^th @ 7 PM

BARNES & NOBLE

301 Main Street

Exton, PA  19341

Thursday, March 15^th @ 7 PM

BARNES & NOBLE

3327 Pineville-Matthews Road

Charlotte, NC  28226

Friday, March 16^th @ 5:30 PM

GARDEN DISTRICT BOOKSHOP

2727 Prytania St

New Orleans, LA  70130

Will you be attending any of these dates? I wish I could, but sadly she's not stopping close enough to me.

Keep an eye out for my review of Fair Game & more soon!

*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.

*Please note, this is an adult title. While I mostly review YA titles, I will from time to time review adult titles.

Title: Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, #2)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace, 304 Pages (August 25th, 2009)
From: Amazon

Synopsis: Mated to werewolf Charles Cornick, the son -and enforcer -of the leader of the North American werewolves, Anna Latham now knows how dangerous being a werewolf is, especially when a werewolf opposes Charles and his father is struck down.

Charles's reputation makes him the prime suspect, and the penalty for the crime is execution. Now Anna and Charles must combine their talents to hunt down the real killer -or Charles will take the fall.

Review: 4 Stars - Hunting Ground is the second book in the Alpha and Omega series and picks up almost right where we left off with Cry Wolf. It tells us the continued story of Anna and Charles Cornick - as they head to Seattle for a meeting with the Alphas from around the world to discuss them coming out to the world as the Fey have. (Note, this is a sister series to the Mercy Thompson series by the same author. This and that series follow along almost the same time line, so the stories do cross here and there.)

Bran - Charles father, The Marrok - head of all the packs in the US is planning for them to revel themselves. Most of the wolves agree, yet some are pushing with force that this not happen.

This meeting was a place for all to listen and air concerns about the pending reveal to the world. No matter what, Bran’s plans are in place to tell the World, he just wants to make it known that he's there to help, support and guide no matter what the outcome might be for them all.

With this looming over them... knowing not all the wolf packs around the world support this, there was bound to be trouble.

We get a chance to see more of Anna and Charles in their new relationship and marriage. We get to see more of the emotional scars that Anna has from her past. It's great to see just how calm and patient Charles is with her, knowing who he is and what he does – he’s his father’s enforcer/assassin. It just makes me LOVE this couple even more. I like seeing how Charles is just as timid around Anna because of who HE is and not just because of her past. It was great even with this second book that we could continue along with them as they worked through their still new relationship.

I also loved that we had a chance to see more of the fierce side of Anna. In the end both Anna and Charles worked together to deal with the threats that surround them and were brought closer together because of it; both growing in the process - which I felt was important to the telling of their story within in the larger one.

All in all, this is one of my favorite series. I love Briggs writing style and ability to weave a great story. Props to her with how she's able to interweave two different series into the same world. This is one you don't want to miss.

FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.