Blameless
, Gail Carriger, coming out September 1. Set in late Victorian England, book three of the Parasol Protectorate promises more vampires, more werewolves, more commentary on fashion and a well made treacle tart, and -- something we haven't seen in the previous novels -- more insight into the Soulless, or preternatural, individuals who have the ability to neutralize vampires, ghosts and werewolves. Book one, Soulless
. Book two, Changeless
. Both one and two are out in paperback. And don't forget to take a look at the awesome making of the cover video for Blameless at the bottom of the post.
Coming out October 26, is the fifth and final book of the Tairen Soul series
(no cover out yet), Crown of Crystal Flame by C. L. Wilson. 
Set in a secondary fantasy world that is both familiar yet unique to fantasy readers, this series was originally planned to be a four book story arch chronicling an epic romance, the dreams of an unimposing craftsman's daughter, the rise of an old evil, the self-sacrificing love of parents, court intrigue and espionage, and an ancient magic civilization on the brink of extinction. No wonder she couldn't fit it into four books. Book four, Queen of Song and Souls
, was a bit of a let down but when you consider that it was originally meant to be the first half of the final book instead of a book that stands on its own, then you're willing to forgive it ... so long as the release date for book five is not pushed back any longer. Book one, Lord of the Fading Lands
; Book two, Lady of Light and Shadows
; Book Three, King of Sword and Sky
.
And, believe it or not, Happy Ever After
, book four of the Bridal Quartet by Nora Roberts, coming out November 2.
Book one, Vision in White
, was something that I grabbed off the library shelves three minutes before closing in a desperate attempt to cobble together weekend reading. I grabbed probably six books that Friday, only one of which I had thought about reading before I got to the library. The reason I picked up Vision in White? Because I had never read a Nora Roberts novel and the packaging was pretty and -- important for a library book -- clean. I walked out of the library with a half dozen books that day, only two of which I read. And went back immediately for book two, Bed of Roses
. If you've ever watched Say Yes to the Dress or Whose Wedding is it Anyway, you'll love these novels. The main character of each book is one of the four best friends who run an all inclusive wedding planning business. Parker Brown's old family estate serves as the backdrop for almost 100 weddings and vow renewals a year; she and her staff (her friends) live on site, doing the photography, making the cakes and fixing the flowers. Planning weddings are the focus of these books -- planning other people's weddings that is! All in all, they're a lot of fun, and I have to say that over the past thirty years, Nora Roberts has learned her craft on the job, so to speak. If you've not read a romance novel before and are afraid of drecky prose turning you off, start with Vision in White; this series has perhaps the cleanest prose I've seen in a mainstream romance.Blameless, The Making of the Cover video
