The Circle’s power has lured her home. . . . Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, Cassie longs for her old life. Even so, she feels a strange kinship to a terrifying group of teens who seem to rule her school. Initiated into the coven of witches that’s controlled New Salem for hundreds of years, she’s drawn into the Secret Circle, a thrill that’s both intoxicating and deadly. But when she falls for the mysterious and intriguing Adam, Cassie must choose whether to resist temptation or risk dark forces to get what she wants—even if it means that one wrong move could ultimately destroy her. From BooklistThe dramatic black cover, with blood-red lettering and a close-up photo of an intense young woman with dark red lips, might suggest vampires, but the series title (The Secret Circle) gives it away: here there be witches. Quiet, shy Cassie and her single mother reluctantly move from California to New Salem, Massachusetts, to take care of Cassie’s grandmother, who looks suspiciously witchy and seems to know an awful lot about herbs. The local high school Cassie now attends is dominated by a very exclusive group of teens known as “the Club.” It won’t take the reader long to figure out that Club members are teen witches descended from the witches who survived the Salem witch hunts by leaving that town and starting their own. Our hapless heroine is, of course, a witch herself (though only half, as her absent father was not of that community), and in this first title in the series she begins to find her power and her position within the group. Fans of Smith’s Vampire Diaries series will find the same basic formula here: plenty of foreshadowing, lots of action, mild creepiness, and instant infatuation. Characterization is minimal, but those seeking lightweight, mildly scary, somewhat romantic titles will gobble this up and eagerly await the sequel. Grades 7-10. --Debbie Carton About the AuthorL. J. Smith has written over two dozen books for young adults, including The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle, both of which are now hit TV shows. She has also written the bestselling Night World series and The Forbidden Game, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Dark Visions. She loves to walk the trails and beaches in Point Reyes, California, daydreaming about her latest book. Views: 34
Flung forward into the 21st Century, Highland shapeshifter Col Limont needs to find the healer Charity Greves in order to get back home and save his family.However, the healer’s sister, Lenore, is determined to do everything she can to keep Col from dragging her sister back to 13th Century Scotland into his family’s supernatural war. But when monsters and a strange yuppie trio also try to stop him, Lenore has to reconsider her options.But by helping Col, she’ll lose her sister. Views: 34
If Karen's next-door neighbor Mrs. Porter is really a witch, does that mean Mrs. P's granddaughter Druscilla is a witch too? Karen's not taking any chances. She's made up a good-luck spell for witch protection. But can the spell save Karen from the little witch? Views: 34
Seventeen-year-old Cardinal has escaped the virus that ravaged his town, leaving its victims alive but without their memories. He chooses to remain in the quarantined zone, caring for a group of orphaned kids in a mountain camp with the help of the former brutal school bully, now transformed by the virus into his best friend. But then a strong-willed and mysterious young woman appears, and the closed-off world Cardinal has created begins to crumble. A thrilling, fast-paced work of speculative fiction for teens, from a bestselling author, Black River Falls is an unforgettable story about survival, identity, and family. Views: 34
Welcome to Honesty: Where people care and love changes everything.IT'S THE FAMILY SHE'S BEEN SEARCHING FORDaphne Soder has come to Honesty, Virginia, to find the twin sister she was separated from at adoption. And it's here in this unlikely small town that she can make a fresh start. First she has to come clean about her past.But truthfulness has a price. If she confesses all, she could lose Patrick Gannon, the single father who's already staking a claim to her heart. Can she make the leap of faith? Together with Patrick's son and her sister, they could create the family they both want. All he has to do is give her a reason to stay.... Views: 34
While tangling with radicals, Brock stumbles on a colleague's corpseBrock Callahan, ex-private investigator, is still not used to wealth and retirement. In fact he is struggling through a game of golf when the clubhouse calls with the curious news that his wife is in jail, pulled in at an anti-nuclear protest. Callahan hires Joe Puma, private detective and onetime peer, to post bail for the budding radical. A few days later, Puma is dead, and Brock begins to wonder where the student movement's shadowy roots lie.The agitators want to stop the proposed Mirage Point reactor, which sits at the intersection of mob money, corrupt utilities, and the violent rage of the radical fringe. And as Callahan knows all too well, California doesn't run on nuclear energy; the state is powered by the dirtiest fuel there is—old-fashioned, murderous greed.[Reviews]"[Gault] writes with passion, beauty, and with an ineffable sadness which has previously been found only in Raymond... Views: 34
All James wants for Christmas is a second chance. Or maybe a third…Shara has been hurt plenty of times. She knows men can’t be trusted. She would never consider giving James a second chance… except his crystal blue eyes have a tendency to melt her heart and soften her resolve. At least she's got this puppy to distract her... if she can win the contest as the best dog owner.Though James wants to date Shara, the idea of being a husband and father scares him. A lot. And with good reason. His brother’s wife is expecting a baby, and they both seem to have lost their minds. Now this puppy is giving him a trial run at commitment.What happens when James sees Shara with another man? And how can Shara forgive James for believing her father's lies?Note from author: This sweet Christian Christmas Romance touches on serious themes of guilt, abuse, alcoholism, and bulimia, with a uplifting message of hope in... Views: 34
Adventure, animals and action in the first authorized Willard Price book by award-winning author Anthony McGowan, for 8+ readers.Deep in the remote forests of Siberia, a mother Amur leopard, one of the rarest big cats in the world, senses danger. Something faster than any human and deadlier than any tiger.Meanwhile Amazon Hunt, aged twelve, is recruited from England by Tracks in America, ready to take off at a moment's notice to rescue wild animals under threat - no matter how great the danger.Now Amazon and her thirteen-year-old cousin Frazer must brave the Russian wilderness to save the Amur leopard, before a blazing forest fire wipes out the race - for good . . .Anthony McGowan is a multi-award-winning author of books for adults, teenagers and younger children. He has a life-long obsession with the natural world, and has travelled widely to study and observe it. He has also written feature articles and... Views: 34
THE TALIONIC FILES is a crime suspense series that will follow a group of elite ATF agents in Chicago led by Valentino Masterson. The first book in the series, RETALIATORY JUSTICE, will pick up with Valentino and his crew of specialized agents being brought in on a case in New Orleans that links to their case in Chicago. During the investigation he meets the beautiful Dominique Walker, a chef working for the people he’s investigating. Things get complicated when he finds himself falling for her, unfortunately, he doesn’t quite know what side she’s on. Will his quest for vengeance, prevent him from accepting peace and love when offered, or will his need for justice end up costing him more than he’s willing to pay? In a story where it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the bad guys from the good ones, you will be on the edge of your seat until the very final moment.** Views: 34
An aspiring suspense author finds herself writing mysteries by day and solving them by night in the second Writer's Apprentice Mystery by the author of A Dark and Stormy Murder and the Undercover Dish Mysteries.In the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana, Lena London is settling into her dream job, but someone is making her life a nightmare...Things are beginning to go right for Lena. She's got a new job assisting suspense novelist and friend, Camilla Graham. She lives rent-free in Camilla's beautiful, Gothic house. She even has a handsome new boyfriend, Sam West.After being under attack by the media and his neighbors, Sam has recently been cleared of suspicion for murder. Journalists and townsfolk alike are remorseful, and one blogger would even like to apologize to him in person. But when she's found dead behind Sam's house, Lena must dodge paparazzi as she unravels the many mysteries that threaten to darken the skies of her little town and her... Views: 34
THE SIZZLING #1 BESTSELLERSomeone is killing the richest people in the city - and the Women's Murder Club will pay a high price for hunting him. At the party of the year, San Francisco's most glamorous couple is targeted by a killer - and it's the perfect murder. While Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile killings, a saintly street preacher is brutally executed. Reporter Cindy Thomas inquires into this neglected case and discovers the victim may have had very dark secrets. As the search for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and Lindsay's partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Club now faces its toughest challenge: Will love destroy all that the four friends have built?From Publishers WeeklyMystery, mayhem and murder most foul abound in this eighth entry to Patterson's enduring mystery series. The four members of the Women's Murder Club are pulled into the investigation of three deaths: a homeless man called Bag Man Jesus, whose face has been mutilated, and a glamorous couple from San Francisco's upper elite, who are just as dead as Bag Man but whose bodies look untouched. With its shifting points of view and multiple characters, this audio book would be a daunting task for any narrator, but Carolyn McCormick is up for the challenge. The reader for several earlier Women's Murder Club novels, she renders the characters with ease. Although her vocal tone may verge on strident at times, her earnest delivery keeps the story moving briskly. A Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, May 11). (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"A high-octane thriller that won't disappoint." (AudioFile )"Add some very well-written erotica that steams up the pages without hijacking the book, a narrative that flows right off the page and into your mind at breakneck speed, and what's not to love?...It doesn't get much better than this." (BookReporter.com )"The 8th Confession is Patterson (with Maxine Paetro) at his best, telling two equaling compelling stories and providing two equally satisfying resolutions." (CurledUp.com )"The ending was so mind blowing and sublime I immediately wished I had another Patterson novel to pick up..." (bookalicio.us ) Views: 34
