Countdown: June 2013

While it might not feel like Summer is right around the corner right now it's not that far away.  May might mark the beginning of Summer and all the fun that comes with it, but when June rolls around I'm always ready to get into the full swing of things.  I'm ready to pack up my cold weather clothing and instead of curling up on the sofa with a book I'd rather take one out either poolside or to the beach.  Who doesn't like to lay around in the sun and enjoy a great book at the same time?  I've been known to like to grab a tan and soak up the sun but I can only lie around in the heat for so long without getting antsy so that's when I pull out the good books.  They get me through the hotter temperatures and keep me entertained while I try to get all the vitamin D a girl could want.  What's on your June 2013 list to pick up at your favorite bookstores?

Countdown Pick #1:  PODs by Michelle K. Pickett (06/04/2013)

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul. 

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters. 

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

How can you not want to see what happens to Eva and David after reading that description?  While I find the whole idea of the virus and choosing who lives over who dies a little more than morbid, it's also oddly fascinating and I'm anxious to see where Pickett takes her readers.

Countdown Pick #2:  Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey (06/27/2013)

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.

With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make a wager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.

Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem Annabel Lee, Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.

With a Goodreads giveaway going on right now through March 15th no one has an excuse to pass this gem up, am I right?  Everyone can enter to win a signed ARC and I'm stoked!  This might not be a retelling but it's gotten its start based on Poe's famous poem and as a Maryland native I'm all for that.

Countdown Pick #3:  Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance (06/11/2013)

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either. 

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death. 

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

Oh for the love of all things Austen I cannot wait for this title to be released!  The fact that I have to wait until June is almost painful, but anything for something Austen related.  I've always enjoyed P&P remakes and this one sounds quite unique.  A must read for my Summer list for sure!

Countdown Pick #4:  Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross (06/11/2013)

When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. 

Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil.

But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose.

I'm intrigued to say the least.  The idea is horrifying that people would ever have paid for a service like the one described above, but it's not all that far fetched of an idea either.  I definitely want to see what Maude's journey is like and what kinds of deception Ross has in store for her readers.

Countdown Pick #5:  After Daybreak (Darkness Before Dawn, #3) by J.A. London (06/25/2013)

Dawn returns from L.A. with terrifying news: In his greed for power, the maniacal Day Walker Sin is raising an army and infecting his followers with the Thirst—a rabieslike disease that will turn them into mindless killers. To stop him, Dawn and Victor will have to convince humans and vampires to work together before it’s too late.

I was a huge fan of London's first installment and the duo packed a punch with their writing.  I haven't had the chance to pick up the second installment so I'm trying not to peak and see what this one's about, but it's a series I have no doubt I'll want to read from start to finish and long after the series has ended.  Their cover art for this series always blows me away with the depictions of the main character as well as the haunting scenes that readers can't help but be drawn to.  It's a great combination and one I always look forward to.