On My Wishlist #58

This is a meme from Book Chick City. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! Seeing as the nights are drawing in this weeks wishlist is dedicated to those men of the shadows...vampires...who I can't seem to stay away from...

 

Kiss of Night - Debbie Viguie

Publisher: Faithwords

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague. For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question, "What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God?" is answered.

 

I love the premise of this book - a crusader cursed and doomed to wander the Earth and repent. Okay, it's been done before but there is a reason this story of redemption is one readers keep soming back too. Plus the cover is gorgeous! :-)

 

Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires 5) - Chloe Neill

Publisher: UK - Gollancz

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven't been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down. That's when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly. Chicago's mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for vampires and humans alike.

 

Okay, so I haven't read the third or fourth book in this series yet, but I do own them and I liked the first two books well enough that I know I want to continue the series!

 

Queen of Kings - Maria Dahvana Headley

Publisher: UK - Bantam

Once there was a queen of Egypt…a queen who became through magic something else…
The year is 30 BC. Octavian Caesar and his massed legions are poised to enter Alexandria. A messenger informs Egypt’s queen, Cleopatra, that her beloved Mark Antony has died by his own hand. Desperate to save her kingdom, resurrect her husband and protect all she holds dear, Cleopatra turns to the gods for help. Ignoring the warnings of those around her, she summons Sekhmet, goddess of death and destruction, and strikes a mortal bargain. And not even the wisest of Egypt’s scholar could have predicted what would follow…For, in return for Antony’s soul, Sekhmet demands something in return: Cleopatra herself. And so Egypt’s queen is possessed. She becomes an immortal, shape-shifting, not-quite-human manifestation of a deity who seeks to destroy the world. Fighting to preserve something of her humanity, Cleopatra pursues Octavian back to Rome: she desires revenge, she yearns for her children…and she craves human blood. It is a journey that will take her from the tombs of the Pharaohs to the great amphitheatres of imperial Rome and on, to Hell itself where, it seems, the fate of the world will finally be decided.

 

I like my historical fantasy novels and the idea that Cleopatra didn't kill herself but became a vampire just captures my imagination. And again, this cover is just gorgeous - I have spent the last five minutes just looking at it! (I'm so shallow sometimes!)

 

So what are you wishing for this week? :)