My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to! It's Easter so I've had a little bit of a splurge this week on spending...

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse 11) - Charlaine Harris

Publisher: UK - Gollancz

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows.

While the latest Sookie books haven't been as enjoyable as some of the earlier ones, I still want to catch up on what is happening in Bon Temps!

Dragon Bones + Dragon Blood - Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

 Riding into a war that's heating up on the border, Ward, the new lord of Herzog, is sure he's on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones could prove to be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them.

I picked both of these up at London's South Bank Book Market for next to nothing. I love Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series so I finding some of her early fantasy books which have never been (to my knowledge) been published in the UK was a real find!

The Lady of the Rivers (Cousins War 3) - Phillippa Gregory

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta has always had the gift of second sight. Married to the Duke of Bedford, English Regent of France, Jacquetta is introduced by him to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the Duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the Duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

While I was a little disappointed with the last couple of Phillippa Gregory books - but I'm always willing to give the new release another try!

The Whispering Room - Amanda Stevens

Publisher: MIRA

Work is a welcome refuge for New Orleans homicide detective Evangeline Theroux. Feeling suffocated by her new baby, in whose eyes she sees only her dead husband, she throws herself into a high-profile murder case.

Reclusive writer Lena Saunders offers Evangeline a provocative theory about the crime: it is the work of a lunatic vigilante. Lena spins the sordid story of Ruth and Rebecca Lemay, whose mother brutally murdered her male children in an insane effort to root out an "evil" gene. The girls survived and grew to adulthood--but one is carrying on her mother's grisly work. When the case takes a terrifyingly personal turn, Evangeline's whole life will depend on a crucial, impossible choice: the lesser of two evils.

Having read and loved The Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens, I was so happy to find another book by her which sounds just as atmospheric as the Amelia Gray books!

What have you picked up this week?