Cover Reveal of Shift by M.R. Merrick

Last year I had the privilege of reading a review copy of Exiled, by M.R. Merrick, and with it’s beautiful characterization and fast paced, action packed suspense, I was hooked.  I absolutely loved Exiled, and have been on pins and needles awaiting the announcement of the sequel, Shift, ever since.  So, I am extremely excited to inform you that the cover of Shift has just been released, with the novel to follow shortly (FEB 1, 2012) and… if you’re anything like me, you’re going to absolutely love it!  I’m putting it next to the cover of Exiled so you can see just how amazing both covers are and, rest assured, the story inside them is just as epic!    So, without further ado, I give you the covers and the synopsis for each (spoilers ensue with Shift).

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Exiled Synopsis: Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase’s birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle’s protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle’s agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can’t do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret.

In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle’s plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other’s life depending on it.  To read my review of this awesome novel, click HERE.

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SPOILER ALERT… READ AT YOUR OWN RISK:

Shift Synopsis: Devastated by the loss of his mother, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn’t understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’ssomething else–a monster threatening to tear her apart.

As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.

Happy reading, everyone!

{Review} Dead by Dawn by Guido Henkel (Jason Dark-Ghost Hunter #7)

From Goodreads: The unexpected death of their next door neighbor rattles occult detectives Jason Dark and Siu Lin. But does a woman in good health simply drop dead by dawn? The Geisterjäger is not convinced and suspects something more wicked and sinister is at work in London. As his investigation leads him down to the seedy underbelly of society, things more mysterious than he expected reveal themselves, making it clear that the ghost hunter will need all of his skills and resources to put an end to the horrors that stalk the night.

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I love that each of Henkel’s novellas begins with a death of some sort.  I’m onto the seventh book in the series, and I’m just now making this observation, but even so, I absolutely love it.  I think it adds to the mystery of the novellas as we then have to figure out, alongside Jason Dark and Siu Lin, what happened and why.

This was a really interesting story, especially as I didn’t have a clue who the culprit was and was taken aback when I finally did find out, at the same time as Jason Dark.  I really enjoyed this novella as it deals with one of those vendors that pawn off fake medication, reminding me very much of a scene in Pete’s Dragon. I just thought this was great, and I loved watching Jason Dark and the other characters as they began to figure out the cause of all the deaths throughout London, starting with their next-door neighbor.  This is the first novella is which the death strikes close to home and is a more personal matter than the others, and I truly enjoyed it!  Four stars.

I received a copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review.