This Month From BookEnds… January 2018!

Happy New Year! BookEnds is back and ready for a brand new year of exciting books. (I’ll admit it took me a couple of read-throughs to realize I’d written 2017 instead of 2018).

We know you’ve got all those holiday gift cards burning a hole in your pocket, and thought you could use some spending inspiration. Anyway, here is all that BookEnds has to offer the first month of 2018. Spoiler Alert: We’re crazy excited over here. We might even look a little like this…

First up, our BookEnds Spotlight of the Month, which is our first. ever. Sci-Fi book. It’s one that everyone here has waited for for a long time, and is really excited about, too:

SLEEP OVER, by H.G. Bells (1/16) — Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For fans of the oral history genre phenomenon World War Z, a worldwide plague of insomnia creates a devastating new apocalypse.

Remember what it’s like to last an entire night without sleep? That dull but constant headache. The feeling of your brain on edge. How easily irritated you were. How difficult it was to concentrate, even on seemingly menial tasks. It was just a single restless night, but everything felt just a little bit harder to do, and the only real comfort was knowing your head would finally hit the pillow at the end of the day, and when you awoke the next morning everything would return to normal.

But what if sleep didn’t come the next night? Or the night after? What might happen if you, your friends and family, your coworkers, the strangers you pass on the street, all slowly began to realize that rest might not ever come again?

How slowly might the world fall apart? How long would it take for a society without sleep to descend into chaos?

Sleep Over is a collection of waking nightmares, a scrapbook of the haunting and poignant stories from those trapped in a world where the pillars of society are crumbling, and madness is slowly descending on a planet without rest. Online vigilantism turns social media into a deadly gamble. A freelance journalist grapples with the ethics of turning in footage of mass suicide. A kidnapped hypnotist is held hostage by those at wit’s end for a cure. In Sleep Over, these stories are just the beginning. Before the Longest Day, the world record was eleven days without sleep. It turns out most of us can go much longer.

SLEEP OVER has gotten some amazing reviews, specifically from Publisher’s Weekly:

“In Bell’s intriguing themed debut collection, a plague of insomnia instantaneously grips the world and is chronicled via accounts from those who survive… human resilience and compassion are the overwhelming themes of this well-written collection, and the coda is full of hope”

And Booklist:

“Bells’ debut presents creatively imagined chaos, from planes crashing to natural disasters to drug abuse… A grimly suspenseful tale with a brutally real ending”

We’d love to hear your thoughts if you pick this one up! And don’t forget to leave an honest review if you loved it as much as we did.

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While we’re all pumped for SLEEP OVER, we have a ton more out in January that we can’t stop talking about. Take a look at our Mystery/Suspense/Thriller and Romance titles. They’re sure not to disappoint.

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller:

While, technically, SPLINTERED SILENCE published in December, we did not want you to miss this one. We’re including it in January as well. Susan Furlong’s newest book, a dark suspense novel:

Among the Irish Travellers living in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, no one forgets and no one forgives. And as former Marine MP Brynn Callahan finds out when she returns home, it’s hard to bury the past when bodies keep turning up…

After an IED explosion abruptly ends her tour of duty, Brynn arrives stateside with PTSD and her canine partner Wilco—both of them bearing the scars of battle. With a mix of affection, curiosity, and misgivings, she goes back to Bone Gap, Tennessee, and the insular culture she’d hoped to escape by enlisting in the Marine Corps.

Marginalized and wary of outsiders, the Irish Travellers keep to themselves in a secluded mountain community, maintaining an uneasy coexistence with the “settled” townspeople of McCreary. When Wilco’s training as a cadaver dog leads Brynn to discover a body in the woods, the two worlds collide. Soon it’s clear that and Brynn and Wilco are in danger – and they’re not the only ones.

After the police identify the dead woman, Brynn is shocked to learn she has a personal connection—and everything she’s been told about her past is called into question.

Forming a reluctant alliance with local sheriff Frank Pusser, Brynn must dig up secrets that not only will rattle her close-knit clan to its core but may forever change her perception of who she is…and put her back in the line of fire.

Publisher’s Weekly says, “Readers will want to see more of the intrepid Brynn, who must face her personal demons as she tries to find her place in a hostile community.” Get yours at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore!

First up in January- MANY A TWIST by Sheila Connolly (1/9). Check out some of the great reviews for MANY A TWIST before grabbing your copy at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

Publisher’s Weekly: Connolly vividly evokes rural Ireland, and her characters seem like real human beings trying their best to navigate their lives.

Kirkus: This laid-back mystery combines plenty of puzzles with a strong feeling for life in small-town Ireland.

“Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy this cozy mystery. Shelia Connolly is a good storyteller with the ability to create an authentic atmosphere, providing hours of entertainment.”  —Seattle Book Review

Pub owner Maura Donovan hasn’t seen her mother for over twenty years, so when she suddenly shows up in Maura’s pub, Maura’s not sure what to expect. Her mother is trying to find a life for herself back home and has taken up a position working with the new owners of the Crann Mor hotel just outside Skibbereen. Until her new boss is found dead in the gardens, dumped down the hillside behind the hotel.

Now, trying to rekindle the relationship they’ve lost, Maura must investigate in order to clear her mother’s name. It’s not so easy though, as long-time residents of County Cork, including the families of her employee Mick, and the family of the deceased hotel owner, have bottled deep dark family secrets not meant to be uncorked. And someone will kill to keep them that way.

How far would you go to protect your family? Maura tests the age-old question in Many a Twist, the charming and atmospheric sixth County Cork mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly.

 

Also out this month is the second installment in Rosemary Simpson’s amazing GILDED AGE MYSTERY SERIES, LIES THAT COMFORT AND BETRAY (1/30) — Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Heiress Prudence MacKenzie is a valuable partner to attorney Geoffrey Hunter, despite the fact that women are not admitted to the bar in New York’s Gilded Age. And though their office is a comfortable distance from the violence that haunts the city’s slums, the firm of Hunter and MacKenzie is about to come dangerously close to an unstoppable killer . . .  

LIES THAT COMFORT AND BETRAY
 
The murders in Whitechapel are shocking enough to make news worldwide, and in the autumn of 1888, Geoffrey and Prudence find the stories in the New York Herald quite unsettling. But London is not the only city to be terrorized by a mad butcher.
 
Nora Kenny makes the occasional journey on the Staten Island ferry to work in Prudence’s Fifth Avenue house, just as her mother once served Prudence’s mother. As little girls, they played freely together, before retreating into their respective social classes. Still, they remain fond of each other. But when Nora slips away to Saint Anselm’s one chilly Saturday to confess her sins and never returns, Prudence is alarmed. And when Nora’s body is discovered in a local park, Prudence is devastated.
 
Nora will not be the only young woman to fall victim, but the police are uncertain what they are dealing with. Has the Ripper sailed across the Atlantic to find a new hunting ground? Is some disturbed soul copying his crimes? A former Pinkerton agent, Geoffrey intends to step in where the New York Metropolitan Police seem to be failing, and Prudence is just as determined to protect the poor, vulnerable females being targeted. But a killer with a disordered mind and an incomprehensible motive may prove too elusive for even this experienced pair to outwit.
 
From the author of What the Dead Leave Behind, this is a suspenseful and richly atmospheric mystery that captures both the elegance and sophistication of nineteenth-century New York, and the secrets and bloody terrors that lurked behind its gilded facades.

Romance:

CLAIMING HER COWBOY by Tina Radcliffe was technically available in print in December,(12/19) but we’re announcing it in our January post for our e-book readers. Get your copy at Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Her Temporary Cowboy–

Attorney Jackson Harris regularly goes toe-to-toe with the world’s toughest lawyers—but none of them compare to Lucy Maxwell. The feisty director of Oklahoma’s Big Heart Ranch for orphans is as stubborn as she is pretty.

But Jack must stay focused; he’s only there to evaluate the ranch’s funding. Falling for Lucy and the sweet children she protects is out of the question. Though Lucy is determined to keep the ranch, she’s not about to give control to a city slicker—even a devastatingly good-looking one. But as they bump heads, Jack and Lucy gradually nudge open their hearts. Could a temporary cowboy become a permanent part of Lucy’s life?

 

 

AFTER HOURS by Melinda Di Lorenzo is our first romance release of the year (1/2) Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Six foot two. Lips to die for. And boy, can the man fill out a suit. The gorgeous stranger sending Aysia Banks steamy looks from across the bar is the perfect way for her to take her mind off her high-stress job, and maybe even forget about her ex. An invitation to dance leads to a smoldering night, which turns into a weekend of uninhibited, toe-curling, blow-your-mind passion. Things are starting to look up for Aysia—until Monday morning . . .

Another city, another company to save. It’s nothing new to executive Marcelo Diaz, who’s used to calling the shots and getting what he wants. But what is different, is Aysia: the vixen he spent the weekend rewriting the entire playbook with. But before Marc can take things any further he’s shocked by what he discovers . . .

Marc was hired to keep his employer’s reputation squeaky clean. Part of Aysia’s job is to enforce her department’s strict no-dating rule. And they work for the same company.

Now, with their red-hot connection doused by office policies and politics, Aysia and Marc try to put their fling behind them. It should be easy. But when a behind-the-scenes power play threatens their careers, they’ll have to bring their hearts to the table . . .

Followed by: SCORING WITH THE WRONG TWIN, Naima Simone (1/15) Amazon — Naima also has some great news in the Coming Soon section below!

Shy, awkward Sophia Cruz has a hard time telling her vivacious identical twin “no.” But when her sister begs her to swap places for a modeling shoot, she caves … again. Then Zephirin Black walks onto the set. The brooding, aloof, and gorgeous tight end for the Washington Warriors. But she can keep it professional… She has to. Because the adorkable Cruz twin has no luck with guys once they compare her to her sister.

After a bad break-up, Zeph hasn’t been big on second chances—and even less with trust. But he finds himself giving please-call-me-by-my-middle-name-Sophia both. The woman he’d dismissed as a spoiled cover model is different from the first time he met her. Quirkier. Funnier. Definitely sexier. What started as one night turns into another…and another…and another…

Still, Sophia can’t go on keeping her secret from him. But telling Zeph the truth will mean losing him for good.

Also keep an eye out for THE EMERALD LILY (Vampire Blood #4) by Juliette Cross (1/29) Amazon

When Princess Vilhelmina Dragomir is awakened from her hellish sleep with a blood kiss from a handsome stranger, she learns that much has changed while she’s been away. The armies of the Black Lily and the vampire Crown have amassed and are on the brink of war.

No romantic entanglements, no family. Mikhail Romanov, Captain of the Bloodguard, took a vow when he joined the Bloodguard. But he never planned for the gut-punching attraction he would feel for the untouchable princess. He must keep his focus, though. In order to avenge his family, it’s essential he help Mina claim her crown and keep his damn hands off of her.

But Mina sets her heart on the elusive captain, and keeping his focus on the great battle ahead becomes harder and harder. While they’re making plans, the evil King Dominik has been making some of his own. This time, he will show no mercy to the Princess…

A SCANDAL BY ANY OTHER NAME, by Kimberly Bell (1/30) — Buy your copy here!

Kissing a rake in full view of the stable boy. Unchaperoned picnics with no one to see what happens. Someone to show her things young ladies should never do with handsome, unmarried dukes…Julia Bishop would give anything to have these things happen outside of her imagination.

Isolated from Victorian society, Julia never meets anyone who could bring those fantasies to life. Until a devastatingly handsome man arrives at her sister’s estate—the new Duke of Albermarle.

Jasper DeVere left London to privately grieve his grandfather’s death. Julia is just the distraction he needs, and she wants no future with him, just right now. When their all-out affair slips dangerously close to something more, they both know society would never allow Julia to become a duchess. And the queen would never approve a marriage. With Jasper’s inevitable return to London, Jasper and Julia can go back to their separate lives or risk everything to choose each other.

Young Adult:

While our Young Adult release isn’t brand new, it is new in paperback (1/2)! Get your copy of DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING now! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

 

Coming Soon:

CODE BLACK, by Melinda Di Lorenzo
Fiction: Women’s/Romance
Melinda Di Lorenzo’s CODE BLACK, with the help of a paramedic, a young mother tries to keep herself and her son safe from an abusive ex, to Patience Bloom at Harlequin Romantic Suspense, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2018, by Jessica Alvarez at BookEnds (World).

Also:

While at Roaring Brook, Claire Dorsett bought, at auction, sibling co-writing team Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie’s Conan the Librarian, a look at what happens when a mighty raider is initiated into the world of reading. Mekisha Telfer will edit. Publication is set for 2019, with a second book to follow in 2020; Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary did the two-book deal for world rights.

Exciting News:

Despite all the holiday madness, we’ve still managed to add a great new author to our ranks, so help us give a warm welcome to Amy Rose Bennett!

We’re also thrilled to reveal the cover for SOPHIE AND LITTLE STAR, a picture book written AND illustrated by #TeamBookEnds/TeamNatascha members, Amber Hendricks (Author) and Raissa Figueroa (Illustrator)! Let us know what you think–