Sunday Surprise!

Isis by Douglas Clegg (September 29, 2009)

Clegg (The Abandoned) expands the burgeoning backstory of his multivolume Harrow haunted house saga with this poignant chamber tragedy involving young Iris Catherine Villiers (who, as an adult, will become Isis Claviger, oracle of the spook-ridden Hudson Valley academy). One of four children growing up on her family’s Cornwall estate, Iris conveniently stumbles upon books of occult lore in her grandfather’s library shortly before beloved brother Harvey dies while saving her life. Grief-stricken and guilt-ridden, Iris invokes a resurrection ritual, and the devastating results show how the worst horrors can grow out of misdirected love. This potent novella, one of Clegg’s best, is both a stand-alone triumph and a powerful new chapter in his evolving series. – From Publisher’s Weekly

Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale

Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the
descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction.

And Belimai Sykes is the only man Captain William Harper can turn to when faced with a series of grisly murders.

But Mr. Sykes does not work for free and the price of Belimai’s company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation.

From the ornate mansions of noblemen, where
vivisection and sorcery are hidden beneath a veneer of gold, to the steaming slums of Hells Below, Captain Harper must fight for justice and for his life.

His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well. Such are the dangers of dealing with the wicked.

Turnskin by Nicole Kimberling

Raised in a remote farming community, Tom Fletcher knows little of his Shifter heritage and less about the dangerous lives that others of his kind lead in the city of Riverside. For Tom the big city is a daydream of opening nights and bright theater lights.

But when Tom meets Cloud Coldmoon-infamous and handsome heir to a criminal syndicate- everything changes. Suddenly suspected of murder, Tom must flee to the only city where his kind are common.

Filled with shapeshifters, con men, mobsters and ruled by the vengeful Coldmoon Family, Riverside is as perilous as it is alluring. Tom seeks refuge in the Turnskin Theartre, where his shape-changing skills can be put to good use on and off the stage.

Here he has a chance to fulfill his dreams of stardom and romance, but only if he can stay one step ahead of police and criminals alike, otherwise the next shape he takes could be his last.