Showcase Sunday (3)

Showcase Sunday is a meme hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea that lets bloggers highlight any books or book-related swag they received this week, whether they're from bookstores, libraries, received for review, etc.

I didn't do this last week because there wasn't much new, but this week was fairly awesome!

For book-related swag, I got a signed bookplate from Thea Harrison -- she was doing a giveaway on her blog for her birthday wherein if you donated books to her library and e-mailed her, she'd send you some swag. One lucky winner got hand-made soap. I didn't get the soap, but the bookplate was super-awesome and I stuck it into my copy of Dragon Bound.

I won a copy of Arise from @HarperTeen on Twitter, so I purchased the $0.99 version of Hereafter for my e-reader to prepare myself. I was hesitant about checking this series out, but Melissa Marr gave it a positive recommendation on Goodreads, and I trust her taste.

Title: Hereafter
Author: Tara Hudson
Series: Hereafter, #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Summary (via Goodreads):

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life--or her actual death--she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but "will" him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, "Hereafter" is a sensation you won't want to miss.

Yesterday, I went to Barnes & Noble -- my membership card is expiring at the end of the month, and I wanted to use the discount before it goes. Because I really appreciated the bookplate, I bought the next book in the Elder Races series, Storm's Heart:

Title: Storm's Heart
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races, #2
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Summary (via Goodreads):
 
He's a Wyr warrior, a god of storms. She's the heir to the Dark Fae throne. But desire will bring both to their knees in this all-new Novel of the Elder Races.

During the rule of her murderous Dark Fae uncle, Thistle "Tricks" Periwinkle found sanctuary among the Wyr in New York. Her ethereal beauty and sparkling personality won the hearts of the public, but after her uncle's death, there are those who don't want to see her ascend to the throne.

Able to wield thunder and lightning, Wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the Wyr's best weapons. And he's sent to protect Tricks when she's almost assassinated in Chicago.

Soon, both Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them—a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds.

I've been looking for this next book for AGES in stores, and finally found it yesterday, so I got it while I could. Loved the first one in the series, heard this one was even better, so I'm looking forward to it:

Title: The Broken Kingdoms
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Series: Inheritance, #2
Publisher: Orbit
Summary (via Goodreads):  

In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it...

 What do you think? What's new on your shelves this week? :)