New Year = New Series

Why not start off the new year with a brand new series? Listed below are but a few of the new series from 2013. There is something here for almost every reader: something funny, something heart wrenching, something disturbing, something out of this world....

The Bone Season (Scion series)
by Samantha Shannon (M)

*Starred Review* We are the minority the world does not accept, Paige Mahoney tells us, referring to the struggles of clairvoyants, from soothsayers and mediums to her own high standing as a dreamwalker. In Shannon's galvanic debut, the first in a series of seven novels, she brings us to Scion, a totalitarian state in England circa 2059, where voyants are designated unnatural and clairvoyance is outlawed. Torn from her beloved home in Ireland as a misfit girl, Paige, whose exceptional psychic powers are matched by nearly superhero physical prowess, found sanctuary in London's criminal underworld, working for Jaxon Hall, a gang leader in the clairvoyant syndicate, until her arrest.... The result is a dazzlingly brainy, witty, and bewitching tale of outrageous courage, heroic compassion, transcendent love, and the quest for freedom" - Booklist

Vanished: a novel (Private Justice series)
by Irene Hannon (M)

"Late one dark, rainy night, newspaper reporter Moira Harrison hits a woman frantically waving at her from the middle of an unlit rural road. Moira does her best to stop her car, but it spins out of control. Moira desperately informs the Good Samaritan who stops a few minutes later about the struck woman, and, after helping Moira, he assures her he will take care of matters. When Moira wakes up in her car an hour later, there is absolutely no evidence of either the woman or the man. The police believe Moira may have been imagining things due to the concussion she received, but Moira knows she saw a woman in the road. The only one willing to help Moira is private detective Cal Burke. Double-RITA winner Hannon begins a new romantic-suspense series, and this novel's fast-paced plot and compelling characters (including a surprisingly complex villain) make it an excellent suggestion for inspirational-fiction fans as well as readers who enjoy Mary Higgins Clark's subtly chilling brand of suspense." - Booklist

The Dance: a novel (the Restoration series)
by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley (M)

"Renowned relationship-expert Smalley joins with award-winning novelist Walsh to create a heart-wrenching portrait of a painful marriage. The story of Jim and Marilyn Anderson feels as true as any real couple's, thanks to Smalley's years as a counselor and Walsh's excellent attention to detail. Like many women, Marilyn, decades into her marriage, finds herself feeling unloved and disconnected from her husband. Jim prides himself on being the head of his home in a biblical manner, and he's shocked and furious when he discovers that Marilyn has decided to leave him. What will their grown children think? How will their community accept it? Jim's world has crumbled, while Marilyn has rebuilt hers. Then, on separate paths, Marilyn and Jim both begin to find healing through ballroom dancing. Jim hopes to win Marilyn back, but her heart may be far too hardened after years of neglect. Readers will be totally drawn into their emotional journey as the wounds, large and small, continue to reveal themselves in the Andersons' marriage." - Booklist

A Conspiracy of Alchemists (Chronicles of Light and Shadow)
by Liesel Schwarz (M)

"The first book of the Chronicles of Light and Shadow series, starring the spunky dirigible pilot Elle Chance and the handsome warlock Marsh. Set during the Belle Epoque, Conspiracy is a thrilling and inventive historical fantasy, where the myths and legends of Old Europe live side by side with the wondrous creations of modern scientists and aviators. It's also set in a world haunted by vampires, fairies, and other supernatural creatures. And it mixes a thrill-a-minute page-turning plot with a genuinely moving love story. In Conspiracy, Elle and Marsh face off against a shadowy band of alchemists intent on sundering the veil between the world of the supernatural and our own--and learn that Elle has a mysterious part to play in this magical conspiracy." - publisher

An Affair to Dismember (Matchmaker series)
by Elise Sax (M)

"A madcap plot and zany characters propel Sax's debut, which launches her Matchmaker series. Gladie Burger, fresh from Los Angeles, is apprenticing for her grandmother Zelda's matchmaking business in tiny Cannes, California, when the man across the street dies. After meeting his abused wife and sleazy children, Gladie is convinced he was murdered, but handsome police chief Spencer Bolton disagrees since the coroner pronounced natural causes. When she learns the man was a bumbling thief with only one successful heist and his estranged gang members may have been looking for him, Gladie is even more convinced she's right. She is somewhat distracted, however, by her grandmother's next-door neighbor, Arthur Holden, who says he's happy to help her detect. Even when two of the dead man's gang members turn up slain, Gladie isn't deterred. She's convinced the missing money from the successful heist is the key to the neighbor's death. Fans of laugh-out-loud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich, Katie MacAllister, and Jennifer Crusie" - Booklist

The Icecutter's Daughter (Land of Shining Water series)
by Tracie Peterson (M)

"As the lone female in a houseful of men, Merrill Krause dedicates her life to caring for her family and their business, as her dying mother asked. Besides, it suits her; she's never felt like she fits what most people expect in a girl. She'd rather work with her father's horses and assist with the ice harvest. And though she's been mostly content up to this point, a part of her wonders if there will ever be anyone who will notice her amid the bevy of brothers determined to protect her from any possible suitors. When Rurik Jorgenson arrives in their small Minnesota town to join his uncle's carpentry business, he soon crosses paths with Merrill. But unlike other men, Rurik isn't intimidated by Merrill's brothers or by her strength and lack of femininity. The attraction between them begins to build, until Rurik's former fiancée shows up with wild claims that bring serious consequences to Rurik." - publisher