Craving the Supernatural

Wow! It appears 2012 is shaping up to be an awesome year for fiction!! One of my favorite things to do is browse sites like Christianbook.com and Amazon to see what books are coming up. And let me tell you--2012 has some awesome looking reads. Or in the words of my daughter, "schmexy" books.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo - April 2012
Robert Liparulo sits firmly at the top of my favorite/auto-buy author's list. 13th Tribe looks absolutely stunning in its concept and exhilarating as Liparulo layers in some of the supernatural that I have grown to love in fiction. Simply said: I'm champing at the proverbial bit to read this one!

Their story didn't start this year…or even this millennium.

It began when Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Tired of waiting on the One True God, the twelve tribes of Israel began worshiping a golden calf through pagan revelry. Many received immediate death for their idolatry, but 40 were handed a far worse punishment-endless life on earth with no chance to see the face of God.

This group of immortals became the 13^th Tribe, and they've been trying to earn their way into heaven ever since-by killing sinners. Though their logic is twisted, their brilliance is undeniable. Their wrath is unstoppable. And the technology they possess is beyond anything mere humans have ever seen.

Jagger Baird knows nothing about the Tribe when he's hired as head of security for an archaeological dig on Mt. Sinai. The former Army Ranger is still reeling from an accident that claimed the life of his best friend, his arm, and his faith in God.

The Tribe is poised to execute their most ambitious attack ever and the lives of millions hang in the balance. When Jagger's wife and son are caught in the crossfire, he'll stop at nothing to save them. But how can one man stand against an entire tribe of immortals?

Illusion by Frank Peretti - March 2012
Woot! Peretti's back! Need I say more? *grins*

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.

Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.

They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth - May 2012
Roth's DIVERGENT stunned me with it's clean storyline and compelling characters. One of my favorite reads from 2011, Divergent made me long for the next book. May can't come soon enough!

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Mortal by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee - June 2012
When Forbidden released last year, I felt like someone had realigned a portion of the universe. Dekker returned to his fantasy roots and brought the stunning new voice and style of the inimitable Tosca Lee. This is probably my #1 "look forward to" read of 2012!!

Nine years have gone by since an unlikely hero named Rom Sebastian first discovered a secret and consumed an ancient potion of blood to bring himself back to life in Forbidden. Surviving against impossible odds, Rom has gathered a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood-the first Mortals in a world that is dead.

But The Order has raised an elite army to hunt and crush the living. Division and betrayal threaten to destroy the Mortals from within. The final surviving hope for humanity teeters on the brink of annihilation and no one knows the path to survival.

Eyes of Justice by Lis Wiehl - April 2012
There is an authenticity behind Wiehl's stories and characters that have kept me reading. I love that the stories tend to be "ripped from the headlines." Really looking forward to next installment!

The Triple Threat Club has solved intense mysteries before . . . but this time it's personal.

Cassidy, Allison, and Nicole fight for justice every day-Cassidy as a crime reporter, Nicole with the FBI, and Allison as a federal prosecutor. Together they're a Triple Threat to be reckoned with.

But never have they faced a case so full of blind alleys-or so painfully close to home.

When a devastating turn of events upsets the balance of the Triple Threat team, they discover an ally in a quirky Private Investigator named Olivia. The women vow not to stop until the case is solved and justice is served.

Yet just when it appears the police have the killer in custody, he somehow strikes again. Not knowing who to trust, the Triple Threat women go undercover for an intricate and deadly cat-and-mouse game where nothing can be taken at face value . . . and nothing will ever be the same.

Prophet by R.J. Larson - April 2012
Love it when a new SFF author splashes onto the scene. I am looking forward to reading this!

Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young.

Yet she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.

Beckon by Tom Pawlik - April 2012
Tom is amazing with the whole chilling and haunting thing. Looking forward to his newest chillfest!

Some things weren’t meant to be discovered. Three people are each drawn to the small town of Beckon, Wyoming. A young anthropologist researches a Native American legend and makes a terrifying discovery. An ex-cop investigating her cousin’s disappearance finds herself in grave peril. And an aging businessman is lured by the promise of a miracle. One by one they discover the town’s ghastly secret. The only question is . . . will any of them make it out alive?

The Soul Saver by Dineen Miller - May 2012
Dineen in my "twin"--and I adore her amazing way with words. I'm sure you'll love her debut title as much as I do!

Lexie Baltimore is in the supernatural battle of her life. In obedience to God’s calling, Lexie uses her art and dreams to help others. But will she have enough courage to help herself when she becomes torn between her atheist husband and a godly man? A widower and a father, Pastor Nate Winslow is drowning in darkness. Will he resist his treacherous assignment to win Lexie’s heart or give in to the attraction between them? As events unfold, Lexie becomes entangled in a twisted plot. Will she overcome the evil assailing her or yield to the dark side?

 
Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Betrand - July 2012
Yes, I'm behind. I still have to read Mark's Pattern of Wounds, but I absolutely his voice and style!

The body was an undercover agent working to bring down Mexican cartels. The feds want the case closed rather than risk exposing other agents in the field, but March can't abide letting a murder go unsolved. And he doesn't have to dig long to figure out something isn't right. Someone is covering something up, and it seems that everyone has something to hide. Maybe even March, as the case soon intersects, unexpectedly, with the murder that led him to become a homicide cop, all those years ago.

So. There you have it. I'm sure there will be more titles that come to mind, or ones that haven't been posted yet, in which case, I'll post another list later in the year.

Tell me what books you are looking forward to. Why? What makes you want to read it?