IMM ~ July 17-23

I'm posting this a day early since I'll spend most of tomorrow travelling and I received a number of books this week! Reviews will (hopefully) be posted soon once they're read.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours, publishers, libraries, borrowed books from friends, and the list goes on! It's just a way of showing off the books you received in the past week and making sure they're featured on the blog.






Received from Publisher:

Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn
Released: July 1, 2011
Bethany House Publishers

Goodreads Synopsis:
 Marc Royce works for the State Department on special assignments, most of them rather routine, until two CIA operatives go missing in Iraq—kidnapped by Taliban forces bent on generating chaos in the region. Two others also drop out of sight—a high-placed Iraqi civilian and an American woman providing humanitarian aid. Are the disappearances linked? Rumors circulate in a whirl of misinformation.

Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Nelson, Thomas Inc.
Received from Booksneeze

Goodreads Synopsis:
In his classic work, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis likens an encounter with God to coming to life: "This world is a great sculptor's shop and we are the statues. But there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life."
However, today many Christians live with tension. What the Scriptures promise seems like a far cry from what we experience in our lives. As a result, God seems distant, and the life described in the Scriptures seems more like a series of rumors than reality.
Does God still do great things today? Is it possible to really experience Him? Can we close the gap between what we hear and what we see?
Rumors of God is a rally cry for the church. Authors Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson share compelling stories about the work and activity of God today. Packed with fresh cultural observations and illuminating Scriptural insights, Rumors of God will ignite a passion in your heart to see your faith come to life.

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
Released: January 1, 2011
Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads Synopsis:
Welcome to a future where water is more precious than gold or oil-and worth killing for
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that's impossible to forget.
Received from Net Galley:

Eve by Anna Carey
Release Date: October 4, 2011
HarperTeen

Goodreads Synopsis:
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen
Release Date: September 7, 2011
EgmontUSA

Goodreads Synopsis:
Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

Tris and Izzie by Mett Ivie Harison
Release Date: October 11, 2011
EgmontUSA

Goodreads Synopsis:
A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school

Cat's Tale: A Fairytale Retold by Bettie Sharpe
Released: June 27, 2011
Carina Press

Goodreads Synopsis:
Once the peerlessly beautiful Lady Catriona, consort to the king, Cat's fortunes fall far when her aged husband dies. The king's wizard turns her into a cat and tries to drown her in the mill pond. Fortunately Cat is a clever survivor and enlists the help of Julian, the miller's youngest son, in her plan for revenge.
She originally sees Julian as a mere pawn for her plans to break her curse, but as they work together Cat comes to know and care for him. Even if the curse can be broken, can a good-hearted man love a woman who has been as vain and selfish as Cat?

Read my review post on Cat's tale here!

Received from Author:

Silver Moon by Rebecca A. Rogers
Released: June 13, 2011

Goodreads Synopsis:
For seventeen-year-old Candra Lowell, senior year is supposed to be the time of her life. It’s not supposed to include being shipped off to her aunt and uncle’s house for 'her own good'. Whatever that means. There’s only bad news from this experience—when she learns she’ll go from human to werewolf in a few months. Complete with an inherited unique power.

At her aunt and uncle's house, Candra is plagued with nightmares of a whispering forest and glowing eyes, and a shadowy figure, who issues a warning—she needs to leave town. Candra tries to dismiss the haunting images, but when the shadowy figure appears outside of her home, Candra realizes she should've obeyed.

Candra learns the meaning of the stalker’s warnings when she discovers she’s the new favorite target of a rival pack. She isn't just a werewolf—she's a werewolf in the middle of a feud that makes the Montagues and Capulets look like best friends. She’s also made a mess of things by falling for her sworn enemy. Worse, the rival pack wants the power Candra will receive on her eighteenth birthday. To protect her family and friends, Candra can’t run or hide; she must face her foes, even if it means death.

Received from Giveaway:

Verita by Tracy Rozzlyn
Released: May 16, 2011

Goodreads Synopsis:
My parents died, my boyfriend cheated, and my best friend essentially dumped me. Truly alone in the world, I agree to help colonize the newly discovered planet, Verita. Now I’m on a strange new world. I have an overwhelming attraction to Brody, despite the fact that he's totally not my type. Another boy Ryan, utterly hates me for reasons out of my control. And there are creatures in the forest that would like nothing more than to eat us for dinner. My heart and mind are fighting with each other. I'm constantly fighting with Ryan. Concentrating on my job is becoming more and more difficult. Plus I can’t ignore how strange it is that all my friends are falling head-over-heal in love. But when I find myself stranded in the wilderness. The only thing that matters is survival.

Purchased:

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Released: June 28, 2011
Simon Pulse

Goodreads Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

Read my review post on Forbidden here!

GIVEAWAY FOR A COPY OF FORBIDDEN!! Ends August 5th.

Previously Received:

Witch Song by Amber Argyle
Release Date: September 1, 2011
Rhemalda Publishing

Goodreads Synopsis:
The world is changing. Once, Witch Song controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons-but not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by a traitor. All but Brusenna. As the echo of their songs fades, the traitor grows stronger. Now she is coming for Brusenna. Her guardian has sworn to protect her, but even he can't stop the Dark Witch. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find the traitor. Fight her. Defeat her. Because if Brusenna doesn't, there won't be anything left to save.

Marc must unravel the truth in a covert operation requiring utmost secrecy—from both the Americans and the insurgents. But even more secret than the undercover operation is the underground dialogue taking place between sworn enemies. Will the ultimate Reconciler between ancient enemies, current foes, and fanatical religious factions be heard?