GIVEAWAY – Burn Bright and Lake Silence

Disclaimer: I received these books from the publisher, Ace Books, in exchange for honest reviews.

March 6 is a big day in the world of fantasy fiction. Two fabulous new entries, Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #5) and Lake Silence by Anne Bishop (The World of the Others), will be released into the world. Both are definitely worth reading.

About Lake Silence

In this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.

After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns such as Vicki’s don’t have any distance from the Others, the dominant predators who rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe–one of the shape-shifting Others–discovers a murdered man, Vicki finds trouble instead.

About Burn Bright

Now mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other–one that lurks too close to home…They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…

Meghan’s Thoughts

I’m a huge fan of Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series but I have not read all of the Alpha & Omega books. Despite Burn Bright being the fifth book in the Alpha & Omega series, I had no problems diving right in. That is the beauty and magic of Patricia Brigg’s writing. Her stories have such compelling characters (and just the right amount of background exposition) to hook the reader. Every book explores another character that I want to know more about. The wild wolves are fascinating. And perhaps even more importantly, we learn more about the enigmatic Marrok even without him being present. Am I the only one who wants an entire series from Bran’s viewpoint and/or about his past? Burn Bright gives you a wonderful story with love at its core. There is such strength in Anna and Charles, both separate and together which is demonstrated perfectly as they work to find a traitor and save one of the wild wolves. I loved Burn Bright so much that I want to finally go back and read the Alpha and Omega series from the beginning.

Like Burn Bright, Lake Silence is part of an existing literary world, The Others, but it is its own entry into that world. As you begin to read Lake Silence, you have a feeling that some of unique characteristics of the world have been described elsewhere, but it doesn’t create a block to the story. Anne Bishop lets the details of world unfold naturally as they are necessary to understand the story and the creatures within the story. On its surface, the story is about a woman trying to make a new life for herself while some try to thwart her. But the story has more nuances to it which make it a wonderful read. Vicki DeVine is a survivor struggling with her past experiences (she was a victim of abuse in her first marriage). And despite that, she is still a woman with a huge heart who is willing to accept and aid Others without question. It also references one of my favorite board games (and makes me want to create location specific versions).

You may ask why I decided to write about both books in one post. First, because for me the sign of a good book is wanting to know so much more about the world it is set in. Both Bishop and Briggs do an amazing job of creating fully developed worlds that have a history that matters. They are also both masters a creating entire casts of fully developed characters with different motivations. I can say without hesitation that I would recommend both books to readers who enjoy paranormal fantasy novels. Another reason I wrote about both books together: because the authors are out on a book tour together.