"Waiting On" Wednesday #22

“Waiting on” Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release (or releases) that we’re eagerly anticipating.

My picks this week:

The Gathering Storm (Katerina Alexandrovna #1)

By: Robin Bridges

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: January 10, 2012

Add it on Goodreads!

Description:

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines – and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources… including two young men – George Alexandrovich, the tsar;s standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina’s help to safeguard Russia, even if he’s repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose – and to whom will she give her heart?

Why I’m waiting: I have a bit of a thing for Russian settings, since I used to live there, and it’s been ages since I read a YA book with a Russian slant, so I’m really excited for this one. Plus, tell me there’s 19^th century aristocracy in ANY setting and I’m so there. Love me a good historical novel. AND there’s a paranormal twist! So much awesome happening all at once!

Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1)

By: Anne Greenwood Brown

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Add it on Goodreads!

Description:

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother’s death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family’s homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock’s daughter, Lily. Easy enough – especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily – just as Lily starts to suspect that there’s more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

I love the idea of mermaids as killers luring their prey into the deep, so this premise looks fascinating to me. And I’m excited about the male narrator. How often do we get to read about mermen?? Can't wait for this one! Too bad June is so far away… SIGH.

What books are you waiting on this week?