the one with the look-out at 2010 - part 1

Let me be up front: I pre-order books. I can’t help it. When I hear about a book that is not yet out, but still interests me because of the plot, I sometimes can’t wait for a review or two. I am just so excited about the book that I need to pre-order it.

Granted, I have had some bad luck with that in the past. Remember Dan Brown’s latest? The Lost Symbol? I pre-ordered it, paid an awful lot of money and ended up not even getting past page 50! (In case someone’s interested, let me know ;-) )

But earlier this week, I went on one of those pre-order book-shopping sprees again. 2010 soon begins and I couldn’t resist, I heard about some books that will be out January through March 2010 and I just have to have them as soon as possible!

So here is the list (and some additional info) on the books I will be getting rather sooner than later:

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Thanks, Lenore! The bookmark for this one was part of my gift from secret santa and as soon as I checked out the book (or more, the trilogy), I was hooked!
Meghan was six years old when she saw her father disappear right before her eyes. Ever since then, her life has felt slightly off, but what she would never have guessed is that she is the daughter of a faery king and a pawn in a deadly war.

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
Romeo and Juliet in the 21st century!
Colt and Julia have been meeting secretly for a year. Colt is from the wrong side of the tracks while Julia is from an upper-class neighborhood. No one would have understood their relationship. But then Julia dies unexpectedly and Colt can't show his mourning for her. After all, no one knows how close they have been.

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
Ever since I read The Princess Diaries I've been hooked on teenage princesses, so when I read the summary for this one, it was clear I had to check it out:
When an flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and wants to asks Desi Bascomb whether she would like to become a substitute princess, Desi, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, says yes! She even has a magical ability that helps her transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Sixteen-year-old Hanna is in search for her mother who abandoned her at birth. This search leads her to Portero, a small Texas town with flesh-eating creatures and parasitical spirits.
I might just as well blame this one on HJ, who got me to read my first zombie books in a while. That one was good enough to make me want to read Bleeding Violet.

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
This one, as well, goes with a thanks to Lenore (her review can be found here!).
Head cheerleader Tessa is also the head of a super-secret organization - the Society of Smitten Kittens - that investigates boys possibly cheating on their girlfriends. Tessa knows her own boyfriend Aiden would never cheat though... or would he?

The Mark by Jen Nadol
And another thanks to Lenore who reviewed this book a short while ago!
Sixteen-year old Cassie Renfield has seen the mark since forever: a glow around certain people as if a candle were held behind their back. The one time she pointed it out taught her not to do it again, so Cassie has kept quiet, considering its rare appearances odd, but insignificant. Until the day she watches a man die. Mining her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person's imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.
Cassie searches her past, her philosophy lessons, even her new boyfriend for answers, always careful to hide her secret. How does the mark work? Why her? Most importantly, if you know today is someone's last, should you tell?
There is, in fact, an excerpt you can read.