Jessie recs 'Absolution,' 'Velveteen,' 'Into the Woods'

This week's recommendations:

Paranormal romance

Absolution (Penton Legacy 2), Susannah Sandlin

What it's about: This is the second book in the Penton Legacy and I highly encourage you to read the first one before Absolution. In Absolution the vampire world is still teetering on the brink of civil war (human blood is scarce) and the human enclave of Penton has a new protector: Mirren Kincaid, who used to be on the other side of the battle line with the tribunal.

Why you should read it: This book was just as good as its predecessor, Redemption, and that is rare. Susannah shines in the vampire genre with her darkly erotic paranormal books. Plus, this month Redemption is only $1.99 for the Kindle. This is a series that any paranormal fan will want to devour. The heroes are dark and tortured. Mirren is so brooding and dark that all I want is for him to find his HEA.

Tidbit: Susannah tells me, "When I came down with the H1N1 virus a couple of years ago, a month before the vaccinations became available, I (feverishly) wondered what might happen to vampires if a vaccine for a pandemic changed human blood chemistry enough to make it poisonous to them? In Absolution, the starving vampire world is on the brink of civil war. Mirren Kincaid, a Scottish gallowglass mercenary and vampire executioner, is trying to start over when the war forces him to take up his sword again to protect his town and a human woman who's gotten dragged into the middle of the vampire chaos. So I get to have evil, scary vampires and noble, sexy vampires in the same story!"

YA paranormal romance

Velveteen, Daniel Marks

What it's about: Daniel has created a world of purgatory. Everything is gray and ashy, yet the people there aren't just waiting to cross over: They've created a life for themselves. Velveteen is a 16-year-old girl who was murdered by Bonesaw, a killer who is still at large and who Velvet haunts even though it's against the rules. Something's also happening in purgatory, something dark, and Velvet needs to lead her team or their whole world will crumble.

Why you should read it: Wow, Velveteen is a creepy book (my favorite!), and I love the awesome imagination Daniel has when it comes to death and purgatory. The writing was great, and the characters (especially the poltergeist twins) were very enjoyable. I thought the romance was a little rushed … but, hey, they're dead and that kind of excuses a lot of things. Velveteen is a must-read for any fan of the eerie, the creepy and the paranormal.

Tidbit: Daniel tells me, "The look of Velveteen's Purgatory was inspired by an exhibit of George Seurat's charcoal portraits at MOMA in New York way back in 2007. A departure from the pointillist's normally cheerful, if not melancholy, paintings, his sketches have a grim ashen quality that struck a chord and flavored the creepy world building."

Urban fantasy romance

Into the Woods, Kim Harrison

What it's about:Into the Woods is a collection of short stories set in the Hollows world and a new novella. There are about seven Hollows stories and three shorts that go beyond the Hollows. Kim has always been magical when it comes to her writings, and this is definitely a must-have anthology for any Hollows fans.

Why you should read it: Have you ever become curious about a character in a book who wasn't the focus? Ever wondered what happened to them once the main characters left? Into the Woods is a great way for some minor characters and secondary characters to get more life breathed into them. We get a story about Mia the Banshee (book seven) and Ivy while she was still in I.S. We get to see Rachel when she was 18, and Al and Ceri 1,000 years ago when he first "bespelled" her. It's highly enjoyable, and I definitely recommend!

Tidbit: Kim tells me, "Being the author of a long-running series is sometimes a double-edged sword. Typically my off-Hollows ideas languish in a cabinet, but Into the Woods gave me the chance to develop them into stories -- not synopses or outlines or proposals, but novella-length stories with evolving characters and little jumps of thought that never happen until the act of creation is, well, acting. It was incredibly freeing. The stories here might also give Hollows readers an early peek at what might come next."

YA urban fantasy romance

Mystic City, Theo Lawrence

What it's about: First, I have to say that Mystic City is perplexing. It's complicated and twisted. This isn't a YA novel you can simply read. You have to think about the plot, about the threads of truth and how it can all come together. Aria has lost her memory. Everyone is telling her what she supposedly feels and loves, only can't remember. They say she loves Thomas, whom she can't even remember meeting. However, they're "betrothal" will unite the two warring families. Then she meets a rebel mystic, and her world starts to spin, and truths and lies become twisted together.

Why you should read it: While the plot wasn't so complicated -- girl loses memory, says she loves a boy, meets bad boy, falls in love. The characters themselves, especially Aria, are what drive this book. I love deep and complex stuff, I love the cover, I love Theo's writing and the Mystic City world. Hunter is also so hot, and the fact that he's an actual rebel, not just a bad boy, makes the romance that much more forbidden. This novel is for fans of mind games, rebels, heartache and intrigue.

E-book fresh release

Dark in the Woods, Rosemary Laurey

What it's about:Dark in the Woods is a different type of romance. Cassie is still married, and not to the hero, when the books starts. Her husband has also uprooted her, taking her back to his hometown, where his relatives are oddly cold and distant. When her husband is murdered, and she's in the dark about the funeral, she decides to sneak in and take things into her own hands. Which is when she discovers why she has been shut out: This little town is full of the paranormal. Our hero is the deputy and drawn to Cassie, while still trying to maintain distance and protect her.

Why you should read it: This USA TODAY best-selling author doesn't write formulaic books. Her heroines and heroes are realistic and not always perfect. Her Forever Vampire books are great e-books to have for a rainy day, and most are under $5. Trust me, you'll love her heroes and stories.

Tidbit: Rosemary tells me. "Why Pixies and Werebears? Some time back I wrote a Pixie short for an anthology. It was so much fun, that ever since, I've wanted to play with Pixies again. I had already decided to set this story in the mountains in the far west of Virginia, and since wolves no longer live in those parts, I made my shifters bears. Into that mix, I tossed my born and bred Bostonian heroine who is so out of her depth, she half-suspects she's on another planet."

Jessie Potts,also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She is a top600 reviewer on Amazon and also does reviews for Bitten By Books and AllRomance.com.