Fall In Love Giveaway Hop!

The Fall In Love Blog Hop is hosted by Readers Confession and Toni Aleo.

Since Fall is here and 2013 is just around the corner, I figured we'd talk about new books or authors we have fallen in love with this year. 

Is it that new phenomenal indie author or new series that has blown you away?

 Who have you been gushing about all this year? 

Is there a new genre you found and now love?

For this giveaway, I am offering the winner the choice of ONE of the books listed below. 

These are some of my faves of the year so far, and there's a little something for everyone - young adult, urban fantasy, horror, etc!

   
   

This giveaway is International as long as you live somewhere Book Depository ships to! 

As always, you must be 13 or older to enter.

After entering, check out all the other participants below!

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Waiting on Wednesday (38) - Dire Wants

Happy Halloween!
This week's WoW pick is perfect for Halloween - werewolves!

Dire Wants
(Eternal Wolf Clan #2)

Stephanie Tyler

Release: November 6, 2012

Goodreads   Amazon

The supernatural world is rising up against the human one. The weretrappers want control, and only the immortal Dire wolves stand in the way of total destruction. Stray, a Dire, and his long-lost brother, Killian, emerge as the leaders of their pack. To keep themselves and the humans safe, the Dires need a witch as powerful as Seb, who betrayed the Dires to work for the weretrappers.


They find what they are looking for in Kate, a human who survived a horrible car accident that left her back scarred with a handprint no one else can see. Stray senses Kate's abilities as a witch and recruits her to help the Dires—all the while knowing she is so powerful they will need to kill her once she helps defeat the weretrappers.


Stray doesn't expect the powerful connection that he feels with Kate, or his irresistible need to protect her. They cannot hide their feelings or each other, and what once was taboo now seems inevitable…

I really enjoyed the first in this series, Dire Needs. It was fun and sexy PNR brain candy. The wolves in this series are similar to the vampires in the BDB series, but only time will tell if this series becomes as long-lasting as this one. So far, I'm a fan.

What is your WOW pick this week?

The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

The Shattered Dark
(McKenzie Lewis #2)
Sandy Williams
Release: October 30, 2012
Goodreads   Amazon

McKenzie was a normal college student, save for one little twist: she’s a shadow reader, someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our world and the Realm. It’s a gift for which she has been called insane, one for which she has risked family and friends—and one that has now plunged her into a brutal civil war between the fae.


With the reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped to live a more normal life while exploring her new relationship with Aren, the rebel fae who has captured her heart. But when her best friend, Paige, disappears McKenzie knows her wish is, for now, just a dream. McKenzie is the only one who can rescue her friend, but if she’s not careful, her decisions could cost the lives of everyone she’s tried so hard to save.

Review:

       The Shattered Dark is urban fantasy gold - nonstop action, complex world building, and an absorbing romance. I adored the first book in this series. In fact, I read it in two nights staying up until four in the morning. Reading this sequel wasn't much different. I read it in one day, finishing at 2 A.M. with a sigh. Sandy Williams really knows how to suck me in to her stories and I was completely emerged in McKenzie's world while reading.

       In The Shadow Reader, Williams set the pace for her series with an energetic plot that never faltered. I worried that book two would not be able to keep up with that pace, but as it turns out I had nothing to worry about. The fast pace continues in The Shattered Dark, starting off right away with run-for-your-life action, which in this series means sword fights and fae and appearing out of nowhere through fissures. There is plenty of action in this book, with our heroine alternating between daring to join the battle and being ushered off to safety.

       The rebels have defeated the previous king and won the castle, but now the real war has begun. The fae world is in an uproar and everyone is choosing sides between the rebels, including Aren, Lena, Naito and the others that McKenzie works with, the high nobles who oppose the rebels choice of Lena to supplant the king, and the 'remnants', the term the rebels use for those who still support the previous king's Court and are battling with the rebels. These battles provide for much of the story's action and travel from McKenzie's home town, to the Fae realm, to London, and back again.

       Amidst all the fighting we have McKenzie and Aren. In the previous book much of the draw was the love triangle between these two and Kyol, the sword master for the previous king and McKenzie's long-term love interest. We watched as their relationship dissolved and McKenzie and Aren's began to heat up. Williams did a terrific job of writing a love triangle that wasn't at all annoying. I was completely lost in what would happen next. In this book we see how McKenzie and Aren's relationship evolves and struggles during the war. All they both want to do is spend some time together and get to know each other more, but the war and everything going on doesn't allow this to happen.

"I'm not a mistake, McKenzie,"he says softly, stopping beside me.


 His voice is soothing, reassuring. My chest tightens, and a warm, tingling sensation rushes through me. That scares me. I've told myself to take this relationship slowly, but my heart refuses to listen. I'm growing too attached to him too quickly. I shouldn't be on the brink of falling in love with someone I know so little about. I shouldn't want to believe every word he says. That's what happened with Kyol. I loved him so blindly and so completely, I put my life on hold. I never questioned anything he told me, and I regret that so much.

       Aren remains one of my favorite men in urban fantasy, with his messy curls, lazy smile, and intense feelings for McKenzie. He says some of the most swoon-worthy things I've ever read.

Aren pulls me gently toward him.


"You told me you wanted time. I've given it to you, and I'll give you as long as you need, McKenzie. I love you." He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. "You're worth waiting a decade for."

       My one complaint about this book was the lack of time McKenzie and Aren were able to spend together romantically. But this is urban fantasy, not paranormal romance, and one of the things I love about this genre is how the romantic relationships move at a realistic pace and keep things interesting between the main couple. That is certainly the case with McKenzie and Aren.

The Shattered Dark was everything I wanted in this sequel. This remains one of my favorite series and after the bomb shell ending I am on the edge of my seat for book three. I highly recommend this book and this series!

“Nothing matters but him and us and this, the way he makes me feel like I’m everything to him. Sometime in the last month, he’s become everything to me.”

Recommended for fans of: urban fantasy, stories with Fae, sexy and brave heroes, action-packed plots, and smart heroines.

    

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
(Charley Davidson #4)
Darynda Jones
Release: October 30, 2012
Goodreads   Amazon

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.


In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

Review:

     Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet continues a fantastic series with a snarky and hilarious heroine, a sexy as hell bad boy, and a few intriguing mysteries to solve. This series is one of my favorites and Fourth Grave exceeded my expectations.

     After the events of the previous book, Charley has some unresolved issues she is dealing with - well, not dealing with is more like it. It's a great arc for Charley's character development. At some point, what she does (solving mysteries, catching bad guys, running from demons...) had to catch up with her. In the last book, it finally did. At the start of Fourth Grave we meet a Charley-turned-hermit, afraid to do anything besides lay on her sofa and order ridiculous items from the home shopping channel. Somehow, Charley still manages to keep her funny and charming personality amidst her depression and agoraphobia. She remains one of the best and most original characters in the paranormal genre.

“For one week, all I could think about was drinking margaritas--well, that and running my tongue along Reyes's teeth--but I didn't have salt--or Reyes's teeth. I'd also lacked the energy to leave my apartment to get some--or the desire to stoop low enough to beg Reyes to let me lick his teeth after what he did--so I could only wish for a margarita. And dream of Reyes's teeth."

       Reyes is just as mysterious and maddening in this book. In a previous installment Charley refers to him as "chocolate-covered heroine" and I think that is a perfect description. He's the bad boy to end all bad boys. Now that Reyes is a corporeal being, meaning that we spend more time with him in an actual human body, we get to learn about his strengths and weaknesses. Charley handles him well, but Reyes handles Charley even better. He knows exactly what he does to her - all of his sly smiles, sexy grumbles, and hungry looks are proof of that.

“There is a fine line between love and hate, or haven’t you heard? Sometimes it’s hard to decipher exactly which emotion is strongest.”


I raised my chin. “I don’t love you either.”


He lowered his head and watched me from underneath his dark lashes. “Are you certain? Because the emotion pouring out of you every time I’m near you is certainly not disinterest.”


“That doesn’t mean it’s love.”


“It could be, I promise you. Take off that sweater and give me ten minutes, and you’ll believe beyond a shadow of a doubt you’re in love.”

       As the series goes on, we get to learn more about Charley's psychologist sister, Gemma. I love seeing their interactions because Gemma is so different from Charley and tries hard to understand her but just can't wrap her head around her. They don't bounce off of each other quite as easily as Charley and Cookie - who are still one of my favorite buddy pairs in the genre - but they still have some great moments in Fourth Grave as Gemma spends a lot of time with Charley and tries to help her heal.

"I borrowed a pair of your sweats. I ran into a convenience store with them on. I talked to neighbors out in their yard when I pulled up. And only after I got inside did I realize they had 'Exit Only' written across the back."


"You stole my favorite sweats?"


"I wanted to die."


"Its weird that sweats would make you suicidal. I'd analyze the crap out of that if I were you."

This is a wonderful series with a lot of things going for it and I'm always in a good mood when reading these books. Darynda Jones has the wonderful ability to infuse humor and lightness into serious situations, which gives this series just the right balance of dark and funny. There were lots of side plots happening in this book that I wish I had time to mention, but then this review would be pages and pages long! I will say, however, that all of my favorite characters make appearances, some longer than others, including Swopes, Artemis, Donavan, Uncle Ubie, and Cookie's daughter Amber.

 Fourth Grave is entertaining, romantic, and engaging and is one of the best in the series!

This review is baed on an advance copy of the book, provided by the publisher.

Recommended for fans of: the rest of this series, paranormal fiction that combines romance and humor, hilarious one-liners, T-shirts with funny quotes, bad boys, and ghost dogs that like showers.

    

Zompacolypse Giveaway Hop 2012!

Zompacolypse Giveaway Hop 2012

Welcome to my stop on this hop!

In honor of Halloween, which is one of my most favorite holidays, I have some spookiness for you! *cue creepy laughter*

There will be three winners. You will let me know when you comment which prizes you'd like to enter to win (you can enter to win all three if you want).

(Be aware of the shipping limitations for each prize pack)

Prize #1 (US/Can only): Steampunk Dracula

Incarnation by Emma Cornwall

Prize #2 (International): Spooky Ghost Story Romance

ONE of the books in the The Graveyard Queen series

Kindle book

Prize #3 (International): Young Adult Zombie Thriller

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Make sure Book Depository ships to your country

You must be 13 or older to enter.
Please be aware of which prize is US/Can residents only, which is for a Kindle book, and which is international.

You must follow the blog in some way in order to enter:

GFC
Linky
Email
Networked Blogs
Twitter
Facebook

To enter, leave a comment below with:

1. Your name and how you follow the blog

2. Which prize you'd like to be entered to win (YES you can put all three!)

3. Your email address (don't type it directly, get a little fancy to trick those spammers)

That's it!
 Good luck and Happy Halloween!

Now check out all the other blogs participating in the hop and go enter to win some more goodies!

This giveaway is now closed and the winners have been contacted!!!

Goldilox and the Three Scares (5) - Stacey Jay

Welcome to

Goldilox and the Three Scares!

 Author Interviews and Guest Posts

Character Interviews

Giveaways

I love Halloween! So I wrangled in some of my favorite authors and asked them to participate in this event. And they said yes! Plus, each day each author has a wonderful giveaway for you!

Day 5: Stacey Jay

     

      

Author Stacey Jay is here today to talk about monsters and redemption! 
Read on for her post, then enter to win some cool prizes inspired by her new release, Romeo Redeemed!

Redeeming the Monstrous 

   Halloween is a time for monsters. I love monsters. I love dreaming up wicked beings who do very bad things and get their just desserts at the end of the story. Recently, however, I was tasked with redeeming one of those monsters…

   Unlike many of my Romeo and Juliet-loving friends in drama school, I never did care for Romeo Montague. I thought Romeo was a creep—a boy so in love with love that he threatens to kill himself for love of Rosaline at the beginning of Shakespeare’s play only to fall madly in love with Juliet all of two hours later, and then proceed to lure an innocent girl into a dangerous relationship, and later, death—so it wasn’t much of a stretch to turn him into a monster.

   As Shakespeare drew the character, Romeo is an impulsive, charismatic, pretty boy who doesn’t care who he hurts in his pursuit of the next crush-induced-high. I simply took those traits and made them more extreme, then put a supernatural bad guy in Romeo’s path to lure him into true darkness.

   Making Romeo a villain in the first book in my two book series, Juliet Immortal (Aug 2011), was the easy part. The hard part was redeeming the murderous, lying, violent, psychopath I’d created. But thankfully, Romeo isn’t without admirable qualities. He does feel regret for his more evil deeds and care for Juliet in his own twisted way, which he proves at the end of Juliet Immortal. That gave me a place to start, but I knew I couldn’t move too quickly. I had to remain true to the monster I had created.

   And so the Romeo we meet at the beginning of Romeo Redeemed (Oct 12) is the same ruthless, lying, self-serving jerk that we left at the end of book one. His evolution is a slow one, but a sweet one, and was great fun to write. By the end of the book I was pleased with his transformation from monster to lovable bad boy (he was never going to be a nice guy, I gave up on that before I finished my first draft). I hope my readers will be pleased with it, too.

Thank you so much, Stacey, for stopping by the blog today!

Stacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor.

Enter below to win some Romeo Redeemed inspired prizes:

5 tattoos
4x6 frame worthy art 

There will be TWO winners!

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Goldilox and the Three Scares (4) - Kendare Blake

Welcome to

Goldilox and the Three Scares!

 Author Interviews and Guest Posts

Character Interviews

Giveaways

I love Halloween! So I wrangled in some of my favorite authors and asked them to participate in this event. And they said yes! Plus, each day each author has a wonderful giveaway for you!

Day 4: Kendare Blake

   

I asked author Kendare Blake if she could put me in touch with Anna - the Girl of Nightmares herself - so I could ask her some questions. 

Read on for my interview with Anna!

Goldilox: Anna, when you were alive the world was very different. Tell us what your world was like back then.

Anna: It was.....not so different. Simpler. Slower. When I remember it I remember it being very quiet. But not safe. Never safe.


Goldilox: I know your death was really tragic and untimely. If you had lived instead of died, what would be the one thing you would want to do?

Anna: I wanted to travel. Lots of places. Across the ocean. I wanted to do lots of things.


Goldilox: How does it feel when you transition from regular Anna to that terrifically scary Anna?

Anna: Better now that Cassio broke the curse. It feels like power now instead of rage. It feels warm.


Goldilox: What were you thinking the first time you saw Cas? Was it love at first sight? Or kill kill kill at first sight?

Anna: Love at first sight? No. It was..."What" at first sight. I could hear that knife of his, singing in my ears. He looked like someone I didn't recognize, but had been waiting for.


Goldilox: Okay, tell us the truth, is Cas a good kisser? Give us the details!

Anna: I don't suppose I'm a very good judge. But yes, he is. He's very tender. I don't think he's done it much either. But don't tell him I said so.


Goldilox: What do you really think about Carmel? Did you ever think she might be competition?

Anna: No, I.....She's so pretty. So different from me. I might have wished I was alive like her, but what use was that? It felt stupid to envy her, or wonder how he felt about her. It was something I didn't have any business with. And now, well...now, she's the closest thing I have to a girl friend.


Goldilox: Let's say you got to be a normal teenager. What yummy junk food would you just 'die' to eat (forgive the pun...)?

Anna: There are these bags of cut potatoes. In all different flavors. Sour Cream and Onion. Dill Pickle. Avocado Ranch. They sound so strange. I'd love to try them.


Goldilox: What do you think of this Kendare chick who is telling your story? Is she pretty cool or are you going to have to go all 'scary Anna' on her pretty soon?

Anna: That fact that she's still alive says a lot. I've never had to frighten or threaten her. Not even once. We're on the opposite sides of the looking glass. As long as Cas trusts her, I'll leave her alone.


Kendare: Anna and her veiled threats. Ridiculous. She knows on which side her bread is buttered. Thanks so much for having her by for the Halloween Event!

Thank you to Kendare and Anna for stopping by the blog today!

I tire of writing these things in the third person. So. I write fiction, apparently mostly YA. I didn't know this, but like Stephen King says, writers are the last ones to know what it is they've written. My first novel,Sleepwalk Society is a college story. I guess it falls into that no man's land they call, "New Adult". Anna Dressed in Bloodand Girl of Nightmares are teen horror. My short fiction can be found online in numerous places.

But enough about that. When I am not writing or reading, you can generally find me sitting around wondering what the hell I'm going to do with my life. That, or being a gastronome, plotting a new recipe. Perhaps on a run or hike, playing tennis or watching Big Cat Diaries with my feline. This summer I have saved a total of three turtles during attempted road crossings.

Enter to win a signed copy of GIRL OF NIGHTMARES below (US only please)!

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Waiting on Wednesday (37) - House Rules

House Rules
(Chicagoland Vampires #7)

Chloe Neill

Release: February 5, 2013

Goodreads   Amazon

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.


At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal —tested like never before.


It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.

I can't believe we're already on book seven in this series! This has been a series that's been up and down for me, but I think we're finally back on track and I really liked the last one. Can't wait to see what's coming for Merit and Ethan next!

What is your WOW pick this week?

Goldilox and the Three Scares (3) - Sandy Williams

Welcome to
Goldilox and the Three Scares!

 Author Interviews and Guest Posts

Character Interviews

Giveaways

I love Halloween! So I wrangled in some of my favorite authors and asked them to participate in this event. And they said yes! Plus, each day each author has a wonderful giveaway for you!

Day 3: Sandy Williams

The Curse of the Nalkin-Shom

In the Shadow Reader novels, the fae live in a world separate from ours. They have their own history, traditions, superstitions, and terrifying legends. Not all of those legends are old. The most recent one arose suddenly and spread across the Realm quicker than a fae can fissure across a room.

 Fae have always been uncomfortable around humans - their touch is drugging and their tech poisonous - but no human has ever been feared as much as the nalkin-shom, the shadow-witch. The first whispers of her existence began ten years ago.

 Fae are able to open fissures in the atmosphere. They step into slashes of white light, disappearing then reappearing any place that’s not protected by silver. They use this ability to travel, to fight, to escape anyone who might be pursuing them, but they can rarely escape the shadow-witch. She’s an extremely rare human. Not only does she have the Sight, but she’s able to track fae by reading the shadows their fissures leave behind.

 When her dark-eyed gaze locks on someone’s shadows, few are able to escape detainment or death. But some meet worse fates. Rumor has it a single touch from the nalkin-shom will drain a fae’s magic, and not even the most noble of fae are immune to her lightning struck beauty.

 Some say the Realm’s ruler can control her, wielding her like a weapon against his enemies. Others claim that it’s she who controls him, entrancing him as easily as she entrances wild kimkis. Those who believe she’s a plague and a poison say that she was brought to the Realm by a false-blood, one of the ruthless fae who have tried to overthrow the king. That, they say, is evidence that she’s evil. She doesn’t belong in the Realm any more than a fae belongs on Earth.

 In the Realm, parents warn their children that the shadow-witch will sneak into their rooms at night if they’re disobedient - or if they don’t eat their veggies - and not even walls laced with silver will keep her out. She’ll slip in and steal their magic, cursing them for life.

  People fear what they don’t understand, so the nalkin-shom has gained many enemies in one short decade. Some want her dead and others want to use her powers for their own gain, but no shackles can hold her. She’s as elusive as the shadows she draws.

Thank you Sandy!
Hmm.....does the shadow-witch sound like someone familiar.....?

Check out Sandy's giveaway below!

About Sandy: Sandy graduated from Texas A&M University with a double major in political science and history. She thought about attending law school. Fortunately, before handing over her life’s savings, she realized case studies weren’t nearly as interesting as novels and decided to get an MA in Library Science instead. She worked as a librarian until her husband whisked her off to London on an extended business trip. She’s now back home in Texas, writing full-time, raising newborn twin boys, and squeezing in time to play geeky board and card games like Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Runebound.

Enter to win a copy of either THE SHADOW READER or THE SHATTERED DARK below (US only please)!

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