Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Snowed In? So Read Giveaway Hop



Umm.  I live in middle Georgia- the most snow we get is about an 1/18 of an inch.  I really do not know what being snowed in is like.  I imagine it is cold, and kinda lonely.  Even in a room full of people I think the cold could make you feel lonely.  I hope that is not the case- I hope that the fire is toasty and that there is merriment everywhere.  But just in case it is as I imagine, for this giveaway hop I will be giving away a $15 Amazon gift card.  Here is hoping that it helps keep you warm on the couch with a blanket and a good book.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are some great giveaways on this hop!


Teaser Tuesday (51) Heaven and Hellsbane


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


"Hi. I'm from the demon-greeting committee. My name's Emma. Welcome to Pittsburgh. So sorry you can't stay. Your departure to the abyss will board in oh...about three seconds."


Heaven and Hellsbane by Paige Cuccaro Kindle Location 697


My mouth opened to him and I pressed into his touch. He moaned into my mouth, a quiet surrender that vibrated through my body to its core.


Heaven and Hellsbane by Paige Cuccaro Kindle Location 2688

Okay.... so I cheated and am leaving 2013 with two teasers from the book.  It was a good story- just the right amount of snark and romance.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Sneak Peak of GRIMM CONSEQUENCES

I have been very vocal about my love the Transplanted Tales Series by Kate SeRine.  It really does rock

You reap what you sow…

Saying Nate Grimm has a dark past is an understatement. Fortunately, no one’s bothered to look too closely at the Fairytale Management Authority’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. And that’s the way Nate wants to keep it. For after centuries of torment and loneliness, he’s finally found happiness with the hot and hard-charging love of his life, Tess “Red” Little.

Of course, his love for Tess is the reason there’s a posse of Reaper judges after him, led by a sadistic bastard acquainted with Nate from once upon a time. Now, Tess will pay the price for Nate’s transgressions unless Nate severs his ties to the transplanted Tales—and Tess—forever. His enemy has the advantage in speed, malice and brutality. But the Reapers have underestimated the depth of Nate’s love and devotion. And the fury of his wrath…

Excerpt from GRIMM CONSEQUENCES


            I folded a stick of gum and shoved it into my mouth, needing to chew on something other than the dread that was choking me. Tess glanced my way with her patented saucy grin, which did little to abate my anxiety. That grin meant she was about to do something reckless—and was planning to enjoy it.
            “Stay here,” I mouthed, jabbing my finger at the ground. I started to get up from behind the wooden crates that so far had hidden us from the quarry we’d tracked to a warehouse in an industrial complex about ten miles from the Asylum.
            She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me back down, giving me her “you’re fucking crazy if you think I’m going to go along with that shit” look. I’d come to know it well. And I’d been seeing it a lot more since I’d saved her life from a psychotic sorceress a couple of months earlier. Lucky for me, with our mark just a few feet away, Tess couldn’t launch into the usual lecture on how she was a big girl and didn’t need me hovering over her like some overprotective—although admittedly dashing—guardian angel of death.
            (Okay, so I added the “dashing” part.)
            She could lecture all she wanted, though. There was no way in hell I was going to let her get herself killed. “Fine,” I mouthed. “Together.”
            She rolled her eyes but then gave me a terse nod as she palmed the gun strapped to her thigh. And then lunged out from behind the crates.
            “Damn it, Red,” I hissed, taking off after her. “I said together!”
            But she was already out of earshot, her cherry red combat boots pounding the concrete floor of the warehouse as she chased down the son of a bitch who’d had the bad luck to have us on his tail. I heard Tess fire off two quick rounds. There was a roar of rage in response as the bullets struck home.
            I caught a glimpse of Tess’s black leather trench coat flying out behind her as she took a sudden left. She was completely out of my sight now, and I didn’t like it one damned bit. I shot forward, dematerializing into shadow and letting the connection that bound us catapult me forward in an instant, reappearing directly in front of her.
            She slid to a halt with a startled cry. Then her eyes widened. “Nate! Behind you!” She brought her arm up in the next instant and fired. It all happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to turn around to see what she was shooting at. Or get the hell out of the way of the Jabberwocky’s deadliest weapon.
            I dropped to my knees with a gasp a split second after dozens of poisoned quills pierced my back, the Jabberwocky’s venom working before I even felt the pain. But the agony wasn’t far behind. Tendrils of fire lanced through my nerve endings, wrapped their barbed arms around my chest and squeezed. I couldn’t breathe, could barely see.
            I felt Tess’s cool hands on either side of my face as the world began to tilt precariously, and I thought I could hear her calling to me, but her voice was distant, faint. I managed to muster what little strength I had and forced my eyelids open. The face I adored swam before my eyes.
            “Nate!” she screamed. “Stay with me!”
            I wanted to tell her I wasn’t going anywhere, that I couldn’t because my legs had ceased to function. But my tongue apparently had gone AWOL as well. The venom from the quills of the Jabberwocky wasn’t going to kill me—nothing from the Make Believe or the Here and Now could. But it sure as shit could fuck with my head and was gonna hurt like a mother.
            Tess’s face floated before me like some seriously jacked up kaleidoscope, making my stomach roll with the motion.
            At least it’s not her, I told myself over and over as the venom constricted my veins, seizing my heart in its merciless grasp. At least Tess is safe.
            And then I saw him. Or thought I did.
            Demetrius.
He was standing behind Tess, wearing a shit-eating grin that would’ve earned him a knuckle sandwich to chow on if I’d been able to move my arms. But all I could do was blink at him, not sure if he was a hallucination or the son of a bitch I’d once reported to in the Reaper Corp until he’d decided to take on a job that had better suited his particular talents.
“Nate!” Tess called to me, her voice edged with desperation.
Damn, I must’ve looked like hell.
            “Nate, goddamn it! Look at me!”
            I tried to drag my eyes away from Demetrius and his self-satisfied smile. Couldn’t. All I could do was stare, mute, as his shadowy form twisted and swirled around Tess, threatening to overtake her at any moment and drag her down into darkness.
            And then I was falling. The ground was only a few inches away, but it felt like I was dropping toward it in slow motion from hundreds of feet in the air. And when my face smacked hard against the cold concrete, it jarred me like a sucker punch to the temple. For a split second my vision dimmed as I fought to stay conscious.
            “This is Enforcer Little,” I heard Tess barking into her phone. “I have a man down. Send a medical team right away.”
            I felt my heartbeat slowing, felt myself slipping away, and tried to find Tess’s face through the blur. She was leaning over me, smacking my cheek to rouse me. “Come on, Nate, hold on.”
            Demetrius peered down at me from over her shoulder, his grin growing. He shook his head with a chuckle. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” he drawled, his high-pitched titter of a laugh sending a fresh wave of hell through my nerve endings. “I’ll let her have you today, Death Bringer. But soon, old friend, soon we will meet again. . . .”

            The second he vanished, I gave in to the weight of my eyelids. I could hear Tess still calling to me, ordering me to keep it together, to fight off the poison, but I couldn’t. There was no defense against the inevitable. Eventually, death claimed us all. And I was no exception.


Giveaway:






Kate SeRine (pronounced “serene”) faithfully watched weekend monster movie marathons while growing up, each week hoping that maybe this time the creature du jour would get the girl. But every week she was disappointed. So when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed that her characters would always have a happily ever after. And, thus, her love for paranormal romance was born. Kate currently writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance and is the author of the award-winning Transplanted Tales series, available from Kensington Books.


Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project.

Monday, December 23, 2013

And the Winner Is...






Samantha Wallace


An email has been sent to the winner and they have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you everyone who entered and participated in the hop.

Siren's Song Book Blast


Release Date: February 18, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press


Jule Welsh can sing. She enthralls people with her bel canto voice. But it takes more than practice to reach her level of exquisite song; it takes siren's blood running through her veins. Jule is starting her senior year at Cougar Creek High when her relatively normal world begins to resemble a roller coaster flying through a carnival scare house. Her mother is diagnosed as insane and committed, a psycho-stalker is snapping pictures of her to put into his homemade Jule-shrine, her voice is suddenly putting people into comatose trances, oh and the gorgeous new guy in town, Luke Whitmore, is interested in her . . . but also wants to kill her.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18389180-siren-s-song?from_search=true




Excerpt:

Luke stands next to me, and I swear I hear him inhale again. Tendrils of excitement take root in the simple brush of his arm against my hair. My heart pounds and my stomach back-flips. To hell with apathy! I spin toward him and barely control my gasp at his closeness. I lean back slightly so I can focus on his face. Time to take the offensive.
“So what? You were interested,” I throw up little quotation marks with my fingers, “the other night. But now you’re ignoring me?”
“It’s complicated.” He stares into my eyes as if willing me to just take his word for it.
I nod and repeat. “It’s complicated.” I frown. “Life’s complicated, or hadn’t you heard?”
He almost smiles. “I’ve heard that, actually.”
“So what’s so complicated that you’re not interested anymore?” Ah, the big question. I should get points for kick-ass bravery.
He shakes his head, sending the thick, perfectly casual mane swinging around his strong jawline. His dark, blue-black eyes catch mine again with an intense, hooded look. “Interested?” A low chuckle comes out more like a growl and I feel a prickle spider-walk along my shoulders. “More like obsessed.”
I blink. Did he just say he’s obsessed? With me? “O-okay. Lost here.” And a little creeped out.
“It’s better that way.” He turns to his locker and grabs a lunchbag. He walks away.
“Hey.” I can’t just let him go when he is finally sort of talking. “Did you bring me dinner last night?” A blush heats up my neck into my cheeks.
He turns back with a smile. “You like mushrooms. My mom makes a killer lasagna.”
“So, you broke into my house, fed the dog, left dinner, and turned on the lights for me. I almost called the police.”
He leans back against the lockers and glances at the ceiling like he is beseeching heavenly help. “I want to…I need to make sure you are…taken care of.”
My eyes narrow as I try to understand his words. “And you have decided to take on the assignment? Why?”
A sad smile touches his mouth as his head rolls across the lockers so he can look at me again. “I believe I mentioned being obsessed.” His face suddenly seems tired, older somehow, like he has lived a long time and is tired of the whole thing, like he is hopeless.
“How old are you?” I ask.
“Seventeen.”
“How long have you been seventeen?” I know it’s a ridiculous question, but my heart slams in my chest and I hold my breath, waiting for his answer. There is just something strange about him, something dark, and yet I’m drawn to him, want to know all about him.
He laughs and this time the smile reaches his eyes. “Since last October thirty-first.” He steps closer to me. I freeze as his warm palm cups my cheek, covering the whole expanse. “See, I’m warm.” He drops his hand. “And I eat lasagna, too. Lots of it.”
October thirty-first? Halloween? “Your cousin, Taylin, her birthday is October thirty-first, too.”
Luke’s smile fades and his gaze moves to a spot on my forehead, like he can’t look me in the eyes. “It’s complicated, Jule.” His eyes move down to meet mine. They are narrowed, fierce and sad again. He drops his voice even though the hall is virtually empty. “You and I,” he shakes his head, “we shouldn’t be together. I’m…dangerous.”
“You leave a dry towel for me on the porch, but you’re dangerous?” My eyes are narrowed right along with his now.

Luke swallows and glances away. “I can’t go into it. Just know that we,” he looks back, “we can’t be together, ever.” With that, he pivots on his heel and heads toward the outer doors, away from the cafeteria. 



Giveaway (US Only):

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 
About the Author:

Heather McCollum is an award winning, historical paranormal romance writer. She earned her B.A. in Biology from the University of Maine, much to her English professor’s dismay. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers and the Ruby Slipper Sisterhood of 2009 Golden Heart Finalists.

The ancient magic and lush beauty of Great Britain entranced Ms. McCollum’s heart and imagination when she visited there years ago. The country’s history and landscape have been a backdrop for her writing ever since. She currently resides with her very own Highland hero and three spirited children in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Day Four of Decking the Blog with the Shadows Fall Crew: A Holiday Poem

Day Four of Decking the Blog with the Shadows Fall Crew leaves us with a holiday poem!


'Tis a week before Christmas and all through the camp

Not a supernatural is complaining,

Not a chameleon . . . or even a vamp

The blood is served in the dining room hall

The weres are poised for the full moon to fall

Witches are waiting for the high priestess to call

Each fae longs to offer merry to all

The forest trees are decorated, and stand amazingly tall

Stocking are hung on the cabin walls

A few ghosts and elves may stop by

But something odd crosses over the dark sky

Is it a sleigh, or a shape-shifter in flight?

Everyone hears the clatter happening this night

But the death angels assure us there’s no reason for fright

It’s just a jolly ol’ soul passing through

Collecting holiday wishes from all the Shadow Falls crew


Merry Christmas from Kylie, Lucas, Della, Miranda, Perry, Steve, Holiday and Burnett



Can May hurry up and get here?  The holidays sure seem like a lot of fun over at Shadow Falls.

Swoon Thursday (50) The Longest Night


The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme. Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. 

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the gals at YABound!


Nicholas had Lucy caged against the counter, an arm on either side of her, hands braced on the cabinets. That kind of deep, dark kiss should have fogged the windows. It was slow and thorough and blazed between them like fire. Nicholas pulled back slightly but his gaze stayed scorchingly fastened on Lucy, even when he spoke.


The Longest Night by Alyxandra Harvey Kindle Location 744


Oh to have Nicholas back in my life even for an hour. When oh when will Lucy's spin-off series get written?

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Day Three of Decking the Halls with the Shadow Falls: In the Kitchen with Miranda

Day Three of Decking the Halls with the Shadow Falls crew is a special treat, baked by Miranda.  


Okay, I talked about Della’s favorite Christmas songs, but I don’t want Miranda to feel left out. So, I thought I’d share what she’s been up to lately. She loves to bake goodies for all her friends, so the flour has been flying—literally! She is a witch, after all! 



She has whipped up some Christmas Bark (white & dark chocolate with candy cane sprinkles) for Lucas because he’s a werewolf. Bark. Get it? Miranda thinks it’s hilarious. Hopefully, Lucas will too. 





For Della, she’s baking a red velvet cake, and in her recipe the red doesn’t come from food coloring! Boy is that vampire going to be surprised! 





Kylie will get something traditional like hot apple cider, because she knows her friend is a traditional Christmas kind of girl. 





And for her shape shifting boyfriend, Perry, she’s decide to make him cut out sugar cookies and she’s still trying to find cut out shapes representing all the different animals she’s known he has changed into. But she’s still looking for a pterodactyl.

Waiting on Wednesday (36) Be With Me

Hey y'all, thanks so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…
By now you know of my love affair with all things Jennifer L. Armentrout write.  So it should come as no surprise that I am waiting on this one.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Day Two of Decking the Blog with The Shadow Falls Crew: Della's Singing Carols

Day Two of Decking the Blog with The Shadow Falls Crew focuses solely on Della.  



Many of you are waiting for Della Tsang’s first Shadow Falls: After Dark book, Reborn, to come out. With the holidays quickly approaching, I thought you might like to know Della’s favorite Christmas songs.

"Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" by The Ramones"






"I Wish It Was Christmas Today" by Julian Casablancas





"I Won't Be Home For Christmas" by Blink 182

 



 "Last Christmas" by WHAM



Now in light of her ex boyfriend, Lee, and what happens in Saved at Sunrise, you can probably figure out why “Last Christmas” made her list. But you never know, considering what happens with her and Steve in Reborn, she might be adding “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey to her list next year.

Teaser Tuesday (50)Elemental Darkness


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The darkness is coming. We cannot stop it, all we can try to do is contain it.

Elemental Darkness by Maddy Edwards Kindle Location 1177


Darkness may call to darkness, but they need to add an extension line for me, because Lisabelle's MY friend, and she's going to stay that way.

Elemental Darkness by Maddy Edwards Kindle Location 1275
I really like the series.  I like how loyal the girls are to each other, how much they are willing to give up in the name of friendship.  Hopefully, they will get Lisabelle back.



Monday, December 16, 2013

Day One of Decking the Blog with the Shadow Falls Crew: Holiday Wishes from The Shadow Falls Crew

The Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter is one of my absolute favorite series. I was excited that CC Hunter decided to create a spin-off series Shadow Falls After Dark. The first book in the series,Reborn is set to be released in May of 2014. May is a long time to wait- a whole 5 months from now. I was getting a little antsy wondering what was going on in one of my favorite places to visit when I got a lovely email from The Shadow Falls Crew.  The next four days will be known as Decking the blog with the Shadow Falls Crew.

Day One of Decking the Blog with the Shadow Falls Crew gives us insight into how they are celebrating the holidays!

It’s the holidays and time to revel in seasonal cheer. Here at Shadow Falls we’re decorating, planning some parties and getting ready for the magic of the season. And you never know what magic can happen with this supernatural crowd. 

If we’re not careful, Miranda might turn someone into an elf-dressed kangaroo. Perry will probably shift into Rudolph just to get a couple of laughs. Della might hang decorations in the tops of the highest trees, just to prove she can. Kylie will no doubt, be hanging mistletoe hoping to get some of the campers to find a little romance. (Cough…cough…Della and Steve.) Lucas will be trying to catch Kylie under the mistletoe. Steve will be watching Della hoping for a mistletoe moment. Derek will be touching everyone trying to make sure they are all in the spirit of the holiday. And he’s got his eyes on Jenny with his own sprig of mistletoe in his pocket—just in case. 

Holiday and Burnett will be standing back watching all the entire Shadow Falls cast with a sense of pride--the kind of pride that happens with family. And that’s what the holidays are really about--spending time with people you care about. 

So from the whole Shadow Falls crew and C.C. Hunter, we wish you all a happy holiday.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (35) The Spider

 
Hey y'all, thanks so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


The tenth book in the bestselling and “outstanding” (Romantic Times) Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series finally reveals for the first time the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadliest of assassins.

For the first time, the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadly assassin “the Spider” are revealed in full. In a story that pre-dates the other nine books in the series, Gin Blanco goes through her paces to become the most feared assassin in the Ashland.

Gin is pretty awesome and I am dying to know the whole story.  What happened to her?  Hopefully all of my questions will be answered.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop!


What a fabulous reading year 2013 has been.  Several beloved series have ended and a few new series were just born.  Regardless I could not have been happier with the great reads that were released or read this year.  To celebrate  you get to pick one of my favorite 2013 reads from the photo montage below, please note that the book may have been released earlier than 2013 but 2013 is when I got to it.
























a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once you get done entering my giveaway be sure to hop to another site!


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