Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop

 

Welcome to the Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop, hosted by Felicity Heaton and Indie Romance Books!  There are so many things I love about paranormal romances.  At the top of the list, though, would be the powerful preternatural males that inhabit them.  They come in quite a wide variety.  Some are tortured.  Some are light-hearted.  Some reclusive.  Some fun-loving people persons.  Some are overbearing and dictatorial.  And some can’t resist a strong woman.  

Étienne d’Alençon, the hero of Darkness Rises, falls into the last category (although he can be a light-hearted, fun-loving tease at times, too).  Étienne has always admired strong women.  And he has made no secret of it throughout my Immortal Guardians series.  So when he sees Krysta Linz, a mere mortal, take on four vampires by herself, he is instantly intrigued.  How has this entrancing vampire hunter escaped the Immortal Guardians’ notice for the past six years?  How does she hold her own so well against psychotic vampires with preternatural speed and strength?  Unable to resist her lure, he endeavors to learn more about her and soon the sparks begin to fly as he struggles to convince her that not everyone with fangs and glowing eyes is her enemy. 

A USA Today Bestseller

4.5 stars, HOT

"Duvall does an outstanding job building both a rich world and a compelling cast of characters."

— RT Book Reviews

4.5 stars
"Featuring a fascinating take on vampires, Darkness Rises is a thrilling, action-packed, suspenseful, funny, steamy paranormal romance readers won't be able to put down until the last page."
— Affaire de Coeur Magazine

Krysta is used to getting the drop on vampires.  Her "special abilities" aren't much, but the plan is simple—she plays helpless pretty young thing to lure them in.  Then her shoto swords come out and it's bye-bye, bloodsucker.  Until one night she finds herself with an unexpected ally.  He's a vampire, all right, but different.  Mysterious.  Handsome.  And more interested in saving her skin than draining it.

Étienne has been an Immortal Guardian for two hundred years—long enough to know that Krysta is special.  He can't stop thinking about her long legs, even more than her short swords.  Then he discovers the vamps she's exterminating have friends in high places, and the Guardians are in danger too.  He'll have to accept Krysta's help to save them.  The stakes for a mortal are high.  But the cost to his heart might be higher. . .

Excerpt

The unmistakable shick, ting, and clang of metal striking metal split the air several blocks away.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Krysta growled and took off running.  She didn’t care that she raced down a sharply sloped hill that would make it damned near impossible to stop once she got going.  She didn’t care that she ran with an unsheathed sword in each hand.  (Her mother and father’s frequent admonitions not to run with scissors chose that moment to dance through her head.)  She didn’t even care that anyone who saw her would likely call the police and report a madwoman fleeing through Chapel Hill, waving deadly weapons, and get her arrested.

She had only one goal in mind:  Get to those damned vampires before Mystery Man did whatever the hell he’d been doing for the past two weeks and disappeared.

Her heart pounding in her chest, she honed in on the battle’s location and managed to put on the brakes enough to zip around the corner at a speed that would keep her from rolling ass over elbows downhill.

She jerked to a halt and stared. 

The darkened alley was deserted except for a dumpster about twenty-five yards away and — she released a growl of fury — a pair of jeans, a bloody blue sweatshirt, and a pair of bright red Chucks spread out on the pavement as if they had been laid out by some kid’s mother.

Krysta sheathed one of her swords, stomped over the place a vampire had clearly fallen, and grabbed the sweatshirt.  “Oh, come on!” she shouted, her voice echoing on the somnolent night.  She shook the sticky clothing at the sky.  “Where are you?” she demanded.  Turning in a circle, she examined every nook and cranny at street level, then peered up at the rooftops.

She could see no sign of Mystery Man.  Had he already left?  

Krysta tossed the shirt down in disgust.  “This is bullsh**.”

A low chuckle wafted on the night.

Eyes widening, she drew her second sword and turned in a slow circle.  “Damn it!  Show yourself!”

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” a deep voice laced with a French accent purred behind her.

Gasping, she spun around and swung a shoto.

Once more, he caught her wrist.  “Careful.”  The warning was gentle, carrying neither malice nor anger.

Krysta stared.

His touch sent electricity tickling its way up her arm.  His flesh was warm, his long fingers free of callouses.

Her heart slammed against her ribs as butterflies erupted in her stomach.  She should be furious.  Frightened.  Instead, she felt as excited as she would on a first date.

Crap. 

Stepping back, she withdrew her arm from his grasp.

Dropping his hand, he tilted his head and studied her with those entrancing amber eyes.

Yeah, he was hot all right.

Short midnight hair glinted in the moonlight.  Faint stubble shadowed a strong jaw.  Straight nose.  Broad shoulders.  What was clearly a well-developed, muscular build beneath a black T-shirt that clung to him courtesy of the vampire blood that saturated its front.  Slim waist.  Slim hips.  All revealed by the gap in the long black coat he wore.  

She didn’t let her gaze stray further.  The last thing she wanted to do while facing him was blush like a school girl if he had a nice package.

His tempting lips stretched in a slow smile.

My Prize

A signed copy of Darkness Rises + Immortal Guardians swag.

Details

The Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop runs from October 29th, 12:01am  through November 3rd, 11:59pm EST.  My giveaway is international.

Mandatory entry for my prize

Leave a comment on this post during the hop, include your email address, and let me know what your favorite Halloween read or movie is.  :-)  Also mention extra entries.   

Extra entries for my prize

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following, but be sure to mention them in your comment.

+1  Follow my blog. 

+1  Like My Facebook Page.

+1  Follow me on Twitter.

+1  Mention the hop and my giveaway on Twitter.

+1  Share it on Facebook.

Selecting a Winner for my prize

I will use random.org to choose my prize winner after verifying all entries and will announce it here by November 8th.  If the winner's email address is included in her/his comment, I will email her/him, too.  The winner will have one week to contact me.