Friday, October 31, 2014

Favorite Quote Friday #150


Happy Halloween!!  It's been another crazy week.  Lots of awesome book releases from author friends.  Lots of contests to celebrate the spooky holiday.  And I passed the 100,000-word mark in Immortal Guardians Book 6 (Ethan's story), so I should finish the first draft soon.  Woohoo!  :-)



Today is the last day of the Fright Night Blog Hop.  If you haven't joined the fun yet, you can enter to win a signed copy of Night Unbound + Immortal Guardians swag HERE.


For more Halloween fun, you can enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, a signed copy of Night Unbound + Immortal Guardians swag, and more in the Paranormal Romance Howloween Blog Hop HERE.  This hop ends tomorrow.


Join me over on my Facebook Page today for a fun Halloween Flash Giveaway and enter to win an Immortal Guardians swag pack!  The Giveaway starts today and lasts through tomorrow.  :-)


USA Today Bestseller
Amazon  Audible • Barnes and Noble • iBooks • Kobo • Walmart

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  For today's selection, I chose a quote from Night Unbound that features Zach (the hero) and Lisette (heroine):
She brushed his hair out of his eyes.  “You’ve been pulling me into your dreams, haven’t you?  Intentionally?” 
He nodded.  “I knew you missed the sun and wanted to share it with you.” 
Her eyes burned as tears rose.  “Thank you,” she whispered.
Have a safe Halloween and a wonderful weekend!  And good luck in all the contests!

Dianne



Thursday, October 30, 2014

Paranormal Romance Howloween Blog Hop

Welcome to the Paranormal Romance Howloween Blog Hop, hosted by Romance Blog Hops!  We're celebrating Halloween with giveaways galore!  So settle back, check out some awesome paranormal reads, and enter to win lots of treats!  Vampires.  Immortals.  Shifters.  Demons.  Gargoyles.  Aliens.  Ghosts.  You just don't know who or what you'll encounter on the next stop.  

This stop is all about dark and dangerous Immortal Guardians.  If you like powerful males who are drawn to strong women, danger mixed with humor, action interspersed with steamy romance, then Night Unbound is for you!


USA TODAY Bestseller
with 130 5-star reviews on Amazon
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Audible • iBooks • Kobo • Walmart

"Book after book, Duvall brings her readers complex,
fascinating tales of romance, danger and loyalty."
—RT Book Reviews

"Fans of paranormal romance who haven't discovered
this series yet are really missing out on something
extraordinary."
—Long and Short Reviews

For centuries, Lisette d'Alençon has been a warrior against the dark. She fights alongside her brothers and comrades. But when the dreams start coming, she can't bear to confess them to the Immortal Guardians' command. Dreams of a dark-haired man with soft eyes and brutal wounds, a man her heart aches for—and a man she knows has been declared a traitor.

Zach is an exile, a loner. He won't defend himself against false accusations or grovel to those who should have faith in him. But he'll damn sure defend the woman who kept him sane against a plague of super-vamps that seems to have appeared from nowhere. The Guardians will blame him, and that will make Lisette suspect, too. With life, death and eternity on the line, who can they really trust? 

Excerpt

“Don’t do it,” she counseled herself softly as a compulsion grew within her. 

Yet again, the words didn’t stop her.

Sighing, she looked up and searched the rooftops around her, waiting to see if a dark, winged figure would separate itself from the shadows.

It didn’t.

“You knew he wouldn’t be there,” she muttered with disgust, and bent to retrieve the bowie knives.

“Who wouldn’t?” a deep voice queried softly.

Gasping, she straightened and spun around.  “You.”

Just as she had imagined a thousand times, a tall figure emerged from the darkness and slowly approached her.  Damned near seven feet tall, he towered over her five-foot six-inch form.  Dark leather pants.  No shirt.  Just a leanly muscled form bereft of hair except for the raven tresses that adorned his head and fell beneath his shoulders. 

Behind him spread beautiful wings that would span twelve or fourteen feet when fully extended.  Nearly translucent, the feathers that graced them were the same tan as his skin at the wings’ base and darkened to black at their tips.  Her fingers curled as she remembered touching them.  Just once.  So soft.  Like the hair on a newborn baby’s head.

“Zach,” she breathed.  The last time she had seen him he had saved her life.

Stopping several feet away, he closed his eyes for a moment.  “You remember my name.”

“Of course I do,” she said, heart racing.  “It’s only been four months.”

His eyes opened, so dark a brown they were nearly black.  “Is that how long it’s been?  Four months?”

She nodded.

“Who were you looking for?” he asked.

“You,” she admitted, though she knew she shouldn’t.  

A month ago, when curiosity and no recent sightings had driven her to ask about this intriguing, yet formidable immortal, Seth had not reacted well.  Face dark with rage, he had instructed her to forget Zach and to stay away from him. 

Zach tilted his head to one side.  “Why?”

“I . . . ” Can’t stop thinking about you.  “I wanted to apologize.”

“For what?”  

Was that moisture forming on his forehead?  Even immortals her age could regulate their body’s temperature without thinking about it.  Though the night was unusually warm, his body should be cool.

“For what?” he asked again.

She swallowed hard, wishing now she had thought of another answer.  This man possessed almost as much power as Seth.  Pissing him off probably wasn’t a very good idea.

He glanced to the side, as though he heard something she couldn’t.  “I don’t have much time,” he murmured, and returned his attention to her.

“I wanted to apologize because . . . I think I said something that made Seth angry at you.”

His eyes flashed golden.  “What?”

Thunder rumbled overhead, drawing her wary gaze.  “After we fought Donald’s mercenaries that last time, I asked Seth why he didn’t just do what you did when you came to my rescue and kill all of our enemies with a thought instead of letting us risk our existence in battle with them.”  She shook her head.  “The question seemed to anger him.”  An understatement.  “But that anger seemed to be directed at . . . you.”  

A shadow formed on Zach’s chest.

No.  Not a shadow.  A large bruise.  Another darkened the area around one eye.

“I thought . . . ”  

A long gash, like that cut by a whip, streaked across his chest, parting the bruise.  

What the hell?

Her gaze darted all around them, seeking but finding no assailant.  “I thought,” she stuttered, “that might be why I haven’t seen you around.”  More gashes opened on his flesh as he stared at her, his handsome face expressionless.  “I thought Seth might have told you to stay away.”  An ugly abrasion formed on his temple.  Blood trailed down to the edge of his strong jaw and drip, drip, dripped onto his broad shoulder.  She took a step forward.  “Zach, what’s happening to you?”

In what seemed like seconds, bleeding lash marks striped his arms, shoulders, chest, and abdomen.  His jaw clenched as, beneath her horrified gaze, bones in his wings began to break.

Swearing, she raced to his side, swords raised to combat . . . whoever the hell was doing this to him.

Feathers fluttered to the ground at his feet as he staggered.  Those still attached to his wings began to glisten with crimson liquid as wound after wound appeared.

“Who’s doing this?” she shouted, panic threatening.  Who could move so fast that even she couldn’t see them?

“I can’t stay,” he whispered, blood painting his teeth and staining his lips.

“Who’s doing this to you?” she repeated urgently.  “How can I help you?”

He shook his head.  “You can’t.  I can’t believe you would even want to, knowing . . . ”

“Knowing what?”

He grunted as another bone snapped.

“Zach!”

His eyes rolled back as his knees bent.

Lisette dropped her swords and thrust her arms out to catch him as he sank toward the ground.

A warm breeze washed over her as he vanished inches before they touched.

Shaken, she stared down at her empty arms.  “Zach?”

Turning in a circle, she waited for whatever unseen force had attacked him to turn its attention on her and begin inflicting wounds.

It didn’t.


“Zach!”


Grand Prize Giveaway


My Giveaway



An autographed copy of Night Unbound plus an Immortal Guardians swag pack (2 postcards, 6 bookmarks, and 6 trading cards)


Details


The Paranormal Romance Howloween Blog Hop runs from October 30, 2014 through November 1, 2014, 11:59pm Eastern.  My giveaway is international.

Mandatory entry for my prize
Leave a comment on this post during the hop (please include your email address) and let me know what some of your favorite paranormal romance beings are.  Vampires, shifters, ghosts, etc.  :-)  Also mention extra entries.   

Extra entries
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  Share my giveaway on Twitter.

+1  Share my giveaway on Facebook.

Selecting a Winner
I will use random.org to choose my prize winner after verifying all entries and, if the winner's email address is included in her/his comment, I will notify her/him on November 3rd.  The winner will have one week to contact me.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Fright Night Blog Hop


Halloween is only a week away!  To get you in the spirit, we're talking paranormal romances in the Fright Night Blog Hop and offering up some awesome treats!

I admit one of my favorite things about Halloween is the release of paranormal romances that always precedes it.  Even when paranormals were much more rare, publishers would tantalize readers with a romantic release that featured tempting preternatural beings in the month or two leading up to Halloween.  I've always looked forward to the spooky holiday for just that reason.  So of course, I couldn't be more excited to have a recent release of my own to share with you.

If you like powerful males who are drawn to strong women, danger mixed with humor, action interspersed with steamy romance, then Night Unbound is for you!


A USA TODAY Bestseller
with over 120 5-star reviews on Amazon
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Audible • iBooks • Kobo • Walmart

"Book after book, Duvall brings her readers complex,
fascinating tales of romance, danger and loyalty."
—RT Book Reviews

"Fans of paranormal romance who haven't discovered
this series yet are really missing out on something
extraordinary."
—Long and Short Reviews

For centuries, Lisette d'Alençon has been a warrior against the dark. She fights alongside her brothers and comrades. But when the dreams start coming, she can't bear to confess them to the Immortal Guardians' command. Dreams of a dark-haired man with soft eyes and brutal wounds, a man her heart aches for—and a man she knows has been declared a traitor.

Zach is an exile, a loner. He won't defend himself against false accusations or grovel to those who should have faith in him. But he'll damn sure defend the woman who kept him sane against a plague of super-vamps that seems to have appeared from nowhere. The Guardians will blame him, and that will make Lisette suspect, too. With life, death and eternity on the line, who can they really trust? 

Excerpt

“Why are you doing this?”  Confusion colored Zach’s voice.

Lisette set the pasta down and gave him her full attention.  “Doing what?”

He hesitated.  “Helping me.  Being . . . kind to me.”

Why indeed?  She kept getting deeper and deeper and deeper into this . . . whatever this was.  “You saved my life.”

His lips tilted up in a faint smile that seemed to reflect cynicism, relief, and disappointment all at once.  “Ah.  You feel obligated.  I understand now.”

“Not obligated,” she corrected.  “Grateful.  And . . . ”

“And?” he prompted.

“Don’t you know?” she asked curiously.  “Haven’t you looked into my thoughts?”

“No.”

Interesting.  Seth and David seemed to lack any reservations when it came to reading the minds of their charges.  And, if she were honest, she and Étienne intruded on their friends’ thoughts far more often than they should.  One would think Zach, perhaps the antithesis of Seth, would possess even fewer scruples. 

Or did he lie?

Could he be testing her to see if she would tell him the truth?

Hell, what did she have to lose at this point?  

Crossing the kitchen, she stopped a foot away from Zach and tilted her head back to look up at him.

“Ask me again,” she ordered softly.

“Why are you doing this?” he murmured.

“Because I’m drawn to you, Zach.” 

His heart began to beat faster.  

As did hers.  “I’m drawn to you in a way that makes me want to risk everything just for the chance to know more of you.”

His eyes lit with a mild golden glow.  “Why?”

She gave her head a slow shake.  “I don’t know.  But I suspect . . . I hope . . . that it’s the same for you, that that’s why you came here—to me—when you were so badly injured and needed help.”

He raised one of his hands and, almost as though she were a bird he feared he might frighten away, captured a damp strand of hair that dangled in front of her ear, testing its texture with his fingers.  “I came to you because you were all I could think of while I was being tortured.”  He drew the lock closer to his face and breathed in the citrus scent of her shampoo.  “I came to you because you were all that enabled me to endure it.”

I am in so much trouble here, Lisette thought. 


My Giveaway



An autographed copy of Night Unbound along with an Immortal Guardians swag pack (2 postcards, 6 bookmarks, and 6 trading cards)


Details


The Fright Night Blog Hop runs from October 24, 2014, 12:00am EDT through October 31, 2014, 11:59pm EDT.  My giveaway is international.

Mandatory entry
Leave a comment on this post during the hop (please include your email address) and let me know what some of your favorite paranormal or spooky reads are.  :-)  Also mention extra entries.   

Extra entries
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  Share my giveaway on Twitter.

+1  Share my giveaway on Facebook.

Selecting a Winner
I will use random.org to choose my prize winner after verifying all entries and will announce it here by November 5th.  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.


Friday, October 17, 2014

Halloween Giveaways and Favorite Quote Friday #149

Happy Friday!  I missed posting last week.  A family emergency arose, so I had to drop offline for a bit and am just getting back into the swing of things.  Fantastic reviews continue to roll in for Night Unbound, Immortal Guardians Book 5.  Again thank you, everyone who has reviewed or rated it.  I appreciate it so much!  I'll see if I can't share some more snippets with you next week.

This week, inspired by the cooler temperatures ushered in by a cold front (Yay!), I thought I would focus on some Halloween Giveaways.  :-)

Kensington is giving away a Haunted House full of awesome treats plus 4 books:

Night Unbound, my latest release.  :-)
Beauty's Beast by Amanda Ashley
Eternal Flame by Cynthia Eden
The Real Werewives of Vampire County by Alexandra Ivy, Angie Fox, Jess Haines, and Tami Dane

You can get the details and enter HERE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm giving away some Immortal Guardians goodies myself for Halloween:  an Immortal Guardians canvas tote bag (perfect for stashing candy), an autographed copy of Phantom Shadows (Immortal Guardians Book 3) to read on spooky nights, and lots of Immortal Guardians swag!  You can enter HERE.

USA Today Bestseller
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Audible • iBooks • Kobo • Walmart

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  For today's selection, I've chosen a snippet from Night Unbound that features Zach and Lisette, the hero and heroine:
She met his golden gaze, saw the fierce emotion that lit his eyes, and . . . everything changed.  Everything.  
Framing his stubbled jaw in both hands, Lisette couldn’t find the words to express what she felt for him in that moment.  
He dipped his head.  Their lips touched.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne


Friday, October 3, 2014

Favorite Quote Friday #148

Happy Friday!  I've been writing like crazy on Immortal Guardians Book 6 and made exciting progress this week.  Book releases can take quite a bit of time away from writing, so it felt good to really get back into the swing of things.  I actually had some of the most productive writing days I've had since summer.  It was a great writing week.  :-)



I'm pleased to finally announce the winners of my Night Unbound Push Giveaway.  They are:

1st Prize — Kindle HD 7"
Rebecca Pringle

2nd Prize — $75 Kindle Gift Card
Krissy Holstein

3rd Prize — Immortal Guardians T-shirt, tote bag, book + swag
Kimberly Carmody

4th Prize — Immortal Guardians tote bag, book + swag
Juana Esparza

5th Prize — Darkness Rises Audiobook + swag
Lynn Wyman

Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to everyone who entered!  I've already started sending out packages for this and other recent giveaways and will get more in the mail next week.  :-)


Speaking of which . . .



To celebrate Night Unbound's hitting the USA Today Bestseller list and accruing over 100 5-star reviews on Amazon the first month of its release, I'm giving away an autographed copy of Darkness Dawns + Immortal Guardians swag over at Fresh Fiction.  Enter to win and see how the series began!  You can do so HERE.


A USA Today Bestseller
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Audible • iBooks • Kobo • Walmart

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Since I've been diligently working on Immortal Guardians Book 6 (Ethan's book), I thought I would choose for today's selection a quote from Night Unbound that features Ethan and Lisette (heroine of Night Unbound):
He glanced up at her, his expression sheepish.  “I’m a little squeamish around needles.”
She stared at him.  “Seriously?” 
“Yes.” 
“You slice and dice and decapitate vampires every night.” 
“And you’ll notice that I don’t try to sew them back together again afterward.” 
I'm so glad Ethan is going to find his own HEA.  :-)

 Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

Dianne