Favorite Quote Friday #110

Happy Holidays!  I hope you're enjoying the holiday season.  I am loving the cool weather that has finally reached us!  There's just nothing quite like curling up in front of a fire with a good book on a chilly day.  :-)    

I'm celebrating both the holidays and Darkness Rises' nomination for the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance with contests at Fresh Fiction.

 

You can enter to WIN a signed copy of Phantom Shadows + lots of Immortal Guardians swag HERE.  This contest only lasts through November 30th.

 

You can also enter to WIN a signed copy of Phantom Shadows + an Immortal Guardians tote bag (in which you can carry all of your holiday goodies), an Immortal Guardians pen, a Darkness Rises keychain, a magnet, and lots of other swag HERE.  This contest lasts through December 16th.

RT Reviewers' Choice Award for
Best Vampire Romance Nominee

Amazon • Kindle • Barnes and Noble • Nook

iBooks • Kobo • Audible • Walmart

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Seth has been on my mind a lot lately as I work on Night Unbound, Book 5 in my Immortal Guardians series, because he plays a substantial role in it.  So, for today's selection, I chose a quote from Darkness Rises that features Seth (the eldest immortal), David (the 2nd eldest), and Chris Reordon (the human who runs the East Coast division of the human network that aids immortals):

“I don’t know anything about that,” Seth murmured.  “I don’t have time to explore crap on the internet.”

David nodded.  “And I’d rather read a good book when I find a few free minutes.”

“Admit it,” Chris said.  “You’re both just a couple of old farts who are technologically challenged.”

“True.”

“Admitted without shame.”

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne

Favorite Quote Friday #109

Happy Friday!  I hope you had a great week!

I've been working on Night Unbound and haven't been spending as much time online lately.  (I'm loving Zach and Lisette together.)  :-)  But I do have some news to share.

Darkness Rises is up for November Cover of the Month at You Gotta Reads Reviews!  :-)  Voting began yesterday and concludes on November 27th.  If you'd like to cast your vote, you can do so HERE.

Amazon • Kindle • Barnes & Noble • Nook
iBooks • Kobo • Audible • Walmart

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  For today's selection, I thought I would give you another peek into the pages of Darkness Rises, the fourth book in my Immortal Guardians series (and an RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance Nominee).  The following conversation takes place between Krysta, the heroine, and Étienne, the hero:

"Say something else in French," she requested.

A series of lilting indecipherable words flowed smoothly from his tongue.

"What did you say?" she asked curiously.

"Something I can't repeat without you either blushing furiously or striking me."

"Was it naughty?" she asked with a smile.

He smile turned wicked.  "Very naughty."

Have a fantastic weekend!

Dianne

Favorite Quote Friday #108

Happy Friday!  I have exciting news to share.

Darkness Rises, the fourth book in my Immortal Guardians series, has been nominated for the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance!  Woohoo!!!  You can find a list of all the nominees HERE.

And, if you haven't picked up a copy yet, Darkness Rises is still on sale for $3.99 — that's 50% off! — on Kindle.  Again, I don't know how long this will last, so I hope you'll take advantage!  It's $4.99 — 28% off — on Nook.  :-)

Thank you, everyone who entered my big Darkness Rises Release Giveaway!  Random.org selected the winners for me, and I notified them all this week.  They are:

1st Prize

Kindle Fire HD 7"

Anna-Marie B.

2nd Prize

$75 Kindle Gift Card

Deborah A.

3rd Prize

Immortal Guardians T-shirt + swag

Shenean R.

4th Prize

Immortal Guardians T-shirt + swag

Caitlin B.

5th Prize

Immortal Guardians Tote Bag + swag

Shelbie K.

6th Prize

Immortal Guardians Tote Bag + swag

Amie S.

7th Prize

Immortal Guardians Tote Bag + swag

Melanie T.

8th Prize

Mega Swag Pack

Rachel B.

9th Prize

Mega Swag Pack

Sandra S.

10th Prize

Mega Swag Pack

Asra M.

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  For today's selection, I've chosen a quote from Darkness Rises that is spoken by the heroine's brother:

“Are you saying the vampire in the alley who was dressed like Johnny Cash killed him?”

~ Sean ~

For those of you who have no idea who Johnny Cash was, here's one of his album covers:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne

Favorite Quote Friday #107

Happy Friday!  How was your week?  I've been getting prize packages together and mailing them off to winners now that my Darkness Rises Blog Tour has wrapped.

Packages from this latest batch are en route to several states here in the U.S., as well as Australia, the UK, Portugal, Indonesia, and Sweden and contain prizes ranging from a book and swag to an Immortal Guardians tote bag.  :-)

Look what arrived!  Woohoo!

My author copies of both the paperback and the audiobook.

I need to spend less time online for a bit so I can get more writing done on Night Unbound (Book 5).  But, once I'm happy with the progress I'm making, I'll have to give away some copies in contests.  :-)

Speaking of contests . . .  Thank you, everyone who joined me for the Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop!  The winner of a signed copy of Darkness Rises + Immortal Guardians swag is:

Cherry!

Congratulations!

I've already emailed her.  ;-)

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Today I thought I would give you another peek into the pages of Darkness Rises.  This time, however, I thought I'd let you see a little bit of what Sarah and Roland are up to in it.  For those who are new to my Immortal Guardians series, Roland (a notoriously antisocial immortal) and Sarah were the hero and heroine of Darkness Dawns, Book 1.  The two of them play a rather interesting role in Darkness Rises, Book 4.  ;-)  

Sarah stood sentinel beside her husband and frowned at their audience.  “You see?  I told you he has a big heart.  He’s been watching over them all this time.”

“Keeping track isn’t the same as watching over them,” Roland murmured.

Sarah elbowed him.  “Give me my moment, honey.  I’m defending you.”

I love these two together.  ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne

Favorite Quote Friday #106

Happy Friday!  How was your Halloween?  It was pretty quiet around here because of the rain, but I still enjoyed my annual Halloween movie marathon.  :-)  I know some areas had to postpone trick or treating and other festivities because of the storm working its way across the country.  So, if you're celebrating tonight, have fun!

If you haven't grabbed a copy of Darkness Rises yet, I wanted to pass along that it's currently on sale on Kindle and Nook for just $3.99.  (That's 50% off!)  I don't know how long the sale will last, so pick up a copy today!

Darkness Rises is up for Mainstream Book of the Month at Long and Short Reviews.  If you'd like to vote, you can do so today and tomorrow HERE.  (Voting ends at midnight on Saturday, November 2nd.)

Sean (Krysta's brother) from Darkness Rises is being interviewed by Sheldon over at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs.  Drop by to see if they can make it through the interview without Étienne and Krysta (the hero and heroine) interrupting.  ;-)  And, while you're there, enter to win a signed copy of Darkness Rises + swag.

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Since Sheldon is interviewing Sean, I thought I'd give you a Sheldon quote from Darkness Rises.  For those who aren't familiar with my Immortal Guardians series.  Étienne, the hero, is a telepathic immortal who spends his nights hunting and killing psychotic vampires.  Sheldon is the Second (human guard) of Étienne's brother.

"Dude," Sheldon said over the racket, "stay out of my head.  You startled me so badly I nearly shot myself in the foot."

:-)  Have a great weekend!

Dianne

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.

Favorite Quote Friday #105

Happy Friday!  What a beautiful week!  Cooler, dry air finally rolled in and rid us of the sweltering heat and sticky humidity that has plagued us for months, so I was able to open the windows and enjoy a nice breeze while I was blog touring.  :-)

If you missed them, here are the stops I made this week:

October 21, 2013 — The Bookish Babe

October 22, 2013 — Proserpine Craving Books

October 23, 2013 — Close Encounters With the Night Kind

October 24, 2013 — Lindsay Avalon

You can enter to win a signed book and swag at each stop.  The full tour schedule can be found HERE.

Reviews for Darkness Rises continue to roll in, each one a thrill.  :-)  Here are some snippets from some of the latest:

"This is a thrill ride from beginning to end and not to be missed. The novel is rich with story, plot, drama and strong characterizations. In fact, there are so many more juicy details in this book that I could not fit them all into this tiny review. Darkness Rises meets all my ‘must haves’ of an awesome read. It has a wonderful and fulfilling HEA that was top notch. Not only that, but there is a huge surprise at the end. Not just for a reader but for Krysta and Étienne as well. It made me laugh out loud and I wanted to high five Ms. Duval for writing such a clever and cute scene. It made the happy ever after extra special and had me turning the last page with a huge grin on my face. I am wowed."

— Long and Short Reviews

Audiobook Review

"I am totally in love with Dianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardians. They are all so dreamy and kick a$$. Darkness Rises is an amazing book.

 —Books-n-Kisses

"Fans of action-packed, smoking hot paranormal romance wrapped in suspense will love Darkness Rises and the Immortal Guardians series. I snagged a copy of Darkness Dawns book one in the series and will be working my way through them in anticipation of book five, since I cannot wait to see what happens next."

— Caffeinated Book Reviewer

A-

"This is book 4 in Duvall’s series and I gobbled it up the minute I got it loaded on my Kindle . . . Fast paced, lots of action and a fair about of humor I will impatiently wait for next year’s release of book 5!"
— Smexy Books

There's only one week left to enter my big Darkness Rises Release Giveaway!  

1st Prize
Kindle Fire HD 7"
2nd Prize
Kindle (or $75 Gift Card)
3rd and 4th Prizes
Immortal Guardians T-shirt, keychain, magnet, and swag
5th, 6th, and 7th Prizes
Immortal Guardians tote bag, keychain,pen, magnet, and swag
8th, 9th, and 10th Prizes
Immortal Guardians Mega-swag Pack

For more details, visit my website.

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Today's selection is a quote from Darkness Rises in which Sean, the heroine's brother, is talking to her about Étienne (the hero):

“What makes you think you’ll see him again?”

“Oh, I’ll see him again.  He left me alive for a reason.  And I’m going to kick his ass until he tells me what it is.”

:-)  Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne