Winners

I never heard back from the winner of the Jessica Sorensen giveaway, so a new number was picked by the random number generator. The new winner is Krystal Larson!! Congrats! Please contact me for details about receiving your books. (My email is in the sidebar).

I also have the winners of the Nichole Chase giveaway. Congrats to Jackie B and librarypat!! Please email me for details about receiving your digital copy of the book.

Big hugs and thanks to both Nichole Chase & Jessica Sorensen for spending time with us here at SVR and for supplying the books for the giveaways. Thank you also to my awesome readers, both old and new. I love reading your answers to the questions in the giveaways and always enjoy your comments and feedback on my other posts. I am sending you all virtual chocolate for being so great! 😀

Michelle Hauf – Guest Blog & Giveaway

  Today we are happy to have Paranormal Romance author Michele Hauf here with us to celebrate the release of A Vampire For Christmas, an anthology in which her story Monsters Don’t Do Christmas is featured! Alongside Michele’s story, there are also stories by Alexis Morgan, Laurie London and Caridad Pineiro, so this is one HOT paranormal anthology you won’t want to miss! Here’s the book info.

• Mass Market Paperback:384 pages
• Publisher:HQN Books; Original edition (Oct 18 2011)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:0373776446
• ISBN-13: 978-0373776443

Book Description:

“All they want for Christmas is you…

It’s the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.

And they don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice.

Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there’s no place like home for the holidays, and these dazzling vampires can’t wait for an invitation.”

See what I mean? Definitely a book to err… keep you warm for the holidays! 😉 Michele has written up a guest blog to tell us about the two books she has out this month. There’s also a giveaway at the end of the post! So I’ll pass the reins over to Michele for a bit.

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What a busy month!  With Halloween just around the corner, as an author, it’s kind of a thrill to have a vampire book out this month.  But I happen to have two books out this month, which is a strangely cool abundance of vampy delight.  Both are novellas featured in anthologies with three other authors.  The first, Monsters Don’t Do Christmas, is in A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS.  I know, a bit early, right?  But it’s never too early to start dreaming about what you’d like in your Xmas stocking, and if it has fangs all the better, yes?  This story introduces two new characters to my Beautiful Creatures world, the hero being a newly-turned vampire who is still struggling with the whole ‘monster-ness’ of what he’s become. 

The second story, Cruel Enchantment, is in CRAVE THE NIGHT, and isn’t holiday themed, but rather most of the stories are set in the authors’ current world.  Mine features Revin Parker and Sabrina Kriss, who appeared in Her Vampire Husband.  I’ve been wanting to write a little more on Bree for a long time, and knew she would eventually get together with Rev, but that it wouldn’t be easy for either of them.  Bree is a faery, and if you’ve read books in my world, you know faeries and vampires don’t really make for the best match, seeing as faery dust is addictive to vampires.  But can you become addicted to a person?  I think it’s possible, and so, explored that as well.

If you’re new to my world, you can pick up any book and read it, and it stands alone.  You don’t have to read one book before another to understand what is going on.  And if you like a character and want to find out if they show up in other stories, stop by Club Scarlet for all the details and terms from the Beautiful Creatures world.

So tell me, are you wishing for that vampire in your stocking?  Or maybe you prefer something a little more wolfish? 😉

Michele

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  Thanks Michele!! 🙂

Giveaway Details:

Michele Hauf has been gracious enough to supply a copy of her book, A Vampire For Christmas to one of my lucky readers! Contest is open to Everyone. I’m not sure if Michele will be popping by to respond to comments or questions as she’s a super busy lady, but if you have any, I’ll be sure to pass them on.

Question: So tell me, are you wishing for that vampire in your stocking?  Or maybe you prefer something a little more wolfish? Tell us which is your preference and why.

For one entry: Please leave a comment with the answer to the question.  (+1 entry)

For extra entries:

I’m going to streamline this, so for each follow on twitter, facebook, goodreads or subscription to my blog, you can add an extra entry but be sure to let me know in your comment along with your username at each of them.

If you tweet about this contest, post it on facebook or post about it in your blog, for each link you provide, you get an extra entry. Please post all your links and/or info into one comment if you can.

• Contest is open to Everyone and will run through November 7th until 11:59pm. The winners will be posted here on November 8th.
• Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won, but please post it like wilmaflinstone(at)boomshakalaka(dot)com so you don’t get any spam. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen on www.random.org  by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone!

B. Jane Lawson – Guest Post & Giveaway

 

Today we have the pleasure of having debut Paranormal Romance author, B. Jane Lawson here with us at SVR to celebrate the release of her book, To The Cliffside – A Morganna Cork Novel!  She’s written up a guest post about who she thinks are some of the best written supporting characters in paranormal romance today. That’s an interesting topic! I always see lots of conversations online about main characters, so it’s great to see someone showing some love to the ever important supporting characters too. There’s also a giveaway with details listed at the end of the guest blog. Let’s give B. Jane a warm welcome. 🙂

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Supporting characters can add a comedic, or horrific element to a book.  They are the perfect tool to draw someone out of their frame and force an action they may have otherwise been incapable of completing.  They can make worlds created by an author seem all too real.  So I’ve decided to list my favorite supporting characters from paranormal romance / urban fantasy novels.  They are my favorite because of their ability to act as a lever in the plot line as well as their unique, inimitable presence in their respective novels.

 1. Dani O’Malley. The Fever Series. Dani is a dynamo; she’s powerful and seen way more than she should at her young age. That’s because the Fae have taken over most of the world and killed a third of the population.   She’s got super-speed and skill well beyond her years. She reminds me of the little girl that is inside of us no matter how old we get.   Dani endears herself to MacKayla and ***semi spoiler alert*** the perfect plot twist surrounding her is the only reasonable character who can make us question the existence of shades of grey. I was very excited to learn Karen Marie Moning’s next book will be based around Dani.

 2. Sam Merlotte. Dead Until Dark.  Sam is the boss and friend we wish we all had. I’ve always been rooting for him to end up with Sookie (novel Sam, not HBO Sam).  He’s sweet and friendly and Merlotte’s is the perfect southern setting.   Sam is as steady as a rock in a Bon Temps where magical mayhem rules the day.

 3. Sebastian Vioget. The Rest Falls Away, The Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Sebastian is your consummate s***-starter and I love it.  He’s seductive,
handsome and of questionable integrity.  Nothing draws out a male lead better than someone as threatening as a Sebastian and his antics with Victoria are sizzling.

 4. Bump. Unholy Ghosts, Downside Ghosts Series.  Bump is a pimp, a drug dealer and gang leader.  He’s also incredibly tacky.  He’s the only one who holds the leash to the almighty Terrible, the most unlikely, but, to date, the most captivating imperfect hero I’ve read about.  Bump is the perfect pressure point in the book – what he wants to happen, happens.  Or else.  So, while Terrible may be trying to avoid Chess, Bump is the only character with power to overule that desire.

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 Thanks B. Jane! 😀

Giveaway Details:

B. Jane Lawson has been gracious enough to supply two digital copies of her book, To The Cliffside for a couple of my lucky readers! Contest is open to Everyone.  I believe that B. Jane will be popping by to respond to comments or questions as she’s able, so feel free to ask her questions as well.

Question: Who are some of your favorite supporting characters in paranormal romance or urban fantasy and why?

For one entry: Please leave a comment with the answer to the question.  (+1 entry)

For extra entries:

I’m going to streamline this, so for each follow on twitter, facebook, goodreads or subscription to my blog, you can add an extra entry but be sure to let me know in your comment along with your username at each of them.

If you tweet about this contest, post it on facebook or post about it in your blog, for each link you provide, you get an extra entry.

• Contest is open to Everyone and will run through November 2nd until 11:59pm. The winners will be posted here on November 3rd.
• Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won, but please post it like wilmaflinstone(at)boomshakalaka(dot)com so you don’t get any spam. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen on www.random.org  by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone!

Teaser Tuesday

I am well into my third week of slogging through the flu that never ends and am feeling like it really will never end! LOL They just opened the flu clinics here yesterday. Where were they 4 weeks ago when I needed them? Yesterday was also round 4 or 5 of my bi-weekly dentist visits to get some much needed work done and it just knocked me on my butt yesterday with a brutal migraine. Fun stuff I tell ya. But, to cheer myself up, I have been watching the new The Avengers trailer and thought I would share it with you all too. 🙂 Observe the awesomeness that is coming in May!

Tori Reviews – Blood Calling

Blood Calling by Joshua Grover – David Patterson

• Format:Kindle Edition
• File Size:394 KB
• Sold by:Amazon Digital Services
• Language:English
• ASIN: B005MGBD4E
• Genre: Paranormal

Book Description:

“When Lucy Leary turned 18, her life fell apart.  She crashed her car, her best friend abandoned her, her parents divorced, and her grandfather passed away, leaving her a single possession: A vampire slaying kit with a note that said, “THEY’RE REAL.  FIGHT THEM.”

Now Lucy must stop the oldest, most dangerous vampire in history, before it can kill her family.”

My Thoughts:

I found this book very interesting.  I love how the author portrays the vampires in this book. Instead of portraying them as the blood thirsty demons that are out to kill everyone, he portrays them as vampires trying to take the pain away from someone who is dying.  There were still some bad vamps in the book that just killed whoever they wanted to.

I love all the characters in the book, especially Lucy, who I thought was a very strong character.  Her home life was difficult and she just didn’t seem to fit in at school.  You could also tell how much she loved her grandfather and when she finds the kit to kill vampires, she pursues the truth despite the danger and warnings.

I also loved Washington and Emma.  I thought the author could have made both characters a lot stronger than they were portrayed, especially Washington but  I really liked his character.  I loved the chemistry that he and Lucy shared.  I wish the author would have pursued that a lot more than he did.  I felt that he loved her, especially when he chose to change her to save her life.  Washington was very protective of her I thought.  I thought the author didn’t bring out those emotions enough to the reader.

Emma was also an interesting character but I though she could have been a lot stronger too.  She seemed like she was very hard on Lucy at the beginning but then her attitude changed towards her.

I feel like the author could’ve had more emotion and bonding between the characters than what he did.  I just felt like that was missing from the book.  I like Lucy telling the tale from her point of view.  It made the story feel real and believable.  I did enjoy the story and I loved reading the book.  I found it most enjoyable.  I would like to see the author write other books but put more emotion into them.

Tori

   

Find out more about Joshua Grover – David Patterson at his Blog!

Buy a copy of Blood Calling at:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

 

Jessica Sorensen Giveaway Winner

I know you’re all dying to find out who won the copies of Jessica Sorensen’s The Fallen Star and The Underworld, so I won’t torture you and make you wait, lol..  Random.org gave me #9, so the winner is Melissa Perea!!! 😀 Congrats! Please email me for details.

As always, many thanks to both Jessica Sorensen for coming by and for the giveaway copies of her books, and to all the wonderful readers & followers who commented. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be chosen from the eligible entries.

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I’m still pretty much down & out with this never-ending flu. 😦 I have a few reviews and a guest blog lined up for tomorrow and next week, so bear with my lolly-gagging about because I am just slogging through my flu infested life right now.

Cool New Blog & Site

I’ve just been made aware of a really great blog and site for book lovers that I thought I’d share with you all. It’s called Gone Reading and they sell some really nice products for us book-a-holics while donating… well, they tell it better than I can, so I’ll quote from their site!

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“Our Cause

Gone Reading Int’l founder Brad Wirz and his wife Eileen (bottom left) meet READ Global’s team in Kathmandu, Nepal.

 

Dear Fellow Book Lovers:

If you’re like me, you just can’t imagine living in a world without reading. Unfortunately, for almost a billion people today, that’s exactly where they find themselves. There are countless villages, towns and vast regions of this planet where the power of reading has yet to shine its light.

Gone Reading International, LLC was founded to bring the magic effect of reading to places where it doesn’t exist.  We believe that when people have open access to great reading materials, life always changes for the better.  By turning non-readers into book lovers, entire villages, communities and their citizens achieve unprecedented levels of self-sufficiency.

That’s why Gone Reading International uses all year-end profits to fund new reading libraries and other literacy projects in the developing world.  By purchasing our gifts for readers and book lovers, you’re changing the world while treating yourself and the bibliophiles in your life to a great gift.

We’re working with great non-profits such as READ Global and Ethiopia Reads, amazing organizations with proven models, long track records, and dedicated teams on the ground.  Such groups partner with local villages and communities in the most underdeveloped parts of the world to effect real change.  Our goal is to provide significant financial assistance to such organizations, allowing them to achieve greater scale and impact.

We invite you to join the GoneReading family by making a purchase of our gifts for readers, and equally important, sharing our story with the book lovers, bibliophiles and readers in your life!

To follow our story I encourage you to subscribe to The Gone Reading Blog.

Happy Reading!

Bradley S. Wirz
Founder & CEO
Gone Reading International, LLC”

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Mortal Obligation – Spotlight & Review

Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase

• Format:Kindle Edition
• File Size:792 KB
• Sold by:Amazon Digital Services
• Language:English
• ASIN: B005F9YGN8
• Genre: YA, Paranormal

Book Description:

“Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.

Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the
untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows.

A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness.

Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy.”

My Thoughts:

I quite enjoyed this book and I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the trilogy! An interesting take on Gods, Immortals, supernatural powers and vampires. Ree, Payden and their circle of friends embark on a roller-coaster ride of a journey in discovering who they are, what they can do and what they could very likely have to do to save the world as they know it. I really liked the characters, the plot, the pacing, the dialogue came naturally and the paranormal twists were great! The little bit of a romantic triangle between Ree, Payden and Roland is really intriguing and I can’t wait to see what comes of it. Nichole Chase is a terrific new author with lots of potential.

The only things I can think of that could have made the story even better for me was that there could have been just the tiniest bit more in the “fleshing out” of the characters, and a tiny bit more written about the characters’ reactions and ramifications of the huge changes in their lives. It could be that the author has spread this information throughout the three book arc and I’ll be eating crow if that’s the case, lol. The second book is titled Mortal Defiance and I’m not clear on the release date right now, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Nichole’s blog for updates. 🙂

     

Find out more about Nichole Chase and what she’s working on at her website & her blog!

Buy a copy of Mortal Obligation at:

Barnes & Noble paperback or nook

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

The Book Depository

Smashwords

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Turkey Day! I hope that you are all able to celebrate with loved ones and enjoy a good meal!

I would like to give thanks for technology, because without it I wouldn’t be able to have this blog to share with you all my love of reading and to connect with other book lovers who love to read the same kinds of books that I do. I also give thanks to technology because with the running of my blog I get to connect with some really amazing authors whom I get the opportunity to get to know a bit better, which for me is still really, really cool.

🙂

Whirl Winner

Sorry I’m a couple of days late getting the winner posted. The Flu bug has me in its control and I am doing battle in my sleep. www.random.org gave me #2, so a big Woot Woot for Donna @ The Happy Booker!! You’ve won the digital copy of Whirl by Emma Raveling. 🙂 Please email me for details about how to receive your copy.

Thank you to Emma Raveling for spending time with us at SVR and for supplying the giveaway prize.

P.S.

I know I’m also running behind in getting the new releases posted, as usual, lol. I’ll have them up for October & November in the next day or two.