Christmas Eve Giveaway: No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I received No Mercy for review but unfortunately I am so backlogged I have notgotten around to reading it yet.

I glanced through it and it sounds fascianting, especially since it takes place (at least partially) in New Orleans. I love to read books set in New Orleans, always have.

I blame my tween and teen obsession with Anne Rice books for my love of New Orleans.

Anyway back to No Mercy.

I've read a couple Sherrilyn Kenyon books and stories but not any in this series so after glancing through it I felt a little lost- like I needed the backstory or at least the cliff notes. So I put the book aside and never got back to it.

Probably my loss.

But today it is your gain.

I figure I would offer all my readers out there a little Christmas present- the chance to win this spiffy hardcover copy of No Mercy.

Here's the blurb for the book:

Live fast, fight hard and if you have to die then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she’s ever faced before.

Shapeshifter Dev Peltier has stood guard at the front of Sanctuary for almost two hundred years and in that time, he’s seen it all. Or so he thought. Now their enemies have discovered a new source of power- one that makes a mockery of anything faced to date.

The war is on and Dev and Sam are guarding ground zero. But in order to win, they will have to break the most cardinal of all rules and pray it doesn’t unravel the universe as we know it.

Would you like to win No Mercy?

Leave a comment on this post with email address

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Winner TBA Next Wednesday

Fang-tastic Guest Blog and Holiday Giveaway with Heidi Betts

“Vampires probably aren’t that big on Christmas, now that I think about it.”

“Not as a rule.”

~Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yes, it’s true. Vampires and Christmas—they go together like…well, vampires and Christmas. LOL

When it came to THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, I definitely didn’t make things easy on myself. Do vampires even celebrate Christmas, you’ve got to be wondering?

Well, the idea actually came about after a chat with the late Kate Duffy, who ran the Brava line for Kensington Publishing. It got me thinking, “What if vampires do celebrate Christmas? They’ve been around for a lot of years, right? So what if they’re even more sentimental about holiday traditions than the rest of us?” They certainly have a lot more memories and customs to build on!

That’s pretty much how the first novella in THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS came about. In “All I Vant for Christmas,” all Connor Drake wants is a nice, homey, traditional holiday.

Unfortunately, his rebellious siblings are having none of it. Enter Jillian Park, an event coordinator sent by Connor’s matchmaking friend, Angelina, to help him celebrate the holidays right—with or without the cooperation of his brother and sister.

For the second story in the collection, I have to admit I just really liked the title “A Vampire in her Stocking.” *snicker* But then I had to come up with a way to get one there. So I created Vivian Harrison, a female vamp who’s been in love with her mortal boss for as long as she can remember. But poor Sean turns out to be sick. Very, very sick. Once again riding to the matchmaking rescue, Angelina Ricci decides to do what a vampire has to do—she turns Sean and leaves him as an early Christmas gift for Vivian…complete with bright red bow.

Last but not least, how could I not put a spin on the much-beloved It’s a Wonderful Life concept of “What if I’d never been born?” Of course, in this case, it had to be “What if I’d never become a vampire?” In “It’s a Wonderful Bite,” Angelina gets her own shot at happily forever after—and I do mean forever—but not before going through the hell of seeing what life would be like if she and her long-time love, Ian, had never been turned in the first place. Let’s just say she gains a newfound respect for her fangs and immortality. ;-)

So that’s the run-down on my fun & sexy holiday vampire collection, which did indeed just come out from Kensington Brava. I’d love to answer any questions you have about THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and chat with those of you who have hopefully already read it! (Hmm, that doesn’t sound quite right. I’ll chat with and answer questions from everybody, whether you’ve read the book yet or not. I’m just hoping a lot of you have read it already. ;-))

In addition, I’d like to invite everyone to enter the “Blood Good Holiday Giveaway” going on now at HeidiBetts.com.

It’s chock-full of fabulous Christmas and vampire goodies (photo above also a photo and list available on the Newsletter page of my site) and the only thing you have to do to enter is sign up for my Newsletter. (And stay subscribed, of course. ;-) But I’m not a pest, I swear!)



And finally, at the end of my visit today, I would like to reward one fabulous and enthusiastic reader with an autographed copy of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, as well as a handful of very cool vampire goodies—(see photo abobe) glow-in-the-dark fangs, a vampire fangs whistle, and a tiny vial of Vampire Blood (which, surprisingly, can also be used as anti-bacterial gel ;-)).

If you haven’t yet read THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS or haven’t yet read me, all the better—I love dragging new victims over to The Dark Side. *vbg* And, yes, we do have cookies—especially at this time of year. (You don’t mind if the gingerbread men are anatomically correct, do you?)

Heidi Betts
Sexy. Sassy. Sensational.
Romance at its best!


HeidiBetts.com
HeidiBetts.com/WIPSandChains

Oh, and here are a few bonus questions from me to you: (why should I be the only one in the hot seat, right?)

#1 – What’s your favorite vampire movie or TV show? (And don’t automatically pick Moonlight just because it’s more recent and Alex O’Loughlin is sexy hot. :-p)

#2 – Who is your favorite fictional vampire? (Extra special bonus points if you name one of the sexy heroes from THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. ;-))

#3 – Have you succumbed to Stephenie Meyer’s all-hypnotizing powers and become a rabid Twilight fan, or are you hanging on to your sanity & sticking with the sexier, more masculine examples of vampire-ness like Angel or Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer? (Okay, that was a little mean. Sorry, I have a strong aversion to teenage vampire angst. But if you’re a Twilight fan and proud of it, I promise not to stake you. Or ask you if you’re a member of Team Edward or Team Jacob…but mostly because I just don’t care. :-P)

#4 – Of the three vampire heroes in THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, who would you most like to settle down & nibble on?

#5 – Of the three heroines in THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, who would you most like to be?

To enter to win Heidi's Bite Before Christmas prize pack leave a comment on this post- please answer one of the questions above

Be sure to include your email address

Open to US Shipping Only

Winner TBA Next Wednesday

+2 Entries for being a Fang-tastic GFC Follower

Adrian Phoenix's Holiday Giveaway

In honor of the holidays Adrian Phoenix has kindly offered to giveaway 2 wonderful book prize packs.


The grand prize giveaway is a signed set of the first three books in the Maker's Song series:

A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, and Beneath the Skin

The second place winner will receive: a signed copy of

Black Dust Mambo (book one in the Hoodoo series).

Want to Win?

Contest Open to International Shipping

2 Winners will be chosen

To enter leave a comment on this post include your email address

+2 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books GFC Follower

+2 entries for being a Fang-tastic Facebook Fan

+2 entries for following me on twitter

A winner will be announced Wed Dec 15

The 4th Maker's Song book, Etched in Bone, will be released February 22, 2011 and the 2nd Hoodoo book, Black Heart Loa, will be out in July 2011.

Guest Blog & Holiday Giveaway with Selena Kitt

I’ve always been a paranormal fan – back when the word “paranormal” didn’t exist in the common vernacular and it was commonly called “horror.” Really, it’s true. Way back when, everything that had to do with, say, vampires, werewolves or shapeshifters was lumped under the umbrella of “horror.” Even when there was romance involved. Or sex. They started separating out the sexy horror by calling it “erotic horror.” And then, of course, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight came along, and the “paranormal romance” market exploded.

When vampires and werewolves and shapeshifters started embracing their sexiness (which really began even further back that Twilight in Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire series) it was hard to put them in the “horror” category anymore. They became a whole new animal. (Sometimes literally!) And they definitely earned their new status.

But I have to admit, I’m an old fashioned girl. I love all things supernatural (and I will admit to having read the Twilight series :) but I come from the background of reading Stephen King and Clive Barker, where things that go bump in the night aren’t just doing it horizontally, if you know what I mean. Which means that my fiction often has paranormal elements that don’t always involve romance, and I think that surprises a lot of readers of “paranormal” these days, who seem to expect lots of romance with their fantastical creatures.

The good news for the usual paranormal reader nowadays is – I do still write some paranormals that involve a happily ever after. Core Deep is one of those.

BLURB: Scientists Mary and Finn are left alone near the Christmas holiday to finish their research—pulling ice cores at the top of the earth. The isolation of the Arctic makes their already irresistible attraction to one another grow even greater, but a profound discovery in the ice serves to melt both their hearts.

EXCERPT:

"It's everything and nothing all at once." She reached out, opened his fist, and put the test tube in it. He looked down at their hands, and then back at her, his eyes searching. "It's an infinite source. What else, Finn? What else could it be?"

He opened his mouth to deny it, she knew him well enough to know, but she pressed her fingertips to his lips, shaking her head. "Don't think. Just feel. Hold it in your hand and feel it."

It was an incredibly unscientific request, but he swallowed and did as she asked. Shaking his head, looking pained, she knew he was struggling with the part of him that required facts, proof. He had them now in his very hand, and still his mind wanted to deny it. She searched his face as he opened his eyes and knew which part of him had won.

"It's everything. It's nothing." His voice actually trembled and she nodded, silently agreeing.

"It's limitless power. For good or evil, that's what this means."

The idea was thrilling, beyond words, and she naively mused aloud for a moment. "In the right hands..."

Finn shook his head, his eyes flashing. "In the wrong ones..."

The endless possibility of that thought hung there between them. Mary closed her eyes with the weight of it, leaning her head back against the wall. She felt like crying, laughing, screaming. It was in her, everything at once, almost too much to bear.

"Are you okay?" His hand was warm on her forehead and she wanted to turn her face to it, encourage him to touch her, to bridge the gap. "Fever?"

"No." She opened her eyes, watching his hand fall to his lap. "Just...it's..." She shrugged, unable to say, but he nodded.

"I know."

This time it was her voice that trembled when she asked, "What are we going to do?"

Finn closed his eyes again, pursed his lips, that pained look briefly crossing his face for a moment before he looked at her and said, "The right thing."

The right thing.

Mary reached for the test tube, meaning to take it from him, set it aside, but he caught her hand, turning it over. She thought he was going to place the substance there, but instead he lifted her palm and kissed it, his breath hot against the sensitive inside of her wrist, his lips impossibly soft.
She stared at him in wonder, daring to ask, "So, just what is the right thing, Finn?"

"Right now?" His eyes searched hers, looking for an answer that had always been there. "Right now, it's this."

There was no resistance in her. She let him lean in and capture her mouth, press her back and then down onto the cot, welcoming the weight of him. She heard the faint "tink" of the test tube hitting the floor and then rolling as they came together on the small confines of her little bed, mouths slanting, tongues seeking heat.

And here’s the good news for you – happy holidays!

I’m giving away three of my holiday paranormals – Core Deep, Gingerbread Man and Advent Calendar. Core Deep is definitely a romance – while Gingerbread Man and Advent Calendar fall into a less-romantic paranormal category, but I think they’re just as interesting and compelling. But you be the judge!

Just leave a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win ALL THREE (the latter two aren’t even for sale yet – lucky you!)

And because I’m feeling that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling, I’m also giving away my (non-paranormal) holiday story: Christmas Stalking.

All you need to do to win a copy is to advertise my newsletter contest (and while you’re there, enter to win it!) Once you’ve Facebooked or Twittered (or whatevered! :) it – fill out this form and let me know, and you’ll be entered to win both the Christmas Stalking contest and my Newsletter Contest!