Lori Devoti's Blog, page 12

April Winner and May Contest!

Kim Giardina is this month’s winner! Kim won a copy of Vampire Vendetta by Alexis Morgan and a fun vampire Pez!

For a chance to win these upcoming prizes, make sure you sign up for my newsletter or update your listing for my newsletter. You can use the form in the sidebar or  visit the Contest Page for all the details.

May Contest

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

June Contest

Autographed copy of The Naked Marquis by Sally MacKenzie

If you are looking for other contests to enter, check out Contest Girl.

March Contest Winner Announced, New Prizes!

First, apologies for getting to this so late in the month! Spring break got in my way a bit. I was also busy finishing up Cut Loose, book 2 in the Dusty Deals Mystery series which is available now at Barnes & Noble. (Coming to other outlets in May.)

And now for the winner! Drum roll… Angela Bartlett!

For a chance to win these upcoming prizes, make sure you sign up for my newsletter or update your listing for my newsletter. You can use the form in the sidebar or  visit the Contest Page for all the details.

May Contest

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

June Contest

Autographed copy of The Naked Marquis by Sally MacKenzie

Top Pick for The Witch Thief from Romantic Times Magazine!

It's only a couple of weeks now until the 6th book in the Unbound series hits stores. It is a May release but will actually be out mid-April.

The good news– aside from that– is that The Witch Thief got a Top Pick from Romantic Times Magazine!

TOP PICK, Romantic Times Magazine

"Devoti packs nonstop action and excitement into a riveting and quickly moving plot.  Additionally, the characters are quite well drawn.  Joarr is an irresistibly sexy hero, and Amma is the perfect strong female archetype." –Alexandra Kay, Romantic Times Magazine

The bad news is that almost all of the books in the Unbound series are now only available as ebooks. I, however, do have copies of all of the books in paperback and am willing to mail them to readers in the U.S. and Canada for cost of shipping, conversion fees (if there are any or paypal fees) and $2 a book. I will also sign them.

If you are interested, email me with which books you want and your home address. I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can with a total cost.

The Witch Thief, Excerpt

"Where is the chalice? What did you do with it?" Joarr Enge picked up the dented metal lantern and peered through the glass. Amma, the witch whose spirit was trapped inside, refused to answer.

He shook the lantern. The needle that he'd used to pull Amma's spirit from the body she'd occupied rattled against the glass windows. The body hadn't been Amma's. A misguided princess, thinking she would gain the witch's powers, had forced Amma's spirit into her body, but she had underestimated Amma's stubbornness. Just as Joarr had. Amma would still be there, annoying her hostess, if Joarr hadn't used the needle to pull her free. But he had and now he had her where he wanted her…or where he had thought he wanted her. Things were not going exactly as he had planned.

He glowered at the lantern. He should roast it, let an explosion of fire escape from his lungs until the object was no more than a bubbly puddle of melted metal and glass.

He let his thoughts pour from his eyes.

The witch inside the lantern stayed firmly hidden.

His fingers tightened around the metal handle and he dropped it to his side, hiding his frustration from her in case she was watching without his knowledge.

She is in there, he assured himself. She just refused to come out, had refused for the past month since he'd brought her back to his home. A home he hadn't seen in over one hundred years, in great part because of this witch.

He cricked his neck from one side to the other, his mood growing darker as he remembered where he'd been, the state he'd been left in.

One hundred years stuck in his dragon form in a room that barely allowed him space to breathe much less turn around or stretch his wings. Nothing to look at but a blank stone wall. Nothing to smell but dirt and the hapless beings locked in the room he guarded. Nothing to taste…at all.

He blamed the witch for the experience. The least she could do was tell him what she'd done with the damn cup she'd taken from his cavern one hundred years earlier.

He growled and pulled back his arm. He was about to toss the lantern against the limestone fireplace when a knock sounded at his door.

Slowly, he lowered the lantern and placed it on the table. He tapped his finger against the top. "Saved for now, my witch thief, but not for long. Dragons' memories are neverending, but their patience is short. And mine is about used up. I want my treasure returned."

With a muffled curse, he strode to the door. Whoever was waiting on the other side had already lifted the knocker again and was in the middle of pounding the hunk of iron once more against the door. Joarr yanked it open.

Rike Nyhus, his dark brows drawn together in a V, stared back at him.

Without bothering with a greeting, Joarr turned and walked back into his small home's main room, to the table and Amma. Let her hear what the representative of Ormar, the dragon army, had to say. In her current state, she wasn't going anywhere or talking to anyone—not even him. Besides, he had no loyalty to the Ormar; he wasn't obliged to keep their secrets.

He flung one leg over the worn wooden bench and waited for Rike to follow his lead. The lieutenant paused, the wind whistling behind him and snow blowing into the room around him. Finally, he stepped into the house and pulled the door closed.

Joarr folded his hands on the top of the table and waited. The Ormar had been harassing him since his return, insisting he pay the past century of taxes. Warm, fuzzy group that they were, not one had asked where he had been for the past hundred years. Not one had expressed concern, joy or even dismay at his return. He'd walked into his home and been greeted with their threats.

Not that he'd expected anything less from their cold, reptilian hearts.

Rike stopped beside the table. His dark gaze was steady. Joarr returned it with the same bored confidence he'd shown at each of their visits. But this time something was different. Rike looked tired…worried.

"It is good to see you, Chalice Keeper," the lieutenant said.

Joarr cocked a brow, instantly wary. No dragon used his official title. He'd thought…hoped…they'd forgotten it.

"Rike," he responded.

The lieutenant glanced around the room. "You have been gone awhile."

"I explained why when you were here the first five times seeking your taxes."

"Yes, the taxes." Rike looked around again. Giving Joarr the distinct feeling he was looking for something. Though tempted to glance to the side, Joarr kept his gaze away from Amma's lantern, instead staring steadily at the older dragon's face.

"Have you had a change of heart?" Joarr asked. It was an asinine question. It was hard to change a heart that didn't exist. "Have you come to remove your demands?"

Joarr expected the lieutenant to laugh. To his surprise the other dragon didn't. Instead he leaned forward. "As I said, you've been gone a long while. Has anything gone missing in your absence, like, say, the chalice?" There was a flash of fire in his eyes.

Joarr's lips formed a line. How could they know?

He laid two fingers against his brow, as if Rike's question bored him. "I know how important the chalice is. Don't you think I'd have mentioned it if it had gone missing? I am the Keeper."

"A job I know, since being orphaned, you take seriously," the lieutenant replied.

Joarr kept his expression bland. They both knew Rike's words were far from the truth.

Joarr hadn't asked to be entrusted with the dragons' damned holy artifact. Hadn't asked for anything except to be left alone. He'd inherited the job as a child when his father's death had left him orphaned.

His fingers twitched. Again he resisted glancing at the lantern. He had every intention of getting the chalice back, would have had it by now if the witch had cooperated just a little.

Rike touched one hand to his own shoulder and jerked the dragon-army badge off his tight-fitting shirt. Joarr's gaze traveled from the bare place where the patch had been back to Rike's face. This time it was harder to keep his expression blank.

"I am not here as a representative of the army," Rike said. He angled a brow. "Am I still welcome?"

Joarr flipped both hands up. "More so." He leaned back, his gaze on the lieutenant. This conversation was not going where he had expected. It at least might prove interesting.

Rike followed Joarr's example and straddled the other bench. "Will you produce the chalice now?"

Joarr didn't reply. It was obvious the lieutenant knew he'd lost the thing.

Rike let out a breath, a hiss actually. "It's true. You've lost it. How? For how long? Has it been missing the entire time you've been gone? Are you that irresponsible to leave us unguarded?" He stood up, knocking against the table, shoving it into Joarr and causing Amma's lantern to rattle.

Joarr placed his hand over the top of Amma's lantern, stilling it, then replied, his words calm and controlled. "What makes you think it is missing? What great catastrophe has befallen the dragons? I've been home a month and no one has asked about the relic, no one has come to me with tales of apocalypse. Are you saying I missed this massive disaster, or that you just forgot to mention it until now?"

Personally, Joarr didn't believe the legend that surrounded the chalice; he never had. His desire to get the thing back had nothing to do with its supposed power and everything to do with the Ormar believing in its power. If he had been able to find a fake that would have satisfied their skeptical eyes he would have tossed it where the original had been and gone on.

But an ancient artifact, with or without real power, was hard to fake, especially when dealing with dragons.

Rike placed his palms flat on the table and stared into Joarr's eyes. "Things have happened. We didn't see reason to tie them to the chalice since we believed it here, safe. We believed the Keeper would have told us, if it wasn't."

Tsk-tsk. Joarr had been a very bad Keeper indeed. He raised both brows. "I repeat—it couldn't have been that bad or—"

Rike leaned across the table, grabbed Joarr by the front of his sweater and jerked him close. "A dragon died—a young, strong dragon—for no reason. No wounds, no tales of glory-seeking heroes. He. Just.

Died."

Joarr closed his lips, cutting off the rebuttal that had already started to form in his mind. Dragons didn't just die. Yes, they were killed, like his father had been, but even that was rare. Dragons were the most magical and strongest of all the beings in the nine worlds. They feared no one.

Seeing that his words were having an effect, Rike loosened his grip. "And yesterday, there was a second. Exactly the same—young and strong. No battles, no wounds." He let go of Joarr and fell back onto his bench. He turned to the side and stared at the dishes still piled in Joarr's sink from breakfast. There were shadows under the older dragon's eyes, and his hand trembled when he reached up to run it over his face.

"About five years ago, the first one, one of our youngest, went off to play—roamed the nine worlds. He was gone for a year, nothing unusual, but when he came back he was tired and stayed to himself. We left him alone, until we realized it was more than that. He had seemed normal at first, was able to shift, to fly, make fire, everything, but as time went on he grew weaker and weaker. He lost one ability after another until he was nothing but a shadow of himself. Our physicians could find nothing wrong with him, and we couldn't tie what was happening to anything he'd encountered while gone. He'd been to all the worlds, been in fights, stolen treasure, done all the things the young do before settling down. We didn't even know if it was…

******

TOP PICK, Romantic Times Magazine

"Devoti packs nonstop action and excitement into a riveting and quickly moving plot.  Additionally, the characters are quite well drawn.  Joarr is an irresistibly sexy hero, and Amma is the perfect strong female archetype." –Alexandra Kay, Romantic Times Magazine

Buy The Witch Thief, 6th book in Unbound series, from:

Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Ebook: Barnes & Noble or Amazon

The Witch Thief

Behind The Scenes

Unbound World Glossary

Unbound World Characters

The Witch Thief

Sixth in Unbound series

Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne

ISBN: 978-0373618835

Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance

Release Date: May 2012 (actual release date mid-April)

Order from: Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Ebook: Barnes & Noble or Amazon

TOP PICK, Romantic Times Magazine

"Devoti packs nonstop action and excitement into a riveting and quickly moving plot.  Additionally, the characters are quite well drawn.  Joarr is an irresistibly sexy hero, and Amma is the perfect strong female archetype." –Alexandra Kay, Romantic Times Magazine

Backcover Copy:

Joarr Enge never believed in the powers of the chalice he was tasked to guard—but he sure as hell wasn't going to let the captivating witch who'd robbed him escape. Now, a century after her betrayal, Joarr commandeered Amma's body and blocked her magic. She would spend every moment by his side until the chalice could be found.

Amma had risked everything to uncover the secrets in her past—even the rage of her powerful and mysterious dragon lover. But as Joarr's passionate fire tempted her to dream of a future with him, could their magic unite two separate worlds for the most precious thing of all…their son?

Read Excerpt

February Winner Posted! March Contest Starts

And the winner of a paperback copy of Laura Drewry's Charming Jo is… Robin Priddy! Congrats, Robin!

Information on the March contst is already posted. Remember to enter you just have to fill out the newsletter sign up form. For more information on my monthly contests, go to the contest page.

And leave me a note below to tell me what type of book you'd like for me to giveaway in May. I'll look through my stash and see what I can find!

March Contest

Best New Romantic Fantasy edited by Paula Guran and featuring stories by Sarah Monette, Delia Sherman, Sarah Prineas, Esther Friesner and more.

February Contest On! #giveaway January Winner Posted

Congrats to Aliza Abbate who won a copy of House of Whispers by Margaret Lucke in the January 2012 newsletter contest!

And the February contest is now on! This month I'm giving away a copy of Charming Jo, historical Western romance, by my good friend, Laura Drewry. To be entered sign up in the sidebar for the newsletter–if you are already signed up, just sign up again.

For more details on the contest, or to see March and April prizes, visit the contest page.

(cover from digital version, prize paperback version for U.S. entries)

Another Winner in 30 Days of Vampires!

I knew this would happen. I knew somehow I would miss a giveaway! Don't you all know you need to watch me?

Anyway, late, but still great….LadyVampire has won a copy of one of Sharon Ashwood's Dark Forgotten books.

Congrats to LadyVampire and thanks to Sharon Ashwood for keeping me honest!

Monthly Contests starting now!

Starting this month, January 2012, I'm restarting my monthly contests. Each month I will give away a book to a reader who has filled out the form on this page (subscribes you to newsletter).

I have three months worth of prizes listed so far starting with the House of Whispers: Book One Of The Supernatural Properties Series by Margaret Lucke.

Claire Scanlan is launching a new career in real estate and has a chance to sell a spectacular oceanview home designed by a world-renowned architect. But the home has a problem that frightens off buyers – it was the site of a vicious mass murder. As Ben Grant, the handsome, successful brother of one of the murder victims, shows Claire and a real estate rival the empty house, Claire experiences strange sensations. The unexplainable experiences continue and the idea that the place might be haunted both fascinates and repels her. Claire is also fascinated, and not at all repelled, by Ben Grant. Claire realizes the psychic experiences are real and must solve the mystery of the bloody tragedy – even though Ben seems to be a suspect.

To enter this month's contest, just sign up for the newsletter in the right sidebar or on the contest page.

30 Days of Vampires Dec. 2011: The Winners!!

Thanks to everyone who blogged, read and played along during this 30 Days of Vampires event. I had a blast reading everyone's comments. I hope you had as much fun too.

Now for the winners! Everyone should have been sent an email, but if you haven't been notified and see your name listed below, drop me a note and I will get things sorted out. Also, if I missed a prize, let me know. There were a lot and I may have lost track during the crazy month that was December here.

Note: For daily prizes you had to comment on that day. For grand prize there just had to be a comment sometime during the event–but more comments meant more chances to win.

Date
Blog Author
Prize
Winner


1-Dec
Lori
paperback copy of Jennifer Armintrout's The Turning and a fun vampire Pez.
Alaina


5-Dec
Pamela Palmer
signed copy of Desire Untamed
Kimberley Coover


6-Dec
Lisa Renee Jones
Collection of Vampire Wardens in an anthology
Kelsey Meyers


7-Dec
Alexis Morgan
cute vampire Christmas ornament / copy of A Vampire for Christmas
Yadira A.


8-Dec
Bonnie Vanak
electronic download of Bitten by The Vampire
wanda flanagan


10-Dec
Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
download of Veronica and the Vampire
Tammy


16-Dec
Diana Castle
an electronic version of Madison Avenue Vampire
Cathy P


19-Dec
Monica Valentinelli
Strange, Dead Love
Cielle


20-Dec
Felicity Heaton
ebook copy of Love Immortal or Forbidden Blood
Barbara


21-Dec
Melissa Olson
copy of Blood Calls by Caridad Pineiro /vampire Pez.
sue brandes


22-Dec
Lynda Hilburn
The Vampire Shrink (the British version )
WildAboutBones


24-Dec
India Drummond
digital copy of Blood Faerie
Viki S.


25-Dec
Lori Devoti
Holiday with a Vampire II 
MJB


25-Dec
Lori Devoti
The Vampire's Seduction by Cynthia Cooke
Wilma


26-Dec
Laura Kaye
$10 amazon gift card
Tammy Ramey


27-Dec
Angelique Armae
signed paperback copy of The Protectorate
Lori H


29-Dec
Mercy Loomis
free signed trade paperback of Scent and Shadow
StacieD


30-Dec
Michele Hauf
digital copy of CRAVE THE NIGHT
Nikki Noffsinger








Grand Prize
$100 Book Store Gift Card
Danny

Congrats to everyone!!