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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Spooktacular Halloween Blog Hop!!


 Hey everyone!! Who's ready to have Loads of fun at the Spooktacular Halloween Blog Hop hosted by Sabrina's Paranormal Palace and Racing to read? Every day there will be a new blog stop and you will have to look for the word in Red that you will need to know to win some prizes! So make sure you go to every blog and some are even hosting their own giveaways!!

Ancient Origins of Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III (731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1. By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. All Souls Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

My top 3 Favorite books to read at this time of the year

Published October 3rd 2006 by Berkley
0425212548 (ISBN13: 9780425212547)
edition language: English
Adult 
   We’re the D’Artigo sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we’re savvy—and sexy—operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.  But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times.  My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she’s stressed.  Menolly’s a vampire who’s still trying to get the hang of being undead.  And me?  I’m Camille—a wicked-good witch.  Except my magic’s as unpredictable as the weather, as my enemies are about to find out the hard way...

At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, a fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered.  Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, badass leader of the Subterranean Realms.  He’s made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground.  Our assignment:  Keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer.  The demons figure they’re in like Flynn.  After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss?  But we’ve got a secret for them:  Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D’Artigo girls...

Published February 1st 2011 by St. Martin's Press
title: First Grave on the Right
ISBN: 0312662750 (ISBN13: 9780312662752)
edition language: English
 This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.
 Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.

Published December 22nd 2010 by self published
edition language: English
 
Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi are anything but damsels in distress.
Fed up with a lack of decent male specimens they cast a love spell in the hopes of finding their soul-mates. And inadvertently land themselves on another planet. Oops.

The Arrival, follows the girls' adventures as they stumble through a foreign and often hostile world where humans are NOT at the top of the food chain.
Friendships are forged and love teeters on the horizon while the threat of civil war looms thanks to the girls' very unexpected 'gifts'.
Will the girls master these gifts in time to survive a war in which, not only are they the ultimate weapons, but also the ultimate prize?

Download The Arrival for free at www.damselinadirtydress.com


My Giveaway

Leave a comment for a chance to win a Kindle copy of either Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn Or First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones. You will get your pick of one. Make sure you leave your e-mail and answer this Question: What is your favorite book to read around Halloween?
 
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Tour Stops

~Oct,19 Racing to read
~Oct, 20 Author Ellie Potts
~Oct, 21 Read Between the Lines
~Oct, 22 Starry Night Book Reviews (Me)
~Oct, 23 Alexandra Anthony 
~Oct, 24 Tsk, Tsk, What to Read
~Oct, 25 
~Oct, 26
~Oct, 27
~Oct, 28
~Oct, 29
~Oct, 30
~Oct, 31

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Death, and the Girl He Loves Tour


Death, and the Girl He Loves (Darklight #3) by Darynda Jones 
ARC Review
 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin



Book Description:

The fate of the world is not something a girl wants on her shoulders, and that is especially true for Lorelei McAlister. Unfortunately for her, that is exactly where the world’s fate has decided to take up residence. Lorelei has seen firsthand the horrors that lie beneath our everyday world. And those horrors are getting her friends killed. Because of this, she agrees to leave the sanctity of her hometown and is sent to a different world entirely. A boarding school. But even here she is being watched. Someone knows what she is. What she carries inside her soul. And on top of that she’s seeing visions. This is nothing new for Lorelei. But these visions are something more:death, destruction, and the end of the world . Lorelei must face the fact that there are people who want her dead, and no matter where she goes, no matter how far she runs, the lives of her friends and family are in mortal peril. Lucky for her, her friends and family include the handsome Angel of Death, a fiercely protective half-angel, and a ragtag group of loyal supporters who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the name of fighting pure evil.

Review:

Watch out world Darynda Jones is taking over and death has never looked so hot!

If you have not picked up the first book Death and the Girl Next Door you are seriously missing out! This 3rd book is just well amazing and is defiantly my favorite! The twists in this story will throw you for a loop and you really have to take a moment to stop and think before you have that AH HA moment! Well at least I did anyway. I personally love a book that makes you think and boy I did not see a few things coming that surprised the hell out of me. yes there is a little romance and a lot more action from the start of this book then the last ones. Oh and yes you will want to bring Tissues because I know I cried a little reading this and was a little devastated till I fished the book to tell you the truth.

Death, Destruction, and the end of the world really sums up what this books is about and all hell breaks loose literately. No matter how far Lorelei runs away she can not escape her destiny or without someone trying to killer her either. If this person succeeds in killing her the world will end and it wont be pretty.  Help will come from the most unlikely of places and she must do everything in her power to save the world and everyone she loves.

I don't want to go into too much detail because I want you to go out and read it for yourself. So now off you go read it you know you want to!



Author Bio:

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

Links To Author:
Links To Purchase Books:



Giveaway (Open Internationally) 

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Wolf’s Torment


The Wolf’s Torment
by Stephanie Burkhart

BLURB:

It's 1865 in Moldavia, a country nestled against the shores of the Black Sea, and Crown Prince Mihai Sigmaringen returns after receiving an education in England. His best friend, Viktor Bacau joins him. Mihai is intent on modernizing his nation, but he's also a witch, and it's time he embraces his heritage. The tasks in front of him are many including getting married. 

Lady Theresa von Kracken arrives in Constanta as Mihai's intended. Mihai has vowed not to fall in love again, but Theresa manages to break the battlements around his heart.
 

In an unfortunate twist of fate, Viktor is bitten by a werewolf. Viktor's transformation threatens everyone around him including his wife's safety and Mihai's happiness with Theresa. Viktor's bite is the wolf's torment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt 

 "Introducing Austrian Duke, Georg von Kracken, and his daughters, Ladies Theresa and Beatrice."

All the eyes in the ballroom turned on Theresa. The weight of the silence fell onto her shoulders. Why did it feel like she had an itch on her nose that under no circumstances she sho
uld scratch right now, though she was tempted.

Her father placed his hand in the small of her back and escorted her right up to the Moldavian royal family. King Stelian stood in the middle, Princess Sonia was on his left, and Prince Mihai was to his right.

She lightly nipped at her lower lip with her teeth. Her dream had done Prince Mihai no justice. He stood straight and tall, his stance emphasizing the force of his thighs and the slimness of his hips. His body was beautifully proportioned with dark, smoldering green eyes framing his handsome face. What firm lips he had. She tried hard not to stare at him, but his good looks had totally captured her attention.

Her father tapped her lightly against her back. Damn. She had to curtsey. Lowering her eyes, she did just that. Beatrice curtsied as well.

"King Stelian, Crown Prince Mihai, Princess Sonia, may I introduce you to my daughters, Theresa and Beatrice."

Theresa's gaze swept over Mihai. His red, rich lips curved into a smile and he took her hand, placing a delicate kiss on her knuckles. A pleasant wave of heat slid up her arm and she took a quick breath to steady herself.

"Lady Theresa, you are more beautiful in person than in a dream." Mihai's wonderfully deep voice warmed her to her toes.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." 



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  She served 11 years in the US Army and currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate and is addicted to coffee.  She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

 
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | YOU TUBE CHANNEL | PINTEREST

Buy Links for The Wolf's Torment:

AMAZON KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | ALL ROMANCE BOOKS | PUBLISHER'S LINK

 Stephanie will be awarding a Coffee and Chocolate Basket (a coffee mug with the cover on it, magnets, a $10.00 GC to Starbucks, Andes Chocolates, and a book bag) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

TO STEAL A HIGHLANDER'S HEART

TO STEAL A HIGHLANDER'S HEART
By
Samantha Holt

BLURB:  

Alana sets eyes on Morgann for the first time in several years and what does he do? He captures her! But Alana refuses to go meekly with the sexy Highland warrior. Her kidnapping will reignite the rift that’s existed between the two clans since her father accused Morgann of theft and she doesn’t want to see her father harmed in the inevitable war that will ensue.

Unfortunately for Alana, the faeries seek to interfere with her plans to escape. The sidhe have a debt to repay and Tèile, the green faery, is determined to mend the rift between the clans for good. And that means ensuring Alana and Morgann marry.

Morgann has his own reasons for taking Alana and they are nothing to do with marriage or war. He wants to use her to reveal a secret from the past, the one that had him accused of theft. If only he didn’t find his childhood friend so attractive. When circumstances force them together, Alana’s life is threatened and war is imminent. Can Morgann reveal the truth without losing Alana? And will the faeries meddling help or hinder his cause?



Excerpt

Endless moments stretched on as she waited for Morgann to look away, to break the connection, but he stared brazenly on as his gaze trailed over her face. What did he see? As she gaped up at him, the irate warrior dissolved into a flesh and blood man and she recalled how much she used to adore him. When Morgann was banished from her father’s lands, she’d been heartbroken at losing her friend, but with the blazing sensation of having him flattened against her, she remembered that it wasn’t just the loss of his friendship that hurt her so. She’d always silently hoped Morgann would play a bigger role in her future.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was taking her against her will and she would not go meekly, regardless of what she once felt. If only she could ignore the sensuous pull of his lips or the darkening of his pupils as a rough finger drew a path over her cheek.

A crack ripped across the sky and they both jolted. Pushing to standing, Morgann helped her up and grimaced as he eyed her. Aware of the mud coating her, she swiped a hand across her face as her cheeks heated. Titling her head up, she hoped the rain would at least be useful for something and would not only rinse away some of the dirt but also cool her down. The way the man made her skin blister was extremely disconcerting.

Morgann muttered a curse, drawing her attention back to him as he raked a hand through his hair and yanked some rope from the leather pouch hanging from his saddle. As he turned back to her, rope held out, Alana shrank away. “Ye cannae mean to tie me up, surely?”


AUTHOR INFORMATION:


Samantha resides in Warwickshire, England with her twin girls and husband. She's a romance addict and has been devouring all kinds of romance for as long as she can remember.
Having studied archaeology, Samantha likes to blend her love of the past with her passion for romance to create thrilling and passionate tales set to medieval backdrops. She thinks there's nothing sexier than a rugged warrior and a feisty maiden falling head over heels for each other.

Website/Blog
Facebook 
Amazon page

 One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $50 Amazon gift card! Make sure you follow the tour for more chances to win!