Giveaway, Review, Guest Post: Predatory (anthology) by Duvall, Ivy, Bangs, & Jayne

Today, we welcome author Dianne Duvall. She is promoting her latest novella, "In Still Darkness".  It is included in the anthology, Predatory.  Enjoy her thoughts on Immortal Dating after my thoughts on the book.

Giveaway Details: One winner will receive a signed copy of her choice of one of the first three Immortal Guardians books —DARKNESS DAWNS, NIGHT REIGNS, or PHANTOM SHADOWS — plus Immortal Guardians swag. Just leave a comment with a valid e-mail to enter.  This will close May 19. Good luck!

Authors: Alexandra Ivy, Nina Bangs, Dianne Duvall, Hannah Jayne
Publisher: Kensington
Date of Publication: May 2013

Four of today's most exciting paranormal authors take readers into the thrilling realm of vampires, immortals, and other supernatural beings with a thirst for illicit desire...

Out Of Control by Alexandra Ivy

Ph.D student Angela Locke has a crush on her sexy professor, Dr. Nikolo Bartrev. When she learns he's actually a Sentinel with extraordinary powers, she joins forces with him to catch a psychopath. But soon, their hottest pursuit is of each other...

Ties That Bind by Nina Bangs

Cassie Tyler agrees to sub for her friend at the funeral home where she works. But she gets more than she bargained for when a group of men attack her and a vampire comes to her rescue. . .

In Still Darkness by Dianne Duvall

Immortal Richart d'Alençon can't forget the woman who rewarded him with a sensuous kiss after he saved her from a trio of vampires. While Richart knows that loving a human can only bring trouble, the taste of forbidden lust is too great to resist. . .

High Stakes by Hannah Jayne

When vampire fashionista Nina LaShay's design contest rival is found dead, she's the prime suspect. Sexy photographer Pike is number two. He's the kind of man who makes Nina salivate. But will she have to reveal herself to have him--and to save them both? Or does Pike have a secret of his own?

My thoughts:

The anthology overall wasn't too bad.  I loved one, liked one and was "meh" on the other two.  I will admit that I read it mainly for Dianne Duvall's "In Still Darkness"  In fact, it was the first one I read out of the four stories.  I am a HUGE Immortal Guardians fan, so I couldn't resist skipping ahead.  Loved the story!  It is Richart's story and takes place during the last two books.  We finally get to see who he was texting and talking to on the cell phone during those events.  I think the story was very sweet.  I loved Richart and Jenna together.  The way he courts her just made me melt.  My favorite line in the story is when he says, “I am so smitten with you.” (In fact, you can read that scene below) That is so sigh worthy!  I can't wait for the next full Immortal Guardians novel to come out.  So, this was a nice way to tide me over.

I am not familiar with the rest of the authors.  I did enjoy "Out of Control", by Alexandra Ivy.  It is the prequel to a new series that she is coming out with soon.  The world she set up looks to be very interesting.  I know I'll be looking for the first book when it comes out.

As for the other two stories, they were just so-so.  "Ties That Bind" started out so creepy, but then it fizzled out.  It just happened too fast and I didn't really get the whole "other vampire" thing.   I didn't even finish "High Stakes".  I didn't like the dialogue and lost interest very quickly.  

Immortal Dating

Thanks so much for joining me today!  And thank you, Kari and Autumn, for letting me visit From the TBR Pile!  I’m so happy to be here, celebrating the release of PREDATORY, an anthology that contains my Immortal Guardians novella “In Still Darkness,” along with stories by fabulous authors Alexandra Ivy, Nina Bangs, and Hannah Jayne.  If you’re new to my Immortal Guardians series, you’ll get a little taste of it in Richart’s story.

Two-hundred-and-thirty years old, Richart d’Alençon was born with the ability to teleport.  He and his immortal brethren, all of whom boast special gifts, spend their nights hunting and destroying psychotic vampires to prevent them from preying upon humans.  Immortal Guardians are —without exception — bold, brazen, deadly predators who are fiercely loyal to each other and to the network of humans that aids them.  But none, thus far, have been brave enough to attempt what Richart does in “In Still Darkness,” not for hundreds of years anyway.  Richart . . . tries to date a mortal woman.  That’s right.  He actually attempts to carry on a normal courtship, or at least what he hopes is a normal courtship.  The last time he courted a woman he cared about he was mortal.  Things have changed just a bit since then.  :-)

Now most of my friends, if asked, would say that dating isn’t easy.  Richart soon discovers that this is even more true if one is immortal.  He has to avoid mentioning his age.  He has to skirt the truth about his occupation.  After all, what woman would NOT think him mentally off if he mentioned being born in the eighteenth century or hunting and killing vampires for a living?  And then there’s the fact that his eyes glow every time he experiences strong emotion.  It’s a little hard to hide that when romance is brewing and Jenna’s every touch enflames him.  :-) 

Since first dates are particularly hard, I thought I would give you a glimpse of Richart and Jenna’s:

“In Still Darkness”

Excerpt

She laughed.  “Thank you for being such a good sport about it.”

“Thank you for letting me cook you dinner.”  He set his bags down on the counter and started removing the ingredients he’d purchased on the way there.  “I should probably warn you that I haven’t been on a date in quite a while, so I’m a little rusty.”

Her eyebrows flew up as she transferred the cold foods to her refrigerator.  “How long has it been?”

“Longer than I care to admit.  My job and odd hours tend to make dating difficult.”

She nodded.  “Being a single mom and working the night shift does, too.  I haven’t dated in a while either.”

“Excellent.  Then, if neither of us remembers the rules, we don’t have to follow them.”

“Sounds good to me.”  She closed the refrigerator door and leaned her hip against it, crossing her arms just beneath her breasts.  “Listen, I’m sort of a get-the-truth-out-there-so-when-it-comes-up-later-it-won’t-be-an-issue kind of gal, so there’s something I wanted to mention.”

This couldn’t be good.

She hesitated.  “You know I’m older than you, right?”

Richart stared down at her and forced himself not to laugh at the irony.  He may be over two hundred years old, but he looked as if he were in his late twenties, thirty at the most.  And Jenna was worried that her being thirty-seven would be a problem?

“Honestly, I could not care less how old you are, Jenna,” he assured her, all the while calling himself a bastard for not taking the opening she had provided and broaching the topic of who and what he was.  She valued truth.  If he continued to keep it from her . . .

A hint of insecurity entered her features.  “I don’t mean to press this, but . . . I dated a guy once — very briefly — who said the same thing until his friends found out and started to razz him about it.  I’m thirty-seven.  Are you sure that isn’t a problem?”

“I don’t know why his friends would tease him about dating you unless they were envious.  You look like you’re in your twenties, Jenna.  Not much older than your son, in fact.  And, if you looked like you were in your forties, guess what.  I would be just as interested.”

She smiled and closed the distance between them.  “And if I looked like I were in my fifties?”

“Still interested.”

“Sixties?”

“I happen to think laugh lines are hot.”

She laughed.  “Good, because I have a feeling you’re going to give me a few.”

“I should hope so,” he said, telling himself not to think about the fact that he would still look and feel as he did now when she was in her sixties, seventies, and eighties and all of the problems that would generate.

You’re getting ahead of yourself, old man.  This is your first damned date.  Not your engagement party.

“You don’t mind that I’m older than you.  You don’t mind that I’m a single mom, putting a son through college.”  She shook her head and smiled up at him, expression soft.  “You’re a rare breed, Richart d’Alençon.”

She didn’t know the half of it.

Unable to resist, he dipped his head and touched his lips to hers in a gentle caress. 

Her breath caught. 

Lightning struck. 

Both their hearts began to beat faster.

Resting a hand on her waist, Richart tilted his head and explored those smooth pink lips that had drawn his gaze so often, then drew back before his emotions could take over and make his eyes begin to glow.

“Wow,” Jenna breathed, staring up at him.

“I am so smitten with you,” he admitted softly.

About the author:

Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series. Her debut novel DARKNESS DAWNS was nominated for the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance by RT Book Reviews, for Best Paranormal Romance - Vampire by The Romance Reviews, and for Best Book of 2011 by Long and Short Reviews. NIGHT REIGNS, the second book in her Immortal Guardians series, was declared an "utterly addictive" Top Pick by RT Book Reviews. PHANTOM SHADOWS, the third book in the series, was deemed a Top Pick by both The Romance Reviews and by Night Owl Reviews.  DARKNESS RISES, Immortal Guardians Book 4, will be released on October 1, 2013. 

When she isn't writing, Dianne is active in the independent film industry and once even appeared onscreen as a machete-wielding maniac not unlike the vampires she so loves to create in her novels.

Find Dianne on the Internet

Website:  http://www.dianneduvall.com

Blog:  http://dianneduvall.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianneDuvallAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DianneDuvall

Youtube:  http://www.youtube

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/dianneduvall