Giveaway (US/Int): Laura Kaye’s WEST OF WANT Preview & Prizes Event!
Please help me welcome Laura Kaye back to GT today!
Happy WEST OF WANT Preview & Prizes Event, everyone! Today, April 10, was the original release date for Book 2 in my Hearts of the Anemoi series, West of Want. And then some really cool things happened: my publisher, Entangled Publishing, signed a huge deal with the nation’s biggest book distributor, which means for the first time ever, my books will be shelved in brick-and-mortar bookstores. And then, West of Want received a very nice pre-sales estimate by the booksellers and Barnes and Nobles bought it for all their stores nationwide (and it got bought for airports, too—squee!). The only bad news in this whole scenario was this: the release date got pushed back, by three LONG months! LOL So, I thought I’d celebrate the original release date with a preview of the book and a big contest, and give you a small taste to whet your appetite until the actual release date arrives.
[floatquote]”Laura Kaye’s captivating writing and vibrant world-building will have readers hooked on the gods of the Anemoi. WEST OF WANT is steamy, spellbinding, and a must-read for all romance fantasy fans.”
~Elisabeth Naughton, author of the Eternal Guardians series[/floatquote]
Forty sites are celebrating with me today, and there are different posts at those different sites. To see the whole list of participants, click here. Now, without further ado, here’s the book blurb and one of four different never-before-seen excerpts from the book available for you to enjoy:
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Betrayal is all he’s ever known, but in her, he’ll find a love strong enough to be trusted…
When Marcella Raines’ twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she’s gravely injured–and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce–Ella fights to survive. Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn’t protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he’s sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph’s heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her. Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting…everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want–a love that can be trusted. |
| Zeph’s arms gripped her tighter, yanking her fully against him. The rigid line of his erection pressed into her belly. “You don’t understand how much you intrigue me.” His head dropped so his lips caressed her ear. “You don’t understand how much you attract me. You’re in my head. All the time. You make my heart beat faster, my body ache with want.” He kissed the shell of her ear and moved sinuously against her.
Her body came alive, tightening, opening, preparing. Ella gasped as he nipped and licked down her neck. Then he growled. “What is this?” He tugged at the fleece collar around her neck. “What?” she asked, trying and failing to keep up through the haze of lust. “This…is this a man’s shirt?” Ella looked down. “Oh, yeah.” “I cannot abide it.” His mouth dropped open and the dark blue of his eyes flared. “Please,” he rasped. Ella frowned. “I don’t understand,” she said, but she stepped back enough to pull the fleece over her head. She tossed it to the futon. “It was just my br—” Zeph’s mouth crushed to hers. His big hands buried in her hair. He pursued her, devoured her. His passion overwhelmed and overpowered. She stumbled back a half step here and there, until her shoulders hit the hallway wall. Male spice filled her nose and tantalized her taste buds. Jesus, she couldn’t get enough of him. She met him kiss for kiss, stroke for stroke. She sucked his tongue until he groaned deep in his throat, and then she did it again. He grabbed her hands in one of his and braced them over her head, against the wall. He pulled away from the kiss, but kept their faces pressed together. They were both panting, chests heaving, their clothing wet everywhere they touched. He stroked her face, her neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I…” He pressed his lips to her cheek. “I couldn’t stand seeing another man’s belongings on you.” |
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So, what d’ya think? Want more Zephyros and Ella? Visit more participating sites to read all the excerpts, meet the characters, see the the West of Want romance trading cards, and enter to win! Thanks for reading! July 10 can’t get here soon enough for me! *grins*
~Laura Kaye
“Using ancient winter mythology as an allegory for grief, Kaye has written a sexy story that packs a powerful emotional punch. NORTH OF NEED is pure winter magic and Kaye’s sparkling talent warms the heart.”
~Stephanie Draven, author of the Mythica series about multi-award-winning Book 1 in the Anemoi series, North of Need
More about Laura Kaye
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| Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is a bestselling and award-winning author paranormal and contemporary romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
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Giveaways!
WEST OF WANT PREVIEW CONTEST!
Tour-wide giveaway:
Seven participants who enter through the Rafflecopter form will win gift cards from winners’ choice of Amazon or B&N valued between $15 and $100! Those prize winners will be announced on West of Want’s release day, July 10, 2012. As a special thank you to those who have pre-ordered the print West of Want through Amazon or B&N, you’ll receive extra entries – just enter your order confirmation number on the appropriate Rafflecopter line. Pre-orders are hugely important for an author because they determine how many books bookstores will actually stock and they count toward an author’s first-week sales which is when most authors have their best chance to hit the big bestseller lists. However, pre-orders/purchases are not required to enter. Commenting is the only required entry. Open to international.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
GraveTells-only giveaway:
One commenter from each participating blog site will win a West of Want bookmark and the romance trading cards for North of Need and West of Want. Simply comment to enter to win and be sure to leave your email address. These prizes will be announced soon after May 10. Open to international.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I had no idea until this tour that she is the same author of In the service of the king. She has a lot of good books out. New author to me. The thing I like most about spring…believe it or not…it’s the spring cleaning. We go through everything and sort stuff. Get rid of things and get the yard back in order. I like it =)
hi Laura!
i haven’t read the book yet, but, judging from the excerpt above, i have a feeling that i’m gonna like Zeph. a lot 🙂
I love the weather of Spring!
And though I haven’t read both of the books, it sure looks good enough for me to find it in the next month! 🙂
Congrats Laura! I’m trying to follow along as much as I can. I’m becoming a huge Laura fan. 🙂 If I read West of Want before North of Need will I be lost?
I’d really love to win those trading cards.
I loved North of Need and this excerpt looks GREAT. I can’t wait to meet Zephyros!!
Thanks so much to Laura for inviting GT to be part of the West of Want preview blitz! (that post above is me too – testing out a comment issue we were having)
Laura is having trouble leaving a comment, but she’s around! Hopefully she’ll be able to respond later. =)
Congrats on your book and thank you for the awesome giveaways! You book sounds great!! Wishing you all the best!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
The thing I love most about spring is the nice weather that makes me want to work in the yard.
The thing I love most about spring is the flowers and grass growing and the nice weather. Thanks for the chance to win!
Oh, the BLUEBONNETS!! I love love love seeing the Texas Bluebonnets on the highways and in the fields. They only last for a week, usually, so you have to enjoy them while you can! Definitely my favorite part of spring. Besides the weather still being sub-100.
Yay for spring flowers!
I loved that excerpt and look forward to the rest. North of Need was awesome and I look forward to Zeph’s story.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Book sounds great.Thanks for sharing an excerpt and for the giveaway.
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
Congrats on being put in the brick and mortar stores. What an amazing accomplishment!!
I haven’t read these, but that is going to change.
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
Laura is still having trouble commenting, so she wanted me to pass this on to you guys…
“Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t been around to chat you up more–technical difficulties! Phewy! But know that I’m really enjoying reading all your comments and wish you all the best of luck! And thanks to GraveTells for hosting me–I always love hanging out here! 🙂 “
Thanks to Gravetells, I discovered this gem of an author! I just bought North of Need and pre-ordered West of Want. Loved the excerpt and cannot wait to read it.
What I love about spring is the fact that everything seems to ‘spring’ back to life – you start seeing the grass, hearing the birds chirping, the weather is getting warmer… Ah!
Thanks for the giveaway!
All the best 🙂
I like the flowers and the sun the most in the spring.
I like the warmer weather. Congrats on the release!! Looking forward to reading it.
Very nice excerpt. The book sounds good.
Its like a re-birth of everything beautiful in nature. The warm weather, the plants, flowers, and the beach!! LOL!!
This was the first site that also showed the first book, both of these sound very good. Covers are lovely too.
Z
Seawitch Reviews @yahoo.com
Aren’t they?! I think North of Need was one of my top 3 favorite covers from 2011.
I really hope to read your book soon
thanks you a lot for this giveaway
all the best
I loved the excerpt…can not wait for it come out…I love the giveaways and contests it gives me a chance to preview new authors and find really great books I would not have otherwise tried. Marie Lisk
melisk1966@yahoo.com
Thank you, Marie! <3 I love when you guys let us know what you get out of GraveTells. It helps us know what youre looking for and what you like!
I love Laura’s books. But she knows that! 😉
I love the flowers during spring 🙂
the flowers and the cool breeze!
I haven’t read either book yet. That was a great excerpt. Thanks.
Congratulations to Sophia Rose on winning the swag! Laura will announce who won the gift cards on West of Want’s release day (July 10th), so be sure to check her site!
Thanks to Laura for asking GT to be a host for her West of Want tour and to everyone who participated!
<3