Attention Authors: How would you like to Participate in AOTM at A Novel Gathering

If you would like to participate in our Author of the Month Spotlight, which includes a read of your book or books for the month, promoting all month and a book discussion of your book or books as well if you have time come and talk with us about your books. If this sounds like something you would be interested in message us here or stop by the forum. and leave us a post in the Author the Month section. 

Contact these Ladies at either 

anovelgathering2013(at)gmail(dot)com
https://www.facebook.com/anovelgathering
 or

 http://anovelgathering.freeforums.net/

and don't forget about the huge giveaway going on , it has grown from $30 to $50 Amazon GC or $50 worth of books.
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Surprise Surprise I have a Giveaway For You!

For being such great followers, and to help a dear friend with their new book club I decided to hold another awesome giveaway!

An update, for every several signups or entries, I will add another $5 to the prize. So pass it along. 

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A Quick Update and Apology!

I want to say I am so sorry there hasn't been any posts since August. So I thought I would give you a quick update with what has been going on.  I finally got all my teeth pulled and I feel much better.  I still need surgery on my hernia , I am still praying that maybe by some miracle I won't.  Not sure when I will have this done. We are in the middle of a remodel and move so once I am settled I will make an appointment with my dr. (who wants me to see a rematologist first. ) Then go on from there.

As I mentioned we have been busy with a remodel and tomorrow we will be moving. So once we are settled, I am hoping to start posting regular again.   I will be holding a back to blogging giveaway when I do. Stay tuned it's going to be an awesome giveaway.

Thank you all for still following BLH.

.

ReRead Review : Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

(Old Review new reread and I still give it a 5 out of 5!!) I am currently rereading this series in celebration of Styxx's book coming out Sept 3rd!

 Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As many people know Sherrilyn is my all time favorite author so when it was decided the Dark Hunter's would be one of our challenges for this year, I nearly jumped up and down like a silly fan girl because I have been itching to reread this series.

This is the fourth time I have read this book since I found and hopelessly became addicted to this series and let me say it still gave off the same emotions as it did the first time I read it. I laughed, swooned and cried.

Alot of people don't care for this prequel but I do. Julian is who by all rights should enjoy being a sex slave but once you read his background, you just want to hug on to him and let it be known there are people that would love him for him and not his body.

Grace has her own trust issues as well but between the both of them they find the love both have been craving for, not without the bumps along the way.

So I Would I recommend this book? A resounding YES! Though if I must say don't judge the whole series by this book, her writing has grown with each book so please continue with them and don't let this huge number of books intimidate you because they are fast reads.

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Help! I am in a Reading Funk!!

Help me! I am in a serious Reading funk. I just tried to read three different books and non managed to grab me at all. Not saying they are bad books just my attention just is off. What do you recommend or suggest I read or do to break me out of this. I just added a crap load of books, plus I have tons to review and I should be so excited to dive in but it's just not there HELP!!!

And The Winner is.......

I want to thank all that entered this giveaway, over 9,000 entries WOW that is amazing. Stay tuned for another big giveaway coming up as well as a giveaway hop. I had hoped to host another giveaway hop but due to real life issues I had to postpone that idea for awhile but I do plan on hosting another, Passionate about Paranormal so stay tuned for that as well. Now on to the winner.......

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Congrats Tammy! An email will be sent to you shortly and you have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. Please check your spam folder for this email.

 

Cover Reveal: Caressed by Shadows(Rulers of Darkness #4) by Amanda J. Greene

Caressed by Shadows (Rulers of Darkness #4) 

by Amanda J. Greene 

Tentative Release: 19 April 2014 

Book Description: 

Black Knight, Falcon Kenwrec is powerful, relentless, and fiercely loyal, his only allegiance – to his king. But he is torn between duty and desire when the war between the vampire clans and the Red Order hunters escalates and the enemy captures the one woman he longs to claim as his own, Sonya Rebane, Queen of Voidukas Clan. Falcon will risk everything to save her, even if it means forsaking his king.

After weeks of imprisonment, Sonya is stunned when the chivalrous knight that she has secretly loved from afar appears outside her cell. As they fight and struggle to elude their enemies, they must battle their overwhelming attraction for each other and their love that is forbidden.

As every perilous moment draws them closer together, every smoldering kiss drives them to the brink of a passionate destruction. Will they be able to resist temptation? Or will their love be their ruin?


To celebrate the cover reveal of Caressed by Shadows, the complete Rulers of Darkness series is currently free to download from All Romance eBooks.


Caressed by Moonlight: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-caressedbymoonlight-529040-139.html 

Caressed by Night: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-caressedbynight-722414-140.html

Caressed by a Crimson Moon: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-caressedbyacrimsonmoon-1162544-340.html 

All books are also available for purchase from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Book Trailer:

Complete Rulers of Darkness series:

Caressed by Moonlight 

Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life.

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Dorian Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire, would bind them for all eternity, but treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.

Caressed by Night 

Dimitri Arsov, the last remaining pure vampire, was thought to be dead for the past four hundreds years. Now, he is back and has a score to settle with the traitor that had tried to kill him centuries ago. But as he waits for his prey to blindly step into his carefully laid trap, his overwhelming hunger for blood is triggered when he saves a beautiful art historian.

Kerstyn Ingmar’s life was normal and straight up boring until the night she is rescued by the dangerously sexy, powerfully mesmerizing, Dimitri. Unable to resist his diamond blue eyes and intense kisses, she is drawn into his world of darkness and closer to her impending doom.

While their desire consumes them, Dimitri is haunted by images of a bloody and deadly future. As his enemies draw near, he must find a way to save his mate from her destiny before fate destroys them both.

Caressed by a Crimson Moon 

Consumed by madness and tormented by dark memories of blood and death, Hadrian Lucretius, King of the Validus Clan, has returned after living in self-imposed exile for nearly three hundred and fifty years.

To maintain peace with the vampires, Eva Maldonado is offered as a sacrifice to the crazed vampire king by her father, the alpha of the Silveria Shifter Pack. Hadrian’s reputation is both legendary and lethal; he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, lusty, and soulless. When Eva arrives at the ancient fortress high in the Carpathian Mountains, she is shocked to find a ravaged man with dark burning eyes filled with loneliness and dangerous desire.

Would she be his lover…or his prey? His savior…or his victim? Would Hadrian lure her into madness or would their perilous passion be their redemption?

Author Bio:

Amanda J. Greene is an erotic paranormal romance author. When she is not writing, she can be found playing the role of a full time university student, who works part time.

She lives in Southern California with her very supportive, military husband and their sweet cocker spaniel. Doing all the above and being a military wife is not easy, but rewarding! Of course, she accomplishes everything with a strong cup of coffee in her hand.

Official Website: http://www.amandajgreen.com 

Blog: http://www.amandajgreene.blogspot.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-J-Greene/162646687109294

 Twitter:https://twitter.com/AmandaJGreene1

Again I Apologize For Lack of Posting....

I would like to apologize for the lack of posts since the very successful For the Love of Mythology Giveaway Hop. But Real Life has gotten in the way a lot more than I thought it would.  Between a ton of Doctor's appointments , Family Get togethers and other things. I just haven't had enough hours in the day to post. 

I still have several dr's appts coming up , tests and I hope to get the all clear to have all my teeth pulled in August plus I might be having surgery for my hernia. 

I hope to at least get a few posts going again soon.  But I wanted to let you all know I didn't abandon you all.

My one giveaway will be ending next month and I will be announcing the winner on the 3rd or 4th.

I have read tons of books and I hope to have some reviews written and posted soon.  As for all the authors I promised reviews I will be getting to those too as soon as I can.

I hope to be posting back to full time next month but depends on when I get all my teeth pulled and if I have surgery scheduled for my hernia.  All that is up in the air until I get all the testing done and cleared for surgery.

I will be having another fabulous giveaway in November to celebrate my 3rd Blogoversary!










 

And the Winner is ......

 I want again thank everyone that participated , donated and hopped thru my first giveaway hop. What a success it was. I plan on having another at the beginning of September if everything goes as planned. I do have a name for it , still working on details.  Passionate About Paranormal so stay tuned for more details and sign ups.

Now onto the winner of this fabulous grand prize......

 Rachel D.

An email has been sent , you have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. Don't forget to check your spam box for this email.  Congrats!!!!

Day 8: For Love of Mythology : Last Day to enter !!!

 

First of all I would like to  thank all the bloggers, authors who participated in my first ever giveaway hop.  I would like to thank all the authors who donated to the grand prize as well. 

I want you all to know I will be having another one in Sept probably around the first of the month again so stay tuned for that. I will be posting details and sign ups soon for that. The name I can tell you will be called Passionate about Paranormal.

If you haven't entered or hopped around to the other blogs , today is the last day to do so. I will be drawing the winner of the grand prize on the 9th!. So keep on a lookout to see if you were a winner.

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Day 7: For The Love of Mythology: Athena

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

 In Greek religion and mythology, Athena or Athene (/əˈθiːnə/ or /əˈθiːniː/; Attic: Ἀθηνᾶ, Athēnā or Ἀθηναία, Athēnaia; Epic: Ἀθηναίη, Athēnaiē; Ionic: Ἀθήνη, Athēnē; Doric: Ἀθάνα, Athānā), also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene (/ˈpæləs/; Παλλὰς Ἀθηνᾶ; Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη), is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill. Minerva is the Roman goddess identified with Athena.

Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and is the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patroness of Athens. The Athenians founded the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens (Athena Parthenos), in her honour.

Athena's veneration as the patron of Athens seems to have existed from the earliest times, and was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to cultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis), many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias (Ἀθηνᾶ Πολιάς "Athena of the city"). The city of Athens and the goddess Athena essentially bear the same name, "Athenai" meaning "[many] Athenas".

 Athena in the movies

Athena in Immortals

Athena in Percy Jackson

Can't seem to find anymore? Do you know of any other movies or books that Athena was featured in?? I love recommendations

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Day 6: For The Love of Mythology: Apollo

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 Apollo (Attic, Ionic, and Homeric Greek: Ἀπόλλων, Apollōn (gen.: Ἀπόλλωνος); Doric: Ἀπέλλων, Apellōn; Arcadocypriot: Ἀπείλων, Apeilōn; Aeolic: Ἄπλουν, Aploun; Latin: Apollō) is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in ancient Greek and Roman religion, Greek and Roman mythology, and Greco–Roman Neopaganism. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless, athletic youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis. Apollo is known in Greek-influenced Etruscan mythology as Apulu.

As the patron of Delphi (Pythian Apollo), Apollo was an oracular god—the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle. Medicine and healing are associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son Asclepius, yet Apollo was also seen as a god who could bring ill-health and deadly plague. Amongst the god's custodial charges, Apollo became associated with dominion over colonists, and as the patron defender of herds and flocks. As the leader of the Muses (Apollon Musegetes) and director of their choir, Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. Hermes created the lyre for him, and the instrument became a common attribute of Apollo. Hymns sung to Apollo were called paeans.

In Hellenistic times, especially during the 3rd century BCE, as Apollo Helios he became identified among Greeks with Helios, Titan god of the sun, and his sister Artemis similarly equated with Selene, Titan goddess of the moon. In Latin texts, on the other hand, Joseph Fontenrose declared himself unable to find any conflation of Apollo with Sol among the Augustan poets of the 1st century, not even in the conjurations of Aeneas and Latinus in Aeneid XII (161–215). Apollo and Helios/Sol remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts until the 3rd century CE.

 Apollo in the Movies

I really like this Apollo

 I believe this one is from Percy Jackson

 Clash of the Titans

So is Apollo one of your favorite gods, has he been protrayed in any books?  He is a key featured character in the Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon (I have to say I don't care for him much in her books).

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Day 5 For The Love of Mythology: Aphrodite

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Aphrodite (Listeni/æfrəˈdaɪti/ af-rə-DY-tee; Greek: Ἀφροδίτη) is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Her Roman equivalent is the goddess Venus.

According to Hesiod's Theogony, she was born when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them into the sea, and she arose from the sea foam (aphros). According to Homer's Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

Because of her beauty, other gods feared that their rivalry over her would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who, because of his ugliness and deformity, was not seen as a threat. Aphrodite had many lovers—both gods, such as Ares, and men, such as Anchises. She played a role in the Eros and Psyche legend, and later was both Adonis's lover and his surrogate mother. Many lesser beings were said to be children of Aphrodite.

Aphrodite is also known as Cytherea (Lady of Cythera) and Cypris (Lady of Cyprus) after the two cult sites, Cythera and Cyprus, which claimed to be her place of birth. Myrtle, doves, sparrows, horses, and swans were said to be sacred to her. The ancient Greeks identified her with the Ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor.

Aphrodite had many other names, such as Acidalia, Cytherea and Cerigo, each used by a different local cult of the goddess in Greece. The Greeks recognized all of these names as referring to the single goddess Aphrodite, despite the slight differences in what these local cults believed the goddess demanded of them. The Attic philosophers of the 4th century, however, drew a distinction between a celestial Aphrodite (Aprodite Urania) of transcendent principles, and a separate, "common" Aphrodite who was the goddess of the people (Aphrodite Pandemos).

 Aphrodite in Movies

Seeing all the characters from Hercules makes me want to watch again

Clash of Titans

 From Hercules or Xena? Not positive I haven't seen all episodes of either show

So what is your favorite book or protrayal of the Goddess of Love? I need some good recommendations..

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Day 4: For the Love of Mythology: Hades

 

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Hades (/ˈheɪdiːz/; from ancient Greek Ἅιδης, Hāidēs) was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. Eventually, the god's name came to designate the abode of the dead. In Greek mythology, Hades is the oldest male child of Cronus and Rhea considering the order of birth from the mother, or the youngest, considering the regurgitation by the father. The latter view is attested in Poseidon's speech in the Iliad. According to myth, he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated the Titans and claimed rulership over the cosmos, ruling the underworld, air, and sea, respectively; the solid earth, long the province of Gaia, was available to all three concurrently.

Later the Greeks started referring to the god as Plouton (see below, etymology section), which the Romans Latinized as Pluto.[2] The Romans would associate Hades/Pluto with their own chthonic gods, Dis Pater and Orcus. The corresponding Etruscan god was Aita. He is often pictured with the three-headed dog Cerberus. In the later mythological tradition, though not in antiquity, he is associated with the Helm of Darkness and the bident. The term hades in Christian theology (and in New Testament Greek) is parallel to Hebrew sheol (שאול, grave or dirt-pit), and refers to the abode of the dead. The Christian concept of hell is more akin to and communicated by the Greek concept of Tartarus, a deep, gloomy part of hades used as a dungeon of torment and suffering.

God of the underworld 

In Greek mythology, Hades (the "unseen") the god of the underworld, was a son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. He had three sisters, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera, as well as two brothers, Zeus, the youngest of the three, and Poseidon, collectively comprising the original six Olympian gods. Upon reaching adulthood, Zeus managed to force his father to disgorge his siblings. After their release the six younger gods, along with allies they managed to gather, challenged the elder gods for power in the Titanomachy, a divine war. The war lasted for ten years and ended with the victory of the younger gods. Following their victory, according to a single famous passage in the Iliad (xv.187–93), Hades and his two brothers, Poseidon and Zeus, drew lots for realms to rule. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon got the seas, and Hades received the underworld, the unseen realm to which the souls of the dead go upon leaving the world as well as any and all things beneath the earth.

Hades obtained his wife and queen, Persephone, through trickery and violent abduction. The myth, particularly as represented in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, connected the Eleusinian Mysteries with the Olympian pantheon. Helios told the grieving Demeter that Hades was not unworthy as a consort for Persephone:

 "Aidoneus, the Ruler of Many, is no unfitting husband among the deathless gods for your child, being your own brother and born of the same stock: also, for honor, he has that third share which he received when division was made at the first, and is appointed lord of those among whom he dwells." 

 — Homeric Hymn to Demeter 

Despite modern connotations of death as evil, Hades was actually more altruistically inclined in mythology. Hades was often portrayed as passive rather than evil; his role was often maintaining relative balance. Hades ruled the dead, assisted by others over whom he had complete authority. He strictly forbade his subjects to leave his domain and would become quite enraged when anyone tried to leave, or if someone tried to steal the souls from his realm. His wrath was equally terrible for anyone who tried to cheat death or otherwise crossed him, as Sisyphus and Pirithous found out to their sorrow. Besides Heracles, the only other living people who ventured to the Underworld were all heroes: Odysseus, Aeneas (accompanied by the Sibyl), Orpheus, Theseus with Pirithous, and, in a late romance, Psyche. None of them were pleased with what they witnessed in the realm of the dead. In particular, the Greek war hero Achilles, whom Odysseus conjured with a blood libation, said:

 "O shining Odysseus, never try to console me for dying. I would rather follow the plow as thrall to another man, one with no land allotted to him and not much to live on, than be a king over all the perished dead." 

— Achilles' soul to Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey' 11.488-491

Hades in Movies

Remember him, Love Hercules 

 Loved this version, in Both Titans movies.

This one was kind of funny, really liked his version of Hades as well (Percy Jackson)

Tell me what book or movies of Hade was your favorite ?

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Day 3 For The Love of Mythology: Poseidon

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poseidon or Posidon (Greek: Ποσειδῶν, gen: Ποσειδῶνος) is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in Greek mythology. His main domain is the ocean, and he is called the "God of the Sea". Additionally, he is referred to as "Earth-Shaker" due to his role in causing earthquakes, and has been called the "tamer of horses". He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and beard.

The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology; both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon. Linear B tablets show that Poseidon was venerated at Pylos and Thebes in pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece as a chief deity, but he was integrated into the Olympian gods as the brother of Zeus and Hades. According to some folklore, he was saved by his mother Rhea, who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which was devoured by Cronos.

There is a Homeric hymn to Poseidon, who was the protector of many Hellenic cities, although he lost the contest for Athens to Athena. According to the references from Plato in his dialogue Timaeus and Critias, the island of Atlantis was the chosen domain of Poseidon.

Birth 

Poseidon was a son of Cronus and Rhea. In most accounts he is swallowed by Cronus at birth but later saved, with his other brothers and sisters, by Zeus. However in some versions of the story, he, like his brother Zeus, did not share the fate of his other brother and sisters who were eaten by Cronus. He was saved by his mother Rhea, who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which she gave to Cronus to devour.

According to John Tzetzes the kourotrophos, or nurse of Poseidon was Arne, who denied knowing where he was, when Cronus came searching; according to Diodorus Siculus Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on Rhodes, just as Zeus was raised by the Korybantes on Crete.

According to a single reference in the Iliad, when the world was divided by lot in three, Zeus received the sky, Hades the underworld and Poseidon the sea. In the Odyssey (v.398), Poseidon has a home in Aegae.

Poseidon in Movies

I like this one , recently became a fan of the books as well.

a big fan of this one and this movie. (don't shoot me because I loved Twilight :)

Now this is how I would traditionally picture Poseidon looking like. Loved this movie too.

Can you guess these three movies? If so which one was your favorite?

                                                

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