Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Posted on October 15, 2018October 14, 2018 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Halloween is creeping closer and closer. That means it’s time for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

That also means that ’tis the season for pumpkin spice everything. OMG.

Are you Team Pumpkin Spice Everything?

Or are you Team Pumpkin Spice NOOOOOO?

Lucifer (not actually MY Lucifer but his evil twin!) and I will be over here while you decide. Answer in the Rafflecopter below for a chance at your choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book. If you decide to buy pumpkin spice ANYTHING with the gift card, please do not let me know!

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for more fabulous prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Posted on October 15, 2017October 15, 2017 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Halloween is creeping closer and closer. That means it’s time for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

It also means that pumpkin spice is taking over the world. hopefully only on a temporary basis.

Is it my imagination, or did the pumpkin spice parade start rolling out even earlier this year than it did last year?

But seriously, or at least semi-seriously, it’s that time again when the air starts to get just a bit crisp, for relative definitions of crisp depending on where you live, the leaves start to fall, if they haven’t already, and everyone buys large packages of small bars of candy and pretends that all the candy is for the veritable hordes of trick-or-treaters expected to bombard your doorstep on Halloween.

I try to only buy candy I can’t eat – it saves loads of regret the next day (week, month, year). On that other hand, my husband really likes Snickers. To each their own.

As usual, I tried to pick a book with some vague relationship to scary stuff to review for Halloween. I don’t read much horror, so this is always a stretch. The planned book is Black Box Inc by Jake Bible. It’s urban fantasy, which is usually as close to horror as I get, in a post-extradimensional happening world. It looks like it has definite possibilities on the slightly creepy scale, just perfect for Halloween.

I don’t read horror (or watch it) because it scares me. If I want to be scared, all I have to do is watch the news. But what really creeps you out?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more fabulous (and not frightening) giveaways, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop!

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Posted on October 21, 2016October 19, 2016 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Halloween is right around the corner. That means it’s time for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

So let’s talk about what spooks us.

I’ll admit that Pumpkin Spice Everything is really starting to creep me out. I like pumpkin pie as much as the next person, but seriously, Pumpkin Spice Cheerios? Never mind the Pumpkin Spice Triscuit crackers. That just sounds WRONG. But maybe not as wrong as the Pumpkin Spice Bailey’s and the Pumpkin Spice-filled Truffles. The only Pumpkin Spice thing I’ve liked so far is this one:

So what are you scared of this Halloween? If you’re looking for a scary book to read, I highly recommend Teeth, Long and Sharp by Grace Draven, Antioch Grey, Aria M Jones, Jeffe Kennedy and Mel Sterling. All the stories in collection are good, but the last one, Voice of the Knife by Mel Sterling, gave me the shivers to the point I needed a hug and hot drink afterwards. And the hot drink was NOT Pumpkin Spice Anything!

For Halloween, I have two books that have spooky-related themes, but are probably not too scary: Shadowed Souls edited by Kerrie L. Hughes and Jim Butcher here at Reading Reality, and Ghost Maker by Robin D. Owens over at the Book Pushers.

What scary books are you planning to read this Halloween? Or what’s your favorite scary book? Answer in the Rafflecopter for your chance at a $10 Gift Card or $10 Book. No pumpkin spice allowed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And if you are looking for more bookish and scary prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Posted on October 15, 2015October 13, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

It’s that time again. What time is that? Time for the annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer!

I think the scariest thing I’ve seen this year is the mass proliferation of “Pumpkin Spice Everything” in every single store. While I’m grateful that the Pumpkin Spice Brigade is holding the too early Christmas Decoration Horde at bay, I think I’ve smelled enough pumpkin spice to last a lifetime. And the month is only half over.

This is my favorite recipe for pumpkin beer. Or pumpkin anything except pie.

If the endless promotion of pumpkin spice everything isn’t scary enough, there are plenty of books to make you shiver. I’m reading Broadcast Hysteria for Halloween. It’s about a real-life scare that should still be fascinating. On Halloween in 1938, CBS Radio broadcast Orson Welles adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. And thousands of people got hysteric believing that Martians really were invading New York City.

What scary books are you reading for Halloween? Or what’s your favorite scary book? Let us know in the Rafflecopter for your chance at a $10 Gift Card or $10 Book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more great scary bookish prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop:

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Posted on October 15, 2014October 14, 2014 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer!

The spooks are back in town. Pumpkins are everywhere and Halloween candy is filling the store shelves.

We’re in a new apartment this year, so we wonder whether we will get trick-or-treaters. We also wonder whether or not our lack of knowledge in this area will affect our purchases of Halloween candy! (There are no calories in those little, teeny, tiny chocolate bars, are there?)

My Halloween book this year is going to be Duck, Duck Ghost by Rhys Ford. At first, I was planning to review it earlier, but when the doll heads tried to smother one of the heroes, my creepy meter went off the scale.

Attack of the Killer Baby Dolls! Doesn’t that sound like a terrific title for a scary movie?

In honor (or memorial, or creep-festing) of Halloween, I will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card (winner’s choice) to one lucky entrant.

May all your reads be haunting, whether in a spooky way or not!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
For more chances to win more great prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop:

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-27-13

Posted on October 27, 2013October 27, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Fall Into Winter Romance Giveaway Hop> Giveaways> Something Wicked Returns Blog Hop> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Halloween is coming. This week! It’s our first Halloween in Seattle, and we don’t know what Autumn will mean here in the Pacific Northwest, although we’re guessing that it’s the start of the rainy season.

In the South, it meant the weather finally got decent again, after a summer of “OMG it’s hot!” In Alaska, by late October winter had already set in for the long haul. In the Midwest, Halloween really did mean that Fall was ending. Chicago usually has a pretty nice (and generally pretty, Fall. (Spring kind of sucks, but Fall was often long and beautiful).

But about Halloween. There are still a few more days to enter both the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop and the Something Wicked Returns Hop. Because, of course, they are Halloween-themed hops and will ghost away on Halloween. However, the lucky winners will be able to spend their $10 Amazon or B&N gift cards any time they like. Even on non-ghostly books. But enter soon before the chance disappears until next spook time.

Speaking of ghosts, Book Lovers Inc. has sadly joined the legion of ghost book blogs. The international book congress was my book blogging “home away from home” for two years, and I’ll miss posting there and all the friends I made over at BLI. I’d like to formally welcome those who followed the links and decided to give Reading Reality a try.

And for those who miss Draconismoi’s trademark rants from BLI, let me introduce you to Cass, otherwise known as Draconismoi from BLI. She has graciously, or snarkily, agreed to bring her ranting and reviewing skills down the coast from Alaska to Seattle for the occasional rant and review. Her first post at Reading Reality was this week’s Series Shakedown. Read and enjoy!

Current Giveaways:

Something Wicked Returns: my prize is a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble; visit the other stops on the hop to see their fabulous prizes.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop: Yet another opportunity for you to win a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Check the post to see the over 300 other stops on this hop!

Hunter’s Moon by Lisa Kessler — tourwide giveaway of a $25 Amazon gift card and earrings.

Blog Recap:

Entangled Edge Release Day Blast
B+ Review: Hunter’s Moon by Lisa Kessler + Giveaway
B+ Review: Finding It by Cora Carmack
B Review: The Case of the Cosmological Killer by Stephanie Osborn
B+ Review: Rogue’s Possession by Jeffe Kennedy
Guest Post by Jeffe Kennedy on The Lure of the Fish-Out-of-Water Character
Series Shakedown: Psy/Changelings by Nalini Singh (written by Cass)
Stacking the Shelves (64)

Coming Next Week:

Work in Progress by Christina Esdon (review + guest post + giveaway)
Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster (review + Q&A + giveaway)
Something Wicked by Angela Campbell (review)
Take Me, Cowboy by Jane Porter (review)
Fall into Winter Romance Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-20-13

Posted on October 20, 2013October 18, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> Something Wicked Returns Blog Hop> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop> The Sunday Post

We’re in Reno right now, and part of this is funny. It’s the setting for Lisa Kessler’s Hunter’s Moon, which I’m reviewing tomorrow. I can see the mountains from our room, at least during the day. At night there’s just this pink neon glow.

The drawback to staying at a casino hotel? This is the first public place I’ve been to in years that allows smoking. I’d forgotten what that’s like, and it’s not a memory I wanted to revive.

Current Giveaways:

Something Wicked Returns: my prize is a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble; visit the other stops on the hop to see their fabulous prizes.
Spooktacular Giveaway Hop: Yet another opportunity for you to win a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Check the post to see the over 300 other stops on this hop!
Promise, Me Cowboy by CJ Carmichael: enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win an ebook copy.

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: The Case of the Displaced Detective: At Speed by Stephanie Osborn
Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
A Review: Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football by Rich Cohen
A- Review: Faking It by Cora Carmack
B Review: Promise Me, Cowboy by CJ Carmichael + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (63)

Coming Next Week:

Hunter’s Moon by Lisa Kessler (blog tour review)
Finding It by Cora Carmack (blog tour review)
The Case of the Cosmological Killer by Stephanie Osborn (review)
Rogue’s Possession by Jeffe Kennedy (blog tour review + guest post + giveaway)
Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb (review)

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Posted on October 15, 2013October 13, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the 4th annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer!

Why is it, when someone says the word “spooky”, I still hear the theme song from the old Addams Family TV show in my head?

OMG, now I have an earworm. That may be even creepier than any ghost story.

But speaking of ghost stories, what do you think of ghost romances? I’m still not quite sure. Stacey Kennedy’s Supernaturally Kissed was wonderful, but her ghost turned out to not quite be a ghost. On the other hand, the ghost romance in Karen Robards’ books, The Last Victim and The Last Kiss Goodbye well, I’m still not sure. A psychiatrist who studies serial killers in love with the ghost of a, you guessed it, serial killer. This can’t end well. Can it?

Very spooky!

I’m giving away a $10 gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice). It’s also the winner’s choice whether they buy spooky or not-so-spooky books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
For more chances to win, visit the other stops on the hop!

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-13-13

Posted on October 13, 2013October 13, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Something Wicked Returns Blog Hop> Spooktacular Giveaway Hop> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This is another one of those Sundays when it is just too pretty to be inside. But here I am. My home office has a lovely tree-lined view on the other side of the street–appropriately for this Halloween month, those trees shade the very nicely landscaped cemetery across the road. Hopefully the neighbors will be quiet at the end of the month!

Current Giveaways:

Something Wicked Returns: my prize is a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble; visit the other stops on the hop to see their fabulous prizes. Hell’s Belle by Karen Greco (ebook, international, tour-wide)

Winner announcements:

The winner of the ebook copy of Treacherous Temptations by Victoria Vane is Julie B. The winner of the ebook copy of Heavy Metal Heart by Nico Rosso is Jo J.