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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

June Book of the Month - June 14, 2011


Book of the Month is a new feature for The Qwillery. Poll results showed that this is a feature that you would like. So here goes...

I announced my June Book of the Month in a vlog last week, but thought it would be better to put it in a post. This book has a Druid, a Druid trainee, Polish witches, a vampire lawyer (I know, not a stretch), a werewolf lawyer (and a pack of werewolves), gods from various mythologies, and the most awesome ever Irish Wolfhound. There's lots more, but I don't want to give anything away. You'll know all of the above if you read the first book in the series.

Why is it my June Book of the Month? First off, it's a 5 Qwill book that I can highly recommend. It's beautifully written with great wit. I love the characters, except for the malicious ones. I don't like them at all! The story is well-crafted. It moves at a nice clip. And Atticus O'Sullivan is one of the more enjoyable characters I've read in a while. He's a good guy. You can't help but cheer him on. I'm in love with the interplay between Atticus and his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. I'm impressed with how gods of different pantheons and mythologies are woven into the story. While there are danger and battles, there are also laughs and more than a few pop culture references that had me smiling. If you haven't guessed by now, the June Book of the Month is Hexed, Iron Druid Chronicles 2, by Kevin Hearne.

Hounded, Book 1, was released in May 2011. Hexed, Book 2, was released this month (or it couldn't be the June Book of the Month), and Hammered, Book 3, will be released in July 2011.

I like this series so much that I want to share! One commenter will win Hounded and Hexed. See the Giveaway rules below.

The Iron Druid Chronicles

Hounded
The Iron Druid Chronicles 1
(May 3, 2011)
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Amazon : B&N : Book Depository : Borders

Read the Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Hounded here

 
Hexed
The Iron Druid Chronicles 2
(June 7, 2011)
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.
 
With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.
 
Amazon : B&N : Book Depository : Borders


Hammered
The Iron Druid Chronicles 3
(July 5, 2011)
Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is worse than a blowhard and a bully—he’s ruined countless lives and killed scores of innocents. After centuries, Viking vampire Leif Helgarson is ready to get his vengeance, and he’s asked his friend Atticus O’Sullivan, the last of the Druids, to help take down this Norse nightmare.
 
One survival strategy has worked for Atticus for more than two thousand years: stay away from the guy with the lightning bolts. But things are heating up in Atticus’s home base of Tempe, Arizona. There’s a vampire turf war brewing, and Russian demon hunters who call themselves the Hammers of God are running rampant. Despite multiple warnings and portents of dire consequences, Atticus and Leif journey to the Norse plain of Asgard, where they team up with a werewolf, a sorcerer, and an army of frost giants for an epic showdown against vicious Valkyries, angry gods, and the hammer-wielding Thunder Thug himself.
 
Amazon : B&N : Book Depository : Borders



The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles 1) and a Mass Market Paperback copy of Hexed (The Iron Druid Chronicles 2) from The Qwillery.

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

What is one of you favorite books that you've read recently?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Tuesday, June 21, 2011. Void where prohibited by law.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*

34 comments:

  1. I'm already a follower and I've just tweeted, so I'll go straight to the answer: the best book I've read lately is "From Dark Places", by EJ Newman. Not the best book I've ever read, but a cool anthology with well crafted and creative stories. Emma is releasing her novel soon, and I'm curious to see how she'll handle longer pieces. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Best book I've read this month so far was Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews.
    Thank you for a wonderful giveaway, these books are on my TBR list.
    I am a follower and here is a link I reposted
    http://nocturnalbookreviews.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
    impy80(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've had a few books on my desperate to read list just lately. Amongst the best were Magic Slays, Dead Reckoning and Hit List but I have to go for Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison as my favourite It was the one I actually enjoyed reading the most.
    1 - comment
    +1 GFC follower - irgl7
    irgl7(at)bonzo15(dot)plus(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just finished Dealine by Mira Grant. I absolutely loved it. It's the sequel to Feed which is the first in the newsflesh trilogy. If you like zombies or social media pick it up!

    +1 comment
    +1 follower

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. One of my favorites that I read about two weeks ago is Wolfsbane.
    I'm also a follower for an extra entry.
    Thanks for the giveaway
    apk1princess(at)live(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I recently finish Demon Glass, Hex Hall's sequel and liked it a lot. The main character in those books is hilarious!

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC follower

    thegirlonfire
    thegirlonfire27 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've read several books this past month that I really liked, but when I thought 'favorite', John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation popped up first.
    Thanks for the chance to win Kevin's first 2. I've been plotting, and it looks like if I don't win (which I am still gonna cross my fingers for SO HARD!), I should be able to afford all 3 books on July 5.
    And I'm excited Kevin got signed for a second trilogy! Yippee! I've heard nothing but positive reviews, and I'm really looking forward to 'em - ALL of 'em! :)

    rissatoo
    +3 (answered, follower, retweeted)

    ReplyDelete
  8. My favourite book that I have recently read is Paullina Simmons's The Bronze Horseman.

    +1 GFC follower
    cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. +1 I follow via GFC
    +1 for comment

    I have just finished Fateful by Claudia Gray. Its setting on the Titanic was very well done and something unusual. I did enjoy it.,

    Thanks for the giveaway.
    Carol T

    buddytho {at} gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've read couple of fabulous books lately but the best should be those from Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Love that I didn't put any expectation on the series prior to reading but by the end of book three, I was completely blown away by the awesomeness of the book! Simply amazing :D

    +1 Comment
    +1 I'm already a follower
    +1 I tweeted here

    Thank you so much!

    Shy
    shy8629(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh great great giveaway! :)

    One of my fav books read recently...
    Well, I've read two that I absolutely fell in love with. They are new authors to me, but amazing reads! First is BLOODLINES by Skyla Dawn Cameron. Great read and fun. The second is THIEF by Sarah-Jane Lehoux. These books are so different yet I loved them. :)

    +1 Comment
    +1 Follower Melissa MyWorld
    +1 Tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/MelLHay/status/81000354816335872
    +1 On my side bar http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/

    Thank you!!!

    MyWorldinwordsandpages{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  12. My favorive book that I read lately is Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews/

    kapranova.sofija@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. My favorite book that I've read this month is Mary Higgins Clark's Just Take My Heart - It's a different mystery than I'm used to reading of hers, but a mystery nontheless. This one takes place in the court room.

    Alice McElwee turned me onto your blog - I'm glad I found it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. GFC Krystal Larson edysicecreamlover18ATgmailDOTcom One of my favorite books that I've read recently would be Die For Me: Amy Plum facebooked http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100000547840483 tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/Icecream1891

    ReplyDelete
  15. I just finished Magic Slays. I had read that someone dies (well, lots of people always die), but the one who did didn't bother me...whew!

    GFC Anne38

    ReplyDelete
  16. Follower
    Posted on twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/RaonaidLuckwell )
    and posted on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/RaonaidLuckwell

    Best book I've read this month? Dragon Bound, hands down, by Thea Harrison. That book was excellent, and then Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh.

    Raonaid (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  17. What is one of you favorite books that you've read recently? WYRD SISTERS by Terry Pratchett was brilliantly funny.

    +1 GFC Mary Preston

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Not to sound like too much of a suck up, but I just finished Hexed last night and just loved it. I had to borrow the books from the library, so it was rough not to have the pronunciation guide from the 1st book when I was reading the 2nd. You could fix that before I get to the 3rd! Thanks for the chance, and the fun blog.

    I follow you on twitter. And I tweeted about the contest as well.  http://twitter.com/greytfriend/status/81206910963032064

    ReplyDelete
  19. The book I've read recently that has been talked about a lot was Clarity. It was really, really good! I finished it in 2 days then gave it to my daughter to read, and she finished it in 1 1/2! Great read :)

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC follower
    +1 tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/jwitt33/status/81399213837139968

    Thanks for a great giveaway!

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. These books so good. I love the covers! The best book ive read lately is Sweet Possession by Maya Banks. :) Thank you for the giveaway!
    shadow_kohler@att.net

    ReplyDelete
  21. Blood Red Road has been one of my recent faves.

    I'm a gfc follower
    books (dot) things (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Best book I read recently, is Guild Hunter by Nalini Singh. It's a shame I'm not read much book this year, just do re-read for some book, but Nalini's Guild Hunter is the best! I recommend it to anyone who love read paranormal book with a great world building!

    I'm GFC follower : Ren
    Tweeted : http://twitter.com/#!/r3n87/status/81708456679190528

    Thanks

    sawamura_foxman AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  23. One of my recent faves is Wildefire by Karsten Knight

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC follower (Throuthehaze)

    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Favorite book I've read recently? Actually have two: The Mozart Conspiracy by Scott Mariani and Blind Faith by CJ Lyons

    +1 comment
    +1 follower (shadowweaver)

    ReplyDelete
  25. My favorite book is always whatever I'm currently reading - right now that is the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. I'm on At Grave's End.

    GFC Follower - shauntih
    shauntih@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. The best book that I read recently? Uhm... Anna and the French Kiss! XD

    I'm a GFC Follower
    I tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/petit_sayumi/status/82229998169227264

    Thanks for the giveaway! :D

    sweet(dot)sayumi(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)br

    ReplyDelete
  27. I haven't read this series yet, but it sounds SO great! *-*
    One of my new favorite books read recently is HEX HALL. I wasn't expecting much from it, but it surprised me in a VERY good way. :)

    kah_cherub at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. +1 I'm a follower: Kah_Cherub

    kah_cherub at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. I tweeted: http://twitter.com/vollkopf/status/82234273045815296

    kah_cherub at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow! So many good books. I've read some of them, have some in my TBR and will be adding a few to my To Be Bought list.

    Great recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I have just currently finished "Betrayal" by Michel Mayandree. I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days as I was anxios to know how the story would turn out.

    ReplyDelete
  32. My favorite book that I just finished reading is "No Place Like Holmes" by Jason Lethcoe.
    GFC follower- Krysta Banco
    FB post: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=232427033434498&id=1227339860

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  33. Recently would be Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep.

    Really like the look of these books but waiting for them to be available on the kindle in Asia/Pacific region.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Em, I read a few non-fiction this few months and a cozy mystery by Helen Smith, Three Sisters.

    I'm a follower

    darlyn225 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete