School’s In: Dianne Duvall & the Immortal Guardians

Dianne Duvall

Schools In (200px)It’s that time of year again. Everyone is going back to school and so is Dianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardians from Phantom of Shadows.

Dr. Melanie Lipton is no stranger to the supernatural. She knows immortals better than they know themselves, right down to their stubborn little genes. So although a handsome rogue immortal seems suspicious to her colleagues, Sebastien Newcombe intrigues Melanie. His history is checkered, his scars are impressive, and his ideas are daring. But it’s not his ideas that have Melanie fighting off surges of desire. . .

Bastien is used to being the bad guy. In fact, he can’t remember the last time he had an ally he could trust. But Melanie is different–and under her calm, professional exterior he senses a passion beyond anything in his centuries of experience. Giving in to temptation is out of the question–he can’t put her in danger. But she isn’t asking him. . .

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away a signed copy of her/his choice of any one of the first three books in the Immortal Guardians series – Darkness Dawns, Night Reigns, Phantom Shadows – plus Immortal Guardians swag.

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Title

DDuvall-Phantom ShadowsIt’s that time again! Children and college students are heading back to school while their parents find invitations to high school reunions in their mailboxes. What, I wondered, would happen if one were delivered to someone in my Immortal Guardians series? I imagine it would go a little something like this:

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After another long night of hunting psychotic vampires, several immortals and their mortal Seconds, or guards, gathered as they often did at the home of David, one of the eldest and most powerful Immortal Guardians in the world. Sparring sounds wafted up from the large training room in the basement and warred with the large screen television at one end of the living room.

Sarah Warbrook, formerly Sarah Bingham, watched the men and women lounging on the sofas as they chatted and jested with each other. Her prey had not arrived yet. If he didn’t come soon . . .

The front door swung open. Marcus Grayden, a nearly nine-hundred-year-old immortal strode inside, his long black coat and black shirt splattered with blood.

The others called out a greeting.

“Psst,” Sarah hissed.

Stopping short, he turned toward her and raised his eyebrows. “Hi, Sarah. What’s up?”

She waved him over. “We need to talk. Fast. While Roland is down in the quiet room, showering, and can’t hear us.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

This man had known her husband for over eight hundred years and was like a brother to him. He – better than anyone – would understand her dilemma.

She drew in a deep breath, then blurted the horrible news. “Roland wants to take me to my high school reunion.”

He stared at her for a full minute without blinking.

“Marcus?”

“Hold that thought.” He strode past her into the kitchen.

Sarah watched him open the refrigerator door, draw out a bottle of tea, and return to stand before her.

“Okay,” he directed, opening the lid. “Say that again.” Tilting his head back, he partook of the tasty liquid.

“Roland wants to take me to my high school reunion.”

Marcus spewed tea in what even Sarah had to admit was a truly impressive spit take.

She eyed him balefully.

Marcus shrugged. “I thought it the most appropriate response.”

“Dude,” Darnell called from the living room, “I’m not cleaning that up.”

Sarah ignored him. “Marcus, this is serious.”

“Hell, yes, this is serious. Remember what happened when you took him Christmas shopping?”

“What happened when you took him Christmas shopping?” Tracy called.

Marcus turned to her. “He flashed his fangs and glowing eyes and threw a guy across a toy store. In front of children.”

Several laughed and shook their heads.

“The children weren’t scared,” Sarah hastened to mention. “They thought it was cool. It was the parents who freaked out.”

“Why’d he do it?” Tracy asked with a grin.

“Because the guy bumped into her,” Marcus replied drolly.

Sarah rubbed her forehead as it began to pound. “That guy didn’t even know me, Marcus. What do you think Roland is going to do when he comes face to face with one of my old boyfriends. Or if someone makes some snide remark to me?”

“Hell.”

Darnell whistled. “It’d be like prom night in Stephen King’s CARRIE.”

“Exactly. So, Marcus, I need you to talk him out of it.”

“What put the fool idea into his head in the first place?”

“YOU did,” she accused and motioned to the others. “All of you did. If you didn’t razz him so much about being antisocial, he wouldn’t insist on taking me so I wouldn’t miss out on whatever it is he thinks I’ll miss out on if I don’t go.”

Marcus frowned. “Do you WANT to go?”

“Of course not. I don’t want to see any of those people again. You know what my teen years were like. My mom was always borrowing my clothes and hitting on my boyfriends. It was humiliating.”

“Then tell him you don’t want to go.”

“I DID! Thanks to you guys, he thinks I’m just saying that because I think HE doesn’t want to go.”

“Hmmmmmm.”

Silence reigned.

“Well,” Tracy said, “it WOULD be totally cool to show up at your reunion with a six-foot-two-inch tall, well-muscled, gorgeous immortal warrior who hunts vampires for a living on your arm. I mean, seriously, who could top that?”

Sarah sighed. “You aren’t helping, Tracy.”

Marcus pursed his lips. “We could round up a dozen or so vampires and sick them on him.”

“Really? That’s the best you can do?”

Sarah heard the door to the quiet room open down below. A moment later, her husband strolled into the room, hair still damp, looking irresistibly handsome.

He crossed to her side. “Hello, sweetheart.” He gave her a brief kiss. “Marcus. How was tonight’s hunt?”

“Same old same old.”

He nodded, belatedly noticing that every eye in the room was trained upon him. “What’s up?”

Marcus cleared his throat. “You can’t take Sarah to her high school reunion.”

Roland glanced at Sarah.

Shrugging, she gave him an innocent I-don’t-know-how-he-heard-about-it look.

“Why not? High school reunions are important gatherings in the mortal world.”

“Because you’ll kill any guy who hits on her,” Marcus pointed out.

Tracy held up a hand. “Or you’ll kill anyone who says anything snarky to her.”

Darnell nodded. “Or you’ll kill anyone who accidentally bumps into her.”

Marcus shrugged. “The bottom line is you’ll kill someone.”

Roland scowled at them. “Oh, come on. You’re exaggerating. I wouldn’t KILL them. I’d just . . . maim them a little bit.”

All stared.

“What? I’m supposed to just let them get away with it?”

“Sweetie,” Sarah said gently, “you know I can take care of myself.”

He sent her a sensual smile. “I know. I love that about you. But protecting you is a knee-jerk reaction.”

Marcus drew out his cell. “I know what to do.” After dialing, he held it to his ear. “Seth?”

Sarah bit her lip. Seth was the exceedingly powerful leader of the Immortal Guardians.

“Just thought you might like to know that Roland is planning to take Sarah to her high school reunion.”

Seth appeared out of thin air beside Marcus, a look of utter disbelief on his handsome features as he stared down at them. “The hell you are. After what happened when she took you Christmas shopping?”

Roland opened his mouth to protest.

Seth pointed at him. “No. Absolutely not. I have too much on my plate right now to have to stop and erase a gymnasium full of people’s memories because you can’t keep a cool head. Besides, Sarah doesn’t want to go.”

Roland frowned at her. “Because of me, right?”

“No,” she insisted again. “Because high school sucked and I’d rather spend that night doing ANYTHING ELSE with you.”

His lips tilted up. “ANYTHING ELSE can cover a lot of ground.”

She grinned. “Yes, it can.”

He looped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck just behind one ear. “All right. We won’t go.”

“You see?” Marcus said smugly. “Crisis averted.”

Seth shook his head. “I’m out.”

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Sarah and Roland debuted in my Immortal Guardians series as the hero and heroine of Darkness Dawns and continued to play important roles in Night Reigns and my latest release Phantom Shadows. :-)

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Meet Dianne Duvall!

Dianne Duvall is the author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series.  Her debut novel Darkness Dawns has been nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance 2011 by RT Book Reviews, for Best Paranormal Romance – Vampire 2011 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, has been declared an “utterly addictive” Top Pick by RT Book Reviews, “intense, passionate and engrossing” by The Romance Reviews, and “a clever, unique, and brilliantly executed book” by Long and Short Reviews.  Phantom Shadows, the third book in what RT Book Reviews call her “excellent Immortal Guardians series,” will be released on October 2, 2012. 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.

Dianne DuvallContact Info
Website: website
Blog: Blog
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Want to purchase Dianne’s novels?
Immortal Guardians

  1. Darkness Dawns at Amazon | Book Depository
  2. Night Reigns at Amazon | Book Depository
  3. Phantom Shadows at Amazon | Book Depository

Please help spread the word: Tweet: Go back to school with 30 authors while #giveaways ensue during #SchoolsIn (Sept 1-30) http://tinyurl.com/LESchoolsIn – #paranormal #contests #UF

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Contest Time!

Thank you Dianne for taking part in Literary Escapism’s School’s in!

Dianne is giving away a signed copy of her/his choice of any one of the first three books in the Immortal Guardians series – Darkness Dawns, Night Reigns, Phantom Shadows – plus Immortal Guardians swag. To enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: Would you have let Roland go to Sara’s high school reunion? Why or why not? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered.

Even though I’m not giving the additional entries any more, you can still help support the author by sharing their article, and this contest, on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere you can. After all, the more people who are aware of this fabulous author ensures we get more fabulous stories.

The winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.

All School’s In contests will remain open until October 7th at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the snazzy new plug-in I have. Have you checked out the other School’s In contests yet? Check out the Master List to see all the School’s In giveaways

I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

2 Comments

  1. I think I will let Roland go with Sarah to the high school reunion. You know, so Sarah can show him in front of her friends, or her friends will think twice if they want to make snide remarks to her :D

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