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.*