Thank you so much for joining me! I’m very happy to be here at Angel’s Guilty Pleasures, celebrating the release of my Immortal Guardians novella PHANTOM EMBRACE. (If you’re new to the series, don’t worry. The novels and novellas can be read as stand alones. You’ll just be more familiar with the secondary characters if you read them in order.) Today I thought I would help you get to know Yuri, the hero, by giving you his Top 5 Tips for Romancing a Ghost.
Did I mention that Catherine, the heroine, is a ghost? 😉
- Convince the ghost that when you’re looking at her, you aren’t actually looking through her at the woman behind her.
- If she’s a book lover like Cat, play paranormal romance audiobooks with hot love scenes that make her cheeks flush and her eyes sparkle with desire.
- Confess that old-fashioned underwear turns you on.
- Never give up searching for something that will enable you to feel each other’s touch.
- Ensure she knows that your love for her will not lessen if you’re never able to touch.
Cat leaned into the frame of a large window behind the massive desk in David’s study. The sun’s rays, almost blindingly bright and sparkling with dust motes, poured through the clean panes and passed right through her, imbuing her with warmth.
The house around her was quiet. All the immortals slept. Many of their human Seconds slept as well, having worked until noon or thereabouts, running errands and conducting whatever business they did during the day for the immortals they served and protected.
Even David slept, exhausted by the long hours he had kept of late, aiding immortals in North Carolina and surrounding states whenever emergencies arose, then spending the moments in between poring over medical textbooks in search of any information that would help him and Seth carry Ami safely through her difficult pregnancy.
Outside, Roland’s cat, Nietzsche—as cantankerous as his owner—crept toward a squirrel.
The squirrel continued to nibble on an acorn, watching the cat from the corner of its eye.
A pleasant male voice spoke, startling her. “There you are.”
Her head snapping around, Cat stared at the tall figure in the doorway.
Yuri graced her with a charming smile as he entered and closed the door behind him.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked, telling her treacherous heart to stop slamming against her ribs. She had never understood why she had continued to feel that particular organ after she had breathed her last breath. She never felt hunger. Never felt thirst. But her heart seemed to thump away in her breast. One of many mysteries for which she had no explanation.
“I was looking for you,” he said, tucking his hands in his pockets as he strolled toward her. He wore the usual garb of an immortal. Black pants. Black T-shirt stretched taut over the thick muscles of his chest, shoulders, and arms. Heavy black boots.
From what she understood, immortals and their Seconds dressed thusly so blood stains would be less apparent to any looky-loos who saw them after a hunt.
She frowned. Was that the right phrase? Looky-loos? It sounded odd.
Regardless, the clothing suited Yuri, accenting his dark hair and chestnut eyes.
She straightened as he approached the desk.
“I’ve only caught the briefest glimpses of you these last few nights,” he commented.
Because she had been careful to avoid him since their talk. As soon as he had entered a room, Cat had left it. She had even resisted the temptation to follow him on his hunts.
He arched a dark brow. “Are you avoiding me?”
For a moment, Cat considered denying it. But she had told him she valued honesty. So she nodded.
“Why?” He cocked his head to one side. “Did I offend you in some way?”
Shaking her head, she glanced down. “I fear it is I who offended you.” She forced herself to meet his gaze. “I owe you an apology.”
His expression remained impassive. “For what?”
“Now that I know you can see me, that you’ve always been able to see me, I realize . . .” Mortified, she looked away and began to pleat her skirts with anxious fingers. “You said you value your privacy, and I denied you that on many an occasion, visiting your chamber and following you on hunts. I—”
“Cat.”
She shook her head and met his gaze. “I don’t want to be like that first spirit you mentioned, the one you spoke to. I don’t want to irritate you or make you uncomfortable. I—”
“You don’t,” he interrupted with a kind smile. “You didn’t.” He sighed as he circled the desk. “I feared this might be the reason for your absence.” Stopping a few feet away, he leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the window, careful to avoid the sun’s rays. “I confess I enjoyed your presence each time you joined me in my room or on a hunt.” His smile widened. “The former more than the latter. The latter proved dangerously distracting on more than one occasion.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not,” he said and glanced out the window.
Cat followed his gaze.
Without warning, Nietzsche raced toward the squirrel.
The squirrel dropped its acorn and shot up the nearest tree, not stopping until it reached the highest limbs, well out of the crazy cat’s reach. Spinning around, it barked a peculiar little bark at the disgruntled feline, its tail flicking wildly.
“It’s been so long, Cat,” Yuri murmured, his profile drawing her gaze. “It’s been so very long since I’ve spent time with a woman around whom I can relax and be myself.” He cast her a smile, both wry and sad at the same time. “Five hundred years or so, if you can believe it.”
She couldn’t.
“Even when I was mortal, I had to hide my strange ability to see spirits. If I didn’t, I was believed to be quite mad.” He shrugged. “Once I became immortal, I had a great deal more to hide.”
Surely there had been women over the centuries. Even Bastien had not remained celibate since his transformation.
“This life is not conducive to forming lasting relationships with women,” he went on, almost as though she had spoken the thought aloud. “Human/immortal relationships never end well. Most end bitterly when the human ages and the immortal does not. The human always seems incapable of believing that the immortal who loves her will continue to do so as she grows wrinkled and stooped with age. That disbelief sows distrust. The elderly human convinces herself the immortal must be seeing a younger woman on the side and launches accusations each night as he leaves to hunt. The immortal always grows bitter himself that the woman he loves has so little faith in him.”
He grew quiet, his handsome face pensive.
“Does it never work?” she asked.
“Very rarely. When it does, it always ends in tragedy when the human inevitably dies. Until Roland met Sarah, the same held true for immortal/gifted one relationships. Sarah is the first gifted one in history who actually asked to be transformed so she could spend eternity with an immortal. In the past, gifted ones always refused, which spawned even more bitterness.”
He faced her once more. “I suspect you were born in another era, so I hope this will not offend your sensibilities, but . . . casual, meaningless sex has held no appeal for me for the past . . . oh . . . four hundred years, give or take a decade. After a century or so it just grew . . . tiresome and interested me about as much as eating the same meal for dinner every night for hundreds of years would. Periodically one feels the need to sate the hunger, of course, but it’s just the scratching of an itch. There’s no real satisfaction in it. And certainly no affection.”
She fought back a blush. No man had ever spoken so plainly to her.
“I miss the company of women,” he said with something akin to apology in his voice. “And while I was a bit wary of you the first few times you joined me in my room, I soon found I enjoyed your presence there. Enjoyed the companionship you provided. Enjoyed watching your expression change as you listened to audiobooks with me when Stanislav didn’t join us.”
Revelation struck. “You started listening to them for me, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” he admitted. “I couldn’t help but notice the looks of longing you cast the books on my shelves.” He glanced at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves around them. “Or these.”
What a thoughtful gift he had given her. Cat had always been a bit of a bluestocking when she had lived, burying her nose in a book whenever she could. “Thank you.”
He inclined his head. “I even enjoyed watching television with you.” He smiled. “As though we were an old married couple.”
That enigmatic heartbeat of hers quickened.
“You brought me a peace I haven’t experienced in many long years, Cat. I’ve missed that these past few days.”
She swallowed. “I didn’t want to be like that other spirit. I didn’t want to make a nuisance of myself.”
He huffed a laugh. “If you knew how much I’ve missed your company since we spoke, you’d understand just how impossible that is.”
Hope and disbelief battled within her. Could she be so lucky?
He straightened away from the window frame and took a step toward her.
Cat reached out instinctively to push him away from the sunlight. “Careful,” she admonished. Warmth suffused her hands when they touched his chest and started to pass through him. She jerked them back. “Oh. I’m sorry. I—”
He raised a hand to stop her apology, then held it out to her, palm-up, as he had that night in his room.
Cat stared down at the large, masculine hand as sunlight bathed it.
“I’m old enough that I can sustain some exposure without suffering.”
“Oh.” Cat glanced up at him, then tentatively placed her own hand atop his, careful to ensure hers wouldn’t pass through it.
That wonderful warmth filled her where they pretended to touch.
Smiling, Yuri leaned down and mimicked kissing the back of her hand.
More warmth suffused her where his lips contacted her intangible skin.
He straightened. “Dmitry downloaded a new audiobook for me today at my request.”
Cat smiled. One of the many things she had learned about Yuri in the time she had been haunting him was that he was not at all comfortable with the electronic devices and advanced technology of this time.
“He teased me mercilessly about it,” he continued with a wry smile.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I asked him to download something called a paranormal romance.”
Paranormal romance. The term sounded familiar. “I think Tracy likes those.”
He nodded. “According to Marcus, female readers love them. Some men do, too. Though some—like Dmitry—mock them for it.”
“Why?”
“Romance is considered a woman’s genre by many. Love and happily ever after and that sort of thing. I think most men equate romance novels with chick flicks.”
“Men don’t like love and happily ever after?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with it, but don’t know that I’ll enjoy listening to it for twelve or thirteen hours. Marcus claims paranormal romances also have a lot of action and violence in them, though, so I thought it may be something we could both enjoy.”
“That was thoughtful of you,” she said, pleased by the overture.
“My reading, or—in this case—listening preferences can be a bit dull and dry,” he said apologetically.
“No, not at all,” Cat protested.
He arched a brow.
She bit her lip. “It’s just . . . some crime stories . . .” She tried to think of a diplomatic phrase that wouldn’t offend.
“Bore the petticoats off you?” he supplied, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement.
She laughed. “Yes. I’ve watch too many of those police shows on television with the Seconds. The stories all seem to blend together now.”
“Well, let’s see if this paranormal romance will spark your interest, shall we?”
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” she asked, hoping he would say no. It had been hard to stay away from him this past week. She had missed his company.
“Yes, but let us at least listen to the first chapter or two and get a taste of it. I’ll turn in after that.”
She grinned. “I’d like that.”
He circled the desk and headed for the door.
Cat followed, as excited as a girl being courted for the first time. As he reached for the door handle, she passed through the wall beside the door. In the hallway, she turned and found him holding the door open for her.
Both laughed.
“Forgive me,” she apologized. “Habit.”
He shook his head. “I claim the same. Opening doors for women is second nature.” He stepped out into the hallway with her. “This will be fun, I think,” he said with a smile. “Never a dull moment.”
Cat agreed wholeheartedly and accompanied him down to his room.
Phantom Embrace




Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series and The Gifted Ones series. Her books have twice been nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance and are routinely deemed Top Picks by RT Book Reviews, The Romance Reviews, and/or Night Owl Reviews. Reviewers have called Dianne’s books “utterly addictive” (RT Book Reviews), “fast-paced and humorous” (Publishers Weekly), “extraordinary” (Long and Short Reviews), and “wonderfully imaginative” (The Romance Reviews).
Dianne loves all things creative. When she isn’t writing, Dianne is active in the independent film industry and has even appeared on-screen, crawling out of a moonlit grave and wielding a machete like some of the vampires she has created in her books.For the latest news on upcoming releases, contests, and more, please visit www.DianneDuvall.com. You can also find Dianne online . . .Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/DianneDuvallAuthorTwitter — https://twitter.com/DianneDuvallPinterest — http://www.pinterest.com/dianneduvallGoodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/Dianne_DuvallGoogle Plus — https://plus.google.com/106122556514705041683

June 20
Little Shop of Readers – Spotlight & Excerpt
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – Author Post
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Spotlight & Excerpt
June 21
Cat’s Reviews – Spotlight & Excerpt
Books and Things – Q&A
lisa louisiana home – Spotlight & Excerpt
June 22
Books-n-Kisses – Author Post w/Review
Urban Fantasy Investigations – Spotlight & Excerpt
EBookObsessed – Spotlight & Excerpt w/Review
June 23
Bookgatherer – Q&A w/Review
KT Book Reviews – Spotlight & Excerpt
Diane’s Book Blog – Spotlight & Excerpt
June 24
Reading in Pajamas – Author Post w/Review
E-Reading After Midnight – Q&A w/Review
June 25
From the TBR Pile – Spotlight & Excerpt w/Review
Tome Tender – Author Post
June 26
Jacklynn Love’s Reading – Spotlight & Excerpt
June 27
Romancing the Book – Q&A
The Reading Addict – Q&A
June 28 – Release Day Blast
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!
Reading Between the Wines Book Club
June 29
Romance Novel Giveaways – Spotlight & Excerpt
Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Q&A
June 30
Cocktails and Books – Immortal Guardians Series, Favorite Quotes
Buffy’s Ramblings – Spotlight & Excerpt w/Review
July 1
Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm – Spotlight & Excerpt
July 2
Lady with a Quill – Author Post
I’m A Voracious Reader – Spotlight & Excerpt
July 3
Secret Realm Book Reviews and Services – Q&A w/Review
Jeri’s Book Attic – Author Post w/Review
Amy
July 12, 2016 at 9:23 am
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Amy recently posted…Amy
Karen M.
July 2, 2016 at 4:50 pm
I liked the excerpt. This looks like a great series.
Rita Luken
July 1, 2016 at 1:12 pm
OMG Never wanted to win 3rd place more in my life…here’s hoping and thanks for the chance.
Elle Styles
June 24, 2016 at 11:52 am
I want to read this book! I can’t wait ^^
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:14 pm
I hope you’ll enjoy it, Elle!
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Jan Lee
June 21, 2016 at 8:29 pm
Will the books be out in hard copies at all? I’d love to read them but no Kindle, etc.
Crystal @ Author's Taproom
June 22, 2016 at 8:10 pm
Hi Jan! Most the Immortal Guardians Series is available in print, with the exception of the novellas. However, all of the novella’s can be found in anthologies which are available in print as well! You can see these on Amazon here; http://amzn.to/28RIE4E Hope that helps! 🙂
Crystal @ Author’s Taproom recently posted…Now Booking: Phantom Embrace by Dianne Duvall
Dianne Duvall
June 22, 2016 at 10:29 pm
Hi, Jan! As Crystal said, the novels are all available in paperback. The novellas are only available as solo novellas in ebook format. But they can be found in paperback anthologies. IN STILL DARKNESS is available in the PREDATORY anthology, and PHANTOM EMBRACE can be found in the ON THE HUNT anthology. You can find a list of all books with online links (as well as reviews, favorite quotes, excerpts, etc) on my website. 🙂 http://www.dianneduvall.com/books.htm
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #109 — Phantom Embrace
Peggy Collins
June 21, 2016 at 8:24 am
Enjoy this series. Great giveaway.
Dianne Duvall
June 22, 2016 at 10:29 pm
Thank you, Peggy!
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #109 — Phantom Embrace
Vicki Wurgler
June 21, 2016 at 5:29 am
read the excerpt thanks for your giveaway
Dianne Duvall
June 22, 2016 at 10:30 pm
Thanks for joining us, Vicki! I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #109 — Phantom Embrace
Lily M.
June 20, 2016 at 10:33 pm
Hi thank you so much for this great opportunity ? I always thought seeing spirits would be cool but in the same time, it’s kind of scary, you never know who the ghost is, good or bad.
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:18 pm
Hi, Lily. That’s what Yuri has learned over the years. Even Cat is leery of some of the other spirits she has encountered. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Stephanie
June 20, 2016 at 8:41 pm
How many books are you planning for this series?
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:19 pm
Hi, Stephanie. I don’t have a specific number in mind. But I don’t think I’ll be ending the series anytime soon. I’m having too much fun with the characters. 😉
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Rachael
June 20, 2016 at 6:51 pm
I love this book series and I can’t wait to read this book!!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:20 pm
Thank you, Rachael! I hope you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #109 — Phantom Embrace
Theresa Fischer
June 20, 2016 at 6:12 pm
I love this series and can’t wait to read Phantom Embrace!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:21 pm
Thank you, Theresa! I hope you’ll enjoy Yuri and Cat’s story! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #108—Phantom Embrace
Vanessa
June 20, 2016 at 5:23 pm
I loved this book.
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:22 pm
Hi, Vanessa! I’m so glad you liked it. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Christine Connolly
June 20, 2016 at 5:08 pm
I love this! Dianne is my top author and an incredible writer!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:23 pm
Wow! Thank you, Christine! You’ve made my weekend. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Lola
June 20, 2016 at 4:47 pm
I don’t read a lot of ghost/ spirit books, but they can be fun. It’s interesting to see how the couple would deal with one being a ghost and I can see how romancing a ghost can bring some difficulties with it.
Lola recently posted…Review: Faerie Magic by Emma L Adams
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Hi, Lola! This is the first one I’ve written that featured a ghost as the hero or heroine. It was a challenge, but a lot of fun. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #108—Phantom Embrace
Dawn Dalrymple
June 20, 2016 at 3:25 pm
Love to read about ghosts and paranormal!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:27 pm
Me, too. Paranormals are my favorite reads. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #109 — Phantom Embrace
Carmen
June 20, 2016 at 3:18 pm
This books was so bittersweet, I still tear up thinking about it. Love love love this series
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:28 pm
Thank you, Carmen! That’s just the reaction I was hoping for. 🙂 And I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series.
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—Phantom Embrace
Veronica Vasquez
June 20, 2016 at 2:59 pm
Love the tips and the excerpt! Sounds like a great read! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:28 pm
Thank you, Veronica! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Phyllis J Duncan
June 20, 2016 at 2:57 pm
I’ve been looking forward to this book. thanks for the chance.
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Thanks for joining us, Phyllis! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #109 — Phantom Embrace
Edye
June 20, 2016 at 10:07 am
Thanks for the chance to win! Sounds like a nice book.
Edye recently posted…Netflix Family Movie Guide
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Thank you, Edye! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Janie McGaugh
June 20, 2016 at 8:41 am
I read this as part of the On the Hunt anthology and loved it. I highly recommend it.
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:31 pm
Thank you, Janie! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday #108—Phantom Embrace
Cindy Foreman
June 20, 2016 at 8:39 am
Thanks for the chance and hosting Dianne!! Loved Yuri and Cat`s book! Cannot recommend it enough!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:31 pm
Hi, Cindy! *big wave* Thanks so much! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—Phantom Embrace
Crystal @ Author's Taproom
June 20, 2016 at 8:13 am
Thank you for hosting Dianne today on the Phantom Embrace blog tour! I hope that your readers enjoyed the tips for romancing a ghost! 🙂 Be sure to pick you PHANTOM EMBRACE on June 28th!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Yes. Thanks so much for letting me visit again! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Robbie Bauldree
June 20, 2016 at 8:07 am
Thanks for the tip on talking to a ghost.
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Thanks for joining us, Robbie!
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Jolanda L
June 20, 2016 at 7:28 am
Sounds great. Thank you for the chance!
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:33 pm
Thank you, Yolanda! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Mary Dellenbusch
June 20, 2016 at 6:00 am
Thank you for this chance. I love your series and look forward to reading this one. Good luck to all here. ☺
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:34 pm
Hi, Mary! *big wave* Thanks so much! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series. 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun
Maria Theresa Santos
June 20, 2016 at 1:21 am
Thanks for the chance
Dianne Duvall
June 25, 2016 at 9:34 pm
Thanks for joining us, Maria! 🙂
Dianne Duvall recently posted…Favorite Quote Friday—The Countdown Has Begun