************* THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! *****************************
Good morning everyone!! I hope you're all excited to enter my newest giveaway - I'm giving away a $40 giftcard to CSN stores!
Not familiar with CSN? I'm in LOVE with this company - in fact, I have two CSN products sitting nearby, two gorgeous bookcases housing some of my all-time favorite authors and series. But CSN doesn't just sell bookcases, ohhh no! They also sell lamps, luggage sets, laptop cases/covers, desks, kitchen appliances, and so much more! There are plenty of stores to choose from, and plenty of items you didn't know you needed until you start browsing. ;) Maybe you have something in mind to get, maybe you'll make up your mind at the last minute, maybe you just want to use the giftcard for some last minute holiday gift shopping - whatever it is, CSN has a store for it, and you'll be pleased with the excellent service!
Now that that's out of the way, on to the contest itself!
HOW TO ENTER and the RULES:
~ Leave a comment telling me if you would use the gift card on yourself, or to purchase a gift for someone else - Don't worry, I won't judge ;)
~ You MUST leave your email, so I can notify you if you win (No email, no entry)
~ Extra point for being/becoming a follower (please state that in your comment, example: +1 Follower)
~ Contest ends at 11:59 PM Saturday 12/11/10, any late entries will not be counted!
~ Winner will be announced Monday morning, 12/13/10
~ US only (sorry!)
~ $40 Gift card is one-time use only, and does not include shipping (don't worry, plenty of items have free shipping!)
~ One gift card, one winner.
~ I am not being compensated for this giveaway.
That's it! Good luck! I wish I could give you all something, but alas, there can only be one winner. However, stay tuned for another contest coming within the next few days! ;) Two possible prizes!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow ~!~
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday Yayness - Ebook reader edition!
So far, I have only played around with it - getting things started, making sure text looks okay. I plan to give an update and maybe even a review when I finally start reading books on here! And my library (also my work) has ebooks you can borrow, I'm excited to finally be able to try that out on an ebook reader instead of just my computer - I'll make sure to tell you all about that as well!
Have a great week! And stay tuned - I have some great content (and CONTESTS) coming soon! Plenty chances to win some great prizes.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Review of "Eden's Hell, I: The First" by Dawné Dominique
I was actually given this book and its sequal "Dark Diary, II: The First," so make sure to keep an eye for that review! Want to learn more about this author? Click here to visit her webpage!
Disclaimer: This book and its sequel were given to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Type: Romance, Erotic Romance, Series, Vampires, First vampires, Religion, age-long disputes
Why this book?: As mentioned, I was given this book and its sequel in exchange for a review. But I agreed to it because I did like the ideas behind the books, and I was eager to read them. I just wish I could have gotten to it sooner, but with vacation, and the holidays, everything got pushed back some. But now that I'm done with the first one, I'm not sure how long I can wait to read the second. =)
About the book: While strolling on his private beach, vampire Addison finds a young girl running towards him, puncture wounds in her neck. Addison knows this girl, Eva, has been contracted as his neighbor Satrina's, also a vampire, new pet. But he knows there is something different about Eva, and he finds himself drawn to her, beginning to feel emotions he hasn't felt in centuries. But Satrina isn't about to let Eva go without a fight. Eva is shocked to find that vampires truly exist, and that she is now the target of one of the oldest vampires in creation. And speaking of creation, Addison has quite the past, one that Eva isn't sure she's ready for.
While reading this book, I originally thought it was the characters that kept sucking me back in, but after finishing it, I've realized it's truly a package deal. The characters were great, and the religion/creation story part of it was another big draw. The story starts with Addison on his private beach, and I was instantly struck by how flowing and beautiful the descriptions were. Battle scenes were done well, and the sexual scenes were incredibly sensuous and, well, let's just say I got a little flushed from time to time. But this book is so much more than battle and sex scenes, in fact, that comprises only a few bits of the book. So if graphic tales turn you off, no fear, this is still a good book for any vampire-lover.
As I mentioned, the characters and their backstories were fascinating - Satrina and Addison especially. Satrina is deliciously evil, and I definitely respect a strong woman, even as a villain. Her interactions with her "pets" were what really did it for me, everything fit her character to a tee. Addison was equally interesting, emotionless and cold when compared with Satrina's burning evil. I will say it felt like Addison fell for Eva a bit too quickly, but when you live for centuries (or longer!) without much emotion and brightness in your life, I'm sure you'd know what love was, and pretty quickly. Eva did feel slightly wimpy and weepy to me (except at the very end - yay Girl Power!), but again - this can be explained. The way she finds out about vampires is by waking up with one attached to her neck, and in reality, she's not given long to come to terms with these ancient beings before everything goes to hell (literally?!), so it's no wonder she's not kicking butt.
The laws Satrina and Addison live by, or at least Addison does, are fascinating. I always love the idea of a sort of council ruling over vampires, and the way this one is set up and was created is interesting in and of itself. And the religious aspect! I wish I could go into more detail, but I'm afraid of spoilers, so I will just go so far as to say Lilith is the original vampire, and she actually seduces Adam into becoming one as well, after Eve leaves him after the fall of Eden. The backstory only grows from there, and the details are so interesting, I wish I could talk about more of it, but as I said, no spoilers. So instead you will all have to read it and come talk with me about it.
So finally, I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the book before we get to the rating. "He was her Lancelot and Dracula all rolled into one" (pg 157). And now, the rating- I'm giving "Eden's Hell, I: The First" by Dawné Dominique a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5) stars. Satrina's evilness alone makes this a great book, but as I said, the descriptions and the great backstory really make his whole book wonderful in my opinion. It's a good read, and trust me, you'll be sucked into the world in no time. Make sure to keep an eye out for my review of the sequel "Dark Diary, II: The First."
Disclaimer: This book and its sequel were given to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Type: Romance, Erotic Romance, Series, Vampires, First vampires, Religion, age-long disputes
Why this book?: As mentioned, I was given this book and its sequel in exchange for a review. But I agreed to it because I did like the ideas behind the books, and I was eager to read them. I just wish I could have gotten to it sooner, but with vacation, and the holidays, everything got pushed back some. But now that I'm done with the first one, I'm not sure how long I can wait to read the second. =)
About the book: While strolling on his private beach, vampire Addison finds a young girl running towards him, puncture wounds in her neck. Addison knows this girl, Eva, has been contracted as his neighbor Satrina's, also a vampire, new pet. But he knows there is something different about Eva, and he finds himself drawn to her, beginning to feel emotions he hasn't felt in centuries. But Satrina isn't about to let Eva go without a fight. Eva is shocked to find that vampires truly exist, and that she is now the target of one of the oldest vampires in creation. And speaking of creation, Addison has quite the past, one that Eva isn't sure she's ready for.
While reading this book, I originally thought it was the characters that kept sucking me back in, but after finishing it, I've realized it's truly a package deal. The characters were great, and the religion/creation story part of it was another big draw. The story starts with Addison on his private beach, and I was instantly struck by how flowing and beautiful the descriptions were. Battle scenes were done well, and the sexual scenes were incredibly sensuous and, well, let's just say I got a little flushed from time to time. But this book is so much more than battle and sex scenes, in fact, that comprises only a few bits of the book. So if graphic tales turn you off, no fear, this is still a good book for any vampire-lover.
As I mentioned, the characters and their backstories were fascinating - Satrina and Addison especially. Satrina is deliciously evil, and I definitely respect a strong woman, even as a villain. Her interactions with her "pets" were what really did it for me, everything fit her character to a tee. Addison was equally interesting, emotionless and cold when compared with Satrina's burning evil. I will say it felt like Addison fell for Eva a bit too quickly, but when you live for centuries (or longer!) without much emotion and brightness in your life, I'm sure you'd know what love was, and pretty quickly. Eva did feel slightly wimpy and weepy to me (except at the very end - yay Girl Power!), but again - this can be explained. The way she finds out about vampires is by waking up with one attached to her neck, and in reality, she's not given long to come to terms with these ancient beings before everything goes to hell (literally?!), so it's no wonder she's not kicking butt.
The laws Satrina and Addison live by, or at least Addison does, are fascinating. I always love the idea of a sort of council ruling over vampires, and the way this one is set up and was created is interesting in and of itself. And the religious aspect! I wish I could go into more detail, but I'm afraid of spoilers, so I will just go so far as to say Lilith is the original vampire, and she actually seduces Adam into becoming one as well, after Eve leaves him after the fall of Eden. The backstory only grows from there, and the details are so interesting, I wish I could talk about more of it, but as I said, no spoilers. So instead you will all have to read it and come talk with me about it.
So finally, I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the book before we get to the rating. "He was her Lancelot and Dracula all rolled into one" (pg 157). And now, the rating- I'm giving "Eden's Hell, I: The First" by Dawné Dominique a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5) stars. Satrina's evilness alone makes this a great book, but as I said, the descriptions and the great backstory really make his whole book wonderful in my opinion. It's a good read, and trust me, you'll be sucked into the world in no time. Make sure to keep an eye out for my review of the sequel "Dark Diary, II: The First."
You can find and buy this book and more by the author via her page at Purple Sword Productions LLC - Dawne Dominique !
And again, the link to her author page!
I hope you all have a good weekend, and of course - Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow ~!~
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Whatcha Got Wednesday, and a couple DNFs
It's time for another installment of "Whatcha Got Wednesday!"
The only book I received this week is "Edge of Sight" by Roxanne St. Claire. I was lucky enough to win this one in a contest being offered by the author - So thank you Roxanne! It's been added to the TBR pile, and I can't wait to read it. :) Want your own copy? Voila! A link to Amazon.com on the left!
Now, as mentioned in the post title, I'm also going to talk about two DNFs (Did Not Finish)- unfortunately, they both occured on the same day. I started reading Halo by Alexandra Adornetto, and I was so disappointed. This book fully embodies the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover." Such a gorgeous cover image, and it felt like nothing happened in the book. In fact, It took until around page 400 for there to be any real action, and even more time for there to be a villain. Bethany seemed more like a petulant child than an angel, and Xavier, the boy she loves, had no character flaws - which made him seem so less human. Finally, I made the decision to put this book down, and not waste any more time on it. I had much better things to read!
So after setting "Halo" aside, I picked up another Young Adult Fiction book, also featuring angels, called
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith. 
I figured this one HAD to be better than "Halo." And while there was action in "Eternal"... indeed, from the fifth page or so, I couldn't get into Miranda's character, especially once she had her little mishap in the cemetary. And her relationship with her "master" just made me uncomfortable. So after forcing myself to read way more pages than I wanted incase it got better, I gave up once again.
What are your thoughts on DNF (Did Not Finish) books? At one point does a book become not worth your time?
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow~!~
The only book I received this week is "Edge of Sight" by Roxanne St. Claire. I was lucky enough to win this one in a contest being offered by the author - So thank you Roxanne! It's been added to the TBR pile, and I can't wait to read it. :) Want your own copy? Voila! A link to Amazon.com on the left!
Now, as mentioned in the post title, I'm also going to talk about two DNFs (Did Not Finish)- unfortunately, they both occured on the same day. I started reading Halo by Alexandra Adornetto, and I was so disappointed. This book fully embodies the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover." Such a gorgeous cover image, and it felt like nothing happened in the book. In fact, It took until around page 400 for there to be any real action, and even more time for there to be a villain. Bethany seemed more like a petulant child than an angel, and Xavier, the boy she loves, had no character flaws - which made him seem so less human. Finally, I made the decision to put this book down, and not waste any more time on it. I had much better things to read!
So after setting "Halo" aside, I picked up another Young Adult Fiction book, also featuring angels, called
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith. I figured this one HAD to be better than "Halo." And while there was action in "Eternal"... indeed, from the fifth page or so, I couldn't get into Miranda's character, especially once she had her little mishap in the cemetary. And her relationship with her "master" just made me uncomfortable. So after forcing myself to read way more pages than I wanted incase it got better, I gave up once again. What are your thoughts on DNF (Did Not Finish) books? At one point does a book become not worth your time?
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow~!~
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