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."

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 ~!~

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~!~

Review of "Paranormalcy" by Kiersten White

 Finally I got my hands on a copy of this. And I'll say it, I rather like the cover thank you very much.

Disclaimer: This book has been borrowed by the reviewer (me!) from her local library system. No money or incentive was given in exchange for a positive review.

Type: Young Adult, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Faeries, Shifters, Government organizations, Elementals, Wanting to be Normal, Lockers

Why this book?: Obviously I love young adult fiction. I also love a good paranormal story. I kept seeing reviews of this book, and I know I wanted to read it.

About the book: Evie works for IPCA, bagging and tagging paranormal creatures. See, Evie can see past glamours; seeing the corpse beneath a vampire's smooth skin, or the wolf eyes beneath a werewolf's human face. But other than that, Evie is perfectly normal, or so she thought. After a particularly eventful day at the IPCA center, Evie discovers a strange creature wearing her boss' skin. This creature turns out to be a boy, near her age, named Lend. As the two begin to spend time together, Evie realizes her feelings for Lend have grown beyond friendship. But how can she even try to have a normal relationship when she is beginning to realize she is more paranormal than she thought...

So.. the cover, and every synopsis of this book I read, made the story seem a lot darker than it came across. Yes, there are some heavy moments, some dark and daunting trials Evie must deal with. But at the same time, there are just as many, probably more, times when all that darkness is brightened up by Evie's bouncy personality, and the absolutely adorable relationship that is growing between her and Lend. Instead of some dark, haunting tale, I would say "Paranormalcy" is more a tale of an abnormal girl wanting a normal life and relationships more than anything else. Reading about Evie's life in the Center was almost depressing, so you feel for her character - you want her to be able to get out and experience the real world.

I really enjoyed the world this story was set in. The creatures were fascinating, and the way the different government systems dealt with these creatures was equally so. And even better, there are private groups working within and even against these government organizations, trying to make life safer for not just humans, but the paranormals too - giving them a real life instead of practical forces slavery and obediance under IPCA. I especially enjoyed the role of the faeries not as some elegant, perfect being... but as the tricksters they are. They're not necessarily evil, not necessarily good.. just "other."

I did wish for a little more description during the action scenes. I think I wanted them to pack a little more punch - the real, normal life scenes had so much bop and vitality to them, I would have liked to see an equal yet opposite amount in regards to the big action sequences. And I can definitely say I prefered Lend's character more when he was a prisoner in the Center, as opposed to him in his regular life. In the Center, Lend seemed to know what he was doing. He was a strong, mysterious, interesting character, but he lost a little of that glamor when he and Evie left. However, in the end, I still enjoyed them both, and I look forward to seeing more of them in the next installment in this series - Supernaturally, which is supposed to come out fall of 2011. Can I wait that long? We'll see.

So, in conclusion, I'm going to give "Paranormalcy" by Kiersten White a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). I had a friend coming over, and I risked not having enough time to clean because I wanted to continue reading. Despite this book not being what I originally expected it to be, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I highly suggest checking out her blog ( kierstenwrites.blogspot.com ), as she seems to be quite hilarious.. or maybe just overly caffeinated. This is definitely a book I'm planning on picking up - and oh look! There's such a good price on Amazon.com!

Have you read "Paranormalcy"? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to read it? Find it at Amazon.com  via the link at the left.

Happy Reading! I'll be back tomorrow with a slightly wimpy version of "Whatcha Got Wednesday."
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow ~!~

Monday Yayness - I bought a Sony Touch Ereader!

Good morning world! I'm so excited to share my news! On Black Friday (via online shopping, I'm too scared to brave the stores!) I bought an ebook reader!! After going through the different types, judging them against each other, finding what features I liked, didn't, or maybe just didn't need.. I decided on buying myself a Sony Touch ( Sony prs600). I ordered it Friday, and it already shipped! I'm so excited to get it, and start reading!

Yes, I have an ebook reader already (eBookwise), but while I think it's a good choice for anyone that wants a sturdy eReader for a cheap-ish price and doesn't read ebooks often.. I'm starting to get too many ebooks to review/too many ebooks in general (buying, contests, freebies, etc). So I decided to invest in something I know will be a little better - I even bought myself a nice thick cover too!

Stick around, as soon as I get my ereader in the mail, I plan to take some pictures, talk about it, maybe even do a review of it (one I read a few books to get the full experience). I hope you'll be interested in reading that - and maybe my thoughts will help someone decide what sort of ebook reader is best for them!

I hope you have a great week, and come back tomorrow for new reviews.
Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow~!~

Whatcha Got Wednesday? (Holy cow edition)

Another installment of Whatcha Got Wednesday! And.. it is indeed a "Holy Cow!" edition? Mostly in thanks to one person... Anna from Anna's Book Blog!  I entered a contest on her blog, and won a box of books! TWENTY of them! A big huge giant thanks to Anna! And be sure to visit her blog - she has some great content, and awesome contests.

                                             
WON:
"Every Which Way But Dead" - Kim Harrison, "The Immortal Hunter" - Lynsay Sands, "Play Dirty" - Lorie O'Clare, "Desire Unchained" - Larissa Ione, "Sleeping With the Fishes" - Mary Janice Davidson, "What Happens in London" - Julia Quinn, "The Rogue Hunter" - Lynsay Sands, "The Selkie" - Melanie Jackson, "Seducing the Heiress" - Olivia Drake, "Shadow of Midnight" - Lara Adrian, "Passion Unleashed" - Larissa Ione, "The Renegade Hunter" - Lynsay Sands, "Vampires are Forever" - Lynsay Sands, "Then Things I Love About You" - Julia Quinn, "The Accidental Vampire" - Lynsay Sands, "Twice as Hot" - Gena Showalter, "Dark Slayer" - Christine Feehan, "Bite Me If You Can" - Lynsay Sands, "Taming the Highland Bride" - Lynsay Sands, and finally "A Bite to Remember" - Lynsay Sands.
      Good thing I love Lynsay Sands, hmm? Her Argeneau/Rogue Hunter series is one of my all time favorites, and her historicals are great - Strong men and witty women, my favorite!

BOUGHT:
"City of Glass" by Cassandra Clare - I wanted the whole trilogy before I started reading.

FOR REVIEW (For Romance Reviews Today):
"The Bards of Bone Plain" by Patricia McKillip
"Demon underground" by S.L. Wright
"Mercy Blade" by Faith Hunter
"Absolutely, Positively" by Heather Webber

Funny story about the Lucy Valentine books (by Heather Webber) - I have received all three of them to review, from different places. The first through Librarything.com, the second directly from the publisher, and now the third via Romance Reviews Today.

I can't wait to read these. Plus I have a huge tote bag of library books to get through - it's going to be fun!

So ends my last post of the week; I'm taking the rest of the week off for a little Thanksgiving break. To those that celebrate Thanksgiving - Happy Thanksgiving! To those that don't - Happy Almost Friday!

I'll be back Monday with new reviews, and there might be a contest in the future - I'm in the holiday gift-giving spirit ;)

Happy Reading everyone, and I'll see you next week!
~!~ Morning Glow aka Amanda ~!~

Review of "One Enchanted Evening" by Lynn Kurland

Holy cow, I was told I'd be getting this book to review back in May.. I received it earlier this month (November).

Disclaimer: I was sent this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. No funny business here.

Type: Historical Romance, Time Travel Romance, Faeries, "Paranormal Oddities," Castles then and now, This entire family is cool, I hate Cinderella, Total Fashion Domination

Why this book: Ever since I read "Outlander" I've been a little obsessed with Time travel romance.. so when I saw this book as something to request to review, I was like "YES!" - I was told to expect a copy.. I had just about given up hope when it showed up out of the blue.

About the book: Persephone, aka Pippa, is on her way to England to begin her total Fashion World Domination plan. A wealthy Englishman is interested in helping her with her design business, and her sister Tess has set up a meeting for the two. But like always, Pippa's oldest sister Cindi comes in to ruin the day, trying to keep Pippa from reaching her dream with a series of "mishaps" - one of which is "accidentally" shoving Pippa... right through a gate in time, and back to the 1200s. Lucky for her, the owner of the ramshackle castle, Montgomery, is there to catch her as she falls. Filled with evil sisters, amusing banter, battles between Montgomery and the castle's former owners, and a love that literally spans the ages, "One Enchanted Evening" is not a book you want to miss!

This is my first book by Lynn Kurland. But if this book is anything to go by, I will be needing to read the rest of this series, featuring more of Montgomery's amazing family. I should mention there there are indeed other books, and for the most part, "One Enchanted Evening" seems to be able to stand alone. Near the end, when Montgomery meets more of his family in both time zones, things can definitely get a little confusing. In the beginning, I found this book to be a little dry, but once Pippa lands in England, it's one thrill ride after the next. And beware, it's addicting.

Pippa and Montgomery are amazing characters. Pippa is resiliant, bright, and willing to work hard for her family and for her dreams. She's an excellent seamstress, and she has worked and planned for years to finally get the chance that Stephen, the Englishman, is offering her. Unfortunately, things get a little sidetracked when she gets thrown back into the past. Even more unfortunately, Cindi falls back in time too. While Pippa is such a shining character, Cindi is the evil wench. Cindi is the character readers will love to hate, and eagerly want to throttle. You have to hand it to the author, she wrote an excellent evil character, even if said character can get on your nerves. Montgomery had moments of modern-ness to him, but that can be explained by the odd-ness of his family and their history (and future). Montgomery was by far my favorite - witty, wise, and brave. Despite the turmoil occuring in his own home, he put Pippa, and even Cindi's life above his own.

As mentioned, the ending can get a little confusing, once different relations start showing up - it's just too many people at once. But don't let that stop you, the ending is worth it. I hope to see this series continued, and Pippa's sisters, or at least the good ones - Peaches and Tess, get their own happily ever afters. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical romance, and definitely time travel romance. I would probably recommend the whole series, despite not reading it - though now it's all added to my Wish list. Lynn Kurland knows how to weave a fantastic tale of adventure in both the past and present, and I cannot wait to see more from her.

I'm going to give "One Enchanted Evening" by Lynn Kurland a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). Loved it, can't wait to read more, and I want a Montgomery of my very own.. actually, if I could get a time gate of my own, that would be great. And a castle. This would be a perfect 5 out of 5 except for the confusion at the end, which would probably be avoided by reading the rest of the series first. But as I said, this can, and does pretty well, stand alone.

Have you read this or any other book by Lynn Kurland? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to pick up a copy? Find it at Amazon.com via the link on the left.

Up next: Whatcha Got Wednesday, then a break for the Thanksgiving Holidays!
Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow ~!~

Review of "How to Say Goodbye in Robot" by Natalie Standiford

 Another example of my YA addiction. I blame Forever Young Adult.

Disclaimer: This book is on loan from my local library. I am review this book for my own pleasure (sanity, maybe?).

Type: Young Adult Fiction, Awesome loner dude, Robot Girl, Ghost Boy, Twins, Parental troubles, Radio shows.

Why this book: Ugh, seriously, blame FYA. I'm still working my way through their "Top YA couples of all time" but they mentioned this book, and I couldn't pass it up. So I went searching and found it via the library (yay libraries!).

About the book: Beatrice Szabo and her family just moved to Baltimore so her father could teach at Johns Hopkins. This means another new school, this time a private school filled with kids who have known each other since kindergarten. But Beatrice, aka Robot Girl, manages to make friends all the time, yet finds herself more and more drawn to the ultimate loner dude Jonah, aka Ghost Boy. Jonah hasn't been the same since his mother and twin brother died years ago, still feeling like a part of him is missing. Bea begins to hang almost exclusively with Jonah, and after an extremely important call from a care facility, the two learn Jonah's brother is still alive, and begin to search for him. But Jonah has an ultimate plan, will Beatrice be a part of it?

About halfway through this book, I paused and just thought about it for a second. By that point, we had already hit several major points, things I was sure had to be the major reveal of the book, so where could this story be going? It's the type of book where it just keeps going and I'm not sure where, but I like it so much I'm going to follow along, dangit. And man am I glad that I did. I think, if pressed, I would compare "How to Say Goodbye in Robot" by Standiford to "Sweethearts" by Sarah Zarr. They had a similar thing going for them - with the awesome (yet slightly creepy) loner dude. So if you like "Sweethearts," you'll love "How to Say Goodbye in Robot." Even if you didn't like "Sweethearts," you'll probably love this one.

No spoilers here, but I LOVED the ending. It felt so right. What Jonah did, how Bea reacted, it was perfect. But I still wanted something more. And lord love Natalie Standiford - she gave it to me. The last two chapters were exactly what I needed and wanted, and as I said - it felt right. And the characters felt so right, as well. Being a teenager is awkward enough, but Bea has moved several times, been thrown into new schools, of course she's going to be a little more awkward than most. And she's not your normal kid (being normal is soo overrated, in my opinion), but she's just so cool. What amuses her is just.. fascinating. She's funny, witty, morbid. And she finds a match in Jonah, who is so similar.

But this book isn't some sappy teenage love story. These two characters bond, deeper than either of them can explain, but it's not really love. They're not dating, they're just together - as friends or something even better than that. And I think that is part of what makes this book so great. It's hard to classify, it's just perfect. And to add to the awesomeness of this book, there is a Midnight Radio talk show, that Jonah gets Bea to listen to. And the occasional scripts we see from this show are great. Even better when we get to meet these people for a Holiday dinner.

So.. in conclusion, I'm giving "How to Say Goodbye in Robot" by Natalie Standiford a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Loved it, really. Such a good story with such great characters. And yes, there is heartbreak, there is drama, but still - Read it, people. You'll thank me for it in the end.

Have you read "How to Say Goodbye in Robot"? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Want to read it? Get your copy at Amazon.com via the link on the left.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow ~!~