CSN Gift Card Giveaway!!

***** CONTEST NOW CLOSED! Thank you! Check back for the winner! ******

So you think book blogs are just about books, huh? Wrong! There's so much more involved in the world of reading than just books - there's bookcases (which of us doesn't need more room for our books?!), the perfect chair (or couch?) to sit on while reading, proper lighting, and more!

And there's a great company that offers all of those things in one easy to shop place - CSN Stores! You can search for furniture for your dining room, bedroom, living room, and more! And now you have the chance to win a $40 gift card to use at any CSN stores website!

So what do you have to do to be entered in such an awesome contest? Just comment on this post! Here's the official rules:
1. US and Canada peeps only, sorry!
2. Leave a comment.
3. Include your email! I need some way to contact you if you won.
4. A winner will be picked Friday, July 23rd. I will email the winner, as well as post it on my blog.
5. One winner will be picked at random.
6. And please, feel free to become a follower via blogger/google friend connect!

Having problems commenting? Email glowsnoveladdiction@gmail.com, and I'll make sure your entries are valid. I have had two notifications this morning that word verification is being difficult for some people.. so I'll be working on that.

Review of "Plain Promise" by Beth Wiseman

This is actually my first time reading an Amish romance. I've seen these become very popular in the past few months, and I decided to join in.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me, the reviewer, in exchange for a review. No money was given as incentive for a positive review.

Type: Romance, Amish, Christian, Family

About the book: "Plain Promise" follows the story of Sadie Fisher, a widowed Amish women living in Lancaster County, and Kade Saunders, an "Englischer" renting a cabin on her property. Kade's life is changing, his new relationship with his son Tyler, and his growing friendship with Sadie, are showing him a different type of life. One that is looking better and better as he gets closer to them both.

As I mentioned, this is my first time reading an Amish Romance, and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. While religion is a key factor in these books, the sweet story of Kade and Sadie's growing relationship is heartwarming enough to make up for it.

Sadie's doubts about her life and her future made her seem human and relatable. I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Kade and his son. And it was especially interesting to read about the Amish lifestyle. While I do not know too much about the Amish, other than the basics, I feel like "Plain Promise" does much to explain the hows and whys of the Order.

This book doesn't skip on the use of Pennsylvania Dutch, either. Thankfully, there is a dictionary in the beginning of the novel, to explain what the words used mean. Though much of it is so close to English, the reader could hazzard a guess. I did love the mix of English and Pennsylvania Dutch, it added to the realness of the novel.

While I did enjoy this book, and it was a good quick read, I can't say it inspired much emotion, or much of anything in me. The one thing that stood out the most, was that I was proud of Kade for his decision in the end. He wanted to change his life, and he worked hard to make sure it was the right decision for himself and for Tyler, not just because he wanted to share in Sadie's life.

I'm going to give "Plain Promise" a review of THREE out of FIVE. As I said, it was a good read, and I'm sure many would be inspired by it, but it didn't connect with me. That said, I do hope to maybe try another Amish romance in the future. Best not to judge a whole genre (or sub-genre) on one book!



Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Currently reading: "Hunter" by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Still alive! Sorta

Hello dear readers.

I know, it's been forever since I've posted. But unfortunately, I have that fun, fun, superfun condition known as TMJ - basically, my jaw sucks and gives me headaches. Or something like that. Well recently, it's gotten much worse, and I even had to miss a few days of work because the headaches and such were so bad. So now, I'm paying for those missed days of work by working seven days in a row, off one day, and then back for four days. And since the headaches aren't totally gone, just a little better, this means I'm spending my off time sleeping or wishing I was sleeping.

Sadly, I haven't been doing much reading, but I do have a bunch of library books I'm working through (The House of Night novels, Angelology, and falling, fly, etc), as well as a few books I've been sent to review (yay!). Hopefully I'll have some new reviews/posts up soon... but possibly not until this week is over.

Oh bloglandia, I miss you. :( Sad face.

Happy Reading!

Everyone needs to see this video

It's book-related, I swear! It has Lord of the Rings!

Seriously, I chuckled the whole way through.

Review of "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks

I'm not so much for the cover of this book. I mean, if you look at the vamp in a certain light, he looks so pale he's almost sparkly. And we all know how I feel about sparkly vampires. Badly.

Disclaimer: "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks is a library copy. I was not given this book, or any sort of incentive, for a positive review.

Type: Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Series

From the back of the book: " FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris was looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, chaotic, and sometimes all-too-dangerous life. But when she escaped to the small Greek island of Patmos, all she got were meddling grandmothers trying to marry her off. Can't they see that none of the men around interests her - except Robby MacKay?
Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captic - but then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from a case back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life - along with giving her a first time she'll never forget... "

I have read a book by this author, and actually in this series, before. And while it was good, I didn't go out actively searching for more of her books. Since then, I have picked up one or two at sales and such, but haven't gotten a chance to read them yet. I keep buying books at used sales, garage sales, etc.. and then never get to them. Quite frustrating! Also, not the point. A while ago, I happened accross the synopsis for "The Vampire and the Virgin" and I said to myself - Yep, gotta read that one. I'm really glad I finally got my hands on a copy.

I have a thing for cop dramas (Bones! Castle!.. Etc!) And some of my favorite episodes are when the heroine goes up against a serial killer, either after he's already in jail or not, and even though he teases her, scares her, and more, she's willing to take on the case, and eventually kicks the bad guy's butt. And that situation is what Olivia faces. Olivia is an interesting character, with an even more interesting ability - she can sense people's emotions, as well as tell when they're lying. Because of that, she doesn't date people for long. The instant she knows he's lying, he's outta there! Except for Robby, whom she can't read. So Olivia, so used to knowing where she stood in a relationship, was thrown for a bit of a loop, which I enjoyed seeing. I was a little thrown at how quickly she got paranoid and how easily she believed Robby could betray her (not really any spoilers here, people, it happens early on). But the reader has to remember, Olivia is somehow being stalked by a man who is in an isolated cell in prison. If someone was stalking me, sending me letters and packages and scaring the crap out of me, I would be quite paranoid as well.

And Robby... dang do I love a man who wears a kilt! I'm a big fan of the kilt. I'm also a big fan of finding out if the myth of men wearing nothing under their kilts is true or not. And I couldn't help chuckling to myself when this legend is brought up in the book during a Christmas get-together. Robby undergoes a transformation throughout the book, from a vampire bent on revenge to the man Olivia needs and loves. I loved watching his character grow. I also loved seeing how his and Olivia's long distance relationship developed. From emails, to picture sharing, telling stories of family and friends, and eventually to getting webcams to chat face-to-face. It was.. dare I say it? CUTE!

As I believe I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of series. Especially series were each book features a different character, or each character gets their own run of books, then it switches. Some examples of this are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, etc. Kerrelyn Sparks' Love At Stake books follow this tradition, and past characters show up as friends, family, etc. And because of "The Vampire and the Virgin," I found some more single side characters that I cannot wait to see get their own stories, and I hope they do. So I will definitely be checking out more of this series in the future.

I'm going to give "The Vampire and the Virgin" a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). I enjoyed it, enough that I'll be looking for more by this author in the future. Especially if they include more kilted men. It's hard to go wrong with more kilted men.

Check out "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks!
Happy Reading
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "A Breath of Magic" by Tracy Madison

Alright! My second time using the Amazon affiliates thing.. I might actually be getting the hang of it. It's a nice little link. Mostly easy.

Disclaimer: "A Breath of Magic" was sent to me by the publisher, Dorchester Publishing, in exchange for a review. I have not received any incentives, or anything else, for a positive review.

Type: Romance, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Leisure, Series

From the back of the book: " Chloe Nichols is holding her breath. All her life, finding true happiness with a family has seemed as easy as.. well, snagging a bubble off the wind - a bubble that her current boyfriend seems dead set on bursting. Yes, every time Chloe mentions her one true desire, Kyle shoots down her hopes. But he hasn't reckoned with the awesome power of Gypsy magic, or with loyal kith and kin. One way or another, Chloe's going to get her happily-ever-after. One could sometimes be found after you'd convinced a man he loves you, right? All Fate needs is a little puff in the right direction... "

I seriously tossed around the idea of not finishing this book, and declaring it a DNF - Did not finish. I have way better books to spend my time on that something I'm not interested in. But I had some time to kill, and unfortunately this was the only book in my purse at the time. So I did end up reading it all, but I'm really not pleased with it. I know this book is the third in a series, and my issues are with this specific character, so maybe the previous books are fine, I'm not sure. Maybe someday I'll check them out.

My issues are with Chloe. I really didn't like her, and even more than that, I didn't trust her. First off, we meet her when she's asking her friend to use her magic to rid her boyfriend, Kyle, of his fears of commitment, because she wants them to get married. So, and her friend explains this to her, she's willing to practically trick the guy she loves into marrying her. She knows it should be his decision whether or not to proceed, but instead, she decided to give him a magical kick in the right direction. And this isn't the only instance. Several times throughout the book, Chloe uses her magic to get what she wants - use her will (with her magic behind it) to get another guy to agree to a date, to tell her things, to get her best friend and relative to tell her something she wanted to keep to herself.

Not only that, but each and every person she bespells forgives her, and in my opinion, a little too quickly. Kyle, while the only guy mentioned on the back cover, is not the only guy in the book. Ben is the main male character, and he goes out with her originally because she wills him too. And this continues throughout their budding relationship. I believe if I had found out that I went out with someone because of magic, and not my own free will, I would be pretty dang upset, and not sure if I could trust that person ever again, even if I were that close to them.

Yes, things get wrapped up in the end, and Chloe does grow as a character, but I really couldn't get over her actions in the beginning. As said in Spiderman - "With great power comes great responsibility." Yes, Chloe is new at the whole using magic thing, but that did not give her free rein to go do whatever she wants with her quite powerful magic.

Parts of this book just didn't feel real to me, including the ending. And for that, I'm giving "A Breath of Magic" a TWO out of FIVE (2/5). I really didn't care for it, I'm not going to re-read it, and I'm probably not going to be checking out the rest of the series.

Happy Reading, and stay tuned for more reviews, and possibly even a give-away!
~!~ Morning Glow

Currently Reading: "Betrayed, A House of Night Novel" by PC Cast + Kristin Cast.

"Wicked Appetite" - Diesel gets his own series!

As you all may or may not know, I'm a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. My absolutely favorite character of them all? The lovingly paranromal Diesel! Unfortunately, he shows up only in the Between the Numbers novels. But now, Evanovich is giving Diesel his own book, titled "Wicked Appetite." The series is titled "The Unmentionables," so I'm not sure if Diesel will always be our leading man, or if each book will feature a different character. Personally, I'm hoping for more, more, more of Diesel.

"Wicked Appetite" is up for pre-order on Amazon.com, and releases September 14th, 2010.

And for more Janet Evanovich news.. "Sizzling Sixteen," her latest Stephanie Plum book was released on Tuesday - go pick up your copy today!