June's Pre-Loved Giveaway is Children Of The Night by David Stuart Davies

This book is in near perfect condition with just a few light ruffles in the cover, the spine itself is uncreased. A fairly thin book of short vampire stories.

Blurb From Goodreads

Vampires, those dark children of the night, who rise from their coffins to suck the blood of the living, continue to hold a strange fascination and dread. In this unique collection of vampire stories you will find some of the earliest depictions of these fearful creatures as in John Polidori's The Vampyre and James Malcolm Rymer's Varney the Vampyre, a tale which held readers in thrall when it was first published in the mid-nineteenth century. As well as these rare stories and those featuring the more well known bloodsuckers such as Le Fanu s Carmilla and Stoker s Dracula, there is a clutch of lesser known but equally frightening tales written by expert practitioners in the art of raising goose pimples. Children of the Night is a volume filled with the rich blood of chilling vampire fiction.

As usual the competition runs to the end of the month, you can enter by using the contact link Click here to contact me via my email link

and for an additional chance just leave a comment on this post.

Junes pre-loved giveaway winner is.....................

Brittany Gale (not website provided). Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the book.

In the event Brittany doesn't claim the book, I will pick another winner. Thank you so much to everyone who took part and I will be putting up Julys book soon, apologies again for the delay.

Apologies re June Pre-loved comp

I am still trying to get back to normality after the wedding/honeymoon. Back at work full time and trying to sort wedding photos and gifts not to mention the huge amount of thank you cards plus a big birthday in a month.

I finish my shifts in a few days (3 12 hour shifts straight) so once I have done that I will do the names in a bowl and pick a random winner and notify on here and by email/blog if available.

Thank you for your patience, it is much appreciated and normal service will resume. I also still need to update on the first ever Risi readers day meet up in Birmingham!

June Pre-loved giveaway is Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

Open to UK and International readers.

You can now contact me/enter the giveaway via my new form Fill out my form!


My review is below

This book was not at all what I expected. It is centered around the Emperor of China and her quest to rid herself and her family of poverty and marrying her unsavoury cousin.

we start at the beginning of Orchids life, briefly one sentence and then the memory of the loss of her father and how her family tries to get him to his respectful resting place with very little funds to do so. With no financial or materialistic prospects the only solution is to marry her 'slope-shouldered cousin' at the age of seventeen and help her family from their dire situation. Orchid puts herself forward to try and become one of the Emperors low ranking comcubines with little expectation of success.

There in follows the trials and tribulations of the phases of selection and the humiliating, trying process of which she feels little chance of success. The story takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotion as Orchid tries to come to terms with the changes in her life, the competitions and the jealousy and danger the life of a concubine has to offer.

I really enjoyed reading this and learning of different rules/rituals of another country and their journey to ruling. I felt sorry, admiration and sometimes frustration for the main character and ended up not wanting to put the book down to find out what happened to her, did she overcome her enemys or succome to their treachery. A good a griping read once you get into it. 4/5 for me