Book Giveaway! | Win a Copy of Philippa Gregory's Order of Darkness: Changeling... There will be 2 winners! (Closed)

* * * This giveaway is now closed.  Check out the winner announcement post here.  Stay tuned for future giveaways and contests.  Thanks to all who entered! * * * 



My fellow lovely bookworms are going to love this! :)  A few weeks ago I was sent a copy of Order of Darkness: Changeling by Philippa Gregory.  Name sound familiar?  Philippa is the author of international bestsellers The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen, as well as several other bestselling works of historical fiction.  Her novels have also inspired screen adaptations: The Other Boleyn Girl starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, The Other Boleyn Girl (BBC series), and The White Queen (BBC series currently in production). 

Being a big fan of historical fiction and Philippa Gregory myself, I was psyched to be sent her new book.  Order of Darkness: Changeling is Philippa's first novel written for teens and is the first in a four-book young adult series.  What sets it apart from her other novels besides the target audience is that the characters in this novel are all purely fictional rather than historical.  The history is based on reality and research, as is trademark of Philippa.  Instead of using her research and imagination to fill in the stories of history's figures, these characters are 100% derived from Philippa's vision.

Now to get to my experience with the book... I devoured it in two days!  I could not put this novel down. I'm twenty-four and it has been several years since I ventured to the "young adult" genre, but I didn't feel like the reading was at all too young for someone of my years or even several older.  I was immediately drawn into Luca and Isolde's medieval world of mystery, intrigue, secrets, and adventure.  It's definitely a pageturner and I can't wait for the second book in the series to come out---I'll definitely be grabbing it up from my bookstore!  (Yes, even though I use a Kindle and tablet... I still love the feel of a good book in my hands from time to time.) 

About the book

Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of this first in a four-book teen series from the #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

The year is 1453 and all signs point to it being the end of the world. Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom and travel to the very frontier of good and evil.

Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her from claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and driven to accuse her.

Forced to face the greatest fears of the dark ages—witchcraft, werewolves, madness—Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.

Simon & Schuster has been so generous to give 2 lucky Lovely Undergrad readers a copy of Order of Darkness: Changeling by Philippa Gregory.  I'm so excited about this giveaway since books are my favorite! :)

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post with your name and a valid email address.  Plus, tell me what your favorite Philippa Gregory novel is or recommend a good book you recently read.  (Email address is required.  Without an email address, I won't be able to reach you.  If you're worried about spam, please use (at) or [dotcom] tactics instead of @ and .com.  Entries without an email address will not be entered.)

2.  You can also enter by tweeting about this giveaway.  Be sure to mention @LovelyUndergrad and tag #OrderofDarkness so that I see your tweet.  (Be sure that private messages are allowed on your Twitter privacy settings so that I can reach you if you're selected as a winner.) 

3.  Two winners will be chosen: one comment and one tweet.  Feel free to both comment and tweet.  (But you can only comment once and tweet once.) 

4.  All comments and tweets must be posted by NOON on Friday, March 1st.  The 2 winners will be selected and notified that afternoon.  Check your private messages on Twitter and your email inbox as I'll be getting in touch that afternoon.  :)

5.  Giveaway limited to residents of the United States.

6.  This isn't required, but if you win... I'd love to hear what you think of the book after you read it!

May luck be with you!  While you wait for March 1 to come around, I recommend checking out the Official Site for Order of Darkness and more about the author Philippa Gregory.  You should also "like" SimonTeen on Facebook for updates on this awesome book and many others.

And for your viewing pleasure, here's the book trailer:

Happy entering!