FREE/BARGAIN — Romance & Discussion

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Star Cruise: Ghost Ship (Sectors #17.5) by Veronica Scott (B-/3 stars)
• The Forbidden Princess He Craves by Lorraine Hall (B/4 stars)

Purchased:

[cfrizz]

Lynsay Sand's latest Argeneau Vampire book is out for $1.99.

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?qu...Lynsay%20Sands

[sufue]

The holiday novella from last year, Oh, Come All Ye Dragons, is free right now, and through Dec 26, per the author's post. Not sure whose Dec 26 time zone though, so I'd grab it soon...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8LRHCT8
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B8LRHCT8

Spoiler:

The Inbetween is full of magic, monsters and marauders. But it’s also full of booty, if you know where to look. And Roden & Hogg Reclamation Services knows just where to find those resources that are scarce in the post-Flood-War era.

But when dragons nest on a valuable copper reclamation site, who do they call? Kyra Greene. No pest too large or too small.

Now Kyra must leave home days before her baby’s first Christmas for a three-day trek into the wilds. Can she convince a stubborn dragon queen to move her nest before the scavengers bring in guns?

Kyra Greene’s new adventure into the Inbetween turns into a rollicking girls’ weekend away and brings her face to face with old friends even as she comes out of her comfort zone to make new ones.

Originally Posted by apesmom

Freebie! Great series! The next installment is due out on 10/13 and a holiday novella on 11/10. So much goodness.

Dragons Don't Eat Meat (Valkyrie Bestiary #1) by Kim McDougall

Spoiler:

Someone is killing dragons. And the killings point to a civil war brewing among the fae.

When Kyra Greene finds an abandoned baby dragon, she doesn’t want to bring him home. But until she can hunt down his thunder and stop the dragon killers, she’s on babysitting duty.

As a pest controller with a soft heart, Kyra already has an apartment full of rescues, including a basilisk who thinks he’s a turkey, a banshee nanny, and a pygmy kraken. She might take care of them, but they also fill her need for family. And when that family is threatened, she’ll risk everything to save them. She’ll even join forces with the handsome and irritating captain of the city’s vigilante Guardians, who never fails to show up at her most undignified moments.

Along with a quirky cast of misfits and unruly critters, Kyra leaves the safety of Montreal Ward and travels through the dangerous Inbetween—the land beyond the protected city states, where magic is the only rule of law. Can she reunite the lost dragon with his thunder and stop a new and sinister force from invading their home?

With over 400 five-star reviews, see why readers are calling Dragons Don’t Eat Meat a laugh-out-loud adventure with delightfully evil critters and a slow-burn romance.

[sufue]

Oh, and then I also just noticed that Inborn Magic, which is the first in McDougall's Hidden Coven series, is also free right now, but somewhat oddly, it's only free at Kindle US, and not Kindle UK...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XTXS1K2

Spoiler:

It should have been a simple spell…

Light into heat, heat into flame.

How did it all go so wrong?

Paralyzed … magic drained … Bobbi lies wondering …

Only the Mistress of the Hidden Coven can save her, but Quinn doesn’t want to let a stranger past the coven wards. It’s his job to keep strangers out. Especially when a demon is hell-bent on stealing their most precious resource—magic.

Can Quinn lower his shields enough to let Bobbi in?

Can Bobbi trust these witches to help her tame the wild magic inside her?

No one can stand alone against the coming darkness.

No witch can hide any longer.

You’ll love this sizzling paranormal suspense because of its quirky characters and action-packed story.

[sufue]

The Lord of Stariel has gone free (briefly) around Christmas the past couple of years, and here it is free again! The links are still good...

Originally Posted by sufue

I followed @worktolive's recommendation for AJ Lancaster's Stariel series a while back and ending up binge-reading all four (they are all KU). Now the first one, The Lord of Stariel, is free at Kindle US and UK, so you can try it even if you don't subscirbe to KU. Happy holidays!

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HD681WN
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HD681WN

[kg3]

Thanks! Now also FREE at Kobo & Smashwords:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/inborn-magic

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1197990

Originally Posted by sufue

Oh, and then I also just noticed that Inborn Magic, which is the first in McDougall's Hidden Coven series, is also free right now, but somewhat oddly, it's only free at Kindle US, and not Kindle UK...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XTXS1K2

[zelda.owns.link]

How I Danced With The Duke (The Duke's House Party Book 1) by Eva Devon is FREE!

https://www.amazon.com/Danced-Duke-D.../dp/B0C8ZKYW6B

[library addict]

Lindsay Buroker posted a new short story to her blog (also posted to Patreon yesterday).

A Goblin Christmas


Also Jess Mihalik has been posting a serial that finished up today.

Rocks & Rapiers

[library addict]

Stuff your ereader day is officially tomorrow but starts today. Many freebies. https://www.romancebookworms.com/

[sufue]

And, while we're on serials , Ilona Andrews have started a "short story" serial that will be coming out every Friday for a while. Their "short stories" often tend to become "novellas", though, and their "novellas" tend to become "books", so I have my fingers crossed for this to be longer than planned...

Anyway, it's titled Sanctuary, and (very minor spoiler, resolved in the first few paragraphs) it features Roman, the priest of the dark god, Chernobog, from the Kate Daniels series. (Although Roman is a fan-favorite, I'd kind of been hoping for the rest of the Augustine-Diana story from the Hidden Legacy world, which was teased in a snippet not too long ago. But Roman is good too.)

The first chapter was out last Friday, and can be found here: https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/sanctuary/

[sufue]

Two Mary Stewart books are on sale right now. Per eReaderIQ, Rose Cottage dropped at the beginning of the month, so guessing it's part of the monthly deal, and going back up soon. The Ivy Tree just dropped, in the US only so far. It's been a while since either was posted, so here they are....

Rose Cottage ($0.99/£0.99)
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GW4P058
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/rose-cottage-3
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004XCGL2C

The Ivy Tree ($0.99, US only as of now)
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVFUDWI
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ivy-tree-1
Kindle UK (price-check): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004VF62A2

[sufue]

If you missed them when they were free individually at the beginning of the year, there's a box set of Annabel Chase's Spellbound romance/mystery series on sale for $0.99/£0.99 at Kindle US/UK right now. Not technically free, but pretty darn close.

The included titles are:

• Curse the Day
• Doom and Broom
• Spell's Bells
• Lucky Charm
• Better Than Hex
• Cast Away
• A Touch of Magic
• A Drop in the Potion
• Hemlocked and Loaded
• All Spell Breaks Loose

Spellbound Box Set, Books 1-10

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPLH1PBQ
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPLH1PBQ

[library addict]

What were your favorite reads of 2023?

Impossible for me to pick just one book or even one series as so much depends on my mood. Not all of these were new releases as I regularly read a lot of backlist. So as usual I only limited myself to books read this calendar year.

alphabetically by author, then by release date:
Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck Sept 2022 (Witchlore #1)
Knight Protector by Lindsay Buroker July 2019 (Tales from the Star Kingdom #1)
Planet Killer by Lindsay Buroker Nov 2019 (Star Kingdom #6)
Home Front by Lindsay Buroker Apr 2020 (Star Kingdom #7)
Layers of Force by Lindsay Buroker Sept 2020 (Star Kingdom #8)
Tested by Lindsay Buroker Jan 2023 (Legacy of Magic #4)
Wrenched by Lindsay Buroker Feb 2023 (Legacy of Magic #5)
Fused by Lindsay Buroker Apr 2023 (Legacy of Magic #6)
Wanted by Lindsay Buroker June 2023 (Legacy of Magic #7)
Cursed by Lindsay Buroker July 2023 (Legacy of Magic #8)
The House on Mulberry Street by Jeannie Chin Mar 2023 (Blue Cedar Falls #3)
Clandestine Baby by Nicole Helm Sept 2023 (Covert Cowboy Soldiers #6)
The Girl in the Hard Hat by Loretta Hill Jan 2013 (Pilbara/Barnes Inc #2)
Practically Wicked by Alissa Johnson Oct 2012 (Haverston Family #3)
A Talent for Trickery by Alissa Johnson Nov 2015 (Thief Takers #1)
A Gift for Guile by Alissa Johnson July 2016 (Thief Takers #2)
Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz Jan 2023 (The Lost Night Files #1)
Sagitta by Ruby Lionsdrake July 2017 (Star Guardians #3)
Ariston by Ruby Lionsdrake Oct 2017 (Star Guardians #6)
Beastly Kingdom by Leslye Penelope (as L Penelope) Apr 2023 (The Bliss Wars #2)
The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick May 2023 (Burning Cove #7)
A Cattle Dog for Christmas * by Stella Quinn Oct 2023
Mysteries of Thorn Manor * by Margaret Rogerson Jan 2023 (Thorn Manor #1.5)
Hold Your Breath by Katie Ruggle Apr 2016 (Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue #1)
Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle Aug 2016 (Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue #3)
After the End * by Katie Ruggle Apr 2017 (Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue #4.5)
Falling for His Fake Girlfriend by Shannon Stacey Jan 2023 (Sutton's Place #4)
Her Younger Man by Shannon Stacey Aug 2023 (Sutton's Place #5)
* indicates novella

Only my five star reads for the year are listed here, though there were also a few I rated as B+ I could also consider favorites.

~~~

My main reading goal for the year was to finish Lindsay Buroker’s backlist (including her Ruby Lionsdrake titles). I had 26 titles to go at the start of 2024 plus she added another 12 during the year—including 4 short stories—but I did it. I also finished up the backlists for Meg Benjamin (5 + 3 new releases), Alissa Callen (7 plus + 2 new releases), and Alissa Johnson (4 books, she sadly seems to have stopped publishing). Plus I managed to remain current on my other favorite/autobuy authors. I also read Katie Ruggle’s entire backlist (14).

This year I will hopefully finish up that last of the “big backlist” authors I have. Should have done that this year, but I decided to add the books written under pseudonyms for two fave authors. (Well, except for some authors who I bought a ton of books by during that 5¢ sale Harlequin had years ago but not sure I will ever actually read all of those as I don’t consider them favorite authors and didn’t even at the rime. I went looney during that sale LOL.) Looking at Mount TBR, I do own a bunch of Toni Anderson and Michelle Diener books I may get to someday, but they aren’t on my autobuy list. I first started this catch up on all by x author goal in 2017 so it has worked well for me.

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Driven by Destiny (Tracking Trouble #3) by Lindsay Buroker (A/5 stars)

Purchased:
none

[library addict]

Sweetwater and the Witch by Jayne Castle (Rainshadow/World of Harmony/Arcane Society) is on sale for $2.99

Spoiler:

Welcome to the world of Harmony, where—despite its name, things are anything but—danger lurks just beneath the surface in this new novel by New York Times bestselling author, Jayne Castle.

If there’s something Ravenna Chastain knows, it’s when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she’s a witch, it’s easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.

But even a successful matchmaker can’t find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it’s time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client—he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration.

What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he’s doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up—the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that’s stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn’t just an engineer—he’s also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…

Kobo

Google Play

Apple Books

Amazon