FREE/BARGAIN - Romance + Discussion - 2014

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Some tats on Kylie Scott's series about Rockers. Its contemporary romance, not NA. Main stream. Published by St. Martins, which I think is part of McMillan.

As to NA, I don't believe a lot of what is called NA is NA. Often its just contemporary romance. To me NA is Easy and Slammed. Those where really early on and Easy still my favorite. No jerk hero in sight, just some things that happened in the past. But since NA has now basically made into despicable characters treating each other like dirt, I haven't found one again I liked. In Thoughtless, I just wanted all of them to go away. Horrible people. I found it awful and never touched the others in the series.
Beautiful Disaster was for me the most disturbing. The idea that this guy was in any way shape or form a hero is just sick.
So now when I see the NA label on a book, I pretty much just keep going, unless some of my goodreads reading friends liked it and shelved it under contemporary romance.

Its getting a bit hard to find good contemporary romance that is not small town. I was so happy to have found the Kylie Scott series at least. Starts with Lick.
There is so much chopped up serial crap out there, NA horrible characters with jerks and lots and lots of whining. Oh the emo whining is just so annoying. Its pretty much all indy romance authors write anymore. I mean 9 out of 10 times I look at such a travesty and its a self publisher.

No wonder I keep sticking with historical, time travel, sci fi and paranormal romance for most of my reading.

I totally agree with you on everything you said but Thoughtless does get better in the next two books. The couple does evolve and change for their mistakes. You do have to suspend disbelief in alot of it because it turns out so happy in the end with everyone happy that was in Book 1. Lick was first indie and they kept the same type cover. It's not mainstream but it's probably is the next non paranormal I will read it keeps popping up on Moon+ that or Tangled. I can't decide.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I totally agree with you on everything you said but Thoughtless does get better in the next two books. The couple does evolve and change for their mistakes. You do have to suspend disbelief in alot of it because it turns out so happy in the end with everyone happy that was in Book 1. Lick was first indie and they kept the same type cover. It's not mainstream but it's probably is the next non paranormal I will read it keeps popping up on Moon+ that or Tangled. I can't decide.

I loved Tangled too.

I just couldn't deal with the characters in Thoughtless anymore. By the time I was done with the book I thought I'd rather have a root canal than read more about these selfish brats.
Part of the problem of course is that is is in 1st person and that heroine is the most selfish creature one can imagine. Its all me me me, so by the voice coming from her head, it makes it worse I think.
I am already not a huge fan of 1st person, but when that person is just so unlikable, then its just hard to spend more time in their head.

Thoughtless was long enough, I can't imagine reading 2 more tomes like that about these characters.

[ATDrake]

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Night Winds by Gwyneth Atlee aka Colleen Thompson, Victorian historical romance (maybe romantic suspense) originally from Zebra in 2000.

Since her mother vanished years before, Shae Rowan's embittered father has kept her a virtual prisoner of their Gulf Coast home. To escape his tyranny, she reluctantly agrees to marry the selfish heir to a shipping fortune. But all that changes when she meets a handsome stranger on the beach and suddenly finds herself giving in to dangerous, unyielding passion.

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Irresistible Forces by Marie Ferrarella, contemporary career romance in her Marie's Originals series of what she says are reprints of her old Loveswept and Jove romances (this one didn't have a paperback link and I don't feel like tracking it down, sorry). Ferrarella is also a current Harlequin author.

Most women would have jumped at the chance to interview Nick Rutledge, the reigning romantic hero of the silver screen. But Shane McCallister considered the assignment a demotion from her usual serious features -- and she resented having to profile a movie star she suspected would be vain and shallow. But with the lead for her story already drafted, Shane had her expectations shattered -- by a golden boy who wasn't brass behind the glittering facade. Nick was intelligent, sensitive, and deeply concerned about people and the land. Shane had figured on using her skills to expose a man who glowed only when film was running, but instead the story she wanted to write had an irresistibly happy ending....

Free from the author/republisher via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Devil's Prize by Jane Jackson, pirate historical romance (may be closer to a historical drama with romantic elements and not necessarily HEA), originally out from UK publisher Robert Hale in 2008. Jackson has also written Harlequin books, though may not be a dedicated romance writer for all her works. (IIRC, there's been at least two other backlist UK authors who did romances for the romance imprints but straightforward historical dramas for Robert Hale.)

Cornish smuggler Devlin 'Devil' Varcoe braves winter weather and revenue men to fetch the contraband on which Porthinnis depends for survival. Drawn to Jenefer Trevanion, whose father finances the smuggling operation, Devlin is seduced by beautiful wild-child Tamara Gillis. When fire destroys her home, Jenefer is forced to work in the pilchard cellars. Meanwhile, craving Tamara for himself, Thomas Varcoe plots murder to rid himself of the brother he hates. Rejected by Devlin, a pregnant Tamara is pressured to marry Thomas. Finally recognising the love he never felt he deserved, Devlin is on his way home after successfully undertaking a secret mission when a once-in-a-lifetime storm faces him with a terrible choice.

Free from the authors/publisher via KDP Select @ Amazon (linkage for the lot):

Steel Magnolia Press are having a promotion/sale with several mostly romance freebies and also indicate their related 99 cent sale titles in the blurb. Authors include a mix of newbie and backlist, including Jennifer Blake, who has had at least a short story in a Jove-published anthology.

ETA: also free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

An Unlikely Match by Barbara Dunlop, 1st in Match contemporary romance series of quote-unquote match-making senior citizens trying to pair up their heirs. Dunlop is a Harlequin author.

Morgan Holbrook has a PhD in jet propulsion, a plum research position at CalTech and a sexy, new neighbor who is way out of his league. He’s got all the confidence in the world where it comes to applied physics, but he’s never been the guy who gets the girl.

Cheerleader Amelia Camden has sworn off boyfriends, focusing instead on her budding acting career. But when her nerdy, next door neighbor passes up his high school reunion, party enthusiast Amelia is determined to change his mind.

Wanting his former classmates to appreciate Morgan the way she does, as a brilliant, compassionate, engaging man, she goads him into a haircut, a great suit and a pair of contact lenses. Morgan plays along with the sexy Amelia. Who wouldn’t? But when her flattery turns to flirtation, he knows it’s all part of the act.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I loved Tangled too.

I just couldn't deal with the characters in Thoughtless anymore. By the time I was done with the book I thought I'd rather have a root canal than read more about these selfish brats.
Part of the problem of course is that is is in 1st person and that heroine is the most selfish creature one can imagine. Its all me me me, so by the voice coming from her head, it makes it worse I think.
I am already not a huge fan of 1st person, but when that person is just so unlikable, then its just hard to spend more time in their head.

Thoughtless was long enough, I can't imagine reading 2 more tomes like that about these characters.

I understand for me it was train wreck that turned into a fairy tale ending. It's still a favorite of mine.It's borderline compare to other stories out there. I had no idea the stuff out there would get much worse. It's all about pushing the envelope. I want to support indies picked up by mainstream but it's getting harder by the standards of what is being written. This is why I am listen to you guys on books like Lick, Tangled and now Singh's new One I also bought that freebie book from the other day last month. I too just try to read from authors who know better because they are mainstream and I don't expect it from them or from you guys here who say there is little angst in this one and it's more romance than NA type books.

NA to me now means Non Adult because no one in the book acts like one despite their ages. Easy was YA by the way. The author got so upset when Amazon tagged it otherwise.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Free from the author via KDP Select @

Oh my thank you for all goodies!

[KyBunnies]

Free Sweetly Contemporary Collection: Part 1 by Jennifer Blake

Publisher: Steel Magnolia Press

THE ABDUCTED HEART
He called her a stowaway. She called him a kidnapper. What better way could a romance start?

APRIL OF ENCHANTMENT
Room for love ... Is Justin really preparing to marry someone else in the elegant historical mansion Laura is restoring for a wedding?

BAYOU BRIDE
She was set to be Paul's pretend fiancée before his older brother spirited her away. Lucien wouldn't really marry her in a backcountry Cajun ceremony to stop her from ruining Paul's engagement party. Would he?

Free The Marquess of Cake by Heather Hiestand

Publisher: eKensington

Coffee. . .tea. . .or a pastry chef sweeter than any confection. . .

Scotch trifle fit for Queen Victoria, scones with clotted cream. . .Alys Redcake knows the way to a man's heart. Yet she is unaware that with each morsel--and flash of ankle--she is seducing the handsome marquess frequenting her father's tea shop. Unmarried at twenty-six, Alys's first love is the family business. But thoughts of the gentleman's touch are driving her to distraction. . .

With his weakness for sugar, the Marquess of Hatbrook can imagine no more desirable woman than one scented with cake and spice. Mistaking Alys for a mere waitress, he has no doubt she would make a most delicious mistress. And when he finds himself in need of an heir, he plans to make her his convenient bride. Yet as they satisfy their craving for one another, business and pleasure suddenly collide. Will Hatbrook's passion for sweets--and for Alys--be his heart's undoing?

Free What She Left for Me by Tracie Peterson

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

When Jana returns from a missions trip, she discovers that her pastor husband has left with his secretary...along with their bank account. Humiliated, penniless, pregnant, and very much alone, Jana reluctantly turns to her mother, Eleanor, in desperation. Eleanor is haunted by her own guilt and pain, and the arrival of her daughter only serves as a daily reminder of the memories she has long kept hidden away. Will a delightfully eccentric aunt become a catalyst between these two women? Will they allow God's spirit--and God's people--to bring true healing...and a future filled with love?

[apesmom]

For you Sci-Fi romance fans, Ilona Andrews was raving about this series on the latest SBTB podcast. And lucky for us Hachette happens to have book 1 on sale now!

Fortune's Pawn (Paradox #1) by Rachel Bach - $1.99
Kindle | Kobo | Nook | Google

Devi Morris isn't your average mercenary. She has plans. Big ones. And a ton of ambition. It's a combination that's going to get her killed one day - but not just yet.

That is, until she just gets a job on a tiny trade ship with a nasty reputation for surprises. The Glorious Fool isn't misnamed: it likes to get into trouble, so much so that one year of security work under its captain is equal to five years everywhere else. With odds like that, Devi knows she's found the perfect way to get the jump on the next part of her Plan. But the Fool doesn't give up its secrets without a fight, and one year on this ship might be more than even Devi can handle.

If Sigouney Weaver in Alien met Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, you'd get Deviana Morris -- a hot new mercenary earning her stripes to join an elite fighting force. Until one alien bite throws her whole future into jeopardy.

[apesmom]

Freebie

Kiss a Girl in the Rain (Take a Chance #1) by Nancy Warren
Kindle | Kobo

Spoiler:

In this sexy, humorous contemporary romance, a lost dog brings together a wealthy drifter and a small town doctor and changes all their lives forever.

Evan Chance is a man out to complete the bucket list he made as a kid, starting with ride a motorcycle across America. Caitlyn Sorenson is the sexy country doctor standing in his way. Or is she the dream he’s been searching for?

Evan's Amazing Life List
1. Ride a motorcycle across America
2. Kiss a girl in the rain
3. Swim in every ocean…
When Evan Chance gives up a successful corporate law career to tackle the bucket list he wrote when he was twelve, he has no idea where the road will lead him.
Caitlyn Sorenson is a happily settled small town doctor. When a sexy drifter rolls into town after a motorcycle accident leaves him stranded in Miller's Pond for a few days with the homeliest dog ever, she can smell trouble even as she's drawn to a man who is only passing through town.
But some scorching hot nights and a blooming tenderness mean two people will have to face up to the challenges of love.
From USA Today Bestselling Author Nancy Warren comes the first in an exciting new series of sexy, humorous romances about a family named Chance.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Freebie

Kiss a Girl in the Rain (Take a Chance #1) by Nancy Warren

Barnes & Noble

[library addict]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I still have not seen these covers with tattoos. Can you recommend some?

Just going by a quick glance in my own Calibre library...

Amanda Quick - Lie by Moonlight (Putnam)
Tessa Bailey - Baiting the Maid of Honor (Entangled)
Nalini Singh - Bonds of Justice (Berkley)
Nalini Singh - Declaration of Courtship (Berkley)
Christine Feehan - Samarai Game (Jove)*
Meg Benjamin - Hungrey Heart (Samhain)*
Nina Bruhns - Red Heat (Berkley)
Nina Bruhns - White Hot (Berkley)
Nina Bruhns - Blue Forever (Berkley)
Jeannie Lin - The Dragon and the Pearl (Harlequin)*
Jennifer Bernard - How to Tame a Wild Fireman (HarperCollins)
Jess Granger - Beyond the Shadows (Berkley)
Maya Banks - No Place to Run (Berkley)
Jackie Ashenden - Hollywood Blackmail (Entangled)
Maya Rodale - The Tattooed Duke (HarperCollins)
Beth Yarnall - The Misadventures of Maggie May trilogy (Samhain)*
anthology (Cindy Gerard, Kylie Brant, etc) - SEAL of My Dreams (Bell Bridge)
Cristin Harber - Gambled (self-pubbed)
CJ Lyons - Chasing Shadows (self-pubbed)

There's also the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs as well as numerous more paranormal series. Tamara Morgan's Getting Psyical series from Carina Press, Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series from Harlequin, etc.

For mainstream publishers the covers do tend to be more for paranormal series and urban fantasy. But not all of them.

The ones marked above with an asterisk are where the heroine has the tattoo.

Now I haven't read all of these yet (just the top 7 and a few below that). Most are part of a series.

[apesmom]

Oh, I wanna play too. More mainstream tattooed covers . . .

• Reaper's Legacy, Reaper's Stand by Joanna Wylde (Berkley)
• Lover Mine/Unleashed/Avenged by J.R. Ward (Signet/NAL)
• Laid Bare, Inside Out, Never Enough, Coming Undone, Drawn Together by Lauren Dane (Berkley)
• Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard (Pocket)
• Viper's Run by Stepahnie Tyler (Signet)
• Unbreakable by Stephanie Tyler (Signet)
• Irresistible Force by DD Ayers (St. Martins)
• Born Wild by Julie Ann Walker (Sourcebooks)
• Dead Sexy Dragon, Red Hot Dragon, Wicked Dark Dragon, Renegade Dragon by Lolita Lopez (Grand Central - Forever)
• Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione (Grand Central)
• Forbidden, Forever, Forsaken, Forged by Jacquelyn Frank (Ballentine)
• Bound to Danger by Katie Reus (Signet)
• Charos Burning, Wild Darkness by Lauren Dane (Berkley)
• Dark/Hidden/Forbidden Embers by Tessa Adams (NAL)

[library addict]

Eek, missed a few as some of those I have in digital, too. I am blaming the dog as he really wanted outside while I was looking...

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Those are erotic romance though right if I call there is threesomes in some of them. I've seen them. I am talking mainstream Romance books. I suppose those would be mainstream erotica.

Some of her paranormals (like a couple of the Bound by Magick series) have them as well.

[Blossom]

Wow out of all the ones list there are like what only a couple that are normal romance. The Gerald one I missed as the title covers the hero's tattoos. The other just came out so I haven't see it yet. the Fireman one I haven't see any of that series I don't think. They rest are all paranormal or erotica. The historical ones are interesting and yes I have a few on my shelf with tattoos. I have a pirate romance with a guy who has dragon on his back but I was half asleep when I posted so I'll be more clear I was talking about Contemporary or Romantic suspense. I am looking for those types. I wonder why it's allowed in paranormal or erotica but very few in regular romance.

If you look at these styles of covers they are mainstream covers they don't follow the NA pattern covers though. Most NA covers are photos though and have a edginess to them.

This is fun though! Some of these I have never seen. It just goes to show you how out of the loops I am on releases from this year due to this move and lack of money.

[library addict]

The Tessa Bailey is a contemp as is the Meg Benjamin (part of her Konigburg series). The Nina Bruhns trilogy is romantic suspense as is the Maya Banks (part of her KGI series). The Beth Yarnall trilogy is contemp, maybe with some suspense. I think the hero is FBI. I haven't read those yet so can't say which category they fall into.

I wouldn't consider any of them erotica, though I suppose some might consider the Tessa Bailey books as such.

I agree it is more frequent on paranormal and urban fantasy.