Free and Bargain Romances August 2012

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by petercreasey

It appears that those of who DON'T have Kindles should just assume that bargain/free touts are for Amazon unless specified differently.

Even so, it would really be appreciated by us non-Kindle folks if the touts would stipulate if they are Amazon or, on the other hand, HOPEFULLY some other source.

I hear you. Prior to getting a Kindle myself last week, I ignored most of the amazon freebies. I spent months either just buying the freebies to sit idle on my 'account' or ignoring them altogether.

Most of the time I head for the free or cheap reads from Carina or DANL, and smashwords. I often try to see if a book advertised on this thread is also available elsewhere because people without Kindles are left out in the cold.

I would read people on MR who say they don't Kindles who know how to strip and convert, but I wasn't one of them, pre-Kindle. I'd look and look for ways to separate the danged files and make them mine, but without that danged registered serial number I was sunk. So i swallowed my pride and bought the cheapest model they had.

Thanks for the reminder, though. I will try to look for sources other than amazon.

[sqdancer]

The Kate Perry is at Smashword and the Lisa Mondello is at Kobo, Smashword and Sony. Sorry I don't have time to post links right now, family calling.

[sqdancer]

Okay, I'm back.

Here are the missing links

The Holiday (Destination Love Stories: A London Romantic Adventure, Book 3) - Kate Perry
free at Smashwords in various (DRM-free) formats.

Her Heart for the Asking (Book 1 - Texas Hearts) (Contemporary Western Romance Novel)- Lisa Mondello
free at Smashwords , Kobo , and Sony

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I gave up on Evanovich so long ago...was it after book 12? 13? I'm so done with her.

Originally Posted by copyrite

I think I left off with #13.

I keep telling myself someday I'm gonna catch up...but there's too many other books out there to read!

I've read them all! 13, and 18 I think was my favorite but it does get better. The last book was pretty good. I am so looking forward to November's release now here's the thing you have to read the in between the numbers novels with Diesel or you will miss out on soo much good stuff. It all ties together neatly that way. I read all 18 books and felt lost on somethings then I went back and read the Diesel books and it all made sense.

In one in between the numbers you really see how strong Ranger's feelings are for Steph. Yes I am a Babe! You can keep your cupcake!

I also own the spin off series which is going pretty good. Lizzy is becoming her own self. I get so riled up when they try to say that it's just like the Plum books because it's not. Lizzy is nothing like Stephanie and Diesel is well Diesel and Wolf is nothing like Ranger. He's the bad guy sorta. Ranger is not a bad guy or corny like this guy. The paranormal element and setting in Salem make these books really unique and I'm looking forward for the next one.

I highly recommend getting the audio book versions. My overdrive Library has most of them so I check them out as they come available or use credits at audible. They are soo good. Lorelei King does an excellent job bringing the characters to life.

The thing about the Plum series is it's not a romance it's not exactly a cozy mystery. It's a comedy. It's like a sitcom. It's laugh out loud funny and over the top and at times just plain weird. It's cracktastic! I just can not go a week without rereading or listening to one of the books. November can't get here fast enough!

Right now I am reading the Rock Chick series by Kristen Ashley which has a faint Plum likeness to it but it really holds its own. It's more of a romance with really hot bad boys as heroes. I think that's the appeal for me.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by kg3

These 3 are FREE:

(1) Texas Outlaw (Wild Texas Nights, Book 1) - Adrienne deWolfe

for the other two! I must of price reported Texas Outlaw book every other day since it was posted free at iTunes. I was almost tempted to get it there but they wanted a Credit Card. So I bought it at Amazon the other day and now they make it free!

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by petercreasey

It appears that those of us who DON'T have Kindles should just assume that bargain/free touts are for Amazon unless specified differently.

Even so, it would really be appreciated by us non-Kindle folks if the touts would stipulate if they are Amazon or, on the other hand, HOPEFULLY some other source.

We can't all possible check everywhere for every book. I would like to but I don't have the time. Most of us find these free books through eReaderIQ which is for Kindle books. Unless I see it posted on Facebook or a blog somewhere free at other places. I will just post for Amazon U.S. I figure it's up to the person interested in that particular title to do their own homework and check the other stores to see if they are free there. They are more then welcome to post links to non Amazon free books but there really isn't any other site set up for the other places like there is for Kindle free books.

Anything Agency will be priced at other places the same price. So those are never Amazon only offers. You can check estores like B&N, Sony, Books On Board and Kobo for price matching.

Smashwords is really hard to keep up with. I gave up a long time ago. I only check there very rarely. Sometimes on Facebook an author will mention a free book there and then I post it here.

[pisceschick]

I thought it was stated when this group first started that it was going to be mostly Kindle freebies because so many books were free in KDP, and that non-Amazon exclusives were going to continue to be posted as their own thread?

We've evolved to chit-chat about more than that, but that was the primary focus as I recall it. I could be wrong, of course..

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by Blossom

It could be any number of Harlequins. Most of them have similar plots.

I think I've reached a reading slump. After 87 books I suppose it's to be expected. I started 3 books in the last week and none of them has grabbed me.

Spoiler:

The one the Officer I says I do that I got as my DANL selection two months ago is what I am reading now and the first thing I see is a typo on page 9 Cardsharp. I'm on Chapter 4 and it's really not that good so far. I got turned off by how the whole proposal Vegas thing is handled followed by a detailed sex scene. I really didn't expect a sex scene right off the bat. It would have been so much better to have a fade to black scene after she said yes to marriage, followed by a morning after recall of what happen next. I would of liked a better knowledge of the characters beforehand. It's just so far no real build up to the story and it's moving at a snail's pace. No real chemistry between the two then we are rushed through scenes and arrived two weeks later. I will give it a few more Chapters before I mark it as a DNF.

For what it's worth, that's not a typo...

Spoiler:

Your other complaints are valid though, and in my opinion a good summary of "most common mistakes by authors in the romance genre".

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by sqdancer

Her Heart for the Asking (Book 1 - Texas Hearts) (Contemporary Western Romance Novel)- Lisa Mondello
free at Smashwords , Kobo , and Sony

This one gives me a "not available" error in the Sony bookstore. Anyone else have that problem?

[frozennorth]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I would read people on MR who say they don't Kindles who know how to strip and convert, but I wasn't one of them, pre-Kindle. I'd look and look for ways to separate the danged files and make them mine, but without that danged registered serial number I was sunk. So i swallowed my pride and bought the cheapest model they had.

I'm one of those. To get amazon ebooks onto my Sony T1 I download them to Kindle for PC then move them from the "My Kindle Content" folder to Calibre which automatically removes the drm thanks to a plugin I added. Convert to epub with Calibre and transfer to my Sony.

I always check the other stores first to see if I can get an epub version.

[frozennorth]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

This one gives me a "not available" error in the Sony bookstore. Anyone else have that problem?

Same here when I click on add to cart.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

For what it's worth, that's not a typo...

I've never heard of it spelled that way. Well what do you know it would of make more sense to use a k instead of a p seeing it's a better known spelling.

Spoiler:

It's growing on me though it's nothing special. I'm on Chapter nine and slowly warming up to them but I think the writer just isn't good at writing chemistry and love scenes like she used the word agitated to describe the heroine getting frisky in her lover's arms. The love scenes are not well done. They need more work but it has gotten better if I can ignore the that part.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

This one gives me a "not available" error in the Sony bookstore. Anyone else have that problem?

Yep same here. Kobo has it though in epub but it's really from Smashwords so I would get it there. They are the same versions.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by frozennorth

Same here when I click on add to cart.

Their loss then. *gets the Smashwords version*

Originally Posted by Blossom

I've never heard of it spelled that way. Well what do you know it would of make more sense to use a k instead of a p seeing it's a better known spelling.

Using a k makes more sense to me as well, but I've sen the p version before as well. I think it's a regional thing, or possibly a difference between continents.

Originally Posted by Blossom

Spoiler:

It's growing on me though it's nothing special. I'm on Chapter nine and slowly warming up to them but I think the writer just isn't good at writing chemistry and love scenes like she used the word agitated to describe the heroine getting frisky in her lover's arms. The love scenes are not well done. They need more work but it has gotten better if I can ignore the that part.

Spoiler:

Whoa. Yeah, not a good word choice there. If I ever found myself "agitated" in a man's arms, said man would be about to start hurting, and there will be bruises and possibly blood if those arms don't move very quickly...

Let's just say I have strong opinions about the importance of asking for permission before touching.

I have noticed something similar in the many romances I've read lately (long story)... writing chemistry of any kind is difficult, and sexual chemistry most of all. Far too many love/sex scenes feel contrived, and sometimes it seems obvious that they are simply mandatory sequences that have been forced in by an editor or desperate writer, rather than something that developed naturally between the people involved due to chemistry or circumstances.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

This one gives me a "not available" error in the Sony bookstore. Anyone else have that problem?

I think it's a site wide issue at Sony as I had the same message on another freebie book this morning