FREE/BARGAIN — Romance & Discussion

[apesmom]

Another one dropped on my KU list, since I'm I newly minted Annette Marie fan it's worth a purchase. This series is Romantic Fantasy.

Red Winter: The Complete Trilogy (All 3 books) by Annette Marie - $2.99

Spoiler:

If Emi is sure of anything, it's that kami—the gods—are good, and yokai—the earth spirits—are evil. But when she saves the life of a fox shapeshifter, the truths of her world start to crumble. And the treachery of the gods runs deep.

Red Winter: The Complete Trilogy includes three breathtaking novels that follow Emi as she grows from an uncertain shrine maiden to a divine warrior who must choose whether to bow to duty or fight for her life.

The trilogy also features 30 full-page illustrations by award-winning artist Brittany Jackson.

"An enchanting tale of fantastical magic, supernatural creatures, mysterious heroes, and forbidden romance, [set] against a wildly gorgeous and exotic backdrop." - Flylef Reviews

"Red Winter was full of magic, action, romance, a whole lot of intrigue and an amazing set of characters ... honestly one of the books that I will read again and again." - Chaotic Reader

Keywords: Contemporary fantasy, romantic fantasy, Asian mythology

--
Red Winter (Book 1):

Emi has spent her entire life hiding from the creatures that hunt her. The savage earth spirits are determined to kill her before she can become the living host of a goddess, so she stays hidden—until the day she saves the life of a kitsune.

Shiro isn't the harmless fox spirit she thought he was. He's mysterious, cunning, unpredictable … and now hers to command. He's sworn to pay his debt to her, but he doesn't know who she is. If he finds out, he'll kill her.

But she can't send him away—not yet. Her future isn't what she thought. The lies surrounding her fate have begun to unravel, and she needs answers before time runs out—answers that lie in the spirit realm. Shiro can take her there … if she dares to trust him.

And only then will she find out how deep the gods' treachery runs.

--
Dark Tempest (Book 2):

Emi has dedicated her life to becoming the perfect vessel for the goddess Amaterasu, but the insidious betrayal of another deity has changed everything. Now Amaterasu has charged Emi with an urgent mission: to find and free the earthly gods before mankind is brought to its knees beneath divine tyranny.

At her side is Shiro, the mysterious fox spirit. When she first saved his life, she could never have imagined that behind his cunning and confidence, he was lost—his power bound by a devastating curse and his memories obscured. His veiled history is somehow tied to the missing gods, but he can't remember how or why.

As their search leads them into the murky depths of the spirit realm, the shadows of Shiro's past begin to emerge. With each brief awakening of his true self, she loses a little more of him. The fate of the heavens and earth rest in her mortal hands, and she must find the missing gods before time runs out for her world—and for Shiro.

--
Immortal Fire (Book 3):

Once, Emi believed the heavenly gods were righteous and wise, while the earthly yokai spirits were bloodthirsty and evil. But with a traitorous deity poised to destroy her world, and the yokai standing as humanity's only defense, the lies of her upbringing have toppled to reveal a far more terrifying reality.
​
Despite the looming threat, Emi can't escape her greatest distraction: Shiro, the fox yokai who has so deftly claimed her heart for his own. Soon—too soon—she will have to break the curse that binds his magic and memories. And once the ancient power inside him awakens, the yokai she loves will be changed forever.

As the earthly gods gather to wage war against the heavens, Emi and Shiro must gamble everything to turn the tide against their immortal, all-powerful foes. Together, they will find a way to save her world—even if it means losing each other.

[apesmom]

In case you haven't already seen it elsewhere, you can now check out 20 KU books! At least in the US, don't know about elsewhere.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by apesmom

In case you haven't already seen it elsewhere, you can now check out 20 KU books! At least in the US, don't know about elsewhere.

Same in Canada.

[worktolive]

Originally Posted by apesmom

In case you haven't already seen it elsewhere, you can now check out 20 KU books! At least in the US, don't know about elsewhere.

Oh, lovely, this will only encourage me to add yet more books to my towering TBR mountain. At least with the 10 book limit, I was forcing myself to actually read some of those books I borrowed.

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• The Devil You Know (Mercenary Librarians #2) by Kit Rocha (A/5 stars)

Purchased:

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by library addict

Weekly Report:

Read:

• The Devil You Know (Mercenary Librarians #2) by Kit Rocha (A/5 stars)

This series has a very unique premise, I had added Deal with the Devil to my wish list but I can wait patiently for a sale while I'm drowning in KU selections.

Read this week.

• Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) by K.F. Breene - 4
• Druid Vice and Vodka (GCU #8) by Annette Marie - 4.5
• Hunting Field for the Ill-Equipped (GCU #9) - 4.5
• Lost Talismans and a Tequila (GCU #10) - 4.5

GCU has the feel of a good Netflix series if they can afford the CGI budget.

I was bad with purchases this week but they were all on my various lists.

[sufue]

About a year later, again at $0.99...links below are still good.

Oh yeah, and it's on sale as part of Kindle US's "Top fiction eBooks for $3.99 or less", so the price should be good through 12 Sept 2021. But I'd still buy it soon if you want it. It's price-matched at Kobo US too, at least as of right now.

Originally Posted by sufue

A couple of weeks ago several Mary Stewart titles dropped in price in the US, with three as low as $0.99. That prompted some discussion, and multiple folks (me included ) mentioned The Moon-Spinners as one of their favorite Stewart titles. And now The Moon-Spinners has dropped to $0.99 at Kindle US as part of the Daily Deal, matched at Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Spinners...dp/B00GVFUDQO/
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/Moon-Spinne...dp/B00GVFUDQO/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-moon-spinners

{edited other book}

[apesmom]

Freebie

Falling From the Sky (Gravity #2) by Sarina Bowen

Spoiler:

A year ago Hank “Hazardous” Lazarus had everything: a gorgeous girlfriend, a career as a freestyle snowboarder and a spot on the US Olympic team. Then a bad crash in the half pipe left him unable to move his legs. He lost his sport, his career, and the girlfriend, too.

He’s is in a bad way until he meets Dr. Callie Anders. Her quick smile makes him want to live again. If only she weren’t so cagey. He doesn’t know whether to punch the ex-boyfriend who hurt her, or thank the man for making her single.

Callie has never met a man who makes her heart flutter like Hank does. Every time she comes face to face with the bad boy snowboarder, it’s hard to remember that he’s off limits.

Dating him would be unprofessional. Besides, he’s out of her league. But the struggle is real. And every small town that bad boys never play by the rules...

Kindle | Kobo | Google

[worktolive]

Jolie Vines writes contemporary romances with Scottish settings and I've enjoyed a few of her books. Her books are all in KU, and she's made her entire Wild Scots series (5 books) free for the next couple of days. This series is a spinoff of her Marry the Scot series, and features the grown children of the first set of couples, so the family relationships may be a bit confusing to a new reader. She's a good author though, so hopefully she's done a good job with the various back stories.

Hard Nox

Perfect Storm

Lion Heart

Fallen Snow

Stubborn Spark

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by worktolive

Jolie Vines writes contemporary romances with Scottish settings and I've enjoyed a few of her books. Her books are all in KU, and she's made her entire Wild Scots series (5 books) free for the next couple of days. This series is a spinoff of her Marry the Scot series, and features the grown children of the first set of couples, so the family relationships may be a bit confusing to a new reader. She's a good author though, so hopefully she's done a good job with the various back stories.

Hard Nox

Perfect Storm

Lion Heart

Fallen Snow

Stubborn Spark

Thanks, I grabbed them and them tucked away for when my reading tastes swing back to contemporary romance.

[apesmom]

Read this week, all in KU (rated out of 5, keep in mind that 4 is very good rating on my scale and 5 is rarely given):

• Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors (GCU #11) by Annette Marie - 4
• Damned Souls and a Sangria (GCU #12) - 4.5
  The last in the Spellbound arc for Tori, Ezra, Aaaron and Kai, I'll miss them.
• Delivering Evil for Experts (GCU #13) - 4
  The last in the Demonized arc for Robin and Zylas. So unexpected, loved it.
• Magical Midlife Meeting (Leveling Up #5) by K.F. Breene - 4
  This was the last available book in the series but there is supposed to be a 6th in the works. Would recommend the series, lots of goofy characters and a slow burn romance throughout.
• Shifting Dreams (Cambio Springs #1) by Elizabeth Hunter - 4.5
• Desert Bound (Cambio Springs #2) - 4

Purchased:

Also got a new device this week, a Boox Nova Air, so far I'm loving it. I've been experiencing some pretty severe eye strain lately so I needed to switch completely to e-ink for all my reading.

[library addict]

Originally Posted by apesmom

• Shifting Dreams (Cambio Springs #1) by Elizabeth Hunter - 4.5
• Desert Bound (Cambio Springs #2) - 4

Are the series novellas in KU?

Long Ride Home is a prequel novella (0.5) and Five Mornings (1.5) gives background on book two's protagonists. Well worth reading if they're there or you can find them.


ETA: The new device sounds great. How is the light for reading when you aren't in a well lit area?

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Forgotten in Death (In Death #53/#64) by JD Robb (B-/3 stars)
• The Demigod Complex (Brimstone Inc #1) by Abigail Owen (D/1 star)
• Shift Out of Luck (Brimstone Inc #2) by Abigail Owen (B-/3 stars)
• Bait n’ Witch [new version] (Brimstone Inc #3) by Abigail Owen (A-/5 stars)
• A Ghost of a Chance [new version] (Brimstone Inc #4) by Abigail Owen (B/4 stars)
• Try as I Smite (Brimstone Inc #5) by Abigail Owen (B+/4 stars)

Purchased:

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by library addict

Are the series novellas in KU?

Long Ride Home is a prequel novella (0.5) and Five Mornings (1.5) gives background on book two's protagonists. Well worth reading if they're there or you can find them.

Yes, the short stories are in KU and I did read them. On their own they aren't much but in the context of the series they did add some good back story.

ETA: The new device sounds great. How is the light for reading when you aren't in a well lit area?

The device has both warm and cool lights so I've been able to find comfortable adjustments regardless of lighting. I do wish there was a feature that would save a couple preferred light combos so that you could quickly switch without messing with the 2 sliders.

Oh, that Lindsay Buroker you purchased looks good! It's only $0.99 so I went ahead and pre-ordered even though it looks like it will launch in KU.

[library addict]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Oh, that Lindsay Buroker you purchased looks good! It's only $0.99 so I went ahead and pre-ordered even though it looks like it will launch in KU.

She said it was her fun, light summer project. It will be a trilogy. Book 2 I think is also releasing in September. I am debating if I should start it this week or jump back into the remaining books in her Emperor's Edge series (and spin-offs) I want to finish before the end of the year.

Originally Posted by apesmom

The device has both warm and cool lights so I've been able to find comfortable adjustments regardless of lighting. I do wish there was a feature that would save a couple preferred light combos so that you could quickly switch without messing with the 2 sliders.

I shall add it to my wishlist, but I have promised myself no new gadgets as I am trying to save for a family trip if Covid ever goes away.