FREE/BARGAIN - Romance + Discussion - 2014

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Blossom

To me it's the best series written I have read but there are some very disturbing elements in it that it might need trigger warnings. I agree it's a 5 book novel. I didn't see it as romance at all. It was very urban fantasy with some small romance elements. It's very gritty and mentions sex alot but romance nope. Jericho is not a romance kind of guy. It's a survive it's the end of the world type series at best. If you expect romance from reading this series you are going to be very disappointed.

To me it's Urban Fantasy at its best.

I totally agree with you. One of my favorite series of all times. I remember reading the first 4 books in one weekend while forgetting to eat, pee and cook.
I have never read anything where I was so absorbed into the world building. Like you I consider this straight up urban fantasy with some elements of romance as you say, but the main story is urban fantasy. The progression it takes from 1st to last is astounding.
I am sad that I will never experience this series for the first time again. I can re-read it, but it will never be like the experience I had the first time.

This authors brain is a wonder. And a bit scary.

[BelleZora]

Harlequin More Than Words is offering novellas for free.

Harlequin More Than Words: http://www.harlequinmorethanwords.com/novellas/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_pr...price-asc-rank

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/search?Qu...&sort=PriceAsc

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I totally agree with you. One of my favorite series of all times. I remember reading the first 4 books in one weekend while forgetting to eat, pee and cook.
I have never read anything where I was so absorbed into the world building. Like you I consider this straight up urban fantasy with some elements of romance as you say, but the main story is urban fantasy. The progression it takes from 1st to last is astounding.
I am sad that I will never experience this series for the first time again. I can re-read it, but it will never be like the experience I had the first time.

This authors brain is a wonder. And a bit scary.

I'll say! Iced is the freakiest yet! I told hubby while reading it that this was right up there with Harry Potter for me but it's for adults not kids. The World building, Characterization is the best I have seen next to HP.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I'll say! Iced is the freakiest yet! I told hubby while reading it that this was right up there with Harry Potter for me but it's for adults not kids. The World building, Characterization is the best I have seen next to HP.

Iced, the hag . I inhaled that one too, even though I got it from the library in paper and it was a heavy hard cover with homemade looking pages. It was kind of neat actually, the edges were uneven on purpose and the font was delish. But my wrists. Thankfully I read that one in one swoop pretty much so I didn't have to lug it around much. Those books I am literally frozen in place while I am completely gone from the real world.

I never read Potter as I am just not into kids or YA books. The wizard theme just never appealed to me. Maybe one day I'll read them.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I never read Potter as I am just not into kids or YA books. The wizard theme just never appealed to me. Maybe one day I'll read them.

I recommend the audio books. The narrator does an awesome job.

I had read the first one, and didn't really feel like reading the rest. So I tried the audio, and I was completely hooked!

In fact, I may do that with the Fever books. I read the first one, but never got back to the series. I see that Overdrive as all the audio books. I'll give them a whirl.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Iced, the hag . I inhaled that one too, even though I got it from the library in paper and it was a heavy hard cover with homemade looking pages. It was kind of neat actually, the edges were uneven on purpose and the font was delish. But my wrists. Thankfully I read that one in one swoop pretty much so I didn't have to lug it around much. Those books I am literally frozen in place while I am completely gone from the real world.

I never read Potter as I am just not into kids or YA books. The wizard theme just never appealed to me. Maybe one day I'll read them.

Oh you got to read Harry Potter! It's awesome! It's the only book series my husband has ever read. We read the first 5 books together. If you a sucker for orphans then you will fall in love with Harry. Have you seen the movies? I saw Movie 1 before I read the book. We have a tradition during the holidays one weekend we watch all the movies.

To me Harry isn't just a YA series it's sooo much more. It's good vs evil and watching these Kids grow into adults facing the impossible. The World building is the best only the Fever series comes close to it that I have read when it comes to being immersed in a world.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I recommend the audio books. The narrator does an awesome job.

I had read the first one, and didn't really feel like reading the rest. So I tried the audio, and I was completely hooked!

In fact, I may do that with the Fever books. I read the first one, but never got back to the series. I see that Overdrive as all the audio books. I'll give them a whirl.

The ones by Joyce Bean are excellent! The rest are horrible. The girl who took over reads too fast and doesn't sound southern at all. I guess she never heard of a Southern Georgia drawl before.

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by apesmom

For the most part these have been perma discounted since Jan 2013.

Cool. It's pretty nice that HC has kept them at such a low price as an introductory kind of thing that fans of the author can use to point out Sala's books to get other potential future fans hooked.

I wish there was more reliably long-term low-cost quality major publisher stuff like that for sf/fantasy*.

Originally Posted by library addict

Looks like they're at ARe for the sale price. HarperCollins titles count toward the 10-for-1 coupon.

IIRC All Romance/OmniLit typically has 50-60% rebate for Black Friday/CyberMonday, and since these don't seem to be a time-sensitive sale, probably anyone who wants them could wait until then and get a really good deal if HC's titles are also eligible for rebate as well as Buy 10 Get 1 Free.

* Besides the Baen Free Library, which no longer has most of the particular titles/authors I personally enjoyed and would recommend, but still a fairly nice selection.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ 99 cents for today only (Nov 17th) according to the newsletter from Open Road Media (linkage goes to their catalogue page which in turn links to all the standard stores, couponable @ Kobo, should be available in your preferred North American store, price good for Canada & US, may or may not be matched in other regions, etc.):

The Secret Heiress by Lillian Shelley, a Regency historical romance originally out from Doubleday in 1982. Newsletter implies that it's Austen/Heyer-like (but then they might say that for any Regency romance with tricksy complicated courtship themes, so YMMV).

Caroline Chessington is not enchanted by the suitors who flock to Brampton Hall to court her. Caroline’s heart is in search of something out of the ordinary for the time–-love–-and she refuses to settle for less. She has devised a plan to be courted for her personal charms and not her tiara–-and leaves Brampton Hall for London immediately. When Caroline, in disguise, meets Giles Kendal, the son of an Earl, she begins to know love. But the web she weaves to falsify her identity makes a courtship between the two nearly impossible–-until she reveals her identity and allows love and truth to prevail.

[apesmom]

Sourcebooks freebie

Douglas: Lord of Heartache (Lonely Lords #8) by Grace Burrowes
Kindle | Kobo

Douglas Allen needs a home for his aching heart

Douglas Allen, Viscount Amery, hates having arrived to his title without knowing how to manage his properties. Guinevere Hollister is a distant family connection raising her daughter in rural obscurity while stewarding the estate. Douglas reluctantly puts himself in Gwen's hands for lessons in land husbandry and discovers beneath her prickly exterior a woman of passion and honor. Yet despite the closeness they find, she will not marry him.

Guinevere Hollister needs a champion

When the powerful Duke of Moreland arranges an engagement between Gwen and his heir, Douglas knows the marriage is not what Gwen wants. In Douglas's eyes, Gwen deserves to make her own choices, and he will take on family, the meddling duke, and Gwen's own lonely, stubborn heart to ensure his lady's happiness.

[apesmom]

Entangled freebie (so far just on Kindle)

Blood of the Demon (Demons of Infernum #1) by Rosalie Lario
Kindle

Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.

Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List.

And no one wants her more than Keegan’s father.

Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the far deadlier, uncontrollable half—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist

[icedtea]

Originally Posted by booklover6

OMG. Did you cry at the end of the series? I still want to cry, just remembering it. Broke my heart!

It was a while ago, but yeah I think I did tear up - it's an intense world when you read them pretty much back to back. I thought Faith was annoying at times, but the world building and I-need-to-how-this-ends kept me going.

[Britomart]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Sourcebooks freebie

Douglas: Lord of Heartache (Lonely Lords #8) by Grace Burrowes
Kindle | Kobo

Thanks for posting this!

[Britomart]

Free from Amazon US DE:

Every Move You Make by Jill Jones (Diversion Books; orig. St. Martin's, 2002).

Following her divorce, Regan McKinney moves to San Francisco to start a new life, but she couldn’t have chosen a worse time to arrive. The city is gripped with fear as a brutal killer stalks the streets, murdering women—women who look a lot like Regan.

Though disturbed by the vicious crimes, Regan is determined to get on with her life, landing a promising job and finding her confidence again when she catches the attention of her handsome dance instructor.

But she’ll soon learn that Peter Smith isn’t the only one who has his eye on her. Will she be safe enough in the arms of the man gunning for her affection, with a sadistic killer gunning for her life?

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by worktolive

I really liked this book. It's Victorian, not Regency, and for those of you who are sticklers for historical accuracy, I have no idea on that....

My impression from certain details is that Milan does enough research that she finds (and writes) things that are Victorian but jar modern readers as too modern...but IIRC Blossom finds her mistorical, so... I am not an expert on the Victorian period, so can't say.