Kindle for Samsung Free Selections

[ATDrake]

Just a reminder that this is the last day to get one of the November selections if you haven't already.

[Froide]

They're out! Here are the December 2015 Samsung Book Deals (aka Kindle for Samsung) freebie selections, in the order in which Amazon presented them. I researched them a bit, to identify each book's series (if any) and genre(s).

Click on Samsung Book Deals to learn how this program works. You may also want to read the earlier, related MR thread: Kindle for Samsung launched in 90 countries


Primetime Princess by Lindy DeKoven

• Normally: $3.99
• Genres: Literature & Fiction, Humor & Satire, American, Women's Fiction, United States

High heels, hijinks, and head honchos in Hollywood

Alexa Ross has risen to the top of the Hollywood boys’ club. As the vice president of comedy development at Hawkeye Broadcasting System, Alexa has put her early years working as an assistant to Jerry Kellner, her sex-crazed former boss, behind her.

However, nepotism lands Jerry a plum spot at HBS…reporting to Alexa! Soon Jerry’s malicious behavior is destroying everything good in Alexa’s life, from the young student she tutors to the romance she thought she’d never find. Can Alexa win the battle for ratings and break through the glass ceiling, even if it destroys her—and everything she loves?

Sharp, witty, and heartwarming, Primetime Princess is an unforgettable sneak peek into the exclusive behind-the-scenes drama that occurs over the course of one TV development season.

Rapture's Edge (A Night Prowler Novel) by J.T. Geissinger

• Normally: $4.99
• Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Werewolves & Shifters

2014 Golden Quill Award Finalist

SECRETS... In the hidden world that exists beside our own, a mirror world of ancient magic and elegant deceptions, a world of people who are so much more than they first appear, a war is brewing. Most of these Gifted people--the Ikati, a savage, sensual race of lethal predators--are content to hide behind human smiles, disguising their splendor in order to survive. But others are discontent. And they will hide no longer.

BETRAYALS... Eliana lives for two things only: vengeance on the man who killed her father and seeing her father's dream of living in the open with humans come to pass. But that dream is far too dangerous for The Hunt, a group of elite Ikati assassins with one objective: eliminate her before she can expose their secrets to the world.

SEDUCTION... Demetrius is haunted by the memory of the woman he once loved. He will risk everything to save her from the killers on her tail... and convince her, before the ancient walls between two worlds crumble, that only together can they defeat their real enemy, a brilliant, cunning traitor far more deadly than either of them can guess.

Crimes Against Magic (The Hellequin Chronicles Book 1) by Steve McHugh

• Normally: $3.99
• Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Arthurian, Myths & Legends, Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, Men's Adventure

Book 1 in the Hellequin Chronicles.

How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can’t remember?

Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past—a gun, a sword, and a piece of paper with his name on it the only clues to his identity. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his magical abilities to become a successful thief for hire.

But those who stole his memories aren’t done with him yet: when they cause a job to go bad and threaten a sixteen-year-old girl, Nate swears to protect her. With his enemies closing in and everyone he cares about now a target for their wrath, he must choose between the comfortable life he’s built for himself and his elusive past.

As the barrier holding his memories captive begins to crumble, Nate moves between modern-day London and fifteenth-century France, forced to confront his forgotten life in the hope of stopping an enemy he can’t remember.

From the Cradle (A Detective Lennon Thriller) by Mark Edwards and Louise Voss

• Normally: $4.99
• Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Crime Fiction, Kidnapping, Police Procedurals

The first child was taken from her house.
The second from his mother's car.
The third from her own bedroom...

When Helen and Sean Philips go out for the evening, leaving their teenage daughter babysitting little Frankie, they have no idea that they are about to face every parent's greatest fear.

Detective Inspector Patrick Lennon is hopeful that the three children who have been abducted in this patch of south-west London will be returned safe and well. But when a body is found in a local park, Lennon realizes that time is running out—and that nothing in this case is as it seems...

Blending police procedural with psychological thriller, From the Cradle will have every parent checking that their children are safe in their beds...then checking again.

From the Cradle is the first book in the Detective Lennon Thriller Series.

[Manabi]

I went with Crimes Against Magic myself. I thought about Rapture's Edge, but it turns out that's the third book in a series of six!

I really don't understand Amazon/Samsung picking titles that are later in a series for the freebies.

[koland]

Originally Posted by Manabi

I went with Crimes Against Magic myself. I thought about Rapture's Edge, but it turns out that's the third book in a series of six!

I really don't understand Amazon/Samsung picking titles that are later in a series for the freebies.

When the publishers gave us the first book free over and over, people complained of that too....

I'll just take the freebie and it might sit while I wait to fill in the series (or not, depends on the book).

[Dngrsone]

I think I'll go with From the Cradle... holy cow, since when did paperbacks go for a 10-spot?

I am certainly glad I've gone digital now.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by koland

When the publishers gave us the first book free over and over, people complained of that too....

I'll just take the freebie and it might sit while I wait to fill in the series (or not, depends on the book).

Giving out book two when book one had been available would make some sense. But book three? It's just strange.

But I'm not really complaining. If it was just a one-off freebie I'd probably grab it and wait to see if I could get the others free later on. But since I have a choice, I'll pick another that's first-in-series.

[Dngrsone]

A quick review of From the Cradle:

This is a very British book. That is, even if you watch BBC America, if you don't have at least a passing familiarity with South Londoner dialect and culture, you may find yourself spending some time on the internet trying to figure out if M&S is a grocery store or a coffee shop (It's actually the British equivalent of a Sears or Macy's; some stores have coffee shops in them).

With that said, From the Cradle is a very engaging read. The story is gripping, the pacing is good. Though I personally had issues with some of the soap-opera elements that crop up in the latter part of the book, overall, I enjoyed it, and I give it four out of five stars and will consider reading more DCI Lennon novels.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

A quick review of From the Cradle:

This is a very British book. That is, even if you watch BBC America, if you don't have at least a passing familiarity with South Londoner dialect and culture, you may find yourself spending some time on the internet trying to figure out if M&S is a grocery store or a coffee shop (It's actually the British equivalent of a Sears or Macy's; some stores have coffee shops in them).

With that said, From the Cradle is a very engaging read. The story is gripping, the pacing is good. Though I personally had issues with some of the soap-opera elements that crop up in the latter part of the book, overall, I enjoyed it, and I give it four out of five stars and will consider reading more DCI Lennon novels.

Thank you. This was my selection, too.

[ATDrake]

Just a reminder that this is the last day to get the December selections if you haven't already.

[Froide]

Happy 2016, everyone!
Happy New Year

They're here!

These are the January 2016 Samsung Book Deals selections from the Kindle store (in the order in which Amazon presented them). Click on Samsung Book Deals to learn how this works.

Wynn in Doubt
by Emily Henner

• Genre(s): contemporary fiction / literary fiction/ women's fiction, humor, satire
• Kindle list price: $3.99

Wynn Jeffries has wanderlust. Unfortunately, her life stalled somewhere between graduating from college and slinging drinks at the local dive bar. Stuck in a one-room apartment with no career, no boyfriend, no…life, she dreams of something more. Something amazing. Something like Oliver Reeves, her high school crush, who’s back in town and reminding Wynn of the way she used to be.

When a forgotten news clipping falls out of a book belonging to Wynn’s grandmother, a well-kept family secret is finally revealed. Is Wynn’s gypsy spirit the result of an overactive imagination, or did she inherit it from a woman so determined to live a big life, she gave up everything to have it?

Together, Wynn and Oliver attempt to put together the missing pieces of her family’s past and unravel the mystery behind her great-grandmother’s disappearance. But after so much time succumbing to fear and regret, can Wynn ditch her safe, routine life for the chance at an extraordinary future?

Revised edition: This edition of Wynn in Doubt includes editorial revisions.

The Palace Job (Rogues of the Republic, Book 1)
by Patrick Weekes

• Genre(s): mythology & folktales, folklore, science fiction & fantasy, humorous, action & adventure, mystery/thriller/suspense, crime fiction
• Kindle list price: $3.99

Loch is seeking revenge.

It would help if she wasn’t in jail.

The plan: to steal a priceless elven manuscript that once belonged to her family, but now is in the hands of the most powerful man in the Republic. To do so Loch—former soldier, former prisoner, current fugitive—must assemble a crack team of magical misfits that includes a cynical illusionist, a shapeshifting unicorn, a repentant death priestess, a talking magical warhammer, and a lad with seemingly no skills to help her break into the floating fortress of Heaven’s Spire and the vault that holds her family’s treasure—all while eluding the unrelenting pursuit of Justicar Pyvic, whose only mission is to see the law upheld.

What could possibly go wrong?

The Palace Job is a funny, action-packed, high-fantasy heist caper in the tradition of Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series, from debut author Patrick Weekes.

The Field of Blackbirds (A Jeff Bradley Thriller)
by Thomas Ryan

• Genre(s): mystery/thriller/suspense, military, conspiracies
• Kindle list price: $3.99

Former SAS soldier Jeff Bradley thought he had left warzones behind when he inherited a vineyard in rural New Zealand. But now his vineyard manager, Arben Shala, has gone missing in his native Kosovo. An enigmatic message tells Jeff that his friend is in grave danger.

Determined to find Arben and bring him home, Jeff travels to Kosovo and finds a lawless state in the grip of criminal gangs. Corrupt officials obscure every lead. With the help of USAID director Morgan Delaney, Jeff delves into the province’s seedy underworld and uncovers a conspiracy of terrifying scale. A web of dark connections links the captors with a terrorist bombing campaign across Europe, and now it is no longer just Arben whose survival is at stake.

Double-crossed by allies, watched at every turn, can Jeff get to the heart of the conflict before the warlords get to him?

Revised edition: This edition of The Field of Blackbirds includes editorial revisions.

Warrior's Revenge
by Coreene Callahan

• Genre(s): historical romance (medieval)
• Kindle list price: $3.99

Sometimes the only way to love and redemption is to make a deal with the devil.

After the death of her parents, Lady Aurora de Marquise is left with no illusions and little faith. Stripped of her birthright and betrayed by her uncle, escape is her only option. With her life on the line, she narrowly avoids another murder attempt—only to run headlong into Lord Brigham de Mornay, a man most consider a monster.

With her uncle’s henchmen nipping at her heels, Aurora knows better than to trust a stranger—especially one as compelling as Brigham. Well-honed instincts urge her to flee before his abundant charm takes a nasty turn into aggression—and she ends up neck deep in trouble.

But when her uncle manages to track her, the game of fox and hound takes a perilous turn and she is left with the ultimate choice—risk everything trying to escape again or trust Brigham to keep her safe.

Set in northern England near the Scottish border, Warrior’s Revenge is a gritty, fast-paced medieval romance in which second chances are possible, and true love lies just a heartbeat away.

This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book. Learn more about Kindle Serials

[Dngrsone]

I'm thinking The Palace Job...

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I'm thinking The Palace Job...

+1 - definitely interesting.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I'm thinking The Palace Job...

That's the one I went with, it sounds fun.

[Dngrsone]

It's queued up, I'll read it as soon as I'm done with the book I'm reading now.

[Dngrsone]

Okay, so The Palace Job is one of those 'let's get you hooked on the first book so you'll actually pay for more in the series' types of freebies. Worth the price paid.

It is a fantasy thriller of the 'band of misfits pull off the ultimate heist' trope with a little predestiny thrown in for good measure and a handful of LOL moments. Overall, a decent read, though I tired of the plans-within-plans feel that these kinds of stories seem to always have. I'm not averse to reading the next book in the series, but I am not going to pay a lot.