FREE/BARGAIN — Romance & Discussion

[apesmom]

Books 2-4 of Abigail Owen's Inferno Rising series are on sale for $0.99 each. Book #1 has previously been free and it's also in KU.

#2 - The Blood King

Spoiler:

Ruthless dragon king Ladon Ormarr must keep his throne at all costs. And now, with war on the horizon, he’ll need a miracle. Luckily, the fates have dropped Skylar Amon right into his lap.

Except he may have met his match.

The feisty Amon sister has no fear—of him or any other dragon shifter—is brash, doesn’t stick to protocols, and regularly offends his warriors and advisers.

Skylar also has no intention of sticking around. She doesn't believe in the whole destined mates thing and believes all dragon kings to be dangerous. But if it means taking out the High King who murdered her parents, she'll put up with Ladon...temporarily.

But the fates have other plans. And when Skylar disappears in the middle of a battle, Ladon will burn down the world to find her.

Kindle | Kobo | Google

#3 - The Warrior King

Spoiler:

Meira Amon is the most reserved of the phoenixes, finding computers easier to deal with than people and their messy emotions. But she wants revenge against the Rotting King Pytheios for the murder of her parents just as much as her sisters. Offering herself as a queen for their ally, dragon shifter King Gorgon of the Black Clan, only makes sense.

Just one problem...

Samael Veles worked his lowborn ass off to become the fiercest warrior of the Black Clan. He has pledged his life to protect his king at all costs. Yet somehow, in the middle of war, he took one look at a woman in a reflection and gave up his heart. When that woman turns out to be the phoenix promised to mate his king and help bring peace to their kind, he has no choice but to accept it.

Until her fire unexpectedly destroys the king after they've wed. Now Samael must choose between his loyalty to his clan and protecting the queen who might be his mate from his people's wrath, one of which will unlock a destiny no one could have ever imagined...

Kindle | Kobo | Google

#4 - The Cursed King

Spoiler:

Airk Azdajah, the rightful King of the White Clan of dragon shifters, spent half a millennium being tortured by the false High King Pytheios. The only reason he’s alive is a curse: the man who kills Airk will be consumed in his own fire. So Airk was kept alive—barely—and unable to shift in his prison cage, driving the creature half of him into madness. Airk escaped, but he'll never be truly free. Because what good is a king who can never let his feral dragon loose, never fly, and never lead his people?

Angelika Amon is the last unmated phoenix. The problem? She has no powers. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Angelika hates being dormant, especially now that her three sisters are blissfully mated to powerful dragon shifter kings and are very much part of the fight to take down the rotting king Pytheios. What good is a completely powerless phoenix in a battle to save the dragon kingdom?

Desperate to find some way to help, she offers herself to Airk as a mate—just for political leverage. Now a dormant phoenix is mated to a dragon who can't shift. But the balance of power is about to change when Pytheios decides to claim Angelika for himself...

Kindle | Kobo | Google

[library addict]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Who decides who is a "Publisher"?

The author either sells the rights of the book to a publisher and the publisher distributes an agreed upon percentage for each sale of the money they collect from Amazon (or other retailers). Or the author self-publishes the book and collects the percentage from Amazon (or other retailers) themselves.

Many authors create an LLC or some other incorporated entity so the "publisher" may be listed with a company name rather than the author's name. Put these are still considered self-published.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Who decides who is a "Publisher"?

Someone not using KDP?

[apesmom]

Freebie. This author has titles published by Grand Central and Kensington, many of which are romantic suspense titles that I've read and liked (10 years ago or so). This title has been in my TBR pile for a long time and now I see that the rest of this series is now in KU. This one is looks to be contemporary romance.

Blame it on Your Heart (Big Timber #1) by Jami Alden

Spoiler:

There was a time when Ellie Tanner wanted nothing more than a simple life in Big Timber with the love of her life, Damon Decker. But after Damon broke her heart and crushed her dreams, Ellie couldn't get out of town fast enough. Twelve years later, Ellie is back, and life is nothing like she'd once imagined At age 30, she is widowed, broke, and a single parent to a 5 year old son. Humiliated after discovering that her "Wizard of Wall Street" husband had swindled his clients out of billions of dollars, Ellie is forced to move back in with her mother until she can get her life back on track. When she'd forced to work closely with Damon, Ellie tries to ignore the powerful attraction still simmering between them. But it doesn't take long before she finds herself once again under Damon's spell. .

There was a time when Damon believed Ellie wanted the same things he did - to get married and raise a family in Big Timber. But her move to New York and marriage to a Wall Street high flyer proved that the life Ellie really wanted was nothing Damon could ever give her. As far as he's concerned, Ellie Tanner did him a favor when she dumped him cold all those years ago. Then Ellie shows up back in town, looking more beautiful than ever, sending Damon's blood - and his heart - racing. But he learned the hard way not to count on a future with Ellie. While he may not be able to keep his hands off her, this time he knows better than to let himself fall for her all over again. Until he's forced to admit that when it comes to it comes to loving Ellie, he doesn't have a choice.

[apesmom]

This week . . .

London Celebrities by Lucy Parker

#1 - Act Like It - 4
Listened on Overdrive, narration is good but male voicing seems overly stodgey. Story was good but I probably won't circle back for more in this sereies until I clear out stuff in my current library.

Mercenary Librarians by Kit Rocha

#1 - Deal with the Devil - 3
Listened on Overdrive, did not like narration at all which probably influenced the meh rating. Could not get engaged in the story. Won't circle back for book 2 until I run out of other audio books.

Lingus by Mariana Zapata - 3

In KU but listened on Overdrive. Narration was good, same narrator as the previous 2 I listened to. For the most part I didn't really care for any of the characters, this one just didn't work for me. There's 2 more audio books left in the Brooklyn library then I'll have to start reading the remainder in KU.

Dragon Kin by G.A. Aiken (aka Shelly Laurenston)

#7 - Light My Fire - 3.5
Listened on Overdrive. Narration is good. Another series that I left hanging for far too long. Might have scored higher if I hadn't had such a hard time figuring out who and what everyone was. That's what happens when you leave a series for too long. But it did make me laugh a few times.

Purchased:

[library addict]

Originally Posted by apesmom

This week . . .

Mercenary Librarians by Kit Rocha

#1 - Deal with the Devil - 3
Listened on Overdrive, did not like narration at all which probably influenced the meh rating. Could not get engaged in the story. Won't circle back for book 2 until I run out of other audio books.

I quite liked the first two books in this trilogy, but I didn't try the audio.

I do think the narrator can make or break a book. Not 100% but good narration can make up for things and bad narration can be boring even with beloved books.

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Only Home with You (Blue Cedar Falls #1.5) by Jeannie Chin (A/5 stars)
• The Quick and the Thread (Embroidery Mystery #1) by Amanda Lee (1 star/F)

Purchased:
none

[sufue]

+1 - have liked all her books...

Originally Posted by worktolive

I'd definitely recommend grabbing Polaris Rising if you have KU. It's a bit more space opera than romance, but a very fun and action-filled read. Each book in the series focuses on a different couple so there are no cliffhangers. I've read all of the author's books (including a couple of free serials on her website) and really enjoyed them.

[worktolive]

The newest book in Serena Bell's Wilder Adventures series is coming out next week (I've already read it, it's great ). The first book is currently a repeat freebie.

Make Me Wilder

Spoiler:

She’s high heels. I’m hiking boots. And she’s about to turn my outdoor adventuring business into a recipe for romance.

I’ve spent my life doing two things: exploring these mountains and running the business that supports my big family. But now everything’s changed, and if I want to save our livelihood, I have to man up. Even if it means taking advice from a city-girl consultant who thinks hiking gear means flats instead of heels—and who wants to turn Wilder Adventures into Wilder Romantic Adventures.

It’s my job to introduce Lucy to our hunting, fishing, camping, and rafting trips. At first she’s a total fish out of water, but before too long, we’re laughing with instead of at each other. And while Lucy may not appreciate the finer points of building a shelter from scratch or starting a fire with sticks, it turns out she knows a whole lot about getting dirty. She’s also smart, capable, and unbelievably beautiful.

But Lucy’s time in Rush Creek is running out, and my past has taught me that you can’t take the city out of the girl or the girl out of the city. So why am I still trying to make her fall in love with small town life—and me?

A steamy, opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine, city girl-mountain man small-town rom com.

[sufue]

I've liked Susannah Nix’s Chemistry Lessons romance series (helped by the fact that I'm a nerd at heart), and now here is a novella for free in one of her other series, the Starstruck series. Star Bright is free in both the US and UK right now.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B8MSTPR
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/star-bright-20
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09B8MSTPR

It's probably free at Kobo UK too, but I don't regularly check there...

Spoiler:

She’s an A-list Hollywood starlet. He’s a gossip reporter. Sleeping with the enemy has never been sweeter…

Kimberleigh Cress didn’t get to be one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood without learning how to protect herself. Rule number one? Don’t show weakness. Ever. Especially not in front of the press.

So when a sleazy tabloid reporter comes upon her during a vulnerable moment, the last thing she expects is kindness.

Sexy, charming, and surprisingly thoughtful, Spencer Devlin isn’t at all who Kimberleigh thought he was. After their fateful encounter, she can’t seem to stay away from him—even though she knows she should.

Spencer never expected to share an unlikely connection with the spoiled starlet who hates his guts. With the face of a goddess and an attitude to match, Kimberleigh Cress is one ice queen he’d love to melt.

Now that she’s gotten under his skin, he’ll do anything to keep her in his life. Or will he?

[apesmom]

Penny Reid has sold the rights to her Winston Brothers series to be adapted for TV. This could be a lot more fun than Robin Carr's Virgin River series on Netflix. I hope this gets done and not on Apple TV because I like this series.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Penny Reid has sold the rights to her Winston Brothers series to be adapted for TV. This could be a lot more fun than Robin Carr's Virgin River series on Netflix. I hope this gets done and not on Apple TV because I like this series.

Is there a problem with Apple TV?

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is there a problem with Apple TV?

It's Apple. I still hold a grudge for their role in price fixing.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is there a problem with Apple TV?

It's got no screen.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's got no screen.

Neither does Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Xfinity, Vudu, YouTube, TickTock, Instagram, Facebook, etc.