FREE/BARGAIN — Romance & Discussion

[sufue]

A couple of years later, Sapphire Flames is £0.99 in the UK again. The link is still good...

Originally Posted by sufue

Sapphire Flames is the most recent in the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews, just published a month or two ago. It is on sale now for £2.99. It has been sitting at £4.99 for the last few months (although it was briefly at £2.99 during its pre-order as well), so this is a nice drop.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G141J8W

[sufue]

Magic Tides, which is the first in the Kate Daniels spin-off Wilmington Years series, is £0.99 right now at Kindle UK, probably for only a few more hours...

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BPN6QR9H

Spoiler:

Ilona Andrews invites you back to the #1 New York Times bestselling Kate Daniels series in this exciting new long novella featuring Kate, Curran and Conlan, some familiar faces, some new friends, and all the special brand of chaos they create!

Kate, Curran and their son, Conlan have left Atlanta, vowing to keep a low profile, and are settling into a new city and new house…but some things never change! Magical mayhem is about to erupt when Kate undertakes the rescue of a kidnapped youth, while Curran guards the homefront.

It should be a simple retrieval, but with monsters on land and sea, Kate’s got her work cut out for her. Still, she's never let her blade dull or her purpose falter. And that low profile? It’s about to wash away with the raging tides!

I had an ARC of this and really loved it - you can see my review on my blog if you wish - the URL is in my signature, and then just use the search box...

[sufue]

More than a year since its last price drop in the UK, The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon is again £0.99 at Kindle UK.

Here's a link to the original post in the Other Fiction thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4328113

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Her Big Sky Cowboy (Wildflower Ranch #3) by Alissa Callen (B/4 stars)

Purchased:
none

[sufue]

Joffe Books do a Free Friday book most weeks, but it's usually a mystery. However every now and then it's a romance, and this Friday, there are actually two romances (as well as one mystery, listed in the Mystery thread), or what look mostly like romances...

An Orphan of Scotland, previously published as The Laird of Lochandee, is the first in the Maxwell Family Quartet by Gwen Kirkwood.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWK5L3QF
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BWK5L3QF

Spoiler:

A heartwarming and moving story about secrets, family and the power of love, set in enchanting Scotland during the Second World War.

Scotland, 1940s.

Sixteen-year-old Rachel O’Brian is heartbroken and alone. The unexpected death of her beloved father turns her world upside down. She gratefully accepts a home with the Maxwell family, old friends of her father, though she barely knows them.

But she is woefully unprepared for the matriarch, Gertrude’s malice; no one understands it.

Life is hard for Rachel, toiling on the Maxwell farm under the hateful eye of Gertrude. But the younger Maxwells welcome Rachel with open arms, especially Ross. Slowly, the two fall in love and Rachel once again tentatively allows herself to dream of a future.

But tragedy strikes once more when Ross suddenly disappears during a business trip away. Could the war have claimed another victim? Or is this the work of a sinister force closer to home?

Without his protection, Gertrude seizes the chance to throw Rachel out. Destitute and heartbroken once more, Rachel must gather her strength and courage to find Ross — both for herself, and her unborn child . . .

Set against the looming shadow of the Second World War, this is a sweeping, beautiful story of one woman’s courage against all the odds. Fans of Kate Hewitt, Colleen McCullough, Tamara Alexander and Tania Crosse will fall head over heels for this captivating read.

Starstruck by Emma Bennet
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNLQT8CN
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BNLQT8CN

Spoiler:

GET SWEPT AWAY TO THE GORGEOUS DEVON COUNTRYSIDE IN THIS PERFECT FEEL-GOOD COZY ROMANCE!

Newly divorced Kate just wants a quiet life with her son Charlie now that she’s single. She’s not looking for love, but then an old schoolfriend turns up on her doorstep out of the blue.

He’s not just Joe anymore, he’s world-famous rock star Joseph Wild. And he’s looking to rent one of Kate’s cozy converted barns so he can hide out from the paparazzi after his own break-up.

Joseph is just the same sweet, funny boy that Kate remembers, only now he’s more than a little bit sexy! He comes round for dinner every night and gets on wonderfully with Charlie. But he couldn’t possibly be interested in Kate, could he . . . ?

Soon the pair realize the strength of their attraction for each other — it feels like they’re meant to be. But then Joseph’s ex-wife shows up and spoils everything.

Can Joseph leave behind his glamorous lifestyle — and his murky past — and settle for a quiet life with Kate in the Devon countryside? If the couple are truly meant to be, Kate must convince Joseph that she’s the one for him.

Oh, and these are usually free through the weekend, in spite of the "Free Friday" name, but if you want them, I'd grab them now.

[sufue]

oops, wrong thread - sorry

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn (D-/1 star)
• Wanted (Legacy of Magic #7) by Lindsay Buroker (A/5 stars)
• Of Fire and Fate (The Kingmaker Chronicles #3.5) by Amanda Bouchet (C+/3 stars)
• A Curse of Queens (The Kingmaker Chronicles #4) by Amanda Bouchet (B/4 stars)

Purchased:

[sufue]

For the Nora Roberts readers amongst us, and since this is Romance and Discussion, I have a question.

I have read and liked a lot of her JD Robb/In Death books, but haven't read (that I remember) any of her romance/romantic suspense books. So I was happy to just get an advance review copy of The Inheritance, which is the first in a new trilogy coming out this fall. And it was a fun read, and I liked it a lot, until it ended in an abrupt cliff-hanger the size of the Cliffs of Moher. Is this typical for her in planned trilogies? I get that in a planned three-book series, there is going to be unresolved stuff for the later books. But this was so abrupt and so stark that I kept looking for more paragraphs/chapters, even after I knew for sure that that really was the end of the book.

I have to write a review for it now, and just have no idea what to do with the cliff-hanger (yikes), other than, I guess, let readers know that it's a doozie. When Dana Stabenow did it a few years back in her Kate Shugak mystery series, of which I'm a regular reader, I held a grudge for quite a while, and wasn't shy about it. But when I'm not a regular reader, I'm less sure of how blunt to be. I would think Roberts would be a better writer, and with enough loyal fans, than to need to do that just to make you buy the next book...

[library addict]

Originally Posted by sufue

<snip>And it was a fun read, and I liked it a lot, until it ended in an abrupt cliff-hanger the size of the Cliffs of Moher. Is this typical for her in planned trilogies? I get that in a planned three-book series, there is going to be unresolved stuff for the later books. But this was so abrupt and so stark that I kept looking for more paragraphs/chapters, even after I knew for sure that that really was the end of the book. <snip>

Haven't read it yet so don't know what the particulars are, but I will say that when she writes a trilogy with a different h/h in each book, the romance will have a satisfying conclusion but the overarching plot may very well include a cliffhanger.

On the rarer instances where she writes a trilogy with the same h/h throughout all three books both the plot and relationship could possibly end on a cliffhanger.

Then again, eveyone's definition of a cliffhanger can be different. There are some books where readers diagree on rather or not the ending is a cliffhanger.

So I would yes, warn people of the cliffhanger in your review.

But at heart she is still a romance writer so the romance(s) and overall storyarc will be tied up by the end of the third book.

[library addict]

Author Julie Garwood has passed away.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obit...rwood-11326777

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by library addict

Author Julie Garwood has passed away.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obit...rwood-11326777

I'll always remembered some of her books, and she is one of the first authors I read. Rest in peace.

[sufue]

TY

Originally Posted by library addict

Haven't read it yet so don't know what the particulars are, but I will say that when she writes a trilogy with a different h/h in each book, the romance will have a satisfying conclusion but the overarching plot may very well include a cliffhanger.

On the rarer instances where she writes a trilogy with the same h/h throughout all three books both the plot and relationship could possibly end on a cliffhanger.

Then again, eveyone's definition of a cliffhanger can be different. There are some books where readers diagree on rather or not the ending is a cliffhanger.

So I would yes, warn people of the cliffhanger in your review.

But at heart she is still a romance writer so the romance(s) and overall storyarc will be tied up by the end of the third book.

[apesmom]

Freebie!

Hammered (Legacy of Magic #1) by Lindsay Buroker

Spoiler:

Seattle native Matti Puletasi has the strength of a bear, the stamina of an ox, and a magical hammer inherited from her dwarven mother.

She’s happy renovating homes and occasionally thumping bad guys until she learns of a mysterious artifact hidden under the house she’s working on. Everybody from humans to orcs to werewolves wants it, and they’re willing to kill to get it. Things go from bad to worse when someone frames her for murder.

The only person interested in helping her is a haughty elf assassin from another realm. He’s handsome, powerful, and deadly, but he’s got an agenda of his own. She dare not trust him—or be attracted to him.

But if she can’t clear her name, the assassin will be the least of her worries.

~

Set in the same world as Death Before Dragons, the Legacy of Magic series is perfect for urban fantasy fans who enjoy adventure, snarky humor, and slow-burn romance with badass elves who should not be trusted. Pick up Book 1, Hammered, today!

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• A Talent for Trickery (Thief Takers #1) by Alissa Johnson (A/5 stars)
• A Gift for Guile (Thief Takers #2) by Alissa Johnson (A/5 stars
• A Dangerous Deceit (Thief Takers #3) by Alissa Johnson (B-/3 stars)

Purchased:
none

[sufue]

If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillips' books, there is a £1.99 pre-order price right now on the newest in her Chicago Stars series, Simply the Best. This strikes me as a pretty good deal, since the pre-order price in the US right now is $14.99. Ouch! I've read some of the early ones in this series and liked them, but haven't kept up with it, not quite sure why not... Of course, you have to wait until February 13, 2024, for your brand-new book to drop into your e-reader, but WTH, it's a good price...and it's not as if I don't have plenty to read until then...

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C5942RFN

Spoiler:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns with the next book in her Chicago Stars series where a successful sports agent and the sister of his biggest client engage in a take-no-prisoners battle of the sexes.

Take one hard-driving sports agent…

Throw in a failed chocolatier…

And her superstar football player brother…

Add a quirky pink and purple food truck…

Then, to really screw things up, mix in a very unfortunate murder.

Brett Rivers is the hottest sports agent in the business—fast and furious, swift and deadly. Failure? Not an option.

Rory Garrett is—let’s be honest—a disaster. She has a big heart, an empty bank account, a passion for making exquisite chocolate, and a huge inferiority complex from living in the shadow of Brett’s most important client, her football legend brother.

Brett and Rory should never have met, and they absolutely, positively should never have had to deal with the consequences of one stupid, drunken night…one disastrous lie…one career in jeopardy…one missing football player…and a very dead body.

It’s going to get messy…and dangerous…and heartbreaking…and sexy. To Rory, Brett represents skewed values and a devious mind. To Brett, Rory is forbidden fruit, off limits, do not disturb, and no entry—definitely no entry.

A woman who has succeeded at nothing and a man who’s succeeded at everything confront the challenge of their lives as they struggle with themselves and each other. When it comes to love—what price are any of us willing to pay to be simply the best?