Free & bargain romance ebooks & discussion in April 2014

[apesmom]

Freebie (looks like women's fiction along the line of some of Robyn Carr's novels)

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee (Cadillac, TX #1) by Carolyn Brown
Kindle | Nook (free Friday's)

You Are Cordially Invited...Come early, eat until your buttons pop, and dance until you drop!

Miss Clawdy's Café has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time. This year, town matron Violet Prescott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.

It's time for café owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day—or blow everything to smithereens.

Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapeños are hot, the gossip is hotter, and at the end of the day, it's the priceless friendships that are left standing...

[Joykins]

_Harvard Hottie_ by Annabelle Costa is free at Amazon and B&N.

When nerdy, unhip Ellie Jenson meets rich, handsome Luke Thayer the Third as freshmen at Harvard University, it's Hate At First Sight. Ellie loathes Luke's smirk and superior attitude, and decides if she never sees him again, it will be too soon.

Fifteen years later, Ellie gets the surprise of her life: Luke is her new boss and owner of her company! But when Ellie discovers that Luke was paralyzed in an accident and is now in a wheelchair, she wonders if it's possible to be friends with this new, down-to-earth version of her former foe. Or maybe even more than friends, if Luke gets his way...

***
Please note, this is NOT a Christian romance. It has a keyword of inspirational because it is an inspirational story of love overcoming disability. Putting it in the "Inspirational" category was done by Amazon, not the publisher.

It was also reviewed at Dear Author today. I just snagged a copy

[library addict]

Originally Posted by danicca

No, it was motherboard. The drive is in my new pc, but I can't boot windows, and I think I exceded ADE activation limit.I have to ask adobe to reset it if that's the case, right?

Oh that is a bummer

ADE should be easy enough to get more activations. Just explain your computer is kaput and they'll open some new ones. I had to do so last year with all the computer issues I was having. Did you have your My Digital Editions folder backed up anywhere? If you simply put the folder back in your documents before you start ADE all of your books will be there. If you don't have the folder backed up you'll have to readd the books as Blossom said.

[apesmom]

This one just dropped from $6.49 to $0.99, supposedly just for a week. I read The Do-Over, also by the same author and enjoyed it and will be grabbing this one.

The Other C-Word (In Other Words #1) by MK Schiller
Kindle

Goodreads average 4.03 out of 1163 ratings.

Can she overcome her consuming desire for him? Can he make her comfortable with the other C-word…commitment?


Marley Mason is dreading the arrival of the new business consultant. After all, this man will most likely outsource her job to China. The last thing she would expect is a case of mistaken identity, leading to false accusations of kidnapping when she attempts to pick up the wrong man at the airport, or worse…that she would have such a visceral reaction to the right man.

Rick Randy is super sexy, scandalously flirty, and perfect masturbation material, but a relationship is out of the question. Rick is contracted on a temporary basis to fix Marley’s ailing company, and then pull out, although as he expresses to Marley, pulling out is difficult for him, in more ways than one! Marley’s feelings range from utter confusion to intense contemplation as Rick charms his way into her life. All of those C-words Marley can control, but it’s the other C-word she fears—commitment.

[FizzyWater]

I don't know if any of you like Grace Burrowes' historical romances.

She's decided to self-pub the next (last?) three books in her "Lonely Lords" series.

Per her newsletter, the first one - "Trenton" - is up on Amazon and Kobo, and will soon be up elsewhere.

I checked Kobo - it's 3.99 there and couponable.

Fingers crossed that I don't find out she's one of those authors who should never self-pub.

[FizzyWater]

I'd like your help, ladies. An older, not-highly-technical friend of mine recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (10 inch). She'd like to read ebooks.

I'm going to assist her by stripping DRM from the books she buys and converting them, depending on where she buys them. So we'll be sideloading her books.

She's not familiar with the idea of metadata - has never played an MP3.

I need to install an ebook program for her (and I've been assuming epub). I don't read on my phone or have a tablet, so this isn't something I've researched yet.

I'd prefer a program we can use to read the books that she can access in a format she's used to - we can save the books by author name in folders and she could open the folder and select what she wants to read.

Is there anything out there that doesn't have the "standard" bookshelf interface? One more like a folders interface?

Or, is it possible in Android to "associate" a file format with a particular program? So I could install a File Manager program for her and she could select the file and it would automatically open the book in the ebook program? That might be the better option, because she might eventually become familiar with the newer interface and prefer the metadata search capability (ability to sort by Title *or* by author).

Any suggestions?

[ScalyFreak]

Most eBook reader apps for Android will recognize file formats and make themselves default. For example, if I download an epub from ARe on my phone, and click on the downloaded file to open it, Aldiko automatically opens itself, and then opens the book.

Aldiko has "Files" as an option for getting books, and tapping that opion takes you to the folder structure of the device. You could make a folder with an obvious name (like Books Are Here, or something) to make it easy for your friend. Aldiko remembers which folder you opened and goes there immediately next time.

Once Aldiko has opened a book it automatically imports it though, and puts it on that shelf interface. The shelf can be changed to a list, similar to the Kindle apps list of books. It might be easier for your friend in the long run to get used to an interface based on metadata? That way she will be able to sort her books either by author or by title, and as her library grows, it will be easier for her to manage.

Aldiko screenshot behind the spoiler tag. The interface is very simple (at least I think so), and might be easier for your friend to learn than she thinks. The term "meta data" is scary. Call it "little labels" or something that makes more sense.

Aldiko screenshot, so you can see what I mean with getting books from "files". I was going to just post the picture, but it's kind of big and I'm too lazy to look up the rules about picure size right now.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Is there anything out there that doesn't have the "standard" bookshelf interface? One more like a folders interface?

Two of my favorites, both Moon+ and Mantano have built in file browsers you can use to grab a book if you want. Moon+ has more customization options, while Mantano does a better job of following a files CSS.


My recommendation is to use Calibre on a computer to organize the books and Calibre Companion as a way to organize them on the tablet so she can browse by author, series and whatever other tags you set up plus any book description you have in Calibre (it will also update any changes you made to meta data the next time you connect to Calibre). It can connect to Calibre as a wireless device or through the content server. Once you see the book you want to read you can open it from CC right in your chosen reading app. Maybe it won't be for her (just wanted you to be aware of the option), but I find it the best way to organize/browse books and carry my whole library. See attached screen caps...

[AnemicOak]

Today's series showcase freebie at ARe is Dangerous Ground by Josh Lanyon, book one in the Dangerous Ground series.

Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners and best friends for three years, but everything changed the night Taylor admitted the truth about his feelings for Will. But it's complicated...

Taylor agreed to a camping trip in the High Sierras -- despite the fact that he hates camping -- because Will wants a chance to save their partnership. But the trip is a disaster from the first, and things rapidly go from bad to worse when they find a crashed plane and a couple of million dollars in stolen money.

With a trio of murderous robbers trailing them, Will and Taylor are on dangerous ground, fighting for their partnership, their passion...and their lives.

(Previously published by Loose Id Publishing)

[library addict]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Two of my favorites, both Moon+ and Mantano have built in file browsers you can use to grab a book if you want. Moon+ has more customization options, while Mantano does a better job of following a files CSS.


My recommendation is to use Calibre on a computer to organize the books and Calibre Companion as a way to organize them on the tablet so she can browse by author, series and whatever other tags you set up plus any book description you have in Calibre (it will also update any changes you made to meta data the next time you connect to Calibre). It can connect to Calibre as a wireless device or through the content server. Once you see the book you want to read you can open it from CC right in your chosen reading app. Maybe it won't be for her (just wanted you to be aware of the option), but I find it the best way to organize/browse books and carry my whole library. See attached screen caps...

I second this suggestion. I heart Calibre Companion almost as much as Calibre itself And I use Mantano.

So long as you watch the tags you have in Calibre it works like a dream. I don't like some of the tags the publishers (particularly self-pubbed books) use. I don't tag my books romance, secret-baby, NYT bestseller, etc

So my advice is to decide on the tags you want to use and then use ONLY those tags (Calibre makes it very easy to edit and/or remove tags if they are automatically added).


You may think at the moment you only want to be able to sort by title or author, but as your library grows both of you will also find the ability to sort by series, type (contemporary, historical), and other criteria helpful. At least I do. With Calibre Companion you can sort or list by any of your tags as well as author, title, series.

[Blossom]

I love Moon+ Pro Reader but it's not really for a novice I don't think. Mantano or Aldiko Mantano has collections and is very easy to use. If I was going to get my sister into reading epub it's the app I would get her.

However for a beginner I have to say the Kindle for Android is an awesome app. It's probably would be my second choice. You could email her books directly to her app once you set it up on Amazon. It also has collections and books can be sideloaded . It's not epub though but you can't get a more simple reading app.

Moon+ I love because I no longer have to reconvert my epub books I can just pull the book from Calibre folder on Dropbox. I do have Calibre Companion installed and I really like it but it's too much work for me. I never remember to add the books and then sync all the time. So right now I use my Dropbox app and just grab a book and import it into Moon. Moon will override most of the styles so I no longer in Calibre need to add a indentation, a blank line after every paragraph or remove fonts because it will auto do that for me I now only reconvert if the table of contents is missing as that is needed for Time Left To Read feature.

[laurla]

Originally Posted by hannahi

I was very happy to get this for such a good price, with my settlement credit to boot! I got an additional check in the mail for $4.87 from the settlement--maybe from Kobo purchases that I've made. It doesn't specify which ebookstore it's from.

This last Kobo contest I've gotten more 65 and 75% codes than usual, just entering with 4 email addresses as usual. I'm not sure why because people are saying the codes aren't as good this time around. Must just be the luck of the draw!
DH and I are regretting that we got the Kindle Fire HDX now to replace the Nexus tablet. We've had it for 4 months so it's too late to return. Our ds can't play one of his favorite games, Clash of Clans because it's not in the Amazon Appstore. Though we've found a way to sideload the app, every time it updates we have to reload it and ds has to start the game from scratch. So we're planning to get the next 10" Nexus tablet to replace the Kindle Fire in the spring (though I actually find the 7" a lot easier to use!).

my son plays clash of clans also and is the major reason i broke down and bought him an iphone. we got him the Fire for Christmas and did the whole sideload thing for him too but he couldn't connect with his friends so didn't really like it. so... i took over his Fire (which I love) and bought the iphone - he was also in need of a new phone (his old flip phone had finally given up the ghost), so now he's happy which means I'm happy!!

[hannahi]

Laurla, my son found a game called Castle Clash (very similar to Clash of Clans) for the Kindle Fire yesterday and he's very happy with it. Last night after school he was literally in tears because his friends were talking about Clash of Clans at school and he had lost his game...I guess it means a lot to 2nd grade boys... So he's happy for now anyway!

[library addict]

I am D-O-N-E with the Great Date Callibre Project of Doom

I had a number of books I know I read back when I first purchased them in print that I had to guestimate dates for, but percentage wise it wasn't that many. I have read over 5000 books since 1989. (Not counting rereads). That total includes non-fiction. Not sure why I had started to keep track of the number of books I read every month, but I'm glad I kept it up over the years.

So now I have completed all of my wishlist projects (some of which I never even knew I wanted to do ). I have my Warehouse library with the name of the store(s) I purchased all of my books from with the untouched original versions of my books in case I ever need them. And my main Calibre library and the Vault library. My plan now is to always import new books to the Warehouse, clean-up the metadata as needed and then copy to either the main library or Vault. The only exception would be if it's a website freebie story (like Nalini Singh's slice-of-life newsletter stories or if an author posts an epilogue or deleted scenes on their wesbite of something) which I make an ePub from would go directly to the main library since they aren't from a store. I didn't add the various Silhouette/Harlequin on-line reads or the other Psy/Changeling short stories to the Warehouse either.

I know there are some books which I will probably clean-up in Edit Book when/if I reread them. But having done all of the Samhain titles, there are none I know have major issues.

My various library overhauls have taught me a lot. So even though they've been time consuming I am glad I've undertaken them all. But I'm ready to just be in maintenance mode and spend my time actually reading



Of course, I have to finish my taxes before I can start a new book, but I'm putting that off until tomorrow. (They're done, I just need to proof them. I'm not quite that bad of a procrastinator )

I also dusted and rearranged all of my book shelves yesterday. Even though I'm not reading much in print nowadays, I still have my keepers. I should probably cull my print TBR pile since it keeps falling over when the dog bumps it, but that's a project for another day.

[KyBunnies]

Can Moon+ Pro be side loaded on the Kindle Fire? Any suggestions on a good dictionary that does not require Wifi for Moon

I hate the ads on the Free version.