FREE/BARGAIN — Romance & Discussion

[worktolive]

Eve Langlais writes lots of entertaining, fun, steamy PNR, UF, contemporary and SF Romance (her books are wide, not Amazon only) and are quick and easy reads. She often offers a first in series freebie, the current one is the following:

Pushing Up Posies by Eve Langlais

Spoiler:

Netflix and Chill takes on a whole new meaning when Posie starts dating the Reaper.

Poor Brody. As reaper leader for the Canadian guild, he and his crew don’t get as much work as other countries until the Dark Lord gives them a new mandate: Establish a dating service on Earth that will facilitate the meeting between citizens of Hell and humans with the end goal being babies.

In other words, become a pimp.

It’s a cruel demotion for a reaper who just wanted to guide souls to their final destination. He is dying to return to Hell, until he meets the stubborn woman living across the hall.

The Devil wants Posie mated, but she is resisting all attempts. What will it take to make her see the light?

And how will she react when she finally discovers that death has been knocking at her door?

[library addict]

Kat Latham's Playing It Close (London Legends #2) on sale for 99¢

Spoiler:

With his toughest-ever season starting soon, professional rugby player Liam Callaghan needs time out of the spotlight to rest and grieve his mother’s recent death. Vacationing incognito in Venezuela protects his identity. It does nothing to protect his heart when he meets pink-haired dynamo Tess Chambers.

Impulse control has never been Tess’ strong suit. A professional disaster has made her a tabloid target. She escapes to an eco-lodge on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast to let things cool off. Instead, the steamy nights lead to a steamy one-night stand. Though he’s lied about his name—and so has she—Tess knows exactly who her lover is. It’s impossible not to recognize the sexy London Legends captain when she’s a huge fan.

Returning to London, Liam’s shocked to discover Tess works for his team’s new sponsor—a job that requires them to spend lots of time together. They’re both playing it close to the chest, but Tess is the one woman who’s ever left Liam wanting more. They’ve already lied to each other once. Can they overcome the secrets of the past so they can score a future?

Link on her site where you can select the storefront of your choice.


I read the series as it originally released from Carina Press. She's gotten the rights back for most series and has now self-published them.

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Two Nights to Forever (Orchard Hill #2) by Rebecca Crowley (B+/4 stars)
• Through the Rain by Shannon Stacey (A/5 stars)

Also up to Secrets at Midnight in my complete Psy/Changeling series reread.


Purchased:

[apesmom]

This week . . .

Truly, ID by Rachel Gibson

#3 - What I Love About You - 4
Listened via Overdrive. Narration is OK except for the horrible voice of the 5-year old.

Cambio Springs by Elizabeth Hunter

#3 - Waking Hearts - 4
As mentioned on this thread before, yes we do need Sean's story!

Ghosts of Gotham Saga by Craig Schaefer

#2 - A Time for Witches - 5
I really like this series, I can't fault the writing or plot in any way, I had a hard time putting it down and I'm looking forward to the next, it gets a 5. This is UF with a very little romance included. I was thinking that he's one of the few male voices in UF that doesn't come off as overly masculine and horn-dog-y sounding but the author just came out in a recent blog post as Heather Schaefer, you go girl! One more published book in this series with another planned, then I'll have to give the Daniel Faust book a try (it was recently free).

Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis

#2 - Animal Attraction - 3.5
#3 - Rescue My Heart - 3.5
Listened. Same narrator as #1, just OK. My library doesn't have audiobooks for #4 & 5 so this will be tabled for a while I work through other available audiobooks.

Midnight Empire/The Restoration by Annabel Chase

#4/#1 - Endless Night - 3
Second trilogy in the Midnight Empire. I figured the next books would be about someone from the London crew but this is based in NY, all new characters in the same world. Started out with promise but fizzled out fairly early.

I'm trying to loosen up my rating criteria and give more 5s since almost everything I rate ends up between 3.5 and 4.5.

Purchased: None

[library addict]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Cambio Springs by Elizabeth Hunter

#3 - Waking Hearts - 4
As mentioned on this thread before, yes we do need Sean's story!

She started it in the newsletter in 2020, but only did four chapters. I understand and sympathize she needs to write the books that will pay her bills. But I admit I am disappointed and not holding my breath she will ever finish it.

[sufue]

An omnibus of the first three Death Before Dragons books, by Lindsay Buroker, is $0.99/£0.77 in the US/UK right now. The titles in the omnibus are: Sinister Magic, Battle Bond, and Tangled Truths. This series is KU, but if you don't have a subscription, or just want to have your own copies, here you go...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YP862CH
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08YP862CH
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08YP862CH
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08YP862CH

Spoiler:

I’m Val Thorvald, and I kill bad guys for a living.

My half-elven blood, magical sword, and telepathic tiger give me an edge, at least against most villains. But when dragons show up in Seattle, the city is in serious trouble—and so am I. Dragons are bigger, stronger, and more powerful than anything I’ve battled, and they don’t appreciate it when you sass them.

Just ask Lord Zavryd’nokquetal. That’s a name, not a cat hacking up a hairball, and if you mispronounce it, he’ll either insult you, incinerate you, or throw your Jeep up in a tree. Trust me, I know.

Unfortunately, he’s taken an interest in me. Not in the “half-elves are sexy and appealing and I need a new girlfriend” kind of way. Nope, he wants to use me. He’s on a mission, and he’s decided I’ll make the perfect bait to lure his enemies to him.

That’s about as good for your longevity as it sounds, and I’d love to decline the gig, but dragons can magically coerce people into doing their bidding. If I can’t figure out how to get him to leave me alone, I’ll either end up his servant for the rest of my life… or dead. And who’s going to protect Seattle then?

This bundle includes the first three novels in the Death Before Dragons urban fantasy series:

• Sinister Magic
• Battle Bond
• Tangled Truths

Death Before Dragons features adventure, snark, and even a little romance. The series is now complete and perfect for those who enjoy binge reading!

[sufue]

Sigh! Fingers crossed, since I too would like that book. But if the earlier titles didn't sell well, then I too understand her point of view.

I remember some author (probably Ilona Andrews since theirs is the only blog I read on a regular basis) telling off (a little bit) a reader who had commented that they didn't like to buy/read series until they were complete. And the author pointed out that if the early titles don't sell well, the series may never be complete.

I suppose if enough followers asked for it, maybe an author could do a Patreon or Go Fund Me and see if they got enough interest - and presumably most authors would be happy with something less than the $41M raised by Brandon Sanderson .

But, I understand her point...

Originally Posted by library addict

She started it in the newsletter in 2020, but only did four chapters. I understand and sympathize she needs to write the books that will pay her bills. But I admit I am disappointed and not holding my breath she will ever finish it.

[apesmom]

This is now FREE! in the US, don't know about UK. Loved this series.

Originally Posted by sufue

An omnibus of the first three Death Before Dragons books, by Lindsay Buroker, is $0.99/£0.77 in the US/UK right now. The titles in the omnibus are: Sinister Magic, Battle Bond, and Tangled Truths. This series is KU, but if you don't have a subscription, or just want to have your own copies, here you go...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YP862CH
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08YP862CH
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08YP862CH
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08YP862CH

[sufue]

Sapphire Flames is $2.99 again in the US. All of @apesmom's links are still good. Probably in honor of the sixth (and possibly final) book in the series, Ruby Fever, coming out in August, which completes the second (Catalina's) story arc. IA are non-committal on their blog as to whether the third sister (Arabella) will get her own book or trilogy...they say Ruby Fever was the hardest book they've had to write.

Originally Posted by apesmom

A couple sales

Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4) by Ilona Andrews is $2.99

Spoiler:

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.

But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

Kindle | Kobo | Google

Yay, now I have the entire series, it's one of the first things I'll read when I take a KU break.

{edited other book}[/URL]

[sufue]

The Ruby Fever pre-order in the UK has dropped from £3.99 to £2.99. And if you bought it at the higher price, you can return and re-buy - I just did!

Originally Posted by sufue

Ilona Andrews' coming Hidden Legacy book, Ruby Fever, is up for pre-sale, with a scheduled release date of Aug 23, 2022. It's $7.99 in the US, which is not bad for a brand-new book. But if you live in or visit the UK, it's only £3.99 there (about $5.40, per my favorite Forex website), which is even better! Ruby Fever is the final book in Catalina's story arc, and at the moment, IA are definitely non-committal on their blog as to whether Arabella will get her own later on...

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MDB1DLT
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MDB1DLT

[library addict]

One of my favorites is on sale again: Rock Hard by Nalini Singh (Rock Kiss #2 or #3*/introduces the characters in the Hard Play series) $2.99

Spoiler:

In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past…

Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.

And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.

Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.

If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.

~ ~ ~

Note: the book used to be listed as #3 on her website as the long novella Rock Courtship was #2, but then they changed the novella to a point five and renumbered the rest of the books in this series. So in some places this is listed as Rock Kiss #3 and in others Rock Kiss #2.

Kobo

Apple Books

Amazon

Note: reminder that Nalini's self-published digital books are not available at Google Play (explanation in this older post)

[apesmom]

Freebie!

Risky Game (Out of Bounds #3) by Tracy Solheim, originally published by Berkley 2014

Spoiler:

Just when he was at the top of his game…
She changed the rules.

Baltimore Blaze tight-end Brody Janik is a natural born football star. At twenty-seven, his record-breaking athletic performance and his cover-boy good looks have turned him in to a household name. But Brody’s hiding a major secret behind his charming, public persona: a health condition that may cut his career short.

PhD candidate Shannon ‘Shay’ Everett works multiple jobs to put herself through school—including an unpaid internship with the Blaze training department. Strapped for cash, Shay answers the call of a NFL gossip blogger to uncover personal details about the Blaze players. Sneaking in to the locker room one night, she gets entangled in Brody’s secret… and swept up by his charm.

Brody isn’t sure what to make of the gawky girl with the whiskey eyes, especially when he discovers she was snooping. His first instinct is to turn her in as a snitch, but she could destroy him by sharing his secret. Instead, he decides to keep her close… perhaps closer than either of them originally intended.

Kindle | Kobo | Google

Books 1 & 2 have previously been free

[sufue]

The first book in the spin-off series, Minimum Wage Magic, is a Kindle Countdown Deal at $0.99 for about 10 more hours - it's mid-afternoon, US Pacific time, right now. It doesn't seem to be on Countdown in the UK.

Since I wrote the post below, I've read the three book series via KU, and thought they were a lot of fun too. Without being too spoilerish, I especially enjoyed the lead character's (Opal's) mom in the denouement of the last book!

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWFDM2F

Originally Posted by sufue

On a different subject, since this is "Romance and Discussion", I just finished reading, and quite enjoyed, Rachel Aaron's Heartstrikers series, which takes the premise of "what if there happened to be a NICE dragon", and runs with it in a really fun way. The books got a bit woo-woo toward the end for me with an expanded universe of what seemed to me to be a few too many kinds of magic and magical beings, but not nearly enough woo-woo to spoil my enjoyment of the overall nice-dragon storyline. The first book is Nice Dragons Finish Last, and the whole 5-book series is KU.

There's a spin-off series (three books so far, not sure if it's still being written) that I'm going to try the next time I get some serious reading time available again.

[worktolive]

Freebie - There has been a lot of chatter about this book at SBTB. The hero is absolutely an alphahole but he makes up for it with an epic grovel. Also, as you get a bit of his POV, you do get the sense that although his actions seem bad at the time, he does have reasons for them.

The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells

Spoiler:

He rejected me, and then he realized I’m the center of his world. Bummer.

Una
I keep my head down. In this backwards pack, females rank low, and my bad leg makes me damaged goods. It doesn’t help that I’ve never shifted. I don’t mind the late twenties single life, though. No one’s paying any attention as I build an illicit farmer’s market empire.

My roomies and I are doing it for ourselves, and if life under Killian Kelly is stifling, at least it’s predictable. We can deal.

But when biology finally kicks in, I lose my mind. I claim our alpha as my mate. And he rejects me in front of the whole pack.
It’s all good. It only hurts when I breathe. I’ll survive. That’s what I do.

Who wants an arrogant jerk for a mate, anyway? I’ve got a business to run.

Killian
To lead this pack out of the dark ages, I’ve had to be hard. Merciless. I don’t flinch, and I don’t make mistakes.

Una Hayes isn’t my mate.

My wolf might have some kind of strange infatuation, but if she were mine, I’d know it. And I can walk away, can’t I?
And if I keep coming back? If she starts living in my head?

I’m the strongest male in five generations. My pack scrambles to do my bidding. I can bring one quiet female back in line. No one can possibly be as stubborn as I am.

There’s no way I’ve ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

I’m the Quarry pack alpha. I don’t lose.

The Tyrant Alpha’s Rejected Mate is a full-grown shifter romance. No cheating. HEA guaranteed. Intended for adult readers only.

[apesmom]

This week . . .

Witches of Hollow Cove by Kim Richardson

#1 - Shadow Witch - DNF
In KU but listened via Overdrive, turned it off in favor of the news. Cartoony, did not like.

Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills - 4.5

Sports romance, if you like SEP's Chicago Stars then you'll probably like this. I liked it enough that I need to try others from this author. Listened on KU, narration was good but female narrator was much better than the male.

The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn - 3.5

Listened via KU. Narration is OK but male narrator doing American accented female is kind of stilted. Story is OK but the entire lack of financial plausibility of the story bothered me throughout.

Just Kiss Me by Rachel Gibson - 4

Listened on Overdrive. Narration is good. And I always like Rachel Gibson.

There's only a handful of audiobooks I'm interested in left at my library so I need to delve back into the KU selections before getting that Brooklyn membership. Does anyone have any PNR, UF, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance recommendations from the KU listen for free library?

Purchased: