Free and bargain romance in April

[Synamon]

Free short at Amazon by Jennifer Weiner (pre-order for May 8) - Swim. There is no description for this at all and it's probably chicklit rather than romance, but I didn't know where else to put it.

[ATDrake]

New thread in the forum since it's Agency and thus obligatory to show up in multiple stores if it's genuine promo and not a glitch?

[booklover6]

Ok. For some reason, even though I knew better, I decided it was 9.99 a month. Duh! Not so bad, then! I'll rethink it. That seems like a good deal, assuming they offer good books.

[Joykins]

I just signed up for the Sourcebooks membership and was able to download the Grace Burrowes book...Looks like the membership gets you 6 free books (from the monthly selections, 1 each month for 6 months with rollover in case that month's selections don't appeal to you), 40% discount on other books, and ability to purchase (some?) new books in advance of the release. They are not limiting their offerings to Sourcebooks books alone. I think this is a good deal.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Synamon

Free short at Amazon by Jennifer Weiner (pre-order for May 8) - Swim. There is no description for this at all and it's probably chicklit rather than romance, but I didn't know where else to put it.

I did some digging, this story (or a version of it anyway) appeared in a collection called The Guy Not Taken published in 2006. From the Publishers Weekly review:

In "Swim," sometime scriptwriter and obsessive swimmer Ruth, her face scarred from the car accident in which her parents died, must eschew the verbal "edge" she finds so compelling in men in order to find love.

Originally Posted by ATDrake

New thread in the forum since it's Agency and thus obligatory to show up in multiple stores if it's genuine promo and not a glitch?

The US Simon and Schuster website has it labelled free, so you are probably right, it does look like a promo. But possibly geo-restricted since the Canadian S&S has it priced at $1.99 and iTunes isn't carrying it for Canadians at all. For variety, B&N has the pre-order priced at $0.99 and none of the links to other ebook outlets from the S&S page work.

If someone American, or cleverer than I with links, has access to the non-Amazon links and wants to post this as a new thread, be my guest.

Sorry for mucking up the romance thread.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Joykins

I just signed up for the Sourcebooks membership and was able to download the Grace Burrowes book...Looks like the membership gets you 6 free books (from the monthly selections, 1 each month for 6 months with rollover in case that month's selections don't appeal to you), 40% discount on other books, and ability to purchase (some?) new books in advance of the release. They are not limiting their offerings to Sourcebooks books alone. I think this is a good deal.

I decided on the Grace Burrowes too. I realized I had bought the other ones so why not this one for free so to speak. I love they are DRM free and you get can download all 3 formats. Epub, Mobi and PDF.

[mikaelalind]

To Kill a Warlock by HP Mallory is a free read at Smashwords.

The murder of a dark arts warlock.
A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose.
A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate.
Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.

[mitford13]

These two from Donna Fasano have been listed before in recent months - not sure if you all appreciate seeing them posted again?
[FYI, each is just under 150 pages.]

Free from Amazon US:

His Wife for a While
http://www.amazon.com/His-Wife-While...dp/B00696M11K/

Return of the Runaway Bride
http://www.amazon.com/Return-Runaway...dp/B0054DG3QI/

[pphilipp]

Free and bargain are two of my favorite adjectives!

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by mitford13

These two from Donna Fasano have been listed before in recent months - not sure if you all appreciate seeing them posted again?
[FYI, each is just under 150 pages.]

Free from Amazon US:

His Wife for a While
http://www.amazon.com/His-Wife-While...dp/B00696M11K/

Return of the Runaway Bride
http://www.amazon.com/Return-Runaway...dp/B0054DG3QI/

Both were originally published as a Harlequin Silhouette in 1994 under her pen name Donna Clayton.

[Loosheesh]

I don't think this one has been posted yet:

Bluegrass State of Mind (AmazonUS / B&N)

McKenna Mason, a New York City attorney with a love of all things Prada, is on the run from a group of powerful, dangerous men. McKenna turns to a teenage crush, Will Ashton, for help in starting a new life in beautiful horse country. She finds that Will is now a handsome, successful race horse farm owner. As the old flame is ignited, complications are aplenty in the form of a nasty ex-wife, an ex-boyfriend intent on killing her, and a feisty race horse who refuses to race without a kiss. Can Will and McKenna cross the finish line together, and more importantly, alive?

This is the first book in the Bluegrass Series. The second book, Risky Shot, is due out by the end of the summer. The third book, Dead Heat is due out mid-Fall.

[ScalyFreak]

I don't think anyone's posted this one either, but I really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd share. I am always on the look-out for fresh takes on old archetypes.

The Beast, DRM-free and multi-format from ARe

There are hard lessons to take from the story of Beauty and the Beast, which tend to be forgotten. Knowing there is a happy ending to be had, we tend to overlook and forgive the Beast’s flaws. But what if they’re not so easy to dismiss? A gentle man trapped in the body of a beast is one thing. But what if the beast is the gentle one, and the man is the monster? What if to save one, the other must be sacrificed?

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

I don't think anyone's posted this one either, but I really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd share. I am always on the look-out for fresh takes on old archetypes.

The Beast, DRM-free and multi-format from ARe

Available at Smashwords too!

[Britomart]

American Dreamer (Amazon US DE) by Theresa Weir aka Anne Frasier is a repeat freebie.

Striking out on her own for the first time, Lark Leopold comes face-to-face with the steamy glare was of an impossibly rugged and handsome farmer.

Nathan Senatra's life is a mess and he doesn't have time for Lark's silly, bureaucratic, animal research. His wife has left him and taken almost everything he has. When her body is found in the pond behind his house, Nathan is the prime suspect. But are the cops focusing on the wrong person while a killer stalks the small community of Elizabeth, Iowa? Or is Nathan really capable of murder?

This book was originally published in 1997, and is typical of romances written in that time period. It contains the dangerous Alpha male paired with the naive female who instinctively trusts him even though outwardly he seems to be everything she should avoid. We have high drama and exaggerated reactions, we have tender love, and, like all good stories, a bit of truth.

[Britomart]

All's Fair in Love and Seduction by Beverley Kendall, a novella in her regency Elusive Lords series (otherwise published by Zebra), is free from Smashwords.

For Miss Elizabeth Smith, sharing her first kiss with the charming Lord Derek Creswell is nothing short of a dream come true...that is, until she is spotted by one of the most influential gossips of the ton. To avoid total social ruin, Elizabeth must present a fiancé by the end of the Season. But when the viscount proves reluctant, Elizabeth is forced to employ a seduction of a different sort...