FREE (and bargain) books for the Kindle - May 2011

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Freebie from Ellora's Cave:

Private Games by Tawny Taylor

Product Description
Who would have thought a simple board game could change your life. Three women learn it can when they toss the dice, face a challenge or two, and win…love, laughter, and hot, hot sex.

Playing for Keeps
Maddy Beaudet needs to shake things up a bit, but playing a board game isn't exactly what she considers exciting.
Jace Michael has just moved across country to recover from an ugly divorce. Anxious to dive into work with both feet, the last thing he needs is a distraction, but the minute he meets Maddy, his employee no less, and learns about the game she's playing with her friends, a whole different game comes to mind.

Master May I?
Britt Olsen is shocked when Andre Cruz-Romero delivers a birthday gift, mistakenly mailed to Britt's former home. Unfortunately, what she finds in the box isn't what Britt expected.
Then again, neither is Andre.The sexy entrepreneur who sports golf shirts and khaki pants by day wears leather by night. And the room that used to house Britt's workout equipment now holds a different kind of…apparatus…for an entirely different kind of game.

A Game of Risk
Taking risks is what day-trader Olivia Blake's life is all about. Well, at least financially. Personally is another story. It takes the draw of a card for her to approach the man she's pined over, her older sister's brother-in-law. The minute she does, she wonders if she's made the right decision.
EMT Ty Wilcox spends his days rescuing people who toss caution to the wind and get injured—or worse—in the process. Playing it safe is the only way to live. But after seeing Olivia in a skimpy dress that almost covers her vitals, he wonders if risk is the four-letter word he'd always thought it was.

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Freebie from Samhain:

Fortune's Deception: Fortune, Book 1 by Karen Erickson (Also free at Amazon UK)

Product Description

Winning the lottery changes her life forever…in more ways than one.

One minute Brittney Jones is living paycheck to paycheck, and the next she and three friends win a record-breaking lottery jackpot. Sure, she’s spent some money on herself—after her rough childhood, she figures she deserves a few indulgences, big and small.

To financial advisor Charlie Manning, his client Brittney is a shallow beauty out to spend all of her money. He thinks she should rein it in. She thinks he should loosen up, and resolves to help him do just that—in a very naughty way.

The passion between them burns hot and fast, and Charlie comes to realize Brittney’s heart is as big as her newly fattened bank account. She’s not only smart, but beautiful and sexy. And he can’t resist her.

Still, Charlie is aware that Brittney’s keeping secrets from him. If only she would trust him enough to tell the truth!

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Bargain book:

Black Order with Bonus Material by James Rollins is $1.99 (pre-order). The book without the bonus content is $8.99.

Product Description

In Copenhagen, a suspicious bookstore fire propels Commander Gray Pierce of SIGMA Force on a relentless hunt across four continents. Meanwhile, a terrifying mystery surrounding horrific experiments performed in an abandoned laboratory unfolds in Poland, and Buddhist monks in the mountains of Nepal inexplicably turn to cannibalism and torture. They seem to suffer from a baffling, mind-destroying malady, whose signs are beginning to appear in Painter Crowe, director of SIGMA Force. Now, only SIGMA Force can save a world suddenly in terrible jeopardy, because a new order—one that may answer questions about the origin of life—is on the rise.

Don't miss an exclusive excerpt from the next SIGMA Force adventure The Devil Colony (available June 21), in which gruesome murders in an Indian cave lead Painter Crowe to a dark cabal that has been manipulating history since the founding of America.

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Bargain book:

Angel's Tip Special Edition with Bonus Material by Alafair Burke is $1.99 (pre-order). The book without the bonus content is $7.99.

Product Description

The thriller that the bestselling author Faye Kellerman called "knuckle-biting journey" is now available at a low price for a limited time. This special e-book edition includes the prologue and first three chapters of Long Gone, Alafair Burke's "must read" (Lisa Scottoline) standalone thriller, which will be released on June 21.

In a city full of victims . . . it's hard to choose just one.

Indiana college student Chelsea Hart's wild evening with affluent young party boys in an elite Manhattan club was the most exhilarating and glamorous night of her life. It was also the last.

Now NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher's obsessive hunt for the co-ed's killer—the only chance to save the next victim—is placing her directly in the sights of a psychopath.

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Bargain book:

Bulls Island with Bonus Material by Dorothea Benton Frank is $1.99 (pre-order). The book without the bonus material is $7.99 (but this was offered for free in the past, so MR regulars should have it in their archives)

Product Description

Elizabeth "Betts" McGee loved those lazy afternoons on pristine Bulls Island in the Carolina Lowcountry. But everything came crashing down when tragic fate—coupled with nasty rumor and innuendo—ended her engagement to Charleston golden boy J.D. Langley of the fabulously wealthy (and fabulously snooty) Langley clan. Betts left soon after, and she hasn't been back in nearly twenty years.

Successfully reinventing herself in New York City, Betts is now a top banking executive and heading up the most important project of her career, but it'll transform the untouched island she loved in her youth into something unrecognizable. And it's forcing her to return to the bosom of her estranged family, where she may not be welcomed with open arms. Worse still, it's uniting her with ex-flame J.D., who's changed . . . but perhaps not enough.

The limited time ebook also includes an excerpt from Frank’s forthcoming novel Folly Beach, available June 14th.

And then there's that crazy alligator . . .

P.S. I've posted about Hissy Fit before, but it's now also available as Hissy Fit with Bonus Material with a different ASIN (also $1.99)

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FYI, currently just free for those in the UK (via Kensington Books)

Touch of a Thief by Mia Marlowe (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

London's most talented criminal is about to be fingered. . .

Lady Viola Preston can relieve a gentleman of the studs at his wrists without his being any the wiser and pick any lock devised by man in less than a minute. But she's careful to wear gloves when she steals jewels. Because when Viola touches a gemstone with her bare skin, it "speaks" to her, sending disturbing visions--visions almost as unsettling as the sight of the cool-eyed stranger who catches her red handed.

Now Viola will only be stealing at Greydon Quinn's behest. And even more daunting than the violent history of the red diamond he's after is the prospect of a night in the devastatingly handsome lieutenant's arms. Touch has always been Viola's weakness, and the full body-to-body contact Quinn has in mind is about to shatter her defenses and set her senses reeling.

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FYI, currently free just for those in the UK (via Navpress)

An Expose on Teen Sex and Dating: What's Really Going On and How to Talk About It by Andy Braner (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

Are you worried about your teenagers and how they’re going to survive the current dating scene? According to the Journal of Sexual Medicine, 63 percent of teenagers are sexually active before they leave high school; 87 percent are active before they leave college. So how do we reach this generation of teens with a biblical answer to dating, sexting, and hooking up?

If you work with teenagers or are a parent of teenagers and see the devastation of out-of-control sexual promiscuity—or have no clue that any of this is going on—then you need to read this book. Andy Braner, a youth minister who speaks to teens all over the nation, will help you understand the current dating scene and the teen thought process on sex and dating. He’ll also provide you with tools and solutions for building relationships with teenagers as well as show you how to teach true intimacy, purity, redemption, and integrity in dating.

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FYI, currently free just for those in the UK (via Abingdon Press)

The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer Allee (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

Maura Sullivan never intended to set foot in Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she tried so hard to leave behind: a husband who ignored her, a congregation she couldn’t please, and a God who took away everything she ever loved.

Nick Shepherd thought he had put the past behind him, until the day his estranged wife walked back into town. Intending only to help Maura through her crisis of faith, Nick finds his feelings for her never died. Now, he must admit the mistakes he made, how he hurt his wife, and find a way to give and receive forgiveness.

As God works in both of their lives, Nick and Maura start to believe they can repair their broken relationship and reunite as man and wife. But Maura has one more secret to tell Nick before they can move forward. It’s what ultimately drove her to leave him six years earlier, and the one thing that can destroy the fragile trust they’ve built.

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This was the freebie that never was, but it's finally free. Unfortunately, just for those in the UK currently (via Abingdon Press)

eye of the god by Ariel Allison (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

eye of the god takes the fascinating history surrounding the Hope Diamond and weaves it together with a present-day plot to steal the jewel from the Smithsonian Institute.

We follow Alex and Isaac Weld, the most lucrative jewel thieves in the world, in their quest to steal the gem, which according to legend was once the eye of a Hindu idol named Rama Sita. When it was stolen in the 17th century, it is said that the idol cursed all those who would possess it. That won’t stop the brilliant and ruthless Weld brothers.

However, they are not prepared for Dr. Abigail Mitchell, the beautiful Smithsonian Director, who has her own connection to the Hope Diamond and a deadly secret to keep. Abby committed long ago that she would not serve a god made with human hands, and the “eye of the god” is no exception. Her desire is not for wealth, but for wisdom. She seeks not power, but restoration.

When the dust settles over the last great adventure of the Hope Diamond, readers will understand the “curse” that has haunted its legacy is nothing more than the greed of evil men who bring destruction upon themselves. No god chiseled from stone can direct the fates of humankind, nor can it change the course of God’s story.

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FYI, currently free just for those in the UK (via Navpress):

Freedom from Performing by Becky Harling (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

For years, author Becky Harling lived for the rave reviews of others, until God directed her from performance-driven theatrics to a leading role as a grace-motivated follower of Jesus. She only needed to be herself, and so do you.

Freedom from Performing uncovers fresh perspectives from Jesus’ parables to inspire women of all ages to embrace authentic grace in our accolades-crazed world. Enlivened by the author’s and other women’s transparent, real-life scripts, every chapter is rich with discussion questions and practical exercises for internalizing God’s grace on a daily, personal level. This twelve-week Bible study will play a starring role in your living fully and joyfully as God intends: seeking His applause alone.

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FYI, currently free just for those in the UK (via FT Press)

Connecting Top Managers: Developing Executive Teams for Business Success by Jim Taylor and Lisa Haneberg (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

his is the eBook version of the printed book.

Improving executive teamwork is the fastest, best way to improve engagement, retention, productivity, agility, and overall business performance. Now, two renowned leadership consultants show how to objectively assess current leadership team performance…move individual “superstars” towards wholehearted collaboration…overcome disconnects between leadership and everyone else…and translate leadership team excellence into extraordinary results.

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FYI, currently free just for those in the UK (via FT Press)

Technical Analysis of Commodities by Carley Garner (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

Use technical analysis techniques to time your commodities trades and maximize your profit potential!

There are three primary forms of commodity market analysis: technical, fundamental, and seasonal. Successful trading most likely comes through of a combination of all three, but I believe technical analysis is the most critical because it enables traders to time entry and exit any speculative position. Simply being right about market direction doesn't guarantee profits; timing is everything!

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FYI, currently free just for those in the UK (via FT Press)

16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances (Collection) by FT Press Delivers (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

This is the eBook version of the printed book.

A brand new collection of essential insights for your business and career from world-renowned experts…now in a convenient e-format, at a great price!

Your fast, foolproof money primer: escape debt, fix your credit, buy the right house, pay for college, prepare for retirement, and more!

Expert, step-by-step guidance for solving money problems and building real wealth and security! Discover new ways to fix your credit (and cut interest payments)…buy the right home and finance it the right way…cut the costs of college and life’s other biggest expenses…build the comfortable retirement you thought you couldn’t have!

From world-renowned leaders and experts, including Gregory Karp, Carolyn Warren, James W. Walker, Linda H. Lewis, and Jane White

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FYI, currently free for those in the UK (via FT Press)

Chips, Clones, and Living Beyond 100: How Far Will the Biosciences Take Us? by Joyce A. Schoemaker and Paul J. H. Schoemaker (Amazon Main, Amazon UK)

Product Description

The key scientific discoveries of the 21st century are coming from the biosciences. These discoveries will impact our lives in ways we can only begin to imagine. Now, two leading experts will help you imagine those impacts--and prepare for them. Paul and Joyce Schoemaker preview the research innovations most likely to emerge in the coming years and reveal what they’re likely to mean for everything from human longevity to the health of society, from bioterrorism to personalized medicine.

Writing for every interested citizen and consumer, the Schoemakers illuminate the hottest technologies and most controversial issues associated with contemporary biotechnology--including stem cells, cloning, pharmacogenetics, DNA chips, proteomics, gene therapy, and much more. Then, drawing on Paul Schoemaker’s unsurpassed experience helping global organizations prepare for the future, the authors sketch multiple long-term scenarios for the biosciences…and reveal how they will impact your health, family, career, and the society you live in.

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The Truth About Managing People by Stephen P. Robbins is free again at the US Kindle store (Also Amazon UK)

Product Description:

You can succeed brilliantly as a leader and overcome the “killer” problems faced by every manager!

• The truth about building winning teams and designing high-productivity jobs
• The truth about why “happy” employees aren’t always more productive
• The (surprising) truth about what behaviors you really want to reward

This book reveals 53 Proven Principles for handling virtually every management challenge

The Truth About Managing People offers real solutions for the make-or-break problems faced by every manager. You'll discover: how to overcome the true obstacles to teamwork; why too much communication can be as dangerous as too little; how to improve your hiring and employee evaluations; how to heal "layoff survivor sickness"; even how to learn charisma. This isn't someone's opinion; it's a definitive, evidence-based guide to effective management: a set of bedrock principles you can rely on throughout your entire management career.