FREE/BARGAIN — DRM-Free

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner Press anniversary giveaway until 12 PM Eastern Time is:

Murder Most Gay by John Simpson, 1st in his eponymous series of police procedurals with m/m romantic elements starring a duo of gay men who are professional but not romantic partners with each other (apparently they hook up with different love interests in future stories), this installment pitting an undercover cop vs a serial killer.

A serial killer is targeting gay men, preying on them in popular bars and parks. Assigned to the case, rookie cop Pat St. James feels all too close to the victims. He's gay and firmly in the closet at work. The fact that he's sent undercover as a gay man is a stroke of irony.

Pat and his fellow cop, Hank, are hanging out in bars, trying to get a lead on the killer. At the same time, Pat's looking for Mr. Right – juggling three men, hoping he'll find the perfect match for himself. He picked up Bill at a bar, Dean's a longtime friend … and in yet another ironic twist, his partner, Hank, is also gay and on the list of possible beaus.

As the killer continues to rampage, strangling and raping his victims, Pat has to focus on his work and hope that his personal life survives the stress. But when his hopes and dreams for happiness overlap with the investigation, Pat may be headed for big trouble.

[ATDrake]

New Humble Bundle is up, and it's for:

Humble Book Bundle Linux & Open Source presented by Apress, a division of textbook publisher Springer, IIRC. A mix of general Linux user guides (and switching to Linux from Windows/Mac for newbies) and specific topic guides for things like version control system Git (also available as a freebie from the author's website) and server nginx, and more.

Fixed tiers of $1, $8, and $15 (no new titles added next week).

Learning from the School of Hard Linux. Nobody said it was easy… or did they? Whether you're an intimidated beginner or an old hand, our friends at Apress have some helpful ebooks to share with you. Get Practical Linux Topics, Introducing Ethereum and Solidity, Beginning Ubuntu for Windows and Mac Users, and lots more.

Also, last week's Humble Comics Bundle The Art of Michael Turner presented by Aspen Comics has added a second coupon to the top tier for redeeming a Harley Quinn physical variant cover issue (shipping and handling not included, limited to first 2,000 customers to use it in the Aspen Store).

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner Press anniversary giveaway freebie until 3 PM Eastern Time is:

Country Soul by Remy Duchene, an m/m contemporary music industry western romance novella, originally out from Silver Publishing in 2011.

When Jackson Rawlings comes out of the closet, he loses everything: from his record label to the self-confidence he needs to perform on stage. Jackson feels as if the world is out to get him. Broken and afraid, he escapes to Hallesford and the ranch he calls home. All he wants is to live out the rest of his life peacefully and out of the spotlight.

But the fates just love interfering in his life.

Marques Lopez is the owner of Phoenix Records, and not only does he hate what happened to Jackson, he feels Jackson Rawlings has plenty more to contribute to the music industry. He ventures into small-town USA to find the singer and when he does, Jackson is a mere fragment of the man he used to be. To make matters worse, Marques’s body and heart step in to present him with a choice between business and pleasure—unless he could have his cake and eat it too….

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner Press anniversary giveaway freebie until 7 PM Eastern Time is:

Sparks Fly by Clare London, an m/m contemporary workplace romance set at a dating agency, with an opponents to lovers plot pitting two coworkers with different lifestyle outlooks against a malicious hacker.

Nic Gerrard is this year's brightest young entrepreneur, charming and charismatic, with time for everyone. Aidan West is his cleverest programmer, fiercely committed to his work and with little time for friendship or socializing. Together they created the successful dating agency, Sparks, with a new and refreshing approach to matching people.

A year later, their lives are very different – Nic has all the trappings of success and as much company as he wants; Aidan is solitary and disapproving of such a lifestyle. When Nic decides to update the agency's unique matching program, he and Aidan must work together again. Getting along gets harder as they deal with a malicious hacker and face a crisis at the agency. It will take both of them to make the agency work, and somehow they have to find a way to put their differences aside. Nic and Aidan have secrets to keep, and whether they'll admit it or not, they each need something – or someone – to help Sparks fly.

[ATDrake]

The final Dreamspinner Press anniversary giveaway freebie until 10 PM Eastern Time is:

Ghosts in the Wind by Marguerite Labbe, a contemporary paranormal suspense with strong m/m romantic elements, centred around a man who sees ghosts being haunted by that of his lover, who was murdered while attempting to do a Good Samaritan deed for a stranger, and whom he must now help track down the culprit and the missing children the killer kidnapped.

NB: this is one of DSP's Bittersweet Dreams line which explores romantic love stories which do not have a traditional HEA.

Andrei Cuza and Dean Marshall celebrated their tenth anniversary only to have their happiness shattered by a random, insane event: On his way home from closing a business deal, Dean stops on the parkway to help a young mother with her flat tire, and her ex arrives, murders them, and takes off with his two kids.

Ghosts have haunted Andrei all his life. He bears the guilt for his sister being stuck in limbo, because ghosts are frozen at the moment they died, unable to adapt to the changes in their living loved ones. When Dean returns to Andrei as a ghost, the double punch of losing him and having to watch him founder if he doesn’t move on is almost more than Andrei can bear.

Despite dangers in limbo—Jackal Wraiths that devour souls are hunting him—Dean isn’t going anywhere until he helps Andrei track down the missing children. Andrei is in danger as well when he pays dearly to feel Dean’s touch one last time. Time is slowly running out as Dean and Andrei try to say good-bye while they track a killer who’s more than happy to kill again.

A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

[datcha]

Phoenix Pick (always without DRM) is selling "The best of Cordwainer Smith" with a 50% rebate, available in all countries.

That make the ebook at $3 (a bit less in euros). until Wednesday, then back to $6. So hurry.

If you do not know Cordwainer Smith, this is a great opportunity to fill a wide gap in your SciFi culture. His style and stories are unlike anything I ever read. Hard scifi with a touch of legend, myth, poetry ... and grit too. Just check on the net the artists who created graphical illustrations for his works, and you will understand how much of an outstanding world creator he is.

Check BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/...fiction-ebooks or just go directly to:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...rdwainer-smith
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Cordwain.../dp/B071DRV5PR
also B&N, Apple and possibly others

[LJJohnson]

Originally Posted by datcha

Phoenix Pick (always without DRM) is selling "The best of Cordwainer Smith" with a 50% rebate, available in all countries.

That make the ebook at $3 (a bit less in euros). until Wednesday, then back to $6. So hurry.

If you do not know Cordwainer Smith, this is a great opportunity to fill a wide gap in your SciFi culture. His style and stories are unlike anything I ever read. Hard scifi with a touch of legend, myth, poetry ... and grit too. Just check on the net the artists who created graphical illustrations for his works, and you will understand how much of an outstanding world creator he is.

I second the recommendation. Just buy the book. There is no one else like him in the SFF world, before or since. He has all the emotional impact of Bradbury, but has a underlying and ultimate hope that, even if the evils cannot be changed immediately, they can be changed, and that the journey is worthwhile.

However, this volume contains only 12 of his 40+ stories. A number of the other stories are also very good, if I remember from the last time I read them (way too many years ago)

If you like this volume, pick up Norstrilia, his only novel. It has been as low as $2.99 in February 2017.

Sadly, those are the only 2 ebooks of his stories currently available.

[ATDrake]

StoryBundle has a new offering, and just in time for Pride Month, it's:

The LGBT+ Bundle curated by Melissa Scott (ISFDB, Wikipedia, SFE), a former Baen author who was winner of the 1986 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, as well as no fewer than 4 Lambda Literary Awards.

This has a mix of backlist, small press, and indie books across various genres and age range, although sf/fantasy and paranormal romance (both f/f and m/m) are heavily represented. Contributors include Catherine Lundoff (ISFDB), Steve Berman (ISFDB, Wikipedia), Jo Graham (ISFDB, Wikipedia, SFE), former Samhain author K.J. Charles and more, and a few books are sequels/same setting as titles offered in previous StoryBundles (the Heather Rose Jones novel is a sequel to the one offered in the Historical Fantasy Bundle), and overall it looks pretty nice and is an auto-buy for me.

$5 minimum gets you 5 titles (1 award-winning m/m historical paranormal romance, 1 f/f urban fantasy, 1 f/f historical fantasy, 1 literary fantasy author story collection, 1 superhero author story collection)
$15 top tier adds another 7 titles (1 high fantasy backlist from Tor + 1 Lambda Award-winning historical urban fantasy by Melissa Scott, 1 Andre Norton Award-nominated YA by Steve Berman, 1 Edwardian paranormal investigative team, 1 historical spy thriller, 1 f/f werewolf paranormal romance, 1 steampunk & fantasy-centric author story collection)

A reminder that expiring in the next day or so is their previous The Military SF Megabundle curated by Kevin J. Anderson and containing a number of recent-ish Baen frontlist books. And there's still some time left on the The Moonscapes Bundle of hard science fiction & space opera, curated by Dean Wesley Smith.

Also expiring today at 11 AM Pacific Time is Humble Comics Bundle The Art of Michael Turner presented by Aspen Comics. Since both the quantity-limited free (shipping not included) physical variant cover offers have been claimed entirely, they've put up a new one for a 3-pack of DC and Star Wars variants, limited to the first 500 customers to claim it in their Aspen.com store. Last week's Humble Book Bundle Linux & Open Source, full of DIY computer books from Apress, is still available.

Bundle of Holding's new RPG gamebook offering is for: Anime Blast, with new and classic RPGs from assorted publishers, inspired by Japanese manga and anime. Their previous Shadow of the Demonlord, a dark fantasy game pitting heroes against a cosmic destroyer, out from Schwalb Entertainment, and Fading Suns +2 bundle with a sci-fantasy collapsing empire out from Holistic Design is also available for a limited time.

[Little.Egret]

No longer free

Warriors of the One (Wine of the Gods Book 16) by Pam Uphoff

A short story in the Empire of the One, shortly after the novel (no longer free) Empire of the One (Wine of the Gods Book 14)
As Fort Rangpur fell to the Imperial army, the last Warrior of the One and a half trained teenager were sent with the few dependents to shelter in a dimensional bubble. They emerged to find themselves in a very different sort of world than the one they'd left, just a few minutes ago. Just a thousand years ago.

They weren't prepared for this world--and the world was not prepared for the return of two warriors, honed in a desperate war.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MUEZKIQ/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MUEZKIQ/

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00MUEZKIQ/

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by LJJohnson

I second the recommendation. Just buy the book. There is no one else like him in the SFF world, before or since. He has all the emotional impact of Bradbury, but has a underlying and ultimate hope that, even if the evils cannot be changed immediately, they can be changed, and that the journey is worthwhile.

However, this volume contains only 12 of his 40+ stories. A number of the other stories are also very good, if I remember from the last time I read them (way too many years ago)

If you like this volume, pick up Norstrilia, his only novel. It has been as low as $2.99 in February 2017.

Sadly, those are the only 2 ebooks of his stories currently available.

Those of us in life+50 countries can find some of his stories here. http://fadedpage.com/csearch.php?aut...yron%20Anthony

[ATDrake]

StoryBundle has two new offerings:

The Dark Crimes Bundle curated by former Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Wikipedia), containing a mix of backlist, small press, and indie mystery/crime thriller titles, including offerings from fellow MR member author Libby Fischer Hellman (SYKM; a 2008 1st-in-series backlist novel originally out from Bleak House Books), and two anthologies, including a 2016 Best Of originally commissioned by Kobo, containing shorts by Mary Higgins Clark (Wikipedia), Tananarive Due (Wikipedia), and more.

$5 minimum for 5 titles, $15 top-tier for all 10.

The Epic Elves Bundle curated by Anthea Sharp (ISFDB) full of indie and small press fantasy, including two exclusives which are an omnibus edition (a contribution by popular author Annie Bellet (ISFDB)) and a brand new novel.

$4 minimum for 4 titles (including the omnibus), $15 top tier for all 8 titles.

Just a reminder that expiring soon is The Moonscapes Bundle filled with backlist, small press, and indie hard science fiction, and The LGBT+ Bundle full of backlist and small press titles by award-winning and nominated authors is still good for the next week.

Bundle of Holding's new RPG gamebook offerings are for: King Arthur Pendragon and the Pendragon +2 Estates and Uther supplementary bundle for fantasy Arthuriana by designer Greg Stafford, and also Cyberpunk 2020, a vintage dystopian sci-fi game originally out in 1993 from R. Tabletop Games. Also still available for a limited time the previous Anime Blast, with new and classic RPGs from assorted publishers, inspired by Japanese manga and anime.

[Little.Egret]

Free short

Polly's Summer Vacation At Excentrifugal Engineering: 2nd Edition by James Snover

Humorous SF by a guy well known on Baen's Bar

When a slight problem of some missing mountain range threatens to have Rex Mason thrown in jail, what does he do? He creates the Excentrifugal Engineering Youth Internship Program! The first participant: 13-year-old Polly Madison! But it won't be easy, and confined to a wheel chair, it may be too much for her. Join her as her intelligence, creativity, perseverance and courage are all tested as never before in her life!


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07381W7M5/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07381W7M5/

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07381W7M5/

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07381W7M5/

[Dngrsone]

Sounds fun. I'm on it.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ 99 cents from Serial Box Publishing until midnight (presumably Eastern Time) for today only, June 27th.

The Witch Who Came In From The Cold: Season 1, a completed historical urban fantasy espionage serial set in Prague during the 1970s at the height of the Cold War. This is written by multiple authors including Tor & Orbit-published Ian Tregillis (ISFDB, SFE), whose works I quite like, and is being discounted to promote the newly-released Season 2.

The 1st episode is available for free to read/listen to in its entirety.

The omnibus edition ebook is available at the same price from multiple stores, but it seems that you can only get the accompanying audiobook readings included in the sale price if you buy the original serial season direct from the publisher's website (DRM-free ePub/Mobi/PDF & MP3). ETA: They only seem to have a credit card payment option, and you'll need to create an account.

The Cold War rages in the dark alleys of 1970s Prague as spies and sorcerers do battle for coven and country. The fate of the East and the West hangs in the balance along the Iron Curtain—and crackling beneath it is a vein of magic, raw and waiting to be tapped.

[ATDrake]

X-link to the Kobo Deals thread if you read French-language books:

Major French publisher Bragelonne is once again running their GrosseOP sale, with a rotating daily selection of 100 sale titles (mostly standalone and 1st-in-series novels, but some non-fiction) for just €0.99/$1.99 CAD at multiple retailers.

They are DRM-free at least at Kobo, and possibly at other stores as well. The selection includes both native Francophone authors (many of them award-nominees) and translated works by well-known English and other-language authors across multiple genres. SF/fantasy is represented pretty generously in the sale, if you want to try picking up both contemporary and classic French sfnal works or practice by comparing familiar popular anglophone series.