Kindle First

[sakura-panda]

I chose Daughters of the Lake.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I chose Daughters of the Lake.

Even though I might not get to it this month. Started reading Dune and want to at least finish Frank Herbert's books. Undecided yet if I want to continue. Probably a safer bet to not continue to not get disappointed by change of authors.

[Catlady]

Last day for the October selections! I picked The Lines We Leave Behind.

[DuckieTigger]

Bleak Harbor by Bryan Gruley (Thriller)

Their son is gone. Deep down, they think they’re to blame.

Summertime in Bleak Harbor means tourists, overpriced restaurants, and the Dragonfly Festival. One day before the much-awaited and equally chaotic celebration, Danny Peters, the youngest member of the family that founded the town five generations ago, disappears.

When Danny’s mother, Carey, and stepfather, Pete, receive a photo of their brilliant, autistic, and socially withdrawn son tied to a chair, they fear the worst. But there’s also more to the story. Someone is sending them ominous texts and emails filled with information no one else should have. Could the secrets they’ve kept hidden—even from one another—have led to Danny’s abduction?

As pressure from the kidnapper mounts, Carey and Pete must face their own ugly mistakes to find their son before he’s taken from them forever.

Rapid Falls by Amber Cowie (Suspense)

Forgive and forget? The past and present collide for two sisters who survived a tragedy—and must now survive the truth behind it.

It’s been twenty years since Cara’s boyfriend died in a horrible accident and her sister, Anna, went to prison. The tragedy has become a local legend, but Cara has moved past her grief to have a successful career and a happy family. Pity about Anna. Recently released from incarceration, she’s struggling with addiction, guilt, and shame—a shattered life. Cara’s forgiveness seems to be the only thing that helps her pick up the pieces.

But as Anna pulls herself together, her memories of that night on the bridge start to come into focus. And few of them match her sister’s.

As past secrets unfold and nothing is what it seems anymore, Anna desperately searches for the truth. But what if Cara doesn’t want her to find it?

The River Widow by Ann Howard Creel (Historical Fiction)

From the bestselling author of The Whiskey Sea comes a stirring novel of a young woman’s survival and liberation during the Great Depression.

In 1937, with flood waters approaching, Adah Branch accidentally kills her abusive husband, Lester, and surrenders his body to the raging river, only to be swept away herself.

So begins her story of survival, return to civilization, defense against accusations of murder, and the fight to save herself and her stepdaughter, Daisy, from the clutches of her husband’s notoriously cruel family, who have their sights set on revenge for Lester’s death. Essentially trapped, Adah must plan an escape.

But when she develops feelings for the one person essential to her plan’s success, she faces a painful choice: Will she choose to risk everything saving Daisy or take the new life offered by a loving man?

Winter Loon by Susan Bernhard (Literary Fiction)

A haunting debut novel about family and sacrifice, Winter Loon reminds us of how great a burden the past can be, the toll it exacts, and the freedom that comes from letting it go.

Abandoned by his father after his mother drowns in a frozen Minnesota lake, fifteen-year-old Wes Ballot is stranded with coldhearted grandparents and holed up in his mother’s old bedroom, surrounded by her remnants and memories. As the wait for his father stretches unforgivably into months, a local girl, whose own mother died a brutal death, captures his heart and imagination, giving Wes fresh air to breathe in the suffocating small town.

When buried truths come to light in the spring thaw, wounds are exposed and violence erupts, forcing Wes to embark on a search for his missing father, the truth about his mother, and a future he must claim for himself—a quest that begins back at that frozen lake.

A powerful, page-turning coming-of-age story, Winter Loon captures the resilience of a boy determined to become a worthy man by confronting family demons, clawing his way out of the darkness, and forging a life from the shambles of a broken past.

The Warner Boys: Our Family’s Story of Autism and Hope by Curt Warner, Ana Warner, and Dave Boling (Memoir)

An emotional, revealing memoir of one family’s life in seclusion—and the love, strength, and faith it took to save it.

Seahawks star running back Curt Warner and his wife, Ana, were prominent figures in Seattle in the early 1990s. When they dropped from the public eye after Curt’s retirement, everyone assumed it was for a simpler life. But the reality behind their seclusion was a secret they hid from even their closest friends: their twins, Austin and Christian, had been diagnosed with severe autism. What followed was a painful struggle to hold their family and their marriage together in a home filled with chaos, emotional exhaustion, and constant fear for the safety of their unpredictable but beloved boys.

Now, after years of silence, the Warners share their inspiring journey from stardom and success to heartbreaking self-imposed isolation. Above all, it’s a story of the life-changing truth that love for family and each other—no matter how challenged—is the path to healing and peace.

The Warner Boys is the true story of a family who fought for their children and how they grew.

The Frame-Up (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 1) by Meghan Scott Molin (Geek Fiction)

By day she writes comic books. By night, she lives them.

MG Martin lives and breathes geek culture. She even works as a writer for the comic book company she idolized as a kid. But despite her love of hooded vigilantes, MG prefers her comics stay on the page.

But when someone in LA starts recreating crime scenes from her favorite comic book, MG is the LAPD’s best—and only—lead. She recognizes the golden arrow left at the scene as the calling card of her favorite comic book hero. The thing is…superheroes aren’t real. Are they?

When too-handsome-for-his-own-good Detective Kildaire asks for her comic book expertise, MG is more than up for the adventure. Unfortunately, MG has a teeny little tendency to not follow rules. And her off-the-books sleuthing may land her in a world of trouble.

Because for every superhero, there is a supervillain. And the villain of her story may be closer than she thinks…

[Froide]

• Link for Amazon First Reads: https://www.amazon.com/firstreads
  
• First Reads bonus this month - a free Audible audiobook

The Ruin
Dervla McTiernan (Author), Aoife McMahon (Narrator), Inc. Blackstone Audio (Publisher)

It's been 20 years since Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind....

When Aisling Conroy's boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget - until Jack's sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.

Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of a seemingly accidental overdose 20 years ago - the overdose of Jack and Maude's drug-and-alcohol-addled mother. Detective Reilly is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything....

This unsettling small-town noir draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland, where corruption, desperation, and crime run rife. A gritty look at trust and betrayal where the written law isn't the only one, The Ruin asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Froide

• Link for Amazon First Reads: https://www.amazon.com/firstreads
  
• First Reads bonus this month - a free Audible audiobook

The Ruin
Dervla McTiernan (Author), Aoife McMahon (Narrator), Inc. Blackstone Audio (Publisher)

I seen the audiobook ad somewhere else yesterday (not on the First Reads page). Wasn't sure if the bonus offer was for the audiobook or the discounted children's book. The book is more in line with First Reads prices and fits with Thanksgiving being this month.

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano (Children)

(FREE with KU, $1.99 Kindle, $7.99 HC, $18.94 PB)

Turkey is in trouble. Bad trouble. The kind of trouble where it's almost Thanksgiving . . . and you're the main
course. But Turkey has an idea--what if he doesn't look like a turkey? What if he looks like another animal instead?
After many hilarious attempts, Turkey comes up with the perfect disguise to make this Thanksgiving the best ever!

Wendi Silvano's comical story is perfectly matched by Lee Harper's watercolors.

[sakura-panda]

Thanks for the list!

I was torn between The Winter Loon and The River Widow and settled on The Winter Loon. I also picked up The Ruin, assuming it will include itself in my Audible library.

[Wearever]

Thanks for posting this Duckie !

This time they have some interesting choices, for me it's between Bleak Harbor (Thriller ) and The Warner Boys ( Memoir ) I'll probably read both.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by Froide

• Link for Amazon First Reads: https://www.amazon.com/firstreads
  
• First Reads bonus this month - a free Audible audiobook

The Ruin
Dervla McTiernan (Author), Aoife McMahon (Narrator), Inc. Blackstone Audio (Publisher)

Thanks Froide !

[Froide]

Originally Posted by Wearever

Thanks Froide !

De nada!

[Wearever]

I completely forgot about selecting a book , and in that time I've changed my mind and went with Winter Loon ( literary fiction )

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Froide

[LIST][*]Link for Amazon First Reads: https://www.amazon.com/firstreads

Thank you for including the link -- I couldn't remember if I had chosen one or not. (I had.)

[Tarana]

I got my reminder notice for First Reads today. Good thing they sent it! I selected Rapid Falls (suspense) for my read this time around.

[DrD123]

First Reads for December

True Places: A Novel by Sonja Yoerg
(Family Drama)

A girl emerges from the woods, starved, ill, and alone…and collapses.

Suzanne Blakemore hurtles along the Blue Ridge Parkway, away from her overscheduled and completely normal life, and encounters the girl. As Suzanne rushes her to the hospital, she never imagines how the encounter will change her—a change she both fears and desperately needs.

Suzanne has the perfect house, a successful husband, and a thriving family. But beneath the veneer of an ideal life, her daughter is rebelling, her son is withdrawing, her husband is oblivious to it all, and Suzanne is increasingly unsure of her place in the world. After her discovery of the ethereal sixteen-year-old who has never experienced civilization, Suzanne is compelled to invite Iris into her family’s life and all its apparent privileges.

But Iris has an independence, a love of solitude, and a discomfort with materialism that contrasts with everything the Blakemores stand for—qualities that awaken in Suzanne first a fascination, then a longing. Now Suzanne can’t help but wonder: Is she destined to save Iris, or is Iris the one who will save her?

The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy
(Contemporary Fiction)

When London journalist Eleanor-Rigby Donovan receives an anonymous letter alluding to a crime committed by her deceased mother, her life is turned upside down. It points her to a bar on the Baltimore Harbor, where she finds a stranger who has received the same mysterious letter about his own mother. Together, Eleanor-Rigby and this young man, George-Harrison Collins, embark on a quest through the shadowy past of the Stanfields, a moneyed Maryland family full of unimaginable secrets. These secrets will transport them back decades, across continents, and to a mysterious crime long buried…until now.

Hunt Them Down (Pierce Hunt) by Simon Gervais
(Thriller)

The dark world he’s been fighting against has caught up with him. Will his daughter pay the price?

Former Army Ranger Pierce Hunt is no stranger to violence. Fresh off a six-month suspension, he’s itching to hit a notorious Mexican drug cartel where it hurts, even if that means protecting crime boss Vicente Garcia, a witness in the case against sadistic cartel leader Valentina Mieles. But things spiral out of control when the cartel murders Garcia and kidnaps his granddaughter and an innocent bystander, Hunt’s own teenage daughter.

Mieles wants the new head of the Garcia family on a plate—literally. Hunt has seventy-two hours to deliver, or Mieles will execute the girls live on social media. With the clock ticking, Hunt goes off the grid and teams up with Garcia’s daughter, a former lover and current enemy. To save the girls, Hunt will have to become a man he swore he’d never be again: an avenging killer without limits or mercy.

The Girl at the Border: A Novel by Leslie Archer
(Suspense)

One girl missing, one woman searching, both equally lost. Will a shared tragedy help them find their way home—even in the face of imminent danger?

Renowned archaeologist Richard Mathis is half a world away on the island of Crete when he learns his daughter, Bella, has gone missing. Within twenty minutes, he’s on his way back to the States. Two days later, he’s dead.

Richard’s young assistant, Angela Chase, is devastated by the loss of the man who had become both mentor and friend, and she’s determined to find the missing girl, who seems to have made dangerous connections—and whose lonely childhood so resembles Angela’s own. Born Laurel Springfield, Angela now spends her days digging up the origins of a lost civilization while struggling to keep her own past buried. But will the search for Bella expose Angela’s carefully disguised identity—and will she find Bella before she’s lost forever?

The Road Beyond Ruin by Gemma Liviero
(Historical Fiction)

For some people in post–World War II Germany, the battle is not over.
August 1945. As Stefano, an Italian POW, heads toward home across war-ravaged Germany, he encounters a young child beside his dead mother. Unable to leave him to an unknown fate, Stefano takes the boy with him, finding refuge in a seemingly abandoned house in a secluded woodland.

But the house is far from vacant. Stefano wakes at the arrival of its owner, Erich, a former German soldier, who invites the travelers to stay until they can find safe passage home. Stefano cautiously agrees, intrigued by the disarming German, his reclusive neighbor Rosalind, and her traumatized husband, Georg. Stefano is also drawn to Monique, the girl in a photograph on Rosalind’s wall, who went missing during the war.

But when he discovers letters written by Monique, a darker truth emerges. This place of refuge could be one of reckoning, and the secrets of the past might prevent the travelers from ever getting home.

Future Perfect: A Skeptic’s Search for an Honest Mystic by Victoria Loustalot
(Memoir)

In the months following the breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Victoria Loustalot crossed paths with multiple psychics eager to impart their vision. Persistent and prescient, each one slightly chipped away at Victoria’s innate skepticism. She had to admit that what they knew about her past was eerily accurate. As for her future? She couldn’t shake the feeling that some powerful force in the universe was trying to tell her something and, for once, she ought to listen. Or at least investigate.

In Future Perfect, Victoria draws on her own personal experience to launch a broader inquiry into the phenomena of psychics, shamans, astrologers, and their fans. Through historical documents and interviews with clairvoyants, seers, and their believers, Victoria opens herself up to the modern mystical complex in cultures and cities around the globe. She pays close attention to what they have to tell us about how we choose to live, what we might be missing out on in the process, and what in the world we’re supposed to do with all that information.

[Alohamora]

Thanks for the post. Several of those seem interesting for this month.