This summer I have been putting some mileage on my Kindle, because Amazon has had some rockin’ sales! Fortunately B&N has been matching them, so even if you have a Nook instead of a Kindle, you can still get some great books for great prices. I’m so thrilled that the publishers have started doing this, because I’ve been able to check out some new (to me) authors, plus buy some books for my Kindle that I only have in paperback. It’s definitely a great way to get readers interested in your product, because a lot of the books on sale are the first in a series. I found out about these sales from the blog DearAuthor.com through their bi-weekly post about books for under $2.99. If you don’t follow DearAuthor.com, I highly recommend you check them out, because they have thoughtful and well-written reviews, plus post interesting links about the industry.
I decided I’d write a few mini-reviews of some of my old favorites that are on sale, plus several new books/novellas that I just read. All these sales seem really timely, since it’s too hot to do anything but sit around and read anyway!
Dee Davis Daring (A-Tac #3.5)
For me this novella was an introduction to Ms. Davis’ A-Tac series. As soon as I read the description of it, I knew I had to check it out, because apparently A-Tac is an elite CIA unit posing as faculty at an Ivy League college. If this were true, it would explain so much, wouldn’t it? This novella focuses on Lara Prescott, the former medical officer for the team, whose lover Jason died during a mission over a year ago. Lara’s been working in a clinic in Africa, and when insurgents arrive, she realizes that they’re there for her. Fortunately sexy mercenary Rafe Winters is there to fill all her needs (ha!). Novellas can be hit or miss for me, especially romantic suspense, but this one was great. The couple had known each other for over a year, so their romance was believable and smoldering. I can’t wait to read more of Ms. Davis’ work!
Jeaniene Frost Happily Never After
This e-novella was just released by Ms. Frost and is part of her Night Huntress series, which is a fun and sexy urban fantasy featuring vampire Bones and his lover/wife Cat. In this novella Bones barely makes an appearance and Cat isn’t in it at all, but it’s a great story and I highly recommend it. Even if you’ve never read any of Ms. Frost’s books, you’ll enjoy this story of vampire Chance sent to help out Isabella, who’s being blackmailed by a low-level mobster into marriage to protect her brother. Ms. Frost pokes fun at mafia stereotypes with this one, which leads to a lot of laughs. The characters are really well developed and the writing drew me in from the first. Definitely a winner and a great addition to the series!
Lori Wilde You Only Love Twice
This is a cute contemporary romance about shy comic book artist and conspiracy theorist Marlie Montague, whose father was a Navy whistleblower and died under suspicious circumstances. Marlie manages to hit the mark on an unknown conspiracy in one of her comic books, and as a result she’s being watched by former Navy SEAL Joel J. Hunter. Little does she realize that Joel was her childhood crush and son of the man who shot her father. The two have a rollicking adventure trying to decipher which conspiracy she unknowingly revealed in her comic book, all while fighting an attraction to one another. I laughed out loud so many times with this book. After all, any book that features a bowling ball flash mob with people singing Anchors Away is going to be lots of fun!
Loretta Chase Lord of Scoundrels
This book is a classic among regency romance lovers, and I’m ashamed to admit that I had never read it until a few weeks ago. I was stunned when I discovered afterwards that it was originally published in 1994, because it reads as though it were written yesterday. The hero, Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain, is a tortured hero who is half Italian and quite the rake, but he’s met his match in Jessica Trent. Miss Trent is the granddaughter of a well-known femme fatale, and when she arrives in Paris with her fascinating grandmother to rescue her idiotic brother Bertie from Dain’s evil ways, the sparks fly. Actually, the sparks explode, because the two are spontaneously combustible. The redeemable rake is one of my favorite tropes, but it was Jessica Trent who absolutely sold this book for me. She was an intelligent, sexy woman with lots of pluck, and you’ll love the two of them together. Definitely a classic and one I’ll be reading over and over again.
Eloisa James Duchess in Love
Eloisa James is one of my favorite authors of regency romance, and this is the first book in her Duchess Quartet series. Her books are always intelligent, well-written, and humorous, and this one is on sale with bonus material (excerpts from the other books in the series) on Amazon right now. It’s a great introduction to her writing and an intriguing romance. Gina is married at age 11 to Camden, the Duke of Girton, who promptly flees the country without consummating the marriage (not that one can blame him). The two remain good friends, however, maintaining correspondence while the Duke is busy sculpting in Greece. But Gina grows up and 12 years later she writes to Camden, asking for an annulment so she can marry Sebastian, Marquess Bonnington. When Camden arrives to grant her the annulment, he falls in love, and as the novel progresses and their romance develops, you are never quite sure if they will consummate the original marriage or not. Lots of fun, plus a secondary romance among other characters as well.
Julia Quinn The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1)
This is the book that started the Lady Whistledown craze, and if you don’t know who Lady Whistledown is, you simply must remedy the situation at once! Ms. Quinn is another of my favorite regency romance authors, and she is best known for her series about the Bridgerton siblings. The Duke and I is the first of the series about the large Bridgerton family, and it features the eldest daughter, Daphne, whose romance with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, is funny, touching, and heartbreaking. Simon is friends with Daphne’s older brothers, who make it clear to him that as a womanizer he should steer clear of their sister. But Daphne and Simon decide to fake an engagement in the hopes of drumming up interest in Daphne while protecting Simon from matchmaking mamas. Naturally the fake engagement becomes something more, and it’s a pleasure to see their relationship develop. And if you don’t know who Lady Whistledown is, you are in good company, because no one in the book knows either. You’ll have to read the subsequent books in the series to learn her identity!
All of these books are currently on sale at Amazon for less than $1.99, and they are a steal at that price. While some of these authors are already favorites, the sale pricing has definitely been to the authors’ benefit, because I’ve already purchased many of their other books! I’m definitely burning up the airwaves with all the sales going on, that’s for certain. If you want to keep on top of sales, follow me on Twitter (@RebeLovesBooks), because I tweet about sales as I learn about them. Enjoy and keep cool!
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