Favorite Books Now on Sale for Under $1.99

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!

Some Great Reads from the Past Month

This month I’ve read a lot really great books, some of which are new releases and some only new to me. Here are a few short reviews of my favorite reads from this month. All of these books were either checked out of the library or purchased by yours truly.

Madeline Hunter’s Ravishing in Red This is the first of the Rarest Blooms series, and it’s an absolute winner. This is by far the best historical I’ve read in a long, long time, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. The heroine is Audrianna Kelmsleigh, whose father committed suicide when accused of negligence that led to barrels of unusable gunpowder reaching the troops fighting in France. Audrianna is determined to clear her father’s name, and when she spots a newspaper ad from someone calling himself Domino, she arranges to meet him to learn the truth. Unfortunately, Lord Sebastian Summerhays, who Audrianna believes hounded her father to death, also sees the ad and comes to confront Domino as well. The resulting scandal from their meeting requires the two to wed, and the two work to solve the mystery behind the faulty gunpowder. Both are reasonable, likeable people, and their romance is a delight to watch.

Julia Quinn’s Just Like Heaven If you’ve read any of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels, you are all too aware of the Smythe-Smith musicales. The Smythe-Smith girls are truly atrocious musicians, and the few exceptions among them with talent can’t be heard over the cacophony of the others. This novel features Lady Honoria Smythe-Smith and her brother’s best friend, Marcus Holroyd, the Earl of Chatteris. The two have known each other for years, and this novel is a sweet story of friends falling in love. Much time is given to Honoria’s relationship with the other Smythe-Smith girls “practicing” for the musicale, which is truly hilarious, since only some of the girls are aware of how awful their performances are. A bit too much time is spent on Marcus’ injury and Honoria’s nursing him to health, and there is very little conflict, but it is a light-hearted read worth the short time you will spend reading it.

Courtney Milan’s Proof by Seduction Don’t let the atrocious cover of this novel put you off. Ms. Milan’s first novel is not particularly accurate historically speaking, but it’s a charming fantasy and a truly enjoyable read. Jenny Keeble earns a living a “Madame Esmerelda” telling fortunes. One day Gareth Carhart, Marquess of Blakely, accompanies Jenny’s regular client, Ned, to his reading to confront her and expose her as a fraud. As Jenny and the Marquess spend more and more time together, they fall in love, and it’s painful to watch the socially awkward Marquess try to convince Jenny to become his mistress, truly the only socially acceptable way for the two of them to be together. Fortunately they find their happy-ever-after, and I’ve now added Ms. Milan to my list of must-read authors.

Candace Camp’s A Lady Never Tells (Willowmere #1) This romance has a few bumps, but it’s worth the time. The novel begins with the arrival of the four American Bascombe sisters in London. All four are named after flowers (Marigold/Mary, Rose, Lily, and Camellia), and they are there to throw themselves on the mercy of their maternal grandfather, the Earl of Stewkesbury, who disinherited their mother when she eloped with their father. Unfortunately, the old Earl has died, and the girls’ cousin Oliver is the new Earl. Thanks to the intervention of Sir Royce Winslow, the Earl’s step-brother, the girls are acquainted with the new Earl and he will provide for them to make their debuts among the ton. This novel focuses on the romance between Sir Royce and Mary. The best parts of the novel are the frequent misunderstandings caused by the American sisters, who have no clue how to comport themselves in high society.

Lynn Kurland’s One Magic Moment This is Ms. Kurland’s latest novel featuring the medieval DePiaget family. It’s a time travelling romance and typical of her style. If you’ve read any of the other novels, you’ll recognize the time travelling elements and some familiar characters from the 1240s, but that doesn’t detract from the story at all. Tess Alexander has just said goodbye to her sister, who has married Montgomery DePiaget and left her family in the present to live in the year 1241. Tess is currently living in a medieval castle in modern-day England, and she’s stunned when she drives into town to see the new mechanic and discovers that he looks exactly like her medieval brother-in-law. John DePiaget is Montgomery’s twin and has been living for the last few years in the present-day. Despite his best efforts, he and Tess fall in love and are faced with difficult decisions about where and “when” to live together. There’s a short mystery involved as well, but it’s truly secondary to the plot. I liked the book so much I’ve been catching up on Ms. Kurland’s backlist. Her books are definitely PG, so they make for good recommendations for the mothers and grandmothers looking for slightly less steamy romances.

Caitlin Kittredge’s Street Magic (Black London #1) This is the first book in the Black London series featuring Detective Pete Caldecott and anti-hero Jack Winter. A truly gritty urban fantasy with a stung-out junkie for a hero, Street Magic was intriguing and stunning in its world-building. At sixteen, Pete witnessed her older sister’s boyfriend Jack Winter get murdered by a demon, but years later she runs across him again while working a kidnapping case for the police. Ms. Kittredge’s use of punk rock and language in her dark version of London make this complex story with romance elements a pleasure to read.

Kim Harrison’s Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1) The beginning of the now long-running Hollows series was a bit rough to get into, but a few chapters in it really picks up and I couldn’t put it down after that. In a world where a bioengineered virus has killed off a lot of the human population and forced the exposure of Inderlanders (weres, vampires, witches, and others), Rachel Morgan is a bounty-hunter for Inderland Runner Services. She quits her crappy job for IS, striking out on her own with vampire partner Ivy and pixy Jenks. Her former boss puts out a contract on her, and the action of the novel revolves around her dodging assassination attempts while trying to bring in a big-time criminal in order to get the contract revoked. A solid start to what becomes a much stronger series, Dead Witch Walking is another urban fantasy well worth reading.

Co-Authors and Other Courageous Types

The other day I went looking for Julia Quinn’s Just Like Heaven, only to realize that it’s not out until next week. Duh. So when I saw that the library had The Lady Most Likely on the shelves, I was thrilled, mostly because I wanted to read this book when it came out but wasn’t sure if it was worth the money. In case you’re not aware, The Lady Most Likely is co-written by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway. While neither Julia Quinn nor Eloisa James’ books are auto-buys for me, I enjoy their historical romances a lot so I was intrigued to see how this book would turn out, particularly since I’ve wondered for a long time how anyone could possibly write a book with another person without killing them. Apparently the three authors of this book are all still living (or at least posting on Facebook) and have even started writing another book together. Kudos to them, because I couldn’t do it, that’s for sure. And some of my favorite authors actually co-author and are MARRIED!! STILL! After publishing several books together! I have no idea how this could possibly work, because the DH and I would have some serious difficulties getting the blood stains out of the carpet were we foolish enough to attempt such a thing. But I saw The Lady Most Likely at the library only a few days after reading on Facebook that the three authors are starting another book together, so it seemed like the perfect time to read it. While at the library, I also saw Dogs and Goddesses, by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich, and thought I could do a blogpost on books by more than one author. So here it is!

Before reading the two novels, my opinion was that any novel written “by committee” would necessarily suffer. Both novels were enjoyable and I do recommend them, but I stick to my opinion. I’ve read novels by several of the authors, and while neither of these two novels really suffers horribly from being written by 3 people, they aren’t as good as the books written singly. I find this interesting, because one of my favorite all-time authors is Ilona Andrews, a husband and wife team who publish the Kate Daniels and the Edge series. (The fifth Kate Daniels book, Magic Slays, is coming out on May 31^st and I am soooooo excited! Can’t wait!) Their novels are outstanding, and each book is written by both. I suspect that the difference in quality between Andrews’ work and the two novels I read this week stems from the writing process used by the authors. The writing team of Ilona Andrews always publishes together, whereas these ladies do not. They usually work alone and decided to work together on these two novels this one time. While I had difficulty telling the difference between writing styles in both novels, possibly because I’m not familiar with all of the authors involved, the overall product was not as good as that of Andrews’ work, which is why I checked them out of the library instead of purchasing the books.

Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich

It should be pretty clear why I chose this novel to read and review. I’m a big fan of Crusie’s writing and anything with dogs will usually draw me in. This novel is a contemporary romance and had a paranormal aspect to it. It appears that each author focused on an individual character, since the point of view would switch from one to the other with clear breaks between changes. The novel begins when Abby arrives in Summerville, Ohio. Abby’s grandmother has recently died, and Abby has come to Ohio to look over her grandmother’s estate. She brings her dog, Bowser, and while looking over her grandmother’s bakery, sees a flyer for dog obedience classes, which Bowser doesn’t need, but which strike her as a good way to meet people in town.

It turns out that the other two protagonists, Daisy and Shar, also have dogs, and the three of them meet at the dog obedience class. At the class, they meet an odd woman named Kammani, who turns out to be a goddess. After drinking a tonic, the three women can suddenly hear their dogs speaking to them and the women learn that they are demi-goddesses, whose families served Kammani in the past. The women also meet their love interests, who vary in degrees of likeability and character development, mostly failing to be interesting. When the women realize that Kammani is trying to regain her powers, they look for ways to send her back whence she came.

Despite my comments about the male characters, the novel was enjoyable and a lot of fun. The female characters were interesting and likeable, even if the premise of the story was a bit odd. Unfortunately, I think the book suffered from having 3 principal characters, because the secondary ones were underdeveloped. While the authors did a good job of switching point of view without disconcerting or abrupt changes in voice, the limits of space (one novel, three protagonists) made it difficult to flesh out the secondary characters and thus the romance. This also was the major failing in the second novel I’m reviewing.

The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway

This was a cute, lighthearted historical romance. Unfortunately, it was also short. I would have liked to see more development of the characters and storyline, and I feel like one of the three couples in the novel suffered because of how short the text is. The premise of the novel is that Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, has decided to marry and asks his sister to create a list of eligible brides so the search will be easier for him. She decides to host a house party and invites several young ladies for him to meet. She also has to invite other eligible bachelors so the dinner table will be even and to encourage match-making mamas to bring their daughters. Miss Gwendolyn Passmore is the lauded beauty of the season, and thus the forerunner for the Earl’s affections. Miss Katherine Peyton and Lady Georgina Sorrell are the other two female women on the list. The male characters include the war hero Captain Neill Oakes and the new Earl of Charters.  

Unlike Dogs and Goddesses, it was much clearer that different authors had written parts of the novel. However, there weren’t awkward jumps from couple to couple. In fact, the plot flowed smoothly, with us learning about each couple in turn. I would say that despite the different structures of the two novels, both did a fairly good job of maintaining interest in the plot and having smooth transitions for the reader. The reason it’s easier to spot that the novel was written in parts and then cobbled together has more to do with authorial decisions about how to develop the romance than anything else. Gwendolyn Passmore, the season’s beauty, is shy, and her relationship with the new Earl of Charters develops too quickly to be believable, especially if the reader buys that she is so very shy. Their romance happens so fast that the Earl declares his love and proposes to her in less than 36 hours. The other two couples, Captain Neill Oakes and Katherine Peyton and Hugh Dunne and Lady Georgina Sorrell, have past histories which are not explored in depth but allow the reader to find their romances more believable.

There are two anthologies featuring Julia Quinn’s Lady Whistledown character from her Bridgerton series that feature a similar theme to this novel but I believe are a bit more successful. The anthologies have four novellas that revolve around similar events, such as a Valentine’s Day ball, and are connected by short snippets written by Lady Whistledown before each chapter, but each novella stands on its own. The characters were more developed than the ones in the novel, and the romances given more time to develop.

Conclusions

I think it’s fair to say that these two novels are not quite as good as the other books published individually by the authors because of the writing process and novels’ structures. Unless the novel is considerably longer than either of these two, there simply isn’t room to develop three separate romances adequately. One protagonist with one or even several possible love interests is much more successful. The authors’ approach to writing these books seems to be one of developing  the ideas and sketching out the plot together, writing parts separately, then putting the parts together and editing the novel as a whole. Clearly this is a different process from authors such as Ilona Andrews, in whose novels it is difficult to pick out sections written by individuals.

Hopefully my comments about these novels won’t dissuade you from reading the books; I truly enjoyed them! They were fun reads for summer, and I’ll definitely be checking out the next book Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway publish together. (The other three don’t appear to have plans to publish together again soon.) I do plan on getting the next one from the library, however. $7.99 just seems like a lot of money when the authors’ individual novels are longer, more developed, and cost the same.