Kindle Bargain Ebook Roundup - Excercise/Self-Help/Inspiration

Total Sports Conditioning for Athletes 50+: Workouts for Staying at the Top of Your Game ($3.38), by Dr. Karl Knopf

Book Description
Though younger weekend warriors often find that they can compete at a high level with little off-the-court conditioning, that simply isn't the case for atletes over 50. But getting older doesn't mean giving up one's favorite sport. Nor does it mean losing to younger competitors! Total Sports Conditioning for Athletes 50+ provides sport-specific workouts that allow aging athletes to maintain the flexibility, strength, and speed needed to win. By following the targeted, step-by-step workouts in this book, older athletes can see how a small amount of the right exercise will keep them at the top of their game. Athletes like Jerry Rice and Roger Clemens have proven that proper conditioning can allow professionals to extend their careers to ages previously believed impossible. Similarly, non-professional athletes can use the combination of aerobic, plyometric and functional training workouts in this book to keep themselves free of injury and still enjoying the game past 50 — and beyond.

Women's Health Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life ($4.00), by Cassandra Forsythe [Optimized for KindleDX]

Book Description
Let's face it-women simply do not shed pounds or build muscle as easily as men do. Drawing on fascinating recent research that has shed new light on the gender differences in food metabolism and the effect of exercise, the editors of Women's Health, the healthy lifestyle magazine for today's active woman on the go, have devised a weight-loss plan that works especially well for women who would like to lose 5-25 pounds.

Key features of Women's Health Perfect Body Plan include:

• Glucomannan, a soluble fiber that helps dieters feel full faster-and therefore eat less throughout the day
• Meal plans that contain at least 40 grams of fiber per day
• An adjustment for the impact of female hormones on weight loss (women need a higher protein diet than men to increase lean body tissue and decrease body fat)
• Dieting techniques that revolve around psychological needs and personal goals and lifestyle
• Two diet plans to choose from-one higher in fats and lower in carbs; the other higher in carbs and lower in fats (simple food tests help women choose the type they need)

In addition to the customized eating plan-complete with 75 easy-to-prepare recipes-there is a vigorous customized fitness program consisting of 50 exercises that brings results in just three weeks.

Wired that Way: The Comprehensive Personality Plan ($1.99), by Dr. Marita Littauer

Book Description
Do you want to understand yourself better, maximize your strengths and improve your relationships? Understanding how we are wired can enrich our lives and our relationships, helping to overcome differences that can seem irreconcilable. Instead of terminating jobs, friendships or marriage on grounds of incompatibility, it is possible to turn these relationships from dying to growing. For more than 25 years, Marita Littauer, with her mother, Florence Littauer, has helped thousands of men and women with their personal and professional relationships. In Wired That Way, Marita brings together in one book a comprehensive overview of the personality types that speaks to anyone who wants to understand and to be understood.

Life's Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life ($3.26), by H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Book Description
Originally written as a gift for his college-bound son, this inspirational collection of wisdom offers Brown's 527 easy-to-follow suggestion on how to live a happy, successful, and fulfilling life.

Feng Shui For Dummies ($4.95), by David Daniel Kennedy

Book Description
Take a look around you. What do you see? Whether or not you're aware of it, your environment profoundly affects your health, wealth, family life, relationships, and yes, even your destiny. Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway), which means wind water, is the ancient Chinese study of harmony and energy flow between you and your physical surroundings. You can enrich every aspect of your life by applying Feng Shui principles to your home (inside and out) and workplace (from window office to cubicle).

Feng Shui For Dummies is for anyone who seeks a better life. This book shows you how to feel and access the energy of your environment (it's easier than you may think!). Find out how your environment influences your life right now. Use the solutions in this book to overcome obstacles and enhance the positive. You'll be sure to feel the before-and-after differences.

Within the past 10 years, Feng Shui has gained widespread popularity in the West. Today, more and more people from all walks of life are practicing Feng Shui and experiencing the positive benefits of auspicious placement. This book shows you everything you need to know to help improve the flow of harmony, creativity, and abundance in your life.

Phenomenon ($1.95), by Sylvia Browne

Book Description
There's no slowing down for Sylvia Browne. For nearly fifty years she has been giving countless readers and listeners spiritual advice and psychic predictions. Browne offers her fans a complete guide to all things unexplainable. In Phenomenon, an A-to-Z compendium of everything on The Other Side that influence our life here on Earth, Browne provides evocative stories and useful explanations to help make life on The Other Side real for readers. It also features approximately twenty illustrations that will accompany some of the entries, including: -Atlantis: Where did it go and when will it return? -Clairvoyance: How do you know if you have the gift? -Deja vu: Are past lives the answer to this strange phenomenon? -Ghosts: Who are they? -Miracles: Can they happen every day? -Numerology: How does this affect us? -Reincarnation: Have we lived : before? -Sorcery: Is this something we should fear? -Zombies: Are they only in horror movies? An easy-to-use reference full of hope and guidance, Phenomenon is sure to have wide appeal among Browne's loyal fans and anyone in search of signs of the afterlife.

Measure of the Heart: A Father's Alzheimer's, A Daughter's Return ($2.99), by Mary Ellen Geist

Book Description
Mary Ellen Geist decided to leave her job as a CBS Radio anchor to return home to Michigan when her father's Alzheimer's got to be too much for her mother to shoulder alone. She chose to live her life by a different set of priorities: to be guided by her heart, not by outside accomplishment and recognition.

The New York Times wrote a front page story on Mary Ellen on Thanksgiving 2005. It was one of the most e-mailed stories for the month. Through her own story and through interviews with doctors and other women who've followed the "Daughter Track"--leaving a job to care for an aging parent--Geist offers emotional insights on how to encourage interaction with the loved one you're caring for; how to determine daily tasks that are achievable and rewarding; how the personality of the patient affects the caregiving and the progression of the diseases; as well as invaluable advice about how caregivers can take care of themselves while accomplishing the Herculean task of constantly caring for others.

Geist's years in journalism allow her to report on Boomers' caretaking dilemmas with professional objectivity, and her warm voice brings compassion and insight to one of the most difficult stituations a son or daughter may face during his or her life.

True Work: Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do ($2.84), by Michael Toms & Justine Toms; note that the cover shown in the Kindle store is for a different book.

Book Description
Here is wisdom for the workplace from the husband-and-wife team of the nationally syndicated public radio series New Dimensions, which airs each week on more than 300 stations and is often described as "Bill Moyers on radio."

Some people are consumed by their work, others simply endure it as they anticipate the weekend or retirement, and hardly anyone enjoys it anymore. If we could find a way to transform how we view what we do so that it becomes a source of enjoyment and refreshment, it would be a cause for celebration. And indeed, this is exactly what Michael and Justine Toms provide in their remarkable book--the fruit of their own twenty-five years of practical experience.

According to the Toms, the bottom line is: Has our compassion grown with our business? Has our wisdom expanded with our budget? And has our laughter increased with our staff? Their book looks at work as service and as a spiritually sustaining activity that promotes healing. It is brimful with stories and helpful techniques culled from their radio interviews with Joseph Campbell, Buckminster Fuller, the Dalai Lama, Alice Walker, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Marsha Sinetar, and many others.

21-Day Countdown to Success: Take Charge of Your Life in Less Than a Month ($2.60), by Chris J. Witting

Book Description
Nationally syndicated, award-winning broadcaster and entrepreneur Christian Witting has researched hundreds of highly successful people, such as Bill Gates and Lillian Vernon, and offers a simple program to help readers target their goals and achieve them.

Searching for Mary Poppins ($3.46), edited by Susan Davis

Book Description
With wit, sensitivity, and unflinching honesty, Searching for Mary Poppins brings together twenty-five of today's leading woman writers-including Marisa de los Santos, Susan Cheever, Joyce Maynard, and Jacquelyn Mitchard-to explore the emotional minefield of mother-nanny relationships. From Daphne Merkin on the challenges of hiring a nanny after having been raised by one to Lauren Slater on her regret at having -given her mothering away,- the collection-s stunningly original pieces offer rare insight into the complex issues that emerge when a mother turns the care of her child over to a stranger. Raising questions that reach beyond money, race, class, and gender into the darkest areas of love and fear that a mother feels, this book ultimately provides hope, solace, and welcome perspective on this unique relationship.

Good Date, Bad Date: The Matchmaker's Guide to Where the Boys Are and How to Get Them ($3.09), by Marla Martenson

Book Description
Good Date, Bad Date is every single woman's dating coach—steering readers clear of pitfalls, guiding them to successful and fun dates. With her signature breezy, unflappable style, Martenson helps single women think about critical issues before they dive into the dating pool. Included in the book are such issues, tips, and advice.

Filled with self-assessment tests, quizzes, and dating Q&A's, as well as anecdotes about successful dates and dating horror stories, Good Date, Bad Date is the single woman's personal matchmaker to finding and dating the perfect guy.

Meat ($2.60), by Susan Bourette

Book Description
After spending a week working undercover at a slaughterhouse and being tormented by blood, the stink, and the squeals of animals being herded to their death, author Susan Bourette decided to go vegetarian. She lasted five weeks and thirty-seven hours. Dissatisfied with tofu and lentils, Bourette wondered, Isn't there a way to have my meat and a clear conscience too? It's a question that will resonate with millions of happily carnivorous Americans we eat more meat per capita than any other nation who are unwilling to give up steak for soy but are alarmed about mad cow disease, E.coli poisoning, and the filthy, inhumane conditions on chicken and cattle farms. On a quest for superior meat, Susan Bourette takes readers behind the bucolic facade of the famous Blue Hill farm, north of New York City; on a long, hot cattle drive at a Texas ranch; a whale hunt with the Inuit in Canada; a Canadian moose hunt; and behind the counter in a Greenwich Village butcher shop. Humorous yet authoritative, Meat: A Love Story celebrates the deliciousness of meat and the lives of the passionate professionals who hunt, raise, or cook it. With a deft touch, Bourette explores what it means to be a compassionate carnivore.

Hope for a Hopeless Day: Encouragement and Inspiration When You Need It Most ($3.99), by Jack W. Hayford

Book Description
When no hope is left, to whom should we turn? Through the words of Jesus as He was dying on the Cross, Jack Hayford unfolds the secret of triumphing over the ultimate season of suffering. Establishing a framework for dealing with hardship, Hope for a Hopeless Day challenges readers to examine the way they handle trials and encourages them to focus on the power that frees the cross. Here are real-life stories of individuals who triumphed over their hopeless days. Readers will be heartened by their stories of bravery and integrity even while facing the anguish of marital infidelity or financial collapse. Although facing what seems like insurmountable odds, we are called to hope just as surely as we are called to the Cross, for the Savior who speaks there is teaching us the way to live as surely as He is dying to give us life. Hope for a Hopeless Day does more than encourage you to endure; it inspires you to overcome.

I'll Hold You In Heaven: (Recover/Revision) ($3.19), by Jack W. Hayford

Book Description
For those who have lost a child to death, Jack Hayford provides compassionate answers to troubling questions such as, What happened to my baby after it died? Will I ever see my baby again-and will I recognize him? what happens if I've had an abortion? Does God have a reason for letting my child die? God's Word shines with hope in the dark night of human pain. God showed his tenderness when David lost the child he had with Bathsheba shortly after its birth. In his pain and grief, David spoke the word of revelation-reassuring word of God's truth-saying, "I will go to (my child) but he will not return to me" (2 Samuel 12:19-23). The freeing truth of the Word of God promises that, like David, you will hold your child again in heaven.

Free Reads at Smashwords

There are a number of interesting free books available on Smashwords, where all the books are DRM-free and usually have a version that will work on a Kindle or a Sony Reader, as well as PDF and other formats. Most of these are only available at Smashwords, although I've included links to the Kindle store version for a couple (where they are not free), for those that prefer to stick with Amazon or want to look up reviews. Several of these have a non-zero purchase price and require a coupon code to be entered after adding the book to your cart; I've highlighted these in the text to make them easier to find. The ones that are entirely free can be downloaded immediately; however, the author can add a price to these at any time and there is no way to save a "Free" book (where you don't use a coupon code) in your library and have it remain there after the price increases, so download any that seem interesting right away - it's easy enough to delete them later, if they don't hold your interest.

Xenolith, by A. Sparrow. Requires a coupon code on checkout, TZ24M, good for approx. 30 days. I saw this one in the new release list at Smashwords and had made a note to check out the sample. Before I got a chance to do so, the author published the coupon code for a free purchase, so it's in my TBR stack.

Book Description
With Earth a conduit for a parallel world at war, Frank Bowen, exiled for witnessing a portal, wanders in search of a long vanished wife. Meanwhile, off-world scouts, stranded in a small New England town discover a plot to open Earth to their enemies. Frank inadvertently aids their cause during his quest for the long-lost Liz, whose trail gets warmer the farther he travels the backroads of Gi.

My kitten picked out Black Silk, by Jan Gordon, as I was browsing at Smashwords - not only did she like the cover, but she said any book that featured cats and books as the most important things in life was worth sampling. The book is free, but be sure to download if you want it - the author can always increase the price, which will make the free download unavailable.

Book Description
Vic has two loves in her life, her cat, Mister, and reading books from her bookstore. Her future looked set, until one night when she's saved from probable danger by a mysterious stranger. Cole has moved around a lot during his life, never finding a true home, until he buys an old house, and fate steps in to change his future. A light romance with a paranormal twist.

Flying Burger, by Jared Martin, is another new release. Requires a coupon code on checkout, NY78A, good thru November 11.

Book Description
A group of youngsters go on a space exploratory trip led by Mrs. Andersen. There they encounter aliens and monsters beyond their wildest imaginations. They even go as far as inside a black hole!

Distant Cousin, by Al Past, the first book in a 4-book series is free this month. Requires a coupon code on checkout, TT93U. You can get this one at Amazon, but the price change down to one dollar hasn't taken effect (Al submitted it the first of the month), so it's still $5 there. If you want to read the rest of the series, the order is DC: Repatriation, DC: Reincarnation, and DC: Regeneration.

Book Description
What if our first contact from another planet was a human? What if the first real alien to visit Earth from another solar system was a woman on a mission to find the distantly related cousins of her own people? What if she brought with her a warning of an impending disaster of apocalyptic proportions? And what if nobody believed her?

Al Past’s novel Distant Cousin is a most unusual science fiction story with a most unusual heroine. Ana Darcy has jeopardized her mission and cut herself off from her own people to bring a desperate warning to Earth authorities. Astronomers at a Texas observatory don’t believe her, but the US military is willing to interrogate her—under custody of course. Her astonishing escape from Army detainment is our first hint that she may be more than she first appears and capable of more than we imagine. While the military scrambles to locate and recapture the woman they call “Gidget from Outer Space,” Darcy realizes that her journey to Earth has placed her in the path of the oncoming destruction and she will suffer Earth’s fate if the calamity is not avoided.

Befriended by ordinary people as varied as the family of a Texas dude ranch foreman, a mild-mannered reporter, and an Olympic contender from Barbados, Darcy conceives a daring plan to evade government capture while hiding in plain sight, and to deliver her warning in a manner which cannot possibly be ignored. Afterward, she might just fall in love … if she can trust her own feelings … and if she can trust her boyfriend with the truth about her origins. This is a science fiction novel which might better be described as a love story with scientific speculation. The premise of humans on another world is startling, and the author reels out details about Darcy’s homeworld so sparingly that our curiosity is cleverly aroused. It is only when unexpected arrivals provoke a sudden crisis of diplomacy that we learn exactly what Darcy gave up in accepting her mission to Earth—and what she might be running from.

I've had this one on before, but there is a new coupon code at Smashwords for Boomerang, by Alan Hutcheson, plus he now has the correct cover and reformatted version live at Amazon for $1.00. Requires a coupon code on checkout, QQ46G DL66H, good thru October November 15.

Book Description
Ted Hogwood's beloved Sarah, a jazz guitar, is in the window of Topp Dollar Pawn. The only way he can get the money to rescue her is to accept an assignment from the AABC, a not nearly official branch of the United States intelligence community. He is partnered with Jerry Kwiatkowski, master of the Hammond B-3 organ and chronic flatulence sufferer, to steal a boomerang containing secrets that should have died with J. Edgar Hoover over thirty years ago. It would be a simple job if only they knew what they were doing. And if a crossbow wielding assassin, two unemployed Australian women, The Director of Central Intelligence and a clothing optional former onion festival queen were not also hot on the boomerang's trail.

Final Passage, by Timothy Frost, is another of those free downloads that you need to grab when you see them, as the author can always increase the price and they won't remain in your library.

Book Description
When Martin Lancaster was eighteen, his father was mysteriously lost at sea during a yacht race. Years later Martin discovers long-lost logbooks in his mother’s attic and vows to find out the truth. But he meets implacable resistance from family, business colleagues and officials, who seem prepared to stop at nothing to prevent him discovering what really happened all those years ago.

Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Elven Princess, by Wesley Allison. Some of you may have picked up one of his other books that have been free downloads recently (Princess of Amathar or His Robot Girlfriend). He also has two short stories that I thought were going to be graphic novels, but are not, which I downloaded to check out later: Women of Power Issue 1 and Issue 2. Requires a coupon code on checkout, XQ32D, good thru December 1.

Book Description
Eaglethorpe Buxton, famed adventurer and story-teller, friend to those in need of a friend and guardian to those in need of a guardian. He is a liar and braggart, not to be trusted, especially around pies. Who are we to believe? Buxton himself leads us through his world as he comes to the aid of… a poor orphan? An elven princess? Who can guess with Eaglethorpe himself telling the tale?

The Defector, by Mark Chisnell, is also one of those free downloads that you need to grab when you see them.

Book Description
Self-interest or selflessness? This is the dilemma at the heart of The Defector - can Martin Cormac turn his back on his ruthless past as a currency trader, a player, and do the right thing? Looking for answers in a succession of sleazy bars, Cormac meets Janac, the man who will convince him to play the ultimate game, where the stakes are not just his own life – but that of the woman he loves.

The Wrecking Crew, by Mark Chisnell, is the sequel to The Defector. It is also one of those free downloads that can disappear.

Book Description
Phillip Hamnet left port at the helm of the MV Shawould, apparently master of his vessel and his destiny. But others had a different agenda on that evil night in the South China Sea. Drug warlord Janac has turned to piracy to fund his battle for control of the Australian narcotics trade, and Hamnet is faced with one brutal choice after another....

Last up is Crazy White Devil, by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, is a short volume of modern or slam poetry.

Book Description
Newish and old poems by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, member of the 1998 National Poetry Slam Champions from the Nuyorican Poets Café, and notorious malcontent. Includes Breathless, Crazy White Devil, Old New York Love Story, and others.

Kindle Bargain Ebook Roundup - Holiday Books for Kids

Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.) ($3.99), by Barbara Park [Optimized for KindleDX]

Book Description
It’s holiday time, and Room One is doing lots of fun things to celebrate.

Like making elf costumes! And singing joyful songs! Only, how can Junie B. enjoy the festivities when Tattletale May keeps ruining her holiday glee? And here is the worst part of all! When everyone picks names for Secret Santa, Junie B. gets stuck with Tattletale you-know-who! It’s enough to fizzle your holiday spirit! Hmm . . . or is it? Maybe, just maybe, a Secret Santa gift is the perfect opportunity to give May exactly what she deserves.

Christmas Around the World (On My Own Holidays, 2) ($4.14), by Emily Kelley [Optimized for KindleDX], looks to be a teaching book, aimed at kids in the 2-3 grade, but can probably be used for kids of a much wider age range, with parental help.

Book Description
Describes Christmas traditions in Mexico, China, Sweden, Ethiopia, Germany, Lebanon, Australia, and Russia

My Weird School #14: Miss Holly Is Too Jolly! ($3.19), by Dan Gutman [Optimized for KindleDX]

Book Description
Something weird is going on!

Miss Holly, the Spanish teacher, is hanging mistletoe everywhere! That means boys will have to kiss girls. And girls will have to kiss boys. Ugh! Miss Holly is taking the holidays way too far!

The Candy Corn Contest ($3.99), by Patricia Reilly Giff

Book Description
It's almost Thanksgiving, and Richard Best can't stop thinking about Ms. Rooney's Candy Corn contest. Whoever can guess the exact number of yellow-and-orange candies in the jar on Ms. Roney's desk gets to keep them all. The only problem is Richard has to read a page in a library book for each guess.

Smelly Matthew, who sits in front of him, knows they'll never win. "We're the worst readers in the class, " he says. But Richard won't give up. He can already taste those Candy Corns. And before he knows it, he has. Three fat juicy ones.

What will Ms. Rooney do when she finds out?

Kindle Bargain Ebook Roundup - Christmas Romance

The Dad Who Saved Christmas ($1.62), by Karen Rose Smith

Book Description
A Convenient Christmas Father

He claimed he was no Santa, so why had Nick Clark made Faith Hewitt's Christmas wish come true? After charming her son, single-handedly saving the Christmas pageant and making the usually staid Faith swoon at the most inappropriate moments, he'd gone and proposed marriage! She knew Nick's offer had only been to secure her son's future. What would a dashing bachelor like Nick want with a once-upon-a-time wallflower? Yet, as the time ticked away on their marriage clock, Faith desperately wanted her husband of convenience to stay...and let her become his wife in every way.

A Daddy for Christmas ($1.69), by Laura Marie Altom

Book Description
When six feet of tall, lean cowboy rides up kicking dust, Jess Cummings thinks a holiday miracle has arrived. Not only does he help with an injured colt, Gage Moore hires on to work her ranch. The handsome, trustworthy Texan is everything Jess could want in an employee. But is the ex-rodeo star too good to be true?

Gage came to Oklahoma haunted by a saddle load of grief. He'll help Jess get the ranch in shape by Christmas, then be on his way. After all, the job was always meant to be temporary. But how can he leave now that the hardworking single mom has given him a reason to stay? And if he does, can he be the husband and father Jess and her daughters need?

Christmas Crime in Colorado ($1.50), by Cassie Miles

Book Description
After escaping her traumatic past, all Brooke Johnson wanted for Christmas was a quiet life in her new Colorado home. Not on her list was the shocking death of her look-alike roommate or the appearance of sexy police detective Michael Shaw.

Michael had come to warn Brooke about a vengeful serial killer...and vowed to protect her even though it might mean his life. Before long, with Christmas approaching, Brooke found her holiday spirit and sought comfort in Michael's arms. For Michael, letting down his guard while there were still threats against Brooke wasn't an option. But neither was letting her go....

Christmas Delivery ($2.03), by Patricia Rosemoor

Book Description
Of all the eerie events in her hometown of Jenkins Cove, Lexie Thornton found none more pulse-pounding than the return of her lover, thought murdered long ago in the misty bogs on Christmas Eve. But the man who stepped out of the shadows was very much alive--and hell-bent on revenge.

Simon Shea had changed. The lanky teen had grown into a hardened man, one she barely recognized--but still desired. Lexie had a secret too--the daughter they'd made the night he disappeared. Lexie longed to resurrect their love, but someone wanted to make sure Simon never revealed his secret past.

Kansas City Christmas ($1.32), by Julie Miller

Book Description
A detective with no badge, Edward Kincaid's brooding nature scared medical examiner Holly Masterson, but couldn't dim her holiday spirit. It was when she attracted a stalker that the most wonderful time of the year turned into the most frightening. Working together to reveal a conspiracy too many people had died covering up, Holly found Edward's protection--and powerful embrace--hard to resist. Now, as new clues surfaced, could she bust the case wide open and give her silent knight the Christmas miracle he deserved?

Together by Christmas ($4.32), by Nicola Cornick, Catherine George & Louise Allen, is another 3-novella anthology.

Book Description
THE UNMASKING OF LADY LOVELESS by Nicola Cornick
Lord Alexander Beaumont is on a mission of seduction and revenge, and the target is his estranged wife, Melicent. Once Alex learns his supposedly inexperienced wife is "Lady Loveless"-- writer of erotic literature--he's determined to unmask her as a wanton. But when his nights with Melicent take an unexpected turn, Alex's heart is in danger!

CHRISTMAS REUNION by Catherine George
Felicia Maynard hasn't seen her first love, Gideon Ford, for years, but here he is, insisting they spend Christmas together. As Christmas casts its spell, will Gideon claim Felicia as his bride?

A MISTLETOE MASQUERADE by Louise Allen
Lady Rowan Chilcourt agrees to masquerade as a lady's maid to help her friend avert an undesirable marriage. But while among the servants she meets handsome Lucas Dacre. As Christmas approaches, Rowan begins to fall for Lucas, until she learns she isn't the only one masquerading under the mistletoe...

A Stone Creek Christmas ($2.87), by Linda Lael Miller

Book Description
Stone Creek veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan communicates easily with animals, but men are another story. Especially rugged architect-turned-rancher Tanner Quinn. Olivia's uncanny bond with his daughter Sophie's pony, Butterpie, has him questioning her sanity, while she wonders if he's not just a drugstore cowboy. Then twelve-year-old Sophie conspires with Olivia to get Tanner into the spirit of Christmas with all the trimmings, including a tree-lighting ceremony and a man named Kris Kringle in a sleigh driven by seven reindeer...and a donkey. But will a holiday miracle transform the globe-trotting Tanner into a rancher--and family man--for all seasons?

The Tycoon's Christmas Proposal ($1.10), by Jackie Braun

Book Description
With the dreaded holidays nearing, the last thing widowed businessman Dawson Burke needed was a personal shopper who wanted to get personal. What part of "I want to be left alone" didn't Eve Hawley understand? She just seemed intent on getting him into the Christmas spirit....

Eve could see Dawson had stopped wishing on the future, and he didn't know how lucky he was to be surrounded by loving family. But once she'd helped him find the joy he'd been missing, Eve couldn't help wishing Dawson would give her the best Christmas present of all by proposing to her.

The Christmas Baby ($1.86), by Eve Gaddy

Book Description
It was a single guy's dream. Brian Kincaid's job took him all over the world and he got to sample women the way other people sampled exotic cuisines. Until DNA tests and a ten-month-old orphan turned him into the diaper-toting dad he'd never planned on being.

Luckily, Faith McClain was perfect for the job of nanny. With her in charge, Brian could go back to being the freewheeling bachelor, no strings attached. Except he wasn't at all sure that the perfect nanny was what he wanted. Maybe this Christmas he wanted a lover and a wife to go with that baby under the tree?

The Christmas Date ($1.80), by Michele Dunaway

Book Description
A Sprig Of Mistletoe, Some Christmas Magic...And Who Knew What Might Happen?

Kate Merrill wasn't kidding herself. Attractive men didn't commit, as she knew very well from growing up without a father. So even though the jet-setting photographer with the high-voltage smile was the most captivating guy she'd ever met, she refused to think of him as anything more than a fling. Tyler Nichols was addicted to adventure. So at first he was relieved that the cynical law clerk with the cool blue eyes didn't expect him to stick around for long. But that was before he realized that being with Kate was a thrill he wasn't getting tired of. Now their future depended on him getting back to her on time from his most dangerous assignment. He just better not be late for their Christmas date!

Christmas Weddings ($2.21), by Margaret McDonagh, Shirley Jump & Carole Mortimer

Book Description
His Christmas Eve Proposal by Carole Mortimer
A quiet holiday in the mountains is all that Hollywood movie star Joshua Hawkley desires. Yet when irresistible redhead Rosie Harrison drops into his life and disrupts his peace, Joshua's desires begin to change. Can he convince her to hang around long enough to meet him under the mistletoe?

Snowbound Bride by Shirley Jump
A Christmas Eve blizzard leaves Marietta stranded in an airport with Reed Hartstone, the only man to ever break her heart. Perhaps rekindling the past may actually be their perfect Christmas present.

Their Christmas Vows by Margaret McDonagh
Frazer McIntosh knows exactly what he wants for Christmas--Callie Grogan. Despite his reputation as a fun-loving Romeo, Frazer is serious about his beautiful colleague. Serious enough to love her forever, if only she'll agree to be his Christmas bride....

A Christmas Wedding ($2.12), by AUTHOR

Book Description
Desiree is determined to hold on to her husband. She's loved Jesse Rainwater since the day the legendary horse trainer came to work at her father's ranch. Now, on the eve of their daughter's wedding, Jesse hits her with a bombshell that forces Desiree to reexamine their life together.

And she isn't going down without a fight. She hasn't struggled all these years to lose the thing that's most precious to her. Desiree knows they share something true and strong, even if they lost sight of it somewhere along the way. Now her toughest battle lies ahead: to prove to Jesse that theirs is a love worth fighting for.

Kindle Bargain Ebook Roundup - Christmas

Like many merchants, Amazon seems to be rushing the holiday season. There are a number of books with Christmas themes on sale right now; so many that I'll have them in the next three posts, grouped more or less by genre. This first post will be holiday, suspense and romance; more romance tomorrow, along with a few children's books.

Christmas Train ($3.99), by David Baldacci, was quite popular last year and there are two Kindle editions, with the only visible difference being the cover and the price.

Book Description
Tom Langdon, a weary and cash-strapped journalist, was banned from flying in the U.S. when an overly probing search wand caused him to blow his top at LaGuardia Airport. Now, the train is his only option to get to Los Angeles for Christmas to be with his girlfriend. To finance the trip, he pitches a story about a train ride taken during Christmas season to his ex-flame editor, Eleanor. Thereupon begins one of the most hilarious-and heartwarming-train rides ever. Along the way Tom encounters mechanical failures, derailments, and eccentric characters like Agnes Joe, who rides trains all the time, though no one knows why. There's also a mysterious passenger whom Tom suspects may be a fugitive, an avalanche that changes everyone's Christmas plans, unexpected romance, and a rekindling of holiday spirits. As the mighty Southwest Chief chugs along, Tom Langdon and his wonderful train adventure will have you laughing as you turn the pages. It will also reacquaint you with what makes Christmas truly special.

Star Bright! A Christmas Story ($4.04), by Andrew Greeley, is a relatively short book (as are most of his holiday volumes) from one of my favorite authors.

Book Description
A virtuoso on the human heartstrings, New York Times bestselling author Father Andrew M. Greely offers another gem of a tale--a glowing Christmas love story guaranteed to warm the coldest heart and cure all cases of Humbug! Jack Flanigan, "a harmless American of Irish origins," spotted Odessa Tatiana Alekseevna Shuskulya reading a Russian newspaper in Harvard Square. At first all he saw was a chance to practice his Russian, and he plunged right in before he realized he was addressing the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. While his senses reeled, Jack chattered bravely on about the two countries, the weather, the Christmas season--anything to keep talking to this beautiful creature. She was alone in a foreign country for the holidays? Unthinkable! And before he knew what he was doing, he invited her home to Chicago to spend Christmas with his crazy family. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he could have kicked himself. A woman as gorgeous as Odessa is only alone by choice. Not only that, it isn't even Christmas on the Russian Orthodox calendar. But wonder of wonders, she accepts! And after a weekend in Chicago that includes a tree, a feast, a midnight mass, and a gaggle of contentious Flanigans of all ages, nothing will ever be quite the same for any of them-especially lucky Jack Flanigan!

Tidings of Comfort & Joy ($2.24), by Davis Bunn

Book Description
As the questions begin, an extraordinary story unfolds. A story of love and loss and caring, of separation and reunion. Of small acts of heroism in a distant and war-weary English village, now half a century ago.

As her grandmother shares this story with Marissa, the two discover that the most precious gift of Christmas is that of the present. And the season of giving is not limited to once a year.

The Christmas Angel ($3.65), by Thomas Kinkade (who's probably more well known for his paintings than his books) & Katherine Spencer

Book Description
The spirit of the season is spreading through the rustic seaside hamlet of Cape Light, as the residents prepare to celebrate the joy of the holidays. But town mayor Emily receives an unexpected and precious Christmas gift when she finds a baby girl tucked away in a decorative cradle set up outside the church, with a note begging whoever discovers the child to take care of her.
Aside from signs that the baby's birth mother was a drug abuser, no one has any idea to whom the child may belong. As the police investigate, Emily is granted temporary custody of baby Jane. Having given up her own daughter years ago, she missed out on the many wonderful experiences that come with motherhood. And though she tries to be reasonable and mature about the situation, something about little Jane makes her feel that she was meant to find the baby and raise her as her own. But the changes an adoption would bring do not sit well with her husband, Dan, who has already struggled with the issues of raising children once in his life, and does not want that responsibility again. Now, in the midst of the year's most joyous season, Emily must come to terms with her duty to her family, her own feelings of regret and loss--and what her heart truly desires.

A Christmas to Die For ($3.96), by Marta Perry

Book Description
She was lucky to be alive...

...after the hit-and-run that nearly took her life. But history seemed to be repeating itself when Rachel Hampton spied a car speeding down the dark road.

Tyler Dunn came to Rachel's family inn seeking justice for a decades-old crime. Rachel wanted to trust the attractive architect, but he was too secretive...until she uncovered a shocking link to her own past. Suddenly a holiday season amid the Plain People swarmed with hidden danger as Rachel found herself a killer's target.

THE THREE SISTERS INN: Danger awaits the Hampton sisters in quiet Amish Country.

Candy Cane Murder ($4.47), by Joanna Fluke, Laura Levine & Leslie Meier

Book Description
Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, baking cookies, and curling up by the Yuletide waiting for Santa to drop down the chimney. But in this festive collection of holiday whodunits, murder is also paying a visit.

Candy Cane Murder by Joanna Fluke
When a trail of candy canes leads to a corpse outfitted in a Santa suit on a snowy bank, Hannah Swensen sets out to discover who killed Kris Kringle

The Dangers Of Candy Canes by Laura Levine
A wealthy suburbanite takes a lethal tumble off his roof while installing a giant candy cane. Now it's up to Jaine Austen to sift through a long list of scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stockings to expose a murderer.

Candy Canes Of Christmas Past by Leslie Meier
Lucy Stone must learn the mystery of a glass candy cane that was found smashed to bits by a corpse's body to unlock the doors of Christmas past -- and find a killer who got away with murder.

Whether a gift for yourself or that special someone on your list, there's no better way to spend the holidays than with these tantalizing mysteries of murder...

Christmas Pie ($3.50), by Alice Duncan writing as Emma Craig

Book Description
Pie in the Sky:

Unlike most girls her age, Polly MacNamara did not go out with friends to parties or on sleigh rides with charming beaux. She stayed home to take care of her ailing mother and only dreamed of a world of boundless riches and endless fun. But when shopping for a Christmas gift in Chinatown, she received a mysterious coin from an ancient-looking woman--and watched a series of remarkable events unfold . . . .

Recipe for Love:

Soon, Polly's secret ingredient for happiness would appear in the unlikely form of her handsome and wealthy employer--James Drayton. She discovered he wasn't the snobbish and cold-hearted Scrooge she had always thought, but instead a lonely soul in need of a family. But could their love bridge the class divide and bring them the Christmas miracle they both needed? With a dash of faith and a pinch of patience, Polly set out to cook up a holiday wish as scrumptious as . . .

CHRISTMAS PIE

So This Is Christmas ($1.49), by Beverly Barton, Sherryl Woods & Leanne Banks, contains three novellas (some were previously released on Kindle as short stories, at least one is still available at $1.19)

Book Description
Sherryl Woods "The Perfect Holiday"

What was a holiday without a handsome husband? To Aunt Mae, it wasn't very festive at all! So she sent the perfect man to her single niece, Savannah Holiday. But would wealthy bachelor Trace Franklin become a groom-to-be by Christmastime?

Beverly Barton "Faith, Hope and Love"

After one passionate night, Faith Sheridan found herself pregnant with her sexy bodyguard's child. Now she hoped the news of their secret child would be a welcome gift to Worth Cordell this holiday--and the beginning of a lifetime of love....

Leanne Banks "A Rancher in Her Stocking"

This Christmas, spirited schoolteacher Amy Winslow was sharing a home with a ruggedly handsome rancher! Now if only she could teach tight-lipped Lucas Bennett that the holidays were meant to be merry. And that he was made for love!

A Cowboy Christmas ($3.83), by Janette Kenny

Book Description
One Starry Night

Reid Barclay doesn't have time for Christmas, not with trouble brewing at the Crown Seven Ranch. He's got prize thoroughbreds to protect and a long-ago wrong that he wants to make right. But the beautiful cook who's taken over the ranch kitchen is a welcome distraction, even if Ellie Jo Cade burns everything from gingerbread to roast beef. Her sweet face and womanly figure are pure temptation...

Cornhusk angels...bright berry garlands...spun-sugar snow--everything about Christmas holds fond memories for Ellie Jo. She's doing her best to make peace with an ornery wood-burning stove and make the old ranch house truly festive. All she wants is to believe in Reid...and the only-at-Christmas magic that makes hearts glow...

Cowboy Christmas ($4.32), by Carol Finch, Elizabeth Lane & Pam Crooks has nearly the same title and the same setting, but this one is an anthology.

Book Description
Twelve days of Christmas--three heartwarming romances!

A Husband for Christmas by Carol Finch

To reassure her overprotective parents, Victoria Thurston must convince the town marshal to be her "holiday husband." But the magical, festive air--and Tori's luminous green eyes--make it very difficult for Logan Daniels to keep to their marriage in name only!

The Homecoming by Elizabeth Lane

Brooding rancher Clay McAllister paid his reckless brother's dues in a tough Kansas jail. Now Clay must win back his beautiful wife, Elise. And, after three years apart, some yuletide passion is just what Clay and Elise need to reignite the fire that still smolders between them....

The Cattleman's Christmas Bride by Pam Crooks

With her reputation cruelly slandered, Allethaire Gibson is forced to flee to the snowy Montana mountains. There the dazzling socialite unexpectedly finds a Christmas romance with a man who has fought for respect just as she has--rugged cattleman Mikolas Vasco!

A HISTORICAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT ($3.19), by Leigh Greenwood, Lisa Kleypas & Lynsay Sands

Book Description
I Will by Lisa Kleypas
When a Georgian bluestocking is propositioned by a rakish noble, she finds the unlikely deal he proposes is the gift of a life time.

Three French Hens by Lynsay Sands
A twelfth-century scullion gets a chance to play a lady's maid -and win the true love of an impoverished lord.

Father Christmas by Leigh Greenwood
Delivering a young widow's baby during the holiday season transforms the heart of a lonely drifter in the nineteenth-century Arizona Territory.

Mistress Christmas: Wild West Boys ($2.80), by Lorelei James, is for those looking to something a little warmer for Christmas (from Samhain Publishing, complete with content warning).

Book Description
All signs point North for not-so-Saint-Nick... A part of the Wild West Boys series.

In a rare moment of recklessness, mild-mannered accountant Holly North lets her best friend guilt her into filling in as Mistress Christmas at Sugar Plums, a Christmas-themed strip club. Fearing she'll be recognized - or worse, considered a fraud - she dons a velvet mask along with the Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume. She's shocked at how deliciously wicked anonymity feels.

Detective Nick West is determined to discover how his friend was supposedly robbed after a lap dance at Sugar Plums. His visions of revenge vanish faster than a flying sleigh upon his first peek at Mistress Christmas - a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth begging for hours beneath the mistletoe.

Their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening, and Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her one Christmas wish...

For a naughty secret Santa to sweep her away for a night of anonymous sexual pleasure.

Warning: This erotic comedy contains naughty holiday innuendo, creative use of garland, sexy love scenes hot as spiced cider, a heroine as sweet as sugared plums, and a wildly romantic hero with a great big-candy cane.