Free Book (nook) - Tuscan Holiday

Tuscan Holiday ($8.96 Kindle), by Holly Chamberlin, is free from B&N tonight. This title has previously been free in the Kindle store (Jun '10), but feel free to report this lower price (as not everyone had a chance to get it the first time around).

Book Description
In this smart, tender, insightful new novel, bestselling author Holly Chamberlin introduces two very different women who, over the course of two unforgettable weeks, learn about unbreakable bonds, unshakeable love, and the chances that come once in a lifetime -- and change us forever...When Elizabeth Caldwell planned a trip to Florence with her daughter, Marina, she secretly hoped for a warm, fuzzy bonding experience worthy of a Lifetime movie. But Marina -- twenty-one, newly graduated, and close to her mom in many ways -- has always been more the PBS type: dependable, practical, and completely in control. Elizabeth knows Marina wants to avoid the kind of "stupid mistake" that left Elizabeth a single mother at twenty-two, and she's bitten her tongue as Marina settles for a wealthy fiance who gives her everything she thinks she wants. After all, Elizabeth? -- unable to bring herself to fully commit to the man she has dated for years -- is hardly an expert in romance. Still, a lot can happen on vacation, especially in Tuscany, where every scent borne on the warm breeze inspires delight, and every view makes the heart soar. There, on streets once walked by Dante and Michaelangelo, Marina is blindsided by a gorgeous Italian named Luca who shows her how gloriously unpredictable passion can be, and Elizabeth finally lets go of the role that has defined her for so long to embrace her own uncertain future...

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.

Two Buck Pre-Orders (Kindle)

These are all special editions of existing titles, with added "bonus material" tossed in (generally, the bonus is an extended sample of an upcoming book) and all are available to pre-order for $1.99. So, I've linked in both the low-cost pre-order and the existing edition, in case you want to get a sample now before ordering (you can also usually follow the links to the paper edition and get a free online preview there, if you prefer not to send the sample to your Kindle).

Hush, by Kate White (full price edition)

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author and Cosmopolitan's editor-in-chief returns with a sizzling, page-turning thriller in which an ordinary woman flees the scene of a murder—and realizes it's not just the law that's hunting her.

When Lake Warren learns that her husband, Jack, is suing for full custody of their two kids four months after their separation, she's pretty certain that things can't get any worse. The upside is that she's working with the Advanced Fertility Center as a marketing consultant, alongside the attractive, flirtatious Dr. Keaton. But the morning after their one-night stand, Lake finds Keaton with his throat slashed and discovers that things can indeed become worse—they can become deadly.

So as not to jeopardize her case for custody, Lake is forced to lie to the police. Having just been intimate with a man who has been murdered, and wanting to protect herself from being charged with the crime, she begins her own search for the truth. Meanwhile, the police start looking at her closely, people at the clinic start treating her with hostility, and strange clues begin dropping—quite literally—on her doorstep, and Lake realizes that she is dangerously close to dark secrets, both about Keaton and the clinic. But can Lake stop what she's started before it's too late?

The Condition, by Jennifer Haigh (full price edition)

Book Description
The novel that the Wall Street Journal called "a satisfying feat of literary choreography" is now available at a low price for a limited time. This special e-book edition includes the first two chapters of Faith, Jennifer Haigh's "superb fourth novel" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), which will be released on May 10.

In the summer of 1976, during their annual retreat on Cape Cod, the McKotch family came apart. Now, twenty years after daughter Gwen was diagnosed with Turner's syndrome—a rare genetic condition that keeps her trapped forever in the body of a child—eminent scientist Frank McKotch is divorced from his pedigreed wife, Paulette. Eldest son Billy, a successful cardiologist, lives a life built on secrets and compromise. His brother Scott awakened from a pot-addled adolescence to a soul-killing job and a regrettable marriage. And Gwen—bright and accomplished but hermetic and emotionally aloof—spurns all social interaction until, well into her thirties, she falls in love for the first time. With compassion and almost painful astuteness, The Condition explores the power of family mythologies—the self-delusions, denials, and inescapable truths that forever bind fathers and mothers and siblings.

A Quick Bite, by Lynsay Sands (full price edition). I have this one and loved it; definitely recommended if you like a light, funny paranormal romance.

Book Description
That hot guy tied to Lissianna Argeneau's bed? He's not dessert—he's the main course!

Lissianna has been spending her centuries pining for Mr. Right, not just a quick snack, and this sexy guy she finds in her bed looks like he might be a candidate. But there's another, more pressing issue: her tendency to faint at the sight of blood . . . an especially annoying quirk for a vampire. Of course it doesn't hurt that this man has a delicious-looking neck. What kind of cold-blooded vampire woman could resist a bite of that?

Dr. Gregory Hewitt recovers from the shock of waking up in a stranger's bedroom pretty quickly—once he sees a gorgeous woman about to treat him to a wild night of passion. But is it possible for the good doctor to find true love with a vampire vixen, or will he be just a good meal? That's a question Dr. Greg might be willing to sink his teeth into . . . if he can just get Lissianna to bite.

For a limited time, discover the Argeneau saga for only $1.99, plus three excerpts, including The Heiress, The Reluctant Vampire, and a preview of Lynsay’s short story in A Bite Before Christmas, available this October!

The Duke And I, by Julia Quinn (full price edition)

Book Description
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!

For a limited time, discover Julia Quinn for only $1.99! Plus, dip into excerpts from new releases by Julia, Elizabeth Boyle, and Caroline Linden.

Duchess in Love, by Eloisa James (full price edition)

Book Description
A Duke in Retreat
Gina was forced into marriage with the Duke of Girton at an age when she'd have been better off in a schoolroom than a ballroom. Directly after the ceremony her handsome spouse promptly fled to the continent, leaving the marriage unconsummated and Gina quite indignant.

A Lady In the Middle
Now, she is one of the most well-known ladies in London ... living on the edge of scandal—desired by many men, but resisting giving herself to any one.

A Duchess in Love
Finally, Camden, the Duke of Girton, has returned home, to discover that his naïve bride has blossomed into the toast of the ton. Which leaves Cam in the most uncomfortable position of discovering that he has the bad manners to be falling in love—with his own wife!

For a limited time, take a trip back in time with Duchess in Love by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James for only $1.99! And as a bonus, read excerpts from the next three novels in the series, Fool For Love, A Wild Pursuit, and Your Wicked Ways.

Angel's Tip, by Alafair Burke (full price edition). I'm cheating a bit with title and the next; both are now out and no longer in pre-order status, but both are the same type of promotional bonus book that is $1.99. These come and go and seem to be the only two remaining that are still both available and under $2, so I don't expect them to last long; checking them now, it seems I bought both (but haven't finished them yet).

Book Description
The thriller that the bestselling author Faye Kellerman called "knuckle-biting journey" is now available at a low price for a limited time. This special e-book edition includes the prologue and first three chapters of Long Gone, Alafair Burke's "must read" (Lisa Scottoline) standalone thriller, which will be released on June 21.

In a city full of victims . . . it's hard to choose just one.

Indiana college student Chelsea Hart's wild evening with affluent young party boys in an elite Manhattan club was the most exhilarating and glamorous night of her life. It was also the last.

Now NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher's obsessive hunt for the co-ed's killer—the only chance to save the next victim—is placing her directly in the sights of a psychopath.

The Bronze Horseman, by Paullina Simons (full price edition)

Book Description
See how it all began . . . The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

Complete with excerpts from Tatiana and Alexander (available now) and The Summer Garden (on sale June 21), the next two books in the trilogy, follow the epic love story of Tatiana and Alexander from the beginning.

Free Book (EPUB/nook) - Bake Sale Murder

Bake Sale Murder ($4.30 Kindle), by Leslie Meier, the thirteenth in her Lucy Stone series, was previously free on Kindle (Aug '10) and is free today from both Barnes and Noble and from Kobo. There's a new book in the series coming this month, English Tea Murder, so I expect this one to be free for Kindle, as well. If you haven't tried the series before, it's fun, light mysteries and there are now seven titles under $5.

Book Description
Ever since local developer Fred Stanton and his wife, Mimi, built five modular homes next door to Lucy Stone's farmhouse, life just hasn't been the same. With Mimi complaining about everything from the state of Lucy's lawn to another neighbor's lovable dog, quaint Tinker's Cove, Maine, is now entangled in cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing. And when Mimi doesn't show up for her shift at The Hat and Mitten Fund bake sale, the scent of burnt sugar leads Lucy to a shocking discovery: Mimi, face down on her kitchen floor--with a knife in her back.

While the police start their investigation, Lucy gets busy writing up the murder for the local Pennysaver--and following a few leads of her own. Lucy knows the women in her neighborhood didn't like Mimi, but they certainly didn't want her dead...right?

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.
Click HERE to get the free book from Kobo.

Free Book (Kindle/nook) - Living Rich by Spending Smart

Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want, by Gregory Karp, is a repeat freebie on Kindle and at B&N. The edition at Amazon, though, has been updated, so grab it again if you want the new formatting.

Book Description
As The Millionaire Next Door revealed, building wealth isn’t just about working harder or what you choose to invest in: it’s about spending smarter. Now, award-winning Tribune Company personal finance columnist Gregory Karp shows how to do just that.

This book isn’t about depriving yourself. Instead, Gregory Karp shows how to build real, long-lasting wealth by plugging the money leaks you’re barely aware of and making sure you spend with a purpose.

Karp’s surprisingly painless techniques will help you eliminate wasteful spending in every area of your financial life. You’ll discover how to focus spending on what you really care about...spend less on gifts without becoming a cheapskate...slash your phone bill...pay less for food and still eat what you want...eliminate spending...

Click HERE to get the free download from B&N.

Save $15 when you spend $20 on Amazon Kindle Skins (KSO)

Update: I've now seen several messages that this discount works on both $19.99 and $19.95 priced skins, so you should be able to buy any skin that comes up on the link and get the discount! If you don't have Prime, then grab a couple of Smak-Dab Cover Secure Clips to raise your pre-coupon discount over $25 to get free shipping.

This offer is for those with selected Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers or Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers only. Turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then on View Special Offers after the sync has completed. You should see this new offer:

Save $15 when you spend $20 on Amazon Kindle Skins

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on June 29.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Special Offer Details page and a promotion code to enter at checkout. Once you have the promotional code, you have until July 29 to complete your purchase. Like previous offers, this one requires you to use the full checkout process in order to enter your promotional code. Also, like all Amazon sales that use promotional codes, if you have a gift card balance, you must use it for the payment (if there is not a sufficient balance, then you can pick which credit card or other payment to use).

Once again, this offer can be used more than once per accounts, so long as you have more than one KSO registered:

4. Limit one promotional code per device.

Just click on the ad on each device to receive the individual promotion codes via email.

Wouldn't you know it, I just bought a Skin for my Kindle 3G a few weeks ago (just before this offer first downloaded to my KSO). However, my KSO doesn't have a skin (nor does hubby's Kindle WiFi), so I might buy one on the sale, anyway (or just keep it for myself, for when I tire of the skin I have now). Once nice thing about this sale - you can use it on pretty much any skin in the Kindle Skins Accessory store, rather than being limited to just a select list. You can even use it to buy a Skin for an older, 2nd Generation Kindle or the Kindle DX, it appears.

There is one question I have on this offer - it says I must spend "$20 or more", but it is also limited to a single skin. So, it seems to me that the offer would be limited to the $24.99 skins (since most of them are $19.99). If you use the offer, let me know if it works on the $19.99 ones.