Free Book - Taking A Stand (K)

Taking A Stand, by Kenneth Casper, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Homebuilder Jesse Amorado and former Air Force Captain Tori Carr come from the same Texas town but from very different worlds. When she returns home to Coyote Springs to help her father, a real-estate developer, turn the seediest neighborhood into an exclusive resort for the wealthy, Tori and Jesse immediately clash. He'll do whatever it takes to save his heritage, and she is caught up in proving herself to her father.

As personal tensions rise and local trouble begins to brew, Jesse and Tori fall in love-despite it all. They soon find, however, that they must not only confront vested interests and prejudices, they have to fight for their very lives.

Ken Casper brings readers back to Coyote Springs for another tension-filled visit. Come along for another story of mystery and passion from the author of AS THE CROW DIES, book one of The Jason Crow West Texas Mystery Series.

Free Book - The 500 (K)

Update: Looks like a bait-and-switch attempt to boost ratings without actually giving anything away, as the book now claims to be a free preview (which it did not do, when first posted). I recommend you not "purchase" this one and delete your pending order, so it won't boost the original book's ratings.

The 500, by Matthew Quirk, is free to pre-order in the Kindle store (at least, for now). This is no doubt a pricing error or limited time promotion, meant to give it a big bump on release, but if you get your order in while the price is $0.00, you won't pay a nickel when it is delivered. You do have to have a credit card on file (it won't be charged, but that is how pre-orders work at Amazon) when you place the order. You can confirm the price you'll pay both on the order summary and on your Pending Deliveries tab in the Manage Your Kindle page, later on.

Book Description
Mike Ford is a former con artist who's been plucked from his Harvard Law School classroom to be an associate at The Davies Group, Washington's most high-powered and well-respected strategic consulting firm. Their specialty: pulling strings and peddling influence for the five hundred most powerful people inside the Beltway, the men and women who really run Washington -- and by extension the country, and the world.

The namesake of the firm, Henry Davies, knows everyone who matters; more importantly, he knows their secrets. Davies' experience goes back 40 years -- he worked for Lyndon Johnson, jumped shipped to Nixon, then put out his own shingle as the Hill's most cut-throat and expensive fixer. Now he's looking for a protégé to tackle his most high-stakes deal yet, and Mike fits the bill.

Quickly pulled into a seductive, dangerous web of power and corruption, Mike struggles to find his way out. But how do you save your soul when you've made a deal with the devil?

Free Audiobook - The Ascent of George Washington

Tantor Audio is giving away the audio download edition of The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon ($9.99 Kindle; $23.95 Audible), by John Ferling, narrated by Norman Dietz. This is a Presidents' day special, so grab it fast, before it goes away (once on your bookshelf, you can download it anytime, though).

Book Description
Even compared to his fellow founders, George Washington stands tall. Our first president has long been considered a stoic hero, holding himself above the rough-and-tumble politics of his day. Now John Ferling peers behind that image, carefully burnished by Washington himself, to show us a leader who was not only not above politics but a canny infighter—a master of persuasion, manipulation, and deniability.

In the War of Independence, Washington used his skills to steer the Continental Army through crises that would have broken less determined men; he squeezed out rival generals and defused dissent from those below him. Ending the war as a national hero, Washington "allowed" himself to be pressed into the presidency, guiding the nation with the same brilliantly maintained pose of selfless public interest. In short, Washington deftly screened a burning ambition behind his image of republican virtue—but that image, maintained not without cost, made him just the leader the overmatched army, and then the shaky young nation, desperately needed.

Ferling argues that not only was Washington one of America’s most adroit politicians—the proof of his genius is that he is no longer thought of as a politician at all.

Bestselling historian John Ferling draws on his unsurpassed knowledge of the Founding Fathers to provide a fresh and provocative new portrait of the greatest of them all, George Washington.

Get the free audiobook from Tantor Audio.

Free and Bargain Book Roundup, Redux

Found this one late, so not much time left: PRES12 to save $5 on purchase of $15 or more at Samhain. Ends at midnight 2/20.

Kobo is having another contest for coupon codes. Enter daily and get codes worth up to 35% off (one book, non-Agency). You need to register for the contest (can be the same or different email/pwd as you use at Kobo) the first time, then can log in quickly after the first time. Skip the refer-a-friend screen by clicking on Play Now. You have to answer a trivia question (I have no idea if doing so correctly gets you a better coupon), then will see your coupon code (you'll get a copy via email, also).

These Christian published titles are repeating (once again) in the Kindle store. It's been less than a month, so I'm just linking to the previous posts.

• Long Time Coming
• Valeria's Cross
• Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride
• A Time to Love

I've had several people recommend Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles series to me, but I've been holding out for at least one in the series at a discount. This isn't quite that, but the 3-Book Bundle: Hounded, Hexed, Hammered can now be pre-ordered. It's $19.99 for those of us in the US (better than the individual titles, but not a super deal), but less in most other markets (and only $9.99 for those in Canada!!!). The fourth in the series, Tricked, is now available to pre-order, with a price of $7.99 for those in the US, ranging down to $5.75 for those in Germany.

Book Description
With a sly blend of fantasy, humor, and paranormal adventure, Kevin Hearne is the trickster god of action-packed mash-ups. In The Iron Druid Chronicles, Atticus O’Sullivan is a folk hero for the twenty-first century, battling legendary beasts, shadowy mystics, and demonic demigods from around the world. Now get Hounded, Hexed, and Hammered all at once in this eBook bundle, a triple dose of mayhem straight out of Hearne’s genre-smashing imagination.

Includes a preview of the fourth book in the series, Tricked, as well as two bonus short stories set in the world of The Iron Druid Chronicles: “Clan Rathskeller” and the eBook exclusive “Kaibab Unbound.”

HOUNDED
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Tempe, Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time. A handsome, tattooed Irish dude, he looks like he’s about twenty-one years old—actually, he’s twenty-one centuries old and he wields a magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and now Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, and a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

HEXED
Atticus doesn’t care much for witches, but he’s about to make nice with the local coven when suddenly the witch population in Tempe quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II. But with a fallen angel feasting on local students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt.

HAMMERED
Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is a blowhard and a bully, and Viking vampire Leif Helgarson has asked his friend Atticus for help taking down this Norse nightmare. As a rule, Atticus generally tries to stay away from the guy with the lightning bolts. Soon, though, Atticus and Leif are off to the plane of Asgard, where they team up with a werewolf, a sorcerer, and an army of frost giants for an epic showdown against vicious Valkyries, angry gods, and the hammer-wielding Thunder Thug himself.

Tricked
Druid Atticus O’Sullivan hasn’t stayed alive for more than two millennia without a fair bit of Celtic cunning. So when vengeful thunder gods come Norse by Southwest looking for payback, Atticus, with a little help from the Navajo trickster god Coyote, lets them think that they’ve chopped up his body in the Arizona desert.

But the mischievous Coyote is not above a little sleight of paw, and Atticus soon finds that he’s been duped into battling bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters called skinwalkers. Just when the Druid thinks he’s got a handle on all the duplicity, betrayal comes from an unlikely source. If Atticus survives this time, he vows he won’t be fooled again. Famous last words.

Lady Lazarus ($2.99), the first in the series by Michele Lang, is on sale from Macmillan and you can still get The World of Lady Lazarus for free and the novella The Magic of Fabulous for $2.99 (both self-published). The second novel in the series is out (Dark Victory), but it's still $9.99

Book Description
With the romance of Twilight, the suspense of The Dresden Files, and the delicious thrills of True Blood, the enthralling saga of Magdalena Lazarus unfolds. Descended from the legendary witch of Ein Dor, she alone holds the power to summon the angel Raziel and stop Hitler and his supernatural minions from unleashing total war in Europe. The Nazis have fighters more fearsome than soldiers, weapons more terrifying than missiles, and allies that even they are afraid of SS werewolves; the demon Asmodel who possesses a willing Adolf Hitler, and other supernatural creatures all are literally hell-bent on preventing Magda from possessing the Book of Raziel, a magical text with the power to turn the tide against Hitler’s vast war machine.

Magda, young and rebellious, grew up in the cosmopolitan city of Budapest, unaware of her family’s heritage. When her mother dies, Magda--ready or not--is the Lazarus, who must face the evil that holds Europe in an iron grip. Unready to assume the mantle of her ancient birthright, but knowing that she must fight, she sets out across Europe searching for the Book. Magda is desperate enough to endanger her soul by summoning the avenging angel Raziel. When she sees him in the glory of his celestial presence, her heart is utterly, completely lost…

The Agatha Raisin Companion ($1.99), by M. C. Beaton, is a must for those who collect the series.

Book Description
This book is a celebration of all things Agatha Raisin. It includes an introduction by M C Beaton, Agatha's biography, her background and retirement to the Cotswolds, her complex love life and the details of village life in Carsely.

There are brief bios of all the men in her life (there are many), a piece on her cats Hodge and Boswell, and a section on Agatha's Cotswolds, both real and fictitious. Plot summaries of all twenty titles in the series, a quiz to test your Agatha knowledge and a selection of her favorite dishes in Raisin's Recipes rounds off the complete Agatha Companion.

It also features line drawings by Alice Tait - the artist of the all new covers in the Agatha Raisin series - throughout.

I've sent a sample of Shadow Prowler ($2.99), by Alexey Pehov, to my Kindle, to see if it's going to be my next read (after Cat Adams).

Book Description
After centuries of calm, the Nameless One is stirring.

An army is gathering; thousands of giants, ogres, and other creatures are joining forces from all across the Desolate Lands, united, for the first time in history, under one, black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom.

Unless Shadow Harold, master thief, can find some way to stop them.

Epic fantasy at its best, Shadow Prowler is the first in a trilogy that follows Shadow Harold on his quest for a magic Horn that will restore peace to the Kingdom of Siala. Harold will be accompanied on his quest by an Elfin princess, Miralissa, her elfin escort, and ten Wild Hearts, the most experienced and dangerous fighters in their world…and by the king’s court jester (who may be more than he seems…or less).

Reminiscent of Moorcock's Elric series, Shadow Prowler is the first work to be published in English by the bestselling Russian fantasy author Alexey Pehov. The book was translated by Andrew Bromfield, best known for his work on the highly successful Night Watch series.

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe ($1.24), by Andrew O'Hagan, looks like it would be an interesting read for fans of Marilyn (or even the new show, Smash, which I've put right behind Glee on my must-watch list).

Book Description
Meet Maf: The hilariously opinionated, well-read, politically scrappy, and complex canine companion to Marilyn Monroe.

In November 1960, Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn Monroe a dog. His name was Mafia Honey, or Maf for short. Born in the household of Vanessa Bell, brought to the United States by Natalie Wood’s mother, and given as a Christmas present to Marilyn the winter after she separated from Arthur Miller, Maf was with Marilyn for the last two years of her life, first in New York and then in Los Angeles, and he had as much instinct for celebrity and psychoanalysis as he did for Liver Treat with a side order of National Biscuits. Marylin took him to meet President Kennedy and to Hollywood restaurants, to department stores, to interviews, and to Mexico for her divorce. Through Maf's eyes, we see an altogether original and wonderfully clever portrait of the woman behind the icon—and the dog behind the woman.

Some more backlist/small press/indie, totally free, books for everyone on Kindle, that I missed the first time around. These are are not likely to be free for long, so double check prices before one-clicking (genres are my best guess), as most of them go back up after a day or two (sometimes less), at which point most of them become eligible for the Kindle Lending Library.

• Rebellion Trilogy, by Gordon Ryan
• Dark Grid, by David C. Waldron (I got a review copy of this one, but haven't finished it; it's not going to be a 5-star review, but it's better than Rawles' latest, which I also received for review)
• Move It Mom! How To Get Your Body Back After Baby , by Marci Pliskin, Patti Dunn
• In Session: Dr. Morgan Snow with Steve Berry's Cotton Malone, Lee Child's Jack Reacher & Barry Eisler's John Rain, by MJ Rose
• THE CARD (A Van Stone Novel), by Jim Devitt (sports/suspense)
• DESTINED, a novel of the Tarot, by Gail Cleare
• Cadman's Gambit (SHADER), by D.P. Prior (fantasy)
• America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 3: Silent Invasion, by Walter Knight (sf)
• Hollywood Ending, by Lucie Simone
• Freedom Incorporated, by Peter Tylee (SF; Smashwords & B&N only)
• Lethal Circuit (A Michael Chase Spy Thriller #1), by Lars Guignard (mystery/thriller)
• BROOD (#1 in the Sterling Strange Paranormal Detective Series) , by Lars Guignard
• Inside the Outside, by Martin Lastrapes (mystery/thriller)
• Two books by Linda Pendleton

I've probably missed some more (can't ever find them all), but I'm off to go read (and try the chili I made tonight).

Three Free Books for Aussies (K)

A trio of free pre-order books for Australians in the Kindle store today. All are from HarperCollins and are most likely pricing errors that will be corrected later on, but if you order them while they are free, you'll get them at no charge when they are finally released.

Collins New Naturalist Library (9) - A Country Parish, by A. W. Boyd
The natural history of an ordinary English country parish was one of the first subjects that suggested themselves when the New Naturalist series was planned. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.com

The natural history of an ordinary English country parish was one of the first subjects that suggested themselves when the New Naturalist series was planned. Being chiefly farmland and therefore practically all man-made, most country parishes are extremely complex from the naturalist’s point of view and also inevitably contain a vast amount of human history. Any attempt to describe their plants and animals has to be closely related with the ways of man himself, who must be regarded as the chief element in the community – a fact which has been obvious enough to naturalists ever since the days of Gilbert White. For this book we are fortunate to have found an author who combines a thorough all-round knowledge of natural history with a sound insight into human customs, history, pastimes and farming methods. Arnold Boyd has lived in Cheshire all his life – since 1902 in the parish of Antrobus, part of the old parish of Great Budworth, the character of which is typical of much of the Cheshire Plain. In keeping with the best tradition of English amateur naturalists, he excels as a collector of facts, as has been apparent from his previous books, his writing in the Manchester Guardian and other journals, and in his assistant editorship of British Birds. By weaving together his collection of facts he presents us with a book of remarkable unity and which shows a wide grasp of every aspect of the living communities. This charming yet erudite portrait will protect his beloved parish forever from the ravages of human forgetfulness.

Plato: Philosophy in an Hour, by Paul Strathern
Philosophy for busy people. Read a succinct account of the philosophy of Plato in just one hour.

Plato is still seen by many as the greatest of all philosophers, inspiring many of the finest thinkers through the ages. Indeed, many see all later philosophy as nothing but attempts to answer the questions he raised. He founded the Academy, the world’s first university, in 387 BC and taught that the physical world is not reality but rather a reproduction of the true source.

Plato: Philosophy in an Hour is a concise, expert account of Plato’s life and philosophical ideas – entertainingly written and easy to understand. Also included are selections from his work, suggested further reading and chronologies that place Plato in the context of the broader scheme of philosophy.

Pretty as a Porn Star, by Madelaine Moore
Emily and Luke meet at film school and become lovers. One night, while they are making love, she notices the red light on his camera. The SOB is recording them! She’s angry but also turned on and gives the sexual performance of her life. Luke confesses that he shoots their nights of passion, but only because his rampant desire for her has ruined him for porn. His only source of visual stimulation is this very private collection of movies. Ever-pragmatic Emily realises that if watching herself in action turns her on, wouldn’t watching themselves do it for other people? The couple begins making private-consumption porn movies that Emily writes and Luke directs. Their crew of film students expands to include ‘talent’ as they branch out into producing porn for sale, often shot guerilla-style, using public events as a backdrop for films with stories and dialogue as well as increasingly dangerous, exciting sex. And Emily’s desperately torn between wanting to star in her own scripts and her fear of discovery. If her lovely but puritanical step-mother, who controls her trust fund, were ever to find out . . . And she does, but with an outcome that Emily could never have predicted.