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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Free Book - Serenity's Dream

Serenity's Dream ($5.50 Kindle), by Brita Addams, the first in her The Sapphire Club series, is today's free book at AllRomance.

Book Description
When Serenity Damrill is unjustly accused of murder, the only place she can think to hide is with her estranged husband, Lucien, at The Sapphire Club, a place where every sexual fantasy can be fulfilled. Hiding the truth, she returns after a ten year absence, ready to submit completely to her husband.

Lucien, owner of the club, though skeptical of his wife's sudden reappearance in his life, is willing to take her at her word, and he institutes an erotic regimen that Serenity quickly begins to crave. Lucien’s sexual prowess is beyond her wildest dreams and soon they fall into a frenzied, erotic life.

All is going well, until Serenity's accuser spots her at a Cyprian’s Ball.


Click HERE for the free book. It may show full price until you click on Buy Now or Add to Cart; once you start to checkout, you will see a 100% discount and your total will be zero (if it isn't, stop and try again from their home page, as you need to see the discount to get it free). Available (DRM-free) formats are: Adobe Acrobat, Palm DOC/iSolo, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket (.prc), Rocket, Epub.

Discount Book (Kindle) - Power Is Within You

Power Is Within You ($13.95 $2.99 US), by Louise Hay, popped up early this morning with the other free books from Hay House (for those in the UK). The pricing on it, however, is a bit messed up and it is now not available to UK customers at all. The price drop in the US went thru, so it is now $2.99 here and it looks as though it might be $2.99 in the UK when it is available again. (UK link)

Book Description
How to overcome emotional barriers through learning to listen to your inner voice, loving the child within, letting your true feelings out, and much more.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Songs For Japan and MP3 Bargains

Some of you may have noticed the small ad on the right side of the screen that lets you make a donation towards the relief effort in Japan. This is, like many in the past, being administered by Amazon (and I feel confident it all goes there, unlike some places that collection donations). However, if you want more to show for your support than a warm feeling, you might want to look at the Songs For Japan album in their MP3 store. I first saw this at Starbucks, via an ad on their internet access welcome page to buy it from iTunes for $9.99. I was tempted, but only had my iPad with me (and now that the CloudDrive is at Amazon, I'm even more likely to get my MP3's from Amazon). I'm glad I waited, as the price at Amazon is $7.99 (looks like Amazon is dropping their profit on this one). I thought I paid $9.49 for it a few days ago, but my receipt shows that they dropped the price, even though it was higher when I clicked. I've been listening to this all afternoon (literally; there are 38 tracks total, with a run length of 2:44:34) and it's a good album, even if the artists and record labels were not donating a portion of the proceeds to the relief effort (there are a lot of labels on this one and some are donating all of their proceeds). Remember, if you purchase any MP3 album from Amazon for the rest of the year, you get a free upgrade to 20GB on your Cloud Drive (and your MP3 purchases at Amazon never count towards your total, if made after the CloudDrive was introduced).

While I was working on this post, I noticed that Amazon has brought back several of their 99 Most Essential albums at rock bottom prices: 4 at 99 cents and six more under $2.50. One of the best features of the Cloud Drive is that I no longer have to wait for these huge albums to download (I lost one, once, as the download didn't complete and I could not get the download reset, only my money back as the price had gone up in the meantime), as they literally would take hours on my slow connection in some places. These are, of course, all Amazon Exclusives, so you won't find them elsewhere at any price. Five of these are newly discounted (How can I tell? Those are the five I don't already have! LOL!), while four have been discounted in the past (these generally sell for $5.99 to $7.99, it appears).

Those aren't the only bargains, of course. Here are a few others (and only one classical, for those who want a different genre):
Of course, there are also a few new free albums of note:

New lower price on Kindle - $114

If you've been putting off buying a Wi-Fi Kindle Wireless Reading Device, you can now get one for just over $100. What's the catch? You'll get ads and special offers sent direct to your Kindle (much as the nook has when used in store at Barnes and Noble). In fact, even if you already have a latest generation Kindle, may want to pick up one of these just to get the ads (I'd like that offer for a $20 gift card for $10, the $1 MP3 albums and $1/each for 6 Audio-books isn't a bad deal either, so long as you aren't forced into a long-term, expensive subscription plan). Maybe Amazon would consider paying existing Kindle owners $25 to install the same firmware that shows the ads as screen savers (hey, some people would pay them $25 to be finally rid of Emily Dickinson and cohorts).
What is Kindle with Special Offers?

New, Lower Price
Get the same bestselling Kindle for $25 less—only $114.
Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers
Receive special offers directly on your Kindle. Examples include:
  • $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
  • $6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)
  • $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
  • $10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop
Special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen—they don't interrupt reading.

OK, so here is your space - tell me what you think of the new Kindle? Would you pay $25 less (or accept a credit on your account) in return for seeing ads at the bottom of the home page (not in the book when reading) and as the screensaver?

Kindle Game Dusk World Now Under Three Bucks

If you were considering trying out Dusk World ($2.99), an interactive fiction game for Kindle by Amazon Digital Services (their only non-free entry, so far), but were put off by the old price of $5.99, you might want to grab it while it's marked at half that. There is no indication if this is a new, permanent low price or a limited time offer, but it was still $5.99 when I checked it last week.

Book Description
Dusk World is an interactive fiction game for Kindle devices that combines interactivity with a graphic novel. The story takes place in Dusk City and combines crime, mystery, superhero and classic noir elements to create a vivid landscape full of colorful characters for you to interact with.

As Agent Patriot - super-powered chameleon, reformed mob enforcer, war hero, convict framed for double murder - you must explore the gritty underworld of Dusk City in an effort to clear your name and find out who set you up. You must find the right path through the game in order to save Dusk City, the world, and yourself.

Experience and enjoy the captivating escapades of Agent Patriot firsthand in this thrilling initial installment of the Living Tales series.

Please note: Dusk World contains content that may be inappropriate for children.

Free Book - Cut & Run

Cut & Run ($5.38 Kindle), by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux, the first in their LGBT suspense/mystery series, is today's free book at AllRomance. This is a fairly long book, with over 142K words

Book Description
A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case.

Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He's cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he's paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it's hate at first sight. Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliché: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer.

Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again – this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer's knife.


Click HERE for the free book. It may show full price until you click on Buy Now or Add to Cart; once you start to checkout, you will see a 100% discount and your total will be zero (if it isn't, stop and try again from their home page, as you need to see the discount to get it free). Available (DRM-free) formats are: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, Mobipocket (.prc), Epub.

Free Book (nook) - Pictures of the Mind

Pictures of the Mind: What the New Neuroscience Tells Us About Who We Are ($12.59 Kindle), by Miriam Boleyn-Fitzgerald, was free in the Kindle store last month and is now free in the B&N store.

Book Description
For thousands of years, people have wondered about questions like these. Now, using the latest brain scanning technologies, neuroscientists can watch your brain at work–and they’re amazed by what they’re seeing. Now, you can see it, too. Pictures of the Mind presents the images that are revolutionizing neuroscience and offers you a personal tour of the frontiers of brain research.

You’ll discover why scientists are becoming increasingly excited about your brain’s abilities to keep growing, learning, changing, and healing, all through life. You’ll follow cutting-edge researchers as they blaze new trails toward potential cures for everything from depression to dementia and brain injury to addiction. And you’ll preview what could become the greatest scientific revolution of all: the one that finally explains mind, emotion, and consciousness.


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

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Spotlight on Langtail Press

Langtail Press specializes in classic crime, murder mystery and golden age detective fiction that has been out of print or difficult to find (not public domain, generally). They have 49 titles in the Kindle store and most of them are selling for $8.00 (a nice round number, but a little high, IMO, for backlist fiction). Today, however, there are a number of their titles that have been discounted down to between 99 cents and $3.99.

The Plague Court Murders ($3.99), by John Dickson Carr, is this first of his Sir Henry Merrivale series, originally published under the pen name Carter Dickson.

Book Description
When Dean Halliday becomes convinced that the malevolent ghost of Louis Playge is haunting his family estate in London, he invites Ken Bates and Detective-Inspector Masters along to Plague Court to investigate. Arriving at night, they find his aunt and fiancée preparing to exorcise the spirit in a séance run by psychic Roger Darworth. While Darworth locks himself in a stone house behind Plague Court, the séance proceeds, and at the end he is found gruesomely murdered. But who, or what, could have killed him? All the windows and doors were bolted and locked, and no one could have gotten inside. The only one who can solve the crime in this bizarre and chilling tale is locked-room expert Sir Henry Merrivale.

Dead Man Calling ($0.99), by Gavin Black (a pseudonym used by Oswald Wynd), is the second title in his Paul Harris series. The author was born in Japan to Scottish missionaries and spent time in a Japanese internment camp after being captured during WWII, which probably explains the settings for many of his novels. The thrillers are mainly under the Gavin Black byline.

Book Description
A TALE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE SET IN TOKYO. Paul Harris is an outsider – an unconventional businessman attempting to assimilate into Asian culture. His operations in the Far East bring him wealth and adventure, but not without risk. For while opportunities are plentiful, so too are a number of ruthless opponents, and more often than not Paul Harris finds himself a man on the run, pursued by a violent and dangerous enemy. It is rare to find, in a novel of suspense, pictures of a distant country that are as vivid, authentic, colourful and moving as Gavin Black gives us here: or characters so distinctive and mysterious.

The Eyes Around M ($0.99), by Gavin Black, is the fourth in the same series. These two are both relatively short novels, at around 160-190 pages in print,

Book Description
A TALE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE SET IN HONG KONG. Paul Harris is an outsider – an unconventional businessman attempting to assimilate into Asian culture. His operations in the Far East bring him wealth and adventure, but not without risk. For while opportunities are plentiful, so too are a number of ruthless opponents, and more often than not Paul Harris finds himself a man on the run, pursued by a violent and dangerous enemy. It is rare to find, in a novel of suspense, pictures of a distant country that are as vivid, authentic, colourful and moving as Gavin Black gives us here: or characters so distinctive and mysterious.

Night of the Jabberwock ($1.59), is by Fredric Brown, an American science fiction and mystery writer.

Book Description
In the small town of Carmel City, it’s just another Thursday night for longstanding editor and Lewis Carroll aficionado Doc Stoeger as he puts his weekly newspaper to bed. Of course there isn’t any real news in the Carmel City Clarion, but then there never is, and Doc wishes that for once something would happen on a Thursday evening to give him a hot story to break. Before the night is through, Doc’s wishes come true and he gets tangled up in a bizarre series of events that would make for sensational reading the next morning. But will he survive to put it into print?

The Lenient Beast ($1.59), by Fredric Brown

Book Description
A man is found dead in a backyard in Tucson, Arizona, but the police find it difficult to find any motive for murder. The victim had recently lost his wife and three children in a car crash. One might think from his circumstance that it was suicide, but if so, what had happened to the gun? Frank Ramos thinks he knows the answer, but can he persuade anyone of the truth?

A Lotus for Miss Quon ($1.59), by James Hadley Chase, is a stand-alone thriller by an author who has a number of titles at bargain prices with other publishers (Munsey's, Black Mask, etc), such as Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief ($0.99), which says it was banned in the UK and out of print for over 70 years.

Book Description
When Steve Jaffe discovered two million dollars worth of diamonds hidden in the wall of his villa in Saigon, he had no intention of giving up the loot. All he had to do was organize an exit visa and leave, until his houseboy threatened to go to the police. Jaffe had only meant to stop him, but instead he finds himself a felon with murder on his hands. With little chance to keep his secret, Jaffe becomes a man on the run, and the only person he can trust is a beautiful woman who is prepared to do anything to save him.

The Way the Cookie Crumbles ($3.99), by James Hadley Chase

Book Description
In the millionaire’s playground of Paradise City, the sinister Ticky Edris is planning the perfect heist. It’s taken him years to set up a bank robbery in broad daylight, and with only two accomplices needed: a smooth con man and a smart beautiful blonde. As Ticky’s plan gets put into action, luck is on his side, but as people start dying and disappearing, detective Tom Lepski picks up the trail. Suddenly, Ticky’s plan is in danger, and if there is one thing he didn’t count on, it was the personalities of the very people who are most vital to his plan.

Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery ($1.59), by Anthony Berkeley, is the third in his Roger Sheringham series.

Book Description
A ROGER SHERINGHAM MYSTERY. When the Daily Courier sends Roger Sheringham to Hampshire, it’s a job after his own heart. The body of a woman has been found at the bottom of the cliffs at Ludmouth Bay, and despite a verdict of accidental death, the local sighting of Inspector Moresby from Scotland Yard suggests otherwise. Unable to resist a little amateur sleuth work, Sheringham starts digging around. Events lead him down one blind alley after another as he attempts to rival Inspector Moresby and devise the correct theory about the tragic death of Mrs Vane.

The Second Shot ($3.99), by Anthony Berkeley, is the sixth in his Roger Sheringham series.

Book Description
Detective writer John Hillyard is entertaining a small house party at Minton Deeps Farm when a shocking accident takes place. Shortly after enacting a murder drama for their own amusement, the guests are returning to the house when Eric Scott Davies, the man who played victim, is found dead after two gunshots go off. The police suspect murder, but when Roger Sheringham is summoned from London it is not by Superintendent Hancock but by one of the guests. In a web of scandal, opportunity and multiple motives, the case turns out to be more complex than even Sheringham could have expected.

Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy ($2.39), by Freeman Wills Crofts, is the third in his Inspector French series (also released under the title The Starvel Hollow Tragedy).

Book Description
The burning down of Simon Averill’s house, Starvel Hollow, appears at first to be an accident. The house has been reduced to ash, killing three people (including its owner) and incinerating the contents of the safe in which he kept his entire fortune in cash (over thirty thousand pounds). But when one of these notes appears in circulation, surely it cannot be an accident? Once again, Inspector French doggedly pursues the trail across Europe before finally unlocking the mystery when all appears to be lost.

The Cask ($3.99), by Freeman Wills Crofts, is an early (1920) stand-alone novel from this prolific author. This one is a bit longer than many of the others in todays post, at over 300 pages in print.

Book Description
When a cask breaks open in a busy London shipping yard, the discovery of its contents leads to a puzzling case for Inspector Burnley of Scotland Yard. As the Inspector begins to trace the mysterious movements of the cask, his investigative procedures bring him to Paris and onto the path of a meticulously plotted murder, one step at a time.

Enough to Kill a Horse ($3.99), by Elizabeth Ferrars, is a stand-alone title from an extremely prolific author (it looks like there are nearly 70 titles in her bibliography).

Book Description
Fanny Lynam’s cocktail party is awkward to arrange. Her old friend Clare is not eager to come, the ill-tempered Tom is sure to quarrel with whomever he can, and Fanny is nervous about meeting the young widow, Laura Greenslade, who has just become engaged to her half-brother, Kit. Anxious to impress, Fanny prepares her specialty of lobster patties for the guests, but when one of them dies in the night, accusations of murder abound, and her quaint little village is peaceful no more.

Bargain Book Roundup

For those who can read EPUB, you might want to get some of the bundles at Kobo, as they have both of these coupons active:
  • KoboSpring1 ($1 off; unlimited use, expires 4/30)
  • apr8us20 and apr8ca20 (20% off; unlimited use, expires 4/10)

The Condition Low Price with Bonus Material ($2.99), by Jennifer Haigh, is a pre-order for a new edition of the bestselling The Condition ($9.99) - use the second link to get a sample, then pre-order with the first link. Most of the titles that have had this type of special edition have disappeared from the catalog shortly after release, so don't wait too long on this one.

Book Description
The Condition tells the story of the McKotches, a proper New England family that comes apart during one fateful summer. The year is 1976, and the family, Frank McKotch, an eminent scientist; his pedigreed wife, Paulette; and their three beautiful children has embarked on its annual vacation at the Captain's House, the grand old family retreat on Cape Cod. One day on the beach, Frank is struck by an image he cannot forget: his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gwen, strangely infantile in her child-sized bikini, standing a full head shorter than her younger cousin Charlotte. At that moment he knows a truth that he can never again unknown something is terribly wrong with his only daughter. The McKotch family will never be the same.

Twenty years after Gwen's diagnosis with Turner's syndrome, a genetic condition that has prevented her from maturing, trapping her forever in the body of a child, all five family members are still dealing with the fallout. Each believes himself crippled by some secret pathology; each feels responsible for the family's demise. Frank and Paulette are acrimoniously divorced. Billy, the eldest son, is dutiful but distant, a handsome Manhattan cardiologist with a life built on compromise. His brother, Scott, awakens from a pot-addled adolescence to a soul-killing job, a regrettable marriage, and a vinyl-sided tract house in the suburbs. And Gwen is silent and emotionally aloof, a bright, accomplished woman who spurns any interaction with those around her. She makes peace with the hermetic life she's constructed until, well into her thirties, she falls in love for the first time. And suddenly, once again, the family's world is tilted on its axis.

Compassionate yet unflinchingly honest, witty and almost painfully astute, The Condition explores the power of family mythologies, the self-delusions, denials, and inescapable truths that forever bind fathers and mothers and siblings.


If you missed Even, by Andrew Gran, the last time it was $2.99, you'll want to grab it quick before it goes up again.

Book Description
David Trevellyan is a Royal Navy intelligence operative who usually works undercover, sometimes with the approval of his masters—and sometimes not. On a seemingly normal evening, he takes a lonely late-night walk between a restaurant and his New York City hotel. A familiar huddled shape in the mouth of an alley catches his eye—a homeless man has been shot to death. Trevellyan steps forward…and a cop car arrives. A split second too late, Trevellyan realizes he’s been set up.

But Trevellyan isn’t worried. He’s a hard man from the shadowy world of Royal Navy Intelligence. He’s been in and out of trouble a thousand times before. But the NYPD quickly hands the problem to the FBI. Trevellyan is sucked deeper into the system. And the British Consulate tells him: You’re on your own now, mate.

With no idea who’s a friend and who’s a foe, he penetrates deep into a huge international conspiracy. The price of failure will be death, and the reward for success will be redemption, both for himself and the huddled corpse from the alley. The motivation will be his cherished life-long belief: You don’t get mad—you get EVEN.

If Jack Reacher had a younger brother, he’d be David Trevellyan. Lee Child does have a younger brother, and his name is Andrew Grant. A remarkable debut, Even delivers on its own—a tight, fast-paced, modern thriller fueled by adrenaline and revenge.


Cat Star Chronicles Bundle: Slave, Warrior, and Rogue ($9.99), by Cheryl Brooks, works out to $3.33 per title. At Kobo, it's $10.49 before coupon, or $8.40 with ($2.80/title).

Book Description
The Cat Star Chronicles have taken the universe by storm, delighting readers with their sensual Zeitithian warriors and their unique special powers. As one reviewer put it, "Wow. Just...wow. The romantic chemistry is as close to perfect as you'll find" (BookFetish).

Now discover where it all started with the first three Cat Star Chronicles books for one low price. This bundle includes Slave, Warrior, and Rogue, each story a powerhouse of passion and suspense. Find out why Cheryl Brooks is the newest star of sizzling fantasy romance and lose yourself in the worlds of her rare and potent characters.

Slave:
"I found him in the slave market on Orpheseus Prime, and even on such a god-forsaken planet as that one, their treatment of him seemed extreme..."

Cat is an enslaved warrior from a race with a feline gene that gives him awesome beauty, fearsome strength, and sensuality and sexual prowess unmatched by any other males in the universe. Even filthy, chained, and beaten, he gives off an aura of power and virility and his feline gene gives him remarkable sensual powers.

Jacinth has spent years pursuing her kidnapped sister from planet to planet. Now her quest leads her to a place where all the women are slaves. "Jack" needs a slave of her own-one who can masquerade as her master. Enmeshed in a tangle of deception, lust, and love, they must elude a race of violent killers and together forge a bond stronger than any chains.

Warrior:
"He came to me in the dead of winter, his body burning with fever... "

Leo arrives on Tisana's doorstep a beaten slave from a near-extinct race with feline genes. As soon as Leo recovers his strength, he'll use his extraordinary sexual talents to bewitch Tisana and make a bolt for freedom...

Tisana, whose healing powers are legendary, already knows Leo's the one who can help her fulfill her destiny... she can't let him get away now. Forced together on a dangerous journey, Tisana must reveal all of her powers, and Leo must give all of himself to gain his freedom...

Rogue:
"He crawled toward me on his hands and knees like a tiger stalking his prey... "

Enslaved for years, Tychar belongs to the Queen of Darconia. His feline gene gives him remarkable sexual powers and every female on the planet is in love with him. Then, the Queen gives him to Kyra...

Does she even stand a chance? Or will she be just another one of his conquests? Why would he choose the modest piano teacher? Yet the two are drawn to each other with a powerful, magnetic attraction unlike any he's felt before... Then the palace is attacked in a coup, and Tychar has to choose between freedom and love...


The Goodbye Quilt ($9.34), by Susan Wiggs, I saw mentioned in the Kindle Daily blog. At Kobo, it's $8.59, or $6.87 with the 20% off coupon.

Book Description
Linda Davis's local fabric shop is a place where women gather to share their creations: quilts commemorating important events in their lives. Wedding quilts, baby quilts, memorial quilts—each is bound tight with dreams, hopes and yearnings.

Now, as her only child readies for college, Linda is torn between excitement for Molly and heartache for herself. Who will she be when she is no longer needed in her role as mom? What will become of her days? Of her marriage?

Mother and daughter decide to share one last adventure together—a cross-country road trip to move Molly into her dorm. As they wend their way through the heart of the country, Linda stitches together the scraps that make up Molly's young life. And in the quilting of each bit of fabric—the hem of a christening gown, a snippet from a Halloween costume—Linda discovers that the memories of a shared journey can come together in a way that will keep them both warm in the years to come….


Richelle Mead Dark Swan Bundle: Iron Crowned, Storm Born & Thorn Queen ($9.99), by Richelle Mead, is a great price on a bundle from an author I read (sadly, I already had 2 of the three when Iron Crowned was released, so paid a lot more for them). At Kobo, it's $9.29 before the coupon.

Book Description
Iron Crowned
New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead takes readers back to the Otherworld, an embattled realm mystically entwined with our world--and ruled by one woman's dangerous choice…

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land's queen, she's fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear…

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown's ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation--one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril…

Storm Born
Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants…

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy--one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her…

Thorn Queen
Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she's also become queen of the Thorn Land. It's hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one--except Eugenie--seems willing to find out why.

Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren't making things any easier. Her boyfriend Kiyo is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty--even if it means facing the darkest--and deadliest--side of her nature…


DemonSlayer Bundle: Starfire, Demonfire, Hellfire ($9.99), by Kate Douglas, looks to be only at Amazon (I could not find it at Kobo).

Book Description
Starfire
Conquered, the Demon King has been banished to Abyss--but he is far from dead. A greater danger awaits Ginny Jones and the Demonslayers in this spellbinding, highly sensual paranormal romance. . .

The women of Lemuria are still in chains. The daughter of an enslaved warrior, brutally attacked by a vicious guard, Selyn has survived--barely. Beaten and terrified, she must overcome her fear and trust her life to the only man who can help her: Dawson Buck, one from Earth who has crossed through the portal, a gifted healer. His skills and knowledge renew her body and strengthen her spirit--and awaken a compelling passion she has never known. But she cannot yield...

Selyn seeks revenge for herself and her mother and all the Forgotten Ones who toil in secret. If Dawson helps her, his own life may be forfeit. And for Selyn, true love does not ask such sacrifices. . .

Since time began, the Earth has served as a balance between the world of darkness that is the Abyss, and the paradise known as Eden. Now the battle between good and evil has reached a tipping point, and survival depends on one fallen demon--and the woman he can't resist. . .

Demonfire
As night falls in Abyss, an evil beyond measure awakens in secret--an evil that the Demonslayers must vanquish in Kate Douglas's sensational new paranormal romance. . .

Dark Flames
A new, more dangerous vortex has opened in the besieged Earth and the innocent souls of animals are being invaded by the malevolent strength of a powerful demon. For Ginny Jones, there can be no greater wrong--and to make it right, she joins forces with the Lemurian, Alton, a hard-bodied hero not of her world. Under a black moon, pitched battles for the survival of all that is good will be fought once more. The heat of their sensual passion emboldens the two warriors. . .but such passion may well betray them. . .

Yet Alton is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice--life itself--for the human woman he loves. But time is fast running out. . .and time, like fire, devours all. . .


The Dragon's Path ($9.99), by Daniel Abraham, is actually a double volume, containing a pre-release version of Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey. No coupons on this one, but you can get this special edition at Kobo.

Book Description
All paths lead to war...

Marcus' hero days are behind him. He knows too well that even the smallest war still means somebody's death. When his men are impressed into a doomed army, staying out of a battle he wants no part of requires some unorthodox steps.

Cithrin is an orphan, ward of a banking house. Her job is to smuggle a nation's wealth across a war zone, hiding the gold from both sides. She knows the secret life of commerce like a second language, but the strategies of trade will not defend her from swords.

Geder, sole scion of a noble house, has more interest in philosophy than in swordplay. A poor excuse for a soldier, he is a pawn in these games. No one can predict what he will become.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. A spat between the Free Cities and the Severed Throne is spiraling out of control. A new player rises from the depths of history, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon's Path-the path to war.


If you prefer to wait until Leviathan Wakes ($9.99), by James S.A. Corey, is released, you won't miss out on the bundle deal (provided you pre-order while this edition is up), as it contains a full copy of The Dragon's Path ($9.99), by Daniel Abraham. Either way, whether you buy it now so you can get started or delay to make sure any last typos are fixed in the second, you get two hot new titles, one fantasy and one SciFi (and sort of by the same author, as James S.A. Corey is a pseudonym for a team that includes Daniel Abraham). Since it's a pre-order, there is no sign of it at Kobo, yet.

Book Description
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.


Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses, a Memoir ($1.99), by Paula McLain

Book Description
The first book by the author of the New York Times bestseller The Paris Wife is a powerful and haunting memoir of the years she and her two sisters spent as foster children. In the early 70s, after being abandoned by both parents, the girls were made wards of the Fresno County, California court and spent the next 14 years-in a series of adoptive homes. The dislocations, confusions, and odd pleasures of an unrooted life form the basis of one of the most compelling memoirs in recent years--a book the tradition of Jo Ann Beard's Boys of My Youth and Mary Karr'sThe Liar's Club.

McLain's beautiful writing and limber voice capture the intense loneliness, sadness, and determination of a young girl both on her own and responsible, with her siblings, for staying together as a family.


Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the making of an Antihero ($2.99), by Jeff Pearlman

Book Description
No player in the history of baseball has left such an indelible mark on the game as San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds. In his twenty-year career, Bonds has amassed an unprecedented seven MVP awards, eight Gold Gloves, and more than seven hundred home runs, an impressive assortment of feats that has earned him consideration as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Equally deserved, however, is his reputation as an insufferable braggart, whose mythical home runs are rivaled only by his legendary ego. From his staggering ability and fabled pedigree (father Bobby played outfield for the Giants; cousin Reggie Jackson and godfather Willie Mays are both Hall of Famers) to his well-documented run-ins with teammates and the persistent allegations of steroid use, Bonds inspires a like amount of passion from both sides of the fence. For many, Bonds belongs beside Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in baseball's holy trinity; for others, he embodies all that is wrong with the modern athlete: aloof; arrogant; alienated.

In Love Me, Hate Me, author Jeff Pearlman offers a searing and insightful look into one of the most divisive athletes of our time. Drawing on more than five hundred interviews -- with former and current teammates, opponents, managers, trainers, friends, and outspoken critics and unapologetic supporters alike -- Pearlman reveals, for the first time, a wonderfully nuanced portrait of a prodigiously talented and immensely flawed American icon whose controversial run at baseball immortality forever changed the way we look at our sports heroes.


I paid full price for The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life ($2.39), by Lorie Marrero, when it first came out. Since then, it was updated (the original topaz format was awful, but it was fixed with an in-place update), with better tables and a live TOC. This is the lowest I've seen it available and it's an even better deal at Kobo, as you get that $2.39 price before coupon (use the $1 off on this one).

Book Description
Applying just an ounce of the advice in this practical guide saves you enough time and money to pay for itself. You will learn:

  • The actual scientific law of nature that helps you get organized
  • The cure for procrastination
  • Ten types of “High Calorie Clutter” to avoid
  • Where to start and how to tackle your projects
  • How to successfully add new habits into your life
Certified Professional Organizer® Lorie Marrero is the creator of ClutterDiet.com, an innovative program allowing anyone to get expert help at an affordable price. Her organizing products are sold online and in stores nationwide. Lorie is the national spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, and she is a sought-after expert for national media such as CNBC, Family Circle, WGN News and Woman’s Day.

Free Book - Three Days In New York City

Three Days In New York City ($6.00), by Robin Slick, the first in her Sins in the City series, is today's free book at AllRomance.

Book Description
What happens when a frustrated American artist-turned-soccer-mom and her overconfident and charming British cyber-lover plan a three-day tryst of erotic depravity at a hotel in New York City?

Elizabeth and Richard are about to find out.

Elizabeth is about to turn forty years old, facing empty nest syndrome, and wistful about roads not taken. Unhappy in both her marriage and her career, she mourns abandoning her dream of being an artist. She feels like an outsider in her sports-obsessed family and a misfit at work in the corporate world. She's hoping Richard, a refined, British upper class gentleman with unusual sexual preferences, will be her Knight-in-Shining-Armor and rescue her from her unfulfilling life. What ensues is a hilariously poignant sexual romp through the Big Apple.

This book is the first of two stories about Elizabeth and her quest for a knight in shining armor.


Click HERE for the free book. It may show full price until you click on Buy Now or Add to Cart; once you start to checkout, you will see a 100% discount and your total will be zero (if it isn't, stop and try again from their home page, as you need to see the discount to get it free). Available (DRM-free) formats are: Adobe Acrobat, Palm DOC/iSolo, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket (.prc), Rocket, Hiebook, Epub.

Free Audiobook - The Hiding Place

Christianaudio is giving away an unabridged audiobook download of The Hiding Place ($6.87 Kindle), by Corrie ten Boom with John & Elizabeth Sherrill, narrated by Bernadette Dunne, for free during the month of April. You'll find two more of Corrie ten Boom's audiobooks, marked down to $4.98 each, on the download page, as well.

Book Description
“I pray that God forgive them...”

Corrie Ten Boom stood naked with her older sister Betsie, watching a concentration camp matron beating a prisoner. “Oh, the poor woman,” Corrie cried. “Yes. May God forgive her,” Betsie replied. And, once again, Corrie realized that it was for the souls of the brutal Nazi guards that her sister prayed.

Both woman had been sent to the camp for helping the Jews. Christ’s Spirit and words were their guide; it was His persecuted people they tried to save—at the risk of their own lives; it was His strength that sustained them through times of profound horror.

Here is a book aglow with the glory of God and the courage of a quiet Christian spinster whose life was transformed by it. A story of Christ’s message and the courage woman who listened and lived to pass it along—with joy and triumph!


Get your free audio download HERE and scroll down the page for the discounted titles. The checkout process is very streamlined (a coupon code is no longer required), as isthe download process (no longer do you have to download each part of the book separately). You can also send a gift download of the free audiobook to someone else!

After you finishing your order, you download a zip file with the entire audiobook - select MP3 if you want to be able to play the book on your Kindle. Unzip the contents to the \audiobooks directory on your Kindle (not \music) in order to have audiobook controls and see it on your Kindle home page.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Free Book (nook) - The Shepherd

The Shepherd ($3.19 Kindle), by Ethan Cross, is currently free to download from B&N.

Book Description
Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. both have a talent for hurting people. Marcus, a former New York City homicide detective, uses his abilities to protect others, while Ackerman uses his gifts to inflict pain and suffering. When both men become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of our government, Marcus finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse trapped between a twisted psychopath and a vigilante with seemingly unlimited resources. Aided by a rogue FBI agent and the vigilante's beautiful daughter -a woman with whom he's quickly falling in love- Marcus must expose the deadly political conspiracy and confront his past while hunting down one of the most cunning and ruthless killers in the world.

Click HERE for the free book from B&N.

Free Books (EPUB) - WWW Trilogy (Canada)

This weekend only, Canadians can get a free copy of both WWW: Wake ($7.99 Kindle) and WWW: Watch ($7.99 Kindle), by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Robert J Sawyer, as a single title, WebMind, courtesy of Penguin CA and Microsoft.

WWW:Wake
Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math, and blind. When she receives an implant to restore her sight, instead of seeing reality she perceives the landscape of the World Wide Web-where she makes contact with a mysterious consciousness existing only in cyberspace.

WWW:Watch
Webmind is an emerging consciousness that has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH-the secret government agency that monitors the Internet for any threat to the United States-and they're fully aware of Caitlin's involvement in its awakening.

WATCH is convinced that Webmind represents a risk to national security and wants it purged from cyberspace. But Caitlin believes in Webmind's capacity for compassion-and she will do anything and everything necessary to protect her friend.


If you get the first two free, you'll probably want to consider picking up the latest title, WWW: Wonder ($12.99 Kindle, Kobo), since even with the new-release Agency pricing, it works out to $4.33 per title in the Trilogy. Canadians may get a better deal yet on this one, as well, since the Agency pricing deal doesn't hold there and they can use Kobo coupons, such as apr8us20 or apr8ca20 for 20% off (expires 4/10).

Book Description
Webmind-the vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged from the infrastructure of the World Wide Web-has proven its worth to humanity by aiding in everything from curing cancer to easing international tensions. But the brass at the Pentagon see Webmind as a threat that needs to be eliminated.

Caitlin Decter-the once-blind sixteen-year-old math genius who discovered, and bonded with, Webmind-wants desperately to protect her friend. And if she doesn't act, everything-Webmind included-may come crashing down.


Details on getting Webmind for free:
  • First, install Internet Explorer 9 (the deals page will check your User Agent String from your browser to make sure you are running IE 9).
  • Next, click HERE and sign up for the free book (you'll need your name, email address and Canadian postal code)
  • After you click Submit, you'll see another page, with "Click to Download" in the middle (more or less) - click that and you'll download the .ACSM file, which, when opened with Adobe Digital Editions, will download the book.
If you can't take advantage of this offer, you can still read the special introduction from the author, HERE. Everyone can also visit the special web page created for WWW: Wonder, HERE.

Free Book - A Time Before Me

A Time Before Me ($3.99 Kindle), by Michael Holloway Perronne, is free, this weekend only, from Rainbow Books.

Book Description
In this poignant coming-of-age novel, a gay teen struggles to find his identity in the contrasting worlds of rural Mississippi and the big city of New Orleans.

Growing up in a small Mississippi town in the early 1990s, shy and inexperienced Mason spends much of his time with his best friend and secret childhood crush, the charming and daring Billy. When a six-pack of beer leads to a passionate encounter between the two teenagers, Mason believes his dreams may have finally come true. Billy’s apparent disregard for the incident, however, leaves Mason feeling confused and betrayed.

When Billy slips off to glamorous New York City immediately after high school graduation, Mason fears he’s doomed to spend another humid Mississippi summer scooping ice cream. But Mason’s life changes dramatically when vivacious Aunt Savannah invites him to live with her in New Orleans and work in the box office of her drag queen cabaret. It’s there—in the decadent and liberating French Quarter—that Mason begins to fall for Joey, a strikingly handsome and sweet nineteen-year-old, who may just be ready to open his heart to someone new.

A surprise visit from Billy hints that he may be ready to return Mason’s feelings, and Mason faces a difficult choice. With the help of his spirited aunt and a sassy drag queen, Miss Althea, Mason learns that sometimes it’s best to roll life’s dice and take a chance.


Click HERE for the free book from Rainbow. Available DRM-free formats: PDF, EPUB.

Free Books (noDRM) - Savoy Valley Trilogy

The entire Savoy Valley trilogy, by Aliyah Burke and Taige Crenshaw, is free at All Romance Books. I don't see any of these in the Amazon store. These are DRM-free and multiple formats are available, so are easily transferred to any of the ereaders out there.

Magnetism
When death comes calling and you live, you can withstand anything life throws in your path. Even the most tempting man imaginable, who will change the very foundation of all you believe.

Despite being told she imagined it, Kira Winters knows what she saw that dark night her life changed. Beings that should be myths. The same creatures that took her newly found brother and almost her life. One thing kept her alive – the need for vengeance. When a man comes to her confirming all she saw, and surprising her with a revelation that rocks her world, Kira does not know what to believe. It doesn't matter that her body cries out to be taken by this man, who seems to be the very thing that she despises most. There is no way she can give in to the call of her most basic need and forget what she needs to do--find those who tried to kill her and make them pay.

Heller Sidorov knows that getting emotionally involved with Kira Winters is the worst thing he could possibly do. Being able to resist her is another thing entirely. In his line of work, involvement can get you killed, or be used as a weapon to control you. Kira may claim to hate him, but her scent tells a different story. Her eyes give away the need she feels despite all her denials. They should not mix business with pleasure. Usually, he is able to resist the temptation. But one taste of Kira led to too many to count, and then a whole heap of trouble. If he could avoid her, he might be able to keep from ripping her clothes off and taking her every way possible. But he does not have that option. They both agree on terms to fulfill their animal attraction--terms that clearly state, while they search for those who tried to kill her, they will fulfill all their fantasies, erotic and otherwise. Once they complete what they must do, they will walk away from each other.

Yet, even as he agrees, Heller knows that, for his kind, there is no walking away. There’s no escape from the Magnetism that binds them.


Sentinel
A shifter and a woman with untapped powers, can they discover the magnitude of her potential before it’s too late?

Aren Van der Ness has been away from Savoy Valley for a few years, but returned at the request of a friend. A man used to being alone, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to the woman he was asked to investigate, Nahia Freeman. From their first meeting, he knows that this woman possesses incredible powers. Can he help her learn to harness them while dealing with his fierce attraction to her?

Nahia Freeman is visiting Savoy Valley, finally finding solitude and escape from the strange dreams that have haunted her and the men who seemed to follow her. All that changes when she meets the tall, golden-brown eyed Aren. The emotions he evokes in her are like nothing she’s ever experienced before, and they send her reeling. Anytime she’s near him, she feels different, as if she’s losing control of something. After deciding to keep her distance from him and his pull on her, Nahia finds that he is apparently the only one who can help her. So, swallowing back her desire for him, she puts her future in his hands.

With the clock ticking down and unsure of what they are up against, will Aren be able to keep her safe by being her guardian? Or will the guardian prove to be the one in need of protection? What will happen because of destiny, or the prophecy that is so much more than either realizes? Can all they know be saved by the Sentinel?


Kismet
A woman in hiding and a hunter…what happens when they encounter one another?

Adamek “Dak” Nervig has arrived in Savoy Valley to visit an old friend. A lone hunter of things foul and evil, Dak is unwittingly drawn in by a quiet woman who needs protection. The beast normally quiet within him roars to life upon their first meeting, and he begins to wonder if the hunter has just become the hunted.

Kaida Miah Ayre is scared. Chased by ater malum, soul-eaters, the creatures who had murdered her mother, she has come, however reluctantly, to Savoy Valley and accepted the protection offered. Yet when she meets a man whose aura is very intense, and who makes her feel things she never believed she could experience, Kaida wonders if it’s just another ploy to get close to her and hurt her. She must come to terms with who and what she truly is.

Despite the suspicion and tension between them, passion erupts. They must learn to trust one another, and to trust in the powers they both possess, in order to defeat something much worse than they could have imagined. Ice, wind, and even fire… when the smoke clears, they will see it was inevitable for them to be together. It’s Kismet.

Free Book - True Mates

True Mates ($12.99 paperback), by Zena Wynn, the first in her Mates series, is today's free book at AllRomance (I don't see this one for the Kindle, even though the rest of the trilogy is listed there: Carol's Mate and Nikolai's Wolf). This one does contain a content warning.


Book Description
Kiesha Morgan is a plus-sized, bi-racial business woman who lives life on her own terms. Her life is all about control...her control. She owns her own business, her own condo, and conducts her relationships the same way she runs her business -- by her rules. Any man that doesn't like it is welcome to leave.

Alex Wolfe is the town of Refuge's only veterinarian. He's also a shape-shifter, and the Alpha of the Raven Pack. He's been waiting for the woman who can complete him, his one True Mate. Even though the odds of finding her are slim, he refuses to settle for second best. Once he finds her, he'll never let her go.

Their worlds collide when Kiesha is snatched out of her nice, safe world and mysteriously teleported to a clearing in the woods outside of Refuge. She's out of her element and things are out of her control.

Life just got a little bit more interesting.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Dubious consent.


Click HERE for the free book. It may show full price until you click on Buy Now or Add to Cart; once you start to checkout, you will see a 100% discount and your total will be zero (if it isn't, stop and try again from their home page, as you need to see the discount to get it free). Available (DRM-free) formats are: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket (.prc), Epub.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Free Book - The Perfect Creation

The Perfect Creation ($0.99 Kindle), by Marie Harte, the first in her Creations series, is today's free book at AllRomance (and currently discounted, from the $4.90 the rest of the series is going for, at Amazon).

Book Description
Science can create many things, but only a troublemaking Mardu can introduce Erin to the wonders of love.

Rafe of Mardu has a problem. He's sent to baby-sit his troublesome older brother, and in the process finds himself kidnapped by a woman too perfect to be real, with the strength of an inhumanly powerful being. To make matters worse, he's mistaken for his old alter-ego, Cheltam—a criminal mastermind who actually serves as a cover for Rafe's real work as a lawman.

But Erin, his kidnapper, needs his help, and Rafe is unable to deny the protective instincts, as well as the lust, he feels in her presence. He agrees to help her, posing as Cheltam. And they seal the deal with more than a kiss, in an act that changes Rafe's world forever. When he learns that this special woman is a Creation, an 'abomination' in the eyes of the System and one that is to be terminated on sight, Rafe doesn't just bend the rules, he breaks them. Together, he and Erin will take on the laboratory that created her.

The odds are against them, but if they're successful, Rafe plans on a future with the woman he considers his mate...if only he can convince her that his love is real.


Click HERE for the free book. It may show full price until you click on Buy Now or Add to Cart; once you start to checkout, you will see a 100% discount and your total will be zero (if it isn't, stop and try again from their home page, as you need to see the discount to get it free). Available (DRM-free) formats are: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket (.prc), Epub.