Free and Bargain Book Roundup

Books with additional free formats available:

• Display of Power (Kindle/nook)
• The Charmer (Kindle/EPUB)
• Divine (Kindle/EPUB/nook)

These three are 39 cents each at Kobo, using coupon code KoboSpring1.

• Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided , By W Hunter Lesser
• History Buff's Guide to the Civil War: The best, the worst, the largest, and the most lethal top ten rankings of the Civil War, By Thomas R. Flagel
• Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War,By David Herbert Donald (online read or Kobo device only, for now, no epub)

In the Shadow of Gotham ($2.99), by Stefanie Pintoff, is the lead-off title of her Simon Ziele series, the third of which, Secret of the White Rose, is now available as a pre-order. This title won the inaugural Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel competition and the prestigious Edgar Award for Best First Crime Novel.

Book Description
Dobson, New York, 1905.

Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster—a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured.

But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he’s faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon’s contacted by Columbia University’s noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley—that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley’s deranged mutterings.

But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?

This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair—before the killer strikes again.

Matters of Mortology ($2.99 Kindle), by T.M. Camp, is free from the author as a DRM-free PDF or audiobook, here.

Book Description
Alone in a crumbling manor, an aging undertaker recounts a horrifying episode from the early days of his career. When an unspeakable monster trespasses the border between life and death, the undertaker finds himself in a struggle to save the village he has sworn to serve — even if it means sacrificing his own family and faith in the process.

Hungry as the Sea ($2.99) is one of NYT Bestselling author Wilbur Smith's earlier novels (1978); it's not part of a series, but gives you a good introduction to the author, whose latest is coming out in May: Those in Peril, which returns back to the sea as a setting.

Book Description
Wilbur Smith sets his vividly realistic novels on the razor's edge between human courage and nature's wrath. In Hungry As The Sea, this master storyteller takes us to the frigid South Atlantic, where one man fights for his life-- and for redemption.

Nicholas Berg is steaming out of Cape Town aboard the salvage tug Warlock. Once Berg ruled an ocean-going empire. Now, his future has come down to a powerful boat and a daring rescue mission. One of his former ships is being lashed against the cliffs of Cape Alarm, surrounded by deadly icebergs and survivors clinging to their boats. Berg has gambled everything on reaching the Golden Adventurer before a competitor and a violent storm-- to win a fortune in salvage fees. But if Nick Berg succeeds, and climbs back into the international shipping game, that's when the real danger will begin...

From the power of a relentless ocean to the hunger of men to survive upon her, this is a towering novel of adventure, love and the daring of the human soul.

Water for Elephants ($4.17), by Sara Gruen

Book Description
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

The Sight and Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies, are $3.89 apiece. So far, this are the only two backlist titles this author has out on Kindle, but I like his pricing.

Fire Bringer
A hugely lauded fantasy epic, set in 13th Century Scotland, filled with unforgetable animal characters, Fire Bringer is a classic in the genre, a book both for young adults and adult readers, and the first time it comes to ebook. With new author afterword.

The Sight (book 1 of the Sight series)
In the wilds of Transylvania a legend is about to be born, as a wolf pack race through the bitter snows, to find a birthing den for two cubs, one black, one white. In the birth of Fell, and his sister Larka, a race is on to defeat the wicked Morgra, and to come to terms with the extraordinary powers of The Sight. A book both for adults and children, with powerful and complex themes, new author afterword and introduction to Phoenix Ark Press.

Getting Rid of Matthew ($2.65), by Jane Fallon, is once again bargain priced (don't press your luck waiting for it to hit $2.04 again, though).

Book Description
Virginia desperately wants to get away from her "preposterously protective parents," but when an unusual confluence of events sends her whole town sailing away leaving her behind, she finds herself beginning to shrink.

Summer Secrets ($0.99), by USA Today bestselling author Barbara Freethy, is just one of the backlist titles from this author that is bargain priced on Kindle. The under a buck pricing on this one, though, is for a limited time only, so don't delay too long reading the sample.

Book Description
Fans of Nora Roberts, Luanne Rice and Kristin Hannah will enjoy this book filled with romance, mystery and adventure.

Bestselling author Barbara Freethy presents a powerful contemporary novel -- the story of three unique sisters ... the secrets that bind them for life ... and the summer that will set them free.

Eight years ago, the three McKenna sisters -- Kate, Ashley, and Caroline -- had their fifteen minutes of fame. Driven by their ambitious father, they won an around-the-world sailing race as teenagers. But something happened out on the turbulent sea during a fierce storm they could never forget ...

Now Tyler Jamison has come to Castleton, a picturesque island off the coast of Washington State, asking questions about the famous McKennas. But even as the sisters close ranks against the tenacious repoter, the past threatens to drown them in its wake. It will take Caroline's willingness to right a wrong, Ashley's struggle to face her greatest fears, and Kate's attempt to embrace life -- and love -- again to finally calm the winds and stop the rain.

Ryan's Return ($0.99), by Barbara Freethy; same author and same limited time pricing.

Book Description
A HEART IS CALLED HOME...

Famous photojournalist Ryan Hunter has come back to a family torn apart by mistrust and resentment -- to the father who disowned him, to the brother who betrayed him, to the little boy who shares his features. Ryan, the charismatic "bad boy" son, has returned -- stirring up past conflicts like a whirlwind...and throwing Kara Delaney's fragile, passionate heart into turmoil.

...AND LOVE IS WAITING.

Kara has struggled back from a disastrous marriage to build a new life for herself and her little girl -- a peaceful existence now jeopardized by vicious, small town politics, by her daughter's fanciful ghost stories...and by Ryan's return. Now nature's impending fury threatens to expose long-buried secrets. And Kara must join with the enigmatic, misunderstood Ryan -- to discover the truth that will save their families.... and to explore a dangerous, irresistible love as mighty and enduring as the onrushing river.

Judgment ($0.99), by Lee Goldberg, was originally published as the first book in the ".357 Vigilante" series, under the pen name Ian Ludlow; it's been re-written and the series name is now The Jury.

Book Description
This is AN ALL-NEW EDITION, completely revised and reformatted for 2011... and only 99 cents for a limited time!

JUDGMENT is the classic action/adventure novel that was a runaway paperback sensation in the 1980s...and that skyrocked the career of Lee Goldberg, best-selling author of THE WALK, the MR. MONK novels, and THE DEAD MAN...

This is the ultimate JUDGMENT...as it was originally meant to be.

Brett Macklin was a freewheeling son of sunny California, a collector of vintage cars and a connoisseur of beautiful women. But when his father is murdered by a street gang, Macklin becomes something else--a deadly weapon against crime, a relentless vigilante who won't stop until he's wiped out the killers who have turned Los Angeles into a war zone.

Face of Evil ($0.99), is the first book in the new series, The Dead Man, by William Rabkin and Lee Goldberg, just released this past February. Like the one above, I don't expect the pricing to last, so grab this one while you can.

Book Description
From Lee Goldberg... bestselling author of THE WALK and the MONK novels...and William Rabkin, author of the wildly successful PSYCH books... comes the first in an exciting new series of original short novels that blends the horror of Stephen King's THE GUNSLINGER with the action/adventure of Don Pendleton's MACK BOLAN: THE EXECUTIONER...

Matthew Cahill is an ordinary man leading a simple life...until a shocking accident changes everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld of unspeakable evil and horrific violence that nobody else does...

For Cahill, each day is a journey into a dark world he knows nothing about...a quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become...and a fight to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil.

This book includes a bonus excerpts of THE WALK by Lee Goldberg and DESERT PLACES by Blake Crouch.

And coming soon...more all-new adventures in THE DEAD MAN saga by some of the most talented and successful mystery, western, horror and sci-fi authors out there today.

Today Only - Kindle DX $299

Today only, save $80 off the price of a Kindle DX. Normally $379. they are $299 today as the Goldbox deal of the day.

Free Book - Escaped

Escaped ($5.38 Kindle), by Trinity Blacio, the first in her Running in Fear series, is today's free book at AllRomance.

Book Description
Jaycee Manz has been on the run since her sixteenth birthday. After growing up fast and depending on no one, how is she supposed to handle three male werewolves who claim to be her mates? Can she learn to trust them or will she continue to run?

Dane Glassgo, alpha of his clan and a special ops commander, specializes in tracking. He's waited for the past two years to claim his mate. Nothing or no one will stop him from claiming Jaycee, not even her fear...

Pierre LeBlathe, brother to Remi and bonded mate to Dane Glassgo, knows his time is limited with Jaycee. But he is bound and determined to stop anyone from hurting her...

Mark Glassgo shares alpha duties with his elder brother, but when Dane finds his mate, Jaycee, he is shocked to learn she is also his mate. What he didn't count on was that he was also mate to Remi LeBlathe...

Alpha Remi LeBlathe, one of the most powerful weres in the country, has always protected what is his. When Jaycee comes into his life, mayhem erupts around them, but Remi is used to mayhem and uses it to his benefit. In seeking those who would harm his mate, Remi must learn how to listen to Jaycee's needs and desires...

Together, all four try to find peace, and the most powerful alphas in the U.S., Remi, Dane and Mark , declare war on anyone who stands in their way of claiming their runaway mate. But can the independent Jaycee be claimed?

In this sizzling werewolf menage story, love, lust and power take center stage in the struggle for ultimate survival.

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: Mobipocket (.prc), Epub, Adobe Acrobat.

Free Book - The Cross Of Love

The Cross Of Love ($6.99 Kindle), by Barbara Cartland, the first in her Pink Collection series, is today's free book at AllRomance.

Book Description
When Rena's father dies she is alone in the world, forced out of the vicarage that has been her home, with nowhere to go and no money. She seeks help at the large wooden cross standing in the nearby grounds of The Grange.

And there in the earth she finds three golden coins, which she hands over to the new young Earl of Lansdale. They form a friendship, the sweetest one of her life.

But her new happiness is threatened by Mr. Wyngate, a wealthy man determined to force the Earl to marry his daughter. There is something sinister about Mr. Wyngate, also another man who looks mysteriously like him, and seems to come and go without warning.

In the end, one man lies dead and another's heart is broken before Rena's faith and courage triumph.

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, Mobipocket (.prc), Epub.

Free Book (PDF) - Assam & Darjeeling

Assam & Darjeeling ($9.99 Kindle), by T.M. Camp, is available free direct from the author in either PDF format or as an audiobook.

Book Description
When their mother is lost in a terrible car crash, two children set out to bring her back from the Underworld — a nightmare place populated by remnants from old mythologies, defunct pantheons, and forgotten folklore. Along the way, the children discover that they cannot rescue their mother without rescuing themselves first.

Sometimes frightening, sometimes funny, and often heartbreaking, "Assam & Darjeeling" tells the story of a brother and sister who have to go through hell together in order to learn the true meaning of family.

Click HERE go to get the free book and/or audiobook.

Free and Bargain Book Roundup

More miscellaneous bargains and a few free book updates/reminders, including at least one that is free from Kobo using coupon code KoboSpring1. Since yesterday was the anniversary of the first battle in the Civil War, there are a number of books discounted that have a Civil War theme or are history texts; I've included a few more at the end of the post.

These are all either pre-orders that are now available to download (and still free) or books that are newly free from one or more of the linked stores.

• Shattered: A Daughter's Regret, by Melody Carlson ( ChristianBook)
• 13 Little Blue Envelopes Free with Bonus Material, by Maureen Johnson (B&N, Sony)
• Delivered with Love, by Sherry Kyle (B&N)
• The Abandoned, by Amanda Stevens ( Kobo)
• Wings Free with Bonus Material (B&N, Borders, Kobo, Sony)
• The Velocity Manifesto: Harnessing Technology, Vision, and Culture to Future-Proof your Organization, by Scott Klososky (Kobo)

A few of the $1.99 special edition pre-orders have shown up, so are now available for sampling and in other stores:

• Rogue Forces with Bonus Material ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Dale Brown
• The Bronze Horseman with Bonus Material ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Paullina Simons

The Crossroads Cafe ($8.59 Kindle), by Deborah Smith, was recently free on Kindle and is now free from Borders, with an entirely different cover. This one actually let me order from the Border's page, too, instead of forcing me to use the desktop app.

Book Description
The world's most beautiful movie star is scarred in a firey car accident. Her career over and her self-esteem in shreds, she hides in the magnificent home her grandmother left her in the mountains of North Carolina.But her motherly cousin refuses to let her become a recluse, and a handsome neighbor with painful dilemmas of his own is lured into the mix. Romance, family life, drama, humor and secrets.

Prostate Cancer Survivors Speak Their Minds: Advice on Options, Treatments, and Aftereffect ($0.99 Kindle), by Norman Morris and Arthur L. Burnett, has a digital and print list price of $16.95.

Book Description
Personal stories show men how to make the right decisions for themselves, with medical insights from a leading Johns Hopkins authority on prostate cancer

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you want to know the facts about treatment options as well as what to expect through the process of treatment and recovery.

Written by Dr. Arthur L. Burnett, II. one of the world's most distinguished authorities on prostate cancer and veteran CBS News journalist and prostate cancer survivor, Norman Morris, Prostate Cancer Survivors Speak Their Minds gives you the information you need through the experiences of men who have had prostate cancer. Dr. Burnett speaks openly and honestly about prostate cancer options, treatments, and aftereffects and shares stories of both well-known and ordinary prostate cancer survivors who offer their personal reflections on going through treatment and getting well.

• Includes personal stories from notable prostate cancer survivors such as Arnold Palmer, Ken Griffey Sr., Pat Robertson, and others
• Takes an authoritative look at prostate cancer treatments, current and promising scientific breakthroughs, and life-altering side effects
• Author Arthur Burnett, a leading prostate cancer expert, is the Patrick C. Walsh Professor of Urology, Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the Johns Hopkins's James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and is renowned for his research studies that led to the formulation of Viagra
• Offers solutions to common side effects such as sexual problems and incontinence

Combining the essential medical facts about prostate cancer with personal, intimate stories told by courageous men who have survived it, this book is an invaluable guide for men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those who care about them.

The Bitch-Proof Suit ($0.99 Kindle), by De-ann Black, is a romantic comedy from an Irish writer.

Book Description
When Blue (Bluebell) Byrne is up against the odds in the world of New York fashion marketing, she needs the ultimate in accessories - a bitch-proof suit. Her marketing experience has helped her create the perfect suit. She had it made by bespoke tailors, cut with twice the precision at half the price. No labels, no trends, just sheer cutting edge class.

The story starts in Manhattan. Blue is about to put her suit to the ultimate test when she vies against a boardroom full of conniving business rivals to win the top job assignment - to work in the company’s office in Dublin, Ireland, and settle a few scores at the same time.

The suit, her negotiating skills and gutsy determination helps Blue win the job. Within hours she sets off for Dublin. It’s the one place she swore she’d never go back to. Six years ago she’d left that city behind, along with Morgan Daire, the man who broke her heart, sure she’d never return. It had almost destroyed her once, but hell...she loves a challenge!

She’ll be working with the unspeakably glamorous and influential Verde Valmont, and Verde’s Irish assistant Emer. Blue will also be facing up to the formidable Dubliner, Morgan Daire, the man whose past is inexorably linked with hers. Then there’s her friend, Dublin designer, Murphy, an incorrigible rogue whose flirting causes jealousy and all sorts of trouble. She also encounters the sexy and handsome Sears Pearson, a New York coolhunter, who takes an interest in her. With Morgan and Sears vying for her attention, and Murphy causing misunderstandings, her love life is anything but smooth.

This is a sparkling new novel, brimming with romance, humor, friendship, rivalry, Irish cocktails and scandalous behavior.

Note: The Bitch-Proof Suit did actually exist. The author, De-ann Black, designed and wore it several years ago when living and working in Dublin, and it served its purpose brilliantly.

The Fate of Katherine Carr ($3.85 Kindle), by Thomas H. Cook, is about $10 from other outlets

Book Description
George Gates used to be a travel writer who specialized in places where people disappeared—Judge Crater, the Lost Colony.Then his eight-year-old son was murdered, the killer never found, and Gates gave up disappearance. Now he writes stories of redemptive triviality about flower festivals and local celebrities for the town paper, and spends his evenings haunted by the image of his son’s last day.

Enter Arlo MacBride, a retired missing-persons detective still obsessed with the unsolved case of Katherine Carr. When he gives Gates the story she left behind—a story of a man stalking a woman named Katherine Carr—Gates too is drawn inexorably into a search for the missing author’s brief life and uncertain fate. And as he goes deeper, he begins to suspect that her tale holds the key not only to her fate, but to his own.

The Bookie's Runner ($2.99 Kindle), by Brendan Gisby, is relatively short, so I'd pick it up at Kobo, where it is 99 cents and the coupon code makes it free. While you are there, pick up The Island of Whispers for free (it's $5.99 at Amazon)

Book Description
Bob Dylan wrote the classic song 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' and thereby unforgettably marked the passing of an otherwise insignificant character in the movie 'Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'.

Brendan Gisby has written this utterly beautiful novella to honour the short life of his father, a man of seemingly as little significance.

The story is narrated with haunting subtlety, rhythm and depth of feeling by his teenage son as he takes a bus ride back to school for the first day of a new term where he will have to announce his father's sudden death and deal with the resultant reactions without bursting into tears.

He also has to come to terms with the fact that, on reflection, there is a huge amount he doesn't know about his father and that all he is really left with are snippets of personal memories.

Make no mistake, 'The Bookie's Runner' is a modern masterpiece and, in writing it, Brendan Gisby has not only honoured his father, he has ennobled him.

Jenny Pox ($0.99 Kindle, B&N), by JL Bryan, was recently lowered from $2.99; the next in the series, Tommy Nightmare ($2.99) was released this month.

Book Description
Jenny has a secret: her touch spreads a supernatural plague.

She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love. But there's a problem--he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans.

The Viking in the Wheat Field: A Scientist's Struggle to Preserve the World's Harvest ($2.73), by Susan Dworkin

Book Description
In 1999, a terrifying new form of stem rust--spotted in Uganda and dubbed "UG99"--quickly turned robust golden fields into dark, tangled ruins. For decades plant scientists had bred wheat varieties with rust-resistant genes, but these genes did not work against UG99. Since rust migrates high in the atmosphere, it could spread from country to country, continent to continent. Breeders worried that UG99 would soon reach India and Pakistan, where 50 million small farmers produced 20% of the global wheat supply. If that happened, China, the world's largest wheat producer, might be next, and it would be only a matter of time before it reached American wheat fields.

Breeders everywhere began searching wheat germplasm collections for sources of resistance. The largest collection was at the Center for Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT) in Mexico, developed by the brilliant Danish scientist Bent Skovmand. For three decades, Skovmand amassed, multiplied, and documented thousands of wheat varieties. He served as an advisor on wheat genetic resources to dozens of countries, and hunted for seeds that would contain the genes to protect the harvest from plagues like UG99 and the stresses of global warming.From the mountains of Tibet to the jungles of Mexico, he trekked into fields to consult with farmers. In an era when corporations and governments often jealously guarded breeding information, Skovmand fought to keep his seed bank a center for free, open scientific exchange.

By telling the story of Skovmand's work and that of his colleagues, The Viking in the Wheat Field sheds a welcome light on an agricultural sector--plant genetic resources--on which we are all crucially dependent.

Doggy Divas: Roxy's Rules ($2.27 Kindle), by Lauren Brown, is still over $5 elsewhere.

Book Description
HAS THE DOG WALKERS' STRIKE LANDED YOU IN THE DOGHOUSE? DOES YOUR POOCH NEED A CRASH COURSE IN MANNERS? IS YOUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND'S STYLE SO LAST YEAR? The Doggy Divas are here to save the day!

From head of the pack to lone, lone wolf!

Roxy Davis is in the dog house. Big time. After kissing her BFF's crush over summer break, Roxy finds herself banished to the company of Monroe Middle School misfits Georgia and Kim. And when things can't get any worse, the town dog walkers go on strike.

Dogs are running wild, giving Roxy the bright idea to recruit her fellow outcasts to start their very own dog walking business. Roxy soon learns that pampering pooches will not only earn her points for cleaning up the neighborhood, but will also teach her a thing or two about friendship.

Milkrun ($3.55 Kindle, B&N), by Sarah Mlynowski

Book Description
Must think happy thoughts. Julie Andrews dancing. Cadbury's chocolate Easter eggs. But no amount of positive thinking changes the fact that Jeremy the man of my dreams, the man I would marry, the man who should spend his whole life worshipping me and lavishing me with kisses went to Thailand to find himself.

Obviously I'm not as cute and witty as I thought I was, since while I've been sitting around every weekend, he's been sleeping with half of Thailand. And then he found Someone Else. That someone not being me.

I have been pathetic.

But now I will date. I will become the queen of dating. I will forget all about him.

Single in Boston, that's me. But not for long...!

Six Tor.com Science Fiction & Fantasy Stories from the 2010 Locus Recommended Reading List ($2.99) contains short stories originally published on the Tor.Com website, combined here in one convenient volume. If you'd rather read them on the web, you can find links to all of them, here.

Book Description
Published continuously since 1968, Locus is the monthly trade magazine of the science fiction and fantasy publishing industry. Every February it runs an extensive survey of the original SF and fantasy published in the previous year, and compiles a list of books and stories that its editors and reviewers particularly recommend.

Tor.com is proud that six of our original offerings from 2010 were included among this year's Locus recommendations, and in commemoration of that, here are all six of those stories.

Redcoat, by David Crookes is free in the B&N store (and from Sony), nearly $7 from Kobo and nowhere to be found at Amazon. At Kobo, you can pick up a different title, Someday Soon for free (that's full price in the other stores).

Book Description
1873...A landslide at a diamond mine in Africa leaves a British army major crippled. He holds a young lieutenant responsible and wants him court-martialed. A soldier is killed when the army try to arrest the lieutenant on his wedding day in England. But he escapes and so begins a ruthless worldwide manhunt, throughout the U.S. Canada and Australia until eventually the hunted becomes the hunter.

The Last Confederate Battle ($2.99), by John Cline, appears to normally sell for $8.99 (this is a specially priced edition).

Book Description
The Last Confederate Battle is a fictional tale of how the Civil War affected the lives of three brothers who were raised and who fought for the South in an unconventional war.

Meanwhile, President Lincoln, vexed by war-profiteering and mysterious murders turns to Allan Pinkerton and New York City Chief of Detectives, Frank Stone for answers.

What follows is a path of murder, mayhem, and dirty politics,that brings the main characters together in search of peace and justice that leads up to the last battle of the Civil War which was fought on the red clay soil of the Rio Grande River at Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas. The battle took place in mid-May 1865, more than a month following General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Virginia.

This fictional story details the lives and occurrences that led up to the Last Confederate Battle; a fight that took place several years after the battle at Palmito Ranch.

History of the Civil War, 1861 - 1865 ($0.99), by James Ford Rhodes, is an older book, but is a reasonably short and definitive treatise on the subject (sure, it's 544 pages, but he also wrote a 3 volume set on the subject), that looks at both sides of the conflict.

Book Description
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1918, Rhodess chronicle of the War Between the States both provides the general reader with a clearly written description of the events of four bloody years as well as reveals the self-educated authors belief in the wars cause as the evil of slavery.

Fixin' Things, a novel of women at Gettysburg ($2.99), by Peggy Ullman Bell

Book Description
FIXIN' THINGS is the story of Megan Loren's struggle with past incest between herself and her "trusted" brother-in-law, and her desire to keep it secret from the sister whom she believes loves the perpetrator. The turning point of America's Civil War erupts outside her bedroom window, adding its horrors and triumphs to Megan's already complicated life. Family issues get set aside as two armies clash on her doorstep, only to return in the person of the sister's lascivious husband as soon as the battle winds down.

"In her riveting second novel, Author Peggy Ullman Bell shows us aspects of the Battle of Gettysburg never before seen in fiction." D. Jenkins, PhD.

Lovers and fighters alike will find ample fare to delight their reading palate in this no holds barred tale of womanly passions discoveredand let loose amid the American Civil War at its awesome, gruesome best.

Why They Fought: The Real Reason for the Civil War (Kindle Single) ($2.99), by David Von Drehle

Book Description
History textbooks say that the Civil War began with the shelling of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. What followed is the American epic, written in blue and gray and gore. So how is it that 150 years later, we are still fighting over why the war was fought? Few historical questions stir up as much passionate confusion as that one--even though scholars consider it a settled question. In this ebook, veteran TIME writer, David Von Drehle explores the process of forgetting, denying, and rediscovering the meaning of the Civil War.

Free Book - Landing in Love

Landing in Love ($3.19 Kindle), by Aliyah Burke, the first in her Born to Fly series, is today's free book at AllRomance.

Book Description
Air Force pilot, Major Erich "Daredevil" Stark runs into a woman leaving a club and is immediately attracted to her. He wants to know her better but after a brief and intense interaction she slips away. When they meet again, he longs to start over.

Bliss Esparza has spent her life doing two things. Dancing and raising her younger brother, When she meets the handsome pilot she knows he’s something special.

Erich knows she's the one for him. But one night he finds himself tossed out of her villa after offering to help her brother with a recommendation letter for military school. Will he be able to convince her to give them another chance?

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.

Bargain Book Roundup

A few random bargains I found trolling the bookstores tonight. Kobo still has this coupon code available for non-Agency books: KoboSpring1 ($1 off; unlimited use, expires 4/30).

Diabetes For Dummies ($0.99 Kindle), by Alan L. Rubin MD, is one of three editions in the Kindle store (one is a bit updated, another for the UK; both are $10 or more).

Book Description
Diabetes affects millions of Americans each year, but thanks to medical breakthroughs, many diabetics live long and happy lives. In a sense, a diagnosis of diabetes is both good and bad news, with the bad news being that you’ve been diagnosed, but the good news being that you’ll make some changes in your lifestyle that will not only prevent complications but help you lead a healthier life.

Now in its second edition, Diabetes For Dummies provides the most up-to-date information about the disease, covering everything from new medications to recent studies on ethnic groups and children.

Packed with ways to prevent or reverse the effects of diabetes and Web sites to find out more, as well as exposing myths about the disease, this is the ultimate guide to understanding and managing diabetes. You’ll even find delicious recipes from top chefs that satisfy every palette. Don’t let this disease stop you from enjoying life—survive and thrive with Diabetes For Dummies, Second Edition!

That Sleep of Death ($1.33 Kindle), by Richard King, has too tempting a premise, so I grabbed it up after reading just a couple of pages of the sample.

Book Description
Sam Wiseman runs an independent bookstore near McGill University in the heart of Montreal. His existence is untroubled and his relationships are steady - until the day he stops a shoplifter. Out of this seemingly innocent incident, Sam becomes friends with Gaston Lemieux, a police detective with a great affection for nineteenth-century British novels.

The friendship comes into play when Sam discovers the body of professor Harold Hilliard - a long-time customer of the store - dead in his office at McGill. Sam is implicated in the murder when it is discovered that the victim is clutching a special order form from Sam's store in what clearly is an attempt to reveal the identity of his murderer.

Part police-procedural and part cozy mystery, That Sleep of Death introduces a new sleuth to the Canadian murder-mystery scene - one whose continuing presence will be anticipated and enjoyed for mysteries to come.

The Last Bookstore In America ($2.99 Kindle), by Amy Stewart, is an indy published title NYT bestselling author (Wicked Bugs is releasing May 3), which has an entirely different role for the bookstore.

Book Description
Nothing is what it seems in the offbeat and out-of-the-way town of Eureka, California. Shrouded in fog and hidden behind a curtain of redwoods, this rundown mill town is home to a peculiar cast of characters, a unique homegrown horticultural industry, and one of the last bookstores in America.

No one is more surprised by the unlikely survival of the Firebreathing Dragon than Lewis Hartman, its newest owner. By the time his uncle Sy died and left the bookstore to Lewis, even the most ardent bibliophiles had abandoned printed books in favor of a charming and highly literate digital device called the Gizmo. Bookstores all over the country had closed their doors. But somehow, the Firebreathing Dragon has kept going.

Lewis and his wife Emily find themselves in the unlikely position of owning one of the last bookstores in America. But how has the Firebreathing Dragon managed to survive the death of the book? And if it isn't keeping itself afloat selling books, what is it selling? Reporters, federal agents, and corporate executives out to salvage their own imperiled industries all converge on the bookstore to uncover its secrets. What they discover is a small town that has fallen under the spell of the Firebreathing Dragon's unique offerings.

In her first work of fiction, bestselling author and bookstore owner Amy Stewart takes an offbeat and lighthearted look at small-town life and the future of that marvelous two thousand year-old communication device, the printed book.

Far from Gringo Land ($1.28 Kindle), by Edward Myers, is a title for young adults (or anyone wanting to work on their Spanish a bit, although that isn't necessary to enjoy the story, from what I can tell).

Book Description
Rick Dresner is spending the summer with the Romero family, who live in a barrio in the hills of Santo Domingo, Mexico. He'll help them build a house on their land, and in return, they'll provide room and board and help Rick improve his Spanish. But the construction project turns out to be a lot tougher than Rick had imagined. Language and cultural differences lead to awkwardness and misunderstanding, especially when he falls for a rich American girl from a very different part of town. In this new twist on the classic fish-out-of-water story, it's a middle-class white boy who's out of his element and must change and grow to adapt to his surroundings.

The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret ($2.22 Kindle), by Seth Shulman

Book Description
A gripping intrigue at the heart of one of the world’s most important inventions.
While researching Alexander Graham Bell at MIT’s Dibner Institute, Seth Shulman scrutinized Bell’s journals and within them he found the smoking gun, a hint of deeply buried historical intrigue. Delving further, Shulman unearthed the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition.Bell furtively—and illegally—copied part of Elisha Gray’s invention in the race to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. And afterward, as Bell’s device led to the world’s largest monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, he hid his invention’s illicit beginnings. In The Telephone Gambit, Shulman challenges the reputation of an icon of invention, rocks the foundation of a corporate behemoth, and offers a probing meditation on how little we know about our own history.

The Adventurers ($0.99 B&N), by Harold Robbins, is just one of several titles on sale by this author in both the B&N (11 titles at $2.99) and Kindle stores (6 titles at $2.99).

Book Description
Harold Robbins, a novelist known for steamy passion in his works, stirs up passion of a different kind in The Adventurers, a story of revolution and danger in the sultry jungles of South America. As a young boy, Diogenes Alejandro Xenos, witnesses the murder of his mother and sister by a band of marauders. As "Dax" grows to adulthood, he channels his fear and hatred into a desire for revolution, swearing revenge on those in power as he upsets the status quo.

His actions make him an outlaw, living on the fringes of society in a land turned upside down with corruption. He is wanted by men and women alike-but for very different reasons. This epic tale of escape from the horrors of a third-world regime is one of Harold Robbins' most ambitious novels ever, combining his trademark sensuality with political intrigue and a globe-spanning variety of exotic locales. Lose yourself in The Adventurers.

History Buff's Guide to the Civil War ($1.20 Kindle; $1.39 Kobo; $1.50 B&N), by Thomas R. Flagel

Book Description
Do You Think You Know the Civil War?

The History Buff’s Guide to the Civil War clears the powder smoke surrounding the war that changed America forever. What were the best, the worst, the largest, and the most lethal aspects of the conflict? With over thirty annotated top ten lists and unexpected new findings, author Thomas R. Flagel will have you debating the most intriguing questions of the Civil War in no time. From the top ten causes of the war to the top ten bloodiest battles, this invaluable guide to the great war between the states will delight and inform you about one of the most crucial periods in American history.

Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War ($1.20 Kindle; $1.50 B&N), by David Herbert Donald

Book Description
The Puliter-Prize winning classic and national bestseller returns!

In this brilliant biography?a Pulitzer Prize?winning national bestseller?David Herbert Donald, Harvard professor emeritus, traces Sumner's life as the nation careens toward civil war. In a period when senators often exercised more influence than presidents, Senator Charles Sumner was one of the most powerful forces in the American government and remains one of the most controversial figures in American history. His uncompromising moral standards made him a lightning rod in an era fraught with conflict.

Sumner's fight to end slavery made him a hero in the North and stirred outrage in the South. In what has been called the first blow of the Civil War, he was physically attacked by a colleague on the Senate floor. Unwavering and arrogant, Sumner refused to abandon the moral high ground, even if doing so meant the onslaught of the nation's most destructive war. He used his office and influence to transform the United States during the most contentious and violent period in the nation's history.

Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War presents a remarkably different view of our bloodiest war through an insightful reevaluation of the man who stood at its center.

Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided ($1.20 Kindle; $1.50 B&N), by W Hunter Lesser

Book Description
Rebels at the Gate is the dramatic story of the first Union victories of the Civil War and the events that caused Virginians to divide their state. In a defiant act to sustain President Lincoln's war effort, Virginia Unionists created their own state government in 1861-destined to become the new state of West Virginia.

Stealing Secrets: How a Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles and Altered the Course of the Civil War ($1.20 Kindle; $1.50 B&N), by H. Donald Winkler

Book Description
Clandestine missions. Clever, devious, daring. Passionately committed to a cause.

During America’s most divisive war, both the Union and Confederacy took advantage of brave and courageous women willing to adventurously support their causes. These female spies of the Civil War participated in the world’s second-oldest profession—spying—a profession perilous in the extreme. The tales of female spies are filled with suspense, bravery, treachery, and trickery. They took enormous risks and achieved remarkable results—often in ways men could not do.

As stated on the grave marker of Union spy Elizabeth Van Lew:
“She risked everything that is dear to man—friends, fortune, comfort, health, life itself.”

Told with personality and pizzazz, author H. Donald Winkler uses primary Civil War sources such as memoirs, journals, letters, and newspaper articles, plus the latest in scholarly research, to make these incredible stories come alive.

Lincoln For President ($1.20 Kindle), by Bruce Chadwick

Book Description
The untold story of the drama, controversy, and incredible political genius of Lincoln's first presidential campaign

In May of 1860, Republican delegates gathered in Chicago for their second-ever convention, with the full expectation of electing William Seward their next presidential candidate. But waiting in the wings was a dark horse no one suspected, putting the final touches on a plan that would not only result in a most unexpected candidacy, but the most brilliant, innovative, and daring presidential campaign in American history. He went by the name of Lincoln.

Lincoln for President is the incredible story of how Lincoln overcame overwhelming odds to not only capture his party's nomination but win the presidency. His amazingly modern strategy included the first media campaign blitz, convention tactics that originated the concept of "Chicago politics," and a deft manipulation of the electoral college. His bold tactics changed forever the way presidential campaigns are won…not to mention the course of American history.