Today's Deals 2/12

At Kobo, get 30% off any non-Agency title using coupon code Comeback3102_3 (exp: Feb 16, 2013) and Save 25% on Harlequin/Mills & Boon New Releases using code VDay25 (exp Feb 15).

For those in the UK, you can join Amazon Family (which looks somewhat similar to the Amazon Mom program in the US) by 15 Feb and get a free Lamaze Jacques the Peacock toy. Unlike the US program, the UK program requires a paid Prime membership after the 3-month free trial period is over (although you can cancel at any time).

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is A Patch of Ground ($1.99), by Michael Archer.

Book Description
A poignant, often humorous, recollection of the siege of Khe Sanha pivotal turning point in the American war in Vietnam. Under constant bombardment from the enemy, Michael Archer and his cadre of young Marines Orr, Pig, Old Woman and Savage, just to name a few managed to survive and, in the process, learn about manhood, sacrifice and the darkest recesses of fear and loneliness.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Tidewater Inn ($1.99), the first novel in Colleen Coble's new Hope Beach series. The companion audiobook is $4.99.

Book Description
Welcome to Hope Beach. A place of intoxicating beauty . . . where trouble hits with the force of a hurricane.

Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams.

But Libby soon realizes that the only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn has died before she could meet him, and her newfound brother and sister are convinced she’s there to steal their birthright. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, and Libby’s under suspicion for the crime.

Libby’s dream come true is becoming a nightmare. Her only option is to find her friend and prove her innocence, or lose everything on the shores of Hope Island.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Breathe ($1.99), the first title in the Young Adult series by Sarah Crossan. A second novel should be coming out this year, but isn't yet available for pre-order.

Book Description
Inhale. Exhale.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe . . .

The world is dead.

The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen–rich air.

Alina
has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Million Dollar Mates (£0.99 UK), a YA romance by Cathy Hopkins, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Jess Hall's dad is the new general manager at Porchester Park, and is moving Jess, her brother and pet cat into a staff apartment there. Jess is dreading the move, until she learns the apartments are strictly A-list only and soon to be populated by actors, musicians, models and millionaires… But fraternising with the stars isn't all it's cracked up to be, and soon Jess is wishing for a return to real-life - but can she admit to her friends that the gilded cage isn't quite as golden as she'd anticipated?

The Hypnotist's Love Story ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Liane Moriarty, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
For fans of Emily Giffin, another wonderful book by the author of What Alice Forgot.

Ellen O’Farrell is a professional hypnotherapist who works out of the eccentric beachfront home she inherited from her grandparents. It’s a nice life, except for her tumultuous relationship history. She’s stoic about it, but at this point, Ellen wouldn’t mind a lasting one. When she meets Patrick, she’s optimistic. He’s attractive, single, employed, and best of all, he seems to like her back. Then comes that dreaded moment: He thinks they should have a talk.

Braced for the worst, Ellen is pleasantly surprised. It turns out that Patrick’s ex-girlfriend is stalking him. Ellen thinks, Actually, that’s kind of interesting. She’s dating someone worth stalking. She’s intrigued by the woman’s motives. In fact, she’d even love to meet her.

Ellen doesn’t know it, but she already has.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Palace of Stone ($2.99), the second title in the Princess Academy series by Shannon Hale. The companion audiobook is $3.99.

Book Description
Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting . . . until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she should help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city.

Picking up where Princess Academy left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

Free Audiobook & Book - The Souls of Black Folk (DF)

The download edition of The Souls of Black Folk (free - $11.99 Kindle; $20.99 Audible), by W. E. B. Du Bois, narrated by Richard Allen, is free direct from Tantor Media.

Book Description
W. E. B. Du Bois was the foremost black intellectual of his time. The Souls of Black Folk, his most influential work, is a collection of 14 beautifully written essays, by turns lyrical, historical, and autobiographical. Here, Du Bois records the cruelties of racism, celebrates the strength and pride of black America, and explores the paradoxical "double-consciousness" of African American life.

When it was first published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk quickly established itself as a work that wholly redefined the history of the black experience in America, introducing the now-famous "problem of the color line." In the decades since its publication, its stature has only grown, and today it ranks as one of the most influential and resonant works in the history of American thought.

Get the free ebook from Tantor Media, along with a bonus PDF ebook when you download the complete ZIP file from your library. The download is available in MP3 (Kindle compatible) format and both it and the book are DRM-free.

While you are there, check out their $6.99 sale, which includes Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl amongst the selections.

Free Audiobook - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (DF)

Get a free download of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (free-$7.99 Kindle, $15.37 Audible), by Mark Twain, read by Grover Gardner, from Downpour.com, Blackstone Audio's new consumer site.

Book Description
This humorous and nostalgic novel takes the listener back to the carefree days of boyhood in Hannibal, Missouri, where Mark Twain grew up.

Just what did boys do in a small Midwestern town during the mid-1800s, a time when there were no televisions, no arcades, and no videos? They whitewashed fences, floated down rivers, traded marbles, formed secret societies, smoked pipes, and, on occasion, managed to attend their own funerals. Yes, they may have been a bit mischievous, but as Aunt Polly said of Tom when she believed him to be dead, "He was the best-hearted boy that ever was." Aunt Polly's sentiments reveal one of the cardinal tenets of Twain's philosophy: In this deceitful and infirm world, innocence can be found only in the heart of a boy.

Get the free audiobook from Downpour. Add the Download edition to your cart, then enter coupon code sawyeremail (make sure there are no extra spaces, if you cut and paste) and click on Apply. Make sure that the new total has been adjusted to $0.00, then click on Checkout. You'll be prompted to log into your account (or create a new one) and then taken to the final screen; click on Place Order and then on Continue to My Library in order to download the audiobook. The download is available in either MP3 (Kindle compatible) or M4B (iTunes) formats and is DRM-free.

Today's Deals 2/11

Today's Gold Box at Amazon is up to 60% off on heart-shaped pendants, with free one-day shipping so that you get them before Valentine's Day.

Box, which is a off-site storage company similar to Dropbox, has a special offer in conjunction with Dell, that lets you sign up for a free 50GB account (for life). Normally, this plan costs $20/year, but if you sign up here, not only do you get that much storage free, you can give it to two friends or co-workers. Box has their app in the Amazon Appstore, so has always been a bit easier to get loaded on your Kindle Fire, and has recently released a syncing app for the desktop (until this was released, getting files into Box was a bit more difficult).

At AmazonLocal, you can get a 50% off voucher for select DecalGirl Skins for the Kindle and Kindle Fire devices. The voucher is free (although you go thru checkout and need a credit card on file) and you must use the promo code that ends up in the Your Vouchers section during checkout for your purchase at Amazon.

Additional formats on free books:

• 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes - now free on Kindle
• Hotter than Hot - now free on Kindle

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish ($1.99), by Jennifer Ward and Steve Gray (Illustrator). This book features Kindle Text Pop-Up for reading text over vivid, full-color images when using Kindle Fire/HD or select Kindle Reading Apps (Kindle Cloud Reader, Kindle for iPad or Kindle for Android); unlike some other Text Popup books, this one won't work on any of the eInk Kindles.

Book Description
There was an old pirate . . . who swallowed a fish, a bird, a map, some gold, and even a whole pirate ship! Will the Old Pirate sink to the bottom of the deep, dark sea? Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow! Jennifer Ward’s take on the “Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” song is perfectly matched with Steve Gray’s zany digital illustrations.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Stone Maidens ($1.99), by Lloyd Devereux Richards, with the companion audiobook also $1.99.

Book Description
As the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI’s Chicago field office, Christine Prusik has worked her fair share of bizarre cases. Yet this one trumps them all: a serial killer is strangling young women and dumping their bodies in the steep, forested ravines of southern Indiana. With each victim, the killer leaves a calling card: a stone figurine carved like the spirit stones found among the primitive tribes of Papua New Guinea—the same tribes from whom Prusik narrowly escaped a decade earlier while doing field research. The similarity is eerie and, frankly, terrifying; Prusik still carries the scars from the tribesmen’s attack. But is the connection real? Or have the dark details of Prusik’s nightmares finally wormed their way into her waking life? Displaying the expertise of a veteran writer, debut novelist Lloyd Devereux Richards skillfully builds layers of psychological suspense and terror into a compulsively readable whodunit.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is The Heart You Own ($0.99), by Diane R. Jewkes.

Book Description
Why would an English lord want to have part ownership in a New Mexico cattle ranch? And why did it have to be her father’s ranch?

Kara Jonston has grown up thinking she will someday inherit the family ranch. She has worked the ranch as hard as any man. Ask any of the cowboys. Finding out her father sold half ownership in the ranch—and to a soft Englishman, no less—without even talking to her hurts her pride and stirs her anger. To make matters worse, this outsider is coming to inspect his investment, and her father expects her to be nice.

Although she promises her father to give his new partner a chance, she vows she will never accept him as her partner on her ranch.

Hawke Pryce, Lord Stoneham, is not English, he is Scottish. He is not soft, and he is not coming to the New Mexico Territory just to inspect his latest investment. He’s hunting a man.

Sparks fly—but will they turn into lasting love for two people determined to hang on to their hearts?

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears ($1.99), edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. I haven't read this collection, so I'm definitely picking it up, as the anthologies Datlow edits have always contained good stories worth reading.

Book Description
In their third critically acclaimed collection of original fairy tales for adults, World Fantasy Award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling present 21 new stories by some of the top names in literature today. Dark, disturbing and delightful, each story was written expressly for this superb collection of distinctly grown-up fantasy -- a brilliant companion volume to Datlow and Windling's acclaimed anthologies, Snow White, Blood Red and Black Thorn, White Rose. Contributors include: Susan Wade, Tanith Lee, Garry Kilworth, Nancy Kress, Farida S.T. Shapiro, Joyce Carol Oates, Roberta Lannes, Michael Cadnum, Lisa Goldstein, John Brunner, Nancy A. Collins, Gene Wolfe, Susan Palwick, Milbre Burch, Gahan Wilson, Anne Bishop, Kathe Koja, Ellen Steiber, Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, and Delia Sherman.

Old Gold (£0.99 UK), by Jay Stringer, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $4.99/KLL Eligible, with the companion audiobook for $1.99).

Book Description
Half-gypsy detective Eoin Miller finds people for a living—usually people who would do anything to remain hidden. Ironic considering Eoin has done all he can to lose himself in a downward spiral that has cost him his job, his respect, his wife, and anything else that ever mattered. But he’s not inclined to dwell on what he’s given up, and Eoin prefers it that way.

Then he meets Mary, a hard-drinking woman on the run who confides that she’s stolen a valuable item, one that certain people would kill to get back. The two of them seek a temporary—and incomplete—solace in each other’s arms, only for Mary to turn up as a corpse in Eoin’s bed the next morning, him asleep on the sofa.

Recalling his father’s aversion to authority, Eoin runs from the body, but he hates a mystery and is driven to discover the truth behind Mary’s murder, even if it means putting his own life on the line. Before long, Eoin’s tangled up in a ferocious turf war that has him playing his former allies and employers—crime lords, drug dealers, cops, and politicians—against each other.

Don't Look Twice ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the second novel in Andrew Gross' Ty Hauck series, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. I'm picking this up to complete the series, as the first in the series was free three years ago and the third was 99 cents early last Spring.

Book Description
In this dramatic new novel following the bestselling The Dark Tide, a drive-by shooting rocks the posh suburb of Greenwich, Connecticut, and an innocent bystander is left dead.

Detective Ty Hauck plunges into what seems like a vicious case of retribution and follows the trail to a sinister gambling scheme at an upstate casino. Until Annie Fletcher, a young restaurateur in the midst of rebuilding her life, witnesses something she shouldn't have—and immediately runs to him with what she knows. Suddenly, Hauck is pulled into a rising storm far greater than it first appeared—a storm wide enough to encompass corruption inside Greenwich's circle of wealthy and powerful citizens. And punishing enough to consume Hauck's own family, and tear brothers apart forever . . . if it doesn't kill them first.

Don't Look Twice is a gripping story of profiteering on an international scale and an emotionally resonant domestic thriller from one of the hottest new talents in suspense fiction.

Today's Deals 2/10

Audible's Win-Win Sale is back with 200+ titles for $4.95 apiece (ends Feb 18). This one is broken up by genre, so you don't have to browse only by author.

The Amazon Video Game Deal of the Week: from now through February 16, get The Sims 3 expansion packs for up to 66% off. This includes The Sims 3 Seasons, Katy Perry Collector's Edition, The Sims 3 Supernatural, and many more. You can also now pre-order SimCity - Limited Edition and you'll get SimCity Heroes & Villains, which includes new characters, crime waves, a Super Hero HQ and an Evil Villain Lair, plus a $5 Credit with your pre-order.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is six top-rated Harlequin Romances for $1.99 each. Despite having multiple novels from practically every author on the list, I think they've found one I'm missing for every author included!

Summer Desserts by Nora Roberts (companion audiobook $4.49)

Could a cordon bleu chef be a junkfood addict? The more Blake Cocharan learned about Summer Lyndon, dessert chef extraordinaire, the more intrigued he becameand the more determined he was to hire her. Blake wanted the Best, and Summer looked extremely good to him. Her superb credentials were icing on the cake.

Summer was accustomed to traveling around the world, creating the perfect ending to perfect meals. But Blake had a unique appeal. Summer found herself responding to the challenge, both professionally…and personally…. For the first time, Summer was planning a meal from start to finish—and creating a perfect ending all her own.

Yours To Keep by Shannon Stacey

Emma Shaw needs a husband, and fast! Not because she's interested in romance—after all, she's too busy with her landscaping company—but because Grandma Shaw is coming to town, and she will have nonstop questions about Emma's (stagnant) love life.

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he's recruited by Emma to be her fake fiancé. Sean doesn't like the deception, but he can't help his attraction to the feisty brunette. A little pretend kissing won't hurt anyone—especially when there's no chance he'll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he's not planning to call home. But when fake, innocent kisses lead to very real, explosive sparks, Emma and Sean discover that their big ruse might just lead to happily-ever-after….

Previously published, newly refreshed.

Already Home by Susan Mallery

After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, and fresh off a divorce from the owner, Jenna Stevens is desperate for a change. So when she spots a for-lease sign in her hometown, she impulsively decides to open her very own cooking store. Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But as soon as she gains a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect.

Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with the parents who raised her and decide whether to open her heart to a man who just might be the best thing to happen to her in years. All without sacrificing her newly found dreams. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love….

The Inn at Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods

It's been years since Abby O'Brien Winters set foot in Chesapeake Shores. The Maryland town her father built has too many sad memories and Abby too few spare moments, thanks to her demanding Wall Street career, the crumbling of her marriage and energetic twin daughters. Then one panicked phone call from her youngest sister brings her racing back home to protect Jess's dream of renovating the charming Inn at Eagle Point.

But saving the inn from foreclosure means dealing not only with her own fractured family, but also with Trace Riley, the man Abby left ten years ago. Trace can be a roadblock to her plans…or proof that second chances happen in the most unexpected ways.

The Bridegroom by Linda Lael Miller

Undercover agent Gideon Yarbro is renowned for stopping outlaws almost before they commit a crime. But now he must stop a wedding—despite the bride's resistance. Lydia Fairmont will lose everything if she doesn't honor her betrothal to a heartless banker. Unless she marries someone else instead…whether it's a love match or not.

Determined to honor his own decade-old promise to help Lydia, Gideon carries her off to Stone Creek and makes her his reluctant wife. Forget a honeymoon for "show"—not with a vengeful ex-fiancé on their trail and a hired gun on the loose. But there just might be hope for the marriage…and two hearts meant for each other.

The Girl in the Steel Corset\The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross [Harlequin Teen]

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch.

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets, against the wishes of his band of misfits. And Finley thinks she might finally be a part of something, finally fit in—until a criminal mastermind known as the Machinist threatens to tear the group apart….

Included for the first time in print, meet Finley in her first adventure The Strange Case of Finley Jayne the novella prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset!

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Gravity ($0.99), the first novel in The Taking series by Melissa West.

Book Description
In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Midshipman's Hope ($1.99), by David Feintuch [Open Road].

Book Description
David Feintuch’s acclaimed Seafort Saga begins as Nicholas Seafort sets off on an interstellar naval adventure he will never forget

In the year 2194, seventeen-year-old Nicholas Seafort is assigned to the Hibernia as a lowly midshipman. Destination: the thriving colony of Hope Nation. But when a rescue attempt goes devastatingly wrong, Seafort is thrust into a leadership role he never anticipated. The other officers resent him, but Seafort must handle more dangerous problems, from a corrupted navigation computer to a deadly epidemic. Even Hope Nation has a nasty surprise in store. Seafort might be the crew’s only hope . . .

This page-turning science fiction in the vein of Robert Heinlein and Orson Scott Card—with a dash of Horatio Hornblower—marks the captivating debut adventure in Feintuch’s hugely popular Seafort Saga.

The Twyning (£0.99 UK), by Terence Blacker, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
This is the story of Efren, a young ratling born into the Court of Tasting, in the kingdom of rats below the city streets. The kingdom is in turmoil after the death of the old king, assassinated by a human scientist, Dr Henry Ross-Gibbon. Obsessed by an ambition to exterminate all rats, the doctor is assisted by Dogboy, an abandoned thirteen-year-old with a gift for understanding animals. Soon a war to the death rages between the rat kingdom and its mortal enemy: humankind.

Hurt and alone, Efren finds shelter with Dogboy and his friend Caz, a runaway eleven-year-old girl. And between these unlikely allies a spark is ignited - first of communication, then of hope. This tumultuous story of creatures caught up in a pitiless war transcends the barriers between animals and humans. What Watership Down did for rabbits, THE TWYNING will do for the kingdom of rats.

Serendipity ($7.99 $1.99 Kindle, B&N), the first novel in the Serendipity series by Carly Phillips, is the Nook Daily Find. Still no price match on Kindle, despite being an Agency Publisher. Update: Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents the first in a delightful new series about a quaint upstate New York town where love, fate and fortune are intertwined ...

Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege--until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned.

Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father's betrayal has rocked Serendipity - and not everyone is ready to welcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush -- the dark, brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imagined he'd own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face with Faith--the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites the electric charge between them.

Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once her childhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town's notorious bad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do the townspeople of Serendipity...


Dear Readers,

Welcome to SERENDIPITY!

SERENDIPITY is a new contemporary romance series in the more heartfelt style I developed in novels like CROSS MY HEART and SEALED WITH A KISS. I will be introducing you to the town of Serendipity, its landmark Harrington Mansion, and a vibrant cast of characters from both sides of the tracks. Like any other town, Serendipity has its secrets, scandals, pain, heartache and love, but there is also an implied promise of fortune and good luck, along with people at changes and crossroads in their lives.

First up, Ethan Barron, the bad boy who has come home to make good and Faith Harrington, the girl who got away. Next is Nash Barron in Destiny (1/12) and Dare Barron in Karma (5/12).

I hope you'll take this new journey with me!
Happy Reading,
Carly Phillips

Today's Deals 2/9

Thru midnight tonight, Audible is having a Buy One Get One Free Sale (for members only) on Romance Titles. The Paranormal Romance tab also includes some Urban Fantasy, such as Laura Anne Gilman's Blood from Stone: A Retrievers Novel, which I just finished re-reading on Kindle.

Use the code FEBRUARY25 to get 25% off eligible books at Sony.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The False Prince ($1.99), the first title in the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen. The companion audiobook is only $3.49.

Book Description
THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

Grades: 4-7

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Island Beneath the Sea ($2.99), by Isabel Allende.

Book Description
Born on the island of Saint-Domingue, Zarité—known as Tété—is the daughter of an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage. Though her childhood is one of brutality and fear, Tété finds solace in the traditional rhythms of African drums and the voodoo loa she discovers through her fellow slaves.

When twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770, it’s with powdered wigs in his trunks and dreams of financial success in his mind. But running his father’s plantation, Saint Lazare, is neither glamorous nor easy. Although Valmorain purchases young Tété for his bride, it is he who will become dependent on the services of his teenaged slave.

Against the merciless backdrop of sugarcane fields, the lives of Tété and Valmorain grow ever more intertwined. When the bloody revolution of Toussaint Louverture arrives at the gates of Saint Lazare, they flee the brutal conditions of the French colony, soon to become Haiti, for the raucous, free-wheeling enterprise of New Orleans. There Tété finally forges a new life, but her connection to Valmorain is deeper than anyone knows and not easily severed. With an impressive richness of detail, and a narrative wit and brio second to none, Allende crafts the riveting story of one woman’s determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been so battered, and to forge a new identity in the cruelest of circumstances.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Wild Montana Sky ($1.99), the first novel in the Montana Sky series by Debra Holland. The companion audiobook is also currently $1.99. For those who want the complete series, the next two volumes are also on sale: Starry Montana Sky ($2.99) and Stormy Montana Sky ($3.99).

Book Description
When her brother announces his marriage, Elizabeth Hamilton suddenly becomes unwanted and unwelcome in the only home she’s ever known. To escape the new mistress of the house, Elizabeth accepts the invitation of her best friend to journey to Montana.

The dirt streets and wooden storefronts of Sweetwater Springs and the hardships of ranch living are worlds away from the refinements of Gilded Age Boston, yet Elizabeth is filled with new hope—and buoyed by a wealthy banker’s attentions. Yet it’s cowboy Nick Sanders who slowly awakens her heart and helps her recognize her strengths. And when a deadly influenza epidemic strikes, Elizabeth will fight for those she loves—and the life she’s ready to claim.

A USA Today bestseller and winner of Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, Wild Montana Sky is historical romance at its best—a warm, uplifting story of new love and second chances.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Tears in Rain ($1.99), by Rosa Montero and Lilit Zekulin Thwaites (Translator). The companion audiobook is also currently $1.99.

Book Description
Death is inevitable. Especially when you have an expiration date.

As a replicant, or “techno-human,” Detective Bruna Husky knows two things: humans bioengineered her to perform dangerous, undesirable tasks; and she has just ten years on the United States of Earth before her body automatically self-destructs. But with “anti-techno” rage on the rise and a rash of premature deaths striking her fellow replicants, she may have even less time than she originally thought.

Investigating the mysterious deaths, Bruna delves into the fractious, violent history shared by humans and replicants, and struggles to engage the society that fails to understand her—yet created her. The deeper she gets, the deadlier her work becomes as she uncovers a vast, terrifying conspiracy bent on changing the very course of the world. But even as the darkness of her reality closes in, Bruna clings fiercely to life.

The Devil's Waters: A USAF Pararescue Thriller ($1.55 / £0.99 UK), by David L Robbins, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $4.99 with the companion audiobook at $1.99).

Book Description
A giant freighter in the Gulf of Aden holds secret cargo that could bring down the governments of four nations. When Somali pirates grab the ship, the order comes down: get the freighter back, at all costs.

Only one combat group is close enough to respond before the hijacked freighter reaches Somali waters: the elite US Air Force pararescue unit—the PJs—stationed in Djibouti. Though their mission is to save lives, and their oath is “That Others May Live,” the PJs are battle-tested. The team doesn’t hesitate because one of their own, Sgt. LB DiNardo, is already onboard the hijacked ship.

LB has three tasks: provide intel on the pirates, stay alive until the team arrives, and withstand the humiliation of breaking the PJs’ cardinal rule: Never be the one who needs rescuing.

At the head of the pirates is the shrewd and ruthless Yusuf Raage, a clan leader who will sacrifice anything and anyone to keep his captured ship. The PJs have a mere hour to take down the ship before the Air Force blows it up. Even if they survive the wrath of Yusuf Raage, more secrets and danger await them.

Mai Tai One On ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Jill Marie Landis, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle, where the companion audiobook is $3.99.

Book Description
Six months ago, if anyone would have told Em Johnson she'd end up divorced, broke, and running the dilapidated Tiki Goddess Bar on the magical North Shore of Kauai she would have told them to shove a swizzle stick up their okole.As if all that isn't bad enough, when an obnoxious neighbor with a grudge is found dead in the Goddess luau pit, suspicion falls on Em and the rest of the Goddess staff. With the help of a quirky dance troupe of over-the-hill Hula Maidens, Em and the cast of characters must ban together to find the killer and solve the mystery before the next pupu party.

JILL MARIE LANDIS has written over twenty-five novels, which have earned awards and slots on such national bestseller lists as the USA TODAY Top 50 and the New York Times Best Sellers Plus. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award in both Single Title and Contemporary Romance as well as a Golden Heart and RITA Award winner. She's written historical and contemporary romance as well as inspirational historical romance, and she is now penning The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series, which begins with MAI TAI ONE ON.

Today's Deals 2/8

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The I LOVE YOU Book ($1.99), by Todd Parr.

Book Description
I love you when you give me kisses.
I love you when you need hugs...
Most of all, I love you just the way you are.

In his newest picture book, Todd Parr explores the meaning of unconditional love in a heartfelt, playful way. Featuring a heart-shaped die-cut and sparkling silver foil on the cover, this is the perfect way to say, "I love you!" Parents and caregivers are sure to be inspired by Todd's vibrant illustrations and tender sentiments, and will enjoy sharing this very special book with the little ones they love.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog ($1.99), by Ted Kerasote. This is a great price, if you haven't picked it up on one of the earlier sales.

Book Description
Now including a wonderful new photo insert chronicling Merle’s life, this national bestseller explores the relationship between humans and dogs. How would dogs live if they were free? Would they stay with their human friends?

Merle and Ted found each other in the Utah desert— Merle was living wild and Ted was looking for a pup to keep him company. As their bond grew, Ted taught Merle how to live around wildlife, and Merle taught Ted about the benefits of letting a dog make his own decisions.

Using the latest in wolf research and exploring issues of animal consciousness and leadership and the origins of the human-dog relationship, Ted Kerasote takes us on the journey he and Merle shared. As much a love story as a story of independence and partnership, Merle’s Door is tender, funny, and ultimately illuminating.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Montana Dawn ($1.99), the first novel in the McCutcheon Family series by Caroline Fyffe.

Book Description
2010 Maggie Finalist, 2010 Gayle Wilson Finalist , RWA Golden Heart Finalist

Montana Territory, August 1883
When Luke McCutcheon finds Faith Brown about to give birth in her rickety wagon, his first instincts are to ride for help. Instead, he stays and delivers a beautiful baby girl. Unable to leave the pretty young widow and her little son and newborn unprotected in the Montana wilderness, he brings them along on his family's cattle drive, to the absolute delight of the other friendly cowboys.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Mind Over Monsters ($1.99), a F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation by Jennifer Harlow.

Book Description
Beatrice Alexander is no ordinary schoolteacher—she can move objects with her mind, an embarrassing skill she hasn’t yet mastered or embraced. After nearly killing her brother by accident, she joins the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad, the Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and Kindred Supernaturals. This top-secret branch of the FBI combats ghosts, ghouls, and other monsters threatening humanity.

With her teammates—among them a handsome former-detective werewolf and an annoying Don Juan vampire who’s dead-set on seducing her—Beatrice investigates her first case. Disgustingly dismembered bodies have turned up, bearing bite marks of the undead. Someone—or something—is raising a horde of hideous, bloodthirsty zombies. Armed with Bette, her trusty machete, Beatrice takes on the master of the flesh-devouring corpses, who’s guarding a horrifying secret . . .

Featuring a team of monster hunters with unique paranormal abilities, the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation series combines humor, suspense, and supernatural crime-fighting.

White Heat ($1.55 / £0.99 UK), by MJ McGrath, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.99).

Book Description
Nothing on the tundra rotted . . . The whole history of human settlement lay exposed there, under that big northern sky. There was nowhere here for bones to hide. On Craig Island, a vast landscape of ice north of the Arctic Circle, three travellers are hunting duck. Among them is expert Inuit hunter and guide, Edie Kiglatuk; a woman born of this harsh, beautiful terrain. The two men are tourists, experiencing Arctic life in the raw, but when one of the men is shot dead in mysterious circumstances, the local Council of Elders in the tiny settlement of Autisaq is keen to dismiss it as an accident. Then two adventurers arrive in Autisaq hoping to search for the remains of the legendary Victorian explorer Sir James Fairfax. The men hire Edie – whose ancestor Welatok guided Fairfax – along with Edie's stepson Joe, and two parties set off in different directions. Four days later, Joe returns to Autisaq frostbitten, hypothermic and disoriented, to report his man missing. And when things take an even darker turn, Edie finds herself heartbroken, and facing the greatest challenge of her life . . .

The Last Letter from Your Lover ($9.99 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Jojo Moyes, is the Nook Daily Find. Since Penguin is one of the Agency Pricing holdouts, it should be price matched on Kindle, but hasn't yet dropped.

Book Description
A Brief Encounter for our time, The Last Letter from Your Lover is a sophisticated, spellbinding double love story that spans decades and thrillingly evokes a bygone era. In 1960, Jennifer Stirling wakes in the hospital and remembers nothing—not the car accident that put her there, not her wealthy husband, not even her own name. Searching for clues, she finds an impassioned letter, signed simply "B," from a man for whom she seemed willing to risk everything. In 2003, journalist Ellie Haworth stumbles upon the letter and becomes obsessed with learning the unknown lovers’ fate—hoping it will inspire her own happy ending. Remarkably moving, this is a novel for romantics of every age.

Today's Deals 2/7

Congrats to my hometown, named the Most Romantic City in the US by Amazon (for the second year in a row).

Today's Lightning Deals at Amazon will include "Amazon's Best Selling Video Game of 2012" at 2PM PST (5PM here on the East Coast).

Today is the last day to take advantage of this AmazonLocal deal:

• Get 1 of 25 Kindle Books for $1

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Five Funny Bunnies: Three Bouncing Tales ($1.99), by Jean Van Leeuwen and Anne Wilsdorf (Illustrator). This book features Kindle Text Pop-Up for reading text over vivid, full-color images when using Kindle Fire/HD or select Kindle Reading Apps (Kindle Cloud Reader, Kindle for iPad or Kindle for Android); unlike some other Text Popup books, this one won't work on any of the eInk Kindles.

Book Description
Meet the bunnies. There's bossy big sister Flossie. The twins, Homer and Henry always on the go. Little George. He loves trucks and tricks. And messy but much loved Baby Sadie. She's small, but does that stop her? No way!

Whether trying to outdo each other or cheering one another on, making the most of an unexpected mishap or coping with a big-sister-incharge, these high-spirited bunnies will hop, pop, twirl, and leap right into your heart. Irresistible watercolor illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf bring these three wise and witty stories to life.

Ages 3-8

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Justice Denied ($1.99), the eighteenth novel in the (excellent) J P Beaumont mystery series by J. A. Jance.

Book Description
The murder of an ex-drug dealer ex-con—gunned down on his mother's doorstep—seems just another turf war fatality. Why then has Seattle homicide investigator J.P. Beaumont been instructed to keep this assignment hush-hush? Meanwhile, Beau's lover and fellow cop, Mel Soames, is involved in her own confidential investigation. Registered sex offenders from all over Washington State are dying at an alarming rate—and not all due to natural causes.

A metropolis the size of Seattle holds its fair share of brutal crime, corruption, and dirty little secrets. But when the separate trails they're following begin to shockingly intertwine, Beau and Mel realize that they have stumbled onto something bigger and more frightening than they anticipated—a deadly conspiracy that's leading them to lofty places they should not enter . . . and may not be allowed to leave alive.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is First Love, Wild Love ($1.99), by Madeline Baker. Previously published by Leisure Books, this edition is from Montlake Romance.

Book Description
It took only one look into the dark, fathomless eyes of the Indian prisoner for Brianna to see her destiny—that, if he escaped his bonds, she would follow him anywhere.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Henry Franks ($1.99), Peter Adam Salomon's Teen/YA novel that has received a starred review from Booklist.

Book Description
For Henry Franks, Death is Everywhere.

It claimed his mother a year ago, in an accident that robbed him of his memory and left him covered with horrific scars.

It’s in his skin, leaving him numb to pain no matter how hard he tries to hurt himself.

It obsesses his distant father, who buries himself in his work at the morgue.

And it’s stalking the streets, where a serial killer’s path of destruction reveals the dark truth of Henry’s past.

Great Apes ($1.55 / £0.99 UK), by Will Self, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.79).

Book Description
When artist Simon Dykes wakes after a late night of routine debauchery, he discovers that his world has changed beyond recognition. His girlfriend, Sarah, has turned into a chimpanzee. And, to Simon's appalled surprise, so has the rest of humanity. Simon, under the bizarre delusion that he is ‘human', is confined to an emergency psychiatric ward. There he becomes of considerable interest to eminent psychologist and chimp, Dr Zack Busner. For with this fascinating case, Busner thinks may finally make his reputation as a truly great ape.

Crewel ($9.99 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), the first novel in the Crewel World YA Fantasy series by Gennifer Albin, is the Nook Daily Find. No price match yet on Kindle, despite this being an Agency Pricing publisher, although I do expect it to drop later today (and I've reported the price difference in hopes of speeding that process up). If it does drop at Amazon, Update: Now price matched on Kindle; audiobook lovers will want to check out the companion audiobook at $5.99.

Book Description
Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl controls other’s destinies, but not her own

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.

But Adelice is forced to into this powerful group, and she must learn to navigate the dangerous politics at play. Caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power. Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it—or destroy it.

Today's Deals 2/6

It definitely is getting closer to Valentine's Day: Today's Amazon Gold Box has jewelry and handbags for her in the lightning deals, while the main deal of the day is a Bosch Benchtop Router Table for him.

Amazon's Android Appstore free App today is on Mahjong Deluxe 2.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance ($1.99), by David Howarth.

Book Description
Here is one of the most exciting escape narratives to emerge from the challenges and miseries of World War II. In March 1943, a team of expatriate Norwegian commandos sailed from northern England for Nazi-occupied arctic Norway to organize and supply the Norwegian resistance. But they were betrayed, and the Nazis ambushed them. Only one man survived—Jan Baalsrud. This is the incredible and gripping story of his escape.

Frostbitten, blinded by the snow, and pursued by the Nazis, Jan dragged himself forward until he reached a small arctic village. He was near death, delirious, and a virtual cripple. But the villagers, at mortal risk to themselves, were determined to save him, and—through impossible feats—they did.

We Die Alone is an astonishing true story of heroism and resilience. Like Slavomir Rawicz’s classic The Long Walk, and the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance, it is also an unforgettable portrait of the determination of the human spirit.

About the Author
David Howarth ran a spy ring during World War II. He was also the author of two dozen major books of history.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Thunder in the Night ($0.99), by Kate Fellowes.

Book Description
Aspiring investigative journalist Allison Belsar has exactly zero interest in tagging along with the society set when they visit Belize. But when the trip is sponsored by the local zoo and her editor issues the order, she packs her bags and shows up on time.

Turns out there’s more to this adventure than red-eyed tree frogs and Mayan ruins. Something criminal is going on. But what? And how does that gorgeous tour guide figure into events? He’s close at hand every time there’s danger.

Of course, he’s nearby plenty of other times, too. The moments she spends in his arms are as magical as the moonlight on a tropical night. Allison is in danger of losing her heart to this man, and her life to a deadly ring of criminals who will do anything to keep their secrets hidden deep in the jungle. This could be the story to make her career—if she lives to tell it.

Sensuality Level: Behind closed doors

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Kingmaking ($1.99), the first novel of the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy by Helen Hollick.

Book Description
Who was THE MAN
Who became THE LEGEND
We know as KING ARTHUR?

"You are the Pendragon, rightful Lord of Dumnonia and the Summer Land; Lord of less Britain. By all that is right, you ought be seated where Vortigern sits?You ought to be King."

Here lies the truth of the Lord of the Summer Land.

This is the tale of Arthur flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man, both courageous and flawed, into the celebrated ruler who inspired armies, who captured Gwenhyfar's heart, and who emerged as the hero of the Dark Ages and the most enduring hero of all time.

This is the unexpected story of the making of a king ? the legend who united all of Britain.

An Agent of Deceit ($1.55 / £0.99 UK), by Chris Morgan Jones, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Ten years ago, journalist Ben Webster had his investigation into a corrupt Russian business in Kazakhstan crushed, the cost of his scrutiny a terrible tragedy . . . Now employed by a private London intelligence agency, Webster’s interest is piqued when a client asks him to expose the dealings of shadowy Russian oligarch Konstantin Malin. Before long Webster finds himself fixated by Malin and by his front man Richard Lock. But how far is he willing to risk the wellbeing of his family? And that of Lock himself? Meanwhile Lock finds himself under pressure to explain to the world how he – a simple lawyer – came to be one of Russia’s largest investors. And when one of Malin’s former protégées is found dead after meeting with Webster, begins to realise that he too may be at risk. Desperate to seek a haven with the wife he lost years before, Lock realises that he must now take action – but his options are fast running out . . . Against a background of Moscow, London and Berlin a journey of impossible decisions begins . . .

The Anatomist's Apprentice ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), a Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mystery by Tessa Harris, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
In the first in a stunning new mystery series set in eighteenth-century England, Tessa Harris introduces Dr. Thomas Silkstone, anatomist and pioneering forensic detective. . .

The death of Sir Edward Crick has unleashed a torrent of gossip through the seedy taverns and elegant ballrooms of Oxfordshire. Few mourn the dissolute young man--except his sister, the beautiful Lady Lydia Farrell. When her husband comes under suspicion of murder, she seeks expert help from Dr. Thomas Silkstone, a young anatomist from Philadelphia.

Thomas arrived in England to study under its foremost surgeon, where his unconventional methods only add to his outsider status. Against his better judgment he agrees to examine Sir Edward's corpse. But it is not only the dead, but also the living, to whom he must apply the keen blade of his intellect. And the deeper the doctor's investigations go, the greater the risk that he will be consigned to the ranks of the corpses he studies. . .

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Throne of Glass ($2.99), the first novel in the series by Sarah J. Maas, an Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month (August, 2012). If you pick this up, you'll probably want to grab all four of the Throne of Glass Novellas, too, which are currently listed at 99 cents each. That is, the ones you don't have, as two of them were free last April, in various formats.

• The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
• The Assassin and the Desert
• The Assassin and the Underworld
• The Assassin and the Empire

Book Description
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Today's Deals 2/5

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Pain Scale ($1.99), the second title in the Danny Beckett series by Tyler Dilts, with the companion audiobook also only $1.99. You should have the first in the series, A King of Infinite Space, in your libraries, from when it was free in December.

Book Description
Long Beach homicide detective Danny Beckett returns from a year-long medical leave badly scarred and in constant pain, yet determined to prove he still has what it takes to do the job. He gets his chance when a call comes in that shocks even the toughest guys in the squad room: A California congressman’s daughter-in-law and grandchildren have been brutally murdered in their upscale home. At first glance, it looks like a robbery gone wrong, but Danny’s not so sure. Something doesn’t quite add up. With state and local law enforcement in an uproar and the media circling like vultures, the pressure’s on for Danny and his partner, Jennifer Tanaka, to solve this one. Too much is at stake…and not just politically. Even if they manage to crack the case, there’s no guarantee the stress won’t derail Danny’s recovery. Because while the doctors can treat his physical pain, no one can erase the agony of the past that haunts every step he takes—and threatens to destroy his career once and for all.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is When Love Goes Bad ($1.99), by Anonymous and BroadLit (Editor/Publisher).

Book Description
Anyone who's ever loved and lost will relate to the tales of timeless relationship-busters like controlling creeps, two-timing traitors and maniacal mothers-in-law! Even "been there, done that" readers will be surprised by the extraordinary accounts of love destroyed by an affair exposed on national TV, a Botox babe, and a handsome, but heartless, doctor. Twelve unique stories chronicle the relationship rollercoaster of highs and lows that so often define romantic love.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Memoirs Found in a Bathtub ($1.99), by Stanislaw Lem.

Book Description
The year is 3149, and a vast paper destroying blight-papyralysis-has obliterated much of the planet's written history. However, these rare memoirs, preserved for centuries in a volcanic rock, record the strange life of a man trapped in a hermetically sealed underground community. Translated by Michael Kandel and Christine Rose.

About the Author
Stanislaw Lem is the most widely translated and best known science fiction author writing outside of the English language. Winner of the Kafka Prize, he is a contributor to many magazines, including the New Yorker, and he is the author of numerous works, including Solaris.

Bone River ($1.55 / £0.99 UK), by Megan Chance, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $2.99). This is one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month in Literature & Fiction, December 2012.

Book Description
In the mid-19th century, Leonie Monroe Russell works alongside her husband, Junius, an oysterman in Shoalwater Bay in the Pacific Northwest. At night she continues her father’s lifelong obsession—collecting artifacts and studying the native culture that once thrived in the Washington Territory.

On her thirty-seventh birthday, Leonie discovers a mummy protruding from the riverbank bordering her property—a mummy that by all evidence shouldn’t exist. As Leonie searches for answers to the mummy’s origins, she begins to feel a mystical connection to it that defies all logic. Leonie’s sense that otherworldly forces are at work only grows when news of the incredible discovery brings Junius’s long lost son, Daniel, to her doorstep. Upon his unexpected arrival, a native elder insists that Leonie wear a special shell bracelet for protection. But protection from whom? The mummy, or, perhaps, Daniel?

Leonie has always been a good daughter and good wife, but, for the first time, these roles do not seem to be enough. Finding the mummy has changed everything, and now Leonie must decide if she has the courage to put aside the expectations of others to be the woman she was meant to be.

From award-winning author Megan Chance, Bone River is a haunting, lyrical tale of passion and identity.

A Thankful Heart: How Gratitude Brings Hope And Healing To Your Life ($9.39 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Carole Lewis, is the Nook Daily Find. Update: now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
So many people are stuck in the pain of their problems, unable to see beyond the hurt in their lives. Giving thanks in such circumstances may seem impossible, but thankfulness is a powerful tool God uses to heal wounded hearts and transform “stuck” people. In A Thankful Heart, readers will hear real life stories from people like them who have discovered the power of thankfulness to change both their inward attitude and their outward situation. Plus, this warm, inspiring book contains a Thankfulness Journal to guide readers into a new perspective and record the healing process as it unfolds.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Dragon's Breath ($1.99), a Tales of the Frog Princess novel by E.D. Baker.

Book Description
Emma and Eadric have no sooner turned back into humans (from being frogs) than Emma's mother is in a panic, Aunt Grassina is distracted because she's found her true love turned into an otter, and Emma's magic is so out of control she sends herself to the dungeon by mistake. The neighboring kingdom has chosen this moment to attack, and if Emma can't get Grassina's mind back on protecting the kingdom, life as they know it in Greater Greensward will be in peril. From underwater sea monsters to fire-breathing dragons, this witty pair of young friends manages to sweet-talk, cajole, and race their way to victory. But when it looks as if everything will finally work out, disaster strikes, and Emma finds that magic is not enough-it takes real bravery and a strong, new friendship to succeed.

Grade Level: 5 and up

Bargain Book Roundup

Guilt by Association ($2.99) is the first novel in Marcia Clark's Rachel Knight series. I'm picking it up to go with the second, Guilt by Degrees, which I snagged on sale last Summer.

Book Description
Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight is a tenacious, wise-cracking, and fiercely intelligent prosecutor in the city's most elite division. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel is shaken to the core. She must take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family.

But she can't stop herself from digging deeper into Jake's death, a decision that exposes a world of power and violence and will have her risking her reputation--and her life--to find the truth.

With her tremendous expertise in the nuances of L.A. courts and crime, and with a vibrant ensemble cast of characters, Marcia Clark combines intimate detail, riotous humor, and visceral action in a debut thriller that marks the launch of a major new figure on the crime-writing scene.

The One-Minute Organizer Plain & Simple and The One-Minute Organizer A to Z Storage Solutions: 500 Tips for Storing Every Item in Your Home ($2.99 each), by Donna Smallin

The One-Minute Organizer Plain & Simple

Every day, in every way, you can get just a little more organized in just a few minutes.For instance, when you take your clothes off, hang them up or put them in the laundry. Throw out that pile of mail-order catalogs you still haven't flipped through. Limit yourself to saving one tote-bag-full of housecleaning rags.The One-Minute Organizer Plain & Simple is the perfect handbook for busy people who don't have time for a top-to-bottom purge or a complete organizational overhaul. Instead Donna Smallin provides 500 fast and innovative ways anybody can become a bit more organized . . . right now. Each tip delivers instant gratification, makes your world a little less cluttered, and brings you one step closer to a more orderly life.Smallin inspires readers by showing how much can be accomplished with an investment of no more than 15 minutes a day. Her quick solutions address such common troubles as paper clutter, household chores that never get done, bills that are always paid late, and schedules that never go quite as smoothly as planned. Every tip is accompanied by a time estimate of 1, 5, 10, or 15 minutes.These days, when everybody is playing a game of catch-up, The One-Minute Organizer Plain & Simple offers busy people 500 quick organizational fixes that will reduce some of the chaos and bring a little calm into a frenetic world.

The One-Minute Organizer A to Z Storage Solutions: 500 Tips for Storing Every Item in Your Home

Got a minute? That's all it takes to conquer clutter! Organizing guru Donna Smallin offers hundreds of quick tips for storing all your household items.

The latest in Storey's best-selling One Minute Organizer series, The One-Minute Organizer A to Z Storage Solutions offers practical advice based on the time-tested principle that everything — absolutely everything — has its place.

From airline tickets to x-rays, Smallin suggests handy ways of organizing household items neatly and in a way that makes the items easy to find. Her idea of "storage" goes far beyond baskets and plastic bins; with her help, readers will not only be able to keep their household items from piling up on the kitchen counter, they'll also be able to find everything they need in seconds. Smallin even tackles the most vexing kinds of clutter — children's artwork, receipts, holiday decorations, and mismatched socks.

Her tips are at once creative and common-sense — like storing earrings in ice cube trays, one set per cube.

Items are presented alphabetically for easy reference and browsing, and the book's colorful, quick-read format makes it both practical and fun. To help readers who are new to a clutter-free lifestyle, Smallin includes some time-tested organizing principles — like discarding old items as you acquire new ones and donating items that haven't been used in more than a year. Every page brings even the most clutter-challenged reader closer to a more ordered life.

With the help of this concise, no-nonsense reference, readers will enjoy more time and less mess. Best of all, they'll be able to find that take-out menu, spare tube of toothpaste, and elusive matching sock, every time.

Baking for All Occasions ($3.99), by Scott Peterson, Chuck Williams and Flo Braker. I may have to get this just to see how they make that Dark Chocolate Custard Tart.

Book Description
Baking expert Flo Braker rises to the occasion with more than 200 celebration-worthy recipes for baked goods. Whether it's an impressive Dark Chocolate Custard Tart to wish someone a happy birthday, a blue ribbon-worthy batch of Fresh Mint Brownies for the annual family reunion, or an Old World Braided Coffee Cake to impress the bridge club, each recipe is custom-crafted to commemorate life's special events. Lots of introductory information on techniques and ingredients ensure that each treat will be baked to perfection, making this a fabulous reference for any cookbook library. Baking for All Occasions makes each day something to celebrate.

Hachette is bringing out new editions of three of New York Times bestselling author Jeff Abbott's novels and you can pre-order them for $1.99 each right now.

Panic

What if everything about your life was a lie?

Evan Casher is a successful documentary filmmaker with a perfect life--until the day his mother is brutally murdered. Suddenly pursued by a ruthless circle of killers, Evan discovers his entire past has been a carefully constructed lie. With only one chance at survival and no one he can trust, Evan must discover the shocking truth about his family--and himself...

Fear

Everyone has a memory they'd like to forget. For federal witness Miles Kendrick, it's the shootout that left his best friend dead--and Miles a hunted and haunted man. While helping his psychiatrist with a mysterious favor, Miles stumbles upon an illegal research program that could free him--and millions of others with post-traumatic stress disorder--from crippling memories. But when his doctor ends up dead, Miles must run for his life from a murderous conspiracy that gives new meaning to the word "fear."

Collision

Ben Forsberg is a successful corporate consultant who is mourning the murder of his new bride.

"Pilgrim" is a former CIA agent who is weary from the long years of living in the shadows.

When Ben's business card turns up in the pocket of a dead hit man, Ben and Pilgrim, two complete strangers, realize that they've been framed in an elaborate setup. Unsure who to trust--and pursued by a brutal and vengeful killer--the unlikely partners have no choice but to work together to discover who's targeted them for elimination--and why. But with everything at stake, Ben has no idea that Pilgrim is harboring some shocking secrets of his own--secrets that will soon force Ben to confront the blurred line between best friends and bitter enemies.

Last up, there are a half-dozen promo editions of Sidney Sheldon's novels for $1.99 each, three of them available now and at the rest pre-orders. I'm picking up the lot (and replacing a couple of paper editions in the process). These promo editions often don't last in the catalog for long, so you'll want to sample and make up your mind fairly quickly. The descriptions on most of these editions are woefully brief, so I've copied the paperback synopsis below, for the most part. All include bonus material, which will be an excerpt from Sidney Sheldon's The Tides of Memory, available April 9th (and which was finished and edited by Tilly Bagshawe).

The Stars Shine Down with Bonus Material

In THE STARS SHINE DOWN, Sidney Sheldon returns to the powerful and classic themes that have made him one of the world's most popular bestselling authors. And in Lara Cameron, he has created his most memorable, richly drawn heroine to date. Lara is America's Princess, the power behind the tallest building on earth, a self-made billionaire who towers over a traditionally male domain, an icon of glamour and accomplishment to men and women everywhere. Beautiful but insecure, ruthless yet vulnerable, Lara has struggled brutally to achieve it all -- yet still wants more. And in a dazzling global setting from London to New York, from Reno to Rome, she will find everything she has ever desired and won -- her fortune, her fame, the man she loves -- swiftly and shockingly imperiled.

Nothing Lasts Forever with Bonus Material

Three young doctors-their hopes, their dreams, their unexpected desires... Dr. Paige Taylor: She swore it was euthanasia, but when Paige inherited a million dollars from a patient, the D.A. called it murder. Dr. Kat Hunter: She vowed never to let another man too close again-until she accepted the challenge of a deadly bet. Dr. Honey Taft: To make it in medicine, she knew she'd need something more than the brains God gave her. Racing from the life-and-death decisions of a big major hospital to the tension-packed fireworks of a murder trial, Nothing Lasts Forever lays bare the ambitions and fears of healers and killers, lovers and betrayers. And proves once again that no reader can outguess Sidney Sheldon, the master of the unexpected.

Morning Noon & Night with Bonus Material

A power revered by presidents and kings, a fortune unsurpassed by few people on earth: all that ended for Harry Stanford the day he mysteriously-and fatally-plunged from his luxury yacht into the Mediterranean Sea. Then, back home in Boston, as the family gathers to grieve for his memory and to war over his legacy, a stunningly beautiful young woman appears. She claims to be Stanford's long-lost daughter and entitled to her share of his estate. Now, flaming with intrigue and passion through the glamorous preserves of the world's super rich, the ultimate game of wits begins, for stakes too dazzling and deadly to imagine.

The Best Laid Plans with Bonus Material

He wanted power. Oliver Russell is fated to rise to the pinnacle of power, the office of President of the United States. She wanted revenge. Leslie Stewart is his betrayed fiancee, a woman dedicated to a single purpose-the downfall of Oliver Russell. Amassing her own media empire, marshaling all her forces against him, she stands poised to destroy Russell on the eve of his most dazzling triumph. From Sidney Sheldon, the unchallenged master of bestselling fiction, comes a story of blazing ambitions and thwarted love that enthralls and surprises with every page...

Tell Me Your Dreams with Bonus Material

She had read about stalkers, but they belonged in a different, faraway world. She had no idea who it could be, who would want to harm her. She was trying desperately not to panic, but lately her sleep had been filled with nightmares, and she had awakened each morning with a feeling of impending doom.

Thus begins Sidney Sheldon's chilling novel, Tell Me Your Dreams. Three beautiful young women are suspected of committing a series of brutal murders. The police make an arrest that leads to one of the most bizarre murder trials of the century. Based on actual events, Sheldon's novel races from London to Rome to the city of Quebec to San Francisco, with a climax that will leave the reader stunned.

The Sky Is Falling with Bonus Material

If America had a royal family, the Taylor Winthrops would wear the crown. In The Sky is Falling, the popular, charismatic Winthrops have captured the imagination of the world with their public service, their enormous charity, and their glamorous lives. But in the period of one year, all five members of the family are killed in a series of accidents. Beautiful young anchor woman Dana Evans begins an investigation and starts unraveling compelling evidence that she can hardly believe.

In her determined pursuit of the truth, Dana never anticipated the cat-and-mouse chase that leads her through a half dozen countries in search of a remorseless killer. As she closes in on her suspect, the shocking secrets she uncovers place Dana and her young son in dire jeopardy. Can Dana outwit her pursuers and expose the truth that will astound the world?