Kindle Daily Deals 5/7

Today's Gold Box at Amazon is with "SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist 600-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine" and it looks like the Lightning Deals all day long are other sewing machines and related products.

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

• 20 Kindle Books for $1 Each

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Secrets of Mary Bowser ($1.99), by Lois Leveen [William Morrow/HarperCollins].

Book Description
Based on the remarkable true story of a freed African American slave who returned to Virginia at the onset of the Civil War to spy on the Confederates, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is a masterful debut by an exciting new novelist. Author Lois Leveen combines fascinating facts and ingenious speculation to craft a historical novel that will enthrall readers of women’s fiction, historical fiction, and acclaimed works like Cane River and Cold Mountain that offer intimate looks at the twin nightmares of slavery and Civil War. A powerful and unforgettable story of a woman who risked her own freedom to bring freedom to millions of others, The Secrets of Mary Bowser celebrates the courageous achievements of a little known but truly inspirational American heroine.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Silver Serenade ($0.99), by Gerry O'Hara [Montlake Romance].

Book Description
Handwriting analyst Christie Hamilton has had her heart broken before, so when she meets prominent and charismatic criminal defense attorney Cash McCullough, she’s understandably wary of falling too fast for his advances. But Cash is as persuasive in his personal life as he is before juries, and soon Christie can no longer deny the attraction she feels. After a series of adventurous dates—sailing San Francisco Bay aboard Cash’s Serenade and romantic trips to Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, and Sedona, Arizona—the relationship is solidified even further when Christie and Cash team up to solve a missing-person case.

Christie is nearly ready to reveal her love to Cash when he takes on a new client, one she believes is a dangerous criminal. A sudden argument erupts between the pair, causing a serious rift. Christie must decide if she can reconcile her professional ethics with her emotions, or if she should concentrate on her career—and discard her dreams of a future with the charming attorney.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Artemis Fowl ($2.99), the first novel in the teen fantasy series by Eoin Colfer [Disney Hyperion], with the companion audiobook for $3.95. Definitely recommended if you haven't read it. There is also an Audio/Video Enhanced Edition for $6.71, but I didn't download the sample to see what additions are included, so don't know if it is worth the extra cost (you would be able to read it on any Kindle device or app, but the enhanced content is only available on an iThing).

Book Description
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous. Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them…but then they stop playing by the rules.

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is The Monstrumologist ($1.99), by Richard Yancey [Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers], with the companion audiobook is $3.99.

Book Description
These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for nearly ninety years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphan and assistant to a doctor with a most unusual specialty: monster hunting. In the short time he has lived with the doctor, Will has grown accustomed to his late night callers and dangerous business. But when one visitor comes with the body of a young girl and the monster that was eating her, Will's world is about to change forever. The doctor has discovered a baby Anthropophagus--a headless monster that feeds through a mouth in its chest--and it signals a growing number of Anthropophagi. Now, Will and the doctor must face the horror threatenning to overtake and consume our world before it is too late.

The Monstrumologist is the first stunning gothic adventure in a series that combines the spirit of HP Lovecraft with the storytelling ability of Rick Riorden.

Nook Daily Find 5/7

Bear Meets Girl ($8.69 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), the seventh in the Pride series by Shelly Laurenston [Kensington Books], is the Nook Daily Find. Once you've finished this one, the next in the series, Wolf with Benefits, was released late last month.

Book Description
He's big, burly, and way smarter than your average shapeshifting bear. He's also about to get trapped by own his game. . .

Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she-tiger with a skill set that's turning Crush's lone-bear world upside down--and bringing his passion out of hibernation. . .

As a member of an elite feline protection unit, Marcella Malone has no problem body-dropping anyone who hunts her kind. But Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she's joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who's got her entire species in his ruthless sights. It sure isn't because Crush's stubborn and contrary attitude is rubbing Cella in all the right ways. . .

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/7

From MTV to Mecca (£0.99 UK), by Kristiane Backer [Arcadia Books], is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.19).

Book Description
In the early 1990s Kristiane Backer was one of the very first presenters on MTV (Europe). For some years she lived and breathed the international music scene quickly gaining a cult following amongst viewers and becoming a darling of the European press. As she reached the pinnacle of her success she realised that, despite having all she could have wished for, she was never truly satisfied. Something very important was missing. A fateful meeting with Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan changed her life. He invited her to his country where she encountered a completely different world to the one she knew, the religion and culture of Islam. In place of pop and rock stars she was meeting men and women whose lives where dominated by the love of God, men and women who cared very little for the brief glories of this world. She began to read the Quran and to study books about the Faith. A few years later (in 1995), after travelling more widely in the Islamic world and knowing that she had discovered her spiritual path, she embraced Islam in a London mosque. And then her real adventures began. In this private memoir Kristiane Backer tells the story of her conversion and explains how faith, despite the many challenges she faced as she turned her life upside down, at last gave her inner peace and the meaning she had sought.

Diesel Daily Deal - Invitation to Scandal (E)

Invitation to Scandal ($11.99 $8.69 Kindle), by Bronwen Evans [Kensington Books], is today's Deal of the "Day" at Diesel E-Books, where it's discounted to $2.40 (7 copies left).

Book Description

Catch Me If You Can

Plagued by scandalous rumors, Rheda Kerrich will stop at nothing to restore her reputation and make an honest living for herself--and she's determined to do it without a husband. But times are hard, and smuggling is a risky though profitable trade. So when a dashing agent for the English government catches her in the act, she desperately resists his charms and conceals her illicit profession. Until she realizes he may be the key to her ultimate freedom--and unbridled passion. . .

Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore, has never had trouble beguiling the ladies of Kent. When his search for "Dark Shadow," a cunningly elusive smuggler, leads him to alluring and headstrong Rhe, her objections to his amorous advances merely incite a tantalizing game of cat and mouse. Soon, they'll find the very secrets driving them apart could ensnare them in a love they can't escape. . .

Get the book from Diesel; be sure to check the sales price, as the Deal of the Day often sells out.

Kindle Daily Deals 5/6

I hope everyone had a good weekend/Cinco de Mayo. We went to see Iron Man 3 over the weekend and I just noticed that Amazon has Iron Man 3: Heroes Fall. on sale today for $5. From what I can tell, this is "inspired by" music, selected by the director, not the actual soundtrack, which is mostly instrumentals (and for which I'd recommend getting the CD, as it's the same price as the MP3 album, which you also get with the CD purchase).

Today's Gold Box at Amazon is with "3M Streaming Projector Powered by Roku". Not only can you watch a six-foot wide "screen" on any wall inside, you can take it outside and run off battery there. In addition to the included Roku streaming stick, which gives you Roku access anywhere there is a WiFi signal, the projector also works with any device with an HDMI port, which means you can use it plus a Kindle Fire to watch movies pretty much anywhere.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Oracle Glass ($1.99), by Judith Merkle Riley [Sourcebooks Landmark]; it's also today's Nook Daily Find, which finally dropped in price in the B&N store, as well. Since I've already written up the book in the earlier post, I'll skip doing so again here.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Emma Dilemma ($1.99), by Patricia Hermes [Two Lions].

Book Description
One light. Many candles. One challah. Many slices. A family gets ready to celebrate the Sabbath. It welcomes guests, enjoys a nice meal, and savors a few quiet moments together. Shabbat Shalom! Appealing watercolors add just the right touch to the festivities.

Age Range: 9 and up

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Girl in Hyacinth Blue ($1.99), by Susan Vreeland [RosettaBooks], with the companion audiobook for $3.99.

Book Description
A Dutch painting of a young girl survives three and a half centuries through loss, flood, anonymity, theft, secrecy, even the Holocaust. This is the story of its owners whose lives are influenced by its beauty and mystery. Despite their unsatisfied longings, their own and others' flaws, the girl in hyacinth blue has the power to engender love in all its human variety.

This luminous story begins in the present day, when a professor invites a colleague to his home to see a painting that he has kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer--but why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold in a series of events that trace the ownership of the painting back to World War II and Amsterdam, and still further back to the moment of the work's inspiration. As the painting moves through each owner's hands, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in multiple lives. Susan Vreeland's characters remind us, through their love of this mysterious painting, how beauty transforms and why we reach for it, what lasts and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Unearthly ($1.99), the first title in the trilogy by Cynthia Hand [HarperCollins]; the trilogy was completed earlier this year, with the release of Boundless in January.

Book Description
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Nook Daily Find 5/6

The Oracle Glass ($10.09 Kindle, $10.94 B&N), by Judith Merkle Riley [Sourcebooks Landmark], is the Nook Daily Find. It looks like B&N is late dropping the price again, as it appears to be full price and is higher than on Kindle, where the companion audiobook is $3.99. I suspect this will drop to the $1.99 to $2.99 range sometime this morning.

Book Description
For a handful of gold, Madame de Morville will read your future in a glass of swirling water. You'll believe her, because you know she's more than 150 years old and a witch, and she has all of Paris in the palm of her hand. But Madame de Morville hides more behind her black robes than you know. Her real age, the mother and uncle who left her for dead, the inner workings of the most secret society of Parisian witches: none of these truths would help her outwit the rich who so desperately want the promise of the future. After all, it's her own future she must control, no matter how much it is painted with uncertainty and clouded by vengeance.

A bold, exquisitely imagined novel of masquerade and murder, witchcraft, wonder, and romance in the magnificent court of Louis XIV. Skinny, precocious Genevieve possesses the remarkable power to read the swirling waters of an oracle glass. Tutored by the ingenious occultist La Voisin, she reinvents herslf as a mysterious 150-year-old fortune-teller, and revels in the prizes that few women of her time can attain.

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/6

Ratking (£0.99 UK), by Michael Dibdin, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $11.99).

Book Description
In this masterpiece of psychological suspense, Italian Police Commissioner Aurelio Zen is dispatched to investigate the kidnapping of Ruggiero Miletti, a powerful Perugian industrialist. But nobody much wants Zen to succeed: not the local authorities, who view him as an interloper, and certainly not Miletti's children, who seem content to let the head of the family languish in the hands of his abductors -- if he's still alive.

Was Miletti truly the victim of professionals? Or might his kidnapper be someone closer to home: his preening son Daniele, with his million-lire wardrobe and his profitable drug business? His daughter, Cinzia, whose vapid beauty conceals a devastating secret? The perverse Silvio, or the eldest son Pietro, the unscrupulous fixer who manipulates the plots of others for his own ends? As Zen tries to unravel this rat's nest of family intrigue and official complicity, Michael Dibdin gives us one of his most accomplished thrillers, a chilling masterpiece of police procedure and psychological suspense.

B&N Nook Sale Report

I stopped in the local B&N this afternoon, to check on the $90 Off Tablet Sale and the NOOK Book Two-for-One Weekends Offer. There were posters everywhere on the "special price" on the Nook HD and HD+. Gone, though, were the old "$50 Free Content" offer posters, which means that the price on the smaller tablet was essentially the same (assuming you would buy some content at B&N). For B&N Members, who received the coupons in the mail for $50/$90 off a tablet - all B&N did was extend the exact same sale to everyone, rendering the "exclusive coupons" sent to you essentially worthless (no special price for members, no kickback as a gift card, as they've done in the past, no special bonus content on an SD card). You can get the same price at BestBuy this week, so if you are in the market for a new Nook Tablet, buy at whichever one gives you the best perks (BestBuy Rewards members probably come out ahead on this one).

As for their NOOK Book Two-for-One Weekends Offer, which specifically says that you get to choose which book to pay for -- in the store instructions (only; not on any online offer details and they had exactly zero posters up about this deal, so only those who knew about the sale before coming to the store would have a chance to take advantage of it), the store was instructed to give you the cheapest book free, regardless of which book you told them you wanted to pay for. I wonder how many handed over their credit cards and never looked to see that they paid for the more expensive book?

In any case, we skipped both sales and the Weekend Offers will have to be quite enticing (and have two books at close to the same price, I suspect) to lure me into the store on a weekend, just to take advantage of the sale. Especially since the cafe is so crowded on the weekends and you have to wait to get a table (unlike during the week, which makes you wonder about the timing of the sale, since they are much more deserted during the week).

Update: I tried the coupon code for the $90 off the HD+ tablet online and it actually worked, taking an additional $90 off (would have been $50 off the HD). I have no idea how long this will continue to work or if B&N will actually ship the ones ordered with this steep discount, but it's worth a shot for those who received coupons in the mail.

Nook HD+ $90 Off and Nook HD $50 Off!

This price is good this week only, in store and online: Get $90 off NOOK HD+ Tablet (now $179) or $50 off NOOK HD Tablet (now $149). Hurry Offer Expires 5/12!

If you are buying in-store, don't forget the NOOK Book Two-for-One Weekends Offer that is going on. For those buying online, if you have a B&N membership, you get free shipping (so, it might be a good time to sign up for that first, then order).

If you can't get to a B&N store and want to buy local, check with Best Buy, as rumor has it that they have the same sale price this week (I haven't popped over to ours to check).

Kindle Daily Deals 5/5

Over at Kobo, get 40% off a select list of books using coupon code MaySave40. Also any Kobo Glo or Touch (now $99.99), comes with a free cover (thru May 16).

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Two Minute Rule ($1.99), by Robert Crais [Simon and Schuster].

Book Description
Two minutes can be a lifetime.

Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two-minute rule and they'll tell you that's as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Break the two-minute rule and it's a lifetime in jail. But not everyone plays by the rules. . .

When ex-con Max Holman finally gets out of jail, freedom doesn't taste too sweet. The only thing on his mind is reconciliation with his estranged son, who is, ironically, a cop. But then he hears the devastating news: His son and three other uniformed cops were gunned down in cold blood in Los Angeles the night before Holman's release. When the hit is exposed as a revenge killing and the question of police corruption is raised, it becomes a father's last duty to clear his son's name and catch the killer. With all the elements that have made Robert Crais one of the very best crime writers today, The Two Minute Rule is gripping, edgy suspense from the author who sets the standard when it comes to surprising plot twists and powerful characters.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Dead Heat ($0.99), by Kathleen Brooks [indie].

Book Description
In the third book of the Bluegrass Series, Paige Davies finds her world turned upside down as she becomes involved in her best friends' nightmare. The strong-willed Paige doesn't know which is worse: someone trying to kill her, or losing her dog to the man she loves to hate.

FBI Agent Cole Parker can't decide whether he should strangle or kiss this infuriating woman of his dreams. As he works the case of his career, he finds that love can be tougher than bringing down some of the most powerful men in America.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Building From Ashes ($1.99), the first book in the Elemental World series, by Elizabeth Hunter, author of the best-selling Elemental Mysteries [indie].

Book Description
In a world teetering on the edge of change, two beings struggle to find their purpose. Will their paths lead them closer together or tear their worlds apart?

For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.

Brigid Connor has known about vampires since they rescued her from a painful childhood. But not even their vast elemental power can save her from the demons that torment her.

As loyalties are tested and new paths are forged, a lurking danger slowly grows in the Elemental World. Carwyn and Brigid learn that even secrets revealed can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is My Brother Sam is Dead ($2.99), a Newbery Honor winning YA fantasy novel by James Lincoln Collier [AudioGo?/Scholastic].

Book Description
The Revolutionary War comes alive in this contemporary classic for young adults. The War had no clear-cut loyalties--it divided families, friends and towns. Young Tim Meeker's 16-year-old brother goes off to fight with the Patriots while his father remains a reluctant British Loyalist in the Tory town of Redding, CT. Tim’s always looked up to his brother, who’s smart and brave. With the war soon raging, Tim knows he'll have to make a choice -- between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats . . . and between his brother and his father. Over the course of the war Tim learns that life teaches some bitter lessons and does not guarantee clear answers. My Brother Sam Is Dead is a stirring, probing tale full of action and suspense, putting listeners right into the heart of the Revolutionary War.

Save $20 on 7" Kindle Fire HD!

As a Mother's Day promotion, you can save $20 on a Kindle Fire HD 7" (now from $179 with promo), by entering promotional code FIRE4MOM at checkout. The deals page shows both the base models and the memory upgraded models, as well as those with and without Special Offers (if you don't want Mom to have to pay to dump the advertising herself). If you play a lot of games, like to download the full content on those Audubon apps or want to stick a few movies on there for a quick trip, you should probably consider upgrading to the 32GB model, for only $30 extra.

There are some restrictions, which work out to basically one per customer (account), only those sold by Amazon (no third party sellers or used), and only until the number they've set aside for the promotion sell out (the final end date is May 12th, but there is also a "while supplies last" clause). Be sure not to use one-click, though - you need to go thru the full checkout process, so that you can apply the promo code above (and double check your total) before ordering, in order to get the sale price. If you are buying as a gift, be sure to click the box on the summary page for that, as well, so that the device isn't auto-registered to your account.

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/5

Daddy's Home (£0.99 UK), by AK Alexander [Thomas & Mercer], is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $3.99 and the the companion audiobook $1.99).

Book Description
They call him “the Family Man,” the cunning killer who preys upon single mothers and their innocent children, hunting for a family to call his own. But when they fail to meet his unyielding demands for perfection—and they always do—he kills.

Holly Jennings is the San Diego PD’s top crime scene investigator. She’s also a single mother struggling to raise her daughter alone and to dealing with her feelings for another man in the wake of her husband’s death. The Family Man case hits her hard—but even harder when her friend becomes his latest victim.

Determined to stop this psychopath once and for all, Holly delves deep into the investigation, combing through evidence for clues to his identity. But the closer she gets to the truth, the further she must venture down a dark path that could cost her everything: her family, her newfound love—even her life. A Wall Street Journal bestseller, this edgy page-turner is guaranteed to keep readers riveted into the wee hours of the morning.

Nook Daily Find 5/5

Wind Dancer ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Jamie Carie [B&H Books], is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Raised in a British-held frontier town during the American Revolution, Isabelle Renoir is not like other women around her. A free spirit, she dances in the moonlight as a praise offering to God and is more at home fearlessly taking her long rifle and knife into the woods for adventure and inspiration.

But Isabelle’s latest journey may be more than even her strength can handle when a huge storm throws the raven-haired beauty off course and into the path of rugged American spy Samuel Holt. After matching wits and denying their passion for each other, they are attacked by Indians, held prisoner, and forced to watch the horrific killing of Isabelle’s brother. Now together but in captivity, they must fight spiritual forces that no knife or rifle could ever conquer in order to be free.

Kindle Daily Deals 5/4

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Maisy Goes Camping ($1.99), by Lucy Cousins [Candlewick].

Book Description
When Maisy sets off to go camping in the country, it’s only natural that all her friends come along, too. But they soon find that pitching a tent is not an easy thing to do. Even if they do manage to keep the tent up, there’s the matter of fitting them all in — Maisy, Charley, Cyril, Tallulah, and finally, the huge elephant, Eddie. What a squeezy squish-squash! Good night, campers! Uh-oh-what’s that popping sound?

Age Range: 2 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is A Prayer for Owen Meany ($1.99), by John Irving [HarperCollins].

Book Description
I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Crystal Flame ($1.99), by Jayne Ann Krentz [backlist/Purple Papaya].

Book Description
Kalena is focused on a single task…the assassination of the man who destroyed her family. Once he is gone, she will live her life as a free woman. She just has to extract herself from an arranged Trade Marriage first. She has a plan for that.

Her husband, Ridge, works for Quintel, the man Kalena has been sent to kill. Ridge is the Fire Whip, Quintel’s enforcer, and not exactly the type to become involved in a Trade Marriage with an innocent country girl. But he looks forward to instructing Kalena in her wifely duties.

Kalena and Ridge have no plans for a lasting relationship, but the success of their mission depends on learning to trust each other and the passion that flares between them.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is 10 Star Wars books for $1.99 apiece, blowing the Nook Daily Find selection out of the galaxy!

I'm listing below the additional nine titles on the Kindle Deal, which include both text novels and graphic novels; the latter are an especially good deal at this price, as they are often at or above $10 in price. May the 4th be with you!

Darth Plagueis: Star Wars by James Luceno [Random House]

He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived.
But could he be the only one who never died?

“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.

Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

Tatooine Ghost: Star Wars by Troy Denning [Random House]

Han Solo and Leia Organa take center stage, and stunning revelations from the past play a critical role in shaping the future, as the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star now turns to a crucial chapter in the classic Star Wars saga.

The deaths of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, and victory at the Battle of Endor by no means spelled the end of the Empire. In the aftermath, the New Republic has faced a constant struggle to survive and grow. And now a new threat looms: a masterpiece of Alderaanian art—lost in transit after the planet’s destruction—has resurfaced on the black market. Offered at auction, it will command a handsome price . . . but its greatest value lies in the vital secret it conceals—the key to a code used to communicate with New Republic agents deep undercover within the Empire. Discovery of the key by Imperial forces would spell certain disaster. The only option is recovery—and Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO have been dispatched to Tatooine to infiltrate the auction.

But trouble is waiting when they arrive: an Imperial Star Destroyer is orbiting Tatooine on the lookout for Rebels; a mysterious stranger at the auction seems to recognize Leia; and an Imperial officer’s aggressive bidding for the Alderaanian painting could foil the Solos’ mission. When a dispute erupts into violence, and the painting vanishes in the chaos, Han and Leia are thrust into a desperate race to reclaim it—before Imperial troops or a band of unsavory treasure-peddlers get there first.

Dangerous as the chase is, for Leia it leads into especially dark territory. Already haunted by the specter of her infamous father, and fearful that his evil may infect future generations, she has suffered a disturbing Force-vision of Luke turning to the dark side. As she battles beside Han against marauding TIE fighters, encroaching stormtroopers, and Tatooine’s savage Tusken Raiders, Leia’s struggle with the warring emotions inside her culminates in the discovery of an extraordinary link to the past. And as long-buried secrets and truths at last emerge, she faces a moment of reckoning that will forever alter her destiny . . . and that of the New Republic.

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1 - Force Storm by John Ostrander, Randy Stradley, Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons [Dark Horse Comics]

Here begins the tale of the dawn of the Jedi, the Star Wars of 25,000 years ago—before lightsabers, before hyperspace travel, before the Jedi spread throughout the galaxy, when connections to the Force were new.

On the planet Tython, a group of beings—scientists, philosophers, and warriors—strive to maintain peace and to balance the mystifying power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming, one who will disrupt the balance with his arrival and his own connection to the Force. Everything in their system is about to change . . . The doors to the galaxy have been opened! Collects Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi—Force Storm #1–#5.

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command by Haden Blackman, Rick Leonardi, Dan Green and Michael Kutsch [Dark Horse Comics]

Still haunted by the death of Anakin Skywalker's beloved Padmé in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader is tasked with a mission to locate a lost Imperial expeditionary force—led by the son of Vader's rising nemesis, Moff Tarkin. But the perils of Vader's journey into the unexplored Ghost Nebula are compounded by traitors among his crew and the presence of the system's religious leader, Lady Saro.

• Collects the five-issue miniseries.
• Written by The Force Unleashed's Haden Blackman!
• Art by Rick Leonardi of Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War!

The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace, Paul Allan Ballard, Jeff Carlisle and Tommy Lee Edwards [becker&mayer! Press]

Unlock the secrets and share in the knowledge that has educated generations of Jedi—from the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order to the mastery of the Force and the nuances of lightsaber combat.

Handed down from Master to Padawan, each Jedi who has held and studied this copy has annotated the pages—adding his or her personal experiences and lessons they’ve learned. This copy is now passed to you.

Path of Destruction: Star Wars (Darth Bane): A Novel of the Old Republic by Drew Karpyshyn [Random House]

Once the Sith order teemed with followers. But their rivalries divided them in endless battles for supremacy. Until one dark lord at last united the Sith in the quest to enslave the galaxy–and exterminate the Jedi. Yet it would fall to another, far more powerful than the entire Brotherhood of Darkness, to ultimately realize the full potential of the Sith, and wield the awesome power of the dark side as never before.

Since childhood, Dessel has known only the abuse of his hateful father and the dangerous, soul-crushing labor of a cortosis miner. Deep in the tunnels of the desolate planet Apatros, endlessly excavating the rare mineral valued throughout the galaxy, Dessel dreams of the day he can escape–a day he fears may never come. But when a high-stakes card game ends in deadly violence, Dessel suddenly finds himself a wanted man.

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army, and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, he is destined for a far greater role in the ultimate Sith plan for the galaxy–if he can prove himself truly worthy.

As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side at the feet of its greatest masters, Dessel embraces his new Sith identity: Bane. However the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness one must fully surrender to the dark side through a trial by fire that Bane, for all his unquenchable fury and lust for power, may not be strong enough to endure . . . especially since deception, treachery, and murder run rampant among the Sith disciples, and utter ruthlessness alone is the key to survival. Only by defying the most sacred traditions, rejecting all he has been taught, and drawing upon the long-forgotten wisdom of the very first Sith can Bane hope to triumph–and forge from the ashes of that which he must destroy a new era of absolute dark power.

Star Wars: Legacy #1 - Broken by John Ostrander, Jan Duursema, Dan Parsons and Adam Hughes [Dark Horse Comics]

The future of Star Wars is here in an all-new adventure set more than a century after Return of the Jedi and the New Jedi Order!

The Jedi Temple is attacked, an Emperor is betrayed, and the Sith are born anew! A lot can happen in a hundred years, but that's just the beginning of the story! Not since Luke Skywalker first stepped aboard the Millennium Falcon has the galaxy seemed like such a vast, exciting, dangerous place!

Readers will meet a host of new characters, see fleets of new spaceships, and visit scores of exotic locations—some new and some familiar.

This is a perfect jumping-on point for any reader.

• Collects issues #1-#3 and #5-#7 of the Legacy series.

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire-Iron Eclipse by John Ostrander, Stephane Roux, Stéphane Créty and Julien Hugonnard-Bert [Dark Horse Comics]

Imperial power is at its height. With Palpatine on the throne and his chief enforcer, Darth Vader, leading fleets of Star Destroyers and legions of stormtroopers across the galaxy, the Empire is an unstoppable force for order and peace.

But not every political problem requires military might; not every negotiation depends on a show of force. Sometimes all diplomacy needs to succeed is the right man, in the right place, with the willingness to get the job done. No matter what it takes. Collects Star Wars: Agent of the Empire—Iron Eclipse #1–#5.

Star Wars: Empire # 1 - Betrayal by Scott Allie, Ryan Benjamin and Brian Horton [Dark Horse Comics]

In the weeks before the events in Star Wars: A New Hope, as the Death Star is readied for its fateful first mission, a power-hungry cabal of Grand Mofs and Imperial Officers embark on a dangerous plan to kill Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader and seize control of the Empire!

When word that a "Jedi" has made an appearance on a backwater world lures Vader away from his master, the cabal makes its move. But even the galaxy isn't enough of a prize to sate the ambitions of some of the conspirators, and before long the would-be assassins are turning on one another. Their plans are further complicated by the actions of bounty hunter Boba Fett. And, of course, they may have fatally underestimated the cunning of their primary target: Emperor Palpatine!

Nook Daily Find 5/4

Heir to the Empire ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in the Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

For the true Star Wars fan, Amazon has several discounts going on, this week only: 53% off on the Star Wars Trilogies on Blu-Ray, up to 60% off Family Guy Star Wars titles and 50% off on three Star Wars books, including Star Wars: The Blueprints.

Book Description
It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/4

The Breadmakers Saga (£0.99 UK), by Margaret Thomson-Davis, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $5.99).

Book Description
The Breadmaker’s Saga follows the story of a Glasgow working class community living through the dark days of the Depression and the Second World War. Clydend, McNair’s Bakery and the surrounding tenements, are all vividly and absorbingly depicted, as are the lives and loves of people like Catriona, a young woman trying to cope with an overbearing husband; the foreman baker Baldy Fowler and his tragic wife, Sarah; Alec Jackson, the philandering insurance salesman; and a host of other colourful characters, who face up to the ordinary challenges of life and the extraordinary challenges of war with honesty, optimism and hope.

Fishy Friday Bargain Book Roundup

Over at O'Reilly Books, they are celebrating the Day Against DRM and you can get 50% off a DRM-Free ebook (and their entire catalog is DRM-Free) using coupon code DRM2013;orders over $60 get 60% off, today only. Remember, you also get lifetime updates on any of your purchases at O'Reilly.

Fish Grilled & Smoked: 150 Recipes for Cooking Rich, Flavorful Fish on the Backyard Grill, Streamside, or in a Home Smoker ($2.99 Kindle), by John Manikowski [Storey Publishing]

Book Description
Master fisherman and chef John Manikowski offers seafood lovers 150 succulent recipes for cooking just about anything that swims, including freshwater fish, ocean fish, and shellfish, as well as fish-friendly condiments, sauces, side dishes, and desserts. He even suggests beers and wines that pair well with his dishes. In addition to recipes, you'll find step-by-step instructions for rigging a smoker streamside, operating a smoker at home, and building a full-size backyard smokehouse. You'll even learn which species of fish are best for smoking, and you'll discover the secret of Manikowski's delicious and innovative "soft smoke" method.

Serendip: Fish and Seafood ($4.99 Kindle), by Peter Kuruvita [Murdoch Books]

Book Description
In Serendip: Fish & Seafood, Peter Kuruvita, acclaimed chef from Flying Fish in Sydney, takes us on a rich and rewarding journey through the traditional cuisine of Sri Lanka, its culture of family and ceremony, and the colourful approach to life on this beautiful island nation. Offering Sri Lankan seafood curries such as White Curry and Jardi well as recipes for curry powders, chutneys, sambals and pickles, Serendip: Fish & Seafood is a treasury of delicious and flavoursome dishes.

All the Lives He Led ($3.45 Kindle), by Frederik Pohl [Macmillan]. This has been falling in price along with the paper edition, so could jump back up at any time.

Book Description
Two thousand years after Pompeii’s destruction, a thriller of upheaval—volcanic and political—as only SF Grandmaster Frederik Pohl can write it!

With a keen eye for the humanity in any situation, science fiction icon Frederik Pohl has crafted a compelling new novel of a not-too-distant future we can only hope is merely science fiction.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. it gave so little warning that Pompeiians were caught unawares, and many bodies were preserved in volcanic ash. Two thousand years later, in 2079, Pompeii is a popular theme park eagerly anticipating Il Giubeleo, the Jubilee celebration of the great anniversary. But Vesuvius is still capable of erupting, and even more threatening are terrorists who want to use the occasion to draw attention to their cause by creating a huge disaster. As the fateful day draws near, people from all over the world—workers, tourists, terrorists—caught in the shadow of the volcano will grapple with upheaval both natural and political.

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

The Magician's Assistant ($2.51 Kindle), by Ann Patchett [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]

Book Description
Sabine-- twenty years a magician's assistant to her handsome, charming husband-- is suddenly a widow. In the wake of his death, she finds he has left a final trick; a false identity and a family allegedly lost in a tragic accident but now revealed as very much alive and well. Named as heirs in his will, they enter Sabine's life and set her on an adventure of unraveling his secrets, from sunny Los Angeles to the windswept plains of Nebraska, that will work its own sort of magic on her.

Alien Sex: 19 Tales by the Masters of Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy ($2.99 Kindle), edited by Ellen Datlow [Open Road]. As always from this publisher, I can recommend this for any SciFi/Fantasy short story fans. You can see a complete list of the stories and authors included by clicking the book's cover at Amazon and using the Look Inside feature.

Book Description
Harlan Ellison, Richard Christian Matheson, Connie Willis, and many more contribute to a compelling psychological exploration of the many shades of love

An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something—or someone—completely different.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Ellen Datlow, including rare photos from the editor’s personal collection.

Bunker Hill ($2.99 Kindle), by Howard Fast, is an even better deal in Canada, where it's marked down to $1.02.

Book Description
One battle will determine the fate of Boston

Three thousand soldiers from the world's greatest army are cornered in Boston, surrounded by farmers and doctors turned rebel soldiers and generals. For a week both sides are at an impasse, until June 17, 1775, when the standstill comes to a violent, bloody end on Breed's and Bunker hills.
In Bunker Hill, master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the unlikely battle that changed the course of the Revolutionary War forever. Tensions rise among both the British and Colonial soldiers as political and tactical frustrations, dissent, confusion, and fear threaten to tear both sides apart before the fighting even begins.

Now You See Me ($2.99 Kindle), the first Lacey Flint thriller by S. J. Bolton [Macmillan]

Book Description
One night after interviewing a reluctant witness at a London apartment complex, Lacey Flint, a young detective constable, stumbles onto a woman brutally stabbed just moments before in the building’s darkened parking lot. Within twenty-four hours a reporter receives an anonymous letter that points out alarming similarities between the murder and Jack the Ripper’s first murder—a letter that calls out Lacey by name. If it’s real, and they have a killer bent on re-creating London’s bloody past, history shows they have just five days until the next attempt.

No one believes the connections are anything more than a sadistic killer’s game, not even Lacey, whom the killer seems to be taunting specifically. However, as they investigate the details of the case start reminding her more and more of a part of her past she’d rather keep hidden. And the only way to do that is to catch the killer herself.

Fast paced and completely riveting, S. J. Bolton’s Now You See Me is a modern gothic novel that is nothing less than a masterpiece of suspense fiction. Now You See Me is a Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011 Mysteries title.
One of Library Journal's Best Mystery Books of 2011

Bloodchild: And Other Stories ($3.99 Kindle), by Octavia E. Butler, is another short story collection by a SciFi great, brought back into (e)print by Open Road.

Book Description
Six remarkable stories from a master of modern science fiction

Octavia E. Butler’s classic “Bloodchild,” winner of both the Nebula and Hugo awards, anchors this collection of incomparable stories and essays. “Bloodchild” is set on a distant planet where human children spend their lives preparing to become hosts for the offspring of the alien Tlic. Sometimes the procedure is harmless, but often it is not. Also included is the Hugo Award–winning “Speech Sounds,” about a near future in which humans must adapt after an apocalyptic event robs them of their ability to speak.

In these pages, Butler shows us life on Earth and amongst the stars, telling her tales with characteristic imagination and clarity.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author’s estate.

Louisa May Alcott Collection 39 Works: Little Women Series (Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys), An Old Fasioned Girl, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Mysterious Key, Under the Lilacs, MORE ($1.99 Kindle), by Louisa May Alcott [Doma Publishing House], is a collection of public domain works, all nicely formatted and with an active TOC (and with two additional public-domain works tossed in, as a bonus).

Book Description
Doma Publishing presents to you this Louisa May Alcott Collection, which has been designed and formatted specifically for your Amazon Kindle. Unlike other e-book editions, the text and chapters are perfectly set up to match the layout and feel of a physical copy, rather than being haphazardly thrown together for a quick release.

This edition also comes with a linked Table of Contents for both the list of included books and their respective chapters. Navigation couldn't be easier.

Get $2 Off an MP3 Album (KSO)

This offer for those with a Kindle Fire with Special Offers only.

On your Kindle Fire with Special Offers (2nd Generation or HD), swipe the top menu to the left until you see Offers, then press/click in order to see the current offers. At the bottom, you should see the offer to Get $2 off any digital music album $5.99 or greater. Click on the offer, then on the orange button to add the credit directly to your account. It's nearly instant and the next screen offers to take you to Amazon MP3 store so you can start shopping. You can shop the web site from your PC or or iThing or from the Music App on your Kindle Fire any Android device and the credit will automatically be used on the next qualifying purchase (I prefer to browse on my PC, as you can do a "play all" on the samples).

Offer is good for one album and only one per account (if you have multiple KSO devices, they need to be registered to different accounts when you apply the credit to any of the accounts). The credit must be claimed by May 7 and used by midnight (PT) May 14.

Other than picking out an album that has a price of $5.99 or more, there doesn't seem to be any restriction on which albums you can choose. The credit will also go onto your account as soon as it is claimed, so you will want to shop for your album right away (I've seen multiple promotions active on an account interfere with each other). I would not wait too long to claim it though, as I've had offers disappear from my Kindle Fire before the claim date. Also, if you don't see the offer at all, try turning off parental controls on your Fire (you can turn them on again, after claiming the offer).

Diesel Daily Deal - Hunted (E)

Hunted ($11.99 $8.69 Kindle), the third novel in Rebecca Zanetti's Dark Protectors Urban Fantasy series [Kensington Books], is today's Deal of the "Day" at Diesel E-Books, where it's discounted to $2.40 (9 copies left).

Book Description

Ready Or Not Moira Dunne is a witch--the quantum physics kind. Time and space are her playthings. Which might explain why her one-night stand from a hundred years ago has turned up to "claim" her--and request her family's assistance with the war he's brewing. But the more she learns about Connlan Kayrs, the more she comes to think this is normal behavior for him. . .

There's Nowhere To Hide

When Conn and Moira tumbled on the moonlit grass, Conn hadn't meant to mark her as his mate for all time. She was only twenty! But it wasn't easy to wait for her. It was even harder to forget her. So when he finally returns for his wicked-hot witch, he's ready to let the sparks flying. Even if he burns up in flames. . .

Get the book from Diesel; be sure to check the sales price, as the Deal of the Day often sells out.

Free Nook App - Magician's Handbook: Cursed Valley

Magician's Handbook: Cursed Valley ($2.99 Amazon and free intro edition), by G5 Entertainment, is this week's Free Friday App from Barnes & Noble.

App Description
Remove the evil curse in this captivating adventure by finding hidden objects in the dark and mysterious Cursed Valley! The fabled "Magician's Handbook" has fallen into your hands. You are beckoned to a dark and desolate place whose true name has long been forgotten. Search beautiful, hand-painted backgrounds for cleverly- hidden enchanted objects. Use special incantations to slowly reveal the pages of the sacred book. Lift the curse from the haunted valley to discover its true name in this brain-bending, hidden object adventure with unlimited replay ability!

- 13 enchanted levels to explore
- Unlimited replay ability
- 2 gameplay modes: casual and apprentice
- 12 challenging mini-games
- Exciting secret items to unlock
- Gorgeous hand-painted Backgrounds

Get the free App from Barnes & Noble.

eReader and Accessories Deals for Mother's Day

There are a number of ereader deals going on right now, although the best I saw in the US Kindle store was up-to-50% off Kindle Fire cases and up-to-50% Kindle and Paperwhite covers, plus an offer to Get $2 in MP3s with select Kindle Accessories.

For those who can purchase from the German Amazon store, though, you do get a good deal:

Surprise Mom and Dad with the perfect gift. When you purchase a Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Fire HD 8.9, you can add-on a Kindle to the order for only 49 euros (30 euros off).

More details can be found on this page and the deal is only valid thru 18:00 May 9 (in Germany, not the usual Seattle time). Be sure to add both to the cart and go thru the full checkout process (no one-clicking) and verify that you see the discount before completing the order.

For those who read EPUBs on occasion, there are a few more deals to be had:

• Kobo Glo eReader with free SleepCover (retail: $39.99) and free shipping (purchase by May 8 & get guaranteed delivery by Mother's Day) from Powell's Bookstore and nearly the same deal for this in Canada at FutureShop.ca
• In the UK, get a Kobo Mini in black or white for £39.99 from Box.UK (via their ebay store)
• Also in the UK, B&N has lowered the price of the Nook to £29 and the GlowLight to £69 (may also be good in-store)
• Here in the states, those with a B&N membership can get $50 off the Nook HD and $90 off the Nook HD+ using the coupons sent to you in the mail recently (if you toss them away, unopened, better take a look for them!). This drops the HD to $149 and the HD+ to $179, which is a pretty decent deal and it's available both in-store and online. For a lucky few, though, you'll find that some B&N stores are selling the HD+ for $149, without the coupon, and are willing to ship it out to you, as well. The best bet, though, is to get hold of one of those coupons, which is valid thru May 12.
• In-store only at B&N, I've been seeing massive discounts on covers for the older nook eInk and tablets, with an entire table covered with covers, all for $15 or less. I just did a quick check online and it appears that the sale is valid there too, with covers for the nook Tablet available there (including the tempting Angry Birds in Green cover), but there were nook Color and original Nook covers also at my store on the sale.

Kindle Daily Deals 5/3

The current Lightning Deal, for those that read my posts as they go up, is a Sublime Imprint Anti-Fatigue Cobblestone Series Comfort Mat. We have two of these in the kitchen and I truly love them for standing on while cooking or washing dishes. They are, though, a bit pricy and the current additional $20 off drops them from outrageous to just expensive

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is In the Shadow of the Banyan ($1.99), by Vaddey Ratner [Simon and Schuster].

Book Description
Told from the tender perspective of a young girl who comes of age amid the Cambodian killing fields, this searing first novel—based on the author’s personal story—has been hailed by Little Bee author Chris Cleave as “a masterpiece…utterly heartbreaking and impossibly beautiful.”

For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Soon the family’s world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus.

Over the next four years, as she endures the deaths of family members, starvation, and brutal forced labor, Raami clings to the only remaining vestige of childhood—the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father. In a climate of systematic violence where memory is sickness and justification for execution, Raami fights for her improbable survival. Displaying the author’s extraordinary gift for language, In the Shadow of the Banyan is testament to the transcendent power of narrative and a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Send Me No Flowers ($1.99), by Trish Jensen [Bell Bridge Books].

Book Description
When she was known as an overweight kid from a “loony” family, he often rescued her from bullies. Now she’s come back home all grownup and gorgeous, and he’s the one who will need rescuing.

Sheriff Rob Townsend of Daredevil, South Carolina remembers Jenny Creighton as the girl mean kids called “Jumbo Jenny.” He was compelled to protect her on more than one occasion, a brand of heroic kindness Jenny never forgot. Jenny’s returned to the small town to claim an inheritance and open a flower shop. On the inside, however, she’s still the chubby girl who doesn’t want anyone to remember her humiliating past.

Rob has turned into a hunk with a painful history of his own—one that makes him the biggest heartbreaker south of the Mason-Dixon line. When he becomes her best customer—buying flowers as goodbye gifts for a growing line-up of ex-girlfriends—the women in Daredevil begin to run from Jenny and her kiss-goodbye bouquets. How can she build a business when all the single gals in town are scared to see her on their doorsteps? And what are the secrets behind her childhood hero’s love-’em-and-leave-’em lifestyle?

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Sandman Slim ($1.99), by Richard Kadrey [HarperCollins], even though the deals page says it's still The Map of the Sky by Felix J. Palma. The the companion audiobook is $2.99. Not only has this first Sandman Slim novel been issued in a reprint edition, there is a new addition to the series coming later this fall: Kill City Blues (now available for pre-order). If you are a long-time reader, be sure to check your libraries, tho - this novel has been free twice before (2-3 years ago), both times in different editions. If you want the audiobook at the discounted price, tho, you'll need to pick up this newer edition on Kindle, as the two older editions are not linked to the Audible edition.

Book Description
Sandman Slim has arrived—a wild and weird, edge-of-your-seat supernatural roller-coaster rider that propels author Richard Kadrey to the forefront of the fantasy, thriller, and a host of other literary genres. This spellbinding, utterly remarkable tale of a vengeful magician/hitman’s return from hell is part H.P. Lovecraft, part Christopher Moore, part Jim Butcher, and totally, unabashedly dark, twisted, and hilarious.

Today's Kindle Teens Daily Deal is Fever 1793 ($0.99), by Laurie Halse Anderson [Simon and Schuster]. Publisher's Weekly calls this historical novel "extremely well researched" and the reader reviews are overwhelmingly five stars.

Book Description
It's late summer 1793, and the streets of Philadelphia are abuzz with mosquitoes and rumors of fever. Down near the docks, many have taken ill, and the fatalities are mounting. Now they include Polly, the serving girl at the Cook Coffeehouse. But fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook doesn't get a moment to mourn the passing of her childhood playmate. New customers have overrun her family's coffee shop, located far from the mosquito-infested river, and Mattie's concerns of fever are all but overshadowed by dreams of growing her family's small business into a thriving enterprise. But when the fever begins to strike closer to home, Mattie's struggle to build a new life must give way to a new fight-the fight to stay alive.

Free Book - Deep-Fried Goodness (DF)

Deep-Fried Goodness, which looks to be a 20 recipe sampler of recipes taken from John Martin Taylor's The Fearless Frying Cookbook ($8.76 Kindle), is free direct from Workman Publishing this month, as a part of their Blue Plate Specials promotion. Taylor's earlier cookbook, Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking: Recipes and Ruminations from Charleston and the Carolina Coastal Plain ($13.75 Kindle), has been re-released in a 20th Anniversary Edition by The University of North Carolina Press and he has three more that are still only available as used paper copies (so far).

Book Description
James Beard Award-winning author Crescent Dragonwagon gives the humble bean its proper due, showcasing its versatility in stovetop recipes from refried beans to falafel and tofu.

Get the free ebook from Workman, using promo code d34rd4d (no spaces and those are numbers in places of some letters). You can download a DRM-Free copy in MOBI or EPUB format.

The Fearless Frying Cookbook

Fried food is crispy, juicy, golden, and tasty. It's food that inspires passion, and no matter what anyone says about health you're going to find a way to eat it. But wait, even the health news isn't so bad-if food is fried properly.

Hoppin' John Martin Taylor, well-respected food writer and author of Lowcountry Cooking, first shows how food that is cooked in clean, hot oil can be virtually greaseless. Hoppin' John's collection of over 125 fast, easy-to-prepare recipes not only includes the essentials-from fritters to corn cake, Smothered Steak to Pan-Fried Pork Chops-but offers lots of unexpected treats, too, with Asian, Mexican, Indian, and other influences. There are Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Italian Zucchini Pancakes, and Whole Fried Fish with Spicy Thai Sauce.

Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking

At oyster roasts and fancy cotillions, in fish camps and cutting-edge restaurants, the people of South Carolina gather to enjoy one of America's most distinctive cuisines--the delicious, inventive fare of the Lowcountry. In his classic Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking, John Martin Taylor brings us 250 authentic and updated recipes for regional favorites, including shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, pickled watermelon rinds, and Frogmore stew. Taylor, who grew up casting shrimp nets in Lowcountry marshes, adds his personal experiences in bringing these dishes to the table and leads readers on a veritable treasure hunt throughout the region, giving us a delightful taste of an extraordinary way of life

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/3

Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit (£1.09 UK), by Ian Leslie, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
In Born Liars, Ian Leslie takes the reader on an exhilarating tour of ideas that brings the latest news about deception back from the frontiers of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, and explores the role played by lies - both black and white - in our childhoods, our careers, and our health, as well as in advertising, politics, sport and war. Drawing on thinkers as varied as Augustine, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Joni Mitchell, the author argues that, far from being a bug in the human software, lying is central to who we are; that we cannot understand ourselves without first understanding the dynamics of deceit. After reading Born Liars you'll never think about lies - or life - in quite the same way again.

Nook Daily Find 5/3

Run the Risk ($4.74 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), by Lori Foster, is the Nook Daily Find. It's likely to be price matched on Kindle later this morning, where the the companion audiobook is $3.49.

Book Description
When Detective Logan Riske goes undercover to find Pepper Yates, a potential link to his best friend's unsolved murder, he vows to gain her cooperation by any means necessary. But the elusive beauty is more suspicious—and in far more danger—than he expected. And the last thing Logan needs is to start caring for her….

Pepper has spent years dodging the corrupt club owner who will stop at nothing to keep her silenced. She can trust no one, not even the handsome new "construction worker" who's moved in next door. The heat between them is undeniable. But will surrendering to passion bring her the safety she so desires—or will her feelings for Logan draw them both into a killer's crosshairs?