Dec 27 2012
DAILY DEALS: A selection of recommended romances and bestselling literature
Amazon’s Gold Box deal today is 20 Harlequin romances from $1.99 or less.
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. $1.99.
Jacket Copy
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.
But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
This price is good through January 7, 2012. It was on my best of 2012 list. While a YA, the issues addressed by both main protagonists were ones adults could relate to. Despite the high school scenes, I connected with the two young adults. You can read my B+ review here.
Compromising the Marquess by Wendy Soliman. $1.99
Jacket Copy
England, 1814
Leah Elliot sells secrets to survive. Donning boy’s clothes, she uncovers society scandals for a London gossip rag to support herself and her sister, who were left destitute after their father’s death. When she meets the dashing–and perhaps dangerous–Hal Forster, the Marquess of Denby, she learns he may be involved in treason. The rumor is too valuable not to sell, despite her attraction to him…
Hal does have a secret, but he’s no traitor: he’s a spy embroiled in a mystery, seeking the man who killed his contact in France. He sees the alluring woman behind Leah’s disguise at once but is intrigued enough to play along…until he realizes that she’s the source of the rumors interfering with his investigation and forcing him into an unwanted betrothal.
Now, Hal and Leah must work together to draw out the culprit and undo the damage caused by Leah’s gossip. Or will their passion only cause more scandal?
83,000 words
Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry. $0.99
Jacket Copy
Being a single dad was never on Michael Young’s agenda. Yet with the sudden loss of his wife, that’s exactly the role he has. On his best days, he thinks he can handle it. On his worst… Luckily, family friend Angie Bartlett has his back, easily stepping in to help out.
Lately, though, something has changed.
Michael is noticing exactly how gorgeous Angie is, and how single she is. She’s constantly in his thoughts and he feels an attraction he never expected. Does he dare disrupt the very good thing they have going? If they have a fling that goes nowhere, he stands to lose everything—including her. But if they make it work, he stands to gain everything!
I think the blurb makes this book out to be more lighthearted that it is. The story is one of grief and recovery and while the romance was sweet, I wasn’t sure I was quite ready for Michael to move on from his beloved wife.
Dabney gave it a B.
The Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks. $2.99
Jacket Copy
How to deal with sexual predators is one of the most difficult things in society because they have a high rate of recidivism. But the sex offender registry treats all crimes the same. I’m not sure from the reviews how balanced the treatment is. In other words, whether it is all sympathy for those wronged by the system or whether it addresses both the good and negative aspects of the current system.
After doing time for a liaison with an underage girl, the Kid is forbidden to live within 2,500 feet of anywhere children might gather. With nowhere else to go, the Kid takes up residence under a south Florida causeway. Barely beyond childhood himself, the Kid is in many ways an innocent, trapped by impulses and foolish choices he struggles to comprehend. Enter the Professor, a man who has built his own life on secrets and lies, and who finds in the Kid the perfect subject for his research on homelessness and sex offenders. But when the Professor’s past resurfaces, the balance in the two men’s relationship shifts. Suddenly, the Kid must reconsider everything he has come to believe.
Lost Memory of Skin explores the zeitgeist of a troubled society where zero tolerance has erased any hope of subtlety and compassion—a society where isolating the offender has perhaps created a new kind of victim.
Send to Kindle
Dec 27, 2012 @ 14:05:49
Jane I think you are my dopelganger, except for the penci skirts!
Nancy
Dec 27, 2012 @ 14:17:24
The YA is coming up 9.99 at B&N.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 14:18:10
@Mari: I think it might be Amazon today and then everywhere else tomorrow until the 7th.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 14:32:23
Thanks, Jane. I do enjoy your recs.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 15:35:08
Pushing the Limits is actually 1.79, at least at Amazon anyway.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 17:28:59
I need opinions. I know I’m in the absolute minority here, but I’m reading Exclusively Yours (well, sort of reading, I stopped at 60% back in October) and I’m hating it. I want to DNF badly, but since I have the next two in the series and I won’t waste books I’ll read them so I don’t want to miss anything important. My questions are: Do I need to finish EY to read the next two? If I hate the first one so much am I going to like the next two? Should I buy All He Ever Needed while it’s on sale today? (I know the series switches from one branch of the Kowalski family tree to another, so that might help me like them more.)
Dec 27, 2012 @ 17:34:18
The review page for Pushing the Limits comes up with no text just a cover image. Is that just me?
Dec 27, 2012 @ 17:43:33
@MaryK: That is because my internet fu is weak today. Here is the link:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-plus-reviews/review-pushing-the-limits-by-katie-mcgarry/
@Alicia: I did not enjoy Exclusively Yours or the next one. Start with Sean’s book (Yours to Keep: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-a-reviews/a-minus-reviews/review-yours-to-keep-by-shannon-stacey/) and don’t look back. So yeah, DNF it and move on. I did enjoy Mitch’s book (All He Ever Needed) but not as much as Sean’s book.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 18:56:43
@Jane: Thank you! It’s nice to know I can drop it and move on instead of torturing myself through the last 40%. I think I’ll hold off on buying All He Ever Needed for the time being. I’m sure there will be another sale at some point.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 19:21:37
NA/YA is not my thing usually, but I did buy Pushing the Limits for this great price. Was intrigued by the review and by the fact that there does not appear to be a love triangle. Joy! The dialogue samples really hooked me too.