Oct 31 2012
Daily Deals: All romances, $1.99 and under
- Samhain is offering 30% off all the horror titles. Use TRICK12 at the checkout. Sale ends at midnight EST.
- Harlequin is offering 31% on everything. Use HALLOW3112 at the checkout. Sale ends at midnight EST.
My One and Only by Kristan Higgins. $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Divorce attorney Harper James can’t catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister’s destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she’s being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.
Harper can’t help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick’s eyes, Harper’s always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.
I wasn’t ever convinced that Harper was the evil witch that it seemed I was supposed to think she was. Instead I saw her as a lonely, heartsick young woman whose love never got any sun. She matured into a cynical woman but part of her change was caused by Nick and the story’s glorification of Nick’s character juxtaposed with the villification of Harper’s character was very offensive to me. In fact, part of the character change that I wanted to see in Nick occurred in the frigging epilogue. To have that was like rubbing salt in my exposed wound.
So, ah, um, I really disliked this book but for $1.99 you can judge for yourself, right?
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Playing Dirty by Susan Andersen. $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
When old enemies are thrown together, all bets are off?
Way back in high school, golden boy Cade Gallari publicly revealed he’d slept with “fat girl” Ava Spencer to win a bet. Now a decade older and a head turner with her own concierge business, Ava isn’t the gullible dreamer she once was— and she plans to prove it when Cade, hotter than ever, breezes back into town with an offer she can’t refuse.
A documentary film producer, Cade is shooting a movie about the mysterious mansion Ava inherited. And he wants her as his personal concierge. She’s certainly professional enough to be at his beck and call without giving him everything he wants. Like another shot at having her in his bed. But Ava doesn’t count on Cade’s determination. Because he’s never gotten over her— and he’s not above playing dirty to score a second chance at a red?hot future?
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Firelight by Kristen Callihan. $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . .
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family’s fortune decimated and forced her to wed London’s most nefarious nobleman.
They will burn for eternity . . .
Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it’s selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can’t help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn’t felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.
I think the term “disfigured” in the blurb is misleading and part of the reason why I struggled with this story but it comes highly recommended by other reviewers and many of your favorite authors.
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A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet Series #2) by Julia Quinn. $ 1.99.
From the Jacket Copy:
nne Wynter might not be who she says she is . . .
But she’s managing quite well as a governess to three highborn young ladies. Her job can be a challenge—in a single week she finds herself hiding in a closet full of tubas, playing an evil queen in a play that might be a tragedy (or might be a comedy—no one is sure), and tending to the wounds of the oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After years of dodging unwanted advances, he’s the first man who has truly tempted her, and it’s getting harder and harder to remind herself that a governess has no business flirting with a nobleman.
Daniel Smythe-Smith might be
But that’s not going to stop the young earl from falling in love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family’s annual musicale, he vows to pursue her, even if that means spending his days with a ten year old who thinks she’s a unicorn. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to see him dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril, he will stop at nothing to ensure their happy ending . . .
The first half of the book does have several very funny moments—the Smythe-Smiths are an amusing bunch—and the love scenes between Anne and Daniel are ardent and pack some heat. I would give the first half of the book a B even with the aforementioned flaws.
The second half of the book, sadly, rates a C. Not only do both Anne and Daniel behave in TSTL ways but their courtship takes an almost creepy turn. I disliked intensely the way sex and virginity was handled in this novel.
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Oct 31, 2012 @ 14:21:36
Hmmm. I read or attempted to real the first three Daily Deals listed today. Of the three, Firelight was the only one I finished. I enjoyed it but it’s in the “good not great” category. I hated Harper in My One and Only, so DNF that, and I just couldn’t get interested in Playing Dirty, although I’ve read all of Susan Andersen’s backlist.
But from what I’ve read of the reviews, all three of the above books are quite popular, so like you said, for $1.99 people can find out for themselves. ;-)
Oct 31, 2012 @ 14:28:43
I really liked Playing Dirty- there’s good angst and fantastic groveling, and the heroine is strong and sexy and courageous. It’s the third in a trilogy, though, and I read them in order. It might not be as engaging if you haven’t been getting bits of their connection in books 1 and 2.
Oct 31, 2012 @ 14:31:56
I read Firelight and highly enjoyed it. I did think the world-building left something to be desired and a lot of thing that I would have liked more info on were glossed over. I am reading the second one right now (Moonglow) and think it is improving on the things that I didn’t like in the first one… though this isnt a masked man story.
Still $1.99 is a steal for that book!
Oct 31, 2012 @ 16:44:22
I enjoyed Kristen Callihan’s Firelight although I’m in agreement with Julia of my preference for Moonglow. I do like the mashup of historical and paranormal..
I’ve read Playing Dirty by Susan Andersen and found it to be vaguely amusing if not memorable. Nothing really stands out.. not the dialogue, nor the size.. eh, 12 I believe, heroine.
A Night Like This.. Oy. Her Smythe-Smith books don’t work for me at all. I didn’t think it was possible, but they keep getting duller and duller.
Oct 31, 2012 @ 20:12:52
As usual, I ended up buying Firelight and the Lisa Marie Rice(from yesterday’s post).
Oct 31, 2012 @ 21:42:57
My One and Only is the only Kristan Higgins I haven’t read, so score! I hated Firelight, but I feel like I’m the only one who didn’t like it. At that price, though, I’d buy it regardless of the reviews. I’m off to the Harlequin store.
Nov 01, 2012 @ 01:21:15
@Brie: I didn’t hate Firelight but I didn’t like it much either so you are not alone :)