Sep 1 2012
Daily Deals: Jennifer Crusie, Susan Mallery, Lisa Jackson & Ransom Riggs for $1.99
Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie. $1.99.
From Jacket Copy:
For Nina Askew, turning forty means freedom—from the ex-husband, freedom from their stuffy suburban home, freedom to focus on what she wants for a change. And what she wants is something her ex always vetoed—a puppy. A bouncy, adorable puppy.
Instead she gets…Fred.
Overweight, middle-aged, a bit smelly and obviously depressed, Fred is light-years from perky. But he does manage to put Nina in the path of Alex Moore, her gorgeous, younger-by-a-decade neighbor.
Alex seems perfect—he’s a sexy, seemingly sane, surprisingly single E.R. doctor—but the age gap convinces Nina that anyone but Alex would be better relationship material. But with every silver-haired stiff she dates, the more she suspects it’s the young, dog-loving doc she wants to sit and stay!
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All Summer Long by Susan Mallery. $1.99.
From Jacket Copy:
Former underwear model turned entrepreneur Clay Stryker has loved, tragically lost and vowed that he’ll never risk his heart again. After making his fortune, the youngest of the rugged Stryker brothers returns to Fool’s Gold, California, to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But he’s frustrated to discover that even in his hometown, people see him only for his world-famous…assets.
Firefighter Chantal (Charlie) Dixon grew up an ugly duckling beside her delicately beautiful mother, a feeling reinforced long ago by a man who left soul-deep scars. Now she has good friends, a solid job and the itch to start a family—yet she can’t move toward the future while she’s haunted by painful memories.
Clay finds an unexpected ally, and unexpected temptation, in tomboyish Charlie, the only person who sees beyond his dazzling good looks to the real man beneath. But when Charlie comes to him with an indecent proposal, will they be able to overcome their pasts and find a love that lasts beyond one incredible summer?
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You Don’t Want To Know by Lisa Jackson. $1.99.
From Jacket Copy:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson comes a gripping novel of suspense where a mother’s worst fear is only the beginning of a terrifying nightmare. . .
In Ava’s dreams, her son, Noah, looks just the way she remembers him: a sweet two-year-old in rolled-up jeans and a red sweatshirt. When Ava wakes, the agonizing truth hits her all over again. Noah went missing two years ago, and has never been found. Almost everyone, including Ava’s semi-estranged husband, assumes the boy drowned after falling off the dock near their Church Island home.
Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah’s disappearance. Now she’s back at Neptune’s Gate, the family estate, her strength slowly returning. But as Ava’s mind comes back into focus, she can’t shake the feeling that her family, and her psychologist, know more than they’re saying. Are they worried for her well-being–or anxious about what she might discover?
Ava secretly visits a hypnotist, hoping to restore her memories. But the strange visions and night terrors keep getting worse. She is sure she’s heard Noah crying in the nursery, and glimpsed him walking near the dock. Is she losing her mind, or is Noah still alive? Ava won’t stop until she gets answers, but the truth is more dangerous than she can imagine. And the price may be more than she ever thought to pay. . .
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. $1.99.
From Jacket Copy:
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
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Sep 01, 2012 @ 14:26:06
I’ll second the Crusie recommendation – it’s one of my favorites of her early, category length books. And the dog rocks.
I flipped through the Mallory at the store and decided it wasn’t for me – Charlie (the heroine) was raped as a young woman. She finally confided this to her bff in the previous book, but is still really shut down about it – refusing to talk more about it or get therapy. And she hasn’t had sex in forever, maybe not since she was raped. She decides it’s time to get over her fear of men and sex, so she can move on and adopt a child, and solicits the hero to help her by having healing, commitment free sex. I have really mixed feelings about this scenario, which is why I decided not to buy it. I mention it because I think it could be triggering to some readers, and while the blurb hints at that, it’s not clear enough (imo).
Sep 01, 2012 @ 15:46:36
I’ll have to take a look at the Crusie book later. I’ve read Mallery in the past and have really adored some of her past books. I flat out hated this one. I don’t think it was done well at all. Besides no therapy, she has a couple of close encounters with Clay (meaning everything but sex essentially) and she’s ready to have at it. No real hesitation or questions. The storyline with her mother touches on the rape as well .. and it just made me throw my hands up in the air and the book ended up flying across the room. I don’t usually get upset when I read a book, I’ll be frustrated or irritated.. but not angry… and well, I got mad when I read this one. Imho, it was handled in a rather haphazard manner with a cliche or two thrown in for good measure.
Sep 01, 2012 @ 16:15:36
Anyone But You is my favorite Crusie! It’s been unfavorably compared to Bet Me, but I actually like it more (though I realize that places me in a very small minority!)
I have the Riggs book–it had an interesting premise but kind of fizzled out at some point. It’s one of the rare books I read on my laptop rather than my Kindle because the pictures in the book are an integral part of the story, and they didn’t render that well on my Kindle. But I think it’s not a bad buy for $1.99….
Sep 01, 2012 @ 18:12:04
See, that’s the thing I love about Jennifer Crusie’s books- they can ALL be a favorite, just different types. Gotta love a book with a dog. And the older woman/younger man thing- very well done.
Sep 01, 2012 @ 20:02:33
I am actually enjoying the Mallery book, and I didn’t think I would.
I didn’t like the previous two in this little arc for various reasons and I really didn’t think I would pick this one up. But I wanted to see what she did with Charlie, and I find that it makes sense to me. But I don’t have rape triggers and I don’t have therapy experience so I don’t have any notions of how wrong it might all be.
But it seemed to make sense to me. She has had a long time to deal with it personally on the level she needed to. She has discussed it with people she loves and trusts. She trusts Clay. They take their time. I don’t know. It seemed to evolve naturally to me.
Sep 02, 2012 @ 00:00:10
@LeeF: Generally speaking, I don’t like book with dogs; to me they’re like plot moppet kids, when I’d rather be reading about the adults. It’s one of the things I dislike about Crusie’s books – the other, and bigger problem, being that her voice is so distinctive that the books tend to sound the same to me.
I’m not sure I’d have the same problem with other pets, but then I can’t think of any romance authors who have cats or birds or ferrets in every book.
Sep 02, 2012 @ 01:43:32
Ransom Rigg for me was a DNF. It started off well enough, but grew increasingly strange (even for a fantasy lover like myself) and confusing in the middle. I just didn’t care enough to find out what happened in the end.
Sep 02, 2012 @ 13:13:42
The Riggs book was not without problems, but I really enjoyed the complete “otherness” of it. For one thing, I glommed on the POV being that of a boy. For another, just everything about it was different from what I’d been seeing on the shelves.
And yay for the Crusie being on sale. I’ve been trying to build my digital collection of old keepers, but when there are so many new books, it’s hard to justify sometimes. Backlist sales make me happy.