Daily Deals: An interesting pilgrimage, a couple of author focused box sets, and a historical marriage of convenience
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST
Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.
Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live.
Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him—allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.
And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.
A novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise—and utterly irresistible—storyteller.
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The Fading Trilogy by E K Blair. $ .99
From the Jacket Copy:
*INCLUDES 2 BONUS SHORT STORIES: HOPING and FINDING FOREVER*
All three book in the New York Times, USA Today, and International bestselling series together in one book!
FADING (book 1)
Can a guilty conscience keep wounds from healing?
Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.
The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.
At what point do secrets become lies?
FREEING (book 2)
Knowing who you are and accepting who you are come at different prices.
Jase Kinrick grew up in your typical, all-American household. But after the death of his sister, his parents shut down, forcing him to deal with everything life throws his way alone. Terrified of the person he’s discovering himself to be, Jase has his way with every willing girl to try and rid himself of what he fears he is—gay.
Escaping California and moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, Jase frees himself to the reality that he likes men. Never staying with any guy long enough to get to know them, he doesn’t realize that he’s still hiding from who he is until he meets Mark. Scared of having real feelings for another guy stirs up the questions and fears he’s fought hard to bury.
To strip away the barriers to the heart of what is real, and to be okay with what lies underneath, will be Jase’s moment of truth. But he’ll need Mark to lead him there.
FALLING (book 3)
Sometimes it takes someone else to show us what we are truly capable of becoming.
Suffering from years of violent abuse, Ryan Campbell has learned how to keep people from getting too close. But when you shut yourself off, people get hurt along the way. Never caring much about others, Ryan creates a world in which he doesn’t have to feel.
When Ryan meets Candace Parker, all of his walls slowly begin to crumble. Not sure of the truth of who she is, he feels his mind is playing tricks on him. Unable to force out the thoughts that consume him, Ryan is haunted by visions that torment him every time he looks at her. He finds himself swallowed by guilt and blame, but he’s unwilling to turn his back on the one person that could possibly save him.
You’ve heard Candace’s story in Fading, now hear Ryan’s.
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Loving the Marquess by Suzanna Medeiros. $ .99
From the Jacket Copy:
LOVING THE MARQUESS is book one in Suzanna Medeiros’s LANDING A LORD series.
She is on the verge of losing everything…
To save her home and keep her two younger siblings safe, Louisa Evans must turn to the head of the family that ruined hers.
He needs an heir…
The Marquess of Overlea is starting to show signs of having inherited the same illness that killed his father and older brother. To prevent the marquisate from falling into the hands of an unscrupulous cousin, Overlea must secure an heir before that illness also claims him.
But he is determined not to be the father of that heir…
Overlea’s plan is simple—marry the practical, yet desperate, Miss Evans and hold Louisa to her promise to provide him with an heir. But he waits until after they are married to tell his wife that he intends to have another man father that heir. His careful plan becomes complicated by an almost desperate need to claim Louisa for himself and an outside threat that proves even more dangerous than his illness.
THE LANDING A LORD SERIES
Book 0.5 – Dancing with the Duke (prequel novella)
Book 1 – Loving the Marquess
Book 2 – Beguiling the Earl
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The Marshalls Boxed Set by Jean Brashear. $ .99.
From the Jacket Copy:
From New York Times and USAToday bestselling Texas romance author Jean Brashear, three emotional romances, stories of the sexy, gorgeous Marshall brothers—one deeply private, one world-famous—and their equally captivating bad boy cousin, each in his own way, a woman’s dream lover…
Texas Refuge:
Seeking peace after nearly dying in a failed attempt to save his sister, the last thing former Houston detective Quinn Marshall wants is another woman to watch over, but someone important to his brother is in trouble, and Quinn’s basic nature is to protect. Soap opera star Lorie Chandler has already lost her husband to an obsessed fan and now her son is the madman’s new target.
While the police hunt the killer, Quinn’s rugged Texas ranch is the ideal hiding place for Lorie and her child. Neither Quinn nor Lorie expects the explosive heat or the powerful emotion that flares to life in his canyon refuge, yet there is no future for them and both are painfully aware that their time together can only be temporary. When the madman finds them, Quinn’s sole focus is on keeping Lorie and the boy he’s come to love safe, even though his success will mean that he will have to give them up to a life where he cannot belong.
Texas Star:
Sexiest Man Alive Josh Marshall is on his way home to Texas when he rescues a woman on the run. In contrast to the many women crushing on him all over the world, this woman does not trust him and wants nothing to do with him, seeking to escape every time his back is turned.
Elena Navarro is running from an abusive husband with criminal ties. Terrified to trust anyone, she finds Josh’s tender care a miracle, but his fame could be a death sentence for them both. When echoes of a shared past life threaten, Josh questions his sanity, but he’s a white knight to the core and cannot stop trying to help her, even at the risk of his life.
Texas Danger:
Texas rancher Case Marshall is driving a truck instead of his hell-raiser Harley after a crooked partner nearly bankrupts his Flying M Ranch. New Orleans socialite Samantha St. Claire never dreamed she’d be on the run from the mob–or that she’d find her white knight at a truck stop. Their worlds couldn’t be less compatible or their attraction more high-octane…but there are dangers and shocking secrets to battle before they can dream of a future together.
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I really liked ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage…’, though I can’t remember how it ended. I must have found the ending satisfying, if not happy, or it would colour my memory of the book. As it is, all the incidents I remember take place during Harold’s walk, and based on those memories, I think it’s certainly worth a read.
FWIW, I think it was a Radio 4 play before it was a book, so that may have shaped the ending.
Might be worth mentioning – though I haven’t read it yet, so can’t recommend it – Joyce has written a further book: ‘The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy’.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. It does have what I would consider a happy ending, although a couple of surprise revelations give it a bittersweet edge.