DAILY DEALS: A different type of crow’s feast, a French tailor, and a stranger romance
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The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston $ 2.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Winging It
Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.
In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life–but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.
But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.
Judith by Betty Neels $ 0.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Perhaps her dream of love was only a dream
“Working nights in a London hospital is no life for a young girl!” Her mother hadn’t actually said it, but Judith knew she was thinking it.In a way, Judith agreed, but what else could she do? Marry Nigel? No, she didn’t love him. She had no great feeling for any man—except Charles Cresswell—and that was certainly not love. But could her feeling possibly have any bearing on her agreeing to nurse his mother in his home?
The Dressmaker by Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck $ 2.99
From the Jacket Copy:
In this romantic debut novel, a reserved provincial French tailor falls head over heels in love with a woman who’s hired him to create her wedding dress
Claude Reynaud is a bit of a throwback, an old-fashioned dressmaker working in a cluttered studio outside modern-day Paris, quietly designing his famous gowns by hand. Every spring he ushers pretty young society brides into his studio, measures them, and designs their dresses without ever contemplating for himself the sort of romance that will lead these ladies and their grooms to the altar.
But one afternoon a woman arrives who shatters his composure: Valentine de Verlay is charming, beautiful, a lady of society, and, of course, engaged. She comes with no instructions for her wedding dress, just a beautiful figure, a long graceful neck, and total faith in her dressmaker. Claude, forty-six years old, devoted to his work, and long since deserted by his wife, finds himself smitten.
As Valentine’s wedding approaches, his commitment to her dress makes it impossible for Claude to keep a safe distance, and everything he’s come to rely on in his small, focused life looks ready to collapse. Worse still, as he is welcomed into her circle of friends and family, it appears that the betrothed Valentine may share his feelings.
The Dressmaker is a perfect gem of a novel, an enchanting portrait of another world, and, above all, a sly and irresistible love story.
The Color of Love by Sandra Kitt $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Acclaimed for her moving depictions of interracial love, bestselling author Sandra Kitt delivers a passionate and provocative tale of modern romance
An artist trapped in an unfulfilling relationship, Leah Downey wants more out of life. But she plays it safe, never venturing too far from her comfort zone… not since the night she was mugged at knifepoint.
Beginning a relationship with a perfect stranger is completely out of character for Leah. But something about Jason Horn strikes a chord deep within her. They couldn’t be more different. Jason is white, a streetwise New York cop haunted by his own demons. He’s stunned by his instant attraction to this vibrant black woman who arouses both desire and his fiercest protective instincts.
I thought The Unleashing was booooooring. I’ve read most of her other books, but wasn’t as invested and didn’t laugh much during this one. I’m glad I borrowed it from the library.
I was kind of disappointed in “The Unleashing”, too. It seemed like a re-work of “Hunting Season”, which I liked better. But, I didn’t feel like “The Unleashing” was a cliffhanger. It felt like her Pack series where there is an overall story line that carries forward to the next book in the series, but the couple in each book has a HEA/HFN.
I have to agree, The Unleashing was boring, and more UF than romance. I wish I could’ve bought it for 2.99. I bought the trade paperback…
You rang?
I recognized the title but had to look this one up. It’s one of the earlier books by Neels that doesn’t feature a Dutch doctor hero. Judith is a nurse, beautiful and accomplished and not fussed about getting married. Charles is a crotchety professor. They are brought together when his mother, Lady Cresswell, comes to Judith’s hospital for tests. Charles is one of Neels’s more annoying heroes, but of course he really does love Judith. No Netherlands, but you get the Lake District and Portugal (the Algarve, I think?) as compensation.
I just returned The Unleashing to the library and am happy to snag a copy for myself at that price! I’ve only read a few of Laurenston’s Pride series and thought this was on a different level from those. Much better plotting and world-building, and the characters had more depth. I actually enjoyed the leisurely pace of the book – it takes at least half the book for the Crows to realize there is a larger plot going on. It’s funny without being over the top or insulting to the characters.
I do agree that it’s more urban fantasy than PNR, though there is a definite romance and a few sex scenes. I have ideas as to who the next couple(s) will be and think they will make for good stories as well!
I read The Unleashing when it first came out and I don’t remember a cliffhanger other than the on-going plot arc that will likely feature throughout the series. I liked it, but not at same level as the Pride or Dragon books. I borrowed The Unleashing from the library and was just thinking I would like to reread it, so I clicked!
I read an ARC of the Unleashing. I admit, I didn’t like it is much as Hunting Season but I did enjoy it quite a bit. I haven’t had a chance to read the Trade copy I purchased but I *think* the ending is slightly different than the ARC. I think the Unleashing is a good deal for $2.99 BUT I think that people who aren’t a fan of the pace/UF vs Romance differences will enjoy Hunting Season a great deal more.
Although the books kept popping up in my Amazon recommendations, I had never read a Betty Neels book until Sunita’s post. Well, since then I fell down the rabbit hole and have read every single one I could get my hands on–which is almost all of them. o_O They fit the bill when I was going thru a rough patch and needed comfort books that weren’t demanding or unsettling. Neels repeatedly reused the same tropes, setting, descriptions, etc. (it was pretty funny reading so many back to back; I felt as if there should have been a drinking game involved) that it was a bit jarring whenever she deviated. As Sunita noted, Judith was just such a deviation in that the hero was English, not Dutch. What a letdown! That may be why this wasn’t one of my favorites. The price isn’t bad for someone looking to try Neels for the first time, but I don’t think this is representative of her usual books.
I know this post is old but just in case anyone else is still looking, I really enjoyed The Unleashing. I thought it was hilarious, and there was no cliffhanger. I’d say that there is a set up for the continuation of the series, but it’s not a cliffhanger. And there is more romance than some reviews make it sound. It’s true that the couple gets together fairly early on, but there is a little bit of set up at the start and both have to figure out how to come together. But it’s true Kera’s journey is really the heart of the story.