DAILY DEALS: Treacherous Jacobites, mundane Iowa farmers, irresistible tomboys
Dilemma In Yellow Silk by Lynne Connolly $ 0.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Ever ready to do the right thing, The Emperors of London act bravely — and when it comes to matters of the heart, impetuously…
Despite her cover as the daughter of the land steward for Lord Malton, Marcus Aurelius, spirited Viola Gates is tied by birth to the treacherous Jacobite legacy. Not that this keeps her from falling for the dashing Lord from afar. Despite his staid demeanor, Marcus is devastatingly handsome — and hopelessly beyond her reach. Then Viola’s father is mortally wounded and her secret identity revealed, sending her straight into danger’s path — and Marcus’s arms…
For years, he’d only known her as a wild child, the tempting — and forbidden — daughter of his trusted steward. But when Viola’s life is threatened, Marcus must act as duty — and his barely contained passion — dictates. Ferrying the bold beauty on an eventful journey to safer quarters, he offers her the protection of his name. Their tempestuous union might succeed in vanquishing their enemies, but will the chivalrous lord and his unsuitable wife surrender to the power of love?
Some Luck by Jane Smiley $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Longlisted for the 2014 National Book Award
From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize: a powerful, engrossing new novel—the life and times of a remarkable family over three transformative decades in America.
On their farm in Denby, Iowa, Rosanna and Walter Langdon abide by time-honored values that they pass on to their five wildly different children: from Frank, the handsome, willful first born, and Joe, whose love of animals and the land sustains him, to Claire, who earns a special place in her father’s heart.
Each chapter in Some Luck covers a single year, beginning in 1920, as American soldiers like Walter return home from World War I, and going up through the early 1950s, with the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change. As the Langdons branch out from Iowa to both coasts of America, the personal and the historical merge seamlessly: one moment electricity is just beginning to power the farm, and the next a son is volunteering to fight the Nazis; later still, a girl you’d seen growing up now has a little girl of her own, and you discover that your laughter and your admiration for all these lives are mixing with tears.
Some Luck delivers on everything we look for in a work of fiction. Taking us through cycles of births and deaths, passions and betrayals, among characters we come to know inside and out, it is a tour de force that stands wholly on its own. But it is also the first part of a dazzling epic trilogy—a literary adventure that will span a century in America: an astonishing feat of storytelling by a beloved writer at the height of her powers.
Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead $ 1.99
From the Jacket Copy:
Maggie Shipstead’s Seating Arrangements is a stunning debut, an irresistible social satire that is also an unforgettable meditation on the persistence of hope, the yearning for connection, and the promise of enduring love.
Winn Van Meter is heading for his family’s retreat on the pristine New England island of Waskeke. Normally a haven of calm, for the next three days this sanctuary will be overrun by tipsy revelers as Winn prepares for the marriage of his daughter Daphne to the affable young scion Greyson Duff. Winn’s wife, Biddy, has planned the wedding with military precision, but arrangements are sideswept by a storm of salacious misbehavior and intractable lust: Daphne’s sister, Livia, who has recently had her heart broken by Teddy Fenn, the son of her father’s oldest rival, is an eager target for the seductive wiles of Greyson’s best man; Winn, instead of reveling in his patriarchal duties, is tormented by his long-standing crush on Daphne’s beguiling bridesmaid Agatha; and the bride and groom find themselves presiding over a spectacle of misplaced desire, marital infidelity, and monumental loss of faith in the rituals of American life.
Hilarious, keenly intelligent, and commandingly well written, Shipstead’s deceptively frothy first novel is a piercing rumination on desire, on love and its obligations, and on the dangers of leading an inauthentic life, heralding the debut of an exciting new literary voice.
Jackson’s Trust by Violet Duke $ 0.99
From the Jacket Copy:
USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Violet Duke kicks off her fun and sexy new Fourth Down series with a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance between a no-strings-attached sports analyst and the hottest damn tomboy he’s ever met.
It’s no secret that sports analyst Jackson Gray doesn’t do relationships. What is a secret, however, is the reason why. Jackson’s life is . . . complicated. And it doesn’t help that his current hands-off “friendship” is with the cute-as-hell new sideline reporter he’s assigned to train. Turns out, not only is the woman damn sweet, she also knows as much about football as he does. Like it or not though, Jackson has to remind himself that sex is the only thing he has to offer . . . until now.
Leila Hart’s fast-growing friendship with Jackson is something she’d never risk, no matter how unbelievably seductive the reward. Becoming an NFL sportscaster has always been the goal, and thanks to Jackson’s fierce support and mentoring, it all finally seems within reach. Problem is, a girl can only take so much of that sexy-as-sin voice whispering dirty, filthy football stats in her ear before she loses all self-control. A workplace romance with Jackson is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for someone with big dreams . . . and secrets of her own.
Jane, I have to tell you how much I loved Deborah Smith’s A PLACE TO CALL HOME, staying up until 2am to finish it. What a rich and emotionally satisfying novel; so much love and heartache, so few easy answers. But it all boils down to family, trust and not giving up. I’m so glad you shared that it’s one of your favorite books. I get it, I really do. Thank you.
With Seating Arrangements, know going in that it is a comedy of manners, not a romance.
And there is a good bit of infidelity, if that’s a turnoff for you.
@Darylnne – I’ve never read the book, although I’ve purchased it, but Katherine Allred’s Sweet Gum Tree is supposedly remarkably similar to A PLACE TO CALL HOME. And yes, there were no easy answers in the book. The trauma the entire family shared was really well done. The trailer scene – the one where they’re digging it out of the ground – has stuck with me for years.
@Jane: Good heavens. I could have sworn it was your recommendation in a previous Daily Deal post that convinced me to try this. Well, wherever the inspiration came from, it was a great read.
@Darlynne: I’m pretty sure Jane did recommend it in an earlier Daily Deal post. I think it’s the Katherine Allred that she hasn’t read.
@Darlynne- Janine has it right. I did recommend the Smith book. I love it and have loved it for a long time. The Allred book is the one I haven’t read.