First, there's an Audible deal of the day you might like: The Hunger Games audio (unabridged) is $3.95 today.
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by 12 outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
The audiobook is read by Carolyn McCormick, and most reviewers at Audible gave 4 or 5 stars to her performance.
Goodreads | Audible Daily Deal (This offer expires at 11:59pmET 8 October 2013).
I also found an offer for 50% off your first 3 months as a new Audible member. Instead of $14.95 a month, for three months the Gold level membership (which is 1 book per month) would be $7.49 per month. (Description Terms: Your credit card will be charged $7.49 per month, for the first three months, $14.95 thereafter. With your membership, you will receive one credit every month, good for any audiobook on Audible.)
For today's Kindle Daily Deal in romance, 11 books in the Royal series by MC Beaton aka Marion Chesney are $1.99 each. These are Regencies in the classic style.
Her mother, however, had loftier aspirations for her lovely younger sister Belinda. Belinda would marry a duke. More specifically, the Duke of Wardshire. Lucy was truly horrified. “Lucifer” Wardshire! Why, he was rumored to be as wicked as the devil, with orgies and mistresses–and worse!
As the London Season unfolded, Lucy couldn't decide who was more abominable, her vulgar mama or the arrogant yet disconcertingly handsome duke. No matter, Lucy vowed to go to any lengths to protect her sister, even if her mission should take her into the very arms of the devilish duke himself.
You can see the complete list of $1.99 titles at Amazon. Are there any you recommend?
The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore is $1.99 right now. This is a crossing-class-lines romance with many, many glowing reviews. Khanh wrote in her review, “This was such an enjoyable book. Tastes are all subjective, I know, but ultimately here's what really makes a romance novel enjoyable for me: mature, rational, likeable characters who behave realistically. They do not have histrionics, they are not spiteful, they do not play games with each other. This book has that, and so much more.”
Simon Hawkins, duke of Trent, is no stranger to scandal. Rumors and innuendo have darkened the House of Trent for decades, and it has fallen to Simon to restore his tattered family name. He lives by a strict code of honor, but when he is called home to investigate his mother's disappearance, the distinguished duke will tangle with temptation. For there waits the only woman he has ever loved–and the last woman he should desire…
Sarah Osborne has spent her life dreaming of Simon's touch. But dukes do not long for lady's maids–or so Sarah believes, until a stolen kiss sparks a passion that could be her ultimate undoing. As the couple begins a forbidden romance, a cunning enemy plots to destroy the duke and everything he loves. Now, caught in a blackmailer's web, Simon faces an agonizing choice: sacrifice his family's future or break Sarah's heart.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | iBooks
Wedding of the Season is $1.99 right now. This book has mixed reviews – some loved the heroine's determination, while others thought the story lacked chemistry. Have you read it? What did you think?
Abandoned at the altar…
Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever, and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter…and left two weeks before their wedding.
Return of the duke…
Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable…the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | iBooks
RECOMMENDED: In case you missed the earlier alerts, Just Like Heaven is still on sale for $1.99. This is book 1 of the Smith-Smythe series, a companion series to Quinn's much-loved Bridgerton series. I call these “visiting books,” as there's not a lot of emotional tension, but I like the world and I like the people in it, so I enjoy visiting when I read one. I reviewed this book when it came out and gave it a B-:
I read this book looking for a warm and happy escape into historical land. Nothing tragically wrenching was going to happen. No one was going to go after my heart, rip it out of my chest and flip it around a few times before wrapping it up in a happy ending that would make me half-cry with relief.
I liked this book, yet I am struggling to describe it because I know there are different types of historical readers out there, and this book won’t appeal to everyone. As I said, if you like a lot of meat in your historicals, you’re not going to like this one. Just Like Heaven is a fizzy confection, pleasant and enjoyed in one sitting. If you think about it too much, it goes a bit flat, like mineral water at room temperature. It was warm and pleasant and funny – there are a few scenes where I laughed out loud, provoking odd glances on the train – but not filled with a great deal of turmoil, which lends, I believe, to the airy, pleasant feeling of it. There’s no great, wide gulf of personal risk for the characters, and there’s not a great personal risk to the reader, either.
Honoria Smythe-Smith is:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed “Bug” as a child
C) not in love with her older brother's best friend
D) all of the above
Marcus Holroyd is:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) not in love with his best friend's younger sister
D) all of the above
Together they:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever and the world's worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love
It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is . . . D) all of the above
Marion Chesney’s regency’s were the first romances I read. They are quick cheerful reads that are not too deep and usually fairly humerous. I’ve been collecting them as they go on sale. The school for manners and the house for a season series of books are both excellent (but perhaps not currently on sale)