The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood is $2.99 digitally right now. This is a romantic suspense novel, the ninth in Garwood's Buchanan/Renard series. This book has a 3.85 GR average, and one reviewer, Shawna, calls it “romantic suspense lite” – more focus on character development, and less on the suspense. Other readers really liked the doctor heroine, especially when she's being watched over by the FBI agent hero.
Dr. Ellie Sullivan has just completed her residency at a large urban hospital. While jogging in a park nearby, she witnesses the shooting of an FBI agent in pursuit of wanted criminals, a couple identified as the Landrys. The only person to see the shooter's face, Ellie is suddenly at the center of a criminal investigation.
Agent Max Daniels takes over the Landry case. A no-nonsense lawman, he's definitely not the ideal man that Ellie has always imagined, yet she's attracted to him in a way she can't explain.
Ellie heads home to Winston Falls, South Carolina, to attend her sister's wedding. Shortly after she arrives, though, she receives a surprise visitor: Max Daniels. The Landrys have been captured, and she'll be called to testify. But they've been captured before, and each time the witnesses are scared into silence-or disappear before they can take the stand. Max vows to be Ellie's shadow until the trial, and it isn't long before sparks fly.
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Long, Lean, and Lethal by Heather Graham is $1.99 right now. This is an older romantic suspense title originally published in 2000 and reissued this year. It's set within a soap opera production soundstage, and one of the lead actresses is the potential victim. Some readers struggled with the hero's relationship to the heroine: (highlight to read) he's her stepbrother.
A horror-movie-obsessed killer stalks a soap-opera starlet
Anything can happen on Valentine Valley. People recover from amnesia, awake from comas, and rise from the dead—all to the delight of the daytime soap’s millions of fans. But while Valentine Valley may be glamorous onscreen, behind the camera the soap’s grueling production schedule punishes actors, directors, and writers in the name of ratings.
Soap star Jennifer Connolly is near her breaking point, and a murderer is about to push her over the edge. As Jennifer struggles to care for her ill mother, a serial killer stalks the lot, committing a gory string of murders inspired by classic Hitchcock films. Jennifer is his next target and he wants to give her what every actress wishes for: to never age another day.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Heather Graham including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.
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RECOMMENDED BY AMANDA: As Hard As It Gets by Laura Kaye is $1.99. This is book one of the Hard Ink series, which, according to GoodReads is about, “about four ex-soldiers who run a renegade operation against an organized crime ring out of the back of a tattoo shop.” Like you do.
Amanda recommended this title when it was previously on sale, saying, “I actually just bought this book over the winter break. I took back some Christmas gifts to buy books….” Again, like you do.
Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome–pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter.
Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.
With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.
Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…
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SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle – Navy SEAL Style is a boxed set of ten novels and novellas from ten different authors for $2.99. The page count is around 1300, so that's a lot of Navy SEALs. The stories vary, including contemporary romance, military romance, and romantic suspense. If you like SEAL romances, this should keep you happy for at least half the summer!
Military Super-bundle of ten novellas and novels by New York Times, USA Today and award-winning bestselling authors: Delilah Devlin, Sharon Hamilton, Anne Marsh, Cora Seton, Zoe York, Roxie Riviera, S.M. Butler, Kimberley Troutte, Jennifer Lowery, Elle James.
IT TAKES A SEAL, An Adventure Girls, Inc. story by USA Today Bestselling author Delilah Devlin: A travel agent visiting friends in the Bahamas is stranded on a desert island with a sexy ex-SEAL after their private pleasure cruise is interrupted by men who mistake her lover for a reclusive billionaire.
SEAL MY HEART by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Sharon Hamilton: Kate Livingstone’s engagement is at risk the instant she sets eyes on the handsome elite warrior sitting next to her on a plane trip to visit her sister. Navy SEAL Tyler Gray had thought he knew what he wanted in life, until he meets Kate and their obvious attraction for each other sparks something deep in his soul. What starts out as innocent letters between friends turns out to be much more. Can someone fall in love deeply just with words and letters exchanged, or is this just a pleasant fantasy that will ruin their lives forever?
Smoking Hot by National Bestselling Author Anne Marsh: When an ambush kills his teammate, Navy SEAL Tye Callahan vows to spend the summer in Strong, California, fighting fires with the smoke jumper team and looking out for Katie Lawson, his teammate's fiancée. Now, as the summer heats up, they must decide if the chemistry burning between them might just be their second chance at living their own lives… together.
THE NAVY SEAL’s E-MAIL ORDER BRIDE by National Bestselling author Cora Seton: If Mason Hall, Navy SEAL, can’t find a wife and get her pregnant—and convince his three brothers to marry, too—before the year is up, he’ll have to forfeit the ranch his family has prized for over a hundred years. Who knew one city girl and three wayward brothers could put up such a fight?
FALL OUT by Zoe York: Drew Castle is a Navy SEAL with a bad case of indifference. Until
Annie Martin shows up on his doorstep, scared out of her mind, and all of a sudden, keeping
her safe becomes the most important mission of his life. And this time, he’s on his own.
CLOSE QUARTERS by Bestselling author Roxie Rivera: Nationally Bestselling author Roxie Rivera brings you Close Quarters. Getting tangled up in Jamie Pearson's latest hot mess—or her sheets—is the very last thing Navy SEAL Leland Gates needs, but in close quarters like these, there's no denying the white-hot passion blazing between them.
Killing Honor by International Bestselling author S.M. Butler: Returning home after a disastrous extended deployment, Navy SEAL Brody Battles struggles with nightmares and government secrets building a wall between him and his wife, Devyn, especially when a security breach compromises his identity. While they’re adjusting to being a family again, an old enemy waits in the shadows, salivating for the sweet taste of revenge.
Coming in Hot by Award-winning author Kimberley Troutte: For Navy SEAL Mack Riley, rescuing a family in Colombian jungles isn’t as hard as seeing the admiral’s daughter again, but since Jenna is joining the hostage rescue team, his orders are to protect her. In the heat of battle, love breaches their defenses just as missiles lock onto their coordinates …can they save the family and get out alive?
A SEAL’s SONG by Golden Heart Finalist author Jennifer Lowery: Navy SEAL Jack Taggart’s plans to catch some much-needed downtime between deployments are demolished when he risks everything to rescue beautiful wedding singer, Darci O’Shea, from a band of thieves. Will the battle between their inner demons be the hardest one to fight, or will they find rescue in each other’s arms?
SEALS’s EMBRACE by USA Today Bestselling author Elle James: Injured Navy SEAL and the critical care nurse he's attempting to woo join forces to stop a terrorist attack at a military hospital.
Sarah, why do you do this to my budget… Two suspense titles for the price of a soy caramel macchiato…yes please
I read the Ideal Man a few months ago. It was “meh” for me, but so many people kept recommending her that I tried another Garwood book (I think in the same series), but I didn’t like that one either. I kept waiting for something to happen.
Bite Me by Shelly Laurenston is $2.99 right now on kindle.
Did anyone mention that Arnette Lamb’s Border Lord is a free pre-order over at Amazon?
@Kristin I think that when most people squee about Julie Garwood, they mean her classic romances, the historicals from twenty years ago. (I know I do. Her contemporary romantic suspense doesn’t really do anything for me.) And I think it matters what age, stage in life (and education about Scottish history), mood etc. you are in when you read them.
If I remember correctly, there is a Classic Romance Julie Garwood SBTB post.
I’m with Elyse; you are killing me. Then again, leaving on a jet plane Wednesday, so Kindle full of Navy Seals sounds like a plan.
I liked the first few books of Julie Garwood’s romantic suspense but they all became the same book. I liked Mercy and then one with Mercy’s brother (John Paul?) and even liked Heartbreaker but then . . . it was all the same book, each and every time, with stupider and stupider heroines. All about how strong and smart these women are . . . except when they’re being completely stupid and dependent. The villains are cartoonishly bad and the dialogue has become robotic and weird. Ugh. I feel like her writing has really taken a nosedive these past couple of years. She is no longer a must-read and more a yeah sure I guess it’s free at the library. And then I get nostalgic and reread her old historicals and early romances and they are so much better.
Didn’t mean to rant so much about Julie Garwood, oops! I also meant to say that I read Hard as It Gets and really liked it but the second was a bit of a let down, but I’m still looking forward to the rest in the series.
When I finished “As Hard as it Gets”, I immediately purchased “Hard as You Can”. I’ve had my Nook 3-ish years, and this is the first time I can recall finishing a book and immediately going to look up the second book using the shop button, purchasing it, and starting to read it. Now I have to wait for the third book!