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Kulti
UPDATE: Deal no longer valid.
READER RECOMMENDED: Kulti by Mariana Zapata is 99c at Amazon! It’s a Kindle Daily Deal, but so far isn’t being price-matched. If you like slow burn romances and grumpy heroes, this one comes highly recommended by the Bitchery. However, some found the slow burn a little too slow.
“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”
When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.
It didn’t take a week for twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon—why she’d ever had his posters on her wall, or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.
Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man that hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been.
Nothing could have prepared her for the man she got to know.
Or the murderous urges he brought out in her.
This was going to be the longest season of her life.
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Hidden Impact
RECOMMENDED: Hidden Impact by Piper J. Drake is $1.99! Not only should you check out Elyse’s previous review, but here’s what she had to say:
The first book in the Safeguard series is everything I like in romantic suspense–over-the-top heroes, international espionage, things blowing up, but no real threat of violence (physical or sexual) to the main characters. It’s popcorn action movie suspense, lots of fun but no real darkness. Plus the heroine is a chef and OMG this book will make you hungry.
He’s not the hero she’s looking for…
As part of the elite Centurion Corporation team, military-veteran-turned-mercenary Gabriel Diaz is a natural defender. He’ll do anything to ensure a mission is successful. Anything but get emotionally invested—he learned the hard way that can be deadly. Easy bodyguard jobs in between the more challenging missions are all he’s interested in now.
Maylin Cheng is desperate and running out of time. Her younger sister has gone missing but no one seems to take her concern seriously. Her last hope lies in asking an aloof bodyguard for help. He dismisses her outright, but all that changes when she is almost killed in a not-so-accidental hit-and-run right before his eyes.
As Maylin leans on Gabriel, she begins to rely on him for more than just her safety. But as their attraction grows, so does the danger surrounding them. When the elaborate web they’re trapped in unravels, Gabriel will do anything to protect them. Even if that means putting his heart in the crosshairs.
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Seize the Fire
UPDATE: Deal no longer valid.
Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale is $1.99! This historical romance was originally published in the late eighties and seems to feature a forced proximity element. But be warned, there seems to be several helpings of crazysauce in this one. If you’ve read it, tell us about your reading experience in the comments!
Olympia St. Leger is a princess in desperate need of a knight in shining armor. Sheridan Drake, amused by Olympia’s innocence and magnificent beauty, but also intrigued by her considerable wealth, accepts the position of white knight.
Unaware that Sheridan is a notorious scoundrel, Olympia willingly allows herself to submit to his protection and his potent embrace. Theirs is a love born in deception. But as they weather storms on the high seas and flee from nefarious villains, the love sparked by lies begins to burn uncontrollably.
Taking shelter on a desert island paradise, the princess and the dark knight battle overwhelming odds to keep their adoration burning bright.
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Cartel
Cartel by Lili St. Germain is 99c! This is a dark contemporary/erotic romance and is book one in the Cartel series. While I love dark romances, I am not a fan of motorcycle clubs, so I can’t offer up any opinions. Readers seemed divided on whether or not they liked the heroine, but were very interested in whether the hero could be fully redeemed. It has a 3.8-star rating on Goodreads.
How much is a life worth?
I grew up in Colombia, the daughter of a wealthy drug lord. I lived a life of extravagance, until one day a drug run went horribly wrong and everything came crashing down around us.
I was given away. A payment for a debt. The Gypsy Brothers Motorcycle Club became my new owners, and I did everything I could to survive.
But falling in love with the man who owned me wasn’t part of the plan…
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I have read Seize the Fire and isn’t Olympia supposed to be a much larger woman than that? I could have sworn I remembered that she was chubby.
Also, it’s worth noting that Sheridan has pretty serious PTSD.
The heroine’s plumpness is a driving force of her character, the cover art should reflect.
This is a great book! But, then again, I love everything Laura Kinsale. The hero is seriously messed up with PTSD and self-loathing. He’s also incredibly hot, like, I’m-gonna-have-the-vapors, hot. The heroine is innocent and pretty and has been told she’s fat and that it’s gross, she’s gross, her whole life. Weirdly, Kinsale is able to weave the story in a way where you get that, no matter the trauma, if it’s real to the person, it damages the soul.
There’s a lot of travel, but not to your normal ports-of-call. Crazy sauce indeed.
Let’s just say that when it comes to writing motorcycle clubs, Lili St. Germain is no Joanna Wylde. This was a DNF for me; I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief (or my editing skills).
So glad to see Kulti get some love! It’s a sports romance about a female athlete, so kind of a unicorn. It’s just as focused on Sal and what she wants from her career/life, as it is the romance. It is long, but I thought the length really gave it room to move the characters from visceral hatred to serious relationship without it seeming rushed. The player/coach dynamic is also handled in, what I felt, was a non-creepy way. Also gets major points for giving Sal a full life of her own, and having her help but not “save” or “fix” Kulti.
Hi, Smart Bitches; through your site I found “Enchanted Paradise”, the screamingly 1980s-looking book with a hero who hunts unicorns and according to the cover has something horrible going on with his back. I only wanted to read it the once to see what it was like and I have no further use for it; if I send it to one of the Bitches, would they do a full review?
Kulti is SO GOOD!! It’s laugh out loud funny but also has a great deal of emotional depth. This is the slowest of slow burn romances and when Reiner and Sal finally- FINALLY!- get together, it was beyond satisfying. This is also a great one to listen to on audiobook- Callie Dalton does an exceptional job.
Size the Fire is the Very First Kinsale I ever read. Found in the supermarket, I think. I ADORED it and it caused me to go out and find every single thing she had ever written all future work. I am still eagerly anticipating her next book.
One of the things I liked about it was that Olympia was definitely on the hefty size and she is one hundred percent an idealist.
Here’s the other thing… I am always complaining about the lack of appearance of verisimilitude in novels and as much nutty stuff as this book has going on, one might think I would hate it. But Kinsale does a brilliant job of making it believable.
How I wish for a new book by her. How I long for it. Who’s with me in this desire?
One clicked Kulti and Laura Kinsale so fast my phone is smoking.
Also one-clicked Kulti! I’ve never read a sports romance before so I’m excited!
I’ve been waiting for Kulti to go on sale! And somewhat against my better judgment I one clicked the Kinsale, I’m in the four person minority of people who couldn’t stand Flowers From the Storm. But I’ve liked some of her newer stuff and I do think she writes very emotionally intense novels. They don’t always work for me but they’re definitely well written.
What I remember most about Sieze the Fire is the protracted non-consumated lovemaking between the hero & heroine that they undertook in order to preserve her virginity. But, it only worked because in this world of Kindale’s, the heroine’s hymen was located more than halfway up her V! Didn’t the SBs do an entry on the erroneous hymen placement in romances some time ago?
LeahS yes they certainly did!
@ Liz, you just convinced me to buy Kulti, when I normally don’t read sports romances.
@LeahS wrote “What I remember most about Sieze the Fire is the protracted non-consumated lovemaking between the hero & heroine that they undertook in order to preserve her virginity.” Actually, if you re-read that section where Sherry and Olympia are marooned on that island, you would see that the reason they avoided penetration was NOT to preserve her virginity but in order to prevent pregnancy because they had no idea how long they would be marooned there and aside from the risk involved to Olympia, they had no means to provide for a child.
Any other time I check in daily with this site. The one time I don’t I missed the sale. (>_<)
Insult to injury, the book's been on my list for 2 years to boot.
To anyone who’s read Cartel:
When she’s ‘given’ to the club, am I correct in my dangerous assumption that makes her not only club property but one of the club… hmm, how do I say this nicely? Oh, yes! One of the club ‘girls’?
And is she “saved” from having multiple partners by the hero who wants her for himself? Hopefully his saving her occurs before she ends up pulling a train because of the lads’ enthusiasm. (Is it still rape if she’s not given a choice? Lemme think…YES! Seriously, I can’t even with this)
I ask this because I’m curious about the set up but in no way interested enough to actually read it.