RECOMMENDED: The Lion's Lady by Julie Garwood is $1.99! I feel like Julie Garwood is on auto-buy for a lot of readers (myself included) and it's the first in her Crown Spies series, so snag this deal while you can. This historical also features a romance between a London rake and a heroine raised by Native Americans. With a 4.1-star rating on GR, readers couldn't get enough of the relationship between Christine and Lyon, though some of the plot is a little on the ridiculous side. Redheadedgirl gave it an A-:
Really, what I loved about this is the total and utter ridonkulousness of it all. I mean, there weren’t white settlers heading out to the Black Hills in the 1790s. There just weren’t. And it’s just not feasible that a white girl raised in a Dakota tribe would be able to successfully pull off being a great lady with one year of study. But the banter is pretty good, and I never got the point of wanting to knock Christina and Lyon’s heads together- sure neither of them were telling the other one to complete truth about each other, but they each had their reasons.
I found this to be a fine example of the old school genre without bullshit sexual politics. Loads of fun, even for my complaints.
A daring lady meets a dashing lord with the soul of a pirate in this classic Regency romance novel from bestselling author Julie Garwood.
Christina Bennett had taken London society by storm. The ravishing beauty guarded the secret of her mysterious past until the night Lyon, Marquis of Lyonwood, stole a searching, sensuous kiss. An arrogant nobleman with a pirate’s passions, he tasted the wild fire smoldering beneath Christina’s cool charm and swore to posess her…
But the fiesty and defiant Christina would not be so easily conquered. Mistress of her heart and of her fortune, she resisted Lyon’s sensuous caresses. She dared not surrender to his love…for then, she must also forsake her precious secret…and her promised destiny!
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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is $2.99! A YA fantasy romance filled with Russian elements, this book is one I've been seeing all over the place. It's the first book in Bardugo's Grisha trilogy. While readers loved the engaging characters and interesting storyline, most felt the author was in the habit of telling rather than showing. It has a 4.1-star rating on GR. Has anyone read this?
The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?
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Destiny's Surrender by Bevery Jenkins is $1.99! Another auto-buy author for a lot of readers! This is the second book in her Destiny series and features an interracial romance in a historical setting. For some of us, reading more diverse books was part of our 2014 Reading Resolutions. Readers couldn't get enough of the heroine, Billie, and it has an impressive 4.2-star rating on GR. Any Beverly Jenkins fans out there?
The child he didn't know he had . . .
Andrew Yates has come to a decision: it's time to stop sowing those oats and start a family. But searching for a bride isn't as simple as he'd hoped, and many of the respectable women of his acquaintance feel . . . lacking. Then beautiful, feisty Wilhelmina “Billie” Wells arrives at the family ranch with a toddler in her arms, claiming Drew is the father!
The woman he didn't know he loved . . .
Billie had no choice but to show up at Destiny in search of Drew. For the sake of their child, she's willing to leave him with his father so the boy can have a better life, but then, before she can blink, she's saying “I do” in front of a preacher in a marriage of convenience. All Billie and Drew have in common is the heat that brought them together, but can their sizzling passion lead to an everlasting love?
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Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume is $1.99! This is a YA, coming of age novel from the ever awesome Judy Blume. After her father is shot, a girl and her mom move to New Mexico for a fresh start. While the content may seem a little dated to more current audience, readers felt the book's themes transcend age and time. It also has a 3.8-star rating on GR.
Davey has never felt so alone in her life. Her father is dead (shot in a holdup) and now her mother is moving the family to New Mexico to try to recover. Climbing in Los Alamos Canyons, Davey meets mysterous Wolf, who seems to understand the rage and fear she feels. Slowly, with Wolf's help, Davey realizes that she must get on with her life. But when will she be ready to leave the past behind? Will she ever stop hurting?
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Secrets of a Summer Night and The Devil in Winter, two books in Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower series are 3.99 each right now. I know that’s not super low but it’s the lowest I’ve seen them. I believe you featured the other two in the series when the were at this price. The Devil in Winter is probably tied for my favorite historical romance. It has a great heroine and a reformed villain for a hero. The other book, I also enjoyed a lot with a heroine who overcomes her class snobbery to fall in love with her trade money hero. Several of Kleypas’s other books are at 3.99 or 4.99 but I think most have been featured before.
I noticed a lot of Harper/Collins (Avon?) books are 3.99 or 4.99 now instead of 5.99 or 6.99. The Rake and After the Kiss, both by Suzanne Enoch, are also 3.99. Lady Whistledown Strikes Back, with novellas from Enoch and Julia Quinn among others, is 4.99.
I’ve tried Garwood at least 4 times now and I just can’t get the love. I’m usually okay with faux-historicals but hers make me grind my teeth. Maybe it was when someone is referred to as sexy in a Medieval that my eyes roll right out of my head.
The entire Crown Spies series is just a big ol’ ball of catnip ridiculousness, so that’s a great price to find out if you want to pursue the rest of the series. Who cares about the historical accuracy? It’s all about the interactions between the hero and the heroine, and they are hilarious. I think I know what my weekend re-read is going to be!
English lord and woman raised by native Americans? I tried to write that book back in high school! I think I need to see how that turned out.
I recently finished the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and while I liked them okay as books (some parts much more than others, Alina is very milksoppy), finding out that a lot of it was really badly researched appropriation of Russian culture and language made me like it less. I know, I know, “it’s a fantasy world in fictional place inspired by X” but I generally don’t feel okay with Disney-fied versions of real cultures that really exist for really reals today, especially if you don’t bother to research them and there are people RIGHT THERE who can tell you “hey you keep using these words and they do not mean what you think they mean”.
So, yes, can like a thing, still be critical of a thing. Also the heroine is certainly not my favourite character and could probably be replaced by a sexy lamp and the story would be about as good.
… now I need to re-read this with all parts of Alina played by Sexy Lamp.
@Lindsay: Whenever I hear the sexy lamp analogy, I always think of the leg lamp from A Christmas Story.
@Amanda: Me too! Always. Glad to know it’s not just me.
I loved Shadow and Bone and would definitely recommend it. The Darkling is such a fascinating character….
Shadow & Bone: I’ve only read the first of the series, and I loovved it. It’s definitely Russian influenced, but as I read loads of russian fairytales growing up, it feels more inspired by than badly researched. But, like I said, I only have read the first. The others are on my list to read, I just haven’t felt like seeking them out yet.
I’m pretty sure I have my original copy of TIGER EYES—from high school