-
Iron and Magic
Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews is $3.49! This is the first book in a new series by Andrews and features a hero who was a bit of a villain in the Kate Daniels series. Did you read and enjoy this one? Can it be read without the KD series?
No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.
Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.
Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she’s trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.
Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”
Hugh and Elara may do both.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
The Duke Heist
The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley is 99c! This is book one in a new series and was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. Elyse was super excited about the heist element and I feel like the other books in the series have been talked about positively here.
A NYT bestselling author kicks off a new Regency series of “irresistible romance and a family of delightful scoundrels” as a woman looking to recover a stolen painting accidentally kidnaps a duke instead. (Eloisa James)
Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she’s ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she’s the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she’ll also abduct a handsome duke.
Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father’s mistakes. To repair his estate’s ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family’s legacy to follow true love?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
A Dance with the Fae Prince
A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova is $2.99! This is book two in the Married to Magic series. I think this series has some gorgeous covers and Elyse mentioned this one on a previous Hide Your Wallet.
Cinderella meets The Cruel Prince in this stand-alone fantasy romance about a human girl and her marriage to the prince of the fae.
She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.
Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.
But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.
As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.
Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings – magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne – and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.
The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?
A Dance with the Fae Prince is a complete, *stand-alone novel*, inspired by the tales of Psyche and Eros, as well as Cinderella, with a “happily ever after” ending. It’s perfect for romantic fantasy readers who enjoyed of A Court of Silver Flames and An Enchantment of Ravens. A Dance with the Fae Prince features a slow-burn romance, swoon-worthy couple, and steaminess that ranges from simmering to sizzling.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
She Gets the Girl
She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick is $1.99! This is a new adult romance that was mentioned on both Cover Awe and Hide Your Wallet (Tara’s pick!). Did any of you pick this one up?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
Don't want to miss an ebook sale? Sign up for our newsletter, and you'll get the week's available deals each Friday.
The Ilona Andrews book came about because of an April Fools joke that the Book Devouring Horde (the IA fandom) took seriously and demanded they make happen… so they had to redeem one of the villains in the Kate Daniels series. Oops!
I’d say it’s possible to read it without glomming the KD series first, but YMMV. Chime in, other BDH members?
I think Iron and Magic could work as a standalone, but there are some references or characters that pop up in the main series. Most of the plot here does standalone. My biggest question, why would you read this and not the rest of Kate Daniels? It’s awesome and the first two books just released via graphic audio (which is the superior audiobook experience)!
An Impossible Impostor, the seventh book in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series by Deanna Raybourn, is on sale for $1.99.
Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins is also on sale for $1.99.
BDH member here. You probably want to read the KD books to get Hugh’s backstory, especially the one that causes him to end up in the state he’s in at the beginning of the story. But as @Stasi says, why not read them all? This book comes in between Kate 9 and 10 chronologically.
Another BDH member, weirdly enough, Iron & Magic was the book that made me discover IA, so it absolutely stands on its own. You will be missing some major backstory but if you’re curious about this particular plot, yet not quite ready for a KD commitment, it works.
I found THE DUKE HEIST insufficiently heist-y. I was expecting something Ocean’s Eleven or Italian Job-ish and it’s much more sedate. Also, the anachronisms began to get to me (and I usually don’t care about them in HR.)
@Sandra: I will just add that Amanda’s statement that Hugh is a “bit of a villain” is a major understatement. He’s one of the two primary minions of the Big Bad in the KD books, and is widely reviled by many members of the BDH. It’s really a testament to IA’s writing, that they managed to pull off his redemption, and all because of an April Fool’s joke on their blog.
Another vote for the IA book! I’d read KD first because they’re amazing, and this one is richer for it. But it’s not necessary. And yes, Hugh’s redemption was *chefs kiss*.
Lots of Joanna Shupe on offer at £1.99 on Amazon UK, including the Uptown Girls, Fifth Avenue Rebels and 400 series.
Two Man Station (Emergency Services #1) by Lisa Henry is free on Amazon this week. Highly recommend this contemp mm romance between two police officers set in an isolated rural community in Australia. I love this series – I think it’s Lisa Henry’s best work.
I loved She Gets the Girl – lovely friends to lovers f/f. It’s set during the protagonist’s first year of college but it definitely had a YA feel.
Tea and Sympathetic Magic by Tansy Rayner Roberts is $0.99 on Kindle. This is book 1 of Teacup Magic, novella length, stands alone well.
Unreal Alchemy (book 1 of Beladonna U) by Tansy Rayner Roberts is $0.99 and in kindle unlimited. I recently picked this up on recommendation from r/cozyfantasy and read it twice in two days. Witchy college shenanigans with a lot of snark, and surprisingly heartwarming in the end.
I’m clearly in the minority here because much as I love KD, I just didn’t quiiiiiite feel Hugh’s redemption arc in IRON AND MAGIC. He is such a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad person in the KD series that Iron and Magic, which I did actually enjoy, left my brain confused. Maybe this needs a re-read.
FREE:
The Last Nanny In Manhattan: Nannies of New York Book 1 by K. Sterling–it looks like m/m single parent in NY rescued by a nanny
A number of authors have put together a Read with Pride promotion, sharing 30+ free books now through June 12. Some require a newsletter signup:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/readwithpride23/esly3xl66i
I’ve not read KD (I can’t tolerate Curran) but I liked Iron and Magic. You go into it knowing Hugh’s a bad guy, so you don’t expect anything else.
I bought Hugh’s redemption. But then again I never saw Hugh as super villain, but rather as a ‘company man’ per se. But I always felt he was written with layers that didn’t make him sit completely 100% in the bad guy territory for me.
$2.99:
Best Served Cold (World of the First Law Book 1) by Joe Abercrombie
Free:
– Imprisoned: Book 22 in the Brides of the Kindred Gender Bender hot Alien Warrior Romance series by Evangeline Anderson
Free:
Rabi and Matthew by L.A. Witt
Not sure if you’re having a Books on Sale post today (Sunday) so wanted to alert everyone that Cara McKenna’s excellent AFTER HOURS is on sale for $1.99 in the Kindle Store. It’s one of my favorite romances—total keeper-shelf material: a nurse and an orderly at a mental health hospital fall into a relationship, not without some bumps in the road. A hot romance and a sensitive exploration of patients with significant mental health challenges. How I wish McKenna were still writing. Highly recommended.