-
Valley Verified
Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! We featured this one on Cover Awe awhile back. I believe this one skews more toward Women’s Fiction and features a main character taking her skills to a new industry.
When a fashion writer dives headfirst into the cutthroat Silicon Valley tech world, her future threatens to unravel in this addictive novel by Kyla Zhao, author of The Fraud Squad.
On paper, Zoe Zeng has made it in New York’s fashion world. After a string of unpaid internships, she’s now a fashion columnist at Chic, lives in a quaint apartment in Manhattan, and gets invited to exclusive industry events.
But life in New York City isn’t as chic as Zoe imagined. Her editor wants her to censor her opinions to please the big brands; she shares her “quaint” ( small) apartment with two roommates who never let her store kimchi in the fridge; and how is she supposed to afford the designer clothes expected for those parties on her meager salary?
Then one day, Zoe receives a job offer at FitPick, an app startup based in Silicon Valley. The tech salary and office perks are sweet, but moving across the country and switching to a totally new industry? Not so much. However, with her current career at a dead end, Zoe accepts the offer and swaps high fashion for high tech, haute couture for HTML. But she soon realizes that in an industry claiming to change the world for the better, not everyone’s intentions are pure. With an eight-figure investment on the line, Zoe must find a way to revamp FitPick’s image despite Silicon Valley’s elitism and her icy colleagues. Or the company’s future will go up in smoke—and hers with it.
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! -
Inheritance
Inheritance by Nora Roberts is $2.99! This is book one in the Lost Bride Trilogy. These skew more toward contemporary romance with some paranormal or light magical elements. Have you read this one?
Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts―a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.
1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…
Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.
Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…
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 Rose Code
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is $1.99! This was the first pick for our workplace book club. Our general consensus for this historical fiction was that it was definitely too long and the last third or so was the most exciting portion. However, we all generally liked it and shed a few tears. What are your thoughts?
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.
1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter–the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger–and their true enemy–closer…
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! -
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs is $1.99! This was mentioned on Hide Your Wallet and I think Lara recently said she was reading it.
In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection–a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.
For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements–books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.
All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .
In the great tradition of Ninth House, The Magicians, and Practical Magic, this is a suspenseful and richly atmospheric novel that draws readers into a vast world filled with mystery and magic, romance, and intrigue–and marks the debut of an extraordinary new voice in speculative fiction.
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.
Valley Verified sounds quite interesting, so I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts who read it (and yes that’s a gorgeous cover).
It makes me think of a memoir I just finished by Kristi Coulter called “Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career”; the author moved from Michigan to Seattle to work for Amazon in 2006 and stayed for 12 years. It almost reads like a horror novel (at least I was feeling lots of dread) hearing about the toxicity of the place, but I definitely recommend.
I read Valley Verified last year and gave it a very low mark. It was like reading about a toddler work in tech. Just totally disappointing with an ending I saw a mile away. But yes, great cover. I am such a sucker for a pretty cover, and I pay the price every time!
“Inheritance” made me rage on so many levels, but the one that I’m still actively livid about is that the book uses violence against women as a shorthand for personality and plot in a way that felt incredibly shallow and performative— whenever the plot needed another event: insert violence against a woman. Whenever a man’s personality needed to be depicted: see how he responds to finding out about violence against a woman. The entire book had so many problems, but this specifically was a lot of ongoing emotional exploitation as a lazy shortcut for other ways to develop a character.
I highly recommend INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE. It’s seriously good with strong characters in an intriguing story (caveat, I do know the author but I know a lot of SFF authors and don’t call out everyone’s book like this).
Free:
– Down On Me: Reece and Jenna (Man of the Month Book 1) by J. Kenner
– Starting Over (Blossom Ridge Book 1) by Becca Jameson
$.99:
– Still Your Guy by Devon McCormack
– Elsie’s Strong Shelter (Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Book 5) by Danielle M Haas
$1.99:
– Maverick Wild by Stacey Kayne
– Mountain Wild by Stacey Kayne
– Never Tell: A Novel (D.D. Warren Book 10) by Lisa Gardner
– Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran
– Search and Detect (Mountain Country K-9 Unit Book 8) by Terri Reed
I made it 11% into a sample of “Valley Verified” before getting bored with the clichéd NYC hate. (Dumpsters are stinky. Sometimes statuesque women in stilettos are inconsiderate. And the city’s “always prettiest at night, its blemishes[!] disguised by the bright lights and flashing billboards.”) I get that NYC isn’t for everyone, but if you’re going to throw shade in the opening scene of your novel, seems like it should at least be interesting/original.
Also tbh I feel weird about the author naming a (likely v minor) side character Vladimir Trotsky. I might be weird for saying that, lol, but it’s just such a specific choice for some rando who’s probably only in this one scene
I also recommend Ink Blood Sister Scribe. It’s really good.
Here’s my StoryGraph review:
4.25 stars
Immersive, compelling debut fantasy with magic books and family secrets. There are two low key romances (f/f and m/f) but the most important relationships are family – birth and found.
I thought the pacing was a little off and the payoff wasn’t quite as strong as the setup but I really enjoyed the characters and world building.
@Liz: a few years ago, I read a rather run-of-the-mill dark romance (I think the Bratva was involved) by an author who I came to suspect was a collective name for a group of “kindle farm” writers. There was a minor character in the book named Peter Thiel. At the time, Thiel was not a household name (unlike today, when unfortunately he is best known as the billionaire behind the rise of J.D. Vance), and I just couldn’t figure out a good reason for giving a character that name. It still puzzles me.
Free:
– Halftime: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Kim Findlay
– Homecoming (Speakeasy) by Rebecca Norinne
– Playmaker: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Sierra Hill
– Snowballed: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Melanie Ting
– Blindsided: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Victoria Denault
– Holdout: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Jaqueline Snowe
– Gametime: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Jami Davenport
– Overtime: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Kat Mizera
– Wonderland (In Vino Veritas) by Rachel Ember
– Cakewalk (The Busy Bean) by Claire Hastings
– Fireproof (The Busy Bean) by Delancey Stewart
– Doubletalk (The Busy Bean) by Teralyn Mitchell
– Heartwood (Speakeasy) by J.H. Croix
– Firefly (Speakeasy) by Krystyna Allyn
– Starlight (Speakeasy) by Christine DePetrillo
– Safeguard (Speakeasy) by Stephanie Rose
– Underdog (In Vino Veritas) by L.A. Witt
$.99:
– Friendzoned (The Busy Bean) by Rachel Blaufeld
– Sideways (Speakeasy) by Lisa Hughey
– Wildfire (In Vino Veritas) by Garrett Leigh
– Please Don’t Go, Girl (Love on the Radio Book 3) by Naima Simone
$1.99:
– Wait for You: A Novel by J. Lynn, Jennifer L. Armentrout
– Angel in a Devil’s Arms: The Palace of Rogues by Julie Anne Long
– After Dark with the Duke: Palace of Rogues (The Palace of Rogues 4)
by Julie Anne Long
– A Warriner to Tempt Her (The Wild Warriners) by Virginia Heath
– Lost and Found Sisters: A Novel (The Wildstone Series Book 1)
by Jill Shalvis
– Rainy Day Friends: A Novel (The Wildstone Series Book 2)
by Jill Shalvis
– Almost Just Friends: A Novel (The Wildstone Series Book 4)
by Jill Shalvis
– Whiskey Sharp: Jagged by Lauren Dane
Free:
– The Grumpy Billionaire: A grumpy/sunshine brother’s best friend stand-alone (Billionaires of Manhattan) by Annika Martin
– Chicago Irish Love: A Two-Book Contemporary Romance Bundle by Shannyn Schroeder
– Secrets: Web of Sin One: Sparrow Webs 1 by Aleatha Romig
– Never Woo the Wrong Lady (A Gentleman’s Guide to Courtship Book 1) by Charlie Lane
– Killer Instincts: A best friend’s little sister opposites attract romantic comedy (Assassins in Love Book 1) by Tawna Fenske
– His Snow Bunny: A Bachelor Mountain Series by Poppy Parkes
– Holly’s First Noel (Christmas Wishes Book 5) by Serenity Woods
$.99:
– The Unsuitable Duke (Landing a Lord Book 4) by Suzanna Medeiros
– Bonds of Denial (Wicked play Book 5) by Lynda Aicher
– Tuff Enough (Blackhawk Security Book 1) by Samantha Cole
– My Lord Raven: Knights of the Royal Household by Jan Scarbrough
$1.99:
– Good Time Cowboy: An Anthology (Gold Valley Book 3) by Maisey Yates
– I’m Only Wicked with You: The Palace of Rogues by Julie Anne Long
– Magic Has No Borders by Samira Ahmed, Sona Charaipotra
– The Other Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter
by Denny S. Bryce
– The Most Fun We Ever Had: A Novel by Claire Lombardo
ooh, thanks for surfacing the Annika Martin freebie, @flchen1
@DiscoDolly
Some authors borrow names they think are obscure. I remember reading a book with two Russian characters who were minor chars in one chapter. Their names were borrowed from the Russian equivalent of the heads of Congress. It was jarring. It was like seeing JD Vance and Kamala Harris as average people in the same scene.
Peter Thiel was probably obscure when the name was chosen.
Not as bad as the Russian dialog from Google translate though. Too often, synonyms in English aren’t in Russian, so a shot from a camera and from a gun are not the same words. So, you get weirdness.