-
Anne of a Different Island
Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra is $1.99! This is a standalone with a bit of a meta plot. The heroine, Anne, has always been inspired by Anne of Green Gables. I’m sure if this is a full on romance or if the romance is more of a subplot.
A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by Anne of Green Gables by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.
She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.
Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her the same impulsive charm, the same fiery imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.
But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.
Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.
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! -
If It Makes You Happy
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia is $1.99! This is a contemporary romance set in the 90s. We’re seeing a lot of those lately! And now the Sheryl Crow song is stuck in my head.
Grab your favorite fall candle, cuddle into a comfy blanket, and travel back in time to 1997 in this cozy, slow-burn romance set in the autumn glow of small-town Vermont.
Now with exclusive bonus content!
My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.
I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out. Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.
Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.
Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe. Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards. So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbor.
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! -
Terror at the Gates
Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair is $1.99! This is book one in the Blood of Lilith urban fantasy series. It’s had a cover update since it’s release. I always find it interesting when a cover gets updated pretty quickly. Why do they do this? Is it a little like A/B testing?
The first in an all-new fantasy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair. In this biting, feminist retelling of Lilith’s story, Lilith will rise from the ashes of her former life to destroy the ancient power that stole everything she loves.
She is the beginning and the end.
She is peace and chaos.
She is terror knocking at the gates.
Estranged from her powerful family, Lilith Leviathan finds refuge in Nineveh, a district in the city of Eden devoted to sin. There, she uses her magic to steal for a living, attracting the attention of the five governing families as well as the church, which expects women to remain pious and silent. When Lilith comes into possession of a beautiful blade, she thinks all her worries are over…until her usual buyer dies while inspecting it.
Frantic, Lilith turns to the only man who can help Zahariev, head of the Zareth family and ruler of Nineveh. His currency is information, and his power is extortion, though he’s always had a soft spot for Lilith. But when the dagger appears, he isn’t sure he can protect her from what’s to come.
Together, they embark on a mission to discover the true power running their world. As their lives intertwine, Lilith realizes Zahariev is more than just a friend, but their devotion to each other is a threat—to the truth, to the church, and to those who want to tear it all down.
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! -
Such Sharp Teeth
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison is $2.99! I really enjoy Harrison’s type of horror and recommend for people who want a more “horror-lite” experience. There’s some comedy, sometimes romance. They’re a good time!
A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping, incisive novel from the author of Cackle and The Return.
Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she’d put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she’s attacked.
Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She’s unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silver—and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She’s changing into someone else—something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she’s putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance?
This darkly comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability.
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.
I’m going to be reviewing Anne for the site soon!
Wait, if they are specifically writing a romance set in the 90’s from a vantage of thirty years in the future, is it still a contemporary? They are going out of their way to make “time” a significant part of the setting, so I think there’s at least an argument that this would count as a historical. (I don’t necessarily want to WIN said argument, I’m just saying that the argument could be made in good faith.)
What is your rubric for contemporary vs historical? And do contemporaries written far enough in the past graduate to historicals or just become classic contemporaries?
@C I heard this discussed on the Buzzing About Romance podcast a while ago. If I remember correctly, if it’s written present day but set in the 80s/90s then it’d be classified as a retro historical. It’s all based on when it’s written and set together.
Anne of a Different Island is showing as full price more me, sadly!
90s is historical? I need to go lie down.
@JenSpeedwell the two I looked at are $14.99, the curse of being in Canada ☹️
I like the covers on the first two, illustrated covers with no weird faceless people.
@C: This is a very good question and one I don’t have an answer to, and the site doesn’t really have a rubric either. I think we’re seeing more and more romances taking place in specific time periods with specific aesthetics/tech (The 90s feels modern enough but without the elements of social media) or defining events (like the 60s Space Race), and that’s getting the “historical label” because it’s clearly of a specific time or place.
There may be a better descriptor out there I haven’t seen yet, but I’m curious on how genre language might change when the 60s or the 90s are 100ish years in the past.
@Amanda: I personally think a book changes from contemporary to historical when social mores and technology change enough to be noticeable. For instance, The Prisoner of Zenda was contemporary at publication, but is solidly historical today. Another example: back in the day, I read Mary Stewart when she was still publishing. The Moon-Spinners was contemporary; now I look at it as more historical (just like me). The 60’s had such a very different vibe. But I agree that anything that is newly published, but focuses on the fairly recent past, is at the very least, quasi-historical.
Maybe a book changes from contemporary to historical depending on whether or not the person reading it lived through that time period. I remember one of my history teachers saying that “history” for high school students ends with the date their parents became adults.
Coincidentally, this was posted today on the Writer Unboxed blog:
The Speed of Time and What Counts as ”Historical Fiction” by Virginia Pye
Historical fiction, as defined by the Historical Novel Society, is any story written at least fifty years after the events described or written by someone not alive at the time of the story. The author must write from research, not from personal experience. Other authorities on historical fiction reduce the timeframe to twenty-five years, but essentially, the expectation is that the era of the story must be well past.”
The author then goes on to suggest that even the recent past can be historical, as in a novel set during the pandemic.
The Anne book is now 12.00 on Amazon. Disappointed.
Free:
– My First – A best friend’s girlfriend, forbidden love, small town romance by Melanie Shawn
– The Thief’s Countess: An Enemies to Lovers Medieval Romance (Border Series Book 1) by Cecelia Mecca
– Pour Judgment: A steamy fake fiancé romantic comedy
by HEATHER M ORGERON
– The Victor: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (The Billionaires Book 1) by Nicole Flockton
– Secret Santa by Kay Lyons Stockham
– The Inappropriate Date: A Heart-Warming MM Short Novella
by Jax Calder
$.99:
– Sweet as Sin (Bad Habit Book 1) by J.T. Geissinger
– Crimson Fury: A Russian Mafia Romance (Ulianov Bratva Book 1)
by Lisa Lovell
– The Warrior: A Billionaire Friends to Lovers Romance (The Billionaires Book 3) by Nicole Flockton
– A Match for a Bookish Bride (The Mystery Matchmaker of Ella Pointe Book 2) by Tess Thompson
– Wilder Irish Boxed Set by Mari Carr
– Crossroads Collection Books 1-5 by Em Petrova
– Broken Promises (The Bad Legacy Book 1) by Diana Muñoz Stewart
$1.99:
– Strictly Confidential (The Boardroom Book 5) by Lynda Aicher
– The One Who Loves You (Tickled Pink Book 1) by Pippa Grant
– The Protector: A Billionaire Brother’s Best Friend Romance (The Billionaires Book 4) by Nicole Flockton
– The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds Book 1) by Megan E. O’Keefe
– Hello Stranger: A Novel by Katherine Center
– Hot in Hellcat Canyon (The Hellcat Canyon Novels) by Julie Anne Long
– Played by Naima Simone
– The Man Must Marry (Sinclair Brothers Novel Book 1) by Janet Chapman
– The Stolen Heir: A Novel of Elfhame by Holly Black
– The Dictionary of Lost Words: Reese’s Book Club: A Novel
by Pip Williams
– Fatal Promises: The Bad Legacy Series Book 2 by Diana Muñoz Stewart
$2.49:
– Read Between the Lines: A Novel (Ms. Right Book 1) by Rachel Lacey
– Cover Story by Rachel Lacey
$2.99:
– The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
– Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
– Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (One World Essentials) by Trevor Noah
Free:
– Rare Vigilance (Whitethorn Agency Book 1) by M.A. Grant
– Playing to Win: A Hockey Romance (The Toronto Blaze Series Book 1)
by Kim Findlay
– Justified Secrets (TFH Team Bravo Book 1) by Melissa Schroeder
– The Wallflower’s Great Escape: A Steamy Regency Historical Romance (The Wallflowers’ Revolt Book 1) by Valerie Bowman
– Till Sudden Death Do Us Part by J.P. Sterling
$.50:
– House Rules (Uptown Book 3) by Ruby Lang
$.99:
– The Untamed Warrior’s Bride: A Marriage of Vengeance Historical Romance (The Legendary Warriors Book 2) by Michelle Willingham
– Live and Let Chai: A Beachfront Cozy Mystery (Seaside Café Mysteries Book 1) by Bree Baker
– Superfan: A Hockey Romance (Brooklyn Hockey Book 3) by Sarina Bowen
– I’m Your Guy (Hockey Guys: a series of MM stand-alone novels Book 2)
– Penalty Play (Boston Rebels Book 5) by Julia Connors
– Fighting the Flames (Where There’s Smoke Book 1) by Em Petrova
– Tempting the Flames (Where There’s Smoke Book 2) by Em Petrova
– Up in Flames : Firefighter Romance Box Set by Em Petrova
– One Fiery Night: Firefighter Romance (Firehouse Five Book 1)
by Em Petrova
– Controlled Burn: Firefighter Romance (Firehouse Five Book 2)
by Em Petrova
– Smoldering Hearts: Firefighter Romance (Firehouse Five Book 3)
by Em Petrova
– His Temporary Fiancée (The Huxleys) by Nadia Lee
$1.99:
– For Butter or Worse: A Rom Com – A Feminist Book Club Choice Award Winner Contemporary Romance (The Hollywood Series 1) by Erin La Rosa
– Butterfly Swords (The Tang Dynasty Book 1) by Jeannie Lin
– My One and Only Duke: Includes a bonus novella (Rogues to Riches Book 1) by Grace Burrowes
– Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe- Love Comes in Small Packages by Lori Foster, Maisey Yates
Silent Flames by Cate C Wells is 99¢ at Amazon today
(it’s part of a quartet but can absolutely be read as a standalone…and — apologies for the shade at the other authors involved — probably should be)
I can answer the contemporary vs historical question!
If it was written during a time I remember living, it is a contemporary.
Bam, problem solved.
Signed,
A youngish GenXer.