RECOMMENDED: A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole is $1.99! We read this for my book club and we all agreed there wasn’t enough blacksmithing and sword-making. Carrie enjoyed this one and gave it an A-:
This is such a solid book – it’s tear-jerking, it’s inspiring, it’s sexy and romantic, it’s interesting (sword history!) and it’s funny. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
RECOMMENDED: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn is $2.99! This is a historical mystery and Sarah really enjoyed it. She also immediately read the second one (which is also on sale!) after finishing the first. Here’s what she said:
I read A Curious Beginning with an I-cannot-put-this-down enthusiasm and devoured it very quickly. I relished both the characters and the mystery. The Veronica Speedwell series is excellent and intelligent fun, and while the second isn’t quite as satisfying as the first, I heartily recommend them both.
Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick is $1.99! This is the eighth book in The Arcane Society series and book two in the spin-off Dreamlight Trilogy, which makes me unsure if this can be read as a standalone. Let us know in the comments! Some readers felt the hero was too much of a jerk, while others loved the heroine and paranormal elements.
RECOMMENDED: The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley is $1.99! This is a Kindle Daily Deal and it’s being price-matched! Kearsley is a wonderfully evocative writer, blending historical, paranormal, mystery and romance into rich and absorbing books. However, others felt this isn’t one of Kearsley’s strongest works. Have you read this one?
Ice Wolf by Jane Godman is 99c! This is a paranormal romance with shifters and the cover model totally looks like Ryan Gosling, right? Some readers felt there was too much world-building for their liking, while others noted it was a great start to a new series. It has a 4-star rating on Goodreads.
We have a fresh crop of Lightning Reviews this week with all sorts of reads! We have a book by a Great British Bake Off winner, a dystopian romance between a doctor and a super soldier, and a historical romance with forbidden love!
Beyond the Sunrise by Mary Balogh is $3.99! This is a second chance historical romance with class differences. Readers liked the setting of Spain and Portugal. However, many really seemed to dislike the heroine and her actions. This is also a new Balogh that was published last year. Any Balogh fans care to weigh in?
Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole is $1.74 at most vendors! Carrie reviewed this book last April. Redheadedgirl also said, “Based on a rec from Courtney Milan, this is set during an apocalyptic event with a we-all-need-to-work-together and try not to go nutty from the isolation plot – it’s tight, tense, and really good.”
RECOMMENDED: Beauty and the Rake by Erica Monroe is 99c! This is a historical romance with Beauty and the Beast elements, which Redheadedgirl loved. She gave it an A:
This had so much going for it. Just barely pre-Victorian/tail end of the Georgian era! Non-nobles! Slums! Delightful references to the Disney animated B&B! Other references to La Belle et La Bete! Turning other references on their heads! An exploration of where the line between “victim” and “survivor” is!
RECOMMENDED: Falling into Bed with a Duke by Lorraine Heath is $1.99! This was Elyse’s first Heath book and she gave it a B+:
When I picked up this book, I wanted something that would pull me out of crappy day and the dead mouse smell that we couldn’t pinpoint in the office. So I took this book to the coffee shop, grabbed a cup of English breakfast, and proceeded to get lost in the Victorian Era. Falling Into Bed With a Duke is good like that–it’s a one-sitting book that draws you in because you’re so in love with the hero and heroine. The only reason this book didn’t get an A is because I was disappointed a bit by the end.
