RECOMMENDED: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher is $2.99! AJ loved this one and gave it an A:
All of that is to say: if you stare at walls a lot right now and you can’t really read because everything is just too much all the time? You’re not alone. I get you. And if you want to try a book that gets it too, and will remind you that there can be light at the end of this god-awful tunnel, maybe try this one.
RECOMMENDED: A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell is $2.99! Carrie and Maya did a joint review of this one and gave it an A:
Maya: I loved so many of the stories! One of the standouts for me was “When Life Hands You a Lemon Fruitbomb” by Amerie (yes, that Amerie), which opened up the anthology. It’s a science fiction story with aliens, wormhole travel, and a classic time travel paradox
For this batch of Lightning Reviews, we have a historical romance, a mystery, and a historical mystery! One is a continuation of a series that Sarah loves, one is a start to a brand new series, and the third is a standalone. I also love it when you all play “guess the reviewer” as you read them!
Who’s That Earl is a light, fun, Regency romance that felt like snuggling down under a warm blanket. It is gleefully tropey. Jane Quayle, cast out by her family, makes her living writing wickedly erotic novels under a pseudonym. As if one pseudonym wasn’t enough, she also pretends to be her own secretary under a second pseudonym. She does all of this in a neglected Scottish castle in the company of two neurotic dogs and … Continue reading Who’s That Earl by Susanna Craig
Brave New Earl by Jane Ashford is $2.51! This price is only at Amazon, so this deal could be expiring soon. Some readers enjoyed the exploration of grief, especially when it came to the hero’s loss. However, others felt the plot and romance were too messy in execution.
Ready Set Rogue by Manda Collins is $2.99! Elyse mentioned this book in a previous Hide Your Wallet because the heroine inherits a huge library. Hello! However, some readers said there’s a suspense element to the romance that didn’t quite fit. This is the first book in the Studies in Scandal series. A couple other books in the series are also priced at $2.99!
RECOMMENDED: Hold Your Breath by Katie Ruggle is 99c at Amazon and Barnes & Noble! This is the first book in the romantic suspense Search and Rescue series. The other books are also available for 99c each! Elyse gave the book a B grade:
While the suspense and action were intense, I found the romance to be a little tame. Part of it was that we never get inside Callum’s head. The book is mostly 3rd person POV from Louise’s perspective. When you have a hero as taciturn and withdrawn as Callum, keeping his thoughts a mystery weakens the romance. Like the heroine, we have to guess at his feelings and desires, which reduces some of the sexual tension.
While Hold Your Breath isn’t perfect, it’s still a fast, funny read and a promising start to a new series.
RECOMMENDED: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova is $1.99! Sarah read this book a couple months ago and gave it a B grade:
Overall, I think this book contains a fabulous world with a terrific, galloping adventure through a vivid and wrenching underworld. While I was reading it, I had a hard time putting it down. But the story has most of its strength in the plot and the world-building than in the characters and their emotional development and consistency, and I missed those aspects even while I enjoyed the rest.
