Bargain Book Roundup

Some of these are also on sale at B&N and Kobo, but links below are generally for Amazon.

Death of a Kitchen Diva ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo), the first novel in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series by Lee Hollis [Kensington Books]

Book Description
Welcome to Bar Harbor, Maine, one of New England's most idyllic coastal towns. But as new food writer Hayley Powell is about to find out, the occasional murder can take a bite out of seaside bliss. . .

Single mom Hayley Powell is barely keeping her leaking roof over her head when her boss at the Island Times gives her a new assignment--taking over the paper's food column. Hayley's not sure she has the chops--she's an office manager, not a writer, even if her friends clamor for her mouth-watering potluck dishes. But the extra income is tempting, and Hayley's chatty first column is suddenly on everyone's menu--with one exception.

When rival food writer Karen Appelbaum is found face-down dead in a bowl of Hayley's creamy clam chowder, all signs point to Hayley. To clear her name, she'll have to enlist some help, including her BFFs, a perpetually pregnant lobster woman, and a glamorous real estate agent. As she whips up a list of suspects, Hayley discovers a juicy secret about the victim--and finds herself in a dangerous mix with a cold-blooded killer.

Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!

Garfield...Recipes with Cattitude! ($0.99 Kindle), by Gooseberry Patch (free recipe for Meatball Pizza Pockets on the product page).

Book Description

Gooseberry Patch and Garfield the cat... it's a match made in food heaven! The first new Garfield cookbook in ten years, Garfield...Recipes with Cattitude! is packed with over 230 yummy recipes near and dear to Garfield's tummy. Gooseberry Patch fans will love this fun new twist on the quick & easy recipes they've come to expect. Garfield collectors will love the strips and quips by Jim Davis, while the simple recipes will entice even inexperienced cooks.

Garfield...Recipes with Cattitude! delivers heaps of homestyle flavor and Garfield's humor adds tons of fun to each page. Readers will love Cheesy Scramblin' Pizza for breakfast. Happy Burgers, Baked Chili Fries and Jim's Spicy Deviled Eggs (from Davis himself!) are on the lunch menu. Spicy Honey Chicken Wings and Crispy Bacon Bread Sticks are perfect for snacking and sharing.

At dinner, they'll love Bow-Tie Lasagna, Creamy Salmon Manicotti, and Meatball Pizza Pockets just as much as Garfield does. Even a bachelor like Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, can make Incredibly Easy Pot Roast and Spicy Roasted Potatoes with these simple-to-follow recipes. Of course, it isn't dinner without dessert, so treat yourself to Caramel Apple Pie.

Chapters include: Breakfast Is Served...Time to Get Up!; First Lunch, Then a Catnap; Snack Attack!; Lotsa Lasagna, Pasta & Pizza; It's Dinner Time...Now!; and Dinner is Over, What's for Dessert? There are plenty of Garfield gags and illustrations, plus easy cooking tips and simple substitutions... the kind of advice Gooseberry Patch fans have come to love.

Wild About You ($2.99 Kindle), the twelfth novel in the Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks [Avon/HarperCollins]; the next in the series, The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo, can now be pre-ordered.

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks pens the next installment in her witty Love at Stake series, featuring a band of vampires and shape-shifters—and those who dare to defy them, or desire them! In Wild about You, a warrior on a mission of revenge encounters the woman who may just be the key to his survival. Too bad the beauty who could save him is also the last woman he should fall in love with. If you love paranormal romances by Lynsay Sands, Katie MacAlister, and Mary Janice Davidson, you'll love Kerrelyn Sparks.

Vampires Gone Wild ($2.99 Kindle), by Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, and Kim Falconer [Avon Impulse]

Book Description
Vampires Gone Wild brings together four paranormal romance novellas by Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, and Kim Falconer, authors and bloggers at Supernatural Underground.

Kerrelyn Sparks's demure Pamela and sexy vampire sidekick battle the Malcontents in "V is for Vampwoman." Kim Falconer's aqueous San Francisco vampires in "Blood and Water" want nothing from "landers" -- unless it's dinner, but that's until Stellan meets Angelina. Pamela Palmer carries readers to Vamp City in "A Forever Love" where trapped Lukas pines for his lost love. When she appears, Lukas will fight to keep her alive. It's been a hundred years since Valiance has dated; all is great until they're attacked, but quiet Esme will shock Valiance in Amanda Arista's "First Dates Are from Hell."

The Forbidden Lady ($1.99 Kindle), by Kerrelyn Sparks [Avon Impulse], originally published under the title FOR LOVE OR COUNTRY (and long out of print).

Book Description
Before New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks created a world of vampires, there was another world of spies and romance . . .

Virginia Munro could not believe her ears. This bewigged, bejeweled, and bedeviling man was trying to buy her? As if she were some trollop on the Boston docks?

Before she's fully able to give in to her outrage, the fop moves on—and Virginia refuses to spare him another thought.

But Quincy Stanton is not what he seems. By day, he poses as a carefree Loyalist with an army of wigs and a wardrobe that favors lavender. By night, he wages a secret war against the British with an impressive collection of eighteenth-century spy gadgets. If anyone were to discover the truth, Quincy would hang, yet he can't seem to stay away from the lovely and saucy Virginia. Will their attraction lead to love . . . or danger?

Under a Vampire Moon and Immortal Ever After ($2.99 Kindle), the sixteenth and eighteenth novels in the Argeneau Family series by Lynsay Sands [Avon]; the next in the series, One Lucky Vampire, can now be pre-ordered for Sept. delivery.

Under a Vampire Moon

Lynsay Sands, the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, is one of the superstars of paranormal romance. Her latest Argeneau novel, Under a Vampire Moon, features a recently single, romantically-wary mortal who encounters a gorgeous vampire male waiting for her on a pristine Caribbean beach. Under a Vampire Moon is a treat for fans of Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse novels—for anyone, in fact, who appreciates a good island romance between a hot blooded human and a love-hungry immortal.

Immortal Ever After

New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands enthralls with Immortal Ever After, the latest entry in her sizzling paranormal vampire series featuring the wickedly alluring Argeneau family.

When Valerie is saved by the Argenau rescue team after being kidnapped by an immortal madman, Anders finds himself captivated by the strong, sultry woman. Engaged in a steamy affair, he promises to do everything in his power to protect Valerie while her abductor is still at large—and on the hunt.

Sexy, fun, and full of passion, Lynsay Sands’s Immortal Ever After delivers a tantalizing adventure and a smoldering romance.

Heartsong ($2.99 Kindle), Debbie Macomber's first published novel [Ballantine Books; reprint edition].

Book Description
One of beloved author Debbie Macomber’s classic novels, a heartwarming story of hope and possibility, is available for the first time in decades—and exclusively as an eBook.

Skye Garvin treasures her work as a volunteer in the pediatric ward of the local hospital. Bringing even a small amount of joy to a suffering child—whether through her playful attitude or her gift for music—is a blessing that Skye cherishes. But due to overcrowding, her favorite young patient’s new roommate is an adult—a man who catches Skye completely off guard. Despite his gruff exterior, Skye is compelled to help the unnerving man. But the old scars of personal tragedy—and a fundamental difference of faith—might undermine Skye’s chances at a happy ending.

Jordan Kiley can’t imagine anything more frustrating than his current situation. A car accident has left him confined to a hospital bed, his arm painfully pinned in traction. He can’t even feed himself. But when he first lays eyes on the beautiful volunteer, he knows there are far greater challenges awaiting him. Astutely, he senses that Skye’s sparkling wit hides a heart that has been unbearably broken. And Jordan has deep secrets of his own. Can he convince Skye that she is worthy of love—and earn her heart in the process?

BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Debbie Macomber's Rose Harbor in Bloom.

Daily Deal - Beach Season (E)

Beach Season ($12.99 $9.39 Kindle), a collection of novellas by Lisa Jackson, Cathy Lamb, Holly Chamberlin and Rosalind Noonan [Kensington Books], is today's Deal of the Day at at Diesel E-Books, where it's discounted to $2.60 (9 copies left).

Book Description
Golden sand, pounding surf, a sense of endless possibility--and four unforgettable stories of love, friendship, and second chances…

The Brass Ring by Lisa Jackson
It's a beautiful June day, perfect for a wedding--until Shawna learns that her fiancé, Parker, has been involved in a car crash. Though his injuries heal, his memories of her are gone. Yet Shawna won't stop reaching to reclaim the love they once shared…

June's Lace by Cathy Lamb
June MacKenna is done--with her high-pressure legal career, her cheating soon-to-be-ex, and the stress of city living. In her studio on the Oregon coast, she creates beautiful lace wedding dresses, with no intention of ever wearing one again herself. Then songwriter Reece rents the house next door, and sets out to change her mind…

Second Chance Sweethearts by Holly Chamberlin
Thea Foss is putting a bad marriage behind her in the pretty vacation town of Ogunquit, Maine. What's past is past….Until her first love wanders into the local diner, reminding Thea of the person she once was, and the life it's not too late to claim…

Carolina Summer by Rosalind Noonan
Jane Doyle needs to get out of New York--the farther the better. She's headed toward Florida, but thanks to a storm along North Carolina's Outer Banks, she finds herself stranded in a beautiful, remote town that soon feels a lot like home. And thanks to the local sheriff, she finds herself staying longer than she planned--and feeling less lost at sea than ever…

Get the book from Diesel; be sure to check the sales price, as the Deal of the Day often sells out. Deals change at 11AM Eastern Time, USA.

Free Prequel/Intro - Night Terrors (K/N/E/DF)

Night Terrors, by Jonathan Janz, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, Kobo and direct from publisher Samhain Publishing.

This is the first "book" of a five-part serialized novel, Savage Species; you can follow along and buy each of the remaining four portions of the book (released about every two weeks), or wait until Sep 3, 2013 and grab the complete novel ($5.00 Kindle; $5.39 Kobo, coupon eligible) in one volume (my preferred choice).

Book Description
Peaceful Valley is about to become a slaughterhouse!

For the first time ever, Samhain Publishing will serialize a terrifying original novel, Savage Species, in five installments, with new installments coming every two weeks. Here, as a special introduction to the fear that awaits you in Savage Species, is the first section, Night Terrors, absolutely free!

Jesse thinks he’s caught a break when he, the girl of his dreams, and her friend are assigned by their newspaper to cover the opening weekend of the Peaceful Valley Nature Preserve, a sprawling, isolated state park. But the construction of the park has stirred an evil that has lain dormant for nearly a century, and the three young people—as well as every man, woman, and child unlucky enough to be attending the grand opening—are about to encounter the most horrific creatures to ever walk the earth. A species so ferocious that Peaceful Valley is about to be plunged into a nightmare of bloodshed and damnation.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Kobo.
Get the free ebook from Samhain Publishing.
Free on Kindle: please search from your Kindle or a clean browser.

Free Book - Free Fall (K)

Free Fall, a short story prelude to Brad Thor's forthcoming release of Hidden Order is free to pre-order in the Kindle store, courtesy of publisher Atria/Simon and Schuster.

Hidden Order

#1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his hottest and most action-packed thriller yet! And don’t miss FREE FALL: A Prelude to Hidden Order, available for free download now!

The most secretive organization in America operates without any accountability to the American people. Hiding in the shadows, pretending to be part of the United States government, its power is beyond measure.

Control of this organization has just been lost and the future of the nation thrust into peril.

When the five candidates being considered to head this mysterious agency suddenly go missing, covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is summoned to Washington and set loose on the most dangerous chase ever to playout on American soil.

But as the candidates begin turning up murdered, the chase becomes an all-too-public spectacle, with every indicator suggesting that the plot has its roots in a shadowy American cabal founded in the 1700s.

With the United States on the verge of collapse, Harvath must untangle a web of conspiracy centuries in the making and head off the greatest threat America has ever seen.

This is thriller writing at its absolute best, where the stakes have never been higher, nor the line between good and evil so hard to discern.

Free on Kindle: please search from your Kindle or a clean browser.

Military and Sports Non-Fiction for Father's Day

Between Stackpole Books, which specializes in Military Non-Fiction and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, you should be able to fill up Dad's Kindle this Father's Day for free.

Free from Stackpole:

• Savage Sky: Life and Death on a Bomber over Germany in 1944 by George Webster
• Elite Panzer Strike Force: Germany's Panzer Lehr Division in World War II by Franz Kurowski
• Eagles of the Third Reich: Men of the Luftwaffe in WWII by Samuel W. Mitcham
• World War II AFV Plans: American Armored Fighting Vehicles by George Bradford

Free from Houghton Mifflin:

• On Par: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide by Bill Pennington
• The Best American Sports Writing 2012 by Glenn Stout and Michael Wilbon
• The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb
• The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O'Connor
• My $50,000 Year at the Races by Andrew Beyer

Free on Kindle: please search from your Kindle or a clean browser.

Free Short Story Pre-Orders

You can pick up two more short stories by Jason Mott, both free to pre-order courtesy of Harlequin MIRA, in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, joining the one that has been free the last few weeks (Kindle only). These are all prequel teasers for his forthcoming release of The Returned.

The First ($0.99 B&N; Free Kindle)

In Jason Mott's haunting and unforgettable debut novel, The Returned, an impossible miracle is occurring all across the globe. Read how it all begins in this short story, The First.

It's been just over a year since Edmund Blithe died, and just over a month since his fiancée, Emily, stopped wearing her engagement ring. Emily has finally begun to move on… Until Edmund mysteriously and inexplicably returns, sending the world—and Emily—into a tailspin.

Edmund is only just the beginning. Around the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond, seeking only to reenter the lives they left behind. As the world dives deep into uncertainty, Emily and Edmund are determined to find their way back to one another…even if it means risking everything.

The reappearances continue in The Sparrow, and look for The Returned from Harlequin MIRA, a moving tale of a family given a second chance at life and a world where nothing—not even death—is certain.

The Sparrow

In this short story by Jason Mott, author of The Returned, one determined couple seeks to reunite a young girl with the father who thought he had lost her forever…

When Heather and Matt Campbell find ten-year-old Tatiana Rusesa on the side of the highway, she is thousands of miles away from her village in Sierra Leone. She hasn't seen her family in almost two decades, not since she and her mother were killed by rebel soldiers. Now Tatiana has inexplicably returned, a lost orphan with no place to call home.

As the world dives deeper into uncertainty and chaos, Heather is determined to save Tatiana and help her find her way back to her family. But how much is she willing to lose to protect a girl she doesn't even know?

The Choice

In this short story by Jason Mott, author of The Returned, a man is forced to choose between the life he has now, and the one he thought was gone forever…

Peter Galvin was just seventeen when Tracy Whitmore—the love of his life—vanished without a trace. In the years after her death, he had finally moved on, gotten married, started a family. He is content with his life now—happy, even…. Until Tracy suddenly and inexplicably returns.

For weeks, Peter and his wife, Samantha, have been watching mysterious reports of people's loved ones returning from beyond, the world spinning into uncertainty and chaos. But they never imagined it would happen to them. With Tracy's unusual homecoming, Peter and Samantha must decide where they can possibly go from here, and whether their family can survive….

Free on Kindle: please search from your Kindle or a clean browser.

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/29

The Likes of Us: Stories of Five Decades (£0.99 UK), by Stan Barstow [Parthian Books], is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $6.59).

Book Description
A classic selection of the best of Stan Barstow's stories, covering the last five decades of British life. A group of young tearaways on a night out that begins with horse-play and ends in tragedy; the loneliness of a drunken miner's wife; a war-shocked ex-sailor forced beyond endurance, a widower is brought to grief by a woman outside his real understanding, and a factory worker finding his way through the physical world of his marriage. Real and involving, Barstow's stories are urgent slices of life, men and women struggling and succeeding to come to terms with The Likes of Us. Along with Alan Sillitoe and John Braine, Stan Barstow was considered one of the pioneers of the 1960s school of northern literary realism, paving the way for contemporary authors like Nick Hornby.

Free Short Story - Parlor Tricks (K/N)

Update: 6/6/13 Now free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks, a short story by Jennifer Estep, is free to pre-order in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Pocket Star/Simon and Schuster. This short story is from the anthology Carniepunk, which will be released July 23, and can now be pre-ordered, as can Estep's new novella, Kiss of Venom (July 22).

Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks

Come one! Come all! Witness Gin Blanco—aka the Elemental Assassin, aka the Spider—go toe to toe against the Esmerelda the Amazing's Wheel of Death and some dangerously creepy clowns! Only at The Carnival of Wondrous Wonders!

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Free on Kindle; links on Today's Free Kindle Books.

Carniepunk

Come one, come all! The Carniepunk Midway promises you every thrill and chill a traveling carnival can provide. But fear not! Urban fantasy’s biggest stars are here to guide you through this strange and dangerous world. . . .

RACHEL CAINE’s vampires aren’t child’s play, as a naïve teen discovers when her heart leads her far, far astray in “The Cold Girl.” With “Parlor Tricks,” JENNIFER ESTEP pits Gin Blanco, the Elemental Assassin, against the Wheel of Death and some dangerously creepy clowns. SEANAN McGUIRE narrates a poignant, ethereal tale of a mysterious carnival that returns to a dangerous town after twenty years in “Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea.” KEVIN HEARNE’s Iron Druid and his wisecracking Irish wolfhound discover in “The Demon Barker of Wheat Street” that the impossibly wholesome sounding Kansas Wheat Festival is actually not a healthy place to hang out. With an eerie, unpredictable twist, ROB THURMAN reveals the fate of a psychopath stalking two young carnies in “Painted Love.”

Kiss of Venom

When you have a history of dating an assassin, a night out on the town can turn deadly—fast. Owen Grayson is still wracked with guilt over the end of his love affair with Gin Blanco, and there aren’t enough gin and tonics in all of Ashland to ease his heartache. But when Gin happens to show up at the same nightclub, he isn’t the only one hoping to get her alone. Some shadowy figures will do anything to take down the Spider, Gin’s assassin alter ego, and Owen will do anything to protect her. This could be the way to win her back, or at least give her a night off from fighting for her life—if Owen can survive...

Free Book - The Secret of the Long-Lost Cousin (K/N/E)

The Secret of the Long-Lost Cousin & 9 other Mysteries, a free Can You Solve the Mystery adventure book by Bruce Lansky & M Masters, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, Sony and Kobo, courtesy of publisher Meadowbrook/Simon and Schuster. Be careful if searching in most of the stores, as a single-story sample (which is a full story, but only one) generally comes up in the search; you'll want to use the links I've included to get the full book, with all ten stories.

Book Description
Twelve-year-old amateur sleuths, and best friends, Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams love to solve cases. They invite readers to follow the clues and sketches to solve crimes in their hometown of Lakewood Hills. All of the books in the “Can You Solve the Mystery” series contain 9-10 short mysteries. Readers are given written clues as well as visual clues to help them solve the crime. The answers and a brief wrap-up are given in the back of the book.

The Secret of the Long-Lost Cousin; The Case of the Disappearing Diamonds; The Mystery of the Helpful Professor; The Case of the Daisy Dispute; The Case of the Bouncing Check; The Mystery of the Hardware Heist; The Case of Lucy's Lost Lemonade; The Mystery of the Missing Money; The Case of the Bashed Boss; The Secret of the Ancient Treasure. Part 1: The Black Cave

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Kobo.
Get the free ebook from Sony.
Free on Kindle; links on my Squidoo Lens: Today's Free Kindle Books.

Free Short Story - Your Lovely Small Face (K/N)

Your Lovely Small Face, a short story by by Jeff Backhaus, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Book Description
“Your Lovely Small Face” is the story of an American who's just immigrated to Korea in a risky scheme to resurrect his shattered career, prepare a home for his wife and daughter (who have promised to follow as soon as he lays a suitable foundation), and help his wife launch her own entrepreneurial venture.

The story is told through posts on a fictional Tumblr page, which the couple sets up to share their now-separate worlds. We watch as they communicate and miscommunicate with each other through their posts and photos, as they try to be honest about their lives but end up irresistibly manipulating their own experiences to get what they want.

Author Jeff Backhaus wrote the story based on thirty-nine photos he assembled from the thousands he's taken around the world—thin slices of his past severed from his actual experience to create an illusion, a photofiction, a story.

Includes a special preview of Backhaus's debut novel Hikikomori and the Rental Sister.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Free on Kindle; links on my Squidoo Lens: Today's Free Kindle Books.

Free Audio Short Story - Cold Colors

Cold Colors, a short story by Neil Gaiman, is free from Audible, as part of the promotion of his forthcoming novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Kindle/Audible).

Book Description
"Cold Colors", a short story from Neil Gaiman's collection Smoke and Mirrors ($5.99 Kindle/Audible), explores the nature of technology and morality in a world where Evil is more tech-savvy than Good. This free short story also includes a preview of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, the author's next full-length novel, available now for pre-order and due out on June 18. Find more from Neil Gaiman and explore the books he has hand-picked and produced at Neil Gaiman Presents.

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Free Book - How to Talk to Girls at Parties (K/N/E)

How to Talk to Girls at Parties, a short story by Neil Gaiman, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, Sony and Kobo, courtesy of publisher HarperCollins.

Book Description
A short story from New York Times bestselling author, Neil Gaiman. Plus an excerpt from his new novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Kobo.
Get the free ebook from Sony.
Free on Kindle; links on my Squidoo Lens: Today's Free Kindle Books.

Free Book - The Istanbul Exchange (K/N)

The Istanbul Exchange, a Yael Azoulay short story by Adam Lebor, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble and Kobo, courtesy of publisher HarperCollins.

Book Description
Meet Yael Azoulay, the brilliant and beautiful behind-the-scenes negotiator for the United Nations. Tasked with persuading an Afghan warlord-and friend of hers-to surrender to the Americans, she is quickly pulled into into a dangerous world of secret rendition, torture and arms trafficking to Syrian rebels. The high-stakes game soon turns deadly as Yael finds herself up against a shadowy agency of the US government. Everything depends on her next move....

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Kobo.
Free on Kindle; links on my Squidoo Lens: Today's Free Kindle Books.

Free Short Story - Just a Boy (K/N/E)

Just a Boy: An Inspiring and Heartwarming True Story, by Casey Watson, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble and Kobo, courtesy of publisher HarperCollins.

Book Description
A heartwarming short story from bestselling author and foster carer Casey Watson.

A digital-exclusive short story from Casey Watson, plus a sneak peek chapter from Casey’s highly anticipated next title, Breaking the Silence, and sample chapters from each of Casey’s five moving and inspirational titles.

Although he isn’t with them for long, Cameron immediately touches the hearts of Casey’s whole family. A sweet boy with a great sense of humour, he seems different from the other children she’s cared for. But after a disastrous and embarrassing family trip, Cameron disappears. Casey fears the worst. Will her fears be realised?

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Kobo.
Free on Kindle; links on my Squidoo Lens: Today's Free Kindle Books.

Free Book - Hack (E)

Hack: Stories from a Chicago Cab ($18.00 $9.90 Kindle), by Dmitry Samarov, is free from The University of Chicago Press for the rest of May.

Book Description
Cabdrivers and their yellow taxis are as much a part of the cityscape as the high-rise buildings and the subway. We hail them without thought after a wearying day at the office or an exuberant night on the town. And, undoubtedly, taxi drivers have stories to tell—of farcical local politics, of colorful passengers, of changing neighborhoods and clandestine shortcuts. No one knows a city’s streets—and thus its heart—better than its cabdrivers. And from behind the wheel of his taxi, Dmitry Samarov has seen more of Chicago than most Chicagoans will hope to experience in a lifetime.

An artist and painter trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Samarov began driving a cab in 1993 to make ends meet, and he’s been working as a taxi driver ever since. In Hack: Stories from a Chicago Cab, he recounts tales that will delight, surprise, and sometimes shock the most seasoned urbanite. We follow Samarov through the rhythms of a typical week, as he waits hours at the garage to pick up a shift, ferries comically drunken passengers between bars, delivers prostitutes to their johns, and inadvertently observes drug deals. There are long waits with other cabbies at O’Hare, vivid portraits of street corners and their regular denizens, amorous Cubs fans celebrating after a game at Wrigley Field, and customers who are pleasantly surprised that Samarov is white—and tell him so. Throughout, Samarov’s own drawings—of his fares, of the taxi garage, and of a variety of Chicago street scenes—accompany his stories. In the grand tradition of Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Mike Royko, and Studs Terkel, Dmitry Samarov has rendered an entertaining, poignant, and unforgettable vision of Chicago and its people.

Sign up for the free book from the University of Chicago. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds -- you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the EPUB book inside of Adobe ADE. This is a DRM'd EPUB and is not compatible with eInk Kindles, but can be read using Aldiko on a Kindle Fire.

Free Book - The Wedding Dress Diaries (N)

The Wedding Dress Diaries ($0.99 Kindle), a short-story prequel to The Unexpected Wedding Guest ($3.82), the first novel in the Wedding Season series by Aimee Carson, is free to pre-order from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Harlequin KISS. I actually expect it to be free on Kindle before it is released, so you might want to keep an eye on it.

Book Description
Get in the bridal spirit with this prequel novella to the fabulous new Harlequin KISS contemporary romance series, The Wedding Season!

Bridal shop owner Amber Davis dreaded the moment she'd run in to Parker Robinson while working on his sister's wedding. She'd spent every summer in the Hamptons with his family as a kid, fantasizing about kissing him. But she's shocked to discover that the confident boy who'd given Amber her first taste of love has become a man who mocks its very existence.

Parker can't believe the girl who used to follow him around has grown into a beautiful woman—one with some very naughty ideas when she fits him for his tux. But Amber also knows why he's shut everyone out of his life. She's not the kind of woman Parker gets involved with…even if he can't keep his hands off her.

Amber doesn't do one-night stands or casual hookups, but she's wanted Parker long enough to make him an exception—especially if she can convince him he needs love in his life, too.

Look for all four books in the Wedding Season series from Harlequin KISS: The Unexpected Wedding Guest by Aimee Carson, Girl Least Likely to Marry by Amy Andrews, Maid of Dishonor by Heidi Rice and Last Groom Standing by Kimberly Lang.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Free Book - The Testing Guide (N)

The Testing Guide, a short story by Joelle Charbonneau, is free from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This is a prequel for the forthcoming release of The Testing, which will be the first volume of a planned trilogy for Teens/Young Adults. So far, there's no sign of this free story in other stores (including on Kindle), but at 56 pages including the excerpt, it shouldn't be that bad to read on a tablet or phone.

Book Description
In the scarred and war-battered United Commonwealth, ten-year-old Cia Vale watches her older brother Zeen dream about being chosen for The Testing. He’s graduated at the top of his class, and being chosen, like his father was before him, means a chance to attend The University and help lead the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. Cia is conflicted—she hopes Zeen is chosen, but dreads him leaving home. She also realizes that one day she too must set her mind on being chosen. But does she realize the deadly path she will have to take?

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

The Testing

It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await.

Three Free Books by L. Ron Hubbard (K/N)

Courtesy of publisher Galaxy Press, you can pick up three, very different, books by L. Ron Hubbard for free today, in both the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

The Phantom Patrol (B&N; Audible companion audiobook $2.49), a short action adventure novel and an International Book Awards Finalist

Book Description
A triumphant tale of heroes, honor and impossible odds. On the trail of dope runners on the high seas, Coast Guard CPO Johnny Trescott receives an SOS from a transport plane that's crashed and sinking. With lives at stake, Johnny must cut off his pursuit and rescue the downed plane.

Unfortunately, the dope-smuggling pirate he's chasing hears the same alarm, and greets Johnny and his crew at the crash scene with something far more than they bargained for.

The Invaders Plan (B&N), a most-decidedly not short (over 650 pages in print) Science Fiction novel, the first in the Mission Earth series

Book Description
Earth does not exist. . . .

Or so they want you to believe.

Who are they? What do they want? And who do they think they are?

They are the Voltarians of Voltar—an empire 110 planets strong.

They are already among us. And the invasion is about to begin . . . in a hundred years or so.

Or is it?

The truth is far more sinister. Undercover, underground and out of sight, the invaders plan what may in fact be a massive diversion. In the darkest recesses of Voltar’s Coordinated Information Apparatus (otherwise known as the CIA), a tyrant of terror sets out to exploit the invasion in order to seize power. All that stands in his way is a planet that doesn’t exist.

Discover a world where corporations rule and political corruption is rife. Where governments are driven by oil and controlled by drugs. Where global warming is getting hotter by the minute . . . and a scorching love affair could determine the fate of millions. Where a cosmic conspiracy is about to hit home and the intergalactic intrigue knows no bounds.

They call it Blito-P3. We call it Earth.

You can’t afford to look the other way. It’s the end of the world as you know it . . . and the beginning of one of the most spectacular, thought-provoking, and wildly inventive works of science fiction and espionage of our time.

“You will lose sleep. You will miss appointments. If you don’t force yourself to set it down and talk to your family from time to time, you may be looking for a new place to live. Reading The Invaders Plan is simply the most fun you can have by yourself.” —ORSON SCOTT CARD

Spy Killer (B&N; companion audiobook $4.87), a short story anthology

Book Description
Discover intrigue and suspense. Kurt Reid may be innocent of the murder he's charged with (and of grand larceny, for that matter), but he's got no time to be thrown in jail and defend himself. Instead, Reid flees to pre-Communist China and Shanghai, the exotic city of mystery and death.

Reid takes refuge in a tea house where he meets White Russian Varinka Savischna, whom he manages to rescue from certain death. As beautiful as she is smart, she recruits him in her crusade against Chinese intelligence services. Unfortunately, Reid manages to get himself captured by the Chinese and blackmailed into pursuing and assassinating a Japanese spy.

Now Reid must enter the cloak-and-dagger world of espionage and intrigue, where everything and everyone is not who or what they appear to be.

All three are free on Kindle. Please search from your Kindle, a clean browser, or use the links on my Squidoo Lens: Today's Free Kindle Books.

Monday Morning Bargain Books

Diamond Eyes ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by A A Bell [HarperCollins]

Book Description
Mira Chambers has an unusual gift for solving mysteries ...

Blind, institutionalised and frustrated by her loss of independence, Mira has been driven to the brink of insanity by medications that make her life unbearable. When she astounds two medical scientists by ′seeing′ the impossible, they begin an exploration of Mira′s strange perspectives.

Together with Bennet Chiron, an enigmatic ex-con, Mira becomes entangled in a dangerous adventure of self-discovery that leads them to a killer -- and exposed to a manipulative sociopath whose own unique talent is more than a match for Mira′s.

Layers of secrets are about to be peeled away ... and no one will be safe from what is revealed.

American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee ($0.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Karen Abbott [Random House]

Book Description
America was flying high in the Roaring Twenties. Then, almost overnight, the Great Depression brought it crashing down. When the dust settled, people were primed for a star who could distract them from reality. Enter Gypsy Rose Lee, a strutting, bawdy, erudite stripper who possessed a gift for delivering exactly what America needed. With her superb narrative skills and eye for detail, Karen Abbott brings to life an era of ambition, glamour, struggle, and survival. Using exclusive interviews and never-before-published material, she vividly delves into Gypsy’s world, including her intense triangle relationship with her sister, actress June Havoc, and their formidable mother, Rose, a petite but ferocious woman who literally killed to get her daughters on the stage. Weaving in the compelling saga of the Minskys—four scrappy brothers from New York City who would pave the way for Gypsy Rose Lee’s brand of burlesque and transform the entertainment landscape—Karen Abbott creates a rich account of a legend whose sensational tale of tragedy and triumph embodies the American Dream.

A Plague of Zombies: An Outlander Novella ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Diana Gabaldon [Random House]

Book Description
A captivating tale of history and suspense, with a touch of the supernatural, featuring Lord John Grey. This novella, originally published as “Lord John and the Plague of Zombies,” is now available as a standalone eBook.

Lord John Grey, a lieutenant-colonel in His Majesty’s army, arrives in Jamaica with orders to quash a slave rebellion brewing in the mountains. But a much deadlier threat lies close at hand. The governor of the island is being menaced by zombies, according to a servant. Lord John has no idea what a zombie is, but it doesn’t sound good. It sounds even worse when hands smelling of grave dirt come out of the darkness to take him by the throat. Between murder in the governor’s mansion and plantations burning in the mountains, Lord John will need the wisdom of serpents and the luck of the devil to keep the island from exploding.

Mother of the Bride ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Lynn Michaels [Random House]

Book Description
She planned everything for the wedding – except the falling in love part....

In a family of jet-setters and lovable eccentrics, Cydney Parrish is the stable, sensible one, always with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Maybe that’s why she ended up raising her sister’s daughter Bebe. Now Bebe is all grown up and about to marry the nephew of the handsome and reclusive author Angus Munroe. Between planning the wedding, dealing with her high maintenance kin, and facing a future with only a cat for company, Cydney has her hands full. But she isn’t too busy to notice that aside from being pushy and generally infuriating, Gus Munroe may just be the man of her dreams.

Angus Munroe is not about to let his only nephew throw his future away on some ditzy debutante. He flies into town determined to “speak now and never hold his peace”–but ends up instead with a broken nose, a slight limp, and his mountainside home invaded by the bride-to-be’s family. He’s pretty certain it is all the wedding planner’s fault. Aunts aren’t supposed to be sexy, but someone obviously forgot to tell the irresistible Cydney Parrish....

Free Book - All I Want For Christmas is a Duke (K/N/E)

Update: 4/22/13 Now free from Barnes & Noble.

All I Want For Christmas is a Duke, by Máire Claremont and Delilah Marvelle, is free in the Kindle store and from Kobo, courtesy of publisher Entangled: Scandalous (Macmillan).

Book Description
A Christmas anthology by two hot names in historical fiction...

Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson by Delilah Marvelle
Lady Jane left her father, the Earl of Chadwick, and the ton behind to experience life on the stage. After a disastrous marriage, the widow is living on the edge of poverty, determined to guard her heart, when a secret admirer from her past demands a second chance.

Shy and retiring Martin Nicholas Pierce, the Sixth Duke of Somerset, has carried a torch for Lady Jane since her youth, but he is five years her junior. When she married another man, he left for Europe, determined to put her out of his mind. After returning to find Lady Jane free, he vows to replace the memories of her cursed Twelfth Night with a new beginning.

The Twelve Days of Seduction By Máire Claremont
Alexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford, is aware his ward's governess isn't quite what she seems. Although Miss Flint is beautiful and intelligent, she misrepresented herself to gain employment, and he threatens to give her the sack mere days before Christmas.

Desperate to convince the sexy duke not to tear her from the little girl she's grown to adore, Adriana challenges him to seduce her before the Twelve Days of Christmas have come to an end, although she fears it may cost her heart. Alexander accepts the challenge, unconcerned that he has as much to lose, if not more, than the delectable Miss Flint.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Kobo.
Free on Kindle. Please search from your Kindle, a clean browser, or use the links on my Squidoo page: Today's Free Kindle Books.