Steals & Deals: First Two Books of Nikki Glass Series on Sale - Great Urban Fantasy

If you enjoy urban fantasy, especially involving demigods, then check out the Nikki Glass series by Jenna Black. The first 2 books are on sale for $2.99. The first book was good. The second was even better. I will definitely be picking up the third when I've worked through a little more of my massive TBR pile.

1. Dark Descendant
2. Deadly Descendant

Steals & Deals: Harlequin Coupon & Bargain Stephanie Laurens

TODAY ONLY (12/2/12) get 50% off ebooks at Harlequin with coupon code 50OFFEBOOK12. Coupon can only be used once but thankfully Harlequin's bookstore has a cart system so you can still get multiple books with the discount.

There are a handful of Stephanie Laurens ebooks for less than a dollar. Amazon has them priced at $0.99 and Books on Board (DRM epub which doesn't work on Kindle) has them for $0.72. I have provided links for both stores and indicated which are pre-orders and which are currently available.

Currently Available:
• The Untamed Bride with Bonus Material - Amazon | Books On Board
• The Lady Chosen with Bonus Material - Amazon | Books On Board

Pre-orders:
• A Fine Passion with Bonus Material - Amazon | not available at Books On Board
• A Gentleman's Honor with Bonus Material - Amazon | Books On Board
• The Elusive Bride with Bonus Material - Amazon | Books On Board
• A Rake's Vow with Bonus Material - Amazon | Books On Board

Review: Lust for Life by Jeri Smith-Ready

Book Description

EVERYONE’S OUT FOR BLOOD—HERS Ciara’s con-artist parents taught her three keys to survival: keep low, keep quiet, and most of all, keep moving. But managing WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll—not to mention becoming a vampire herself—has kept her in one place long enough to fall madly in love, adopt an undead dog . . .

. . . and make more enemies than she can shake a stake at.

A psychotic DJ, a wanna-be necromancer, and a posse of vengeful hippies would all love to see Ciara get her day in the sun—literally. To protect Ciara, her fiancé, Shane, has traded his flannel shirt and guitar for a flak jacket and crossbow. If she survives to walk down the aisle, will she recognize the man waiting at the altar?

In this final chapter of the award-winning WVMP RADIO series, Ciara must decide who to trust, whom to love—and whom to kill.
(Description from Goodreads)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Series: WVMP #4
Does the series need to be read in order? Yes. You should start the series with book 1, Wicked Game.

Quick Synopsis

Ciara has to deal with being a vampire, repercussions of her conflict with Jim (psycho DJ), and her obligations to Control all while planning a wedding.

Review

Liked
• I love the writing style. The author often manages to add humor without pulling you out of the story and the other emotions evoked by the scene.
• It's nice for an urban fantasy to deal with the downsides of being a vampire and not in an overly-brooding "woe is me" kind of way. I really loved Shane and Ciara's talk about what foods they missed the most.
• Shane and Ciara are a great leading couple. They balance each other out well, and you can tell that they have a genuine respect for another.
• Shane gets a little more alpha-male in this book and it's kinda hot.
• The supporting characters are wonderful. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Ciara and Monroe's interactions. Maybe someday there can be a story exploring Monroe's origins? *hint hint*
• The world-building is excellent. I especially like the variety and creativity of the different powers people possess. Ciara's power of non-belief is expanded in a lot of unique ways that I didn't expect. Also, Shane's power? Way cool!

Liked Less
• There was almost no buildup to the showdown with Jim's progeny. The potential attack was discussed and planned for but there was no real sense of urgency. Events do eventually pick up but I wanted more tension beforehand.
• I didn't want it to end! Lust for Life is a great ending to a series that I love. While I'm glad that the series won't get dragged out until it sucks, I'm greedy and I want more of the WVMP gang.

Rating

King of Swords
A very enjoyable read with a couple of minor issues. Recommended as are the other books in the series.

Disclosure: I purchased this book.

Amazon | B & N

Steals & Deals: 2 Free eBooks from Harlequin

In celebration of reaching 100,000 Facebook fans, Harlequin is giving away 2 free ebooks. The books are Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry and The Wrangler by Lindsay McKenna. I haven't read any books by McKenna before but I can highly recommend Sarah Mayberry. She writes wonderful contemporary romances.

The ebooks are in Adobe DRMed epub format, which means that they can be read on Nook, Kobo, Sony or any reader app on iPhone or Android that allows DRMed epubs. Unfortunately, Kindle cannot read the epub format.

Click here to access the free downloads. And enjoy!

Steals & Deals: eBook Bargains

* Prices were current at the time of this posting. Please check prices before buying as they can change.

99 cents
• Desire Untamed with Bonus Material by Pamela Palmer - Book 1 of the Feral Warriors series, which is paranormal romance. Reviews are generally good on GoodReads though some reviewers mention cheese factor and a high steam factor in the love scenes. If you don't like your romance at the more erotic end of the spectrum, you might want to skip this one.
  Amazon | B & N
• Wicked Road to Hell by Juliana Stone - Book 1 of the League of Guardians series, which is also paranormal romance. Can you tell what genres I like yet? ;-) Another with generally good reviews on GoodReads.
  Amazon | B & N
• Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks - Book 2 of Love At Stake. I don't see any indicators that the series has to be read in order. Another paranormal romance with generally good GR reviews. Seems to be more standard paranormal romance fare with some comedy.
  Amazon | B & N
• Plum Island by Nelson DeMille - And now for something completely different... a thriller! Fairly well-reviewed but some folks disliked the sarcastic/arrogant main character.
  Amazon | B & N
• Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers - A paranormal fantasy/horror set in Victorian London. Since I am a fan of all things supernatural and all things Victorian, I naturally had to pick it up for the low price. Reviewers recommend checking out The Stress of Her Regard (also by Powers) first but I don't think I will unless it's also bargain-priced.
  Amazon | B & N

Stephanie Laurens Pre-Orders for 99 cents
• The following books are all historical romances and as I understand it, on the steamy side. Most of Laurens's books have a rating of 4 (or close to) on GoodReads. The Bonus Material usually consists of excerpts from other novels by the same author.
• Devil's Bride with Bonus Material - Book 1 of Cynsters
  Amazon | B & N
• A Fine Passion with Bonus Material - Book 4 of Bastion Club
  Amazon | B & N
• The Lady Chosen with Bonus Material - Book 1 of Bastion Club
  Amazon | B & N
• The Untamed Bride with Bonus Material - Book 1 of the Black Cobra Quartet
  Amazon | B & N

Have you already read any of these bargain books? Feel free to recommend (to read or to avoid) in the comments!

Steals & Deals: eBook Bargains

Here are a couple of bargains that caught my eye tonight when I decided to take a break from storm coverage. Luckily I still have electricity.

Prices were current at the time of this posting. Please check prices before buying as they can change.

99 cents
• Ghosts by Gaslight - An anthology of supernatural stories set in Victorian times. Reviewers' chief complaint is that the stories contain little steampunk though the book is marketed as such. Still, for $0.99 it's tough to go wrong and you might find a spooky story you like for Halloween.
  Amazon | B & N

$1.99
• Updated to add: Firelight by Kristen Callihan - If you are a fan of urban fantasy/paranormal romance, this is a must-read especially at this price. I definitely one-clicked. All the reviews I've read say it's amazing.
  Amazon | B & N
• The Look of Love by Bella Andre - This is Book 1 of the Sullivans contemporary romance series. I haven't read any of Andre's books myself but I've heard many people say they enjoy them. Also, if you like Amazon's Whispersync for Voice, the audiobook is also $1.99 when you purchase the ebook.
  Amazon | B & N
• A Night Like This by Julia Quinn - Quinn is a very well-known author of historical romance. This book has decent reviews.
  Amazon | B & N
• Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt - A historical romance with mostly rave reviews on GoodReads.
  Amazon | B & N

$2.99
• Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione - A paranormal romance featuring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. While I have not started this series yet, I love Ione's Demonica series and hope this is just as good.
  Amazon | B & N

Hope you find something that you like!

Review: Until There Was You by Jessica Scott

Book Description

From the author of Because of You comes an all-new contemporary eBook romance. Though he plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break them. Now these two strong-willed military leaders will prove that opposites attract . . . even under fire.

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. Since that brief lapse in judgment, Evan has been at odds with her. But when he is asked to train a combat team alongside Claire, battle-hardened Evan is in for the fight of his life.

Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to achieve her high military rank. In Evan Loehr, Claire sees a spoiled commander who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. Army orders force them together and Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye. He too has dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.
(Description from Goodreads)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance

Series: Coming Home #2
Does the series need to be read in order? No

Quick Synopsis

Evan follows the rules; Claire doesn't. They argue a lot and lust after each other a lot, all while trying to ready other soldiers for deployment. They also deal with their friend and fellow soldier, Reza, being a raging alcoholic.

Review

Liked
• I enjoyed the glimpse of military life from a woman's perspective. I wanted to see more of it.
• Claire's friendship with Reza was solid and interesting. I also liked her changing interactions with Engle. At first Claire wants nothing to do with Engle but their relationship evolves as Engle tries to step up to the plate and get her unit ready in time for deployment.

Liked Less
• So much lusting. It all started with insta-lust and would not die. I'm ok with lusting, really. I do expect it in my romance novels, but there was way too much in this book. It actually interrupted good conversations and plot developments and made me roll my eyes.
• The hero and heroine were very one-dimensional. We get told that Claire is some kind of maverick who breaks the rules all the time and Evan is the rule follower. We get told that they discovered this about each other when they were deployed. Then the lusting and arguing start. It feels like I got dropped right into the middle of something with no preparation. I wanted more backstory about their interactions when they were deployed. I wanted more actual interaction instead of lust, lust, lust. I also wanted to know more about Claire's damage than just "oh, everybody leaves me so I can't connect." I was the one who couldn't connect.
• The sexy scenes were ok but there were too many in a row with too little plot development between them toward the end of the book. I found myself skimming.

Rating

Page of Swords
Has some good points that are unfortunately overwhelmed by bad points/flaws.

Disclosure: I won an ARC of this book in a contest. My opinions are, as always, 100% my own.

Amazon | B & N