Books on Sale: a Reader Recommended Contemporary from Sarina Bowen, Plus Desserts!
The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen is .99c right now. Reader Cat emailed me about this sale, and said:
I LOVED Sarina Bowen's Coming in From the Cold in that bundle of new authors Harlequin did last year, and I've been really excited to check out her other books, even if I'm not super into New Adult (mostly because I don't really want to read about angsty college dating; I'm two years post-college and still have never been involved with anyone--instead, I look ahead to my future, and read historicals about spinsters in their late twenties. Optimism.) ANYWAY the books in this series are regularly $2.99 which is pretty cheap, but I held off just in case so I'm very pleased about the price drop. (Minus the part where I have a horrible feeling I'll be compelled to buy Book 2, and the novella, and pre-order Book 3 of this series regarding of their price!)
OMG THIS BOOK (imagine Good Book Noise here). As I commented on Sarina Bowen's Facebook post about the sale, I devoured-yet-savored this like I would cheesecake. I whipped through this thing on a Saturday night because it was so engrossing but at the same time I just marveled at it, like, "How is this book so good?" Bowen does a great job of portraying disability in romance, and just like Coming in from the Cold she took a plot angle that makes the whole romance genre seem fresh again--I mean, I love the concept of genre and its constrictions and its tropes (I swear having a guaranteed happy ending is my favorite thing about romance, too many nasty shocks from mysteries and then of course fantasy...I'm a bit of a genre geek) but I love when authors can play with those tropes (cough Courtney Milan cough) or create something fresh and exciting even within various constraints.
I wrote about Coming In from the Cold over at Kirkus - and Cat is really tempting me to try this book. Have you read it?
She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.
Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He's way out of Corey's league. Also, he's taken.
Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the "gimp ghetto" of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.
They're just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she's falling. Hard.
But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won't, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness -- one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who's afraid to love her back.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | All Romance eBooks
Turn Up the Heat by Kimberly Kincaid is $2.99 right now. This is a debut contemporary romance and the first in the Pine Mountain series. This is contemporary comedy romance, with a heroine whose car breaks down on the way to a girl's weekend, and a hot mechanic hero.
The book has a 4 star average on GR, though a few of the reviews sound like potential cover blurbs. Many readers on GR say the heroine is very funny, and packs plenty of sarcasm, and others liked the other characters, who had original and unique dialogue, too.
"It's not you."
There are only so many times a girl can hear those words before she believes that it is, in fact, very much her. Unexpectedly jilted by her locally famous boyfriend and haunted by a boss who makes Attila the Hun look like a lap dog, Bellamy Blake does what any self-respecting girl in her shoes would do. She rounds up her two best girlfriends and makes plans to get the hell out of Dodge.
But Bellamy's escape plan takes a nose dive on the side of rural route 164 when her transmission self-destructs, leaving her in the middle of a cell phone dead zone with nothing but her wits. Oh, and Shane Griffin, the hottest mechanic who's ever checked under her hood.
Yet this small-town man isn't all he seems. Can Shane and Bellamy prove that sometimes the most unlikely ingredients make the most deliciously sexy mix?
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | All Romance eBooks
Gimme Some Sugar by Kimberly Kincaid is $1.99 right now (or free in Kindle Unlimited). This is book 2 in the Pine Mountain series, and both books 1 & 2 are on sale because book 3 comes out October 7. This book has a 4 -star average on GoodReads, and features a chef who leaves the city after divorcing her husband, and the contractor she meets in the mountains.
Desperate to escape the spotlight of her failed marriage to a fellow celebrity-chef, Carly di Matisse left New York City for a tiny town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The restaurant she's running these days may not be chic, but in Pine Mountain she can pretend to be the tough cookie everybody knows and loves. Until she finds herself spending too much time with a way-too-hot contractor whose rugged good looks melt her like butter...
Jackson Carter wasn't looking for love. But he's not the kind of man to walk away from a worksite—or from a fiery beauty whose passionate nature provides some irresistible on-the-job benefits...
It's the perfect temporary arrangement for two ravenous commitment-phobes, except that Jackson and Carly keep coming back for seconds... and thirds... and fourths...
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | All Romance eBooks
And now for something completely evil - I mean, potentially delicious. Desserts!
A Sweet Taste of History by Chef Walter Staib is $1.99 at Amazon digitally. This is a combination history book and cookbook, featuring desserts from American history, and the stories behind them.
Yup. Evil sale right here. I mean, delicious. Delicious. Right.
A Sweet Taste of History captures the grandeur of the sweet table—the grand finale course of an 18th century meal. Rather than serving something simple, hostesses arranged elaborate sweet tables, displays of ornate beauty and delicious edibles meant to leave guests with a lasting impression. A Sweet Taste of History will have the same effect, lingering in the minds of its readers and inspiring them to get in the kitchen. This gorgeous cookbook blends American history with exquisite recipes, as well as tips on how to create your own sweet table.
It features 100 scrumptious dessert recipes, including cakes, cobblers, pies, cookies, quick breads, and ice cream. It includes original recipes from first ladies well-known for entertaining, such as Martha Washington’s An Excellent Cake and Dolley Madison’s French Vanilla Ice Cream. Chef Staib also offers sources for unusual ingredients and step-by-step culinary techniques, updating some of the recipes for modern cooks. This wonderful keepsake will bring a bygone era in America to life and inspire readers who love to cook, entertain, and follow history.
Categories: Ebooks, Free or Cheap Ebooks, General Bitching
