Start saving money today with our FREE daily newsletter packed with the best FREE and bargain Kindle book deals. We will never share your email address!
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Tell Me Everything: Oprah’s Book Club: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Tell Me Everything: Oprah’s Book Club: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout
Dominic spends his life helping others, but he’s about to learn that finding someone special is going to help himself. Dominic by S.L. Carpenter
Dominic spends his life helping others, but he’s about to learn that finding someone special is going to help himself. Dominic by S.L. Carpenter
Where Will We Sleep? is a revised edition focusing on poverty and homelessness. Where Will We Sleep by George Thomas Clark
Where Will We Sleep? is a revised edition focusing on poverty and homelessness. Where Will We Sleep by George Thomas Clark
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
Bring home the incredible true story of a friendship so strong that it crosses the globe! Finding Gobi: Young Reader’s Edition: The True Story of One Little Dog’s Big Journey by Dion Leonard
Bring home the incredible true story of a friendship so strong that it crosses the globe! Finding Gobi: Young Reader’s Edition: The True Story of One Little Dog’s Big Journey by Dion Leonard
A story of coming of age, of learning not to be powerless, and of healing each other’s hearts. OBaaT – A Novel by bestselling author Alice Vachss
A story of coming of age, of learning not to be powerless, and of healing each other’s hearts. OBaaT – A Novel by bestselling author Alice Vachss
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Unsheltered: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Unsheltered: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
What if you were suddenly paralyzed in the recovery room? Dead Still: A Medical Thriller by Barbara Ebel
What if you were suddenly paralyzed in the recovery room? Dead Still: A Medical Thriller by Barbara Ebel
Change IS Possible with this 3-in-1 BOXED SET ALERT! The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook Toolbox by Ava Walters
Change IS Possible with this 3-in-1 BOXED SET ALERT! The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook Toolbox by Ava Walters
Horse Lovers’ Sensation! Get ready to jump and Rise to the Horizon! Rise to the Horizon (Horse Whisperer’s story) by Hyunah KIM
Horse Lovers’ Sensation! Get ready to jump and Rise to the Horizon! Rise to the Horizon (Horse Whisperer’s story) by Hyunah KIM
“The single best book about prosecuting sex crimes in America, period.” Sex Crimes: Then and Now: My Years on the Front Lines Prosecuting Rapists and Confronting Their Collaborators by Alice Vachss
“The single best book about prosecuting sex crimes in America, period.” Sex Crimes: Then and Now: My Years on the Front Lines Prosecuting Rapists and Confronting Their Collaborators by Alice Vachss
Secrets and a patchwork of white lies. Can Alex Bailey string together the truth before her life unravels? Sewing Suspicion: A Quilting Cozy Mystery by Kathryn Mykel
Secrets and a patchwork of white lies. Can Alex Bailey string together the truth before her life unravels? Sewing Suspicion: A Quilting Cozy Mystery by Kathryn Mykel
An ebook exclusive Soul Screamers series novella by Rachel Vincent from Teen Harlequin is this morning’s latest addition to our 200+ Free Book Alert listings….
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
Shan Won seems to only exist deep within the dark rumor-crazed underbelly of the internet. But the common thread throughout all this writing is glaringly obvious: people stumble upon Shan Won, espouse its perfection, and never, ever–ever–return.
“I was hooked from the very first page… My questions were answered, but not in the manner I was expecting. Instead, my questions were answered in a way that forced me to think about my own life choices. –Motherlode Book Reviews
The global economy is in tatters not because of humanity’s faults but because of its accomplishment. The country of Shan Won, a small island state off the coast of China, has cured all of our ills, and like a black hole, a piercing singularity of perfection, it’s sucking the world dry of its stability and leadership and power.
What the Reviewers Say
Human traffickers become overwhelmed with smuggling hordes of North Americans across to Asia for a better life. And for Richard, to whom growing up seems to have solved nothing at all, escape seems to be his only option. But when he become reacquainted with Mia, the girlfriend of his twenties, he’s no longer certain about just what’s the problem and what’s the solution. He only knows that he’s running out of time.
“But what is life when we have nothing left to strive for? The Year We Finally Solved Everything will make you ask that question and many more.” –Writing, Reading, and Everything in Between
“I found the writing style of this author to be excellent. I enjoyed the natural dialogue, and the imagery was sharp.” –Red Adept Reviews
“A sparsely written letter received by a friend, a determined google search, a lot of individual soul searching, and Richard finds himself on the path to Shan Won. Shan Won is a refuge of perfection that welcomes everyone, and renders its visitors virtually incapable of leaving; not because they can’t, but because, well, why would they ever want to? Who could leave a place where hunger, sickness and societal discord are things of the past? The question is not one of wondering *if* you will go or what to do there, the questions is simply ‘how will I get there?’ I was hooked from the very first page.” –GraceKrispy
About the Author
Rudolf Kerkhoven was born in the midst of a ravaging Yukon winter, the product of Dutch immigrants who took a wrong turn and ended up in the far, far north. Here, in this unforgiving environment, where the extreme cold and endless winters show no relent, Rudolf became the man he is today, forged by these brutal elements, far from the excesses of modern society.
At the age of 0.5 he moved south, first to the Canadian prairies and eventually to the Vancouver area of British Columbia where he currently resides in a comfortable 2-bedroom townhouse.
Click here to downloadThe Year We Finally Solved Everything (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!
UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download
Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.
Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store
HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:
Just use the slider at right of your screen below to scroll through a complete, updated list of free contemporary Kindle titles, and click on an icon like this one (at right) to read a free sample right here in your browser!Titles are sorted in reverse chronological order so you can easily see new freebies.
A paranormal conference at a haunted hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains goes haywire when the experts accidentally stir up the demons. “Keep both hands on your pants, because Scott Nicholson is about to scare them off.”– J.A. Konrath. Speed Dating With The Dead — just 99 cents on Kindle!
When Digger Wilson brings his paranormal team, Spirit Seekers International, to the White Horse Inn, he is skeptical that his dead wife will keep her half of the bargain. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, but just before she died, she promised to meet him there.
When one of the conference guests channels a mysterious presence and an Ouija board spells out a pet phrase known only to Digger and his wife, his convictions are challenged.
And when guests start to disappear, Digger and his daughter Kendra must face the circle of demons that view the hotel as their personal playground.
Because soon the inn will be closing for good, angels can’t be trusted, and demons don’t like to play alone . . .
“Where do authors get their ideas?” is a common question:
The Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock, NC, kept a “ghost register” at the desk for recording encounters. I hosted a paranormal conference there in 2008 that inspired the novel.
About the Author:
“Scott Nicholson is the kind of writer who always thrills and always entertains.” –Jonathan Maberry, Patient Zero
“Scott Nicholson understands that the best horror novels achieve primal fear through a combination of sustained atmosphere, richly drawn characters, and believable if uncanny evils that draw unholy power from everyday lives.” –Christopher Ransom, author of the international bestseller, The Birthing House
“A master of atmospheric suspense.” –Eric Wilson, NY Times bestselling novelist
“Scott Nicholson knows the territory. Follow him at your own risk.”–Stewart O’Nan, Boston Noir
“Like Stephen King, he knows how to summon serious scares.”–Bentley Little, His Father’s Son
“Keep both hands on your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off.”– J.A. Konrath / Jack Kilborn
Scott Nicholson is author of 12 novels, five story collections, six screenplays, and four comics series. His first novel THE RED CHURCH was a Stoker Award finalist. Much of his work is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where he works as a freelance editor and journalist.
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:
Finally, a fast, easy-to-use Kindle App that’s a time-saving convenience rather than an invitation to waste time!
Notepad (A Note Taking Tool for Kindle) – Just 99 cents on Kindle! With respect to active-content “apps” that we can run on our Kindles, I am a man of at least two minds. I’ll stipulate to the fact that every now and then after a spell of reading I enjoy playing a game to clear my mind. But for the most part I am a Kindle purist, and I use my Kindle for the purpose Jeff Bezos intended when he put it on this earth: Reading. Reading books by reading, reading books by listening, and reading and/or listening to magazines, newspapers, blogs, manuscripts, reports, and memoranda. For all of these purposes m I love my Kindle. For Solitaire, Texas Hold ’em, and Hangman? Not so much.
Now the good folks at 7 Dragons, led by Kindle Review founder Abhi Singh, have launched a brand new app — Notepad — that I will use every day to set down, keep, and check notes, reminders, lists, directions, and other written annotations that I will be able to access both on my Kindle and — with a quick USB transfer — on any computer. It was launched in the Kindle Store early this morning and as I write this it has already garnered six 5-star reviews, and it would be fair enough to consider this a seventh.
As I have written about various uses for the Kindle for well over three years now, I’ve occasionally noticed times when we tried out various Kindle features — using email and the web come to mind — more to see if we and the Kindle could do certain things than because doing such things was particularly convenient. But here’s a tool that does not slow you down at all, and integrates seamlessly with reading on the Kindle.
It uses text and text files. You can transfer notes to PC or text files to app.
It amazes me how fast the typing is with this app.
There are 2 Font types and 6 font sizes.
There is a wide array of menu-driven options for searching, saving, sorting, and backing up your notes.
I’m going to post about it as well at Kindle Kids’ Corner because kids will be able to make great use of the app for saving homework assignments, phone numbers, email addresses, addresses, and gift lists. (Don’t you want your kids to remember what you want for your birthday?)
And I’m happy to say that, as you can see in the screenshot at the right, I’m using it to plot out this week’s Kindle Nation weekly email newsletter.
(This is a sponsored post. We accept only Kindle-related sponsorships and exercise discrimination in selecting the best of those, so we hope you will consider our sponsors’ ebooks and apps.)
Darcy Anderson has an uncontrollable dark power that reacts to deadly threats with lethal fire. This inner blaze is so powerful that it burned down Anderson’s house with her parents inside….
“My name is Darcy Anderson, and I am cursed with a dark power: Whenever my life is in danger, something inside me summons elemental fire to protect me. I cannot control this.
“One night, I was attacked in my home. The fire … it raged out of control. I survived the inferno, but my house burned to the ground – with my parents inside.
“I was at a loss to explain to the courts what happened, and so they sent me to prison for ten years for manslaughter.
“Now I’m out on parole, and all I want is to return to my home town and rebuild my life; but the man who attacked me is back to finish the job he started.
“I can sense the power in me growing. If I can’t control it, it will control me and destroy everything – and everyone – I love.”
So begins Angel Fire, the first novel in Valmore Daniels’ new series, “Fallen Angels.” It is a grand story in conception and execution, told by a talented emerging storyteller.
It’s a treat to be able to share the first 4,000 words with you here through our Free Kindle Nation Shorts program, and it’s equally nice to let you know that — for a limited time in conjunction with the appearance of this excerpt — the author has reduced the price of the entire novel to just 99 cents.
Click here to downloadAngel Fire: The First Book of Fallen Angels (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!
Quia ecce Dominus in igne veniet, et quasi turbo quadrigæ ejus: reddere in indignatione furorem suum, et increpationem suam in flamma ignis.
(For behold the Lord will come with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind, to render his wrath in indignation, and his rebuke with flames of fire.) – Isaiah 66:15
——–
CHAPTER ONE
I woke to a world of fire and ash.
Forcing my eyes open, I willed the fog in my brain to lift. My lungs screamed for air, and I opened my mouth to breathe, but thick smoke clawed at my throat. Gasping with the effort, I somehow managed to get my arms under me and raise my head up off the floor.
Through the curtain of hair in front of my face, my eyes were drawn to the wedding band glowing white hot on the charred carpet, but the roaring fire dragged my attention away at once.
The plaster walls of my basement apartment peeled and melted under the rage of the inferno. Crackling and snapping in protest, the cheap pine coffee table in front of me collapsed. The fabric and cushions of the oversized couch were entirely consumed, leaving nothing more than the crumbling black skeleton of its wooden frame.
Intense heat washed against my skin as fire chewed at the edge of the rug on which I lay; but my first thought was not for my own safety.
“Mom-! Dad-!”
Razor blades tore at my lungs, and I couldn’t utter another sound. A dark blanket of nothingness began to creep over me once again. The thick smoke in the room clouded my vision.
A thundering crash from the other side of the room jarred me back to awareness. Splinters showered across the floor as the head of a red-bladed axe bit through the door. One more blow sundered the door and a bulky form pushed its way inside.
The intruder rushed at me, arms out. Strong fingers reached for my throat. Throwing my arm up for protection I let out a panicked cry.
“Darcy!” The man’s voice was muffled through a plastic mask and ventilator, but I recognized it as Hank Hrzinski’s, the fire chief. “You hurt?” he shouted. “You burned?”
Without waiting for a response, he hoisted me off the floor and onto his shoulders. Doing his best to shield me from falling embers and burning debris, he picked his way back out of the apartment. I faded in and out of consciousness. The smoke burned my lungs, and the jarring motion as the fire chief jostled me about almost made me retch.
Outside, cold air slapped at me. I sucked it in and immediately started to hack up phlegm and ash. Chief Hrzinski shifted me off his back and onto the front lawn as a paramedic rushed at me with an oxygen tank and mask.
Dimly, I was aware of shouting voices and darting silhouettes as a team of firefighters fought the blaze. Spray from half a dozen hoses disappeared into the fire consuming the house.
The roof cracked, and with a roar, fell in on itself.
I struggled to my feet. “Mom!” I screamed. “Dad!”
Someone grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back down.
“Mom!”
—-
“I’m not your mama.”
I sprang out of bed, disoriented. My sheets were a tangled mess around my feet, and my shirt was soaked with sweat.
The remnants of my nightmare faded as I blinked and looked around. The familiar walls of my cell were as gray and unwelcoming as they had been since the first day I arrived at the Arizona Center for Women ten years ago.
Looming over me was the dour face of Jerry Niles, one of the meanest prison guards in our cell block. For years I’d had to endure his crude jokes and clumsy innuendoes.
“But who knows, I could be your daddy,” he added with a twisted leer that made my stomach churn. The memory of my dead parents rushed back and I had to fight to keep my eyes from tearing over.
I pulled the bed sheets up to cover my legs.
“What do you want?” I said. “You’re not supposed to be in here before wakeup.” A quick glance at the window confirmed that dawn had not yet broken.
“Warden said to bring you down to processing early. He wants you out of here before morning chow. Says it’s better for everyone else who’s left behind. Don’t want to remind them there’s a whole other world on the outside.”
“OK, fine.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Just give me a minute to get ready.”
“I’ll help you get dressed,” he offered with a sickening smile.
I shuddered at the thought, and felt a wave of anger run through me.
Keep control!
“My eyes can see,” I said under my breath.
I peered closer at me. “What’s that?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. Are you backtalking me?”
I gave a quick shake of my head. “No, sir.”
My response was automatic. Obedience was something they drilled into you early. They told you when to sleep and when to wake up, when to shower and when to eat, and after a while, you surrender to it.
But I was getting out on parole today. I’d have to learn to make decisions for myself, and not jump every time someone barked an order.
I gathered some courage, raised my eyebrows and waved him out of the cell. “Well, are you going to give me some privacy?”
Like the strike of a rattlesnake, Jerry thrust his face in front of mine.
“Don’t push me, Darcy. You’re not out yet, and lots can happen between now and then.”
I clenched my fists, bunching them under the blanket.
My tongue can taste.
Closing my eyes, I sat rigid as a statue, as if ignoring him would make him magically disappear. I continued whispering to myself.
“My mouth can smile.”
“Gibberish,” said Jerry. “Crazy in the head.”
In the bunk above me, my cellmate shifted in her sleep and muttered something.
Glancing up at the noise, Jerry straightened and took a step back. Curling his lips in a grimace of distaste, he barked, “Get dressed. Like I said, Warden wants you out of here today, you little firebug. We all do.”
I opened my eyes when he left the cell. He left the door open, but he remained outside on guard, just out of sight.
“I am in control,” I told myself as I released the bed sheets from a strangle hold.
Blackened streaks marked the cloth where my fingers had grabbed the material.
——–
CHAPTER TWO
I stood at the bus stop outside the front gates of the prison and hugged my arms around my chest.
It almost never rained in southern Arizona, and when it did, it didn’t last very long. Of course, today of all days, the rain came down hard. I had tied my hair back in a ponytail, and whenever I moved my head, the wet strands ran along the bare skin of my neck and sent chills down my spine. My breath puffed out like misty clouds of smoke in the crisp morning air.
I silently prayed for sun as I searched the road with haunted eyes.
A car raced past and hit a puddle. I skipped back, but a torrent of water splashed all over my jeans and sneakers.
“Damn it!” I yelled. I showed the driver my middle finger, and he showed me his before his car turned a corner.
“Jerk!”
Trying to keep warm, I pulled the collar of my jacket tighter around my neck. Looking up at the dark clouds, I silently cursed. At the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a link between the bad weather and my release from prison. Or maybe I was just crazy and imagining the world was out to punish me.
Just as I spotted a ray of sunshine poking out between the clouds, the screeching brakes of a Greyhound startled me and I let out a yelp. After I put my heart back in my chest, I reached down and grabbed my duffel bag.
A middle-aged driver stepped off the bus as he covered his balding head with a cap.
“You getting on?” he asked, giving me an expectant glance. I nodded and passed him my bag. He opened a side panel and, with a grunt, tossed my bag in.
I took a step toward the door, but the driver cleared his throat.
“Ticket?” he asked.
“Huh? Yeah.”
I fumbled through my pockets in search of the voucher while trying to ignore his impatient look. After a moment, I pulled the ticket out and handed it to him. He waved me on, and I climbed the short flight of steps into the bus . . . and froze.
For the first time in ten years, I found myself facing a group of total strangers. My heart skipped a beat, my lungs seized and nausea washed over me.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me, angry and accusing. Did they know about me? About my past? About my affliction?
“Miss!” It was the driver. He made a shooing motion with his hand and grunted.
I tried to breathe, but anxiety gripped me.
“We’re on a timetable,” he said in a harried voice.
In a way, that helped calm me. It reminded me that even in the big chaotic outside world, everywhere you went and everything you did was by some sort of routine, and I found that very comforting. Inside, every minute of every day is regulated, and you can surrender yourself to it.
Slowly I regained my composure and steeled myself to join the strangers on the bus.
From what I could see, the only two seats still unoccupied were in the last row on either side of the aisle; only one was by a window.
The bus driver closed the door and eased himself into his chair. He touched the accelerator and the bus lurched forward. I grabbed the overhead bar before I fell on my face and, cursing the driver under my breath, picked my way down the aisle.
Two elderly women stared at me with pinched faces. I forced my eyes ahead, but I couldn’t avert my ears. The blue-haired old biddy sitting next to the window tried to keep her voice low, but I heard her anyway.
“I don’t know why they let them on the bus. There should be a rule.”
As I passed by, I set my jaw and pretended not to hear. I told myself not to let it get to me, but then her silver-haired companion clutched her purse tighter in her fat arms.
I barked, “You don’t have to worry about your purse, lady. I wasn’t in for robbery; I was in for manslaughter!”
They both gasped in astonishment, but I could take no pleasure in their reaction. I’d let myself slip, and that was something I had vowed not to do.
I walked past them, and ignored the sudden interest of the passengers who’d overheard me. All the while, I told myself to calm down. There was bound to be more confrontation in the days ahead, and if I couldn’t overlook two old gossips, how was I going to manage to control the rest of my life?
I had a sudden urge to turn around and run back into the comforting arms of the prison. Instead, I reached the seat by the window, sat down, and stared out as the bus pulled off into the strange and frightening world of my new found freedom.
I didn’t let anyone see the tears misting in my eyes. I didn’t let anyone know that, inside, I was just a frightened little girl who wanted nothing more than to have someone take me in their arms and say, “Everything’s going to be all right.” What I wanted and what I would get were two different things.
I’d met a lot of cruel and petty people in my life, and if you showed them even a tiny crack in your armor, they would see your weakness and attack. Hatred, misunderstanding, fear, and intolerance ran rampant in strangers, and if you let it get to you, it would tear you apart.
The passengers on the bus radiated everything from indifference at one end to complete animosity at the other. But I had to be strong. I had to act tough. I had to be as hard as stone.
Like a child afraid of the dark, I told myself over and over again to be brave.
There was much worse ahead of me:
I was going home.
As the bus hurtled down the highway, passing small towns, farms, ranches, decrepit barns and run-down gas stations, my anxiety slowly slipped away.
I absorbed every sight. I drank in the colors and contrasts. I gawked at passengers in cars and minivans. I let my imagination run riot with the notion that all possibilities lay ahead of me. The future was wide open, like the road ahead of us, and I felt giddy with the thoughts of how wonderful my life was going to be.
No doubt my fellow passengers wondered if I had come from a different kind of institution, the way I grinned like an idiot when I saw a herd of horses with their spring foals playing a game of tag in a grassy field.
I didn’t care. Let them think what they wanted; I was free and although I dreaded going home, I was looking forward to starting over and rebuilding my life. Fate had given me a second chance to do things right, and this time I was determined to do just that.
The tiniest wave of uncertainty ran through me as we passed a road sign: Welcome to Middleton, AZ. (pop. 2628)
Starting over was good and all, and my social reintegration counselor at the prison had encouraged me to repair my relationships with my family, rather than relocate to a new town and start over.
“Running away is merely avoiding the problems in your life,” he told me. “The only way to resolve the issues in your past is to address them in the present.”
That wave of uncertainty turned into a deep-seated feeling of unease. I had some pretty big issues to resolve. For one thing my uncle, Edward, hadn’t spoken more than two words in a row to me in the past ten years.
The bus driver slowed the bus as we approached the dusty parking lot of the Lazy Z Motel-a one-level, sprawling old building set at an angle to the highway.
The bus wheeled into the lot and unexpectedly lurched to a stop at the last moment, throwing me into the back of the seat in front of me. Someone’s knapsack fell off the overhead rack, giving one passenger an unpleasant start; and a half-full can of soda toppled, spilling liquid over a young woman’s sneakers.
After muscling the door release open, the driver, ignoring the grumbling from his passengers, grabbed a clipboard and pen and logged his progress.
“Middleton,” he announced in a disinterested voice as he un-wedged himself from his seat and ambled down the steps.
I was the only one to stand up. Everyone else, it seemed, was moving on to Flagstaff or beyond.
Ignoring the glares from the two old biddies, I made my way up the aisle. As I neared the exit, I took a deep breath. For a short time, the bus had been a safe haven. Now, like a newborn chick leaving the nest for the first time, I had to muster all the bravery I could and make that leap into the wide world to test my wings.
At the top of the stairs, I faltered. There was no safety net, no one to catch me if I fell. If I took one more step, I would be completely on my own.
Behind me, the blue-haired old woman rolled her eyes and let out an impatient cough.
Outside, the driver unceremoniously dropped my duffel bag on the gravel, sending up a small plume of dust.
“Your stop?”
I nodded and took my first real step into freedom; but one single step was all I could bring myself to take.
Drawing in a deep breath, I centered myself. I had to gather my courage and face the present.
“Can you speed it up, lady?” said the driver.
I flashed a weak smile and took another step away from the bus, giving him enough room to maneuver his bulk back inside. The door closed with the sound of permanence. There was no going back.
Long after the bus pulled away, I remained standing at the shoulder of the road, my bag at my feet and my heart in my throat.
* * *
The Lazy Z Motel was exactly as I remembered it, and its familiarity was just enough to get me moving. I hefted my duffel bag and walked into the front office.
Bracing myself for the worst, I was thrown off by the unexpected: there was no one there.
The office, however, was a total disaster. Papers were scattered all over the counter, binders were piled on top of directories and magazines. An old style rotary telephone was smudged with the dirt of a thousand oily fingers, and a musty guestbook was open at a page that had more coffee stains than signatures. Beside an old computer monitor a rack of outdated maps awaited a purchase that would never happen. A buzzing fly circled a bowl of unwrapped candies as if wary of a possible trap.
The office itself was small and cramped, and half of it was dedicated as a customers’ lounge. Two long be
The beer will be green today at numerous locations dear to me in my misspent youth, and Amazon — ever fearless in the face of any charges of stereotyping from the politically correct! — will be celebrating the holiday by offering a very literate appreciation of beer at the top of this morning’s latest additions to our 200+ Free Book Alert listings….
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
Even in this age of instant communication, sometimes it takes a minute for the news to travel across the pond. But if you like your humor with a BBC twist, you’ll want to find out why today’s sponsor is the #7 book overall in the UK Kindle Store, #1 in Humour, and #1 in Love, Sex and Marriage!
Poor Rob Smith. After two marriages, he’s back in the “meat market,” but the dating scene has completely changed in the last decade. Will love, sex and Tesco’s finest cava be enough to see him through?
“The viagra chapters were hysterical as was the vasectomy chapter. Can definitely recommend!”–Mary Poppins
Here’s the set-up:
Film fanatic Rob Smith is thirty-eight, newly single and on the wrong side of two marriages. Rob’s looking to get back into dating but quickly discovers that in the ten years he’s been married the rules of the game have changed. After a couple of disastrous blind dates, Rob strikes it lucky when he meets the supremely confident Jenny on URdate.com.
As Rob blunders his way through their early dates, he begins to discover there’s a price to pay for the upturn in his sexual fortunes.
Rob has to deal with an anarchic house, three teenage boys, his own sexual inadequacies and the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that, just maybe, Jenny is not all that she seems. If all that’s not enough his best mate Steve’s insatiable desire to be crowned ‘Halton and District over 35s Five-a-side Champions’ is adding to the pressure.
Will love, sex and Tesco’s finest cava be enough to see him through?
About the Author
Steve Carter was a teacher of History and Media before running off to beautiful NW Scotland and the Isle of Skye to run a guesthouse. LSATFC is his first novel and relies on his own experiences of Internet dating.
It’s been likened to Nick Hornby in it’s humorous portrayal of male angst.
Click here to downloadLove, Sex and Tesco’s Finest Cava (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!
UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download
Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.
Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store
HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:
Just use the slider at right of your screen below to scroll through a complete, updated list of free contemporary Kindle titles, and click on an icon like this one (at right) to read a free sample right here in your browser!Titles are sorted in reverse chronological order so you can easily see new freebies.
Gordon Ryan’s sweeping family saga Spirit of Union follows the Callahan family from its roots in Ireland to the US and around the world. Now you can read the entire 820-page trilogy in a single Kindle book for just $3.99!
Here’s the set-up:
Gordon Ryan has been a traditionally published author since 1994. In 2010, Pegasus Publishing republished each of his former novels and released his new thrillers, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties.
Vol. I – Destiny: Fleeing an abusive father and a hopeless life in Ireland in 1895, nineteen-year-old Tom Callahan takes passage on a ship bound for America. On board, he meets Katrina Hansen, a young Norwegian woman traveling to Utah. It’s not a likely match. The brash Irishman is a Catholic, a brawler and a young man without prospects. Destiny is a sprawling historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century, played out in such far-flung places as New York City, the gold fields of Alaska and Old Mexico.
Vol. II – Conflict: It’s 1917 and American has entered World War I. The Callahan’s son has joined with what President Woodrow Wilson is calling “the fight to make the world safe for democracy.” Set against turbulent events in world history and filled with vivid scenes as well as tender emotions, Conflict takes the reader around the world.
Vol. III – Heritage: Tom and Katrina Callahan’s three children have grown up and are making their way in a world that is propelling itself toward World War II. Tess has her heart set on a Hollywood movie career; PJ is a successful sheep rancher in New Zealand and Tommy is pursuing his career in the Marine Corps and learning not only about war, but about the perils of romance. In this, the final volume of Spirit of Union, Gordon Ryan follows Tom and Katrina into their middle and late years. Living in a time when aviation is becoming a viable industry, the stock market is booming and Hitler’s evil machinations are on the horizon, the world, and the Callahans, are embroiled on every front. Set in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, South America, Great Britain and the United States, Heritage is filled with scenes and characters that will linger in your mind long after you close the book.
Gordon Ryan is a writer with a varied history. He has lived and worked in six nations and a dozen or more states, including Alaska. He was a Recon Marine in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and served in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He also served as a member of the American Embassy staff in Dublin, Ireland, during the violent seventies.
His first published novel, Dangerous Legacy, was released in 1994 and he has published nine more over the intervening years. The “Pug Connor” novels, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties are his newest releases.
Needing to feed his family, he never gave up his day job as a city manager and chief executive of large homeowners’ associations, but once he discovered the joys of fiction, writing has been the driving force. Now writing full-time, Gordon and his wife, Colleen, spend their time between the American northwest and the beautiful South Pacific.
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:
In 2009 there was Stephenie Meyer. In 2010 you met Amanda Hocking. Now it’s 2011, and it’s time to say hello to Imogen Rose … on your way to this morning’s latest additions to our 200+ Free Book Alert listings….
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
After the amazing success of author Imogen Rose’s Portal Chronicles, we would have been foolish to doubt that she would create another pitch-perfect series….
Still a doubter? Start reading now at the unbelievable price of 99 cents!
“Faustine is full of adventure, witches, demons, Wanderers, vampires oh my! Full of surprises, fun…” –Leilani
Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers.
Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, at least, one that’s part of the in-crowd at her Upper East Side High School. When drop-dead gorgeous Ryker, her long-time crush from the Academy, finally notices her, she couldn’t be happier.
However, her desire for a normal life is shattered when her father, a prominent sovereign, disappears after naming her as his successor. Her siblings begin to disappear, and Faustine finds herself in the midst of a power struggle. With her life in danger, Faustine must learn to follow one of Bonfire Academy’s most important rules: Trust no one.
What the Reviewers Say
“I did not think it was possible for Imogen Rose to top her Portal Series. Well, she proved me wrong and I am glad she did. FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One) is one of those books that any young adult will love to read. However, they will have to figure out a way to pry it out of the hands of the older folks first. “Honestly this book has more twists than a whole bag of pretzels! It had a very epic feel to it. I got completely lost in it and read on anxiously to find out what happened next.” –Misty Rayburn
About the Author
Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, the Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she’s been based for the past ten years.
For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.
Portal, Imogen’s first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape. The warm reception Portal received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. Book two (Equilibrium) and book three (Quantum) are now available. Book four, Momentum, will be available this summer. Faustine is Imogen’s first book in her new series, the Bonfire Chronicles.
Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.
“Faustine is different and most of her friends are different. You will love the oddball characters and the supernatural powers that make them all different… Read Faustine and you will fall in love with her and want to follow her as she goes on adventures. You will not regret tagging along with Faustine.” –Frankie S. “The story itself is well written. The storyline unfolds with grace and and pace. The plot is well-thought-out and well-planned, but leaves enough room to add in a few surprises. I was shocked when I learned Faustine’s secret. It came a bit out of left field, but a very pleasant surprise – I was folded in and felt invested in her life and what was going on around (and within) her.” –Candy Beauchamp, Vine 500 Reviewer
Click here to downloadFAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One) (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!
UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download
Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.
Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store
HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:
Just use the slider at right of your screen below to scroll through a complete, updated list of free contemporary Kindle titles, and click on an icon like this one (at right) to read a free sample right here in your browser!Titles are sorted in reverse chronological order so you can easily see new freebies.
? Get yours here
. 
to download The Year We Finally Solved Everything
, 
, and 
— that I will use every day to set down, keep, and check notes, reminders, lists, directions, and other written annotations that I will be able to access both on my Kindle and — with a quick USB transfer — on any computer. It was launched in the Kindle Store early this morning and as I write this it has already garnered six 5-star reviews, and it would be fair enough to consider this a seventh.
follows the Callahan family from its roots in Ireland to the US and around the world. Now you can read the entire 820-page trilogy in a single Kindle book for just $3.99! 
and 
. 
, was released in 1994 and he has published nine more over the intervening years. The “Pug Connor” novels, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties are his newest releases. 
. In 2010 you met 
