Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99 today!
The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig.
Can't cook but doesn't bite." So begins the newspaper ad offering the services of an "A-1 housekeeper, sound morals, exceptional disposition" that draws the hungry attention of widower Oliver Milliron in the fall of 1909. And so begins the unforgettable season that deposits the noncooking, nonbiting, ever-whistling Rose Llewellyn and her font-of-knowledge brother, Morris Morgan, in Marias Coulee along with a stampede of homesteaders drawn by the promise of the Big Ditch-a gargantuan irrigation project intended to make the Montana prairie bloom. When the schoolmarm runs off with an itinerant preacher, Morris is pressed into service, setting the stage for the "several kinds of education"-none of them of the textbook variety-Morris and Rose will bring to Oliver, his three sons, and the rambunctious students in the region's one-room schoolhouse. A paean to a vanished way of life and the eccentric individuals and idiosyncratic institutions that made it fertile, The Whistling Season is Ivan Doig at his evocative best.
345 pages, with a 4.3-star rating from 136 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, enabled.
Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $2.99 today!
Bloodlines, by Richelle Mead.
The first book in Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series--now in paperback
When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive--this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.
When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive--this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.
From Richelle Mead: A Letter to Fans
A lot of people ask me if I’m sad that the Vampire Academy series ended. And honestly…I’m not. There are a couple reasons for this. One of the biggest is that I’ve always known how Rose’s story was going to wrap up, and it was time for her to get a little happiness. She’s had a rough time in the series!
The other reason I’m not sad about Vampire Academy ending is because…well, it hasn't.
Technically, Bloodlines is the first book in a new series (which is also called Bloodlines), but it picks up almost right after Last Sacrifice ended. Fans aren’t going to have to wait long to find out what’s going in the Moroi world--and that’s the key point here. We’re still in the Moroi world. Bloodlines takes place around all the Moroi, dhampirs, and other supernatural intrigue and romance we loved in the first six books. We even get to see how a lot of familiar characters are doing--including Rose and Dimitri.
The biggest difference is that Sydney, the Alchemist we first met in Blood Promise, has taken over as our narrator. She’s telling the story now--and with good reason. Things have gotten a bit crazy in the Moroi world, and Sydney finds herself dragged into the heart of it. Jill Mastrano, the young Moroi girl who learned about her royal status at the end of Last Sacrifice, is being targeted by assassins who want to remove her sister from the throne. To keep her safe, Jill is sent off into hiding--at a human school in Palm Springs, California.
To say this is a bit of culture shock for Jill is an understatement, but it’s just as difficult for Sydney. Sydney has to go undercover with Jill, posing as her sister, in order to make sure things run smoothly with a vampire hiding out in a human society. Eddie Castile, the well-intentioned dhampir always getting into trouble for Rose, also comes along to work as Jill’s bodyguard. Rounding out the cast is the notorious Adrian Ivashkov. He’s not posing as a student, but he has “helpfully” invited himself along to keep a brotherly eye on Jill--and torment Sydney with his constant jokes and party boy habits.
Rose was a great narrator, and Sydney’s fun in a lot of different ways. She gives us a human take on the Moroi world, which isn’t something we’ve really seen yet. Vampire life, through Rose’s eyes, is a very normal thing. For Sydney' Not so. It’s made worse because she’s been raised to believe vampires and dhampirs are wrong and unnatural, but spending time with them in Palm Springs begins to change her mind. The Alchemists don’t look favorably on those questioning their beliefs.
What’s also interesting is that Sydney has a much more analytic view of the world than Rose. Sydney overthinks where Rose rushes in, and both styles are fun to watch. Sydney’s super smart and can memorize reams of material—but is a little oblivious to how a normal social life works. That’s never been an issue while she was working as a field Alchemist, but in the midst of a high school—with guys who want to ask her out' Yeah. There are a few complications! Roll in the fact that sinister, supernatural activities are going on in Palm Springs, and Sydney suddenly finds her mission a lot more complicated than even she expected.
All in all, I think readers who loved the Vampire Academy series are going to adore Bloodlines. I purposely left a lot of questions at the end of Last Sacrifice…and those are going to get answered. And like I said, Vampire Academy hasn’t really ended. It’s just going to go on in a different form and give us a look at the vampire world in a new way. Fans of Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian are going to love learning more about them. So, have fun, and get ready for the story to continue!
--Richelle Mead
421 pages, with a 4.-star rating from 320 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, enabled. Whispersync for Voice audiobook available for $9.99 if you purchase this book.
Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $0.99 today!
Monstrous, by Sean Platt.
They say that behind every comedian lurks a tortured soul…
Yet, comedian Henry Black finally has everything he’s always dreamed of: a thriving career, and a wife and daughter who he loves more than life itself. After years of struggle, he finally has it made.Until three men force their way into his home, killing Henry and destroying the safe, comfortable world he has built for his family.
But that is only the beginning of his hellish torment. He wakes in purgatory, where he’s met by two men, both offering a choice. Randall offers a chance at heaven. Boothe, however, offers something far more tempting—a chance to go back to his life.
A chance to see if his family is okay.
For Henry, there is no choice. He accepts Boothe’s deal. But with every deal comes a price: his body is twisted to match his sins, and Henry is no longer the man his wife remembered—Henry is no longer a man at all.
He is monstrous.
Thrust into darkness and madness—unable to be with the people he loves—Henry embraces his new form, and his new supernatural abilities, and does the only thing he can: avenge his murder. But as Henry grows closer to the truth of what happened on that terrible night, he grows further from his humanity.
How far will he go to seek revenge'
And is he willing to sacrifice his soul'
From the authors who brought you Z 2134, Yesterday’s Gone, and ForNevermore, comes another dark tale sure to keep you waiting for the next episode.
Episode List
This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book.
Episode 1: Released on November 27, 2012. 44 pages. When Henry Black died trying to protect his family, he thought that was the end. Then he woke in purgatory and is offered him a way to go back to Earth and find out what happened after his murder. He takes it, but finds that there are some horrible strings attached.
Episode 2: Released on December 11, 2012. 40 pages. Henry, now a demon, is given a shot at revenge against the men who killed him and his daughter. But doing so may cost him what’s left of his humanity.
Episode 3: Released on December 24, 2012. 41 pages. Henry taps into his demon powers, finds an ally, and is endangered by a new enemy.
Episode 4: Released on January 8, 2013. 42 pages. Henry tries to find his daughter in purgatory, and finds the second of the three men he plans to kill.
Episode 5: Released on January 22, 2013. 47 pages. Henry discovers that his actions have unforeseen consequences as Boothe and Randall battle for Henry’s soul.Episode 6: Released on February 5, 2013 (Final Episode). 52 pages. Everything is on the line in this stunning season finale when Henry makes a bold move to break free from Boothe’s hold.
265 pages, with a 4.4-star rating from 65 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, Lending enabled.
Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99 today!
Ramona Quimby, Age 8, by Beverly Cleary.
Riding the school bus alone isn't the only new experience making third grade exciting for Ramona Quimby. From befriending a boy called Yard Ape to delivering her book report in the style of a television commercial, Ramona's enthusiasm for life is infectious and irresistible.
That's not to say all is perfect. Having to go to the Kemps' house after school is Ramona's own particular burden—especially the chore of being nice to pesky little Willa Jean. When Ramona gets sick and throws up in class, she feels as though things can't get worse!
In this Newbery Honor Book, newly illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Beverly Cleary lovingly chronicles Ramona's experiences as she faces all of her third-grade challenges with imagination and determination.
From the first day of third grade, when Ramona Quimby meets her eventual nemesis Yard Ape, life moves on at its usual wild pace--usual for the boisterous Ramona, that is. Soon she is accidentally squashing a raw egg into her hair at the school cafeteria, being forced to play Uncle Rat with her annoying young neighbor, and, worst of all, throwing up in her classroom. The responsibilities of an 8-year-old are sometimes daunting, especially in a family that is trying to squeak by while the father goes back to school. But Ramona is full of too much vim and vigor to ever be down for long.
In her second Newbery Honor Book about Ramona (the first was Ramona and Her Father), Beverly Cleary presents another slice of the Quimby family life. Author of more than two dozen children's books, Cleary has a true knack for understanding the tangle of thoughts and emotions in a child's mind and heart. Empathic, witty, and astute, she has earned many other awards, including the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. Alan Tiegreen's clever line drawings have charmed countless readers of Cleary's books over the years, and his style is now inextricably tied to hers. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
That's not to say all is perfect. Having to go to the Kemps' house after school is Ramona's own particular burden—especially the chore of being nice to pesky little Willa Jean. When Ramona gets sick and throws up in class, she feels as though things can't get worse!
In this Newbery Honor Book, newly illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Beverly Cleary lovingly chronicles Ramona's experiences as she faces all of her third-grade challenges with imagination and determination.
From the first day of third grade, when Ramona Quimby meets her eventual nemesis Yard Ape, life moves on at its usual wild pace--usual for the boisterous Ramona, that is. Soon she is accidentally squashing a raw egg into her hair at the school cafeteria, being forced to play Uncle Rat with her annoying young neighbor, and, worst of all, throwing up in her classroom. The responsibilities of an 8-year-old are sometimes daunting, especially in a family that is trying to squeak by while the father goes back to school. But Ramona is full of too much vim and vigor to ever be down for long.
In her second Newbery Honor Book about Ramona (the first was Ramona and Her Father), Beverly Cleary presents another slice of the Quimby family life. Author of more than two dozen children's books, Cleary has a true knack for understanding the tangle of thoughts and emotions in a child's mind and heart. Empathic, witty, and astute, she has earned many other awards, including the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. Alan Tiegreen's clever line drawings have charmed countless readers of Cleary's books over the years, and his style is now inextricably tied to hers. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
208 pages, with a 4.5-star rating from 81 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, enabled. Whispersync for Voice audiobook available for $6.99 if you purchase this book.
Happy Reading!
Betsy
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