Friday, August 1, 2014

Free and bargain Kindle books! (Friday Aug 1)

Free today!

Obsidian (A Lux Novel) (Entangled Teen), by Jennifer L. Armentrout. (Still free?)

"Katy was a perfect heroine, strong and smart, but with her own insecurities. She wasn't a "total loser" like in some books or a "queen bee" either. She was...normal. And you know what else I loved about her? She had her own love of books, her own book blog even! Even memes like Waiting on Wednesday and In My Mailbox were mentioned. It was fun reading about a protagonist who not only readers can relate to, but even more so for bloggers! I was ensnared within the first chapter and kept flipping through the pages, dying to know what was going to happen. Obsidian was a great read filled with romance, jealousy, danger, and sacrifice. It's honestly one of the most enticing sci-fi novel I've read!" -- Amazon reviewer


Book One of the bestselling Lux series
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring...until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

294 pages, with a 4.6-star rating from 938 reviews.

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The Cerberus Rebellion (A Griffins & Gunpowder Novel) (Ansgari Rebellion Book 1), by Joshua Johnson. (Still 0.99?)

"The Cerberus Rebellion is a very ambitious work... The author has obviously spent a lot of time on the world building for this work and I am looking forward to reading more of the adventures that take place here." -- Blog review

"The auther did an amazing job building up anticipation for the huge battles that were part of the Kerberosi rebellion." -- Amazon reviewer

The Cerebrus Rebellion

War changes everything.

On the world of Zaria, Elves, magic and mythical beasts coexist beside rifles and railroads. The futures of two nations hang in the balance as rebels and revolutionaries trade gunfire with loyalists and tyrants.

The King of Ansgar, secure in his belief that his loyal nobles and fearful subjects answer to his every whim, seeks to gain favor with friends across the sea. But his decision to send armies thousands of miles away will test that fear, and loyalty.

In war, little is held back; in revolution, nothing is safe

A Novel of approximately 90,000 words.

272 pages, with a 3.6-star rating from 7 reviews.

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The Seer's Lover (The Seven Archangels Series), by Kat de Falla. (Still 0.99?)

"Heart-pounding action! Kat de Falla has written an excellent debut novel that puts a whole new spin on angels and demons. Her well-developed characters mixed with spot-on descriptions created a mood that sucked in this reader. The story's fast pace and tightly-woven plot kept me turning pages well into the night. A highly recommended read for lovers of dark paranormal. The accompanying sound track is a real prize, as well!" -- Amazon reviewer

For years, Calise Rowe has been able to sense unusual energy from people, making her believe she is different. Pulled into an ancient war raging for centuries between demon hunters and seers, she's about to find out she's right.

Her search for the truth leads her to Lucas Rojas, a seer of angels and demons who walk the earth shrouded from normal human eyes. He's hidden his gift for years and refuses to endanger Calise by sharing it with her.

In the sultry Costa Rican Jungles, their worlds collide. As their passion and desire ignite, so does the ancient war between demons and seers. Will their combined efforts be enough to save themselves and the entire human world, or will their new found love be their downfall?

**Download free music for The Seer's Lover at http://www.bayafaya.com/

384 pages, with a 4.4-star rating from 30 reviews.

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Free today!

Spending Spree, by Ryan Wiley. (Still free?)

"Mr. Wiley handles the entire story with grace and a certain panache. His stories are set in the world with which we are all familiar, making immersion all the easier. Each character's frankness and foibles are recognizable, sometimes dislikable -- just like people we know and see everyday -- yet engaging because I want them to learn, grow, and succeed. I highly recommend this and his first book which left me reeling at its pinnacle. Be warned -- once you get on, you won't (or can't) get off until the ride is over. "Keep your hands inside the car, please! Enjoy your exciting ride!" Thank you, Ryan Wiley! I look forward eagerly to your next book!" -- Amazon reviewer

What would you do if you had one hundred thousand dollars to spend every day for the rest of your life?

Johnny Davis is a twenty-five year old loser, still living with his parents and working the same job he did when he was sixteen.

A few days after his mom helps him open his very own checking account, Johnny discovers something unusual – a one hundred thousand-dollar deposit that is definitely not from his parents. He soon finds that whatever amount he spends in one day is fully reimbursed the following morning.

His friend, Dave, convinces him not to tell anyone and to go on the spending spree of a lifetime - which is exactly what Johnny does.
But where’s the money coming from? And how much trouble is Johnny in for when someone finds out?

The answers turn out to be far worse than he ever could have imagined.

250 pages, with a 4.1-star rating from 51 reviews.

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(We save you time by curating our selections of bargain books. We filter out books with a less than 4-star rating, or have few reviews. We exclude books that are merely teasers, and generally exclude those that are less than 100 pages in length. Your time is valuable and we strive to find quality for you in your bargain e-books!)

Kindle Daily Deals (August 1, 2014): a thriller, a historical romance, business non-fiction, sci-fi and a fun middle-grade fantasy novel.



Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99!

Anonymous Sources, by Mary Louise Kelly.

A fast-paced international thriller in the vein of Janet Evanovich by former NPR anchor and correspondent Mary Louise Kelly, about a Pakistani terrorist’s nuclear threat to blow up the White House.

When Boston reporter Alexandra James is assigned to cover the death of Thom Carlyle, the son of a powerful Washington insider, she soon discovers the story is not as simple as it seems. The young man fell from the top of a Harvard bell tower, but did he jump…or was he pushed?

Intent on escaping the demons of her past, Alex knows how to outwork, outdrink, and outshop anyone else around. Now she is focused on what could be “the story of a lifetime”—chasing leads from Harvard Yard to the courtyards of Cambridge, England, from a clandestine rendezvous in London to the inside of a nuclear terrorist network. But when she goes to Washington, DC, for a key interview that promises to tie everything together, Alex the hunter becomes Alex the hunted. An assassin is dispatched…her laptop disappears…her phone is tapped…and she begins to grasp that Thom Carlyle may have been killed to hide a terrifying conspiracy within the White House itself.

Former NPR Intelligence correspondent Mary Louise Kelly has turned her own real-life reporting adventures into fiction with this stylish spy thriller.

368 pages, with a 4.1-star rating from 120 reviews



Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99!

The King's Pleasure, by Heather Graham.

When a French woman is married off to the handsome Scot who conquered her town, she is determined not to let him conquer her heart as well

The English army’s siege of Aville has ground to a standstill—until a ten-year-old Scottish lad masterminds a breakthrough. The castle falls easily, giving glory to the king and a place at court to young Adrien MacLachlan. But his greatest reward is still to come.
Years later, the king decrees that Adrien shall marry Danielle d’Aville, a maiden of the town Adrien helped conquer. She loathes the strapping Scottish knight, but his strength stirs something inside of her—a passion that betrays everything her vanquished people stand for. As Danielle’s hatred for him pushes her towards treason, her budding love is the only thing that can pull her back from the brink.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Heather Graham, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

382 pages, with a 3.8-star rating from 128 reviews



Here's today's Daily Non-Fiction Deal, available for $1.99!

Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business, by Harley Manning.

What simple innovation brought billions in new investments to Fidelity? What basic misunderstanding was preventing Office Depot from achieving its growth potential? What surprising insights helped the Mayo Clinic better serve both doctors and patients?

The solution in each case was a focus on customer experience, the most powerful—and misunderstood—element of corporate strategy today.

Customer experience is, quite simply, how your customers perceive their every interaction with your company. It’s a fundamental business driver. Here’s proof: over a recent five-year period during which the S&P 500 was flat, a stock portfolio of customer experience leaders grew twenty-two percent.

In an age when customers have access to vast amounts of data about your company and its competitors, customer experience is the only sustainable source of competitive advantage. But how to excel at it?

Based on fourteen years of research by the customer experience leaders at Forrester Research, Outside In offers a complete roadmap to attaining the experience advantage. It starts with the concept of the Customer Experience Ecosystem—proof that the roots of customer experience problems lie not just with customer-facing employees like your sales staff, but with behind-the-scenes employees like accountants, lawyers, and programmers, as well as the policies, processes, and technologies that all your employees use every day. Identifying and solving these problems has the potential to dramatically increase sales and decrease costs.




271 pages, with a 4.4-star rating from 72 reviews



Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $1.99!

Expendable (League of Peoples, 1), by James Alan Gardner.

In the 25th century, under the leadership of the League of Peoples, war and crime are a thing of the past and life is held sacred. That is, as long as you're healthy and beautiful. But those who are deformed, flawed or misfit in any way are destined - or is "doomed" a better word? - to become Explorers, crews assigned to probe worlds so hostile, the chances of returning are somewhere between slim and none.

In EXPENDABLE, the first volume of the League of Peoples, Festina Ramos is assigned to escort an unstable admiral to planet Melaquin. Little is known about Melaquin, for every explorer who's landed there has disappeared. It's come to be known as the "planet of no return," and the High Council has made a habit of sending troublesome admirals there in an attempt to get rid of them. It's clear that this is intended to be Ramos' last mission, but she doesn't plan on dying, no matter how expendable she may be. 

pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 81 reviews

The next six books in the series are available for under $4 each; series shown in order below.




Here's today's Daily Youth Deal, available for $1.99!

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt.

“Librarians often say that every book is not for every child, but The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp is” (The New York Times). Meet Bingo and J’miah, raccoon brothers on a mission to save Sugar Man Swamp in this rollicking tale and National Book Award Finalist from Newbery Honoree Kathi Appelt.

Raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah are the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts. The opportunity to serve the Sugar Man—the massive creature who delights in delicious sugar cane and magnanimously rules over the swamp—is an honor, and also a big responsibility, since the rest of the swamp critters rely heavily on the intel of these hardworking Scouts.

Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn is not a member of any such organization. But he loves the swamp something fierce, and he’ll do anything to help protect it.

And help is surely needed, because world-class alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch wants to turn Sugar Man swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and the troubles don’t end there. There is also a gang of wild feral hogs on the march, headed straight toward them all.

The Scouts are ready. All they have to do is wake up the Sugar Man. Problem is, no one’s been able to wake that fellow up in a decade or four…

Newbery Honoree and Kathi Appelt’s story of care and conservation has received five starred reviews, was selected as a National Book Award finalist, and is funny as all get out and ripe for reading aloud.

337 pages, with a 4.5-star rating from 61 reviews

Grades 5-8



Happy Reading!

Betsy

Kindle Fire Free App of the Day (August 1, 2014): Sorcery!

Today's Free App of the Day is Sorcery!
Originally $5.00


This is a choose-your-own-adventure type game. You pick a male or female character at the beginning of the game and then choose responses or paths to continue on the adventure. You do turn-based battles against enemies and can cast spells. The graphics, especially the 3D map, are quite lovely. This is a great offering as the Free App of the Day if you like these kinds of games, or even if you don't--it's worth picking up and sending to the cloud in case you want to try one some day. I agree with one reviewer that it would be nice to be be able to access your spellbook within the situations that require a spell. You have to back out to check the spellbook. I actually wrote down the most useful spells in my game journal.

From the product page:

  • Plot your own journey across a hand-drawn 3D world map 
  • Fully interactive story, with 1000s of choices 
  • The story is rewritten on the fly based on how you play 
  • Unique touch-based sword-duelling, with procedurally-generated descriptions of the action 48 magic spells to master, with weird and wonderful effects that change the story. 

Again, the 30 apps that were free yesterday are free again today. Some of them have been free apps of the day before--if you missed them before, here's your chance; some are new. To see all 30, go here.

21 of 29 reviews are four stars and above.

These apps are compatible with the original Fire and with my Fire HDXs. To tell if an app works for your Fire HD or other Android device registered to your Amazon account, click on the above link and look on the right side of the web page.  Amazon will tell you if it will work with your registered device.

Have fun!

Also check out the other digital deals from Amazon, including great deals on MP3s and videos: