Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..

Thank you to all who have donated to AAR. You are the best! It’s another day of Steals and Deals at AAR!


 

The Last Kiss got a pleased B+ from us!

Sally Malcolm is a master of the angsty romance, conveying heightened emotion in a way that feels right for the mood of the story and is never overdone.   The feelings Ash and Harry have for each other are so strongly portrayed that they leap off the page; tenderness, longing, connection and most of all, their unspoken love, are palpable, all skilfully created within the first few pages of the novel and sustained throughout their forbidden love affair.  A real sense of foreboding seeps through the second half of the book as disaster inevitably looms closer; and when it strikes it’s a punch to the gut.

The historical setting is very well realised. The author clearly has considerable knowledge of the period and the story is very firmly grounded in the attitudes and prejudices of the time.  Those prejudices extend beyond sexuality and class, however, as illustrated through the character of Olive, a young woman who, Ash realises, was liberated by the war, freed from stifling social conventions in order to do something useful.  She wants to train to be a doctor, but her parents won’t hear of it, and now the war is over, she’s expected to forget her taste of freedom and return to her pre-war self, a situation experienced by countless young women at the time.

The Last Kiss is an absorbing read that will transport readers to the horrors of the battlefield and the beauty of the idyllic English countryside.  Those who like their historical romance to contain more than a nod towards actual history will enjoy the setting and appreciate the author’s keen eye for detail and social observation.  This is a ‘quiet’ book and the overall tone is perhaps a little sombre, but the central love affair is compelling and heartfelt, and the HEA is well-deserved.

It’s on sale for 0.99 here.


Lady Dearing’s Masquerade also got a B+ from us.

I enjoyed Lady Dearing’s Masquerade very much. Ms. Greene makes good use of flashbacks to highlight events in Livvy and Jeremy’s past marriages that affect their actions and feelings today with each other. Livvy is very wary of remarriage, given her horrible experience, but she is even more unwilling to jeopardize Jeremy’s work because of her sullied reputation. Jeremy discovered that it is not easy being married to a saint, and much prefers the flawed Livvy, if only he could convince her to take the chance. The scenes with the children are very good; they seemed real children, though occasionally they strayed into Too Precious mode, but not often. However, if you are a person who dislikes children in their romances, this may not be the book for you.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 0.99 here.


Irresistible is a steamy read. (Our review is here.)

Let me say that the first half of the book (consisting mainly of the voyage to France) was both familiar and frustrating, consisting of too many misunderstandings, too much hostility, too much sudden passion – well, just too much of everything. But, for me at any rate, it was worth hanging in there. Karen Robards writes superb love scenes and the two-chapter encounter between Claire and Hugh is nothing less than a knockout. I also have to say that once Hugh and Claire are back in London society, it was almost as if I were reading a different book by a different writer. I liked both Claire and Hugh here, understood who they were, and felt compassion for the situation in which they found themselves. And, while I don’t want to give too much away, Karen Robards surprised me with the truth of Hugh’s identity and I have to say I loved it.

Karen Robard’s also does a good job of bringing just enough emotional complexity to her characters. Claire is married to a cad who seems to subscribe to the just-think-of-England approach to sex and her awakening to passion is a believable one. Hugh is a sexy, strong, and appealing hero – or at least he is once he accepts the truth of Claire’s identity. And that is an important caveat. During the first half of the book, Hugh was definitely treading in mean hero territory and, like a lot of readers, that’s a place I just don’t want to go. I should also say that Claire has a pretty good reason to be angry with Hugh here, and I think it’s an anger a lot of readers will share.

But with those caveats, overall I found Irresistible to be an adult, sexy story of two people I came to like. And, though it is clearly not a book for everyone, readers who can handle a little moral ambiguity on the way to the greater good (and who don’t object to a little judicious page-skimming during that rough first half) will probably rate it as an enjoyable and worthwhile read.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 1.99 here.


Looking for a thrilling read? Peter Swanson is here for you. (Our DIK review is here.)

Kate Priddy’s life is a mess. The brief bouts of anxiety she experienced all throughout her childhood have morphed into debilitating panic attacks. True, she survived her psychotic ex-boyfriend’s attempts to end her life, but just barely. She’s having trouble eating and sleeping, and the idea of going about her daily life is more than she can cope with. Then, Corbin Dell, a cousin she’s never met, reaches out to her via email with a proposition that could change everything. He proposes the two of them swap apartments for six months.

At first, Kate isn’t sure this is a good idea. She can’t imagine living in Boston on her own, but life in London isn’t working for her either, so she eventually agrees. She’ll take up residence in Corbin’s fancy Beacon Hill apartment. Perhaps she’ll take a few art classes to help pass the time, but whatever she decides to do, at least she’ll be in a place that doesn’t hold terrifying memories of her abduction which ended in the suicide of her mentally unstable ex.

For his part, Corbin can’t wait to return to London. He spent some time there during his university days, and no city has ever felt like home to him in the way London does. Kate’s small flat can’t compare with his luxurious apartment, but that’s a small enough price to pay. He’s got a good job now, and maybe he’ll be able to lay a few of his ghosts to rest.

Readers might think it’s only Kate who has demons, but this is definitely not the case. Corbin Dell has a secret past, one he’ll do almost anything to keep hidden. He’d hoped to leave it behind him in London when he moved to Boston, but his secrets followed him there… meaning that now Kate is right in their path.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 1.99 here.


You can see all our current deals at our Amazon storefront here.

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