Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..

OK, now I have early Madonna in my head! This book, however, has nothing to do with that great luminary. It’s just a very fun contemp! In our review we wrote:

Julia London’s first contemporary romance is a nice take on the theme of the spoiled heiress who has to learn to fend for herself. Most books that I have read with this storyline were screwball comedies, but Material Girl is fairly serious, although it has its lighter moments. A nice story and very likable characters combine to make this the beginning of what looks like an enjoyable trilogy.

Aaron Lear is a self-made multimillionaire. His wealth has not brought him family happiness though – he is estranged from his wife and his three daughters are not happy in their personal lives. Robin, the oldest, works for Aaron’s company, but her cushy job has no real responsibilities. Rebecca is married to a philanderer while Rachel is a perpetual graduate student. When Aaron learns he has cancer, he decides to make some changes. He takes Robin off her cushy job and pairs her up with Evan, the firm’s acquisition specialist. No more make-work for Robin, she’s going to work hard and have real responsibilities.

Jake Manning is the only good branch on his family tree. His father left them, his mother is bitter, one brother is dead from driving drunk, and the other is in jail for armed robbery. Jake is the responsible, sensible one. He studies architecture while renovating his own home and has a restoration business. While bailing out of one his workers, he meets Robin, who was arrested after speeding, spouting off to the police officer, and leaving her license in her other (Hermes) bag. The two trade insults, and it isn’t until later that Robin realizes the man she insulted at police headquarters is the man who is renovating her house. And she’s not too happy about it.

Robin is in a tizzy over her new work responsibilities, especially since she has to work with Evan, with whom she once had an affair. He wants to resume their relationship, but Robin does not. The fact that her father thinks Evan is perfect causes her even more anxieties. While Robin isn’t too happy to discover that Jake is her contractor, they soon settle down. Can the self-made Jake, who counts every penny, be happy with a woman who thinks nothing of flying off to Paris just to eat dinner?

It’s on sale today at Amazon for 2.49 here.


Looking for a can’t put it down mystery? Here you go. In our review we wrote:

I love it when a book captures my interest and just doesn’t let go as this one did. I found myself reluctant to put it down and anxious to pick it up even though I was extremely busy with other things. To me that means I’ve encountered a really terrific read.

In a small resale shop in Italy, Julia Ansdell picks ups a piece of sheet music titled Incendio by a composer unknown to her, Lorenzo Todesco. She’s pleased with the unique find, even if it is a bit pricey, but forgets about it in her reunion with her husband Rob and three-year-old daughter Lily once she gets home. However, once routine is established again Julia settles on the patio with her young daughter playing near her and begins the piece.She loses concentration, though, when her daughter touches her with a bloody hand. Following the disturbing trail of red prints Julia finds their beloved cat killed, with young Lily apparently holding the weapon. Julia is appalled but Rob calms her by saying the child couldn’t possibly have understood what she was doing.

When Julia next attempts to play the piece her concentration is broken when a glass shard is stabbed into her thigh while next to her a young Lily repeats the phrase, “Hurt, Mommy”. This time Julia takes her daughter to all sorts of specialists to determine just what is wrong. But there is another, deeper fear hidden deep within Julia. Her own mother had gone mad when Julia was a young child. Is it possible that is happening to her as well? As the doctors begin to turn their attention from Lily and onto Julia she knows there is only one solution: Return to Italy and trace the roots of the mysterious music which seems to have cast some kind of evil spell on her or her daughter.

In a parallel story, Lorenzo Todesco is a Jewish violinist in 1940s Italy. While his brother grumbles of the horrors in Europe, his father assures the family that his hero Mussolini will never turn on the Jewish people the way Hitler has. Lorenzo agrees with his father and happily ignores all the signs of trouble as he practices for a duet competition with the lovely and fiery cellist Laura Balboni. Both are excellent musicians and their playing together brings them to a level of skill neither has known before. Their talent combined with their haunting composition ensures them an easy victory. Lorenzo is already thinking of what the next step will be in their relationship. But the signs that Lorenzo has so willfully ignored come to a brutal climax on the night of the competition. Has his family waited too long to take action? Are their fates already set to a melody with a tragic crescendo?

I rarely think of the word spooky while I’m reading since I tend to avoid stories that have that trait. This story is spooky and eerie though, with an underlying tension that comes from a sense that somehow are characters are being pursued by pure evil. I knew of course the general form that Lorenzo’s evil would take but I had no clue as to what was happening with Julia. The interspersing of the two plot lines highlighted the apprehension in each, especially as they escalate towards their shattering conclusion. I found myself gripping my Kindle tighter and tighter as I frantically flipped pages trying to get to that conclusion and finally, finally know what was happening.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 2.99 here.


Looking for a fun, well written historical? Claire Delacroix’s The Princess is on sale today! In our review, we wrote:

If you want to hearken back to a time of knights and damsels, of chivalry and bards and tales of true love, The Princess is the book to take you there. Ms. Delacroix spins a lyrical, whimsical story worthy of a bard’s tale. It’s a wonderfully fun read and it simply made me smile.

When Princess Brianna’s home, Tullymullagh, is conquered, the king demands that the princess marry one of the conquering knight’s sons. Brianna is adamant that she won’t; she insists upon marrying only for love. In order to stall for time she demands that all three sons must go on a bride quest. They must find a gift that will make her laugh. Brianna hopes that somehow she can win the castle back for her father while the sons are gone. There’s just one problem – Luc. Luc is the eldest son who has cast off his knight’s armor to be a farmer.

Luc is determined not to go in Brianna’s quest. Instead he stays to tend the castle’s neglected gardens. (This alone really endeared him to me!) From the moment he and Brianna meet, there are definite sparks. She means to upbraid him for not going on the quest and ends up receiving a kiss from him. Their conversations are lively but they also learn a lot about the other, and it’s easy to see the relationship blossoming. This is something I particularly liked about the book – that they open to each other and actually talk. Well-written dialogue like this doesn’t come along every day! As the characters get to know each other, we learn that Brianna may be willful but she is also extremely generous and a romantic. We also learn about Luc’s past as a knight and why he chose to give up that life.

Unfortunately, there are obstacles for the couple to face. Someone is plotting to steal the Rose of Tullymullagh, a treasure that Brianna’s father brought back from his time fighting the Crusades. Someone is willing to kill for it, and that means Brianna’s life is in danger. There is also the smaller problem of Brianna’s quest. She has promised to marry the son who makes her laugh, but soon her heart is pledged to Luc – what’s a girl to do? You’ll have to read the book to find out how that bit turns out.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 0.99 here.


Caz enjoyed this Harlequin Historical. In her review, she wrote:

Sarah Mallory is someone whose work I enjoy, so I was pleased to pick up The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake, a charming, standalone historical romance that warns about the unfairness of judging people based on their reputations rather than by their actions. Our hero may be the most notorious rake, but notoriety and actuality are very different things, and it’s a distinction that our heroine initially fails or refuses to recognise as she jumps to conclusions based on hearsay and her own fears and prejudice….

The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake is, to put it simply, a lovely read.  Russ is a gorgeous hero; handsome and charming of course, but more than that, he’s a decent, caring man who realises that he wants something else from life – and when he finds it, isn’t about to let it slip away.  Molly is generous and warm, but experience has taught her distrust and wariness, and the way Russ gradually breaks down her barriers and gets beneath her skin is extremely well done.  Their romance develops over time, and there’s a real sense of their discovering something new about one another with each subsequent meeting.  The ending is just a tad contrived, with Russ jumping to unfortunate conclusions of his own, but that’s a minor criticism of what is essentially a tender, emotionally satisfying love story that deserves a recommendation.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 1.99 here.


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