Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..

We’re having a fun discussion at AAR about our favorite holiday romances. This might be mine. Caz loves it too–here’s her review.

 

This Wicked Gift is, I believe, Courtney Milan’s first published work, and is an introductory novella to her Carhart books. In it, Miss Lavinia Spencer is caring for her sick father and her younger brother as well as running their family business, a circulating library. Money is incredibly tight, but Lavinia has been scrupulously saving pennies here and there, because she wants her family to have a wonderful Christmas complete with a goose, spices for mulled wine and the few other trimmings they can afford.

But the money she has worked so hard to scrape together is lost when her younger brother James uses it to buy into a fraudulent business venture – and even worse, he owes ten pounds to the man who has cheated him.

The conversation in which James confesses his predicament is overheard by one of the library’s regular customers, Mr William White, who has, unbeknownst to her, been hankering after Lavinia for the last year. William has come down in the world – an inheritance he had hoped for seems farther away than ever, and he makes a pittance working as a clerk in the offices of the curmudgeonly Marquess of Blakely. He’s tired and he’s bitter, and when he sees the chance to have something he desperately wants, the chance to have one bright memory amid the drudgery of his daily existence, he grabs it, no matter that it’s completely underhand and dishonourable. He finds out to whom James’ debt is owed, buys up the note of hand, even though it practically beggars him to do it, and then proceeds to – he thinks – blackmail Lavinia into his bed.

He has no idea that Lavinia is just as smitten with him as he is with her, or that she has other options for paying the debt. Even as he seduces her with a great deal of care and tenderness, he hates himself, telling himself that what he is doing is despicable – but he does it anyway. I’m sure this is a bone of contention for many, the hero of a romance forcing the heroine to have sex with him, but the point is that Lavinia is not coerced or forced – she wants to make love with William, and also to show him the value of those things that can’t be bought with money. The fact that he’s a despairing and bitter man who has lost his way in life – and who loathes himself so thoroughly for what he does – that it’s almost impossible not to feel sorry for him.

 

It’s on sale at Amazon for 0.99 here.


This recent release got a DIK from us.

 

I generally like second-chance romances; the idea of a couple facing up to and addressing the misunderstandings and misconceptions that led to the breakdown of their relationship and finding their way to a new, stronger and more mature one is what draws me in, and Ava Wilder does a spectacularly good job with this one. As in How to Fake it in Hollywood, the author explores the negative sides of fame and celebrity culture and the danger of falling for a co-star, showing that neither Shane nor Lilah was really prepared for the way their lives would change once Intangible became such a hit, and how Lilah, especially, hated the idea of their relationship becoming gossip fodder. The chemistry between Lilah and Shane is some of the most intense I’ve ever read, and there’s a palpable undercurrent of tension running throughout the book as we get to know them and how they see each other, and as they both realise that there’s still the potential for much more than a good working relationship between them.

Will They or Won’t They is an emotional, heartfelt romance between two people who have to grow up a bit to realise they’re made for each other, and I was glued to it from start to finish. The ending does feel a little rushed, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of it and putting it straight on the keeper shelf. Highly recommended.

 

It’s at Amazon for 2.99 here.


This is also a DIK at AAR

 

I had so much fun reading The Love Wager. It has the wonderful humor I’ve come to love from Painter’s stories and I could feel the sparks fly between Jack and Hallie. It’s a terrific romcom.

Jack and Hallie meet at Colin and Olivia’s wedding (from Mr. Wrong Number) where Hallie is bartending to earn extra cash to pay off her student loans. After Jack’s jealous date loses her temper and throws wine on Hallie, Jack and Hallie end up having a one night stand. Despite enjoying themselves, they decide to just be friends but are soon surprised to see they have matched on a dating app, Looking4TheReal (which Jack snarkily refers to as the Soulmate-Home-Shopping-Network app). They decide to be friends and help each other find their soulmates. And, yes, they make a wager on who can find true love first.

Hallie is looking for someone who likes her more than anyone else in the world. She calls the night at the hotel with Jack her “Rock Bottom Night” because she literally snuck out by crawling out the door and didn’t even know his last name. She isn’t interested in dating someone she had a one night stand with so she signs up for the dating app.  Jack tells her he’s ready for someone important in his life. He knows he doesn’t “get” relationships as well as he might. For example, he couldn’t see that he and his ex didn’t have much in common. He’s realized he was in love with the idea of being in a relationship and wanted to be in one so bad. He still wants to find that person and he thinks he could use some help doing so.

 

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.


And here are a few we haven’t reviewed, but we think you’ll like.

Jayne Ann Krentz’ Sleep No More is 1.99 here.

Convenient Christmas Brides by Carla Kelly, Louise Allen, and Laurie Benson is 1.99 here.

Christmas in Cumbria, 1045 pages of holiday historical love stories is 0.99 here.


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

As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn a very small percentage of whatever you buy using our links. And remember, we get a percentage of EVERYTHING in your cart when you’ve begun your shopping with our links. That tiny sliver of money is what enables us to stay on line, so please, visit our links and click through to Amazon. Thanks!

 

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