Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..
We ADORED this Les Miz retelling. In our rave review, our reviewer wrote:
If I think back to my teenage years, it’s almost a guarantee that the lovely soundtrack for Les Misérables will be the backdrop for my memories. I never got around to reading the book, but I adored everything about the musical. So it should come as absolutely no surprise that I was thrilled to bursting when I learned that Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell had penned a retelling of this iconic story. The fact that this version takes place on a faraway planet five hundred years in the future worried me a bit, but it didn’t take long for my fears to be laid to rest. Sky Without Stars, the first installment in the System Devine series, was everything I wanted in a retelling and more.
Before I get into discussing the actual story, I want to assure potential readers that familiarity with the original novel is not a requirement for picking up Sky Without Stars. As someone who knows the story backwards, I was able to identify and appreciate the authors’ nods to the original, but you’ll be able to follow this tale with no trouble regardless….
What follows is an utterly addictive tale unlike anything else I’ve read in recent years. It’s filled with a hint of romance, a ton of political intrigue, and fantastic world building that transports the reader to a place and time never before encountered. The book is almost 600 pages long, but the story moves at a steady pace, and I was surprised how quickly I flew through it.
I loved the bits and pieces of Les Misérables lore I found woven through this story. The authors are telling their own tale for sure, but they do a fantastic job paying homage to the original in the process. They’re able to breathe new life into this classic story while being respectful of its roots, and I’m one-hundred percent in favor of the result.
It’s on sale for 2.99 here.
Looking for a good time. Annika Martin’s Billionaire series is just that. In our review of this one, we said:
The Billionaires of Manhattan are a mixed bag of above-average (Breaking the Billionaire’s Rules), good (Most Eligible Billionaire), and great (The Billionaire’s Wake-Up Call Girl). I enjoyed the humorous, borderline ridiculous set-ups of those three, and The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée evokes a similarly ludicrous, just-go-with-it vibe. Martin does an excellent job keeping the tone of the series light and frothy (exactly what I like from my billionaire romances), while subtly incorporating powerful messages about female agency, empowerment, and misogyny. Her couples are well-suited with great chemistry, and together they learn important lessons about themselves and each other.
This one is free here.
This gem by Stella Riley is a balm for those who like serious history in their historical romance. In our review, we wrote:
The novel proper begins at a gentlemen’s club, where the Marquis of Amberley is engaged in fleecing young Robert Dacre in a game of cards. While most present disapprove heavily, Amberley’s friends know that he is only about to teach the young man a well-needed lesson, and deplore the mixture of arrogance and levity that makes Amberley impervious to what the world thinks of him. The witness most upset is Lord Philip Vernon, fiancé of Dacre’s sister Isabel. Philip and Amberley quarrel, then Philip lends Robert the £3000 he needs to pay his gambling debts. The next morning, Amberley receives Robert only to cancel the debt. When Robert realises that Amberley will not tell anyone of this, he plans to pocket the money and let Philip and the rest of the ton believe Amberley took it….
Amberley then travels to his country seat. His servants speculate about the fact that he hates being driven and insists on the coachman going really slowly. They are attacked by footpads, the coachman is shot, and with a snowstorm arriving, they seek shelter in a nearby manor house. The lady of the house, Miss Rosalind Vernon, readily offers them hospitality. Amberley is immediately struck by her beauty and wit, and shocked to realize that she is blind.
Because of the snowstorm, he and his servants must stay for a couple of days, a fact which delights Amberley because that will give him further occasion to spend time with his delightful hostess. Slowly he understands that she lives in complete isolation and has never been to London because her family – now only her brother – is overprotective of her. Horrified at seeing such a rare spirit caged in like that, he reads books to her, engages her in a snowball fight and finally teaches her to dance.
It’s on sale for 2.99 here.