Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..
Three of the books in Herrera’s very good Dreamers series are on sale today. Of this one, we said:
Camilo, or Milo, is a social worker with a heart of solid gold and a sass factor of eleven, while Tom is a billionaire funding a new project through Milo’s agency. Before that relationship is established, though, they happen to have an… er… intimate encounter at a fundraiser and neither can get the other off their minds. When Tom becomes the benefactor to making several of Milo’s professional dreams come true, can the two maintain professional boundaries? Do they need to?
I was charmed by this book from the jump – the book opens with Milo and his favorite colleague at a LGBTQ fundraiser, where they are attending for their boss. Both are social workers and both feel out of place at the $1k-$10k a plate dinner, but they’re – we’re told – working it the best they can. Milo spots a handsome stranger at the bar, quickly discerns he is also gay, and pulls the man towards the bathroom for quite the blow job. No names or numbers exchanged and they were sure to never see each other again.
We know better, though, fellow readers, don’t we?
It’s on sale for 2.99 here.
I very much like Shalvis’ Animal Magnetism series. This one is a fun read!
There are a number of things to enjoy about this book. First, I liked that Parker eventually came clean with Zoe about a lot of his secrets, particularly the fact that he works as a special agent for U.S. Fish and Wildlife and not just a game warden. I’ve seen too many couples almost derailed by one or the other lying about their profession, so it was extremely refreshing to watch as, when prickly Zoe confided in him about an old mistake, Parker responded by letting her know the truth of his occupation.
I also appreciated the detail about each character’s family life, particularly in the form of Parker’s younger sister. She is just turning 18 as the book opens, and has Down syndrome, which has caused a bit of a rift between Parker and his parents. He wants her to feel capable of adventuring outside their hometown, while his parents would rather she stayed in an environment where she was comfortable. This sort of difference of opinion is something found in every family—not a deeply traumatizing backstory, but just a fact of life that gives you a little more insight into someone’s character. Zoe’s difficult relationship with her parents does much the same thing, providing insight without seeming overdramatic or unrealistic.
It’s on sale for 1.99 here.
This one is on my TBR!
It is 1486 and Venice is a wealthy, opulent center for trade. Orsola Rosso is the eldest daughter in a family of glassblowers on Murano, the island revered for the craft. As a woman, she is not meant to work with glass—but she has the hands for it, the heart, and a vision. When her father dies, she teaches herself to make glass beads in secret, and her work supports the Rosso family fortunes.
Skipping like a stone through the centuries, in a Venice where time moves as slowly as molten glass, we follow Orsola and her family as they live through creative triumph and heartbreaking loss, from a plague devastating Venice to Continental soldiers stripping its palazzos bare, from the domination of Murano and its maestros to the transformation of the city of trade into a city of tourists. In every era, the Rosso women ensure that their work, and their bonds, endure.
Chevalier is a master of her own craft, and The Glassmaker is as inventive as it is spellbinding: a mesmerizing portrait of a woman, a family, and a city as everlasting as their glass.
It’s on sale for 2.99 here.
Looking for fluff, very enjoyable fluff? Here you go!
Mars and Clarissa have that classic opposites-attract-and-are-just-what-they-both-need situation – Clarissa needs to learn how to have fun, and Mars needs to stop having so much fun he wakes up in a new place sans cash and his sobriety. They have fun along the way and manage to find tenderness, too. The secondary characters are enjoyable. Gibson, Mars’ butler, immediately became my favorite of them all because he’s so practical and has such a dry sense of humor. Little Dora, naturally, has little personality beyond being sweet and adorable, but she’s a tiny infant and this is forgivable, and the other series heroes pop up briefly. I did wish that Mars’ mother had more nuance to her, but I was willing to tolerate the lack of depth in her characterization since Mars ultimately has to learn to move beyond her and realize not all women are evil, cheating vixens.
His Lessons in Love is light and sprightly, with a few creaky plot points, and well worth a weekend’s reading.
It’s on sale for 1.99 here.