Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..
Caz enjoyed this. In her review, she wrote:
Contemporary romances traditionally end at the HEA, and to have a sequel about the same couple is fairly rare. Thankfully, there is no manufactured break-up here, just a lot of questions and adjustments and two people who adore one another trying to work out how far they can be themselves with each other, and what their future might look like. The conclusion Luc and Oliver arrive at is, perhaps, unexpected and unconventional, but it’s the right one for them, and I loved watching them talk things through and realise they’re both on the same page. The final moments had me happy-sighing, and the last line is perfection.
It’s on sale for 1.99 here.
Readers give this historical romance 4.3 stars. (Our mixed review is here.) Our reviewer wrote:
I thought Lucas an interesting hero. Usually when there is an American in an English Regency setting, he is a long-lost relation inheriting a title. Not only is Lucas not inheriting anything, he loathes the English. During the late war, he was imprisoned and treated very badly by English soldiers. He suffers from nightmares and claustrophobia and it is a Big Deal when he realizes he’s falling in love with an Englishwoman.
I liked that, once Amelia and Lucas got past that initial sex scene, they took a step back and did get to know each other. When a hasty, Gretna Greene wedding is thrust upon them, the subterfuge comes to an end and they are now open about the investigation into Dolly’s activities. It still stands between them, but they are both committed to the marriage and to each other. And, once they are married and committed, the love scenes smoke. Sabrina Jeffries tends toward a Hot sensuality level anyway, but Never Seduce a Scoundrel, not counting the first sex scene, is her hottest yet.
It’s on sale for 2.99 here.
I really like this book. It’s angsty, sexy and smart. In our review, our reviewer wrote:
At this point in my romance reading career, it’s not at all uncommon to open a book and see immediately how it will progress. Sometimes, one even gets frustrated with characters who refuse to submit to inevitable, obvious solutions until the bitter end. Consequently, I tend to give major credit to books that avoid obvious problems and easily surmounted obstacles. I would definitely put Three Nights of Sin in this camp.
What’s more, both main characters are genuinely sympathetic, believable, and interesting. Marietta has been dealt a pretty crappy hand, with weak-willed family members who are completely unable to help themselves. Yet instead of moping around feeling sorry for herself, she acts – doing everything she can to improve her family’s situation. Gabriel is almost irresistible. He’s a self-made man with a mysterious past, contempt for the aristocracy, and a soft spot for servants. He falls in love with Marietta unwillingly, but once he does he is completely loyal to her.
It’s on sale for 1.99 here.
We haven’t reviewed this one, but readers give it high marks. Here’s the blurb:
In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.
As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.
At its heart, Shanghai Girls is a story of sisters: Pearl and May are inseparable best friends who share hopes, dreams, and a deep connection, but like sisters everywhere they also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. They love each other, but each knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other the most. Along the way they face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are: Shanghai girls.
It’s on sale for 1.99 here.