Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..
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This is a terrific book. In our DIK review, we wrote:
The Diamond Eye is an excellent fictionalized retelling of the life of the legendary Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (called Mila in the book). Lyundmila was an infamously deadly Soviet sniper (incidentally, born in Kiyv) who is credited with killing over 300 Nazis during World War II. She was so good at her job, she earned the nickname “Lady Death.”
The Diamond Eye tracks Mila’s determination to learn how to shoot alongside her life as a single mother trying to deal with her divorce and parent her son, Rostislav (Slavka). A difficult relationship with her mother pops into frame, as does a nervy, unsettled goodwill visit to America that feels ripped out of today’s headlines. I do know that Mila’s friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt was the real deal, and it’s quite a highlight of the book. Quinn does well blending fact into fiction, and the brew is pretty entertaining. There’s a lot of action and an intriguing spy plot that definitely works well.
The story moves from war-torn Russia to the elegance and glitz of postwar America. I am not entirely sure if Mila’s epic love affair with Kostia, a fellow soldier who serves as her partner in the field, is a hundred percent true to life, but Quinn definitely makes him feel like a part of Mila’s emotional landscape. Her truest love is Slavka, and this stays consistent throughout the novel.
Mila is a fabulous central figure. Warm, tough, playful, heartbroken and uncompromising, sometimes all at the same time, she is a wonderful person to follow around. The Diamond Eye combines a war narrative with an assassination plot and Mila’s domestic concerns (and the romance, which is a very nice bonus).
Overall, The Diamond Eye thrills its readers and gives them a heroine worth rooting for. It gets high marks for that alone.
You can get it at Amazon for 2.99 here.
We haven’t reviewed this one but it’s Alexis Hall. It’s got to be worth 1.99! Here’s the blurb:
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
It is the year 1814, and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider, and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers.
Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape.
However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if that means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgiana Landrake—a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”—who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs.
With the Duke’s help, Miss Mitchelmore delves into a world of angry gods and vindictive magic, keen to unmask the perpetrator of these otherworldly attacks. But Miss Mitchelmore’s reputation is not the only thing at risk in spending time with her new ally. For the reputed witch has her own secrets that may prove dangerous to Miss Mitchelmore’s heart—not to mention her life.
It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.
This is an older book by Heath. In our review we said,
As the book opens, we meet Archibald Warner, the new Earl of Sachse. The previous earl was Arch’s distant cousin, who, dying without living male issue, passed his title on to the unwilling Arch, a provincial school teacher. Camilla Warner is the Countess of Sachse, the former earl’s widow. She has been teaching Arch the ins and outs of the Duke of Marlborough Set, as they call the world of the nobility. It is immediately obvious that Arch is in love with Camilla. However, Camilla rejects his advances with obvious snobbery; she intends to marry a duke, preferably an old one who will leave her a fortune. And besides, she’s barren, and Arch must have a wife who will give him an heir. She plans to help Arch find that wife, and hopes that Arch will help her land a rich duke.
Arch is a lovely character. He’s an ordinary man who is uncomfortable with his new rank and privileges; he preferred his old life, and knows he can never return to it. I preferred Camilla when I thought she was a snob. But we learn that Camilla is actually an angel. She has spent years devoting her life to poor children, sometimes at risk to herself, and in such a way that she gains no credit for it. She is a selfless, heroic, gallant … I could go on. Generally speaking, saintliness in a heroine is a hard quality for me to warm up to. Camilla also has a Very Big Secret, one which she cannot tell anyone, ever, even though only a complete ninny wouldn’t realize that Arch is the perfect person to tell.
So at first I was not very pleased; I felt thought Camilla was too good to be true, and that the conflict between her and Arch (the secret) felt artificial. There’s also a really exasperating chapter in which Arch teaches Camilla to roller-skate. This becomes a clunky and heavy-handed metaphor for their relationship – an apt example of what a literature professor of mine used to call “The Louisville Slugger approach to symbolism.”
But Heath managed to reel me in. The two go to the country together. First they visit his family, where Camilla sees Arch’s worthy but humble beginnings. Then they go to his estate, a massive country house, where Camilla hosts an elaborate house party. There is no suspense plot to get in the way of the relationship between Camilla and Arch, and the shows how well these two compliment each other, and how very much they have to learn from each other. I liked the way Camilla’s Big Secret is discovered. I loved the way, after this happened and the two acknowledged their attraction, the conflict didn’t just go away, but continued to became more and more painful for the couple. The emotional intensity grows to an aching pitch – surprising, to me, since at first I felt quite uninvolved.
And especially, I adored the way the conflicts between Arch and Camilla are resolved. This book is one of the very, very few romances I’ve read with a real surprise ending. I did not see it coming, and I love that feeling.
It’s available at Amazon for 1.99 here.
Readers love love love Carla Kelly. This one is a DIK at AAR.
Kelly’s tale of two tortured survivors finding love and comfort together is beautiful, touching, and often very funny. As always, she creates endearing characters and stories that go places far deeper than the usual courtship stories.
Susannah Park has lived a life of retirement and disgrace since her return to England following the death of her husband in India. Her family can no longer go about in society and Susannah is never allowed to forget that they carry this burden due to her scandalous elopement. She spends her days visiting her elderly godfather, painting specimens at the Royal Gardens, and tending to her young son. When she learns that her father intends for her to escort the winner of the Copley Medal around town during his stay at the family home, she is terrified at the prospect of venturing out into society once more.
James Trevenen is none too thrilled at the prospect of a stay in London either. A triumphant return from being marooned on a desert island has not dimmed his painful memories of the shipwreck that sent him there since his island was no paradise. When he meets Mrs. Park, he is drawn to her intelligence, good humor, and decency, but fears he will be poor company.
The author mixes the darkness of the characters’ memories with the humor of everyday life in London. Her characters suffer, but they also maintain their wit. James and Susannah are brave, yet painfully vulnerable, and their characters seem very real. The depth of the characterization in this novel gives the romance a poignant quality it would not otherwise have. The story is at times witty and even laugh-out-loud funny, but this humor is tempered with deep emotion in almost equal measure.
It’s at Amazon for 2.99 here.
This is a fairly recent Roberts. We gave it a B+.
Caitlyn Sullivan has grown up as a member of one of Hollywood’s most distinguished families, played her first movie role as an infant, and has never looked back. Her parents, grandparents, and even her great-grandparents are known world-wide, and Caitlyn just assumes her life will play out pretty much the same way.
Unfortunately, when Caitlyn is ten, she is abducted from her family’s ranch, and though she manages to escape before she’s badly hurt, the trauma of the experience will remain with her for a long time to come. The one bright spot in the situation turns out to be twelve-year-old Dillon Cooper who discovers the terrified Caitlyn not long after she escapes her captors. His mother and grandmother help reunite her with her father, and the two families are bound together in unimaginable ways.
As you might expect, the trauma doesn’t end there. Someone very close to Caitlyn turns out to be the mastermind behind her kidnapping, and all manner of chaos results from that discovery. Caitlyn and her father eventually move to Ireland where she can slowly begin to heal from all she’s been through. The road to emotional recovery is a long one, and the memory of Dillon’s gentle kindness is one of the things that helps Caitlyn get past everything she’s endured.
We then skip ahead a number of years. Caitlyn has returned to the ranch. In many ways, she’s managed to put the past behind her, acting in several successful films, making friends, and even dating a bit, but there are those who are unwilling to let her live in peace. Someone out there is determined to make her pay for messing up the long ago abduction, and it will take everything Caitlyn and her family possess to keep this person from succeeding.
One of this novel’s best features is the phenomenal relationship between Dillon and Caitlyn. They met only briefly as kids, but each had a profound effect on the other’s life. When they’re finally reunited as adults, their deep feelings are plain to see, even if neither is immediately sure whether acting on those feelings is a wise idea. They start out as friends, and it’s a true joy to watch that friendship turn to something more. They complement each other so well, and their chemistry is fantastic, even if they don’t act on it until the second half of the novel.
Nora Roberts excels at creating family bonds that feel completely authentic, and Caitlyn and Dillon have amazing families. There’s something so warm and comforting about the relationship dynamics that exist between the various characters. It’s not that people never disagree with one another; it’s more that even in the face of some serious arguments, the reader never doubts the love these people feel for each other.
It’s at Amazon for 2.99 here.
We gave this standalone by SEP a C+ but it is a SEP which, for many of us, means it’s still worth a read.
Georgie York and Bram Shepard first met eight years earlier when they were the stars of the Skip and Scooter show. Georgie loved the character Bram played on the show, but eventually came to hate the man when the cameras turned off. Bram was a self-centered, destructive man, who ruined the hit show and his career before their characters could marry and have children.
Despite being wildly rich and having a wonderful group of friends, Georgie is struggling with her life. After starring in two failed films, with a third bomb about to be released, her career is a mess. Her love life is even worse. Her husband left her for a do-gooder gorgeous movie star who is now pregnant with his child (and, yes, the similarities to Brangelina are definitely there), despite the fact that he refused to have with Georgie the children she longed for. Trailed by the paparazzi, Georgie is sick of being the much-pitied victim by her fans and the media.
A series of strange events in Las Vegas lead to Georgie and Bram getting married. Instead of getting an instant divorce, Georgie decides this is her opportunity to become something other than an object of pity. She offers Bram a great deal of money to stay married to her for a year and play the faithful husband.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has written some of my favorite heroes. This time, it’s Georgie who is at the center of the book. We know much more about her than we do about Bram, and this was a problem for me. Much of what we know about Bram we learn through Georgie’s eyes which is almost totally the image she’s retained from his younger self. We really don’t know what Bram is like now, or what his motivations are, for a long time. It’s apparent that he has his own reasons for agreeing to the fake marriage, but they remain a mystery for a large portion of the book.
I didn’t have problems with the fact that both characters were using each other for sex for a good part of the book. I also didn’t mind all of the sniping and arguing Georgie did with Bram – she has real reasons for being angry with him. But, I would have liked more of a real romance a bit sooner. That being said, I loved the ending and felt it fit perfectly for the people the two had become.
It’s available here for 1.99.
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