I’ve been on vacation in the Blue Ridge mountains with extremely erratic wi-fi. But I’m back! I am, by the way, noticing a new thing at Amazon. They appear to be bumping the price of popular daily deals to 4.99 rather than 3.99. You’ll see that reflected in the deals I post here.

I do really love this book. It’s so over the top but whoa! Virgin hero! Cool medical plot! Botany! In our B+ review, our reviewer described it thusly:

Widow Grace Paget wakes up from a laudanum-induced sleep to find herself strapped to a table and in the company of a madman. After wandering around Bristol looking for the cousin who failed to pick her up from the coaching inn, she was kidnapped by two nasty specimens who took her for a prostitute. Grace thought her life as a poor relation in her cousin’s household after the death of her husband was going to be difficult. Now she finds that her role is to be mistress to a madman. But, though Matthew looks a bit wild, there is intelligence and compassion in his eyes. Will he help her escape her prison?

Matthew, Marquess Sheene, has been imprisoned by his eeeee-vil uncle Lord John for 11 years, since he contracted a brain fever. When Matthew recovered months later, he had to learn to talk, walk, read and write all over again. He also learned that his uncle had him declared insane and has been running the marquisate in Matthew’s stead ever since. Even though Matthew is now in good health, Lord John keeps him imprisoned, guarded by ruthless jailers, and subjected to quack medical treatments prescribed by doctors bribed to maintain the insanity diagnosis during their yearly visits.

 

Matthew has made several escape attempts over the years but all ended in failure and more abuse. When the last one a year ago resulted in the deportation to Australia of his old nurse, to whom he had run, Matthew lost some of his will to resist. He has become listless and lost weight. Lord John thinks that what Matthew needs is a woman to perk him up. He has been imprisoned since he was 14 after all, and had no contact with a woman, other than his mute old housekeeper. And Matthew is indeed fascinated by Grace, but refuses to give in to his uncle’s plan. It takes a little while before Grace is convinced that Matthew is not insane and for Matthew to realize that Grace is an innocent victim.

It’s on sale for 1.99 here.

Our reviewer really enjoyed this fairly recent release by Megan Frampton. In her review, Jessica wrote:

I happen to be a big fan of forced marriage stories, and this one is no exception. I am actually very glad the plot went in direction it did, because I didn’t want to read about Thaddeus chasing Jane the whole time while being thwarted by Lavinia. It’s great to see the hero and heroine come together the way they do, and for Lavinia to be an active participant in what goes on in the bedroom.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke is a departure from the often formulaic historical romances, containing an atypical forced marriage and a hero that doesn’t fit the usual molds. It was a great pleasure to read it and I’m excited for the next in the series!!

It’s on sale for 1.99 here.

I love mysteries and this one was a fun read. In my review, I wrote:

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this debut mystery. When I finished it, I thought, Crouch is gunning for Harlan Coben’s audience and she’s done a very good job. Like many of Coben’s stand alone thrillers, Middletide is, at its dark(ish) heart, a love story. Crouch’s prose is more literary than Coben’s but she’s yet to hit his level of fiendish suspense. That said, Middletide is a worthwhile read….

The mystery, for much of the novel, is slippery and the story doesn’t feel any need to demonize any of its characters. This is, oddly enough, a feel good story, with a resolution Coben would cheer. I’ll definitely be reading whatever Crouch writes next and, if you like unusually plotted literary mysteries, you’ll enjoy the time you spend reading Middletide.

It’s on sale for 4.99 here.

There are more deals on our Steals and Deals page here.