Kicking back with that new Kindle? Got some Amazon gift cards to cash in? The Clean Indie Reads 12 Days of Fiction Book Event has just what you need: 40 titles - multiple genres - sure to keep you reading through the winter. All books are discounted, some are FREE. The theme is family drama because, hey, we've all got some, especially through the holidays. Choose from romance, mystery, YA, paranormal, fantasy, historical fiction, and more. And you can count on our assurance that all titles are flinch-free, meaning free of overt sexuality, graphic violence, and questionable language. Please check all prices before hitting the buy button. It's the individual author's responsibility to confirm her discounts with Amazon and other sellers. This blog and Amazon are not responsible for prices. Don't delay! Sale runs from December 26 through January 6.
***
Ino's Love, a short story, by Marianne Sciucco, FREE via InstafreebieSometimes the people who love us best are not family.
Elderly Ino prepares a delicious Italian Christmas feast for her successful CEO son, but when he's too busy to spend the holiday with his mother she shares her dinner and gifts with her home health aid. A heartwarming story about giving and forgiveness.
Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story, by Marianne Sciucco, .99c on Amazon
What if the person who knew you best and loved you most forgot your face, and couldn't remember your name?
A care facility is everyone's solution for what to do about Sara, but her husband, Jack, can't bear to live without her. He is committed to saving his marriage, his wife, and their life together from the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. He and Sara retired years ago to the house of their dreams, and operated it as a Cape Cod bed and breakfast named Blue Hydrangeas.
Jack has made an impossible promise: He and Sara will stay together in their beautiful home no matter what the disease brings. However, after nine years of selfless caregiving, complicated by her progressing Alzheimer’s and his own failing heart, he finally admits he can no longer care for her at home.
With reluctance, he arranges to admit her to an assisted living facility. But, on the day of admission, Sara is having one of her few good days, and he is unable to follow through. Instead, he takes them on an impulsive journey to confront their past and reclaim their future. In the end, he realizes that staying together at any cost is what truly matters.
***
'Tis the Sneezin': A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery, by Ava Mallory, 99c on Amazon
Traveling nurse Mercy Mares is up to her eyeballs in donations for the town's annual holiday celebration. Every nook and cranny of her house and all of her friend's and neighbor's houses are overflowing with gifts for ill children in her local hospital. It's all she can do to keep track of what is what and who is who. On the night that she and her merry band of helpers are to deliver these gifts, everything, including gifts she bought for her loved ones, simply disappear without a trace. Now, Mercy has to find the thief before those who appointed her this year's Mrs. Claus find out that they're missing and dozens of children are left disappointed. Enlisting the help of her reluctant loved ones, Mercy has a humdinger of a mystery to solve in a flash in order to save Christmas. This is Volume 7 of the A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Series. Each book is a standalone.
***
Come Eat at My Table, by Ruth O'Neil, 1.99 on Amazon
Karin is a woman with a past. About the time she thinks no one will ever know, it comes back to haunt her. The deeper she tries to push it away the more prominently it returns. Forgiveness is a word that isn’t in her vocabulary as far as the people from her past are concerned. She thinks she's fine until someone from her past shows up unexpectedly forcing her to think about what happened. With the help of her family and other people around her she realizes that she must learn to forgive, even if forgiveness wasn't asked of her.
***
Belonging, by Ruth O'Neil, 1.99 on Amazon
Shelly never saw the need for companionship outside of her father and Professor Yates. Now her father is gone and Professor Yates is pushing her to step out her front door, out of her comfort zone. Then there’s Jay. His comfort zone includes the entire universe and he is bound and determined to drag Shelly along with him.
In honor of her father’s memory, Shelly picks up one of their old pastimes, genealogy. She figures it would be nice to know where she came from. It would be nice to belong. What would it feel like to belong?
Everyone seems to have a place in the world where they belong. Except Shelly.
***
Victory Song, by Ruth O'Neil, 1.99 on Amazon
The United States is a country at war. Andy sees enlistment as an opportunity to get away from the farm life he so desperately hates. During his three year enlistment in the army Andy finds out who he really is and who God is. He learns what it is to have a true relationship with the Lord. Along with Andy’s spiritual growth is the growth of a nation, a nation that is stronger as a whole.
***
The Movement of Crowns, First in the Movement of Crowns series, by Nadine C. Keels, FREE on Amazon
Is it the perfect or the worst time for the kingdom to...change? The nation of Diachona rejoices as the king's daughter and heir, Constance, turns twenty. Yet, not everyone approves of Constance’s desire to sit on the National Council: a Council run solely by men. What’s more, oppressive threats from a neighboring, powerful empire are rousing the people’s fears. Amid rumors of war and personal doubts about her future, Constance suspects that her growing love for one Commander Alexander may be ill-timed. Especially if this is the end of the kingdom as they know it...
***
Yella's Prayers, by Nadine C. Keels, .99 on Amazon
She awoke with a gasp, sitting up. "God? Was that You?"
A pivotal year awaits Bless, a young woman who hides her passion: her music. She’s not exactly friends with T’meal, a talented athlete who won’t explain why he’s passed up the chance of a lifetime. Nor is Bless too close to Lamall, a boisterous playboy with a broken private life that’s spiraling out of control.
But Bless knows she’s meant to help these two young men. She can’t deny the Voice that told her so.
A coming of age story of compassion, the awakening of love, and knowing when it’s time to step out of the shadows and shine.
***
The Rebellious One, by Jeanette Lewis, .99c on Amazon
***
The Man in the Yellow Jaguar, by Julie L. Spencer, .99c on Amazon
Love at first sight may exist in fairy tales, but not usually from across a parking lot.
When Allison feels drawn to a mysterious man in shades and a baseball cap driving a yellow Jaguar, she can’t get him off her mind.
But Charles Davison is the only guy around who drives a yellow Jaguar, and he’s the owner of the resort where Allison works. Charles is twice Allison’s age and doesn’t share her values. Yet, somehow they connect and fall in love.
The night Allison accepts his proposal, she meets Charles’ son. What starts as a celebration, ends in a heated argument between father and son, and the woman who threatens to take the place of C.J.’s deceased mother.
As the wedding date looms closer, Allison’s doubts increase and the relationships between the men become more and more complicated. Will they make it to the altar? Or will tensions come to a head when they need each other most?
***
Crosswinds: Past, Present and Future Combine, by April D. Brown .99c on Amazon
As a cultural anthropologist, Terra is always outside, looking in. After studying and recording hundreds of cultures around the world, she thinks she lives to record the past, to save it for the future. Her winter reprieve in a tiny village of mixed heritage families should be no different. Terra expects these life stories of the elders to be simple and routine.
Only. Never before has she been expected to participate in the village life. Sure. She's rocked a baby, cooked a meal, shared memories. No more. No true connection to anyone. Not in a village. Not in Boston. Only one person she calls a friend.
This tiny village of people stuck between cultures is different. Their fragmented stream of life sweeps her off her feet, and threatens all she knows of her own past, and future. Some members wish the whole village to flounder on the border of the only homeland they know. She must tame the stream back into its banks, and strengthen it for the future. Terra risks her past, future, and one friendship in the world, to try to rescue this village. And the children she has begun to call her own.
***
Coffee, Tea, and Gluten Free: Learning to Live Gluten Free, by April D. Brown .99c on Amazon
Learning to live gluten free isn't easy in a world that keeps gluten at their fingertips day in and day out. Gluten is everywhere we turn. In food, on food, in plastic gloves, between plastic bags, stamps, envelopes, and more than anyone every dreamed of.
Tammy had been raised since a toddler safe on a farm without access to gluten. Her mother and Erin kept gluten away, knowing the dangers. At age eighteen, Tammy wanted to leave the farm. Her first job immersed her in a gluten filled environment handling fried chicken for six hours a day.
Erin watched not so calmly from the only home she could remember. The place where the family grew their own vegetables and meat, to safely avoid gluten in all their foods.When Tammy showed signs of gluten poisoning, Erin had to step forward again to save them both. To find a hope and a future together, in a world where people would never understand them. They unearth forgotten family secrets, and cement the ties that bind them.
Society isn't ready for them. They couldn't join in a potluck at work, or other events. Too much risk of gluten. Even using a communal microwave could give them gluten. They'd have to avoid simple activities that no one would think of, where flour, gluten, pasta, or bread were common ingredients.
Together, they'd find a way to forge a future without gluten in a world bent on adding it into every known substance.
***
Amber, a trained seismologist, looks forward to a high school dance, and a summer internship with her mother. Neither occur. She, along with her mother, and other specialists race to determine the cause of a series of unexpected large quakes on unknown, and unsuspected faults in New Mexico.
Alex, a trained volcanologist, dreams of a life away from Kilauea. His first chance to walk on a volcano that hasn't towered over his life under his father's professorship. Except. He didn't expect a volcano to stir to life under his feet in the often forgotten volcanic plains of New Mexico.
Fumeroles emerge as the young specialists race to set up monitoring equipment in places no one thought it would be needed. With the help of their guide, they struggle through the quakes that begin a split in both the continent and society.
A large quake dams the formerly flowing Rio Grande. Amber and Alex beg the military to inform the people so they can evacuate. The military refuses. They set up road blocks, and curfews to maintain order.
Amber and Alex go to the heart of the one place they don't want to be. The gated volcanic plain on a military base. What they discover cannot be held back from the communities.
***
(The Brandon Beach Series Book 1), by Carole Towriss, .99c on Amazon, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Apple
HOPE ARISTOV arrives in Brandon Beach to live in her former home for three months—just enough time to finish out a residency requirement so she can sell the house and not pay capital gains taxes. Then she’s going straight back to Bethesda, Maryland.
As they spend more time together he fights to keep his feelings in check, especially when he learns of a job opening that would suit her perfectly. When he tells her about it, she accuses him of trying to control her life—like everyone else she’s known.
Can Hope take a risk, and open her heart to what God has in store for her? Can Ian do what's best for Hope, and let God take control, even if it means giving her up?
***
From the bestselling collection Falling for You...
Marc Hudson has spent his entire life contently being “the other Hudson brother.” Always in his younger brother’s sports-hero shadow, he finds himself suddenly tasked with caring for Mike’s widow and infant son. When he meets Kendall, he loves that she has no idea who his famous brother is.
Kendall Thornton, RN, is drawn to the quiet man who spends every evening caring—and praying—for his brother’s family. But this job is only a stepping stone on the way to bigger challenges, and she can’t get involved here.
Can he convince her she’s already found what she’s searching for? Can she show him he is special in his own right? Can they both let God show them that He knows them better than they know themselves, and that what He has planned could be even better than what they imagined?
Middle aged Professor Ollie Stratford's been hounded by a psycho realtor, outrun by a bunch of grandma’s, taken advice from sock puppets, stuck in a brimming toilet bowl, and almost run out of college by a drunken professor. How is that for her first few days in a quiet little Texas town she never wanted to live in?
Thrust into the middle of a murder mystery with a dwindling pile of cash and very few leads, Ollie starts digging. Along the way, she teams up with an oddball reporter, a dreadlocks flashing lawyer, a grandma who teaches mixed martial arts, and a stray dog named Bodie. Can she discover the identity of the killer in time or will she end up being the next victim?
If you like cozy mysteries, clever animals, southern charm, and coffee, you'll love Texas Troubles, the first in a fun series of Ollie Stratford Murder Mysteries set in a small Texan Hill Country town, with all its quirky inhabitants.
Marc Hudson has spent his entire life contently being “the other Hudson brother.” Always in his younger brother’s sports-hero shadow, he finds himself suddenly tasked with caring for Mike’s widow and infant son. When he meets Kendall, he loves that she has no idea who his famous brother is.
Kendall Thornton, RN, is drawn to the quiet man who spends every evening caring—and praying—for his brother’s family. But this job is only a stepping stone on the way to bigger challenges, and she can’t get involved here.
Can he convince her she’s already found what she’s searching for? Can she show him he is special in his own right? Can they both let God show them that He knows them better than they know themselves, and that what He has planned could be even better than what they imagined?
***
Texas Troubles: An Ollie Stratford Mystery, Book 1, by N.C. Lewis, .99c on Amazon
Middle aged Professor Ollie Stratford's been hounded by a psycho realtor, outrun by a bunch of grandma’s, taken advice from sock puppets, stuck in a brimming toilet bowl, and almost run out of college by a drunken professor. How is that for her first few days in a quiet little Texas town she never wanted to live in?
Thrust into the middle of a murder mystery with a dwindling pile of cash and very few leads, Ollie starts digging. Along the way, she teams up with an oddball reporter, a dreadlocks flashing lawyer, a grandma who teaches mixed martial arts, and a stray dog named Bodie. Can she discover the identity of the killer in time or will she end up being the next victim?
If you like cozy mysteries, clever animals, southern charm, and coffee, you'll love Texas Troubles, the first in a fun series of Ollie Stratford Murder Mysteries set in a small Texan Hill Country town, with all its quirky inhabitants.
***
Ollie thinks everything is going to be fun and games... until the brawling and fisticuffs amongst the Divas break out. When one of the celebrities ends up dead, and the Sheriff and his deputy leave town for Vegas, Ollie decides justice can't wait.
But the more Ollie digs, the deeper the confusion. Who didn't want this person dead?
If you love action-packed cozy mysteries with a feisty protagonist, you'll love Creek Crisis, the second in a fun series of Ollie Stratford Murder Mysteries set in a small Texan Hill Country town, with all its quirky inhabitants.
***
Immortal Reborn - Arianna's Choice (Children of Angels Book 1), by Natalie D. Wilson, FREE on Amazon
When Alexandria Grace Groaban was a child, she learned she was very different from other children and adults she encountered. She saw and heard things that no child should ever bear witness to. She knew details of things and people long since passed, and she could hear voices and repeat them in whatever language she heard during the scenes which played out before her young and impressionable eyes.
Through an encounter with someone she thought to be her guardian angel, Alexandria was given a reprieve so that she might know some normalcy in her childhood. But at the age of twenty-one, Alexandria returned home to her family’s small estate outside Oxford, England for Christmas, and learned the hard way that her grace period was about to come to an abrupt and vicious end.
Now, whether for better or worse, she will find herself on the edge of a great precipice. One that will call her into action and into a world that she could never have fathomed existed. For Alexandria to know who and what she truly is, she will have to rise to the challenge of a battle that has been waged for millennia by beings first spoken of in Genesis, and embrace that which has lay dormant within her since she was a child.
Courting Cassandry: A Hearts in Autumn Romance, by Joyce DiPastena, .99c on Amazon
Is it too late for second chances when the girl you loved in your youth comes back into your life?
Gerolt de Warenne became guardian to a child-heiress named Cassandry when he was only nineteen-years old. As he watched her grow into a lovely young woman, he found himself falling in love with her, but Cassandry viewed him as an older brother. So, burying his feelings, he gave permission for her to marry another.
Twenty-four years later, Gerolt and Cassandry meet again. With the loss of their respective spouses, Gerolt hopes to finally court Cassandry, but she desires to remain a widow. Instead, they agree to a betrothal of their children. Matters become complicated as their friendship begins to evolve into the romance Gerolt has always wanted. But by the law of the medieval Church, Cassandry and Gerolt can’t marry if their children do. Can they find a way to be together? Or must they sacrifice their future for the love of their children?
Somewhere Still, by Denitta Ward, 2.99 on Amazon
Somewhere Still, a historical fiction book, explores the Roaring Twenties -a time when the rules were clear & made to be broken - through the eyes of a young woman coming of age in Kansas City, and offers a unique window into the history and culture of the city at a turning point in its development. Denitta Ward, author of the Somewhere series, blends history and fiction to tell the story of one young woman's transformative journey of love, betrayal, and redemption.
From the day Jean Ball lands a job at the elegant Empire hotel, modeled on Kansas City's once-famed Baltimore Hotel, she quickly learns the secrets of the entitled class. Dazzled by a Roaring Twenties society on the cusp of radical change, this innocent young woman finds herself dancing, bobbing her hair, and falling for Elden Whitcomb, the handsome son of the wealthy hotel owner. The stakes rise when the Whitcombs' powerful secrets are revealed and loving Elden comes at a price - one that may be too high for Jean to pay.
Shattered and alone, Jean's in the battle of her life in a city alive with romance, smoky speakeasies, jazz music and scandal, but divided by race and class. With the help and encouragement of influential women, Jean may find what she has always needed, though her choices could echo through generations.
Denitta Ward uses historical sites and real events to explore Jean's transformation from an innocent young girl to a self-assured woman, making her way in a society in transition.
Ben the Dragonborn (The Six Worlds Book 1), by Dianne Astle, FREE on Amazon
Few people on earth know the location of a mysterious school where heroes of the past train those who belong to the future. Ben Taylor only learns of the school’s true purpose when he is called into the Principal’s office. Miss Templeton gives him a simple test to see if he is a Chosen of the Guardian. That very day Ben is sent through a portal to a watery world of mermaids and monsters. “Has a mistake been made?” This is the question on everyone’s mind, including Ben’s. Ben’s only chance of success depends on discovering the secret of his own true self in a terrifying world where nightmares come to life.
Ben and the Watcher of Zargon: (The Six Worlds Book 2), by Dianne Astle, 1.99 on Amazon
Grade ten isn’t turning out the way Ben hoped. His best friend is no longer his roommate, but has been replaced by a strange boy who follows Ben everywhere. Jealousy awakens the dragon fire within Ben when the girl he likes returns to school with a boyfriend. That fire and the scales peeking out from under his shirtsleeves are making it increasingly difficult for Ben to keep his secret. Ben needs to go to his mother’s home world to learn how to transform into a dragon. Meanwhile, Ben is changing, and if the training comes too late he is in danger of becoming something that is neither human nor dragon.
A broken mind. A shattered past. A chance to love.
As lead singer of Infusion Deep, Finn should be on top of the world. His band is one of the hottest on the planet. But for the last two years, he hasn’t been able to write a thing. The band is depending on him, but inside he feels broken and alone.
Can a chance meeting help them to heal? Or will their problems lead them both to heartbreak?
**A clean romance with mild language and themes.***This is a complete story and can be read as a standalone.*
When I Wake: Alora Chronicles Prequel , by Lara Ann, FREE on Amazon
Ash, devastated by the recent death of her mother, is finding it hard to cope.Things begin to look up when she meets Bentley. He's been through a lot and together things seem to be improving.Ash has a secret, it has the chance to make or break her.
She confides in Bentley, but has she made a huge mistake?
This story can be read as a standalone. While this book contains no fantasy elements, it is a prequel to the contemporary fantasy series the Alora Chronicles. The first book in the series is Until I Sleep.
Confessions of a Wedding Musician Mom, by Jennifer McCoy Blaske, .99c on Amazon
Missing: Lessons from Fiori - Book 2 (Volume 2), by Peggy M. McAloon, .99c on Amazon
A Difference of Purpose, by Terry Soileau, .99c on Amazon
A DIFFERENCE OF PURPOSE is a civil war novel that tells the story of 12 year old Jonathan Berkeley, a Confederate drummer boy serving with the famous Orphan Brigade, and his uncle and Godfather, Alexander Wythe, an abolitionist lawyer and captain serving in the Union army. They wrestle with God and their own inner demons as they confront devastating personal tragedies and search desperately for faith, love, and meaning in a torn and tragic world of civil war. Captain Wythe is forced to question his faith when confronted with the loss of loved ones, including his wife, Amanda Wythe, and with the human suffering, inhumanity, cruelty and chaos of the American Civil War. This story of loss, sorrow, faith and redeeming love takes the reader on a fast paced journey to the bloody battlefields of Fredericksburg, Stones River, and Chickamauga, and through a tragic world of division and heartbreak. Also, featured in this novel of love and war are Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, the abolition of slavery, the mistreatment of American Indians, and the largest mass execution in American history.
Landry gets pushed into trying out for the American Ingénue reality show modeling competition with her two best friends. She doesn’t think she stands a chance, but she advances to the next level in the competition and her friends ignore her when they get cut.
Enter the gorgeous Devon, who also makes the first cut and includes Landry in her clique. Devon becomes the perfect best friend, but can their friendship survive the competition?
Landry hopes her big break could come at any moment, but soon sees there’s much more to modeling. She begins missing out on being with friends and has the chance to have a boyfriend when she meets a boy named Vladi from another school.
Part of Landry wants to be famous (and have her hair look good for once), but part of her just wants to be accepted. She learns about friendships, being true to yourself, and that a good hair conditioner doesn’t hurt.
The friendship of four ladies is tested when Jazmine Abaya, a foundation worker in Manila struggling to make ends meet, grapples with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy and contends with the father, who refuses to take responsibility. When rich girl Anne Tioleco, a sales executive at a multinational firm, announces to her friends that she is eloping, tensions mount; and social classes, jealousies, and regrets threaten to tear the four ladies apart.
For Emily Baxter, life is simple. Her world is made up completely of school, church, and the community in the small farming town she calls home. All that changes one fateful Sunday, when a new girl shows up at Pleasanton Baptist—a girl unlike anyone Emily has ever seen. A girl with long red hair, crystal green eyes, and style and posture like royalty. A girl named October.
The months that follow are filled with magic—the magic of ordinary things, of finding pictures in the stars, of imagination and a new sense of beauty. But as time goes by, Emily begins to sense that her enchanting new friend may have secrets that could break the spell. Is October really all she seems to be?The months that follow are filled with magic—the magic of ordinary things, of finding pictures in the stars, of imagination and a new sense of beauty. But as time goes by, Emily begins to sense that her enchanting new friend may have secrets that could break the spell. Is October really all she seems to be?
Summer Shadows, by Killarney Traynor, .99c on Amazon
Murder.
Not the typical family vacation.
When Julia Lamontaigne arrives in Franklin, New Hampshire, she's looking for an escape from the tragedies that have taken over her life. Haunted by the legacy of her beloved sister, and entrusted with her sister's three orphaned children, Julia hopes for a summer of peaceful healing... And hopefully, bonding.
At first, the small New Hampshire town seems to be the perfect location. They quickly settle in and make friends with their eccentric neighbors, then begin work on their summer house – while Julia is drawn into a relationship with Robert Wilde, the handsome cop next door.
But Franklin is haunted, too - by the decades-old murder of a beautiful young artist, killed in the house at the end of Julia's street. Even though everyone says that the case is solved, Julia can't escape the feeling that there's more to the story than she’s being told.
She's right.
Someone doesn’t want the murder case re-opened. And they’re willing to kill again to stop it.
The house at the end of the street hasn’t begun to give up its secrets.
Necessary Evil, by Killarney Traynor, .99c on Amazon
Michael Lawrence: The Season of Darkness, by Killarney Traynor, 99c on Amazon
His daughter's in a coma. His marriage is on the rocks. Can Detective Michael Lawrence hold it together long enough to catch a killer?
Beloved music professor Emma Gagnon is dead. It doesn't look like murder... until someone breaks into Emma's office and another body turns up. Soon detectives Michael Lawrence and Nicholas Sohm find themselves drawn into a complex web involving a missing girl, drugs, a popular author, a disappointed man, a grieving widower, a driven student with a past, a drug ring... and a killer who will strike again.
Champion swimmer Aerin Keane is ready to give up her dreams of college swimming and a shot at the Olympics. As she starts senior year in her third high school, Aerin's determined to leave her family troubles behind and be like all the other girls at Two Rivers. She's got a new image and a new attitude. She doesn’t want to win anymore. She's swimming for fun, no longer the freak who wins every race, every title, only to find herself alone.
But when her desire to be just one of the girls collides with her desire to be the best Two Rivers has ever seen, will Aerin sacrifice her new friendships to break a longstanding school record that comes with a $50,000 scholarship?
The Darkest Hour, by Rebecca J. Greenwood, FREE on Instafreebie
When Lady Hester discovers her brother Adam, the Duke of Blackdale, was injured in the Battle of Waterloo, she rushes from Scotland to Belgium to be by his side. Her minister, the widowed Reverend Alasdair Gilchrist, escorts her on the journey. She is determined to keep her brother alive, and to keep her greatest secret: she’s been in love with Mr. Gilchrist for years.
Molly Barda earned her Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from a top-ten doctoral program. After a year of fruitless job-hunting, she finally landed a job at remote Mahina State University (“Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow!”), in rural Hawaii. Teaching resume-writing. In the Business School.
Molly longs for working air conditioning. She sits on a yoga ball because there is no budget for office furniture. Her dean, unwilling to lose paying customers, won’t let her report cheating students.
But Molly’s determined to bloom where she’s planted, enjoy the tropical beauty of her new home, and stay out of trouble until she gets tenure.
Forced to attend the Student Retention Office’s summer retreat, Professor Molly brings her game of buzzword bingo to fend off boredom. When a serial harasser collapses face-first into his haupia cheesecake, the event goes from dull to disastrous.
Now Molly has to fight to keep her best friend out of the worst kind of trouble — and herself off the unemployment line.
If you like Dorothy Parker, P.G. Wodehouse, or E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia stories, you’ll enjoy The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, a tale of passion, pilferage, and petty politics in the middle of the Pacific.
Through an encounter with someone she thought to be her guardian angel, Alexandria was given a reprieve so that she might know some normalcy in her childhood. But at the age of twenty-one, Alexandria returned home to her family’s small estate outside Oxford, England for Christmas, and learned the hard way that her grace period was about to come to an abrupt and vicious end.
Now, whether for better or worse, she will find herself on the edge of a great precipice. One that will call her into action and into a world that she could never have fathomed existed. For Alexandria to know who and what she truly is, she will have to rise to the challenge of a battle that has been waged for millennia by beings first spoken of in Genesis, and embrace that which has lay dormant within her since she was a child.
***
Courting Cassandry: A Hearts in Autumn Romance, by Joyce DiPastena, .99c on AmazonGerolt de Warenne became guardian to a child-heiress named Cassandry when he was only nineteen-years old. As he watched her grow into a lovely young woman, he found himself falling in love with her, but Cassandry viewed him as an older brother. So, burying his feelings, he gave permission for her to marry another.
Twenty-four years later, Gerolt and Cassandry meet again. With the loss of their respective spouses, Gerolt hopes to finally court Cassandry, but she desires to remain a widow. Instead, they agree to a betrothal of their children. Matters become complicated as their friendship begins to evolve into the romance Gerolt has always wanted. But by the law of the medieval Church, Cassandry and Gerolt can’t marry if their children do. Can they find a way to be together? Or must they sacrifice their future for the love of their children?
***
Somewhere Still, a historical fiction book, explores the Roaring Twenties -a time when the rules were clear & made to be broken - through the eyes of a young woman coming of age in Kansas City, and offers a unique window into the history and culture of the city at a turning point in its development. Denitta Ward, author of the Somewhere series, blends history and fiction to tell the story of one young woman's transformative journey of love, betrayal, and redemption.
From the day Jean Ball lands a job at the elegant Empire hotel, modeled on Kansas City's once-famed Baltimore Hotel, she quickly learns the secrets of the entitled class. Dazzled by a Roaring Twenties society on the cusp of radical change, this innocent young woman finds herself dancing, bobbing her hair, and falling for Elden Whitcomb, the handsome son of the wealthy hotel owner. The stakes rise when the Whitcombs' powerful secrets are revealed and loving Elden comes at a price - one that may be too high for Jean to pay.
Shattered and alone, Jean's in the battle of her life in a city alive with romance, smoky speakeasies, jazz music and scandal, but divided by race and class. With the help and encouragement of influential women, Jean may find what she has always needed, though her choices could echo through generations.
Denitta Ward uses historical sites and real events to explore Jean's transformation from an innocent young girl to a self-assured woman, making her way in a society in transition.
***
***
Grade ten isn’t turning out the way Ben hoped. His best friend is no longer his roommate, but has been replaced by a strange boy who follows Ben everywhere. Jealousy awakens the dragon fire within Ben when the girl he likes returns to school with a boyfriend. That fire and the scales peeking out from under his shirtsleeves are making it increasingly difficult for Ben to keep his secret. Ben needs to go to his mother’s home world to learn how to transform into a dragon. Meanwhile, Ben is changing, and if the training comes too late he is in danger of becoming something that is neither human nor dragon.
***
To save his world, the dragonborn King captured a demon and took it to the world of Farne. But the King never returned from that blighted world. Six are chosen to rescue the King, including a former brownie slave named Moses who has no reason to love him. Moses goes with the words ‘let my people go’ singing in his heart. Can the six chosen ones overcome their differences and a half-crazy Watcher’s reluctance to help them? Find out by joining Ben and his companions on a quest that will change each one of them and the world of Farne in this New Adventure of the Dragonborn.
***
Infuse: The Band Book 1, by Lara Wynter, .99c on Amazon
Autumn is not your average twenty-one year old. She often has trouble just leaving her house. The anxiety is like a curse, threatening to pull her under at any time. She uses music to help her cope. The music that helps the most is by one of the worlds top bands – Infusion Deep.
As lead singer of Infusion Deep, Finn should be on top of the world. His band is one of the hottest on the planet. But for the last two years, he hasn’t been able to write a thing. The band is depending on him, but inside he feels broken and alone.
Can a chance meeting help them to heal? Or will their problems lead them both to heartbreak?
**A clean romance with mild language and themes.***This is a complete story and can be read as a standalone.*
***
Ash, devastated by the recent death of her mother, is finding it hard to cope.Things begin to look up when she meets Bentley. He's been through a lot and together things seem to be improving.Ash has a secret, it has the chance to make or break her.
She confides in Bentley, but has she made a huge mistake?
This story can be read as a standalone. While this book contains no fantasy elements, it is a prequel to the contemporary fantasy series the Alora Chronicles. The first book in the series is Until I Sleep.
***
Everyone seems to know what they want to do in life.
Everyone, that is, except for Heather Hershey.
It's just another tiring and stressful day in the life of stay at home mom Heather Hershey when she runs into an college friend. Their simple conversation sparks something deep within Heather and she suddenly finds a new determination to revisit her old dream that was squashed over a decade ago.
But juggling two young kids while trying to navigate a world which is completely new to her turns out to be more of a challenge that Heather imagined, as she makes one hapless misstep after another. Will she finally realize her dream of becoming a professional pianist? Or has she missed her calling and just clutching at straws?
One thing is for sure. Heather Hershey’s life will never be the same again!
***
Kidnapping. Winged Warriors. Magic.
Elle's desperate to find her kidnapped brother. She teams up with the winged warriors from the dimension of Fiori to save him, but JJ isn't the only one in danger. What will Elle sacrifice to bring her brother home? Can she fulfill the ancient prophecy and restore the magic of the Bronze Pendant?
If you like magical realism you will love this action-packed fantasy for middle-grade readers. Elle Burton's goal is to rescue her brother. What she discovers is pure evil. The author provides a female role model who strives to overcome her flaws and inspire kids everywhere.
"Missing" blends the magic of a fairytale with the contemporary realities of the world today's youth inhabit. You will discover a new world order through the journey of a young girl who exhibits both compassion and jaw-dropping courage in her quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Find yourself caught in the ultimate struggle between good and evil. "Missing" is the second book in the "Lessons from Fiori" series.
***
A DIFFERENCE OF PURPOSE is a civil war novel that tells the story of 12 year old Jonathan Berkeley, a Confederate drummer boy serving with the famous Orphan Brigade, and his uncle and Godfather, Alexander Wythe, an abolitionist lawyer and captain serving in the Union army. They wrestle with God and their own inner demons as they confront devastating personal tragedies and search desperately for faith, love, and meaning in a torn and tragic world of civil war. Captain Wythe is forced to question his faith when confronted with the loss of loved ones, including his wife, Amanda Wythe, and with the human suffering, inhumanity, cruelty and chaos of the American Civil War. This story of loss, sorrow, faith and redeeming love takes the reader on a fast paced journey to the bloody battlefields of Fredericksburg, Stones River, and Chickamauga, and through a tragic world of division and heartbreak. Also, featured in this novel of love and war are Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, the abolition of slavery, the mistreatment of American Indians, and the largest mass execution in American history.
***
True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book 1), by Krysten Lindsay Hager, .99c on Amazon
Landry gets pushed into trying out for the American Ingénue reality show modeling competition with her two best friends. She doesn’t think she stands a chance, but she advances to the next level in the competition and her friends ignore her when they get cut.
Enter the gorgeous Devon, who also makes the first cut and includes Landry in her clique. Devon becomes the perfect best friend, but can their friendship survive the competition?
Landry hopes her big break could come at any moment, but soon sees there’s much more to modeling. She begins missing out on being with friends and has the chance to have a boyfriend when she meets a boy named Vladi from another school.
Part of Landry wants to be famous (and have her hair look good for once), but part of her just wants to be accepted. She learns about friendships, being true to yourself, and that a good hair conditioner doesn’t hurt.
***
The friendship of four ladies is tested when Jazmine Abaya, a foundation worker in Manila struggling to make ends meet, grapples with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy and contends with the father, who refuses to take responsibility. When rich girl Anne Tioleco, a sales executive at a multinational firm, announces to her friends that she is eloping, tensions mount; and social classes, jealousies, and regrets threaten to tear the four ladies apart.
***
Firmament: Radialloy, by J. Grace Pennington, FREE on Amazon
The year is 2320.
Andi Lloyd is content with her life as the assistant to her adoptive father, a starship doctor, but her secure world turns upside down when she begins uncovering secrets from her past. When her father mysteriously starts losing his mind, she finds that she can no longer count on him to guide or help her.
With mutiny breaking out on the ship, and two factions desperate for a valuable secret she holds, she must race to help her father and herself before time runs out.
***
October, by J. Grace Pennington, .99c on Amazon
For Emily Baxter, life is simple. Her world is made up completely of school, church, and the community in the small farming town she calls home. All that changes one fateful Sunday, when a new girl shows up at Pleasanton Baptist—a girl unlike anyone Emily has ever seen. A girl with long red hair, crystal green eyes, and style and posture like royalty. A girl named October.
The months that follow are filled with magic—the magic of ordinary things, of finding pictures in the stars, of imagination and a new sense of beauty. But as time goes by, Emily begins to sense that her enchanting new friend may have secrets that could break the spell. Is October really all she seems to be?The months that follow are filled with magic—the magic of ordinary things, of finding pictures in the stars, of imagination and a new sense of beauty. But as time goes by, Emily begins to sense that her enchanting new friend may have secrets that could break the spell. Is October really all she seems to be?
***
Mystery. Romance. Danger.
Murder.
Not the typical family vacation.
When Julia Lamontaigne arrives in Franklin, New Hampshire, she's looking for an escape from the tragedies that have taken over her life. Haunted by the legacy of her beloved sister, and entrusted with her sister's three orphaned children, Julia hopes for a summer of peaceful healing... And hopefully, bonding.
At first, the small New Hampshire town seems to be the perfect location. They quickly settle in and make friends with their eccentric neighbors, then begin work on their summer house – while Julia is drawn into a relationship with Robert Wilde, the handsome cop next door.
But Franklin is haunted, too - by the decades-old murder of a beautiful young artist, killed in the house at the end of Julia's street. Even though everyone says that the case is solved, Julia can't escape the feeling that there's more to the story than she’s being told.
She's right.
Someone doesn’t want the murder case re-opened. And they’re willing to kill again to stop it.
The house at the end of the street hasn’t begun to give up its secrets.
***
My name is Madeleine Warwick and I'm a woman under siege.
Several years ago, a treasure hunting reality show resurrected the long-forgotten tale of Civil War treasure buried on my family's property. Ever since, amateur treasure hunters have been trespassing, invading our land. When their negligence cost my uncle his life, I forged a letter to disprove the treasure's existence. This stopped the hunters – but only for a time. Now they are coming back and, what’s worse, my secret has been discovered.
Arrogant Professor Gregory Randall knows about the forged letter, and he can ruin me with one phone call. But he won’t – as long I let him stay on the property to search for the treasure himself. It isn't easy living in the same house as your blackmailer, and there's more to Randall than meets the eye. He’s convinced there’s something to find, and I’m starting to think he might be right.
But even as we race to find the treasure first, the situation is becoming dangerous. Someone is determined to stop us: and they aren't afraid to use violence to do so. I’m running out of ideas, options, and time, and what’s worse, my blackmailer is the only one I can rely on.
My first defense is the last man I can trust.
***
His daughter's in a coma. His marriage is on the rocks. Can Detective Michael Lawrence hold it together long enough to catch a killer?
Beloved music professor Emma Gagnon is dead. It doesn't look like murder... until someone breaks into Emma's office and another body turns up. Soon detectives Michael Lawrence and Nicholas Sohm find themselves drawn into a complex web involving a missing girl, drugs, a popular author, a disappointed man, a grieving widower, a driven student with a past, a drug ring... and a killer who will strike again.
***
A Zombie Love Story, by Rachel John, .99c on Amazon
A Parody Novella with heart...and brains!
Scarlett Eighty-One is a model citizen and she’s never questioned the perfect world she lives in. Not until the hunky guy in her Geometry class turns his sunken, lifeless, and downright dreamy eyes on her.
Monsters shouldn't exist, but Scarlett can't deny all the strange things happening around her. With the unwavering love of her zombie boyfriend and her amazing intellect, she'll find out the truth and fight for her destiny, even if it means battling clingy werewolves, skeevy vampires, and dancing robots in the process.
***
Eve, First Matriarch, by Angelique Conger, .99c on Amazon
Eve is a mother to us all. Here is her story of longing, anguish, and hope…
Eve wants nothing more than to fulfill God’s two commandments: live in absolute obedience and replenish the earth with her children. But the power of the Destroyer is strong, and when she’s told she has a chance to fulfill the second commandment by breaking the first… she takes it.
Expelled from a garden paradise into a wild, dangerous world, Eve learns that her failure to obey will someday cause her to die. With a limited time to teach Jehovah’s commandments to her children, she’s devastated when the Destroyer starts to lead them astray. Can Eve overcome evil to teach her children obedience and happiness?
Eve: First Matriarch is a reimagined story of the biblical figure of Eden. If you like rich historical fiction, feminine perspectives, and illuminating stories of motherhood, then you’ll love Angelique Conger’s debut novel.
***
Swim Season, by Marianne Sciucco, .99c on Amazon
Sometimes winning is everything.
But when her desire to be just one of the girls collides with her desire to be the best Two Rivers has ever seen, will Aerin sacrifice her new friendships to break a longstanding school record that comes with a $50,000 scholarship?
***
When Lady Hester discovers her brother Adam, the Duke of Blackdale, was injured in the Battle of Waterloo, she rushes from Scotland to Belgium to be by his side. Her minister, the widowed Reverend Alasdair Gilchrist, escorts her on the journey. She is determined to keep her brother alive, and to keep her greatest secret: she’s been in love with Mr. Gilchrist for years.
***
The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, by Frankie Bow, .99c on Amazon
"Follow your dreams, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Because that field’s not hiring.”
Molly Barda earned her Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from a top-ten doctoral program. After a year of fruitless job-hunting, she finally landed a job at remote Mahina State University (“Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow!”), in rural Hawaii. Teaching resume-writing. In the Business School.
Molly longs for working air conditioning. She sits on a yoga ball because there is no budget for office furniture. Her dean, unwilling to lose paying customers, won’t let her report cheating students.
But Molly’s determined to bloom where she’s planted, enjoy the tropical beauty of her new home, and stay out of trouble until she gets tenure.
Forced to attend the Student Retention Office’s summer retreat, Professor Molly brings her game of buzzword bingo to fend off boredom. When a serial harasser collapses face-first into his haupia cheesecake, the event goes from dull to disastrous.
Now Molly has to fight to keep her best friend out of the worst kind of trouble — and herself off the unemployment line.
If you like Dorothy Parker, P.G. Wodehouse, or E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia stories, you’ll enjoy The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, a tale of passion, pilferage, and petty politics in the middle of the Pacific.
The End
Thank you for all your hard work on this, Marianne!
ReplyDeleteIts nice to know that authors can write without using profanity and descriptive sex to get the lines of a story to the reader. The rest of the books should be banned.
ReplyDelete