Rave: Kindle First, April edition

Kindle First is a program launched late last year that allows Amazon Prime members the opportunity to download a Kindle book for free each month, one month before the book is scheduled to be published.  Haven't heard of it?  Check it out here!

April's Kindle First picks:

Historical Fiction

Her life would be marked by scandal and suspicion, worship and adoration…

At the tender age of fourteen, Livia Drusilla overhears her father and fellow aristocrats plotting the assassination of Julius Caesar. Proving herself an astute confidante, she becomes her father’s chief political asset—and reluctantly enters into an advantageous marriage to a prominent military officer. Her mother tells her, “It is possible for a woman to influence public affairs,” reminding Livia that—while she possesses a keen sense for the machinations of the Roman senate—she must also remain patient and practical.

But patience and practicality disappear from Livia’s mind when she meets Caesar’s heir, Octavianus. At only eighteen, he displays both power and modesty. A young wife by that point, Livia finds herself drawn to the golden-haired boy. In time, his fortunes will rise as Livia’s family faces terrible danger. But her sharp intellect—and her heart—will lead Livia to make an unbelievable choice: one that will give her greater sway over Rome than she could have ever foreseen.                             @Amazon  -  @Goodreads

Young Adult

 In sunny Southern California, seventeen-year-old Ruby Rose is known for her killer looks and her killer SAT scores. But ever since her dad, an LAPD SWAT sergeant, died, she's also got a few killer secrets.

To cope, Ruby has been trying to stay focused on school (the top spot in her class is on the line) and spending time with friends (her Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks are nothing if not loyal). But after six months of therapy and pathetic parenting by her mom, the District Attorney, Ruby decides to pick up where her dad left off and starts going after the bad guys herself.

When Ruby ends up killing a murderer to save his intended victim, she discovers that she's gone from being the huntress to the hunted. There's a sick mastermind at play, and he has Ruby in his sights. Ruby must discover who's using her to implement twisted justice before she ends up swapping Valentino red for prison orange.

With a gun named Smith, a talent for martial arts, and a boyfriend with eyes to die for, Ruby is ready to face the worst. And if a girl's forced to kill, won't the guilt sit more easily in a pair of Prada peep-toe pumps?         @Amazon  -  @Goodreads

Romance

Willow Parsons’s two new best friends are getting married, putting her squarely on the sidelines of romance—which suits her just fine. After the nightmarish situation she escaped from, featuring the ultimate Mr. Wrong, she is more than happy to spend her days slinging drinks in Dempsey’s Bar & Grill, and her nights alone. But her Anchor Island refuge has just one catch: muscle-bound charmer Randy Navarro.

Everyone in town knows that Randy, owner of the local fitness club, is a giant teddy bear. Everyone, it seems, except for Willow. He’s convinced that her avoidance is more than just playing hard to get, and is determined to uncover the secrets that shadow her lovely eyes. But when old fears are dragged into the light, can Randy get Willow to stay and fight for their love…or will she take flight, leaving him and Anchor Island behind?

Home to Stay is a charming, romantic tale about following your heart to find where you belong.                                   @Amazon -  @Goodreads 

Thriller

 Jimmy Veeder and Bobby Maves are back at it, two years after the events of Dove Season—they’re not exactly the luckiest guys in the Imperial Valley, but, hey, they win more fights than they lose.

Settled on his own farmland and living like a true family man after years of irresponsible fun, Jimmy’s got a straight life cut out for him. But he’s knocking years off that life thanks to fun-yet-dangerous Bobby’s booze-addled antics—especially now that Bobby is single, volatile, profane as ever, and bored as hell.

When Bobby’s teenage daughter goes missing, he and Jimmy take off on a misadventure that starts out as merely unfortunate and escalates to downright calamitous. Bobby won’t hesitate to kick a hornets’ nest to get the girl to safety, but when the rescue mission goes riotously sideways, the duo’s grit—and loyalty to each other—is put to the test.  @Amazon  - @Goodreads

Meh.  I picked I am Livia by process of elimination; I simply had no interest in any of the other three,  two of which are part of a series.  Meh, Amazon, meh.

Which did you pick?

Rave: Kindle First, March edition

Kindle First March picks:

While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed.

Two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son as well as contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members, and the arrival of Jeff’s estranged brother, who was her ex-boyfriend. Tish volunteers to attend the funeral on her company’s behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff’s life.
Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, the repercussions of our personal choices, and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.
                                     @Goodreads - @Amazon

As a child growing up on the Connecticut coast, I was always drawn to mysteries set near the sea (Agatha Christie and Iris Murdoch spoiled me rotten). The Seventh Child caught my attention when it won the 2012 Glass Key award for best Scandinavian crime novel, and I was hooked from the first recital of its eerie refrain—“All the best homes are by the water”—which echoes through the salty caverns of this masterful puzzle mystery.

Author Erik Valeur, a Danish journalist, started life in an orphanage, where he remained until his birth mother returned to retrieve him two years later. His investigation into his infancy drove Erik to write this novel, breathing life into the scarce facts he found in his research.

Thanks perhaps to Erik’s personal perspective, I found myself believing in each of the quirky and lovable characters in the book, seeing their traits as reflections of the author’s vulnerabilities. Over and again, I felt betrayed when secrets were revealed, and with each twist I somehow found myself landing on both sides of life’s most petrifying questions. What makes killers different from the rest of us? Are the seeds of murder planted just as we’re born? How do we move forward in the face of unimaginable circumstances?

The Seventh Child is a probing quest for truth, rich with unreliable narrators, shocking disclosures, and twisting trails down the rocky beach in search of not only the killer, but also the underlying motives that drive people to murder. I urge you to read on and discover for yourself—and I dare you to stay warm through all its chills.         @Goodreads - @Amazon

Twenty years ago, the mysterious death of his aunt left Aaron Holbrook orphaned and alone. He abandoned his rural Arkansas hometown vowing never to return, until his seven-year-old son died in an accident, plunging Aaron into a nightmare of addiction and grief. Desperate to reclaim a piece of himself, he returns to the hills of his childhood, to Holbrook House, where he hopes to find peace among the memories of his youth. But solace doesn’t come easy. Someone—or something—has other plans.

Like Aaron, Holbrook House is but a shell of what it once was, a target for vandals and ghost hunters who have nicknamed it “the devil’s den.” Aaron doesn’t believe in the paranormal—at least, not until a strange boy begins following him wherever he goes. Plagued by violent dreams and disturbing visions, Aaron begins to wonder if he’s losing his mind. But a festering darkness lurks at the heart of Holbrook House…a darkness that grins from within the shadows, delighting in Aaron’s sorrow, biding its time.                                                                       @Goodreads - @Amazon

Former Wall Street whiz and current convict Mickey Steinberg is nearing the end of his three-year sentence at Yankton—the cushy country club prison where he’s enjoyed celebrity status—and he’s ready to get out and get back on top. He doesn’t have the resources he once did, but he’s already hatched a new plan to sell a forgery of a stolen Van Gogh painting through the shady underground art market. He and his new partner, the smooth-talking Paul Reece, have a mark in mind: the sleazy con-man art dealer who swooped in on Mickey’s beloved ex-wife after he was locked up. But with his old partner, Jack Grass, hell-bent on revenge and his pre-prison life closed to him, it won’t be easy.

As their plan becomes ever more complex, Mickey realizes he just wants to make good and make it out alive. A madcap heist with a shrewd insider’s eye on the high-rollers and lowlifes that run New York City—a place where no man is too big to fail.  @Goodreads - @Amazon

 Usually I am only ever interested (and usually only very slightly interested) in one pick, but this month, I wanted two.  I wasn't even able to get through my picks for December and February, and January was not great at all.  This time, I was torn between The Bird Eater and Hidden.  I finally decided to go with Hidden, but I wish I would have checked Goodreads first.

Kindle First is a program launched late last year that allows Amazon Prime members the opportunity to download a Kindle book for free each month, one month before the book is scheduled to be published.  Haven't heard of it?  Check it out here!

Which did you pick?

Rave: I love technology!

I have switched exclusively to an ereader as of 2011, and I haven’t looked back. At first I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having a collection of intangible objects, but there are definite perks to consider. For instance, books are heavy. If you’ve amassed the collection I had, that is a major downfall when you’re moving. With my divorce and relocation from Ohio to North Carolina in 2011, I am saddened to report that my book collection did not make it. I donated it to charity**. Similarly to being heavy, books can take up a lot of space. You’ll have to dust them, if they’re on display. Unless you’re a hillbilly like me and you don‘t dust. But I digress.

I have about 150 books on my Kindle, and it is nowhere near its capacity. E-ink screens are incredibly easy on the eyes, so it feels like I am reading a real book, except with a back light so you can read it everywhere. The battery lasts forever – through several books. And books are cheaper! I stalk Amazon’s Kindle Deals of the Day on a daily basis, and I have gotten some tasty bargains. Now that I’m reviewing books for this blog, I have been sent fifteen free ebooks this month alone from publishers. Free books that don’t come from the library or your white trash neighbor’s yard sale! Last but not least, you can buy books at any time! You don’t have to go to the book store or library again. You don’t have to even spend two long, grueling days waiting on Amazon Prime. To quote Kanye West, “Jesus wept.”

 I miss books sometimes, though, I do. I miss the smell of a new book. (Yankee Candle needs to make a New Book scent, am I right?) I love the crispness and freshness of a book no one has read before me. (I know it sounds like I have some sort of weird book perversion. I do.) I also miss just simply browsing the book store. I have absolutely no need to do so anymore; I get book news from blogs I read and Goodreads, and I’m never going to purchase an actual book again, so it’s pointless.

 I’ve used the nook 1st gen, nook Simple Touch 1st gen, Kindle Paperwhite 1st gen. I’m currently using the Kindle Paperwhite (pictured), which is hands down the best device I've tried.

I <3 technology.

**By donating it (my book collection) to charity, I really mean that I left it in boxes in my ex-husband’s basement.