These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is a YA (bordering on NA possibly?) historical fantasy with Romeo & Juliet, star crossed lovers vibes. I also loved the setting of 1920s Shanghai.
Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
To Have and to Hoax
RECOMMENDED: To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters is $1.99! Aarya read this one and gave it a B:
Despite all these points, I adored To Have and to Hoax. It made me giggle constantly during a week when I had little to smile about. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone; if the antics sound juvenile and infuriating, then you won’t like the story. But if you’re in the mood to escape into a Regency romp and swoon over a married couple falling in love again, I recommend To Have and to Hoax as your escape of choice.
In this fresh and hilarious historical rom-com, an estranged husband and wife in Regency England feign accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention—and maybe just win each other back in the process.
Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.
Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.
Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?
With charm, wit, and heart in spades, To Have and to Hoax is a fresh and eminently entertaining romantic comedy—perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Julia Quinn.
Undiscovered
Undiscovered by Anna Hackett is $1.49 at Amazon! This is the first book in the Treasure Hunter Security romantic suspense series. Several of the other books in the series are also on sale. I’ve enjoyed Hackett’s other books and am intrigued by the setup. I believe Hackett’s books were also mentioned in the comments of an Action Adventure Rec League.
One former Navy SEAL. One dedicated archeologist. One secret map to a fabulous lost oasis.
Finding undiscovered treasures is always daring, dangerous, and deadly. Perfect for the men of Treasure Hunter Security. Former Navy SEAL Declan Ward is haunted by the demons of his past and throws everything he has into his security business–Treasure Hunter Security. Dangerous archeological digs – no problem. Daring expeditions – sure thing. Museum security for invaluable exhibits – easy. But on a simple dig in the Egyptian desert, he collides with a stubborn, smart archeologist, Dr. Layne Rush, and together they get swept into a deadly treasure hunt for a mythical lost oasis. When an evil from his past reappears, Declan vows to do anything to protect Layne.
Dr. Layne Rush is dedicated to building a successful career–a promise to the parents she lost far too young. But when her dig is plagued by strange accidents, targeted by a lethal black market antiquities ring, and artifacts are stolen, she is forced to turn to Treasure Hunter Security, and to the tough, sexy, and too-used-to-giving-orders Declan. Soon her organized dig morphs into a wild treasure hunt across the desert dunes. Danger is hunting them every step of the way, and Layne and Declan must find a way to work together…to not only find the treasure but to survive.
Rough Love
Rough Love by Lauren Landish is $2.99 at Amazon! This came out in December and is the first book in the Tannen Boys series. There seems to be some catnip here with a second chance romance and single parent heroine. However, it seems like the heroine is dealing with some trauma. Feel free to poke around Goodreads reviews to protect yourself.
Second chances aren’t always easy.
Sometimes, it takes some Rough Love.
Bruce Tannen is better known by his nickname, Brutal, because once upon a time, he was a monster on the football field.
Now, he’s a farmhand on what used to be his family’s land, and change is all around him.
A new family, new expectations, and even new friends. It’s all just fine by him until he runs into the one woman to ever hold his heart. The past comes back with a wallop of a tackle that even he can’t take.
Allyson left him a lifetime ago, but she’s the only thing that’s ever felt right… in his arms, in his heart, in his life.
Something’s different, though. She’s a shadow of her former self, and he wonders what could’ve dulled her shine.
He can help fight her demons to bring back that sunny smile he used to bask in, but should he?
Allyson Meyers knew who she was and where she was going, but a wrong turn years ago took her on a journey she never imagined. Not even in her worst nightmares.
It was ugly, but she’s stronger now for the one person who matters… her son, Cooper.
Being a single mother is a burden she’s grateful to bear alone until she sees a pair of all-too-familiar broad shoulders and dark, knowing eyes that remind her of who she once was.
Bruce was the one she’d left behind, the path she should’ve taken. It’s too bad you can’t rewrite history. But if she’s brave enough, maybe they could create a new future?
Can Bruce open his heart to the one who shattered it?
And can Allyson blend who she is now with who she used to be and live the happily ever after she should’ve had?
Rough Love is a full-length Romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger. It can be read as a standalone.
