Free 60-Day Trial of Kindle Unlimited, and the Books Available

On Facebook, a friend shared a Groupon for a Free 60-Day Kindle Unlimited Membership (US $19.98 Value). I know nothing about Kindle Unlimited. I’m hoping that “borrowing” books through is like the way my libraries work – download books, and they get automatically deleted after a certain number of days, or you return them earlier. I’m hoping it’s not the “read for free” thing that publishers sometimes do on their websites where you can only read web-based – no downloads.

You’ll need an Amazon account, and will need to make sure the settings have your location as the United States. You’ll also need a Groupon account, for which I used my Facebook, and make sure that you’re not signed up to any of their newsletters if you’re treating this Groupon as a one-off deal.

Group will ask you for “payment”, but I clicked the PayPal button, so I wasn’t charged – because the deal is free, after all. There’s also an option for credit card info.

Once you’ve got your Amazon organised, click here and input the code from your email, to activate the deal.

And now comes the part for why you’re here – borrowing books for free. I don’t know if there are expiry dates or what kind of borrowing system it is (see above about publishers vs. libraries). I’m on the wrong machine right now, but tomorrow on my laptop, I plan to investigate the following links. I systematically checked my reading wishlist, and here are the Kindle Unlimited-eligible books I’m interested in. Some are “pre-orders”, so I doubt you’ll be able to borrow them now. Be sure to check that the ones you’re interested in have Kindle Unlimited on the page, just in case I included a non-eligible title or if the authors/publishers decide to take them off the programme.

Vicki Hendricks: Miami Purity
Cyn Balog: Drowned
Chris Beckett: The Peacock Cloak
Jenna Black: Sealed with a Curse
Rachel Caine: Stillhouse Lake (pre-order)
Amy Rose Capetta: Entangled
Naomi Clark: The Ungrateful Dead; Wild; Gone to the Dogs; Ice Ice Baby; Stakeout
Liz Coley: The Captain’s Kid
Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games; Catching Fire; Mockingjay
Megan Crewe: Earth & Sky; A Clouded Sky; A Sky Unbroken
Deborah Halverson: Writing New Adult Fiction
Jen Estes: Fifteen; Sixteen
Christina Farley: Gilded; Silvern; Brazen
Megan Hart: The Resurrected Compendium; Clearwater; The Lies We Tell (pre-order); The Secrets We Keep (pre-order)
Erica Hayes: Hunter’s Heart
Anthology: Tick Tock
Karen Ann Hopkins: Lamb to the Slaughter; Embers; Whispers from the Dead; Rachel’s Deception; Gaia; Secrets from the Grave; Tempest; Hidden in Plain Sight
Lydia Kang: A Beautiful Poison (pre-order)
PD Martin: Coming Home; When Justice Fails; Missing; The Wanderer; Grounded Spirits
Liz Maverick: The Transporter (pre-order)
Seanan McGuire: Indexing; Reflections
Will McIntosh: Futures Near & Far
Tracey O’Hara: Once Upon a Moonlit Night
Jackson Pearce: Turn Here
Cheryl Rainfield: Stained; Parallel Visions
Dia Reeves: Rhymes with Vampire
Leah Rhyne: In the Land of the Blind
Carrie Ryan: A Game of Firsts
Holly Schindler: Fifth Avenue Fidos; Play It Again; Forever Finley
Jeri Smith-Ready: Bridge
Lila Veen: Burning for You
Jessica Verday: Flesh Which Is Not Flesh
M.D. Waters: Gemini’s Edge
Skyler White: Offerings
Susanne Winnacker: Between the Shadow & the Soul

March 2015 Releases

Done with February 2015 Releases? Here are March 2015 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist. (NOTE: If reading via a feed-reader, the formatting may be wrong. Click the blog post’s title to take you to my WordPress, where it should show up fine.)

November 2014 Releases

NOTE: If viewing this through a feed reader (e.g. Feedly), the formatting is a bit screwed. To view this post properly, click the title to take you to my WordPress.

Done with October 2014 Releases? Here are November 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

Notes on Not-Reviewed Books: April 2014

I never read a book twice. It has only one chance. And my brain’s not good at retaining information – even with my favourite books I struggle to remember the characters’ names.

These are the books I read in April that I didn’t review because I couldn’t be stuffed. Let’s see if they’re memorable.

Stacia Kane’s Be a Sex-Writing Strumpet: Everything in this book was originally published on the author’s blog. Be a Sex-Writing Strumpet does NOT contain new material. It is simply copied-and-pasted, formatted, printed, and bound. Which is a shame, because it needs a light copyedit, and maybe a content editor for when the author goes off on tangents. Also says stuff like, “On Monday I’ll be talking about…” which needs to be edited out. Also mentions that she hoped to have a guest post (which in book format I guess would be a chapter) on BDSM, but she “ran out of time”. As far as I know, all the content is still on her blog, so don’t bother buying this. Support the author by purchasing her other books instead, because this isn’t worth it. As for the content itself, I disagree with some of it, but as the author says, this is just how she writes, and others should feel free to do whatever works for them. 3 stars

Sarah Wendell’s Everything I Know About Love I Learned from Romance Novels: Nowhere near as entertaining as Beyond Heaving Bosoms. Less laughs, and more…well, I think this is strictly for romance fans, to have their opinion reflected, because I doubt this will change non-believers’ minds. The only thing I got out of it was the piece about men holding women’s purses in the waiting rooms of cancer centres while the ladies have treatment. THAT is romantic, but that was from a real life article, and NOT in a romance novel, so… Yeah, this book didn’t work for me. (I still haven’t figured out how to answer the “favourite dictator” question.) 3 stars

Jeannie Holmes’s Flying is Faster: Short story in The Mammoth Book of Futuristic Romance anthology. A rarity: a story in which I actually WANT the characters to hook up. (It’s a romance anthology, so they do.) Reminds me of Avatar, in a good way. 4 stars

Karen Mahoney’s The Spirit Jar: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. Stars vampire Moth. I just couldn’t focus on this; same for Moth’s novel (Falling to Ash). 3 stars

Justine Musk’s Lost: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. This author’s so amazing at enlivening her settings. 4 stars

Becca Fitzpatrick’s Dungeons of Langeais: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. Historical France; character named Chauncey. That’s it: I’ve got nothing. 2 stars

Caitlin Kittredge’s Behind the Red Door: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. Yeah, the lead character’s kind of stupid at first, but she wises up in the end. Delightfully creepy. 4 stars

Carrie Ryan’s Hare Moon: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. Great setting, but I lost focus at times, and then didn’t understand what/why. 3 stars

Rachel Vincent’s Fearless: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. Sabine’s always fun to read, and the setting and plot are quality stuff. Must finish reading Soul Screamers series! 4 stars

Daniel Marks’s Vermillion: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. Interesting world, but I don’t understand the whole falling-through-a-crack-from-Purgatory-into-the-real-world thing. Also, a lot of slut-shaming. 3 stars

Maggie Stiefvater’s The Hounds of Ulster: Short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology. I did not expect the twist. Or maybe it wasn’t a twist at all, and I was ignorant until it was made obvious in the end. Either way, a great story that even acknowledges how pretentious musicians can be. 4 stars

Rachel Vincent’s Hunt: Short story in the Chicks Kick Butt anthology. Must finish reading Shifters series! Not only is she a top novelist, but the author’s also fabulous at the short form, too. 4 stars

Jackson Pearce’s Purity: The reviews are mixed, and rightfully so – at times I really enjoyed it; others I got angry. The tone is pretty spot-on – had it been all serious or all fluffy, it wouldn’t have worked. Shelby’s kind of annoying, though, and downright rude when she steals her aunt’s car. And – SPOILER ALERT! –

May 2014 Releases

Done with April 2014 Releases? Here are May 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

March 2014 Releases

Done with February 2014 Releases? Here are March 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

Notes on Not-Reviewed Books: January 2014

I never read a book twice. It has only one chance. And my brain’s not good at retaining information – even with my favourite books, I struggle to remember the characters’ names.

These are the books I read in January that I didn’t review because I was too hot, or just couldn’t be stuffed. Let’s see if they’re memorable.

BEYOND OUR STARS by Marie Langager: Timeline’s rather jumpy at the start, rather than chronological, so takes a little while to figure out what’s happening. Interesting idea to tell a story from the aliens’ point of view. Hope’s a little too perfect. Kind of wonder if this novel is an allegory about asylum seekers. 3 stars.

CELESTE by V. C. Andrews: Perpetuates the stereotype that spiritualists are bonkers. Are there really ghosts, or shared delusions? Probably the former. Sarah Atwell is hella manipulative. Moral of the story: Parents play favourites, and chances are you’re not it. Still don’t get why Celeste has to assume Noble’s identity – is Sarah that screwed up that she can’t function without a male figure in her household? Is it rape between Elliott and Celeste, or forced seduction? The first time’s rape; not so sure about the other times. Why does Celeste just acquiesce to Sarah? Why doesn’t she tell anyone? 3 stars.

BROKEN FLOWER by V. C. Andrews: Precocious puberty is real, according to Wikipedia. For Jordan, it starts when she’s almost seven. The treatment is extremely vague in the book, though – must be a pill or something. Ian is hella creepy. 3 stars.

CLOUDBURST by V. C. Andrews: Family Storms really didn’t need a sequel, but here it is. Sasha is perfect, but she falls in love with a guy who’s more screwed up than she is. Kiera’s the most screwed up, though – she’s actually rather fascinating, especially near the end, and quite the plot catalyst. 3 stars.

ROXY’S STORY by V. C. Andrews: Good news: Less offensive than the other books in this series. Roxy actually has somewhat of a spunky personality, unlike the doormats who usually narrate VCA books. Anyway, it seems as though being an escort doesn’t mean being a prostitute – not for Roxy, anyway, but she could be a Special Snowflake (VCA heroines usually are). 3 stars.

BLACK CAT by V. C. Andrews: Better than “meh”. Sarah may have found love, but turns out she’s just manipulative. Things get much more interesting when Betsy hits town. Sarah thinks that if promiscuous Betsy becomes pregnant, she’ll stop being promiscuous. Think again! And you’ll never guess what she names her son… Meanwhile, “Baby Celeste” (Celeste’s daughter) is a spoiled Special Snowflake who’s perfect in every way…until she does something so terrible that even Celeste has to admit her daughter is hella creepy. Wonder how many bodies have been buried on their property over the decades… 4 stars.

SUBMIT TO DESIRE by Tiffany Reisz: Tiffany Reisz has an extraordinary talent: I actually like her characters’ love interests. Well, Soren and Kingsley, anyway. Here’s King’s time to shine. 4 stars.

FIGMENT by Jeri Smith-Ready: Charmed me immediately. Fig is so awesome! 4 stars.

THINNER THAN WATER by Saundra Mitchell: Impossible wishes are requested to prevent incest-rape. Only the requests aren’t impossible, because of magic. 3 stars.

SCATTERED LEAVES by V. C. Andrews: Strictness is usually the norm in VCA-world, but this time the seven-year-old has to guardian the elderly, which is an interesting subversion. Did Frances become how she is due to precocious puberty, or something else? Also, teenagers try to get a seven-year-old laid, which is all kinds of wrong. 4 stars.

SELL OUT by Jackson Pearce: Don’t let the title fool you. Interesting set-up, but I don’t understand why Emmett suddenly changed how he felt about Elise. 3 stars.

SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS by V. C. Andrews: Alice has shit taste in men. Her first boyfriend smokes weed whilst driving. Her second boyfriend lies majorly to Alice, and his reason is lame: he thought she wouldn’t like him if she couldn’t relate to him, so he made up stuff. And she forgives him! Totally not cool. 3 stars.

5th November 2013 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Keri Arthur
Darkness Splintered (Dark Angel, Book 6)
Penguin Signet (US & CA: 5th November 2013); Hachette Little, Brown Piatkus (UK: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Risa Jones has angered several powerful people, and now she’s feeling the pressure from all sides. In particular, she’s come under the eagle-eyed scrutiny of the vampire council – some of whom consider her a monster who should be destroyed. But then they decide to offer her a secret, bloody bargain: to save her own life she must help them defeat Hunter, the lethal head of the council… As the search for the keys to hell heats up, Risa realises that she has no choice. For the sake of the people she loves, she must find the keys – and get rid of Hunter – before the next gate is opened and brings the world closer to all hell breaking loose…

Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Naturals
Hyperion Teens (US: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn’t realise is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides – especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Rachel Caine
Daylighters (Morganville Vampires, Book 15)
Penguin (US & CA: 5th November 2013); Allison & Busby (UK: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Something drastic has happened in Morganville, Texas, while Claire Danvers and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated – vampires from humans – they realise that the changes definitely aren’t for the better. It seems that an organisation called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation – even for the vampires themselves – the truth is far more sinister and deadly. Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end…

Marie Lu
Champion (Legend, Book 3)
Penguin (US, UK & CA: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic – and each other – and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defence. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has.

Jackson Pearce
Cold Spell
Hachette Little, Brown (US: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kai and Ginny grew up together – best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together. But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora – a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough. If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved – and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Angie Smibert
Memento Nora (Memento Nora, Book 1)
Amazon Skyscape (US: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
In Nora’s world you don’t have to put up with nightmares. Nora goes with her mother to TFC – a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. There, she can describe her horrible memory and take the pill that will erase it. But at TFC, a chance encounter with a mysterious guy changes Nora’s life. She doesn’t take the pill. And when Nora learns the memory her mother has chosen to forget, she realises that someone needs to remember. With newfound friends Micah and Winter, Nora makes a comic book of their memories called Memento. It’s an instant hit, but it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Will Nora, Micah, and Winter be forced to take the Big Pill that will erase their memories forever?

J. A. Souders
Revelations (Elysium Chronicles, Book 2)
Macmillan Tor (US: 5th November 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Six weeks after her arrival on the Surface, Evelyn Winters is no closer to unlocking the memories lost in her subconscious than she was when she first came. Isolated in a strange new society, Evie has only Gavin Hunter to remind her of who she once was. But even with a clean slate, it’s easy to see that Evie doesn’t fit in on the Surface. And as her differences make her feel more and more alone, she can’t help but yearn for that place she doesn’t remember: the isolated city hidden in the depths of the ocean. Elysium. Home. But she can’t exactly tell Gavin what she’s feeling. Not when he’s the one who helped her escape Elysium in the first place, and has the scars to prove it. Though the doctors say otherwise, Gavin believes that Evie just needs time. And if her memories don’t come back, well, maybe she’s better off not remembering her past. But the decision may be out of their hands when Evie’s ever-elusive memories begin to collide with reality. People and images from her past appear in the most unlikely places, haunting her, provoking her…and making her seem not only strange but dangerous. Evie and Gavin can’t wait around for her memories to return. They’ll have to journey across the Outlands of the Surface to find help, and in the end, their search may just lead them back to the place it all started…

November 2013 Releases

Done with October 2013 Releases? Here are November 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

13th August 2013 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Kim Harrison
The Hollows Insider (The Hollows, Companion)
HarperCollins Voyager (US & CA: 13th August 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
In the Hollows, the supernatural Inderlander rule, and humanity must abide by their conventions, or else. To survive among vampires, witches, Weres, gargoyles, trolls, fairies, and banshees – to say nothing of demons – humanity needs a guide. And now here is an insider’s look at the supernatural world of the Hollows, from an overarching new story to character profiles, maps, spell guides, charm recipes, secret correspondence from elusive Trent Kalamack, and much more. One misfired spell that burned off his hair is all it took to send investigative reporter Devin Crossman on a mission to uncover all the secrets of Rachel Morgan and expose them to the world. Collected here are all his notebook entries and a treasure trove of evidence, including maps, species profiles, magic spells, documents from Inderland Security, Takata’s song lyrics, Betty Bob’s recipes, Ley Line Charms, entries from the Were Registry, articles from The Hollows Gazette, and many more documents that cast light into regions of the Hollows that have never been revealed. But Crossman’s one-man war has not gone unnoticed…

Colleen Hoover
This Girl (Slammed, Book 3)
Simon & Schuster Atria (US, CA & AU: 13th August 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances, and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband; even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas, and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

Jackson Pearce
Purity
Hachette Little, Brown (US: 13th August 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby’s father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives – in other words, no “bad behaviour,” no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex. Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision – to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hook-up attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Shade of the Moon (Life As We Knew It, Book 4)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (US: 13th August 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
It’s been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave. But Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?

Angie Smibert
The Meme Plague (Memento Nora, Book 3)
Amazon Skyscape (US & UK: 13th August 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Micah and Nora piece their memories together as Aiden, Velvet, and Winter continue the work of the MemeCast. The teens all band together to get the word out about the new ID chips – and how the government and TFC are using the chips to manipulate the public remotely.