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Just Our Luck by Denise Williams is a KDD and is $1.99! This is a standalone romance with some fake dating. It released this spring.
A lottery ticket + donuts = love in this steamy new fake dating romance from beloved author Denise Williams.
Sybil Sweet has always been lucky, but lately she can’t catch a break. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is worried that she’s the directionless, floundering daughter her family thinks she is. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she’s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.
Kieran Anderson put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold to take over running his family’s bakery, and after fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted, broke, and no closer to getting back to school. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out the next morning, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.
Lucky for Kieran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to convince Sybil’s family she can make good relationship choices, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them.
The Wiener Across the Way by Amy Award is $2.99 at Amazon and is another KDD! It’s book two in The Cocky Kingsman series, and the plot inspiration may sound familiar to many of you.
What happens when the sunshiny pop princess and the grumpy football player discover there’s more to this fake romance than inspiration for a new love song?
Kelsey Best is America’s pop sweetheart and anyone who says they don’t like her music is a liar and needs to be punched in the nads. And I’ll do it too, because I’m the guy the NFL dubbed the meanest player in the league. Great for my career on the field, not so much for my reputation off it.
So I’m shocked as hell when Kelsey’s team sends my agent a wild idea – they want a showmance between us. She’s looking to dodge the media frenzy after her breakup with Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, and I apparently fit the bill as her perfect distraction. My agent is convinced this fake dating stunt is the key to fixing my image. The whole world is going to hate me when we fake break up. And what happens when I fall for her? She’s going to create a blank space in my heart, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to shake it off.
This plus-size curvy girl romance has a burnt cinnamon roll hero with a mean protective streak and a baddie plus-size pop star who is on the verge of burn out. But a Bridgertons-meets-American-Football family you’ll wish you were a part of will make sure they get their happy ever after.
RECOMMENDED: Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston is $1.99! This was one of Claudia’s favorite reads of 2023. She also alludes to a “clever epilogue.” Did any of you read this one?
“One of the most utterly gorgeous character transformations historical romance has offered up in some time.” – The New York Times
He was her last chance. She was his first certainty.
Cora, Lady Dane, gave up her dreams of happily ever after a long time ago. Now newly widowed, the young mother is determined to finally live on her own terms…until a devastating betrayal shatters her hopes for the future. Faced with the prospect of losing her beloved children to overbearing relatives, Cora needs the help of the one thing she swore she’d never have again: a husband.
Nathaniel Travers hasn’t a care—or responsibility—in the world. Content with his wayward lifestyle, the charismatic rogue has no interest in marriage or duty. That is, until the earl cuts off his bank accounts. No stranger to wild escapades, Nate is game for any scheme that keeps him afloat…even a madcap ruse with a stubborn viscountess.
A fake engagement should be a straightforward solution to both of their dilemmas. But a summer at Cora’s estate tests their arrangement, and it isn’t long before their simmering attraction escalates to a feverish crescendo. When they are forced to confront the real complications of their faux betrothal, Nate has to make the first worthy gamble of his life…if only Cora can risk her guarded heart.
Forever Your Rogue is a swoony, sexy, and heartfelt Regency romance that can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World by William Alexander is $2.99! I mentioned this on a previous Get Rec’d. If you love food history, check this one out!
New York Times bestselling author William Alexander takes readers on the surprisingly twisty journey of the beloved tomato in this fascinating and erudite microhistory.
The tomato gets no respect. Never has. Lost in the dustbin of history for centuries, accused of being vile and poisonous, subjected to being picked hard-green and gassed, even used as a projectile, the poor tomato has become the avatar for our disaffection with industrial foods — while becoming the most popular vegetable in America (and, in fact, the world). Each summer, tomato festivals crop up across the country; the Heinz ketchup bottle, instantly recognizable, has earned a spot in the Smithsonian; and now the tomato is redefining the very nature of farming, moving from fields into climate-controlled mega-greenhouses the size of New England villages.
Supported by meticulous research and told in a lively, accessible voice, Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World seamlessly weaves travel, history, humor, and a little adventure (and misadventure) to follow the tomato’s trail through history. A fascinating story complete with heroes, con artists, conquistadors, and—no surprise—the Mafia, this book is a mouth-watering, informative, and entertaining guide to the food that has captured our hearts for generations.
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Growing up in Wisconsin with a doomsday prepper father, Casey partially credits her dad for her miserable childhood. The rest of it goes to Blake Morrison, a bully who leads the charge of torment through middle and high school.
Now an engaged adult living in Chicago and completing her residency, Casey actively avoids involving her dad in her life. When a mysterious outbreak leads to a zombie apocalypse and Casey’s fiance abandons her in the middle of an assault, she realizes that her dad’s compound is probably the safest place.
Holing up at the compound are various family members and friends, and of course, Casey’s former bully. As far as bully romances go, this is tame for bully-content. There’s no abuse, dub-con, or illegal activity like stalking. The bullying is standard high school name calling. Just a PSA if the bully trope is something you avoid or seek out.
Casey’s dad isn’t about to throw Blake out, so the two of them will have to make do in close quarters.
There’s a lovely sense of community between everyone in the compound. I liked the cast of characters; they all felt like people who cared about and looked out for one another. Those warm and fuzzy moments were often offset by intense action and I think it was a smart way to lure me into a false sense of security. This was a surprisingly tense read, and not the dystopian rom-com I assumed it would be. Dread hangs over the sweet moments; this book will give you a lot of anxiety. These are things I like or don’t typically mind in my books, but I know plenty of readers DO NOT WANT THIS.
There is a lot of emotional inconsistency that bothered me. Casey had no problem holding grudges against her dad and Blake for the better part of a decade, but I think the time and physical distance between them had done enough to warrant adult discussions and soften a bit of the edges of those conflicts. However, she easily forgives her shitty fiance’s reasoning for leaving her to be sexually assaulted and/or die. Girl, let’s be consistent.
In a larger sense, the BIG FEELINGS in this book have poor and/or weak foundations, like Blake’s reasoning for being mean to Casey for most of school. Or the side romance plot between Casey’s cousin Greg and the one night stand he admittedly feels stuck with. I’m trying to avoid spoilers where I can help it!
There’s also a vastly unnecessary cliffhanger and I can’t find any indication if there will be a book two. Like unless Casey is going to find a cure for the zombie outbreak, I didn’t think there was much left to resolve and I would have been happy to live in the fantasy that people on the compound will have an HEA to the best of their abilities.
And if you’re wondering whether Casey’s dad dies because that was my biggest source of reading anxiety…
Dating After the End of the World is fine. It has moments that work really well to remind me that you have to take the wins and bask in the small joys where you can in a bleak environment. And the romance…well it was technically there. Readers who are sensitive to violence or who would prefer a less fraught reading experience should pass.
smartbitches_feedIt’s time for another edition of Stuff We Like, and for more of our Holiday Gift Guides!
In this edition: Amanda makes some suggestions for your favorite puzzle people and tabletop gamers.
And if you have requests for your holiday shopping, please let us know!
Take a look:
Want to see? Just click that image above or click right here, and come shop with us!
And if you’d like to browse some more, we have a complete Stuff We Like archive, including past Gift Guides and other posts of our favorite items.
wordsmithdaily_feedthewayneduskpetersonTOUR OF THE BORDERLAND
Introduction to the borderland
The borderland is the region where the Three Lands touch each other: Emor in the north, Koretia in the south, and Daxis in the southwest. Borderlanders are the people who live in the Emorian borderland, Koretian borderland, and Daxion borderland. Most borderlanders, though not all, are of mixed blood.
This is a phrase that sometimes confuses foreigners. The phrase does not refer to the mixing of blood that takes place during Koretian vow-making. Rather, "mixed blood" refers to land heritage. A person of mixed blood is descended from people of at least two different lands. In practice, as we shall see, all peninsulareans are of mixed blood, so this phrase actually refers to more recent blood-mixing.
Northern mainlanders who live in nations where skin color is accounted of great importance sometimes ask whether people of mixed blood can be identified by their skin color. The answer is a cautious maybe. If a dark-skinned Emorian – whose ancestors were born in the south, rather than the north – marries a dark-skinned Koretian, then the result, not surprisingly, is usually a dark-skinned child. Likewise, if a light-skinned Koretian marries a light-skinned Emorian, a light-skinned child is usually born. If a child has light brown skin, it might have a dark-skinned Koretian parent and a light-skinned Emorian parent. On the other hand, it might have a light-skinned Koretian parent and a dark-skinned Emorian parent. Or it may be that the color of its skin is determined, not by its parents, but by one of its four grandparents. Or – I cite myself as an example – a Koretian may have lighter skin than most other Koretians because he has spent many years living in the north, where there is less sunlight.
In short, don't make any assumptions about skin color and land heritage. If you want to know what land a peninsularean belongs to, it is best to ask.
The native tongue of most borderlanders is the ancient language called Border Koretian – though that language might just as easily have been called Border Daxion or Border Emorian, for Border Koretian is related to all three of the main peninsularean tongues. Border Koretian is a different language than the Common Koretian spoken by most Koretians. It is now used as a trade language in the Great Peninsula. If you plan to visit the borderland, it would be well worth your effort to learn Border Koretian, as that language will enable you to be understood by traders and most noblemen throughout the Great Peninsula. Speaking the language in the borderland, however badly, is an easy way to make yourself welcome.
[Translator's note: A good introduction to life in the borderland can be found in Law Links.]
pauraque
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