{March 8, 2014} The 99 Cent Club–Feature 87–Ten Books for Ten Bucks

Every Saturday I run a feature for the 99 Cent Club, and below are the eBook picks for this week that caught my eye and are currently ONLY 99 Cents on Amazon, with many on Barnes and Noble as well. I don’t know if these are permanent prices, so please don’t shoot the messenger, and double check pricing before pressing the buy button. Enjoy! (If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.)

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Black Hill Farm by Tim O’Rourke

When sixteen year-old Ben McCloud moves to Black Hill Farm, he soon falls in love with the mysterious and seductive Andrea Black. Finding themselves alone on this remote farm and desperate to stay together, Ben’s and Andrea’s world spirals out of control. As they fight for survival, every step they take leads them into an ever darker world of forbidden love and despair. A dark romance with a deadly twist.

This is a new adult novel recommended for 16+ years.

Find it on Amazon.

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Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper

Donna Pierce might hear voices, but that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Probably.The voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy class president, and—best of all?—Liam, hottie extraordinaire and Donna’s long-time crush. When Liam is around, it’s easy to forget about the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke is suddenly acting toward her.But as the teens’ numbers dwindle and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids like Donna…

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Knight Assassin by Rima Jean

Seventeen-year-old Zayn has special powers she cannot control—powers that others fear and covet. Powers that cause the Templar Knights to burn Zayn’s mother at the stake for witchcraft. When a mysterious stranger tempts Zayn to become the first female member of the heretical Assassins, the chance to seek her revenge lures her in. She trains to harness her supernatural strength and agility, and then enters the King of Jerusalem’s court in disguise with the assignment to assassinate Guy de Molay, her mother’s condemner. But once there, she discovers Earic Goodwin, the childhood friend who still holds her heart, among the knights—and his ocean-blue eyes don’t miss a thing. Will vengeance be worth the life of the one love she has left?

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Leif by Abbi Glines

“She was mine. I owned her soul…until Death stole her heart.”

LEIF is a novella from the Existence series. It is glimpses into Leif’s point-of-view during both Existence and Predestined.

* Also, each digital copy of LEIF has a free download for Dank Walker (AKA Death) newest song – Closer.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Runes by Ednah Walters

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

Find it on Amazon.

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Swift by Heather London

A girl totally unaware of her destiny.

Two men who will stop at nothing to take her power.

One family who will do whatever it takes to protect her.

After graduating from high school, Meredith is ready to leave the place that has been a constant reminder of what happened to her as a child. She was just eight years old when her family died in a mysterious car accident, taking the secret of her destiny with them. It’s not until a new family moves to town that she realizes leaving may not be as easy as she once thought.

Meredith feels an instant connection towards the Harpers, especially the good-looking, mysterious Blake and his overly friendly sister, Abby. After a series of bizarre events that happen too often to be coincidence, Meredith begins to realize that she is at the center of something larger than herself—possibly the same thing that killed her parents and twin sister many years ago. Nightmarish visions and resurfacing memories push Meredith closer to Blake, leading her to discover her destiny and other buried secrets.

As Meredith tries to understand her new world, she will be put to the ultimate test, and her strength and courage will be challenged more than she ever imagined.

Find it on Amazon.

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Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski

From the author of the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling novel, THE EDGE OF NEVER, comes a story of passion and survival…

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Cornerstone by Misty Provencher

Nalena Maxwell has been branded ‘The Waste’ at her new school, due to her mom’s obsessive paper hoarding. Nalena desperately wants something to change in her life, but when she receives a sign (and it’s the wrong dang one) inviting her into a mysterious, ancient community, too much changes. What she knew of her family, what she thought of her life and what she believed about her future, is no longer applicable. Seventeen years worth of family skeletons come crashing into Nalena’s life and it is the boy…the one that smiles at her like he wants to hear everything she’ll ever say…that already knows her powerful secrets. But it is only Nalena that can choose between protecting the life that is already crumbling beneath her feet and the one that might sacrifice everything she could ever have.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Cascade: A Novel by Lisa T. Bergren

Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”

Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.

But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Anomaly by K.C. King

“I was transfixed as I watched him; his skin was simply luminous in the sunlight, yet not a bead of sweat sheened his face. I could have remained entranced by him for hours, for in this state he was simply magnificent, almost – supernatural.

The spontaneous thought raised goose bumps on my arms as I saw him – I recognised him – for the first time. It wasn’t that there was something unusual about Sebastian, it was that he was entirely unusual. He was beyond human.”

22-year-old Bree Spencer hates prejudice of all kinds – especially the blatant elitism she is subjected to as a resident staffer at her aunt’s exclusive estate, Blackall Manor. So when Bree nearly winds up as road-kill on account of the wealthy Sebastian Templeton, she struggles to reconcile her inexplicable attraction to him. On the surface Sebastian epitomises all that Bree usually despises, yet her draw to him is irrefutable.

Events become decidedly more unusual upon Sebastian’s arrival as a guest at Blackall Manor. Despite her reservations, Bree finds Sebastian intriguing; but his insistence to get to know her triggers a raft of niggling suspicions – heightened by a series of strange dreams and phenomena – until eventually, she learns the truth.

Sebastian is a guardian, a powerful descendant of a sacred ethereal line; and Bree’s uncanny gift has prompted him to find her. But while an anomaly inspired their connection, an ancient prophecy and ethereal lore forbid it. And with Sebastian’s purist brother determined to honour both at any cost, an epic battle with unthinkable stakes could be Bree’s only chance at survival.

Find it on Amazon.

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If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.

For more information about books on sale throughout the week, as well as giveaway updates, be sure to like A Book Vacation’s Facebook Page.

{March 2, 2014} {ARC Review} Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper

From Goodreads: Donna Pierce might hear voices, but that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Probably.

The voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy class president, and—best of all?—Liam, hottie extraordinaire and Donna’s long-time crush. When Liam is around, it’s easy to forget about the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke is suddenly acting toward her.

But as the teens’ numbers dwindle and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids like Donna…

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Donna of the Dead is a fast-paced, humorous, and intricate zombie novel for lovers of all things zombie. I love that Donna hears voices, and while they aren’t always specific about what she needs to do, they are definitely the voice of reason, and I just love her inner-monologue. Donna states at one point, “Hollow-eyed zombies trail behind me like I’m the pied piper of the undead,” a statement and situation that made me snicker as I imagined it, as did much of Kemper’s entire novel as she sets the stage for zombie world domination.

Beginning on a cruise ship, a setting that is sure to capture readers’ attention, as it did mine—can you imagine a zombie outbreak on a ship? Oh my—Kemper moves her stage to an abandoned high school and its band of misfits as they attempt to ward off the strange zombie horde… and try to figure out just what, exactly, they really are. I have to admit that I was not anticipating the reveal that Kemper unleashes on readers, but that’s part of it’s allure—I was always guessing what would happen next because this novel really isn’t your typical zombie apocalypse. It’s a fun ride that begins much like many stories that come before it, but ends on a completely different note—and I highly suggest you pick it up if you’re in the mood for something entertaining and different. Four stars.

In exchange for an honest review, Entangled Publishing has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on March 4.

Kindle | Nook

Pre-Order today! You don’t want to miss this one!!

{February 22, 2014} {Cover Reveal} Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper

Donna of the Dead

by Alison Kemper

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Donna Pierce might hear voices, but that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Probably.

The voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy class president, and—best of all?—Liam, hottie extraordinaire and Donna’s long-time crush. When Liam is around, it’s easy to forget about the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke is suddenly acting toward her.

But as the teens’ numbers dwindle and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids like Donna…

“Awesome writing, wicked humor, sexy boys. I’ve never wanted to be part of the zompocalypse so badly!!” —Brigid Kemmerer, author of the Elemental series

“Donna of the Dead is a fast-paced, humorous, and intricate zombie novel for lovers of all things zombie.” —A Book Vacation Reviews