If you are an avid reader, or become one in the future, I highly advise you to subscribe to Pixel of Ink. I follow them on Facebook, but I believe they also have a website. Every day, they post two updates (morning and evening) with freebies for the day. (If you aren’t on Facebook, I think they send the deals via email.) It also includes any Amazon bargain deals for the day. Please note that when it says a book is free at the time it was posted, it is entirely possible it won’t be free by the time you go out to get it. Always verify purchase price.
If, after reading my choices, you think some/most/all of these would be up your alley, I also encourage you to follow Maryse’s Book Blog. I follow her on Facebook, but she does a blog that can be updated as often as five times a day. (Also, she posted her top 25ish books of 2012 today, if you're interested.)
Disclaimer:
- I read my books in a Kindle Fire. Any reference to price or book site or blog is specific to a Kindle reader and books purchased through Amazon. I cannot guarantee that Nook or other e-readers will be afforded the same specials.
- Most of the authors I read are classified as indie, self-published authors. In many cases, these will not be available in any format other than an e-book, and finding them through your local library will be next to impossible.
- Other than #2 on my list, I paid no more than $3.99 for any book in my entire Kindle carousel. And there are so many…
- I am a firm believer in the supernatural and paranormal. If you are not into that genre, you will probably not be sold on this list. I will try to note when books fall into this realm.
- I am not going to provide summaries of the books. I’ll give my opinion and brief commentary, but you can go out and read more about each if you’d like.
- While some of these books may have been released in 2011, I read them in 2012, so…
The first two books I’m giving you are, in order, my two faves from this year. The rest could be in any order because I really enjoyed them.
- The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski
I am not going to even explain this book to you. Just read it. It was phenomenal. And there is absolutely NO paranormal aspect to it. It’s just real people and real emotions and a totally real plot. I recommended this to my mom's book club. I hope this author gets an agent and a publisher QUICK because she deserves it. - Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Again, words can’t describe this one. Nothing paranormal in this one. Hot, tattooed guy (Travis…yummy) tries to get the good girl. It takes place in a college setting. This also just got picked up to be made into a movie. The only way they can screw it up is by casting the wrong actor as Travis. Also, the “sequel” will be released in April 2013. It’s called Walking Disaster. It’s not really a sequel; it’s the same story told in Travis’s point of view. Scrumptious... - The Providence Trilogy by Jamie McGuire
Notice the repeat of the author’s name? Amazon has the trilogy bundled into one e-book purchase. That’s how I got it. This one has a supernatural aspect to it: angels, demons, and a bit of religion. The story (and love story) is well thought-out and beautifully written. - Blood Reaction by D.L. Atha
Not surprising that this one is about vampires. This is probably the first e-book I read this year that I recommended to others. The story was very original. I encourage anyone who enjoys the vampire genre to indulge. I will say that it’s pretty dark. I also want to caution anyone with kids. Sounds weird, I know, but one of the underlying storylines is about what a mother would do to keep a child safe. - The Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle
I have also been pushing this one all year. This one is mostly about ghosts and ghost hunting. There is an underlying love story between the two main characters who are in their mid-20s. This series is interesting because you’ll find that there are “tweener” books, as I like to call them. Like, if you go looking for them, you might see Book 4.5. These are usually short stories that either are standalones to hold you over until the next book in the series, or it’s the story up to this point told in a different character’s point of view. Finally, the editing on these books is not great. The story is pretty good, but you should be aware of the poor editing going into it. Darkhouse is the first book and has been free almost the whole year. It is a super slow read, but if you attempt it, stay with it. The rest of the series gets better, but you need this for back story. - Fall from Grace series by Christine Zolendz
There are two books in this series. This series was one of my faves because it had rock stars and paranormal aspects. The paranormal in this series is angels. However, with angels come demons. This series is very well written. - Reunion and Twisted Vengeance by Jeff Bennington
These are two separate books, but I found one because I read the other and liked the writing. Both of these books involve ghosts and hauntings. If you enjoy that topic or believe in ghosts, both are really great. - Just Breathe series by Kendall Grey
I believe this is going to end up being just a trilogy. The first two books are out, and the third is scheduled to be released 1/8/13. (Seriously, I can’t wait for this one!) This has some pretty supernatural aspects to it that require you to open your mind and think outside the box. I can tell you that the lead character, Zoe, works with whales and can communicate with them. That’s one of the storylines. Sound odd? Perhaps. But note that a huge portion of the proceeds of the book sales goes to whale research and rescue. - Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
I think I get to count it because I finished Mockingjay in January. Seriously…if you haven’t read these yet, just do it. The first movie was actually really good compared to the book. However, the books are always so much better! - Flesh by Kylie Scott
I am constantly being mocked at work by my love for this book. This is listed as zombie apocalyptic erotica as the “genre” on Amazon. Oh, and that’s what it is all right. Here’s my synopsis: It’s 60 days past the zombie apocalypse. There’s a group of people that have survived that come together for safety in a small community. The ratio of men to women is something like 10:1. As a female, unless you want to be kidnapped, raped, and fed to a zombie, you might want to open up your sexual boundaries. There is a “sequel” to this one coming out on 2/1/13, which I have already pre-ordered for the low price of $1. Same post-zombie-apocalyptic erotica but not the same characters…and it has now been 6 months since the apocalypse and supplies are low.
O.K. Time for my list of duds. It’s really not going to be much.
- Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James
Guilty pleasure, but not the best writing of all time. I say read the first one to say you’ve experienced Christian, but read reviews/summaries of the next two and move on with your life. And, for the love of Pete…if you get through the second one, DO NOT start the third one. Ugh…so many hours of my life I can’t get back. However…if you do want to experience them all…I suggest getting the audio book for the third book. I was having a difficult time getting through it and had a long road trip ahead. The audio book was AWFUL and made me giggle out loud in inappropriate places. - Have You Seen Her? by Rich Silvers
The only reason this is on here is because this is one of the only books in my entire life I started and could not finish. 40% of the way through, I could already tell the ending. It was SO FRUSTRATING to know what was going to happen when the whining, crazy main character didn’t get it. Per a suggestion from a friend, I jumped to the last two chapters to confirm my belief and called it good. - Savagery by Emma Mackenzie
(sigh) Do I have to? This is the one I “won” and got an advanced copy of. This was billed as erotica. The story was awful, the writing/editing was awful, and a few tame sex scenes (and one tame threesome) does NOT make an erotica. I mostly hate this book because after my negative review on Amazon, the author emailed me privately and ripped me for my review. Whatever. It’s awful. It was also free a few weeks ago. Don’t do it.
Happy reading in 2013! I know I can't wait. :-)
