Today's Featured Books

This month, LitNuts is cosponsoring a new giveaway: Enter for a chance to win a bundle of 45+ literary,  historical, and book club fiction plus a brand new eReader, a $500 value! Open to readers worldwide. Deadline January 26. 

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the spirit of Baum's Wizard of Oz and Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, ten-year-old Azarah and her high-tech companion Baldur embark on an epic adventure filled with imagination, heroism, and self-discovery. "What a delightful read!! The illustrations are fan-flippin-TASTIC, and the story is wonderful. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment. Who wouldn’t want such an intrepid best friend as Baldur?" -reader review. "I think of it as a kind of 21st C. Velveteen Rabbit, with some derring-do thrown in for a modern audience." -reader review. 5 stars, 24 ratings. From $6.99 SHOP NOW / 

"A superior dystopian thriller." -Booklife, Editor's Choice. Welcome to the Free World is a powerful, story of a young man’s journey as he faces the brunt of climate change and malicious AI. Water runs out in western cities. Lake Mead drops below Dead Pool. American refugees head east by the millions. Will Robin attempts to help but is thwarted by an AGI avatar named Aja. “Embark on a whirlwind of feverish exhilaration in this post-apocalyptic page-turner.” -Independent Book Review. Featured in Best Books We Read This Year (2022). From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

Tip: Order directly from the publisher by emailing sales@northstareditions.com. 

Unsolved Mysteries Series

$9.95 each
$79.60 set of eight



The past is full of strange events, and some have left experts guessing. This fascinating series pairs short paragraphs of easy-to-read text with plentiful photos to help young readers explore some of these mysterious occurrences, highlighting what happened and what people still don’t know.

Each book also includes a table of contents, fun facts, sidebars, comprehension questions, a glossary, an index, and a list of resources for further reading.

Apex books have low reading levels (grades 2 - 3) but are designed for older students, with interest levels of grades 3 - 7.

The eight Unsolved Mysteries books cover the following topics: Amelia Earhart, Cahokia, D. B. Cooper, Easter Island, Irish Crown Jewels Theft, The Mary Celeste, Roanoke Colony, and The Voynich Manuscript.

             

Welcome to the January 2023 issue of LitNuts Deals: highly rated indie books PLUS the LitNuts Deals Giveaway.

This month, we're giving away $150 in books, coffee, and cash. Three winners will each choose a $50 gift card for books (from Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.), a $50 coffee shop gift card (from any coffee shop or café that sells gift cards online), or $50 in cash (payable via PayPal). Enter by January 21 for a chance to win! 

 

Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer
Genre: Cozy Mystery
4.4 stars, 1,440 ratings
$0.99

Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle. She blesses hearts, takes names, carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade bag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz hightails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. She’s fit to be tied when her brother—the chief of police—shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. When her long-dead best friend pops in things really get complicated. Book 1 in the Liz Talbot Mystery Series.

"A simmering gumbo of a story." ~The Huffington Post. 

Edgewood by Karen McQuestion
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Thrillers & Suspense
4.4 stars, 1,472 ratings
$0.99

"Such a gripping story! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough." ~Five-star Goodreads Review. Wandering the dark streets at night is Russ Becker's way of dealing with his relentless insomnia and the angst of life. But that changes forever the night he witnesses a strange astronomical event, then discovers he's developed incredible superpowers. And he's not the only one...

"I devoured it in one sitting!" New York Times Bestselling Author Lesley Kagen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Edgewood was mind-blowingly amazing." Olivia at Fictionally Obsessed ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

Kingdoms of Sand: Books 1-3 by Daniel Arenson
Genre: Epic Fantasy
4.2 stars, 137 ratings
FREE

Game of Thrones meets Spartacus in an epic saga of sand and splendor. This bundle contains the first three novels of Kingdoms of Sand, a fantasy series from a USA Today bestselling author. That's over 1,000 pages of battles, intrigue, and magic.

Sweeping from snowy forests to cruel deserts, from bazaars of wonder to fields of war, here is a tale of legionaries and lepers, priests and paupers, kings and crows. Here a girl travels across endless dunes, seeking magic; a cruel prince struggles to claim a bloodstained throne; and a young soldier fights to hold back an overwhelming host. As the empire spreads, the fate of one family—and of all civilization—stands upon a knife's edge, for under the storm of war, even the greatest nations are but kingdoms of sand.

The Prodigal Returns by Miranda Rose Barker
Genre: Cozy Mystery
4.4 stars, 41 ratings
$0.99

Holly owns a small-town café. Her curiosity is piqued by the rich and powerful Montgomery family, who control the town. When the family patriarch dies, the police view it as murder, and the estranged son of the deceased who recently returned is a suspect.

Holly meets this young man at her café and tries to help solve the case to exonerate him. One thing is for sure—Holly will do whatever it takes to learn who killed the family patriarch…and, in the process, uncover any other secrets the family is hiding.

Book 1 of the Near-to-Home Mystery Series.

My Mother's Secret by Alina Adams
Genre: Historical Fiction
4.4 stars, 47 ratings
$0.99

New York Times Bestselling author Alina Adams draws on her own experiences as a Jewish refugee from Odessa, USSR, as she provides readers a rare glimpse into the world's first Jewish Autonomous Region. My Mother's Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region is rooted in detailed research about a little-known chapter of Soviet and Jewish history while exploring universal themes of identity, love, loss, war, and parenthood. Readers can expect a whirlwind journey as Regina finds herself and her courage within one of the century's most tumultuous eras.

"An eye-opening family saga...both exotic and chillingly familiar." ~Kyra Davis, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

Blue Hydrangeas: An Alzheimer's Love Story by Marianne Sciucco

Genre: Fiction
4.6 stars, 227 ratings
$0.99

What if the person who knew you best and loved you most forgot your face and couldn't remember your name? In Blue Hydrangeas, a pair of retired Cape Cod innkeepers encounter Alzheimer's disease. 

"Blue Hydrangeas traces a couple's struggle with Alzheimer's in an effective story that doesn't pull its punches, but remains compassionate and absorbing." ~IndieReader

"By far the most tender love story I've read in a very long time." ~Story Circle

What's Not Said: A Novel by Valerie Taylor

Genre: Women's Domestic Life Fiction, Family Life Fiction 
4.2 stars, 193 ratings
$0.99

Kassie O’Callaghan’s meticulous plans to divorce her emotionally abusive husband, Mike, and move in with Chris, a younger man she met five years ago on a solo vacation in Venice, are disrupted when she finds out Mike has chronic kidney disease—something he’s concealed from her for years. Once again, she postpones her path to freedom—at least, until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits.

But Kassie is no angel, either.  As she struggles to justify her own indiscretions, the secret lives she and Mike have led collide head-on, revealing a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. Still, mindful of her vows, Kassie commits to helping her husband find an organ donor. In the process, she uncovers a life-changing secret. Problem is, if she reveals it, her own immorality will be exposed, which means she has an impossible decision to make: Whose life will she save—her husband’s or her own?

"Highly recommended for readers who look for not just stories of marital relationships, but the unexpected revelations that revolve around life purpose and the immortality of love.” ~Midwest Book Reviews

A Conjuring of Ravens by Azalea Ellis
Genre: Fantasy
4.5 stars, 316 ratings
$0.99

In a world where magic is a science, Siobhan is a genius. But even geniuses need schooling.

Siobhan has just been banned from the country's only magic university. As the unwitting accomplice to the theft of a priceless magical artifact, she has suddenly become a wanted criminal. There are fates worse than death, and if caught, she will face them. Unwilling to give up on her dream of becoming the world's most powerful sorcerer, she resolves to do whatever it takes to change her fate—even if it means disguising herself as a man and indebting herself to a gang of criminals to pay for University tuition.

With the coppers after her, the pressure of trying to keep her spot in the devilishly competitive magic classes, and the gang calling in favors to repay her debts, Siobhan will need every drop of magic she can channel. Book 1 in the A Practical Guide to Sorcery series. 

One & Done by Kelly Jayne
Genre: Steamy Romance
4 stars, 62 ratings
$0.99

He's hot. Like smoldering on a 98-degree day hot! He looks like a man I could enjoy all night long!

When she looked into the camera, it felt like she was looking straight into my soul, and a jolt of electricity pulsed through me like I haven't felt in years.

Holly doesn't believe in love. She saw what it did to her parents and she wants no part of it.

Morgan had true love once and doesn't believe he will ever find it again.

Will they find in each other what they never thought possible? Or will their fears and flaws keep them apart? Book 1 in the United Front series.

Outrageous: Rise to Riches by Neal Katz
Genre: Historical Fiction 
4.3 stars, 89 ratings
$0.99

Women empowerment, overcoming adversity, social change, and hope were the cornerstones upon which Victoria Woodhull (1838–1927) and her younger sister Tennessee Celeste Claflin built their incredible lives in Victorian America. 

Winner of 12 literary awards, Outrageous: Rise to Riches, Book 1 of The Victoria Woodhull Saga, sets the psychological verity and traces Victoria from childhood poverty and horrific abuse to becoming one of the wealthiest women in America, founding the first women-owned brokerage firm on Wall Street, and the first women-owned newspaper. Victoria would stop at nothing to achieve her destiny.

"A compelling page-turning story that cleverly unfolds history while providing a wonderfully entertaining ride." ~Midwest Book Review

A Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox
Genre: Historical Mystery, Mystery/Romance
4.1 stars, 517 ratings
$2.99

“Downton Abbey meets Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries!” 

In this second book of the series, Henrietta and Clive delightfully rewrite Pride and Prejudice—with a hint of mystery. Newly engaged, Clive and Henrietta now begin the difficult task of meeting each other’s family. “Difficult” because Clive has neglected to tell Henrietta that he is heir to the Howard estate and fortune, and Henrietta has just discovered that her mother has been hiding secrets about her past as well. When Clive leaves his new fiancée with his wealthy family to return to the city, Henrietta stumbles upon a servant whose ring has been stolen. What begins as an innocent investigation quickly becomes very dangerous. 

“Henrietta and Inspector Howard make a charming odd couple in A Ring of Truth, mixing mystery and romance in a fizzy 1930s cocktail.” ~Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author

Free online: The Blanche Ely House Museum sponsors Zoom Story Time for children the first Saturday of each month. This month, they are celebrating Chinese New Year with "Dragon Dance" as the main story. Saturday, January 7, 10 AM CST. 

"Always try to be a little kinder than is necessary." ~J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird

"Zombabe made it into my top 10 favorite reads of the year, and I will definitely be reading the second installment!" -Goodreads Review. Book one in a trilogy, Zombabe is a heartwarming LGBT Horror/Paranormal YA novel about a group of friends putting down an ancient evil inextricably linked to their sleepy town of Bulldeen, Maine. "Reading Zombabe was like a love letter to my younger self. I think, had this book existed when I was sixteen and hurting [...] I would have clung to it like a lifeline." -Goodreads Review. From $3.99 SHOP NOW / 

Bones meets Agatha Christie in this Victorian murder mystery. Netty Dyer can’t help but suspect foul play when her mother is found dead right after marrying a much younger man. With the help of mortuary assistant Constance Dunn and handsome private investigator Charles Hunter, Netty investigates her new father, and the family he claims to be part of. Book 1 in the Netty and Constance Investigate Mystery Series. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

Was it an accidental death, or worse...premeditated murder? Kate is tired of getting the proverbial doors slammed in her face. Her K-9 partner, Samson, may not be department issued, but he has her back and may make it easier to open a few of those doors. Ride along with Lt. Kate Gazzara and Samson as Kate begins to untangle this web of deceit. "Samson--Blair Howard's Lt Kate Gazarra--Barking HIT Alert!" -Dennis H. 4.8 stars, 500+ ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

New release! This small town, mountain man collection has it all: smoking hot steam, angst, drama, second chances, forbidden romances, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, firemen, doctors, and so much more. The collection includes five full-length novels of off-the-charts heat: Claiming Her Forever, A Second Chance at Forever, Always Be My Forever, Only For Forever, and Waiting For Forever. Free via Kindle Unlimited. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

Free online cultural event: Édouard Manet & Impressionism - The National Gallery of Art Livestream. The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, is home to one of the world’s most important collections of Edouard Manet’s work. This online/virtual program will explore Manet's paintings and drawings at the NGA and compare and contrast Manet's art with that of other Impressionists, including Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cassatt, Van Gogh, and others. Wednesday, January 4, 8 PM EST.

“There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.” ~Édouard Manet

They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago, bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise from the ashes. Now we fight back. Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win! Book 1 in the series. 4.2 stars, 4000+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

In a world where magic is a science, Siobhan is a genius. But even geniuses need schooling. Siobhan has just been banned from the country's only magic university. Unwilling to give up on her dream of becoming the world's most powerful sorcerer, she resolves to do whatever it takes to change her fate. Book 1 in the A Practical Guide to Sorcery series. 4.5 stars, 300+ ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

Rick and Marissa Lynch, Manhattan elite and press favorites, seem like the perfect couple, with money, prestige, and a beautiful daughter. In reality, their lives have become tangled webs of deceit and secrets. Hailey Everson, Marissa's twin, yearns to live a private life far from the paparazzi. But then she meets legacy senatorial candidate Chad Harper and sparks fly. Thrust into the limelight together, they navigate the attention and steer their relationship to new heights in a book that takes you from Manhattan to the Hamptons, unraveling secrets and revealing their complicated worlds. From $3.99 SHOP NOW / 

Attorney Ike Thompson was known as “the perfect lawyer” for his criminal defense days, but those days are over. Until he learns that a young mother, accused of setting the fire that killed her three small children, has been tried in the media and found guilty. And that her public defender is incompetent. Listening to his heart rather than his better judgment, Ike takes Mia’s case. But the prosecutor has a slam dunk case. Ike’s old doubts surface. Can he face down his fears—and save Mia’s life? 4.6 stars, 56 ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW /