Today's Featured Books

FREE - Watcher Untethered by JL Madore

Romance

Kidnapped and handcuffed to a dangerously sexy man, Austin is helpless to fight the attraction to her savior. The darkness of his world terrifies her, yet the rich timbre of his voice triggers a bizarre form of synesthesia. After a decade of being blind, what Austin sees when she's with Zander threatens to destroy them both. 4.3 stars, 1100+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


Forbidden Billionaire Boss by Nomaya Jax

Romance

Never make a secret one-night stand deal with your billionaire boss after shots of tequila. My overprotective brother tried to warn me about his best friend. What was supposed to be a one-time arrangement to end the sizzle to our undeniable tension resulted in two pink lines. He's far from ready to be a devoted father. To make things more complicated, I've completely fallen in love with my off-limits boss. How long can we keep this baby a secret? From our families, the office, and most of all, my brother. From $2.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


FREE - Love & Ruin by J.A. Owenby

Romance

An Amazon Top 30 Bestseller. I got pregnant when I was fourteen, and now I can’t escape the constant reminders of my brutal past. When my secret college application is accepted, I jump at the chance to start a new life and meet the sexy singer, Hendrix Harrington. He earns my trust, and I eventually share my dark secrets with him. But the past I worked so hard to bury returns to haunt me. "#1 on my list of all-time best reads. Love & Ruin is EPIC, a heartbreaking, intense, emotional, raw journey." -Gigi, Goodreads Review. 4.4 stars, 700+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


Free online tonight: The Big Texas Author Talk

Events

Free online tonight: The Big Texas Author Talk. Presented by Writing Workshops Dallas and Gemini Ink, tonight's talk will feature Andrew Porter, author of the story collection The Theory of Light and Matter and the novel In Between Days. Andrew is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Wednesday, May 17, 7 PM CST. 

"A good short story would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit." ~David Sedaris


Danger in the Desert by Sandra Givens

Book of the Day

When Karen Baker meets international businessman William Powell, she is impressed. Dating leads to a weekend in Napa, but when the nature of their relationship changes and Karen declines a date, Bill's behavior changes even more and he becomes threatening. Now, Karen is running away. She knows what she’s running from, but what is she running to? From $4.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 


FREE - The Heirs of Earth by Daniel Arenson

Science Fiction and Fantasy

We hide in shadows. Our planet is lost. We are the last humans, and we must go home. Long ago, aliens destroyed Earth. Our fleets shattered. Billions died. The last humans fled a burning planet, heading to the stars. Today we are still refugees. Hungry. Afraid. Our enemies hunt us everywhere. But we have not forgotten. Earth is our heritage. Earth is our birthright. We will return! Book 1 in the Children of Earthrise series. 4.2 stars, 1750+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


A Thief in Stickleback Hollow by C.S. Woolley

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

A shattered peace, a manor house burgled, and the butler didn’t do it! Can Lady Sarah Montgomery Baird Watson-Wentworth find the thief before the wrong man gets sent to prison in this British Victorian cozy mystery? Book 1 in The Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow. 4 stars, 130+ ratings. From $2.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW /


FREE - The Escapers by LJ Monahan

Children and Young Adult

Fourteen-year-old Bryce hates the Imjac, the alien invaders who conquered Earth and killed his parents. But he thinks their threats to him are over when he moves in with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Amanda on their farm. But the Imjac capture Bryce and Amanda, forcing them to work in one of their prison camps, where the aliens seek the rich minerals of the Earth to fuel their domination of the universe. When Bryce discovers his gift for using alien technology, will it be the key to escape from the island? Book One of the Alien Harvester Series. 4.9 stars, 20 ratings. A Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist. FREE - SHOP NOW / 


FREE - Our Journey Is Our Own by Heather Preis

Children and Young Adult

Dad is hitting Mom again. Kat wants to help her mother. But her brother, Bailey, is off at college, and when Kat visits the school counselor, the counselor tells her what she already knows—that calling the police might only make things worse. So what is Kat supposed to do? Our Journey Is Our Own is a coming-of-age novel that expertly approaches complex themes of domestic abuse, identity, teen grief, and mental health while offering hope to those who feel hopeless. 4.7 stars, 47 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


FREE - I Am Evidence by Yolanda Stith

Memoir and Creative Nonfiction

An engaging memoir with true life stories written by a woman of faith, this book is filled with helpful advice about God’s will and motivational quotes for adults. Stith shares the story of her childhood as a biracial child and how she overcame the circumstances of her birth with a powerful faith and a positive mindset geared toward personal transformation. She advises readers on how they can use her experiences to forge their own healthy and successful paths through life. FREE - SHOP NOW


Spotlight on Burned by Sue Dobson

Spotlight

Congratulations to Sue Dobson and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Burned: The Spy South Africa Never Caught, “An unflinching memoir of a spy during a tumultuous time and unsavory alliances."


Burned: The Spy South Africa Never Caught by Sue Dobson

NEW RELEASE: May 16, 2023
Genre: Military Intelligence & Spies History, Intelligence & Espionage, Espionage True Accounts
From $6.49  

From the snowy Soviet shooting range to the heat and dust of Africa, nothing is what it seems. And neither is Sue Dobson.

The image of South Africa in the 1980s as the golden paradise on the tip of the African continent conceals a brutal, racist Apartheid regime. Those who oppose it risk their lives. Beauty and brutality go hand in hand.

Sue Dobson, a young white South African woman lives a 'legend'—a life where she pretends to conform, moving easily through the echelons of the racist government in her work as a journalist, whilst concealing her espionage and military training in the Soviet Union, and her intelligence work for the banned African National Congress.

Matters come to a head when sinister forces try to derail the Namibian independence process and Sue's cover is blown during a difficult honey trap operation, bringing the Cold War to Africa, and leading to her desperate flight across Southern Africa with the Apartheid security police snapping at her heels.
 
Praise for Burned

★★★★★ “An unflinching memoir of a spy during a tumultuous time and unsavory alliances. Dobson recounts her recruitment, training, and espionage with rare self-awareness.” ~Henry R. Schlesinger, author of Honey Trapped

About the Author
Sue Dobson was born in South Africa and witnessed Apartheid firsthand. Wanting to contribute to a democratic South Africa for all, she joined the African National Congress (ANC) and was trained as an intelligence officer/spy in the Soviet Union. She was deployed in South Africa and infiltrated the government propaganda department, interviewed Apartheid ministers, and had a honey trap affair with a police chief involved with the Namibian independence process. She was "burned" when she failed an enhanced security check for the State President's office, prompting her escape across southern Africa with the security police at her heels.
About the Publisher
Vine Leaves Press likes to blur the line between commercial and experimental works. They publish book-length vignette collections, writing reference books, short story collections, memoir/autobiography, and character-driven novels with a literary bent.​ Subscribe to the Vine Leaves Press newsletter to receive FREE advanced review copies of upcoming new releases, news about their authors and subscribers, and/or to read the monthly opinion column, SPILL IT! or a daily dose of 50-word stories. Learn more at vineleavespress.com.


Free online tonight: Rogue Reads

Events

Free online tonight: Rogue Reads. Join authors Tosca Lee, Liv Constantine, Doug Lyle, and Ellen Crosby for an exciting hour during which they will reveal the latest about their brand-new suspense novels, read excerpts for you, and answer questions. Monday, May 15, 7 PM EST. 

“Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.” ~Anne Lamott


Moonlight Beach by Yurie Kiri

Book of the Day

Bodies are washing up on Moonlight Beach in the idyllic, seaside community of Rancho, California, worrying the privileged one percent in the gated communities of one of SoCal’s ritziest enclaves. Speculation centers on sharks, satanic rituals, and greedy venture capitalists, but then two more people are killed on a cliff overlooking the beach—and all their organs are missing. What the hell is going on? They better figure all this out before more people get butchered or, God forbid, Rancho’s inflated property values plummet. Book 1 in the Murder and Magic Series. 4.1 stars, 50+ ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW


You WIll Know Vengeance by W.A. Pepper

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

A government plot. A con who holds all the cards. Can a young man protecting his fellow inmates stop a killer without losing his soul? "A new techno-charged version of The Shawshank Redemption." -Readers' Choice Book Awards. Book 1 in a series. 4.7 stars, 10 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


Inception by K.J. Gillenwater

Science Fiction and Fantasy

A Navy cryptologist is recruited to a secret organization investigating alien activity. Her first assignment: studying a strange pod that landed during a storm. The mystery deepens when it’s revealed this isn’t the first pod to arrive, and someone close to her may know more than anyone realized. The Genesis Machine Book 1. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


London Calling (Books 1-5) by Kat Faitour

Romance

Get this complete box set packed with page-turning drama sure to entertain! This saga is full of dangerous secrets, sizzling sexual tension, and unexpected love. If you like Nora Roberts, then you’ll love this epic saga that combines sizzle, suspense, and a cast of characters you’re sure to fall in love with. 4.7 stars, 90 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


Spotlight on Fat in Paris by Bull Garlington

Spotlight

Free Download!

Get a free advance copy of Fat in Paris, a travel memoir like nothing you've ever read, from author Bull Garlington.
All the Right Places. All the Wrong Times.

Fat in Paris
Genre: Travel Memoir, Humor
FREE advance copy!



A complete idiot travels abroad in search of the perfect vacation. He fails to find one.

No camels were harmed in the making of this book. But the author was. He fell off a camel on the way to a Bedouin camp behind the pyramids; he was nearly burned alive in an Alabama boat fire; he was attacked by bats in a Mexican cenote; he was shark bait off the coast of Belize; nearly died from heat stroke on the Nile; and was savaged by a swarm of elderly Japanese women in a men’s room at a gas station somewhere in Spain.

Starting from Chicago, the author visits nine countries and various states in an attempt to have a perfect vacation. It never works. But that doesn’t stop him. The result is a hilarious f-bomb of a travelogue.

Garlington holds nothing back, showing the maddening side of international travel without an Instagram filter. Readers will learn nothing useful about the cities he visits, nor will they use his book as a guide. It is more of a roadmap for ruthless schadenfreude as we watch helplessly while Garlington runs into brick wall time after time. Written in a style reminiscent of Bill Bryson (if he were a rampaging drunk) or Anthony Bourdain (if he cussed less), Fat in Paris might be the funniest travel memoir in the last ten years.

Please note: This book contains scenes of inadvertent camel abuse, conspicuous tourism, sniveling, a luridly detailed account of testicular damage, a nearly unbelievable and very detailed story of losing control of one’s bodily functions, way too many footnotes, a plague of scorpions, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.


Free online: How to share your family history with the next generation

Events

Ever wonder about how to pass on your family history to the next generation? If yes, then you might want to check out the free Honoring Ancestors: Family History Project Workshop to learn about creating family story books and family movies. Saturday, May 13, 11 AM CDT.

“Obviously, if I was serious about having a relationship with someone long-term, the last people I would introduce him to would be my family.” ~Chelsea Handler


Serendipity: The Series by Topher Kaler

Book of the Day

Led by the charismatic Samantha, a thirteen-year-old with a thirst for adventure, a multi-talented young crew flees their doomed world in a newly built spaceship, leaving everything they have known behind and wondering if they will ever see their families again. On their journeys, they uncover startling revelations about the Earth's past. Together, they learn and grow, face many perils, and develop new friendships. Each of the three books in this series is a fast-paced adventure as the crew unravels mysteries, overcomes challenges, and explores themselves and the universe. Individual books available starting at $2.99. Set from $8.97 SHOP NOW


FREE - Lady Mage by Toni Cabell

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Pride and Prejudice meets Lord of the Rings in this B.R.A.G. Medallion Winner! Linden may be a Master Mage, but her warnings about dark magic go unheeded until a fay scout delivers shocking news. Mordahn is back, and he’s exploiting the sacred places of power to fuel his war machine. Linden must team up with Mordahn’s arrogant nephew to stop the dark mage and save their homeland before time runs out. “Intense and exciting, filled with magical adventure, personal struggle, and romance.” -Amazon Review. Book 2 in the Serving Magic Series. 4.5 stars, 110 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


Division by Brad Norris

Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Chronicles of the Fallen States of America. A gripping post-apocalyptic novel set in a future United States that has been torn apart by civil war and environmental collapse. 2078 - the Earth’s temperature is two degrees warmer. A genetic mutation placed women in charge of not only civilization but the species. A handful of small republics hold onto the remains of the fallen United States. Captain Philippa Calenos fears the looming threat from the northern empire. While war rages, Philippa must slip behind enemy lines to find her wyve and kill tyrannical twin rulers. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 


Seed of Fury: Zolia's Revenge by Joe Antony Sebastin

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

After three millennia, the first novel is out about the brutal past. Set during the founding years of the Roman Empire, this is a gut-wrenching depiction of the Rape of the Sabine Women, their degradation and torture at the hands of King Romulus and the Roman men, and their eventual heroic escape. 4.9 stars, 13 ratings. From $2.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


The Bad Parents by SL Harker

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

A gripping domestic thriller with a mind-blowing twist. Instead of hosting trivia nights, the parents on Madison Lane decide to play by a whole new set of rules. Anything goes. Petra, Dawn, and Amy are about to indulge in their darkest fantasies. Until someone pushes those fantasies too far. Petra soon realizes she’s caught in a dangerous game. One she may not win. 4.2 stars, 37 ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 


Deadly Peril by Emily Jane Trent

Romance

Can a woman’s fire melt a navy SEAL’s icy heart? Navy SEAL Thaddeus was trained to be alone. After years of deployment, he can’t envision losing his heart to a woman. Then he’s assigned to bodyguard Jana, a woman with a secret worth a lot of money. He’s clear on one thing: he’s not marriage material. But Jana affects him as no woman has. Part of the Stealth Security Series. 4.5 stars, 450+ ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW


Spotlight on You Will Know Vengeance by W.A. Pepper

Spotlight

You Will Know Vengeance

 
Get You Will Know Vengeance from USA Today best-selling author W.A. Pepper for as low as 99 cents today!
 
"A new techno-charged version of The Shawshank Redemption."
~Readers' Choice Book Awards

You Will Know Vengeance: A Tanto Thriller
Genre: Technothrillers, Conspiracy Thrillers, Suspense Action Fiction
Book 1 in the series
Ebook: $0.99 (Free via Kindle Unlimited)
Paperback: $14.99
Hardcover: $24.99


A government plot. A con who holds all the cards. Can a young man protecting his fellow inmates stop a killer without losing his soul?

Tanto is a skilled hacker who winds up on the wrong side of the law. His punishment: He is whisked away to a hidden compound where he is forced to entrap other hackers. Yet deep inside, an ember still burns...to save people, not entrap them.

Tanto spends the next eight years in prison, finding inner peace in the ways of Bushido. But when the peaceful warrior takes a terrified and badly beaten newcomer under his wing, he is shaken to learn the kid was brutalized by an old nemesis.

Later, the same monstrous enemy lands in his cellblock, causing Tanto to fear for the tribe he’s grown to love like family. When the guards turn a blind eye to his rival’s calculated atrocities, Tanto enacts desperate measures that could trigger deadly results. Can he maintain his sworn discipline and avoid leaving a bloody legacy?


Praise for You Will Know Vengeance

"A new techno-charged version of The Shawshank Redemption for the 21st century...a fast-paced, high-energy novel, that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. ~Readers' Choice Book Awards (5-starred review)

"This book belongs on the shelves of any library devoted to building a solid, exceptional collection of thriller novels, and is highly recommended for readers who can absorb trigger subjects in the interest of a complex, thoroughly absorbing story packed with surprises." ~Midwest Book Review

"Pepper deftly amps up his engaging prison tale with perpetual threats. An absorbing, tech-smart tale that unfolds in a tense prison setting." ~Kirkus

"Readers will relish the ins and outs of Pepper's well-crafted dystopian prison society." ~BookLife


About the Author
W.A. Pepper writes suspense thrillers. He is an awarding-winning USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon best-selling author for his contribution to the business anthology Habits of Success. Under different names (and his real one of Will Pepper), he has published in multiple academic journals, interactive e-books, anthologies, and online.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Will, his wife, Taddy, and their dog, Danger, started the publishing house Hustle Valley Press, LLC. Through it, they published four e-books that have amassed more than one hundred five-star reviews. Further, the husband-and-wife team donated the first six months of revenue from the sale of each of those books to charity, resulting in thousands of dollars raised for reader-selected charities that support racial equality, COVID-19 relief, veteran affairs, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Will has a PhD in Management Information Systems or, as he calls it, Business Computing, from The University of Mississippi. Will, Taddy, and Danger split their time between Mississippi and Colorado. Learn more (and order signed copies of books!) at wapepperwrites.com

More from W.A. Pepper:
  • $4.99: Running on Broken Bones, A Tanto Thriller, Book 2
  • FREE: DoGoodR, a prequel to You Will Know Vengeance