Don't know if anyone has posted about this here yet, but just in case not...
Smashwords have a promotion running until the 31st May and free books abound! I used the code AG100 to get the book series I wanted and I think it's the same code for everything but double check on each book page, just in case. There's a filter near the top to sort them by price - free, 99c,1.99, etc and the link below is for the freebies.
Have at it :D
https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/1/free/any
Catnip by J.S. Frankel
Today’s interview is with J. F. Frankel, an action writer who lives in Japan.
LQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
JF: I was born in Toronto, Canada, a number of years back, managed to scrape through high school and university, and after working in TO for three years, I moved to Japan and haven’t been home that much. That was…over thirty years ago. My wife is a native Osakan, and we have two sons. I make my living as an ESL teacher and dream of the day when I can write professionally and full-time.
LQ: What does your writing process look like?
JF: It’ very simple. I do a basic, written plan of what I want to say each chapter, jot down some of the narrative, anything interesting dialogue-wise, and then I commit it to cyber-paper. Everything is subject to change, but what never changes is me leaving a mini-cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. I’m known for doing action novels, and depicting action is something I excel at.
LQ: What was your favorite book to write so far?
JF: All of them…ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL of them! Okay, The Professional reference aside, I’m going to give you two. First is The Titans Of Ardana. It’s an action-romance showing that a nerd can win the day through brains as well as brawn, and it remains one of my best in blending action, funny dialogue, and a very sharp narrative.
The second is the Catnip series of five novels. It was the first series I’d ever written, and it was fun to take the MCs, Harry, and Anastasia, on a journey from being outcasts (due to them being transgenic cat-people) to valuable members of society. Those five novels encompass Harry’s journey from nerd to cat-person to a stalwart defender of justice to a devoted husband and father, and Anastasia, his wife, matches him every step of the way. It was fun watching them grow together!
J.S. Frankel
LQ: Who is your favorite character to write about?
JF: Hmm…good question. I’m going to say Kyle Sorton, star of Fight Like A Woman. It’s a gender switch novel, and our MC, Kyle, crashlands on an alien world and has to use a machine to transfer his consciousness to the nearest recipient–an alien woman. His initial terror gives way to a sense of wonder and then acceptance, even though he finds out that his female ‘host’–Rinarra–is married to another woman! I wanted to explore the concept of gender fluidity in this novel as well as do my favorite thing–action–and I think that I succeeded quite well.
LQ: Who are your favorite authors? Have any of them influenced your work?
JF: Favorite authors? In no particular order: Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Robert McCammon, N.K. Jemisin, and Ray Bradbury. They all had/have different styles, but they captured my imagination, and that’s the mark of a great writer. To answer the second question, while they haven’t influenced my work, they showed me what pacing and narrative and characterization were all about.
LQ: How are you doing during the current pandemic?
JF: My wife and children are coping. It’s hard; I won’t lie to you. I would love to go out for runs and to see movies and eat out in restaurants, but we simply can’t take that chance. We’ll cope. In the long run, that’s all we can do.
Fight Like a Woman by J.S. Frankel
LQ: What are you currently working on?
JF: As I write YA Fantasy, I’m about 35,000 words into my latest, Port Anywhere. Imagine a 1950’s-style diner in space serving Earth food to various races.
Our MC, Richard Gargan, has to deal with raiders, salvagers, and the usual scum of the universe, all the while protecting an alien woman who carries the secrets of a universe inside her–literally. It’s still very rough, but I’m having fun with it, and fun is what it’s all about for me. If a writer can’t enjoy the process, then they shouldn’t be writing.
LQ: Anything else you would like to share?
I would like to say a huge thank you to you, Ms. Skinner, for allowing me this interview.
I’d also like to thank all the writers as well as the readers for their support. It means an awful lot to me, and it’s what drives me to do better each and every time out.
LQ: My pleasure!
Disclaimer: There are two Smashwords links in the interview. These links are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase the book through one of these links. I donate half of my affiliate earnings to Trees for the Future.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 1,311,890
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Love’s Kiss is free on Smashwords.
As much as I love browsing through self-published books on Smashwords and supporting indie authors, I have to admit that I’ve found my fair share of duds.
So I was a little wary about committing to Love’s Kiss, a whopping eight novel boxed set! But it was free on Smashwords, so no way I was going to pass it up.
And it was so good!
If you follow me on social media (connect with me if you don’t), then you might have seen me raving about this boxed set a few times because I wanted to talk about these books before the review because I knew it would take me so long before I got to actually write the review. It took me over a year to read all eight novels in the boxed set.
Love’s Kiss is a lot to take in, but the first few books are about Lana and Cullen, two living legends in their own right. In a world where mages are hated and feared, Lana became a hero when she wiped out a zombie virus blight that was destroying the kingdom. She is known as the Hero of Fereldon.
Cullen is a templar who has been in love with her since he was a teenager. Templars guard mages in glorified prisons called Towers. They also track down blood mages, who have bound themselves to demons.
But he can’t help being in love with Lana despite it being forbidden for templars to have relationships with mages. I think. Honestly, there was a lot of world building and I had difficulty getting adjusted for the first couple of books.
After the first three books, the story shifts to focus also on King Alastair, Lana’s ex-lover, and then it even includes the next generation.
One of my favorite things about these books is that everything is equal opportunity. No one thinks twice about women being knights or soldiers, or being in positions of authority which is so refreshing. And Lana isn’t the only badass heroine in this story. The story is chock-full of badass women and I love it!
I love Lana and Cullen’s love story because they are so perfect together. Cullen is absolutely devoted to her and despite being one of the most intimidating people on the battlefield, he’s gets really insecure and shy around Lana, which is adorable.
However, my favorite character of the original two couples is Alastair. He is the least kingly king ever. When he’s being goofy and cracking jokes, it’s hard to remember he rules a kingdom. Which makes sense because he was never supposed to take the throne.
Alastair has a habit of hiding his true feelings under humor and even though the other characters moan about his lame jokes, he had me laughing out loud. I loved how unapologetically goofy he was.
His love interest, Reiss, is also really cool and I really liked how their story ended. It’s a happy ending but unconventional. However, considering the circumstances of their forbidden love and his job as king, it’s the best and most realistic ending for them.
My biggest problem with these stories is the plot. While the characters carried my attention, I had a lot of trouble understanding the plot and the world-building for the first two books. There was just a lot of stuff thrown at me all at once. Not only was there the politics involving the mages, the templars, and the Grey Wardens, but also their religion which played a significant role in the stories, if only for the colorful swear words. It took me several novels to learn the finer points of the world, like vellum is paper and a nug is a type of animal.
Not only that, but we were dropped into the middle of their stories. When we begin the first story, Lana is already the Hero of Fereldon, Conqueror of the Blight, and a few other things. Not only has she saved Fereldon a couple of times over, but she also went off with Alistair to hunt down the Lost King of Fereldon.
These adventures are referenced all the time, leaving the reader to piece together the backstory bit by bit.
Honestly, Love’s Kiss could use an editor and a wiki page that explains everything going on. But I only had to knock one star off for that because I enjoyed the characters so much. The boxed set made me laugh out loud and cry, yes, actually cry!
So I highly recommend it to everyone wanting a high fantasy romance. You can get it free on Smashwords, so what are you waiting for?
Source: Megan Tennant
Megan Tennant created a fun way to spread the love for indie authors this December with a bingo game called Indiecember. Mark off squares on this bingo game by leaving a review for a matching indie book. Everyone who gets bingo before 2020 will be entered into an epic giveaway.
Even though December is halfway over, it’s not too late to participate, and it’s really cool.
Here’s an indie book for every category.
Genre: Erotica
Word Count: 69,360
This is a book that has to have red on the cover and Carnal Compromise has its title in bright red letters.
When you’re down on the farm, things are bound to get dirty!
Joe Remke just has one qualification for his lovers–he wants them gone before sunrise, which makes his new bunkmate AJ about as safe as a woman can be around him. It also makes his determination to sleep with his boss downright stupid, because if Brent ever gives in, he’ll be looking for a new job.
Brent Andersen knows sex with his right-hand man Joe is inevitable, but he’s not going down without a fight. Putting the new female hired hand in their cramped RV was a stroke of genius, taking the heat off him while protecting her from the horny guys on his custom farming crew.
AJ Pender’s bunkmates may hide their feelings for each other from the rest of the crew, but they aren’t fooling her–Brent and Joe are hot for each other, and it’s all she can do not to cry at the thought. Not that they’d be interested in her, of course, and if they ever found out she fantasizes about being the meat in their farmer sandwich, they’d probably die laughing.
Fortunately for Brent and Joe, fantasies have a way of outing themselves and AJ’s are right up their alley. But even three-ways have their risks, and AJ can serve as a buffer for only so long before the tension between them explodes.
Warning: Flying BOBs ahead–and that’s just the warm-up! Strap yourself in for a wild ride complete with ménage, m/m, and a voyeuristic f/f scene hot enough to make three grown men beg for mercy.
Get Carnal Compromise on Smashwords.
Genre: Erotica, LBGTQ
Word Count: 173,870
Average Smashwords Rating: 4.74 out of 5 stars
Authors have to fight tooth and nail for book reviews on Smashwords, my ebook retailer of choice, so it was difficult to find a book with over 30 reviews. But I did find Richochet, with 34 reviews while I’m writing this.
When the right dom is all wrong!
Even in a BDSM universe, where everyone is bisexual and identifies as sexually dominant or submissive, finding the right partner isn’t always easy.
Matt is a big star on the hit TV show, Collar Crime, and he’s looking for a dom who ticks all the right boxes, including being as tidy and organized as himself.
That definitely isn’t his chaotic co-star, Rick, with his spanking fetish and habit of tying a different sub to his bed every night.
When Matt meets the perfect dom he’s swept off his feet, but he soon discovers that being pursued by a handsome, controlling billionaire isn’t the erotic fantasy he’d imagined.
Maybe the right dom for him is the one he thought was all wrong…
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 75,030
Not only was Fixer-Upper released this year, it was released this month. If you decide to use this book for your Indiecember, you might be its first sale, let alone its first review.
She’s an up-and-coming interior designer with a multimillionaire client. If only she could make him see that it’s his life—not his house—that needs a remodel …
Martina Russo’s career has been coming along nicely, including a write-up in a regional design magazine. When tech mogul Christopher Mills asks her to freshen up his historic Victorian mansion, it’s the kind of job that has the potential to launch her business to the next level, making her a premier designer to the rich and famous.
The problem is, she’s got a nagging feeling that a new kitchen and a bigger master bath are not the kinds of changes he really needs. He’s looking for a bigger renovation—one that will bring love and meaning to a life that’s in desperate need of repair.
Fixer-Upper is the third book in Linda Seed’s Russo Sisters series, but it can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone romance.
Genre: LGBTQ, Contemporary
Word Count: 69,6990
This seemed like a random category, but I don’t go for Westerns that often anyway. Here’s one inspired by a fairytale instead of by the Western genre.
He fell from his ivory tower and landed in the gutter.
But Sebastian would rather be homeless and hungry than clueless.
On his way to the food pantry, a guy on his cell phone runs into him and triggers his prickly side. As a sign of goodwill, Louis offers to cook for him. But all Sebastian sees is the privilege he used to have.
This isn’t a fairytale. Louis isn’t Prince Charming. And Sebastian can make it on his own.
But it’s been days since he’s had a hot meal. And a blizzard is coming.
Will Sebastian’s pride be his appetizer?
Get Socks for an Otter on Smashwords.
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 190,930
Gold or Silver means there needs to be gold or silver on the cover. And that shiny badge is looking pretty silver to me.
When small town Nebraska sheriff Hixon Drake meets Greta Dare, the connection couldn’t be stronger, but the timing couldn’t be worse.
Dealing with the fallout of a divorce he never wanted and setting up a new home for his kids, Hix becomes that guy, that one he never wanted to be, and puts a stop to things before they can even start. Protecting his kids, and himself, is his only priority.
Greta, on the other hand, has found the place for her and the brother she adores that’s perfect for them—a sleepy little town in Nebraska. She’s learned from life that there are no hopes and dreams. The only thing to look forward to is peace. And that’s what she works hard to build for herself and her brother. Right up until Hix walks into her life.
Hix can’t fight the pull and stay away from Greta for long. And Greta’s finding it hard not to hope for something more with all the promise that is Hix.
But when the first murder that’s happened in over five decades rocks his small, sleepy county, Hix has got to learn to trust again, convince Greta to take a shot with him, and at the same time catch a killer.
In other words, things are definitely…Complicated.
Get Complicated on Smashwords.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 61,910
Average Smashwords Rating: 4.91 out of 5 stars
It’s still quite a feat to get even 10 reviews on Smashwords and Linus and the Angel has 11 of them, all of them positive, making it one of the most highly rated romance novels on Smashwords.
He thinks he’ll be alone forever:
Linus Mayfield has a lot of good things in his life: fourth-ranked in the Tressel wolf pack, nice house, decent job, and plenty of friends. What he doesn’t have is what he longs for most – a true mate. His first foray into marriage was a disaster and he’s certain he’ll never be free to love again.
She’ll prove him wrong:
Karly is an Angel, a supernaturally perfect mate for one special werewolf. She’s spent the last 15 months looking for her mate, only to nearly die before she ever meets him. One icy winter night changes both of their lives forever.
When their past interferes with their future, will all be lost in the darkness, or will he find his perfect angel in time? This book contains plenty of claws and fangs, possessive werewolves willing to move heaven and earth for their mates, red hot werewolf sex, a sweet wolf with a heart of gold and an angel made just for him.
Get Linus and the Angel on Smashwords.
Genre: Dystopian
Word Count: 54,240
A sexy dystopian romance perfect for someone wanting to support an indie author this December. However, if power imbalances turn you off, you may want to skip this one.
In a world where women are commodities, the only thing more rare than finding true love is a happy ending.
Kayla is in hiding—her only crime being born a girl in a society of 99 percent men. When her sister and niece are kidnapped, she is willing to do anything to save them. Kayla ventures into the dangerous streets of the city, a place where a woman can be claimed by anyone unless she has been marked by a club.
Desperate, she turns to Mason, a powerful club leader whose help comes at a cost—her freedom.
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 51,010
Jolly is the category for funny books, and this rom-com is the perfect match for it.
WANTED: ROOMMATE. Must be tidy, polite, and absolutely not my brother’s hot as sin best friend.
I have no idea why I said yes.
Maybe I’d had one too many wines. Maybe I’d done it accidentally. Maybe I’d been sleep-texting.
One thing I know for sure is this: I absolutely do not want Ethan Hawkins in my apartment, up in my business, taking over my space.
Yet he’s here. Moving his stuff into my spare bedroom. Sending a wave of panty-melting, musky man-scent my way every time he walks past me.
Here’s the thing.
We don’t get along–at all. We never have, and I don’t think we’re going to start now that we’re under one roof.
There’s also that little issue where I’m kinda, sorta, totally in love with him…
Uh-oh.
Get Kiss Me Again on Smashwords.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 44,460
Here’s an interesting fantasy romance novel that falls under the category Magical.
Meet the Elementals – a magical race that inhabits our world embodying the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water.
Manni is the half-human daughter of a powerful Earth Elemental. When she’s thrown together with ex-MMA fighter Matt, they must fight the forces of nature to solve a global mystery that puts humanity in jeopardy and threatens to tear them apart.
They’ll both soon learn that love is Elemental—and blooms where passion grows.
Get Earthsinger on Smashwords.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 91,910
Average Smashwords Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I read this book a couple years ago and loved it. It’s the perfect book for those who like alphas who aren’t possessive, abusive dickheads. And it’s based in Greek mythology, which is a nice plus.
You can’t escape destiny…
Piper Anesidora hates her last name, and the Reaper and demon infested life that comes with it. For centuries, her family has been tasked with protecting Pandora’s Box, and ensuring it’s never reopened. That’s why five years ago she ran away, hoping to build a normal life, one of her own choosing. And it worked. For a little while. But now her brother has been taken by Orpheus, a malicious soul who’s escaped from the Underworld, and if that isn’t bad enough, he’s also stolen the box. The sooner she finds her brother and stops Orpheus from unleashing hell on earth, the better. Piper wants nothing more than to return to the mundane existence she’s created for herself. That is until she’s partnered with the one guy capable of making her crave more. She’s always been told giving into sin is wrong, but her ancestors clearly never met Lust.
You can’t resist temptation…
Reece Luben takes intimate knowledge to a whole new level. As the Greek god of lust, he has a long standing reputation to uphold as a playboy, despite the fact he’s grown bored with the game. It’s been centuries since he’s cared about someone other than his maenads, so he passes the time getting people to shed their inhibitions. As one of the few beings who can sense Pandora’s Box, Reece has no choice but to help Piper find and stop Orpheus, even though he’s avoided her family since the start of his second life. But the feisty Anesidora woman makes him feel things he’s long forgotten, and what starts out as one night giving into desire turns into another…and another. What happens when the god of lust decides he’s changing the game and playing for keeps?
Get Bad Things Play Here on Smashwords.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 48,310
Friends of Rudolph means a book containing a named animal companion or a named animal-like character such as a shifter, or a mythological creature like a dragon. Having Hope is about a mountain lion shifter, so it counts. However, I can’t picture Rudolph getting along with a mountain lion.
After graduating from college with a degree in elementary education, mountain lion shifter Hope Parkins is thrilled to accept a job at Ashland Elementary School. She heads to Ashland to stay with her best friend, Treasure, a fae-dragon hybrid. When she arrives in town, she’s greeted by not only her bestie, but three mountain lion males who she and her cat recognize on sight. They’re her mates, and she knows her life will never be the same.
Owen, Ben, and Nathan Fallon have felt an odd longing for years. They believe they’re meant to share a mate, but none of the females they know are her. While visiting their Uncle Rhett, they sense a presence that draws them to the farmhouse, where they meet a beautiful mountain lion female. They know immediately that she’s their shared mate. The gorgeous Hope is everything they ever wanted and more, and they can’t wait to make her theirs.
Despite finally finding her truemates, Hope feels compelled to help the female mountain lions who were cursed by their goddess to never know love. When her one opportunity to set things right for her people fails, she believes that all’s lost, and the females will never know the joy of family and finding love. Will a phone call from an old friend of the pride help Hope to change the course of the females’ lives forever?
Get Having Hope on Smashwords.
Genre: Self-Help, Nonfiction
Word Count: 12,330
Average Smashwords Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
For Indiecember, you need to review a self-help or educational book to get the Nice square. I have to admit, I’m always a little hesitant of self-published nonfiction unless I know and trust the author, especially when it comes to self-improvement.
I’ve never heard of Simplify or Joshua Becker. However, the first 10 percent intrigued me and a book about living a minimalist lifestyle is a lot less risky than a book about weight loss or mental health.
Simplify is a celebration of living more by owning less. Written by Joshua Becker, who inspires hundreds of thousands of people on his personal blog, this is a book that calls for the end of living lives seeking and accumulating more and more possessions by highlighting the enjoyment of living with less.
Three years ago, his typical, suburban family of four made the decision to minimize their possessions, declutter their home, and simplify their lives. In so doing, they discovered countless real-life benefits of living with less. And now, to help others experience the same freedom, they offer the most important lessons they’ve learned through the process. Simplify is full of personal stories, practical tips, and powerful inspiration.
It is based on a rational approach to minimalism. It will forever change the way you look at physical possessions. And most importantly, its approach will free you from the burden of clutter and provide you with the extra motivation to realign your life around your heart’s greatest passions… however, you choose to define them.
All you have to do for this one is gift an indie book to someone. Any book. If you’re looking for some great deals and some last-minute gifts, you can check out the Smashwords End-of-The-Year Sale starting December 25th until January 1st. Or share one of these free books with your friends and family. Just remember, according to the Indiecember rules, authors who published with an indie press do not count as Indie. Luckily, on Smashwords, most authors are indie authors and it’s easy to see if they’re with an indie press in the book description.
Genre: Erotica
Word Count: 44,390
Okay, I’m warning you right now: Smashwords has a lot less restrictions on erotica than Amazon. As long as the characters are over the age of 18, it’s approved. Not that I’m complaining, but if you don’t want to see the more naughty stuff, you can change your settings to filter out taboo erotica or all erotica.
Cat escapes a bad Dom but needs another to fulfill her. Can Mason find it in himself to be the Dom to bring her to her knees?
St. Helena, with its charming streets and verdant hills, is the perfect place for Tulip House, a quaint new B&B. Just days away from opening her doors to weekenders who’ll come to enjoy the luscious vineyards, Catriona Fern Morrison knows that sometimes the most succulent delights take place behind closed doors. And sometimes those delights are deliciously wicked.
Having previously managed the prestigious Malibu Inn, Cat knows hospitality inside out. So when she inherited an old Napa Valley farmhouse, Cat seized the chance to break with her past—to start a new life away from family that doesn’t understand her, away from feeling shame about her private desires, and away from a powerful Dom who wants more of her than she can give.
Mason Steele can’t get St. Helena’s newest resident out of his mind. Two stints in Iraq before returning to take over his dad’s plumbing business has given him a tough can-do attitude toward work—and work he does, all the time. It’s almost enough to mask his loneliness. Meeting Cat while working on her farmhouse has made him want more. Everything about her is intriguing. Her springtime-fresh innocence that seems at odds with her sultry allure. Her quiet drive and strong work ethic that contrasts with a free-spirited enthusiasm for life. But Cat has secrets too and that are driving Mason crazy. Who’s the man from SoCal who has some kind of hold over her? Why did her thighs have bruises after he left? And what in the heck is going on inside the farm’s old wine house at night?
When disaster strikes the B&B and Cat’s past refuses to let go, she must decide what’s most important in life and who she wants in it.
And Mason is determined she make the right choice.
Get Bed and Breakfast and Bondage free on Smashwords before December 31st.
Genre: Horror, Weird Fiction
Word Count: 54,370
I was thrilled to find a horror romance and the weird fiction category intrigues and terrifies me. This book looks pretty interesting, though.
Will he betray or save the world’s only unicorn?
Oliver is on a mission to expose the secrets of a clinic that dared to perform illegal experiments on humans. Against all laws and morals, there are doctors making monsters, and it has to stop. Humanity itself is at stake, which is why he must destroy the knowledge of their creation and eliminate any living threats.
Then Oliver meets Emma, a former patient, living within the ruins of the clinic. She’s sweet and gentle, pretty, too—despite the horn projecting from her forehead.
It seems Oliver has found one of the monsters, and she’s like nothing he imagined. Will he go through with his plan to eradicate those changed by Chimera’s secret, or save Emma for love?
Get Capturing a Unicorn on Smashwords.
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 61,590
This Christmas, something magical is happening in Sapphire Bay.
Emma loves everything about living in Sapphire Bay. The scenery in the small Montana town is spectacular, her communications business is thriving, and her six-year-old twins are happy. When a Christmas Facebook post goes viral, Emma and her friends are swamped with people asking Santa for help. But it’s her twins’ Christmas wish that breaks her heart.
Jack Devlin finds missing people. When his brother asks him to locate Emma’s ex-husband, he thinks it’s going to be an easy case. But the more time he spends with Emma, the more complicated their relationship becomes. With more than one heart on the line, will they go back to their old lives or risk everything for a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love?
CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET is the first novel in the Santa’s Secret Helpers series and can easily be read as a standalone. Each of Leeanna’s series are linked so you can find out what happens to your favorite characters in other books. If you would like to know when Leeanna’s next book is released, please visit leeannamorgan.com. Happy reading!
Get Christmas on Main Street on Smashwords.
I wasn’t expecting to find a science fiction Christmas romance novel. But I did, and it looks great.
It’s a week before Christmas and Lisa James is stuck in a dead-end job, playing Santa’s little Elf at the local mall. After fleeing her home to get away from an abusive drunk of a husband, she’s trying to keep a low profile, so it’s not exactly like she has her pick of career paths. Still, she can’t help feeling like she’s hit rock bottom…that is until the mysterious Kindred playing Santa at her mall shows up.
Asher is part of the Kindred Elite Espionage Corps. Sometimes he serves as an assassin, other times a diplomat, but he’s never been Santa before. And he’s not supposed to be now. When he mistakes Lisa for his contact and she mistakes him for the Kindred who is scheduled to be Old Saint Nick, two hours of confusion and peeing, puking kids are the result. After all, who ever heard of a seven-foot-tall Santa with fangs? The kids are scared, Asher is frustrated, and Lisa loses her job.
To make up for the confusion, Asher offers to take Lisa on his next diplomatic mission–a boring and safe affair where all they have to do is attend the coronation of an alien Potentate. But things go horribly wrong when there is an assassination attempt and Lisa and Asher are caught in the middle of it.
Will the two of them escape with their lives? Will Asher listen to his heart, which tells him Lisa is his fated mate? And will Lisa be able keep herself from…
Falling for Kindred Claus?
Get Kindred Claus on Smashwords.
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ
Word Count: 37,740
Average Smashwords Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
For Indiecember, mistletoe just meant romance. But since this entire blog is about romance novels, I wanted to do one better, and found a romance novel named Mistletoe.
Four-year-old Diana Clarke sends her wish to Santa Claus, but lost in the lining of a sack, it isn’t discovered for thirty years. Now, Santa has a problem. No child’s wish has ever gone unanswered, but the child isn’t a child anymore.
Believing there is nothing in Santa’s Village to satisfy the little girl’s wish now that she’s an adult, he calls on a Higher Power and is given a suggestion. Although most of Santa’s workshops contain only toys for boys and girls, there is one that holds a possible solution to his problem. Learning that Diana will be attending three upcoming Christmas parties, Santa calls on his lead elf to deliver three sprigs of mistletoe, hoping that under one, Diana Clarke will find what she asked for thirty years before.
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Word Count: 85,230
Since his death three years earlier, his life hasn’t been the same…
Nikki
In the West Palm Beach homeless scene lives a young woman in tattered clothes. Every night she is haunted by the frightening secret that drove her to a furtive and anonymous life.
Adrian
New York City fashion photographer Adrian Wilde is a man with everything—except love. When he is struck by lightning, it’s not his life that flashes before his eyes; his soul connects with a beautiful woman in a fiery explosion. In the three years since, the one person who touches his heart is only a specter in his dreams. Even if she was real, she must be dead. So, why can’t he move past her?
Then, as he’s going over photographs of a recent Florida shoot, he spots his dream girl in the background. Adrian is determined to find her … and rescue her from what looks like a tenuous life. And when he learns why she’s hiding, he must gain her trust to put a murderer behind bars…and free them both.
Get Touched by Lightning on Smashwords.
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult
Word Count: 118,230
I cannot state this enough: leave book reviews. The vast majority of books on Smashwords don’t have any reviews. Even some of Smashwords’ bestsellers and most downloaded books don’t have any reviews. This is despite being able to leave video reviews and Smashwords not having nearly as much of the BS Amazon has when it comes to reviews.
Kind of Cursed is one of many books without reviews.
Every woman in Millie Delacroix’s family is cursed—kind of.
Birth control just doesn’t work for them. Like ever. Going to the altar knocked up is pretty much a family tradition. And twenty-four-year-old Millie refuses to let that happen to her—again.
Especially now that she’s responsible for raising her brothers and sister. A life of celibacy is her best defense—at least until the kids are grown and can take care of themselves. And, really, what’s ten years with no sex? No men. No sex. No love. It’s a fool-proof plan.
Until she meets Luc Valencia.
The Mexican-American contractor is just trying to do his best. Since his father handed him the reins to the family business, every day is a test to prove himself. At this point in his life, professionalism has to be his top priority.
At least until Millie becomes Luc’s client. Even with too much on her shoulders, the feisty redhead has the power to set him off, crack him up, or bring him to his knees.
All he has to do is resist falling for her through one kitchen remodel, and everything will be fine. Right?
Get Kind of Cursed on Smashwords.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 28,300
For eight years, Baojia and Natalie have pursued their goals: family, career, friendship and love—trying to carve out an ordinary life in an immortal world. And for eight years they’ve been mostly successful save for a world-bending adventure every now and then.
Except that their life was never ordinary. It was never going to be.
Natalie and Baojia might have made plans, but when ordinary life comes crashing down, they’ll have to turn to the family they have chosen—vampire and human—for help keeping their world together. Five couples, four kids, three weeks, two paths… and a partridge in a pear tree? Return to the Elemental World for a Christmas reunion of old friends and forever loves. For Natalie Ellis, it’s time to come home.
Get Valley of the Shadow on Smashwords.
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 15,700
Average Smashwords Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I love this novella so much! I read it for the first time years ago and I still read it when I need a quick dose of love. It’s amazing and I can’t recommend it enough. But, just to warn you, it does take place in England and the C-word does come up.
Warning: contains pet rats, hot YouTube celebrity roommates, and one spurned girlfriend about to get even…
Working in a wedding cake shop sucks when you’ve just been dumped.
Bailey Frost has a recipe for disaster: one cheating ex, one big glass of liquor, and three well-meaning male friends who think her lack of a sex life is funny. Before she knows it, she’s confessed that she’s never had an orgasm with a man.
Now Bailey has to navigate sappy couples at work, while her friends are hell-bent on helping her get revenge on evil Craig…by dressing up as werewolves, on YouTube.
And one of those friends– the tall, shy-but-gorgeous Linc–might just want to help Bailey with that other little problem…
Get A Beautiful Mess for free on Smashwords.
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 1,311,890
This is a fantasy romance boxed set that I’m obsessed over. I’m almost finished with it. The plot and the world-building was a little confusing at first, but it gets better as it goes. It’s also full of badass heroines, which I’m a huge sucker for.
A massive collection of eight novels that follows the love and lives of couples over two generations as they struggle to overcome a world trying to tear them apart in order to find each other. Contains My Warden, My Templar, My Hope, My Future, Guarded Love, Miracle, A New Hero, and Epilogue in one giant book.
My Warden – A what if story if the mage Warden required Cullen’s assistance while he was in Kirkwall. After connecting in the deep roads, they begin to rekindle their momentary romance in Skyhold. But with Adamant looming, it’s not meant to be.
My Templar – When the Hero of Ferelden agreed to help Hawke solve the mystery of the red lyrium she never thought it’d draw her into the grasp of the Inquisition and back into Cullen’s life. When the world’s falling down around her and her own blood is trying to kill her, she knows she has no right to rekindle what they began in the deep roads. Then why can’t she stop thinking about him?
My Hope – Cullen thought he lost Lana Amell when she sacrificed herself to remain in the fade, but now the king of Ferelden has her phylactery and insists she’s alive somewhere on the other side of thedas. Can he trust this man he barely knows or can stand as they travel through treacherous waters and lands while searching to find the woman he loves? All he has to cling to is his faith and hope.
My Future – After Cullen rescues Lana Amell from the fade, the two of them find their lives at a junction. With no Grey Wardens, no Circles, and no Inquisition, what will they do? All they have is each other and a lot of questions.
Guarded Love – Alistair’s life isn’t all bad. He’s King, he’s got two kids he adores a wife he’s vaguely aware exists. The only thing missing in that blissful domestic picture is someone to love. But all in all, things are weirdly working out for him.
That all changes when assassins dare to come after him and his children on the little prince’s naming day. With a threat daring to be so brash to attack the King, he takes on a personal bodyguard. Picked seemingly at random from the City Watch, Reiss thought she was little more than an average elf trying to make it in thedas. Now it’s all on her to keep the King alive against this enigmatic threat, and try to ignore the fact she keeps blushing whenever he smiles.
Miracle – After the Hero of Ferelden thinks she stumbled into a way to cure the taint and shares it with King Alistair, neither of them took into account any unexpected side effects emerging 9 months later. Two unexpected pregnancies, two unplanned babies, two terrified fathers, hilarity ensues.
A New Hero – Gavin Rutherford dreamed of one thing — becoming a Knight. His and his parents plans are thrown into chaos when he’s sent to Denerim. He finds himself embroiled once again with Myra Sayer Theirin who’s struggling to figure out her magics and place in the world. In the middle of it all is Princess Rosamund neé Spud who’s doing all she can to prepare for the hurdle of leading a nation.
Epilogue – This is it. The final tale of Lana, Cullen, Alistair, Reiss, Gavin, Myra, Rosie, Anjali, and the rest. The last period on a tale that started with a templar standing before a door terrified to enter. There will be tears. So many tears (I’m not kidding, I hold no punches here). But also laughs, smiles, hugs, love, hope.
Get Love’s Kiss for free on Smashwords.
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 163,840
Average Smashwords Rating: 4.88 out of 5 stars
There is no book on Smashwords with over 60 reviews.
After scrolling through over 200 pages of book listings, I’m confident about this. But if you know of a Smashwords book with over 60 reviews, comment below, please.
Knight in Shining Suit has the most reviews, with 40 reviews.
Sometimes, getting over pain and betrayal means Getting Up, Getting Even and Getting a Better Man.
Astrid has planned out her perfect wedding. That is before she found out that her fiancé, Bryan, is cheating on her with her cousin-slash-best-friend-slash-maid-of-honor, Geena. And worse, Bryan got Geena pregnant.
Just when Astrid thought it couldn’t get any worse, she received a wedding invitation telling her that her wedding will happen exactly the way she planned it. Except that she is no longer going to be the bride!
So when her parents urged her to attend the wedding “as family”, she planned the perfect revenge.
She will put on a show for everyone to see. She’ll show them that she moved on with a better man—handsome, smart, rich and crazy about her.
She’s even willing to pay a guy to be her “Knight in Shining Armani”.
Then she met bartender, Ryder. Totally smoking hot and quite a charmer. Astrid thought he was perfect for the job.
He pulled off the role quite well. Soon, her family thinks that Astrid was really with a smoking hot guy who wears Armani suits on a daily basis, drives a luxurious McLaren, and was totally in love with her.
Astrid invented the perfect guy every girl would kill to date, and every ex-boyfriend would hate to be compared with.
Or did she really just invent him?
What if she really did kiss a frog, or tamed a beast?
And that her quest for revenge was just the beginning of her happily ever after?
Get Knight in Shining Suit on Smashwords.
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 38,970
Average Smashwords Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Dumped by her billionaire fiancé, a resplendently beautiful woman, the reigning royalty of Hollywood’s dream factory, lands herself in all sorts of woes – hospitalization for slipping pill overdose, bad Press, peer group backstabbing and paparazzi. She escapes to anonymity at India’s Yoga capital but the threat of paparazzi follows. A young yogi bails her out and detours her to an unusual world where he introduces her to the super consciousness of ‘Onlyness’ within her. The redeemed empress unconsciously discovers her true elements being in linearity with that of the yogi and believes, she may be second time lucky. However, more shocks await her.
The singularities of life have elemental eccentricities of happening and un-happening; almost as weird and randomized as love. The elements of one’s own life and that of the equally precarious milieus are both patterned as well as un-patterned. The juxtaposition of symmetrical possibilities amid the larger probabilistic asymmetry of arbitrary milieus engender such beautiful marvels of life-living experiences, which people can accept only in one way – the destiny! The true and lasting relationship can happen only between similar and generic elements. Destinies shape this way.
What destiny has in store for Melissa, the empress, who finds a yogi in her new and metamorphosed life, shall be decided not by factors outside in her near and far milieus, rather by what she finally accepts as something, which is her own internal positioning of consciousness. The moment, she accepts, love shall happen and destiny shall be signed in.
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Really loving this boxed set. I can't believe it was free on Smashwords. The plot and worldbuilding was confusing at first but now I enjoy it and the series is packed with badass heroines, one of my favorite tropes of all time.
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