TMST: Pricing

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

February 19th: Book Pricing: Who much will you pay for an ebook? A hard copy? A paperback?

Hardback? Nope. I will wait that damn year to get print and I will rage against the sky, but I just can't pay that much for hardback when I know it will get cheaper.

Paperback, well sometimes they never get any cheaper. There is this Lisa Shearin that never gets under 15 euros and I am sure it will stay on my wishlist forever. If I do not give it as a suggestion for SO to buy me for xmas or something. But the cheaper ones come first. The 8 to 10 euros ones.

For me to actually buy it in a store, well it has to be under what an online store would charge and they never are so I never buy them.

Ebooks, ugh, why would I pay a lot for something that amazon could like steal back from me. Ebooks should be under 5 and that is still a lot. See, this is why I do not buy ebooks.

Author Interview: Kara Isaac

I have way too few guests over these days, so help me welcome author Kara Isaac to my blog today! :)

Welcome!

Thanks so much for having me, Linda!

1. First, tell me something about yourself.

I am a professional procrastinator. Hence why I'm answering these questions when I'm supposed to be writing (before this I also organized my youngest son's birthday party, cleared emails, checked Facebook, fell down a couple of internet rabbit holes and bought some birthday presents!) I live in gorgeous New Zealand, the best country in the world, and dream of one day being stranded on a dessert island with my teetering to-be-read pile. 

2. And since you are from NZ I really want to know, have you ever seen a Hobbit?

I spend my nights and weekends chasing three small hobbits if that counts! :)  

3. Tell me about your new book, One Thing I know.

I first dreamed up the concept for the book that became One Thing I Know way back in 2011. I was heavily pregnant with our eldest child, so pregnant that the bump made it had to reach my laptop keyboard! Since I couldn't really write I spent a lot of time conjuring "what if" scenarios and one of them was "What if a famous relationship coach was the front for someone who hadn't been on a date in years?" I dashed off the first 15 pages, entered it in a contest just to see what the judges thought of the concept and my to my surprise it semi-finaled. It was the book that landed me my agent, and it made it to publishing board at a few houses but it just wasn't the right time. So I'm thrilled that it finally is!

4. What is the best thing about writing about romance?

Knowing that you aren't going to get emails from angry readers because you killed off one of the main characters at the end :) Also knowing that even when you are making your poor characters absolutely miserable you will find a way to make things right in the end.

5. Describe Lucas and Rachel for us in a few words.

A little bit star-crossed! Independent, smart, fiercely loyal, protective. 

6. And last, what are you working at at the moment?

My next book picks up the story of Lacey, one of Rachel's best friends. The hero is a secondary character from my second book, Can't Help Falling so I'm having fun with new characters and a new story while bringing some old ones back for readers to catch up with! It's due to release in early 2020. 

Thank you so much Kara! :)

ABOUT ONE THING I KNOW:

She has the whole world fooled. But the one man who just may see through her holds not only the key to her success, but also her heart…

Rachel Somers is America’s #1 relationship coach—America just doesn’t know it. Rachel writes the books, but her Aunt Donna plays the face of the operation. Living in fear of their secret being exposed, Rachel has no choice but to keep up the charade or lose the big money required to care for her father. With the deadline for their next book closing in, Rachel finds herself out of inspiration and running out of time. The last thing she needs is her aunt and publicist concocting a harebrained scheme to join forces with some radio star in the hope it will help deliver the elusive next book idea.

Lucas Grant is a star of late night radio—though it’s come with an unexpected price of hoards of women who keep calling his sports show to ask him for relationship advice. They make his ratings look great, but they also mean he has to waste hours talking to people like Dr. Donna Somerville about feelings instead of his first love: football. When a big-time producer calls, it looks like his hard work is about to pay off. But the offer comes with a catch—the producer is convinced Dr. Donna is not what she seems and he wants Lucas to discover her secret. To do that, he needs to win over her tight-lipped assistant who holds the key to his success and—he begins to suspect—his heart. Can love find a way through the lies that force them apart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

KARA ISAAC is the RITA® Award-winning writer of five novels. She lives in New Zealand (yes, it’s really as beautiful as it looks in the movies!) where she spends her time chasing three small people, writing horribly bad first drafts, and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in the South Pacific. Find out more at KaraIsaac.com.

ONE THING I KNOW by Kara Isaac

Howard Books

On Sale: February 19, 2019; Paperback ISBN: 9781982103347; $16.00

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Carole's Sunday Review: Trade Me

Author: Courtney Milan

Narrator: Xe Sands & Sean Crisden

Title: Trade Me

(Cyclone #1)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Pages: Audiobook

Published: January 19th 2015 

Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Tina Chen just wants a degree and a job, so her parents never have to worry about making rent again. She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Technology. But when he makes an off-hand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life.

To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations.

But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tina’s heart...but Blake’s secrets could ruin her life.

I've enjoyed other books by this author so this was a no-brainer. Plus I would love the concept of this story. 

Tina is striving to get her degree and find a good job so she can take care of her parents and sister. Blake is trying to get a degree too so he has something of his own. He is a billionaire who is going to be inheriting his father's company some day. Things happen and Tina opens his eyes and inspire him to offer her a trade. Tina gets his income, house, car, and part of his duties. Blake will get a job like Tina's, her hours, budget, and her obligations. Things happen and they fall for each other, but they are both broken and terrified. 

The author really knows how to write a people story. They talk, they share, they grow, they feel, and they love. It is really sweet, but it wasn't all rainbows and kittens. I think what I really loved was that these two characters are sooo flawed even pretty boy billionaire. Even their families are flawed which added to the story as well. 

I really liked Blake. I didn't think I was going to, but he was much more complex than I was expecting. His big "problem" really made me like him more. It was sad, but it really made him more human. 

Now, I did feel for Tina. She has the poor girl and poor family thing going on. She is pretty much the adult for her family. She also had a crappy ex who made her doubt herself. However, I did get really annoyed with her. Her constant "not safe" mentality killed me. Love is always risky and he OBVIOUSLY loves you and he has money. And you love him! Sighs. C'mon woman!

The ending was too easy. SMH. Hopefully, it really isn't AS easy as the author is making us think. There are other books in the series...soooo who knows? But some of the issues seemed to be too quickly resolved. Mmm

Now, I really liked the narrators. They had one for Tina and one for Blake. They both did a good job with their characters. The accent they gave Tina's parents seemed a little off though. 

Overall, I did like this story. The next book isn't about Tina and Blake, but I am curious about it. I think Tina and Blake come back in book 3? I do want to check out book 2 though. Some issues I had, but I liked this overall. I'll stamp this with 3 stars. 

One line done for Billionaire!

The Infernal Battalion - Django Wexler

Paperback, 600 pages

Published August 1st 2018 by Head of Zeus (first published January 9th 2018)

Series: The Shadow Campaigns #5

Fantasy

Own

My Thoughts:

Even if I have enjoyed this series, I do feel like it could have been a trilogy, or 4 book series. Some things could have been taken out in earlier books to wrap it up faster. 

Cos in this one something goes wrong yet again! I mean rotten luck right!?

The former commander of the forces had turned sides and calls himself Emperor and that means civil war. Of course he has been eaten by a demon so not really his fault.

Marcus has to keep the army in order to fight his old friend. I do like Marcus, he has always been my fav.

Queen Raes has her hands filled with trying to keep her broke country in order. Raes is, well I never truly warmed up to her cos the whole demon thing was strange.

And then the last POV, Winter who has pretended to be a man all this time and has now risen to general. You go girl! And she leads a female battalion so she has changed the army landscape too.

This is military fantasy, there are battles, there are more battles, there is talking about battles. There are a few other things too but yes this is war. I like that. No idea why, I just do.

Conclusion;

I need to read more by Wexler, he has a new series coming out and I hope I will enjoy that one too. 

Cover

nice

Plot

The Beast, the ancient demon imprisoned beneath the fortress-city of Elysium for a thousand years, has been loosed on the world. It absorbs mind after mind, spreading like a plague through the north. The fell army it has raised threatens the heart of Vordan, and it is under the command of the Beast’s greatest prize: legendary general Janus bet Vhalnich.

As Queen Raesinia Orboan and soldiers Marcus D’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass grapple with the aftermath of a hard-fought military campaign, they soon discover a betrayal they never could have foreseen. The news arrives like a thunderbolt: Janus has declared himself the rightful Emperor of Vordan. Chaos grips the city as officers and regiments are forced to declare for queen or emperor.

Raesinia must struggle to keep her country under control and risks becoming everything she fought against. Marcus must take the field against his old commander, a man who has seemed an unbeatable strategist. And as Winter recovers from her injuries and mourns her losses, she knows the demon she carries inside her might be the only thing standing between the Beast and the destruction of everything in its path....