Trick or Treat? - The Kindle Grab Bag

Forget candy you can eat! (OK, it's really not that easy to forget...) A book lover's delight is cover candy! And there's just so much of it floating around in cyberspace - so how do you know if the story will be sweet after you get past the cover?

Having received a Kindle for my birthday this past summer, I've taken a chance on some generally low-priced e-books that looked good (usually after checking the ratings and/or friends' reviews). Today I'm going to share some of my discoveries, so help yourself to some cover candy and some recommendations:

Trick or Treat?

Definitely a treat - but beware! You won't be able to read just one...

YA time-travel romance? Yes, please! This one sounded so cute, and it didn't disappoint! It's clean, it's fun, it's clever, and it has some surprising, thought-provoking insights. After reading Clockwise, I then quickly devoured Clockwiser (the sequel), which was also good, albeit not as enjoyable as the first one, in my opinion.

This author also has some new books releasing under another name (Lee Strauss) which are supposed to be more intense than her previous books. Having become a semi-fan of dystopian stories after reading The Hunger Games series and Divergent, I decided to buy this one:

Trick or Treat?

I don't know yet, but I'm eager to find out!

Trick or Treat?

Could be a treat, depending on your taste. 

Aliens? Not really my thing. But that cover and the premise (and that seasons theme!) really caught my eye, so after flip-flopping in my desire to buy it and then waiting a bit until it was free on Kindle, I decided to give it a try. It's rather dark, and it becomes even more so in Winter Omens, but it was certainly intriguing! 

Whispers in Autumn was pretty clean, and I found it to be an engaging, really creative read. It was enough to get me to buy this one:

Unfortunately, Winter Omens does have a swear word or two, as well as a scene of nudity (although nothing happens). And while there was some violence towards the end of the first book, the violence in this one was more intense. Depending on your comfort level, these things might or might not be overly bothersome.

However, the romantic tension combined with a great pet character and some creatively thought-provoking, futuristic scenes are definite pluses. There's a Matrix-y theme going on throughout the series regarding the importance of free will, and the choice between being "blissfully" ignorant of the complexities of reality or being aware of it all, despite the pain and the challenges awareness creates. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to continue with this series or not...

But I do have to share the third book's cover with you, as it was just revealed earlier this week!

Betrayals in Spring is set to release in December. I do so love the way the covers go together! And aren't the colors on this one so stunning??

 Trick or Treat?

A small treat, like one of those mini candy bars. 

This may not be a super long or super compelling read, but it's free and it's sweet! Since I agreed to review A Change of Fortune by this author (look for my review in November!), I decided to read this prequel novella. Sometimes it's just really nice to have a quick read that doesn't require a big time investment but still has something to offer. If that's what you're looking for (or if you just want to have something like this on hand for those days when you have to wait in a long line, etc.), you might want to give this one a try!

Trick or Treat?

Definitely a treat!

I heard about this one on Kathryn's blog, Clean Teen Fiction. Her review was glowing and the price was right, so I took the plunge. I loved it!! It's "New Adult" (for 20-somethings, as opposed to "Young Adult"), and it is just such a fun, romantic read! The characters don't always make the right choices, but the way it all comes together is so great. This is an awesome read for those who enjoy contemporary romance - or at least think they could, depending on the book.

I bought a couple more Kindle books recently, so here's hoping that these two are treats:

Gotta love this cover candy! If you've read them, did you find them to be tricks or treats?

As of today (October 31st), here are the Kindle e-book prices for the books mentioned above:

• Clockwise by Elle Strauss - FREE!
• Clockwiser by Elle Strauss - $3.99
• Perception by Lee Strauss - $.99
• Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh - $1.99
• Winter Omens by Trisha Leigh - $3.99
• Betrayals in Spring - Not yet available
• Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano - FREE!
• The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson - $3.99
• Remembrance by Michelle Madow - $2.99
• Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier - $9.99 (Bummer that this one went up in price, as I got it for $2.99 not that long ago!)

What are some tricks or treats you've discovered when it comes to Kindle e-books? Would love to hear your thoughts!