Freebies: Bump it up or No rush?

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Best and worst of the freebies (Ebooks or audiobooks)

This idea came from another group actually, Book Nookie from the Erotic Enchants group started it. The intend is to help us find the hidden gem into the hay stack of freebies and share it with others.

Now that you have about 200 to 1000 freebies...which one to read? You can all tell us about which ones you liked or tossed across the room (poor ereaders).

Please mind
a) You tried to read the freebie enough to have an opinion about it.
b) It was free at some point in time.
c) Make a list of all the freebies you have read in the three categories (Bump it up, Depends or Trash it).
d) Please tell us why in a line why we should read it or not.
e) It can come from many sources as long as it was free.

We are bound to differ in our opinions but we can argue civilly.

Bump it up!
1. (a line why)

Depends
1. (a line why)

No Rush!
1. (a line why)

There are many ways to go about it. You can post here with the cover and pretty little details...
Some might like to keep a list of all the suggestions in a 'sortable' fashion, to this end we have a form or spreadsheet that you can fill out too.

If you like filling forms: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/v...

If you want to look at the Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/c...

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Awww, I feel bad for those "trashed". Instead, I think I'm going to call my lists "Read Soon" (those that I liked) and "No Rush" (those that I didn't). But, I'm in. I'll pop back when I have more time and post the ones I've read so far. ;)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

... reserved for my list of read eFreebies ...

[Josie]

I'm definitely in!

[Lis]

Me too! I've been getting to a few freebies because it's out of control, so I'm making an effort. Great filler between Bingo shelves.

Bump it up

Interesting storyline with elemental powers and family factions with predjudice. Will continue.

historical fiction that relates as a prequel to King Arthur with the he man alpha warrior and woman have no rights stuff. Stand alone, interesting.

. Cursed highlander family, rich laird finds his love. Will continue this series.

. Short story, minimal investment of time and entertaining.


No Rush

alien takes woman for mate against her will- kidnapped to erotica in 10 seconds, really!?!

another alien version of woman I own you literally and super alien stamina

alien kidnaps female from earth to share with his warrior brother and mate. Better than the other alien books and I bought the next two in the series, because I had to know what happened.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

My turn...

Bump it Up

Sweet and emotional. Carnival freak show in a small town.
Alien takes woman against her will, very vanilla but the invented words are so funny.
Aliens and fugitives. Not bad for first time author. Relationship slightly more evolved than caveman dialogues.
No Isaac Asimov, simple, short, uncomplicated affair.

No Rush
Alien, too predictable and same plot device in 2 or 3 of her books.

[D.G.]

I added a category for those reads that didn't work for me but that could work for other people.

BUMP IT UP!
- very good novella with a unique plot
- awesome read with some angst, an interesting mystery, a really good plot and a really sexy hero.
- the best pirate book I've read...tons of action and sea and tons of chemistry between the leads

DEPENDS...
- weak suspense plot with tons of holes but could work for people who are not very picky
- a weak romance but enough if all you want is a sexy, quick read.

TRASH IT
- the author doesn't have a clue about the mores of the time, the sex wasn't even that hot, the characters were caricaturish and there were tons of plot points that went nowhere.
- The plot of this novella was "let's do it to save the human race!"

[Lisa Kay]

Okay, I'll give it a try. However, if a book is headed for the trash bin, I usually don't finish it, so I don't have any to list.

BTW, love this idea!

BUMP IT UP!
- Fabulous! Only freebie I've ever give 5★ to. Tons of humor, action, and romance in the Amazon between two opposites. my goodreads review , if you want more...

DEPENDS...
- Pretty good to fair historical western; mail-order bride mix-up. A couple of bumps, but certainly an author to watch. my goodread review , if you want more...

[Lisa Kay]

I also agree about - wonderful book and tons of swashbuckling. Of course, I got it before it was free.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

@Lis: It seems to me that what comes out of Ellora's Cave is not high drama focused. You do not read it for the elaborate plots that's for sure. Comment aside, I liked Ral's woman even if the plot was threadbare thin. Funny thing is that I read Rees by Allyson James as a freebie but never read any of her other works. I gather from GR reviews that she is a decent author. I should start her Stormwalker series sometime.

[Josie]

Wow we're getting a cool list :)

Okay some of these were free on Amazon for only a short amount of time (and a while ago at that) so if you've been a good hoarder, then you might have it ;)

BUMP IT UP

- cool world-building, a decent girl-forced-to-be-with-elf book. I picked up the second when it was free also so looking forward to that one

- a young-adult time travel. There was something so addictive about this one, a good Italian stallion helps, although I didn't like the second one

- good anthology. If you loved The Disillusionists Trilogy, then the short by Carolyn Crane is excellent. The one by Meljean Brook is good also but didn't care much for the other one.

- very good short story, wish it was longer

- really enjoyed this prequel. Very Beauty and the Beast.

- this is great if you've read the Chaos Walking series. In fact, probably as good if you haven't as well

- prequel, it's made me want to read the series

- if you're in the mood, a historical romance, kind of based on Beauty and the Beast

- Beauty and the Beast, are you sensing a theme? :P

- oh yes, another based on my fave fairy tale (no kidding!)

- an orphan and a "cantankerous" man, what more would you want lol?

- if you've read and loved Kate Daniels, then this is fab

- HR, can't remember what they were about but I did enjoy reading them. One's a short so you could try that first

- very interesting concept. Quite long, quite weird but I couldn't put it down

- a contemporary about a girl who loses her memory and so forgets that she's married to her best friend's brother, very sweet, I think it was fairly short

- I didn't actually get these free but I know they were at one point. Pretty much loved them all and planning on carrying on with each series.

DEPENDS

- meh

- I liked all of these, basically all MLM books follow the same pattern but they are very feel-good. If you like one, you'll probably like them all, if you don't then don't bother

- all of these were ok. Preservation I think I had some issues with

TRASH IT

- it was stupid

- so strange

- I think it was supposed to be hot but it wasn't. Very boring

- the writing wasn't very good which distracted from the story

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

LoL, is there such a thing as a good hoarder Josie? Nice selection you got there....and I grabbed almost half of those as freebies. What does it say about me? Even worse 'cause they are sitting unread.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Now getting in slippery territory for me. I do not read LGBT book but I got pushed/blackmailed into reading one. It so happened that both of those 1st in a series were freebies and I follow them religiously. I am by no means knowledgeable about the genre since I follow only 3 series.

Bump it up
MM, main hero with a fuck-you-all attitude, self assured queer. No sex scenes with very likable characters.
MM, very eclectic characters, emphasis on crime solving more than the personal drama.

[Josie]

Lol Val! Yes! We are good hoarders and my evidence is that out of the ones I have listed, 31/35 have been IMHO worth reading, giving a success rating of approximately 89%. The numbers speak for themselves ;)

[AH]

I have to add mine in. It may take a while.

[Literary Ames]

I've read quite a few freebies so this is just a selection. Here's my free-read shelf for more.

BUMP IT UP
Hilarious but touching HR.
One of the best shorties I've ever read.
Funniest autobiography I've ever read.
Skillfully written in rhyming verse similar to Poe's The Raven.
Brilliant character development and excellent writing.
Time travel YA I enjoyed against my will.
Funny but sweet PNR.
Surprisingly simple but enjoyable HR.
I understand now why this is a beloved classic.
A hauntingly gothic tale showing that no one is safe from death and disease.
Beautifully written short story prequel available online.
I enjoyed this short story prequel available online more than Cinder itself.
A very intriguing YA prequel.
A super sweet short story.
Clear and direct techniques for approaching strangers and having meaningful and rewarding conversations with them.
'What if the fairy man fell out of my ass?' 'Nuff said.

DEPENDS
Listened to Samuel L. Jackson reading this on YouTube HERE and he narrated it perfectly. Profanity always sounds great when it's coming out of his mouth.
Sci-fi erotica with a novel way of solving all conflict.
A very funny take on a fairy tale.
18th century French classic. Interesting how it compares with other versions.
A humorous Australian revenge short story.
Cyborg romance with a continuity issue but still enjoyable.
A cross between Across the Universe/The Matrix/Twilight Zone. A post-apocalyptic short.
Erotica not for the easily offended.
A nice shapeshifter PNR.
Red Riding Hood shapeshifter erotica.
Quirky Twilight Zone type of story.

TRASH IT
Watch the Tim Burton movie instead.
Cliched language and no chemistry between the couple.
A stupid woman gives her soul to the devil. That's it.
Seemingly unedited.
The author repeats the same story over and over.
Confusing if you've never read the series. Seemed silly to me.
Anthology. Archer's story is okay but the D'Arc's was awful.
Meh.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

LoL,
Quite a list we have here. I am afraid my organization skill are lacking 'cause I have no more space on my post #2.

[Lis]

Need a spreadsheet.... Judith!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Fantastic list, ladies! And, Lis, I'm one step ahead of ya of the same mind. I'm working on something right now (when I should be in school ... Bad, Steph!! Ok, now that I've been reprimanded I'm going back to it. LOL!). :D

[Josie]

Val, why not create a new thread for a final list? Just link it at the top, we can keep adding here and then you have as much room as you want.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Ok,
with Steph's help a spreadsheet was put together. While we do not have pretty little covers (shame), we can now sort by Goodreads reviewers, genre, length of book...

I took the liberty to enter all the 90 books already mentioned above. You might want to check that I have not made any errors along the way.

Now you can continue:
If you like filling forms: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/v...

If you want to look at the Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/c...

Feel free to add more here on this thread and on the spreadsheet. I know some of you like to organize things to death.

I'll post the link at the beginning too.

[AH]

Thanks for doing this. Maybe there needs to be another field - is it still free or something like that?

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

I totally see your point AH but from a realistic stand point....who would dedicate his/herself to check every 100 books on a regular basis? Most of the time the books may be free for a day or two only. I can honestly say that I cannot.

Since I did not make the form, maybe Steph could change it if it is deemed appropriate. Maybe the date you acquired the freebie? It does give an indication while not committing anybody to any guaranties.

In my mind, this thread is more to orient people on what was worth reading (or grab) while it was free but if the book is exceptional...maybe it is worth getting it even if it is no longer free.

[D.G.]

I agree with Valerie. I think there's no way to maintain that on a regular basis, specially as a lot of these books are free for just a period of time (some of them only for a day.) I think anybody interested should just check Amazon.

[AH]

Valerie ~ Val Hall ~ wrote: "I totally see your point AH but from a realistic stand point....who would dedicate his/herself to check every 100 books on a regular basis? Most of the time the books may be free for a day or two o..."

OK, it was just a suggestion - it can be added in the comments if it is still free or not.

[D.G.]

AH wrote: "OK, it was just a suggestion - it can be added in the comments if it is still free or not. "

But that can change from day to day (free today but not tomorrow) so even if somebody takes the time to check all the books to determine whether they are still free, by the time somebody else checks, they may not be free anymore. That's why it's more appropriate for whomever is interested to check themselves is the books are still free.

[Lis]

Val, I'd move this one to the "depends" category.... I found it interesting enough to buy the next two to see what happens.

alien kidnaps female from earth to share with his warrior brother and mate. Better than the other alien books and I bought the next two in the series, because I had to know what happened.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Hey, Fellow Hoarders Ladies! :D


I was thinking about tracking something similar, AH, but wonder if maybe we should just continue to use the "Book Freebies" thread. When I visit that thread, I know that, at least at some point in time, the book was free. But, I still ck Amazon or elsewhere to see if it still is or not.

Lis, I've noticed some that others have marked a book "trash" w/a description (ie: thoughts on book) that sounds like something I'd like to try. I think this is what makes the "user name" field in the form/spreadsheet, or seeing who posted the list here, helpful.

It would be kinda hard, IMO, to make one master list b/c each person's preference will vary.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Oh my, my TBR shelf is growing at an alarming rate. I already started reading some of those...good rec.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Another one that should get more consideration Bump it up , post-apocalyptic, dragon have devastated the world, humans trying to survive. For once the dragons are not the good guys but the infestation.

[Regina]

Ohhhh that looks good!Thanks Valerie.

[Literary Ames]

Valerie ~ Val Hall ~ wrote: "Another one that should get more consideration Bump it up , post-apocalyptic, dragon have devastated the world, humans trying to survive. For once the dragons are not the ..."

I second that!

[Lis]

I agree Val, is good and so is but I didn't get them as a freebie, I had to buy them both...

[Steph, Serious series addict]

You reminded me, I started readin this one the other day but got distracted. It is interesting so far.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

I just wanted some short romance/erotica for a quick read...was I disappointed:

No Rush
Werewolf, Virgin Offering Badly written, not cutting it.
Gave up after a few pages, bad fairytale analogy.

[~Leslie~]

Great thread! It will take me awhile to compile a list. I've read quite a few, but still have hundreds on my nook and kindle app. It's nice to have opinions on them.
So far, I agree with most of what's been posted. A couple of thoughts - I will get anything by Marsha Canham and luckily she is committed to publishing her backlist and keeping prices low. Probably the best pirate books I've ever read. Barbara Samuel is another author who is very good. I've read several by her and really liked them all.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

DEPENDS

Too short for character developments but still entertaining. A quick, fast paced PNR.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Well, I am ashamed to say that I have added way more books than I have read.

Bump it up!

Sweet coming of age story about 2 boys..one of them invisible. Hopes and heartbreaks...not to read when alone 'cause it gets to you. Not much m/m scenes in it but the tension in the book makes up for it.

Depends
My first read from this author. Will definitely continue.
Nice cover. Loved the concept where the waitress serving vampires is the lowest of the low. She's no prostitute but you get the idea. A little bit long on the drama for my taste but I liked the soap opera romance with vampire in it.

[Lis]

Strolling my short story freebies and read these pre-bingo fillers...

Depends -if your not looking for a real deep storyline...
ok quick read of a guy coming home to reconnect with his high school sweetheart+ steam...


ok read of a Band on the road with groupies in the "man bus" started off awkward but finished with a nice little story, so I bought the next two.

[Literary Ames]

Bump it up!
Sci-fi episodes of the same story. Loved that 3rd one. Currently free on Smashswords. :D

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

I have yet to read the Turbulence series but her PsyCop series is very good.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

I grabbed those a while ago, but still haven't read them. Actually, I haven't started any of her series yet, but I plan to. I've heard a lot of rave reviews.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Slow going :)

Depends
I liked everything except the heroine. Jinn mytho is nice, looking forward to know more.

No Rush
2.5 Stars. Names where ridiculus, story ok but most interesting character was a secondary: healer seeing things, saying weird things in a bad prose.
Fun and yet not (forced m/m not really my thing)...and real short.

[S]

Bump it up!
1. Kissed in Paris
This book is one of my absolute favorites and I want to shout from the rooftop how much I loved this book. Even though it is shelved as chick-lit, this is one of the best love stories I have ever read. Sexy, protective, French bad undercover agent, hot chemistry and awesome French scenery. Full review

2. Ordinary Angels
I utterly loved it at the time and it's still a fav. This book is a mix of chick-lit, fantasy and romance with pretty much the best of each genre. And angst-free! Full review



When the mood hits!
1. To Kill A Warlock
Cute urban fantasy with the coolest fairy heroine and her three cute guys who are wooying for her attention. There wasn't much romance at all but it was a cute funny read nevertheless.

2. A Touch of Greek
Cute and enjoyable romance with Triton forced to live in the human world and find I girl who love him for him. Pretty sweet rom-com and I recommend it as brain-candy but it didn't rock my world.



No Rush!
1. Slow Ride
If you read All Jacked Up you can read this novella, but if you haven't then this is not a standalone. And you will not miss anything if you skip this.

2. A Week At The Beach
Cute chick-lit/romances with very dated morale.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Ok, recently I have a dirtier mind than normal and thanks to freebies I can indulge....but for every gem....

No Rush!

This is a stunning example of really horrible bad plot.

[Tracy]

Bump It Up

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Bump it up


My only regret is that I did not read it sooner. I normally do not go for books without supernatural elements but it was incredibly good. Some of the scenes, while featuring questionable hygiene, are so hot you better have at least a BOB close at hand or better.

[Lis]

If your in the mood for a fifty style book with a college setting... Bump it up
. The first 86 pages were free, then if want continue the series it's really one chunky story of about 890 pages for $6.99. The first part sets up the attraction and sucks you into the relationship train wreck of these two college students. Lots of sexploits and should have been called "Spank Me" at one point, but not a bad romance story if you like a lot of family drama.

[AH]

Valerie ~ Val Hall ~ wrote: "Bump it up


My only regret is that I did not read it sooner. I normally do not go for books without supernatural elements but it was incredibly good. Some of the ..."

So I bumped it up and I didn't like it. I guess it wasn't my cup of tea. Everyone else seems to love it.

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

It's pretty much the kind of book you either love or hate with a passion.