Bourdain, CL Wilson, and Omid Scobie Books on Sale!

There are so many great deals today, from retcon romantasy to romance to memoir to dishy nonfiction.

The Winter King

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson is $1.49! This is book one in the Weathermages of Mystral series. This is a fantasy romance originally published 10 years ago in 2014, and it has some interesting magical systems and societies, but readers on StoryGraph have warned that there is dubious consent and assault. This is part of what I think of as “Retcon Romantasy:” an older book that fits what is right now the very hottest reading trend. Have you read this one? (And isn’t that cover something?)

After three long years of war, starkly handsome Wynter Atrialan will have his vengeance on Summerlea’s king by taking one of the man’s beautiful, beloved daughters as his bride. But though peace is finally at hand, Wynter’s battle with the Ice Heart, the dread power he embraced to avenge his brother’s death, rages on.

Khamsin Coruscate, Princess of Summerlea and summoner of Storms, has spent her life exiled to the shadows of her father’s palace. Reviled by her father, marriage to Wintercraig’s icy king was supposed to be a terrible punishment, but instead offers Kham her first taste of freedom—and her first taste of overwhelming passion.

As fierce, indomitable Wynter weathers even Khamsin’s wildest storms, surprising her with a tenderness she never expected, Kham wants more than Wynter’s passion—she yearns for his love. But the power of the Ice Heart is growing, dangerous forces are gathering, and a devastating betrayal puts Khamsin and Wynter to the ultimate test.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

This book is on sale at:

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as
well. Thanks!
Kitchen Confidential

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain is $4.99 at Amazon and Kobo (come on over, price matching fairies!).

This is Bourdain’s tell-all memoir, containing stories about what really happens in the kitchens of restaurants, and how he became a chef. Bourdain fans love this book, and with all the kitchen-set dramas and reality shows, it’s perennially relevant.

Overview

Last summer, The New Yorker published Chef Bourdain’s shocking, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This“. Bourdain spared no one’s appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same “take-no-prisoners” attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdain’s first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky–tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the East Village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain’s tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You’ll beg the chef for more, please.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as
well. Thanks!
Battle Royal

RECOMMENDED: Speaking of kitchens! Battle Royal by Lucy Parker is $1.99! Catherine gave this one an A-:

I loved Battle Royal. While it did have minor flaws, it more than made up for them with humour, tenderness, and food porn.

Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits.

Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

Set…

Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that the irksome Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

Match…

When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they’re both determined to come out on top.

The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

In this royal battle, can there be room for two?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

This book is on sale at:

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as
well. Thanks!
My Fair Concubine

My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin is $1.99! This is a historical “My Fair Lady” style romance – set in the Tang Dynasty in China. Readers loved the retelling and the depth of characterization, and it has a 3.74 star average on StoryGraph. Have you read this one?

THE NOBLEMAN WHO TURNED A TEA GIRL INTO A PRINCESS…

Yan Ling tries hard to be servile-it’s what’s expected of a girl of her class. Being intelligent and strong-minded, she finds it a constant battle.

Proud Fei Long is unimpressed by her spirit-until he realizes she’s the answer to his problems. He has to deliver the emperor a “princess.” In two months can he train a tea girl to pass as a noblewoman?

Yet it’s hard to teach good etiquette when all Fei Long wants to do is break it, by taking this tea girl for his own…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

This book is on sale at:

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as
well. Thanks!
Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival

RECOMMENDED: Endgame by Omid Scobie is $4.99. If you can get the audiobook, I recommend that most emphatically as Scobie reads it himself.

I’ve said before on the podcast that watching the story of the royal family since Queen Elizabeth’s passing is watching the unraveling of a delicate balance of propaganda between the monarchy and the press. Endgame looks at the fragility of the agreements made between the British press and the monarchy through the lens of the absolute mess that’s been made since the queen died. I love reading nonfiction wherein a member of the media attempts to analyze the media itself, and I thought this was a really interesting book.

Endgame, the explosive book from longtime royal journalist Omid Scobie and author of the international blockbuster Finding Freedom, is a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy—an unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.

Queen Elizabeth II’s death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor—and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world. Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive.

This is the monarchy’s endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

This book is on sale at:

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as
well. Thanks!