This feature essentially looks at titles that are being released in eBook format without an accompanying hardback or paperback. Sometimes it’s a release ahead of those formats, sometimes it’s a release after and sometimes it’s only being released in eBook format. At the minute I have one reliable (free) source (not Amazon, which doesn’t work for this). So lets give it a go and see whether this idea has legs!
Just a reminder as I don’t see any advance copies, my choices are based on the cover, blurb, gut instinct and what takes my fancy at the time. Essentially that’s how I decide on my own purchases.
(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)
Too Soon by Betty Shamieh
Arabella gets an unexpected chance at love when she’s thrust into a conflict and history she’s tried to avoid all her life.
Zoya is playing matchmaker for her last unmarried granddaughter and stirring up buried memories.
Naya is keeping a secret from her children that will change all their lives.
Thirty-five-year-old Arabella, a New York theatre director whose dating and career prospects are drying up, is offered an opportunity to direct a risqué cross-dressing interpretation of a Shakespeare classic—that might garner international attention—in the West Bank. Her mother, Naya, and grandmother, Zoya, hatch a plot to match her with Aziz, a Palestinian American doctor volunteering in Gaza. Arabella agrees to meet Aziz, since her growing feelings for Yoav, a celebrated Israeli American theatre designer, seem destined for disaster…
With biting hilarity, Too Soon introduces us to a trio of bold and unforgettable voices. This dramatic saga follows one family’s epic journey fleeing war-torn Jaffa in 1948, chasing the American Dream in Detroit and San Francisco in the sixties and seventies, hustling in the New York theatre scene post-9/11, and daring to stage a show in Palestine in 2012. Upon learning one of them is living on borrowed time, the three women fight to live, make art, and love on their own terms. A funny, sexy, and heart-wrenching literary debut, Too Soon illuminates our shared history and asks, how can we set ourselves free?
The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn
Hannah longs for the days when she used to be free, but now, she is a Jewish prisoner at Theresienstadt, a model ghetto where the Nazis plan to make a propaganda film to convince the world that the Jewish people are living well in the camps. But Hannah will do anything to show the world the truth. Along with other young resistance members, they vow to disrupt the filming and derail the increasingly frequent deportations to death camps in the east.
Hilde is a true believer in the Nazi cause, working in the Reich Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda. Though they’re losing the war, Hilde hasn’t lost faith. She can’t stop the Allied bombings, but she can help the party create a documentary that will renew confidence in Hitler’s plans for Jewish containment. When the filming of Hitler Gives a City to the Jews faces production problems due to resistance, Hilde finds herself in a position to finally make a name for herself. And when she recognizes Hannah, an old childhood friend, she knows she can use their friendship to get the film back on track.
Falling for the Forward by Brenda Rothert
Suki Brennan is broke. After she co-signed several hefty loans for her ex’s business, he fled the country and left her working two jobs to pay his bills.
So when her new boss, a sulky pro hockey player who recently became the guardian of his three nieces, proposes a deal to help him secure permanent custody of the girls, she agrees.
If Suki fake marries Carter Stanton for one year, and pretends to be his doting wife, she’ll get half a million dollars and a clean divorce at the end. Not only will the money pay off all her debts, she’ll be able to help the girls she already adores settle fully into their new lives.
It’s a foolproof plan. At least, it seems like it. As Suki grows closer to Carter and his nieces, though, her feelings for them become very real. But does her brooding boss feel the same?
Cruising with the O’Maras by Michelle Vernal
A cruise, a tribute band, and one unforgettable Irish escapade…
When Donal and his Kenny Rogers tribute band, The Gamblers, land a last-minute gig on a Mexican Riviera cruise, Maureen O’Mara couldn’t be more excited. As the tambourine player and vocalist for Kenny’s Dolly and Sheena’s duets, she’s ready to soak up all the sun, sea, and shenanigans that come with life onboard.
By day, Maureen and Donal bask in tropical sunshine, explore vibrant ports, and indulge in endless buffets. By night, she dazzles in her sequins, Donal in his white suit. But it’s not all smooth sailing—unexpected friendships soon form with their fellow entertainers, like Carole, a pianist escaping a broken heart, and Tomasina, a magician’s assistant guarding a mysterious past.
In just one week, secrets will surface, hearts will mend, and Maureen’s knack for finding chaos will make this a voyage to remember.
Escape winter’s gloom, slap on the sunscreen, and join Maureen and Donal for an adventure brimming with laughter, love, and plenty of surprises on the high seas!
Comeback by Rebecca Jenshak
My brother’s best friend is such a jerk.
An imposing, handsome jerk who doesn’t trust me. And now we’re roommates.
He wanders around the apartment in nothing but gray sweatpants, looking like a broody, tattooed muscle god, and playing music that shakes the walls. I want to hate him for treating me like an intruder, but there’s something about the way he looks at me—like he’s trying to figure me out—that keeps pulling me in.
Archer Holland is loyal, caring, and protective—with everyone except me.
Every time I move around our apartment, I can feel his glare. And the worst part? It only makes me want him more.
Not that it matters.
He’s my brother’s best friend—the one guy I can never have. But after a late-night rescue, we go from sharing a wall to sharing a bed.
I’m not sure what my brother would do if he found out, but it doesn’t matter because Archer says it can’t happen again.
That imposing, handsome jerk is about to find out I’m done playing by his rules.
Comeback is a football romance with lots of spice, swoon, and a happily ever after. It’s the third book in the Holland Brothers series and can be read as a standalone.
The Art of Marrying Your Enemy by Alina Jacobs
Forget the summer I turned pretty…that was the summer I got hips, acne, and utterly humiliated by Aaron Richmond.
This summer? This is the summer I had to marry the bastard.
When I walk down the aisle towards my enemy, all to save the Coleman family fortune, I shouldn’t give in to my wounded inner 14-year old-self. I should smile, blink up at him prettily, and declare to have and to hate…
Err…hold.
Too bad I’m Granny Madge’s namesake.
As soon as I begrudgingly say, I do, I toss three tiers of wedding cake on my new husband, kick him in the balls, and down a whole bottle of champagne.
He retaliates by dropping me face-first in his foyer after carrying me over the marital threshold.
I respond in a mature manner by eating a bag of chips in his bed and letting my cat puke on his pillow.
Yeah, this is totally how I’d always fantasized about becoming Mrs. Richmond during my teenage infatuation.
That obsession? Gone.
Never to return.
Not even when he takes off his shirt and his hair is slightly messy over his forehead…
In fact, I loudly declare that I am dryer than my mom’s spelt muffins.
Suddenly that six-five muscular body is hovering over me—the deep voice purring in my ear…
“This will go easier for you if you aren’t.”
Gulp.
We’re not married like that.
There’s a dangerous glint in his eye when he drops the 530 page marriage contract on the table, turns to page 280 and informs me that we have to consummate the marriage or the whole thing is null and void.
“You should have read the contract, Coleman.”
Damn him he’s right.
Because if I’d known I’d have to sleep with my husband, I never would have married him.
Forever With the CEO by Layla Hagen
It began as a fake marriage. It became so much more.
I’m Nick Whitley, CEO of Whitley Sports Industries. I’m a bonafide bachelor, and never intended to settle down. But I’m also a dependable kind of guy and do what’s right when I can.
So when my best friend and his wife pass away, leaving behind their twins, I do everything possible to help out their aunt—Allison . She’s gorgeous and funny and someone I enjoy being around .
I even propose marriage when the kids’ grandparents unexpectedly contest the custody. It’s the only way Allison can win.
To make things legitimate, we need to live in one home, and sleep in one bed. Things escalate, but I’m all in. Not that it’s any hardship—Allison is damn perfect, and the twins are worming their way into my heart. I enjoy reading them bedtime stories, eating pizza, while watching the same cartoons for the millionth time. I’m ready to adopt them tomorrow if they’d have me.
Now I’ve got to convince Allison that I’m the man for her, because I know without a shadow of a doubt that she’s the woman for me.
The Playbook of Emma by Brynne Asher
The most epic day of my life got even better when I ran into my brother’s best friend and my first crush, Jack Hale.
He’s still just as charismatic, charming, and larger than life. Those skills come in handy as a sports agent whose biggest client is the country’s most popular football player. When I land a career-changing interview after the big game, our worlds collide in a Vegas bar.
That’s when our meet-cute turns into a celebration.
One night.
One perfect night.
Until the next morning when his famous client turns infamous. A scandal to end all scandals explodes into a media nightmare. And since I’m the new darling of sports broadcasting, our worlds collide again … only this time, not in bed.
Jack needs me, and I can’t say no to Jack in anything. Who would’ve thought that would put a target on my back?
Help from old friends and a secret organization might not be enough this time.
In the end, the only way to survive is to save each other.
Even if it means throwing out the playbook.
Belsay by LJ Ross
Christmas can be deadly…
After a long year of crime-fighting, DCI Ryan and his team are looking forward to a peaceful Christmas filled with festive treats – including the occasional turkey stottie, or three. To celebrate a job well done, the entire team are treated to a party at beautiful Belsay Hall, a spectacular country estate on the outskirts of the city. But, when their dinner is interrupted by the untimely arrival of a dead body, they’re reminded that crime never sleeps – and nor do the secrets within the walls of Belsay.
It’s time to find out who’s been naughty or nice…
Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.
Strictly Pretend by Carrie Elks
A knight in shining armor? Hardly. More like my worst enemy wrapped in a swoon-worthy tux…
When Brooks Salinger saves me from heartbreak at a wedding, I never expect to see him again—let alone find him back in my life, set to destroy my family’s bookstore.
But when he offers me a wild deal—pretend to be his girlfriend at a ritzy wedding in exchange for saving the store—I reluctantly agree.
Now we’re “in love,” navigating bridal showers, family dinners, and dance floors where sparks are definitely flying.
He’s irritatingly perfect in the role of devoted boyfriend, and worse, I’m starting to believe it.
But he’s still the enemy, the one I’m supposed to hate. So why does one searing look from him have me wishing our fake love was something I could keep?
So that’s all for this week.
Happy Reading!
