15 Free Kindle eBooks, Best Kindle Books of 2010

First off if you haven’t been to the Kindle store lately, Amazon posted lists of the best Kindle Books of 2010. They have a list of the top 100 editors’ picks and a list of the top 100 customer favorites.

Now for the free Kindle eBooks. As usual, most of these are free for a limited time only, and are mostly restricted to US residents.

Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1) by Janice Thompson

4.5 stars, 37 reviews

Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a “Boot Scoot’n” wedding that would make any Texan proud. There’s only one catch–she’s a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban? When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed.

Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding? Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

Don’t Die, Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton

4.5 stars, 24 reviews

After getting kicked out of school and sent to live with her grandmother, Sabine Rose is determined to become a “normal” teenage girl. She hides her psychic powers from everyone, even from her grandmother Nona, who also has “the gift.” Having a job at the school newspaper and friends like Penny-Love, a popular cheerleader, have helped Sabine fit in at her new school.

She has even managed to catch the eye of the adorable Josh DeMarco. Yet, Sabine can’t seem to get the bossy voice of Opal, her spirit guide, out of her head . . . or the disturbing images of a girl with a dragonfly tattoo. Suspected of a crime she didn’t commit, Sabine must find the strength to defend herself and, later, save a friend from certain danger.

Avempartha: Book 2 of Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan

4.5 stars, 54 reviews

The secret is in the tower. The problem is the beast. The answer is two thieves.

When a destitute young woman hires Royce and Hadrian to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are once more drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. Once more, what begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm — but this time the outcome could change the future of Elan.

Catwalk by Melody Carlson

4 stars, 13 reviews

Big Apple. Bigger Problems.The success of the Forrester sisters’ On the Runway TV show lands them a hot ticket to Fashion Week in New York City. Paige is determined to garner the attention of New York’s top designers, but her newfound fame threatens to go to her head. Erin wants to help promote the work of some eco-minded designers, but struggles to be taken seriously.

Can Paige keep her prima donna behavior in check? Will Erin’s involvement hurt the people she’s really trying to help? Success in the big city comes with even bigger challenges, and as the pressure grows, so does the drama.

A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight

3.5 stars, 42 reviews

It was the surprise of a lifetime for recluse Molly McCreight when single dad Ethan Hunter entrusted her with his infant daughter while he delivered medicine to an elderly man during an ice storm. Past experience had taught Molly how fragile life could be, but she was touched by this stranger’s faith in her abilities.

Once the storm had passed, though, and her guests returned home, normalcy eluded Molly. The Hunters’ presence had brought much-needed joy to her quiet world, but their absence threatened to crush her forever. Still, was she ready to admit that this tiny family held the key to the future she’d always secretly craved?

A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills

4.5 stars, 19 reviews

They took away everything she loved … now, she’s out for revenge.Sage Morrow had it all: life on a beautiful Colorado ranch, a husband who adored her, and a baby on the way. Until five ruthless gunmen rode up to their ranch and changed her life forever. Now Sage is a bounty hunter bent on retribution. Accompanied only by her majestic hawk, she travels throughout the Rocky Mountains in search of injustice, determined to stamp it out wherever it’s found.

The stakes are raised when two young boys are kidnapped and Sage is forced to work with Marshall Parker Timmons to rescue them. But Sage may ultimately get more than she bargained for.In this exciting historical romance set in the late 1800s, murder, intrigue, kidnapping, and questions of faith will keep you in suspense until the final words of this A Woman Called Sage Ebook.

The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

4 stars, 55 reviews

In author Melanie Dickenson’s new book, a young healer’s apprentice named Rose believes she will never marry … until she meets Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of her village. Hamlin is everything she could ever want—kind, understanding, and a man of faith—but her low station and the fact he’s already betrothed to a mysterious woman makes their romance impossible. As Lord Hamlin seeks to find the sorcerer who cursed his future bride, Rose’s life spins toward confusion. A creative retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale.

Oleander House by Ally Blue

3.5 stars, 22 reviews

Putting his life and sanity on the line—for a man beyond his reach.

Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1

Sam Raintree’s experience with things he can’t explain isn’t the only reason his new job as a paranormal investigator is a perfect fit. His coworkers, preoccupied with things outside the norm, will never notice he’s gay.

Once he settles into his first investigation at Oleander House, his gay-by-stealth theory goes out the window. Not only is his unexpected attraction to group leader Dr. Bo Broussard painfully obvious, he can’t hide his increasingly erotic and frightening dreams stimulated by the house’s violent history. . .

Daughter Of Joy by Kathleen Morgan

4 stars, 22 reviews

In this spectacular new series, Morgan, an acclaimed writer of historical and futuristic romances, turns her deft pen to the Christian market to reflect a personal change. Abigail Stanton, who recently lost her husband and child, moves to Culdee Creek to become a housekeeper for Conor MacKay, a man whose previous housekeepers warmed more than dinner.

Abby makes it clear that she won’t tolerate any disreputable advances on his part, but she feels God led her to this ranch and this family for a purpose. As she grows to love Conor and his daughter, her faith inspires Conor to believe that there might just be something to this idea of religion. This wonderful start is for all collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Centurion’s Wife by Janette Oke

3.5 stars, 43 reviews

Janette Oke has dreamed for years of retelling a story in a biblical time frame from a female protagonist’s perspective, and Davis Bunn is elated to be working with her again on this sweeping saga of the dramatic events surrounding the birth of Christianity…and the very personal story of Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage trapped in a vortex of competing political agendas and private trauma. Caught up in the maelstrom following the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of first-century Palestine, Leah finds herself also engulfed in her own turmoil–facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions.

Head of the garrison near Galilee, he has been assigned by Palestine’s governor to ferret out the truth behind rumors of a political execution gone awry. Leah’s mistress, the governor’s wife, secretly commissions Leah also to discover what really has become of this man whose death–and missing body–is causing such furor. This epic drama is threaded with the tale of an unlikely romance and framed with dangers and betrayals from unexpected sources. At its core, The Centurion’s Wife unfolds the testing of loyalties–between two young people whose inner searchings they cannot express, between their irreconcilable heritages, and ultimately between their humanity and the Divine they yearn to encounter.

Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie

4 stars, 59 reviews

The salacious underside of Roman-occupied Britain comes to life in Britisher Downie’s debut. Gaius Petrius Ruso, a military medicus (or doctor), transfers to the 20th Legion in the remote Britannia port of Deva (now Chester) to start over after a ruinous divorce and his father’s death. Things go downhill from there. His quarters are filthy and vermin-filled, and his superior at the hospital is a petty tyrant. Gaius rescues and buys an injured slave girl, Tilla, from her abusive master, but she refuses to talk, can’t cook and costs more to keep than he can afford.

Meanwhile, young women from the local bordello keep turning up dead, and nobody is interested in investigating. Gaius becomes a reluctant detective, but his sleuthing threatens to get him killed and leaves him scant time to work on the first-aid guide he’s writing to help salvage his finances. Tilla plots her escape as she recovers from her injuries, and just when Ruso becomes attached to her, she runs away, complicating his personal life and his investigation. Downie’s auspicious debut sparkles with beguiling characters and a vividly imagined evocation of a hazy frontier. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Rough Cut by Mari Carr

3.5 stars, 12 reviews

When the screen fades to black, all that remains is love.

Ty Ransome. Reigning king of Hollywood, producer, actor, Look Magazine’s Hottest Man Alive. He has it all—until he reads a book of short stories that touches him in places kept carefully hidden from the tabloid gossip mill. There’s only one way to meet the introverted writer—invite her to Tinseltown to work on a script. The moment he sees her, he realizes why her work haunts him. There’s something missing in his life, and it’s her.

Gwen steps off the plane with reservations. For one thing, her darkly sexual stories are hardly movie material. Then there’s Ty’s reputation as a ladies’ man. Yet she’s won over by his charm and agrees to stay on for a week to get to know him before making her decision. And as the days go by, she discovers there’s far more to Ty than a handsome face. . .

The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen

4.5 stars, 180 reviews

Klassen’s debut novel, Lady of Milkweed Manor, was a Christy Award finalist, and her new Regency promises the same thanks to fine storytelling and knowledge of the apothecary’s art. Lillian Haswell yearns to leave her father’s apothecary shop in their small town and happily accepts an invitation to live in London. She leaves behind a handicapped brother, friends, her lonely father and memories of her lost mother, but finds that London holds its own troubles. Will Roger Bromley propose? What about the timid physician Adam Graves? And the dastardly Roderick Marlow? Will her humble origins ruin her chances of a good match?

Complications ensue as Lillian is called home when word comes of her father’s ill health. She takes over the apothecary shop—illegal, because a woman could not dispense medicine—and begins again thanks to her father’s former assistant Francis Baylor. Klassen blends her tale well; each ingredient—romance, friendship, healing arts, mystery—is measured to produce a lively, lengthy tale that will satisfy Regency aficionados and general readers, too. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Light Of Eidon by Karen Hancock

4 stars, 109 reviews

Hancock’s intriguing Arena [BKL Ap 15 02] drew a great deal of praise for the originality and starkness of its alternative universe. In The Light of Eidon, she begins a fantasy series called Legends of the Guardian King that is more clearly a Christian allegory but is so crisscrossed with subplots and deceit that exactly where the light of Eidon shines may baffle the reader. It certainly baffles young Abramm Kalladorne, Hancock’s hero. He is the little-valued fifth son of the king of Kiriath, a vivid kingdom that seems a bit like medieval England, with a bit of ancient Rome.

Abramm is drawn to the religious life, but after eight years as a novitiate, he discovers that his spiritual leader is a fraud and that the true path to Eidon’s light lies elsewhere. But upon leaving the monastery, he finds himself in the middle of court intrigues, and his brothers sell him into slavery in a faraway, barbarous land. For a while, Hancock’s novel seems like a gladitorial epic, but then Eidon, or Jesus, makes his truths known. A great battle ensues, but victory is not complete and many questions remain. Readers will certainly return for the second installment. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association.

Against All Odds: A Novel by Irene Hannon

4 stars, 50 reviews

For FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Evan Cooper and his partner, dignitary protection duty should have been a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Monica Callahan isn’t making it easy. Estranged from her diplomat father–who is involved in a sensitive hostage situation in the Middle East–she refuses to be intimidated by a related terrorist threat back in the States. That is, until a chilling warning convinces her that the danger is very real–and escalating.

As Coop and his partner do their best to keep her safe, Monica’s father triggers an abduction that puts his daughter’s life at risk. And with every second that ticks by, Coop knows that the odds of saving the only woman who has ever breached the walls around his heart are dropping. After all, terrorists aren’t known for their patience–or their mercy. Book one in the Heroes of Quantico series, this suspense-filled novel will whisk readers along for the thrilling ride.